The Substitute Demon

by Reykan

First published 26th of April, 2015

Right before the Elements struck, the Nightmare unleashed a spell out of desperation. A substitution spell. Otherwise known as the correct use of Kawarimi.

As the elements were unleashed, the Nightmare knew it was over. But it would not let it's fun end. No, it would not be left behind. It would find another world to bring to ruin. As for the poor sap that was left in It's place? He was going to get blasted, what did it matter what he ended up getting from It?

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Cover Image by NetherWalker

Realized there was no link, so I'm adding two, one here and one in the chapter. After the events of Don't Underestimate the Power of a Bored Mare , the juicy bits that I cant put in a T fic: Defining Love

Edit: I swear, half of you are uncultured heathens. The thing in the image with the Nightmare's hair is a substitute doll

Nightmare Used Substitute. Substitute Weathered the Blow.

It was over. The elements had been awakened. The brats the Nightmare had dismissed as powerless before It, that the Nightmare had toyed with like a cat does with Its prey, had awakened the only force on the planet that could stop It in Its current host. The Elements of Harmony. It would be purged from Its host, and left to rot for the rest of time in some light-forsaken vault. Everything It had worked for would come crashing down around Its stolen ears, because It refused to take a threat seriously.

'No no no no, I will not fall to... that's it! As the Moon's fall led to my rise to power, so will the fall of another save me from defeat!' With every ounce of magic she could rob her host of, she called upon the Substitution spell. With the Elements active in this world, taking over was beyond It for the moment. It had no followers, or none that It had found in the day It had been free, and there was no effective method of hiding Itself once It was purged. No, It would need to look beyond Equis, perhaps even beyond the veil? The amount of power would be staggering, but what did It care? It would not be left to deal with the spell's backlash.

With a brilliant flash, moments before the Elements were unleashed, the Nightmare was gone.

Nathan was not having a good day. The 27 year old college graduate was late to work due to traffic and engine issues, caught an earful from his boss, the store manager, and even some customers that the previous employee had left waiting the second his shift ended. His bills were due, and the cute girl three apartments over decided he "was a really good friend." Finally, most of his favorite games were down for either patches or server maintenance.

'Man, how could today... Whoa, almost tempted fate there. That was close. Hey! Half Life Three was released today! Miracles do happen!'

Thus, fate passed him by. His roommate, Ted, was not so fortunate.

"Dude, what else could go wrong today."

Thus the spell of the Nightmare, a creature that thrives off of the misery of others, found its target.

Ted blinked a few times, recovering from a strange sense of vertigo, then immediately saw stars. It felt like someone had shoved railroad spikes into his skull, followed by cracking him in the forehead with a baseball bat. It was one of the most random and excruciating things he'd ever experienced, and left him confused. What had he done that would cause such pain? He'd not gone drinking in months, being too busy with his studies. Shaking his head, his vision finally cleared, leaving him even more confused. One moment he was staring at his computer whin- I mean complaining that his favorite game servers were down, and the next he's staring at what looks like a scene from that little girls show that was all over the internet.

'Did I pick up a virus? I was sure I scanned my computer after I browsed those image sites last night.'

Before he could vow to replace his Norton with something that actually worked, the cartoon characters fired a beam of rainbow light at the screen. No, wait, they fired it at him, he thought a moment later. He could actually feel the heat of the beam as it approached, and could feel the overpressure it caused in its swift travel. Just as the beam struck, he released a manly grunt of fear.

No, he didn't scream, and he'd fight anyone who said otherwise. Just as everything went white, he came to two conclusions: 'I'm never tempting fate again,' and 'God did my voice sound girly'.

The next thing Ted was aware of was someone talking. Who, he couldn't tell, and he couldn't seem to find the energy to open his eyes. Actually he couldn't seem to find the energy to move anything. Not only that, but he felt wrong. Stiff. He also couldn't make out what they were saying. The strangest thing about the whole situation was that he swore he felt something move his shoulder in an impossible direction, and the sound of something moving out of him. Crying followed, some cheering, then strangely loud footsteps growing more distant each moment. Soon the jumbled voices left, leaving him alone in the dark. Blind? Paralyzed? Deformed? Maybe he was dead, after all no one truly knew what death felt like. It was possible, considering how numb he was feeling. It reminded him of that time he had to fight the Minotaur Myrmidon squad near the town of Bushels. It had been a close thing, but victory was hers, though her neck was injured badly.

Wait a second, when did he fight a minotaur?

Focusing on the odd memories led him to some sort of line. Perhaps a partition would be a better word? On the one side was Ted, 26 year old college student, Criminal Justice major, son and brother to his family of four other individuals, and video game enthusiast. Partaker of carbonated beverages and devourer of hapless snacks. Loyal patron of the great Lord Gaben. And when he could find some people to play with, destroyer of the hopes and dreams of the warriors and rogues brave enough to attempt his D&D campaigns. On the other...

It was more like walking into a library than taking a stroll down memory lane. Memories that weren't his, impossibly organized. Decades of studying spellcraft, cultural nuances of alien societies, country names and governments which had no analogues on earth. Even if he was stuck here for a long time, at least the information would give him something to do. Maybe he could learn how to make a stick glow like Gandalf? Or maybe he could learn to summon a Scamp? Or make an ice patch where that jerk who ran over his bike was driving. Yea, and learn how to shoot lasers out of his eyes! Ok, that last one may be a bit much, going by the types of spells he was seeing here, but he had nothing better to do for now. Oh, and he'd always loved dragons! There was an entire shelf over there dedicated to them. All this information should keep him busy for a while. This wasn't just some place that some people were visiting for the first time in hundreds of years, right?

Right?

'I was wrong. So very, horribly, excruciatingly wro-ho-ho-hoooong.' Ted sobbed in boredom.

Time had no meaning to him in his current predicament. There was honestly no way he was alive, going by how he still wasn't hungry or sleepy. How long had it been; had any time passed at all? Truthfully, it was meaningless in his current state. Darkness, silence broken only by the sound of some stone falling in some far off place, something bumping into some part of his body as it walked by; the last had freaked him out at first, but it stopped being important after the forty-third kick to his thigh. Besides, if he was alive, whatever had kicked him would have eaten him already. Was he truly that far out of the way that no one had noticed him? Was the myth of the dead not being able to pass on until they were buried true?

Ted was running out of mental options. The library of memories was a lie, once one looked closer. Like someone had tried making a quick copy of every book in the library of congress, and thrown them into a bus hoping for the best. All the sections were there, but he had found Dracadonian ethics with the spells, a remedy for sore wings with Minosian customs, and a healing spell under offensive fire spells. Sure, some cultures viewed fire as having purifying or healing effects, but he doubted that was why the spell was in that section. He even found something about unicorns celebrating Christmas! While reorganizing the memories had taken some practice and a great deal of patience, Ted was reaching the bottom of the barrel of things he could do to keep his sanity. Not only that, it was only possible to do so much with all the holes in the memories. Even worse was when he tried going over a memory that had a name he didn't recognize. He was fairly certain the original mind wasn't thinking of a German Shepherd made of diamonds holding a spear. I mean, how would it hold the weapon with a paw? It was a recurring issue with trying to remember someone else's memories. He kept running into inconsistencies, as everyone's ideas of experiences are based off of what they already know. Sure he got the jist of things, but there was only so much he could do with the swiss library of memories he had to work with. He felt like he was trying to put together a puzzle with only half the pieces, and most of those were broken!

After he'd managed to piece together a good amount of the actual memories of the individual he'd somehow ended up sharing memories with, he had a decent idea of what happened to him. The woman, a Lunacae Nocturnas, was either insane, or an alien. Probably both, considering her memories. He'd found quite a few of them that were nothing but hours upon hours of depression and self-loathing. Finally, in a fit of despair, she'd exhausted herself venting in a remote desert. Afterwards, she was attacked by a parasite that called itself Nightmare. It whispered sweet nothings in her ears endlessly, and when she fell far enough, it was able to suppress her will altogether. It then let her watch as it waged war against someone, a woman with floating hair, her sister perhaps? Yes, sister seemed to be the right title, it was the same he felt for his older sister. Finally, in a big battle, the older sister did something to make time pass really fast. The next memory was of reversing the stasis, of restarting the war, and finally of ending up losing to some heroes. The last parts were honestly the most vivid of them all. He could smell the musty scent of the castle, feel the chill of the wind on her skin, feel the weight of the armor he wore. Some heroines were unleashing some magical maguffins that would save the world, and the Nightmare used a substitution spell.

Wait...that son of a bitch had grabbed him from his comfy chair and left him to get hit by whatever doom-cannon was being directed at it! Worse was the fact that the Nightmare was currently free to wander his home in his body!

This of course left him with the question: If the Nightmare had his body, and Lunacae was being saved by the hero's, thus probably had her body back, where was he?

Ted was broken out of his musings, and his descent into boredom induced madness, by the sound of approaching voices. His soul once again filled with hope at being discovered, he eagerly awaited whoever was coming. Hell, he'd welcome a conversation with Wilson at this point.

'I'd get some coffee ready for you, but I'm feeling little stiff at the moment, heehee.'

"I'm telling you, it's around here somewhere. The scrying spell specifically pointed out the throne room of the old castle. No, not Canterlot castle, this one. Spread out and look for it." A few grunts of affirmatives followed raspy's orders followed by a ton of footsteps. Good gravy, did they have an entire search party out here?

'Aw, that's so sweet, you didn't have to do that for me!'

"Ma'am, I found it! Looks like it got scattered off of the dais."

"Excellent work, brother!" The entire search party seemed to converge on his position in a matter of moments following the announcement. "The Nightmare's Raiment's! Soon the Mistress of Living Shadows will live again!"

'Heeheehee, they're cultists...I hope they like surprises. I like surprises. They make me feel happy, unless they're a bad surprise, like a parking ticket. This one time I got a ticket for parking...'

Had the cultists any clue of just what they'd truly found, there's a good chance they would have just left the armor where they found it. It would have saved them all a very large headache in the near future.

Author's Notes:

I've read quite a few "Dude gets turned into NMM" fics, never really liked how they were done. Therefore, this will not be like them; Ted will keep his balls. May end up calling himself Tuna every now and again, though.

Foals are Friends, not Food

It had been a while since the cultists had found his immobile form, and while he was still incapable of movement, merely being in the presence of other sapient beings again did wonders for him. Though some may wonder, "Ted, how can you be sure they're cultists?" to which he'd respond "Elementary, my dear idiot, did simple believers in a deity talk constantly of 'Spreading her darkness to all lands?" No, they didn't." They also didn't usually chant, hoping for horrific nightmares as gifts from 'their lady'. The big cheese seemed to be trying to bring this Nightmare character back, using the armor Tedna was sealed in as a medium

'Wait, Tedna? Why would I refer to myself as that? Oh hell, the memories, I'm going to end up with a brain stew if this keeps up. First things first, if these guys succeed. Find a way to reinforce the mental wall between my memories and that girls. Otherwise I may end up walking into the wrong bathroom.'

It took a while, but eventually, the room his prison was held in was once again filled with cultists, all eagerly awaiting the word of El Queso Grande. This time felt different though. There was a hushed energy in the air, as if they were getting ready for something big, and it was contagious. Even not being able to see what was happening, Ted found himself growing excited as well. He may finally be getting out of this damned prison!

"Sisters and brothers! Long have we toiled to bring back our mistress from her wrongful imprisonment! Tonight, By the darkness of the reborn Moon, we return unto her what was stolen so many years ago. A vessel to call her own! Before this night is through, The Living Nightmare shall walk again amongst the waking world!"

The guy certainly had charisma, if nothing else. Soon the chanting started, though he couldn't make out a single word they used. Soon after the chanting had settled into a smooth rhythm, he started to feel a strange vibration in the air, and energy that he'd only felt in the memories of the girl. Before he'd felt them, he'd wondered what she'd meant when she'd described magic, now though, many of those descriptions made sense. It was an energy that was just... different from anything he'd felt back home, something that pierced even the haze that even now was attempting to smother him.

'Holy shit, are they actually pulling this off?'

As the chanting and the buzzing of magic reached a crescendo, Ted felt a pull, like water being sucked down a drain. Once the pull reached his, 'head' everything blurred before coming back into focus. Sharper actually. He could clearly hear the weary but excited voices of those that had been working to free him, he could smell the old musty scent of a cellar, as well as a strange smell he couldn't identify. It reminded him of a farm, only... not? Finally, for the first time in who knew how long, he opened his eyes, and got a good look at his current location.

'Huh... actually, that kinda makes sense, considering some of the terminology Lunacae was using, not to mention the cultists using 'pony' in the place of 'body' or 'one'.'

Tuna found himself staring into a room full of alien cultists- pony alien cultists, mind you- and despite the oddity of the situation, compounded wit the fact that he found herself looking like one of their kind, albeit larger, dark haired and maned version, she couldn't bring himself to panic. Stranger things existed her memories, after all. The implements they'd used for the ritual, small braziers that still smoldered long after the ritual had been completed smelled strongly of strange herbs. Candles scattered throughout the room had long since burned out, leaving nothing but lumps of wax. The room was stuffy, almost to the point of being claustrophobia inducing, but the hope he felt directed at her form...

Damnit, he was doing it again.

Speaking of the alien princess' memories, they would probably come in handy about now. With the proper physical context, he pulled some memories of the host, as he had dubbed the lady, and cautiously stood up. Going by the reaction some of the cultists had to this, he may as well have promised them all immortality. Some cried, some laughed, others a combination of the two while hugging the pony next to them. The faces were alien, yes, but the emotions expressed were surprisingly easy to read. Untold hours of work seen to a job's completion. Maybe it had something to do with the ridiculously sized eyes? He was brought out of his thoughts by the approach of El Cultist Grande.

"We are at your command, Mistress of Living Shadow. Your will be done." The robed pony said, bowing low.

'Yea, deffinately think I'm the parasite. Great-wait, did he say-' A quick check of his black-furred lower body scared him briefly, before a double-check of the hosts memories on anatomy confirmed that while he couldn't see it, yes, he was still male; even if 'it' looked really weird at the moment. Releasing a sigh of relief, he allowed himself to slump a bit, before turning back to the pony bowing before him. 'I can't wait to see his face, haha!' "Master actauly, I require a room to rest in. And nourishment. I still have some recovering to do, though you have done more than I'd expected." He could play the bad guy for now, he supposed. How hard could it be?

The head cultists face was a warzone of emotion. Loyalty to his god/goddess fought with confusion. Finally urged the stare of his mis-master, he acted. "Gleam! Show the m-master to his room. Blur, fetch a meal from the kitchens. Tell Slop to prepare it, as well."

It was slow going on the trip to his temporary quarters. The temple/castle/place was genuinely interesting, and being about four hundred years old, he could pretend it was 'after his time.' Just as he was becoming comfortable with his new form of locomotion, his guide opened a door to a larger room. It was lavishly decorated, compared to the rest of the rooms he'd seen, though that wasn't saying much. The place as a whole was pretty run-down. Now that he thought about it, so were the inhabitants. Looking at his guide, he looked closely at the robe fitting around her frame, and could almost make out bones against the tattered clothing. It, actually, it kinda broke his heart, seeing someone that hungry, still willing to do whatever they had to. The mare looked up from her bow, before immediately returning it to the ground, seeing him staring at her. God's above, it was too much for him, he had to do something...

"Do we not have adequate supplies?" he asked her.

"W-we make do with what we have, y-your darkness" She answered, studdering slightly.

He pressed on. He had to do this right, to not destroy their hopes. After all, the only thing binding them together in this misery was the hope that they'd summoned a big bad. Sure some of the cultists seemed like the type to do that for the hell of it, but this one? What would drive someone like this to try and bring back a literal demon? "That did not answer my question."

She was visibly shaking now, terrified of how her answer would be received, so once again, she attempted to divert it. "Our s-state won't interfere wi-"

"Do not Dance around the Question, Knave!" Ted's voice boomed out, blowing the hood off of what was freshly revealed to be a guant and dirty cherry-red unicorn mare. "Are supplies that hard to come by at our current location?"

"N-no sir!"
"Than why do my followers starve?"

"T-the jungle, sir. Every expedition we lost at least one forager. One group was never heard from again. N-none of us are fighters, not very good ones, and it was just safer to stay here and finish the ritual!"

Ted fixed the mare with a flat look. They were barely making it, most of them probably running on nothing more than fumes. "An improperly maintained blade can be just as dangerous to the wielder as to his enemies. We will resupply tomorrow, once I've rested and have studied the local flora and fauna. Bring the relevant tomes to my chambers, Post-Haste!"

With an undignified squeak, the mare bolted down the corridor, leaving a very confused Ted in her wake. He was never that loud, nor did he ever use intimidation like that. It was almost like he was acting...

'Like a different person... I still need to reinforce that partition.' Scrambling ungracefully onto the bed, by all that is good did it feel nice, Ted hunkered down, dug through his gracious hosts memories, and set to work.

'... A bit more power here, attach a fortification array to that spot there, make the mana in this particular array flow... counter-clockwise? No, clockwise, counter would drain the array, causing more memory leaks down the road.'

While having some hundreds of years old mage-ruler's memories in his head certainly caused some problems for him, he was using freaking magic to solve the memory issues he'd been suffering from for a while now. A few respectful knocks brought him out of his musings, focusing his attention on the door. It opened, revealing another robed pony pushing in a care laden with strange, but surprisingly good-smelling foods.

'Right, different physical form, different diet.' While his human memories were telling him that half of this stuff was inedible, his nose and his hosts memories were quite adamant that everything before him was not only edible, but it would taste downright delicious. Pastries of different shapes and sizes, several pasta dishes with tantalizing sauces, a silver tea-set; all of the dishes and implements bearing a moon and star motif.

That was when the head cultist rolled in it, the special treat they had prepared for their mistress' return. There was no way around it at this point, whatever or whoever it was he'd been swapped with was the literal pony bogeyman(mare?) made flesh. Tied up on the second cart was a small child, staring at him in abject terror.

'Nope. Nope, nope, so much nope. All aboard the Nope-train to Fuck-that-istan.'

Keeping his face as straight as he could, he stared at the pink maned, green furred filly, before turning to the leader. "Why is there a foal in my salad?"

"Le-legends spoke of your, er, preference for small foals as a, um, snack, your darkness."

Using his ever-expanding knowledge of magic, he floated the child right up to him. The foals eyes widened, wavering with fear. She probably would have soiled herself if she was capable of it, but there were several suppression spells on the little girl. She barely had enough control to breath and blink.

'The diabetes is real'

Staring a hole into the little filly for a few minutes, he'd finally found the relevant memories, and spoke. "The problem with legends, Head Cultist in Charge, is that only the most spectacular are worth remembering. Thus, they are often blown out of proportion. One time, one time only did I threaten to consume the first born of one of my enemies. It was an intimidation tactic, and it worked." Ted then turned to the leader. "No, I do not regularly consume the flesh of children. And before you try to infer it, I don't eat them rarely, either. Leave me."

Once again the lead cultists face was torn with confusion, but he loyally obeyed his master. The others followed his lead, leaving Ted alone with a veritable banquet and a terrified child, the latter still floating in his magical grip. Looking back to the meal, his stomach grumbled. Setting the foal down on the bed and dismissing most of the suppression spells holding her in place(those stopping her from ruining his perfectly comfy bed-sheets could stay in place for now), he grabbed a few dishes and some silver utensils, and started to dig in. Nearly as soon as the suppression spells were gone, the filly darted to the other side of the bed, burrowing into the small pile of pillows to try and hide, leaving only her tail to tell him where she'd gone. The food was delicious, though if that was because of his hunger or the fact that he'd not eaten anything in who knew how long wasn't important to him. Absentmindedly, he spread a sweet smelling jam on a slice of bread, floating it over the pile of pillows, he asked. "When was the last time you ate?" His query was answered with silence, though he could see eyes under those pillows, shifting between him and the offered toast.

"Do you have a name?" He tried again. A strangled squeak, accented by the fillies tail being pulled into her fortress. Seeing he was getting no-where with his attempts, he shrugged.
"Squeaker it is." Ted said, before returning to his meal, the toast now lying near the pile of pillows.

"Rose"

"Hmm?"

"Daddy called me Rose, you can't change my name!" The little filly was now poking her head out of the pillows, glaring at him.

'Anger, huh? It's better than paralyzing terror, I suppose.' "Rose huh? I don't know, you're not that pretty. Maybe dandelion?" He said, teasing the little filly. 'Step one, distract.'

"Rose!"

"Ah, thorns, that's why he called you that, huh?" Ted asked, snickering slightly at her outburst. "So Rose, are you hungry?"

Almost faster than he could track, the filly darted out, grabbed the toast, and disappeared back into Fort Pillow. Ted smiled. Kids will be kids, even if they're aliens. Unless they were xenomorphs, he supposed. Or honey badgers. Or...

'aaand now the happy's gone. Good job, Ted'

Before he could find himself entertaining thoughts of all the horrid pictures of babbies he'd seen on the interwebs, the door opened with a squeak, drawing his attention, as well as the attention of his right ear. 'Ok, that's going to take some getting used to.'

Gleam entered the room with a cart piled high with ratty books, moth eaten scrolls, and time-worn maps. The other two robed ponies helping her with the cart, upon closer inspection, were looking just as run-down as Gleam was. Taking a few snacks for the kid off of the cart, he waved the ponies to the cart.

"I've had my fill. There's plenty left over, share it with your fellows. I won't hear of food being wasted." Ted watched the shocked faces of the cultists, one hungrily eying one of the sandwiches he'd left untouched. Yes they were cultists, but until further notice, they were his cultists, and no one could convince him they didn't need all the help they could get. It was why he'd asked for the information. Tomorrow, he'd personally be escorting the foragers. God have mercy on whatever thought his little cultists looked tasty.

...He would have none.

Dreamweaver

Ted spent the rest of the day, and most of the evening learning of the local terrors. It turned out the cultists had commandeered an old, rundown temple deep in a jungle literally on the other side of the planet from the place he'd originally been when he was dragged to Equis by the Nightmare. While the foliage was thicker and the monsters weren't as magically inclined as those in the Everfree, the local predators made up for this with numbers and viciousness. That wasn't to say he hoped to not see any. Apparently, a chupa-thingies fangs were all but revered among the Sharp-Talon griffons to the west, and alchemists paid heavily for vine-snake venom. A local plant, disturbingly similar to aloe from earth, was unsurprisingly an excellent healing agent. Not to mention most of the plants in the area were edible to herbivores, barring the occasional poisonous vine or mushroom. Yes, the resources his followers needed were here, they could work this out. It would just require some patience and an angry demi-god jealously guarding the gatherers.

Eventually, sleep called to him, and he started shifting around, trying to make himself comfortable in his new body. The little girl had finally fallen asleep in her pillow fort after eating a bit more, curling up into herself and letting out little snores every now and again. Careful not to drop any pillows on her, he grabbed a few and started making himself comfortable. It took a good five minutes, but eventually he found a position that allowed him to settle in for the night.

'Ah, sleep my old friend. Good to see you again, it's been way to long.'

'I know it's been a while since I've slept properly, but I'm pretty sure my dreams were never so... plain?'

Ted had become aware soon after dozing off, and found himself floating in a strange cloudy void.

"Seriously, it's so boring and empty. It could at least-'

Before he'd even finished the thought, the world around him twisted. Suddenly, he found himself on a beach, watching the sun set as the waves rolled endlessly against the shore. It was beautiful, but the sudden alteration of the environment had placed a spark in his mind. If he could replicate a beach so easily, what else could he do? Quickly, he thought up a new location, and, for lack of a better word, pushed. The world twisted once again, and he found himself standing on the bridge of The Executor, Imperial officers going about their business, apparently oblivious to his current... winged... human form? It meant something, didn't it? Maybe a visual of how he currently thought of himself, a mix between his birth form, and his current form?

Truthfully, it wasn't of great importance to him at the moment. No, he had other things he wanted to try. He had a new toy, and he was going to exploit the living hell out of it. Wearing a predatory grin, he thought of one of his favorite shooters, and pushed.

The stranger walked through the alien hallways, a shadow upon the marble, gold, and strange metals as she continued her search. It had been almost forty years since she'd seen a dream, the traitors dreamless-sleep array leaving the dreamscape an empty void. Truly, the Traitor was thorough; when she'd found she could still dream-walk, she'd thought her ability had been overlooked. But it was not to be. The Traitor didn't need to stop her dream walking. No, the stranger was free to wander the void as much as she liked, she would never find another being on this plane of existence. Who would she dream-walk to when there were no dreams?

It was why she was drawn to this dream, starving for contact as a beggar approaches a banquet. She wanted, no, she needed to talk to somepony. Somepony other than that smug... nag, that had imprisoned her and her sister. She was pulled out of her mental wanderings when her physical wanderings were cut off by a horde of strange, white and gold colored bipedal golems running by her. At least, they appeared to be golems, some of them seemed to move too smoothly, too organically to be any form of golem she was familiar with. As they approached the far door it opened, deafening her with the sounds of a great battle. She followed the strange constructs, hoping to find the dreamer.

Turning a final corner, she barely managed to duck as the upper half of one of the more organic golems flew over her head, ending it's abrupt flight pinned to the far wall, stuck there by some unknown means.

The shadow had lived centuries, and had seen her share of battles. Nothing prepared her for what she witnessed before her. Neither the griffons in their bloodlust nor the dragons at the height of their rage compared to the absolute savagery she witnessed here.

'How, how can this not be considered a nightmare?'

The golems target was at last visible to her. Encased in an orb of ice was a strange, beautifully crafted double egg-shaped container, which seemed to contain additional bipeds, though they seemed to be in some type of magically induced slumber. Standing on a small pillar inside the orb, another strange biped moved, twisting and turning at impossible speeds. Each motion was accompanied by a loud crack, similar to thunder. With each report, another golem would fall, bearing large holes in what for most bipedal creatures she had seen would be vital areas. Standing below the first defender, was a second, this one apparently responsible for the orb of ice, as every now and again it would shoulder it's crossbow, spread its arms, and reinforce the spell with yet another layer of ice. The third reminded her of a griffon berserker, tearing through the golems ranks with reckless abandon, claws of light separating some of the golden creatures- there was no way a golem let loose that much blood-from shoulder to thigh, or cutting through the torso, leaving the two parts to tumble free of each other. The strange light weapons the golems wielded, while they left scorch marks upon every surface they struck, didn't seem to even cause the berserker to flinch.

Despite all of this, it was the last defender that held her eyes, at least when it was visible. It's blade flashed out, cutting large swathes through the ranks of the golem army. Every now and again, it would discharge a burst of energy, causing the light-weapons of the golems to spark, some even melting, forcing them to drop the useless weapons and draw glowing batons. What drew her eyes to this creature in particular though, was unlike his fellows, he was flamboyantly colored, despite obviously favoring stealth; bright orange and blue accents with just a splash of red. Second was the fact that he was the only creature bearing an emblem of any kind, a small dove resting peacefully on the back of a large white and brown raptor appearing on his shoulder.

The final thing that caught her eye were the wings. Jet black wings adorned the creatures shoulders. Originally, she'd thought them ornamental, till they'd flapped as he made a ridiculously high leap over the heads of some of the larger golems, striking the weaker targets as he flew overhead. But no, they were certainly a sign that this was the dreamer. Firstly, because no other creature in the dream had them, and even with them, he was a grounded creature. Second, they were underdeveloped, a sign in dreams that the dreamer had undergone changes they had not yet reconciled.

Soon, the last golem fell, frozen solid by the cryomancer. Three of the warriors took defensive position around the pod, while the fourth sat down against one of the golden guard rails surrounding the pod, breathing heavily. Despite being in a dream, the creature seemed exhausted.

"Ah, an amateur dream-manipulator." Suddenly, the creature was staring straight at her, and she realized she'd spoken aloud. Then again, when one spends several decades locked away from any form of contact, one is bound to make a social blunder or two, right?

Ted could only stare in shock at the intruder in his dreams. Across from him stood a creature that was at the same time a complete stranger, and yet as familiar to him as his own family. No, she was closer to him than that. If he was completely honest knew more about her than he knew about any of his family back home. After all, seeing her here in his dreams, there were a few memories on the other side of his partition that were screaming at him 'That's me! That's what I'm supposed to look like!'

'Damn, I thought I'd properly sealed that, gonna have to double check it in the morning.'

Willing his helmet away, he gave the intruder a tired smile, beckoning her closer. "No need to hide in the shadows, princess. It doesn't suit one of your standing."

The shadow slowly came closer, stepping out from a dark overpass into the light, revealing a form he'd seen in the mirror so many... 'Dammit, stop that.' "I won't hurt you miss Nocturnas. Something that I can help you with? Actually, perhaps you can help me; do you have any practical experience partitioning memories?" If he was completely honest, she didn't look very healthy. Not as bad as the cultists, mind you, but the last memory he had of her, she was nearly twice the size of her current form, and her eyes. There was a hunger in them, a desperate need for sapient company, one that he himself had just begun to feel before the cultists had made off with his prison to the temple.

'What is it with these things looking so scared and hurt all the time that it takes all of my willpower not to pick them up and hug the stuffing out of them?'

The alicorn's confusion only grew as she stared at him, closing the distance between the two. "How do you know my name? I'm certain I've never met you before, and few address me by my full title, especially in this age."

Ted could only laugh at her, the absolute ridiculousness of the situation still settling upon him.

Here he was, controlling a dream well beyond anything he'd heard possible back home, speaking to an alien he was beyond-intimately close to, seeing as he had a good chunk of his head filled with her memories. He was hoping to learn enough from her about the powers he was, for lack of a better term, borrowing from her, to properly separate his memories from the ones he'd been left with before he ended up with a brain casserole. Seriously, who knew what going home in his current situation would do to him. Was the human mind even capable of containing several centuries of memories?

At the indignant glare being leveled at him from the alien, Ted finally managed to compose himself, wiping the sweat and tears of laughter from his face wit the back of his glove. "I'm sorry, the situation, it's just too much." He chuckled a bit, getting the last of it out of his system. Walking up to the blue alicorn, he kneeled down to her height, offering his hand in greeting. "My name's Ted Fredston, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Lunacae Nocturnas, though you already seem to know this." She said, cocking her head slightly.

He merely smiled, he really needed her to relax, she was the one with the answers he needed. "So Luna, what brings you to my humble dream? I'm afraid I'm not up to date on current events. Perhaps you could you fill me in?" With another quick blur, the golden halls they stood in were replaced by a park near his home, complete with a blanket set on the ground and drinks. "I'm always happy to meet new ponies." 'Especially when they hold the key to keeping my sanity.' He thought to himself. No need to mention the cultists, or the Nightmare, or anything like that. Just two individuals enjoying a nice conversation over a wonderful selection of drinks.

'Oh sweet, is that Mountain Dew?'

Author's Notes:

Imma do it. Imma give it to her! Luna's getting the D(ew)!

THE CAFFIENE HAS BEEN DOUBLED! HUZZAH!

"..And then I Jumped out and Yelled 'Supplies!"

Ted sat on the blanket, sipping his favorite drink, listening to the princess ramble. Well, ex-princess according to her. He'd gotten a few tidbits of current information before she'd decided to try the strange drink her companion was partaking of, and that's when he learned a very strange thing about lucid dreaming in a world with magic.

"...And then I was all depressed, and wanted Tia to let me make the night longer and she said 'No, Luna, that's not the way we do things' and I got all mad, and I asked again later, and she said 'Luna, bother me with this again, and no moon pies for a week' and I was like 'Tia, that's mean, we don't take your angel food cake from you!' and she was all like 'Yea, but I don't act like a spoiled brat' and I cried for a few days and then I got angrier, and went out to vent on some rocks and....'

It turned out that being the owner of the dream, you could influence the effects of items in your dreams. If you knew a drink had alcohol, and knew the effects alcohol had on people, you and anyone else in your dream could get drunk. Or in this case, if you knew a drink had more caffeine than was healthy...

'Good god, what have I unleashed.' On the one hand, he already had an idea of how the story went. On the other, it was nice to have some of the holes in the memories filled in by the jittering alicorn. Besides, she seemed like she needed this. He'd let her keep going for a while. Right after he changed her drink out for some Sprite.

"So finally, after the Nightmare failed to stop the girls, they managed to activate the elements and purge the parasite from my mind. It cost me the majority of my power, and I was left almost the size of a filly once again, but it didn't matter to me. I was so grateful, after being a passenger in my own body for so long, being able to move my own hooves again nearly brought me to tears. Then my sister showed up, said she forgave me, that my *hic* actions weren't my own, and that she wanted her sister back and... and. *sniffle* I was just so happy."

The story seemed to be approaching it's end, and the caffeine's effect was winding down as well. Ted finally had most of the story that led up to his appearance in this world, though there was one detail that still bothered him.

"What ever happened to the armor?" He asked her.

"What armor?" The princess looked genuinely confused for a moment, still rubbing the tears from her eyes, before realization dawned upon her. "Oh, the armor the Nightmare crafted? I-" She paused, her face scrunching up in confusion, attempting to remember what was done with the relic. "I don't remember, actually. After the incident was over, my sister and I never spoke of the parasite again. I thought it faded away without the Nightmare's will to maintain it. If it didn't it may still be in the throne room of the old castle."

They really didn't give the armor created by a mind-parasite a second thought? If it was him in that situation he'd have had it either melted down into a block of metal, and launched into the sun, or sealed it in the deepest vaults he could find. Ah well, in this case, he'd let it slide, since it meant he was free now. And, you know, not in the sun. "Oh, ok. What's happened sin- after the Nightmare was purged?" Ted asked. This was what he was actually looking for, current events. Well, besides needing a mentor in mental spell-craft.

The princess smiled once again, enjoying being able to ramble, and opened her mouth to speak before the world around them rumbled. "Drat" She muttered. "It seems our time together has come to an end, Ted. Please, enjoy your day, I will do my best to seek you out tonight if you dream again. It has been nice to be able to talk to somepony again, even if they are a bit," She smiled warmly." well, strange."

"Take care, Luna."

The dark alicorn nodded as she faded from the dream, and soon, the rest of the world followed suit.

Ted awoke back in his bed in the temple, and almost immediately used a flash of TK to pull the curtain on the nearby window shut. He forgot to close it last night before he'd drifted off, and now he paid the price. Being woken up at the frackin' crack of dawn. As he looked around his room at the various tomes and notes that were scattered over the and began picking them up, sorting them by what he judged were the most relevant to his situation, he felt a tug on his left wing. Turning to the sensation, he almost choked.

Curled up against his side, using the wing as a blanket to ward off the nights chill, Rose had apparently migrated to him over-night seeking warmth. He tried lifting the wing once or twice, but damn was she determined to keep her blanket. The absolutely adorable pout she made as she pulled the wing back to her didn't help him, either. No, he'd end up studying a bit more right here. It was fine, there were some spells he wanted to test before he headed out today, anyway.

About ten minutes into his practice, the door creaked open, and another cart was pushed into the room, this one with breakfast on it. Once again, the chef seemed to have outdone himself, and Rose apparently agreed, as the smell seemed to rouse her from her sleep. She sleepily blinked a few times, before leaning into Ted's side as she slowly woke up. Upon seeing the color of the fur she was lying against, the process was accelerated exponentially, and she darted back into the ruins of Fort Pillow.

'Can't win them all' Ted thought, taking a few pancakes from the cart. Making sure he had enough for himself, his current charge, and a guest, he dismissed the cart and the servants (honestly, he couldn't think of all of them as cultists, anymore. Some of them were just too soft), leaving them with the order to make sure the gatherer's were ready in two hours, and to have Gleam sent to his room as soon as she was available. That would give him plenty of time to eat, and finish his practice with a few spells he found that may be useful on the trip. Setting aside a few pancakes on two smaller plates, he was about halfway through with his own meal when he felt a hoof prodding his side. Rose had come out of her fort, and was staring right at him.

"You're... not gonna eat me, are you? They said that you would. That I was gonna be a snack for her, but your not her, right? So your not gonna..."

Pulling her over to the pancakes, he chuckeled at her logic. "No, Rose, I'm not gonna eat you. Foals are too crunchy, and they'll give me indigestion." At her splayed ears and fearful eyes, he sighed. "I'm kidding, Rose, I don't eat kids. Or foals, or children, or any other small, still-developing creatures."

It was apparently the right thing to say, as the filly relaxed slightly, moving to eat the offered pancakes. As she was finishing the first one, a knock came at the door, and Gleam stuck her head in through the slightly open door. "You wished to speak with me, sir?"

Ted smiled, beckoning her inside. "Great, you're here. I'm going to be headed out soon. I want you to watch Rose while I'm gone." As he was standing up to make his way over to his private bathroom, a thought occurred to him. "Gleam? Are there any other foals here? Or was Rose the only one to be, uh, sacrificed?

"Um, there were a few others, but Shadow Weaver said that we'd be kicking them out. Said we don't have the supplies, so they're not worth keeping around if you don't want them." The mare answered.

"I see" Ted said, Shadow Weaver, was that- wait, how did he talk to the guy three or four times without learning his name? "I assume Shadow Weaver is your leader?"

"Y-yes sir. Well, he was, sir, before you were brought back, sir."

'Dear god, she's already falling apart on me.' "Gleam, I want you to do something for me, ok? It's very important. Don't let Weaver throw the foals out. I want you to tell him that the children are under your care. Per my orders. Can you do this? Can you keep track of them while I'm gone?" The mare stared at him like he'd grown a second head. The nightmare caring about the wellbeing of foals? It was supposed to eat them, not watch over them! "Our numbers are thin, Gleam, we need every able body we can get. I won't throw away valuable followers over simple resources. Besides, that problem will be remedied by tonight." Finished with his speech, he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. That actually sounded well thought out, despite the fact he pulled the reason out of his flanks. Suddenly, however, his self-congratulations were cut short as a problem made itself known. Before him stood an alien toilet. One he had no idea how to use, and he really didn't want to pull from Luna's memories of how to... that would be awkward. Oh, who was he kidding, there was no way this wouldn't be awkward.

Now that he thought about it, didn't Rose still have a suppression spell or two on her? 'Ah, that would be best removed in here.' He thought to himself. 'I'm so sorry, Gleam and Rose, but the next few minutes may not be the most pleasant. For any of us.'

'It could have gone worse, I suppose.'

Ted was currently trotting to the main entrance, currently the only one that the Followers of the Night hadn't blocked off due to the lack of manning. Would it be pony-ing? No, that didn't sound right, what would they use in that situation? Walking up to them, seeing them strapping up with all the spare satchels they could carry, he smiled. As far as he could tell from his study session, there wasn't much out there that could take on an alicorn, so as long as he kept track of all seven of them, everyone would make it back just fine. They had to all make it back. His followers desperately needed the morale boost, much less the supplies. As the gatherers made their final preparations, Ted did a final check on the spells he would be using today. There would be no surprises when he cast any of the spells he'd planned to use today, he'd already tested them.

There were actually holes all over most of the spells in her, no, his memories, but comparing them against each other in the apparent forty or so years he was trapped in the armor, he was able to fill in most of the holes. Actually, he'd been able to patch the vast majority of the spells he had in that way. Except that healing spell; he still had no idea what the safety attached to it was supposed to be, and until he learned that, he wasn't touching it. No need to accidentally give someone cancer trying to heal them. Or grow another limb on their shoulder. It would look kind of bad for his reputation of a God-horse if he did that.

Gathering a few satchels and vials of his own, he cast the tracking spell on each gatherer, and together they set out into the jungle. They stopped just outside the temple, as the door was closed and barricaded behind them. Those who were chosen for this were terrified, eyes darting around, ears pricking and shifting at every sound the jungle made. This would be it for the Followers, for his ponies. There was no room for error on this mission. No retries, no undo's, and no backtracks. If he lost them, he'd lose everyone in the temple as well. These ponies needed the morale almost as badly, if not more than the supplies.

No, this wouldn't do. He focused, and let some extra magic into his eyes, an intimidation spell Luna had used a few times, from what he remembered. It would suit his purpose here. Trotting into their midst, he addressed them.

"Our supplies are low, and we are going to gather as much as we can in as little time as possible." Every one of the ponies' eyes were glued to him, one even dropped all signs of fear seeing the display of raw power from the being that would safeguard their journey. "We will be making two trips today. The first is to the glade to the east. We will be gathering various greens and grasses for nourishment. We will fill our bags, before returning here. After that, we will head to the south. There is a large number of fruit trees in that area, as well as a healing spring. We will gather as much fruit as we can, and take a few vials of the water for the sick. Remain in sight at all times. If someone calls you, especially if you do not recognize the voice, let me know. Do not wander off on your own. Let's Move."

Author's Notes:

Chapter title dedicated to my NCOIC from Manual Morse training school. May he burn/freeze/rot in the deepest pits of hell for all his tacky jokes and his *shudder* morning person-ish-ness.

So I've never had to do this before, but since the story is taking place so far away from and so long after the main story from FIM, I've actually made a map of the local area around the temple in paint to keep track of areas I add. That way I don't stick a river on a volcano. Also, I've got a list of all named ponies and the jobs I've stuck them with.

Rose is diabetes.

P.S. Caffeinated Woona is Best Woona.

Resource Farming

Ted and his merry band of dwar-ponies quietly made their way to their first destination. The place wasn't too far away, but judging by the nerves of his followers and the number of life signs he kept sensing with his detection spells, there was little doubt in his mind that things could become nasty very fast. The ponies that had been selected for the job, whether it was by volunteering or drawn straws, were an odd group, two pegasi, a unicorn, and four earth ponies. One of the pegasi he'd not even recognized as such, until her wings rustled against her robe, matching the color of the brown robes almost perfectly. The unicorn was revealed when he'd ordered everyone's hoods pulled back, reasoning that while it was fine in the safety of the temple, the hoods would only impede their sight in the jungle. He may have been capable of detecting the animals wandering the forest, but he wasn't going to take any chances. Every set of eyes was another chance of spotting danger before it reached them. By the time they reached the field, he was actually starting to cramp from being so tense all the time.

He refreshed his life-detection spell, and seeing all the blurs hidden in the grass, set off a few loud magical explosions slowly radiating away from their location. Most of the signatures scattered, tearing off into the wilderness and away from the loud and bright explosions Ted was assaulting them with. One, however, decided it had taken offence to being disturbed by something smaller than itself.

One moment everything was going fine, the next Ted was staring at the largest animal he'd ever seen in his life.

Out of the grass rose a giant snake, easily three feet wide just behind the jaw, and only increasing the farther down the body one looked. The snake looked at the disturbance, flicking its tongue, before slowly moving forward, rearing back to strike at the delectable targets.

In his shock, Ted almost forgot his primary duty; protect the gatherers. A single whimper from one of the snakes intended victims snapped him out of his stupor. He grabbed the first spell he could think of and launched it, just before the beast lunged.

A blade made of condensed shadow, about half a foot across, formed in front the dark alicorn, launching forward into the snake's head. The blade struck its target, embedding itself about an inch into the snakes temple. Ted was once again left in a state of shock. The blade was supposed to be made of solidified shadow, capable of cutting through even solid stone. So where did he go wrong? A moment later his answer came, as the spell collapsed on itself with a violent detonation, sending the snake into a rage as its temple and eye were subject to abuse, spraying a light mist of blood over the field.

'No, no time right now.' The alicorn tried summoning multiple blades, hoping to end the threat by overwhelming the beast, but could only manage three blades at once, the first detonating upon the creation of the fourth. Shaking off the ringing in his ears caused by his close proximity to the explosion, he would just have to make do. With a shout of challenge, he started throwing the blades at the snake, summoning another when they struck. The blades continued to detonate as they were replaced, but after suffering several bleeding spots along its upper body, the snake managed to counter attack, whipping its large head around and sweeping it to the right, catching Ted off guard. The black alicorn was thrown from the clearing, and the snake gave chase. Picking himself up unsteadily off of the ground, Ted barely had time to cry out in shock as the snake clamped down on him, nearly breaking his ribs with the force of its bite. A few adjustments and the snake had managed to work the alicorn into its throat. Already winded and dazed from the bite, panic began to set in.

'No, oh hell no. I'm nobodies lunch, you shit. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!?'

Twitch could only watch in horror. The giant snake had eaten The Nightmare, and now it was looking at them. If He couldn't defeat it, what hope did they have? A quick glance at his companions only made the situation more hopeless. Fear, debilitating fear and hopelessness was all he saw, was all he felt. There was nothing they could do.

Suddenly the snake cocked its head to the right, before lurching to the left and batting its head against it's torso. Finally, it began trying to bite itself, making lunging strikes at its own body, as if trying to eat its own stomach. That's when Twitch heard it. The sound of muffled explosions. The snakes scales already battered and bloody from it's own assault, began shifting, pushing outwards. Suddenly there was a pop, and a geyser of blood launched from a newly formed hole in the snakes body, followed by another, and another. The snake thrashed around, rolling through the trees, bashing itself against trees and rocks and scattering the gatherers, doing anything to stop the assault, but eventually it succumbed to the wounds. With a horrid squelching noise, a hoof emerged from the discolored and bloated section of the snake, followed by a head. The Nightmare gave a gasp, before coughing and retching up the blood it had been submerged in. A few tugs and tears of the snakes already damaged hide, and the alicorn fell to the ground, shakily rising to it's hooves. Still coughing up blood, The Nightmare approached the snakes head.

Throwing a final shadow blade into the snakes eye, which even upon detonation elicited no reaction from the snake, their ragged god spoke. "Next time you *Cough* try to kill someone, don't try to eat them unless *hack* your, sure they're dead." With a final gasp, the Nightmare spat in the creatures damaged eye. His breathing finally steadying, he turned towards Twitch and the others, eyes falling upon each of them in turn. "Where's the seventh? There were seven of you." A mare at the back of the group hurriedly ran to a fallen log, and pulled a trembling stallion from his hiding place. Shoulders slumping slightly, the Nightmare lifted itself back to its full height, though one wing sat awkwardly on His back.

"Well? We came out here to get supplies. ARE YOU GOING TO STAND AROUND ALL DAY GAWKING OR ARE YOU GOING TO DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS?" Nightmare snapped, blowing the ponies away and sending Twitch and his fellows running back to the fields, gathering what edible greens they could. That had been the single most terrifying thing the pegasus had ever seen, but the Nightmare had won. He had killed something that Twitch and his fellow ponies wouldn't have stood a chance against. Maybe, just maybe, their situation wasn't as hopeless as he'd begun to think. Maybe Shadow Weaver was right. Maybe the Nightmare was the answer to their problems. Maybe they'd survive this after all.

Ted watched as the ponies scattered back into the field. Well, more like he watched the blurs his tracking spell had highlighted, as his vision hadn't quite cleared yet. Nor had the ringing in his ears from so many explosions in an enclosed space. He was probably going to need some of that healing water for himself after that fight. His body was starting to shake a little bit, coming down from the battle-induced adrenaline high, and he turned to the snake. That had been the single most horrific thing he'd seen or done in his life, and honestly, he didn't think Luna had done something like that either. Technically, she could have dealt with the snake much more easily, in fact she could probably tell him what he did wrong with the blades. He was actually looking forward to talking to her some more, maybe learning something about alicorns and magic in general. Yes he had memories, but it just seemed to stick better when he heard her say it. Maybe it was because of his constantly wavering opinions on the memories. Sometimes they were a curse that he tried to seal away, sometimes they were a boon he tried accessing.

Returning to the task at hoof, he removed a few unblemished scales from the snake, as well as four of the larger teeth. If Monster Hunter had taught him anything, it's that you did your best not to waste your kills. Unfortunately, the snake had done a number on itself, and most of the ribs were cracked or downright shattered. Looking for signs of magic, he did find a small dissolving satchel deep in the creatures gullet, along with some pieces of clothing and buckles he couldn't identify. Though the contents were unidentifiable to him he did manage to find a small sealed tube that contained a note.

It was a summons to a landmark nearby addressing five individuals. Guessing the satchel had belonged to at least one of those on the list, that left four individuals that were meeting near his base of operations. Creatures that had experience in the jungles, unlike most of the ponies he was leading. It would definitely pay off to find out who they were, and even if the creatures were a threat, they would know about it, rather than be caught off guard. Grabbing himself a decent chunk of the snakes flesh and wrapping it in a few fresh cloths after draining it of most of the free-flowing blood, he stowed it in a satchel, while the teeth, scales, and message went into a second bag. Finally he filled a vial with a small amount of the snakes blood, stoppering the bottle and setting it in his vial-holder. How the vials and jars had survived the fight he couldn't tell. He turned from the debris of the snake, and headed out to the fields with his charges. All things considered, he was slightly disappointed the snake didn't have any money in it.

The rest of the process had been rather slow. The ponies had gathered as much food as they could fit in their bags, and the few that finished early were sent back out to help their fellow gatherers while he searched for nearby alchemical ingredients. Luna had dabbled in the topic, so he knew the basics, and Shadow Weaver had been adamant that they had a suitable alchemy lab with relevant books on the topic. That just left the fact that the lab had absolutely nothing in the way of supplies, much like the rest of the temple.

'Oh, hey, I recognize this, it's mint!' The number of plants that were similar between the worlds still baffled him sometimes. Most of them were unidentifiable, as alien as the inhabitants of the planet, but there were a few that had analogous shapes and properties, in fact aloe, one of the first plants he'd recognized and grabbed, was supposedly a lot more potent here, possibly due to the magic in the environment. For the most part though, he was just grabbing whatever he could get his magic on. He could figure out what was useful and what wasn't in the safety of the temple. Doing one last head count of his ponies to make sure they were all still accounted for, he called them back and they headed back to the temple. One stop down, one to go, and going by the throbbing in his wing, the faster they reached the second location, the better.

The gatherers bags were swapped out at the temple, and while he'd managed to get most of the gore off of himself by the time they'd reached the door, one of the ponies that answered the door had immediately put a hoof up to his mouth, barely suppressing a gag as he saw his bloody leader. Shadow weaver showed up moments later, sprinting to confirm the return of the gatherers and was almost dancing around Ted with joy, the sight of the embattled alicorn perfectly matching his idea of the Nightmare. While the gatherers were much more certain of themselves for the second trip, Ted had let loose a few shadow blades into the jungle when something had startled him, still reeling from the aftershocks of his first real life and death struggle. After chasing off what appeared to be a chupacobra, a frightening looking creature that looked like some strange combination of snake and cat that had nearly grabbed one of the ponies to the rear, Ted got his first view of the healing glen.

The place was peaceful, relaxing the minds of all who entered, and Ted noticed the chupacobra that had attempted to attack them earlier lying down by the water drinking. The gash on its rear right leg healed as it lapped at the water confirming the properties of the pool. Despite the creatures proximity and the fact it had attacked them earlier, he couldn't bring himself to attack it, and the predator made no move against him or his charges. Not willing to risk them, he directed the ponies to gather some nearby fruit while he grabbed some of the water. As the pegasi worked with the other ponies, retrieving the fruits from the higher branches while the unicorn used it's magic to lower the fruits into his bags, Ted approached the water, levitating four vials out of his bags. Reaching the shore of the softly glowing lake, he dipped his head in, taking a long pull, and immediately felt his aches being eased. A slight pull in his shoulder told him that the injury was soothed, but he'd need to get it reset before it fully healed. He lowered the vials into the water, and as he raised them full of the healing water, he stopped. The chupacobra was growling at him, and some other creatures were looking none too pleased at his current course of action. Pouring the water out, he watched as the wildlife went back to their neutral stances, a large crocodile-like creature not even reacting as it was used as a sunbathing stone for a large bird.

'I hate that, there's always a trick, isn't there. I either have to fight off every damn thing here, or we don't get the water.' Looking around the water's edge, he noticed a few large aloe plants. Walking up to them, and using a small metal blade to remove a single frond, he watched the animals in the area, and breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't react. While the water was off limits, the plants were ok, it seemed, and though he doubted it would be as potent as the healing water, the large aloe frond should be at least twice as potent as the other ones he'd found.

He returned to his gatherers and took one last headcount, before they headed back into the forest. The animals of the refuge watched them leave, but none made move to pursue them. If they wanted to use the healing spring for their injured and sick at this point, they would have to bring the sick to the water.

The sun was just beginning to set as they came in sight of the Temple of the Shadows. It was a welcome sight for Ted, as his wing was starting to ache again, and the days trials had left him tired. The door was unbarred, the cultists entered, and Ted walked in as well, telling them to make sure everyone was supplied with a decent meal. If needed, they would go out again tomorrow. He then passed his bags to one of the cultists who was standing nearby, instructing him to bring everything but the snake chunk to the alchemy lab. The chunk was to be given to the chef. He didn't know why, but the longer he looked at that snake back in the forest the hungrier he became. Odd considering he looked like a horse, but there were stories of pegasi eating meat in ancient myths, so why not. If he had the energy, maybe he'd show up at the dinner tonight and learn a few names. Depending on how far the supplies stretched, he would either be doing this again tomorrow or messing with the alchemy laboratory to make some elixirs, if he had the proper work environment.

Speaking of healing, he also needed to get that wing reset. Ted shook his head as he made his way to his chambers. So much to do, so little time, and so little information to do it with. Lifting his right wing a little and seeing the gore still attached to it, he made up his mind. First things first; a bath to get this disgusting ichor out of his fur.

Author's Notes:

I know I may catch some flak for the snake, but I couldn't think of anything that worked as well in this situation. I also had some fun bringing the almighty OC down a notch. Surprisingly fun, in a masochistic sort of way. Also get to scare the gumdrops out of some of his followers.

" Congrats, you're an alicorn, wielding the power of all three tribes. Do you know how to use the powers? What realm or ideal do you draw your strength from?"

"Don't know? well, it was nice knowing ya."

Party Like it's... What Year is it Again?

Author's Notes:

If your squeamish put your cookies away, it's kinda nasty. Yea the last one was bad at one point, but this one has something worse than gore... bad medical practice.

It was not a pleasant task, washing himself after his expedition. The bath was cold, the cultists didn't have much in the way of hygiene tools, and soap was apparently a luxury here. They had some soap, yes, but with how many times he had to cycle out the bath water to get the blood out of his fur, it wasn't worth using until he was certain he'd gotten all of the blood out. Walking down the empty hallways from the infirmary, he shuddered at the memory. That poor bath tub, it would probably be stained red. Those poor brushes, they'd be trash if they weren't the only set he had. That poor unicorn he'd tasked with helping him remove the gore, traumatized if the look in it's eyes was anything to go by. Those poor pegasi he'd had making multiple trips for more clouds for bath-water. The only positive of the situation was that there was a drainage duct connected to the bathing area, so the filthy water didn't have to be dumped out the window.

Ted scrubbed and washed, used magic to remove the bits that still stuck to him, and eventually even had one of the cultists that had helped set up his bath checking his wings for more bits of gore, but he couldn't get it out fast enough. The adrenaline that had kept him going, and the mission that had distracted him was over, and he'd snacked on a few fruits to sate his hunger while traveling, but now there were no more distractions, just the horrid feeling that he'd never be clean again.

'Oh my god, I think I still have some in my mouth.' Grabbing the toothbrush off of the wash-basin for the fifth time in an hour, the alicorn once again set to brushing the ichor out of his teeth, the poor unicorn he'd grabbed looking even greener around the gills as it pulled yet another bloodied scale out of the alicorn's feathers.

Visiting the infirmary had been even less pleasant, but the process of getting his wing reset only took about three minutes. The doctor, Head Trauma, was unsurprisingly as crazy as Ted had assumed, though the earth pony stallion had the wing sitting in it's proper place with minimal effort. It was the conversation afterwards where the doctor had freaked Ted out.

The wing didn't take Head Trauma long to reset, and while the doctor set Ted up with a sling, the earth pony was only too happy to discuss his favorite medical practices.

"Ah'm telling ya, there's nothing better than leeches fer sickness. Those little fellas are the closest thing to a cure-all ya'll ever find, yer' darkest-ness! Small, easy to care for, and they don't ask ya for nuthin' but love, see?" The stallion stuck his hoof into a jar full of murky water and removed it only to reveal his pets, about twenty leeches writhing around while latched onto the hoof. "Ah use them every day, last time Ah was sick was five years ago!"

Watching the disgusting display, Ted managed to suppress his gag reflex. It was a good thing he'd held off heading to the dining hall until later, as his stomach had nothing to lose. A thought occurred to him watching the things inflate. "How are you not passing out from blood loss?"

"Passing out from blood loss? That's silly, what idiot told ya that would happen if ya used leeches? No, Ah've been keeping my cuties fed this way for about six years, never had any issues, though there are more of them now than there used to be. It's strange, so many ponies come by saying things like that, you really should look into getting that rumor dispelled."

Ted was speechless. 'This is our doctor? This is the guy we trust our lives to if something goes wrong? Oh sweet singing stars, just how badly staffed are we?' "While I understand you love your little, er, pets-"

"Damn right Ah do, why does everpony hate 'em? They're adorable!"

"-I ask that you keep that as a last resort, Trauma. Uh, no need to use that kind of treatment on everyone."

The stallion watched him for a moment, before breaking out into a grin "Oh... Oh I see, save the best for last! Gotcha, your darkness-est-nish. Won't be letting just anypony get this kinda treatment unless they're on deaths door. Though it will mean Ah'll have to feed 'em mahself a bit more often." Nuzzling the mass, one of the leeches latched onto his nose. Undeterred, he cooed at the blood-suckers. "No I don't mind that at all, no I don't. Who's mah favorite squishy? You are! Yes you are... yes you are.'

Ted slowly walked out of the infirmary, doing his best not to draw the attention of the doctor from his pets. The next chance he got, he was going to find out if any of the other cultists had knowledge of medical practices, and if none did, well, there was always kidnapping, right? Better a doctor that was actually sane that may resent them than that thing in there.

All the trauma aside, mental or physical, his ponies were fed, and he'd learned several valuable lessons. Patched spells are bad, snakes are squishy on the inside, fur is much harder to clean than skin, and ponies are crazy. Actually, that last one wasn't something he could judge, seeing as the only thing stopping him from devolving into a brain stew was bubblegum, duct tape, and happy thoughts.

Eventually the alicorn managed to wander into the dining hall as the nightly meal was being served. The room was fairly spartan, a buffet of greens set out on the right side of the room, tables that reminded him of picnic benches set up throughout the rest of the long room. Ponies sat in groups all over the hall. All except one.

At the far end of the dining hall, on a raised throne, sat Shadow Weaver. Truthfully it didn't surprise Ted that the guy would set himself up as higher than everyone else, what surprised him was the sheer audacity the guy had. Seeing him on that throne, laying on his back... no, this wouldn't do at all. As he made his way to the throne, the background chatter started to die down, bringing the attention of others, leaving a cascading silence to fill the room. From what he could see, there was only one throne, and Shadow had made it clear that the cultists saw Ted as some type of dark god. Hell, his current form was probably due to the alicorn magic used to create the armor, as he was fairly certain humans had no magic of their own. That combined with the worlds celestial mechanics, that it was alicorns that guarded the solar cycles, and his presence was basically viewed with the same awe as Thor appearing in a burst of lightning in downtown Chicago.

So why the hell did Shadow have a throne, and where the hell was his? If you're going go so far to play the cultist, at least go the extra mile and set up a throne higher up than yours. Even if it's only symbolic, you showing that you're just ruling until your god is returned. Maybe set it at the right side of the higher throne, putting yourself as your rulers right-hand man? Instead, the guy had set himself up as the ruler, and was sitting his lazy butt on a throne while gorging himself while Ted was out there getting intimately familiar with what snakes smell like. Here's a hint, they smell worse on the inside!

Finally reaching the throne, he stood just in front of it, waiting for some type of reaction from the cultist. Shadow didn't disappoint him.

"Why are you in my light? I'm trying to enjoy my meal, peon. Unless you have something to report it can"

"Peon, you say?" Ted asked with a toothy grin. Oh he was going to enjoy this.

Shadow Weaver nearly jumped out of the seat, scrambling into a seated position. "Y-your Malevolence! What a surprise to find you here!" Before the Unicorn could say anything more or leave the throne it became enshrouded in a dark aura, and raised up off of the ground.

"May I ask, Shadow, why your throne is so high? And tell me, little pony, if you are truly just a follower; where is the throne higher than yours?" Dumping the unicorn out of the throne, Ted set it back on the dais, before walking over the sputtering cultist. It was a bit higher than he would have liked, but he wasn't in the mood to try fixing that at the moment. Sitting his exalted behind down on the lordly cushions, he turned back to the dining hall, and while he enjoyed the now familiar warring emotions playing across Shadow Weaver's face, it was the other inhabitants that made his day. Every eye in the room was on him, at least until he looked back to the hall. After doing so, most of the cultists immediately dropped into bows, some merely lowering their heads, others outright leaving their seats and prostrating themselves on the floor. 'Okay, that's cool, but enough of that' "Aren't you here to eat? Isn't that what we went out today for, to make sure we had food? Eat. Shadow, did the chef know how to prepare the steak?"

"Yes, your darkness," the slightly flustered Weaver responded, before turning to a serving pony. "The master wishes to enjoy his meal. Tell Slop to make sure it's ready." Deciding it was better to cut his losses, the head cultist made his way for the exit, only to be stopped by his name being called.

"And Shadow Weaver? Don't let me catch you doing this again. If you claim to lead those gathered here in my service, you will not place yourself above me. Are we clear?"

The unicorn shifted uncomfortably, every eye in the hall still watching the exchange. "Yes your highness." He said, before turning and leaving the dining hall.

Looking around at the still silent dining hall, Ted asked "Is there a rule against enjoying yourselves?" He waved a hoof at them dismissively. "Go back to your meals."

By the time his steak arrived, the dining hall had surpassed its previous volumes, with several more ponies filtered in, all hoping to catch a view of their leader. Some of them even broke out drinks which Ted was fairly sure were alcoholic. As the server brought the dish to him and uncovered it, Ted's mouth was watering. Finally, some decent meat. Sure some of the ponies looked downright horrified when Ted tucked in to his meal, but it didn't bother him. No, whoever said revenge was a dish best served cold had no clue what they were talking about. It was best served piping hot with a light basil garnish.

'Oh, wait. Maybe not all of them heard about yesterday. If so there's a good chance that some of them think it's a kid on my plate. Eh, I'll take care of it later.'

The adoration of the ponies amused Ted, in a strange way. Part of him had no idea what he should be doing here, kept telling him 'You're a frackin' normal guy stuck on an alien world. You are losing your mind!' But there was another part, the part he'd been relying on more often than he'd like to admit. Luna was a ruler of ponies for centuries, and even if she wasn't as popular as her sister, she still knew how to get the job done. She knew how to carry herself in front of her subjects. He'd have to thank her one day, if he ever found a way to break the news to her. Actually, now that he thought about it, what was his relationship with her? Technically his current form was the result of the Nightmare stealing her alicorn magic. Wonder how that conversation would go. 'Hey your highness, I know this is weird, but magically and genetically speaking, I'm the son of the thing that possessed you and lead to you fighting your sister and almost destroying the planet. Technically it means I'm your son as well. Hi, kinda-my-mom!' Yea, that should be fun. In the meantime, he'd definitely have some questions for the lunar alicorn when he next saw her.

It's not the Truth, It's What They See

The ponies had partied well into the night, but Ted was still exhausted from the days events. Knowing he may have to do it all again the next day left him more than willing to head to bed early. Those he passed in the halls were rushing to join in the festivities, though a few seemed to be more interested in private parties, if some of the looks that were being fired around the temple were any indication. Shaking the mental images conjured by such sights, he made his way to his own chambers, intent on seeing this day finished.

Just a few rooms before he reached his destination, he came across Gleam, leading a small group of about four foals. Most tried hiding behind her as he approached, but one came running up to him. Rose came to him, hugged his leg, and wished him goodnight. 'Blast, Rose 3, Ted 1' He thought to himself, leaning down to nuzzle the little filly.

"Can I stay with you?" She asked. It was surprising, all things considered. The filly had spent most of the previous day hiding from him, now she found him perfectly safe?

"I can't Rose, I have something I need to do tonight. There's someone I need to talk to. I have some questions to ask her that may help us all. I met her when I was sleeping, and if she scares me while I'm sleeping you may get hurt, ok? Now, why are you so willing to hug me all of a sudden?" He asked her, smiling at her pout.

"Miss Gleam said you told her to watch us. She also said you kept the food ponies safe so we could have something to eat." Hugging tighter to his leg, she said "Thank you Mr. Nightmare." before scampering back to her caretaker. Wishing her sweet dreams, he didn't notice the confused look on her face, though he did hear her ask Gleam what a dream was. 'That's right, Luna said ponies haven't dreamed for a long time. Maybe she knows why that is.'

Arriving at his chambers, he took a quick glance around before struggling into bed. Two days as a horse hadn't made him any less awkward in some movements. The room was a lot cleaner than it had been when he left it earlier, though considering the mess, that wasn't saying much. At least he didn't have to worry about staining the bed sheets red, or having something squish while he got comfortable. Laying on the bed, he wondered what he would play tonight.

'I am a ninja. I am invisible. They will not notice me.' Hefting his weapon, Ted smirked, eyes concealed by an odd mechanical looking Viking helmet. 'Until it is too late!' Whipping out of cover, he unleashed hell upon the dirty REDs, rocket after rocket flying towards his targets, sending many a RED bastard to their death. The last rocket, glowing with an ethereal blue glow, struck several of the enemies, showering the area with body parts.

"Welcome to the United States of YOU JUST GOT DOMINATED!" He shouted, adrenaline surging through his body. His allies moved forward, hoping to capture the first point when the fastest of the group screamed in terror, an electronic chirping pre-empting a hail of bullets that were impossible to avoid. Signaling his pocket, Ted reloaded, before rushing around the corner, his body becoming encased in a solid blue energy. The four turrets, stuck so close together it made him want to cry, were useless against his invincible form, and were quickly demolished, along with their caretakers. Before he could reload a second time, he heard a loud chime, followed by a voice from one of the many speakers around the area.

"We have captured a control point!"

Grinning, he charged forward once again. The reds didn't stand a chance. He turned the corner and-

The next thing Ted was aware of, he was back in his teams base, wondering what had happened. He'd blown up the turrets, turned the corner and...

...red spiked balls. Oh, that damnable one-eyed bastard would pay for that.

The fighting had stalled, leaving an absolute meat-grinder of a kill zone for both sides, neither able to press an advantage long enough to do anything, be it push the BLU's back or take the RED's final base. Just as Ted was thinking of ways to break the tie there was a shout from above. He turned to see the small dark alicorn once again showing up in his dreams. He smiled, thinking to himself 'Awesome, just the pony I wa-' before the Australian to his right was struck by a lightning bolt. Confused, he looked back at the alicorn, and all he saw was hatred.

"You thought you could lie to me, that you could hide behind that alien form?" The lunar alicorn shouted, tears in her eyes. "You cannot hide your aura, the magic that flows through you even in your dreams! You thought that I would be brought low by your lies a second time? Never! I will exact revenge upon you, for hurting me, for hurting my subjects, for hurting MY SISTER!" Luna screamed, mane flying wildly in an arcane wind, dark clouds forming around her while her eyes glowed with power. "LIAR" She shouted, launching a true shadow blade that neatly bisected a nearby team mate. "DECEIVER!" She screamed, launching a second blade that furrowed the concrete at Ted's feet. "PARASITE!" She accused, firing a stream of arcane fire at him,

Ted ducked back behind a door frame, muttering obscenities to himself. 'Ignoring the glow, it's just an illusion anyway, why the hell is she so angry at me? When did I lie to her, or hurt her sister? Why would she attack me all of a sudden?' His cover was struck by three more bolts of lightning. 'Oh hell, aura? Humans don't have magic so the only magic I have would be hers and the Nightmares. And since she's not running up to me to hug me and call me her son, I'm guessing she's thinking I'm the latter.' He frowned. 'I may know why, but this is my dream, dammit. You don't come running into my dream trying to kill me!' Swinging out of cover once more, he aimed his weapon at the other alicorn.

"I'm coming for you, wizard!" He shouted, firing a salvo at the flashing ball of rage.

"Everybody, attack ze vizard!"

Suddenly Luna was under fire from both the BLU and RED teams, as they shouted nonsense at her.

"Oh my god, I hate wizards SO MUCH!"

"Your magic is weak, old man!"

"RUSSIAN TOOTH FAIRY HAZ COME FOR ALL YOUR TEETH!"

Tired of the idiocy, she prepared a gravity bomb, intending to crush the insolent creatures.

"Lookout, he has a book! He's going to read!"

The princess almost lost hold of her fury at the absolute stupidity flowing from the creatures mouths, but managed to launch the spell, capturing four of them and crushing them to nothingness. Turning to the remaining fools, she noticed the Nightmare was missing. 'No, impossible, it wouldn't run from a fight, so where-'
"Always in the last place you'd look."

Her search was cut off as a piercing agony made itself known between her wings. Turning, she saw the Nightmare once more, this time with a stub of a horn showing through his blue balaclava, his wings twice as large as they were last time, barely clearing his shoulders. The next thing she knew, she was ejected from the dream, tumbling in the void of the dream realm.

Once more Ted found himself standing in an endless void. To say he was angry would be incorrect. No, he wasn't angry, just frustrated. The princess was one of his best chances at figuring out most of his problems here, maybe even knowing if it was possible to return home. Sure he wasn't a god or demi-god or whatever role alicorns filled here back where he was from, but surely his sister needed to know at least. Would his mother still be alive after forty years? Would she believe him if he said he was her son? Or had she accepted the Nightmare as her son? Was the planet even there anymore? What if the Nightmare had destroyed the earth? Based on what he knew of it, that would most likely be its goal.

He shook his head. If that was the case, the blasted thing had almost four decades on him to fulfill it's plans. He just hoped the earth was still there if he figured out a way home. Looking around himself, he was about to start another game when he noticed them. The void wasn't one anymore. There were small lights nearby, like Will-O-Wisps floating near him. Four more were off by themselves but close enough to see; two of them close by, a third near those, and a fourth off by itself. No, the fourth wasn't by itself, but the fifth was so weak that the two were indistinguishable from each other. What was this? Where did they come from? Perhaps the inhabitants of this plane sensed him. He had no real training with this dream realm thing besides what little he could glean from broken memories, so if something attacked him here he would be a sitting duck.

As quickly as it came, his paranoia left. One of those closest to him seemed to be calling him. Leaning closer and reaching for it, he found himself in a small cabin, tidy and cozy, a small fire burning in the hearth. He heard a pony nearby, and wishing he was in his alicorn form, found himself to be wearing that form a moment later. Not a second too soon either.

Trotting in with a tea kettle was Gleam, humming happily to herself. She looked at her unexpected guest, smiled, and asked him "Good evening sir, would you care for some tea?" At his nod, the unicorn levitated the kettle over to the fire, before heading back to the kitchen, returning with a tray of crackers. "I'm afraid I haven't had much time to bake lately, I've just been so busy!"

"It's fine Gleam, I'm glad to see you enjoying yourself. Tell me, is this your first dream?"

The unicorn giggled at him. "Oh no, sir, I've had dreams before, when I was a little fi-" Suddenly her smile died on her lips, and her eyes were wide open. "B-but, we don't dream anymore." She stated, looking around the cabin. Looking back to Ted, she said. "I don't understand."

'Neither do I, honestly, and my only possible source on alicorn magic and dreams is currently trying to kill me.' It would most likely be best if he pretended to not understand the question, though. It would avoid the uncomfortable questions for now. Smiling, he answered another question. "Don't understand what? Why this is a dream, and not a nightmare? Tell me, would you be able to watch Rose and the others if you didn't sleep tonight? Would those foals want to stay here if the first dreams they ever had were nightmares? No, Gleam, the nightmares are for my enemies." His smile deepened, showing off his irregularly sharp canines. "Our enemies."

The mare seemed to consider the answer, before nodding. Turning to the tea kettle and levitating it off of the fire, she looked back at her guest. "Could I interest you in some tea?"

It was impossible. She refused to believe what she was seeing. Walking up to it, she reached out a hoof to the orb. The world shifted, leaving her in a green field with four ponies in it. One was a little filly, dancing and prancing happily around two others whose faces seemed blurred. The fourth was the Nightmare. Well, what she assumed its alicorn form looked like. It sat off to the side, watching the filly as she jabbered happily to the two unknown ponies. Did the little filly not realize the danger she was in? The Nightmare was right there, it would destroy everything in moments. Before she could stop the green foal, it rushed up to the Nightmare, even going so far as to set its hooves against his legs to lift herself higher. The dark alicorn turned from its vigil, and while the outsider braced for the worst, nuzzled the filly and told her he would keep watching for the bad ponies.

Luna felt her rear legs give out watching the exchange. Sure it was a dream representation, but such a thing had to come from somewhere. The dream was near where the Nightmare was currently residing, on the other side of the planet from Equestria, so the filly most likely had seen the Nightmare at least once. Was it lulling her into a false sense of security? Perhaps Luna's presence stopped it from becoming a full fledged nightmare. As she was about to settle on the last, the little green foal noticed her, and running up to her assaulted her with questions.

"Oh, hi! Who are you? I'm Rose. Are you Mr. Nightmare's sister? You look a lot like him. Do you want to play?" The reference to being related to Mr. Nightmare left a bad taste in her mouth, but she agreed to play with the filly. She needed answers. The field wavered a bit, and a small part of it was suddenly a flat play-area with a small ball. The filly rushed over to the ball, before launching it at the princess, who caught it and returned it to the filly. It was a simple game, often used by young unicorns to improve their strength and reaction times, but it was always entertaining watching children play. Even at her darkest hour, children had brought her hope.

"So tell me, young one, where did you meet Mr. ahem, Nightmare?"

"Oh, some bad ponies brought some of us out to this really far place, one said we were gonna be snacks." She said, frowning slightly at the memory. The ball was forgotten in her grip, slowly drooping to the ground. "They tied me up and put a bunch of spells on me so I couldn't move, and brought me to him. They said he would eat me... but he didn't. He said they were wrong, and sent them away. He gave me some delicious toast with this amazing jelly on it, it was soooo good!" The filly rambled, her mood improving every moment. "Then I fell asleep hiding in his pillows and the next morning I woke up next to him, Miss Gleam said it was because it gets cold at night, and even though I was pulling his wing he didn't say anything, he just let me have some pancakes. Then he told Miss Gleam to watch us and he went to protect the food ponies. One of them said he fought this HUUUUGE snake! He was using all these cool spells and it tried to eat him and boom! He blew it up!" She shouted. Rose was practically dancing around Luna at this point. Suddenly she stopped, thinking about her current location and the words spoken to her earlier. "Hey lady," She asked, poking one of the princess' forelegs. "Is this a dream?"

Recovering from her confusion, Luna nodded.

"Are you the one he was going to talk to?" Rose asked "He told me he wanted to talk to somepony that could help him. That she showed up when he was sleeping. Is that you? Are you going to help him?"

The alicorn frowned. He had been preparing to ask her for help? After all he had done to her and her sister?

"Is that a no?" The filly asked sadly.

Luna turned to the young girl, smiling sadly. "The Nightmare hurt me and my sister a long time ago. He took many things from me, and he knows everything I do. He is very, very dangerous."

Rose looked at her, confused. "That's not nice. Mr. Nightmare is nicer than a lot of ponies I know."

Shaking her head sadly as she walked away, the princess looked back at the filly. "That speaks very poorly of the world we live in, doesn't it?" Before the unicorn could respond, the princess faded from the dream.

Author's Notes:

Few notes:

1:Did you really think I wouldn't use that game? Can you really look at my avatar and not expect this?

2: Rose is the queen of Equestria. The princesses get their orders from her.

3. I'm hoping I hit some feels with that one, or at least get a daw. Never tried for them this hard before. Did I tug at your heart strings, or maybe even rip them out? I hope so, mine are getting old, I need replacements.

Gonna have to take a break soon, I'm gonna burn myself out, but my muse is mugging me. Besides, some of my games are updating while I'm here wasting time entertaining you guys. I mean, I missed the most recent tactical alert on warframe because I was doing this! Hmm, I need a Lily emote

Jobs? Give me a List of Names, and Some Darts

It was like the Temple of the Shadows had come alive overnight. Everywhere Ted walked, ponies talked excitedly to one another, sharing the dreams they'd had the night before. Some spoke of memories of home, others of hopes of adventure. Some even dreamed of finding that special somepony they'd spend the rest of their lives with. All in all, the ponies were ecstatic. All but one, and he made sure Ted knew about it.

"Your darkness, what madness is this?" Shadow Weaver raved, rushing up to Ted on his way to breakfast. Yes breakfast in bed was nice, but so was being around other people after being locked in armor. Ted turned to the cultist, confusion written across his face.

"Is there a problem, Shadow?" The alicorn asked.

Slowing to keep pace with Ted, Shadow Weaver was fuming. "Dreams! We had dreams last night!"

"And the problem is?" Ted asked leadingly.

"Dreams! Where are the nightmares? Where are the wails of despair carrying through the night? Why are ponies not cowering under their beds? Why do they laugh and converse about their dreams?"

The dark alicorn turned to the unicorn. "Shadow, the ponies here are running on fumes, if you didn't notice. As fun as it would be to torment everyone here, I would like to recover in relative comfort. Sowing nightmares amongst my followers would be like stabbing your own hoof because you thought it would be fun."

The two arrived at the dining hall and Ted, rather than waiting for a server to bring him breakfast, headed to the meager breakfast bar, much to the shock of the dining ponies. Gathering a plate and adding a few pancakes and some of the fruits that were gathered the previous day, he made his way to the throne. It wasn't that it was where he wanted to sit, but it was the only seat in the hall big enough for his flank. about half-way to the dais, he stopped, sleepily looking out at the cultists that stared at him.

"You think I want to wait for my breakfast? Screw that." Walking up to his chair, he sat down heavily, absentmindedly spreading some fresh jam on his pancakes. Some of the cultists hid smiles in their hoods, others chuckled, despite their best efforts to keeps straight faces.

"But sir, the tales told of-"

"Weaver, what have I told you of legends?" Ted asked, turning to the persistent pony. "Speaking of followers, who's in charge of staffing?"

"T-that would be me, sir." Shadow said, caught flat-hooved by the sudden change of topic.

"Good, I'd like to see what jobs you have everyone assigned to later on. Who is the quartermaster?"

"The what sir?"

"Quartermaster? The one in charge of supplies?"

"Uh, Slop is in charge of rations, but other than that we really don't..."

The alicorn sighed. "Weaver, how many ponies are in the temple?"

"Uh, I believe about twenty six?"

"Weaver, there are thirty three ponies in this room, including you and I." Ted countered, staring uninterestedly at the pony. "I want you to either do this yourself, or find someone who is good at this sort of thing. I want you to get an individual in charge of general supplies, and I want a list of everything we have that may be useful, even if it's a bed. If we don't have enough beds find out if someone's good at woodcarving or basic craftsmanship. Do we have a... what's the term, war-room?"

The cultist's ears perked up at the question. "Oh, yes sir, based on the one in the Castle of the Two Sisters!"

"Good, when you find the pony, bring them there, along with Trauma and Slop. I will also want you to send any books on construction. This is our home right now, and I'll be damned if I'm going to be stuck living in a hole in the ground."

