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An Infestation in the Herd

Part 13

For FlimFlamFun5

By Draconicon

Moonlight Thunder, Darkmoon Dancer, and their respective groups of fellow hosts met up after the celebrations finally ended. Unlike the few remaining un-infested citizens of the town, they were not in the best of moods. Their plans had, after all, failed.

The Hive did not gain HER.

They had gained a number of other ponies, that much was true. They had finished their collection of the Ponyville City Council, and they had gained the bodies of a few more soldiers, keeping the possibility of Darkmoon Dancer or Sunlight Charger from being exposed quite low. They had seized hold of a number of other merchants of Ponyville, thanks to Sugarfrost Harvest's treats, and the delivery ponies had done their part to keep various sharp-eyed individuals busy by distracting them with impromptu gift deliveries during the festival. By all accounts, it should have been a success.

But the Hive, and their hosts, were well aware that their prime goal had eluded them. The idea of luring Celestia down to Ponyville with the celebrations, of stirring up enough discontent and difficulty for her to come down and deal with it personally, had not quite worked out. Oh, she had turned up, alright, but she was surrounded by guards at all times, and there had been no chance to get them on their side. Even Darkmoon Dancer and Sunlight Charger had been kept at bay, and the commoners, like Moonlight Charger and his group, had even less chance to get near her.

And so, the ruler of Equestria survived without a parasite in her. They would have to try again, somehow.

But how?

"Do we have a plan?" Darkmoon Dancer asked, the night stallion arching an eyebrow as he looked around the hotel room. "It seems that our current one is shot to pieces."

"We'll have to come up with another," Moonlight admitted. "There's got to be a way."

"There doubtlessly is. But there is still the danger of the other hive."

The Changelings. They had let the one they had caught go, seeing if he would bring back allies that they might be able to use in the long run. He had promised that he would be back in three days with a decision from his queen.

Tonight, midnight, had marked the passage from day two to day three. He should be back at any time.

In the meantime, the members of the Hive pulled closer together. They turned, looking away from one another as they lifted their tails. As one, they started releasing the anal tentacles that allowed the Hive parasites to speak with one another without invoking the hosts, and Moonlight Thunder kept his head down, the host knowing what was about to come, and what kind of mess it was going to involve.

Even bracing himself, he still wasn't prepared for the shock of pleasure that ran down his spine, the bliss that followed, the warmth that filled his mind and left him panting happily from the intensity of it. He groaned, shaking his head, occasionally stomping his hoof as the electrical shocks of pleasure ran through his body, and particularly through his cock and balls. The latter pulled up again and again, pre-cum flowing through the shaft to the floor.

At his side, Azure Breeze was suffering similar pleasures, her eyes straight ahead, but her body tensing. Her pucker clenched around the edge of her tendril, and her perfumed scent filled the air with as much intensity as his own musk did.

Of course, as the rare mare in the room, she didn't add much. She and Mayor Mare were the only females in the two groups, with the rest of them consisting of stallions. The heady scent of stallion musk pushed through everything else.

Even that, however, was secondary as the parasites of the Hive talked to each other, passing information silently. Here and there, images passed into the minds of the hosts, little things that allowed them to guess, if they wished, what was being discussed. Images of Celestia and her guards passed through Moonlight Thunder's head again and again, and he knew that they were desperately trying to figure out a way through that particular barrier.

From the looks of things, it seemed impossible. She was away from home, and thus surrounded by the elite. There was no way through that, even for the other guards.

Darkmoon Dancer and Sunlight Charger, both of which were part of the guards, had had no success in getting near her. They were too low-ranking for that. Their superior, Dawning Glory, might have had a chance, but...

Well, that had been its own problem. Dawning Glory turned out to be the changeling that they'd offered a deal to, and he had to leave. The missing commander of the local forces had been something that Darkmoon and Sunlight had needed to cover up, pretending that he was busy at all times, even when Celestia wanted to see him. The whole thing had ended up doubling her security, and that left them unable to see her, unable to get close and attempt an infestation.

