Science was Nova’s muse and mistress, the blue tatzlpony always eager to push the limits of her knowledge through a seemingly endless series of trials and tests upon at times dubiously consenting subjects. This drive to obtain empirical data at all costs easily turning into an obsession, especially if the topic of interest tickled the mare’s curious fancy, and it was not uncommon for Nova to spend many long nights locked away in her sterile lab of a lair busying herself with equations and chemicals. The mare preferring the complete control that her lab, but she knew full well that not all knowledge could be found within to cold tiled halls of academia, and it was not uncommon for Nova to call upon the experience of others when she needed assistance on a specific subject she was not well versed in.

It was through one of these enquiries for invaluable information that she came into contact with a certain miss Bug-zapper, and in truth, the mardy mare had surprised the supposedly sensible scientist as she had been a veritable well of information regarding annelid husbandry as well as a few other surprises. The mare nothing like Nova had expected when it came to picturing an expert in segmented worms, as instead of a socially awkward pony poindexter with a creepy-crawly cutiemark, she was met with a confident if a little blunt equine who seemed to course with electricity the instant she started discussing entomology. A pride flaring up in Bug’s amber eyes as she explained the intricacies of her brood like a mother might when her child had aced a test, giving the tatzlpony all she needed and then some as she jotted down the stream of consciousness in a scrawl of scruffy shorthand.

This enthusiasm contagious leading to what was supposed to be a short dour conversation about cell regeneration in hydrostatic skeletons turning into a riveting debate about the adaptability of unreformed changeling cells and the practical applications of that stem cell potential in standard pony anatomy. The smile of such an exhilarating experiment seeping onto Nova’s snout before scrunching into a sad scowl as she realized that all remaining changelings had long since traded menacing obsidian shells for a more colourful chitin and become little more than passive bichrome bugs. The mare sighing her discontent with the inability to test the perplexing premise bouncing about her brain with a wistful regret, as the chat had stirred an itch, she would never be able to scratch. Bug chuckling at this pessimism, as she took a long swig of a clear liquid from a sketchy flask that definitely wasn’t water and gave her calculated retort.

“Well, you do know why they call me Bug-Zapper?” Bug said calmly with a wink, as she leaned over and pulled out some old schematic for some sort of pheromone-based changeling trap, from one of the myriad of boxes littering the organized chaos of the slate mare’s living room. The venerable parchment crumpled and frayed, as the long since discoloured document was stained with enough coffee rings to give the paper the veneer of an ocelot, leaving Nova to smile as the ball was now in motion and she knew what she would be doing this weekend…


………………………………………………………………


The trap had worked better than Nova could have possibly expected, as the researcher had only just prepped and injected several serums and solutions that would allow her and Bug to assimilate the transformative traits of an untainted Changeling when the trap’s bell began to ring signalling it had caught something. The administration of the sketchy stimulants having just enough time to set in, as the pair went to inspect the cause of the disturbance only to be met cussing Celestia-sized mare practically convulsing on the floor as she tried to break the rope bonds containing her flailing form. The shuttering steel ring around the changeling’s horn preventing the angry equine from manifesting any meaningful magic, as she just rolled about feebly sputtering a few emerald sparks from her withered horn. The sight pathetic as the changeling clearly could not cope without the crutch of her magic and was doing little more than tiering herself out as the ropes restraining her creaked incessantly with each flex of the menacing monarch’s glossy exoskeleton.

“Looks like our bug trap caught a big one! Let’s put her into our ‘holding cell’,” snickered Bug, giving Nova an elbow bump to signify her little pun as she looked forward to living up to her name and enjoying this energetic bug bucking before her. The medical donation they had been dumped with the ideal candidate, and Bug could already taste the crunch that the shrieking sovereign's shell would make once it melted enough to lose structural integrity under the compressions of Bug's unrelenting core.

“Indeed, bigger organism, more genetic material, more potential life essence, ergo longer period of effect,” replied Nova in a giddy but calculated manner, as the scientist was clearly chuffed with the size of the skittering equine snared and squirming before her. She had expected a drone, and was instead greeted by the changelings' former queen growling like a cornered dog, spiting vitriol almost as sour as her crooked soul, as arrogance and pride prevented Chrysalis from admitting her complete loss of control as she sat bundled and magically suppressed on the floor like a helpless maggot. The two mares’ ignoring the Chrysalis’s verbal bile as the queen vomited her discontent on death ears as both parties evaluated their packaged prize keen to begin the long-awaited experiment.

“You know she has a bounty, right?” paused Bug for a moment as she recognized the villainous queen and was sure the price on her ugly mug was worth her weight in bits. Nova cocking her head at this and with a smile gave her conclusion on the worming grubs fate, as she leaned forward to seize the bound bug and gave her assessment on the value of her fresh and lively specimen.

“I think her body is worth more for science,”


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Bug and Nova collaborate on a little science project, though I don't think Chrissy is as enthused about the situation...

A multiple page comic collab between me and  Niku . I hope you guys enjoy this salacious scientific experiment :)

Part one: you are here

Part two: https://aryion.com/g4/view/653474

Part three: https://aryion.com/g4/view/654015

Part four: https://aryion.com/g4/view/655283

Part five: https://aryion.com/g4/view/655581

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