"But sir, why not just attack Equestria?"

"I already tried that, Weaver, do you know how well that turned out? Not well at all. A new strategy is needed. We will fortify here, recruit who we can, and learn of our enemies and their weaknesses" 'If there's one thing I know, it's never rush in blindly. Not only does that never end well in most cases, Nightmare already tried that, and ended up getting its shadowy butt kicked.' Noticing the unicorn was still hesitating, he refocused on the cultist. "Any other questions, Shadow?"

"I, why do you care which pony does what? I've always just picked a pony at random. They do the job, we move on."

"What is this?" Ted asked, holding up a fork.

"Uh, a fork, sir?"

"Yes, a fork. Do you eat soup with a fork, Weaver?"

"No sir."

"Then why would you make a pony that loves sneaking around take care of the alchemy lab, when you need scouting done?"

Shadow Weaver started to respond several times, before Ted put an end to his floundering before returning to his own meal. "Get yourself some breakfast, Shadow, and then get these things done."

The pony begrudgingly left, mind a whirlwind of confusion. The Nightmare was supposed to be an unmatched horror, what had changed?

Ted walked into the war room, levitating a plethora of scrolls, maps, and tomes, as well as his own notes, behind him. The war room was spacious, with a large table in the middle that had a map of equestrian currently displayed across it, complete with markers on several larger cities. Making sure nothing was being done with it currently, he swept the map and markers off the table, holding the markers for a moment and rolling the map up for storage. Waving his hoof in front of him to dispel the dust that had come off the map, he placed the map of the Kharazi jungle on the table, before placing a large marker on the Temple of the Shadows. He placed smaller markers to the south and east of the temple, a cross by the healing spring and a wheat sprig by the glade. Then, pulling two troop markers out, he placed them in two locations. As far as he could tell, they were the locations the other dreams had been. One was actually within an couple hours walking distance to the east, just north of the glade, if he translated the dream realm distances correctly. That was the one he wanted to check first, as there seemed to be an injured individual there as well. The others were near the location described in the note, so it seemed most had arrived at the meeting place, besides the unfortunate individual that had run afoul of the giant snake.

Just as he was familiarizing himself with the local area, Shadow Weaver, Head Trauma, and a pegasus wearing a chefs hat walked in. 'Slop, if my I had to guess, though where the hell did he find a chefs hat here, and why is it the cleanest thing around?' "I assume this is Slop? Nice to finally meet the one responsible for that fantastic brisket last night. I was worried you wouldn't be able to work with meat, being an herbivore."

The heavy purple Pegasus smiled widely at the praise "It was truly a challenge, sir! Never before have I had the pleasure of working with such an exotic ingredient. Meats of all kinds are banned in Equestria, and they lean heavily on any country that does not comply with their own standards. It has put them at odds with most of the carnivorous races, as you can imagine, but the queen wields enough power that she tends to walk over any who cause problems."

Ted was confused by the revelation. 'She won't let carnivores eat meat? What kind of idiot are we dealing with here? Alright, she's on my shit-list. You don't deny someone bacon.' He paused a moment. 'Are pigs sapient here? Damn, I don't think I could eat something that could ask me how my day was... even if it was bacon.' "I take it you're here as the provisions quartermaster, and Trauma is the medical quartermaster. Shadow, do you know anyone who would be good with staffing and equipment?"

"Yes sir, I told her to come here as soon as she was able to."

As Ted was about the ask who it was, there was a thunderous approach from the hallway, followed by a muffled "I'm first! I win!" Pulling the door open with his magic, he found four foals outside the door, a breathless Gleam running after them.

"I'm sorry sir, I came as soon as I heard you needed to talk to me, but the foals have just been bouncing off the walls this morning."

"There he is!" the alicorns legs were suddenly besieged by the foals, all four looking up at him, Rose actually trying to climb up his back to get closer to him.

"It was so cool! You said to have pleasant dreams, and we all had dreams! I've never had a dream before!" Rose said. Her energy was reflected in the other foals, as well, a colt and two other fillies.

"Neither have I, I dreamed I was in a pool of ice-cream!"

"Was it chocolate?"

"Ew, no, strawberry is better!"

"Is not!"

Levitating Rose off his back, he lifted the other three with her, and looking at all four he addressed them. "I'm glad you're all having a blast, but we're busy here. I need you to let us work for a bit, ok?" He put the four foals in a corner of the room with a few pony figurines and house markers, leaving them to play for a while. Turning back to the gathered adults, he looked at Gleam.

"I'm glad you want to help, Gleam, but if you're going to do this, try to find someone to help you with them. Head Trauma, do you keep a running tally of medical supplies?"

"Course Ah do, sir! Got a spare list here!" The Earth stallion pulled a list out of one of his bags. The list was dismally small, considering how many were in the temple by his estimate, and the number could be higher. Some bandages, a few doses of antibiotic, and the plants he got the day before. Oh, and his leeches. A list of all his leeches. Individually accounted for.

By name.

Barely suppressing a shudder, he turned to Slop. "How is the pantry doing?"

"Not as terribly as it was yesterday, sir, but the gatherers are supplying all of us for 3 meals a day, so we will need another supply run in two days at the latest. With more supplies coming in, I've been able to relax the ration Shadow Weaver had in place, but we're still not doing all that well."

"Has there been any activity, like enemy patrols?" Ted asked.

"No, sir, not that we've seen. I assume the ponies that tried to follow us met a terrible fate, as have several of our own." Shadow answered.

Nodding, the ruler started leafing through a book on basic infrastructure. "Can we clear out the area directly around the temple?" At the unsure looks of the ponies around him, he asked. "What? What's the matter? We need room for buildings. We can't all live here for ever, and we'll need crops. Foraging is well and good but it only works for so long."

Shadow answered him. "Sir, the forest here, it's like the everfree. It's terrifying, honestly."

Ted quirked a questioning eyebrow.

"Sir, the forest, the clouds, the animals, they all move about by themselves. This land, it's not something ponies can survive in, it can't be beaten. We've pulled plants out of the temple, only to find them growing back a week later! The clouds outside? Nopony is moving them, they drift as they please!"

The alicorn sighed heavily to himself. This is something that scared them? If he was honest with himself, the world Shadow just described was not only scary in its own right, it was downright boring. Who the hell had the free time to move clouds and control grass? "Weaver, let me tell you a story. There is a world out there, an entire planet that is like this jungle." At the horrified looks of the cultist, he rolled his eyes. "From deserts, to oceans, to tundras, to jungles, no one creature can exert anything but physical or mental influence on another, as there is no magic. On this planet, there are creatures as smart as you and I. They don't have fangs, or claws, or scales, or shells or anything like that, and yet they managed to dominate the entire planet. There is almost nowhere on that planet you can go that will not have a few of these creatures scraping a life out of whatever they can manage. They have nothing but their intelligence and a stubborn refusal to die. If they can conquer a planet that's done its damnedest to wipe them from history, we, with magic and some ingenuity, can figure out how to survive in the jungle." Facing the others in turn, he addressed them once more.

"We are not as bad off as you seem to think. For one, we have no political enemies near us, none that would bring an army to our doorstep, at least, so we can direct all of our attention to the wildlife. I'll be going out later with a group to start clearing the area around the entrance so that there will be no ambushes there, and I want someone to organize an inventory of all the supplies we have. As I told Weaver, I don't care what it is, if we can use it for something, it gets added to the list. While we're clearing the area, we'll see if there's anything else edible nearby, too. No need to waste food when we're so short. Weaver, you're good at spells, I know that for certain. Are there any wards that you know that you can use to keep out enemies? Even an early warning system would be nice." Ted chewed his lip, thinking. "Anyone else have any ideas?"

At Trauma's raised hoof, Ted clarified "Something that doesn't have to do with leeches?" Trauma's grin fell, as did his hoof.

With no ideas being put forward by his ponies, Ted dismissed them, before turning back to the map. It would be best for all involved if he had a chance to memorize the local area. Sparing a quick glance at Head Trauma as he departed, He found himself humming an old tune.

"...In the Temple of the Shadows he's the finest doc by far. He got his degree by watching House and Scrubs and E.R...." He chuckled to himself. Yes, the first chance he got, that guy was going to be placed under someone who knew what they were doing. If he could find someone like that in the middle of this god-forsaken jungle, at least.

Author's Notes:

Wanted to get this out before I left for work today, seeing as I haven't updated in the last few days. Enjoy.

Clearing Jungles and Jungle Clearings.

Having planned out a few important buildings, such as barracks, a smithy, a large storage building for things too big for the temple, some farm plots, and even a small wall directly around the temple, Ted went looking for Weaver. He would need some help with clearing the area outside, and there was something that had occurred to him recently.

He found the unicorn with Gleam, talking to ponies and writing down what they excelled at. For some reason, though, this involved all the ponies dropping their robes. Approaching the oddity, he noticed that all of the ponies had weird tattoos on their rear ends. A quick scan of Luna's memories said the tattoos were normal, that they displayed what the pony was good at, and despite the Ted-part of his brain's objections, that they occurred naturally. Suddenly curious, he turned around and glanced at his own backside, only to be greeted with plain black fur. So he was the odd man out here? And what would represent his ability to lead a bunch of insane cultists?

Brushing aside the odd thoughts, he approached Shadow and pulled him aside. "Shadow, I have two things I need from you. First, what ever happened to the armor I was pulled from?"

"What ar-Oh! It should still be in the main ritual chamber, your darkness. I had it cleaned up and set as a display there."

Ted nodded, "Second, I want a group set up for clearing the outer perimeter. It will give us better visibility as we leave, and eventually I'd like to get some sort of lookout system set up. If you need anything from the local area for those rituals or arrays that I asked for, add it to the needed supplies list I have in the war room. Even more helpful would be if you added where they can be found." Nodding to the ponies Gleam was still working with, he asked. "Are you done with any of them? I'd like to get an escort to the ritual room. I've been there once, and I was in a bit of a haze at that point."

"Of course, master. Blur!" A young yellow female pegasus rushed over Shadow's call. "I want you to escort the master to the ritual chamber. He wishes to see his armor. And by the shadows, put your robe back on!"

Blur flew back over to grab her robe, wrestled it on, then ran back to Ted. "This way, Mr. Nightmare, sir."

Ted only grinned as he followed the pegasus. Rose's name for him was getting around it seemed. 'Mr. Nightmare. Sounds important. I like it.'

The journey was fairly quiet, though the pegasus was back in the air as soon as she was out of sight of Shadow Weaver, hovering back and forth through the hallways as she led the way. Walking back into the room of his, well, rebirth sounded cliché, but there really wasn't anything else Ted could call it at that point. The armor was there, fixed in a sitting position looking down upon all who entered the chamber. The inside of the armor was unnaturally dark, despite the light filtering in through the shattered windows. The sharp scent of the herbs used in the ritual still hung in the air, and judging by the lack of dust, the room was being kept in top condition. A movement to his left brought his attention to three ponies as they cleaned the room. Even with his presence among them, the cultists still found this room important.

Approaching the armor, Ted levitated the helmet in front of him. No wonder the princesses had forgotten about it. For some reason, unless it was right in front of him, his thoughts just seemed to slip off of the blue metal. Part of the magic of its creation perhaps? It wasn't the right size, made for both a more slender figure as well as a larger one. Looking at the armor now, he was just shy of looking it in the snout if he stood directly in front of the armor. Still, the armor felt familiar, as something he'd been stuck in for so long. Using his TK to turn it around, he closed his eyes, and tried putting it on.

To his surprise, the next thing he felt was the armor settling perfectly on his face, covering him as if it were custom made for him. He repeated the process with a leg brace, watching this time as the mystic metal seemed to flow around his foreleg, settling on him perfectly. He knew as soon as Luna had mentioned the Nightmare had created the armor with her magic that the armor would be magical in nature, but to reshape itself to his form? Levitating the entirety of the armor from its stand, he quickly donned the rest of it in a whirlwind of magic. He felt a little stronger with it on, a little surer of his steps, and strangely enough, he could barely hear his own breathing. Actually, he couldn't really hear Blur's breathing either. Glancing back to the pegasus, he found her face-down on the temple floor behind him, prostrate in front of the dais. Walking off of the raised platform, he approached the pegasus, not hearing a single hoof-fall despite the metal hoof-covers. Not only that, but all of the shadows in the room seemed deeper, and he could feel the shadows like they were an extension of himself. Was it the armor? Impossible, the Nightmare was long gone, and it never took the armor off, so there was no need to put some type of defense on it. Taking off the armor with his magic, he watched the shadows of the room. They were still there, still called to him, but it was faint. The armor had just amplified the effect. It had amplified his power.

Setting the helmet back on his body and the rest of the parts to his side, he reached the groveling pegasus. This was getting old fast. If they feared him, they wouldn't be able to talk to him. If they weren't able to talk to him, they wouldn't be able to deliver news and help him learn of the world. Luna was too kind to do this, and the Nightmare would have killed the mare where she lay. He'd have to do this on his own.

Blur was terrified. The second the Nightmare had put on the helmet, everything seemed a bit darker. As He pulled on the bracer, the rooms light levels once again dropped. Finally, with a whirlwind of His dark aura, the light in the room seemed to cease to exist for a moment, before returning, though weaker than ever before.

"Look at me, Blur." He commanded. The pegasus shakily raised her eyes up to meet His, though she stopped at His snout. Immediately, she dropped back down. She had no idea what she was doing here. Some of them said he was kinder than Shadow Weaver had said he would be. Buck, Weaver said the Nightmare was female. But seeing the display, and no longer able to even hear her own breathing, she could only assume he had been biding his time until he was strong enough to leave.

She jumped as a hoof touched her, before it lifted her muzzle to look right at Him. His eyes were sunk into the helmet, slit pupils gazing out of darkness right at her. She knew He had the teeth of a predator, and after the lights began to dim, the ponies cleaning the room had run in fear. She was alone with the dark god, and He was focused on her. A sudden pull brought her even closer to the large alicorn. He was almost twice her size, with magic, and a grip on her, there would be no escape. Just before she could start to cry in fear, though, He spoke to her.

"Blur, are you scared of me? As I told Rose, and as I told Gleam; the nightmares, the fear, that is for our enemies." His wings wrapped around her as he pulled her into His barrel. "The darkness can be scary, but it's not the darkness we fear. It's what could be in the darkness. The darkness can also be peaceful, it can be comforting, it can be safe. We don't sleep in the sun, we find our rest in the shadows."

Pushing her away just a little bit, he leaned down to her level. "My ponies have nothing to fear from me, Blur. Remember that, and hold it as truth in your heart." He said, before putting the armor back on and leaving the chamber. Blur watched Him leave in a stupor. She'd thought He was going to kill her, despite everything she'd heard about Him. She'd let her fear stop her from seeing the truth, the real truth, not the one Shadow Weaver preached. The Nightmare loved her, He loved them all. She wouldn't let her fear stop her again. There was only one pony in her life that had made her feel that safe, that spoke to her like that and held her close. It was that name she would now associate with the Nightmare.

She wouldn't let her fear stop her from serving her Father anymore. She would do anything she could to help Him.

Both the alicorn and the pegasus were so mired in their individual thoughts, neither noticed the shimmer of magic that had flickered to life during the Nightmares speech, nor did they notice the emblem that now adorned his flanks as he left.

Walking away from the ritual room, the alicorn could feel a strange surge flow through him. Thinking about it, he'd felt something similar when he'd killed the snake in front of his ponies, but the surge was minute. This one wasn't much stronger, but the armor amplified the feeling enough to draw his attention to it. Did it have to do with Blur? Probably, considering his speech to her was the only thing he'd done since breakfast. What it was, however, he couldn't even begin to wonder.

Arriving at the entrance to the temple, he was greeted by at least fifteen ponies all eagerly waiting for him, with packs and a few makeshift blades on them. Seeing his approach, the ponies quickly lined up by the door, and all bowed as he reached them.

"You all wish to help with the clearing of the outer courtyard?" Ted asked them, his question answered by bobbing heads. There were too many to keep an eye on the foragers and watch the ponies clearing the courtyard at the same time. Deciding to split the job into parts, he picked out a gathering team, and ordered the others to gather any wood-clearing tools they could find. Honestly, why they hadn't brought them to the entrance in the first place was beyond him. The trees weren't going to just fall over and split into useful chunks if they bucked them enough.

Stepping outside into the humid jungle, he placed his tracking spell on the ponies and addressed the seven gatherers for this mission.

"Alright, same rules as before. Keep in sight of each other at all times, don't wander off on your own, and if you hear something that bears investigation. Do we have a pegasus with the group?" A single raised hoof answered his question. Ted turned to the pegasus. "Keep above us, there's not much in the upper canopy that will attack a pony, so you will be our over-watch. If you see something that doesn't look right, you let me know. If there's no time, just yell the direction." Turning back to the whole group, he continued. "Hoods down. We're searching for anything useful around the temple before we clear it. Let's go."

The gathering run was fairly quiet for the most part. Every now and again Ted would move ahead of the group, or drive away a particularly nasty looking animal, but nothing seemed very eager to take him on or to make a swipe at his charges. About an hour into the expedition, the group had searched a good quarter of the area directly surrounding the temple when something worthy of note occurred. A chubacobra slinked from the shadows, about ten feet from Ted. The alicorn caught his breath, staring straight at the predator, getting ready to blast it with a spell the second it made a move for his ponies.

However, the creature didn't make a move for the ponies behind him. In fact, the longer Ted watched the thing prowl by, the more he realized it never even looked at him. As the creature left, he turned to the gatherers, and noticed they were all standing in the shadows of the trees they were under, and those very shadows seemed to pull around them and cover them from prying eyes. As the danger had passed, the ponies started panicking about their current situation, some even jumping out of the shadows that shrouded them from danger.

Ted admonished them, as the animal was still nearby. "Shh, remain calm." he whispered. Since when had his powers been that strong? The second he'd noticed the creature, he'd thought of hiding, and he had. Not only that, he'd apparently hidden the entire group along with himself. He'd spoken those words to Blur in an effort to calm her down, to comfort her, but this was a world of magic. Perhaps shadows did have their own strength? Yet another thing to add to his ever growing list of concerns.

After waiting to be certain the danger had passed, the ponies continued the journey. There were plenty of usable plants, be they vines for weaving, a few edible greens, and even more exotic herbs for the alchemy laboratory. Eventually, the group arrived at the entrance of the temple once more, and Ted released the ponies to deliver what supplies they had gathered to the proper locations. Ted had a lunch brought to him while he inspected the equipment of those who would be clearing the jungle with him. Most of the tools were fairly rundown, rusted, and overall not what he would like to use.

"Definitely need someone in charge of weapon and tool maintenance." He mumbled to himself as he hefted an ax with a rotted handle in his magic grip. Applying a bit of pressure, the handle snapped, causing several nearby ponies to jump, and drawing the attention of all eight workers. Holding the two pieces in front of him, he decided it was time for a lecture.

"Tools are important. They help us complete tasks that would otherwise be impossible with our own hooves. But just like our bodies, we need to keep them in proper condition. If this ax had been swung, and snapped when it hit the tree, there would be a good chance of injury, be it from the pony using it colliding with the tree, or the ax head flying off and striking someone. Our medical supplies our limited as it is, ponies. I want you to check your tools for rot before using them out there, understand? And if there are injuries, report them." Turning back to the door, he led them outside.

After seeing Luna use the arcane fire spell, he'd been sure to double check his own version. At first he'd thought he'd messed it up as he had with the shadow blades, since the fire was stuck as the color of his aura. As the princess showed, however, the magic was based on one's aura, so in his case, the flames came out as strange flickering shadows that left the ground scorched. Ted had been cautious with the spell for the first few minutes, but the foliage was so thick in places that even his magic flames were quickly snuffed out by the vegetation if not constantly reinforced. This didn't bother him, though, in fact it allowed him to enjoy himself, though he was careful to avoid any trees that may be useful. It allowed him to unleash the magic he'd been using on and off at a higher level, higher than he'd even managed against the snake, as the fight the day before was brutal, but was ended quickly. He torched large areas around the temple, stopping only to cast a glance back at the ponies felling trees near the entrance and checking the tracking spells he had active on the workers.

After clearing a good portion of the front entrance, including scouring the stone around the doors of plant life, Ted returned to the entrance of the temple and ordered all gathered wood brought in for the day. It was getting close to dinner time, and there was one more thing he wanted to accomplish today. His new ability and the armor would only make it easier. Of course, being able to fly would make it a cake walk, but he wasn't going to trust muscle memory for something that complicated. The size differences between himself and Luna were enough to make him almost trip several times when he first started walking, so he could only imagine the issues that would come with flight. Turning for the glade, he did his best to pull the shadows close, before taking off at a brisk pace to the east. The dreamers over there were both weak, and wouldn't last long without help, but he didn't know where their loyalties were. That was something he planned on addressing posthaste.

It took him a good two hours to reach the location, but eventually he found a small cave that was partially concealed by moss someone had pulled over the entrance. The cave had a few signs of habitation, like discarded fruit cores and pits around the fire pit. What drew his eye however, was the apparent source of the weaker of the two dreamers. In a strange pod towards the back of the cave was what was once a cultist, though it was horrifically maimed. Taking a closer look, he couldn't fathom how the creature could still be alive, as he couldn't even identify its gender through the injuries.

His inspection was cut short as something else in the cave awoke.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" The voice was strange to him, an odd buzzing undertone to it. Finding the speaker hiding in the shadows in the back of the cave, Ted had little trouble seeing the creature, despite the low light. It was an insectoid pony, holes in the legs, though it may have been better to say it had holes where it's legs should be. Even the creatures body had holes, leaving the creature with a pockmarked appearance. Stepping forward and releasing his hold on the shadows, the alicorn all but materialized in front of the bug-pony, a frown on his face. Sitting between the creature and the exit, he addressed it.

"Did you do this to this pony?" He asked, gesturing to the pod. The insects eyes followed his hoof, before returning to him. It shuffled uncomfortable for a few moments before answering. "I-I put him in the pod, yes, but I didn't hurt him. He, he'd be dead already if it wasn't for the pod, actually. He and a few other ponies dressed like him were looking for food, I think, and they didn't notice The Swarm."

Ted gave a puzzled glance at the pod, then asked the pony "What's The Swarm?"

"It's a big group of ants. The Swarm is what it's called, because there's just so many of them that nothing else can even come close to describing it. He was the only one who made it to the river. Even then, The Swarm had torn him apart badly, and despite my best efforts, I can't grow back lost limbs." The bug answered, looking sadly at the pod.

"He's still dying, isn't he?"

The bug slumped at that question. "Yes, and then I'll be back to square one. Or I would be if I had the energy to leave. I put a lot of energy into the pod, hoping keeping him alive would keep me alive. It did, but I haven't gotten nearly enough positive emotion from him to make up for the energy I used."

The answer confused the alicorn. "What do you mean you haven't gotten enough positive emotion out of him? You make it sound like you use it like a power source."

"I do. I'm a changeling, we live off of the positive emotions of other creatures."

"Like a vampire?" Ted asked.

The creature cringed at the comparison. "Not really, we just, you know, absorb the energy that's being given off."

Ted's eyes widened slightly in understanding. "Oh, like a solar panel, right?" At the creatures confused look, he tried again. "It's something that takes the suns energy and turns it.. into... oh, that's right, you guys don't have that here. Uh, oh, I got it, like photosynthesis in plants." At the changelings continued confusion, he explained further. "The plants absorb the light given off by the sun, and turn it into energy of their own."

"Yes, I think that sounds about right."

"So, how does that work? I mean, do you use some type of spell, or do the emotions just kind of, well, flow into you?"

The insectoid pony's mouth opened to answer several times, before it shrugged. "I've honestly no idea how it works, it just does. I know we can actively feed in times of desperation, but that won't help me here. You're an alicorn, and he's dying."

"Where are the others? Surely there are other changelings out there you could stay with. Even if you can't feed off of each other, wouldn't you be safer in a larger group?"

"I don't know where they are. Years ago, the pony leader caught a bunch of changelings, and used a magic array on them. From what we were able to find out, she wanted to find a way to strike at our queen. She rode the link the queen uses to give us orders and help us find each other and poured thousands of Thaums of pure mana into the link. The- the last I heard from Mother was her screaming, then I never heard anything again. Then the ponies came for the hive. Many of us managed to escape, but we weren't infiltrators. Things only went downhill from there. Any time a group of changelings would try to form a new link, they would be found within a day. It was just safer to be alone. I was revealed one day, ratted out by another changeling. They'd apparently caught Chitter, and told him they'd let him go if he told them about other changelings. They didn't, though, and I barely got away. Eventually I ended up here." Laying down and curling up on the floor, the changeling closed it's eyes. It was waiting for him to kill it.

Ted was still thinking about the things it had revealed to him, though. The more he heard about this queen, the more he began to understand why a group of ponies were willing to summon a creature of pure evil back to the world. Worst case scenario, world is still ruled with an iron, well, hoof. Best case, the two superpowers wipe each other out, or at least are left weakened enough that someone else can finish the job.

Unfortunately, while the bug could be dealt with at his leisure, the pony in the pod was a different story. Turning to the pod, he asked the changeling. "Can he be moved? There is a healing spring nearby, if I can bring him there it may work."

The changeling shook its head. "I know the spring you're talking about. It accelerates healing, but it won't save him. The damage is too great."

"Can you think of anything that would work?" The alicorn asked.

The changeling shook its head again. "Not close enough to matter. There may be some decent healers among the villages way to the north, but the closest is a weeks travel. He wont last a day once he's moved."

"So there's nothing we can do?" At his question, the changeling shook its head. Ted sighed. "Open the pod." The insectoid pony immediately whipped around to face him. He met its glare with one of his own. "He is a member of a group of ponies that came together in the temple and freed me from my prison. I will see him laid to rest." At his insistence, the changeling started to leverage itself up, but stopped when a crack resounded through the cave. Looking at its leg, Ted could see the shell starting to crack, the chitin so thin at that part of the leg that it couldn't support the creature anymore. "I take it the holes in your legs aren't supposed to be so large?"

"It's, uh, usually a good indication of hunger..." The changeling answered with a wince.

"I swear, what is it with you ponies and wandering around the jungle starving all the time." He muttered, levitating the bug pony onto its hooves and near the pod. With a little effort, changeling managed to break the pod open. Almost immediately, the occupant of the pod started to thrash as the anesthetic effect of the pod was interrupted. The changeling bit into the pony's neck, and the pony slowed its thrashing. Ted could only assume the venom had some type of muscle relaxant and pain reducer. He'd ask in a moment. Closing in on the broken pony, he leaned in and addressed it.

"Shh, what's your name?"

The pony made a few attempts to sit up, and Ted admonished him for his efforts. "You're in no condition to move. What's your name?"

"F-fast par. Parcel." The pony wheezed out. "Who. Are you? What happened to. The ants? The others?"

"Parcel, my name is Nightmare."

At the mention of the name, the ponies unseeing eyes widened. "They. Those idiots pulled it off." He said, his face breaking into a smile.

Ted laid down next to the pod, leaning close to Parcel. "Yes they did. You were hurt badly. But I want you to know; you and your friends are under my protection."

"Just. Just keep Tulip safe. That's all I can ask." Ted was about to reply when the pny continued. "I saw what happened. To the others, I know. What happened to me. I- I can't even lift. My head. Or feel my legs." Parcel said, head drooping back into the pod as the last of his strength faded.

"Rest easy, Fast Parcel, I will see to it." The alicorn replied. He pulled the pod closed again, and casting his life detection spell to be certain the pony was no more, rose to his feet. He levitated the pod to the back of the cave, and grabbed the changeling in his magic.

"Do you have anything of yours in the cave?" At its direction, Ted levitated a small satchel over to the two of them, and walked out of the cave with his burdens. The sun was beginning to set, so he would need to move quickly. Casting one last glance at the cave, he conjured several shadow blades, throwing them into the overhang of the cave. The blades, now a good two feet across, crashed into the caves ceiling before detonating with at least twice the force of his blades from the previous day. Suitably weakened, the cave collapsed, burying the pod and the pony inside it deep in the cave.

Walking outside, he set the changeling on the ground in front of him. "I have several questions. Your answers will determine you fate. I'll Know if you lie, so just tell me what I want to know. First, what is your name? Also, you mentioned a friend as a he, so I assume you have a gender. I can't tell your gender, so which are you?"

"M-mirage sir! Female!" The changeling squeaked, still shaking in fear from the amount of power she'd just witnessed thrown at her previous home for a simple burial.

"Good" The alicorn nodded. "Did you use venom on Fast Parcel?"

"Yes sir... I-I only did it to stop him from thrashing so much. I'm not a fighter, so my venom isn't strong enough to hurt a pony, just slow them down."

'She's also so weak her legs are breaking under her own weight.' Ted thought to himself. "Finally, will you follow my orders? I offer you the same protection I do to all those in the Temple of the Shadows. Will you follow me?" He asked with a resonating voice.

Mirage was thunderstruck. He was offering her refuge? "I-Why? Why would you let me live? Ponies always attack changelings on sight!"

"You kept one of my ponies as comfortable as possible until I could find him. Your reasoning was for your own survival, but you still did something for me. Now, will you accept?" He asked her.

"Yes, yes please! I don't want to die out here!" Suddenly her eyes got brighter. Hope was something he was beginning to recognize, with all the times he'd been seeing it reignited in ponies. Ted smiled at her, mentally assigning her the same importance as the ponies at the temple, thus letting his concern for their wellbeing include her. It apparently worked, and the holes in her legs seemed less gaping than before, though the changeling passed out afterwards. He lifted her onto his back, put her satchel into a spare compartment in his armor, and took off at a brisk pace back to the temple, once again pulling the shadows to him. The ponies may take issue with the changeling, and he'd keep a close eye one her for now, but at the very least, she would keep things interesting. Besides, she was a source of information, just as much as the ponies were. More so in fact, as she had information that no other pony in the temple had. Habits and tendencies of a culture that embraced the shadows from birth. What better teacher for his ponies than a creature of the darkness?

At the very least it would be a giant "Fuck You" to this queen he'd been hearing about. She was really starting to piss him off.

Author's Notes:

I wanted something that focused on the cultists view of Ted, and I hope you guys liked it. Celestia is often portrayed as motherly and loving, so I thought this would be fun. Second, I actually had this thought about that armor. If your not paying particular attention, most of us don't in fact, for a cartoon, it's easy to forget about it. In this case, I'm thinking that maybe it's supposed to be that way? Like the TARDIS. Third, you can't look at my other stories, and my personal bookshelf, and not know I'm a lover of the lovebugs. There was going to be at least a few in this story, one way or another. Finally, I just couldn't stop writing this. I literally started this last night, and spent a good portion of the day just typing this out. It flows pretty easily for me. Of course, that doesn't mean it's perfect, so if there are any spelling errors, feel free to riot and throw rotten fruit at me. I'll keep my umbrella-ella-ella handy.

Now, I've put off going to bed long enough. Enjoy

Be Cautious of what you Wish for.

(Bonus AN. As some of you have noticed, and for those of you who haven't this is your warning, I use the HRs not as a scene transition, that's what my symbol thing is for, but for perspective shifts in the same scene. /AN)

While the trek back to the temple was uneventful, the arrival at the temple was met with mixed reactions from the ponies. The changeling had awoken shortly before Ted reached the temple, and was a mess of nerves. She swore up and down that the ponies would drive her out at the first chance, that some may even make an attempt on her life. She was still too weak to hide her form and even with a strong dose of his emotions she would be long in recovering. When he walked into the temple, he refused to admit it aloud, but her fears seemed validated .Some ponies fled at the sight of the changeling, or cowered behind the nearest available object, including other ponies. Some took aggressive stances, as if they intended to fight Ted then and there to get rid of Mirage. Others just seemed curious as to why the Nightmare would bring such a creature back to the temple. Steeling himself, he pulled the weakened bug off of his back and set her at his hooves, before addressing the ponies.

"This is Mirage. She did me a great service by finding and caring for, to the best of her abilities, one of our own who was injured in the forest. Is Tulip here?" At the negative, he asked someone to find her. Moments after a pegasus left to find her, he returned, an orange earth mare in his forelegs. "Tulip?" he asked, receiving a nod in confirmation. "I was asked by someone, someone who was very hurt, to keep you safe. Do you remember Fast Parcel?" The mare nodded at him, eyes already watering. "He was hurt very badly when he went gathering, the only member of the lost forage team to survive the initial attack. Mirage pulled him from the river and did her best to treat him, but she could only do so much. I'm sorry, by the time I found them, he was already dying." the alicorn stated, head lowering in respect for the dead.

The watering turned to actual crying and Tulip turned around and stumbled back into the temple, a few of the other ponies going with her to console the grieving pony. Turning back to those still remaining, he spoke. "For doing me this service, Mirage was offered a place here in the temple. She will be treated as any of my followers, am I clear?"

There were a few grumbles, a few glares at the changeling, which she cringed from, scooting back into his forelegs. Surprisingly, however, not all the ponies were against her presence. One came right up to the changeling, a bright smile upon her face.

"I will make sure she is set up with a proper bed, master. There's more than enough room for a second bed in my quarters!" Blur said, a smile on her face. Ted was surprised, but the pegasus wasn't cringing away from the changeling like the others, so she wasn't just pretending to be nice. Hell, she walked right up to Mirage and used a wing to support the changeling, leading her down the hall to the sleeping quarters. As she left, Ted cast a tracking spell on the changeling, letting all the unicorns and even a few of the more intelligent pegasi and earth ponies know he wouldn't be allowing the bug-pony to suddenly disappear from the temple. "She is under my protection just as you are." He said to those still standing around the entrance. "Pass the word that she is to come to no harm, physical or otherwise."

As the ponies dispersed, Ted walked to the kitchens. It had been a long day and his lunch was eaten while working. Nothing would be better at the moment than a hot meal.

The Nightmare was insane.

That was the only thing Mirage could think at the moment. Did it really think the ponies under his control would let one of her kind wander the halls freely? Changelings were driven out at best, actively hunted at worst. Why did he think they would let her be just because he told them to? Even stranger than the unexpected kindness and the caring concern Nightmare had shown her, was the emotions of the pegasus walking beside her. She could taste the tang of fear on her, even as the yellow pony held her up with its wing, but it was faint, all but drowned out in confidence. What left her so certain the changeling wouldn't hurt her? The ponies were always telling each other stories of the creatures that would leave a pony an empty husk, or worse, turn them into blood-sucking bug ponies.

Everywhere she'd gone since the Hive fell, she'd tasted it in the air. Fear, be it for the future, for the unknown, or whatever it was that scared ponies. She herself had felt it so many times over the years, be it from a near discovery, or seeing a desperate lesser-hive found and captured. Changelings weren't meant to be alone, they needed the assurance of other minds bound to theirs, if only superficially. The link between hive mates wasn't full fledged telepathy, but it let them find each other, to identify each other even in disguise. Only Mother could talk over the link, directing them as they were needed. But Mother was silent, and if the Queen had her way, Mirage would never hear her Mother's voice again.

"Mirage, are you alright?" The pegasus asked her, drawing her from her thoughts.

"I'm fine, just remembering Mother." She answered. "Nobuggy has heard from her since The Surge."

The pegasus stopped, and hugged the changeling as best she could.

The changeling tried pushing her away, but being so weak failed miserably. "Why do you trust me? Aren't you worried I'll drain you dry, or turn you into a changeling as well, or some other silly pony story?" Mirage asked.

Blur just smiled. "Father said you were one of us now, and I trust Him with my life." Releasing her hold on the confused bug-pony, the pegasus walked a few more steps before opening a door, revealing a spartan bedroom with a single ragged bed. Mirage grabbed a blanket from the small basket near the door and made her way to the empty side of the room when she was stopped by a hoof.

"I don't mind sharing my bed with you, Mirage. It's the least I can do, to welcome a new sister."

While his dinner was late, Slop was only too happy to serve him a meal. In fact, he offered to have it brought to the alicorn's room, seeing as the dining hall was mostly empty. He made a stop at the war room on the way to his chambers, removing the two markers by the glade. With any luck, he'd get a better idea of where the other creatures were, and possibly even what they were. It wouldn't do to walk up to a group of the Queen's guard, after all. Finally reaching his bedroom, he was surprised to find Slop already there, pushing the cart up to the door and preparing to knock.

"Thank you, Slop. It smells delicious as always. As I told Shadow, if there are any ingredients you need, make note of them in the war room, along with a location if you are able to." Using his magic to pull the cart from the chef, he opened his door, and walked into his room.

The only major difference in the room since he was last here was the armor rack that was now sitting by the mirror. He would have to ask Shadow if that was the his idea. Thankfully, it gave him somewhere else besides the floor to put the armor, as he didn't plan on sleeping in it. The power boost was nice, but it certainly didn't compare to the softness of blankets and pillows. Pulling a few strange vegetable cakes from the cart and eating them as he divested himself of his armor, he once again lost himself staring at the helmet.

The ponies in the temple were looking to him for leadership. What experience did he truly have? Certainly he had experience, but it was, for lack of a better word, borrowed. Some may even say it was stolen from Luna, even if he wasn't the one who took the memories. The cultists also viewed him as some sort of deity. While it wasn't a comfortable topic to dwell on, he knew morale was important, especially in the conditions the ponies were living in. To reveal the truth to them could break the group, and then he'd be stuck on an alien planet, as an apparent bogeymare, and alone as well.

Gleam and the foals, Blur, the ponies he'd taken into the forest for supplies, they were growing on him. A part of him wanted to keep them safe. Was that what being a parent was about? He'd never had children of his own, having to work full time and take college courses as well left him with little time to pursue relationships, and his idea of relaxation was blasting idiots into colorful bits on his computer. Perhaps that was what was happening. He was starting to see them as lost children, in need of protection. Desperately in need of reassurance, with how bad things were going for them before he arrived.

Setting the helmet on the rack, he glanced to the mirror in the room, for the first time since his arrival truly taking in his new appearance. His teal eyes bore slitted pupils, like a cat's, and he could see even through the darkest shadows in the room, his short mane was an extremely dark blue, just a few shades shy of black, while if his fur were any darker, it would drain light from the rooms he walked into. He was taller than any of the ponies he'd seen out there to date besides Luna and her sister. As best he could tell, if the ponies in the memories were the same height as those he was guiding, his head was only just now clearing Celestia's shoulders. That was another thing, he realized as he lifted a pillow. He'd been growing since he was released, far faster than was natural. Already the pillows that had allowed for him to comfortably rest almost half of his body on them were now approaching the size of throw pillows by his frame of reference. How much more would he grow? Would he eventually reach the ridiculous size of the princesses in Luna's memories? Tuna didn't know the answer to this, she could only guess at what would happen in the future.

He did it again, didn't she? At least his confusion was limited to memory diving now. Sighing, he started walking back to the bed when he saw it. Where just earlier today there was nothing but a blank patch of fur, a strange image was now visible. A tree bearing a celtic shield on its trunk was prominently displayed on his butt. It was actually kind of strange seeing it, and left him feeling embarrassed. He'd never gotten a tattoo, and god forbid his sister saw this. She would never let him live it down. She'd probably call it a tramp stamp, or something like that. Anyway, the shield he could understand, but what was the tree for? He'd have to find out later. Maybe the cultists had a book on the symbolism of trees. Not likely, but it was worth a shot.

Quickly finishing his meal, he bathed and returned to his bed. It was already past sunset, and though the ponies had plenty to do over the next few days, and the foraging run the day before had been quite successful. He still had some studying to do. Spells to learn, maps to memorize, anatomy of species to study, and an alchemical primer to read up on. The ponies would survive if he slept in tomorrow.

Sunset had long passed when he finally retired for the night. As wonderfully informative as it was learning that he should preen his wings every morning at the least, sleep was something he wasn't ready to give up on just yet. Yielding to the sand man(mare?) once more Ted found himself floating in a white world populated by glowing orbs of light. Looking around, he could feel the emotions of some of them. Happiness, love, joy.

Fear.

Approaching the sickly yellow-tinted orb, he touched it, and was soon in a pony town he didn't recognize. What he did recognize was the changeling attempting to hide under a cart as ponies looked all around, many bearing makeshift weapons. Approaching Mirage, he pulled her out from under the cart, and despite her thrashing, managed to pick her up. "Calm down, Mirage. I'm not going to hurt you." The changeling immediately stopped and looked at him in confusion, her mind finally registering that something wasn't right.

"They aren't here, you know. They're nowhere near you. They won't be able to do anything to you, understand?" He said.

The changeling spared one last glance around, before turning to him again, the ponies wandering off into the distance of her dream. "She was right." The changeling mumbled. "I swore she was insane but she was right."

Ted frowned at the accusation "Who was right?"

"Blur, sir, she was going on and on about how you would keep us safe. I thought that she was full of hot air." Pushing away from him, she bowed low. "Forgive me, master."

"There's nothing to forgive, Mirage. You've been running for a long time, haven't you?" he asked sadly. "You don't have to run anymore. Once you recover, I want you to find Shadow Weaver or Gleam. Tell them your talents and experiences, and we'll find a place for you."

The changeling winced, not meeting his eyes as she rose to her hooves. "Changelings aren't like ponies, sir. We don't have special talents."

"Not marked on your flanks, perhaps, but there's always something you can do that I can guarantee you'd be better at than a pony. Spying on our enemies for one, though we have no need for a spy at the moment. Do you know anything about building?"

"Most changelings help maintain the tunnels if they find damage, sir, but other than that-"

"Then you already have more tunneling experience than I do." the alicorn cut her off. "Eventually I'd like to get some sort of foundry running on the temple grounds, and a foundry needs a mine. You could help design it, or inspect it for weaknesses, since you know what to look for." He smiled at her. "Don't assume you have nothing to contribute. Everyone has something to give, even if it's just an additional set of hooves. I'm sure you'll think of something."

The town around them had faded, leaving the two in a dark cave. Laying a hoof on the changelings shoulder, he bid her good night, and left the dream.

Returning to the world of white, the alicorn looked around. There was one dream in particular he was looking for. It took a while, but after thinking the ponies name aloud, he saw one dream pulse. Floating to it, he entered the dream, and found his vic-er his good friend, Shadow Weaver. Walking up to the pony and catching Weavers eye, he almost laughed as the pony started bowing and groveling, still lost in the dream. "Weaver, stand up." The pony jerked, and rose to his hooves. Looking around for a moment, realization dawned on his face. Ted only gave the cultist a fang-filled grin. "You told me you don't like dreams, right Weaver?" The unicorn was backing up now, shaking his head back and forth. "Yes, that's what I thought, you don't like them. It's a good thing I'm here to save you from yours, isn't it?" He circled the pony, grin only growing wider, showing a maw of impossibly sharp teeth. Manipulating this dream was easier than he thought it would be. "Well, I do have things to do tonight, so as much as I would love to entertain you, I've other dreams to visit. Some of them are quite interesting, you know. Therefore, my good friends here will be taking over. Mister Mane? Mr. Head? Do me a favor, and make sure Weaver here is comfortable."

From the shadows stepped two figures. The first a large pony, just shy of Ted's height. The pony wore a suit, with fur as white as snow. As it approached, its featureless face was split by a nightmarish grin, bladed teeth filling its mouth. The second wasn't even a pony, a strange bipedal creature that was clothed in a ragged and bloody cloth. Dragging along behind the creature was an obscenely long, rusty blade, and the creatures face was obscured by a large chunk of angular rusted iron. The two creatures closed in on the screaming cultist, and Ted smiled as he left the dream. After all, he gave the little pony exactly what he wanted. He would have no reason to complain tomorrow. Now there was one more thing he wanted to do, before he just started picking dreams at random.

Looking off into the distance, he spotted the dreams of the three individuals well outside the temple. The fourth was nowhere to be seen, but if they were smart, the last would be keeping watch. He approached the dreams, trying to get a feel for the minds that created them. Mirage's dream had been, well, different from the dreams of the other ponies. Like the ponies' dreams were circles, and hers was a triangle. The dreams before him were sharper, more intense than even mirage's dream had been.

Just before he entered one, a fourth started to fade into existence beside the others. Ted frowned, if that was their watch, he just fell asleep. This could end badly for them. He had just decided to wake one up when one flashed red, before all four disappeared. Ponies didn't wake up that fast, they faded from the dream-realm gradually upon waking. He left the dream realm, finding himself back in his room in an instant. His armor was upon him a moment later, and he blew open his window, jumping out onto the angular surface of the temple's exterior. They were under attack from something. Either he could aid them and win their hearts, or if they were agents of the Queen, he would finish them while they were reeling from the attack. Either way, before the sun rose this day, the last unknown beings in his lands would be accounted for and dealt with.

Author's Notes:

Mirage gets a warm welcome from our resident zealot, Blur. Blur is fun to write for, and while re-reading her lines, I can't help but think of the fairly odd parents episode where Timmy's dad is the Smiling Dictator. One line in particular, I think it was AJ who said it. "We are all dad's children!" I've already decided some of the next dreams Ted will visit will include hers, but I haven't decided how uncomfortable to make it for Ted.

I actually had an entire other scene written out, but I pushed it back for now. It would have accelerated things much too quickly. It will still be used, and you guys won't be missing out on it, but you will have to wait until Ted is a bit more situated.

Also, we get a look at Ted's Shiny new butt-stamp. The trees an oak, by the way. Giving an image and not giving full details on it is a cruel move. Even if Ted doesn't know.

A Daughter's Fear

At the speed Ted tore through the jungle, some may have said he was flying. He'd barely struck the ground when the shadows around the temple enveloped him, silencing his passage and obscuring him to even the most alert watchers. But flying was not how he traveled. He didn't have the time for trial and error now. He would make the journey the fastest way possible at the moment. A full gallop through the jungle. He didn't see it, but the vines and vegetation could not find purchase on his form, seeming to slide off of it, or in some cases through it. He was on a mission, and nothing would stop him from accomplishing it.

Soon he heard the sounds of combat, though it seemed to be winding down. Since he wasn't even feeling winded, he kept moving, tearing into the clearing like a whirlwind of shadows. The last remaining attacker came into sight, a creature that appeared to be a giant flying cockroach with split mandibles gaping widely as it dove at its target. Two remained standing, the corpses of several of the beetles littering the area. As it flew at its target, Ted caught it with his magic, slamming the monster into a nearby tree with a wet crunch. Knowing that beetles tend to be resilient, he launched two shadow blades at the insect as well. The blades detonated against the tree trunk he'd pinned the bug to, showering the tree and the area around it with bug guts. Turning to the dreamers, he let the shadows fade from his form.

One was a griffon, wearing what looked like leather armor and bearing several blades, though it was currently using its claws to fight. The second one that was still up looked similar to a pegasus, but the wings and eyes were different. Bat wings adorned the creature's back, and its pupils were slitted like his own. A thestral. Luna's memories had references to them, and said that they were extremely loyal to her, but after her fall, there was no mention of them. It left a strange sensation in his heart, like finding a child you'd thought lost forever. At Ted's appearance the griffon drew a blade, but the bat-pony dropped into a bow.

Ted walked up to the thestral, a male as far as he could tell, and spoke. "No time for that, little one. Where are the other two?" Immediately, the two smaller creatures attention was directed to a second injured thestral, attempting to bandage the wounds of a younger third thestral. Ted breathed a sigh of relief, before focusing on the first two. "There was to be a fifth among you, wasn't there?"

"What do you want, alicorn?" The griffon spat the word as an insult.

"Amald! Stop it, don't you see his eyes? There was only one alicorn that ever bore such eyes in the ancient legends." The stallion said with zeal. Turning to Ted his gaze became less certain. "Though the Nightmare was a creature of anger and hate. How are you so calm?"

Ted stared at the thestral for a moment, a smile forming on his muzzle. There really was no backstory on the Nightmare, just legends of fear and eternal night. Even the memories he shared with Luna had her avoiding ponies as Nightmare Moon. The thing that was never brought up was why. What would drive the lunar princess to such madness, such horrific action as trying to end the world? A backstory was something Ted had gotten very good at creating. "A brain, even an alicorn's is not made for holding two minds. When I found myself trapped with Luna, her anger and grief nearly crushed me. Unlike her, I was a creature of action. I lashed out at the apparent cause of my pain, and sought safety in what I knew. The night was my home, and I sought to be safe." Ted explained. "The elements separated us, but my body had long since succumbed to death. Thus I was left in her armor for decades. Ponies seeking my aid revived me in this form. Even now I'm affected by Luna's touch." he said. "Yes I was the one who lashed out in our madness, but I can now think my own thoughts. Once again I am able to offer protection to those who seek the shadows. Now I ask again, were you expecting a fifth."

The griffon and the first thestral glanced at each other uneasily, before both turned back to him and nodded. "Your friend did not make it. I am sorry, but I found a note referencing this location in the gullet of a large snake. The note was fairly damaged, but considering the condition of everything else, it's a surprise it was legible at all."

The griffon's face hardened before it spoke in a strong, masculine voice. "I assume you killed the creature, then? Did you keep anything from it? A fang or scale, maybe even the skull?" Ted nodded in response, and the griffon's expression softened slightly. "Would you mind if I had a piece of the creature? There is a rite to preform for this sort of death. I don't know who you are, but... it would mean a lot to me if I could be certain that Truda's rest is peaceful."

"I gathered several items from the creature after I managed to kill it, including a nice chunk of meat. It was delicious, actually, and deliciously ironic, considering it tried to eat me." Ted answered, smiling at the griffon. "My ponies call me Nightmare, though my own name has been lost to me, and I currently preside over this area. I'm afraid I don't have proper staffing to keep the area patrolled, however." He said.

"Amald is my name." The griffon said, before gesturing to his companions. "The stallion here is Swift Screen. The mare is Whisper, and the colt is Dart."

Ted looked at the two injured ponies for a moment, before turning back to the griffon "The colt was on watch?"

"I take the blame for that one. I assumed he would be stronger than he was, and able to fight off sleep. I was wrong." Amald said, sparing a glance at the injured colt.

Ted nodded. "There is a healing spring nearby, it should mend any injuries you received during your battle. But first I must ask you, what do you hope to accomplish here? Why did you come to this land?"

Swift answered first. "The Queen is mad. She said we were tainted by Luna during her madness, and set about purifying thestrals, at least that's what she called it. Some of our elders attempted to explain to her that our race predates the princess' fall, but she would hear not a word of it. Said we were confused, and she would help us, and make us better. That there were only three pony races, and that any others were mutations. She went on to purify the elders right in the throne room. From what I heard, the process is excruciating, and some end up broken because of it. I won't let her do that to my family."

"High-Talon isn't what it used to be" Amald said when his friend had finished. "I left when the Griffon Queen gave in to the Mad Queen's demands for demilitarization. This included the destruction of most weapons, even heirlooms. The pony queen has become so powerful that any kingdom near her country's borders has no choice but to give in to her demands. Those who don't? Well, it was only temporary, but the entire city of Boga was trapped in stone for two months as an example to the rest of the world. And no one has heard from the Crystal Kingdom in years."

Ted nodded. "The temples doors will be open to you, if you wish. Now, would you like to head to the spring now, or take your things with you and find a new camp later. I'm not certain this is a good place to stay anymore, as I'm sure the reavers will start to stink soon. That will be both unpleasant, and draw scavengers we do not wish to deal with."

The group agreed upon packing up the camp, and followed the alicorn to the healing spring, where they allowed the waters to mend their wounds. Swift pulled out a bottle to take save some for later, but was quickly admonished by Nightmare, who told the stallion what had happened when he had tried to take some of the water. Waiting for the group to finish their inventory check, the dark alicorn decided to explore the glade a bit. The aura around the area would assure the safety of the dreamers, and he was feeling a pull. A need, like something was calling to him. Someone needed him.

The group paused in their discussion, looking at the alicorn. The emblem on his flank was giving off a faint light, and Whisper only barely noticed the colt starting to follow the glow like a moth to a flame in time to catch him.

Walking down by an obscured creek, he heard whispered mutterings, he could practically feel the panic in the air. Parting a final set of reeds, he came across a pair of changelings, though one seemed to only be a baby. The other was frantic, eyes darting around the clearing it stood in, muttering about a need to keep moving. Approaching the pair, he readied his magic to grab the young shape-shifter, if it tried to run. A likely course considering its fragile mental state.

Deciding to forgo the diplomatic route and risk losing the lost child, he seized the panicked changling in his aura, and turned it to him. It immediately began thrashing and yelling, before throwing the young nymph away, which he barely managed to catch. This left both young changelings in a panic, the younger now crying from the rough handling. He heard the others enter the clearing, and turned upon hearing a blade being drawn. "Put it away, Amald. They're children."

"They're parasites." The griffon countered.

"They are sapient beings like you and I. Keep your xenophobia to yourself." The alicorn reprimanded. "Besides, they are my prisoners. If you do anything to harm them, I will consider it an attack against myself." Returning his view to the changelings he stepped forward, pulling the younger one close first, before lying down on the ground and pulling it under his wing. Focusing emotions seemed to work on Mirage, so he repeated the process on both changelings. The nymph settled down shortly afterwards, sleepy after eating a full meal of concern and care. The older of the two had finally stopped thrashing, and was now just staring at him with wide eyes.

"A last meal? I heard they let prisoners have it ,but Tick said ponies don't give last requests to changelings. What do you want? I don't know anything about the hive! I didn't even want her! I couldn't stop it, I didn't want the Link! Tell me how to turn it off and I will!" The young shape shifter ranted.

The Link must have been what Mirage mentioned. Ted remembered that she had said that changelings were found whenever the connection was made. Did that mean that this changeling was being tracked? A quick glance at the magic in the area showed that something was trying to lock onto the foals, but was having difficulty doing so. Cocking his head to the side, he pulled the other closer, before covering them in the nearby shadows. Immediately the spell lost any hold over the changelings, and releasing them did not bring it back. It seemed that the only reason it was able to keep a lock on them in the jungle was due to its pre-existing connection to the tracking spells targets. Looking back at the children, the older had passed out once under his wing, adrenaline no longer keeping since the tracking spell was no longer bearing down on its mind. He lifted them up, and set them on his back. It seemed to be getting common for him to do this, but despite the connotations of allowing himself to be ridden like the animals from his home, he couldn't find issue with it. His older sister had carried him, as had his parents. It was not someone riding a beast in this situation. It was a caretaker providing the support their charge needed.

"If you are ready, I'm heading back to the temple. I would rather see these nymphs to safety before too long."

Amald was looking uneasy at the idea of sharing residence with the changelings, though the thestrals seemed surprisingly calm. "Sir, the tales told of changelings waylaying ponies and leaving them emotionless husks, were they wrong?" Swift asked.

"I have only met one other so far and she has done nothing to earn my ire. In fact, she helped one of my ponies who were injured, though the damage was well beyond her ability to help." He stated. "Even if we discover them to be dangerous at a later time, I will find a way to help them. I feel no drain when I feed them."

The dreamers were silent for the rest of the trip, baring hushed whispers behind Ted's back. It didn't concern him though. He'd left in a hurry, and had to get back before the ponies did anything stupid in his absence. Considering their track record, he didn't have long before he would need to intervene.

The cultists were relieved to see him walking up to the temple, almost as relieved as Ted felt to find the temple still standing in one piece. The ponies he led looked shocked by the strange creatures following him, and most looked a little put out when they saw the changelings nestled in his wings. Why was the Nightmare gathering more of the bugs?

'I want to start my own ant farm.' Ted chuckled to himself. 'In all seriousness if they live underground then they must be diggers, and that is something were going to need.' Looking back at the sleeping nymphs, he corrected himself 'Well, we'll need it in the future, at least. No need to rush their childhoods.'

"I want these four given refuge for the day, they may decide to stay or leave once they are rested. In the mean time, send a breakfast to my room, as well as Mirage. I wish to discuss something with her."

On his way to his chambers, Ted noticed a pony slinking by, desperately trying to avoid his gaze. A foolish thing to do, considering he could see just as well in the darkness. Closer inspection revealed why the pony was trying to avoid the alicorn.

"Oh, good morning Shadow Weaver! I trust you slept well?" Ted asked, his face beaming and his voice entirely too jovial.

Weaver cringed from his presence, trying to will himself into a wall. When the alicorn decided to await a response, and his attempts to squeeze through the walls were met with failure, the unicorn merely dropped into a grovel. "Forgive me, master! I spoke in confusion and wayward ideals! Have mercy on your humble servant!"

"Do not make this mistake again, Weaver." Ted said, finally continuing past the shivering unicorn. Walking into his room, the dark alicorn stripped himself of his armor once again, using his magic to remove most of the grime that covered his hooves and used a small towel to clean up his two sleeping guests. He then hopped onto his bed, catching up on his interrupted sleep while keeping the nymphs close by. Until he found a place for them, he'd need to keep them under watch. Before too long, his rest was interrupted by a light knocking on the door.

"It's open, enter." the alicorn called. The door slowly opened to reveal the face of Mirage poking into the room. Her body looked better than the night before, if only just. Already the holes were not as gaping as before, though some he could still put his own hoof through without touching chitin. "Just the pony I wanted to see. I have a question for you, several actually. Do you know anything about caring for foals and nymphs?"

"Y-yes sir, I.. I was a Nurse-mother before the hive fell. I helped care for the younger changelings." Mirage said, walking into the room. Ted closed the door behind her, and lifted a wing, revealing the nymphs to the older changeling.

"Excellent, then you can help us take care of these young ones." He said.

The shape shifters reaction was almost immediate, though not what he'd expected. As she registered what the two dark forms under his wing were, the changeling screamed, pinning herself against the far wall. "No, NO! By the First-Mother, keep them away from me! I don't want to feel it happen again!"

Author's Notes:

I know I promised you this last night, as opposed to this morning, but I was felling a bit drained last night, and didn't start writing until around 2am. Even then I was, well, I've no excuse actually. I got caught up in some Youtube videos, and started chaining videos like a smoker. Outsidexbox had some surprisingly good lists.

The dreamers are revealed! Decided on this last night, actually, and I don't think it went too badly. A little more on the big bad, though I did find and idea that will make this more fun in the future. Some of you guys are speculating who it is, which is awesome to read. I hope I don't disappoint anyone when it's finally revealed.

Also, speculation on another possibility for Nightmare Moon! Have fun with it, I did.

Finally, some more backstory for Mirage. Blur's shrine to Ted will have to wait till later, guys, sorry.

Our Past Gives Birth to Our Fears

Ted was shocked by the changeling mare's reaction. They were children, lost in the forest, and her response was to beg him to keep them away from her? Hell, afterwards she started ranting about how he needed to throw them out, that the nymphs would draw the Queen to the temple. She was supposed to be a caretaker of young, how could she make such demands?

He stepped off his bed, pulling the covers over the nymphs and stretching his wings before approaching the panicked bug-pony.

"Mirage. Mirage, calm down and look at me. The spell can't track them here, I made sure of it before I brought them back. The tracking array is too far away." He leaned in and nuzzled the mare. "Why are you so scared of them?"

The changeling was still barely intelligible, now muttering to herself about how they wouldn't get her, not after all she did to escape. Sighing, Ted pulled the changeling under a wing, much like he did with Blur, and tried once again to calm her down.

"Mirage, listen to me. I said the array lost track of them when I found them. I felt it scanning for them, and it passed by after a few moments when I took them into my care." Using his wing to pull her in closer, he asked her. "What happened, Mirage. What happened to your hive that has you acting this scared."

"I can't. I don't want to..." after an encouraging nuzzle, she tried again. Glancing over to the two foals, the bug-pony haltingly started to speak. "W-when the attack first hit the hive, they, did something, something that sent pure fear down the links we shared with Mother. Most changelings were left in a blind panic, before she severed herself from the hive. When she did that, I don't know, something happened where half of the hive went berserk. The other half scattered. I was part of the latter half. It took me, I think it was two days before I could finally shake off the fear that was left over from the connection to Mother. When, when I went back to where to hive was, it was crawling with the pony queen's guards." She glanced over at the nymphs. "I heard the guards saying the queen specifically wanted a bunch of the eggs saved, maybe even a proto-queen if they could find and subdue one, but our hive didn't have one. Princess Zelus had recently left to start her own hive, and a new royal egg had yet to be laid. I, I found out why they wanted the nymphs the next time I got near a big city." She said, burying herself under his wing.

"They, the ponies were using the nymphs as living changeling detectors! The nymphs, they don't know any better, they instinctively form a link with any nearby changelings. It's always been a matter of survival, since a nymph without a link won't be noticed and cared for as well as those with a link to the hive. The ponies turned it against us though; anytime a nymph would react to a pony, they'd hit them with a disruption spell, and catch the changeling! It became almost impossible to enter big cities, and smaller towns were wary of any new ponies entering them because of the pony queen's decree on changelings. Each town had at least one unicorn who could cast a disruption spell, and every time a new pony wanted to stay in the town, they had to be checked. We, we were being starved out of Equestria, so I left. I started running and didn't stop. I, the one time I did, the one time I found a town with a few changelings in it, one of them was captured, and they offered to let him go if he ratted the others out. He did, and I barely got away. Last I saw of him, he was being carted off with the others he ousted, screaming at them for going back on their agreement. He was just a bug to them, what was a promise to him?"

Mirage was finally calming down, though she was keeping Ted between her and the nymphs. "It's always been bad for changelings, we're viewed by most races as monsters at best, mindless parasites at worst. But the turn things have taken since the new pony queen took over has been lethal to the hives. I don't want to run again, I can't do that anymore. I'm literally as far from home as I can get, I have no hive, I don't know what happened to Mother, I have no family. Master, please don't let them find me. Don't make me run again." She sobbed.

"I told you, Mirage, I will do everything in my power to keep everyone here safe." Ted finally said. "I won't ask you to care for them, as I had planned, but I want you to be available for Gleam if she has any questions regarding their care. She will have almost no idea how to treat them, or what to expect. Do this for me, and you can stay as far away from them as you like. In fact, I'd like some of you guys to start excavating a small tunnel in the storage space by the kitchens. We're going to need more storage until we can safely get the jungle cleared and some buildings set up. Can I count on you to oversee that project?"

The changeling brightened up at the idea of being underground again almost instantly. "I-I'll do my best, Master. I wasn't the one in charge of planning the tunnels, though."

"Don't worry about that." The alicorn said, smiling at her improved attitude. "The tunnels are already planned out, just follow the plans in the war-room. Shadow Weaver will have all the details on the project. Go see him."

"Yes Master, I won't let you down!" The shape shifter said as she ran out the door. Ted wasn't sure if it was the prospect of digging or getting away from the nymphs which added to her speed. Speaking of which, he turned to the sleeping foals once more.

"Now then, how the hell am I going to get Gleam to agree to this?"

Surprisingly, Gleam had little complaint about the request, taking the giggling nymphs into her hooves and cooing at how adorable the foals' chirps were. He made it clear to her that while Mirage would be available for questions regarding their care, to keep them clear of her, as she'd been spooked badly by the nymph detection points from pony towns. The mare grew pale at the mention of the checkpoints, looking back to the nymphs.

"Oh my stars. I-I never made the connection before. They, the guards were using children to..."

"Just keep them safe, Gleam. The large number of ponies here should solve their hunger problems, so you shouldn't have any issues in that department. If you do, bring them to me. Oh, and keep them clear of the abandoned storage room near the kitchen, as that's where Mirage will be working." Ted told the mare, before turning and heading back to the main entrance.

It was well after breakfast, and there was still so much more forest to be cleared. Not only that, Mirage had mentioned other towns to the north. After researching the older maps and talking to Shadow Weaver (after the unicorn had stopped begging forgiveness), he learned that there were several abandoned towns nearby, and even an old port town near the sea to the west. It wasn't too far, and the possibility of finding abandoned tools or equipment was too much for the alicorn to pass up. After planning a route, he had Shadow set up an expedition to the town for the following day. Heading back outside into the oddly temperate jungle, he once more started burning away the thicker vegetation, leaving the larger trees to be claimed for wood. It soon became mindless for him, the spell not taking much effort to maintain, and soon, Ted found his mind wandering.

The Nightmare wasn't a name, he knew this. It was a title. He had no name, as far as the cultists knew. Using his own name would be odd as well. With names like Shadow Weaver, Twitch, Fast Parcel, Gleam, Luna, and Celestia, Ted was an anomaly, much less his full name, Theodore. Not only that, what kind of god or demi-god's name was Ted? He'd be laughed out of Olympus! Not to mention he wasn't just Ted anymore, with memories of what appeared to be an extremely long-lived species also in his head. How long did alicorns live, anyway? The memories he had from Lunacae were jumbled enough to not have any reference of time in them, though she'd specifically told him she was banished to the moon for a thousand years. Her sister was also one of the first to greet her when she came back, so Celestia was at least a thousand years old herself. No living thing that Ted knew of grew to be that old, barring trees and simple organisms. How old would he grow?

Before all of this began, Ted was less than middle-aged. Now, he had a couple-hundred years of experience, even if they were a mess, on top of his life, then forty years stuck in a stasis-like state in the armor. How old would he be considered at this point? Did it truly matter if he would live for hundreds of years? Could his Human upbringing stand up to the trials of such a long life? Shaking his head, Ted sighed, knowing that it truly didn't matter at the moment. He was older than most of the ponies he was watching over, and younger than the princesses. Relative age would have to do for now.

Turning back to make sure the ponies were gathering the nearby trees safely, he finished scouring the area within a few yards of the entrance of vegetation, before returning to the entrance and just watching his ponies. Did he really just think that? He knew he was caring for them, and keeping them safe, but to claim them as his own seemed a bit far. Then again, Luna seemed to do that fairly often, as did her sister. Maybe it was just an instinct inherent in his new form? It came naturally enough, almost like using his magic to levitate things instead of holding them with his hands. Or maybe he was only confusing instinct with muscle memory he gained from Luna's memories? Was there even a difference? So many questions, such a deep need for answers, and the one with them wanted him dead. Maybe he could look for Tia when he slept tonight? She was certain to be a good distance away, but he'd found Shadow Weaver easily enough once he focused on the unicorn. The only remaining question would be would it work on someone who currently wasn't dreaming? Luna had said that most ponies were not able to dream due to something the Queen had done. It was worth looking into, at the very least.

He was suddenly bumped by an earth pony dragging several large logs into the temple. The sun was beginning to set after the days work, and the ponies were making their way back to the safety of the temple for the night. Funny, Ted couldn't even consider most of them cultists anymore. The only one who truly fit that description anymore was Weaver. Grabbing several of the larger logs in his own aura, Ted followed his ponies into the temple. Dinner was fairly uneventful, though he did see the older thestrals and the griffon eating in the back by themselves. Blur and Mirage were once again sitting by each other, the pegasus talking animatedly to the shape shifter who seemed to be trying to keep a straight face. Weaver was seated with a few other ponies Ted had yet to learn the names of, and Gleam was keeping all the foals at the same table, though she seemed to have picked up a helper along the way in the form of a young thestral colt. Finishing his meal, he turned to head to his room when he was stopped by nervous stallion.

"Uh, excuse me, Nightmare, sir. I, that is, we were wondering, if you could, recognize our herd." The Earth Stallion asked, hugging an equally nervous earth mare to his side. Ted stopped cold, staring at the two, no emotion on his face. It took him nearly a minute before he could relate Luna's memories of the term herd to the proper analogue in human culture. They were asking him to preside over their wedding.

The complete lack of reaction did no favors for the earth pony couple, as the nervous smiles slowly faded from their faces. "Uh, never mind sir, sorry to bother you."

"Wait, I was just caught flat-footed." Ted said with a start, motioning for them to stop. At the confused glances of the couple, he tried again. "I was caught off guard. I cannot say I've had anyone ask that of me before."

'What the absolute hell is the world coming to when people come to me for marriage vows?' He thought to himself. "Do you have anything to exchange?" At the affirmative nods of the couple, he forged ahead. "Okay, I think I have an idea. Tomorrow I've got an expedition to oversee, but after that I don't have anything planned. Decide on a date, then let me know. I'll compare it against anything that comes up in the meantime. The ritual room should work, right?"

The mare looked jubilant, but the stallion nervously asked him, "But sir, the ritual room, it was the place of your rebirth. W-we wouldn't want to-"

"Nonsense, it was the place of my rebirth, and it will be the place of the creation of your family. It's also not being used for anything at the moment, as far as I'm aware. Besides, it will be something to brag about to the grandfoals, right?" Ted finished with a smirk.

"G-grandfoals?" The stallion gibbered. Ted almost felt sorry for the guy as the mare dragged him off, giggling to herself. Yet another thing the alicorn needed to study up on, he supposed. He couldn't remember Luna having done a wedding before, so he'd have to read up on it himself.

The things he did for his ponies.

Author's Notes:

As I mentioned in a blog, I'll be keeping not only a MS paint map of the area for reference and a list of names and jobs/descriptions, but I've also made a Minecraft replica of the temple so I have an idea of where everyone is staying. It's also so I don't give directions to the library from another room, and later use those same directions to the alchemy lab.

Wonder if Ted will find anything in the old port town?

Where One Exists, So May Others

Ted spent a few hours researching pony marriage customs before actually retiring for the night. They were surprisingly simple, and while it probably wouldn't be professional, he'd written some notes in case he forgot a line or two during the ceremony. The couple approaching him had been a sucker punch, but now that he thought about it, they probably wouldn't be the last couple to ask for his blessing for such a thing, considering both his position as ruler of the temple slash country that he was in right now, as well as the deific status that the ponies attributed to alicorns. Actually the only surprising thing was that they had built up the courage to ask him, considering the legends surrounding the Nightmare. Surely the creature was a terrible thing if Luna could be scared so badly by her presence in the dream realm.

Mentally berating himself for falling into the gender confusion again, and double checking his mental wards, Ted was stopped short as an idea occurred to him. He was not in a good way with Luna's memories combined with his own, and he had magic to combat the effects. What hope did the Nightmare have of doing the same with a mortal human brain? He now knew what magic felt like, and not once in his life had he ever felt anything like the buzzing energy that completely saturated the planet. Surely such a thing would be noticed by researchers at some point if it existed. Luna's memories of the Nightmare said that it would use magic to alter the host to allow it to continue functioning properly, so what would it do if it didn't have access to magic. The mental imagery of his body in a padded room while wearing a straight jacket and gibbering madly didn't sit well with him, but considering the alternatives, and the fact that he was actually fine? There were worse possibilities. It also reinforced for Ted the necessity of getting his head sorted out. There was no possible way for him to survive going home in his current condition. Even if he never found his way home, he could at least stop referring to himself as a her every now and again. He'd avoided doing it in public so far, but he didn't trust his luck to hold out. Not when said luck had him stuck in a world of magic and ponies.

Setting aside his research for the night, the dark alicorn once more bedded down for the night. This would be his forth foray into the dream realm, and while he was tempted to use the time to plan a better layout for the temple, the hope that he could find answers was just too much. Slowly fading from consciousness until he once more found himself in Dreamscape, he focused on her name. Surprisingly, he got a ping, though the distance was quite far. It took him a long time, just how long he didn't know, as time seemed odd in the dreamscape, but eventually he reached the location of the ping. Settling down in the area, he focused on memories of his target. White fur, a glowing smile, always there to lend an ear to her troubles... Before Tuna knew what was happening, a small light had started to form, the dream orb slightly larger than those of her ponies. Lost in Luna's memories of her older sister, she dove in, desperate to see her once again.

The next conscious thought Ted had was of confusion, followed by embarrassment as he put the pink maned and white furred alicorn down on the grassy hill of her dreams. It seemed that while he was focusing on the memories Luna had of her sister, he'd been swept away in the tide of emotions they'd elicited, driving him to snatch the smaller alicorn in a crushing hug before either of them knew what was going on. Finally back in control of himself, he noticed that his dream form had once more faded into a hybrid of both lives, this time his humanoid form modified by in a light fuzz of black fur on his arms. How long before both lives reached balance, and what would that truly end up looking like? Was it possible for a two minds of such different potential to reach balance?

Celestia, meanwhile, could only stare at the newcomer in confusion. First she'd found herself in a dream, something she'd not had in years, then this strange creature rushed her and collected her into a crushing hug, claiming how much she, though the creature seemed male, had missed her sister. The creature had even called her Tia, and spoke in the older dialect Luna had favored so much upon her return. What was this thing? She almost missed the cutie mark on it's shoulder, an odd place for it, but considering the alien physiology, it could be ignored. An oak tree, with a strange circular symbol in the center of the trunk. Her first thought had been the Nightmare, but the dream was nice, and the Nightmare had merely copied Luna's mark.

"Who... What are you?" She settled upon. It would at least get the ball rolling, if nothing else.

Ted had by this time finally managed to reel in the surging emotions of his sealed side, even going so far as to triple the amount of magic used to keep the princesses memories separated from his own. The price of not knowing much about Tia was worth not rushing over and hugging the life out of her again. "I, uh, apologize, Tia. I've had memory problems for a few days now, or have noticed them in the last few days. My name is Theodore, Theodore Noc-Fredston, though my friends call me Ted. I'm a human, or, well I was one at one point. I'm fairly certain my current form, and problems, stem from a mutual, shall we say, acquaintance of ours, though my experiences with it are second-hand besides the event that brought me here."

When the princess cocked her head in confusion, he tried a more obvious explanation. "The parasite, princess." Celestia's eyes widened. Not only did it know the Nightmare, it called it a parasite, and there was no way the Nightmare would refer to itself as such. The creature had a god complex that made Sombra's look like a childhood fantasy.

"You know of the creature? I thought the elements had banished it, purging it from my sisters mind." The small alicorn said

"From what I've managed to put together, it used some type of swap spell on me, switching places with me the moment before the elements struck. I was pulled from your sister the next moment, stuck in the armor with an absolute mess of a memory dump and a pounding headache from the spell's backlash despite no longer having a head. I've only recently been able to wander around again."

"The spell she felt before the elements..." Celestia breathed out. "My sister spoke of a powerful spell the nightmare used just before the elements cleansed her, but it had no noticeable effect, besides the horrific recoil they suffered as a result. When she attempted to discern the spells target, it merely led her back to the armor, so she assumed it failed." Thinking about this for a moment, she turned back to the hybrid before her. "You have been stuck in the armor for all this time? How did you not go mad?"

"I uh, actually, I think its equal parts not having a temporal reference while stuck in the armor, and having hundreds of years of memories to try understand."

"Is that why you, uh" The alicorn mumbled, her white fur tinged a slight pink. Even if it was a dream, it was the first contact she'd had in decades.

"Yes. I'm, sorry if I lose myself in them every now and then, humans only live about a century at the most, the memories I've had to deal with span several of my lifetimes. Sometimes they get the better of me, as you saw." Ted said, scratching at the odd fur on his arm. "It doesn't help that I'm also finding myself dealing with instincts that are alien to me."

"Yes, I noticed your form. I can't say I've seen anything like it before, although it looks..." Celestia muttered, taking another glance at the creature before her. At first it had just seemed alien, but after learning it was no longer merely 'human', she noticed something. "You are an alicorn?"

"Yes, though I think that has to do with the magic involved in giving me a physical form here. Cultists were trying to resurrect the Nightmare, and ended up freeing me." Ted said. "My best guess is that the lack of magic from my own world meant that my magic is a combination of your sister's and the Nightmare's. I guess that would make you my magical aunt?" He asked with a smile.

The princess giggled lightly, before her tone turned much more somber. "I would be honored, but I don't deserve such a title. I have failed my little ponies, I have failed in keeping them safe and now they suffer under the iron hoof I helped to create. To this day she demands each year that my sister and I give to her our powers, leaving her the sole ruler of the world. She has weakened us, but the power of the cosmos is not within her ability to steal. Unless something changes soon, however, I fear my sister or I may end up breaking eventually. She has eternity to wait, after all."

"I've spoken to your sister recently, I don't think you need to worry about her giving in anytime soon. She has way too much fight left in her. This Mad Queen, you know her? I've only heard of her atrocities second-hand from the cultists and those that have come under my care."

The princess nodded sadly. "She was once a mare I proudly called my beloved student. I do not know when she fell, but she was twisted by her anger, she lashed out at those she once called friend, and eventually used her knowledge to trap both my sister and I in our prisons until we gave her our power once more. Those she once called friends she turned to stone, preserved for all eternity to power her arrays. The self-preservation of the elements to those bound to them is strong, strong enough to protect them even after they were returned to the Tree of Harmony. She used this knowledge against it, placing dangerous arrays that, should they fail, would destroy the bearers utterly. The elements therefore continuously pour power to those poor conduits to keep them safe, only furthering her schemes. I- I can't help but wonder where I went wrong, what lesson I didn't teach her." The princess uttered on the verge of tears. "I did so much for her, I raised her higher than any before her, and she struck us all down with the power I'd gifted her with. The element of Magic, she was always meant to bear it, but I knew she could be so much more."

Ted took this in silently, mind already hitching on a niggling detail that refused to leave him alone. "You said this girl, she suddenly turned on everyone she held dear to her?"

"Yes" The princess nodded. "Even her own brother, he was left a husk of his former self, his mind burned away as she attempted to purge him of controlling magics that did not exist. She said he was turned against her when he spoke against her actions, said that he was no longer himself. I, I've never been so ashamed as the day she came to my prison with that smiling puppet following her." She said, burying her face in her hooves.

"This sudden change, it doesn't ring any bells? Doesn't set off any alarms, or give you any sense of deja vu?" Ted asked leadingly.

"I-What are you talking about? What could possibly have turned her to such-"

"TIA!" The pink and white princess' confusion was interrupted by the furious shout of her sister, the lunar alicorn arriving in the dreamscape to find her sister staring wide-eyed at her, as the creature that bore the Nightmare's aura pointed a single digit in her direction.

"Tia?" Luna asked, confused. "Tia, what did it tell you? Did it hurt you? FIEND! What did you do to my sister?"

Ted ignored the raging diarch, never taking his eyes from the alicorn sitting before him. "The Nightmare that took your sister is gone, I'm fairly certain of that, or at the least indisposed. The world I'm from lacks magic, after all. It may be my human paranoia speaking, but the problem with monsters, Celestia, is that where there's one, there may be more."

Far above the kingdom of Equestria a lone figure stood proudly, surveying her kingdom with smug satisfaction. It left the balcony, passing the guards now donned in amethyst armor and bearing her crest on their chest. It was satisfying, seeing such obvious displays of her rule. The Queen walked her halls alone, no need for guards with the pure power she wielded. Once the Sun and Moon caved, she would finally have it all. The elements would no longer be needed, and she would dispose of them, lest they find some way to break her hold on Magic. The Queen passed by relics of her victories. A griffon blade ceded to her by the Ruler of High-Talon, it would soon be the only remaining griffon-made weapon in the world. The Shield of the Shattered Horn, an ancient relic of the Minotaur people, one she'd threatened once or twice to melt down for a new bath faucet when the 'taurs got uppity. Finally, a large blood ruby in the shape of an eye, the largest of its kind on the planet, said to be the actual eye of the first Broodmother of the dragons. Even the arrogance of the fire-lizards was nothing to her power. The biologically grown crowns of several changeling queens, removed to their absolute agony, and to her auditory pleasure. Finally, the Raiment of the princesses, both the golden armor of the Sun, and the purple armor of the Night. Armor that she had personally removed from those two when they'd fallen to her magical arrays. Oh how sweet victory was.