And now, they were at an impasse. The parasites were trying to find a way around it, but as of that moment, there was no clear path forward. The Hive was due to be split, with Darkmoon being sent to one of the rumored changeling nests on the edge of the kingdom, and Sunlight being sent somewhere else to attend to another of the blue-blooded nobles of the kingdom. It would divide their forces at a time when they could scarce allow that, and the rest of the Hive was too low-ranking in the kingdom to be sent to Canterlot. They would be kept at the edge of society, where the Hive would grow too slowly for them to be able to actually do anything about taking over.

They needed a way to change things.

Eventually, the parasites pulled their tendrils back, giving up on finding a solution for the night. Moonlight Thunder and Azure Breeze stepped to one side of the room, along with the other ponies that they'd brought from their village, and the other hosts clopped over to the far side.

"What do you think the Hive will have us do?" Azure asked as she settled into bed with him.

"I don't know. Something."

"They always have us do something."

"That's all I know."

"Do you think we'll stay together?"

"Probably not."

Once, that would have been rather starling, even earth-shaking for the couple, but they had long-since left their married relationship at the door. They were barely together, something that they could use in social situations if they had to, but the Hive was all that mattered. If they were ordered apart by the Hive, sent to different places to spread the infestation further, then they would do that. If they were kept together for different tasks, giving the Hive an in somewhere else, then they would do that.

Obedience to the Hive was all. Moonlight Thunder lowered his head to the pillows, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow morning would bring answers, he hoped.

Darkmoon Dancer could not sleep. The night had been a failure, and while the civilian ponies seemed to be alright with that, he was not. There was an objective loss to the night, regardless of the mild successes that they had achieved. While his counterpart and Mayor Mare enjoyed themselves, rewarded by their parasites, he found himself getting up and walking out of the room. His parasite was in accordance with him, though neither entirely knew why, just that they shared the dissatisfaction of failure.

This was supposed to go better than this, he thought.

_It could have.

It should have.

It will do next time.

But only if we plan for it._

It was a very mild back and forth between him and the parasite in his lower body, given in more of a sense of feelings and assurances rather than actual thoughts and words. They understood each other, however. Darkmoon was a drone, but he was a drone driven by purpose, perhaps more than any other figure in the Hive. He knew what he was supposed to do, and he had every reason, every intention, of doing it well.

The dark-furred stallion walked down the empty streets, making his way to the far end of town. He stared into the distance, his eyes burning slightly from lack of sleep, but it was a familiar feeling that no longer bothered him. He kept his eyes peeled, half-hoping to see someone coming from the distance.

And strangely enough, he did. It was barely visible, a hint of a silhouette against the night sky, but there was something coming. Not one of the night guards of Luna, but rather something that was lighter, softer, something...bug-like.

The changeling was returning.

Darkmoon Dancer stood quietly at the edge of town, watching as the green light of changeling magic consumed the bug-shape on the approach. Black-blue chitin turned to orange fur, with a red mane running down his neck. The slightly curly horn that the changelings seemed to have turned to a straight unicorn point, and he was smiling. Darkmoon Dancer stared straight ahead at him.

"You come with good news, then?" he asked.

"Great news."

"Then share."

"...Uh, not that way," the changeling said, shaking his head as a tentacle started sliding from the other stallion's ass. "I can just say it."

"...If you must."

"My queen has agreed to your idea of an alliance."

"Good."

"And we will devote some of our people to your cause."

"...How many?"

"Five here, and others elsewhere."

"That will make quite the difference..."

Particularly with Dawning Glory able to give orders that benefitted the Hive at large. As a matter of fact, an idea came to him, an idea that was swiftly stolen by the parasite within. He had permission to offer it, and so he did.

"You will give an order tomorrow morning. See to it that Sunlight Charger and myself are reassigned to Canterlot, with two of the commoners to be brought with us."

"What? Why?"

"Because that will put us in a position to handle royalty."