Finally done with her daily trot through her collection, she retired for the night, laying down upon the finest silks. She would preserve a few of the changeling drones from her experiments, after all, no need to lose such finery just because she got overzealous with her pursuit of science. Laying down for the night, the Queen laughed to herself at the idea of how far she'd come in so little time. Yes, the future was certainly looking bright.

If any had bothered to look upon the shadow of the queen, they would have sworn it was heaving, as if wracked by sobs. But that would be impossible, as everypony knew that shadows don't cry.

Author's Notes:

Double, as I said, I wasn't sure where to go with Mirage's story, or how to say it. Also got sucked into games like dying light, and space engineers. So this is my gift to you.

AH! THERE IT IS! I know some of you were already throwing poor Twilly under the bus, but I like this better. Besides, we don't know where the Nightmare came from, just that it targeted the weaker of the strongest species on the planet. Who's to say there aren't more?

As for the Nightmare that swapped with Ted? This is its current favorite song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A1A97sFF9Q

What's in a Name?

"Tia, what did it tell you? You know as well as I that the Nightmare speaks only in lies and false promises." Luna rushed Ted and Celestia's position, placing herself between her sister and Ted. "I'll destroy you, you hear me? Never again will you sway me with your honeyed words. I'll-" Her rant was cut short by white forelegs wrapping around her, pulling her into a crushing hug as her sister wept openly for the first time in centuries. Pulled off her stride, the moon princess floundered. "Tia, what's wrong, please tell me. You did this to her, didn't you? It wasn't enough to bring me pain, you have to mmphmrg."

Celestia cut her sisters rant short, holding her muzzle shut with her hooves. "Stop it sister, he has done me no harm." Hugging Luna again, she continued. "He merely brought to light a fact that I somehow missed." At Luna's skeptical look, she clarified. "Twilight, sister, she may have been possessed. In fact I'd bet my last thaum of magic that she is. The shift in personality is so similar to what you went through, so much sharper in fact, I don't know how I didn't suspect such a thing earlier."

"But Tia!" Luna said, almost in a whine. "He's our enemy, he's the reason for our misery!"

Celestia shook her head. "I can not see it. The Nightmare never missed an opportunity to strike at me, nor did it miss a chance to stroke its own ego. Theodore has done neither." Tia nuzzled her sister. "He's also the reason we can finally talk again after so long. Besides, look deeper, sister. What does your magic tell you? Do you see his cutie mark?"

Ted blanched at the term. "Is it ok if I call it an emblem, or at least something less, I don't know, feminine?"

Celestia giggled merrily, wiping away a few stray tears, but Luna seemed less than jovial. Sensing that her younger sister was about to launch into a second rant, the white and pink alicorn pulled her sister close once again "Theodore, would you give us some time? We have much to discuss."

Ted frowned "I came here for a reason, believe it or not, Celestia. I'm not in a good way at the moment, and there's so many questions I need answered, I just..."

As the hybrid attempted to continue, the solar alicorn struck, eyes growing round and watery, her lower lip trembling as she held her sister tightly.

'Oh, god.' Ted thought. "Fine, fine. Do what you need to, I'll be over here." He mumbled, wandering off to the far side of the grassy hill. Laying down in the lush grass and feeling a wonderful breeze, Ted dozed off, barely registering the feminine chatter.

"Theodore? Theodore, we wish to speak with you." Ted was brought from his dazed state of being by the persistent poking of the pretty pink pony princess. Sitting up and looking to them, he saw Celestia smiling mischievously, while her sister seemed more irritated than angry. Before he could say anything, the white alicorn spoke. "We have come to an agreement. Since our time is short tonight, Luna will answer some of your questions tomorrow night, though she has some question of her own before she will agree." With that, the two turned to Luna, who stared at Ted with a steady frown.

"My questions are simple. First, why did you inflict that nightmare upon a pony you claim to guard?"

Ted smiled. "Shadow Weaver is the only real die-hard cultist there, and insisted that the ponies should have been having nightmares. So I obliged him. He didn't bother me about it after that."

Luna did not seem amused, though Tia was hiding her muzzle behind a hoof at the answer. "Very well. Why did you hug my sister? She said you first entered her dream speaking in the dialect I favored upon my return, and even called her sister. Why is this?"

Ted nervously scratched his arm. "It's honestly one of the reasons I want your help. I've been having memory problems. The Nightmare, it left me with... I'm pretty sure it left me with a shredded mess of your memories when it switched places with me." He explained, uncomfortable with the reveal. How do you tell someone you remember things they did? "I managed to use some of the memories of spell-work to make an improvised barrier, but every now and again I have, uh, leaks."

Celestia giggled openly now, nudging her sister towards Ted. "Do it. Go on, Lulu, it's only proper!"

Luna turned to her, horror written across her face. "Absolutely not! I'd sooner consign myself as Discord's concubine!"

"Luna, it's not nice to leave a colt like this. Besides, it will only work if my guess is right." The alicorn said, her grin getting wider with every moment.

"There is no way in Tartarus, I refuse to-"

"Woona..."

"Tia, I won't simply-"

"Woooooooona"

"FINE!" Turning a blazing glare at Ted, Luna walked up to him and of all things, hugged him. No, it wasn't just a hug, it was like she was grabbing him, searching?

Opening her eyes, she cast one last glare at her sister while holding Ted, followed by a quiet "I will get you for this." before turning to the hybrid with a strange smile on her face. It was odd, not one he expected, and her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, before she spoke.

"Dark, Umbral, Aegis, Shroud, Shield..."

What was she doing? Why was she spewing these words?

"Brother, Barrier, Shadow, God, King..."

The more she spoke, the more words she added to her list, the more his heart hammered in his chest. She was doing something to him, looking for something, and he could not for the life of him break eye contact with her.

"Wraith, Justice, Father, Loving, Zeal, Lost, Son, Alien..."

After a while, and after countless words, Luna's eyes lost their glazed appearance, and she stared deeply into Ted's own eyes.

"Cimmerian" She said, before her eyes drifted shut, and she leaned into him limply. Ted held onto the insensate alicorn, casting a confused glance at Celestia, who seemed unable to contain her excitement.

"I knew it! I knew it the moment you came into my dream that you reminded me of Luna! The aura, the speech, the memories you mentioned. You even said that in this world you were an alicorn, and that your old world lacked magic. So your aura is a copy of hers." The alicorn rambled, unable to contain her glee.

"What the hell was that?" Ted almost yelled, bewildered by what had occurred. "What were all those words? What was that whole thing?"

Celestia finally calmed herself down enough to approach the confused man, and spoke softly and kindly. "All creatures on this world are linked to it in a way that is impossible to define." Planting a light kiss on his forehead, she smiled as the dream faded. "Welcome to Equis, Cimmerian. And welcome to our family, nephew."

Ted woke as the dream fell apart, his body covered in a cold sweat. Even as he looked around his room, he swore he could see the words Luna had spoken the previous night scribbled and scratched all over the walls and furniture. Stumbling over to the sink, he washed his face in the cool water and looked into the mirror when he saw it. Instead of his reflection, all he saw was that last word. It didn't make sense, magic was a world unto itself but this was borderline hallucination. Eventually, the words faded from his sight, though the last one Luna had spoken, the one Celestia had addressed him by, seemed to hang around the longest. Eventually, he trusted himself not to start randomly hallucinating enough to make his way to the dining hall, donning his armor on the way out of the room, and grabbed a simple breakfast for his journey before heading to the entrance.

He needed time to process what he'd seen, what he'd heard the night before, and he had none of that yet. Later. He would set aside some time later, once he'd helped the ponies as much as he could and they would be fine without him for a day or two. Approaching the entrance, he found some of his ponies were already there, and Shadow Weaver had several of the satchels and bags he'd been using on the previous expeditions. It took some patience, and a lot of help from two pegasi and a unicorn to get all the bags situated with his armor, but eventually the expedition was ready to go. Looking over the ponies gathered, he took a quick headcount, pleased that Shadow had set aside the usual number. Seven individuals; two unicorns, four earth ponies and a- oh boy.

"Hello, Blur." Ted said with a tired smile. "How long did you pester Shadow to let you go with this expedition?"

"Hello F-Master, not too long, just about two hours!" The yellow pegasis replied cheerfully.

Chuckling to himself, and giving his usual commands for the expedition, the ponies went out into the jungle. No hoods, pegasus on over-watch, watch each others backs, report strange findings to him. Their destination, the small port town by the ocean. Ted knew better than to hope for an uneventful trip. Instead, he hoped for good luck, and the safety of those he took with him.

It surprised the alicorn when his group found the old town with little trouble, and set him slightly on edge. Sure some predators were prowling their route, but none got close enough to even stall the march. Calling his ponies into a semi-circle in front of him, he ordered them to search the town for anything of use, from usable furniture to salvageable supplies to signs of inhabitance. The ponies dispersed into the town, though it barely registered as such, having only four buildings besides the storage shed by the dock. Luckily, one seemed to be a primitive smithy, and Ted immediately set about digging through the various rusted implements for anything he could use for his own building once it was built. It wasn't much, and the tools were worn, but he eventually managed to get a few hammers and tongs, shaped to fit pony hooves, oddly enough. He even found a few bits of unused metal throughout the building, and an unfinished blade that seemed to be made of iron. He took a few measured swings with it, holding it in his magic as Luna had so many times before, before sliding it into a strap near his rump. It wouldn't help offensively, but at the very least it would be usable to physically block an attack.

As he was finishing his search, which yielded a few scraps of armor as well, he was signaled by Blur, who rushed inside claiming to have found something. She led the alicorn to a small fire pit, nothing special about it except for one small fact.

The ashes were relatively fresh, and all around the fire pit were paw prints, paw prints that vastly outnumbered the hoof prints near the log that was rolled near the fire pit. And spots. Small black flecks against the log and rocks that filled the dark alicorns mind with dread. Confirming that Blur had not landed near the fire pit, and asking the same of his other gatherers, Ted pulsed his Life detection spell, mentally cursing the fact that he allowed himself to get so caught up in the salvaging that he'd stopped watching his back. The tree line lit up to his senses, revealing at least eight creatures all slinking closer to the village under the cover of the dense foliage. Pulling the cultists behind him with his aura, and flaring his own to visible levels, he challenged the stalkers.

"I know you're there, reveal yourselves or I'll set the entire forest ablaze!"

Slowly, one advancing ahead of the others, all eight came into the clearing. They were brutish looking creatures, hunched over with scraggly fur and smashed faces resembling dogs with their bared canines. Some held clubs, others crude blades, and one merely held out its curled paws, the sharp claws probably more dangerous than some of the weapons used by its fellows. They all wore a hodgepodge of armor and clothing, some with barely enough scraps to cover their vitals. Any confusion over their intention was destroyed the moment the large one opened its mouth.

"Alpha not speak big pony with little ones." Said the largest of the group in broken Eng- no, broken Equestrian. "Wonder if it taste better than others. Get tired of stringy meat after so long."

Ted's face contorted with disgust. Carnivores he could understand, but to consume sapient creatures? That was something he couldn't condone. The thought of the ambushed pony that had been here before them, screaming while tied to a spit was all the motivation he needed. Shrouding his ponies in the shadows of the nearby buildings, he drew the unfinished sword and summoned his shadow blades. Before the largest even had the time to order an attack, the blades reached their line, detonating as they reached the gnolls. Two fell to the initial strike, one nearly bisected by the now-obsidian black blades and the other losing half its arm to the detonation of the blades. With a shout, the gnolls charged, three more falling to the barrage before they reached the alicorn.

Being this close, Ted fell into her memories, leaping back with a powerful flap of her wings and igniting an arcane inferno in her previous position, boiling one attacker that was a second too slow to react. A gnoll managed to sidestep it, and swung its club, only to have the attack parried by the unfinished blade Tedacae had drawn, before striking the creature with a buck that sent it into a nearby building, shattering the wall and possibly the creature with it. Turning to hunt down the last attacker, hir world turned to burning agony, the feeling of burning stakes being dragged across his pelt tearing a scream from his throat. He stumbled, stars in his eyes, before his vision returned to see a screaming yellow pegasus furiously beating his attacker into the ground with her bare hooves.

Recollecting himself, and making certain that all of the other gnolls were dead or no longer a threat, he stumbled over to the screaming mare, pulling her away from the gory mess she was making of her foe, and wrapping her in his wings, even as her screaming anger turned to sobs. As he felt the adrenaline leaving his body and allowed himself to come to terms with what had just happened, he was stopped cold by one word he repeatedly heard in the mare's blubbering.

Father.

Author's Notes:

That... that was the first fight seen I've written between two parties. Yes I did the snake earlier, but it was a monster, not much of an actual combatant. These were bandits, sapient and fully intending to bring harm to those under Ted's protection. Or should I say Cimmerian's protection? He won't just give up his name, but he has a new one now, suited to his new form and station. Some may hate, but I think I did it decently, and I hope it's powerful enough to please the readers.

On a side note, no this doesn't conflict with one of my complaints, that the MC for these gets in the good graces of everyone of importance easily. After all, besides some advice, what help can the princesses provide him? A pat on the back, and maybe some council. That's it.

Where There's Smoke

Father. Blur, the little yellow mare he'd found to be so undyingly loyal, had called him her father. Not only that, but she'd apparently viewed him as such for a while now, possibly from the incident in the ritual room. The mare had willingly housed a changeling despite the fears most had of the bug-ponies, and now that he thought about it, she'd almost called him such just as they'd left. In hindsight, there wasn't much else he could imagine she'd almost said besides father. Was he worthy of such a title? Ted didn't think so, but that would not stop him from doing his damn best to fill that role.

A father guides, a father protects, a father comforts, a father provides.

He already did these things, and while he felt that he still fell short of the title, he would do all in his power to rise to the level his ponies needed him to reach. So he picked up the weeping Pegasus, and carried her down to the ocean. He washed the blood from their fur, and hummed a soothing lullaby, one his mother had whispered to him so long ago. The words were lost to him, but in the memory was love, and in the melody was peace. Sure that he'd done all he could, and reasonably certain he'd calmed himself down as well, he set the mare on the ground amid the gathered ponies, before mindlessly looting the bodies.

It disgusted him to turn to such practices, but the ponies were desperate, and anything helped, even the twisted cudgels of the bandits. It didn't take him long to sort through their gear, and there was not much of use, or at least not much that he wished to touch or would let his followers use. A few gems in small pouches, a rusted sword and two cudgels, some strange salve that he didn't know the origin of in a few tubes, and several salvageable metal plates from their armor was distributed amongst the gatherers, adding to whatever else they'd found amongst the wreckage. afterwards he ordered the bodies gathered and burned in a small pit in the sand. This village may have been abandoned by its previous inhabitants, but it could be useful in the future. Close to Home, small, some of the buildings were not too rundown, and if he managed to expand his following enough, he would need a port under his rule. Why clear a new area when the place was already set up? Thus he didn't want the problems that came with several corpses scattered around the town while rotting and spreading disease would bring.

The ponies looked decidedly green as they followed his order. One unfortunate stallion even vomited when the gnoll he tried to pick up turned out to be less attached to it's leg than the pony suspected. Eventually the clean-up was finished, and Ted called the ponies back to him, before picking up the sleeping form of Blur and settling her on his back. Doing one last headcount, he led the way back to the Temple, his mind awash with the details of the fight. It had gone well, ridiculously well, in fact. He'd nearly wiped the bandits out when one had scratched him. What bothered him was the placement of the strike.

The claws had struck the armor, he was sure of it. Even now his flesh throbbed in silent agony of the perceived damage, but not a single drop of blood flowed from any wound. In fact, according to memories of Luna's fights, the alicorn should be able to endure even worse injuries with little to no discomfort. Thinking back to one of her fights, he remembered she was stabbed by a rogue cryomancer's horn, and she had whipped around and crushed the idiot with her armored hooves, not even slowed by the injury. So why did such a glancing blow incite such pain? Why did the pain seem so much worse than it was? The only difference between Luna's fight and his was the armor.

The armor.

The damned armor that the Nightmare had crafted, that left all of his senses and abilities amplified. That had to be it. The bastard had for some unknowable reason left it as an absolute all encompassing amplification effect, including pain. Why though? What good was armor if it left the bearer in agony every time it did its job. It wasn't like the Nightmare could simply shunt the pain elsewhere, right?

Oh...

The more Ted learned of this creature, the more certain he became that if he ever found it in any incarnation, its suffering would be incomprehensible and eternal.

The walk back to the temple was again quiet, though seeing how he had the scent of blood on him, and not his blood but the blood of several other creatures, it seemed most predators identified him as not worth the trouble. That or his flickering aura of anger and the deepening of the shadows as he passed scared the piss out of even the more fearsome creatures they passed.

Ted's mind was working overtime, imagining new and wondrous things he'd do if he ever found that damnable parasite, and the ponies following him only did so out of fear of being left behind in the jungle and knowing that his anger didn't seem directed at them. They just made certain to stay several paces behind the alicorn as his tail flicked in agitation every so often. No need to kick the hornet's nest, after all.

Drawing closer to the Temple, Ted found himself growing more agitated as time passed by, and several ponies noticed the odd glow of his cutie mark, the light intensifying as time dragged on. The alicorn's senses went on high alert; something was wrong.

Picking up his pace, he started weaving through the woods at a light trot, but the knot in his stomach persisted. Faster. The cultists were now running full speed trying to keep up with the dark alicorn. It still wasn't fast enough. Gripping the mare to his back with his wings, he took off at a full gallop through the forest, cushioning her against the impacts of his pace with is wings and magic. Finally, he caught sight of the Temple and his ponies.

Catching sight of them as they were led out of their Home by a large group of gnolls, bound by ropes and chains. Finally his eyes fell across the foals, locked in a small cage on the back of a large gnoll who every now and again poked a pony with its weapon, prodding the stallion along. Treating him like a slave, like an animal. Attempting to break his followers.

His children.

His vision went red, and Ted knew no more.

Pain was the first thing she noted as she came back to consciousness. It was odd, as it had been a long time since she'd suffered from physical discomfort. Lifting herself from the large bed, she gazed around her. Her armor was set upon a stand, though it's magic seemed off to her senses, and she seemed to be in a temple of some sort, though she had no memory of entering it.

'Strange. Though we do wonder to where our sister hath wandered. We cannot detect her.' Rising from her bed, she felt odd, heavy, too large and bulky from what she remembered. Looking in the mirror, she nearly screamed. A stallion? Why? It made no sense! Why was she-

'It's not right.'

"Reveal thyself, intruder, lest we unleash our wrath upon thee!" She spoke to the voice, shaking the nearby windows.

'I'm not her. She's not me.'

There it was again! Looking around the room, the alicorn could not find the speaker. On the verge of blasting the room with a powerful spell to rid herself of the pest, her eyes fell upon her, no, his flank. An oak tree with a strange circular symbol on it.

'Too far. Went too far, almost drowned.'

It wasn't her mark. The name that came to her mind when she saw it was not hers either. Cimmerian. Darkness. What was going on? Why was she so weak, why were her memories so damaged? She took several deep breathes, closing her eyes, and focusing on her mind. There was a partition. A wall. Focus there, yes, almost.

The next moment, he opened his eyes, and lurched backwards onto his bed. He'd fallen so far he'd nearly not been able to come back, nearly lost himself in her. Shaking, he looked himself over, confirming that he was once again in control of his body. There was no time anymore. Even if it had saved him earlier, the memories had to go. God help him if he fell that far again. There would be nothing left of him to protect his po-

Before the thought had even finished, he'd rushed out of the room, pinging the life detection spell and following it to the greatest concentration of beings in the area. All of them were gathered in the dining hall, and he raced there at full speed, ramming the door off its hinges as he forced his way into the room. He looked around at the gathered ponies, all eyes upon him. He counted as many as he could, noting every face he recognized. Even the griffon and the thestrals were there, though the griffon looked like he'd been through a mulcher. Before he could ask for Shadow, or even a head count, every head lowered in a bow. Some went further, prostrating themselves before him, others muttered praises into the cracked stones of the hall. Finally, his gaze fell upon Shadow Weaver, though the pony seemed to be trying to melt into the floor the second his gaze met Ted's. Slowly, the dark alicorn picked his way through the gathered ponies, taking note of the bandages some bore, the cuts, the black eyes and bruises. Every injury was noted and filed away. Mirage was in a corner, openly weeping but not shoving away the nymphs hysterically clinging to her side. He would need to talk to the changeling after the incident was concluded. She was already weakened by her experiences in Equestria, and would need the support.

"Is everyone accounted for, Shadow?"

The cultist shakily rose, pointing a hoof at Gleam who had a small ratty notebook in her hooves. Turning to her, he took a few steps closer to the mare, the foals around her looking unsure at his approach. The mare took what was supposed to be a steadying breath, before she spoke.

"A-all are accounted for, Father."

"Any injuries worth noting?" He asked flatly.

"No, n-nothing more than cuts and b-bruises. Amald received the worst of the damage, though Tulip's poultices seemed to work." At his inquiring gaze, she explained. "After she lost F-fast, she started studying in the lab. She's a natural herbalist, and became adept at creating a potent healing paste. She said the ones m-made with the larger aloe seemed stronger."

Ted nodded. "And the gnolls? I do not remember much of what happened."

"We haven't seen a trace of them... e-even the, the ones you chased into the Temple." The mare said, just barely suppressing her tears.

"Alright. Bar the doors tonight, and I'd like those who are least injured to rotate guard shifts tonight. I must retire for the night. I have things I need to sort out." The alicorn said. With that he turned and left the ponies, many not rising from the floor till long after his hoof-falls had faded from their hearing. He'd been there when they needed him. When their hope was lost He'd appeared, wreathed in blazing shadows, terrible and wonderful to behold. He'd scattered their tormenters, driven them off like simple thieves into the night. The Nightmare guarded them, he protected them. As he left, they thanked any deity who would listen for their Father. Some offered their thanks directly to His name.

And the Pegasus, Blur; she spoke. As soon as she found her voice, the yellow mare spoke, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She spoke of their wonderful Father, who watched them, who loved them, who would make any sacrifice to keep them safe. The One who would comfort them in their troubles, who found joy in their happiness, who would wipe away their tears and drive away their fears. He who loved them all, regardless of past or race. He who protected all those who willingly called Him their Father.

The mare spoke, and those gathered listened. And none listened more intently, more fervently, more zealously, than Shadow Weaver.

Author's Notes:

I've actually got tears in my eyes from the absolute intensity I wrote and read the last paragraph with. Hope you guys like it.

Pick your Poison

He was busy when she arrived, working the strange world she once again found herself in with a desperate purpose. Busy, attempting to distract himself. She'd seen Tia do it many times before. Her sister often fell into such actions when something weighed heavily on her mind, but she could take no action to alter the outcome of the event. Odd seeing this, thing, this human, doing such in his dream. Did he not have any more of the insane humans to while away the time?

Approaching Cimmerian, Luna took note of his creation. It was a blocky construct, seemingly some sort of building. Judging by the textures she saw, it appeared to be made of some sort of stone. Following as he rushed inside, she noted that even the insides of the building had been given excruciating detail, signs marking storage rooms, bedrooms, the dining hall, and one which pointed to something called "The Ritual Room". When she finally caught up to him, he was in one labeled "My Room", and was attempting to get the odd materials to replicate what looked like a vanity. She coughed lightly into a hoof, drawing his attention from his work, and before she even had time to react he was upon her.

"LUNA! I can't do this anymore! I almost lost. I need an answer for this now, NO MORE PUTTING IT OFF! I don't want to lose myself to the memories. If I'm not me, I may as well be dead, you need to help me with this, now!" He yelled at her, any sense of patience gone.

"Cimmerian, please. Calm yourself. I cannot help you if-"

"No! My name is Ted, Theodore Fredson, you hear me! Not Lunacae Nocturnis, not Cimmerian, not Nightmare, not any of those other damned names! My name is Cimm- Damn it! I can't, I won't I..." The hysterical creature ranted and raved, horribly confusing the lunar princess. Just the other night he'd been the picture of patience, allowing Tia and herself to not only discuss their situation, but just be there for each other for the first time in years. Now the stallion seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown, in fact it was possible that it was occurring as she watched.

"Ci- Ted, calm yourself, I cannot help you if you are thrashing about like this!" She attempted, yelling over his mad ramblings. It seemed to have no effect, so she bit her lip, swallowed her doubt, and pulled the hybrid into her barrel. It was awkward, holding a creature nearly twice her size, but slowly he seemed to calm, and eventually she tried again. "I told you I'd come to help, C-Ted, what happened? What has you in such a state?"

"I... I almost lost it. I, the ponies I, that freed me were attacked." He said shakily, tears rolling down his furry face. "Gnolls, from the jungle struck our base when I was away. I came back to see. To see the bastards leading my ponies away in chains. Something happened, I lashed out at them. I'm not sure, I think one got away. No, I let it go. It was smaller, weaker. I let it leave as a warning to its pack. Then I went upstairs and collapsed in my bed. When I woke up, I... I" Ted choked for a moment, eliciting a soothing stroke on the back from the smaller alicorn. "When I woke up, I wasn't me. I was her. You. I called myself Luna, I. Fuck, I was looking around confused about where I was. I was wondering where my sister was, and why I was a guy. I, I don't want that. If that's what the memories do, I don't want them." Ted turned to face her, tears slowly falling from his eyes. "They're not mine, they're yours. Take them back, please. I don't want to lose myself like that again. I can't do it."

Luna just pulled him close again, going through her spells. The Nightmare never lost itself in her memories, as the creature seemed just as long-lived as she. Taking a preparatory breath, she pushed Ted away, looking him in the eyes once more. Memory spells were tricky, and she would need to asses the damage personally.

"Ted, I want you to listen very closely. I would like to search you, but I need your power to do it. The Traitor has left both me and my sister very weak, and this spell is currently beyond my mana capacity. Will you help me, and allow me to learn of the damage done to you?"

The hybrid seemed to consider this, no doubt still weary of her since her earlier attacks. Truly not her best moment, considering what her sister had goaded her into discovering. After a while, he seemed to decide upon his course, and he nodded to her, wiping away a few remaining tears as he finally calmed. She knew why; he was hoping for a cure to the madness. Unfortunately, there likely wasn't a fast fix for this. Not if she knew the nightmare as well as she thought she did.

"Good. Focus your power to me."

"I, I don't know how to do that" Ted muttered.

"Think of what you wish to do and let the memori-"

"No! No, I won't do that! That's how it happened last time, I can't-

"TED!" Luna shouted. "Calm yourself. Think of what you wish to do. They will guide you, but as long as you keep control of your emotions, they can do nothing more. I am right here. Help me to help you." She said, finally drawing a nod from the larger being, before she found a large surge of power flood her presence. Quickly forming the energy into a spell so it wasn't bled off by the Traitor's arrays, she cast her spell, and dove in to the lost stallions mind.

'Calm. I am myself and no one else. I remember taking walks in the park. I remember playing video games. Yes, that's good, it's not something she'd ever had a chance to do, those are all me. Breath.' Ted was doing his level best to keep himself calm while the alicorn, now in his arms, did whatever it was she needed to do to help him.

It wasn't much, but he had hope she would find something useful, something that could be used to stop his leaks, his slips into that other self. After what seemed an eternity of staring at the business end of a blue alicorn, the glow died down, and Luna hugged him quickly before separating from him.

"Thank you C-Theodore. I, well, I apologize for my earlier actions. The spell the Nightmare used seemed to be a modified version of an old infiltration spell used by unicorns centuries ago. Amongst mortals, the memories can cause headaches and confusion in movement, but otherwise tend to be fairly simple to repair. In your case, however, the memories were, for lack of a better word, broken. I believe it was because it attempted to use as little mana in the memory part of the spell as possible. There is also the fact that the swap was with a creature that lived so much longer than your own species." The natural alicorn explained. "I did reinforce your own wards and managed to fix a few errors I saw, but it is still a temporary solution. It will also make it more difficult to draw on these memories for aid in the future. Are you certain you wish to be rid of them?"

"They almost drove me mad!"

"They also let you keep those you protect safe." She pointed out. "While I do not like the idea of somepony else remembering my past I, I will not fault you for this." Luna said, climbing into Teds lap and hugging him once more. "We will discuss this in greater detail at a later date. We will also see about getting you a proper magical education, rather that broken mess you are working with at the moment." Suddenly she grew a devious smile. "I do like the altered shadow blades, however. I first thought you'd ruined them with your patchy repairs, but seeing them in action, I would like to try them myself one day. They seem as though they would be entertaining to throw around. Good luck, Theodore, and please, do not fear the name this world has given you. It is yours, just as surely as the one your mother on Earth gave you."

As Ted returned to the waking world, Luna lingered just a moment longer, watching the old location of her new charge.

'Tia was right,' She thought to herself sadly 'If one were to test him magically, he would seem like a son to me. And no mother should let her hatred for the Sire color her views of her children.'

Slowly, consciousness returned to the dark alicon in the Temple of the Shadows. Lifting his head and looking around, he found he was not alone. In the corner of the room, curled up on a few blankets sat Mirage, the nymphs still pressing themselves against her larger frame. He was torn between happiness at the convenience of the changeling being so close, and sorrow at the circumstances that led to her being in this situation. Since it hadn't failed him yet, he decided to let his instinct guide him, levitating the group of bug-ponies over to his bed, and nuzzling the mare awake. As she came to, and realized her situation, he decided to take the initiative.

"Why are you on the floor in my room? I know we have other places that would be much more comfortable."

The changeling floundered for and explanation for a moment, before looking back to the nymphs at her side. "They, the gnolls put us together, and they linked to me." She said, barely a whisper.

"And can you cut the link?" He asked.

"I. I don't need to. I felt it. The presence others spoke of. It passes by every now and then, like some bird of prey. But it didn't see us." She nuzzled the smaller of the two, smiling faintly. "And the closer we are to you, the less we feel it."

"I see." Ted said, taking the new information into consideration. Was he passively shrouding them? He knew he could hide his followers from sight if he focused on it, but detection magic was another ballgame. He'd assumed it was the distance from the array that led to the magical presence passing over the changelings, losing them in the jungle, but according to Mirage, the closer they were to him, the greater the effect. Which meant it had nothing to do with the distance from the array.

Smiling at the implications, Ted stretched a wing over the group. "In that case, I will tell you what I wanted you to do earlier. I want you to help Gleam with the foals. You already have experience taking care of little ones, and I'm sure you two can inform each other of what the other's species may need."

"But Master, the tunnels, I still haven't finished them." The shape shifter objected.

"There are others that can do the work, Mirage. You can still help them, I just want you to focus on something more important." Fixing his gaze on the nymphs, he asked her. "Do they have names?"

She shook her head. "No. Not only are they too young, only a queen has the right to name nymphs. Even then, they usually don't receive their names until much later."

"That's silly" The alicorn muttered, nuzzling the waking foals. "What will we call them if we need to talk to them?"

Noticing something behind her, Mirage turned to see a faint glow from the mark on the alicorn. Whipping back to the nymphs and the Nightmare, she saw the same glow in his eyes, as he looked deeply at the nymphs. "Adamant," he muttered, gazing into the eyes of the older nymph, before turning to the younger one "Gem." The younger foal giggled happily at the attention, latching onto the alicorns muzzle with its hooves before attempting to bite him. The teeth were too small though, leaving the newly named foal to gum the alicorn a few moments, as the glow faded from his eyes.

Blinking a few times, he turned to the changeling, confused, but she didn't see it. She was bowing, her head in the blankets. Suddenly, the alicorns stomach rumbled, distracting him from his questions. Sensing an opportunity, the mare grabbed the nymphs and left, citing a need to check in with Gleam about her new position. Still a bit dazed, not certain what had occurred, and slightly disturbed by the similarity to what Luna had done to him a few nights before, he rose from his bed and went to the dining hall. Questions could wait. Now that his mind was clearer, he needed to asses the damages the bandits did to the Temple the day before.

Only queens could name nymphs, that's what she'd always been told. She'd seen pony Namings though, and recognized this as something similar. Perhaps it was because he was a male, perhaps that was why the effect was so muted. Or maybe because he was an alicorn. Or maybe there was something to the ravings of that mad pegasus. She'd been right before, after all.

The queen that named a nymph was often its mother, hay, her own Mother had named her shortly before her last molt as a nymph. To see the one so many were starting to call Father do something not even the strongest queens could do, though? It shook her to her core. He was not natural, he was not of this world. He flew against every law, every fact of life the changeling mare held dear. But she wasn't scared by this.

No, she wouldn't be afraid. He watched her, after all, gave her a chance. He guarded their link. She'd lost her Mother, but she'd found a Father.

The damage was minimal, it seemed. Shadow and Gleams reports were both certain that the repairs would only take two days at the most, as the only damage seemed to be doors and furniture. With the influx of wood from clearing the area outside the temple, those ponies with skills in carving were already churning out replacements for the damaged items, while the scraps were turned into arrow shafts and pikes, by order of Amald. Ted liked the griffon. Amald recognized the lack of weapons and saw this as the perfect opportunity to rectify this shortcoming. The food supplies, by some miracle, were undamaged, and they would be fine for another few days due to the foraging that was done around the Temple before they started clearing the underbrush. The medical supplies were running dangerously low, however, even with salvaging blankets and the thestrals tents for bandages. They needed to head to one of the villages to the north soon, before things degraded any more. The valuables from the bandits would help a bit, as well as the giant snake parts Ted had kept. Surely someone there would love to have such a trophy.

The planning was interrupted as an earth pony stormed into the war room, shouting one word; Gnolls. Ted was down the stairs and tearing down the halls to the door before the three ponies even knew what was happening. Opening the door and walking into the late morning sunlight, he was greeted by the sight of nearly forty gnolls all gathered in the clearing ahead of him. But they didn't draw weapons at his approach. Instead they pushed forward twelve emaciated captives of various races; Ponies, another changeling, a griffon missing its wing, and, to Ted's confusion and slight amusement, three zebra. The gnolls kept their heads low, one haltingly approaching him with its good paw held out and no weapons visible on it. Its pelt was riddled with old scares, it's left paw hanging limp to its side. It addressed him, not raising its head from its bow.

"Apologize. Did not know were under care of Dark One. Won't make mistake again. Take offering. If not enough, offer some of pack. Hold nothing back. Swear."

The voice sounded like and old male, surprising since the creatures seemed to follow the law of biggest is boss, and there was no way this was the strongest in the group. That's when he noticed the state of the rest of the gathered gnolls. Some were elderly, greying patches of fur scattered over their pelts. Others bore injuries that would impede combat, a missing eye, a mutilated arm, a wooden stump to replace a missing leg. Finally were the females. Normally he wouldn't have been able to identify them, but some seemed pregnant, while others were actually carrying pups on their backs.

"Do you rule your pack now, or are you just speaking for your Alpha?" Ted asked, returning his gaze to the speaker.

"Rust be Alpha when better." The gnoll said, gesturing to the shaking form staring at him from its place on a litter." Hope. Only one back. Warn us, Elders remember rules. Assemble, give tribute, apologize, survive."

Noticing those gathering behind him, he turned and addressed his ponies, gesturing to the captives given in tribute. "Clean them up before you bring them in, get them some food, and some beds, but keep them in Medical until we're sure they're not sick. We don't have the supplies to counter an epidemic at the moment."

Several of his followers rushed ahead, herding the shell shocked captives away from the middle of the clearing. He saw the shadows of several pegasi as they took off looking for clouds, and heard the commotion of the captives murmuring to themselves, unsure of what was to happen to them.

"Will your pack survive?" He asked. They had attacked his ponies, certainly, but some of those out there were children.

"W-we live. Need hunt more and less now. Less pack, less hunters." The elder said in the gnolls broken speech. "Why ask? Hope to take more, till too many?"

Ted could see the fear in the elder's eyes. The gnoll had promised to hold nothing back, and he was therefore in his right to do anything with them, right up to and including disbanding the pack, he assumed. That wasn't his goal though.

"I want one, or more if it makes the trip safer, of your pack to come here in one week. They will guide me to your Den. Understand?" Seeing the fear clouding the elders eyes, he spoke again. "I will not destroy your home. As much as I may desire to, as much as I feel it would be deserved, such actions are not vengeance, they are overkill. Those who attacked my ponies were dealt with, besides the messenger, and he served his purpose. Between now and then, however, if I hear of your kind eating ponies, or changelings, or griffins, or any creature capable of speech, I will change my mind. And I will burn your Den until not even ashes remain. Am I understood?"

The elder nodded, every third nod punctuated by a scraping bow, before the entire pack took off into the underbrush. The situation seemingly diffused, Ted sighed, turning back and walking back to the temple entrance, passing by the shocked stares of follower and captive alike. Suddenly a stallion to his left spoke up, Twitch, if he remembered correctly.

"F-father, I don't understand. Why did you let them go?"

"Did you see them, Twitch? There's no fight left in them, just a need to survive. I won't kick a dying stallion just because I feel he wronged me in the past. I know it was scary, but I hurt them much more than they hurt us. Their friends, their families, they won't be coming back."

"But they attacked us, I mean, look at them!" A mare next to Twitch said, pointing a hoof at the captives. "Those things wanted to do that to us!"

"So you would do the same to them?" Ted asked, frowning at the mare who ducked behind Twitch. "I will not stoop to that level. My followers will not stoop to that level. I will learn what I can next week, and I will see if they can be taught better. If not, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. However, I like to hold onto the hope that deep down, we're all better than our instincts. Besides, before you had me, what was it that kept you going, little pony? It was hope, wasn't it? Hope that after all this suffering, you would have something to show for it. Would you deny another such hope, when not so long ago it was all you had?"

With that he left, walking back into the temple. He had so much to do, and the captives only added to the urgency of the trip north. Maybe...maybe it was time he put his pride behind him, and asked a pegasus for help with flying. Oh yes, and he knew just the one to ask. No way she'd pass up this opportunity. The only issue was how to explain his inability in the first place.

Author's Notes:

From my insane mind to all of you, with love.

Woo, more zealotry! And I think I'll have Ted go check Blur's room, we all want to see her shrine to his awesomeness.

Spiritual and Physical Health

As Ted made his plans for later that day, he headed to the infirmary to give Head Trauma warning of the injured that would soon be sent his way. Walking down the hall and sidestepping a few of the logs that were being kept in the halls until a better solution could be found, he walked in to see the stallion muttering darkly over some notes.

"Trauma? What's going on?"

The earth pony looked up from his notes, then looked back at them and shook his head. "We're out of clean bandages, that's what. I've gotten a few unicorns to use cleanse spells on the less dirty ones, but as of now we're going to have to start recycling them.

The alicorn frowned at the revelation. "Could any sheets be salvaged for more? I know it's not ideal, but until we can find another source, it will have to do. In fact, as long as you leave me with one set, you have my permission to use my own linens for that. I won't die because my sheets aren't changed each day."

"Ah suppose that would help for a bit." Trauma muttered resting his muzzle on a hoof. "Ah'ma be straight with ya, sir, if'n it weren't for Tulip and her poultices we'd be in a mite rough spot right now with the rough-housin' the gnolls gave us yesterday. Those funny little pastes she whipped together made fast work of most of the smaller injuries, and gave those who got mangled pretty badly a good chance at full recovery, but she can only throw so many of those together, and I think she just about exhausted her supplies, not to mention herself." The stallion said, gesturing to an occupied bed. On it lay a pale orange female, with a wet cloth over her eyes.

"She went and knocked herself out pushin' to make more o' that stuff, surprised she didn't pass out in the lab. Least she had the decency to make it somewhere somepony could find her. A horner brought her in earlier, said she was out-cold in the halls." Head Trauma said, shaking his head. "Ah know supplies are gonna be scarce for a bit, but if'n ya can put medical supplies higher up on yer priority list, I'd be mighty grateful. Can't make bread without 'ngredints and all that."

Ted nodded, then spoke to the earth pony. "I actually came to warn you. The gnolls appeared again today, this time releasing some captives to us in tribute. Most of them don't look injured, just starved, but I want you to check them all. Send for Mirage if you need help with the changeling, and Amald if the griffon gives you problems. Other then that, treat them well. Remember, though, don't let them eat too much. The last thing we need is starving people eating our supplies until they're sick, and wasting them by puking them all over the place. And see if you can figure out what that paste we recovered from the bandits does. If we can use it, I want it added to our stocks. If it's useless, destroy it. We don't have time or space to waste on things we can't use."

"Ah remember hearin' 'bout that. Keep the gorgin' to a minimum, got mah word." The doctor said, though Ted noticed his eyes flick to a tub in the back.

"Trauma." The pony turned to him. "No leeches. They don't need to lose any blood. I don't think they could take it."

As Head Trauma's ears fell, Ted left, eager to find his flight tutor, though still unsure how to ask for the lessons.

'Yea, I can't fly because a week ago I was a bipedal omnivore from a planet devoid of magic.' he thought sarcastically to himself. 'Oh, even better, I'm just a parasite that stole some of Luna's memories, and now that I have my own body her muscle memory doesn't work for me.' That would go over as well as a chainsaw juggling contest on St. Patrick's day.

Finally arriving at the rooms, he walked down the hallway, taking note of the names carved into the doors. Passing by room after room, he started noticing something.

More than half of the names were scratched out. He had an idea of what it meant, but it was confirmed when he passed by a room with two names he recognized.

Ebony

Tulip

Fast Parcel

Breezy Days

'How many have they lost coming out here?' he wondered to himself. The sheer number of names crossed out was like a stab in the chest, though he knew a few of them were merely moved to other rooms so that they didn't have to sleep alone. Finally he saw the room of the pegasus. Moving the tattered curtain that blocked the room in lieu of a door, he found a single mat on the ground with two distinct piles of linen. One had a few yellow feathers around it, the other a few blue-ish strands of silk caught in the sheets. Sitting on a small slab of wood serving as a table sat a damaged picture frame, holding a tattered black and white photo. Ted lifted it, and saw the family inside. He recognized Blur, but the rest he didn't remember seeing. Looking at the back of the photo, he found four names written in faded ink. Three of which were on the door outside the room.

'No wonder she's so desperate.' He thought to himself. 'This is literally all she has left. The Temple, it's her whole world right now.'

Turning to leave the room and setting the picture back upon the table, a shimmer from the bed caught his eye. He walked back to the bed, and lifted the pillow in his aura. What he found underneath left him both confused and a little embarrassed. A black feather, larger than any he'd seen on the pegasi in the Temple was stuck into the bottom of the pillow, a few tufts of yellow fur scattered about the length of it.

'That's... when did she..." As much as he wanted to take it with him, he found his eyes drawn back to the family photo. 'I, I guess I can let this go. I think, I think she needs it more than I do.' It was difficult sometimes, this charade. It made him feel exactly as Luna had described when she'd attacked that second night, but he had to keep going. The ponies couldn't handle the truth, they wouldn't survive a world-shattering reveal such as that. After everything else they'd surrendered or lost, he couldn't even consider tearing away their last lifeline like that.

Setting the pillow back down, he left, wandering room to room, his journey revealing no sign of the mare. He'd just decided to study in the library and was heading up the stairs when he heard it. The voices of ponies coming from the ritual room. Curious he started down the steps, though as he got closer and could hear the words being spoken, he became curious, and pulled the shadows closer. Silently, he walked down the last steps and into the chamber, which was surprisingly occupied with his followers. What surprised him even more, however, was who stood on the dais in the back of the room.

"...and I have felt it. The passion with which He cares for us, the love He has for us, His desire to see us through each day. And we all have seen it, the fury He has for those who seek to harm us, for those who stand in His path, the vengeance He brings down upon our enemies."

Standing on the raised platform was the target of his search, speaking with her heart ablaze with zeal to the gathered ponies.

"Even today, the beasts that attacked us the day before returned seeking His mercy. They offered Him tribute, even their own lives! Did He strike them down as so many would? No, He forgave them, asked us to forgive them, and seeks to raise them to greater heights than they could ever hope to achieve on their own."

It was mesmerizing, and slightly creepy. Ok, that's a lie, it was extremely creepy hearing Blur preaching about him. Sure he felt the need to protect those in the temple, yes he wanted to see them happy, and he most certainly would do anything he could to comfort them if they had no one else to turn to. But this? This was going beyond hero worship. The mare sounded as if she was speaking of a God. Each 'he' emphasized, seeking wisdom in his words that he didn't truly think was there, finding comfort in his mere existence.

'I was just starting to think about how they were too normal to be cultists, too.' The alicorn thought with a depressed sigh.

It went on for a few minutes longer before Blur finally stepped off the platform, and most of the ponies turned to leave. Ted was surprised when he saw Swift Screen leaving amongst the others, happily chatting with several other ponies about the sermon.

Yes, that's what some of the ponies called it.

A sermon.

Finally, Blur was the only one left, milling about the room making sure the place was spotless, as if a fleck of dirt in the room were an insult to His name. Maybe he was worried about this for nothing. With the passion Blur spoke earlier, she would most likely jump for the chance to help him. Heck, she may be willing to kill if it meant being the one to help him. 'Maybe I shouldn't be tempting fate like that.' Dropping his cloaking, he cleared his throat, causing the mare to jump and turn to him.

"Father! It's an honor! How can I help you?" She replied cheerfully.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something in the next few weeks, Blur. I, can't seem to remember how to fly properly. Would you be willing to-"

"YES! Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off, but yes! Oh, I would love to help you regain the skies! Just ask, just let me know when you have the time, and I'll be there!"

Watching her so passionately speak to the crowd, seeing the happiness they found in his home, Ted found himself making a decision there. Once more the ritual room was a place where he learned something important.

'I won't leave them to drown as the world tries to wash them away. If they need me to be a god, I'll be the best god this world has ever seen. When they're strong enough to stand on their own, they can do as they like, but until then. I'll watch them. They can call me whatever they like, and I'll watch my ponies, my changelings, my thestrals. Whatever the race, if they come to me, I'll help them.' He thought to himself. Thinking back to what he'd seen in Blur's room, he spread a wing, lighting it with a light magic pull until a single black feather came loose. He took it in his aura, and levitated it up to the yellow mare.

"Thank you Blur, I want you to have this. And if you ever need someone to talk to, or just someone to hold you, you know where I am."

Ted walked away after that, the mare nuzzling the feather with cheerful tears falling freely.

She'd been speaking of her Father from her heart, from the depths of her soul, and those He'd gathered in His Home listened to her. She was so happy, able to bring peace to her fellow beings, so happy to have a purpose outside of an extra set of hooves or delivery service for a change. She had a family again, a Father who loved her, and brothers and sisters who would help her. Even if some of them weren't ponies. The changeling, Mirage, she was nice once you got past the weird soft chitin and bug-like appearance, she'd even seen the changeling's true eyes, not those yellow covers she always kept over them. They reminded her of Fathers eyes, actually, though they were yellow-slitted rather than teal.

She was spooked out of her mental wandering by somepo-someone clearing their throat. Blur whipped around to see Him stitting there, smiling at her.

"Father! It's an honor! How can I help you?" She replied cheerfully. Did he see her speaking earlier? Did he find her words pleasing?

"I was wondering if you could help me with something in the next few weeks, Blur. I, can't seem to remember how to fly properly. Would you be willing to-" he asked her, only to be cut off by her explosive response.

"YES! Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off, but yes! Oh, I would love to help you regain the skies! Just ask, just let me know when you have the time, and I'll be there!" Blur was practically dancing on her hooves at this point, her wings ruffling with barely contained energy.

"Thank you Blur, I want you to have this. And if you ever need someone to talk to, or just someone to hold you at night, you know where I am." And with that, he floated a single black feather to her hooves. She stared at it, almost not daring to believe he would give her such a thing, to make such a promise. Many ponies knew the custom of gifting feathers was important to her kind, but few realized all the implications, some making dirty jokes if they saw the exchanges between family. But she knew. The feather of a father was a promise. A promise to return to his home, to be there for his children. And Father had just made such a promise.

As the alicorn walked away, she held the feather close, tears falling freely. She'd lost so much over the years, but now she had Him. And He would always be there for her. She believed it with all of her heart and all of her mind.

She had to. Hope in His strength, His love was all she had left.

The alicorn spent the rest of the day in the library, studying basic magic spells and arrays to give himself something to work with should he ever truly be rid of the other alicorn's memories. Levitation, light, a small fire spell. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He also wrote down the array for his shadow blades, should he lose access to the memories because of the reinforced seal. He relied heavily on magic now, it wouldn't do to have his lack of understanding the energies he used end up being the reason his followers got hurt.

Stopping by the war room before turning in, he left orders with Shadow Weaver once more to set up an expedition back to the field. He was going to have to make a long trip north soon, and he would not leave his ponies to go hungry. All the stops were to be pulled out for this one. Getting the actual full number of ponies in the temple, 43 (not counting the tributes), he ordered that the expedition would be staffed with 18 gatherers this time. Amald would also be brought along for added security, and Shadow volunteered as well, citing his knowledge of several offensive spells. When Ted prodded further, the unicorn admitted to wanting to witness the sight of his first battle in the jungles. Turning to leave, Ted stopped just short of the entrance, and turned once more to the cultist.

"Weaver, how many did you start this expedition with?" He asked.

"Uh, I think we had just over one hundred, sir. Yes, one hundred and eight. A few more joined us on the way, but... the jungle didn't take kindly to a bunch of ponies walking through it. Even with magic and numbers, we really didn't stand a chance."

"When you have the time, Weaver, I'd... I'd like a list. I want a list of all the ones we've lost. Just, leave it by my bed, ok?"

As he prepared for bed, he was surprised to find two of those he'd rescued in his bathroom, volunteering their services as servants. They claimed to had worked on large estates for lords before. Not wanting to turn down more help cleaning his still somewhat alien form, Ted allowed it, the pegasus stallion and earth mare siblings being more than happy to let the alicorn relax while scrubbing him down. Eventually he was pronounced clean, and after drying off climbed up on his bed, only to have the servants ask him a very weird question.

"When was the last time you preened, sir?" Swift Service, the pegasus, asked him.

At Ted's confused look, the stallion began to share the expression.

"Preen?" The mare, Humble Hostess, said, attempting to clarify. "Checked and set your feathers?"

"I, uh. Not since I was released from the armor a few days ago. I, actually I forgot about that." It was a lie, of course, Ted didn't even know how that would work. He'd seen birds preen, true, but how do you preen with a mouth full of teeth? Not only that, what would you do with the feathers or bits of feathers that got stuck in your mouth?

"Normally it's a private thing, but we can help you with it if you like. I don't think you have any family here that could help, do you sir?"

Ted shook his head. "No, go ahead." He watched closely as each approached a wing and began setting the feathers, sending strange sensations through his wings. He'd honestly not put much thought into them, spending most of his life stuck on the ground, but now he could feel them just fine. He watched the ponies as they worked, making note of every detail; how to follow the pattern of the feathers, the amount of pull to use to test the strength of each feather, even using a hoof afterwards to make sure a row sat smoothly. Eventually they finished, to Ted's both disappointment and relief, and they gathered the discarded feathers before making for the door. Weaver and Gleam had apparently already assigned those who passed Trauma's examination to rooms, and with nothing else to do, the siblings were going to turn in early for the night.

'Well that felt odd.' Ted thought, shifting his wings once more. He could feel them with more clarity now, even shift individual parts with a precision that shocked him. 'Good news all around though. For one, knowing the sensations for the wings should help with learning to fly. Second, thank god I was lying on my stomach for that.' The servants probably knew full well what was happening to him as they worked, as they said they'd done this for an older stallion they'd worked for, who had no close family to take care of him. Not to mention he knew he heard Humble giggle a few times when he'd shifted uncomfortably, eyes widening when he'd realized just what the sensations were doing to him.

'Definitely one of the stranger things I've experienced so far. Maybe I'll ask Luna if having others help with that is normal.'

With that final thought, and one last attempt to shift himself to a less-awkward position, he drifted off to sleep.

Author's Notes:

awkward/sad chapter. I don't know how much is ever said about pegasus feathers, but I can't see them being given to others as simply being a lover's thing. It's giving something that is a part of you, something that makes you, you to someone you trust will hold that part close.
I almost had him thinking "I'll be the best-damned god...' but that would have been bad... XD
Been a lot happening so far. As much as I'd like to keep going, I don't think the remaining cultists would survive.
Finally, I wanted to work on Magic's Shadow as well, but I realized I have work at almost 6am tomorrow. Yeeeeaa, no. I'm headed to bed.

Their Love Gives Him Strength

Entering the world of dreams once more, Ted watched the twinkling forms of his follower's dreams. It was calming to him, watching the shifting colors in the empty expanse. He was so engrossed in the mesmerizing display, that he didn't notice the Princess of the Night's presence until it literally shoved him, prompting him to return to his own body and create a dream for them to converse in.

"Hello Luna." Ted greeted. "Ready to answer some questions yet?"

"Hello Cimmerian." At his angry stare, she giggled daintily. "It is your name surely as Theodore, there is no reason to avoid it. Besides, any who are connected to magic and learn it will prefer it over any other name you may use." Luna grinned maliciously. "It would be a shame if some of your dreaming subjects were to hear it, would it not?"

Before Ted had a chance to tell her off, the lunar alicorn changed topics. "Unfortunately, though teasing you is entertaining, we have more important things to discuss. I notice you are much more calm tonight. How do you feel?"

"Better than I have in the last, forty years? I don't know what I should call it, time didn't really flow for me in the armor." He responded.

"Good. I wish to teach you something before we discuss anything else. I trust you have begun studying magic yourself, correct?" At his nod, she smiled. "Excellent. Think of the partition you hold in your mind, you should see a new array there."

"I see it, two smaller arrays in the center of a larger mess, right?"

Luna frowned at his choice of words. "That mess, as you call it, will allow you greater control of your ability to access my memories." Summoning a dream-diagram of the array before them, she explained. "Each array is easily activated by pushing energy into the one you wish to use. The array in the nine o'clock position is the full seal. Only what you have personally learned or natural abilities will be usable in this state. The three o'clock array allows full access to the memories, with all the boons and dangers inherent in such access."

"Right, so don't use it." Ted said, turning to the princess.

"This is serious, Cimmerian. The memories come with a price, it's true, but I saw the dreams of your subjects this night. You guard them jealously. I have no doubt that if you had to, you would dive headlong into those memories once more." Before he could protest, she raised a hoof. "There is nothing wrong with that, Cim, and should you fall, I will be here. So will your ponies, should you let them."

After a brief moment, Ted just nodded.

"Good, now, before we begin I wish to show you something. If you could, please shift the dream to represent the dream realm."

Curious what the princess was getting at, Ted did as he was asked, looking around at the twinkling dreams that surrounded them once more. Luna looked around, before she raised a hoof, pointing towards the distance.

"Over there. Do you see them?" Ted gazed in the direction she pointed, and noticed a few faint glimmers in the distance, almost unnoticeable at such a range. "An alicorns powers do grow naturally over time, Cimmerian, but such growth may be supplemented by the love of our ponies. Subjects, in your case. Your following increases, and thus so does your sphere of influence. Tia and I are known globally for our works, but our mana is currently stunted by the arrays of the second nightmare. You however face no such limitations. As your following increases, so too will your power. You have noticed it, have you not? More strength throughout your body, perhaps an increase in your physical size. Even simple spells may end up being easier to use, or much more effective. Because of this, I will warn you. Should your name become public knowledge, watch your power carefully. Where one day you have one thousand followers, the next day five hundred more may choose to place their faith in you. Not to mention should your name become too common, the Mad Queen will notice you, no matter how well your powers shroud you. You have great potential, but you are nowhere near ready to face her."

Seeing as the princess was done, Ted took a moment to digest the information, before asking if she would field a question he had.

"Certainly, Cimmerian. What do you wish to know?"

Scratching his arm uncomfortably, he decided to bite the bullet, getting the question at the forefront of his mind out of the way first. "Preening. Is it, uh, normal to have others do it for you?"

Luna once more adopted an almost predatory smile, giggling immaturely at his discomfort. "Ah, such wonderful followers you have, willing to go to such, intimate lengths for their leader." She said. "I suppose hygiene is as good a topic as any to start our lessons on."

The lesson was like his Health class from high school, if said class were taught by a magical pony princess that giggled and laughed at any mention of genitalia whatsoever, and seemed to revel in his discomfort. The fact that she was more than willing to show him examples of any action, no matter how intimate, through her memories only made it more unbearable for Ted. He knew some of this was probably buried in his head somewhere, but some of it belonged in the depths of his mind, buried beyond his reach. The new alicorn had no desire to know the sensations that went along with, well, sex. Especially when they originated from a female. That was a can of worms best left in the closet.

"And be certain that you watch the grooves of your horn, as well. I understand that it too can be sensitive, especially when magic is channeled through it, but such discomforts are the price of magic, I'm afraid." Luna stated, finishing the lesson for the night. She'd been horrifically thorough, though it was probably something that would be important to know, since he would be stuck as an alicorn for who knew how long. "I must ask, have you adjusted well enough to notice your subjects?" At his confused stare, she chuckled once more. "Yes, Cim, I mean that way."

Ted flushed slightly, already having had enough of the lessons for a year. "No, I haven't. I can't really look at them like that, I mean, they're like kids to me, and well..."

"Yes?" The princess prodded, waving a hoof to indicate he should proceed.

"I'd be worried of, well, breaking them."

Booming laughter was his response, Luna clenching her gut even as she rolled over on her back, tears flowing as she rolled around the dream-world, much to Ted's chagrin.

"Seriously, I'm like three times their size, Luna! I want to lead my ponies, not snap them in half!"

The princess stopped to listen to his outburst, before she continued with a renewed bout of laughter.

"I, I'm sorry, I just remembered my sister's reasoning, for not taking a pony as a consort. I believe she said something about a wheat sprig blowing down a hallway? " Luna said, giggling madly, trying to contain herself and failing utterly. "I, I've always used disguises or transformations when the mood struck me, but Tia isn't as good at such arts. She tends to favor power, much like the celestial body she guides."

Wiping tears from her eyes, the lunar princess bid him farewell. "Oh, I've always loved hearing the embarrassment of younger beings over such topics. It has been a pleasure, Cimmerian, but I must be going. I will not be available for the next week or so, as the Mad Queen will be visiting us soon, and I must cleanse my aura of your influence. My sister must as well, so please do not seek her counsel in the coming weeks. I will let you know when it is safe."

It certainly wasn't what Ted wanted to hear from his best source of information, but it didn't surprise him. Murphy still liked to mess with him... Did the ponies have their own version of Murphy's law? He was pulled out of his musing by Luna one last time.

"Cimmerian, should you find the time, I ask that you keep an ear open for news on, on my niece." She said in a much more somber mood. "Neither Celestia nor myself have heard word of her since the Nightmare told us of the fall of the Crystal City. Should you hear of anything regarding Cadance, please, do what you can to help her. Of the three of us, she has been hurt the most by the newest nightmare's actions."

"I'll keep an ear to the ground, Luna. I promise, and thanks."

With that the princess left him once more, to watch the twinkling lights of his followers. He would investigate the new lights tomorrow, the dawn was too close. He could feel it.

That morning Ted put his new knowledge to the test, practicing his preening in front of the mirror with the door locked. It still felt weird, and looking closer at his horn he could see dirt in the grooves as Luna had predicted, despite his bath the night before.

"Yet another thing to get used to in this form." He mumbled to himself. "I still can't believe she asked me that."

Breakfast was once again a simple affair, and before long the gatherers were ready to leave. The entire journey was absolutely mind-numbing, with the only things of note being Amald catching several snakes and dressing them in the field. Ted paid close attention to the griffon's movements, asking questions and even trying some of the techniques himself, to the warrior's surprise. It was messy work, but the idea of once more enjoying a slab of meat was more than enough to drive the alicorn on. Shadow Weaver spent most of his time surveying the previous battle scene, the corpse of the serpent reduced to bones by local scavengers already. Many ponies seemed to perk up after seeing the bones, despite the danger they represented. After all, they also represented the strength of The Nightmare.

The supplies were gathered, one unicorn even pointing out a strong type of leaf that Ted and his ponies had missed during the previous expedition. It turned out the leaves could be used as makeshift covers, bandages, or even roofs of shelters if prepared properly. Knowing the need for such things, Ted himself ended up carrying a large bale of them, bound and strapped to his back by nearby vines. Before long the expedition had returned to the temple, this time finding not a twig out of place. The supplies were distributed, and Ted took the last few hours left in the day to clear the rest of the area on the west side of the temple of underbrush. Mentally he was already drawing plans for the area. A smithy, a storage building, possibly even additional housing. As the night came upon the land once more, he checked the abandoned storage room, now almost completely torn up to reveal a gently sloping tunnel into the ground. It wasn't deep, but it also wasn't even close to done. Hopefully the new changeling stuck around long enough to help with the digging, since Mirage was now Head of the Nursery, having had previous experience with young and no further reason to avoid the nymphs.

Dinner was served and finished, with Ted watching several groups of ponies walking down to the ritual room even as he headed up the stairs to his own quarters. He knew where they were headed, as Blur had taken off as soon as she'd finished eating, the elated pegasus practically, no, literally floating out of the dining hall in a cloud of bliss. He lost himself in his thoughts on his way to bed. Nightmare, Father, Cimmerian, Theodore. All names he currently held, though some more grudgingly than others. He was tempted to take Luna's advice on this one. She'd been right before, and had so much more experience with this sort of thing. Personally it almost felt like abandoning who he was prior, but was that really the case? Carefully, almost fearfully, he took a peek through the princess' memories on the topic, even as he pulled himself into bed.

Princess of the Moon, Dream Guardian, Silent Blade, Mistress of Illusions, Star Mother. All titles the princess held, all different names from that which she knew was her own. Yet she answered to them all. Why? How could she be so unconcerned about her name?

Then another thought struck him. Why was he so protective of his own? Why did he fight the name given to his new form, even as he withheld his birth name? Why was he so scared of new titles and names?

Such thoughts clouding his mind, the dark alicorn drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

Author's Notes:

I think we all felt a little awkward during Health, Physical health, or whatever that class was called. I've also learned I'm really bad at rapid, uneventful periods of time. I feel like I need to note it, but I'm not certain how. Se la vie, I suppose. Next chapter things will start up again. In the meantime, I'm taking up NetherWalker's offer, let me know what you guys think of his cover. I got a kick out of it, if nothing else. Tell me what you guys think, and give him a pat on the back if you like it.

A More Elegant Resource Run for a More Civilized People

Falling asleep was easy when your mind transitioned to another plane. There was no staring at the ceiling for hours, hoping sleep would eventually claim you, or counting sheep, ponies, or what-have-you. The dreamer transitioned easily, and Ted was thankful for this. Looking about the freshly formed dream world, he noticed a few of the orbs far removed from his own followers, and made his way to them. The dreams were a good distance north, as far as he could tell, but what struck him was the dreamers themselves. They were a ragtag bunch much like his own followers, consisting of several thestrals, griffons, and assorted ponies. Finally, something caught his eye; once more he saw a presence forming in the dream world, larger than those of ponies and griffons. Such things seemed to be creatures that were more powerful than the average being. Curious, he shifted his dream-form to that of a thestral, keeping only his eyes and his emblem the same as the waking world before he dove in. Luna and Celestia were kind enough, but the lunar princess was right. No need to blow his cover so soon.

He found himself in a cave of sorts, the air pleasantly warm and the area he found himself in spacious enough to fly. He rose from the ground easily, allowing the dream to do the flying for him, and took off towards the dreamer. Follow the increasing detail, the action, that's where you will find them. That seemed to be the constant of dream-diving.

Gliding into another chamber, he saw the dreamer, though it was nearly ten times his size. A large blue-scaled drake sat in the middle of the room, resting easily upon its hoard. Ted was speechless with giddy excitement. A dragon, a living and breathing scaled monstrosity from myths and legends was before him. Certainly his foray's through Luna's memories had alerted him to the possibility, and he knew most could be bargained with, but to actually see one in the flesh-er, dream-flesh? Making certain there was no mistake here, he glided around the chamber, and seeing no one else, he made up his mind. Alighting upon the beasts snout, he cleared his throat.

Immediately the dragons gold reptilian eyes opened, gazing about the room. Slowly it lifted it's head, Ted easily maintaining his position, and looked about the room.

"Damn, I thought so. I haven't been here in years." The drake rumbled. Focusing on the creature on his, at least Ted thought it was a he, nose the dragon frowned.

"You're not part of my dream. A dream walker, oh it has been quite some time. Tell me little one, do you know the source of these dreams?"

"I may, I may not. The answer depends upon who wishes to know, and where their loyalties lie." Ted answered. The drake couldn't actually hurt him here. Maybe apply some mental trauma or some ghost-pain certainly, but no damage could be dealt. Luna proved that when she was ejected from his dream via spy.

His words were greeted by a chuckling, as the creatures eyes rose in mirth. "Wise words in these days. You speak of the Mad Queen, correct? Dragons have no love for her, not even the one she raised, bless the hatchling's heart. If you, hypothetically of course, know the one responsible, do pass on my thanks, as well as the gratitude of a few residents of Port Zerris. I am Sahkest, Quartermaster of Port Zerris. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Simmer." Ted lied easily. "You say you are the quartermaster? I assume you would know how much you have in the way of medical supplies and medicine, as well as cloth? Our group is falling short, though we have gems and coin to trade. I myself would also be willing to trade a few trophies for additional supplies. I'm certain they would be worth something to the right buyer."

"Trophies you say?" The dragon rumbled. "As in things salvaged from a defeated opponent?" At Ted's nod, the dragon lifted a claw to his lower jaw in thought. "I suppose there would be some who would be interested, depending on the creature. Your best bet would be the griffons of the town. Many like to keep such trophies, even if they are not claimed by, well, honorable means. Also, a word of warning, caravans passing the southern side of town have come under attack from gnoll bandits, and we have had a few ponies disappear in town. My gems would be on changelings trying to eke out a living just outside town, though we've found no actual proof."

"The gnolls should be no issue, besides long-term patrols that we may come across. Our people recently repelled a large attack, leaving only one survivor. They promised no more attacks after such a display." The alicorn-turned-thestral explained. " As for the changelings, I'll look into it when we arrive. We already have several shape-shifters amongst our numbers, and they seem content."

"Are you certain? Changelings invite trouble these days, often in the form of the Mad Queen's attention."

"I am." He answered lifting off of the dragons snout. "They work hard and are given love freely by our people."

"I see." The dragon said. "And Simmer? I look forward to meeting you in the waking world. In your true form of course." He added with a grin. "And perhaps the dream-weaver could add a dragoness or three to my dreams as well."

Ted was caught off guard for a moment, before nervously chuckling to himself and leaving the dream. How could Sahkest tell? Was there some way to read auras inside dreams? Wasn't dream diving something all creatures with the desire and knowledge could do? Certainly his connection to Luna made it simpler for him, but surely he wasn't the only one.

'Blast it all, just when I think I have the upper hand, someone kicks me in the balls.' He muttered, returning to his physical form for the night.

The three S's. Shower, shit, shave. Well, Ted was down to two it seemed, as alicorn's didn't have beards. Not that he could tell at least. Nonetheless the dark alicorn was easily falling into a rhythm of morning habits. Soon he had finished his breakfast, and had Shadow Weaver and Gleam setting up the expedition. Ten on this trip, not including him and a few captives who wished to return home. The supplies gathered the day before would last about a week if rationed properly, as he'd tasked Slop to do, and everything they didn't need and could easily transport was loaded up into bags and prepared for the journey. It would take about two days by his judgment, Mirage's claims of the closest city being weeks away only due to her hysteria at the time.

He told Shadow that in the event of the gnoll and its escort arriving before he returned that they were to be given a room. It wasn't ideal, but the supplies were needed badly, and with how badly he'd spooked the bandits, he was sure they wouldn't complain too much. All told, the group numbered 18, including the injured griffon and all three zebras. Apparently they belonged to a mercenary group and a caravan company, respectively, and were interested in returning to their employers.

Just after lunch they left, packed down with all the valuables they could scrounge, Ted's Trophies, and enough supplies to last them the journey and the return trip, to be supplemented by foraging on the way. After traveling until nightfall, the group set up camp, two ponies on guard shift for several hours at a time while Ted kept watch of the dream realm. He intercepted a few gnolls that were camped along their path, and after some observation, left their leader with an order to return to his den. The next day the caravan set out at dawn, Ted taking up position to the right of the column, waiting for the possible visitors. Just before lunch, the caravan stopped, the alicorn facing a small group of six gnolls, his horn already glowing.

One stepped forward. "You say beat Alpha last night." It barked. "Prove!" With that it charged him with its club raised, only to be swept aside in an avalanche of forest debris glowing with Ted's aura. Approaching the stumbling creature, Ted shoved it down and set a hoof on its chest, pinning it to the ground.

"I know you have a need to prove yourself, but your pack needs you back at the den. Bring your hunters with you. Rust needs all the help he can get." He said levelly, before backing up from the gnoll.

The gnolls eyes widened at the name. "Rust Alpha? But... we go." Rising and turning to his pack-mates, it repeated the words. "We go! Back Home!" The rest of the patrol took off into the underbrush after their leader, leaving the caravan to watch as Ted rejoined them.

"Well? We're burning daylight, let's go." Without a glance back at the scene he left behind him, Ted continued on the path to the port town.

As dusk fell once more, the caravan finally came in sight of their destination. The pace was increased slightly, and before the sun set, they were walking up to the gates of the town. He could see pegasi and griffons gathering near the gates, and orders were being shouted back and forth before a louder voice resonated, ordering the gates opened. As they parted, a large blue drake walked out, about the size of a single story house. It walked easily out the wide gates, casting its eyes upon the caravan, before settling upon Ted, before it broke out in a grin. Seeing the dragon approach, Ted walked ahead as well, meeting halfway between the gate and the jungle.

Ted looked up at the dragon. "Sahkest I presume, unless like myself you like to play it safe. I seem to remember you being taller."

"No, Sahkest is in fact my name, though some call me Blue-scale Burner." The dragon said merrily. "Unfortunately, my hoard is nowhere near the size it used to be, and I've been, how to put it, downgraded a bit. What about yourself? I think the eyes and emblem are the only things you got right, Simmer. If I'd known an alicorn was visiting, I may have set up a proper welcome."

"I take offense to that." Ted responded. He gestured to his form with a hoof. "I'm certain my mane and fur color are the same as well. Anyway, I had no way of being certain of what I was getting myself into, so I tried a disguise. We can chat later though. We seek lodging for the night, and supplies before we head back. Can you accommodate us?"

The blue dragon looked over the caravan before nodding. "The inn has a large room for such traveling parties, though I recognize a few of your party as locals. How did you end up with Berne anyway?" He said leading the group into the town.

"After the gnolls attacked they offered some captives in tribute. The griffon was one of those given to us."

Soon the party reached the Inn and entered a large dining hall with enough room to house even Sahkest comfortably, and sleeping arrangements were made. After being asked about the trophies he wished to sell, Ted pulled out one of the large fangs from the serpent. The welcoming expression of the innkeeper and even Sahkest's smile faded as they all looked at the tooth, watching as Ted set it upon a table, joined by another and several scales that were larger than the dragons own natural armor.

"Sun and stars, Simmer, you weren't kidding when you said some would be interested in these prizes." The drake said, reaching a claw to pick up a tooth. "It's from one of the Kharazi giants, isn't it? The snakes large enough to easily swallow a griffon whole." The drake gazed at the other trophies before smiling. He turned to Ted, and offered him a deal. "Promise me the set, and I'll cover half of your supplies myself, at a minimum of three hundred and fifty gold pieces, to a maximum of six hundred." Several patrons' jaws dropped at the offer, which Ted took to be a good thing.

"Is that all?" Ted asked, drawing a frown from Sahkest. "I can live with that, besides, the canines are still in my room." Ted responded with a smile. As the dragons frown became a look of confusion, he continued. "I wanted to keep something from my experience. It took me nearly two hours to wash the gore out of my pelt, and I swear every now and again I can still taste the blood."

"These aren't the canines?" The drake asked. He looked back to the scales, before smiling. "Fine, I believe I can understand that sentiment. We'll discuss numbers tomorrow though. Rest well."

As the dragon left, several ponies behind Ted breathed sighs of relief, finally relaxing in the absence of the large being. Despite offers of cheap meals, the alicorn had his followers keep to their own supplies to reduce their bill. He still had no idea what the lodging would cost, even though it was now just eleven people including himself. Most of the freed tributes left as soon as they entered the gates. Ted wouldn't be surprised if he never heard from them again, but most had sworn an oath to keep the temples location and residents a secret. Those who didn't? Well, not everyone who wanted to go on the trip did. It meant doubling a room as a cell, but Pivot Pelt wasn't going anywhere for a while. Not that Ted would ever trust someone who's name was literally another way of saying turn-coat. Seriously, what was with these pony names sometimes?

The night was quiet, and Ted once more watched the dreams of those around him. He'd found Kest's dream easily enough, and while he felt a bit dirty afterwards, he shifted the dream as had been requested. He might as well stay in the drakes good graces. Maybe Kest would even send a trade caravan or two his way in the future?

Turning his attention from the town, he noticed another odd presence off to the south-east. It was larger than a pony, but surrounded by, for lack of a better term, blank spots. The presence itself was faint, unable to form an actual dream and almost feral. He poked and prodded the presence a few times, and it returned his attention by attempting to bite him. How it could latch on to his dream-self he had no clue, but it would be something to ask the drake about the next morning. Eventually he grew bored, and cast his presence back to the Temple, curious how his followers were doing. Mirage, Gleam, Shadow Weaver, even Pivot were all still where he left them, so he made ready to return to his own form when he noticed an absence.

In his room there was an emptiness that just seemed to call him. Approaching it, he felt much the same way when he returned to his own body. Eventually, curiosity won out, and he allowed himself to slide into it. The next moment, Ted found himself opening his eyes back at the temple.

Confused, the alicorn attempted to move, only to be greeted with a strange creaking noise and the realization that he was stuck. Looking around he saw that he was back in his own room, next to the vanity and the armor stand by his bed. No, he was directly where the armor stand was. Casting his sight downward, he saw a shifting shadow flowing through the Nightmare's armor.

'My god, that is so weird.' He thought, shifting the armored hoof-covers slightly. With a second attempt, the boots came loose, making a quiet thud in the room. Attempting to step forward, he felt the strangest sensations running through his body as the armor got caught on the stand and his shadowy presence flowed around the wooden posts. Curious, he attempted to move a small book near the bed, and was rewarded with an extremely weak glow, though the book did move slightly. Grinning widely, he released his hold on the armor and flowed back into the dream realm.

He made his way back to the town, and seeing nothing of interest, barring the bright pink dream of Sahkest, which he would not touch with a ten foot pole, he set himself up with a dream of his own to pass the rest of the night. After all, nothing was more calming than the sunset and the sound of rolling waves.

The next morning greeted the caravan fairly kindly. Ted allowed the followers to head out into the city while he talked about needed resources with Sahkest.

"Right, so we've got a request for ten bolts of basic linen, two boxes of various medicines, three boxes of nails, four tool sets, several repair and sharpening kits, basic supplies for a smithy, a cart to carry the heavier supplies for said building..." Or rather his representative. It didn't take long for the alicorn to start tuning the griffon out. After all, Ted had read the damn list five times, and that was after he'd finalized it with Gleam, Weaver, Slop, and Trauma. He knew every item on that list, and could recite it verbatim. He really didn't care to hear it one more time.

Suddenly he was pulled out of his musing, and off of the ground, by a large arm dragging him into a hug. "Ah, Simmer my friend! Good morning to you. You and yours are welcome in Zarris any time!" Kest boomed. Dropping the alicorn, he happily walked further down the dock to the quartermaster's office, leaving a confused griffon and an embarrassed alicorn. Ted just covered his muzzle with a hoof.

"I don't know if I should be happy I've helped trade relations with the nearest port town, or be embarrassed that I basically pimped out the dream world to do it." He muttered, before taking note of the two individuals standing outside the office. One was a griffon in well worn, but impressive looking armor, the chest piece decorated with three diagonal claw marks painted across the chest. The next was a unicorn in a business suit of all things, the pudgy stallion attempting to cool himself with a paper fan, uncomfortable in the warmth of the jungle. Seeing Ted, the griffon approached, addressing him with a quick salute of a claw over his chest.

"Jaecar, of the Talon Company mercenaries. I assume you're the one that returned one of our own last night? Simmer, I think Kest said was the name you were using? We'd like to extend our gratitude for the return of one of our own, as well as the neutralization of the gnoll den hitting this area. My boss wanted to extend his personal thanks as well. Herrick Talon offers his services at a discount, should you ever require them. Ten percent, good for four jobs, not to mention the gold bounty on the gnolls. From Berne's words there wasn't anything left of the mongrels, but he estimated at least forty attackers, so that's ten gold a head, five since no physical proof. Add in the return of one of our own, and word on the final whereabouts of two others. Mr. Simmer, I'm pleased to present to you three hundred gold pieces." The griffon removed three bags from his side, dropped them on the ground between them, and gave another salute. "I hope you enjoy your day, and should you be in need of our services, don't hesitate approach any Talon branch office." With that the mercenary took to the skies, leaving Ted to stare at the three bags that he assumed had the aforementioned three hundred gold. Levitating the bags and opening them to confirm the contents, he set them inside one of his larger pouches.

With the departure of the griffon, the unicorn approached. "Afternoon, Mr. Simmer. I'm Gold Stacker, of the Northern Equis Trade Company. We oversee the larger caravans and even a few smaller trade routes like those used by the local towns. I've been authorized by my local branch to forward you a reward of one hundred fifty gold pieces for the safe return of several of our caravan members. This reward has already been passed to Quartermaster Sahkest as an advance payment for any and all goods you should like to purchase during your visit. Should your settlement ever pass two hundred members, please be sure to fill out a caravan request form at our local office." As the pony moved to leave, Ted tapped his shoulder.

"I hope it's not too much of a bother, but I'd like my actual species kept off the record, if you don't mind. Also, I have a pony in my possession, one Pivot Pelt. Do you know anything about him?" Ted requested, though it was more of a demand with the force of his words.

The unicorn just grinned though. "Sir, while the N.E.T.C. was founded in Equestria, recent political movements have alerted us to the, erh, preferability of other states for our base of operations. Especially in lieu of several seizures of company property by the Canterlot Royal Guard with refusal to reimburse us. Evidence of smuggling my flank. I myself am a natural borne Equestrian patriot." His grin became more malicious suddenly. "That's why I signed on for other sites as soon as the recent direction our fair country was going was apparent. That being said, I will pass the request to my local employers to keep your location and race off of any documents that come close to Equestria and its protectorates. In fact most of our documents for these smaller incidents don't even include race or location, just names. As for that little weasel, I can have my employers send an escort to retrieve him if you like, or you can bring him along next time you make this trip. He may be a pain in the flank to work with, but we keep him on a short leash. I dare say, however, that nopony here would be terribly worried if he was never heard from again. Good day, Mr Simmer, and Celestia's Sun shine upon you." His message delivered, the pudgy business pony left, trying to use a small paper fan to cool himself the entire way.

After seeing to a few more preparations and leaving the most zealous cultists with the gold, Ted set the rules for his followers. A grand total of one hundred gold was the amount allotted for random purchases of useful gear from the bazaar, useful to be discussed with at least three other ponies before the purchase was completed. Forty was to be used for a decent meal that night, and the rest was to be guarded for the remainder of the trip by three ponies at all times with rotating shifts. Ted himself grabbed a quick bite to eat from his own rations, and purchased a generic long sword from the port's smithy before heading out of the city to the source of the emptiness. It didn't take long for the vegetation to shift, seemingly becoming much more hostile only a few miles from the city. Drawing the shadows closer, Ted disappeared from natural detection, creeping through the underbrush like a wraith.

Finally, he came across a small cave clawed into the ground. It looked strange, though he recognized a few pieces of chitin scattered around the inside. He assumed changelings molting, until he came across the husk of a dead changeling, the holes so large it seemed the body had just fallen apart. Finally he came across a large room, filled with the same pods he'd seen Mirage holding Swift in, though these held several ponies of varying race, all seemingly deep asleep, only a few seeming to have any obvious injuries. He proceeded into the chamber, knowing Mirage had been unable to see him while he held the shadows close to his form.

'My video game senses are tingling.' Ted thought, looking around the chamber. 'No one would leave so many pods unguarded, unless they're out hunting.'

Suddenly, a spell struck him in the back, throwing him off balance.

"Fuck!"

He stumbled slightly, though he was sure a normal pony probably would have been unconscious the moment the spell hit. It didn't make sense! The other changeling couldn't see him, what was different in this situation? Before he could recover, something landed on his back, and a pair of fangs sunk into his neck. He felt the warm trickle of blood flowing down his neck, as well as a burning sensation tear through his body starting at the bite. There was also a strong, strange pull on his aura from behind him, and the world swam out of focus.

Desperately, he thrashed about, attempting to dislodge his attacker, even digging through Luna's memories hoping to find something useful for the situation. Each time he tried a spell, something lashed out at his horn, sending stars across his vision. He dug through the memories for what seemed like an eternity, but he found himself quickly running out of time and energy. Shaking, he finally hit the stone floor of the cave.

As darkness claimed him, the teeth in his neck easing out and the grip around his neck finally slacking, his last thought was 'Dammit all, I should have seen that coming a mile away.'

Author's Notes:

Come into my parlor, Ted. I have cookies!

I swear if I hear an "I don't get it" for this chapter name I'mma take ya out back and beat ya with the ugly stick 'til you look like Fabio.

There we go, several new characters, two new organizations (cookie for you fallout and elder scrolls fans) and some weirdness from a lonely dragon. Ted's newest title is dream pimp, by the way.

Yes, I do write my author's notes in chunks as I type out the story, why do you ask?

Uh, Sir? You Have Something on Your...

In the beginning, there was darkness. And Ted did gaze upon it, and saw it's splendor, its wonderfulness, its welcoming comfort. and said unto himself 'This is nice.'

He did attempt with all his might to open his eyes, but they remained sealed. Thus discouraged he did say 'Fuck it. I'm still tired.'

The stallion did then return to his slumber.

Loading..........................*
Attempt at consciousness:2

Ted.0 OS loaded, running startup

Alicorn hardware-update improperly installed, please contact support. Continuing start up.

Magic...................offline
Touch...................offline
Hearing................offline
Sight......................offline
Smell.....................offline
Taste.....................offline

Exception:errantdreamer.dert385xdewqupct073.Acervent8612*

Error. One or more vital systems damaged/missing, please contact an administrator.

Start up failed. Returning to standby mode.

....................*

'...Ow.' Ted thought, slowly returning to consciousness. It was an odd return, all things considered, even compared against his so called revival by the cultists and his return to consciousness in an alien body after the substitution spell. What made it stand out was the absolute lack of, well, anything.

'I can not for the life of me bring myself to care that I was mugged. I can't worry about what time it may be. I'm not worried about what jumped me. Because of this, I know something is wrong and should be panicking. But I just can't.' The alicorn thought to himself.

Suddenly an ear flicked, and he noticed a sound, then a weight on his back. ' Is that snoring?' Dragging his head along the ground, he managed to catch a glimpse of what jumped him the night before. Still sitting on his back, passed out with its fangs still stuck in his neck, was a changeling, its mouth open and horn stuck in the dirt, leaving it in an awkward position that, in Ted's opinion, would probably leave it with a cramp after it woke up. Lighting his aura, which was still weak from the attack, he shakily stood up and managed to remove the fangs from his neck. The attacker was still slumped over his back, but that just meant he didn't have to drag it back to town by the tail. Who knew, maybe there would be some sort of reward for that?

Letting his sense of equilibrium return, he walked around the chamber, breaking open pods and dragging the sputtering captives out into the cool air. Many seemed to be in the same state he found himself, just sitting around with no motivation whatsoever. Others showed just a hint of fear and confusion; the former at his passenger, the latter at their current location. All of them seemed to lack the capacity to do much more then stare at the walls at the moment though. Apparently, when ponies didn't have any emotion or drive, they became incapable of movement. Ted worked in retail while studying, though, and was used to working with no real motivation or energy.

Eventually, he gathered all the ponies and their gear in the center of the cave, ordered them to put their stuff on, and follow him.

"Why would I do that." One of the prisoners asked. "You've got a bug on your back, and I don't know you." Some muttered agreements, others just dozed off. Some were already asleep, snoring lightly while their heads bobbed with their breathing.

"Because your current options are consist of 'stay here and hope something worse than a changeling doesn't find this cave' and 'follow the big guy out of the cave and back to town.' Ted responded. As soon as he did, he turned and started walking to the, for lack of a better word, nest in the back of the cave. There were a few things he thought might be useful, but in his current state, he couldn't do much more than throwing things into his bags until he couldn't carry any more. Satisfied there was nothing of value left, he grabbed three chunks of a pod, slid them onto the changelings fangs and over the horn, and trotted out of the cave. Most of the ponies seemed to follow, and those that didn't were piled on the backs of others that had recovered more energy since their release.

Entering the light of the setting sun, Ted stopped just before the underbrush grew too thick, and started grabbing vines. He hefted the bug off of his back and wrapped it up like a birthday present before settling it back between his wings. No reason to take chances, though he wasn't sure how effective the pod would be at stopping magic. Then he turned to count the ponies following him.

'I swear these guys are useless without a flag bearer or some obvious leader.' "Alright, keep up. If you see something, say something. Or don't. Not my business if you get eaten or dragged off." With that Ted started scorching a path back to the town, the use of his mana seeming to help burn away the lethargy as surely as the underbrush.

'Bleah, at least I'm not falling asleep anymore.' he thought absentmindedly. The pace was slow, but no-one really seemed to be capable of much more. Eventually, he heard something ahead. Cutting the spell off, he stopped and listened, ignoring the ponies that bounced off of his leg in an almost cartoonish pile up.

"I told you I heard something. It sounded like fire over there." A voice said. Ted focused in the direction, and noticed a few ponies and griffons wandering through the jungle. "I still don't see why this guy is so important. I mean, what dip-stick goes searching for disappearing ponies on his own?"

"I do, dumbass." Ted said as loud as he could, which wasn't much at the moment. Nevertheless it got the search parties attention. Before long the guards were moving to Ted's position, many walking past him to take account of those behind him.

"So that's the bug? I thought they were smaller, and worked in groups." A griffon said, poking at the changeling on his back. The griffon then turned to Ted. "So if you beat it up, how did it drain you?"

"I didn't beat it. I just recovered faster. Well, recovered enough to be able to move." The alicorn responded. It would have been embarrassing, were he capable of feeling that. Twice now he'd won only because of endurance. The snake had him in its throat, with little to no air, and the changeling had him on the cave floor with no emotions. Both times he really should have lost, but both times he ended up recovering enough to basically walk out of the jaws of defeat. Literally, in the snake's case.

"Wait, so what knocked it out?" The griffon asked, as the guards herded the ponies back to the town under close supervision. Ted took a moment to ponder the question, before starting to follow the group, turning back to the guard and answering the question.

"Gorging, I think."

"Hahaha, let me get this straight, you walked into the jungle by yourself to find the cause of the problem, got jumped by the changeling, and woke up with it sleeping on your back?" Sahkest had been at the gate, ordering the changeling properly secured with a nullification band and chains when he saw the captive.

"The fangs were still in my neck when I woke up." Ted added, the two walking back to the Inn.

"You, Simmer, are one crazy Son of a Sea-Surge. Lucky, too. I don't even know how you found the nest, much less made it out there and half-way back without something jumping you."

"Karmic balance" Ted replied, voice still dead of emotion. "I lost everything dear to me recently. I better get some breaks every now and then."

The drake turned to look at him, confusion written across its face, before it turned back to the path. "Well, I hope things start turning around for you. They certainly have for me! I've gotten some nice dreams, made a new trade partner, and soon I'll get a nice bonus from that proto-queen you captured. Be happy to split the bounty with you, since you did find it."

Ted stopped walking all of a sudden, the blue-scaled dragon stopping to look back at him. "Bounty? Who has a bounty on changelings?"

"Royal Equestrian Guard. Send a queen, proto-queen, or even nymphs to their nearest outpost and they'll pay handsomely for them. Gotten rarer lately, though. Been about, four years I think since anygons claimed a bounty for one."

Ted just sat there a moment, thinking about this new information. Mirage never mentioned a bounty, though they didn't apply to her. Still, Mirage said it was through captured infiltrators and gatherers that the Queen had been able to strike so strongly at the changelings. Not only that, what was she doing with them? Being a science fiction fan, he could easily see Celestia's corrupted student experimenting on them, possibly twisting them into some B-movie monsters, or turning the queens into broodmares, existing only to create an army for the already powerful ruler. The last thing she needed was another source of power.

"I want the changeling." Ted said finally.

"You what? Do you know how much that thing is worth? The last queen was a torn up mess, I saw the pictures in one of Herrick's image crystals, and she was worth almost five million gold coins to the Equestrians! The one you found? Absolutely pristine! We could argue the price up to almost fifty million before they'd even start to object!"

"Yes, let's give the megalomaniacal alicorn who holds the sun and moon princesses captive and probably already has half a dozen changeling broodmares in her dungeons yet another source of shapeshifting soldiers." Ted responded flatly. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not add to her already ridiculous power-base. You do know she's not going to stop with the countries around her right? All of this-" He waved a hoof, gesturing to the town "She wants it all under her control. Absolute order, absolute 'harmony'. She's the second Nightmare Moon. A happy pony with a good idea that was twisted into a shadowy mockery of what she stood for."

Sahkest narrowed his eyes at Ted, speaking quietly. "And what would you know of that, Nightmare? Yes, I heard those ponies that follow you talk. Saying 'thank the stars it worked', and 'The Nightmare's been an absolute blessing'. You accuse the Mad Queen of being a Nightmare, when those who follow you say you yourself are one. Not only that, I may have only been a hatchling at the time, but I remember well the stories of the atrocities Nightmare Moon committed. I also remember the descriptions well. A dark alicorn with slit teal eyes, who seemed to flow out of the shadows, able to traverse the world of dreams as a pegasus does the skies. Who are you to accuse the Mad Queen of being what you already are?"

Ted frowned at that, the smallest hint of anger flaring up in his mind. Suddenly the shadows deepened around them. Sahkest looked enraged, assuming an attack but Ted cut him off.

"It's to cut out eavesdroppers. I know what they call me. I was accused of the same damn thing by Luna when she first realized where my aura came from. It looks just like the parasite that attacked her. You know why? Because I didn't have magic of my own. My world is devoid of it." The alicorn said, rage slowly burning brighter. "I was sitting in my home, upset because some fucking game I liked wasn't working, and the next thing I know I'm getting blasted by the Elements of Harmony because that thrice-damned parasite swapped places with me. But you know what? I can't go around saying that. Did you see them when we walked in? The ponies with me? Did you see the state they're in?"

The dragon nodded absentmindedly, having difficulty wrapping his mind around what was just laid out before him.

"Those tattered robes, the slightly gaunt looks, the weariness in their eyes? That's a fricken' improvement. They had nothing out there. They had nothing, so I gave them hope. I promised to watch over them. I protected them from the jungle. I even let them dream again." Ted was almost yelling at this point, despite his fatigue. "And you know what? Do you know what happens if they find out the truth right now? What do you think happens when a bunch of ponies holding on by a thread find out that the last string they have is a lie? That the Nightmare was truly the most disgusting creature to walk this world that I know of? They'll snap, that's what. Half will leave, if they don't outright attack the others in madness." Ted took a step towards the dragon. "I won't let that happen. Tomorrow, we, you and me, ol' buddy ol' pal, are going to take a look at that changeling. If she can be helped, I'm taking her with me. If not, we're putting her down. And you aren't going to say anything. You know why? Because if you speak a fucking word of this to another soul, every single dream you have from that day forward, you will be greeted not by cute little dragonesses awaiting their big muscular mate. No, you'll find a bunch of nice burly dragons waiting for their favorite prison bitch to get back. You understand me, Sahkest?" Ted spat out, nearly burning with a black aura.

Still in shock, the dragon just nodded. Ted smiled as warmly as frozen nitrogen at him "I'm glad we've come to this understanding. I'm going to bed before I rip out some unlucky bastard's spine and beat him/her/them to death with it."

" Why is my anger the first damn thing to start coming back?" The alicorn muttered as he walked away.

For his part, Sahkest just stood there, mind still trying to come to grips with what he'd just heard. The part about the Mad Queen being a second Nightmare Moon made sense, as did the part of it being unnatural. But everything else? Simmer had even said 'his planet'. Was it an alien? Were all alicorns aliens? It would make sense, but no, he'd heard the Mad Queen was a normal unicorn at one point.

"I'm done." The dragon finally muttered to himself. "No way am I thinking about this while sober. Time to bust out the tankards in the basement." With that, the drake headed home, purposefully ignoring every word he'd heard that night. It just wasn't worth the headache.

The night really wasn't what Ted would call memorable. Sure there were a few dreams that were so shiningly happy he felt the burning need to drop in and set everything in sight on fire, but by dawn the majority of his emotions seemed to have recovered, even if they were severely stunted. He decided to splurge for breakfast, ordering a bunch of pancakes and sausages, confusing the owner of a restaurant until the food arrived, where Ted grinned widely enough to show the wicked canines his form was graced with. As Ted destroyed the hapless meal, a few bags of gold passed claws, much to the displeasure of their former owners. It seemed many were certain the large pony had no clue what he was ordering, and would be horrified when his meal arrived. Instead, the meat was the first thing he hit. Ted watched the exchanges out of the corner of his eye, and amused smile creeping onto his face. It lifted his spirits even higher to realize he was finally able to laugh about such stupidity again. The entire experience was almost over, and it would have been considered depressing if he'd even been capable of sadness. Instead it was just a void, one he happily relegated to memory.

Finishing his meal, and savoring the delicious flavor of the last pancake, Ted paid his bill and left the building, heading to the port's stockades. Sahkest was waiting outside the building with a burly looking pegasus, both with bored looks on their faces. Noticing the alicorn's approach, the drake looked at Ted and spoke in a sleepy voice. "I was wondering when you would finally show up. Let's get this over with."

Together the three walked down the large halls of the prison, many of the cells empty, a few holding a group of passed out drunks. Finally, they came to a magically reinforced door, guarded by a griffon and an earth pony, both equipped with mundane weapons and magic nullifiers. At the command of the warden, the door was opened, allowing Ted and Sahkest to enter.

The proto-queen was still sleeping, against all odds and despite the smell of the prison. Noticing a bucket nearby, Ted grabbed it with his magic, filled it from a nearby pump, and splashed the water across the queen's face. The changeling sputtered and coughed a few times, before she managed to focus enough to notice her current situation, as well as the two large beings that stood in the doorway. The proto-queen switched between the two once, twice, three times before her eyes finally locked on Ted, seeing as he was standing closer.

"How do you plan on figuring this out?" Sahkest rumbled.

"Simple, we do a few pain tests. If she's feral, she'll just growl and thrash a lot. Only problem there is she'll be useless to my experiments. If she's recovering? Plenty of entertaining things to do with a young proto-queen." Ted said evenly, watching the changeling for any reactions. The dragon behind him shifted uncomfortably, still unsure of the alicorn's stability, which he'd been questioning since the night before.

Hearing the words of the dark alicorn, and sensing the fear and discomfort from the dragon, the shape-shifter bared her fangs, before making a half-hearted lunge at the two. Her reaction was short lived though, as Ted broke into a wicked fang-filled smile, his wings flicking with excitement.

"Only a sapient creature hoping to be dismissed as feral would react like that. Not to mention you didn't throw yourself against the chains all that hard." He said, stepping closer to the proto-queen, who backed up to the wall.

Leaning in closer to the prisoner, he chuckled at her and spoke one word.

"Gotcha!"

One Shadow Does Not Lie to Another

They were finally ready to go back to the Temple of shadows. Ted and the cultists were gathered by the gate after a brief lunch, loaded down with supplies and, surprisingly to the alicorn, some gold as well.

"Look, I'll even let you have one of the fangs, I promise."

"You better." The dragon huffed, looking at the muzzled and leashed proto-queen tied to a wagon. "You have enough gold tied to that wagon to return me to half again the size I was in my dream. I know it's your prisoner, but it's still my nullifier bands it has strapped to its horn."

"I know, Sahkest, Providence, you won't let me forget. But you've already been hit once for having too large a hoard, haven't you?" Ted asked. " What's the punishment for a second offense?"

The dragon's smoldering anger subsided, deep thought evident on his face. "I don't know." He turned to look one last time at the changeling, before puffing a bit of smoke out of his nostrils. "Fine, maybe it wouldn't work out. But what about the link? You know its going to try to build a hive, don't you? It's in their blood."

"I'll deal with it when the time comes. For now the advantages well outweigh the risks." Ted responded "I think she can be a boon to us. The queens are supposed to be around the strength of an alicorn, after all, and we need all the help we can get."

"And what would those boons include, hmm?" The drake asked with a sly grin. "They also say the queens rut with exceptionally powerful males to improve their brood. That wouldn't have anything to do with it, would it? Nor the fact that she'll be the closest thing to an alicorn's size around? I've been around a long time, it's not as fun trying to enjoy special moments with somegon half your size. Can't go all out, after all."

"W-what?" Ted sputtered. "What the hell are you talking about? That, that's not the reason at all." Rubbing his temple with a hoof, a strangely soothing motion considering the fact that hooves were pretty hard, he finally groaned. "Oh my god, Kest. Keep working the numbers here in the port. Comedy is not your thing." Seeing the ponies starting to head out, Ted started after them, turning to throw a parting shot at the dragon. "And stop thinking with your second head so much, the one on your shoulders is going to start rotting from lack of blood flow."

A booming laugh was his answer, even as the blue-scaled dragon and the guards entered the town and closed the gates behind them.
Ted shook his head, eyes going over the supplies they'd managed to score on the trip, everything from cloth, medicine, tools, everything they needed for a smithy, and even a small chest of toys for the foals. That last one he was pretty happy about; such a thing had slipped his mind till the last minute, when an older mare in the group had brought up the expenditure, saying she'd gotten the others to let her take the coins at the assurance that they had nothing to do with it. Ted was perfectly fine with that, and commended her for remembering the kids. He'd kind of lost them in the blur things had been lately. Hopefully things would be easier after this trip. They seemed to look up to him and deserved some attention.

"Aw hell, I still have that gnoll expedition to do." the alicorn muttered.

The caravan made decent progress, though Ted had to lift the smithy cart several times when it became stuck on roots or bogged down in moss. Just before sunset, the group made camp for the night, though to Ted's disappointment, they'd only covered a fraction of the distance back to the temple.

"At this rate the trip back will take three days. Wonderful. We'll probably be arriving after the escort." The alicorn once more rubbed his temples. There was just so much to do. So much to do, and every one of the ponies around him were counting on him. Depending on how the trip to the gnoll den went, he may end up with even more beings to look after.

'I swear, I'm starting to feel like a glorified baby sitter.'

Finally, his eyes rested on the proto-queen, muzzled and with her wings tied to her grey-plated barrel (would it be an abdomen in her case?), and a lead going from the muzzle to a back-post of the cart with the smithy supplies. She looked pretty ragged, not as bad as Mirage had been, but it looked like she'd been in the state longer. Standing tall, her eyes wouldn't quite clear his back. The same plates that had been relatively soft on the other changelings were thick and hard, built to withstand abuse, though her smoke-colored eyes seemed out of focus.

'I suppose I'd be pretty depressed too, in her position.' He thought.

Walking up to the changeling, he loosened the muzzle a bit. She still wouldn't be able to bite with it covering her mouth, but maybe he'd get a better idea of her mental state. Grabbing a canteen, he floated water through the muzzle, intent on making sure she was watered properly, only to have the changeling bite the floating drops, causing him to wince as she literally bit his aura. Shaking the unpleasant sensation off, he looked back at her to see gleeful vindication in her eyes.

"Is that anyway to thank someone who saved you from a fate worse than death?" Ted asked her, cocking his head to the right. "The drake, he wanted to turn you over to the Mad Queen." The changeling shifted a few steps back at the mention of the name. "Good, so I don't have to explain what that would entail. I'm not up for giving her another toy, or possibly another broodmare, though." Ted stepped closer to the changeling, matching her retreat. "I'm curious about your kind. How do you feed on something that my people don't find quantifiable? How do you draw nourishment from something as fickle as emotion? How deeply does the Link connect a queen to her children?" The changeling's lead stopped her from backing up anymore, but Ted stepped right up to her, till he stood over the shaking shape shifter. "There are many ways to get the answers I want. But do you know what? I prefer the ways that benefit both parties."

Ted started circling the proto-queen, poking a chitin plate here, grabbing a rear leg to inspect the shrinking of the holes up close, or just staring at the changeling. He didn't need to actually do this, but she was acting kind of wild right now, or just barely sapient, and he wasn't going to have her ambush-victory leaving her thinking she was stronger. Completing his circuit, he spoke once more.

"In fact, my curiosity of your race is the only reason you're alive right now. If you truly were feral, I would have had you put down. I'd rather destroy something like a feral changeling queen than allow that nag to get her hooves on even more power. She doesn't need it, nor does she deserve it." He said. "Now I know you're tired of hearing me preach, so I'll step off my soapbox in a second. However, I do understand that you need emotions to survive. I also understand that most other classes of changelings can get by on what they pick up from ponies around them. So I want you to think long and hard on your answer for my offer. I offer you, any changelings you take under your wings, and any nymphs you may call your own, a home where they can walk among ponies openly. I offer you the chance to work alongside ponies, earn their affection naturally, and never have to lie to my ponies ever again. I offer you, young lady, the chance to have what no other changeling queen has right now. A hive. A hive that is safe from the Mad Queen."

"L-lies."

"Lies?" Ted asked. "Why do you think I lie to you?"

"Pony lie. Always lie. Offer help, call guard, keep secret, call guard, promise ignore, c-call guard. Lie, lie, lie! Say changeling always lie, d-deceive, but lie even for lying." The changeling spat, baring her fangs.

Ted shook his head. "I could say I'm not lying, but that wouldn't mean anything to you would it?" The shape shifter shook her head, giving a negative response. "I thought not, so instead I'll do this. When we arrive Home, you will give me your answer. Regardless of your answer, when we get there, I will remove your bindings. In the event you chose to stay, you will be given a room of your own, if you wish, or you may even use the one of the storage tunnels to make a nest of your own. If you chose to leave, you walk away, and if I ever catch you looking at my ponies, or shadows forbid, capture one, I will turn you into such a fine mulch, I'll be able to spread you over the entirety of the temple courtyard. Am I clear?" The proto-queen shrunk in place, unable to actually respond. "Good." He said, before picking the changeling up. Holding her was a bit awkward, but he managed it, and focused as he did with Mirage and the nymphs. It wouldn't be as much, not with his not really trusting her not to do something stupid, like try to drain him actively again, but after a minute, Ted loosened his grip on the changeling, setting her back down on the jungle floor. Using a hoof to raise her stunned expression to meet his eyes, he spoke.

"I don't hold your diet against you, changeling who's name I still don't know, and should you ever be in desperate need like you were in the cave, I would gladly go through that drained state again for your safety. But next time you want to suck me dry, at least take me on a date." With that, he turned and left, leaving the shape shifter to stare blankly ahead.

He took the fact she just sat there with a shell-shocked expression as a good sign.

After another day and half of marching the trip was completed(Ted nearly screamed his thanks to the heavens for that). The cultists made their way up to the temple, Ted leading the way, and the door was pulled open, revealing a nervous pair of ponies that had been set to guard duty. Seeing just who was outside, however, they quickly alerted the others, and soon almost the entirety of the Temple's occupancy was outside. As ponies unloaded the carts and moved the supplies to their final locations, Ted approached the smithy supply cart. The proto queen was still restrained, but was looking around watching all of the commotion. In fact she seemed to be confused by the ability of the ponies to ignore her existence, some unloading the supplies off of the very cart she was tied to as she watched. Her eyes whipped around even as Ted started untying her from the cart to see an undisguised changeling helping unload some linen bolts.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? I said that changelings were welcome here." the alicorn stated once more, unhooking the muzzle and untying the ropes. The shape shifter however just watched the other changeling, completely unresponsive to Ted's presence. Soon, the last ropes came loose, and he reached up with his hooves and pulled the nullifier off of her horn. Seeing the movement so close to her muzzle, the proto-queen seemed to finally focus on him, then on herself and her missing restraints.

"I kept my end of the bargain, little lady, now it's time for your answer."

The changeling just looked horrifically confused, looking at the ponies working, some watching the display as they worked, then turning her gaze to the other changeling even as it flew back into the temple, its hooves full of supplies.

Seeing Gleam trying to direct the flow of ponies, Ted walked over to the mare, leaning in closely. "I want you to send Mirage and the nymphs to the storage tunnels, can you do that?" His tone confused her for a moment, before she caught site of the bewildered changeling still standing near a cart. She hesitated for a moment, before nodding.

"I'll send the message on the next pegasus I manage to get my hooves on, Father."

"Thanks, Gleam. Has the gnoll arrived?"

"Y-yes, father, he arrived last night. Well, two of them did. They were given a room as you requested, and they kept to themselves for the most part, though Amald explained to them they were welcome to leave to hunt if they desired so long as they checked in once a day. You actually missed them by about two hours. They should return tomorrow around lunch though." The mare chuckled. "Plenty of time for a bath and a good nights sleep on your own bed."

Ted smiled warmly at the mare. "Thank you, Gleam. Heaven knows what we'd do without you."

Turning back to the gaping changeling, the alicorn gave her a slight shove, drawing her attention back to him.

"I want you to follow me for a moment." He said, before turning into the temple, looking behind him as he entered the main entrance to make sure the mare was keeping up. Satisfied that he wouldn't lose her, he turned right and followed the hallway, past the dining hall and the kitchen, till he found the dug-out storage room. Slowly he walked down the incline, looking back once more to confirm he still had his tail. The ponies had been busy in his absence, and even now there were signs of more digging to be done once the supplies were taken care of. Finding a completed tunnel, the dark alicorn turned around and sat down in the dirt.

The proto-queen was just meandering through the tunnels, scratching here, smelling the wall there, pushing this rock, and casting a spell against that section of wall. Finally she looked back at Ted.

"Solid."

Ted blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"

"Digging is solid. Changeling oversee?"

"Ah, yes, in fact I asked the one in charge of this tunnel to stop by."

The shape shifter gave him a questioning look, but was answered moments later by gleeful chittering. A small nymph ran up to Ted, pouncing on his foreleg and attempting to gnaw it like some strange chew toy. Gem was joined moments later by a gaggle of giggling foals, all running up to Ted and happily welcoming him back. Rose especially, latching onto his other leg and refusing to let go, even as he raised it off the ground, to her delight. Finally, Mirage came trotting into the rooms, looking harried, but almost shining in the low light of the tunnels.

"Good afternoon Father, you wished to- see me?" The changelings voice suddenly strained upon seeing the proto-queen. "Father, may I ask why you have a proto-queen in the Temple? They don't share power. With anyone. Ever."

Ted smiled at Mirage "You're absolutely right Mirage, and ponies and changelings never live side by side. Nor do they work together. Nor do ponies name changeling nymphs." He chuckled "It just doesn't happen. Not the way of the world, after all.

The changeling opened her mouth to retort, but instead turned to stare at the larger mare.

The proto-queen for her part was just silently staring at the foals. There they were, nymphs and foals prancing around the larger pony like it was the most natural thing in the world, one even tugging on a wing for attention. No disguises, no lies, just a couple of young beings enjoying life. Not only that, but the way the two changelings moved, the way they intercepted each others movements so perfectly, she knew they were linked. Finally, she looked back at Ted, who just watched her with a smile on his face.

"N-no lies?" Ted shook his head in a negative.

The proto-queen took one last look around the empty tunnel, dragging a hoof idly through the dirt, then turned back to the alicorn.

"Nest here. I, I stay."

"I'm glad to hear that. However, remember that while I'm happy to give you a chance, many will not trust you. Ask for directions to my quarters if you need me. For now I'll leave you to get comfortable. Ask Gleam for some bedding if you'd like some, and for your things. They should be in a small sack marked proto. Mirage, on one of the supply carts is a chest marked foals. If it's not there, ask Gleam. Send it up to the playroom will you? I'll take over for a few hours. Come on, kiddies, stay nearby." Ted chuckled as he led the foals out of the tunnels, two still attached to his forelegs, two more following suite with his hind legs as he started up the stairs to the second floor. A few more turns, and the playroom was in sight. Ted led them inside, making a mental note to have the linens around the room changed out, and gathered the foals in a semi-circle around him.

"Alright brats" Ted said with a grin. "We just got back from a long trip, and we picked up a lot of important things. But Miss Goodhooves brought something to my attention while we were there." At that time, a stallion trotted into the room, depositing the chest just inside the doorway before leaving. Ted grabbed the chest in his aura and brought it before him.

"The last few weeks have been scary, but things will get better, I promise. And because you've been good, these are now yours . I expect you to say thank you to Miss Goodhooves when you see her, ok?" With that, he opened the chest, revealing a bottom lined with crude toys. They were nothing compared to what Ted was used to seeing, but at the moment they were all the ponies had access to.

'Sad sometimes, how my sister and I complained about not having the shiniest and newest things. These guys are happy with having someone else to play with.'

The alicorn spent the next few hours doing nothing more than simply watching the foals run around playing with their new toys, levitating one or two through the air, or teaching them a few games from his own childhood. It melted his heart, seeing Gem chasing another foal, a red pegasus colt named Brick of all things, after he'd tagged her in a game of duck-duck-goose.

'Half didn't even know what a goose was.' He thought sadly. That was something else that had to be addressed. There was no one to teach them anything. Granted there weren't many, but that would likely change soon, considering the PDA's he was seeing in the halls. Not only that, the couple had finally approached him again, asking to be wed after his trip to the gnoll den, and as soon as they'd finished speaking, he'd had four other requests, one even being a literal herd with three members.

'One minute I'm working out diplomatic relations with another town, the next I'm expected to know how to officiate marriages. More studying, yay. I swear we never escape it, even after getting dragged to an alien world.' Ted thought forlornly.

Author's Notes:

I love kids. There's just been something about a bunch of little kids running around having a blast that melts my internet-corrupted heart.

As for the Proto-queen? Yes I have a name, no I won't tell you yet, and no you can't have her.

I Leave You Guys for a Week

After dinner, Ted returned the foals to their room and back to Mirage's care, promising to stop by when he found the time. He then spent the next few hour agonizing over the rules of officiating a marriage, and all the details that entailed.

'So similar to an earth wedding and yet so different.' He thought to himself. With literal Gods walking the planet, not to mention some of them ruling countries, the idea of marriage was more of an official thing than a religious one. This meant that the officiate was often someone who was granted that power by the ruler of the country, not someone who was a member of a religious caste. Not only that, but to have one of said rulers preside over a wedding was one of the highest honors one could receive, usually reserved for other individuals of great political clout or, in Celestia's case, whenever she could slip out the doors unnoticed. Ted was amazed at the official list the author had managed to pull together for the number of times the solar princess had shown up out of the blue and asked to preside over weddings, even as her court waited for her to return from lunch.

'She really did love weddings.' He thought to himself. 'Shame I can't talk to her about this, she'd love to hear this. In fact, I'm sure Tia would be more than happy to teach me every damnable detail I need to know. She probably has them memorized.'

Certain he wasn't going to get anymore information to stick for the night, he made his way back to his room, the bath already drawn and the twins waiting for him. He relaxed into their care, allowing the stresses of the week to wash away along with all the dirt and grime. It was wonderful having a bath, even if the water was lukewarm at best. After soaking for a short time, he emerged from the bath, drying off with a few older towels before moving back to his room. Halfway through the doorway he stopped.

"H-hungry."

In the hallway door was the proto-queen, looking at him for another meal. He took a step towards her and stopped, taking in her current appearance. She'd obviously been busy setting up her new nest. Dirt was caked into every hole, her chitin was dull and her mane and tail were ragged and greasy. He looked back at the tub, just about to be drained by the twins, and back at the changeling, a wicked grin playing across his face, even as the shape shifter took an uneasy step back.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad" Ted said with a grin, the proto-queen shivering slightly under one of his wings. Hugs worked well for feeding the others, so until he learned more about feeding habits of the changelings, it would be his go-to method. Not only that, she'd been pretty angry when he'd thrown her in the tub and had Humble and Swift give her a good scrubbing. Thinking about it, he'd even decided to leave the bath open to the rest of the Temple's residents when he wasn't in the room, since the public one had crumbled under old age and they didn't have the know-how to repair it yet. Maybe having access to a tub would spur some unicorn to add heating runes to the tub? It wasn't like he was in his room all the time, no reason to keep such a wonderful thing to himself. Besides, four to five ponies could bathe in the tub at once. Maybe Gleam and Shadow could set up a rotating list?

"C-cold."

Pulling her a bit tighter, he chuckled at her expense. She looked a lot better, even if she was pissed at him, and despite her race the two servants had been more than motivated to scrub every last inch of the proto-queen down. She probably wouldn't have stayed in the tub for a minute if Ted hadn't made it part of the deal; she gets cleaned, then he'd let her feed off of him. She'd begrudgingly gone along with it, and barely let the serving ponies dry her before she'd jumped onto his bed, pulled a wing over her back and demanded food and warmth.

Finally not shivering anymore, she buried as much of herself as she could into his side, and soon stopped moving, apparently dozing off.

'Wonderful,' Ted thought shaking his head, staring at the planet's largest tick. 'Even if she tries to overthrow me, I'll be safe. I'm way to valuable as the royal pillow and buffet. She's adorable like that, too. How old is she, 14? Yea, cute kid.' Trying to wake her up to go back to her own chambers didn't work, so eventually he just settled down, dozing off comfortably on his big soft bed.

Gleam was right, nothing beat sleeping in your own bed. Even if someone else claimed your wing as a blanket.

The night was relatively uneventful, though Ted noticed a strangely high amount of pink dreams. He avoided those, and brushed against any yellow dreams, easily pushing away nightmares. It was becoming simple to him, almost instinctual. When the morning arrived, he ended up having to disentangle himself from his attachment, to her grumbling displeasure.

"Warm." She mumbled, trying to pull his leg back into her chest. Finding a few loose feathers with a quick pass of his magic, he held them over the proto-queen, before sending them brushing all over her body, darting in and out of areas that were lacking chitin. She shrieked, springing out of bed and away from the dark alicorn, hissing at what was brushing against her. Her anger turned to confusion and embarrassment when she saw the floating feathers and the laughing alicorn. She stuck her tongue out at him, drawing a raised eyebrow from Ted when her childish raspberry was done with an almost snakelike tongue, and darted out the door, nearly running over several ponies in her path.

Finally free, he stretched and checked himself in the mirror, straightening out his growing mane and even taking a look at his own tongue in the mirror. Chuckling, he touched the tip of his nose with his tongue, then lifted his leg up and licked the underside of his elbow, or at least the joint that was most similar to it. Mentally promising to get not just a haircut, but all of them cut, he made his way to the dining hall, where his breakfast was interrupted by an cheerful Slop, thanking him for picking up the spices. Afterwards he watched as the logs claimed from the jungle earlier were slowly prepared in the halls, being cut into boards and planks for use in the buildings outside. Some stone had also been pulled from the tunnels for the forge, a unicorn and earth pony working the stone chunks into proper shapes for when the building was ready to go up.

During lunch the gnolls arrived, and Ted picked up his bags on the way out the door. The armor would allow him to keep an eye on things while he was gone, so he'd set it on his bed with orders that it was not to be moved. It wasn't very useful if he was stuck on the wooden posts designed to hold the armor up. The gnolls were both males, the larger calling itself Buster, and introducing the smaller as Auto. Leaving the Temple, the canines lead him to the north east, their pace nearly twice that of the caravans and gathering runs Ted had manned before. The two gnolls easily led the way, darting through the underbrush with practiced ease.

Finally approaching evening, the escorts were getting jumpy. Ted first thought they were getting ready for some sort of ambush that was prepared for him when it finally reached him. The smell of smoke.

"Faster, I want to know what's going on." He told the guides, picking up the pace to a quick trot. Soon the group broke into the clearing just outside the den, and were greeted by the sight of a massacre.

All around them the bloody remains of gnolls were scattered, though the majority seemed piled onto bonfires that were slowly burning out. Death hung heavily in the air, nearly drawing a dry heave from the alicorn. However he pushed forward, past his guides and cast his life detection spell, going from faint glow to fain glow, checking to see if there were any survivors. Finally, he found himself just outside the main entrance, having no luck besides a few jungle reavers that hissed at him and flew off to other bodies. Stuck into the ground at the entrance to the den was a single banner, bearing three white claw marks. Ted just stared at it, almost instantly recognizing the symbol.

'Oh my god.' he thought 'I never told Sahkest or the mercenaries my plans for the gnolls, just that we drove them back with heavy losses inflicted on them.' It didn't take much imagination to figure out what had happened next. Having one of their own returned who knew the location of the den, the Talons had decided to put an end to the raids once and for all, razing the den while it was weak. He'd told the gnolls he'd help them, and while he was gone they were wiped out because of his ignorance.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!' he berated himself, renewing the spell deep in the den, but receiving no hits. Ted searched for what felt like hours, before coming back to the entrance, to find his guides howling at the moon in long, mournful tones. Ted approached them, letting them howl for a bit before laying a hoof on the shoulder of the Buster, whispering to him.

"You should see if you can find anything you need from the area. Afterwards you two are more than welcome back at the Temple."

The canine just whimpered in response. "Should been here. Helped pack."

"No, the ones who attacked your den, they were strong. Very strong. Bigger soldiers, better weapons, more complex tactics. You'd be dead as well. So don't throw this away." Ted stopped, ears swiveling to a sound from the shadowy underbrush. He saw what was there, and smiled, pointing a hoof in front of the despondent gnoll. "Besides, they'll need your help. We'll stay here for the night, salvage what we can, and head back tomorrow."

Out of the underbrush, drawn by the howling, were several smaller pups and three injured survivors, who luckily only seemed to have a few cuts on their pelts. Ted brushed past the guides and approached them, sitting down before the survivors and questioning them about the attack, afterwards repeating his offer to them. The remaining den members huddled together on the outside of the battlefield that night, mourning their losses and recovering from the ordeal. Ted kept watch all night, not daring to interrupt them while he felt the crushing guilt of being partly responsible for the destruction.

The next morning the group left a trail marker pointing any survivors to the Temple of the Shadows, and after gathering what little was left, they made their way back. The entire group was silent for the duration of the march. The survivors from what they'd seen, the guides from guilt of not being present to help, and Ted, from his growing sense of self-loathing.

He couldn't help but feel he should have done something more, that he could have done something different or said something to the mercenaries to prevent this disaster. Because he returned the griffon, the gnolls were destroyed. Because he'd not thought of the possibility. The possibility that his actions would impact more than just those he was living with. Ted had made a grievous error in judgment, and the gnolls had paid the price.

'True their own actions before this set it up, but still,' He thought shaking his head as the Temple came into sight. 'I can't help but wonder if I could have prevented the loss of so many lives.'

Author's Notes:

"Ted's doing too well, methinks he needs a bitch-slap to remind him of his place."

I wasn't sure how to do this, considering all the other things I wanted to do, when I realized something. The griffon he returned would know how to get to the den. A bunch of mercenaries now know how to get to the den. A bunch of mercenaries who have lost soldiers to the gnolls and pay bounties on them. Housing the survivors will probably leave Ted a few notches lower on the Talon's list of preferred employers, but he's not going to say no to those poor puppies. He's already promised to keep his doors open to all races.

Kings Weep Not for Their People, But No King is He

The band of survivors walked up to the Temple dragging their spirits behind them. Ted gave the ponies he passed at the entrance the order to allow the canines to make use of the Temple as they needed, and to allow the injured access to the medical room, and walked past those who greeted him in the halls with dull eyes. He'd been so stupid, even knowing there were things out there that could rip this small band of survivors apart. He'd even appeared in full view at the port. If news reached the Mad Queen of his existence, there was nothing that would protect his ponies. Dropping his bags by the door, he climbed into bed, not even bothering with a shower despite the bloody field he'd traversed. He just didn't have the energy at the moment. It wasn't physical fatigue, he'd not felt that often since his release from the armor.

No, the alicorn was weary of every mistake he may have made so far. Had it been wise to invite the changelings in to the Temple? To date they'd caused no problems, but there was only five, including two children. Was wiping out the bandits truly necessary? Could he have driven them off without killing them? What about the trip to the port? Should he have put the expedition off, at least until he could properly disguise himself? Then there was the trip to find the missing ponies; there were a hundred ways that could have gone wrong. Honestly, Mirage had noticed his presence, even if she couldn't see him. Of course something running on instinct could pinpoint his location by the scent of his emotions.

Then there was something he'd realized when he saw the bodies outside the den. The bandits that had attacked him in the forest, and even the snake before that had been messy. He'd been covered in gore after fighting the snake and while it had been gross, it hadn't made him nauseous. Even ripping into the bandits at the beach he'd been unaffected by the death he'd dispensed upon the attackers. Why? It was the first time he'd killed a sapient being, the lead gnoll making it obvious by even speaking to him. So why had it not struck him?

'Because it wasn't her first time killing in self-defense.' He realized. Once more, Luna's memories had helped him, this time in a way he'd not even able to fathom at the time. They were so strong sometimes, so terrifying to his mortal mind, and yet they'd done so much for him. What would he have done if he'd not had them to fall back on? He'd never have made it out of the ritual room without falling on his face, first of all. The snake would have killed him and his ponies, dooming the rest of the Temple's residents to starvation. The gnolls would have either made off with his ponies for food or slaves, maybe him as well depending on how his assault against them went.

More and more he reflected on his situation, and so many ways things could have gone wrong. Further and further into the darkness his mind fell.

The changeling caretaker had heard of it within a few moments of Father's return from the den. Spreading almost as quickly as news of His return was news of the dark cloud that seemed to hang over His head. She herself had tried getting close to the alicorn, but had started to feel nauseous even from the hallway outside his room. She wasn't sure what to do to help him, but she didn't seem to be alone.

Gleam was standing in the hall as well, looking at Father's door with a worried expression, one that couldn't even begin to match what the shape shifter could feel radiating off of the mare.

"Do you know what happened?" Mirage asked the unicorn. "All I've heard so far was he got back and he's upset. That, and if I get any closer than this, I'll get sick from the depression Father's radiating."

"You can sense that?" The mare asked. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Father returned from the den with a few more of the canines than He left with, some of them scratched up pretty badly. They were also sad, but Tulip managed to get one to talk while she was helping Trauma bandage them up. It seems the den was hit by a large group of armored griffons and ponies a day or so ago, leaving the place in shambles."

"So He feels it's His fault that a group of bandits got attacked in what was most likely a retributive strike, why?"

"I can only assume it's because He hoped to turn them around." Gleam responded. "He saved us, didn't He? Even you and the nymphs would either be dead or wandering the jungles still if not for His help. Instead your free to walk around the Temple, the only changelings on the planet that can do so in their birth form, as far as I know."

The changeling winced at the mention of her previous condition. "Fine, He wants to help everyone. But what can we do?"

"I don't know, Mirage." She said, shaking her head. "I think for now, we just need to give Him some time."

'What about Mom and Dad?' The alicorn wondered drearily. 'Are they even still alive? Even if I manage to stabilize the area enough to put time into finding a way home, would it even be worth it? It felt like a few weeks at most, and it was forty years, but even then does time pass the same here as at home? If this worlds time flows differently, is the earth even still there? Or did the sun explode by now, wiping away the last traces of everything I knew?'

'My work, my home, my life, even my name isn't really the same here. What do I truly have anymore? At the end of the day, what is Theodore Fredson left with? Simple answer.'

'Nothing.'

Buster, a large gnoll, his hunched form easily hanging over the ponies, pondered his current situation. He was by no means the most intelligent of his den, nor was he the dumbest. He knew that the den was gone, that it would probably never be used again, that in such a case, the survivors would be left to wander the jungles until they were picked off by the local fauna or fell to starvation, injury, or old age. The fall of a packs den was the fall of a pack.

But the big pony, the pony's Alpha, he didn't like that. He told Buster to follow, and follow the gnoll did. The canine didn't have anything else to do anyway. Buster was, by law, Alpha of what was left of the pack, but he had no idea what he would do with such a position. There were no elders to ask for advice, there were no hunting packs to set up or lead. Why was he still here? Why did he and the others cling to a life that had no purpose?

'Because pony Alpha say so.' He thought. 'Pony Alpha know what he doing, so Buster follow. Buster supposed to be Alpha, but follow pony Alpha.'

"Buster not Alpha." He mumbled sadly to himself, looking around the medical room at his patched up pack mates. Ponies had helped them, even after pack attacked them, because pony Alpha said so. Now ponies were sad because Alpha was sad. They didn't line up to challenge the Alpha, they didn't pack up and leave with others to make a new den. Some waited for their Alpha to feel better, some tried finding things to cheer Alpha up, others just did what they were supposed to, because Alpha needed them to do good work.

'Alpha is strong.' Rust had told some of them what the Pony Alpha had done, how he had torn through the pack's hunters like a claw through a layer of leaves. 'Alpha leads pack.' The big pony lead the smaller ponies, he told them where to go and what to do, and they did it. Even the not-ponies listened to him, because he was Alpha. In the end, even Buster had followed the Alpha, because he didn't know what to do. But Alpha knew. Alpha always knew what to do.

'Pack trusts Alpha, follows Alpha through life to death.' He would help Alpha. He'd tell the others, too. If they didn't like it, they could leave. Big pony already said pack-mates can go if want, so Buster give them same choice. Alpha would find something for Buster to do, and Buster would follow Alpha. Just like Buster had always done. Nothing would distract him from his duty.

'Hope Eve stay. She pretty.'

Ok, almost nothing. Buster was sure Alpha would forgive thinking about her.

Auto's eyes tracked every movement in the medical room, watching as the ponies finished working on the last injured gnoll.

'Stupid ponies. Why we still here, why we not take them yet?' he thought to himself. He watched as his larger pack mate, Buster, relaxed against a wall, dozing off as if he were back in the den.

'This not den, he stupid? Maybe catch stupid from pony, but Auto not. Too much brains. All pony's fault. If not fight back, not lose so many of pack. Then not lose to what attack den. Bet big pony knew about attack, that why ask send Auto away, so not be there to help den.' The little gnoll was seething with anger, looking around the medical area. It was against everything he knew. The ponies healed the sick, not kicked them out. The ponies knew nothing of fighting, and were only good as slaves and meat. Why did Buster follow big pony? Looking around at the remains of the pack, he made his decision. He'd challenge Buster for position of Alpha, then lead the pack away from stupid ponies. Find new den, become strong again. Maybe take some ponies with as slaves.

His attention was dragged to a mad giggling, seeing crazy pony trotting happily to his desk with a blood bug attached to his nose.

"Maybe not take slave, not have place to keep anyway." The gnoll muttered to himself.

Even as lunch passed, a unicorn worked feverishly in the war room. There were buildings to design, crops to plan, resources to allocate, not to mention figuring out where to put all of the things still sitting in the courtyard before the storm struck. Looking out the window, he could see the rumbling clouds in the distance. They awoke a fear in the unicorns heart for a grand total of three seconds, before he smothered it, remembered the Nightmare's words.

'If a race of magic-deficient creatures can learn to live with no control of the weather, so can I. Let no one say that Shadow Weaver was shown up by a creature with not a single mote of mana.'

He went back to his work, scribbling out a few lists before rushing out into the hallway and hoofing it on to a passing pony, ordering them to deliver it to Gleam. Wondering how he would seal the war room and the library against the rain, his question was answered by a buzzing noise, as a changeling flew about the outside of the room, rubbing a strange goop into the cracks in the temple before blasting them solid with its fiery magic. The creature worked quickly, sealing the cracks and attaching wooden boards held in place by pegasi over the holes.

'Maybe the Nightmare was onto something when He kept the bugs.' He absentmindedly thought, watching as within minutes, the war-room's walls were sealed against the coming storm. The Nightmare did so much for him, He vindicated Weaver's existence. The Nightmare's resurrection proved to him that he wasn't just following some fairytale, that change was possible. The Nightmare confused him, it was true, but he realized why he had so many problems trying to understand his ruler's ways. Weaver was attempting to understand the mind of a God. As if a mortal could ever hope to understand that!

'Not only that, His Darkness even explained to me why He helped us, and I brushed it aside like the heathen I was.' He thought, shaking his head. 'Truly He could have struck me down for my stupidity right then and there, speaking against His will. But once again He knew better, as He always does. I will not let my Lord down again.' The nightmare was in His room resting, recovering from whatever ailed Him, but His wishes were clear. The Nightmare wanted this place to be a refuge for ponies, thestrals, griffins, changelings and the, ugh, gnolls, or whatever else showed up at the temple, then fine.

Shadow Weaver would make this place the best Celestia-damned paradise he could.

Everything you know is gone. Everything you cherish has withered away. Everything you love has long since crumbled to dust...

She spread another layer of wax over another patch exposed dirt, before igniting her horn, leaving only the sealed substance that would keep the chamber warm and dry. The entrance was also rounded now. If water rushed into the basement, much of it would be directed away from her nest. She took another look around, observing her progress so far, and smiled. Food was plentiful, she had a nest she didn't have to actively defend, and all-

*throb*

The changeling winced, clutching her head with a hoof. Shaking off the pain, she snarled, storming up to the second floor. She pushed through the nauseating field of depression, and bucked open the door to the room Safe/Warm/Food was staying. His current mood was driving her mad, well, mad again, this time with the pain the waves of depression were causing her. She'd begun relying on the large kind of/not really prey. He offered everything she needed, and asked only that she not hurt his hatchlings. She even saw the hatchlings of other queens in the halls, not just ponies and cat-birds. He would treat her hatchlings the same, right? So she'd made a passive link to him, allowing her to taste his emotions no matter where he was, and funnel just a little of it into herself, allowing her to feed whenever she was hungry.

Now that link was the cause of her pain. His depression was rolling off of him in waves, driving the changeling hatchlings away, causing the pony hatchlings to emit bitter sadness, and worst of all was funneling depression right into her, giving her indigestion. Slowly, the alicorn turned to look at who had just kicked his door, and she swung at him.

*Crack*

Ted could only stare in confusion as the proto-queen glared at him, hoof still raised from where she'd back-hoofed him across the face. Slowly he raised his left hoof, touching the now-tender spot on his cheek and pulling the hoof away, checking for any blood.

"Disgusting, bitter. Giving me headache and scaring hatchlings away. Stop it." She hissed at him. It was all Ted could do to just nod along, wondering where the hell she'd come from. Finally, she rubbed her own muzzle with a hoof, before speaking again. "Say want to learn of us? Learn of changelings? We taste emotion, each different to us. What you feel before? Bitter, disgusting, almost make me sick. Had to push through to reach you, room still spinning. Do again, I do more than hit. You scare all hatchlings in Nest." Finishing her rant, the changeling turned for the door, unsteadily making her way to the hallways.

'Oh my god, I can't even be depressed without hurting someone here, how messed up is that?' Shaking his head, he rubbed his temple with his right hoof, wanting to avoid rubbing the tender spot. 'God dammit, just leave me to my mise-'

There was a flash of black and grey from the doorway, a painful impact near his eye, and Ted's world spun as he was thrown from the bed.

Author's Notes:

Moral of the story? Female on Male violence = funny, Male on Female violence = assault.

Yes, the proto-queen's part was fun to write. Yes, leaving you guys to call her the not-quite-queen makes me happy. No, I will not be happy for too much longer.

Oh, and I just watched the trailer for Fallout 4. *Random Fanboy noises*

Marriage and Leadership

*BZZZZZZZZZZ*

'I should be angry right now, even if that punch didn't leave so much as a bruise.' Ted thought to himself.

*ZZZZZZZZZZ*

'I should be furious that she bit me again, this time using some type of muscle relaxant.'

*ZZZZZZZZZZ*

'I should be smashing her face along every wall on the way to the door, then throw her out into the jungle before mulching her, just as I promised.'

*ZZZZZZZZZZZ*

'But I'll be damned if this isn't the best I've felt in years.'

The alicorn was lying limply on his bed, with the proto queen sitting between his wings, the loud buzzing of her wings the only sound in the room. The same buzzing that was giving a wonderful massage to his back. His physiology had long ago worked the venom out of his system, but the pleasant numbness the buzzing was leaving in his muscles took up the venoms job, leaving him capable of moving, but lacking the motivation to do so.

"Much better. Not taste so bad now. Not scare entire nest anymore." The changeling mumbled into his neck, apparently starting to doze herself. It really didn't matter to Ted, though. Nothing did at the moment.

As he dozed off to sleep, his last thoughts were 'At the very least, she's useful for back massages.'

The next morning was just all around better for the dark alicorn. Sure he still had a cloud hanging over his head, and didn't have much in the way of energy, but at least he was no longer in that downward spiral. Ted remembered reading about such things in psychology, but to actually experience it? Looking back at his fears, most of them were downright excessive. What the hell would he do if a meteorite hit the planet in the time he was gone? What would he do even if he was there? Jack diddly, except die along with everyone else. The major emotion that clouded him today was embarrassment. It had taken a still-recovering changeling that could barely speak full sentences to pull him out of his spiraling depression.

Eating a small breakfast, he watched the ponies in the dining hall chattering quietly, shooting him the occasional glance. The proto queen was right; his depression seemed to have spilled over to all of those he was watching over, leaving the normally chipper ponies in a somber mood. It left a bad taste in his mouth, a different kind of depressed. He was dragging everyone around him down. Luckily, it was a type of depressed humans learned to deal with. Finishing his meal, Ted stood up and addressed those still in the dining hall.

"I'll be heading to the ritual room in half an hour and will be there until lunch. I will take an hour or two break for said meal, then I will return to the ritual room for another three hours. Should anyone be ready, meet me there with your partner and I will perform any weddings or acknowledge herds. Please pass the news on to the others."

Saying his piece, the alicorn left the dining hall and headed to his room to freshen himself up. He still looked like he'd been to a battle ground, with blood on his hooves and the smell of ash and death faintly stuck to him. That was no condition to preside over weddings in.

"Swift. Humble. get your flanks in here!" He yelled, leaving a slight rumble in the stones of the temple. It worked though, as soon enough both ponies came rushing into his room.

"I look like shit and will be presiding over weddings shortly. I need a bath STAT, and would like to look and smell like I did not just roll through a graveyard. Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated."

Both ponies gave a salute, one hoof going over their chests, and the two set to work.

"Do you have the gifts?" Ted asked the couple before him. At their nod, he turned to the stallion and continued. "Temporal Flux, do you accept Brook Ballad into your heart, to guard and cherish not 'till her death, but your own? To love her and keep her and any you may bring into your family? To accept her counsel and provide her with your own in times of doubt?"

"I-I do, Father."

"And do you, Brook Ballad, accept Temporal Flux into your life?" Ted asked the mare. "Do you promise to love him and cherish him till death takes hold of you? Do you swear to treat him and any family you two may make or find in this life not with the love that is traded between friends, but an undying loyalty and love that inspires those who see it?"

"Yes! I do!"

"Then by my right as sovereign of this land, I ask that you exchange gifts, kiss, and be recognized officially as the Ballad Family."

There were many similarities between a pony wedding and the one or two religious weddings the alicorn had witnessed as a child. There was an exchange of gifts, in human weddings this was the rings. Being that the temple was in the ass end of no-where, he'd changed that to gifts, basically anything that could be exchanged(couples were promised the chance to have a redo at a later date if they wanted to use bangles or horn rings once things improved). There were a few witnesses, the best mare, and the exchanging of vows. But there were so many differences. The couple wasn't expected to stick around and chat, as they had business to attend to after the wedding, though a few did delay to be witnesses or aid in the weddings of their friends. There was also the fact that many of the families seemed to take the mares name. That had been confusing, till he remembered that ponies were matriarchal after so long being ruled by the princesses.

Next there was the lack of many religious overtones. Most weddings he'd heard of had something related to spiritual oaths. It was for that reason he wanted the Till Death Do Us Part in the wording, even if it wasn't verbatim. Next was the fact that the one presiding over the wedding was apparently supposed to rattle off whatever came to mind during the vows, as there were no set vows to exchange. Then there was the length of the weddings. They were wonderfully concise, usually taking about an hour each, instead of the full afternoon affairs that some human weddings turned into. Some of that could be explained away by the fact that there would be no receptions and families were not around to dote on the couple, but Ted took it as a blessing.

Another difference was the fact that sometimes there were multiple ponies forming a herd. Out of 14 weddings, he'd acknowledged two herds, both consisting of two mares and a stallion. The wording for them were the same as regular weddings, but the vows and exchanges went three ways. He'd wondered if there should have been something about avoiding favoritism, but it turned out even mentioning it was taboo, as the family was not only supposed to avoid it, avoiding favoritism was expected in a herd setting.

The weddings were also strangely fun to preside over. Ted expected to be bored out of his mind doing this, but each pony was either terrified and nervous, or nearly hopping around the dais with excitement. Then there were the looks he was seeing shooting around the room. He'd probably look into some type of sound dampening spell tonight, and make sure the nursery had one over its wall as well. Don't need those poor kids getting kept up all night, as he was almost expecting would happen if he did nothing. Ted grimaced at the thought. He had no desire to explain to Rose, Adamant, and the others why the older ponies were wrestling in bed.

As the last new family walked out the door, the poor stallion almost being dragged out by his tail by two mares, Ted found his mood properly lifted. It was the main reason he set this up. A nice distraction, and a mood booster for both him and his followers.

'Mission accomplished. Probably head out tomorrow to restock. Slop said the supplies were starting to dwindle again.'

The dark alicorn had avoided buying food from the port( aside from seeds for crops), knowing that the money would be infinitely more useful being used for other things, things that his followers couldn't make or find out here in the jungles. Trotting up the stairs from the underground ritual chamber, he was met by two creatures. One was the largest of the gnolls, leaning against the wall waiting for him. The other was the changeling that had been given to him by the pack as tribute. The changeling stepped forward first, bowing and delivering a message.

"The proto-queen requested that you visit her in her nest after dinner. She said she needed to discuss something with you." Afterwards, the changeling, whose name he still hadn't learned, took off.

'Blast, I still don't know half the ponies here. Now I also have gnolls to learn about. I can only guess how odd their traditions and rules are. One way to find out, I guess.' Ted thought to himself, turning to the large canine patiently waiting for him.

"Are your pack-mates doing well?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you Dark One." The gnoll muttered. "I Buster, current Alpha of Swift-paw pack." The gnoll hesitated for a moment, before dropping to all fours, ears splaying to either side. He drew a club and placed it on the ground in front of Ted. "Seek home for pack, but not know how to lead. Ask pony Alpha if he help. I not leader. I guard, warrior, scout. Follow orders, not know how to give."

Ted just stared at the gnoll for a moment. It took stones to admit that, and he could empathize with the guy. Leadership wasn't something everyone could do. Hell, the only reason Ted was leading was because none of the ponies seemed to have the foggiest when it came to it, barring Shadow and Gleam, and even those two only seemed to come up with short term goals. There was no vision, no dreams of where they would go in the future. A leader needed more than charisma. A leader needed to give his followers a reason to get up in the morning. To give his followers hope that tomorrow would be better, even if they had to wait through many bad tomorrows to see the improvement.

"So you wish to join us here? What does the rest of your pack think of this decision?" the alicorn asked.

"Not ask yet. Not sure how. How tell them not good enough, tell them not strong enough to help? Pony Alpha smart, yes? Tell Buster, how tell pack not good as Alpha?"

"I'd be happy to help you, Buster. It's a very hard thing to do, telling others your not fit for a position. It sometimes takes a special kind of strength to do something like that. Are there any other pack-mates who you would follow, who you would prefer lead in your stead? If so, I suggest nominating them and stepping aside."

"Only other strong pack-mate be Auto. He not, not right in head. Not think like Alpha, always want to fight. Get pack killed."

Ted nodded, he'd seen the other gnoll, and Auto did seem very aggressive, baring his fangs at anyone who looked him in the eye like he was looking for a fight.

"I think I have a solution for you Buster. Tell your pack-mates to meet me in the courtyard."

There were a total of seven adult gnolls that showed up in the courtyard following Buster, two more still not allowed to move under Trauma's orders. Soon, they were all seated before Buster and Ted. Watching them looking at him with a mixture of fear and hope, he smiled.

'My allies will look to the shadows with hope, and my enemies morale will fall with the setting sun.' He thought, before frowning.

'Where the hell did that come from?' Shaking his head, he took a final glance at the gathered canines before speaking.

"Buster has asked me for advice and I was more than happy to provide it. He claims to be unworthy of his current position, something that is difficult to admit. However, his reluctance to lead leaves you all in an odd position, so this is my offer. If any of you wish to stay here, you will follow my orders as Alpha. If any of you object, you are free to leave at any time. If any of you harm my followers, I will not only kick you out, I will leave you in the jungle tied up like a nice little snack for whatever predator finds you." Ted said to the gathered canines. His gaze lingered on several of them, though he ended up staring at the smaller male identified as Auto by the end, watching the little gnoll seethe with rage at his words.

"No, not listen to stupid pony. Challenge Buster for Alpha." The raging gnoll yelled.

"Buster is not the Alpha, as you'd know if you were listening. Your challenge is useless. If you'd like to leave, you may. However, if any of the pack wishes to stay here, they are welcome to." The alicorn said calmly, fully expecting the outburst after Buster's warning. "Those of you that stay will follow my orders as you would an Alpha, as you will while you stay here."

"No! Pack follow me. Pony not Alpha, pony weak. Challenge big pony!" Ted only stared in confused silence at the angry ball of fur. Had the gnoll really just challenged him after the alicorn not only wiped out their raiding party, but offered them shelter? He sighed and turned to Buster.

"So what are the rules for a chal-"

Before the words were out of his mouth, he felt claws digging into his barrel as Auto latched onto him, biting and clawing anything he could reach, but barely breaking the alicorns skin. Giving off a burst of energy that threw the pest off of him, Ted watched as the gnoll picked itself up and quickly rushed him again. As Auto prepared to launch himself at his opponent once more, the alicorn fired a small explosion between them, similar to those he used to chase predators from the fields during harvest runs.

The gnoll staggered, shaking the stars from his eyes, and looked up to see a tail. He barely had time to bring his arms up in a block before a single hoof bucked him into the jungle underbrush. Turning to watch the area he'd launched his attacker into Ted shot a question to the gnolls.

"Is this an 'until one side yields' fight? Or am I expected to kill him?"

"C-can be either, Dark One." One of the females answered. "Alpha's usually leave injury on pups that attack when not ready to lead, discourage stupid attacks. Auto have many, but ignore each one."

"So it may be best..." Ted shook his head. More blood isn't what he wanted right now, but he wasn't going to leave an insane mutt to stab his followers in the back because he didn't have the stones to put the damn thing down, nor was he going to let a rabid gnoll with a score to settle wander off and direct a larger force to his followers just to spite them. The alicorn's ears flicked, and he formed a single shadow blade. Auto burst from the jungle in a frenzy of teeth and claws, rushing his target with fangs bared and drool running down his fur. Just shy of his target, the gnoll collapsed, his body bleeding freely from the horrific gash in his torso, his right arm nearly entirely disconnected.

The gnoll had run straight into the shadow blade Ted had formed between himself and the jungle, the spell almost invisible in the growing shadows cast by the trees in the setting sun. It was not the outcome the alicorn wanted, but it did emphasize the problem the pack would have had with Auto as the leader.

"A berserker is a terrifying thing to face on the battlefield, but even more horrific is a leader with those kinds of ideals." He said, turning from his expiring opponent and facing the pack. "Buster knew this, as did many of your elders. In fact, I'm sure some of you at least had the idea that Auto being Alpha would have been a bad thing." Some of the gnolls nodded, others merely staring at the alicorn who seemed unfazed by the trickles of blood flowing down the front of his barrel. "The offer stands. We could always use fighters, and I'm sure Amald would be willing to work with you during your hunts. If any of you wish, we will be going out gathering tomorrow. Bring a bag and a weapon, and we'll get you supplied with some decent food. In the meantime I ask that you treat those also living here with respect, and I ask that you deal with Auto's body as you see fit. I've no experience with your people's customs, and have no idea where to begin with burial and death."

With the gnolls situation seemingly handled, albeit not in the way he'd have liked, Ted headed to the dining hall for a small meal, though he'd make a quick stop at the infirmary on the way. The scratches were tingling, and there was no way he was risking an infection from a mad gnoll. Then he'd find out what that proto-queen was up to. Maybe sometime along the way he'd decide if he was going to smash her through a wall or hug her.

After picking at his meal for a good ten minutes, Ted made his way to the newly constructed nest. The death of yet another gnoll on his ha-hooves left a bitter taste in his mouth, despite the creature's apparent insanity. Arriving at the tunnel he'd given the larger changeling, he was surprised at just how much she'd accomplished.

The tunnel now had a lip at the entrance, presumably to keep debris in or out, and the entirety of the chamber had been covered in a strange black hardened material he'd seen in the shape shifters' nest by the port. Wandering into the nest, this time also watching the ceiling, he found the proto-queen sitting in the back on a raised platform that was covered in a blanket. Though at first she seemed asleep, as he approached, her eyes opened and she raised her head to watch him approach.

"You here, good. Finish while making ponies happy, nest ready at last." The last statement came out almost as a giggle, the excitement she was feeling obvious.

"Need one last thing. Come close." She said, beckoning with a hoof.

Ted just stared at the changeling. "Do I have stupid written on my forehead? Each time you've gotten close to me you've either hit me or bitten me."

The changeling seemed to deflate at that jab, before allowing her wings to float her off the bed and onto her hooves before the alicorn.

"Promise to not hit or bite." She said, making an X across the front of her carapace with a hoof. At Ted's raised eyebrow, she rolled her own, and added to the list. "Also promise not hurt or incapacitate in any way. Have need. Want to visit during next few days, keep full. Queen that has much food becomes stronger after final molt from proto-queen." She stepped closer to him, almost cuddling against him. "Keep link safe, yes? Stronger alicorn make stronger queen, stronger queen make stronger alicorn. Help each other, both get stronger."

"And what believable promise can you make that you'll still help me after you become a queen?" Ted asked.

Suddenly she giggled, bouncing back onto her bed. "This." She said, sticking out her serpentine tongue, with had-

Ted whipped his head to his side, using a hoof to raise his mane to his eyes, before looking back to the proto queen. She'd taken a small clip of hair from his mane while sitting by him even after promising... alright. Technically she didn't hurt him, so she didn't lie, but she seemed to love skirting the boundaries.

"Why did you steal my hair?"

She pulled the hair into her mouth. "Secret. Promise it not bad. Think you like. Mother mention this before, before she went away." She giggled once more before swallowing, smiling mischievously at him.

"Not get back now, yes?"

Ted rolled his eyes. He'd ask Mirage if changelings had any weird hair voodoo that he should worry about, maybe ask Luna if such magic even existed on this world. Otherwise the proto-queen was still valuable, and if things worked out he'd have a loyal and powerful ally. Surely putting up with her shenanigans over the next few days would be worth that, right?

Author's Notes:

"They thought we were food. I have taught them otherwise." -Yoda, from The Hunger in the Galaxy of Fear series.

No excuses, only dreams.

Proper Plot Care

It had been four days since the proto-queen first stole that clip of hair from Ted, and he'd assumed the changeling wouldn't be too much of a problem. Yes she seemed a lot more touchy, tended to show up for meals at inopportune times, and was generally as clingy as a small child, but it wouldn't be much longer. The previous night had seen her slowing down, her eyes looking a bit glassy, her steps a bit more wobbly. Actually, that was probably why she was so clingy. Her final molt seemed to have left her weak, and he was the largest and safest thing in the jungle.

Looking at the sleeping changeling curled up under his wing, he chuckled. Yes she was a pain in the flank, that didn't stop it from being funny when she teased the other changelings or made fun of Shadow for tasting weird. That last one he assumed was the fact that Shadow Weaver seemed to be obsessed with enacting his plans to construct the buildings around the Temple of the Shadows, sometimes even foregoing sleep to work late into the night. Ted had ordered the stallion to bed several times after waking up and finding him drooling over the maps in the war room.

Stretching his wings, still stiff from his first few practices with Blur, he went through his morning rituals before nudging the proto-queen, waking her up to tell her he was taking off, but she didn't react. Confused, he tried again, louder, before escalating to shoving her. Still the changeling didn't react. Worried something was wrong, he flashed his life detection spell, breathing a sigh of relief when the shape-shifter glowed under the spell. Trotting out the room and down the hall, he entered the nursery and approached Mirage.

"Mirage, do you have a moment?" He whispered, seeing the foals still sleeping.

The smaller changeling nodded sleepily, following him into the halls. Finally getting back to his room, he sat before his bed, gesturing to the still insensate proto queen.

"Is this normal, or is something wrong with her?" He asked. "I've tried waking her up, but she doesn't even flinch."

Mirage sighed, before flitting around the larger being, poking and prodding here, rubbing a hoof there, muttering to herself all the while. Finished with her observations, she landed next to the alicorn once more, before turning to face him.

"If you decide you don't want her to become a queen, now would be the time to act. She's undergoing the final stages of her last proto queen molt right now. From what one of my sisters told me, they're pretty deep changes, so the proto queen usually hibernates through them to avoid the discomfort. Of course, by discomfort I mean gut wrenching pain. I think she said the final stage only lasts a few hours, she'll wake up later and break out of her old chitin a full fledged queen."

"So nothings wrong?" Ted asked.

"No, nothing's wrong, except with your head. With all due respect, of course." The shape shifter replied, staring at the hibernating proto queen.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he thanked her for her help, before heading to breakfast. There were some things he needed to check on today before he met with Blur in the courtyard.

Walking out into the morning sun, the alicorn noted the buildings finally going up around the Temple. The smithy was about half-way complete, still missing the outer structure but having all the important parts already set up, like the forge and the anvil. Inside, directing the final placement of tool racks and storage bins for metals were an earth pony mare and a gnoll. Walking up to the building, the gnoll responded to him first.

"Can Spot help Dark One?" The canine asked.

"Hello Spot, how are you and Sterling handling the things here?"

"Almost done, Dark One. Pony know much about metal, but not like make weapons." Spot explained. "So Spot learn, then make better claws for pack. Pony make what she want, Spot make what he want, everydoggy happy!"

"Good to hear. We need some decent armaments for everyone while we're this deep in the jungle. Let Sterling know I stopped by." Having said his piece, Ted continued on his inspection. The outdoor barracks wouldn't be used to a while, but it gave them extra living and storage space once it was completed. Until they either left or the group grew, it could possibly be used for a merchants quarters until they built an actual inn.

Ted smiled at that thought. Ponies, changelings, griffins, dragons, thestrals, gnolls, creatures of all walks of life sharing a drink and a good story over a hearty meal. That was something he could back. He may not see it in his lifetime, but it was still fun to dream of it. How would this place grow if he did his job right? No world-ending mistakes, just a small group that barely qualified as a village growing into an honest to god city. Generations growing up, looking to the old temple and saying 'That's where it happened, that's where my great-great-great grandpa and grandma helped summon Cim-Theodore, the one who helped them, who presided over their wedding, and who turned this place from an abandoned temple in the middle of the jungle into the home it is now.'

How long would he live in this current form? Luna and her sister were damn near immortal, so surely a bit of that longevity would rub off on him. He was betting it would add at least a hundred years to his life, maybe two if he was lucky and didn't push himself into an early grave with stupid mistakes. He frowned then, the thoughts of life and death drawing him back to thoughts of home. He still wanted to go home, but would he survive it? Unless he managed to get Luna's memories not just sealed but outright removed, they still posed a threat, not to mention the fact that he didn't want to just leave the cultists in the middle of the jungle with no protection. At the very least he wanted them settled to the point of being safe, maybe even look into actually pushing against the mad queen, freeing the alicorns and those ponies she was using to power her arrays. He wanted to help this world, not just those he happened to be able to see and speak to.

Then there was the issue of dimensional travel. How much did they actually have researched on the topic? Did the ponies have the ability to trace things back to their point of origin? If not, how many years would it take to find his own home? Would anything he knew back home even be there by the time he got back?

Ted shook his head. He'd already traveled that path earlier, he didn't need to revisit it just yet. Going back to his inspection, he came across his first major request that was already nearing completion. Before him stood a large plot of land, cleared over the last few days of lumber and food, being tilled and seeded for farming. From Gleams estimates, the smaller plants would be harvestable within two weeks, while the trees were several years down the road. The bushes would, if treated properly, be usable by the end of the season. Ted shook his head at the thought. The idea of a pony's magic accelerating crop growth beyond anything hundreds of years of science could accomplish blew his mind if he stopped to think about it. It was also a wonderful relief to hear the foraging trips would be cut down in the future. Around the fields a small barrier was being erected, wooden fences lined with simple deterrent arrays to keep pests and rodents out of the fields. Walking the perimeter of the construction, he talked with his followers, new and old, and generally attempted to get an idea of where morale sat. Overall, it seemed that the ponies were happy, their current situation better than they expected to find in the middle of nowhere. The gnolls were harder to read, though he was thankful for their efforts. Many stood guard throughout the work zones, keeping watch for predators and bandits, while several pegasi had set up a cloud-based lookout over the Temple of the Shadows. His current goal was to be able to inspect that building as well, but it was currently beyond what he felt safe trying to do. Baring his fangs in a grin, Ted headed off to his next stop. It was time to visit his favorite little zealot.

"...and remember to check your feathers' alignment before each flight. Most pegasi memorize the feeling of their feathers after a few years, but you don't really have that luxury. You forgot yesterday and ended up crashing because of it." Blur said, running a trained eye over Ted's wings and pointing out any misbehaving feathers. It was part of the training he'd asked her for, a 'Don't do it for me, let me know what to do and how to do it, then tell me if I do it wrong' set up. He was becoming a bit more comfortable with setting the feathers, though doing it with his mouth would always remind him of the times he'd get hair in his mouth after a haircut. He'd spend several minutes spitting and sometimes even wipe his tongue off, only to sputter after the taste of mud from his hooves ended up in his mouth.

'Sometimes I really miss my hands.' he thought forlornly. Magic allowed for more precise movement of many more objects, it was true. However, Ted had yet to learn how to use it to wipe feathers and dirt from his tongue.

"Ok, we're going to start by hovering a few paces off the ground." Blur said, taking flight.

Ted followed her up a few feet, the basic takeoff never really giving him any trouble. He'd looked up a spell for observing mana flow after the disaster of his first practice in which he couldn't even get any lift, speculating that magic was involved in keeping creatures as aerodynamic as a brick in the air. His gamble paid off in spades, allowing him to observe the individual beats of Blur's wings driving not only air, but magic downwards as well. After figuring out how to get the magic flowing to his wings, he'd managed to launch himself nearly forty feet into the air on accident. Only a quick shift to a more shadowy form kept him from sustaining any injuries from that mistake.

'Moving forwards is like the breast stroke, turning is done by shifting the wings while in motion, unless you're at a stand still, then its a slight shift of the wings on each beat, left is left wing pushing forward a bit and right wing pushing backwards a bit, right is vice versa.' Ted reviewed. The mechanics were a nightmare to learn, on top of everything else he was having to learn, like the basics of magic from an old tome he'd snuck out of the library when no-one was looking, or local geography( thank god for boy scout map reading classes). Still, the ability to move as quickly as a bird, able to respond to any threats in his land was just too much to pass up. What if things had gone badly for the griffon and the thestrals? He'd have been too late to help them, even moving at top speed. If something else happened in his territory, Ted was going to be able to respond like lightning.

Blur circled him a few times, watching every movement of his wings. "Ok, now try moving forward a bit. Remember, its all about the twist of the wings and where you push the magic."

Ted complied, slowly inching forward, before reversing his wings, throwing the magic forward a bit to counter his momentum. Slowly, he then started twisting to face the smaller flyer too lost in his concentration to see the grin on her face. It was about control at this point for him, as his power was well beyond what pegasi usually have. Taking a deep breath, Ted started pushing down with a little more force, slowly rising higher into the sky. He still had his human fear of heights, and that would only distract him in the future. Ignoring Blur's confused attempts at getting his attention, he slowed his ascent, and opened his eyes.

Jungle. As far as he could see, the trees stretched on forever. Rotating to the west, he spotted the ocean in the distance, the top of the abandoned town's guard tower barely identifiable over the trees. A quick look north left a small speck in the distance, a shift of colors alerting him to a boat either coming in to port or leaving for another dock. It was breathtaking, something he only ever saw from either a plane or the top of a skyscraper. And it was all under his own power. He could feel the winds, he could probably even go and touch the clouds if he had the mind to.

Smiling, he brought the shadow-form spell to the forefront of his mind. It was something he'd wished he'd thought of several times over the last week, but as they said, hindsight was twenty-twenty. Slowly giving himself some forward momentum, he spread his wings and allowed a steady stream of mana to flow, leaving him in a slow glide.

'Hold them steady, mana output at about point five percent for this kind of thing. Don't panic. If you start to fall too fast, add more. Don't panic. After a while, twist to the left, pull the wings up a bit while angled to turn, and then allow yourself to level out. Don't panic.' He could vaguely make out the sounds of beating wings, but didn't look, for fear of losing his concentration.

'Holy hell, I'm actually doing- no, focus, that gets people killed. Turning, turning, level-whoa, level out, ok. Now more gliding.'

After returning to the airspace over his original training spot, he started flapping again, throwing himself much higher than he'd anticipated.

"Shit!" 'Don't panic. Don't panic, panic and you die. It's the magic output, you're not gliding anymore, turn it down.'

The alicorn's ascent stopped, followed by a quick increase in downward momentum.

'Too low!' Before he hit the ground, he activated the shadow-form spell, leaving a dark blur to bounce off of the ground.

"Father!" Blur was at him a moment later, trying to check a shuddering shadow for injuries, only to be spooked when the color returned to the alicorn with an explosion of sound.