Realization dawned on the changeling's face, and the slow curl of those illusionary lips made it quite clear the sort of plans that were going through the bug's mind. They were clearly thinking of what it would be like to control the queen, displace her, and that was not something within the Hive's plans. Darkmoon Dancer held up a hoof.

"You will not remove her."

"...And why wouldn't we? Our queen craves the throne."

"And she will be revolted against."

"Not a chance. No-one would be able to tell the difference."

"They will, if we expose her."

"You'd break our agreement?" 'Dawning Glory' asked, hissing.

"Not unless you break it first. Our best chance is to infest her. She will then bow to the will of the Hive, doing as we say. She will be as malleable as needed."

There might have been some discontent if there had been anything of Darkmoon Dancer's original mind left, but more than any of the others, he had become a willing drone, allowing himself to be directed as the weapon he was. He was a stallion meant to fight, meant to break others. This was his duty.

And he would do it well.

Taking a step forward, he leaned in, narrowing his eyes at the changeling. Despite the physical size favoring the other male, he knew that he had won the last fight. And more, he knew that he could win again if it came down to that. Their eyes remained fixed on each other.

"Our alliance is fragile. Our position more so. We cannot make mistakes. Now, will you work with us, or not?"

"...We'll work with you. But we better get what you promised."

"You wish love, do you?"

"Heh, if you can even deliver that."

"Observe."

In that moment, things changed. Darkmoon Dancer had been merely the mouthpiece of the parasite for that moment, someone to deliver the words of the Hive to another. But in the blink of an eye, he went from being an unfeeling drone to being something quite different. A warmth rose in his heart, something that was tingling, soft, gentle, attached...attached to the stallion in front of him. A soft gasp left his mouth, and his eyes fluttered as he looked over the changeling's body. Even knowing that there was a bug-horse beneath that shape did nothing to take away his feelings, his genuine affection for the other male.

"Oh...oh, Dawning..."

The changeling's eyes went wide, a gasp cut off by clenched teeth. Darkmoon Dancer barely noticed, carried along by the great swell of love rising in his chest. It burned hot, and then hotter, and then -

Then it was gone. Cut off in that moment, pulled away and buried. He shook his head.

"There," he felt compelled to say. "Is that satisfactory proof?"

"You...you can make them feel that? For us?"

For anyone, Darkmoon Dancer realized. There was more than body control with the parasites of the Hive. They were able to affect the emotions, as well, turning them up or down at a whim. In that moment, his devotion to the Hive had been turned into adoration for the stallion before him, making him wish nothing more than to make the other male happy. Not just sexually, though that had been there as well, but also with everything in his being. To offer his heart, his time, his affections. It was all there.

And then, it was all gone. Just as soon as it had come, it had disappeared, withdrawn at the order of the parasite.

"Yes," was all he could bring himself to say.

"Then this deal...this deal is perfect."

"Then come. Let's change the world."

The next day came with the rising sun and the command from Dawning Glory. As the resident commanding officer, he had the ability to override anything that wasn't a direct order from Celestia or Luna themselves. The Princesses of the realm being busy, there was nobody to countermand the counter-command, and so the soldiers and their commanders started packing for the long trip to Canterlot.

More surprising, however, were the orders for Moonlight Thunder and Azure Breeze to come along. The commoners cocked their heads to the side when Sunlight Charger came to meet them and tell them the news.

"Why does the Hive want us there?" Moonlight asked.

"We don't know. But they have decided," the larger stallion said. "We can share, see if they are willing to tell us."

"..."

It was tempting, but if their own parasites had yet to tell them, then that meant that it was unlikely that they would be allowed to find out. Better to allow the information to come in the fullness of time.

"How long do we have?" Azure Breeze asked.

"Until noon. We set off then."

"By hoof or by train?" Moonlight asked.

"Train. Too many of us to keep together by hoof."