"Hahaha, oh my god, that was sick!" Ted laughed, rolling back onto his hooves. "That was bucket-list material right there, fly under your own power. And the view! The sooner I get this under control the better, I can't wait to get this licked!"

Finally becoming aware of the fact he'd just scared the color off of a Pegasus, Ted took a few giggling breaths to calm himself. Still giggling quietly, he picked up the spooked mare, and gave her a fierce hug.

"Thanks, Blur. I'm sorry if I spooked you, but I got a bit carried away. I promise to warn you if I get any more dumb ideas while practicing, ok?" A murmer and a nod were his only response.

"Alright, well, since we just finished that wonderful workout, how about we get some dinner, ok?"

Dinner was uneventful, though the alicorn would continue to burst into giggles until the rest of the adrenaline worked its way out of his system. The rest of the evening was spent on spell-craft and geography, as well as meeting up with Gleam and Shadow as they brought any major issues to his attention. Seeing the two spending so much time working together, Ted had jokingly asked if he'd be presiding over another wedding in the future. Shadow had almost immediately dismissed the idea, citing not having the time with the community sitting on the edge of disaster seemingly every day. Gleam seemed to stare at her fellow unicorn for a few seconds after the comment though, earning a chuckle from Ted, and a request for at least a week's notice beforehand. Fighting her blush, and sputtering a few times, the unicorn countered.

"What about your Changeling pet? She's been practically attached to you for the last few days. In fact I've not seen her since last night." Afterwards, the mare immediately covered her mouth.

Ted just laughed at the jab "She's cute for her kind, yea, but she's still young and, I don't know, she's still recovering. Not only that, she's going through her final proto-queen molting right now, so she's weak. If I lost most of my strength for a few days, I'd stick close to someone I trusted as well." Smiling sadly, he looked up from the maps to Gleam. "Don't be afraid to speak your mind, Gleam, you and Shadow, hell, everyone here is a family. If something bothers you, speak up, if something looks stupid, say so. I don't need to end up losing people to a stupid mistake because someone was too scared of my ire to warn me of a danger in my plans. You two are advisors here, not royal yes-men."

"S-sorry, father, I just got a little carried away." Gleam stuttered out. "And, thank you. It's nice to see everyp-everyone smiling again. It was getting bad before the ritual."

"Some of us thought it would get worse afterwards, actually." Shadow muttered, not looking up from the document he was pouring over. "You know for a fact I was one of the ponies in that particular camp." Suddenly he stopped, staring Ted in the eyes. "I fully expected to die out here, either by the claw of a monster or at your own hoof. I'm... still working out how I feel about the current possibilities for the future."

Ted looked at the stallion with sorrow in his eyes. "How you were before, Shadow? Running headlong into what you thought was certain death? I appreciate what it did for me, but never let yourself fall that far again. It's why we keep other's by our side. It's why I keep pushing you all to try for a better future. What you were before was a person without hope, right? That's why you came out here, why you tried bringing back a being that you thought would kill you out of boredom. Without hope, we can't live. Hope is why we get up in the morning. Hope is why we push through the aches and pains of each day. Hope is why we continue, even when we have nothing, because when we lose hope, we die. We may still be alive, walking the world as others do, but we're not actually living that life, are we? Without hope, we're just an empty shell, waiting until the day death takes us."

Shadow Weaver chewed his lips a few moments before standing, removing his cloak for the first time in Ted's memory. Underneath was a lean, battered body, several signs of scaring showing through his coat.

"I was always the odd one out, Father. A name like Shadow Weaver, and everyone assumes I use necromancy or dark magic. Even Celestia's school for gifted unicorns wouldn't have me. I aced the exams, had the power they required, but they took one look at me, at my name, at my cutie mark, and said I'd destroy the country if I ever got the chance. That with the proper training the only thing I'd manage is to be the next Sombra."

Ted glanced around the table at the now displayed image, an image he recognized from the spell books as an array. The details didn't make sense to him, but all things considered, the story didn't seem that farfetched. A pony's name seemed to be linked to their magic, as was their emblem, a direct display of their talent manifested through their magic. A pony with a dark name and a strange symbol on their rump? People had been burned at the stake on Earth for less.

Cocking his head slightly, the alicorn asked one last question. "I assume you know what the array does?"

Shadow chuckled turning to look at the mark once more. "It's a shielding array."

The conversations turned more work related and lighthearted after the revelations. Having a pony as rough as Shadow baring his soul like that to him left Ted feeling a bit at odds with his own worries. Here he was, worried about a second name, one that probably fit his new form better than the 'Mr. Nightmare' thing that was going around, and one of his followers couldn't even introduce himself without others classifying him as an evil sorcerer.

Bidding the two a good night, Ted headed to his room, ready to get some sleep. Opening his door a bit, he was reminded that it was currently in use. Walking up to the insensate changeling, he nudged her once more, before turning to the door, wondering if he'd have to sleep elsewhere. Right next to a comatose person was not how he planned on spending his night, and he wasn't sure if moving her was possible or healthy. As he reached the door though, one of his ears flicked. Turning and approaching the proto-queen, he leaned in closer, hearing small creaks and cracks coming from the chitin.

Suddenly the entire length of the changelings back was ruptured by a large crack, the ashen plates separating to allow the proto queen to escape the older exoskeleton.

'Queen now, I suppose.' Ted thought to himself while backing up a few paces.

As she worked her way free, he noted her new skin seemed a bit darker than it was before. Then with a gasp, she pulled her head free, allowing a clean and full, if short, mane to fall free. Writhing free of the last bits of her prison, she finally managed to separate from the shell, slumping onto the bed and breathing heavily. All the while Ted could only stare at the absolutely bizarre situation unfolding before him. Then it hit him, the reason she stole that clip of hair. Her mane was darker, almost an ashen blue, while most of the plates actually seemed to be missing, or thinner than they had been as a proto queen. Finally, after a few moments airing, the chitin darkened a bit, leaving her ash-white plates a dark blue-grey instead.

Eyes finally coming into focus, she spotted Ted and grinned. Weakly, she brushed a hoof, bearing only slight pock-marks instead of holes, through her short mane.

"Enjoy watching mares struggle out of their old clothes?" She asked him in a rasping voice.

Ted merely stared at the changeling and her discarded shell, before trotting closer, earning a larger grin from the newly molted queen. Lifting a section of his bedding in his magic, he held it in front of her.

"You ruined my sheets."

Author's Notes:

I regret nothing. Except that I stayed up this late typing when I have work in the morning. Yea... Night

Queen Huggle-Buzz

For a few moments the two just stared at each other, the changeling queen in confusion, and the alicorn in exasperation. Finally, Ted stepped into the hallways, returning a few moments later with clean linens. Before the queen could respond, he grabbed the edges of the dirty sheets in his magic, pulled them free and wrapped them and their contents up, including the queen, and levitated them to the floor. He then applied a fresh batch of linens to his mattress. Luckily, the goop didn't seem to seep through the sheets and blankets into his matress, so their was no long term damage, but he wouldn't be surprised if the sheets the queen was currently struggling out of were ruined. Walking past her into his bathroom, he came back out with a few wet rags and towels. The second the queen's head breached her prison, she was smacked in the face with a wet rag.

"Phht-blech, what are you doing?!" She yelled, attempting to bring a hoof to bare to stop the assault.

"Your disgusting, and can barely walk. If you think you're getting back on my bed like that you've got another thing coming." Ted responded, pulling away a few parts of the sheet and slapping more rags onto her form. The bath wasn't ready, but one of the unicorns had managed to get a simple heating array on a bucket, allowing him to make enough warm water to wash his face in the mornings. Slowly the bucket became more disgusting, and the changeling less so, until circling the shivering bug, he couldn't find any more of the slime.

Finishing his route, he was about to say something, but was confused by her expression. She just stared emptily ahead, shuddering every now and again. Poking her garnered no expression, and shoving her nearly sent the catatonic creature back into the soiled linens. Not willing to just put her back in the empty and cold tunnels below the temple, Ted set her on the mattress, wrapped in a blanket, and sat on the other side. He'd need to look into getting a larger one, it seemed. He was still growing, oddly enough, and the pillows and towels he used before were getting smaller as time passed. Ok, so they weren't getting smaller, but relative to him, everything was getting smaller.

Slowly dozing off, he noticed the queen give one more shiver on the bed next to him. Sighing, he pulled her a little closer, letting his body heat keep her warm. She was an insect, right? They didn't generate their own body heat as far as he knew. It was probably why she was so cold despite the warm water. She'd been shivering almost the entire time he was wiping her down. Hopefully by the time her chitin hardened she'd be a bit more resistant to the cold.

The next morning started normally for the alicorn, though he did have to free himself from the surprisingly strong grip of the queen. Breakfast was wonderful, a few of Slop's vegetable cakes with a side of whatever meat the gnolls, griffin and thestrals had found the prior day. The ponies in the hall chattered happily, a good sign to him, and several seemed quite attached to those they sat next to, as he saw many nuzzles and kisses between followers. Ted grinned at the displays. A person only started actively pursuing love when their other needs were met. Therefore, such displays meant he was doing his job, right? Unfortunately, there was not much more he could accomplish with his current amassment of followers at the moment. Things would have to be allowed to settle, the ponies would need to finish the plans he'd already laid out, and he'd need to expand his influence, either by recruitment, a dangerous route considering it publicized his presence more than he already had, or allowing his current followers to, well, multiply. That was safer, but unlike real time strategy games, a foal was not born at full strength, and the mother would be all but incapacitated towards the end of the pregnancy if it was anything like the human process. Before he could let his mind segue into the genetics involved in a pegasus and a unicorn having a child, he was approached by Mirage, the changeling scowling as she drew near.

"Couldn't wait for that, could you? Her chitin wasn't even properly hardened before you got your hooves on her, I'll bet. I knew, I just knew there was a stupid reason you were keeping her, but for something as simple as that? It's shameful, that's what it is! The highest form of a changeling reduced to, to that!"

"Mirage what are you talking about?" Ted asked the raving shape shifter.

"What am I talking about?!? I, I... You don't actually know, do you? Oh by the First Mother, you really don't. But, but I could sense them from the nursery! The pheromones! The queen was throwing them off like she was... Like you were, well, claiming her last night!"

"Claiming her? What the- oh, oh no no no, I never touched her like that, the thought never reached my mind. No, all I did was knock her and her old shell off my bed, clean my sheets, and wipe that mess off her. She was cold afterwards, so I let her stay with me. She's going to have to go back to her room after this is all settled and her new shell hardens. The only reason I've let her stay so long is because she's been weak the last few days."

"Wiped her, wait, you touched her after she molted?! Do you have any idea how sensitive chitin is after a molt?" At his confused stare, the changeling buried her face in her hooves. "Stars and Sun above, you really have no clue."

"Wait, are you saying that I, by wiping her down while she was still soft I..."

Mirage nodded "I could smell her from down the hallway. So could the nymphs, but I don't think they knew what was going on, just that a queen was nearby, which made them happy. Of course, I'd react the same way she did, if someone hit every point on my body right after a molt."

"Oh my god, she wasn't cold she was... oh my god." Ted wasn't sure he should laugh or cry at this newest bit of information. "Anything else I should be worried about? Anything else I should avoid doing to avoid unintentionally molesting some of my followers?"

Despite the absurdity of the situation Mirage chuckled. "Changelings are most sensitive after a molt, but otherwise it's the same rules for pony contact. We also happen to keep some sensitivity from our horns or wings when we shape shift though, so watch your hooves. I don't know anything about griffins or gnolls though, we were always told to avoid them. Griffins hate changelings with a passion, something about having no honor, and gnolls? Well, this is the first time I've seen them, they don't come close to pony cities."

"And dragons are a bunch of horn dogs, right? I mean, I know I've only run into one, but he seemed really preoccupied with finding a dragoness to keep him company." Ted said with a grin. Sahkest would laugh himself hoarse if he heard about this incident. Suddenly his grin fell. Oh god, Luna would never let him hear the end of it. She'd probably also go into explicit detail of all the spells she'd learned over the years to 'improve the experience.' Nope, there was no way he was letting that mare get that from him.

Shaking his head, he returned his focus to the smaller changeling mare. "No, Mirage, I didn't do anything to her intentionally, nor did I know about your kinds sensitivity after a molt." He chuckled a bit, before a thought struck him. "Speaking of doing things, how have you been sleeping? I've been keeping a sound dampening spell over the nursery these last few days."

"For which I've been extremely grateful, Father. Grift says he's been having a hard time sleeping, though I don't think it bothers him all that much. I offered to let him sleep in the nursery with me, but he's getting fat off all the emotions flying around the dorms at night. A few more days in there and he'll be too fat to fly. As much as it pains me to admit this, we may need to start storing some of the emotions were picking up. I'd ask the queen, but I'm not really ready to talk to her. Could you mention it to her? Maybe ask her if she would mind a part of the nest being used in that way, or even an extension built into the nest for the food storage? I'd ask Gleam for a place, but while she's been nice to me and the nymphs, I don't think she's ready to see that. It tends to, well, scare most ponies."

Ted nodded. "I'll ask her, though I don't know when. I'm probably going to be avoiding her while I figure out how to apologize over this whole incident."

Just then the background chatter slowly started to die, drawing the two's attention to the entrance. Trotting up to Ted with a large grin on her face was the changeling queen. She passed Mirage without a second thought, before stepping onto the slightly raised platform Ted's chair sat on, and planting a kiss on the shocked alicorn's lips.

"That was wonderful, thank you." She said, before giggling and trotting off, slowing about halfway to the door to look back and wiggle her flank at him, before continuing out the door.

The alicorn just sat there, staring after the queen, jaw hanging open even as every set of eyes in the room was on him. Mirage snickered, than exploded into a full out laugh, before turning to him.

"Yea, good luck with that."

"I swear, the more time I spend on this planet, the less sense it makes." Ted muttered to himself, reading yet another spell book in the library. No matter what scenario he put through his mind, he couldn't think of a way to break it to the queen that he wasn't actually interested in her. He was a busy stallion after all, and she was, well...

'A half-starved bug horse that I pulled out of a creepy cave and held on to in order to spite this evil in the sky I've been told about so often.' Actually, it wasn't all that true. She certainly was looking healthier than the skeletal thing he'd carried into the port about a week or so ago. Not only that, most of the plates didn't follow her through the molt. Did that mean she felt safe here, willing to drop her natural armor on the belief that she didn't need it anymore? Why would she think that?

Ted's face hit the desk a moment later, his horn goring the hapless book he'd been reading. 'Because she has a big strong demi-god to protect her now. So having a more attractive form would trump self-defense in this case.'

He'd asked for this. He'd literally gone up to fate and said 'Hey, since things are going so smoothly, think you can spice things up for me again? It's getting too close to normal over here.' And fate, being the gigantic dick it was, looked at him and smiled, saying 'Sure thing, pal! How about an amorous bug thing you know nothing about? No, don't worry, just be nice and shit will happen on its own. After all, the entire changeling race is hunted just for existing, surely helping her won't cause any issues!'

"I asked for this. I asked for this so hard."

"Asked for what?" A voice said as hoofsteps reached his ears. "And why are you killing a spell book with your horn?"

Ted raised his head to look at the visitor, only to have the book slide down his horn, further obscuring his vision. Lighting his horn and attempting to pull the book off, he stopped about half-way to his goal, wracked by alien sensations that sent shivers down his back as the book rubbed against his actively channeling horn. Defaulting to his hooves, he managed to finally get the book off, spotting Shadow Weaver trading books on farming for books on construction planning.

"I've done that before." The unicorn said. "The 'getting things stuck on your horn and trying to take it off with magic' thing. One learns not to do that fair quickly, or we learn to do it faster. Strange feeling. Heard some unicorns enjoy it, though. Just gives me the chills."

"Only the most recent oddity I've run into. It turns out changelings are very sensitive to touch after molting, and I used wet rags to wipe the goop off of the new queen right after she molted, sending her to changeling nirvana."

"Not sure where or what nirvana is, but I don't think your talking about the state of Neighvada, right? I'm going to assume it's another term for Elysium. The open fields in the sky?" The alicorn nodded. "Well, your Darkness, I guess you're just going to have to stallion up and talk to her about it."

Ted stopped short, the smile falling from his face as he looked at the pony that a week ago was practically cowering in his presence. The focus seemed to bring the fear back into Weaver's eyes, uncomfortable doubt turning quickly into an almost hysterical fear.

"I, I'm sorry, Master!" The stallion said, dropping into a grovel. "I don't know what came over me! I've been getting too lax in my prayers, and allowed myself to fall from the path! I promise to say my prayers every morning like I should be, I'll even go to Blur's sermons more often if you want I just-"

"Shadow!" Ted cut the rambling unicorn off. "Relax, you just surprised me. I took no offense to your words." Seeing the pony twisting to lock an eye from his prone position with the alicorn, Ted smiled. "In fact, that kind of thing is why I asked you and Gleam to be more relaxed when it's just us making plans. What good are advisors if you ignore what they say and harm them for disagreeing with you?" Ted laughed at a returning memory, looking back at the unicorn who slowly picked himself up off the floor. "I just remembered something. Next time we make a large-scale plan, we'll get Rose to take a look at it before we implement it, ok?"

"W-what? Why?"

"Rule twelve: One of my advisors will be a small child. Any flaws in my plans he or she can find will be corrected before implementation." Ted said, still chuckling. "It's a list from long ago, a long list of things that most rulers forget. These things often end up with the ruler dying in a painful and ironic way. When our workload lightens up, I'll share some of them with you. If nothing else, it should give you an idea of what to watch out for so you can warn me. When I read them before, it was for a laugh or two, but the more I think about them, the more I want to write them down. It's actually why I want everyone to be happy. Happy followers are loyal followers, unlikely to let a hero who wants to kill me even get into the Temple."

Shadow just stared at him for a moment, eyes glazed with the simple idea. The Nightmare was inspiring fierce loyalty, he knew that from watching Blur preach, and when he'd asked her, she'd not shown any hints of a mind control spell. That zealotry was one hundred percent natural. By making his followers happy, he didn't have to show his power every day to cow the masses. They followed because he was better than the alternative.

Ted chuckled once more at the lost look on the stallions face, followed by what he imagined was enlightenment, before turning back to his book.

The one with a hole right where he was reading.

"Fuzz nuggets."

At last, the alicorn sat before chamber the queen had taken as her nest. The tunnel now even had a door stuck to the strange material that covered the chamber, allowing the room to be fully closed off from the rest of the Temple. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, waited a moment, then opened it.

"Visiting me again already?" The queen asked coyly, her grin visible by the reflection of light on her fangs. "I thought you'd at least wait until the sun went down."

"I'm not here because of last night. Actually, forget that. I am here because of last night, that and something else, just not in the way you're implying." Ted responded, walking up to her as she was building separate sections to the tunnel. She looked a bit darker now that her outer shell had time to harden, though he swore he saw some short fuzz on some of the softer plates of chitin.

"First things first, are you ever going to tell me your name, or am I going to have to call you Queen Huggle-Buzz? Because I will."

The mare stopped dead at his statement, whipping around with a snarl. "If you ever try to call me something like that, I will feed you your own wings!"

"Then give me something to call you." Ted said, unaffected by the explosion of anger.

The queen calmed herself, before trotting forward to meet him. "How about a trade, hmm? Mine for yours?"

"Nightmare." Ted said. The queen immediately turned her head and made a gagging noise.

"Please, at least put some effort into the lie. I can taste emotions remember?" She said. "Not to mention that name, it doesn't feel right. I've felt names before, warm, safe and delicious, and that wasn't it."

Ted raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but was silent. His own or the one Luna gave him? Would his original name read as incorrect to magic senses? Technically, he didn't feel like the new one was his either.

'Why not both?'

"Theodore Cimmerian Fredson." He answered. Maybe that would work, using it as a middle name. He knew many people back home had middle names, and he didn't. At the very least it gave him someplace to put the new name.

The queen seemed to chew this information for a moment, most likely trying to verify it in her own way, before nodding.

"When a queen molts, her name becomes clear to her. I am Queen Pandinus." She said, raising a hoof. Ted met the hoof with his own, grasping it with his hoof's pastern and locking it around hers. The queen looked confused at his positioning for a moment, before nodding at the surprisingly strong grip it yielded.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to have you here. The second thing I'd like to discuss was our, contact last night. I was approached by Mirage this morning-"

Pandinus giggled at the mention of the mare "Ah, the clutch-nurse. She doesn't like me that much, does she?"

"As I was saying," Ted continued. "She approached me this morning and told me about the sensitivity of your kind after a molt, and I'd like to apologize and clear up the confusion. I didn't mean anything other than kindness, and hope you forgive me for the touching you in such a way without permission." He said, bowing his head slightly. "I've not found an interest in you, nor am I looking for a, uh, partner at the moment. Sorry for any confusion." Turning to leave, he was stopped by a giggle.

"Really, now? If that's what you can do without trying, I can't wait to see what you can manage with some actual effort."

Author's Notes:

I have to wonder how many people read this title and thought "Oh my god, why did you pick such a stupid name?!?!"

The answer is, I didn't.

Everything the Light Touches

Ted stood before the entirety of his following, even Queen Pandinus finding a place among the gathered, though he was certain it was to make more lewd gestures at him as he gave his speech. She'd been fairly persistent, taking every available chance to flirt or flaunt herself at him (It turned out that yes, a changeling queen could in fact lick their own horn). Ted took a few breaths to steel himself. He hated public speaking, but this was the future he'd been damned to live. Bracing himself, he stepped onto the makeshift podium that had been set up on top of the Temple of the shadows. Standing tall and proud in his armor, he spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"Followers, I want you to look around you." He said, gesturing the completed smithy, a small storage barn near the finished crop fields, and a larger warehouse styled storage building. "A month ago from today, several ponies gathered in this place to pull a monster from its prison, hoping it would attack the one on the Equestrian throne. A month ago, they learned that the being they received was nothing like they predicted, that it was more than they had hoped for. Instead of doom this being offered them protection and leadership. Instead this being gave them hope when they had none, helped them fill their empty bellies, and gave them the things they needed to mend their wounds.

"Last month they were told to lay aside their prejudices, to welcome into their home beings of other races, some of whom had actually attacked them days before. To accept into their home beings who were used to scare them into behaving when they were young with promises of abduction and torture. They learned that these stories were just that, stories that only stopped them from learning the truth, that these beings were like them in so many ways. They learned that everyone, no matter their race, wants to live comfortably with their loved ones, to have purpose and goals. Everyone wants to have a place where they can lay down their heads at night, not fearing a midnight assault, or wondering where their next meal will come from, if it comes at all. But most of all they learned about hope. Hope saw them through the jungles to this place they now call home. Hope kept them alive even as they fled everything they knew. Hope kept them alive, even as they left their friends and family, unable to live in the world they once loved. And hope is what they followed, the reason they followed a stranger after the devastation of their home.

"Those buildings behind me? I didn't build those. I didn't gather the wood, or shape it, or write the blueprints for the buildings. You all did that. Shadow Weaver and Gleam, you two have done so much for this place, this, I'm overjoyed to call it this, this home we have here. We owe you much for your efforts. Amald, your training of our guards is progressing wonderfully despite what you may say, and I look forward to the day when I can sit on my flank as our finest blade-bearers guard the caravans and gathering expeditions instead of having to watch them myself." He smiled at a few chuckles from the crowd at that remark. "Mirage, thank you for watching the foals. Our children, the foals, the pups, the nymphs, the chicks and cubs, at the end of the day that is why we forge ahead, isn't it? To make this world better for them. To make it so that one day, our children, grandchildren, or however many greats are required grandchildren can sleep peacefully, never fearing hunger, never fearing oppression, or hatred based on who or what they are.

"That is my dream for this home, this town, this, Stars willing, future city. A place where ponies and griffins and changelings, where gnolls, dragons, thestrals, and zebras can walk down the paths, waving to those they meet, not fearing another race because they're different, not seeing a new face and assuming hostility because that face is not one of their own race. I want you to learn strength from this home we have. Mastery over the lands and skies from the ponies. Mastery over the dangers of the jungles from the gnolls and griffons. And mastery over the underground from the changelings. Each contributes, each can find a place, even without a talent pasted on their butts." A cheer from a few gnolls punctuated the statement. "We will not survive the coming days, nor will we survive the next year. We will not survive a decade, or ten, or millennia.

"We will not survive, because surviving implies that we only barely make it through our days. We. Will. Flourish! This town will continue to grow, from the contributions of our current population, or the influx of those looking for a better life. We will continue to grow, because there will not be a single being that won't look upon what we have here, and want to be a part of it. We will grow, because there is no better insult to those you left, to those who promised you harm, than to live well, to live a happy life. And we will make this our home, our city, our country!" A wide smile appeared on the alicorn's muzzle. "That is why for the next week, there will be a bucket in the dining hall. Write what you want the city to be called on a scrap of paper, and add it to the bucket. If you are incapable of writing, ask another for help. It is not something to be ashamed of. It is why we are here, to improve ourselves. And if I see my name in any form for the name of the city, I will personally burn the vote, understand? This is supposed to be about us, not me. Thank you all for everything you have done. Now go! Slop has been working on something special for today. Be sure to thank him on the way out. And ladies? Last I heard, he's still single."

The final comment got a reaction from the chef, who pulled his large hat over his face to try to hide his eyes.

Stepping off the dais as the followers made their way to the dining hall and the prepared foods, he was met by the changeling queen, who was staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"I don't get it. Your the king, right?" Pandinus asked him. "You rule this place, you say what happens, and they follow, like any nest. Why do you need to do something that bothers you so much? How do those words help?"

"It's the difference between our species, Din." Ted told her with a smile as they both headed for the stairs. "They don't follow me like changelings follow a queen. They don't follow me because I'm their ruler. They follow me because they know I'll do everything in my power to guard and to guide them. I'm not their king. I'm more than that." The alicorn stopped just before the first steps, turning to face the queen. "I'm their Alpha, their leader, their confidant, their guardian, and if they truly want me to be, their father. Yes I feel strange having random ponies calling me that, but if it's what they need to feel safe, it's a small price to pay. What do I get in return? Their loyalty, their love, and the knowledge that they stay by my side not because they're afraid to cross me, but because they feel safe here, or because they know they can go farther here than anywhere else." Having said more than enough for the day, the alicorn headed down into the Temple to join in the festivities. Queen Pandinus just stood there a few moments, digesting what he'd told her. Suddenly she grinned, a particular response to one of her comments now being shed in a new light.

"It would make perfect sense, Cimmerian, a king needs a queen after all."

"I'm not a king, Pandinus, now stop it, I have too much to do right now."

The changeling queen smiled as a new method of attack occurred to her. "Not a king, but a Father... very well, I can work with that."

Ted was seated in the courtyard, not on a raised chair, but on a simple cushion amongst his followers, his armor left back in his room. In the place of honor for the celebration sat three cushions on a raised platform, currently holding the three he'd given special commendations to during his speech. Shadow and Gleam both seemed uncomfortable with all the attention, but Mirage just beamed under the focused affection.

'Ha, it's probably an all you can eat buffet up there.' He though to himself. The changeling had come a long way, even starting to gain a healthy pudginess despite dropping the majority of the emotions into the growing stockpile in the queens nest.

'It suits her. All matronly females should have a bit of weight to them. Makes them more intimidating when they're disciplining the kids, and leaves more to hug when they're dishing out affection.'

Motioning to Slop to proceed, the chef disappeared into the Temple before returning with a cart that had several large barrels on them, followed by the dragon that had provided the kegs. Well, provided as in flew them out here while picking up the promised snake fang as well as payment for the drink. Ted had negotiated for the drinks a few nights prior via dream walking, planning on making it a more memorable occasion by allowing his followers to truly cut lose. Upon hearing of the impending party, Sahkest had offered to fly the booze out to the temple personally, provided he was allowed to partake. Those on guard duty were saved a keg of their own, to be opened when everyone else had recovered and he could find replacements for them. He wanted no reason to get the guards jealous, so they were promised a personal keg and a full day to enjoy it, along with a smaller feast provided by Slop's new assistant.

Watching the party that was taking place around him, he was shoved by a large claw, which then presented him with a mug of something that smelled quite potent. Shrugging his wings, the alicorn took a hearty gulp of the offered beverage, only to gag at the burning sensation it left in his body.

"I gotta say, whelp, I was worried when you walked off with that ratty-looking bug. But I'll be damned if you aren't still alive with your emotions all intact." The dragon said sitting heavily on the ground beside him. "I also will say... Damn, I didn't know they could change that much in a few weeks. She actually looks sapient now."

As the dragon turned to face him, Ted nearly reeled from the potent smell of alchohol on the dragons breath. "And I gotta know, whelp. I gotta know this. How is she?"

"Sahkest, you're drunk. Go lay down."

"Oh come on, whelp!" The dragon said with another shove. "Don't tell me you haven't even touched her! That's why you nabbed her right? Whisked her away from certain death or torture or whatever the hell the Mad queen does with 'er toys, to satisfy that raging beast that no mortal mare could contain!" The dragon shouted, before bursting into drunken laughter. Ted merely folded his hooves over his head while laying on the ground, accepting his fate.

"Sadly, he has not, despite my best efforts to remedy the situation." Ted could almost hear the smile in Pandinus' voice.

The dragon just stared at the changeling, looking between her and the alicorn repeatedly.

"Your joking." He turned to Ted once more. "She's joking right? You have somethin' like that struttin' around your house and you haven't even tried to- Wait, despite your best efforts?!? She is asking you to plunder her shores, and you haven't?!? Are you gay? Seriously, that's the only reason I can think of."

"No, Kest, I'm not, god, I've been trying to get this place supplied and I'm not looking for that right now. I mean, this is still weird as hell for me to be thinking about."

"That's why you don't think about it, idiot! You grab a couple more drinks of this here wonder-brew, knock 'em back, and drag her to your room. Hell, she'll do the dragging if you let her, if what she's sayin' is true!"

Finishing his drink, Ted lobbed the empty glass across the field, not even noticing as it landed on a unicorn's horn, much to the delight of its comrades. "Am I the only living creature in this damn jungle that doesn't think with his dick?" He yelled at the dragon, before turning to the changeling. "Or her vagina? Don't think I'm sexist, I'll rant at both of you equally! I need another drink, where the fuck is my cup?"

"Just grab another, that's why these parties have so many extra's. The damned things grow legs sometimes." The drake responded,

Taking the fresh mug from the dragon, and using the drakes special keg to fill the mug, the alicorn chugged the drink, downing another half a glass before staring at the remainder. Across from him, the young queen carefully sipped the concoction, before smiling and throwing back the rest of the glass and pouring herself a second.

"The hell is this stuff anyway? It tastes like shit."Ted thundered, spooking a few nearby citizens before they laughed and returned to their conversations.

"I dunno, some mish-mash of boozes they serve in my favorite bar. Best one was pick, pocky, pogo, I don't know wha' the scales it was. Only thing strong enough to down a dragon even when diluted with other crap they mix it with." The drake replied, finishing yet another mug.

"I don't give a flying fuck what it is, I want another glass." Filling his mug once more, the alicorn slammed back the entirety of the mug, before standing up and shakily making his way to the Temple. He passed Pandinus, before turning and grasping her with his magic even as she squeaked in shock.

"That's how you do it, whelp! Take her to your room and make her yours!"

"Use your other head every now and then, dipshit. I'm going to my room, she's going to do that buzzing thing again, and I'm going to bed!" Ted thundered, the queen giggling drunkenly in his slipping magical grip. Seeing the queen slowly sinking despite his amazing magical abilities, the alicorn set her on his back, only taking three tries before he successfully landed the changeling between his wings. Pandinus didn't seem to mind the attempts though, merely giggling and buzzing her wings as she rose and fell with each successive attempt.

After much stumbling and yelling at a step that had dared trip him, the foolish step cowering under his hooves as it should, he finally made it to his room and stumbled into bed.

"Alrit, Huggle-bzz, make wit te buzzin'." He mumbled, his face half-buried in blankets. His only response was a soft giggle, followed by the changeling on his back making some kind of purring sound while cuddling into his back.

"Close enough..." Ted muttered, slowly drifting off to sleep. He could yell at her for her lackluster performance later.

Author's Notes:

There, Ted has successfully survived a full month in the jungles! I hope you guys didn't fall asleep during his speech, you would have missed a great party.

...Is Wracked with Pain

"Father? Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but we seem to have an issue." A male voice cut into his sleep, then his skull. Ted slowly opened an eye, only to flinch and hiss at the light filtering in through the windows. His movement earned a second hiss of displeasure from somewhere behind him, whatever was on his back latching on tighter before burying its snout in his fur to avoid the sunlight.

"Close the curtains. And get me some water." He croaked out. The sound of trotting hooves on the floor was thankfully muffled by the carpeting surrounding the bed when the stallion passed nearest the bed, but soon the clip clop returned, jamming nails into his skull. The light receded, before the ungodly noise receded as well, leaving the alicorn to doze off once more, massaged by the light buzzing purr on his back.

A Thought pierced the veil of fatigue that had gripped him. 'When did I get a cat?'

Soon the clip clop returned, followed by a too-loud voice. "I brought the water you requested, father." The voice punctuated its statement by slamming a large pitcher on a desk beside the bed. Before Ted could berate the idiot for yelling when he had a headache, another, much louder hiss came from his back, followed by what sounded like someone hocking a loogie. Immediately, there was a panicked stumbling and muffled screaming, which only irritated him and his cat more.

Opening his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Swift Service rolling around on the ground, a large blob of some goop stuck to his face. The Pegasus was valiantly attempting to remove the substance, but was having no luck whatsoever.

'That looks like that stuff the changelings... oh.' Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of a changeling queen using him as a teddy bear.

'That's right, I don't have a cat. I had a dog back home anyway. Dogs are better.'

"Pandinus." He received no response. "Din, take that stuff off him, or at least make sure he can breath."

Her response was to burrow further into his neck, mumbling "Bright lights, loud sounds, they hurt us."

"Pan, he's going to suffocate. Take it off."

Grumbling, the queen lifted her head and focused on the flailing stalling, flash-hardening the paste into a resin, before gripping the resin in her magic and slamming the stallions face into the bricks of the floor. The resin shattered, and the servant took a deep, gasping breath, even as his eyes rolled from the impact. Ted almost laughed at the comical sight, settling for a simple smile, gripping the pitcher in his aura and taking a few deep swigs. Satisfied, he went to put it back, only to have it snatched by a grey burning aura that brought it to the queen.

"If you spill any of that on me I'll throw you out the window." Turning to the recovered Pegasus, he settled back down on the bed. "Please be more quiet when most of the Temple has a hangover, ok? Now for what reason are you waking me up at this ungodly hour?"

"Actually, Sir, it's past lunch time, and the issue is your uh, dragon friend. We found out where he disappeared to last night." Swift tried to explain.

"...And?"

The Pegasus shuffled nervously "He seems to have managed to lodge himself into one of the watch towers on the roof."

Ted blinked at the Pegasus, attempting to picture the drake packed into one of the half-crumbled towers. It was funny, but it also raised several questions. First, what possessed Sahkest to try that, and second, how the hell would they get him out without destroying the damn thing?

Resigning himself to his fate, Ted slowly rose from his sheets, the muffled complaints from Pandinus as she tumbled off of his back and attempted to make herself comfortable without her source of heat being dutifully ignored. "Fine, I'm up. Send for a keg of water, some pain killers, one of the gems from the treasury, and some cooking oil. I'll *yawn* take a look at the damage."

The Pegasus saluted before rushing off to gather the materials. Ted started towards the door, before casting one last longing glance at his bed.

"Life sucks." He muttered, walking out into the halls.

"How the hell did he manage this?" Ted asked softly, squinting in the midday light. The towers were more like additional rooms with an entrance and raised windows for observation, but they were part of the original construction and had their uses. The dragons tail and a wing were poking out the entrance and a window, but the rest of the drake was obscured by his chosen hiding spot. Truthfully, the damage didn't seem to bad, but the alicorn could see the drake possible ripping through the already weakened roof of the structure if he flinched from the pain of the sunlight. It was why he'd sent a passing Pegasus for a few large leaves and Grift. The changeling would be able to fasten the leaves to the dragons eyes, preventing any bad endings for the tower, and then they'd wake him up.

At least that was the plan. The dragon was comatose, and no amount of prodding was moving him. Even yelling and a swift buck to the nose by a Pegasus did nothing to rouse the drake. So Ted decided to proceed without his help. Turning to his gathered workers he made sure everything was ready.

"The oil is applied?"

A Pegasus slapped a hoof across his chest. "He's as lubed up as we could make him without more room. Also tried not to just dump the stuff, Slop is already upset about this."

Ted nodded, turning to the earth pony beside him. "Vines secured?"

"Eve had some strong knots, said she'd grown up using the vines and knew what they could handle. Shouldn't have to worry about them giving under duress."

"Good, I want two flyers to guide the wing into the window so it doesn't cause too much damage. Positions!"

Ponies and gnolls took up vines lashed to the dragons tail and legs, setting themselves in ready stances.

"PULL!"

Almost immediately he stones started creaking, the drakes form stressing the time-worn structure, but it held fast. Soon the drakes legs, then his front claws came sliding out. Next were the wings, guided by several Pegasus on each wing.

"STOP!"

As quickly as it started, the operation was over, leaving the tip of the drakes snout still inside the tower. The changeling queen had spat a globule of that green paste when she was disturbed, he didn't want to find out if the Temple was rated against dragon fire. Congratulating his followers on a job well done, Ted trotted up to the drakes snout, the jug and gem both held in his magic. After entering the tower, Ted waved the gem around in front of the dragons large nostrils, earning the first response from the dragon all morning. Food always dragged him out of bed, why wouldn't it work for others? The dragon made a few half-hearted attempts to snap at the floating gem, but soon gave up, opting instead to reach an arm around and slowly lift his improvised blinders, wincing slightly even in the shade of the tower.

"Cim? The hell are you doing in my room, I coulda' sworn I flew back home after the party."

"If you've decided to claim one of my Temple's towers as your room, you should ask first." Ted said quietly, before offering the drake the water jug. Sahkest downed it quickly, finally removing the leaves from his eyes and looking around in confusion.

"I'll be a wyrm, I'm still here." The drake muttered, laying his head back down. Ted just smiled. Sahkest wasn't going to be walking away from this unaffected, not after making him get up with a hangover.

"By the way, you owe us for dislodging you from our tower. You were buried in it so deeply we needed cooking oil to get you out. So you owe us a new barrel of oil, labor for about fifteen workers for an hour's work, and an extra for a rush job on a holiday." Smiling widely and showing off his fangs at the drakes dumbfounded expression, Ted patted him on the snout.

"Don't do stupid things that make me get up on my day off."

The day was largely uneventful, not counting the enraged dragon threatening to sit on the storage warehouse, and despite the headaches and illnesses involved, the followers managed to survive the day. Like the guards there was a chef that wasn't involved in the partying the night before, as well as a pony that had been studying medicine under Trauma (Luckily, the mare had yet to pick up any of his obsessions). Otherwise things were quite, many citizens sleeping the day away. Even the children were exhausted from the late night, leaving Mirage with plenty of time to recover from her binge, though she did make several trips to the storage chamber throughout the night.

Sitting at a random table for the last meal of the day, Ted nibbled idly on a simple meal of roasted vegetables. It wasn't what slop could pull off, but he really didn't feel like hunting the stallion down just because he wanted a better dinner. It wasn't like he was even that hungry today anyway. Just unbelievably tired. Slowly making his way back up stairs, intent on heading to bed early, he stopped at the foot of his bed, all emotion falling from his face.

"Are you telling me, that you sat here the entire day?"

"I won't tell you, if it bothers you that much." Pandinus mumbled from the bed. Signing, Ted climbed into what was quickly becoming his side of the bed, the changeling curling up next to him as soon as he stopped shifting. He'd given up on kicking her out, as she always found her way back into the room, complaining that the tunnel was empty, cold and quiet. Not only that, the one time he'd left a guard by the door, she'd come in through the window.

His only saving grace seemed to be she wouldn't cross the line of intimate contact. He assumed it was to prevent the emotions she pulled from him from souring, but it was his only respite when it came to the bug.

'I guess it's true what they say. You can get used to anything eventually.'

Slowly he drifted off to sleep, the buzzing purr of the queen massaging his side. At least there was that. Worst case scenario, she made a good unwitting masseuse.

Author's Notes:

Quick recovery chapter after the party. Mostly for teh lulz. Enjoy the misery of Ted's hangover.

Dreams of Home

Pandinus returned to consciousness the next morning knowing exactly where she was.

It was where she'd strived to end up since becoming a queen and she'd quickly made it her nightly target, but being in Cimmerian's bed was unfortunately only half of her goal. Unlike most ponies, when Cimmerian said she could sleep with him, they did exactly that. The prudish behavior of the alicorn was frustrating, in more than one way for her. There he was, an alicorn, the ultimate form of a pony, and she couldn't do anything to convince the fool to allow her any fun. Certainly she could have avoided the strange drink the dragon was dishing out and attempted to seduce the alicorn in his drunken state, but to do so without being intoxicated herself would have been suspicious considering her past agenda. So she'd tried some of the beverage and immediately attempted to purge it from her system, to give the illusion of consuming a great deal of it.

The trick backfired horribly. The drink seemed to latch onto her magic, increasing in potency the more mana she poured into purging it. She was at one point even drawing emotion from Cimmerian in an attempt to flush the cursed drink from her system, but it only made the problem worse! Before she knew it she was giggling like a fool, even being used as a personal massage tool by the equally drunk alicorn. A perfectly good chance of seducing him with little consequence wasted by that damned brew.

She scooted closer to the still sleeping form, basking in the warmth and compassion that he seemed to radiate most of the time. He was working to make this old temple a utopia of sorts for all races, and by her standards it was already fairly close. Changelings walking the hallways with no disguises, openly conversing with those they met along the way. Food was plentiful, most ponies not hiding their emotions from the shape shifters for fear of losing them anymore. Even the other races provided some nourishment, though not nearly as much as the ponies. They were a herd species, and much more likely to seek out bonds with those around them. It was why as soon as they were comfortable, they started forming family groups.

Pandinus shifted uncomfortably as her mind came back to that topic, looking back at her barrel and flanks. Her first clutch was ready to be laid, and she'd made little progress in seducing the alicorn. She would just have to lay them, though the drones would be little more than direct clones of her. It wasn't the most desirable of situations for the queen. Drones hatched in that fashion truly lived up to their names, almost entirely reliant on the link for everything from orders to reacting to different situations. Free thinking changelings like Mirage and Grift were what she wanted, but to lay a clutch of those, she needed a mate.

Certainly, she could have tried seducing any of the pony males in the Temple, or maybe even one of the other species if she was feeling adventurous, but Cimmerian was her goal, and she had learned much about him lately. She knew he preferred that strange, almost alien name he introduced himself by instead of the one she could feel was his Given name. She also noted that there was an oddity about his magic prowess, the alicorn using advanced spells one day then studying basic arrays the next . The thing she watched closest, however, was his reaction to families.

He was monogamous. Certainly, he allowed ponies to form herds if they wished, but there was an unease, an unfamiliarity to the situation that she could just barely pick up. The best source for powerful children was monogamous, so she had to be as well. As much as she would love to grab the nearest stallion and finally allow herself to lay her clutch, it would likely damage what little progress she'd made. That left the question of why? Why was the alicorn so uncomfortable around herds? It was almost as if he'd been raised in an entirely monogamous society. Impossible, as even the strictest of the pony cultures had allowances for such relationships. Thus she was left with trying to work with what she had. A body ponies would kill for, magic ability beyond the most powerful unicorns, and the ability to conform her shape to whatever she found would help her goals. For some reason, it didn't seem to help with her current target. Still, the conversation the morning before had been eye opening.

'If only I'd thought of that earlier.' She thought to herself. He was looked to as a father figure by most of the ponies by now and even a few of the gnolls, even if they used his name. That was something Pandinus had quickly spread throughout the Temple upon learning his nest was still calling him The Nightmare. Why he was hiding it was beyond her, but it mattered little at the moment. He was a father figure, so she would allow the nest to push them together. After all, if a family has a father, there should be a mother as well, right? The very ponies he guarded would do the work for her.

It was a certainly a step down from what her mother had pursued, but she couldn't help but not be bothered by the situation that much. Her children would be more powerful than any queen's before her, her hive would be undetectable by the pony queen's arrays, and unless something happened to cause too much damage the alicorn's emotional state again, her children would be well fed. If accepting the alicorn as an equal ruler to her was the price of such boons, so be it. She would see her species rise from the wreckage that damned alicorn on the Equestrian throne reduced them to, and First Mother willing, may even find a way to strike back at the whorse who had destroyed her mother's hive.

She smiled, her fangs poking out from under her lips. Revenge, power, and love. Looking over the sleeping alicorn, she giggled as less pure thoughts began to cloud her mind. The long wings wrapping around her, the powerful hooves holding her close, the toned haunches pressing up against hers as he-

Suddenly she jolted from her musings, an uncomfortable shifting in her body screaming for her attention. As much as she hated the idea, this clutch would be fatherless.

Ted, or Cimmerian as the more magically inclined followers were now calling him thanks to Pandinus, was jolted awake by the sudden shifting of his bed. Almost jumping clear of his bed, he only caught the dark tail of the changeling queen as she darted from the room in a blind panic.

'What in the world happened to her?' He wondered, slowly slipping out of bed. He'd have to check up on her. Having someone about his size and power was nice, after all. Maybe someday he'd trust her enough to explain why he couldn't accept her advances. The shape shifter certainly made shooting her down difficult enough for him.

It was still early in the morning, a time Ted normally hated being awake at. That didn't stop a good portion of the ponies from being up and about, though the other races seemed to posses their own disdain for such early hours. He kindly greeted those he passed, and they returned his greetings with their own, though some expressed concern for the panicked state his consort had been in during her flight from his room. Ted had even heard one pony muse to his fellow that she'd finally gone too far, earning the stallion a cuff on the head from his friend and a reminder to not say such things in public. If it weren't for his growing concern about the queen, Ted may have added to the punishment as well as asking where they'd heard she was his consort, but for the moment he allowed the grievance to slide, descending into the tunnels holding the queen's nest. Pushing the door open and using his connection to the shadows to enhance his vision, he walked into the final chamber where he was greeted by a strange scent, and the sight of the changeling queen collapsed on the floor by a small bowl-shaped indent on the floor. A bowl that was currently full of what he assumed were changeling eggs.

Thus Ted's concern for her health died in a fiery train wreck against the reality of what he was seeing.

For the longest time, the alicorn was stunned into silence. Eggs, the mare he'd let convince him to share his bed, though without the shenanigans she seemed to be pursuing, had just laid eggs. Were they his? Did a changeling not need to actually engage in, well, that with a pony for them to be considered a mate? Or was it the hairs she'd taken? He knew she'd gotten the new color from the hairs, but had the queen managed to pull some type of genetic material from it as well? How did that even work? What would the nymphs look like?

Suddenly he had the mental image of strange, half changeling, half human creatures wandering the halls, giving fanged grins and looking at him with slit pupils. They talked and laughed, and he even picked one up, before turning to his mother, introducing the little one. His mother took one look at the little girl, and screamed in terror.

He shook the image from his head. 'Mom probably wouldn't be too happy with alien hybrid children.' He thought, looking over the clutch. If they were his, they would likely be closer to his current form. Alicorn changeling hybrids than? What would that do for a race that could already impersonate the different pony races? Given the Mad Queen's hatred for the race, he couldn't help but smile. How would she react to that? One of the races she tried crushing, now elevated to her own level, now sharing genes similar to her own. It would almost be worth the danger to show up in her court one day with one such hatchling just to see her expression first hand.

'Remember those bug ponies you tried to wipe out? Here's one that's a hybrid of their own race and yours.'

The queen took that moment to groan, finally returning from her impromptu nap. Ted made his way closer, levitating the slowly shifting queen to her bed. He'd get answers from her before he fell into panic. He'd done that enough times in this world as it was. Besides, the biology of the shape shifters was still a mystery to him.

The moment she could manage to look at him, she had that same shit eating grin he'd seen her adopt so many times before. He frowned, knowing exactly what that meant. It usually preceded her saying something that left him feeling incredibly embarrassed or confused, sometimes both.

"There for my first molt as queen, there for my first clutch. You seem to like being around for my firsts. It's a shame your not keen on sharing a first with me."

It took a significant amount of willpower, but Ted pushed through his desire to sputter incomprehensible gibberish at her jab.

"Are you alright?" He managed to force out. "You bounced me when you took off, and I thought something was wrong. I didn't really expect, well..." He trailed off, looking back at the eggs.

"I'd tell you they were yours, if it would get you over your aversion of the idea, but I'm sure that damned clutch nurse would be more than happy to tell you the truth, especially if it caused me trouble. No, they're not yours." Rolling her eyes at the confusion that clouded his eyes, she elucidated.

"A queen lays eggs regardless of whether she has a mate or not. The drones will be direct clones of her, though their strength and power will be diluted, and they're not capable of much more than following orders. The perk of laying such drones, even if the queen has a mate, is they mature quickly and require little nourishment to function. If a queen were to find a mate, however, the eggs would hatch into the drones you see upstairs. Fully formed personalities, capable of surviving independent of a queen. Depending on the donor, the changeling will prefer different forms. For instance, I assume Grift's father was a pegasus, seeing as his preference of a winged form and his love of flight, while I would think that Mirage's father was a unicorn, since she seems much more magically adept than other types of changelings. I've only heard the story, as Mirage refuses to allow me access to the nymphs, but I would place Adamant as an Earth pony father, if the stamina and resilience I've heard about is anything to go by. As for Gem? I can't say, she hasn't displayed any specific abilities, though her slow development is proof she isn't a fatherless drone." Shakily, the queen rose from her bed, making her way to a small container that seemed to hold a liquid, before sinking her fangs into the sac and drinking deeply.

"If you knew you were going to be laying eggs so soon, why did this seem to take you by surprise? I would think you'd have been ready for this. In fact it looks like you had this place set up for such an occurrence for a while." Ted asked, even as he watched the bizarre ritual.

Draining the pouch dry, the changeling made her way back to the eggs, a strange sloshing noise reaching the alicorns perked ears.

"I tried to hold off on this clutch, I held off as long as possible, actually. It was why I was caught unaware this morning. Even in the best circumstances, eggs must be laid. After all, what is a queen without her subjects?"

Reaching the pit, she looked down at the eggs, and in a softer, much more quiet voice, she said. "What is a mother without her children?"

"You didn't want the drones? The ones that rely on the link, I mean."

The changeling shook her head. "They are best for menial labor or a display of force, often used to intimidate enemies while the actual hive flees. But they are not the children I wished for. Nevertheless, they are mine, and I will watch over them." She then made a gurgling noise, before spitting a glowing white and pink streaked goop into the pit holding the eggs. After she'd finished, she curled up around the pit, eyes locked on the eggs before her.

Ted stared at the now glowing pit and the eggs for a moment. "What do you use them for? The drones I mean. Digging, caring for nymphs, foraging?"

Pandinus smiled "Digging and simple errands mostly. I'm surprised you didn't immediately try to get me to make you an army."

"They may not be as intelligent as the other changelings I've met, but they're your children. I'm trying to avoid being an evil tyrant, and that's a step in the wrong direction."

The queen nodded. "Doing so is suicide for any queen. Because they rely so much more heavily on the link, it actually causes feedback to the queen when one is killed. The discomfort is minor at best, but it's noticeable. That's why when they're near the end of their lives, they disconnect from the link on their own, mentally shutting down the moment the connection is severed. Mother once told me of a changeling queen, so driven to madness by hunger, she raised an army on the emotions of the wildlife she managed to capture. She invaded a pony city with them, intent on finally relieving the terrible hunger she'd suffered for so long. When the ponies managed to mount a counter attack, throwing her army from the city, she suffered horribly. They found her in a crater days later, barely alive but catatonic from the feedback of several thousand drones dying under her direct command." She shook her said sadly at the memory of the lost queen. "So no, I cannot give you an army. I will not do that to my children. Thank you for not asking that of me."

Looking over the swirling colors she continued to speak "Happiness and compassion isn't as potent as love, you know. But it will be more than enough to allow them to grow healthy and strong. They will have more food here than any hatchling in my mother's hive ever had access to. No hunger, no fear of whether or not the collectors will be discovered and not be able to meet the demands of the hive." A few tears fell from her eyes as she gazed into the hypnotically swirling colors. "Never having to chose which of their brothers or sisters will be a bigger help to the hive, when there just isn't enough love to keep all the eggs properly saturated with love..."

Sensing the changelings depression, Ted curled up beside her, laying a wing over her as he'd done with other ponies and even the few gnolls who'd sought his help. She'd helped him when he was depressed, and he would be damned before he allowed her to flounder in that darkness by herself. Despite the quickly souring mood, one question nagged at him.

"If you wished for intelligent drones, why not find a mate?"

"I did, he's just less than willing." She responded, glaring at him, though it quickly melted into a sad smile. "We look for a mate who allows our hatchlings to survive in the different situations they may find themselves. In areas where they will be subjected to physical hardship, an earth pony would be the preferred father; if the changeling would need to be a better flyer, a pegasus, and so on and so forth. So what happens when the father is an alicorn?" She asked, her smile strengthening. "What situation would my children not be able to adapt to? And one who not only provides me all the food I require and cares for me enough to nurse me back from that broken shell I was, but whose own magical aura shields me and my children from our enemies!" Suddenly, the smile dissipated. " You are the reason I don't grab whichever drunk stallion I find in the dining hall after nightfall. You and your damnable preference for monogamy!"

The alicorn's eyes widened in surprise at the statement. He'd not mentioned anything like that to any of his followers, allowing them to pursue whatever relations they found best.

"Don't think you can hide it from me. You're uncomfortable when the topics of herds come up. I spend almost every day feeding on your emotions, you fool, you think I don't notice such things?" She said with a sneer. "Certainly you don't show it, letting your hive do as they wish, doing what makes them happy, but that doesn't stop you from feeling discomfort at the sight of a herd, or hearing about another joining a preexisting herd."

"What is it you want me to be? What do I need to do, what do I need to be to earn your love? I know you don't find me unappealing, I've tasted the barest hints of desire when I tease you! What do you need to hear before you'll let me taste the strongest, purest emotion a changeling can consume?" The queen stopped just short of yelling at him. "Why? If nothing else, let me know why you keep turning me down."

Ted was floored by the comments. He'd known her long enough back home to maybe be an acquaintance, and yet here she was demanding a reason for his evasiveness like he'd friend-zoned her for five years! Granted, he'd probably done more for her than any other being alive or dead besides her own mother, but still! Shaking his head in disbelief, he looked at the queen. She trusted him, she had to at this point, his allowing her to stay being the only reason she was alive and free, not being carted off to some unknown fate or dead by the claws of the port town's mercenaries. He knew she'd seen the looks they'd given her as he'd brought her out of the town, despite her state at the time, and being as attuned to emotions as she claimed he was certain she'd felt them too.

Perhaps he could return some of that trust.

"Do all relationships on this planet move faster, or are my people just extremely slow?"

Pandinus opened her mouth to unleash a scathing retort, but stopped short, the words registering a moment later.

"What?"

"The ponies started marrying as soon as they felt safe, and you're acting like I've been dodging you for several years." He said, before letting loose a heavy sigh. "It has nothing to do with your appearance, Din, but your goal. My mother and father, they didn't get along after a while. They argued, complained about each other, the works. But they stuck it out, because they wouldn't leave me and my sister with a broken home. So I made this promise to myself. If my parents were willing to stick around so that I could have both of them growing up, there was no way I would leave a child of my own without a father." He explained, staring at the eggs.

"I, I still plan on looking for a way home when this is over." He said sadly. "No matter how long that takes. Tell you what. Tonight, we'll talk in your dreams, that way there's no chance of someone eavesdropping and getting the wrong idea."

Nuzzling the changeling, he added. "Of course, I'm sure you know this information is to be kept to yourself, unlike some other information you've gained access to in the past."

The day passed quickly, nothing of major importance drawing the alicorns attention besides plans for clearing more jungle for expansion and a possible investigation into a nearby populated temple that was brought to his attention by a small group of gnolls that were finally returning from an extended hunting trip. Upon hearing of Ted's strength from Buster, they followed the gnolls example, not knowing what else to do with the destruction of the den. Ted welcomed them just the same, offering lodgings in their choice of the large room the other gnolls had converted into a makeshift den, or the storage shed, currently empty aside from the cart that had been used to haul the larger smithy supplies. Finishing up the last thing his primary advisors wanted to bring to his attention that evening, the alicorn turned in for the night. He had promised the changeling queen a better idea of his inability to accept her, to put it kindly, obvious interest.

Slipping into the dream realm, he quickly found the nearest large source of dreams, before diving into the warm glow. Appearing in the dream world of the queen, he quickly found himself surrounded by hundreds of changelings of all shapes and colors, each flitting about on urgent business. Following the detail once more, he soon found himself in a throne room of sorts. In the middle of the room sat the changeling queen, though that wasn't what drew his eyes. He was instead focused on the throne. Or rather, the pair of thrones that sat on the dais.

'As if her flirting didn't make it obvious enough.' He thought with a depressed sigh. She was beautiful, in an alien kind of way, but he really wanted to go home at the end of all of this. And he'd be damned before he sired a bastard child.

"Din, it's time." He said, approaching the throne. The changeling smiled warmly at his appearance, before it seemed to click. She blinked owlishly a few times, before looking around her, then back to the alicorn.

"This is a dream?"

"It is. We can talk here without interruption. With your permission, I'd like to shift our location." He said, taking a seat before the queen.

At her nod, the dream world faded, a strange beach forming around the two of them.

Pandinus staggered slightly as the world shifted around her, the twisting of the world leaving her gut in a knot. Eventually she pulled herself back to her hooves, looking around the exotic landscape Cimmerian had chosen for their conversation.

"A beach on Sanibel Island in Florida, my family went here a few times on vacation." The alicorn told her.

"I can't say I've heard of the place, though I admit my knowledge of geography isn't what it could be." The queen said, looking around at the strange scene. There was a sense of something amiss as she gazed at the scene, something infinitely important that she couldn't place.

"I didn't think you would, in fact I'm pretty sure I'm the only being on Equis who's been here." He stated sadly, drawing the queens gaze. What she saw, however, wasn't the alicorn, but a strange creature with clothing, lying against a tree, enjoying the sunset. The creature focused on her, still keeping that soft smile before gesturing to the sunset in the distance.

"Welcome to Earth, Queen Pandinus."

Then she saw it. The moon was in the sky with the sun. It was something that only happened a few times in recent history, usually when something had gone horribly amiss and both princesses needed their full power for whatever danger they were engaging. Yet here it was, and the creature, she was sure it was Cimmerian now that she'd heard the voice, wasn't in the panic that such a sight would send most ponies into. Blinking, she focused her gaze on the strange moon, her mind registering more inconsistencies. The moon's surface was cratered differently than the one she'd seen while traveling under the cover of the night. Not only that, it didn't seem to glow with a light of its own, barely visible in its position by the setting sun. Through all this, the creature beside her gazed contentedly at the sight, as though it were completely normal.

'It probably is.' She idly thought. 'He did say this was Earth, like he was introducing the planet itself.'

The alicorn was an alien. Were all alicorns aliens? No, the one who'd linked with love had been born a pegasus, and the Mad Queen had been a unicorn before her ascension. So what was he?

"There was a movie that was titled something similar to my current situation. A Series of Unfortunate Events." The creature, no, Cimmerian said. " Right person in the wrong place, or right person in the right place, if you listen to Shadow or Blur. I left this behind when I was brought to Equis, Din. As much as I want to help you all, to make a place where anyone can be welcomed, regardless of species, I need to try to get back home. I have family here." Cutting off her response, he continued. "Preexisting family. It's the other reason I'm not, uh, looking for that kind of relationship right now. I don't want to have to choose. I don't want to have to choose between letting my mother know I'm still alive and kicking, or keeping my promise to never abandon a child."

There it was. The reason he'd been shooting her down for days on end, despite her best efforts and even a few rumors started while holding the form of other ponies. She wanted to call him a coward, unwilling to make such a choice. She wanted to grab and kiss him, making a decision like that with the wellbeing of her clutch in mind, no matter how wrong it was. Her mother never saw her lovers a second time, that wasn't the reason she didn't want him to leave. He was her Safe/Warm/Food. He was literally the personification of a changelings idea of home.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a second presence entering her dream. It confused her, as it tasted familiar to her, the same way Cimmerian tasted when delving deeply into his memories. Looking to the location the presence was manifesting, the changeling saw a dark female alicorn forming in the dreamscape.

'Luna' Pandinus realized. Was she here for Cimmerian? No, the changeling wouldn't allow it. Placing herself between the intruder and her benefactor before either could react, she hissed threateningly, even flaring her wing covers to add to the effect. The reaction she received from the lunar alicorn was not what she expected, nor did it give her much in the way of confidence.

Luna merely raised an eyebrow at the queen's display, before stepping forward, flaring her own wings and allowing her dream-self to manifest in her full splendor, passing the queen's height by several hooves. The changeling shuffled back slightly, not expecting the shift in size, but attempted to maintain her stance. Then the alicorn began observing her. She walked around Pandinus, as if inspecting a cart before purchase, even prodding the queen's flank at one point, earning an indignant if confused yelp from the queen.

"So" Luna said, turning to Cimmerian. "This is consort your subjects speak of? While I am certainly not a fan of changelings, I must say she is a superior specimen from what I've seen of their kind." Taking a seat on the sand, the alicorn nodded, while Cimmerian merely buried his face in his strange claws. "Despite my apprehension when I first heard of your choice, I believe I can sanction this relationship. After all, her first reaction was your safety. Tis a rare thing to see amongst her kind, so her interest must be genuine." She turned to Pandinus, offering a hoof in greeting. "I am Lunacae Nocturnis. May I know the name of the one pursuing Cimmerian's affection?"

Author's Notes:

No, I don't know how to write relationships, why do you ask?

Goals

Ted wasn't paying attention to either of the two females. It was safer this way. No letting them get a rise out of him, no allowing them to see a prod getting a reaction out of the alicorn-returned-human, and definitely no paying attention now that the two were strangely quiet.

Wait, that last one was a bad thing.

Finally tearing his gaze from the sunset, he found himself face to face with Luna once more, the alicorn once more at her reduced stature.

"Ci-Ted? I would like to request a chance to speak with my sister. I know you can reach her, and being able to speak with her after the Nightmare's visit would likely help her stay strong. I now have an escape, something to do to pass the time, but my sister is not so lucky."

"She doesn't know how to dream walk?"

Luna shook her head sadly "I've attempted to teach her a few times in the past, but she always broke the dreams she stepped into, attempting to use more force than is necessary. It is the personality trait that always prevented her from doing so. She has become much more subtle with her words over the centuries, but her magic style is the same as it always has been."

Ted took a moment to let the idea sink in. He had nothing against the princess, in fact she'd helped line up the lunar alicorn as a mentor of sorts for him. So he kind of owed the solar princess.

"Sure, I'll do it. It doesn't take me long to find someone when I know who I'm looking for. I could probably find your sister's student if I looked. Find out one way or another if I'm right."

Luna shook her head. "Please do not risk it at the moment. If you can find a way to release my sister and I, then I wouldn't mind helping you stop the Mad Queen, but until then, you give us a connection to the outside world. You are in a way our window to the rest of Equis."

"Fine, I'll get it set up. Will she even be asleep?"

"Yes, the interrogations we are put through are quite long and exhausting. I personally have been asleep physically for two days. Seeing as my sister was personally involved with Twilight, it is probably worse for her. Please hurry, I can't stand the thought of her being alone for too long."

Pandinus watched in confusion as Safe/Warm/Food faded from the dream, off to visit what she assumed was the Princess of the Sun. The princess took a few breaths before focusing intently on the queen, causing Din to take a few cautious steps back.

Luna grinned wickedly at the changeling, the miniature alicorn practically prowling up to her. "My sister's dream will be available shortly. I would give him five, ten minutes at most before she is receptive to us. That means you and I have ten minutes just to ourselves."

The queen was on the verge of panic. Ten minutes alone with an alicorn who dream walked on a regular basis? There wouldn't be anything left of her, in fact she'd probably be in a worse condition than when she'd first attacked Ted! She had to-

Suddenly the princess lunged at her, earning a strangled yelp from the changeling. Cracking her eyes open, Pandinus spotted Luna latched onto Din's muzzle, grinning at the changeling like a psychopath.

"Tell. Us. Everything!"

Pandinus' panic slowed at the statement. "What?"

"Everything! We require vast detail! How did you meet him, how did you learn you wished to pursue him, how did he react, what actions did you take to win his affection, I must know! All of it, in excruciating detail!"

The shape shifters response was filled with such inspiration it would be repeated for centuries to come.

"What?"

Luna finally backed up a bit, her grin fading a bit. "I have nothing to ponder these days. Before I was imprisoned I guarded the dreams of the entire planet. Now there are barely a thousand dreamers in the world, not including myself. Do you have any idea how excruciatingly boring it is? The only thing I have to entertain myself with these days is meddling with the dreams of ponies, and even that can only be done during the day where I am. Otherwise I am subjected to an immortal's greatest enemy. Boredom. So speak, make words! I will know everything I can! Oh, this will be so fun!"

Queen Pandinus was lost. The alicorn was mad! "Why would I tell you such things? I'll not help you learn of him, he's mine!"

Luna merely laughed. "I have no interest in him, not in that way at least. I have been helping the young one. Teaching him of his body and our world, hoping that one day he may release my sister and I. What of you? Certainly he's done something for you recently, for you to be so possessive of him." Her smile thinned just a bit. "So what are you doing to help him?"

"I plan on allowing him to rule with me." The queen said, anger in her eyes.

"Oh, good! A demotion for helping you!" The alicorn chuckled in amusement. "He already rules his subjects, even the changelings accept him as their ruler."

"Grift answers to me!"

"Yes, one of four, though the other two are young. Tell me, what would happen if you were to leave? Would the changeling still follow you when your link was no longer protected by Cimmerian's magic? Would the changeling still follow you if you did not have access to the abundance of food Cimmerian provides for your hive?"

The alicorn circled the changeling, her smile gone. "Food. Shelter. A home. Acceptance for your race you will find with no other ruler. He has given this to you, and that is only the things I know of, what else has he done for you?"

Pandinus winced, the memory of her almost feral attack on the alicorn coming to the forefront of her mind. She could almost hear, no, she could hear her growling as she jumped the invisible source of emotion that had entered her nest. Turning to the princess, she saw Luna gazing at a window, displaying the attack she'd been thinking of.

It was over. The alicorn would destroy her, leaving her the shuddering mess she'd been before this all began. Maybe worse.

"Ah, I see."

Pandinus opened an eye to see the alicorn still gazing at the memories, this one of her first time in the alicorns bathroom. As she was cleaned, she caught a glimpse of her self in the mirror, and Luna paused it with a touch. It was her just after her release from the cell, with barely two days of low amounts of emotion given to her, since Cimmerian was still recovering from her attack and didn't trust her. She was dirty, gaunt, her mane and tail in tatters. But worst of all was her eyes, giving off barely a spark of intelligence. She never wanted to be that hungry again.

"Fear. That's why you cling to him, isn't it?" Luna said, approaching her. "You fear what could happen if he abandoned you, fear what would happen if you didn't have his protection of the link." The alicorn began circling the changeling, the smaller creature still making her feel infinitesimally small. "You fear the possibility of returning to that state. Fear the hunger, the loss of self." Finally the alicorn finished her circle, sitting before her.

"I've known loss myself, young one. If not for my sister, I may have been lost after my return from exile. Everything I knew was gone. The only thing that remained was my position and my sister, and my position was in a tenuous situation at best. Only by a great deal of political experience and placing her own position on the line did my sister save me from the ire of the nobles. After all, if one of the immortal rulers of the country had fallen to darkness, what is to say the other could not fall to the same fate? By having two on the throne, one does not hold too much power, and they may keep their counterpart in check. Because my sister did this for me, the moment I was strong enough I began returning to my duties. I held court, allowing the backlog of citizens requesting audience to voice their concerns. I entertained dignitaries while my sister took her first vacation in centuries. I even lectured at her school while she was busy with an emergency, so she did not feel like she had abandoned her duties, even though it was in the middle of my sleep schedule." Luna smiled sadly at the queen. "But the most important thing we did for each other was to forgive our mistakes. Not the mistakes the other made against us, but the mistakes we made against each other. That is where the fear comes from, correct? You fear that he still holds your attack against you."

Luna cocked her head quizzically. "What is your goal?"

"My goal?" Pandinus asked. "I, I want his love. I want to know what it tastes like, what it feels like to not have to steal it. It's all so much better, so much more filling when he freely gives it to me, so what would love taste like? How much strength would it provide me and my children? Is that bad? Isn't it what ponies want when they look for a mate?"

Luna closed her eyes in thought for a moment, before smiling again. "Perhaps that is where our understanding differs. Love is your goal, and what happens when you reach that goal? You wish for more. Love should not be your goal, it should be your reward. It is what you want from your lover, in return for your care and affection. You fear him leaving you? Give him reasons not to. Advise him, offer an ear for his fears and worries." She grinned wickedly all of a sudden. "Offer him a chance to relieve stress."

"I, I have... repeatedly, actually. If not for the fact that I can taste an undercurrent of desire when I tease him, I would have thought him a colt cuddler." Pandinus said, dragging a hoof in the sand. "He actually just told me why he's been saying no before you arrived. He said he wishes to return home after all of this."

The alicorn was silent a moment, chewing this revelation. "He said that, did he? I do not know as much about traveling worlds as my sister, she was much closer to the mage who studied such things than myself, but I will speak to him. There is an important detail he seems to be missing."

Pandinus brightened up. "He can't go back? He'll stay here?"

"Cease your celebrations, fool! Were he to witness your joy at his expense, what would he think of you?" The queen took a few steps back at the outburst. "You wish for his love? Seek to bring him happiness, not cheer when his misfortune benefits you. Truly this situation can become advantageous for you, but if you are not careful, it could ruin you just as quickly." Just then Luna's left ear perked up, and she looked off into the distance. "We must continue this another time, my sister calls me. I will visit every now and again, and we will discuss your progress. If you have questions, I will aid you." Luna pulled the changeling into a firm hug. "My sister and I can offer little but council and training in our current situation. You however are free to aid him in whichever way you find necessary. Make that your goal, ahead of merely bedding him. I am sure you will see better results. Now come, I wish to introduce my sister to you! Oh, Tia is going to love this!" The alicorn giggled, before she pulled Pandinus across the dream realm with her.

It didn't take Ted long to find his target, and as soon as he was certain he was close, the dream started taking form. He entered even as it began to take shape, and was immediately pulled into a powerful hug.

"Thank you! Oh thank you so much, Luna sent you didn't she? Oh, I cannot believe we didn't see it before, her posture, her speech, everything about her was wrong. I Just, I don't..." The rest of what the alicorn had to say was incomprehensible as she devolved into sobbing, leaving Ted to pull her into a winged hug. This was supposed to be a goddess to the locals, right? Yet here she was, blubbering like a lost child into his barrel.

'Then again, everyone needs a shoulder, don't they?' He thought, pulling her closer. 'And she spent the longest time being the shoulder everyone else needed.'

'When the world starts crushing you, who does an immortal goddess turn to for support?' He thought sadly.

'No one.'

Thus the alicorn waited, allowing the princess to vent. She cried, and he comforted. She despaired, and he reassured. She clung tighter, and her held her closer.

Finally wiping away a few remaining tears, Celestia finally pushed away from the darker alicorn.

"T-thank you, I'm sorry I put you through that, I-"

"Don't apologize." Ted cut her off, pulling her in close once more. "You and your sister have done a lot for me. I'm happy to return the favor, even if it's just acting as a snot rag." He said with a grin. The smaller alicorn chuckled at his words, and he continued.

"All I ask, is that you continue to help me, and if I need it, return the favor. After all, you and a drake I've met from a nearby port town, are the only ones who didn't attack me during our initial or follow-up meeting. Unless staining my fur counts as assault. Personally, I don't trust him as much more than a companion, though."

Celestia chuckled, even as she pushed herself free of his grip.

"I understand. I've met a few gentledrakes in the past, and while they can be wonderful company, the moment something shiny or female becomes involved, they tend to be easily distracted."

"So it's not just that idiot? I swear, that guy was either talking money, or females."

"Oh stars no, I do remember this one dragon I met, he was convinced he was Creations gift to females! Kept trying to convince me that "Once you ride the bad drake, nothing else will satisfy." I'm not kidding, he actually said that!" The princess said with a giggle.

Ted merely hooked his hoof around his muzzle. "I don't think Sahkest would do that but-"

"That was him!" She shouted. "Blue scales and a love of drink, right? I can't believe he's still around!" She giggled, clopping her forehooves together in glee. "Tell Him, heehee, tell the bad drake that Sunny Days remembers him, nor did she think he lived up to his talk."

"Wait, you mean to tell me you actually-"

"Sister! It is wonderful to see you again!" Luna said, taking her sister into a bone crushing hug. "I feared the worse when I saw the feather! Are you alright?"

"Feather?" Ted asked. "What's this about a feather?"

"The Mad Queen, she likes to taunt us, flaunt our inability to stop her from committing her crimes." Luna said softly. "She brings trophies, newspapers, whatever she believes will get a rise out of my sister and I. Her most recent present was a few long pink feathers."

Ted pondered the meaning of such a thing a moment, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, it doesn't sound familiar."

"How could you- right, your memories began before Luna was introduced to her." Celestia said sorrowfully. "The only source of feathers of that size and color would be my niece. She was a pink alicorn, the alicorn of love."

"The one from the Crystal City you mentioned earlier." Ted said, frowning at the implications. "What happened to her?"

"We do no know for certain, only that the Mad Queen was extremely smug for, in her own words, breaking the alicorn of love." Luna said with a stony expression. "I fear for her, Cimmerian, more than my sister or myself. Please, if you hear anything of her, and can aid her without compromising yourself, do so."

"On a different note, sister, I have somepony I'd like you to meet." Luna walked in the direction she'd come from, drawing the attention of all the residents to the third guest in Celestia's dream. "Sister, be known to Queen Pandinus, Queen of a mighty hive of one changeling." The alicorn said with a mischievous smile. Pandinus shuffled her hooves, muttering something to Luna.

"Oh, our apologies, Queen of one changeling and seven eggs." She corrected, breaking into giggles.

Celestia merely gaped at the changeling before her. The princess had seen one or two, but neither prepared her for the sight. The changeling was not quite at the size of a fully empowered alicorn, but what caught her attention was the holes along the queen's body. Rather, what drew her attention was the fact her shell was nearly devoid of them.

"Why did you bring her here, Luna?" She finally asked, still inspecting the uncomfortable shape shifter.

"You cannot imagine how glad I am that you asked, dear sister. Pandinus, the adorable little hormonal creature she is, is currently pursuing your nephew's hoof! Oh, we had a nice, long conversation about it while waiting for Cimmerian to open your dream to us, and we discussed much about her goals. After all, I wished to know why a young queen was pursuing a stallion that is everything but my own flesh and blood. A mother should always attempt to get to know the mare pursuing her son."

Even as he buried his face in his hooves, Ted could see the changeling shrinking from the miniature alicorns, her shell somehow seeming slightly more pale than it was moments ago.

'I will never understand how that works. Ponies blushing through fur is weird enough, but seeing the color drain from her face through chitin?'

Ted watched the sisters talking to each other, both about, and to the squirming changeling. Every now and again, she'd throw a pleading look his way, but the sisters just wouldn't leave her be. At one point they even ushered the poor bug away from him, so they could speak to her without his presence. It was extremely strange to him, and left him uncomfortable. He knew Tia liked pranks, and both of the sisters would be bored after spending so much time trapped in their individual prisons that they'd be chomping at the bit for any kind of entertainment, even if it was at the expense of their benefactor. The slowly rising noise of conversation brought him back to reality, or at least the dream version of it, and he turned to see the princesses approaching once more with Pandinus, though the queen was somehow sporting both a blush and was still slightly pale.

'Don't question it, just go with it.'

Celestia trotted ahead, greeting him with a smile. "Upon further inspection, I second my sister's opinion of your chosen consort. I also believe you would be in a much better condition to lead your ponies if you just took her to your room and-"

"Stop right there, princess." Ted interrupted her. "I've already told her why that's not happening."

Celestia's smile dropped slightly, but she continued on a different topic. "Yes, she told us. She also spoke of goals, both hers and your own. How she has done much to garner your attention, even if my sister and I find her attempts entertaining and cute, if a bit misguided." She smiled at that last thought, before her expression became serious. "She also told me of your desire to return home. I understand your desires, but I must ask you two things first, Cimmerian."

Ted's heart was in his throat as she finished her statement. There was no context in which that could be considered a good sign. Not trusting himself to speak, he merely nodded, prompting the princess to continue.

"The first is; how old was the rest of your family? You said that humans live for at most a century, correct? And it has been nearly four decades since you were lost to them. I truly am sorry for asking this, but would they still be alive? Even if they are, would they have not laid your memory to rest by now?" She asked him, eyes glistening with pain.

For his part the larger alicorn said nothing, having already considered the possibility. It could be true, it could be worse. That wasn't what drove him on. It was the not knowing that was truly hurting him.

"Next I give you a warning. The farther you get from our world, traveling through others, the harder it becomes to find your way back. Even when guided by a master of traveling between worlds, the worlds we saw were still saturated with magic. To travel far enough to find a place devoid of magic? You would never find your way back to us. I do not believe the Nightmare had any intention of returning, knowing we had the strength to defeat it. Should you pursue it, you would not see Equis again."

Ted nodded, knowing that it was a possibility. That was part of life, right? Risks were expected to be made for rewards.

"Finally, the form you now take, an alicorn, is a being of the strongest magics, second only to the titans and the fiends in sheer capability. As such, your body renews itself continuously with the magic in the air. Have you ever seen a fish that has been removed from water, nephew? That would be your fate once you reached those fringe worlds, even those with traces of mana. You may never even reach your goal, your power running out before you reached the correct world." Tears falling freely, the princess voiced her final question. "Would you, Cimmerian, be willing to relegate yourself to a certain death with no guarantee of finding the correct world, much less making it to a world as devoid of magic as you believe your own to be?"

Author's Notes:

I loved writing Luna and Tia fan-girling over the possible relationship, but the last section was tough. How do you look at someone, knowing its one of the things that keeps them moving forward, and say "It most likely isn't going to happen anytime soon."? I can't see it being a pleasant experience, even for someone who likely has done it before.

How do you take hope from someone who has given you so much?

Low Blows and the Love of Children

Ted merely looked ahead for a few moments, absorbing what the princess had told him. It still didn't seem impossible, hell, humans did the impossible on a regular basis, it was why they started replacing the word with difficult or improbable. The problem was that it wasn't going to be something he could accomplish by studying magic for a while and taking off on his own. The word pipe-dream came to mind, in fact, as it seemed like something that would take a long time

"Maybe find a way to get gems to convert sunlight into magic? It works with electricity." He mumbled to himself, scratching his chin with a hoof. "Would need a lot of those, leave them every few worlds with a gem that holds a beacon spell, if I end up lost I could just follow the beacons home. Problem there would be doing the enchantments, which I have no clue about, and the materials, hell, maybe something holds spells and magic better than gems?"