That meant that there would probably be a great deal of ponies all clustered together in very tight quarters, and from what Moonlight remembered from the information passed between them so far, the train had very long stretches in which nobody could get on or off the vehicle. That meant that the few ponies onboard that weren't infested certainly would be by the time that they got to their destination. A good trap, and a good way to bring an infested load right into the main city of Equestria.

The Hive was wise. The Hive was good.

They took their leave from the daylight commander, and began packing. As they did, they did not talk. Whatever chatter they might have had was saved for later, for they no longer felt the need to chat at random times the way that they once had. The question between the two of them the night before had been exceptional, and it had exhausted what little social need they actually had. Thus, everything was done in silence.

They joined the procession of military ponies that were leaving Ponyville, heading to the station with the armored stallions and mares that were all headed home. They shared occasional glances with other members of the Hive that were staying in town, and those that had been converted in town. Sugarfrost Harvest waved them goodbye in his flamboyant way, and they knew - or at least, their parasites did - that the stallion would be sending regular shipments of corrupted treats up to Canterlot, expanding his market and giving them openings for whatever plans they came up with.

The rest of the Hive would be separated, sent out to more towns in the region to make sure that the expansion of the Hive continued. There would be no holding them back. They would spread as far as the eye could see, and one day, the kingdom would be theirs.

At the train station, they joined the queue with the other ponies. Even to their eyes, it was hard to tell who was a host and who was an un-infested pony. Everyone within the Hive was conditioned to look normal on the outside, keeping their 'oddness' and drone-nature to their inner selves to avoid giving the Hive away. Was the entire cluster of soldiers and the rich merchants heading to Canterlot all infested? Or were there some small groups here and there that needed their assholes invaded, their bodies taken from them?

They would only find out with time.

They boarded the train, given their own little cabin. They stored their luggage overhead, and then waited for the train to set out. The window curtains were pulled almost immediately, covering them so that nobody could accidentally see what they did.

As soon as it was done, as soon as the door was closed, they turned to stand ass to ass, and they released their tendrils. Their parasites touched, and they went still, staring straight ahead as the usual feelings of arousal ran through their bodies. Information, ideas were shared, but without the input of other members of the Hive, all they felt was a stubborn, annoying sense of being incomplete. They had both seen the same things, after all, and while their parasites were somewhat different from one another, being in different hosts, they were not able to put together different ideas to such an extent that the joining made a difference. They came apart quickly, sitting down once more.

The train set off from Ponyville, beginning its long, meandering journey through the land of Equestria. They would be stopping at four different stations on the way to Canterlot, and though this was a more military journey than a civilian one, the in-transit announcements confirmed that there would be a few civilian passengers picked up. They looked at each other, and knew that there would be some infestations happening in the meantime. There was no point in wasting a chance to expand the Hive.

#

Mid-afternoon eventually rolled around, and Sunlight Charger was feeling good about himself. As a matter of fact, the daylight commander was actually smiling, and not because the parasite inside him was making him do it.

I am a good drone.

There was a certain amount of pride in orchestrating four different infestations in one afternoon, particularly when the soldiers doing it had to be commanded through it. Four cabins had been 'invaded' and the civilians inside guided into enjoying the infestation. The rich ponies of the kingdom were surprisingly easy to convince to try it; they wanted to indulge themselves, and what was more indulgent than the attentions of 'lonely soldiers' that just needed a little bit of attention?

Regardless, the Hive now possessed the bodies of four rather upscale members of pony nobility, including a few that would be staying at the palace in Canterlot. Nobody that would give them access to Celestia, but the fact that they would be able to invite people into the palace at all meant that they were going to have access that they needed to eventually take down the Princess of the Sun.

But for that, they would need to take smaller steps first. He might not have the devious mind of Darkmoon Dancer, but he knew that they were going to have to take it slow. This was a siege, and one that the realm had never had to deal with before. The Hive had a plan, however, and that plan would carry them to victory.

First, we take the guards. Then, we take Luna's head of the guards. Then, we take Luna. Then, we take Celestia.

One built up a power base, and then moved forward from there. Each new tier that one gained brought one another step closer to the final objective, and in the end, Celestia would be helpless to fight against so much. She might have been able to win against one member of the Hive, but against a kingdom? Against her own sister?

Sunlight Charger felt confident. They would win, eventually.

The stallion entered the dining car of the train, spotting Moonlight Thunder and his infested wife at the far end of the car. They were both munching on a salad, looking as discontent as a pair of drones could be. They probably had not been informed what their purpose would be, now that he thought of it.

The drone commander thought about it for a moment, waiting for input from his parasite. He was eventually given permission, and he turned, adjusting his course to move towards their table.

They looked up at him, nodding in greeting, and he nodded in return. His public persona overcome his drone quiet as he spoke.

"Well, seems like you're enjoying yourselves," he said as he 'sat' down by them, as much as any of them could. There were cushions to allow one's hind legs to take a break, but that was it. He shifted over a bit, keeping his hindquarters out of sight of the rest of the car. "Are you traveling well, ma'am?"

"Well enough, sir," Azure said. "But we're not sure why we've been summoned."

"Oh, it's nothing bad, I assure you."

"Still, it'd be nice to know what royalty wants with us."

All the while, his hole had already opened, letting loose the tentacle inside. It writhed under him, rather than sideways or backwards, moving around and feeling for one of the others that waited. It didn't take long to find it, and he stiffened slightly as he felt the sudden shock of connection rush through him. Suddenly, speech became something of an effort, and it grew more so as the mare connected her own tentacle to the mess.

"Ah, well, you know royalty. They tell everyone what to do, and we...we do what we can to keep up..."

He had never tried to speak before when the connection was going on, and he hoped that he never had to do it again. The sheer intensity of stimulation that came through the tentacle was hard enough to deal with at the best of times, and trying to focus his thoughts into intelligible words while the parasite was talking to the others...

Well, it was almost like splitting his mind in two. It was all but impossible, and the only thing that made it possible was the fact that he was speaking absolute nonsense.

"See, all you have to do is do what you're told. These are dangerous times, after all, what with the changeling threat. You'll be safe in Canterlot."

"We're being summoned...for our safety?" Azure managed to get out.

"Quite. Must have some good allies at court, eh?"

Their tentacles retreated, and it took the parasite's support to keep him from collapsing right then and there from the sudden change in stimulation. He got to his hooves once more, clearing his throat.

"Anyway, must continue my patrol. Never know when a changeling might show up, eh?"

He smiled, making his way out of the dining car, leaving the civilians to their lunch. At least now, they'd feel a bit better. They'd know the plan, at least.

"...Fascinating," Azure Breeze said.

"Actually...brilliant," Moonlight Thunder agreed.

The whole plot of bringing them in to Canterlot was more than just the fact that they were among the first of the Hive, and thus the ones that most of the various parasites were descended from. It was also the fact that they were known to all the different parasites, their images imprinted on those members of the Hive. And that meant that they were recognizable to everyone that was part of the Hive.

That, in turn, meant that the changelings on their side just had to look like them. Anyone that saw them outside of Canterlot would be seeing a changeling, which in turn, meant that any Hive member that saw them would know that a message was being circulated among the Hive for their area. So long as the 'real' pair of Moonlight and Azure stayed in Canterlot, it meant that anytime they were seen elsewhere, it was like a giant beacon for all the Hive members to talk to them and get the latest news.

It also meant that, while in Canterlot, they were the people to go to for any incoming messages. Changelings would know to come to them, and anyone from a far-off Hive looking to get a message to the locals would know to come to them, as well. They would become the lynchpin that helped keep communication among those infested going.

They felt oddly honored, though that felt like a reward from the parasites more than anything else. They went back to eating. Fuel was needed.

The rest of the train journey was rather uneventful, and they eventually arrived at Canterlot station. It was just outside the city, on a large cliff-face with a wide road that led from the station to the city proper. Soldiers and civilians alike departed from the train and formed a procession making their way up. To those that watched from outside, there were some eerie moments when the civilians started marching like the soldiers, falling in line and in sync with each other with scary ease.