A flash of ashen flames pulled him out of his musings, and his jaw dropped. Pandinus sat before him with a scowl, wearing the form of Blur.

"Are you forgetting something? Like the ponies that so desperately cling to you in the jungle?" She said, eyes narrowed with anger. "What happens to them once you get the knowledge and materials, will you leave them to the Mad Queen?" Suddenly she shifted once again, taking the form of Rose. "Or perhaps you could explain to the hatchlings why everyone is suddenly giving up, why the gnolls have turned on each other to decide the new alpha, and why the changelings have scattered to the far corners of the world?"

"Din, that's not fair. I'm not going to be doing this as soon as I get the information."

"Oh, here's my favorite!" She said, returning to her own form. "Explain to me how you are not making a liar out of yourself. You promised me a home, a place where I could build a hive among the other races you welcomed into your nest. Would it be your nest after you left? Would any ponies stay there? Would my hatchlings be safe from the Mad Queen?"

"I wont leave until she's dealt with." He answered.

"How long will that take? And will you leave right after? Because I will tell you right now, that will destroy this world." She said. "Mother told me all about the connections between races. It helps us avoid them, or pit them against each other if it becomes necessary. Do you think it is the Equestrian military that keeps its country safe? No! It is the fact that there are two, now one of the most powerful magic-wielders on the planet on the throne! Do you think you can leave the princesses in charge after her defeat? The other countries won't wait for them to recover. You leave after removing the threat of the Mad Queen, those ponies will be slaughtered and their lands divided amongst the other countries. What of this city, this country you seek to build? Did you not days ago tell your followers you hoped to build it into a country? They follow you because alicorns are not just powerful, they are enduring."

"The power vacuum alone would destroy all semblance of peace, Cimmerian." Celestia interjected. "You will be removing the most powerful ruler on the planet, leaving yourself at the top of the ladder, and then you will leave as well. Luna and I will take years, if not decades to recover our full strength, especially since I believe our ponies faith in us has been shaken."

"It will be worse if he leaves, sister." Luna said. "The public will see two alicorns engaged in combat, just to see the victor abandon them to their fate." She turned to Ted. "Would you trust two weakened members of a race to keep you safe, after two others destroyed all semblance of stability?" She shook her head. "Even these questions are assuming you can match her strength, and she has years of study and growth on her side, as well as an army sworn to her service. You have, what, less than one hundred followers in the middle of the jungle?"

Pandinus nodded. "We just recently started farming our own food, well, the ponies did, and the gnolls hunt with the griffon and thestrals for their meat. The only thing we have in excess at the moment is emotion, and that is because we only have five changelings feeding at the moment. We don't even gather enough to warrant a trade caravan from the nearby port town. We need to make the trip ourselves."

Ted stomped a hoof on the ground, fuming. "So what, I'm supposed to just give up on my family?"

Celestia and Luna both looked uncomfortable at the outburst, but it was Pandinus who had the answer.

"No, you fool. I expect you to take care of it."

Seeing the confusion in his eyes, she explained. "Do you think your followers refer to you as Father because it is your title? Truly, I believe most started out that way, but many call you that because they have no family besides those who work beside them. By accepting you as their father, they feel safer, they know someone is watching out for them. I've even asked some of them why they do it. One stallion, Carver, told me he did it because everypony else did, but eventually it just felt right, as you truly felt like a father figure."

Ted's anger faded at that, but he pushed forward "What about you? You're supposed to be a leader changeling, what if I put you in charge after I left?"

The changeling barked with laughter. "A changeling queen, on the Equestrian throne, finally in the hooves of our species not through war, but because it was given to us!" She laughed even harder, earning scowls from the alicorn princesses. "They do not follow me, nor would they, even by your orders. They tolerate us because you tell them to. And star's forbid you leave before the Mad Queen is dealt with. My hive's link would bring her forces to our doorstep within a week, a month tops, and I will most likely be captured by her, if not killed." She said, her gaze turning venomous. "Because I will never stand to abandon my nymphs."

The dark alicorn went to retort, but his mouth clicked shut a moment later, realization in his eyes.

'I spent so much time avoiding her propositions and flirts to avoid blood-related children I didn't even realize I'd basically adopted the entirety of the Temple.'

"Fuck."

"It finally sets in." The queen said, circling him. "He so adamantly refuses to abandon hatchlings, and yet there he goes, making plans to do exactly that. Did you truly not make the connection, even with almost the entirety of the Temple's population calling you Father?"

"They what?" Celestia finally asked, eyes wide with confusion.

"It's true." Pandinus said, coming to a halt to his left. "From what I've heard it started with a single mare, the one who holds sermons in his name every fourth day." Turning from the princesses, she stared Ted right in the eyes. "Tell me, oh Father of the shadows, where will the poor dear turn to when the only one she has left in the world leaves her?"

The male alicorn had no answer.

"I do not expect you to give up on your family." The shape shifter said much more softly. "Once I can do so safely, I will be looking for news on my mother. Until I can, however, I will live my life as fully as I can. I will not harm myself to find news of her. She would beat me with my own shell if I did so. As I'm certain yours would, or at least with something similarly based on your own body." Her gaze hardened slightly once more. "And should I hear of you attempting to make a one-way trip to your old home, I will bring your children to you, so that you may explain to them why you are making a suicidal gambit to attempt to find family members that may not even exist anymore."

Ted's eyes lit with rage at the threat. "You wouldn't dare. That isn't fair, it would crush them."

"So would your departure." The changeling said, meeting his glare with an even stare, "Besides, I am a changeling. If there's one thing mother emphasized, it was that if we are playing by the rules, we've lost."

Ted's mood didn't improve much the following morning. He ate his breakfast in silence before returning to the war room. After spending several hours getting more and more frustrated as he replayed the previous nights conversations in his head, he finally launched a ledger across the room, where it lodged into a wall.

'I need to get out of here, need to find something to vent on.' He thought to himself, before his eyes settled upon a recent report. The gnolls had found an old mine nearby to the north-west while hunting, abandoned due to the inaccessibility of the area. There wasn't much there, as the miners hadn't dug more than a weeks worth of dirt and ore before it was abandoned, but he was planning on grabbing it once the forge was finished. As it stood, the place was overgrown with vegetation like most of the jungle, and would need to be cleared out.

Double checking the location, he headed for the exit, his mood slightly lifted at the prospect of annihilating everything in that area. Taking off as soon as he was clear of the temple, he slowly made his way to the approximate location of the mine. He found it fairly quickly, the hill it was set into given away by the rising of the trees in the area.

Taking a deep breath, and focusing on the few spells he had personally studied, not those he borrowed from Luna, he dove back into the jungle with a roar. The second he struck the ground, he threw a pulse of magic, dispelling the force of his landing into the surrounding area, sending several smaller trees tumbling from the impact. Snarling, he unleashed the flame spell at the highest intensity he could muster, vaporizing the vegetation in a cone before him, before sweeping the spell for greater effect. He held the spell until he felt his horn start to actually heat up, almost as odd a sensation as when he'd tried removing the book, before switching to shadow blades, throwing them haphazardly into the underbrush, delighting in the constant detonations that rang in his ears. As he'd expected, the blades were now larger than a pony, and some were even cutting through entire trees before destabilizing, shredding plant matter into so much mulch.

Giggling madly, the alicorn unleashed yet another torrent of flames on the surrounding area, the smell of burning wood and plant matter stinging his nostrils.

'What happens if I burn something that's hallucinogenic?' He idly pondered. Shrugging the worry off, he continued wreaking havoc to the landscape. Finally, he focused the flames upon several rocks. A vicious grin split his face as the rocks started melting under the absurd heat, quickly reduced to a molten goop. Dropping the spell, he started pulling at the liquefied rock with his telekinesis, even as it began to cool and harden. A tug here, hold the cooling rock there. Eventually he'd created a shoddy facsimile of what he assumed the nightmare would look like. Grabbing it with his magic, he hefted the statue up into the air with him, flying west until he approached the ocean.

Flying well above the trees, the alicorn took a long look at the ocean, breathing in the salty air. It was always a treat to visit the beach. Maybe he could get his followers to set up here sooner rather than later? Plenty of important people back home had beach-side getaways, right? Taking one last look at his work of art, the alicorn rose a bit higher, before planting his forehooves on the statue. With a wicked spin, enhanced by slinging the statue with his magic, he launched the statue skyward and seaward. Stabilizing from his spin, he fired off five shadow blades, launching them on an intercept course with the flying target. His grin started to fade as the first three missed, then the forth chipped a section of the Nightmare's smug face. The final blade connected, however, detonating and sending shards of the statue splashing down all over ocean. Upon seeing the statues destruction, Ted unleashed a shout of triumph, both hooves raised awkwardly in the air even as he compensated for the awkward movement with his wings. Feeling a genuine smile grace his lips for the first time in a while, Ted turned and followed the beach north, hoping to use the abandoned port town as a landmark back to the Temple. It felt great to cut loose and let out that pent up anger, and blowing up the statue was just icing on the cake. Maybe he could do this every other week or so? Not the entire vaporization of a section of the jungle, but some kind of skeet shooting challenge over the waters.

"Wreaking destruction is way more fun than building up a town." He chuckled to himself, angling east as soon as he reached the rotted docks of the abandoned port. "Definitely feel better after that." Sure it didn't change the fact that he still had his problems, but venting his frustration on the jungle, jungle that would have to be cleared anyway, had left him feeling slightly more relaxed. Finally coming into view of the Temple of the Shadows, the alicorn landed lightly, a slight pulse of magic allowing him to land without so much as a sound.

'And he sticks the landing!'

Walking to the entrance, however, his attention was drawn to a crowd, shouting originating from the center. Followers rushed to and from the crowd, some pegasi flitting over the crowd to the center before rushing off again. Finally close enough to make out what was going on, he was shocked by the sight.

On a raised pedestal stood Gleam and Pandinus, the unicorn reading off her list to the queen, the queen directing the crowds with an authority he'd yet to see from her. What surprised him most, however, was that even as beings came and went, and the unicorn spoke, her concentration never faltered. As a queen for an entire hive, though, it was likely the changeling was literally made for this kind of role. Walking closer, he listened and watched, seeing the two on the raised platform easily directing the entirety of the workflow around the temple. Eventually her eyes rolled over his position, and she slowed for a split second before scowling in his direction and returning to her work. Ignoring the glare, he approached Gleam, the unicorn finishing her recitation of priority jobs to the queen and turning to face him.

"Gleam, I'd like you to make a note that the area around the mine discovered by the gnolls is cleared of vegetation. The area should be cool by tomorrow."

The unicorn's eyes widened for a moment and she muttered something about smoke and explosions before making a few scribbles in her notebook. Certain there was nothing he could add here, he headed into the temple, stretching his wings several times before he entered the halls. That was the farthest and the fastest he'd flown to date, and the strain was both painful and, oddly enough, refreshing.

'Probably because it's the first time I've felt any physical exhaustion lately.' Even then, it was more of a case of running an underused muscle group into the ground than actual exhaustion. Still, the burn was something he recognized from any workouts or runs he did back home, and the familiarity was welcome. Grabbing himself a late lunch, the alicorn made his way back to the war room, continuing his earlier work with a much better attitude. After a quiet dinner, the alicorn grabbed a few spell books from the library and returned to his seat in the war room, it serving as his office in a way; if anything came up, it was the first place his followers would look for him. Shadow Weaver came and went a few times, grabbing notes or double checking his calculations, but otherwise the unicorn was busy implementing his large-scale wards, designed to repel pests and predators alike. At Ted's question of if it would impact the gnolls, the pony responded with a negative, citing his time spent with Buster. Apparently he'd spent a full day scanning the gnoll, making sure that the wards wouldn't impact the slower, more predatory species.

"It surprised me, Father, but it seems that the gnolls may not be as stupid as I once thought They register at about the same level as a pony in sapience, despite their more feral ways." Shadow Weaver told the alicorn.

Ted nodded. "It's most likely the education available to them. Everything they know has been taught by word of mouth or by example, I think. I'd have to ask Buster, of course, but I don't think they had any official forms of education." The dark alicorn smiled. "Speaking of education, has anyone volunteered for teaching the children?"

"Miss Goodhooves seems to be interested, though she admits she doesn't have a formal education in schooling. She's already working on getting a list of materials for a classroom together. Books will be hard to get out here, but maybe we can put an order in at the port. Otherwise, she said she can start of basic mathematics in a few days, even if it's just to find out where they are."

Ted nodded. "We'll make the trip soon enough, and I'll see about getting a few books for her to study as well. Thanks, Shadow. How are your wards coming along?"

"Well enough, I've finished the planning stages, which unfortunately take a long time with spells and array's of this scale. I've also had to keep the power output low, so it doesn't draw too much attention. I know your power seems to guard, but there's no reason to push my luck." The unicorn explained. "I'm actually headed back out there in a moment, I think I've grabbed everything I needed this time, I should have the northern ward up by tonight. Just have to grab some guards on the way out, as the area's still overgrown."

Ted watched the mage leave with a grin, happy with the new information. With any luck, the children would be well taken care of. Maybe he'd stop by the nursery again after he was done studying. They always seemed ecstatic to see him. The alicorn chuckled at the thought, one would almost think they saw him as a-

"Fuck. Again." The alicorn buried his head in his hooves. The damned nag was right. He was so busy trying to avoid blood children he'd not noticed he'd adopted the entire temple. In fact, he'd made his choice the moment he let a pony rely on him, the moment he'd let that mare seek him for comfort. Blur was the first to call him Father, and with his constant ministrations to their well being, it was probably a matter of time before the rest of the temple started understanding what she was talking about and agreed with her.

"How the hell do you accidentally adopt an entire town?" He muttered. "Even worse, how do you do that without noticing?"

It bothered him, but what bothered him more was how unavoidable this all seemed. The ponies had put everything into pulling him free of the armor, what was he supposed to do? 'Ha ha, you guys screwed up, I'm not the one you want. See ya!' Then take off through the doors into a world he had no clue about? He couldn't stand the thought, it would be like finding a small, shivering, lost child on your doorstep, with tears in it's eyes. He couldn't turn them away, it would kill him inside.

Unable to continue with his studies, and the night fast approaching, he stepped out and walked across the path to the nursery, quietly opening the door which had finally replaced the improvised gate that had separated the room from the rest of the temple a short time ago. Mirage was tending to a few scratches on a hoof courtesy of one of three pups in the room, most of the others sticking to one of the female gnolls since they were too young to be separated just yet. As he entered the room, all eyes were on him, energy returning to sleepy eyes if only for a moment. The children bounced around him, all looking for his attention, the more adventurous seeking it by climbing higher on his body than their others, as if height would increase his likelihood to notice them. There was one thing that kept bothering him while in their presence though.

They all, without fail, called him Father. There was no use of Cimmerian, or Theodore, or Mr. Nightmare in this room. Hearing that coming from the adults, it felt more like a title, and he'd ignored the possibilities because of his assumption. But this was different. These were children, most separated from their parents with no idea of how to return home, if they even knew where home was. They had no connections to the outside world, and were completely dependent on the rest of the Temple's residents for their care. A Slight prick at his rear leg brought his attention from the rest of the children, his gaze finding the giggling form of Gem, her teeth still latched onto his cannon. He picked the nymph up, giving her a light nuzzle, and prompting her to latch once again onto his muzzle. She chittered and buzzed for a few moments before speaking, and Ted's eyes went wide in shock.

Mirage tended to the whimpering pony hatchling, the young under her care having quickly gotten over the squeamishness of her spreading her organic sealant over their cuts to prevent infections. As a Clutch Nurse, hers was specifically potent as a healing salve, serving to prevent infections, whereas a soldiers would be more adapt at securing prisoners, or an infiltrators would be more accurate, able to strike a pony with a launched wad of the mucus-like material. Such specialization required careful monitoring of the changeling during a molt, allowing minute injections of various chemicals as they were needed, but both the staffing and resources of the Temple were currently much too low to allow such changes here.

Looking over to the dark alicorn, having easily sensed him as he walked into the room, she huffed in an annoyed fashion, the hatchlings gaining a burst of energy at his presence despite the rigorous play-schedule she'd subjected them to. Luckily, it would be short lived, and they'd all sleep even more deeply afterwards. She continued her ministrations, soon releasing the filly back to the clutch, before she sensed a playful joy reaching her through the link.

Before she could place the origin, she saw Gem sneak up on the alicorn, before latching her fangs into his cannon, to his apparent discomfort. Still, the alicorn took the attack in stride, merely picking the nymph up, giving her an affectionate nuzzle, though Gem capitalized on the contact by latching her hooves onto his muzzle before he could retreat. The foal then proceeded to giggle and chirp happily from its perch, before it tried communicating in Equish.

"Dzz-chee!" Gem giggled a bit, nibbling on the alicorn before trying again.

"Deed!"

The alicorn stopped, focusing directly on the nymph, even as she worked her jaw, and Mirage could feel the shock and confusion from him.

"Dad!"

The alicorn just stared at the nymph, before a small smile formed on his face, and the mare could feel the intense rush of familial love pour out from Father. At first the intensity shocked her, but soon she started trotting over to the group, worried that the influx would be too intense for the nymph. After a while, he lowered the nymph to the ground, before giving her a light kiss on the head, right between her horn and ear. He then went through the entire line of hatchlings, wishing them all a good night, and even nuzzling the nervous pup that had approached him. Soon he'd finished his rounds, and was turning for the exit when he focused on her. The changeling stifled a gasp, simultaneously feeling as though she were being wrapped in the fuzziest blanket in the world and tasting the richest cream in existence.

"Keep them out of trouble, Mirage. We're looking into getting them some schooling before too long, so you'll have someone else assigned to help you with them. You should get some free time when that starts."

Not trusting her voice as her vision swam and the world took on a pink tint, she went to check on the nymphs, specifically Gem. The foal was giggling in an almost drunken manner, her eyes glowing with a pink light due to the massive amount of love her small form had been subjected to. Mirage pulled the excess from the hatchling, who quickly settled down amongst the others. She went to use the extra to make sure Adamant was properly fed, but even for him she had to pull a small amount of extra energy, lest he become bloated from the extra love while sleeping. Returning to her bed, she pulled out several small containers, one having just a trace amount of mixed emotions from when she'd begun teaching Adamant to give up excess emotion for storage. Feeling the emotions being pulled into a special second stomach and mixing with a plethora of chemicals that could actually hold the emotions in a physical state, she began spitting the excess love into one of the empty jars. She wouldn't taint something this pure with the other emotions already in the first jar. This was what her kind sought, what they cherished. Even as she topped off the jar, a part of her was furious with herself, demanding she hold onto it for herself. It was enough to keep her literally running for a year.

Shaking the thoughts off, she made sure the children were all asleep, before making her way to the dining halls. She needed to replenish her fluids, and possibly enlist Grift's help with the processing. If she didn't get rid of the excess emotion soon, she'd become too bloated to walk. If push came to shove, she may even need to visit the queen. As much as she didn't like the mare, the queen could hold and process more emotion than any other changeling present.

Just before she reached the stairs, she stopped, before walking just a little further down the hallway to Cimmerian's room. She snuck in, seeing the alicorn in the bath being scrubbed down by the two serving ponies. He just sat there as they worked, eyes closed with a serene smile upon his face. What had happened, she wondered. What was so different between everyone else in the temple calling him Father, and the hatchlings doing it? Shaking her head, she returned to her journey, wondering what the buzz was wrong with the alicorn this time.

Author's Notes:

I'd edit it more, but I've got work in a bit, and I can't wait to hear the opinions on more changeling physiology. I find it hilarious, the idea that when fed too much love, their eyes would glow pink and they'd get silly.

Turnabout is Fair Play

Ted avoided speaking to the alicorns or the changeling queen that night, still lost in his own thoughts. A father. The little ones he was watching, those adorable little bundles of energy, had taken him as their father. True, most could be just following what they heard the other beings in the temple call him, but at least one of them had made the leap of faith. Gem had passed any pretense of using it as a title, and gone straight to calling him dad.

'Go directly to his heart. Do not pass suspicion, do not collect ire.' He thought with a smile. The little bug was adorable, hell all of them were, Rose being the first to sink her hooks into his heart. The difference was the filly knew her father was out here somewhere, she'd even talked of him so there was no reason for her to adopt the alicorn as such, but she still felt safer in his presence. The few times he'd seen her in nightmares those first weeks, she'd called for her parents. When that didn't work, she'd called Mr. Nightmare. Despite trying to figure out why she was having the night terror in the first place, it had pulled him to action, and he'd picked her up immediately, reassuring the foal that he'd keep her safe, even in her dreams. So it was with all of the children, their dreams being his first and last stops before allowing himself to relax on his own personal beach. It was his current location, laying on a blanket watching the twilight over the ocean, listening to the waves roll in endlessly. He'd felt Luna brush against his dream earlier, but he'd pushed back, not interested in speaking to her anymore. He didn't need any more convincing, and he certainly wasn't in the mood to hear about how glad she was he'd seen the light. He'd probably slap her right out of his dream if he heard anything close to that.

Finally, he felt the familiar tug of wakefulness and, deciding to have some fun, instead left his dream and possessed the armor. Soon his vision cleared giving him a view of two of the youngest children, Gem and Quartz, a unicorn filly with pink fur and white mane, attempting to gain access to him, tugging at the blankets and trying to climb up to him. Grinning, the disembodied alicorn approached them silently despite his armored form, placing a boot below both when they made their leaps and lifting them onto the bed. Both scrambled desperately as they cleared the edge of their goal, before turning to thank whoever helped them. Both sets of eyes then widened in fear before they darted to his sleeping form, burrowing into his blankets and wedging themselves into his side.

The armor sighed. Alien sensations were becoming an expected part of his new role and form, but accepting them didn't make them any less strange. He could feel the kids against his side, even as he watched himself sleep. Hearing a rustle at the door, he turned just in time to catch Mirage open the door, likely looking for the two escapees. The mare's eyes tracked the room before settling on the odd placement of the armor, before she noticed the ethereal glow and wisps of shadow flowing through it. Predicting a panic attack on her part, Ted chuckled.

"Calm yourself, Mirage" His voice echoed strangely, a hollow ring to the words. "It's still me. I am just testing a trick I learned a while ago. I haven't had much time to play with it. You're looking for Gem and Quartz, right?"

At the changeling's nod, he continued. "They're buried into my left side, trying to escape the haunted armor." He chuckled a moment. "Probably not the best idea, approaching them from behind when they're wandering places they shouldn't. Much less in a form they won't recognize."

After a moment of staring at himself, even poking his own nose with a hoof, a grin split his face, before he turned to the changeling, a false sense or irritation lacing his voice.

"Who does this idiot think he is, sleeping in my presence?" He demanded of her. "I aught to belt him, but no, I have a better plan!"

Giggling like an idiot, the armor walked over to the desk, the metal horn glowing faintly, just barely allowing the alicorn to lift a nearby ink pot and quill he kept for note taking. A fanged grin breaking out of the shadows, he approached his sleeping form, before starting to draw on his own face, feeling the sensations even as the quill finished its circle, a perfect monocle over the right eye with a lined wire going up behind his ear. Finally, he added a curly mustache, snickering the entire time. It would probably be difficult to see at a distance with how dark his fur was, but it was noticeable enough up close.

Mirage just watched from the doorway, her jaw hanging open. She probably thought he was insane to do something like this. He'd always wanted to do this, but could never bring himself to ruin someone else's day. Finishing the other side of the mustache, he looked back at the changeling mare.

"Voila! A work of art, no?" He said, making a grand gesture at his now graffitied face. Still barely suppressing his laughter, he walked over to a side of the room he'd set aside for this exact purpose. Laying down on the cloth he'd set on the floor to keep the armor off the stone floor, his consciousness shifted, and he opened his eyes back in his own body. Looking at the Nightmare armor for a few moments, a grin still on his face, he greeted the shape shifter as if nothing was wrong.

"Why good morning Mirage, such a lovely day, isn't it?"

The changelings hooves immediately latched onto her own muzzle, a muffled snort her only response.

"One of the stranger things I've done lately, looking at myself from another position." Pulling aside the blankets, he ducked under his wing, whispering reassurances to the foals, slowly coaxing them out of their hiding place. While Gem was more than happy to take up a new position between his wings, the unicorn filly was wearily eyeing the armor, as if it would come alive and approach her once again. With a grin, Ted grabbed the helmet, levitating it over to himself. The filly panicked at the movement, once again diving below his wing, her muzzle the only thing he could make out before placing the helmet on his own head, the armor growing slightly to accommodate his ever-changing size. Looking at the child, he reassured her and eventually managed to place the helmet on her own head, though it nearly covered her nose to tail, just her legs visible underneath the helmet and a few spots of fur he could see through the nose and eye slits. He smiled, the helmet giggling at him as she tried to move with her new burden, an adorable tank that in all likelihood would bounce off the first obstacle it encountered.

Ted turned to the shape shifter. "I'll watch them, Mirage, I'll meet you at breakfast. If I don't get them back to you by then, I'll wait for you in the nursery with them."

The changeling nodded, preparing to leave, but a question hung in her mind. "Father, if you don't mind me asking... What happened last night? What changed? Everyone here already calls you father."

The alicorn removed the helmet from the filly, setting it back in its proper place, then turned to the mare. "Father is a title, Mirage, it is one that is often used as a sign of respect where I come from. At first I assumed the same from my followers, but I suspect some may not be using it as such anymore." Looking back at the nymph curled up on his back, he smiled. "But dad, dad isn't a title. Its a word we use to describe someone we trust more than any other, someone we believe will be there when we need them most. Someone who will check under our beds for monsters, will make sure we have enough to eat, and will do everything he can to make sure we can live our lives to the fullest. That's a dad, Mirage. And yes, it's possible to be the genetic parent of a child and never deserve to be called a dad. I've heard and seen plenty of examples. I plan on doing my best to avoid those."

The shape shifter tilted her head a moment, processing his words before trotting out the door. Ted chuckled, even as he watched the kids play. She probably would have been able to accept his words as a bit more serious if it weren't for the markings on his face at the moment. He closed his eyes in thought. It was hilarious when he did it, but now he had to figure out what to do while it wore off.

An amused chuckle resonated from his throat a moment later. Barring the changeling butting in, he had a brilliant idea that would probably keep him entertained the whole day as well as let him work on keeping a straight face under straining circumstances. The alicorn completed his morning routine, and picked the children up on his way out the door, pointedly ignoring the looks of confusion on the faces of those he passed in the hallways.

Step one; act like there's nothing wrong unless approached about the markings.

Breakfast was the usual affair, though he'd gotten plenty of stares during it. He just smiled at the followers though, pretending nothing was wrong. It took a lot of willpower, but he was blatantly ignoring what they were staring at, at one point even asking a follower if he had something on his face. The poor mare's expression was golden, a desperate need to point out the markings warring with her inability to correct Father.

After dropping the foals off with their fellows, most giggling at him as he passed by, he made his way out of the dining hall where he was met by one of the faces he'd been hoping to avoid. Pandinus was scowling at him, walking towards him with purpose.

"What changed?" She muttered darkly. "What changed so much that Mirage and Grift had to come me for assistance in processing enough love to put a true drone into a love-coma for a week? If that clutch nurse was any heavier with it, she wouldn't have been able to keep walking, and that was after filling an entire jar with even more."

"Gem called me dad." He stated simply.

"So what? The rest of the hive calls you their father as well! Why do you do this to me? I swear to aid you, I offer myself to you, what more do I need to do?" She practically screamed, venting her frustration.

"Do you know what love is, Pandinus?"

"Of course I do. It is the strongest and most powerful emotion a changeling can feed on. My mother would have entered your servitude as well if it meant she could be given a few jars of it, much less the possibility of an endless supply of it."

"I'm referring to the connection between two beings, the willingness to do anything for that individual. A trust so deep that you willingly place your life in the care of another. The absolute certainty that no matter what happens, they will do everything in their power to both keep you safe and that almost everything they do will benefit you in some way." The alicorn explained. "And what is this servitude you're talking about? I've given you a home and food, and you complain that I don't give you more. Most would have thrown you out by now, but I'm not going to. Do you know why? Because I've learned a lot watching you, Queen Pandinus of the Changelings. I know that as your name suggests, the first thing you did when we first met was attack me, a sting if you will. I saw you just yesterday acting as one with such a title would be expected to act, leading my followers when I was not here, and I was ecstatic to see that. But you're missing something. I saw a glimpse of it when you laid your first clutch, a second meaning of your name showing through, but it was so faint, it might as well not even have been there."

The alicorn cocked an ear, an idea coming to him. "I want you to throw out the clutch."

A look of confusion at the sudden change of topic crossed her face. "What?"

"You said you are incapable of love, only consuming it. No child should be raised without a loving parent. They're not sapient, you already told me that. It's not like you'd be killing a living thing. Dispose of them." Ted told her, voice devoid of emotion.

"Those are my hatchlings. Sapient or not, they are mine, and I'll be locked in Tartarus before I abandon them!"

"I'm not budging on this, Pandinus. Get rid of them." Seeing the queen squaring herself against him aggressively, he merely sniffed before passing her, headed towards the tunnels. "If you won't get rid of them, I will."

Ted readied himself, even as he approached the door. The moment he opened the door, he heard a clattering of chitinous hooves on the stone floor, and knew she was coming. Ted shifted to a more shadowy form causing the changeling to phase right through him in her lunge. Returning to his physical form, he bucked her into the nearby wall, leaving a crack in it and a dazed queen on the floor, a small bit of blood dripping out of her split muzzle. By now their shouting had drawn several ponies and gnolls, the canines drawing their weapons at what they assumed was the changeling queen attacking their ruler. Queen Pandinus finally returned to her hooves, albeit shakily, and once more squared off against the alicorn, this time noting his reinforcements.

"Will you still fight for them Pandinus? Even knowing you will die?" Ted asked, his voice not betraying anything. The queen merely snarled in answer, lowering her head and drawing power to her horn.

"Put away your weapons." He commanded the followers present, before turning back to the queen. He chuckled darkly as he walked up to the still aggressively posed queen. As he neared, she lashed out, attempting to gore him with the dangerously glowing horn. The alicorn stepped back as she swung wildly before driving a hoof into her upper foreleg's joint, unbalancing her and sending her to the floor where he stomped a hoof on her glowing horn, the charge fizzling out as the painful impact resonated with the active nerves. Leaning down on the weakly struggling queen, he spoke with a soft voice.

"That, Pandinus, is love."

The queens struggles ceased as her brain tried to comprehend what he was saying. "Emotions are not just the energy you intercept or catch that give you energy." He told her, driving each point home with increased pressure on her horn. "They are the interactions between the living that tell us where we stand amongst our fellow sapient beings. That is what I felt for my children last night. That is what I'm beginning to feel for everyone in my home. If you truly want me to accept you, you will love my children as much as you love your own. There is no negotiating this. Love everyone in this nest as your own hatchlings, be another sister to my children, or leave."

He leaned even closer and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, his voice low enough to avoid even the sensitive ears of the canines. "Your pretty, and probably the only one here that I wouldn't have to worry about hurting, but if you try to use my children against me in an argument again, I will kill you."

The alicorn released the pressure on her horn and the changeling scrambled to her hooves, momentarily looking like she was going to take another swing at him, even though he could see her eyes still fogged from her initial introduction to the wall. Then she spun and darted down into the tunnels, likely headed for her nest. Ted took in a deep breath through his nostrils before releasing it in a huff. That had been downright cruel of him, regardless of her own vile tactics. Besides, with how she had cited some of the information she'd given him, he was certain at least half of her own beliefs and motivations were actually her mothers. There had been very few times when they had spoken that it actually sounded like her own ideals being put forth. Pandinus was in a position no queen had likely been in before, at least according to what he'd heard of their species, and was falling back on what she'd been taught. Alas, it wouldn't help her here.

She wanted something more from him? He was going to make her work for it. If she truly wanted it that badly, she'd find a way. After all, there was more to love than loyalty and energy. He'd seen a loveless relationship already. He had no intention of entering into one himself.

'They're called changelings. Let's see how well this queen can adapt to change.'

Author's Notes:

I know it's just after the fourth, but happy independence day to all my fellow Americans. To you Brits, Happy treason day. To everyone else, happy "the Americans have gone nuts and are blowing their own arms off for fun again" Day.

And to all soldier the world over, serving or retired, Active or Inactive, Thank you.

SGT V, IRR

Desperate for Love

Author's Notes:

End is a bit nasty, if you don't like blood skip the last partition, right after Ted leaves the dream.

The queen fumed as she slammed the door behind her. Was he mad? Demanding the lives of her hatchlings in an attempt to make some point? She lashed out again and again, leaving cratered impressions in the first chamber of her nest. She lashed out till her hooves ached, till her chitin threatened to split. Panting heavily, she pushing into her sleeping area, and to the nearly hatched eggs she kept by her bed.

For a long time, the queen simply stared at them. He used them to try to teach her something, even if she didn't fully understand it. Would he still demand their destruction? The queen shook with rage once more at the thought of such a request. Oh, and stars forbid her mother ever learn of this, a changeling queen serving under a pony, willingly denying herself the pursuit of genetic material to better her hive for a single male. The old queen would either laugh herself mute, or beat her daughter into the dirt with her own withered hooves.

'For all the hatred I feel for him right now, I can't bring myself to truly try to kill him.' She thought to herself. She'd done more for him than her mother would ever permit, much less believe. She'd allowed herself to be placed below him while she recovered, and even after her recovery she didn't overthrow him, as he was much more useful in his current position. Certainly she could try to hypnotize the alicorn, she knew her species could do it, but would it work on something that was higher than a pony? What of the alicorns affection that fed so many changelings so easily? Would it be compromised? What of whatever spell he used to shield the changelings under his rule from the Mad Queen? Would that still work if his mind was not his own?

In the end she couldn't take those chances. No matter how much he frustrated her, Pandinus could not move against the alicorn without horrific consequences. Curling defensively around her clutch, she shuddered, first with rage, than with depression. She was a queen only in the idea that she was a primary bearer of her species and could maintain a link with hundreds of drones easily. In terms of actual power in this nest, she was less respected than the clutch nurse. Scratching her head behind the horn, she knew her crown would start forming soon. With her first clutch just about to hatch, it was only a matter of time. But what then? A hostile takeover wouldn't work here, and the other changelings, those who were independent of her, would not ally with her. By the First Mother's plates, the clutch nurse would not allow her near the nymphs, and Cimmerian supported her decisions on their care.

An odd sensation flowed over the queen as she sat by her clutch, and she reached a hoof to a strange tingle on her snout. Pulling it away, she found her hoof wet.

'And now my body is emulating emotions.' She muttered darkly, before her eyes widened. How could she cry if she couldn't feel sorrow? Was her own understanding of emotions wrong? If her understanding of them was incorrect, so too were the understandings of her entire species on the one thing that fed them.

With the revelation came an idea, one born of desperation. She couldn't think of anything else to do, there was no other way. Slowly a demented grin split her face, the queen giggling to herself at the solution that had presented itself. If the alicorn wanted her love, she would find a way to give it to him. No matter what the cost.

Ted, or Cimmerian as more and more of his followers were calling him (those that refused to call him Father, anyway), spent the next few days distracting himself with his work, overseeing the construction of yet another building to house more followers as well as the preparation of the mine. The building would be a godsend to those who were unmarried, as some claimed the noise coming from the sleeping quarters was getting out of, well, grasping appendage. Having a soundproofing ward on his own room, Ted wasn't sure what the problem was, till he forgot to restore it one night. Afterwards, the additional housing became top priority.

"Ok, that should hold us for a while, even if we do get 30 more residents. How are we doing on supplies, Gleam?" Ted asked, turning from his notes to the unicorn mare.

"We're starting to run low on nails and metals, but the griffin and gnolls have been keeping the, er, pelts from their hunting, saying they can be sold if not used for clothing and bedding." The unicorn said, reading her own notes. "Tulip has also managed to accumulate a good surplus of potions and poultices, though I would suggest getting her some vials or possibly adding a glass blowing extension to the forge so we don't have to purchase them for too long. Being so close to the beach, glass shouldn't be that hard to make with the proper tools and instructions. Oh, I also must suggest a storage silo for grains as the next project and a way to make a cool storage area for preserving food soon."

"I say we make another set of tunnels like those below the Temple for the cold storage. Ask the changelings to seal a storage tunnel and get a door on the tunnel like Pandinus has, then get some cooling runes into the walls. That should work as a makeshift cold storage, though the changelings will want it a good distance from their nest. The cold could negatively affect them. Oh, and make sure it can be opened from the inside."

Gleam blanched at the idea. "Has that happened before? People getting stuck in a cold storage room?"

"More often than anyone would admit." The alicorn said with a sigh. "That's why I want you to make a note of that, I don't want any stupid deaths. I don't want any at all, honestly, but being this far out into the wilderness, it's going to happen. We just need to do everything we can to minimize the possibilities."

Gleam shifted uncomfortably a moment, drawing the alicorn's attention.

"Is there something bothering you, Gleam?"

"Father, I, I hate to be the one to ask this, but do you know what happened to the queen? No one has really spoken about the incident, I just heard she attacked you for some reason and you hurt her in return, then she locked herself in the tunnels. She hasn't been seen in four days."

Ted frowned. "Four days? You're telling me no one's seen her since she ducked into her nest? Did someone at least check if she's still alive?" The alicorn asked while standing up, worry starting to settle in.

Gleam watched as the alicorn's tail lashed a bit, and his wings seemed tense. "I, I went to check, but was stopped by some smaller drones at her door. They said she wasn't seeing visitors. I just stopped by again this morning, and they said the same thing, though they seemed a bit bigger. I didn't know they grew so fast."

'So they hatched, and it sounds like they've developed fast, just as she said.' The alicorn thought. "She said some things that angered me, and I said some cruel things in return. I lashed out at her, but left her to her own devices, giving myself some time to cool off." After thinking a moment, the alicorn threw his cushion against the wall in frustration, before making his way out of the war room.

"Fuck, I hope she didn't do something stupid." He muttered, even as he galloped down the hall.

"Mother is not seeing visitors." The drones told him as he stood at the door. They were larger than he suspected considering their age, and the oddity of two door guards speaking the same words in a buzzing monotonous voice was pretty creepy. Still, his concerns weren't going to wait on the changeling finally deciding she was ready to talk. In reality, he was lucky she didn't fall into depression or do something... drastic.

Activating his more ethereal form, he walked right through the guards, despite their best attempts to intercept him. The walls were damaged, most likely from the queen after their conversation. The fact that the drones weren't told to repair them set warning bells off in the alicorns head. Pandinus was meticulous about her nest. The cracks normally would have been repaired within moments of her noticing them.

Approaching the second door that led to the queen's bed chambers and nest bowl, the alicorn phased through the remaining drones. Stopping at the door to look back at the drones, he noticed an odd expression on their faces.

Where once was an emotionless mask, there was now the barest hints of sorrow. Those closest stepped back into line with their fellows, before the entire clutch spoke in one voice.

"Stop the pain."

Eyes widened with worry, the alicorn dropped his shadowy form before tearing the final door off it's hinges, launching it into the wall of the previous room. Rushing into the final chamber, he was greeted by a sight that nearly made him ill.

Scattered around the bed were several glowing jars filled with various emotions, the colors swirling together as if there were some current actually present in the jars. Sitting on the bed, desperately gagging into a bottle was the queen. The bottle was nearly empty, but it's contents worried him. The liquid on the bottom of the jar, barely enough to wet the bottom, glowed a sickly green. Even as he watched, the queen spat another drop of the liquid into the jar. Finally stopping her task, the queen collapsed into her bed, wheezing with fatigue, her eyes dull and her mane matted against her form. But what truly scared him was the rest of her.

The holes were back. No, they weren't back, her body was completely riddled with the damned things. Looking at her now, he wasn't sure she'd be able to walk, much less stand. What the hell had she been doing these last few days that left her in such a state?

Sensing his concern the queen hissed and bared her fangs in what was likely her bodies desperate attempt to initiate a feeding, but she soon pulled back control, a dim awareness returning to her eyes. She giggled deliriously, before reaching a hoof out to the jar sitting on the floor beneath her.

"For you." She rasped, a smile on her face.

'Oh my god, she's snapped.' Ted thought, rushing up to the bed and carefully moving onto it, cautious of any jostling the paper thing creature on the bed. Finally in position, he relaxed over her, allowing his concern for her, his fear for any damage she may have incurred, and his hopes for her recovery to be his focus. He wrapped his forelegs around her own, sitting with his rear left leg pressed against her right. The queen relaxed in his grip, her survival instincts kicking in as she absorbed as much of the desperately needed food as she could stand, before she wretched, vomiting a multi-hued goop all over the floor.

Ted realized what was happening, and toned down his concern as best he could, though he didn't release his grip on the queen. After driving herself to the absolute brink of starvation for some reason, she was getting sick on the amount of emotion he was feeding her with. Still, he didn't release his hold on the queen, worried that she would try to leave and possibly finish whatever mad scheme had driven her to this state.

It took several hours, but eventually the sickly pallor of her chitin began to fade slightly, and her breathing steadied. Certain Pandinus was asleep, he allowed himself to fall into the realm of dreams as well, only now realizing her presence had been missing from the dream world as well.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid. What if she'd done something irreversible? What if that's what she did anyway?' The alicorn rebuked himself, entering the dream as soon as it solidified. The queen hadn't even had time to start dreaming before the alicorn was before her, dragging her dream self into a hug similar to the one he had her physical self in.

"You absolute idiot, what were you trying to do that nearly killed you? God, it was hard enough seeing you like that before, Din, don't do this to me again. Don't do this to yourself on purpose."

Instead of an answer, all he got were a few shudders before the dam broke. Pandinus fiercely wept into his barrel, unable to muster much more than the phrases 'I tried so hard.' and 'I'm sorry.' It broke his heart, and he couldn't help but feel responsible for driving her to this by their last confrontation.

Eventually he managed to calm her to the point of sniveling and hiccups, and he decided to try again.

"Why'd you do that to yourself, Din?" He asked softly. "Why did you starve yourself like that?"

"You, you said you wanted, said that I had to give you love if I wanted it." She whimpered. "So I tried finding my own, but I couldn't find it. I started, started draining off the other emotions, so I didn't have to dig through them to find it. I did my best, I swear, but I could only get a little. But it doesn't matter, it's not enough. It wouldn't even feed a true drone hatchling for a day." She sobbed, despairing at the failure to make enough of her own love.

Ted's eyes widened in realization of what was in the jar, before tightening his grip on the queen.

"You, that's not what I was asking for, Din. I can't taste emotions, that's your thing. I don't need physical proof of an emotions existence." The alicorn separated from the shape shifter, lifting her muzzle so he could look her in the eye.

"Gestures, Din. That is how other species show love. Actions we take. When you went to defend your clutch from me, that was a gesture that would be understood by those around you as love. A mother's devotion to her children. When Gem called me dad, that was her telling me she trusted me to keep her safe, trusted me with her life. That is what you're missing. You keep falling back on what you know about your own species when you try to get my attention, or assuming that we react to the emotions that are being released by others. That's not going to help you. It wouldn't help us." He said, pulling her back into a hug, chin resting on her head.

"But, you said you wanted my love, didn't you?"

"I wanted you to learn to love in a way I could understand. You're not just living amongst changelings anymore, Din. When you get better, I want you to watch the herds. Not the energy, that's something I can't see, it's something I don't truly care about. I want you to watch the gestures, the reassurances, the hugs, the kisses, the simple touches that they use to reassure each other every day. That's what I was asking of you."

"So, so I failed again. I almost killed myself for nothing." She said, beginning to droop again.

"Not true." Ted said, smiling sadly. "It wasn't what you had in mind, but it was there all the same. One of the strangest things you'll see in beings in love is their tendency to do things that hurt themselves in an effort to bring the attention of the target of their affections."

"I know it wasn't what you were looking for, but that is a better proof of love than anything else you've done for me so far." Pushing away from her, the alicorn took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry, Din." He said, laying down on the dream cave's floor. "I hope with all my heart that you don't think I'd ever actually follow through with such a cruel threat, but those words should never have left my mouth, no matter how angry I was. I beg that you not only forgive me, but warn me when I cross that line with others."

"I hate it." The queen mumbled. "I don't want to. I want to hate you, hate you so much you feel it. That you taste it." she wiped a hoof across her muzzle. "I can't do this right now. Just leave me alone."

Slowly rising to his hooves, the alicorn backed away a few more steps. "I'll leave your dream, but I'm not leaving your nest."

"Why not? I don't want to talk to you right now, don't even want to see you!"

"Because I'm scared, Pandinus." He said softly. "I'm not leaving until I'm sure you can at least walk again, longer if I feel you may still be in danger. If nothing else, promise me you won't do this again."

The queen stared at him, anger in her eyes. "Fine. Get out."

With a bow, the alicorn faded from her dream.

The next morning Ted refused to leave for breakfast, even refused lunch when Gleam brought it to the drones. After seeing the queen in such a state because of a misunderstanding of his request, not to mention the absolutely heartless method he'd used to try and get her to understand what he was attempting to teach her, he couldn't stomach food. Pandinus woke up a few times, but only for a few moments before drifting back to sleep. Most of the day was quiet, and looking back, Ted had wished it stayed that way. About an hour before dinner, the queen woke up once more, this time trying to get out of her bed. Ted guided her, and she eventually made her way to the egg bowl. The queen took her position, the alicorn holding the weak queen in place with a wing. Soon he heard the sounds of wet smacks on the ground behind them. After her laying the queen slackened in his grip, sending Ted into a panic. He called her, shook her, trying to get any kind of response out of the queen. Wondering what had gone wrong, he looked behind her to check her eggs.

And all he could see was her green blood.

The Fate of the Lost

Ted sat in the medical room, the queen on the bed next to him. Mirage, being the closest thing they had to a changeling medic, was currently finishing her inspection of the injured queen. She didn't like it, but Ted could still see a bit of worry in her actions.

"She's lucky queens are so resilient or she'd be much worse off." The shape shifter told him, taking a seat next to the alicorn while wiping some blood off of her hooves. "As it is, she should recover, though she'll have trouble with egg laying for a few weeks. That's going to leave her miserable, as normally the process is painless and a natural part of a queen's life. If she ever gets to this point again, though, sterility is not only a possibility, so is death. What was she doing anyway?

Ted stared at the queen for a few moments, before levitating a jar up to the changeling, a thin layer of green slime on the bottom.

"That... that's not possible, changelings don't, they can't." The mare floundered for an explanation. "She, she actually...why would she do that?"

"I told her I didn't want to love someone who wouldn't love me back. I was trying to get her to understand the differences in our ideas of love. I just didn't take into consideration she'd interpret my words in such a self destructive way."

"So she tried to find her own emotions under those she ate?" The alicorn nodded. "She... oh wow."

With a look of determination, Mirage grabbed the jar in her magic, walking over to a supply cabinet and pulling out a clean container, though it was much smaller. Before Ted knew what she was up to, she knocked back the small layer of liquid in the jar, wincing as it entered her system. Focusing, she then started spitting a much less concentrated green goop into the jar. After filling it up about half way, the mare stopped, panting a moment with effort before slapping the lid back on the container.

"I thought I could get away with putting it into a smaller container, but that stuff's concentrated. Pure love of that strength would feed a small hive for several months." The mare shook her head, before floating the jar over to Ted. "She wanted to give you her love, but changelings don't do this kind of thing ever, so there's no way to know how to accomplish that. As it is, she managed to pull actual changeling emotion. It tastes horrible, by the way."

The alicorn looked at the glowing green jar for a moment, before popping the lid off and sniffing its contents out of curiosity.

"So she'll recover?" He asked.

Mirage shrugged. Looking back at the queen, she shook her head. "If you really want to help her the best thing you can do is just give her your concern. It's your hope that she gets well, and a changeling body can react to focused emotions. The fact that it's for her actual form and not just her disguise will also help. I think it's why the emotions we've been getting here are so potent. Before I ended up here, I'd never really gotten anything from ponies except for fear, and I always ignore that. Negative emotions taste bad."

Hopping off her seat, the changeling made her way to the door. "I've left the hatchlings with Ms. Goodhooves long enough, I need to get back to them."

"Why do you hate her so much, Mirage?" Ted asked, turning from the jar.

As the mare turned to defend herself, he held up a hoof, forestalling her argument. "Don't tell me that you don't or that she's evil or something silly like that. The moment you saw her you were speaking against her presence. You'd already decided you were against her existence."

"It's not that, it's just..." Mirage looked behind the alicorn, frowning at the insensate queen.

"She's not from your hive?"

"I... yes. Queens never accept changelings of other hives except in the most desperate of circumstances, and the moment she can replace them with her own workers, she will. The only way a queen would keep the drones is if she claimed them as her own, and the process can have adverse effects on sapient drones."

Ted cocked his head at the Mirage. "That's why you've been keeping the nymphs clear of her? Your worried she may hurt them by trying to claim them? What does claiming entail, anyway?"

"It's joining the queen's hive and her link." The changeling explained. "Being a queen, she can influence those she's connected with, whereas for me and the nymphs it's just the reassurance of a nearby presence and allows us to find each other even in disguise. She would have access to everything a changeling is; your old hive's numbers, their location, their preferred collection sites, everything. In most cases, I've heard of queens suppressing a drone's personality, devolving them to those golems the queen has in her chambers at the moment. It's safer that way, as there's no risk of the claimed drone moving against the queen."

"Wait, is that normal? I know Pandinus mentioned being able to command the true drones easily, but can all queens do that suppression thing?" Ted asked.

"Of course."

"Then what's the difference in being in your mother's hive and Pandinus' hive? You said your hive was scattered, so there's no way to betray them is there? And your collection grounds were on the other side of the planet, if they even exist anymore." Rising from his seat and smiling, he approached Mirage. "I understand. It's not about what she can do to you, that you're not willing to give someone you don't know that kind of power over yourself, correct?" When the changeling slowly nodded her head, he continued. "It's fine. I don't know if I'd ever be able to trust someone so completely, even my own mother, much less someone who I don't really know all that well. Just the thought of someone being able to take my mind from me is a terrifying thing, as back home our minds were considered sacrosanct; holy and untouchable. However, that doesn't excuse the hostility, Mirage. This is part of what your kind, as a species, is."

The alicorn gave the mare a quick nuzzle, cutting off any response. "We're all supposed to be working together here, Mirage. As I said, the lack of trust is to be expected, but try to be a bit nicer. Talk to her, tell her why you don't hang around her, why you won't leave the nymphs with her. Learn about her, you may find you have more goals in common than you realize. The continuation of your species would be a big one." He said with a grin. Finishing his impromptu sermon, he left the room, the jar floating just ahead of him in a magical grip. He made his way up the stairs to his room, placing the jar on the nightstand beside his bed. It was a gift, no matter how twisted the method of its procurement was, and to throw it away was to insult the pain Din went through to give it to him.

'In the nose, out the mouth. Let the worries follow.' He thought to himself, following an old breathing exercise in an attempt to calm himself down. It had been nearly a day since he'd found Pandinus in that state, the sun just starting to set. The eggs were a total loss, Mirage saying that the starvation ended up stopping the queen's body from properly developing them. The drones that were already hatched, having no input from the queen, fell under Ted's jurisdiction by the queen's own orders. He'd had them finally repair the nest, then set them under Gleam's authority. That was a weird experience, as the drones were nowhere near the intelligence he was expecting without the queen to guide them. They did one task, then waited for the next order, and if the task was too complex, they would just stare at you, as if to say "Error: Command not recognized." Luckily the mare seemed to be able to understand this shortfall better than he could, as she soon had them fetching things, or providing support for other beings throughout the temple.

The alicorn finally allowed himself a light meal, his nerves calmed enough to allow his stomach to hold food, reviewed a few status updates from Weaver and Gleam, and finally passed out in his own bed.

The dream world was a calming place for Ted now. To his knowledge he had no equal here, as Luna's power was stunted by the traitor's arrays, and she either didn't know of any creature that could match her or one did not exist. It was also his escape, a place to sit back, relax, and unwind.

"Why must you listen to this infernal racket while studying your lessons?" Luna asked, almost yelling over the sound of Ted's conjured radio. It was currently playing some of his favorite pop rock songs. Quite loudly, too, a calming reminder of his high school days. Of home.

"I don't want to hear about my study habits from you, miss 'scream at the questions till they either give up the answer or are blown from the desk.' It's how I used to study, and it's relaxing to me."

The lunar alicorn reeled back as if struck, a blush forming on her face. "How did you know about that? What reason would the parasite have to take those memories?!? I swear, Tia still brings those nights up every now and again to embarrass me!"

The larger alicorn slowly raised his muzzle from the diagrams he was studying, staring at the ex princess with a stony expression. "You mean to tell me you did that on a regular basis?" He asked, voice tinged with disbelief. "I thought it was a one-time thing and that's why it was there." Burying his head under his hooves, he bemoaned his misfortune. "Why do I get stuck with the crazy one."

"Nonsense, I am the superior choice for such tutoring. My sister would either treat you like a foal or tease you mercilessly even as she taught you the spells. I can tell you this from experience." Luna said, before pushing a few more diagrams over to her student. "Add these to your practice sessions, though I suggest finding a place that won't be missed if this offensive spell misfires. It can be quite destructive, but will aid you greatly. Teleportation, this array here, is another useful ability to have once you have mastered it. Most battle mages that are capable of mastering it use it more than any other spell. Be weary of teleporting yourself while too close to the ground for the first few tries. Being an alicorn, you have the distinct advantage of being able to practice in mid flight. That is the preferable alternative considering your lack of a warded training room."

"With that I bid you good night, Cimmerian. May the stars bless your path." Having said her part, the smaller alicorn departed his dream, leaving Ted to store the spells away in some of the dream memory-space Luna had taught him to use. It was extremely useful considering she was the closest thing he had to a magic tutor at the time, and she couldn't give him physical copies of the spells.

Eventually the alicorn decided it was time to prepare for wakefulness. He left his own dream, making one last pass of his followers before turning back to his own form to prepare for the morning. Moments before he finished his rounds, he noticed an odd tingle, a presence inside the dream realm he'd not felt before.

Looking around, he realized it was not a presence, but an entire, by his guess, ship of new dreamers. The large group was just off shore of the abandoned port to the west, just beyond what he knew was the beach. At first he'd assumed the were pirates or bandits, looking for an abandoned port to restock on water and food that could be scrounged up without having to pay for such things, but this was dismissed as he approached.

Most of the dreams were nightmares.

This world was different in many ways, but bad guys didn't all have nightmares the first chance they got. Not at the ratio he was seeing aboard the ship. His first instinct was to calm the dreamers, but he needed information first. Bracing himself for the worst, he entered the first dream at full speed. The dawn was coming, and he didn't have much time.

Blades and steel. Empty eyes and gnashing fangs. The droning buzz of insects in flight and the screams of those nearby. The first dreamer was almost hysterical, but he'd picked up some important facts. Changelings were what had driven them away. The second thing was that the refugees, that's what they seemed to be at least, were griffons.

'The demilitarization wasn't a move to making the griffons safer to deal with, it was preparing their lands for invasion.' The alicorn realized. The timing was too perfect, too precise for such a thing to be coincidence. The next question was why changelings?

Exiting the first dream and brushing against it in the dream world, he calmed the dreamer before diving into the next.

The next moment he was standing among a large group of griffons, all upon a mountain settlement. They'd all stopped, curious at the strange sounds from the eastern valley. Following their gazes, he saw the army as the dreamer had remembered it, a vast collection of shining chitin, of glinting armor and blades in the evening light. At the head of the group, a single equine figure turned around and motioned to the horde, and the air was suddenly alive with the sound of a thousand buzzing wings.

'This makes no sense.' Ted thought to himself, even as he watched the swarm approach. 'The Mad Queen was rooting out changelings, forcing them out of their homes. Mirage and Sahkest even said- oh fuck.' The alicorn's eyes widened in realization. The changelings weren't being executed, they were being captured. Taken prisoner by a species that had subverted the will of not one, but two alicorns, some of the most powerful creatures on the planet. How hard would it be to do that to weaker species? Actually, considering what Mirage had explained to him earlier, it would probably be easier to accomplish with the changelings en mass then with any other species.

"That would have been Din's fate. Mind probably shattered, pumping out eggs to fuel the Parasite's war machine. And that would have been the fate of the nymphs, their minds and bodies stolen to add another cog into the war machine." He muttered to himself, his rage building. Each of the changelings before him may at one point have been sapient beings, but their bodies were not their own. Their eyes were empty, and those that had anything in them at all were filled only with the greatest bloodlust. These weren't sapients. These were animals, trained from birth to be throw away soldiers, hatched for the specific purpose of subjugating another species.

How ironic was it now, that the species that none had spoken out for as they were slowly hunted to what many assumed was extinction were now the ones being used to incite such fear. If even a few had wondered what was happening to those who were carted away this wouldn't have been such a total surprise. Mirage was right though. No one watched out for the changelings. No one cared what happened to the bugs, they weren't intelligent anyway. Just a bunch of mindless parasites.

Ted shook his head, even as the army swarmed over the town, injuring those who they came across and killing those who resisted. To steal one's property was something he expected, he'd even heard of those who stole the identities of others. Yes the changelings did it, but that was for survival, not some sick enjoyment received by being able to ruin someone else's day. This however, was the theft of the mind, the body, and the very soul of the individuals involved. The drones had no choice, those that were sapient before. They were suppressed, most likely a passenger in their own bodies as Luna herself had been all those years ago. She wouldn't let others be subjected to that fate. Not after being subjected to that terrifying hell for so long herself.

Tapping a hoof against his head and giving it a shake to straighten his thoughts out, the alicorn left the nightmare, calmed the rest of the dreams he found, and made his way back to his physical form. He would meet them at the shorelines of the port town in the morning, and welcome the refugees to the area. He would learn what they knew of his enemy, and devise strategies against her.

The Parasite not only stole the body and soul of the creature it had possessed, but that of almost an entire race. It was one of the most horrific crimes he could think of, in this world or his own. The Parasite would find no sanctuary from his wrath when he was ready to strike. He would see that thing burn in hellfire eternally for Its transgressions, even if he had to personally provide the flames.

Author's Notes:

Yes. I am, in fact, alive.

I know it's been a while, but as I said, excrement doth befall. Computer is now back up to snuff, I've celebrated with a couple days of space engineers and terraria, and I've reviewed the story to figure out where I was before my unintended hiatus. I hope to have the next chapter relatively soon, as this one kinda snagged me even before the computer problems (rewrote that first chunk 3 times).

Like a Good Neighbor

Ted lifted himself from the bed, stretching almost lazily as he readjusted to the waking world. One of the greatest things about his new form was the lack of grogginess after waking. There was no dramatic shift in awareness while asleep, no slowly fading in and out of consciousness while waking, no spending ten minutes trying to lift his head off of the pillow. He woke up, and he was ready to go. It probably had something to do with the dream walking. The effect was diluted if he spent a bunch of time in his own dream and let his mind go blank, but if he was in a hurry and jumped right from the dream realm into wakefulness, he would be just as alert as he felt there.

The alicorn hopped off the bed and headed out into the halls. There were several things he need to get straightened out before heading out. Most importantly would be breakfast. He hadn't been eating much lately.

Ted winced slightly at the thought. 'Ok, head to breakfast, then check on Din.' He thought to himself.

Just before hitting the stairs, he heard muttering down the hall. Ted shook his head and walked over to the war room.

"I thought I told you to stop doing this, Shadow." He said, walking into the war room behind the unicorn.

Shadow Weaver jumped, whipping around to see who was speaking, before groggily looking at the windows. "Buck." he muttered, rubbing his eyes with a hoof. "I was just about finished with the plans for those watch towers you wanted. They're a bit more complicated than I thought they would be." Shadow said, gesturing to the papers scattered across the table.

Ted gave a quick look over the plans, before turning back to Shadow. "They look good, Weaver. I'll have to double check them later on today, though."

"What happened?" Shadow asked. "Normally you're still asleep at this time, that and you normally look over these things as soon as they're readable."

Ted chuckled at the unicorn. "I've really gotten that predictable huh? I'm going to the abandoned port soon, as I don't think it's going to be abandoned for very long. There's a boat just off the coast, griffon refugees from what I could tell from the dreams. I'd like to check on them. They've been through the grinder."

At the smaller stallion's confused expression, Ted explained. "The meat grinder, it's an expression that means they've been through some pretty nasty experiences. Many of them were experiencing nightmares last night, and many of those nightmares involved an invasion. The Mad Queen's made her move, I believe, and has struck at the griffon lands. Do you know where Amald is? I think it would help if he was there as well."

The unicorn nodded, pulling his notes and plans onto stacks. "I think he starts training for the guards a bit earlier. Something about teaching alertness at all hours. That and there's no one else awake now, so he doesn't have to worry about someone else getting hit by the trainees."

"Thanks Weaver, and get some sleep. You do too much for this place to be hurting yourself like this. I need you at your best, not dragging your f-hooves." Ted said before turning to the door. Making his way downstairs he stopped in the mess hall for a quick bite. Slop was already preparing the morning meal, so the dark alicorn didn't have to wait long for a warm breakfast. Finishing quickly, he made his way to the medical room and checked on the queen.

To his surprise, Pandinus was awake when he entered the room, giving him a half-hearted glare as he walked into the room.

"Well well well, came to grace me with your- what are you-Ack!" The queen was cut off as Ted pulled the recovering queen off of her bed into a deep hug, the sight of her bringing the memories of the swarm back to his mind, as well as the implications it brought to light. If he'd been just a little more desperate for money, or a little looser in his morals, there was a good chance the queen, and possibly the nymphs as well, would be part of that mindless army.

Pandinus stuttered for a moment, at a loss. The emotions pouring off the alicorn were not what she expected at the moment, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out what had led to this particular medley of feelings. "Cimmerian? What's going on, what happened?" She asked, confusion in her voice.

"I'm going to be going back to the abandoned port town, Din, there are some refugees that may need some help." He said, setting her back down and going over to the surplus medical cabinet. He'd told Head Trauma to set such a thing up so they could sell the extra poultices and potions that Tulip made, but for now it would serve a different purpose. One of an olive branch to the likely skittish griffons that would be making landfall soon. "They were driven from their home country if what I saw in their dreams is true, and by changelings."

"Impossible, there aren't any hives large enough for such an attack. As far as I know, this is the only hive on the planet with an actual link." The queen replied, her shock at the news quickly turning to anger.

Looking from the supplies for a moment, Ted gave her a sad smile. "Did you ever wonder what the Mad Queen was doing with those queens and drones she's been capturing over the years Din?" When the changeling failed to respond, he continued. "I think she's suppressed the drones, and is using them as shock troops and invasion forces. Mirage mentioned that ability to me when I asked her why she was so hostile to you. What makes it scarier is that the Mad Queen has been gathering any queen she can subjugate for unknown purposes, even going as far as offering a bounty for a queen or proto queen. I would bet she is using them as broodmares, a source of nigh-infinite soldiers that she can turn lose on anyone she deems unnecessary. The drones I saw in the dreams were frail things, many falling apart even as they tore into the griffon defenders, but it's quantity over quality in this case. The old 'ten thousand grains of sand wearing away at a stone' idea."

Filling the last spot in the pack with spare bandages, Ted slung it over his head and tightened the secondary neck strap, holding it in place. Finished with his work, he walked back up to the changeling queen.

"That was almost your fate, Din. When I first found you, Sahkest mentioned the bounty. How the last bounty for a dying queen was still a very large amount, and how he was certain we could get enough for you to afford a small island. Each. Kinda scary, isn't it?" He said, giving a mock chuckle. "Could've had enough money to build this place up fast, wouldn't have had someone ruining my sheets or scaring me shitless when she misinterpreted what I asked. But the moment this day occurred, the moment I learned what happened to that proto queen I sold off? It would have killed me." The dark alicorn leaned in and gave the recovering queen a quick nuzzle. "When I get back, and if you're feeling up to it, we're going to have a nice heart to heart. No more asking things, we're going to write it out and include exactly what we think the requests entail. We're two different species from two impossibly different cultures, Pandinus. I don't want another misunderstanding costing someone their life. Ok?" Then, sporting an actual smile, he leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"And just so you know? Some people find a dangerous female attractive, so I hope you're not planning on altering those eyes or fangs."

Ted walked out into the courtyard where Amald was overseeing the training of a few gnolls and ponies with a slight bounce in his step. Leaving the queen a blushing, mumbling ball of confusion had been strangely rewarding. He'd definitely have to do it again in the future. Of course, he still didn't understand how the hell a creature could blush through chitin. Maybe one day he would get enough free time to put these oddities to some good old fashioned science. The alicorn nearly giggled at the thought. Some of the things he'd seen here would make most scientists back home curl up in a corner and cry. Dragons, flying horses, a sun that apparently revolved around the planet, growing a full crop of carrots in three weeks, and an entire species that survived off of emotion, that actually drew nourishment from the opinions and positive attitudes of those around them.

'Truly, science doth weep at the mention of Equis.'

Drawing the griffon's attention, he greeted the soldier with a smile on his face despite the bad news he would have to deliver.

"Good morning Amald. I hope you don't have too much planned for them today, as I'm going to need you to head out with me in a moment. We have an opportunity to help some people who were recently scared badly, and I think your presence would ease them greatly."

"I was planning on running them into the ground this morning, but I suppose I can just have them do a couple laps of the temple in full gear. They'll have to take turns of course, Sterling and Spot haven't finished many sets of armor just yet, nor do they have much more material. That's been added to the list, by the way." Turning from the alicorn, Amald gave his orders to the trainees, explaining to them all he wanted them to accomplish. As he finished, Ted stepped forward.

"I'm certain you can do what has been asked without supervision. You've taken up this training to better defend the Temple and those inside. To slack in this training would be like slacking while on watch. Here you'll lose out on the exercise, on watch you'll be the reason for loss of life. Do your best and support each other in your trainer's absence. He won't always be there for you, after all."

Gathering his gear and a small sack of provisions, the griffon returned his attention to his leader. "Ready when you are, sir."

With a nod, Ted stretched out his wings, preparing them for the flight ahead. No need to injure oneself by rushing into exercise. Satisfied he was limbered up properly, the alicorn took to the air, heading away from first rays of dawn. As they made their way to the old port town, the alicorn explained to the griffon just why his presence would be needed.

"You're certain it was changelings?" The griffon asked.

"About as certain as I can be without actually asking them. I checked two dreams last night, and both had two themes. Running from something, and drones. Not like Mirage and Grift, like the drones Pandinus just hatched. The main difference was that these things were all foaming-at-the-mouth insane and ripped apart anything they could catch." The alicorn answered sadly. "Even those who surrendered were injured, though I think they lived."

The two reached the port town just as the sun edged over the horizon. Seeing no activity from the boat at the time, nor any activity in the town, the two landed easily on the old guard tower. They settled in to wait for a response form the ship, Ted laying down on the watch tower's roof. The passengers would be hard-pressed to spot them even with the sharp vision of griffons while the two sat with the sun at their backs. A few moments afterwards, Amald frowned.

"That's a griffon trading ship, those things aren't made for carrying a bunch of passengers. I'm amazed they made it this far. How many do you think are on it?" The griffon asked.

Ted closed his eyes in concentration. "I think I remember... there should be at least twenty five passengers, though I don't know anything more than they're all frazzled." A low rumble in the distance drew their attention to an approaching storm front, slowly advancing on the coast. "We can't wait too long. If they don't make a move soon, we'll have to be the ones to initiate contact. I haven't seen any motion above deck, have you?"

The griffon shook his head in a negative response before double checking his pack and making sure to secure his gear. It wouldn't do to lose it to a sudden gust. After another few minutes of watching the ship with no response, the two agreed to approach the ship. Moments later, they landed on the deck, only the light clacking of Amald's claws signaling their arrival, as Ted was drawing upon his powers to silence his landing. Turning to the griffon, the dark alicorn spoke in a low voice. "I'm going to keep out of sight for a bit, if things go south, I'll pull you out and we'll use the shadows to escape. For now, try knocking on the door."

Amald took a deep breath before approaching the door. There was no telling the mental state of those below deck, as the cargo ship was completely sealed from the inside, allowing no view of the passengers. Drawing up a talon, he struck the door to the cabin three times before speaking. "Anyone there? I was told you may require aid, and have come with some extra medical supplies." The griffon waited a few moments, and after getting no response, decided to try a different tactic.

"In life we serve, in battle we are proven, in death we find honor amongst our ancestors."

The old griffon oath garnered a response from those inside, as slowly, the peephole was opened, allowing Amald to see the bloodshot eyes of the young griffon on the other side.

"Is, is it clear? The bugs aren't out there, are they?" The young tom asked with fear in his voice.

"It is, son. I haven't seen a changeling all day." Amald said with certainty.

"Are you alone?"

Amald frowned. "There's one more with me, but he's keeping his distance. Doesn't want to scare you any more than you've already been. He's actually the one who noticed earlier." At the sudden crack of nearby lightning, the elder griffon leaned closer to the door. "Listen, son. There's a bad storm on its way here. I don't know what condition your crew and ship are in, as I'm not a sailor, but the weather's going to get bad soon, can I speak to whoever's in charge of this ship? My friend would like to speak to him as well, and possibly find a place for your crew to weather the storm."

"I'll ask if he will see you sir, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Who should I be alerting him of, sir?"

Stepping back from the door and standing a bit straighter, Amald gave a salute with his left talon, placing it across his chest. "Tell him Amald, ex-lieutenant of the Storm Talons wishes to speak with him, as does my host and current liege, Lord Cimmerian."

The tom's eyes widened in shock, before he slammed the peephole shut, the skittering of claws and paws on the wooden deck speaking of the speed at which the younger griffon left. A cough behind Amald drew his attention to the veiled alicorn.

"Lord Cimmerian?" Ted asked him.

"What other title would you hold, sir? You are the lord of the Temple at this time, are you not? Besides, as much as I hate to admit such a weakness, we griffons are suckers for titles."

The alicorn nodded. "I see, and I assume the Storm Talon's were an elite group of some sort back in High Talon? Judging by the kid's reaction, they are, or were, kind of a big deal."

"We were the High Queen's Knightly order. If a dispute came about that the queen could not settle, we would travel there and resolve it. If bandits became more than a nuisance, we'd gather a force to wipe them out. We moved with the queen's blessing." The griffon sighed, shaking his head. "Queen Elsha is a wonderful ruler, and led my people well in an era of peace."

'But she wasn't cut out for war.' Ted thought, picking up on the unspoken problem. "The Mad Queen planned this from the beginning if my guess is right. The disarmament of the griffon lands was in preparation for this invasion. It may take time, but I'm certain we can find a way to strike back at the queen. Most of her power was obtained by ambushing those stronger than herself, and separating those who could oppose her. According to a friend, she ambushed the bearers of harmony, then used the power she drew from their bonds to hold the princesses of day and night. The changeling queen's she's captured seem to supply her with a huge number of soldiers, and she personally wields a large amount of magical power. But it's all a very fragile deck of cards, with her magic power being the only solid base she has. Even that is surmountable. According to my friend, an alicorn develops faster with followers. Do you think she truly has anything more than mindless zealots in her cause?" He asked with a smile. "My own strength has been growing rapidly since my release, and it will only continue to grow in the coming days. I may be getting ahead of myself, but with enough followers and magic study, I could possibly overpower her on my own, much less with the sun and moon princesses working with me. As for the rest of her power base? Free the bearers, and she can't hold the alicorns. Interrupt the link to the drones, and they'll probably berserk, given their treatment and mental state. We already know I can counter some of her arrays, so I'll be asking Pandinus about the queen's link. If I can find a way to block that, her army is less than useless, they may wipe themselves out."

"Don't changelings share minds?" The griffon asked. "Have Pandinus grab one of the drones, and she can probably get all the information you'll ever need out of one."

Ted winced at the thought. "Mirage explained that one to me. Yes she could get the information, but she may also get whatever torment the Mad Queen's subjected them to over the years. I don't know if that's worth it. Some of the drones are pretty much empty shells, so she'd have to dig into their link to find the information, a link that has the tormented minds of hundreds of changelings that have been suppressed by the Mad Queen. That's even assuming she can piggyback the link like that, I don't think they work like network connections."

Amald was about to ask what a network was when the peephole slipped open once more. "I thought ya said ya were alone!" The angry voice of the captain all but snarled. Ted had to stifle a chuckle when he saw the eye patch on the old griffon captain. His good eye tracked over the deck, confusion marring what they could see of his face. "Who were ya talkin' to? And don't tell me it weren't no one, neither!"

Cursing under his breath, Amald faced the peephole once more. "I was speaking with my current ruler, Lord Cimmerian. He has claimed a nearby landmark and his followers have enjoyed a much safer existence since his arrival. If you would prefer though, I will speak with you inside the ship, though I ask that we make haste. A storm approaches." Amald said.

"No, here's fine." The griffon said, the sound of several bolts being undone. Once more Ted had to stifle a chuckle at the appearance of the captain. A tricorne sat upon the griffon's head, an eye patch was over his left eye, and, this one had him nearly in stiches, the captain had a peg leg where his right paw would have been.

"Captain Yael of the Gold Talon." The sea griffon introduced himself.

"Amald, ex lieutenant of the Storm Talons and current head of the guard at the Temple of the Shadows." Amald responded, once again saluting.

The captain gave the other griffon a searching look. "Temple of the Shadows, eh? Don't sound like a place ah'd like ta visit on a nice day, much less with a storm comin' in."

Amald chuckled at the response. "It's what it was called before a few ponies reclaimed it. It has since become a bit of a sanctuary by Lord Cimmerian's order, offering refuge to any who ask. And before you ask, the ponies are not out here because they enjoy the weather. Most of them were attempting to escape the insanity of their homeland just as I did, just as you have."

Captain Yael seemed to chew this information a moment, before nodding. "Fine, but I want to meet this Silmarillion guy first."

"When ever you're ready, sir."

With his cover busted anyway, and being cued by Amald, Ted took a few steps back, putting a respectable distance between himself and the older griffon before dropping his veil. The response was instantaneous.

"A pluckin' alicorn? You're servin' the same damn thing that put us in this situ-mph!?" Yael shouted at Amald.

Ted 's horn was aglow, along with a light aura around the captain's beak. "I would appreciate it if you kept in mind, Captain Yael, that the same alicorn who attacked your people also betrayed her own mentor and friends, imprisoning them all in various states of awareness. Do not judge a species by the actions of one individual. Especially one that has not even been an alicorn for a century. Didn't Celestia lead the pony tribes for several centuries with no major issues? I know my information is outdated, but I don't remember hearing of her meddling in the affairs of other species unless it would bring war to her country." The alicorn said, releasing his hold on the captain's beak afterwards.

"Won't even let me say mah piece, and ya wonder why I do-" The captain yelled, before being cut off by Amald.

"Enough!" The griffon guard yelled. "We have come offering aid and wish to know your answer before the storm hits, if you wish to spend this time throwing insults at us and wasting our time, we will leave. We could be spending this time on other tasks."

"Aid you say?" Another voice asked from the doorway. Turning from what was quickly devolving into an argument with the captain, Ted was greeted with the sight of an elderly griffon. From the voice, he assumed it was female, and the dress did help confirm his guess.

"I apologize for the captain's behavior, every now and again he seems to forget that we are not all sailors." Directing her attention to the distant rumble of thunder, she turned back to the alicorn. "I am Lady Thrisha of Frostborne Peak. Most of those below hail from that village, though we picked up a few stragglers along the way. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"I am Theodore Cimmerian Fredson, current ruler of the Temple of the Shadows sanctuary." He said, giving a respectful bow. "I've come here today to see what aid I could provide, and after taking into consideration the coming storm, possibly offer shelter in the form of a storage building and barracks that have just been finished by the main temple. It could house some of your number, whatever their condition may be, and I can even offer to open my infirmary if you need it. As a show of good will, I present you with this." Ted answered, offering the pack of medical supplies in his telekinetic grip.

The matron caught the bag, opening it and checking the contents. "Yes, we could use the bandages. The swarm did a number on some of our folks." She then picked up a small vial of Tulip's healing poultice, a smile gracing her beak. "Freshly made poultices, it's been a long while since I've come across something like this. Most hospitals these days employ magic or potions."

"So it is true, it was changelings who attacked your city?" Amald asked.

"Yes though they seemed, unnatural for lack of a better word. I've seen a few changelings in the past, and they never acted so animalistic. It was as if they were-"

"Their minds were suppressed, those that were sapient. The rest were mad with hunger and bloodlust." Ted finished.

"I was going to say feral, but yes, that seems- how did you know?" Thrisha asked. Squinting at Ted, she set aside the bag and approached him. Slowly, she circled the dark alicorn. "I've seen you before in ancient tomes, or an incarnation of you. You were the cause of the dreams weren't you? You bear the powers of the lunar princess, yet you offer shelter instead of ruination. How did you come upon the powers of The Nightmare?"

Ted chuckled at the griffon's question.

"A short series of unfortunate events." He said with a sad smile. "However, I learn to embrace this new life more each day. I would be happy to entertain your questions in full later, Lady Thrisha, but time grows short. If your people are indeed injured, I would not advise flying over the jungle in a coastal storm.

Thrisha gave a curt nod. "Than I humbly accept your hospitality, Lord Cimmerian. Most of our injured are still flight worthy, though a long flight will do them no good, and those that aren't can be supported by the others for now. I must ask, however, what species will we encounter at your home?"

Amald looked slightly uncomfortable at the question, but Ted answered stoically. "We currently have members of the three primary pony tribes, a family of thestrals, the remnants of a local pack of gnolls, and... twelve changelings."

"Ya what?" Captain Yael shouted. "Ya mean ta tell me ya got some of them mindless abominations wanderin' your home, and expect us to be okay with it?"

"Those in the Temple are true changelings, not those starving animals that were loosed on your city. The sapient drones have both proven themselves a boon with their superior digging abilities and their help in sealing the Temple against the storms that frequent the area. While you are here I will do what I can to keep Grift, Mirage, Pandinus, and the nymphs clear of your people, but this is their home as well. After the storms pass, I will ask that you either leave, or accept the fact that I will not turn anyone away based on race."

"The gnolls actually hit us with a raiding party last month, though the lord wiped out most of the attacking group in retaliation. Those that survived, he planned on pulling them into the fold. What was I you said, sir? Teaching them better?"

Ted nodded. "They were raised being taught that all other species are below them, that the only one worthy of respect was their own kind. Buster and his pack mates have served as our watch for the last few weeks while Amald trained an actual guard force. I have high hopes for them, they're adapting well."

Yael was furious. "Ah don't give a pluckin' hoot abo-"

"I understand, Lord Cimmerian." Thrisha said, cutting the captain's tirade short. "I'll alert the others to the situation, as well as the alternative at the moment, and be back with those who wish to accept your offer. There may be some complaints, but I think some of us can survive the ordeal until we can find a better alternative."

"There is a town about two days walk to the north of the Temple. That will be where I direct your people if they do not wish to stay, I believe Sahkest, the dragon Quartermaster, made the flight in a few hours." Ted added.