Darkmoon Dancer walked up and down the lines, giving the new hosts that weren't paying sufficient attention gentle nudges and harsher kicks when needed to break up the lock-step. While it wasn't so obvious from a distance, he knew that there would be those that would notice in the city. It wasn't a changeling thing, so it wouldn't be immediately terrifying to anyone, but it would be remembered. Better not to leave such an impression upon returning to the city.

The majority of those entering were guided to the military gates, with the civilians sent to the checkpoint at the main gate. Darkmoon Dancer, Sunlight Charger, and their 'superior' Dawning Glory, however, were taken to an elevator that went over the walls. They were cleared already, pre-checked at the station, and didn't need to go through changeling tests.

A vulnerability that the changeling among them certainly enjoyed. He chuckled as they were lifted up.

"My people could do so much right now..."

"They will not," Darkmoon said.

"I know, I know. But they could."

And it would cause an uprising of immense proportions, putting the people of the city on their guard against anyone and anything that might threaten them. The short-term gains of having them hyper-focused on the doings of changelings would not be worth the potential discovery of the Hive, which would be very possible given the fact that the checkpoints would become more numerous and the tests more invasive.

Darkmoon Dancer continued to glare at his 'superior' until the changeling looked away. Message received, thankfully.

As they reached the top of the wall and began the descent on the stairways on the other side, the parasite inside him began running through procedure here in Canterlot. They would be required to attend orientation again, to be reminded of the way that things worked in the capitol. They would be given places to sleep, then assigned squads that they would be responsible for, both in terms of leadership and ensuring that the changelings didn't become part of them.

That was something that they would be betraying quite quickly. Darkmoon, at the very least, would be getting a changeling that could replace him while he did other things. He knew that he'd need to be part of the eventual infestation of Luna's guards, considering he understood how they worked better than Sunlight Charger or Dawning Glory did. Without someone to take his place and ensure that nobody knew that he was missing, however, that would be all but impossible.

With someone to take his place, however, and with the chance to give that changeling all the information needed to impersonate him properly...

The only downside will be his lack of a parasite, and how the Hive can tell him apart from me...

They would need something of a code-phrase, or something along those lines. It could be sorted, eventually.

Soon, they were on the streets of Canterlot. The average person in the city was better off than anyone in Ponyville, and it showed in the large buildings and larger stores that the ponies manned. There were many different places that could benefit from a little infestation, though that would be of necessity slower here. The soldiers would seldom frequent the different shops, and there was more security here. They would be restricted to doing things in the palace, behind the eyes of security forces through the city.

But eventually...

Darkmoon Dancer knew that the parasite in him, and the rest of the Hive, were greedy for hosts. They craved more bodies, and there were more here than there were in Ponyville, hundreds more. Maybe thousands.

But that meant more eyes, as well, more possibilities to be seen. The parasite in him drew that information from his mind, storing it away, using it as a way to temper its own temptations. That would be brought up in the next meeting between the hosts, and it would inform the decisions of the Hive in how they would go forward.

Regardless, they passed through the city without infesting anyone, and eventually, they reached the palace. The guards of the Sun, dressed in gold and blue armor, greeted them with bobbing heads.

"Commanders," they said, nodding in greeting. "Your rooms are prepared."

"I'll take some time to observe the barracks, first," Dawning Glory said.

"As you wish, sir. Commanders?"

Sunlight and Darkmoon both submitted to being taken to their chambers. It had been a long day, and the hosts were tired. Come the next, however, they would be gathering intelligence, and beginning the process of clearing the way to the Princess of the Sun. It wouldn't take long...provided they made no mistakes.

The End

Summary: The conspiracy moves onward, ending in Ponyville and moving to Canterlot.

Tags: M/M, M/solo, F/solo, Tentacles, Parasite, Conspiracy, Ponies, MLP, Erection, Throbbing, Anal Parasite, Series, Stallion, Changeling, Mare, Transformation,