"Pluck it, why not just head dere now?" Yael demanded. "Won't have to deal with the damn bugs."

"While I'm sure you'd get to the port eventually, Captain Yael, I have wounded to worry about. The coming storm will not be kind to them." Thrisha said. "I will be back shortly, and hopefully with an idea of how many will accept."

"Before you go, may I have an idea of how many to expect? I'd like to give Gleam a chance to prepare."

The griffon matron cocked her head in confusion, but answered anyway. "I believe we have about thirty seven on the ship, including myself and the captain."

"So make room for at most thirty six griffons, got it." Ted responded with a grin.

As Thrisha descended below deck, and Amald and Yael proceeded to stare each other down, Ted stepped back to the mast of the ship and laid down, casting his consciousness into the dream realm.

Gleam was just finishing breakfast in the dining hall when a strange cascade of silence filled the room. Turning to the entrance, she was stunned as Father's armor walked into the room, looking around before the glowing eye holes focused on her. The armor then approached her, making its way through the crowd with purpose.

As it came closer, the mare could see the armor seemed empty except for the strange swirling shadows that moved through the internal cavities. Finally the armor reached her and to her surprise it spoke in a clear, familiar voice.

"Good morning Gleam. I apologize for the surprise but I can't physically be here at the moment. Amald and I are currently speaking with some griffon refugees to the west." The voice of Father echoed from the armor, causing hushed gasps and whispers to spread throughout the hall. "I would like to offer the storage building and barracks for their use until a storm passes, then they will be free to do as they please. I think a few will be moving on to Zarris afterwards. There will be at most 36 of them, though I doubt all of them will accept the offer. Please let Buster know we may need another hunting trip to supply them with a decent meal. Ah, one more thing, there's a nasty looking storm approaching from the west coast, so please prepare accordingly."

Even as the unicorn finally snapped out of her shock, she watched as the armor moved to speak with Mirage.

"Good morning Mirage." The armor said. "I'm sorry to do this to you and the nymphs, but there are a few griffons that will be staying with us for a while. Do you think you can keep Gem and Adamant clear of them? It will only be a day or so, and there's a storm coming anyway, so they won't be going out much during those days."

"One of these days that bleeding heart of yours is going to get us killed, sir." The changeling muttered, shaking her head. The armor just smiled somehow and chuckled at the changelings response.

"But Mirage, if I stopped caring, what would you guys eat?" The armor said, softly rubbing a foals head with an armored boot.

The changeling prepared a retort, but stopped, confusion written on her muzzle. "Right now? Nothing." The shape shifter said. "I can't taste anything from you right now, not while your speaking through the armor." The changeling frowned. "I must have missed it before since you were so close when you did this last time."

"Really?" The armor said lifting a boot to brush against the shadows that formed its chin. "I'll have to keep that in mind. I will need to speak to you and the other changelings about what happened to the griffons when I return. Enjoy your day, I need to get back to the ship." With that the armor walked back out of the dining hall, every set of eyes in the hall on it.

Gleam just stared, her eyes barely picking up the faintest wisps of a tail and mane that had manifested on the armor and were swaying with every step. The moment the armor was beyond their sight, the crowd burst into loud speculation, many asking the changeling if that really was the alicorn. Curious herself, Gleam trotted up to his empty seat and pounded an empty mug on a table.

"Quiet!" She shouted over the obnoxious noise of the dining hall. As the shouting and yelling died down, the mare looked over at the changeling matron, motioning her to approach the throne. As soon as she was standing next to the unicorn, Gleam asked Mirage the question on everyone's mind.

The changeling rolled her eyes at the question, a mischievous grin on her face. "Of course it was Father. How else did you think he managed to ink his own face so well a few days ago?" Father would probably find a way to get her back for ousting his prank but for now, listening to the raucous laughter that broke out in the dining hall along with the confused looks of several of the ponies that had tried to tell him he had ink on his face, Mirage decided it would be worth it. It wasn't like she ruined the prank when he was still messing with everyone else.

Author's Notes:

I knew where I wanted to go next chapter (sometimes I get lucky and set myself up fairly well) and once I started writing, trying to find a stopping point was like trying to keep gamers away from E3. It wasn't happening. So, there you go, one of the longer chapters I've written. Actually, I think it's the longest of all of them, even the other stories.

So close to 6k, but I just don't want to add any more. The next thing that happens will be another chapter in and of itself, and expanding for no reason other than adding numbers makes me angry.

So close.

That's Not What I Meant by a Heart to Heart, Put Down the Knife.

Not long after Ted returned to the ship, or rather his consciousness returned to the ship, Lady Thrisha returned from below deck followed by a small group of griffons. To Ted's disappointment, only about fourteen of the refugees were willing to accept the offer of shelter.

"Most were willing to accept until I mentioned that you had changelings at the sanctuary." Thrisha told him. "The scars are still too fresh, and for many the invasion was their first sight of the species. As you may guess, it did not leave us unscarred."

The alicorn nodded, turning to address the gathered crowd with a stoic gaze. "I understand Lady Thrisha has explained my offer, but I wish to repeat it. I am offering you shelter for as long as you wish to stay. Many of our number are refugees like yourselves, driven from their homes by their conscience or the actions of others. While I welcome you, I ask that you respect the fact that all species are welcomed in the Temple of the Shadows. As such, we have accepted several changelings into our number, as well as the remnants of a local gnoll pack. Once we arrive at the Temple, please treat all beings as sapients unless told otherwise. You are allowed to defend yourselves of course, but I will ask you to leave if you attempt to provoke any of the residents. If you don't leave after that, I'll see to the matter personally. As has been said my home is a sanctuary, and I will not have others causing problems where none existed before."

Ted's expression softened after he'd given the rules. "That being said, you will be treated kindly and fairly by my people, including being given access to any medical assistance we can give that you may require. Any who wish to leave after the storms pass will be given directions to the nearest settlement, less than a days flight from the Temple, two and a half days by land. For those who find themselves comfortable, speak to either myself, or one of my quartermasters and advisers and we will see about setting you up with a more permanent residence. Once we reach the Temple, any resident will be able to give you the names to search out."

Moments later the refugees were on the beach, any possessions they were not able to carry with them at the moment stashed in the remnants of the old inn, to be retrieved once all the wounded were safely transported to the Temple if time allowed. Ted found himself grasping two litters holding injured griffons in his telekinetic grip, levitating them along as he flew back home. It was odd thinking of the Temple of the Shadows as such, but as of now, it was the only place the alicorn had access to that came close to warranting such a title. As he took off into the atmosphere, powerful beats of his wings easily driving him to the head of the flock, he turned and watched as the Golden Talon raised anchor and headed north, hoping to beat the worst of the storm in a mad dash to Port Zarris. Though he was irritated at the captain, he wouldn't wish ill on him, and as he escorted those who accepted his offer off the ship, he'd wished the captain luck while telling him to seek out Sahkest, the port's dragon quartermaster for supplies. Taking one more look around, he watched the flagging refugees, before making his way to one towards the back. It looked like the young tom who'd been at the door back on the ship, and the dark alicorn noticed one of his wings was flapping at a slower rate than the other. Still doing his best to keep his grip steady on the two litters, he positioned himself under the griffon, motioning for him to land on Ted's back. His passenger secured, he once again pushed forward with all haste. The storm was just starting to impact the coast. Ted could smell the rain even as they moved away from the storm front. Time was short.

The flock touched down in the Temple courtyard on a small area that had been specially prepared and marked for landings. As soon as the refugees had landed, Gleam and several other ponies began escorting the griffons to the barracks and shed. Ted himself left the litters in the barracks, seeing as the injured would need better protection from the storm.

"How went the preparations, Gleam?" The alicorn asked. Even now he could here the faint rumble of thunder in the distance, and he could see the encroaching storm clouds over the trees.

"Grift and the drones managed to reapply sealants to both the temple and most of the buildings we've been working on. It's the true test of the construction now, unfortunately it's going to be done with strangers in the buildings." The unicorn explained, not looking up from her papers. "I don't like the idea, but if things go wrong we can move them inside. Worst case scenario, we've expanded the underground tunnels a bit for extra storage and Pandinus' drones have sealed them from rain drainage. We can move people down there if it gets bad."

Ted smiled at the mare. "Thank you Gleam. As always, you're a life saver. I'm going to need to speak with Lady Thrisha later on, so I'll be using the library for that unless it's being used for something else. If any of the griffons give you trouble let me know."

Walking away from the settling refugees, he was about to enter the Temple when he came across a familiar form. Blur was sitting near the doorway, watching for an opportunity to welcome the newcomers, but seemed unsure as to how to approach them. Sitting on the recovering vegetation, he was given his first clear view of the pegasus without distractions. Her mane, finally recovering from the ragged torn thing most of the ponies were working with when he first arrived, was returning to a light sky-blue color, an obvious improvement from the almost white pallor many manes had taken as starvation set in.

Approaching the Pegasus with a grin, Ted snuck up behind her and wrapped Blur in a hug, lifting the surprised mare off the ground. Nuzzling the squeaking and squirming pony, Ted started laughing at her attempts to escape his grip. "Oh come on, Blur, I haven't had the chance to speak with you in so long!"

"F-Father! What are you doing!" The mare squeaked, futilely attempting to free herself from the alicorn's forelegs.

"Just saying hello to my favorite little nut-ball." He said while laughing. "How are you feeling lately, Blur? I see you finally dropped that old robe, that's good. Those things are just silly. Half of them are ratty and torn anyway."

Setting the confused and embarrassed Pegasus down, he finally saw her cutie mark. A red heart behind a small cabin.

'Loving home, oh god, no wonder she was so lost before.' The alicorn thought sadly.

Luna had explained to him what happened to ponies who found themselves distanced from what they loved. Some ponies became depressed, lethargic, and unable to function properly. Others moved on, though they would find no real joy in life till they found a way to continue pursuing their talent. Blur had managed to move on, pushing on till she found her way to another loving home. When she thought she found it, it didn't matter to her that she was accepting the role of a daughter of what many saw as a monster while she herself was an adult mare. A family was what she needed, and she dove in with zeal.

A sly grin played across the large stallions muzzle. "Has my daughter found a suitable stallion yet?" He asked, an eyebrow raising suggestively. The response was almost immediate.

"Wha- I don't, Father, I ca-" The mare sputtered and floundered a moment, before she stopped, a single word he said drawing the entirety of her attention. The yellow pegasus' eyes widened in shock.

"D-daughter?"

"Well, you've been calling me father for a long while now, so I don't see why I can't join in on it. Besides," he said, giving the mare a nuzzle on the cheek, "a father is allowed to tease his children much more than a ruler can tease his subjects."

As he stood there, a strange feeling overtook Ted. Everything else just stopped being important for a moment. The world faded out, and all he found to be important was the mare before him, a young lady in need of a father's love. Of reassurance, of care, of all the things she'd been missing for star's knew how long.

"I don't care who you were, my child,

It doesn't matter from whence you hail.

All I ask for is your love,

And I'll be the wind behind your sail."

The smile on the alicorn's muzzle softened, becoming much more loving as he scooped the mare up again, this time holding her up to his height, his forelegs allowing her to sit at his eye level.

"You've lost so much on the journey,

And asked for nothing more than this.

What monster would I become, my daughter,

If such a simple request, I dismissed."

Blur sniffled, her eyes becoming watery at her Father's words. Soon she too was caught up in the moment, and spoke.

"I've longed for just so long,

Hoping to find my Home.

I wandered from Canterlot mountains, Father,

To the Crystal Empire's shimmering dome."

"After so long on the road,

I think I've found just the thing.

A family of strangers brought together

Under the loving guidance of your wings."

The alicorn kissed her lovingly on the head before sitting her back down, oblivious to the growing crowd that stared at the spectacle occurring before them.

"A family you hoped for, my child.

A family you've long pursued.

Here in this Temple we've claimed,

I offer a place in mine, to you."

Ted lifted a wing, wiping away the last of the pegasus' tears before speaking to her once more.

"If ever you need to speak with me, Blur, do not hesitate to ask. I will listen to the fears and worries of all who reside within my home."

With that the alicorn gave one last nuzzle to the yellow Pegasus before walking down the halls to the infirmary. Though he wasn't looking forward to this talk with the changeling queen, he moved with an assured purpose. The followers called him Father, it was only right that he reciprocate.

Gleam could only stare at the scene that had unfolded before her eyes. Her mouth moved, but no words were formed. Eventually she shook her head, attempting to free herself from the aftereffects of the event, only to find the griffon noble by her side, tears in her eyes.

Reaching a talon up to her face, the older griffon wiped a few stray tears away before turning to Gleam. "I was hoping to speak with him regarding his plans for this place. I- I think I can hold off on that for a little while. You understand just what it was we have witnessed, do you not, Miss Gleam?"

Gleam nodded, not trusting her voice yet. The old griffon sighed wistfully.

"I'm not certain how I feel about it." She said with a light giggle. "On the one claw, I'm honored to have witnessed such an event. On the other, I worry that my bucket list is growing short." Turning to the unicorn mare with a smile, Thrisha posed a question.

"Tell me, Miss Gleam. How should one feel when they've witnessed most of the things they'd hoped to witness before they passed?"

The mare smiled, swallowing hard to make sure her mouth was still working.

"I, I suppose you start making a new list, Lady Thrisha."

Ted stepped into the infirmary, immediately spotting his targets. Pandinus was still laying on a cot, though the holes in her legs were slowly closing up once more. Beside her sat Grift, the changeling looking a bit heavy despite the grueling work schedule Gleam and Pandinus put him through. Finally, keeping a respectable distance between herself and others, Mirage nervously paced between several cots. Her proximity to the queen and other drone did not seem to be doing her any favors. The moment he entered the room, however, all eyes were on him. It took a moment for the alicorn to remember that they could taste his emotions, so his current positive attitude was likely a beacon to their senses.

"Hello, thank you for being here. The foals are with Miss Goodhooves at the moment I assume?" He asked the matron changeling. At Mirage's nod, he continued. "I asked you to be here for several reasons. First of all, as Mirage can probably already guess we have several refugees that will be using the barracks and storage building for shelter until the storm passes. They're jumpy, especially around changelings, so I ask that you all keep clear of them as much as you can. They won't be coming into the main temple, and the rain should keep the children inside anyway. That leaves you and Grift, Din. I know your feeling better, so I don't think it will be long before your back to causing me problems, right?" At the queens grin, Ted chuckled. "That's what I figured. The second thing I want to warn you of is the reason I'm asking you to stay clear of the griffons. They were driven from their home by a large swarm of changelings."

"That's not possible." Grift said. "The largest hive I'm aware of is right here, and there's no way that many changelings could have gathered together without being noticed."

"They were noticed Grift, the problem here is that they're under the control of another nation. Specifically, Equestria. The Mad Queen's army seems to be using them as shock troops, as Lady Thrisha told me she heard from other survivors that the Equestrian Military arrived shortly after the swarm, taking any survivors they could find prisoner and claiming the towns for their ruler. Normally, upon hearing the state of the swarm, I would have dismissed them as a threat, as they sounded to be just barely alive. In fact, what I saw of them in the dream of a griffon earlier had their bodies failing them even as they struck the village. However, this is not the case."

"They can replenish their troops." Pandinus interrupted. "I can lay only seven to ten eggs every week or so, but if a queen were desperate, she could modify herself in a few molts to lay much faster. If she gave up moving entirely, she could pump out possibly one hundred drones a week, maybe more."

Ted nodded, grateful for the information. "Now multiply that reproductive capacity by an unknown number of queens the Mad queen's gotten a hold of, combined with the fast maturation rate of the non-sapient drones, and she could easily field large groups of these mindless things with no danger to her own soldiers or equipment." The alicorn finished.

Grift and Mirage were silent, the numbers being thrown around terrifying them almost as much as the idea of seeing so many mad, mindless beings of their own kind. Pandinus, however, chewed her lip in concentration.

"One thing about this bothers me though. For such a large swarm of mere drones, the queens would need to keep a constant hold on the swarm to prevent them from biting their masters hoof. However, with such constant losses, the minds of the queens would be shattered within moments of the attack beginning. So what is it that's keeping the drones in check? It can't be a link."

"My first guess would be an array of some kind, enforcing basic rules like 'listen to pony A', and 'don't attack ponies wearing B'. The only reason I say this is because everything else the Mad Queen has done has been through arrays, and she's proven herself to be extremely skilled in their use. Out of left field guess? An artificial queen of some sort, something loyal only to the queen that has the computational capacity to deal with several thousand changelings. Being artificial, the mental trauma queens feel may not do anything to it."

"An artificial queen? You mean like some type of golem controlling a hive?!?" The queen screeched, her eyes blazing with indignant fury. "That, that whorse would dare trivialize the Link in such a way? I'll clone that nag just to feed her her own still-beating heart!"

"Pandinus, calm yourself! This is only speculation, we have no way of knowing how it works without actually seeing the control method for ourselves." Ted said to her. "That is all you two need to hear." He said, turning to the two drones. "I'd like to speak with Queen Pandinus alone now."

Mirage rolled her eyes before hopping off a cot she'd claimed during the meeting, while Grift hesitated, looking to his queen for guidance. The queen bobbed her head to the door, prompting the shape shifter to head to the exit.

"Din, are you up to this right now?" The alicorn asked, his face a stone mask.

"I'm no hatchling, and it was my body that was damaged, not my mind." At the stallion's raised eyebrow, the queen huffed at him. "Yes I'm ready, speak your peace. The sooner I learn this information, the sooner I can find a way to drag you to my nest willingly. Or you can drag me to yours, it matters little to me."

The alicorn shook his head at the queen's antics, a smile breaking out on his face. "You know, most individuals don't openly state their intentions to drag a potential partner back to their bed."

"Well, I'm not most 'people', am I?" Din responded callously.

"Nope, you're something else alight. When I figure out what that something is, I'll let you know." Letting out a slight chuckle, Ted took a seat on the floor in front of the queen.

"Din, I know you're looking for two things from me, and I've asked for things from you in return. Do you remember what my requests were?" At Pandinus' nod he continued. "I need someone who can be there for me, Din. Not just because of what I offer, but because you want to stay here. You've already said you've noticed my preference for monogamy, but the fact is that my people are also supposed to be life-mates. Once you get what you want, what will you do with it? Will you take what you believe is yours and leave once the Mad Queen is dealt with? If that's your plan, I ask you to give this up."

Pandinus snorted at him. "After I get what I want? What, do you think I can store the results of a single mating like some biological memory crystal? Queens can use the seed of stallions so much more efficiently than most species, but I still need a source, and it does decay over time." She gave him a grin, running her forked tongue over her fangs seductively. "Not that I mind needing to harvest more over the years. As to the love you would give me? I, I'm not certain, actually." She said, gaining a far-away look in her eyes. "This hive already has something no other hive has had before; a surplus of emotion. There is no fear of our gatherers being captured or killed, no worries of the source going bad. Mother never mentioned a time in our history when the changelings were content, and I've never seen a heavy changeling before. I don't need your love so much as, I want to know what it's like. I'd be the first changeling queen of my hive, possibly in history to have a willing mate that offered his love without deception on my part. I did as you asked, you know. I couldn't go out there, so I had the drones watching for me. Watching the ponies that radiated love to each other. It was strange. Normally I feel anger, sometimes outright rage at the thought of that much love being wasted on creatures that didn't need it, but...but knowing it's possible? That someday I could have such a thing for my own?" The queen was shaking slightly, though if it was in anticipation or fear of loss, Ted didn't know. "I have so much right now, Simmer. I have a hive of my own, I have safety, more than my mother ever dreamed of, I have a stallion that looks at me with something other than disgust...I know it's selfish but I want more. I want love, real love that's directed at me! The desire to hold a mare, to feel her warmth, to see her smile, to press your lips against hers; I live off of such things, but it's never for me, it's never me the desires are for!"

"Can you even begin to understand that?" The changeling asked with desperation in her eyes. "The positive emotions we live on was always an empty taunt, something we could never have for ourselves, and love always tasted the sweetest even though I knew it was false. The emotions here are so powerful we gorge ourselves and do no harm to our hosts, because the ponies share it with us. It's so wonderful, so delicious, so full. I, I don't even know how to describe it to you." She finished, lowering her muzzle to the cot.

"Like taking a bite of the finest pastry after years of living on crumbs?" The alicorn asked, nuzzling the changeling gently. "Like being offered the most beautiful, softest robes after spending your life wearing rags? Like being healed of injuries you've carried with you all your life?" He kissed her softly on her lips, his smile so full of love she felt her vision begin to tint slightly. "Like finding a family after you'd found yourself alone in the world? This last one I know especially well, Din. It's because of you, as well as the alicorn sisters, that I've learned to accept my followers as a family in and of itself. I still want to see my biological family, or at least my mental-biological one, or whatever you'd call them, but I'll make sure this family is safe and well taken care of."

Glancing to a magically run clock above Trauma's empty desk, the alicorn turned back to the queen with a slight bow. "Queen Pandinus, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner?"

Author's Notes:

I'm terrified the song won't go over well, tell me what you think. (chews what's left of his fingernails in terror)

That being said, once I had a starting point it was a bit easier than I thought it would be.

When I figure out what that something is, I'll let you know

The answer, my friend, is female. That is what she is. And you will never figure those out.

When You Invite Someone to Dinner, Take Their Dietary Needs into Account

Dinner was strange that night, both by his own perception and in the eyes of those who saw him in the dining hall. Ted had chosen a bench amongst his followers, seeing as the throne really didn't allow for communal dining. The meal was good, a mix of meats and exotic vegetables he'd come to expect with their locally gathered supplies, the atmosphere was interesting, as the followers were happily chattering away. The only oddity in the scene was the queen, who currently had her nose buried in his shoulder.

He'd almost called her on it, strange as it was to him, but he decided against it. Taking another bite of the latest creation of the resident chef, he looked down at the shape shifter breathing deeply beside him, wings fluttering every now and again. Technically, he'd invited her to dinner, and currently, they were both eating. Her meal merely happened to be the emotions that he radiated. Chewing on the thought as well as his meal, he finished both and decided to start now.

"Would you mind taking your nose out of my shoulder long enough to engage in a dinner conversation?" Ted asked her. His presence at a table usually led to a quieter table as it was, and the odd actions of the queen wasn't helping ease the followers who were sitting with him. "I know you don't actually need to be that close to feed."

The queen opened the eye facing towards the table slowly, almost lazily casting her vision upon those also eating. Her attention left many shifting uncomfortably, most not knowing much about her. "They don't want to talk to me, and besides, what would I say to them? It would be a waste of time and effort." She said, dismissing his request and leaning back into his shoulder.

Ted shook his head in exasperation. Shifting slightly to warn her, he rose and headed back to the buffet, restocking his plate and retrieving a smaller plate with various small portions. Returning to his seat, he set the extra plate in front of the queen and proceeded to take a bit of his second dish of the day, a meat patty of some sort with a vegetable blend. Seeing the queen staring at the plate in confusion, he went forward with the plan.

"Changelings can eat solid foods as well, correct?" He asked her.

"Well, yes. How would changelings keep their cover if they were never seen eating?" The queen asked him, not quite getting where he was going with his idea.

"Then try this." The alicorn said, tapping a fork on her plate. "Tell me what you think of it, what you taste, what you find is better, that kind of thing."

Pandinus stared at the plate for a few moments. "This food doesn't do anything for me, you realize that right? I mean, yes I can taste it, it makes it easier to fit in if you can say things like 'This muffin tastes like strawberries'. It would give us away if we ended up saying something like 'This tastes like happiness and excitement' don't you think?" Seeing Ted raise an eyebrow in response she frowned, before scowling at him. "This is one of those cultural things isn't it?"

"It's not just my people, Din. From what I've seen, most species consider dinner conversations polite." The stallion grinned at her. "Even if you're feeding off of one of your conversation partners. Think of it as training in politics. If you want to your hive to keep having access to easily shared emotion, you need to learn how to make these connections."

The shape shifter scoffed. "If such things were important, my mother would have told me of them, don't you think?"

"So your mother anticipated you coming into the care of an alicorn? Of changelings being allowed to wander a small town undisguised?" Ted asked with a smile. "The world changes around us even as we speak, Din. We adapt to it, or we are left behind. My people adapted to a hostile world, learning to become just as vicious as the world we were born on. When the world changed again, with no real predators to hunt us, we adapted again, doing our best to overcome the aggression that had been part of our survival for so long. Yes there are failures, but we learn more from those than our victories. I mean, Mirage noticed my presence despite my use of the shadows to mask my physical presence, but since I had no trouble with her, I didn't think much of it when I went into your old nest. After you knocked me out, the ability of changelings to see me despite my abilities was slapped in my face." Nudging the queen with a wing he spoke again. "Now try something. Besides, I may need someone to speak with others in my stead, and a changeling queen has much more impact then a fluffy unicorn diplomat."

Still scowling, but now aiming her glare at the plate, the queen lifted a large chunk of some pastry to her face with her magic before taking a large bite of the item before chewing loudly, crumbs flying from her as she ground the hapless snack up in her teeth. Tilting her head as she allowed herself to actually taste the item, the others at the table jumped when she hacked up the mess back onto her plate.

"It wasn't bad, kind of sweet, fluffy. A dessert, correct? Meant to be enjoyed after the meal?" At the alicorn's dumbfounded expression she merely stared back at him. "What?"

"We've got a long way to go..." Ted mumbled to himself with a tired expression, rubbing his muzzle with a hoof.

"I really don't understand what the big deal is." Pandinus said, irritable after the meal/lesson in manners. "It's not like my body can process it, so what's the point of keeping the food inside? I already enjoyed the taste, which is all I can do with it anyway."

"I've told you similar things already, Din. It's about perception. Did you sense the disgust from those around you when you spat the cake back onto your plate? Many species only do such a thing when the food is either rancid or they become sick. As you've seen, we impose our own ideas of what is normal upon those around us. That's why they looked at you like that, and it's why it would be better if you kept the food inside until after your meal. Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Well, not really, but I can get a bit bloated if I eat too much solid food. That entire experience was strange, and now I feel heavy." The queen said while poking a spot just under where a pony's ribs would end. "I don't think I've ever actually ate things like that just because I could. It was weird."

"I know it was weird, but thanks for sticking with it." Ted said with a smile. "We'll make a proper lady out of you yet."

The shape shifter stopped, looking at him with a confused expression. "Why would I want that?" She asked "How would that help me? Mother never mentioned these 'manners' you seem so obsessed with."

Ted stopped as well, wracking his brain for a way to make this appeal to Din. "It's, manners are about influencing how others perceive you. If you carry yourself higher, if you speak clearly and are polite or don't resort to violence the moment others act in ways you don't like, others will think you are better educated, they'll put more weight behind your words as they think the one speaking knows what they're talking about. I, ah! Think of it as a deceptive ploy. You're pretending to be more important than you are, and it makes others assume you have more power than you actually have. It's a type of bluff."

"A bluff? I suppose that would make sense." She said, raising a hoof to her chin.

"Oh, here's a good chance, when you're introduced, say 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'" Ted whispered to the queen, before turning his full attention to the pair coming down the hallway.

Gleam walked slowly beside the older griffon, both speaking sedately as they walked to the dining hall. Just shy of a collision, the unicorn mare noticed the alicorn and changeling, jumping slightly at the unexpected proximity. "Oh, Father! I was just looking for you. Lady Thrisha here would like a word with you."

"Of course, I trust things are being properly settled for your people?" He said, directing his attention to the griffon.

"Better than I'd hoped after the disaster that had befallen us, Lord Cimmerian." Thrisha replied with a wan smile. Turning her attention to the changeling, she asked "Who might this be? I don't remember ever reading of a changeling of such stature before."

"Ah, allow me to introduce to you Queen Pandinus, a changeling queen." Ted announced, directing a hoof to the queen.

"It, it's a pleasure to m-meet you." Pandinus managed to say, repeating the bow she'd seen the alicorn and griffon give each other earlier.

The elder hen nodded. "The pleasure is mine. If you wouldn't mind, lord, I would like a chance to speak with you when you have the time, as well as a chance to speak with a member of your local hive." Thrisha gave the queen a bright smile. "It sets my mind at ease knowing that I was right in assuming there was more to your people than the mindless creatures that drove us from our homes."

"That's fine, I'd be happy to speak with you. The library is this way." He said, leading the group onwards.

"Father," said Gleam, "I'm going to visit the dining hall and get a meal. I'll be there for a while if you need anything from me." With a bow, the unicorn mare excused herself.

The journey to the library was uneventful, the alicorn and griffon partaking in idle chatter on the way. Upon reaching the library, the group claimed a small table, Pandinus once more claiming a spot by the alicorn's side.

"The first thing I'd like to ask, if it's not too much trouble, is what you were discussing with Queen Pandinus?" Thrisha asked with a grin. "I'd also like to speak with her about the attack."

"That would be up to her." Ted said, a kind smile on his own face. "As for what we were discussing? I could say it wasn't important, but suffice to say we were discussing furthering her education."

"In what, might I ask? Math, Arts, Military movements?"

The alicorn shook his head. "Manners, actually."

Thrisha looked from Ted to Pandinus, then back to Ted before frowning in confusion. "I don't understand, she seems well mannered to me. She held herself well as far as I could tell, and while she sounded a little nervous, I suppose I would be as well after such a formal introduction. Especially if I was used to a more relaxed setting."

Pandinus just stared at the elderly griffon, her jaw hanging open. Ted however started chuckling at the observation, turning to the changeling. "There's an old saying back home, Din. 'Better to remain silent and be thought a fool then open your mouth and remove all doubt.' Silence alone can get you through some strange situations, as it leaves those around you to make their own assumptions about you based only on what they see. If I were to wander through a major city held by the Mad Queen and not interact with anyone, her subjects would make their own assumptions about me based on what they know. Some may call me a monster, based on my eyes and coloration, others may call me a god based on how some ponies seem to deify alicorns. Another good one to keep in mind in strange situations is 'when in doubt, pretend to know what you're doing.'"

The griffon's gaze passed between the two several times. "I don't understand. What am I missing?"

"Pandinus has no education in regards to how to carry herself around others, be they her subordinates, her equals, or her superiors." Ted said. "I ask, of course, that you keep this to yourself, though honestly it shouldn't be surprising to anyone. Can you tell me, Lady Thrisha, the last time any country sent a diplomat to speak to a changeling queen? We were just discussing the subject of manners, starting with table manners. After all, the rules are changing, right Din?"

The queen for her part was still staring at the griffon, still processing the fact that a single phrase had so easily swayed the elder female's opinion. Turning to Ted she spoke surprisingly quietly. "It matters that much?"

Realizing what may have been going through the queens mind, Thrisha responded first. "It does. How we perceive others is very important. The saying 'you don't get a second chance to make a first impression' is not just a silly phrase." She smiled at the changeling. "If you would be willing, I'd be happy to teach you a few things I remember from my time amongst pony nobles, as well as a few griffon customs. It may help you, as I can even explain to you why some things are so important. All I ask is that you entertain this old hen's questions every now and again."

"I was going to ask what your goals with the beings in this temple were, but after your display at the entrance of the Temple, I think my fears in that regard are settled." The hen said to Ted.

Rubbing his right fetlock over his left leg Ted chuckled nervously. "I uh, I'm still not sure where it came from. I'm not one for impromptu songs."

The griffon cackled at his response, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Oh, trust me, dear, it showed. The lyrics were inspired, as to be expected of a heart-song, but your singing left something to be desired Nevertheless, I was honored to be able to witness such a thing. I think the last heart-song was about fifteen years ago, at least according to what I've heard. There was a mare that easily began them, often expanding them to include her entire village from what I've heard, but she's since gone missing. After so long without hearing of her, I can only assume the worse."

Smiling at the good natured jab, Ted made his way over to a section of the library while the griffon gathered her thoughts in preparation of playing twenty questions with the nervous changeling. Finding the book he was looking for, he pulled it free in his magical grip and brought it to the table.

"Din, do you know how to read?" He asked in a whisper at the mare's ear. At her nod he set the book on the table between the two. "Then I think this will explain some things. Just don't try them on me without warning me first, it's a good way to lose someone's respect, and I'm sure Lady Thrisha would be happy to back me up on this, maybe even explain the times such tactics would be used. I'm going to go visit the children and head to bed. Good night, ladies."

As the alicorn walked out the door, Pandinus just looked at the book he'd left before her.

Lady Thrisha took one look at the book and broke into laughter. "Stars help us, an empathic politician! Armageddon truly is upon us."

Author's Notes:

So reviews on the song were mixed, but it's understandable. Written word isn't exactly the best medium for such a media, so it looses a bit of the impact. Also, no, they're not done yet. There will be much talks in the future, even if you guys don't get to watch all the weirdness associated with explaining why doing things like licking your own horn in public is considered vulgar, while invading your special someone's mouth with your tongue is fine. Such are the oddities of modern society, Din, sorry.

Bonus Objective: No Alerts Triggered

It had become a nightly ritual for the dark alicorn. Every night, he'd check the dreams of the children, then of his subjects, then of those in the local area. Looking around, he made his final checks before trying once more to fulfil Luna's request. Focusing on the name, on the description he'd been given, he cast himself deep into the dream realm, searching for the missing alicorn.

Every night it was the same result. No response, not even the pull he got when he went looking for Celestia's dreams. He'd try this several times before calling it a night, trying again just before he woke up, if he had the chance. This night seemed no different. He cast out his consciousness, focusing on her name, on her color. He pulled himself back to his body. He cast himself out again, and pulled back to his body. No luck this night either. Preparing his own dream, Ted mentally came to a halt. A gut feeling, that's what it was. He knew his body reacted to things he couldn't understand, so he followed its instincts fairly often. One final time that night he drew up the name and color in his mind. Once more that night he cast his mind into the void of the dream realm...

...and felt something tug at the edges of his consciousness. He latched onto the feeling, trying to get an actual position. North east, well beyond Port Zarris. Ted frowned as he came to the place. The dream was underground, a cave of some sort? There were also the faint outlines of other beings nearby, though they were not his focus and beyond his reach, and thus would not dream. He neared the orb, which had started taking on a sickly color he associated with a dream filled with fear. Preparing to help the target of his quest he-

"-IAN! CIM- -AN!" A voice cut through the dream realm, shaking him badly. He was so close, but someone was waking him, and it sounded urgent. With a few choice expletives at the timing, the alicorn calmed the dream, pouring as much reinforcement into it as he could before mentally screaming for Luna. Certain she was nearing, Ted allowed himself to be pulled to the waking world. If it wasn't important, the idiot who had bothered him would be eating through a straw for a week.

"CIMMERIAN! You fool, wake up!" Pandinus shouted, shaking the sleeping stallion vigorously.

"Damnit, Din, stop it! I'm here, I'm here." The alicorn muttered, shaking the disorientation off. Normally that didn't happen, but getting yanked from the dream realm like that left him hurting. Finally able to see straight, he looked over to the panicked queen, the look on her face worrying him as well.

"Din? What's wrong, why are you here at this hour?"

"I felt one!" The queen almost shouted. "Another link, and it's nearby! Oh fuck, Cimmerian, it's big, bigger than any link I've ever brushed against before. It's them! I know it is!"

"Shush, it's ok, Din, we'll figure this out, calm down." He said, stepping off his bed and pulling her into a reassuring hug. "Where do you think they are, and do you think they've found us?"

"They, they're to the west, a couple miles by my estimate." The nearly hysteric queen told him. "By the First Mother, Cimmerian, Thrisha told me about the invasion in detail. I don't want that, I don't want that for my nymphs! What am I going to do!"

"First," C-Ted told her, fully waking up with the seriousness of the situation "we're going to alert the Temple. I want everyone ready to head to the caves if they get closer. I know they can sense emotions, but hopefully the distance will help my dampening field cover them better than if they were in the open. Next, I'm going to try something." He said. Seconds later a pony burst into his room, trying to figure out what the racket was. Ted seized the opportunity, directing the stallion to fetch Gleam or Shadow. Finally, Ted turned to the queen.

"You can stay here if you like, I want you to explain to whoever shows up first what's going on." He told her, hoping back onto the bed. The queen stared at him in confusion as he returned to his bed, settling in for a long night. With a quick shift of his mental coordinates, he opened his eyes once more in a different corner of the room. The armor slowly moved about, silently allowing the alicorn to double check his maneuverability in this form. This wouldn't be a simple walk down the stairs to deliver a message, it would be a full mission against a superior force with the lives of his family on the line. Turning back to Pandinus, he saw the changeling gaping at his sleeping form. Suddenly, her shock shifted to rage, and she raised a hoof to slap him. As she reared back, he caught the hoof, causing her to rear around, fangs bared at whoever snuck up behind her. Ted merely smiled at her confusion.

"Can you detect this form?" He asked the queen.

Pandinus turned to his sleeping body before looking back at the possessed armor before suddenly Ted could swear he saw a light bulb flicker on above her head. He saw her concentrate a moment, before shaking her head in a negative.

"You plan on fighting them yourself?"

Ted laughed at the idea. "Oh god no, I plan on sneaking around and maybe causing some trouble for them, possibly even drawing them away from us. I don't know if I can get tired like this, but I doubt it. The only issue would be if it has a maximum range and if it drains my mana reserves, though I don't have the answer to either question. As it is, it will let me sneak around easier, as I can combine the shadow walking with the lack of emotions that changelings can pick up."

Din looked thoughtful for a moment, looking between the two versions of the alicorn, before nodding. "I, I'll talk to Gleam when she arrives. The hive was almost directly west of here, s-so it shouldn't be hard to find, not with the size I can s-sense from here." She said shakily. Slowly she walked over to the bed, hopping up and laying one of his wings across her back.

"Alright Din, I'll be back. Help Gleam and Shadow if they ask for help, ok?" With that Ted walked out to his balcony, stepping out into the blasting rain. It didn't bother him, though the sensation of the rain passing through his ethereal form was strange. With a single thought the armor faded into a mist, the shadow flowing quickly towards the abandoned port town.

The alicorn heard them before he saw them. The buzzing sound first barely audible over the pounding rain and rumbling thunder, but eventually it became loud enough to nearly vibrate the armor. Coming into view of the abandoned port town, what Ted saw made his blood run cold. Hundreds of changelings flitting here and there, an almost impenetrable screen of chitin that circled the town in constant patrols.

The buzzing was almost deafening, the few ponies he could see wandering around in the purple tinted armor wearing covers over their ears. The changelings not on patrol were huddling in any shelter they could find, their minds still retaining enough sense to seek shelter from the raging storm. Most were buzzing their wings in a desperate attempt to generate heat to keep warm and awake in the cool weather. Many were failing.

Even as he approached the old guard tower, he nearly was struck as a drone fell from the side of the structure, its energy expended completely. Looking around the various buildings, he could barely make out the dark spots of bodies scattered over the entirety of the area, the ponies merely navigating around or over the bodies. Taking a inconsequential breath to steady himself against the sight, he walked into the occupied town.

He was already invisible and couldn't be detected by the changelings emotion-oriented radars, and there was a rain storm that made visibility even worse, but he took no chances. The alicorn moved silently from one form of cover to the next, attempting to find the highest concentration of guards. Eventually, in the old in where the griffons had stashed there gear, he found what seemed to be a leader of some sort.

"Yea, this is their stuff alright." The armored stallion said, rooting through the possessions of the griffons. "The damned feather dusters wouldn't go that far from this junk, no matter how desperate they are. You sure the mutant didn't say anything about where they were headed?" He asked another soldier to his left.

"Just that they went east, following a pegasus. Bird said it was an alicorn, but I don't see how that would be possible. The Queen's got two of them on permanent lock-up till they surrender their powers, and last I heard she let the pink one go because she wasn't a threat. Not much an alicorn can do with a cracked horn an plucked wings. That accounts for all the alicorns in existence. Besides, wouldn't the Queen's sensor array's pick up something that big?"

Ted barely managed to suppress a growl at the dismissal of the pink alicorn. Finding Cadance just moved to the top of his to do list if her condition was that bad. Not only that, she was within his reach now. He was all but certain he'd found her with that last dream dive. Hopefully Luna had made it to the dream, and managed to talk to her giving the poor thing a much-needed shot of hope. His planning was cut off as the one he'd mentally marked as the leader started moving towards the exit, passing by his shadowed form without a second glance.

"I'm going to head to the boat." The soldier, a unicorn now that he'd seen his face, said to his subordinate. As they passed by ted took note of the armor, looking for any control methods or protections from the changelings outside. All he could make out was a small rune on the right shoulder, something he vaguely remembered being a connection array for joining multiple casters for powerful spells. It seemed they were connected to the actual arrays remotely, though unless they had a primary uplink on the ship, a good possibility given the size the array would have to be, he wouldn't be able to do more than redirect the army elsewhere.

'Here's hoping my karma doesn't consider itself balanced quite yet.' he thought to himself as he followed the unicorn from a distance. Passing by several patrols that didn't seem to concerned with more than staying out of the rain, the group he was shadowing slowly making its way to the docks, stepping over and around any fallen changelings with a practiced lack of interest. Suddenly another drone fell from the sky, this one almost landing on the subordinate, the soldier flaring his previously unseen wings in shock.

"Bucking tartarus! Damned thing almost fell on me!" He shouted, rearing around and kicking the body aside.

"Get over it, they're not heavy, even the ones with the plates. It won't kill you, not with your armor. It's why we wear it when working, remember? Though I'd talk to the ship's artificer about getting that array looked at, they're supposed to help divert the bugs before they drop so that doesn't happen." The superior said, never even slowing his pace.

The group made their way up a shoddily patched dock, Ted noticing most of the patching seemed to be changeling sealant that had been sloppily applied and solidified, a few patches of the goop still remaining liquid. The boat, surprisingly, didn't have much of a guard, just a single pony sitting under some oddly stacked crates, staring into the night. The box soldier threw the superior a quick salute as he passed by, but then returned to watching the storm, never noticing the wraith that slipped past him. Following the ponies into the hold of the ship, Ted ran into his first real obstacle.

The inside of the ship was actually lit by magic-storing crystals powering light spell arrays. It would mean much more constricted movement for the alicorn, but seeing as he may have a target, he made his way through the ship remaining silent. The one time he'd come across an area he didn't trust, he'd ghosted across the ceiling, avoiding the open doorways entirely. Moments after he'd floated over them in his shadowed form, a soldier had walked out of the right doorway, muttering darkly about having to replace a soldier on watch in the storm.

"Damn bugs can sense anypony that gets near us. Not like I need to sit out in the rain for hours on end." He muttered as he trotted out of earshot.

Finally the alicorn made it to the cargo hold and main supply section of the ship. Both of the soldiers he'd been tailing earlier were there, one getting his armor inspected by a unicorn who was reapplying the array on his shoulder, double checking his work every now and again against a small metal plate on his desk.

The second, the unicorn superior, was speaking to another soldier, this one with a beard and mustache of all things, giving a report on the findings in the town.

"Given the fact that some of that stuff has probably been in their families for centuries, there's no way they'd leave it behind without being able to return. Worse case scenario we wait for them to come back for the junk and hit them while their exposed in the middle of the town." The unicorn said

The mustachioed pony merely scowled at the reports over his desk. "But we don't have any idea where they went or how far. 'The dropped a number of the rebels off at this point and those who stayed here went east.' How am I supposed to file this as a report?"

"There was also the claim of the griffon capt-"

"Yes yes, the claim that it was an alicorn that met them on the boat. The griffons are a superstitious lot. Toss a fake horn on a thestral and they'd be screaming about the return of Nightmare Moon. We'd have detected such an individual by now. It's not like there's a pegacorn out there that breaks detection arrays with his mere presence."

Ted just stared at the commander, his incorporeal jaw dropping in disbelief. Sure the world was a bit odd at times, but that kind of thing didn't happen in real life, did it? Turning his attention from the soldiers in the room, he looked around for the array. Passing by the soldiers and moving deeper into the ship, the alicorn stopped in the final room.

"If that's not it, I'll turn myself into the Mad Queen tomorrow." He muttered. The array was huge, with a single crystal focus at the center containing even more arrays in an impossibly complicated multidimensional array.

"I didn't even know it was possible to make them like that." he whispered to himself, awed at the sheer complexity of the array before him. There wasn't much inside the crystal he could understand, but looking over most of the other sections of the spell, he could spot safeties and surge diverters aplenty, all helping to avoid a meltdown of the large amounts of energy flowing through the spell.

"It's a nuclear reactor." He smiled, striking his hoof through surge protecting array after surge protecting array, while rewiring the safeties to not divert mana, but store it. He giggled even as he damaged the final protections, finally shoving his incorporeal hoof through the primary spell matrix and surging his own magic into a weak part of the spell. The effect was immediate. The large crystal began to creak and groan, large cracks spreading throughout its surface even as the mana began to build up. With the surge protectors gone and the safeties now storing the excess mana, the entire array was a large balloon of the most volatile gasses on the planet, and it was slowly expanding. Once it went critical, there wouldn't be much left of the boat.

Tearing down the hallway he'd come from, he solidified only long enough to grab the array off of the artificer's desk before fading back out and diving through the deck of the boat, ignoring the shocked shouts of the commander and his soldiers. The alicorn sunk like a rock into the depths of the ocean, the only thing he could make out eventually being the pull of gravity. Moments after his boots impacted the soft ocean floor, a pressure wave hit him from above. Looking up, he got a glimpse of what almost looked like the birth of a sun, the spell overloading in a fantastic explosion of raw energy that vaporized the boat along with a good couple hundred gallons of water, and flash-boiled anything unlucky enough to be in range of the heat wave. Even on the shore, many changeling drones and Equestrian soldiers fell to the explosion, the rain being turned to steam in a flash and cooking them where they stood.

With a bit of difficulty, Ted managed to finally break the surface of the ocean, following the upward tilt of the ocean floor to find the beach. Taking a look at the scene he now found before him, he found himself torn. On the one hand, the threat seemed to have been dealt with. On the other...

Drones lay scattered about, piles of bodies making some areas inaccessible without resorting to flight or his ethereal form. Farther away from the actual blast wave that occurred however, were the results of the loss of the link keeping the feral changelings in check. They had berserked from what he could see, ripping apart any living thing they could find, pony, wild animals, it didn't matter. When other prey was exhausted, they'd turned on each other. Even as he made his way through the gore spattered streets, he could still see some of the drones moving, weakly attempting to gnaw at the nearest body, hoping to find some way to stave off death even as their lifeblood left their bodies through grievous wounds. Walking past one in particular, Ted watched the changeling thrashing about in its death throes, the creature too lost in a blood rage to realize half its torso was missing.

There was just so much death. Ted couldn't go two paces without stepping on a corpse or dying body. A drone smashed against a wall here, a pegasus mauled there, an unidentifiable mass of bodies piled in a doorway of an abandoned house. It was a scene he figured would stay with him for the rest of his life. In some ways he hoped it would; it reminded him what he was standing against. This is what the Nightmare was promoting. The use of changelings are cannon fodder, and the extermination of all those who didn't or couldn't conform with her perfect world. This was the result of that agenda. Death dealt out to all those involved.

Readying himself for the trip back, feeling mentally exhausted from the ridiculous amounts of horrific scenes he'd been subjected to, he stopped cold when he heard voices speaking nearby. Pulling the cloaking ability over himself once more, he moved as quickly as he could, making his way to the voices. Coming up on the old guard tower once more that night, he noticed a large pile of dead changelings in the doorway, nearly blocking his view of several of the creatures huddled inside.

A small group of changelings sat clustered together in the tower, surrounding a small fire and huddling together for warmth under various torn blankets and cloaks. Moving closer the dark alicorn listened to their discussion.

"-telling you guys, there was something out there, and this one believes it is still out there." One said to the others. The group shared a few nervous looks before another spoke up.

"I am in agreement with his theory. The array was designed to prevent such a catastrophe." A second said, staring into the fire. "Such a meltdown was orchestrated by a third party, one that managed to evade over a thousand of our kind and walk right up to the control array."

"The question we must ask, then, is was its goal simply the destruction of an invader, in which we ourselves may now be its target, or was this targeted specifically against the forces of the Pony Queen." A third spoke, the buzzing voice having the feminine tones he'd recognized as differentiating Mirage from Grift.

"The question this one poses, instead, is does this creature see us as a threat, as prey, or inconsequential?" The first asked.

"I'm not waiting for somebuggy else to find us." The female finally said, standing up and making her way to the door.

"Are you insane? You'd either freeze to death or get eaten!" The second voice yelled at her.

"Better than waiting for some unknown monster to find and kill us all, or waiting for Equestrian reinforcements to find us and re enslave us all! I don't know about all of you, but I'm pretty fond of being able to scratch my shell when I have an itch!" The female yelled back.

Seeing her get closer to him, Ted smiled, dropping the invisibility in front of the gathered changelings. Immediately they backed to the other side of the building, putting as much distance between themselves and the alicorn as possible.

"A-a-alicorn..." One managed to stutter out, lancing Ted with a spear of guilt even as his own hope was restored by the discovery of survivors.

The female, gathering her wits once more took a few uneasy steps forward, lowering her horn in an aggressive stance. "I don't care if it's a buzzin' Mind Drinker, I'm not going back, and I'm not dying without a fight!"

Ted sloppily sidestepped the mare's lunge before he was struck from behind, a blow from an unseen attacker knocking the helmet off of the rest of the armor. Immediately all movement in the tower stopped. The survivors stared in horror at the still standing armor, only now able to see that it was in fact, empty.

A moment later, Ted's echoing voice broke the silence.

"Well this is awkward."

It took him the better part of an hour to convince the group of twelve changelings that his desire to aid them was genuine, eventually resorting to speaking of the stock of love those at the Temple had gathered, and the fact he knew what love looked like. Few ponies knew what love looked like when harvested by changelings, and fewer understood how it was processed and stored. This, combined with his apparent knowledge of their race and his proclaimed hatred for the Mad Queen, had the changelings willing to follow him to the temple. They truly had no other goal at the moment anyway, besides staying alive, and they had no knowledge of the surrounding area. Even in top condition, changelings could not survive on their own in the jungle

. The journey was slow, the changelings weak from starvation and slowed by the pounding storm. Several times they stopped to make fires to warm themselves, Ted drying the wood and starting the fires personally so that the changelings could conserve what little energy they had left. Hours later, a drone at the front of the group stopped, his ears perked up.

"What is it? What do you hear?" one behind him asked.

The drone continued to stare forward, not even turning back to answer.

"I smell love. Happiness too." He said. "L-lots of it." With that he took a shaky step forward, followed by another at a faster pace. Before the drone got too far, Ted nabbed him in his aura.

"There may be guards out watching for the Mad Queen's army. I don't need any of you running out there and getting killed because they got overzealous. I'll go first." Brushing aside a few more leaves in the underbrush, the alicorn took in the sight of the Temple of the Shadows and breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to the changelings, he smiled warmly as he could at them in his current form, before speaking in a loud clear voice.

"I welcome you to my home, lost ones. I offer you shelter, food, and should you accept, a home, a hive, and a link safe from detection from the Mad Queen."

Even as they made their way into the Main Temple, Ted found himself directing ponies away from the changelings, whose mouths were watering even as they greedily absorbed what concern they could from the few ponies that were awake at the early hour. Eventually Ted had directed them to the queen's outer room, asking them to wait there while he prepared something for them.

"This had better be important Cimmerian, I'm still exhausted from the panic and preparations I was involved in last night." Pandinus told the alicorn as he lead her down the stairs to her room.

Ted merely smiled, looking back at the her as she trailed behind, sleep still having a grip on her. "Trust me, Din, this will be worth it."

Pushing open the door, he beheld with his own eyes the survivors of the blood-rage induced slaughter that had wiped out the majority of the force to the east.

"My guests, might I introduce you to Queen Pandinus, Resident Changeling Queen at the Temple of the Shadows. Pandinus, these are the survivors that were freed when the link array was destroyed."

For a long while, neither party said a word, both sides just staring at each other in shock. One drone finally worked up the courage to respond, slowly walking up to the queen. He looked at her searchingly, most likely looking for something, before turning to his fellows.

"She, I don't see it. I think she's her." Returning his gaze to the queen the drone bowed low. "I humbly offer my service in trade for whatever aid you can provide. Even the smallest offerings of food would be an improvement from our previous conditions." He was quickly joined by four others, all swearing themselves to the queen in hopes of a better chance at survival. Pandinus merely looked from them to Ted several times, her mind obviously abuzz with the possibilities laid out before her. Taking a deep breath, she did something that threw the dark alicorn for a loop.

The queen levitated several jars of glowing liquids, one surprisingly being pink, considering how jealously she guarded any love she obtained, and left the jars on the ground before the survivors.

"Rest and recover before you make that decision. This, the love and happiness I'm giving you now is plentiful here. Those of us already situated here will not go hungry without it."

As the drones broke open the bottles, sometimes literally, and consumed the contents with gusto, Ted moved up behind the queen, curious.

"While I'm happy you didn't try to leverage them into joining your hive, Din, I need to know. Why didn't you force the issue?"

Taking a shaky breath, the queen looked him in the eye. "Because they're starving. Because I know how that feels. And because you didn't force me to join you." She said. "That's, love right? Giving something you like and not asking for something in return. Did I get it right?"

Ted smiled and gave her a hug, wrapping both forelegs around her. "It's a type of love, Din. It's the love we give those we don't know. Charity, or charitable love. And while they won't be able to feed you with it, they'll love you for it, I promise." He said quietly. "They'll love you for being willing to help them when they needed it, they'll love you for allowing them freedom to chose, and if they stay with you and you treat them well, like they're your own hatchlings, they'll love you for being their mother and queen."

The larger shape shifter slowly smiled at his explanation, watching as the drones ate their fill before curling up on the familiar texture of a changeling constructed floor, leaving Ted to wonder just how quickly a changeling could adapt and learn when they understood what they could gain from the information. If he wasn't careful, she may become a better family and leadership figure than he was.

Rubbing a hoof on the wing covers, he smiled at the scene of the resting survivors. "You did good, Din. Real good."

Far away, in a small room lined with crystals and spell arrays, a small light blinked on the wall with a small note just after the name.

Control Array 3B: Not Responding/Connection Lost

In another room of the castle, another light was blinking, much to the irritation of the unicorn in the room.

Unit 4H: Late to Report: Unresponsive

The unicorn shook his head. Whatever idiot knocked out their communication array this time would be keeping the Queen occupied for at least a week. If he was lucky, he'd keep all his inside bits where they were supposed to be.

Author's Notes:

You didn't think the griffons got away that easily did you?

Consider this little spurt over, and I'll be taking a few days to rest and regroup my thoughts.

Watch that Recoil

After leaving the nest and the surviving changelings in Pandinus' care, Ted found his eyes drifting closed despite the fact he didn't feel physically tired. Though his body was capable of continuous exertion for days on end, at least according to Luna, his mind was still that of a mortal, raised with mortal ideas and with mortal weaknesses. As it stood, he'd need to sleep, and give himself some time to process the sheer amount of horror he'd encountered the night before. True most of the drones were downright feral, but there was no telling how many sapient drones there were near the blast. Now that he had a chance to think about it, he was plagued by doubt, wondering if he'd in fact done the right thing by destroying the ship. It wasn't a retaliatory strike from Equestria that he feared. According to the griffons they'd been driven out of their country nearly a month prior and were just now arriving, so even if the Mad Queen tried to send a team to investigate the disappearance immediately, it would be a while before they showed up, if they even knew the final position of the ship.

No, the issue was he'd committed himself to being willing to fight another country's army for the safety of those in the Temple of the Shadows. The soldiers weren't a bunch of bandits, like the gnolls. They were a military force, trained by and paid by a country to enforce the country's laws and policies, no matter how lax they were at security. Actually when he thought about it, the possibility of something sneaking past that swarm of ravenous feral changelings was infinitesimally small, so it wasn't surprising most of the lookouts weren't particularly alert.

Another problem was that the blast damaged the abandoned port pretty badly, he was certain of that. Even not being able to see much in the torrential rain, he'd walked on the glassed sand just shy of the waterfront. Add the physical damage to the fact that there were now bodies rotting in the rain scattered around the town, the bodies of the changelings pilled so high in some places they blocked buildings; it would set back his plans for reclaiming that town and putting it to use. As much as he wished to avoid doing so, he'd have to visit that place again once the weather let up and asses the actual damage.

With a jaw splitting yawn as he wandered into the dining hall, he made up his mind. Something to eat, whatever meal was relevant to the current time (it looked like lunch, actually), let Weaver and Gleam know about what happened, and head to bed. His mind made up, Ted grabbed a plate and hastily tossed a few sandwiches on it. He wasn't even in the mood to eat here. Heading to the war room and Shadow Weavers probable location, the alicorn didn't mind the stares. He just removed a threat to the town while they were all sleeping, warm in their beds. It he wanted to eat in his room, he'd eat in his own fucking room.

Explaining the situation to his second in commands, both of whom were in the war room, Ted slowly made his way to his own bed, wings drooping slightly from fatigue. Setting the plate, remaining sandwich, and a glass of water on his nightstand, he made a note to clean the now gored-crusted and bloody armor next chance he got. A stray thought had him wondering how a bath would feel with it on, but it was quickly hijacked by a thought of a certain mare lightly grazing the neck armor with her teeth, causing a shudder to wrack his body.

'Stop it, man.' He thought to himself. 'No need to complicate things even more at the moment.' There was no denying she was physically attractive, but he almost felt like he'd be taking advantage of her desperation at this point. He'd let everything settle and see where the queen ended up mentally. Besides, the new drones, some of which he could guarantee would seek the safety and reassurance of her hive, would keep her busy for a while. He was just about to hop up on his bed, in fact he even had a hoof on, it when a knock came from the door. The dark alicorn sighed in exasperation, looking to the door and pulling it open, his drooping eyes taking in the unexpected form of a, once more, worried changeling queen.

"I'm getting some sleep Din. If there's another one of those hive things nearby it's going to have to wait."

"I just wanted to-" She started, before her ears perked up, sniffing at him curiously. Slowly her worried expression morphed into a grin.

"If you don't drop it, I'm going to say no to whatever it is you're going to ask." He told her.

Still smiling, she powered on. "So if I ask if you not to-"

"I'm closing the door if you don't tell me what you want now. I need sleep." He told her, voice still dead of emotion. He should have known the second a lewd thought entered his head she'd be here to sniff it out.

Pandinus pouted slightly at being shut down, but continued. "I wanted to know if you could stay with me for a bit." She said, dragging a hoof nervously across the floor.

"Din, what's wrong? You can tell me." He urged her, moving closer to the doorway.

"I... I bled a little again today." She said. When he failed to respond, she explained. "It, the clutch nurse was right. She told me I may have trouble after the incident, and she was right. It hurt. I know your tired, I can taste that, but I just..."

"Your hurting, maybe a little scared, and want your comfort food." Ted said with a tired smile. Looking back to his bed, he shook his head. "Fine." He grabbed a pillow and blanket off his bed, levitating them to his back before turning to follow the now smiling queen back down to the nest. 'Don't worry, sleep is coming' He thought to himself. 'I'm feeling pretty stiff right now, so a buzzing massage would be great.'

The first chamber of the nest was currently housing the still sleeping survivors, most of them already looking less sickly after they'd ate their fill. Stepping lightly past them, he followed the queen into the second room. The bed was a bit nicer than the first time he'd seen it, more linens on a raised platform that had a more give than he would have expected. He chuckled as he stretched out comfortably on the pedestal. It wasn't surprising he'd not thought of asking her about it last time, as he'd been a bit distracted. Pulling back the covers to get a good look at what he was laying on, he was surprised to see the strange clear film that had been part of the changeling pods, filled with a green goop that provided the give of the 'bed' he was on.

"Has one of these things ever popped on you?" He asked her as he laid down his head on his pillow, his wings fluttering lightly as he settled in.

"Um, no. The film reseals even if it gets punctured. It doesn't bother you, does it?" Pandinus asked cautiously. "One of the ponies saw it and they got kind of panicky. I think he was worried I was going to shove him into it. Not that I would. I don't want something moving around in my bed."

"I'm on an alien planet, in an alien body, surrounded by more aliens, I talk to other aliens in my sleep, I have magic powers, and I've met several mythological creatures." Ted listed off. "Sleeping on a puke bubble that doesn't smell and won't pop on me isn't that big of a deal at the moment. It also helps that I'm too tired to care. Now get on."

"What?" The changeling asked in shock.

"I said get on my back. We're going to practice some give and take. I'm going to give you safety and food, and your going to give me physical comfort. Ever since I got back and dropped my hold on the armor, my bodies been cramping up something fierce." He said. "That buzzing purr you do would probably feel heavenly right now."

Cautiously, the queen made her way onto the bed as well, resting comfortably between the dark alicorns wings. Settling in properly, she focused on the safety and warmth, a happy purr resounding from her throat. At Ted's moan of approval, the purr massaging his cramping neck, she started to buzz her wings, the much stronger vibrations being sent down into her living pillow, only to be echoed and bounced back from the jiggling bed, doubling the intensity of the massage.

The next thing Din was aware of was a strong wave of pleasure and contentment rolling off the alicorn, which she happily feasted on as her purring redoubled. Sure she wasn't very hungry at the moment, but he'd mentioned the day before how some creatures ate for pleasure. If he thought she should do it, she would. And his emotions were some of the best tasting foods she'd ever sunk her fangs into. Besides, the happiness could be saved for later. The new drones would need something to feed on until they made their own connections as Mirage, Grift and she herself had done.

Even as Ted drifted off to sleep, he heard the queen giggling happily as she buried her snout into the fur on his neck. It was good to know he'd finally gotten something besides drama from the queen. Honestly it was about time, and from the sounds of it, she didn't mind doing it. He'd call that a good trade off; food and safety for a massage.

Ted was sprawled out on his usual private beach when it happened. He was so tired, letting his mind recover from the long night and the horrible experiences, that he actually didn't sense the mare until she impacted his dream-self.

"Cimmerian!" Luna shouted in his ear, clinging to his neck. "You found her! I saw her, I talked to her, she's alive! We, I mean you need to find her, help her!" She babbled, even as the stallions eyes slowly opened. "Are you alright?"

" 'M fine, just tired." He mumbled. "Didn't sleep much last night, had to take care of something after I spotted the dream. Hell, I didn't even get to check if that was her before I was woken up by Din."

"What happened?"

The larger alicorn brought up a memory, the picture of a mountain of dead changelings appearing in the air before them. Luna was silent, merely tightening her grip on his neck reassuringly.

"Pandinus detected another link nearby, a huge one. From what I could tell the Nightmare has all the drones being controlled by arrays, and there was a ship near us that had one of those arrays on it." He conjured the memory of the crystal, and Luna stared long and hard at it, a hoof at her chin. "I didn't even know you could do arrays that way, I thought they were all written down on paper or carved into armor."

Luna nodded. "Under normal circumstances they are, though the more common way to do something like this is a joining array, allowing multiple rooms to be used if it's needed. This sort of thing is nearly impossible to do with any truly complicated arrays such as this one. It was most likely only done because the space available is at a premium." She said, gesturing to the floor in the image. "How did you deal with it?"

"I used the Nightmare armor. I used it to get past the changeling patrols, and messed with the safeties and surge protectors, turned the protectors into batteries instead and surged a weak point in the array."

"You caused a thaumaturgic melt-down?!?" Luna shouted at him. "Are you mad? That would kill anyone in the blast radius!"

"That was kinda the plan, Luna. The ponies around it were Equestrian soldiers, who could report my location back to the Nightmare. The rest were changelings being controlled by the array." He said sadly. "I know, at one point they were your ponies. But right now they'd put everyone I'm watching over in danger. We'll mourn them properly when we have a chance, Luna, but for now, I'm not taking any chances with them hurting my people."

"I, alright. But I still want you to try to avoid killing ponies if you can help it." She said.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going out of my way to murder innocents, Luna. That's not my thing. Those were soldiers looking for blood. Believe it or not, I think they killed the other griffons, be it by ordering their deaths or through negligence. I didn't see the other griffons in the dream realm, and they were supposed to be headed to the port to the north of us."

Luna sighed, hanging her head. "Very well, Cimmerian. I only ask that you remember mercy. It can be very easy for some to disconnect the horror of killing when they rationalize it properly, but that is also how we fall. You understand my descent better than most. Do not forget the lessons I learned, lest they cost you just as much."

"While I am glad your mission was successful, I must also ask that as soon as you can, you help Cadance. I've directed her to you, giving the name of the dragon and the port to your north as a starting point for her, she is weak right now, though she says she has somepony to protect her."

"Think she'll be asleep now?" Ted asked. "I mean, I'm tired, but if she's in danger or hurting..."

"No, I don't think so. She's getting close enough to you that it will be night for her when you're asleep, so right now I doubt it. Just introduce yourself to her when you get the chance." Luna said. "Rest well, Cimmerian. Magical exhaustion is nothing to dismiss for a being of magic such as yourself."

With that she left, leaving the stallion alone in his dreams. He dismissed the image of the crystal, still hanging in the air before him, before curling back up on the sands, summoning up a radio that immediately started playing an old favorite of his. He let his body go limp, and hummed along to the intro. It fit the scene well, he thought as he watched the waves roll in from the ocean.

"Livin' on sponge cake. Watchin' the sun bake. All of those tourists covered with oil..."

After an indeterminate amount of time, the dream shuddered, a sign that someone was waking him up. The dream collapsed around him, leaving the groggy alicorn to slowly try to piece together his current location. He recognized the hive fairly quickly, took note of the faint purring still buzzing from his back. The only thing that seemed out of place at the moment was the chunky changeling giving him the stink eye.

"What do you want Mirage? I'm really not feeling well right now." He mumbled.

"I couldn't find Gem this morning." The changeling mare said, voice seething with anger.

The mention of the nymph being missing immediately brought Ted's focus to her. "Couldn't find her, wait, don't you have a link with her? How can you not find her?"

The mare pointed a hoof to his side." Because she decided she wanted to sleep with 'daddy' and the queen buzzin' linked with her! That nag stole her from me!"

The yelling woke up both of the other changelings, Pandinus looking at the smaller mare with a confused expression for a moment before her head darted to her left and down, the nymph giggling at her and climbing onto Ted's back to join her. Ted watched the hatchling for a moment, seeing Gem curl up between his wing and the queen. Looking at the queen he asked her if she knew it happened.

"I was asleep, Cimmerian, I didn't even know she was here." She said, leaning down to give the nymph a cautious nuzzle.

Turning back to the irate shape shifter, Ted scrunched his face in thought. "Can you take her back? Reconnect to her?" He asked.

"No, it doesn't work like that. The queen's link takes priority to a simple link between drones. Besides, now that she's linked to the queen, she's not going to be content with me anymore." Mirage explained, sending another glare at the queen.

"Stop it, Mirage. She didn't steal Gem from you, Gem bonded with her while she was asleep. That can happen right?" He asked the smaller mare. At her nod, he continued. "Then you can't blame her for this. It was an accident, and we'll work with it. Din? I want you to promise me something." He said, turning to the mare still on his back. "Promise me you won't suppress her unless her life depends on it, ok?"

He asked the question softly, but the queen could taste the force behind the request. In that way it was more of an ultimatum, his emotions telling her the hatchling's well-being was her priority now. Slowly, she nodded her head. "I promise." She said quietly, turning to give the nymph another nuzzle. She could hear Gem's childish voice over the link, the young mind reveling in the contact with two large parental figures.

Ted nodded. "If you have any questions about her, ask Mirage. She'll help you with Gem's care, right Mirage?"

The mare glared one last time at the queen before deflating with a heavy sigh. "Yes Father."

With that the clutch nurse left, Gem looking up long enough to chirp happily and wave goodbye before curling back up in in her spot. Seeing the mare leave, Ted turned back to Pandinus, a somber expression on his face.

"Your being trusted with her care, Din. She's not like the drones you already have. This one is like those you want, she's fully sapient and is a thinking drone like Grift and Mirage, like the ones sleeping just outside. She's going to rely on you to take care of her. I want you to guard her with your life, guard her with the same ferocity you guarded those eggs." He grabbed her head in a light aura, guiding it closer to his own. He bumped her muzzle with his, breaking out into a smile. "I know you'll do fine."

Rainy Days and Mondays

The storm held fast for nearly three more days, letting up on the second and finally passing entirely the morning of the fourth. Ted spent most of this time either in his room or Pandinus' nest, the latter being for another round of the mind numbing pleasure of the massages. The alicorn was chalking the cramps and pains up to overuse of the armor, which he eventually did get to cleaning up once he'd recovered enough. The days were quiet, the only occurrences being a few hunting groups, sometimes being joined by some of the griffon refugees, and a single gathering run for fruits by the oasis to the south. For the fruit recovery, Ted had decided to assign Grift with the group, asking the changeling to try using his empathic detection in the same way the Equestrians had used the swarm. It would benefit both the group and the changeling. The group was given added security, and the pudgy changeling was given some decent exercise.

Gem and Pandinus were with each other every time he saw them, the nymph seeming to do her level best to always be under hoof. Din took it in stride, however, seeing as she had something she'd been wanting for so long. Certainly the hatchling wasn't her blood, but Ted had made the queen promise to guard Gem as her own. Wanting to prove herself to the dark alicorn, she'd taken to the task with gusto; the young changeling didn't sneeze without the queen knowing about it. Her constant hovering over the nymph was aided by Mirage, despite the mares continued dislike of the queen, giving pointers and tips for the proper care of a nymph. Two days after the link between Gem and Din was formed, Adamant followed suite, having wandered into the queen's nest at night searching for his smaller friend.

The matron fell into a bout of depression after the loss of her link. She still watched the other children, wiped their noses, cared for any injuries. However she was merely going through the motions. Rose was the one who brought the issue to his attention a few days later, nudging his leg with a hoof as he was passing by. Having experienced such a thing himself recently, Ted was quick to jump on board with the filly in finding a solution. It was not going to be easy, unfortunately. Every single one of the survivors of the swarm were going to be joining the queen's hive, leaving no extra drones for Mirage to link with in the meantime, and leaving Ted to wonder what would become of his first changeling follower. Even as he was contemplating going to find her and to try speaking to her on the matter, it was taken out of his hands, so to speak.

In the children's room where the shape shifter kept her bed sat the queen, laying down on a spare mat to keep herself at Mirage's level.

"The nymphs have been asking for you, Mirage." Pandinus started, keeping a flat expression. "They keep asking me why Miss Meer won't come to see them. I know you don't like me, I'm fine with that, but I don't want them to feel snubbed because you're scared of linking with me."

"I have nothing to say to you." The smaller changeling said, looking past Din at the playing children.

The queen sighed. "I want them to be happy. Right now that means spending time with you. Help me make them happy, Mirage. You don't have to like me, I don't even care if you listen to what I say. You know a link doesn't overwrite your opinions."

The matron glared at the larger mare. "But you can over-ride my will, using my body as a puppet whenever you want."

"And what do you think Cimmerian would say if I did that?" Pandinus asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think he wouldn't notice that? Do you think I would want to do that when I'm working so hard to prove that I'm worthy of him? Prove to him that I can be what he needs, what he wants? I've put up with that griffon's ridiculous lessons, though only a few make any sense to me. I've been reading that book he offered me, even though it feels like sand running over my eyes at times. I'm trying to learn to care for others. I was not raised this way, Clutch Nurse. My mother taught me to be the highest authority, she taught me to give orders, not make requests. She didn't teach me how to speak to others, since my drones would follow me no matter what. The only interaction with other races I'd been taught was seduction, so I could have access to an easy meal and a source of seed for my eggs. Advanced infiltration, military strategy, maybe even these 'politics' things Cimmerian's been having me learn were things that I never reached before the hive fell. I was nowhere near the end of my training."

Taking a steadying breath, Din tried once more. "I know I'm not good at this, Mirage, my mother said I had another three decades of training before she would permit my advancement to a queen. Three decades of nothing but training to learn how to run a hive that I don't have now. Do you know what that means for me, for my hive?"

Mirage was now focused on the queen, a confused expression on her face as she shook her head.

"It means that I'm having to improvise. For pities sake, even then half the things I know have been turned on their heads with out situation here. I have to take the things my drones knew about their hives to fill in the rest of the blanks. Everything I've learned so far about infiltration is what I've pulled from Grift." She scooted forward just a little bit. "Smoke said he was a guard, so that's hive defense, and the rest of the other drones Cimmer recovered were infiltrators, away from their hives when they were captured. I don't have any medical knowledge, or information on how to care for my eggs or hatchlings properly besides what you've taught me on Cimmerian's orders and my own instincts. I don't want to make any mistakes with them, I can't. Will you please help me?"

Mirage was confused by the strangely pleading tone. "I thought queens weren't supposed to show any weaknesses? Or did you not get to that lesson?"

"I had that drilled into me from day one, actually." Pandinus responded with a self-deprecating chuckle. "A certain alicorn has been teaching me otherwise. It helps that his lessons are accompanied by the most delicious meals I've ever tasted, while for my old lessons I was merely punished to not adhering to the rules. Cimmerian and Thrisha have both been quite insistent it's beneficial to reveal weakness to close allies and friends. Cimmerian even trading some of mine for his own. It was, strange to hear."

"What did he tell you?" The Clutch Nurse asked, ears perked in curiosity.

"That, little changeling, would be breaking confidence. They were also quite thorough in explaining to me why that is bad." Din said with a smile. Her face then turned thoughtful. "Trust is an odd thing, is it not? Thrisha said for most creatures, trust comes before love, so I need Cimmerian's trust before I can have his love. So no, Mirage. I will not do anything to harm you or any other changeling in my hive. I can't risk losing what trust I've gained so far. It's too precious to me, it's too important to my goals."

After a few moments of silence, the queen's face became a serene smile, an expression the matron found strangely relaxing. "I have an idea. Both Thrisha and the book have mentioned written contracts for agreements between two beings or countries that can't trust the others. How about we ask her to help us set one up, we can even have Cimmerian sign it as a witness."

"You'd be willing to go that far? Just for two nymphs that aren't yours?" Mirage asked cautiously.

"Cimmerian's gone farther, I can tell you that much from what he's told me. He has claimed every being in this Temple as a child under his care, or did you not hear of his moment with your friend Blur?" She asked with a smile. "He said I need to care for the Temple's residents like he does. For me this has mostly included the nymphs, but don't think I haven't seen you lately as well. We are born into a hive, always connected to other changelings in a way ponies can never comprehend." The queen finally stood up, moving to curl around the matron. Settling back on the ground, she leaned closer and spoke softly. "So when that link is interrupted, we don't feel complete. We feel empty, alone. I felt that way before Grift joined me, you felt that way before you bonded with those nymphs. Now you've lost that connection again, and you're not willing to follow them because of what could happen. I understand that, but I also understand that to be what my prospective mate seeks, I need to be willing to accept children that aren't mine." Pandinus leaned her neck over the changeling, pressing down on her back reassuringly. "That includes those who don't like me. It means accepting that I may argue with them, may fight with them, may even have to sever links for the good of the hive. But it also means giving every changeling I come across a chance. That's the least I can do. After all, the only reason I'm here to do so is because someone did that for me."

Later that evening, after the Temple's resident alicorn had overseen the backlog of reports that had piled up during his recovery as well as the requests by several of the griffons for more permanent accommodations. He'd sent a message to Lady Thrisha regarding his plans to have interviews of sorts with one or more changelings in the room, so the prospective residents knew exactly what they were getting into. He wasn't going to risk some sort of hidden trauma causing a griffon, a predatory species, to lash out at Gem or Adamant.

Finishing his meal, he noticed the children were in the care of Miss Goodhooves again, leaving him wondering where their actual caretaker was. Stopping to consider it, there were several missing parties. He checked the library to no avail, but soon heard familiar voices coming from the war room. The voices belonging to the beings he was looking for.

An odd sight greeted Ted as he walked in. The table was mostly cleared barring a single paper with fresh ink sitting in front of Lady Thrisha, a quill just being laid on the table. The old griffon had an excited smile on her face, a stark contrast to the straight face of both Pandinus and Mirage. However, while Pandinus was fairly calm, the smaller changeling was shaking badly. Warning bells immediately went off in his head, even as the griffon greeted him.

"Ah, Lord Cimmerian, Queen Pandinus was just about to send a drone to escort you here!" she said, a smile on her beak.

He was about to ask what was happening, when the griffon hushed him. "They're about to start."

Ted had no idea what was going on, but immediately stepped up to the gathering, pulling Mirage back into his barrel even as she started walking around the table to Pandinus. "Nothing happens until I know what this gathering is about." He said in a firm voice.

"I, I don't n-need you to watch ov-ver me all the time, F-father." Mirage managed to stutter out.

"We were just about to link." Pandinus said, giving the alicorn a confused frown. "She's been depressed since her link with the nymphs was severed, so I offered a solution."

"What solution, Din. If she's being threatened or forced into this, I won't be upset. I'll be angry. That's not something you want directed at you." The alicorn's face was a stone mask, but the changelings could taste the anger just waiting to be given a target.

Thrisha took that moment to clear her throat, shrinking back slightly at the glare that was leveled at her. "Queen Pandinus and Mirage asked me to oversee a contract between them, an agreement to not harm each other in any way after the connection is made. Seeing as Miss Mirage has been undergoing, as the two have put it, Link Withdrawal, it seemed to be a proper solution to their, issues, with one another." The griffon turned the contract to him, allowing the alicorn to read over the many bullets presented. Each side seemed to have been fairly thorough, describing what could and couldn't be done. "They asked that you be the primary witness."

Ted chewed on his lip as he finished reading over the entire document, watching for any loopholes he could find that would allow them to strike at each other, but they were very thorough. Nothing was left in the air or up to the involved parties, including a clause that prevented hostile action up to two weeks after the willing termination of the link by the queen, allowing Mirage time to leave without being harmed while preventing the drone from sabotaging Din's hive.

"I want to speak with Mirage before you go through with this." looking down at the mentioned shape shifter, he asked "Is that ok?"

She nodded, following the alicorn out of the war room and into the nursery. Ted wrapped her in his aura, setting her on her bedding before laying down in front of her, much like the queen had done earlier. Slowly her breathing steadied, the prospect she'd been fearing no longer immediately before her.

"Are you ok with what was on that contract, Mirage?" Ted asked her, touching his muzzle to her own. The mare nodded her head in response, so he asked another question.

"What made you change your mind? I know you don't like her."

"I can't be alone again." She said quietly. "I know it may not seem like much to ponies, or any other being, but we're never really alone while we can hear our mother, our brothers and sisters, our whole family. Drones can't make out much, but it's there, always reminding us there's someone else out there. Someone we can trust implicitly. But here I am, avoiding a link because I want to find my own mother again. I want a link without the risk, but... but there's not even a guarantee mother is still alive."

"Joining Pandinus doesn't have to mean giving up on your mother." He countered.

The mare just stared at her hooves for a moment before sitting up and hugging his muzzle. "I know, but I still feel like I'm betraying her for my own comfort. Like I should be working harder to find her."

"I know, Mirage. I felt the same way for a while, but I have to put off my own search until I'm sure you are all safe. Not to mention I've started seeing you as my responsibility." The alicorn gave her a few moments, letting a bit of his care for the changeling wrap around her before speaking one last time. "Are you certain this is what will make you happy?"

"No." The changeling responded almost immediately. "But what would make me happy is beyond me right now. So I guess I'll have to settle for content. For now."

"It's getting better for everyone here everyday, Mirage. After this is all taken care of, go talk to Rose. She knows you're not feeling very well right now, and she's worried about you." Ted said, finally breaking contact.

"I'll never understand how you can detect emotion without being able to taste it." The changeling muttered. "I know it's part of you, but it never made sense."

The alicorn led the way back to the war room, smiling. "We work with what we have. We don't have empathic senses like yours, so we learn to read body language. Some of us are better at it than others. I'm sorry I didn't notice your pain sooner."

Queen Pandinus was looking a little worried when the two walked back in, but a smile from them settled her worries. Ted took a place next to Lady Thrisha, grabbing a feather from his own wing and dabbing it in ink before signing his full title on the contract. Looking up from the contract, he spoke.

"Queen Pandinus, Mirage is placing her life and her mind in your care. Take care of both of these things as you would your own. Remember, she's not like your own drones. This also means that it is up to you to keep track of who you let into your hive. The nymphs don't have much in the way of loyalty or hatred for other queens from what I've seen, but Mirage mentioned drones joining other hives for sabotage. You are the gate to your hive's link, and you need to be weary of that.

"Mirage, take care of her hatchlings and eggs like you would your own mother's children. Teach her how to be a better queen, and if she does something wrong, let her know, preferably in private so you don't embarrass her. She's the face of your link, your hive. Do what you can to promote her cause, and you'll be pulled higher with her. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt from this."

At his nod in her direction, Mirage once more made her way up to the changeling queen. She still shook slightly, but being able to glance back at Father, whom she knew had personally gone over the contract, she seemed to feel a little safer, a little more certain of herself. The smaller drone walked up to the queen, they touched horns for a moment and...

Nothing.

Well, nothing as far as Ted could tell. They just seemed to stare at each other for a while, the two making whatever mental connections were involved in a link. Despite his disappointment, Thrisha seemed to be bouncing with excitement, giggling at being present for something no griffon had likely ever seen before.

After nearly ten minutes of contact, the two finally shifted, Pandinus raising her head slightly, and Mirage swaying unsteadily once she was released. Ted immediately used a foreleg to support her, looking between the two cautiously. "That's it, right?"

"Yea." Mirage answered softly, probably exhausted. "It would have been faster, but she wanted information on hatchling care. There's a lot she needed to know, and she wanted everything I had on the topic."

"You need help getting to bed? I'm sure the kid's would love to see you, 'specially if you're not feeling so down in the dumps anymore." He offered softly. The offer was shot down, surprisingly, by Pandinus.

"She'll be staying with me tonight. Her connection to the royal link is still weak, and staying near me will help it develop quickly. Besides, I know two hatchlings who will be very happy to see her." The queen explained, picking Mirage up and setting the smaller mare on her back. The two wandered out of the room, leaving Ted and Thrisha on their own.

"But, the kids? Oh, whatever, I've got it." He said, heading to his room. He'd not spent much time with them lately anyway, and he had a surprise he'd been wanting to share with them. Being close to them would make it easier.

Ted had soon taken over for Miss Goodhooves, much to the mares relief, and had even brought his blanket and pillows, planning on staying the night with them since their normal caretaker was unavailable. He taught them a few games he remembered from his own childhood, though sadly there wasn't enough room in the nursery for sharks and minnows. When the time came to finally sleep, Rose and the foals who he'd first met immediately took places by him, followed by the pups who were nervous but eager to be close to their new alpha. Ted just smiled at them, the proximity only making his idea easier. Making sure the last one wasn't just faking sleep. Ted cast the spell as he dove into his dream.

He found himself in the prepared fields, a snowy chunk here, a small beach there, even a small playground he'd recreated based on what he remembered from home, some pony friendly parts added to it as well. His attention was dragged from the world around him by the voices of the children.

"Whoa, what are you doing in my dream?"

"This isn't your dream, this is my dream!"

"This is so cool!"

"How are we all doing tonight?" Ted's voice cut through the chatter, drawing the eyes of every child there. "Yes we're all asleep, and for those who are arguing about it, it's my dream." He said with a warm smile. "I invited you here tonight for a little fun. The jungle can be a dangerous place, so tonight, you are free to wander the different areas here. Everything here is safe, even the water is breathable if you want to go in it. This night is my gift to you. Go on, get!" With a wave of his hoof, the alicorn dismissed them, the children darting off to explore the dream world in detail.

"Good night, Cimmerian." Luna's voice greeted from behind him. "I see, I was wondering why you asked about those spells and lessons."

"Hey Luna. I figured they needed a chance to cut loose. We don't really have anywhere to let them run free, so I improvised. The area is even set up to teleport them to the other side of the field if they go too far. Brick can fly for as long as he wants in a straight line; no walls, no fences, no one telling him he has to stop. The pups are welcome to dig all they want; there's a stone plate this place is set on, so they won't go too far. As for everyone else? Well, there's plenty of other things to do."

Luna giggled lightly "You're going to spoil them, Cimmerian."

"You girls spent all that time telling me I'm their adopted father already, I think that clears me to spoil my kids every now and again. I may try to do this every week or so, something for them to look forward to, you know? I just wish I had someplace like this in the real world to give them" Ted told her.

The smaller alicorn's response was cut off as a green and pink bullet sent her rolling.

"I found you again! Are you two friends now? That's great. Mr. Cimmerian is really nice and can you play with us too?" The little filly jabbered even as she clung to the lunar alicorn's fur like a piece of gum.

Ted laughed at the Luna's misfortune, enjoying the show before he too was interrupted, several snowballs whizzing through the air and striking him almost simultaneously. The strikes were soon followed by a shout of "Victory!" from the other children, who then screamed in mock terror as he turned to face them.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" He bellowed, pulling several snowballs from the snow with his magic. The poor fools were hopelessly outmatched. Ted had been pelting his friends with the powdery ammunition for years. With an evil laugh that would put Snidely Whiplash to shame, he stormed their pitiful barricades. Maybe later he'd teach them how to build a proper snow fort.

All Work and No Play Leads to a Frustrated Cuddlebug

The next morning dawned crisp and clear for the residents of the Temple of the Shadows. The children excitedly yammered all the way to breakfast about what they did, what they saw, and what they wanted to do next time they had a chance. Ted, getting their cooperation by way of promising to tell them a secret after breakfast, managed to corral all of them long enough for Mirage to show up and take over. Looking over the shape shifter, he smiled at how much lighter her steps seemed. After Rose had mentioned the mare's depression, he'd watched her, seeing her drag her hooves, fatigue seemingly ever-present in her eyes. Now that lack of energy was gone, replaced once more by the kind warmth she held when watching the kids.

Even as the changeling mare took over, Ted stood at the front of the children's table, a grin on his face. "Alright kiddos, here's the deal. Once every two weeks or so, I'll do the dream world for you. In return, I need you to be good for Mirage, ok?"

The announcement was met with cheers from the younglings, some immediately turning their attention to Mirage to tell her of the awesome adventure they had the night before. Just before the alicorn left, he stopped near Mirage's seat.

"I'm glad to see you're looking better, Mirage. Let me know if you need anything."

With that, Ted left for the barracks, having already told Shadow Weaver to prepare for another trip to Zarris. The griffons were going to be leaving soon, or at least those that were going to leave were. The rest were going to be put through his litmus test.

"Hello everyone. I know those of you here have asked to stay with us. For that, I am deeply honored." Ted told the griffons gathered just outside the Temple. "The Temple has been growing steadily in both numbers and power lately, and I welcome anyone who wishes to stay. However, while I will not turn anyone away based on race, species, or past, I must also look after those who are already here. That's why I've asked for some help with this little gathering." He said, pointing to the doorway back into the Temple.

Queen Pandinus walked out into the morning sunlight, head held high and looking over the gathered griffons, taking a taste of each one in turn as Cimmerian had asked of her. The fear and anger she expected, but it was the hate she made special note of. Any griffon barely restraining themselves were what she was to look for. By her side walked Smoke, the changeling guard. He still wore his cloak, even inside the hive. The queen did no know why the alicorn wanted the other changeling, but she'd trust him on this. He'd seen fairly certain of the necessity of Smoke's participation.

There were only six of the fourteen griffons willing to stay, but the fact that even that many were willing to stay in a place that held changelings had cheered up the alicorn. He held by his idea of checking them, though. He wouldn't put his children at risk. Looking to the queen, she nodded at him, before taking a seat next to him.

"This, ladies and gents, this is Queen Pandinus. She is the leader of our local hive. I asked her to stop by, and to take a look at those who asked to stay. She's empathic, so she can tell me what you won't. She can tell me if you are just scared of changelings after what you went through, or if you feel all changelings need to die." He said, his eyes becoming hard. "The changelings that have already been accepted into the Temple have priority over new members, as do the nymphs that have been here for over a month. Those of you who are not willing to bury your hatred, or at least understand that the changelings were under the Equestrian's control can leave."

"Those things attacked our homeland." A griffon hen said, staring at the queen with burning anger. "You expect me to forgive them?"

"No, I don't expect you to forgive them. Because the changelings were just as victimized as you were. They were under the control of an array, holding the place of a queen's link with her drones and over-riding their minds. Tell me, what is the one thing you think of when you think of changelings, the one thing that Queen Pandinus is missing?" Ted asked, turning the interview into a bit of a lesson.

"Where are her holes?" One griffon, this one a tom asked. "All the stories tell of changelings being creatures littered with them. Even the ones who attacked us had them. Is it because she's a queen?"

Ted smiled, the question being exactly what he was fishing for. "She has no holes because she's no longer dying of hunger. Those holes, features the entire world seems to think is a defining feature of the changelings, are a sign of how hungry they are. No changeling here has them, except for those who've recently arrived." He explained, gesturing to Smoke.

"The second issue I take with your hatred is the belief that the changelings are your aggressors. Tell me, was it not the pony queen who demanded your disarmament, leaving you less than prepared for an invasion? You were set up for this months ago. I have proof the changelings are being used, as well. Smoke, your cloak please."

The guard looked from the alicorn to the queen, who nodded along, not sure where it was going. At her nod, the changeling pulled back the cloak, leaving several of the griffons eyes wide. On the front of the changelings barrel was a golden plate with defensive runes carved into it. Several smaller plates were scattered over the changelings body, reinforcing areas such as the chitin on his legs. The most disturbing thing of all of all however was that the plates were bolted into his chitin.

"Sapient drones, like Smoke, are a bit hardier than the ferals the pony queen uses so often. When she captures one, she knows they'll take more punishment, so she may have her armorer slap a few plates on them. Cheap, easy, and it adds a few changelings that won't just fall over dead the moment they get punched. Din?"

"According to those who Cimmerian brought to us from the coast, the changeling swarms she uses have a relative lifespan of a few weeks to several months if they are kept fed on targets." The queen explained in a detached manner. The drones she was speaking of at the time were mindless, and the hatchlings of other queens anyway. "Sapient drones are much hardier, and often survive to be transferred to another swarm once the one they were in has taken too many losses and is 'redistributed' amongst the other swarms. They also tend to be able to use what little food they find much more efficiently. Smoke, how many swarms have you been a part of?"

"This last one made it six, my queen." The changeling responded, standing at attention.

Ted shook his head at the number. He'd only seen the plates after demanding the changeling exchange its ratty cloak for a new one if it was going to keep wearing something. After the revelation, he'd immediately taken Smoke to Head Trauma, directing the unicorn to give a thorough inspection of the plates for any infections. He'd since asked Pandinus to direct any plated drone to the infirmary once a week for such checks. The jungle was no place for such mutilations, and explaining to her the dangers, while frustrating, eventually brought her to his side. She didn't want infected changelings anywhere near her hatchlings.

"The Mad Queen seems to view all other races as less than her own, as you may have heard. She attempts to twist the Thestrals into a form she finds more pleasing, she uses the changelings as mindless attack animals for now, though I have no idea what her plans for the species will be if she manages to conquer the planet and no longer needs an invasion force. But I'm getting off track. The point is, I need you to understand that while here, you will meet many other races, some of which your species may not have the best relations with. I understand this, but those here live by my rule. They are not griffons, ponies, changelings, gnolls and thestrals. They are the resident's of the Temple of the Shadows, and as such are under my protection.

"Whether your stay here is merely for a new beginning, or you seek a home and family is up to you. I'm not certain if you've heard, but many here call me Father. I don't know how it started, but I have a guess. Regardless of the titles origin, I seek to live up to it. If you find yourself in need of assistance in any form, you need only to ask. Pandinus, how are they?" He asked, turning to the queen.

"Some fear, which is to be expected from what Thrisha told me of their experience, some anger as well." She said, before pointing to one griffon, the hen who'd spoken out earlier. "She's the only one I would worry about. I can taste no hidden anger in any of them, actually. Perhaps being blunt is not just Amald's thing?"

Ted nodded to her before turning back to the group. "You may stay, but remember, while I will defend those who live here against anything that may attack, that will go double for a betrayal from anyone who lives here. I can't afford infighting right now. If you have problems, either speak of them and search for a way to work it out, or stay clear of those you take issue with. Of course, with how small of a community this is, the latter solution may not be practical. If you do wish to change your mind and leave, we will be escorting the others to Zarris in a few days."

With that, Ted left them, feeling a little strange about the process he'd subjected them to. A full interview complete with what would back home be on par with a lie detector test. At the same time though, the griffons were different from the others who'd joined up to this point. The ponies were here from the start. They wouldn't leave, as living under his rule had been their goal from the start. The changelings were all falling in line under the queen, who acted like a hormonal teenager around him at times. If Ted still wore pants, she'd be trying to get into them every night. The thestrals were lost with no idea where else to go, and the same could be said of the gnolls. But the griffons? He knew they were more independent. They didn't seem to follow a central leader. Sure they respected Amald for his legacy and personal accomplishments, and Ted for his position, but the respect directed at the alicorn was grudging, at least until Lady Thrisha had asked about the giant snake. Afterwards, after the griffon had physically seen proof of the beasts size, and confirmed from several sources, including Amald, that he had in fact killed the thing himself, the griffons seemed a bit more willing to accept his leadership.

"It's a fricken species of Spartans." He muttered as he walked back into the temple.

Pandinus' ears perked at the grumbled complaints. "What is a Spartan? You're talking about the griffons, right?"

He nodded, walking back to the war room. "They were a warrior culture hundreds of years in the past back home. Best damn warriors on the planet, but lousy at almost everything else. Turns out, making all other professions into demeaning things not worthy of their time and leaving that stuff to slaves was a bad way to keep their economy running. They had to eventually change their customs when their way of life became too impractical. At least that's what I got out of reading about them."

He was behind on his work, and with the rain cleared up, he wanted to get back to work preparing the grounds for expansion. Already they'd planned two more buildings for housing, these buildings being multi-storied barracks that even had balcony perches for the flying residents. Then there was the mine. A path needed to be cleared, leveled, and marked for both the workers and the supply carts to move through the jungle easily. It would have been simpler, the workers just going out and clearing the areas, if not for the fact the Temple was constantly using what little wood they harvested almost as rapidly as hey could drag it back. Ted wasn't going to let anything go to waste. Besides, he still wanted some kind of building set up near the mine, in case the workers were caught out there in a storm or something else that prevented them from returning. Maybe a room built into the entrance of the mine? No, it had to be above ground level of the mine. There was the possibility of gas leaks, from what he remembered from his history classes.

The alicorn was brought out of his planning by the sound of papers being shuffled near him, which was odd because both Shadow Weaver and Gleam were given the day off, his thanks to them for taking over while he was under the weather. He looked up from his work to see Pandinus rifling through some of the files, even going so far as to sort reports by priority and adding requests to the 'shopping' list.

"Din? You don't have to do this, I can take care of it." He told her, wondering where the queen had gotten it in her head to help with the reports.

"Nonsense." She replied. "The less time you spend here, sorting through this mess, the more time you will have later to do as you please. The happier you are, the more nourishment you provide." She looked up from her work for a moment, meeting his gaze. "I may not be good at this 'kindness for the sake of kindness' thing," she said, waving her hoof in a dismissing gesture "but my mother did believe in mutually beneficial opportunities. I remember several times mother passed the information of an expedition's route to another queen in exchange for one or two of the beings that were captured."

"That's fascinating, in an incredibly terrifying way." Ted said, a grin creeping on to his muzzle. "You're worried I'll spend too much time on this and not have time to spend with Queen Huggle-buzz?"

"No." Din said, standing up and turning her back to him. "I'm worried I may miss out on time I could be spending attempting to draw your eyes to the proper locations." She said, shaking her rear for emphasis. "Wouldn't that be a shame?"

Ted rolled his eyes. "You're going to be laying your next clutch soon, aren't you?"

"Yes, and molting soon as well. It will be nice to finally catch up with your size somewhat, though I think that will take several molts considering you still seem to grow a little every now and again." She said, moving to his side and snuggling up under a wing. "If I ask really nicely, and promise not to tease you too much, do you think you could, take care of me after my molt?" She whispered into his ear. "I'd certainly feel much safer with your hooves wrapped around my soft carapace until it hardens."

As much as the alicorn wanted to ignore her, the image she was painting was painfully clear to him, including the fact that she would be just as sensitive this time as she was the first.

'Dammit' He thought, even as he pulled his wings back in. ' she's probably already tasted it, too.'

As if to confirm his fears, the queen giggled, nibbling his neck. "Don't you dare say the idea doesn't appeal to you. I'm not asking you to rut me, even though I'd prefer that. Stars and sun above, a combination of the two would be divine. However, my body is screaming at me, Cimmerian. Even something as simple as that would help reduce my... needs."

He wanted to say no. He wanted to see how much more she would grow, how much farther her desire to pursue him would push her, but he'd given the queen nothing extra for her dogged pursuit of anything that would help improve her chances. She'd literally physically changed herself to better suit him, reducing her own personal defenses for his comfort. He sighed, using his wing to pull her in close and nuzzling her affectionately.

"Alright, fine. I'd rather not, but you've been doing everything I've asked of you so far. I guess I can return the favor thi-"

His response was cut off as the queen grabbed his head with both her forehooves, and smashed her lips into his.

The queen laid her next clutch the very next morning, still experiencing complications during the process but this time being seen to by Mirage with no arguments between the two. By that evening, with her eggs settled and being watched over by her drones and being checked occasionally by the clutch nurse, Pandinus went through her second molt. Ted had directed her to do it in his tub this time, containing the mess to the bathtub. He even held to his word, seeing to the queen despite his misgivings about the situation. Din was on cloud nine, however, even convincing him to spend a few hours on the bed holding her as her shell hardened, both dozing lazily in each other's company. Din held to her word, not teasing him that much during the process, but there was no denying she enjoyed every minute of it.

Especially his holding her while she was soft. If she purred with any more force, he would have worried about her tearing something.

By the day after, though, the queen was back to normal, albeit with an some additional height. She still only came up to Ted's jaw, but she was restricted in her growth, and had other things her body needed the energy for. The alicorn was certain the queen was far from done growing.

By lunch the team was ready, the griffons who were not staying having gathered all their belongings. What was left of their possesions that had been abandoned at the port was picked up by a small group of Din's new infiltrators, but it didn't amount to much. As they were making final preparations, the queen approached Ted, wearing a saddlebag of her own and having several drones carrying a changeling pod. Looking into the pod, Ted wasn't certain if he should laugh or feel embarrassed.

"I completely forgot about that guy." He said.

"Grift told me he stuck the pony in a pod after the fourth time it tried to escape. He maintained it, kept it out of the way, and nearly forgot about it himself on several occasions. I wanted to know if you wished to hoof it over before he's forgotten again."

"Probably best to do it now, though the way they talked about him they wouldn't mind if he never showed up again." Seeing a question forming on her lips, he cut her off. "No, Din, you can't keep him. It would creep out the other residents of the Temple. Not like you need it. There are plenty of other sources of emotion, and from what you've told me they're infinitely more filling."

The pod was tossed into the back of a wagon, covered with a few cloths and blankets to keep prying eyes off of it, while the two infiltrators in the group took the form of generic ponies, bland browns and greys that Ted found to be nearly too inconspicuous. Next Pandinus disappeared in a flash of ashen fire, a grey furred and blue maned alicorn standing in her place. He rolled his eyes as she pranced past the carts to the head of the caravan, enjoying the stares of every being in the area.

'This is going to be a long trip.' He thought. He turned back to Amald, Gleam and Shadow Weaver, the three being left in charge while they were gone. "You guys can forward a message to me through the drones if you need to. Din told me she can get full messages from them if she focuses. If you need me badly, I'll even grab the armor, so I'm never going to be that far. Take care of things while I'm gone, you three. We'll be back before you know it."

With that the caravan set off towards Zarris, the griffons to hopefully find a more comfortable place to stay, the Temple's residents for more supplies, and the dark alicorn to pass a warning off to both his dragon ally and the contacts he'd made in port the last time he'd been there. He was sure both would love to know what was going on. And he was even more certain the Talon mercenaries would love to get their claws on a copy of the array he'd recovered from the Equestrian ship. After all, any damage they could inflict would slow the Mad Queen down just a little more.

Oh, and he'd finally drop off Pivot Pelt. Not like anyone missed him or anything. He wouldn't be surprised if he was asked to keep the stallion podded.

Author's Notes:

Ever write a story, add something as a joke, and later realize you never resolved the issue with the joke character? Yea, sorry Pivot.

Lookin for Love

The trip to the port was quiet, no animals willing to attack such a large group even at night. After two days of travel, the group walked into the gates of Port Zarris, once more being greeted at the gate by Sahkest. Unfortunately, the greeting was a bit strained.

"Cimmerian, I need to speak with you. Now. The Talon Mercenary's boss is waiting in my office as well. Something's happened, and it's big." The dragon said, worry evident in his eyes.

"The griffon homelands, correct?" Ted responded. "Most of the griffons that came in with us are refugees, looking for somewhere to start over." Turning to the disguised queen, he asked her to lead the caravan to the inn down the road.

Sahkest frowned, looking over the group and spotting the griffons. "We may not have room for them here. We've come across several smaller ships that were lost in the storm, and the refugees have kept to themselves. Whatever hit them, it scared them badly."

"I already know what hit them." Ted responded, following the drake. "I managed to see a few dreams while they were just coming in from the sea. Any Equestrian Navy ships? Oh, and was one of the ships the Golden Talon?"

"The Golden Talon was found by a patrol wrecked off the coast just south-west of here, no griffons on board, though there were some signs of battle damage. Hard to pick those out on a shipwreck, but the Talon scout's eyes were almost as sharp as his claws. Herrick swears by the scouts reports, too, says he wouldn't muck something like that up."

"I was worried about that." Ted said, even as they entered the office. "We had an Equestrian Navy ship just off the coast, at the abandoned port to the west of us. I think they caught up to the Talon, some of the soldiers mentioned capturing a ship of griffons. I don't think they left anyone on the ship, and there weren't any prisoners that I saw while on their ship."

"You managed to get on one of the hive ships?" A deep voice from inside asked. "I've been told that it's nearly impossible to sneak in, the changeling net is too tight."

"Cimmerian, be known to Herrick Talon, one of the four Talon siblings and the head of the region's Talon branch. Herrick, this is Cimmerian, the one who pulled your merc out of the gnoll den and crushed their military force." Sahkest said, introducing the griffon.

He was large, nearly as powerfully built as Amald, but seeming to favor speed over Amald's choice of power. Just looking at him, Ted knew he wouldn't want to be stuck in a battle against this guy. Giving a polite nod and locking a fetlock around the offered limb, Ted shook the griffon's claw.

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Herrick."

"Sorry, I forget that pony forelimbs aren't made for that kind of thing. You run into such a thing often?"

Ted chuckled at the idea of a pony staring at the offered talon in confusion. "I've had enough experience with claws, talons, paws and hands to know most of the gestures by now."

The griffon nodded taking a seat next to Sahkest, the drake motioning to a nearby cushion for Ted's use.

"We know that the changelings made a huge push out of nowhere, swarming over griffon settlements and driving those that didn't submit out of the country." Sahkest said, grabbing a quill and paper to take notes of the discussions. "Other than that, I haven't been able to get a hold of much. The refugees don't talk much."

"I've heard mentions of pony troops being behind the attacks, but other than hearsay, I've found nothing to confirm it. It wouldn't surprise me in the least, though." Herrick said, both then turning to Ted.

"Prepare to not be surprised then." The alicorn said. "The Mad Queen's using the drones as attack dogs, keeping them enslaved to an array to direct their movements. Remember how I told you I didn't want to give her anymore resources, Kest? Guess what, I have several changelings from a swarm ship that have confirmed that the Mad Queen's using those queens and proto queens she's subjugated as egg factories. Din's given me numbers, and it comes up to about one hundred eggs a week per queen without any other mutations, and that's a definite possibility as well. The number may be higher if she's messed with the queens herself. Most of the drones are feral, going berserk the moment the array is disabled from pain and hunger."

"That's insane." Herrick said. "How are we supposed to hold off those numbers?"

"By not playing fair." Ted answered, reaching into his bag. He set a small metal plate on the table. "This is something I managed to pull off the Equestrian Navy ship before I screwed with the array. After I messed with the array, I dove through the ship and the thing detonated, flash-frying most of the surviving drones. The rest went mad, wiping out the rest of the soldiers. By morning, there were twelve drones left alive. All twelve were sapient, and had banded together in a tower to better protect themselves from the ferals. It's from those drones I received the confirmation about the queens. However, before I reached the array, I saw this rune on the shoulder of every soldier. I had my resident spell-master look over it, I figured it may allow us some control over the drones if they attack us, allowing us to ruin the momentum such a large force brings with it. Shadow Weaver told me it's actually a signal rune, telling those under the control of the array that those wearing it are not viable targets."

"You mean the swarm will ignore someone with the rune?" Herrick asked, a devious grin spreading across his beak.

Ted nodded. "It puts you in the 'not important' category for the swarm. They'll not only ignore you, they'll go out of their way to avoid your path."

The griffon's smile fell for a moment as he settled into a business mode. "How much do you want for it?"

Ted slid the plate across the table to the griffon, a grin on his own face. "As much damage as you can cause the Mad Queen, that's my price. I've had Shadow Weaver copy everything he could get from the array already, he's setting up our guards with their own copies for their armor, and we're currently trying to expand it to an area of effect spell for the protection of a city or town."

"You're joking, right? The minotaurs would pay out their ringed noses for this kind of information. You're just giving it to me?" Griffon asked incredulously.

"Then you can give me a cut if it bothers you. Any and all trouble you can cause the Mad Queen will distract her from her plans. Her forces are so big right now, so bloated and so sure of their superiority they're the perfect target for hit and run tactics." The dark alicorn offered. "Hit her supply lines, hit the things she can't replace easily like the control arrays, hit the actual pony soldiers. Hell, the thought of her soldiers watching as the swarms ignore the minotaur soldiers is hilarious. Just be careful, the drones will attack anything they can sense once the array breaks or shuts down, including each other."

Herrick nodded, grabbing the plate and holding it almost reverently. "I can't tell you how many times she's stopped us cold with those drones. It will be nice to just walk past them and bash some heads in for once."

"You might want to build up a few defenses around here as well, Sahkest." Ted told the drake. "The Equestrians are getting bold. I'd hate to see your town get hit. You're kind of important to us, after all."

The dragon chuckled. "I didn't know anyone cared about me anymore, Cimmerian. I'll keep an ear-hole to the ground. I will ask you to look into taking some of the refugees off our claws. I understand you have changelings, and that's going to be a point against you for a lot of them, but we just don't have the capacity to keep them all here."

The alicorn put a hoof to his chin in thought. "Do you guys have any spare boats?" At their confused looks, Ted looked over to Herrick. "Tell me, how do griffons feel about fish? "

Ted eventually managed to convince the two that the port to the west of the Temple could be made into a fishing town after it had been cleaned up and the docks repaired. He'd finished the meeting by ha-hoofing his list of supplies over to the drake. Even if nothing else came of the meeting, the Talons would hopefully make the Mad Queen's life absolutely miserable in the next few weeks in a drive for revenge. The inn was much the same as it had been the last time, offering a roof and warm meal, though the port's food stores were taking a hit with the large influx of refugees. What little extra food they'd brought to sell off would net a good price, and they may even pick up more residents looking for someplace to settle. The abandoned port would likely end up housing a good portion of the griffons once it was fixed up, but until such a time, the Temple was the nearest community with room. Not only that, Ted's idea for the Temple didn't stop at it being a small port like Zarris had ended up. If he had his way, the Temple of the Shadows would be a city one day, and all cities needed a good number of citizens. He'd either have to wait until the population boomed, which would take years despite the best efforts some of the new herds were putting forth, or find ways to increase immigration.

'I'll set something up with Sahkest and the N.E.T.C. tomorrow.' He thought as he made his way to bed. He was caught off guard, walking to his bed, to find Din buried in his blankets, slightly shaking.

"Din? Din, it's ok, talk to me." He said, laying down in his bed next to her.

"S-sorry. Bad times here. Remembered was..." She trailed off, shaking her head rapidly attempting to dispel the memories. "I remembered the last time I was here, sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for that." He said, using a wing to pull her closer. "And yes, you can stay here if you need to."

The night passed in easy silence for the alicorn, more dreams were calmed then ever before, leaving him a bit weary by the end of the night, but he felt it was worth it. The issue for him came just before the dawn. While looking out over the dreamscape, he noticed a slight flickering of a dreamer, unable to sleep properly. Moving closer, he first thought the issue would be bad dreams, but the dreamer was actually just drifting in and out of sleep to much to make a proper dream. He circled the oddity a few times, before attempting to get a taste of the dreamer, some type of idea as to who it was.

'Pain, fear, sorrow, hope... pink fur.' Immediately, he returned to his body, making note of just how far the dreamer was. She was inside his field of effect now, and not that long of a flight from his current location. Waking several of the cultists and leaving them with orders to keep working on trading goods for what they needed. Walking to the edge of the town, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon, he heard a ruffle of feathers behind him. Pandinus, still in her disguise was giving him a dirty look.

"Were you going to tell me you were heading out on some fools errand? Or did you forget what occurred the last time you tried taking care of something on your own?" She chided him.

The alicorn rolled his eyes, before taking off, the queen following soon after. The two of them flew for several hours, Ted just beginning to feel the strain when he felt he was nearing his goal. Pandinus dove down while he was still looking around, and he followed her to a small cave overlooking the coast. It was dark, but there was a sign of a fire the night before just outside, and both were not hindered in the slightest by the darkness; the queen because of her subterranean nature, and Ted because the darkness was kind of his thing now. As they entered a larger chamber inside, they both froze, looking for the source of an odd rumbling sound. Both dove in separate directions a moment later, as a large pair of hooves came down on their previous location.

Looking up, Ted was greeted by the sight of the largest changeling he'd ever seen. It was easily the size of a house, with enough armor plating to make a tank jealous.

"Why is there a giant changeling in a small cave?!?" Ted yelled over at the queen.

"It's a behemoth. They excel at digging, and are both the assault class of changeling as well as the hives final defense" She shouted from the other side of the room, she lit up her horn and launched a large chunk of rock at the giant, even as it bellowed in rage at their presence.

"Why am I just now learning about these things?" Ted yelled as he launched a volley of shadow blades at the creature, most diffusing uselessly against the runed plating on the behemoth's chest and neck.

"It didn't seem relevant at the time." Din answered, dodging a charge as the creature slammed into the far wall. "There hasn't been enough resources available to hives to maintain such a large creature for a long time. They're almost unheard of these days." Looking around the cave, the queen laughed loudly. "I want it. Cimmerian, hold it against the wall for a moment, I have an idea."

"Oh, yea, that shouldn't be a problem with a multi-ton monster with magic resistant armor." Ted shouted at her. Nevertheless he lit up his horn, not bothering with trying to grip the creature, but merely pushing it against the far wall with all his strength. The behemoth almost walked through the field as if it wasn't there, driving its hooves once more into the location Ted was occupying. The alicorn flapped his wings, throwing himself back and nearly stumbling on the uneven ground. With a grunt he tried again, this time using his full strength. The creature was pushed into the far wall and began to struggle, nearly breaking free before Pandinus swooped in, several stalactites with reinforcement runes quickly etched into their sides. She drove them into the beasts holes, pinning it against the far wall and leaving it in a daze before she landed on its snout, attempting to subjugate it and link it to her hive.

"Well?" Ted asked, huffing with exertion.

"Hm? Oh, you can let go, he has no leverage at the moment." Pandinus said, before turning her attention back to the giant changeling. "Odd."

"What's odd, you know, besides the obvious here." Ted asked her.

"It's linked already, not feral. A royal link too, much like my own. Why would the Mad Queen not chase the link down."

"Because she, she already got what she wanted." A weak voice called out from the back of the cave. Instantly the behemoth renewed its struggles, but the voice called out to it.

"It's ok, Vis. Calm down."

The behemoth's struggles stopped and it relaxed despite its odd position. Ted looked over to the voice, and was instantly in the air. He landed before the mare, smiling at her. "Are you Cadance? Your aunt has asked me to help you."

She smiled, though everything beyond her muzzle was hidden by a cloak. "Aunt Luna mentioned an alicorn out here, yes. She, didn't mention the changeling queen though." She said, her eyes going to Pandinus despite her disguise.

"How do you...oh, I see." Din said, walking up to the smaller mare while dropping her disguise. "I wondered what I was sensing."

Ted's question was answered a moment later as a head popped out from behind the alicorns legs, a small changeling nymph that clung to Cadance fiercely. Ted merely smiled at the hatchling warmly, his radiated happiness drawing a shy smile from the nymph as she relaxed slightly in his presence.

"We can move this outside. I can see what I'm doing here, but I'd much rather be in the open air for introductions."

The group followed him outside, Pandinus even removing the stakes from the behemoths legs and horn, thus allowing it to tunnel outside. Once they were in the open air, Ted took his first good look at his newest charge.

The princess was ragged, her eyes showing a lack of sleep and her cheeks slightly sunken from lack of proper nourishment. Even with the cracks on her horn, visible now that her hood was down, she still carried herself gracefully. The nymph was small, but had the spark of intelligence in its eyes. The slit eyes were a fierce azure, while her dirty mane and tail were a multi-toned blue. The nymph wasn't starved, like many of the changelings Ted had run across, but she certainly didn't look particularly healthy at the moment.

As for the behemoth? Well, there really wasn't much to define it, besides the sheer size of the creature. When he'd mentioned it to the queen, she merely shrugged.

"The behemoths were created for battle. As strange as you may find it, sapience was never considered very important for its roles."

Ted then offered the princess and her companions the same safety he'd offered everyone else so far, the queen backing up his promises and adding her own experiences to the offer. It wasn't hard to convince the ex-princess to join them, Ted even offering to carry Cadance and the nymph back to the Temple. The moment Cadance decided to follow them, the behemoth rose, standing ready to follow at its own lumbering pace while the hatchling climbed up on the alicorn's back. Before Ted could walk over to pick her up, though, Din stormed over to her, hissing in anger.

"I knew something was wrong with that link." She said, gripping the mare's muzzle with her hooves. " Tell me how? How are you doing it?"

"Din, what are you talking about? What's wrong with the link?" Ted asked. He moved to take the queens hooves away when the queen brushed a part of the alicorn's ragged mane back, revealing a strange scar burned into the mare's fur.

"She's the source of the royal link, not the proto queen." Din said coldly. "That's why the behemoth listened to her. They're linked to you, aren't they?"

The mare just nodded, tears forming at the reminder. The other two changelings immediately responded, far faster than Ted knew should have been possible, confirming the queen's theory and causing Cadance to wince at the mental pressure of the hive's concern.

"Stop trying to comfort her." Pandinus softly told the nymph. "She is not like us, hatchling. Your pressing in concern only increases her discomfort."

The darker alicorn looked around nervously, not sure what he could do to help. "Anything you can do for her, Din?"

"Not here, not without a pod to heal the scars." The queen answered "And even then, if the array is deep enough, like burned into the bone, it won't just go away. There's a reason changelings find the idea of turning ponies into more changelings so absurd. The pony mind is not meant for this kind of burden, for this kind of communication. It would end up breaking most of them."

"That's why you've been having trouble sleeping, isn't it?" Ted asked Cadance. "You can't sleep properly over the noise."

The mare bobbed her head, still massaging it with her hooves. It left him at a loss of what to do.

"Din, is there any way to ease it off of her?"

"The only thing I could do for her here and now would be to allow her to link with me." The queen answered. "Right now she's the center of her link, and that pressure's what's hurting her."

"Don't." The mare mumbled out. "She's watching the link. She thought it was funny, watching me jump at voices that weren't there. Watching me cringe every time they try talking to me. She'll find you too if you link with us."

Pandinus scoffed. "I'm going to be subsuming your hive, drawing it into my own. My hive is protected from the Mad Queen's eyes by Cimmerian. I can prepare a small partition of the link if you wish. It will be a weak link, and only between us."

Ted nodded. "That's why she sent you out here, isn't it? She wanted to see how long it took you to go mad from the pressure."

"Or if I survived long enough to be turned on by Amare as a food source once she grew large enough." Cadance said, clinging tightly to the nymph with her forelegs. "She knew I wouldn't let Amare go, that I wouldn't hurt her. She's all I have left of him."

"We'll take care of you, Cadance, I promise, ok?" Ted assured her. "I'll even get Luna to help me later, we'll take you to see your Aunt Tia, ok?"

The mares face bloomed into a pained smile, hope just now starting to show. "You can do that? She, the queen put up that dream-inhibiting array."

"How do you think I found you, Cadance?" He said, nuzzling her. The poor thing was barely the size of a grown stallion at the moment, leaving him to tower over her. "I speak to Luna often, and have visited Tia a few times. I think she'd love to see you again." He looked up, seeing the queen approaching.

"I trust Din, and I want you to as well. She'll help you."

"H-how can you be sure?" Cadance asked, apprehension increasing as the queen stepped up to her. The nymph and the behemoth were growling at the queen slightly, unsure of why but knowing the queen's presence upset their own queen.

"Because she's too invested in bedding me to damage her chances by hurting you." he said with a grin.

"I'm getting tired of you using that line, Cimmerian. You're going to owe me big for this one." The queen said as she leaned her horn down to the pink alicorn's damaged horn. The queen's eyes focused on Cadance for a moment before she began, a grin creeping across her face. "I know, I'll help you now, and you'll teach me what you know of pursuing a stallion. After that, we'll call it even, ok? I'll even cut you from the link the moment you're ready, and you can go on your way, where ever it may take you." She whispered into the pink alicorn's ears.

The pink mare stared off into the distance, contemplating the option, before nodding. "Just make sure Amare and Vis are kept safe."

"The behemoth will be an issue, but I will do my best. Amare, though? I'll treat the proto queen as my own daughter." Pandinus said quietly. "I swear it to you."

She giggled to herself, seeing the signal to a particular link finally go dark. She idly wondered what it had taken, whether the pretty pony princess had finally snapped and tried to kill them both, or if they ended up killing her. Maybe it was even some predator, bringing low the great demigod while she was weak from creeping insanity? Which end occurred didn't matter, as either meant the alicorn was out of the way, and if she ended up killing the nymph, she would shatter completely. She turned back to the report on the storm that some of her ships had stubbornly tried to sail through in pursuit of the griffon refugees. At least six ships were missing now, three of which were no longer even giving pings from their control arrays. Two more were adrift in the Mareianic Ocean, nothing allotting for their presence but the steady pinging of the control arrays. The last known positions and predicted routes were written out on a large map, but with the huge storm that had rolled through the area, completely beyond the control of the pegasi, there wasn't any guarantee the fools were alive. Even if they were, she'd have them tossed into the dungeons, maybe using them to further some of her more recent experiments. Feral changelings just didn't have any concept of pain. Not like ponies, anyway.

The attack had gone about as well as could have been predicted, though. What losses she did incur were either to the swarms, which were negligible, or due to idiocy and glory hounds. She had the mutant bird's lands, what did she want the mutants themselves for?

"The attack on High Talon?" She asked the soldier delivering the reports.

"No unexpected losses, Ma'am." He said robotically.

"Good, as soon as the last bits of major resistance are put down, prepare the forces to hit the main Minoan fortress city. I want them cut off from every direction, full swarms watching every point of interest." She giggled to herself at how easy this was turning out to be. "It probably won't take half as long as the griffons did, the minotaurs live in a temperate area so the drones won't die so fast there."

"At your command, my Queen." He said, pressing a hoof over his chest before making his way out of the room. She watched him go, his blue tail contrasting wonderfully with his white fur and purple gilded armor as he walked out the door. She wished she'd thought of her current idea before she'd released the alicorn. Sure the nymph was a great idea. It was inspired, really. But she couldn't help but wonder how the pink alicorn would have reacted if she claimed the alicorn's stallion for herself right in front of her. It wasn't like it was her brother, after all. No, it was Twilight's brother.

That made it perfectly fine in her book.

Author's Notes:

Boom, there it is. A few more chapters, then I'm going to cut this off and set up a second story. This is getting a bit long.

Almost as long as Din's been getting denied. Eh? Anyone?

Blood Rage: Highs and Lows

It took nearly an hour for Queen Pandinus to finally finish overtaking the patch-work hive. The other hivemates, weary and worried for their queen's safety, almost looked ready to move to defend the weak alicorn, but Ted managed to keep them calm, distracting them with his care and concern in the meantime. The nymph was adorable, entertaining herself by seeing what new parts of the dark alicorn she could reach by way of the proper application of hops and gripping with her hooves. Tickling the little hatchling, Ted was brought back to reality by the rumbling of the behemoth.

Cadance and Pandinus were separating, the alicorn slumping over in exhaustion as she was finally able to sleep. Pandinus caught the smaller mare in her forelegs, gently pulling her into a hug as the princess' experiences were shared with the queen over the link. "We need to get her back to the Temple, Cimmerian." She said quietly. "She, we need to rest."

Before Ted could say anything, Pandinus flew up to him, took the proto queen gently in her jaws since her hooves were full, and flew up to the behemoth. The creature rumbled something at the queen, before turning and lumbering into the jungle in the general direction of the Temple.

"It's fine. I'll just, you know, make my own way back." Ted shouted after them. Looking around for a few moments, he sighed and spread his wings, following the coast on the way back to Port Zarris. It was a long, boring flight, as this time he didn't even have the queen throwing either innuendoes or insults at him. He came upon the port shortly after dinner, grabbing a bite to eat at a local dive that catered to mixed diet patrons. After an enjoyable meal, but nothing near Slop's cuisine, Ted headed out into the bazaar.

He found the rest of the residents of the Temple milling about the stalls, recognizing many even if he couldn't recall names. Digging into his saddlebags, he prodded around until he found the small money purse, given to him by Gleam. The mare had been resolute that he buy something for himself after all he'd done for the Temple, despite his repeated refusals. Unfortunately, as he approached the stalls, it wasn't what he could buy himself that had his attention.

"I'm telling you some of those ponies are changelings!" It was a large group of griffons, one standing above the others obviously trying to whip up the crowd. "We need to strike now while they're not ready. We'll force them to change, then we avenge our fallen!"

'Well, I know of at least one griffon that's not going to be allowed at the Temple.' He thought to himself, approaching the crowd.

"The bugs overran our homeland, they wander the entire world never having the gall to show their true faces! The parasites are even present here. How do I know this? Here's your proof!" With a sweeping gesture, a seedy looking griffon dragged a chained changeling into view of the crowd. The changeling, a male based on what Ted had learned of them so far, was dribbling a strange black liquid from its mouth, and was hissing dangerously even as it struggled uselessly against its bindings.

'I'd bet on hate. I've yet to see it, but I would guess that's what it looks like.' The alicorn thought, seething at the sight.

The changeling, sensing something from deep in the crowd other than the hatred and fear, perked its ears and started scanning the crowd. The moment its eyes hit Ted, the alicorn smiled warmly at it, gliding through the crowd without a sound. Even as the griffon continued to grandstand, several griffons gasped and muttered in confusion as he walked right up to the changeling and allowed it to feed on his concern. The shape shifter puked several times during the feeding, ridding itself of the black oily mess as its eyes started to clear.

"What the pluck are you doing, alicorn?" The griffon, finally noticing many of his audience no longer watching him, was now directing his anger at Ted.

"Feeding a starving slave." Ted answered easily, turning from the changeling. "Isn't owning slaves here illegal? What makes you think you have the right to chain a sapient being up?" He asked, his voice slowly raising in anger. "What sick joy do you get slowly poisoning and starving a creature that wants nothing more than to survive?" He jumped up on the platform the griffon occupied, wings splayed in an instinctive intimidation tactic. "You say they drove you from your home, your country? At least you had one! I've never once heard of a country of changelings. You mock them for not showing their faces? This is what happens to them when they do, they get ridiculed, enslaved, and murdered!" A low magical aura was burning around the alicorn as his rage grew, bearing down on the hapless griffon. "Witch hunts, that's what you're trying to organize. What of the actual ponies that get hurt in the process? Acceptable collateral? What of the changelings, already driven from their hives by the Mad Queen, already homeless and without family to help them? Their race has been slowly starving for centuries and no one took the time to figure that out. And now, now that they literally have nothing left to lose but their lives, you wish to take that from them as well?" The griffon took one too many steps back, falling off the platform with a surprised squawk.

"I've seen the creatures that drove you from your homes." He said, directing his attention to the crowd. "Most are mindless beasts, enslaved by the Pony Queen to magical arrays, those that are not feral are no longer in control of their own bodies. They watch each day as their body moves on its own, helpless to stop themselves. Do not direct your anger at the changelings, they are victims, more so than yourselves. At the end of the day, you still have your minds, your own bodies. Those under her power do not even have that! When freed, they will willingly give you any information they have on her forces for nothing more than the guarantee that it will be used against the one that tormented them. They would willingly give you tactics, patrol routes, numbers, plans, all of this for free! Yet you do her work for her, killing those that don't destroy themselves under her control."

The crowd just stared in shock at the glowing alicorn, the heavy aura radiating due to his anger slowly letting up, going from a searing wind to a stifling breeze.

"All they want is what we freely give to each other. Happiness, love, kindness, compassion, care, sympathy, the changelings seek these things out with more fervor than any other race. They literally cannot survive without interaction with others. Parasites? Are trees considered parasites when they feed off the warmth freely given by the sun? Is grass considered a parasite? What about you? Are creatures that feed on the flesh of lesser creatures, predators like ourselves considered parasites? No, we are not! We are all sapient beings, doing our damnedest to survive the day. Changelings feed off of your emotions. Did any of you even once ask if it actually did anything to the one being fed on? Or did you assume that if something was being gained, something else had to be lost?"

His aura faded a little more, and he looked back at the changeling, snapping the chain with a simple thought. He walked over to the shape shifter and spoke to it.

"Follow him to the inn, you may come with us back to our home." He said, gesturing to the pony that was watching from the back of the crowd. Seeing Ted point to it, the changeling in disguise waved him over, before starting to the inn.

"Don't let them escape!" The rabble rouser yelled, pointing at the fleeing changelings. Before he could do anything else, Ted once again flared his aura, this time grabbing the griffon right out of the air and slamming it onto the ground. The griffons squawk of pain drew the crowds attention back to the alicorn. A few griffons looked like the were readying to pursue the changelings, but Ted's reigniting anger stopped them cold.

"I will hear no more from you, Slaver!" the dark alicorn bellowed. "Speak once more, tell me once more how the being you chained and tortured must be killed because his brethren's bodies were stolen from them! Tell me how forcing a starving being to eat what amounts to poison for his race is justified!" He slammed a hoof into the ground, leaving a small crater. "Tell me, bird, how your life, the life of a creature with no compassion for any but his own kind, is worth so much more than the one you held prisoner!"

"Cimmerian, stop it." A voice boomed out.

The alicorn turned his glare on the interruption, his eyes finding the drake and several guards. "What do you want, dragon?" He spat. "Here to join them in their witch hunt? Perhaps if your lucky, you'll find something else to give to the Mad Queen, increasing her power even more. Won't that be worth the few shiny coins you get? Perhaps that will comfort you as she has your scales removed one by one! As she sends her mindless tides to consume everything you love and hold dear."

"Cimmerian, let the rage go!" The dragon shouted at him.

The alicorn scoffed at him, though. "What do you know of my rage, worm? We will not allow these, these insects to harm our own! He wishes to lash out like a wild animal, then we will put him down as such!

"Tell me, Sahkest. Why must a being not even of this world be the one who steps forward to end the suffering of an entire species? Why must an alien being, hopelessly lost, so far from home he may never see another blood relation again, be the one to provide shelter for those that need it? Why will no one on this fucking planet step up?!?"

The drake was alone in his approach, the pressure being exerted by the alicorn being too much for the guards, and most of the other beings had cleared out of the area by then. "What would the hatchlings say if they saw you like this?"

"I-" That seemed to finally reach Ted, his eyes going foggy for a moment as the pressure slowly abated. A moment later, he was looking around, confused. Seeing his chance, the griffon hobbled away as fast as his shaking limbs would carry him. "Sahkest, where did everyone, oh god, what the hell was that?" The alicorns legs buckled, forcing him to lay down lest he collapse. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean, I just-"

"Relax, Cimmerian. I've had my share of blood rages before." the drake said as he approached the shaking alicorn. "I've also had worse, and I've had them for lesser reasons than seeing someone being tortured. Breath, think about what calms you, think about your home, think about those hatchlings that seem to mean so much to you."

Ted did as he was instructed, taking deep breaths while focusing on his followers, on the children. He needed to be ready for the next play date. Needed to find something for them to do next time, some game for them to enjoy. It took some time, but eventually the shaking stopped. With some effort, Ted managed to lift himself back up off of the platform. His legs were still weak, but he was once more in control of himself.

"Do you need anything? I've been through enough of those to know it can be a little disorienting." The dragon asked him, resting a claw on his back.

Ted shook his head. "No, no thanks. I'm still getting used to the, changes. Even after over a month I'm still running into new things. I'll be asking Luna about this later. I think I'm going to go lie down for a while."

Slowly, the alicorn made his way back to the inn, leaving it to his people to get the proper supplies. He passed the changelings as they spoke to each other in the main room, sitting amongst those left behind to guard supplies. Upon seeing Ted, the one he freed approached him and bowed deeply. Ted smiled at the sight. Even if he couldn't remember half of what happened after he stepped onto that platform, no one was hurt. The drake would have told him otherwise.

"Were you one of those with the Equestrian Naval ship?" The alicorn asked the shape shifter.

"This one was with one of the patrols, exalted one. It thanks you for your mercy and kindness." The changeling spoke, never lifting its head from the floor.

"It was my pleasure, changeling." Ted offered "There is a hive back at the Temple if you wish to join one."

The changeling raised his head for a moment, a bit of hesitation in his eyes. "This one... this one thinks it best if he avoids such connections for a time."

"That's fine. I understand that you may be a bit apprehensive of such connections for a while. No one will force it on you, though." With that the alicorn retired to his section of the room, flopped down on his sleeping mat, and dozed off. The blood rage, as Sahkest had called it, was the first time the alicorn was left physically tired. Exhausted was a better word for it. It was like doing a workout after several months of inactivity, and knowing how that usually ended back home, C-Ted was worried about what the morning would bring.

It didn't take long for the alicorn to make his usual rounds. Finishing up with the dreams, he noticed a distinct lack of pink pony princess, but wasn't sure what to make of it. Was it possible for someone to be so exhausted they couldn't manifest a dream? Or perhaps whatever Pandinus had done left her in a sort of hibernation state? It was beyond his reach at the moment, so he set himself up on his beach and sent his mental ping to Luna. He needed to know if she had any information on what just happened. Moments later the form of the smaller blue alicorn materialized before him, giving him a worried smile.

"Did you find her? I know I sent her in your direction, but the dream was unstable, even with the magic you poured into it. I really did not manage to speak very clearly to her." Luna said, worry evident in her voice.

Ted nodded "I found her, Luna. Sh-" His sentence was cut off as she latched onto his neck, nuzzling him desperately.

"Oh thank the stars and the moon and the sun, my sister and I have spent so many nights worrying over her, we need to tell Tia! She needs to know her niece is alive and well! Come, Cimmerian, we must make for my sister's dream at once!" Luna babbled.

"Luna, it's not that cut and dry." Ted told her, pushing her away slightly. "She was messed up pretty badly. The nightmare bonded her to two changelings, she hasn't been sleeping well, if at all because she constantly heard them in her head. Her horn was cracked and her wings were also kind of messed up, but nothing Din said can't be fixed. That's actually where she is right now. Pandinus took her back to the Temple with the changelings she was bonded to so she could be healed properly, in a safe place."

"You left her with a changeling queen? I, I don't know how that will work out." Luna said glumly "Her first experience with the changelings was when her wedding was invaded by a queen. The queen kidnapped her, and fed off of her husbands love. The queen was eventually defeated and driven away, but we never found anything of her army but empty shells."

"The queen that fed off animals." Ted responded, nodding his head. "Pandinus told me about her. She was driven mad by hunger, created an army of drones under her direct control, and attacked a city. The queen was defeated, but the recoil of so many true drones being killed so quickly broke what little was left of her. I'll ask Din if she knows the queen's final fate. Not sure how, but it may help Cadance to know that the one changeling that tried to hurt her was insane from starvation. Heck, you said she was the princess of love, right? If they could, I bet the changelings would build monuments in her image. They feed off of emotions, the most valued being love."

"I'd never actually thought of that." Luna said. "It makes sense, in a way. Of course this history with the changelings only makes the fact that she was trapped with them all the worse. What of her companions? You said your changeling queen took them as well?"

Ted nodded again. "The first was a behemoth, the blasted thing was huge." The alicorn summoned an image of the first changeling, causing the smaller alicorn to recoil in shock.

"It's monstrous!" She shouted, staring at it with wide eyes.

"I know, and it was set to Cadance and the proto queen as a guardian. Vis actually attacked me and Din the moment we came within striking distance, ambushing us. Kind of ridiculous considering his size, I know, but he was surprisingly good at staying hidden." Pulling up an image of the proto queen, he continued. "The other was... Luna? Luna, what's wrong?"

The lunar alicorn was staring wide-eyed at the other changeling, walking up to the image to get a better look.

"Y-your certain the mane and tail were of this color?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"Uh, yea." He answered uneasily. "She told me the queen thought it would be funny linking her to two changelings, and something about Cadance never leaving the proto queen behind. Wait, is the hatchling linked to someone? She said the nymph was all she had left of him." Ted trotted up to Luna, grabbing her away from the image with his forelegs. "Luna, who was Cadance was talking about."

"It, it was her husband. The proto queen has the same mane as Shining Armor does." Luna said, her eyes misting even as she turned from the image. "The Mad Queen burned his mind years ago when he stood against her, she shouted about how he was being controlled. Now she is the one who controls him. We, my sister and I, are quite certain the poor stallion is for all intents and purposes dead. That the monster that stole Twilight's body would continue to tarnish her brother's memory in such a way...Cimmerian, do all you can to help her." She said, tears dripping down her snout. "Tell her Tia and I would be there for her if we could, we-buck! When she begins dreaming again, let me know! I want you to set up the dream with my sister again, I will take her to see Celestia, Cadance will need all the help she can be given. And breathe not a word of this to my sister! She has nothing to do but stew in her thoughts, while I can talk to you nightly, or ask your subjects of her condition. Bringing it to Celestia's attention will only cause Tia grief right now."

Ted pulled Luna into a comforting hug. "I promise, Luna. I'll do everything I can to settle her in and help her injuries mend. As I said though, Queen Pandinus is the one watching over her right now. Din took over the link Cadance was shoe-horned into and put the alicorn into a quiet section of the link so she could sleep. Last I saw, Din was bringing your niece back to the Temple to be put into a healing pod. My guess is that she's going to either have Mirage watch over her, or have Mirage teach someone else how to do so. Cadance will be helped, I swear."

"You put a lot of trust in that changeling queen, don't you?" Luna said, wiping away her tears with a fetlock.

Ted nuzzled her gently in response. "She's never given me a reason not to. Even when she attacked me it was out of desperation, so I don't hold it against her. She's growing quickly, Luna. Pandinus is getting stronger and smarter each day. That queen is becoming everything I've asked her to be. Anything that wants to hurt Cadance will have to go through me, my followers, Pandinus, and her hive."

The mare's muzzle took on a devious smirk. "And yet still you wont let that poor dear have what she wants. She's fighting her instincts, you know. Since the day she stopped being a proto queen, her body has been screaming at her to seek a mate. You say she's made great strides, but what have you done for her? And I don't mean a home and meal, Cimmerian, you know very well you give that to any who would ask it of you. She's done everything you asked of her, has she not?"

"Yea, that and more." Ted said sadly. "She hurt herself pretty badly trying to follow one of my requests. She's still feeling the effects even today, bleeding every now and again. Mirage even said laying eggs may be a bit painful for a while."

"She'd give up her wings if it meant you'd accept her fully, you know." Luna said. "I'm not exaggerating either. I do not think there is anything on this planet she wouldn't give up for a chance to be with you. Even her instinctual desire to mate with several males to give her nymphs whatever advantage she thinks they may need. I'm not a fan of her species, but even I must admit that there is no being out there right now that is as dedicated to you as she is, at least that doesn't think of you as her father."

Ted shook his head, desperately trying to find a way to change the subject. As soon as one reached him, he jumped on it.

"What about Cadance? What do you thi-"

"Well, I think it would depend on several things, like how she feels about you," Luna said, putting a hoof to her muzzle "how she may feel about Pandinus, and of course you'd have to get over your silly monogamy thing, but I think in the long run it would be wonderful for her."

Ted blanched at the idea. "I meant what about taking care of her! We need to make sure she's ok before I start worrying about that kind of, stuff."

"Dear Cimmerian, if you keep waiting for the proper time, it's never going to happen. As for Cadance, what she needs right now is love. She is the alicorn of love, and she has been deprived of it for a long while now. Merely being near your followers will begin to heal her. Introduce her to your most fervent daughter, Blur I think her name was. Or throw her in with the foals." Luna giggled at the idea. "Cadance has always loved foals, she was even a foal-sitter years ago."

Even Ted had to give a chuckle at the mental image of the pink alicorn, being washed away in a tide of overly eager pups, foals, nymphs, and chicks. Shaking his head to clear the silly image, he became serious once more.

"Before I forget, something odd happened today. Sahkest called it a blood rage. Have you ever experienced such a thing?"

The smaller alicorn winced at the term. "Was anypony hurt?"

When Ted shook his head, Luna sighed in relief. "I am sorry I didn't mention it before. It takes something we feel very passionate about to incite a blood rage effect in an alicorn. May I ask what it was?"

"Griffon was torturing a changeling." Ted responded darkly. "I almost smashed the idiot right there. He even had the gall to complain about how changelings never show themselves in public. Look what happened the moment he found one! The griffon tortured the poor guy, chained the changeling up and starved him. It's a no win situation; they hide, they're evil cowards. They show themselves, they're evil monsters. Both circumstances end with changelings being attacked on sight."

"I understand. This kind of thing is why my sister always tried to keep her distance from our subjects, an alicorn's rage can be quite potent, and quite devastating to those who incite it." Luna said solemnly. "You've proven yourself to be a fairly level-headed individual Cimmerian, just be wary of your temper from now on. It is much more potent than it once was."

The larger alicorn nodded. "Is there anything else I need to know about this blood rage thing?"

"Well, there is an after effect." Luna said, a devious smile creeping onto her muzzle. "However, since it's not dangerous, and my sister and I had to learn of it the hard way, I think it would be fine for you to learn the other effect first hoof."

Ted glared at her, causing her grin to widen. "I hate you some days. You know that, right?"

Luna waved as she left the dream. "Have fun Cimmerian, and do try not to spend too much time thinking of Queen Pandinus' flanks."

The next day came fairly quickly for the dark alicorn. He was pleased to find that most of the supplies were gathered by noon the previous day, and that due to the influx of refugees, Tulip's healing poultices and potions were in high demand. Despite the good sales of their own goods, Ted knew they spent more coming to town this time than they made. It made it all the more important to get the mine running as soon as possible. With the exponential growth the Temple was going to be experiencing with the new refugees, the population was going to grow faster than... her hive and...

Ted shook the image of Din shaking her flank at him from his head. He'd been suffering from such images from the moment he woke up, and he was fairly certain it was an aftereffect of the blood rage, the low tide against the high tide of his anger yesterday. No wonder Luna thought it would be funny.

He took a deep breath, rolling his wings in their sockets and rotating his neck. He needed to get the caravan back to the Temple, then he'd find Din and... NO, He'd find Gleam and Shadow Weaver and file those damn reports and finally relax in his own bed. Then Din would saunter in with that devious little grin on her face and...

The alicorn slammed his head into a nearby wall to jar the images out of his head.

"Sir is there something bothering you?" One of the cultists asked as he walked into the room.

Ted stared at the pony, even as a slight trickle of blood ran down the alicorn's temple. "Nothing a freezing cold shower wont cure." He muttered, walking out of the inn and towards the gate.

Despite dunking himself in the ocean before leaving the alicorn's wandering mind didn't seem to cool. In fact, it wasn't just the queen that he found himself happily thinking about. He hugged inn keeper as he left, he found himself giggling at random intervals and teasing everyone around him. It was like the time he'd been doped up on pain killers, only a hundred times worse because he wasn't tired. Hell, he felt downright overloaded with energy.

Even Sahkest had commented on the behavior, saying it was one of the stranger blood rage lows he'd seen. Ted's response; a laugh, a hug to the drake, and a promise to beat Sahkest within an inch of his life later if it made the drake feel better.

Walking through the jungles was even worse, as the caravan for some reason had lapsed into a dreaded companionable silence, leaving the alicorn alone with his thoughts, things he didn't want anywhere near him at the moment. After nearly two hours of this, he stomped his hooves in frustration, pulled up a location in his mind, and activated the teleportation spell Luna had taught him. Even as he disappeared in a flash, his muzzle had a crazed grin painted on it. He knew exactly how to make this day less boring.

Pandinus sighed with exhaustion as she sat in front of the medical pod that had been prepared for the pink alicorn. Cadance was currently floating in a fluid-filled sac against the wall in her room, the calmed thoughts of the princess reaching the queen in a calm whisper through the link. The alicorn had information, so much information she could use, but her mind wasn't made for the transfers like Din had performed on Mirage. Trying to get that information would likely result in even more damage to her already-fragile psyche.

The behemoth was currently taking up residence in a newly dug cave just to the west of the Temple, close enough to respond to threats yet far away enough to not throw the Temples residents into a panic. She didn't want to try to introduce Vis until Cimmerian returned. The proto queen, oddly at ease in the presence of an unrelated queen, sat near the alicorn's pod. The hatchling was curled up at the base like some puppy waiting for its owner to awaken.

The strange situation left the queen in a bind. The young proto queen wasn't of her own blood, but by subsuming the makeshift hive, she'd linked to the young changeling. While her mother's lessons demanded that Pandinus eliminate the spawn of another queen, the hatchling was never even connected to its mother, something that was unheard of in the hives. A queen was always linked to her royal daughters up to the moment they left the hive to start their own. There was no imprint of another queen on the nymph, no predispositions implanted by another link. It was a clean template, a royal nymph that saw her as its mother, one that had responded to Pandinus' connection as the queen herself had once responded to her own mother.

It was an odd reflection, and so she left the hatchling alone. The ponies called Cimmerian their father despite no blood relations. Now the hatchling was all but claiming Pandinus as its mother, despite the lack of blood relations. It was what she needed anyway, a fast start to a strong hive as well as experience with hatchlings. Not only that, but the connection between the nymph and the alicorn was more than just a link. There was something about the nymph that caused the pony to cling to her, despite the pain the nymph caused her.

'In the nose, out the mouth.' She recited, having picked up Cimmerian's own calming technique. It worked well for her, actually. She giggled softly to herself, thinking of all the trouble she'd caused the alicorn so far. The little nips when he wasn't paying attention, the extra sway she'd place in her walking when she knew he was behind her, the innuendos she'd picked up from the ponies that caused him to flush, and most of all the little hints of lust she could taste buried just below the surface. She knew of no other queen that had such a potent source of love so close to them, one that they could feed on at any time. It made the waiting worth it, it would all be worth it in the end. She'd have pure love, like the hive now had pure happiness to feed on, how it had pure friendship and camaraderie to feast on.

Pandinus shivered in anticipation. She could just taste it now, the strongest love she'd ever tasted, given freely to her, with a strong undercurrent of lust, the soft brush of fur against her thin, sensitive chitin, the warmth of the large alicorn as he held her close against his barrel. She could taste it, she could smell it, she could see it- wait, why was the room tinted pink?

The queen blinked a few times, noticing the pink and red tint the room had taken on, and then noticed Mirage escorting the proto queen out of the room with a blush on her face. Why were they all leaving? The queen tried to buzz her wings in irritation, but something stopped the protective cover from opening, pressed against her back. Then she noticed the pressure on her own barrel, a weight on her back. Next came a slight breeze on her ear, even though she knew she was underground.

"Hello, my little cuddle-bug." A deep voice whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver. She was dreaming, right? Cimmerian was still at Zarris, at most he was on his way back, a two day journey.

"What's the matter, Pandinus?" He whispered, nibbling on her ear. "I finally come down here, looking to give you everything you've been asking for, and you don't even say hello?"

The queen's vision was a torrent of swirling pinks and reds. She'd locked her legs, scared to even take a step lest she stumble and fall over from the torrential flow of emotions being directed at her. She felt herself lifted in a familiar aura, and there was no more denying it. Even as he settled his stomach against hers, with her back on her own bed, she could feel her emotion-processing stomach bloating as it desperately tried to process the onslaught of emotions. She coughed a little, a few small drops of pink dribbling from her muzzle even as he kissed her passionately. She wanted to slow it down, but it was too late. After so long being hungry, she'd never learned how to avoid feeding on positive emotions. She opened herself to the link, allowing much of the overflow to rush to the drones, who immediately started storing it in the new food storage chamber. They were soon joined by every other changeling in her hive, all of them trying to keep up with the endless waves of love that were being absorbed by their queen. Even the behemoth, a creature who likely had never been sated in its lifetime would soon be full. Just before she whited out from the sensations, she felt him nip her neck, and ask her a question.

"The other changelings said a queen has the highest capacity for storing emotions." She heard him say with lusty amusement. "How much love do you think one changeling queen can hold, Din?"

Even as the queen's mind was washed away by the torrent of taste and touch, one link she shared continued to take in the love. A few feet away from the two beings, a pod glowed a soft pink. A creature just as deprived of love as the changelings shifted with a smile, her cutie mark glowing softly in the low light.

Author's Notes:

I'm eagerly awaiting the response to this, the longest chapter so far. I had more I wanted to add, but I think this has gone on long enough.

Alicorn blood rage thing makes sense, actually. Celestia kept sending Twilight in her stead. What if it was because if Tia went, she'd wreck everyone's shit? Then she'd grab Big Mac, a guard, or some other large, nearby male and drag them back to her room for a good ol' round of 'death by snu-snu'.

Oh My God, It's Everywhere!

Darkness. Quiet. Peace. Nothing disturbed the alicorn as he slept. It was probably one of the more restful sleeps Ted had experienced since entering this new world. He just felt so, so comfortable.

"...ther...ke up, Fa...."

His ears twitched at the sounds. Someone was trying to get him to move. Someone wanted him to leave this wonderful rest he'd finally found. Someone was about to find out if it was possible to live without any bones in their body.

Ted creaked one eye open, the comfortable darkness despite the wakefulness of the rest of the temple giving him a good idea of where he was sleeping. Trying to move, however, lead to him becoming aware that he was sleeping on his back for some reason, with an odd weight on his barrel.

"..tch where you step."

"It's ki...o avoid it all."

Looking down, he saw the sleeping form of the changeling queen passed out on top of him. Carefully, and to her vocalized displeasure in the form of an angry hiss, he managed to shift the strangely heavy queen off of him. This lead to another odd discovery. Even as he managed to roll himself over, his wings felt weird. Wet would be a better word, actually. Blinking a few times, he turned and looked at them.

Pink. The feathers were soaked in a pink fluid. Looking around the chamber, he found that it wasn't just the small area he was sleeping in. The room was littered with little puddles of the stuff. The alicorn wracked his brain for a few moments, trying to figure out what it was. He turned back to the sleeping changeling, and squinted at her. Rolling her over, he managed to avoid her sleepy grasps for the nearby warmth and noted a small line of pink dripping from her muzzle. Eyes widening in shock, he used a very gentle magic aura to open a single eye, and was greeted by a brilliant pink glow radiating from the queen's eyes.

There was only one other time he'd seen that kind of glow, and Mirage had mentioned changelings being able to store love externally by mixing it with fluids in a special chamber they had.

'Oh my god.'

He once more viewed the room, taking note of the dribbles and splatters of the pink fluid, leading from the sopping wet bed over to his current location, where a large pool had formed. He took a look at his fur, for the first time noticing the streaks making there way down his sides from his back, and the sticky feeling about where the queen's muzzle had been.

There was pink. Everywhere he looked he saw pink. Pink was love processed and made tangible by changelings. The only changeling in the room right now was the queen. The only source of the love was him.

"Oh my god."

The memories of the previous days were slowly trickling in; the rescue, the rage, the dream, the next day where he was slowly going mad with the images of the queen and...

'Oh god, I did that.'

Taking a breath through his nose dispelled all doubt. It wasn't as strong as he'd expected, but he could definitely smell the proof in the air. His first reaction was anger, first at himself, then at Luna. If she'd warned him about this, he could have, he at least would have been able to...

Ted blew out a long breath. Even if Luna had told him about this, it wouldn't have changed the fact that he got incredibly touchy after the blood rage. Hell, he'd given the drake a noogie before he left. He'd never done that to anyone, and he had a feeling Sahkest had never had it done to him, either. The outcomes from his emotional down swing could have been much worse.

'If I'd gotten it in my head to go after someone else, I could have hurt them badly.'

In that way, maybe it was a good thing Luna had managed to focus his wandering mind on the one creature that had been after him nearly since she'd arrived. At the very least, it was better then the results of him going after one of the other residents of the Temple in his intoxicated/high as a kite state. He winced at the mental image of an amorous alicorn hovering over the scared form of Blur or Gleam. if it was them, there would have been a good chance he'd have done more then make a mess of the room. As much as he wanted to strangle her at the moment, he couldn't be too mad at the lunar alicorn giving him a target that wouldn't get hurt.

Once more shaking his head, this time in exasperation, he turned to the source of his current wakefulness. The two stallions were shifting awkwardly while carefully avoiding the scattered puddles as best they could, though they weren't one hundred percent successful judging by the pink spatter on the smaller ones rear hoof. Seeing they had his attention, the larger one spoke.

"Father, a thousand pardons, but there's a problem." the first one said nervously. "Last night the other changelings started acting weird, and right now most of them are passed out in the next room. It, that room is actually in worse shape than this one."

"But that's not the problem." The second interjected, kicking his rear hoof uncomfortably. "There's a bunch of other changelings outside, along with this huge one right at the edge of the cleared area around the Temple."

Ted blinked at the mention of the behemoth. Why would Din leave it so close and not tell anyone about it?

"Father, that giant changeling, is it linked with the queen like the others?" The first one asked.

Ted rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes. "Yes, why? And can someone get me some water? And make sure water is available for all of the changelings, you said the other room was worse, they may be a bit dehydrated."

Managing to get off the ground despite the fact that he was saturated in the pink goo, Ted slowly made his way to the door.

"I'm going to take a shower, then I'll take a look at the changelings." He told the two ponies.

They shifted anxiously. The smaller one spoke first. "Father, their numbers have been increasing since we first noticed them. Normally we'd get one of the other changelings to speak to them, but they're all uh, incapacitated at the moment."

"Look, there's no way I'm going out there like this." At their continued stares, his face hardened. "I'm not doing it."

Even as the alicorn left the room, Pandinus was waking up from both the earlier disturbances and to find out why her warm/soft pillow was missing and she was now on a cool and strangely damp floor. The queen managed to get her head off the ground after a bit of effort, and opened her eyes. She blinked in confusion a few times, seeing the entire world tinted a bright pink before breaking into a fit of giggles. Realizing she was feeling the effects of a love overdose, the queen forced the surplus from her vision, though it was much tougher than it should have been. Feeling an odd trickle going down her chin, she licked the love off her hoof before brushing it against her muzzle. It came back pink as well.

'That's not supposed to happen. I'm drooling love... oh stars I'm drooling love!'

Panic set in for a few moments before she realized that she wasn't leaking all the love she had; it was what she couldn't contain. Yet another world shattering occurrence due to that blasted alicorn; so much love in a single feeding that she, a changeling queen with the highest capacity for emotion storage was currently drooling love all over the floor. Judging by the amount scattered around the room, she'd been doing it for a while, too.

As memories of the previous night returned to her, the surprises kept coming. He'd ambushed her, almost immediately flooding her senses with the most potent and delicious emotions she'd ever tasted, all of them directed at her. After a few moments, she'd realized it was too much for her, that her body was quickly becoming full. She remembered opening the link, hoping to both redirect some of the emotions she'd been absorbing, and allow the hive to store what she was consuming but didn't need. It didn't help; the entirety of the hive soon succumbed to the love overdose just as quickly as she had.

'That's ridiculous.' She thought. 'Over two dozen changelings all left drooling the emotional overflow from a single alicorn.'

The queen stared in awe, taking in the sheer amount of love scattered throughout the room. Din had never even seen several jars of love of this strength, much less so much of it just scattered all over the room. The amount would be calling to her from miles away, but she was so stuffed with emotion, she couldn't taste the ponies above her. Tartarus, she couldn't feel the tiny emotional tether to the alicorn. Part of her screamed at the wastefulness, demanding she consume every drop and store it, despite the fact she couldn't even seem to move. It was enough to feed her hive for almost a year. Yet it was given to her, freely, with no disguise or lies needed. Not only that, but considering the fact that Cimmerian had not only moved her to leave, but not complained to her about any injury or fatigue? That much drain would kill a pony by normal harvest methods.

The thought terrified her; it left her feeling exhilarated. It left her wanting to flee the Temple and its impossible ruler; it left her wanting to do anything he asked of her if he'd just promise to let her feed like this one more time.

The queen once again attempted to stand up, only to notice just how heavy she felt. It was odd, another oddity of the morning. She looked back at her barrel and could only stare. The chitin plates, thinned to be less intrusive during contact were jutting at odd angles due to her bloated form. Even her thin chitin shell, having much more give than the plates, was stretched to the point of almost being painful. Wracking her brain for a solution, she pinged the hive, and only received nine responses. The first was the proto queen, who not only answered but walked in, eyes baring a pink tint and giggling softly to herself. Next walked in the other nymphs, Gem and Adamant, followed by the half-grown forms of several drones.

The drones she'd only laid a few days ago.

That was when she noticed the changelings were all the white of freshly molted shells. They'd used the overabundance of love to accelerate their growth. Pandinus' first reaction was to scold them, in fact her flush of anger caused all the changelings to take a few steps back form her. Pandinus' memories of hive laws said such frivolous use of love was punishable by either death or exile, depending on the queen's mood. However, with the current abundance of not only food, but potent love, she realized that would probably be the best way to regain her mobility.

Despite every memory protesting the idea, Queen Pandinus burned her stores of love to accelerate her growth. Minutes later, her shell split down the middle, and she pulled herself free of the confines of her less than a week old chitin. Then she did something even worse; she used love to solidify her shell, allowing her to move in spite of the softness of her new skin.

The queen giggled even as she finally stood up, consuming a good amount of the love pooled around her. Leading the nymphs into the next chamber, she ran into a pony carrying a pitcher of water, which she nabbed with her magic and chugged. She then went and pulled the excess from several of the infiltrators, ordering them to start cleaning up the mess and store as much of the love as possible.

It was all going wonderfully for the queen. She watched the infiltrators cleaning for a while, wondering just how strong her hatchlings would be when a few stray memories floated back to her. The queen frowned, going back over the events that she could recall. Cimmerian had never really been that touchy before. What had changed?

The more she thought about it the more it bothered her. She started analyzing every detail, noticing the odd undercurrent in all the emotions she tasted from him the night before. They were all there, even the love of the rest of his hive, but it was amplified by a large margin. An unnatural margin in fact. She needed to talk to him, and soon.

'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Cimmerian thought as he trotted to the courtyard. The urgency of the situation was bad enough to the ponies that he wasn't going to get time to take a shower, so he was left walking out into the sunlight still dripping love and smelling faintly of last night's activities.

Floating in his magic aura were several bottles filled with a little additional love, an offering to the changelings and a reason for them to join the Temple. The ponies weren't exaggerating when they said the first room was worse. With over a dozen adult changelings working to process the alicorn's blood rage induced love rage, the floor was almost flooded in pink goo, while the changelings were scattered about the room, either snoring in a puddle of their own glowing drool or cuddled up against one another. He'd grabbed a few empty bottles and filled them straight from the puddles, figuring the changelings wouldn't miss a few bottles. Besides, what would they do? Say he couldn't take his own emotions back?

That thought led to a very odd realization, even as he left the Temple. He'd noticed he seemed slightly bigger than he remembered being the day before. It confused him for a few moments, before he remembered what Luna had said about his growth. Basically, alicorns grew when exposed to more love. The more love you're exposed to, usually in the form of followers, the stronger you get.

Ted had just spent the night basting in his own love.

Of course, logic told him that it shouldn't have done anything to him, but the fact of the matter was he was noticeably larger, even if only just. It left him wondering just how lucrative keeping the changelings around was turning out to be. Maybe he'd start adding some of that stuff to his meals? It would be considered changeling honey, right? Maybe it could be used in place of bee honey?

'I'm a growing alicorn, and I need my love.' He thought, chuckling at the absurdity of the notion.

Looking back at his still soggy and sticky wings, he silently hoped that the pink goo wouldn't stain. The world already had pink ponies, and a pink alicorn, it didn't need a black and pink striped alicorn stallion. Besides, what poor guy would be able to live as a pink alicorn?

Soon he came upon the behemoth, gently rumbling in its sleep even as a small swarm of changelings flitted about in the trees nearby. At his approach they all set their eyes upon him. Or rather, they set their eyes and noses upon what was currently making his feathers stick together. He set the jars down in front of him, offering them to the hungry swarm and was just about to ask for their selected leader when a call from the temple interrupted him.

The alicorn turned back to the Temple, soon seeing the ghost-white form of Queen Pandinus making her way towards him, looking at him with concern.

Most of the changelings scattered at her approach, not willing to get near her even though many watched from a distance, the sight of such a large and healthy queen drawing the eye of each one.

"Cimmerian, was something wrong with you last night?"

Ted blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You tasted wrong." She said, stopping in front of him. "I've fed on you enough to recognize the difference. What changed? What made you suddenly change your mind?"

The dark alicorn shifted uneasily a moment, eyes going from the swarm to the strangely concerned queen.

"I went through a blood rage the day before." He said, pawing the ground nervously. "Luna said there'd be a side effect, but she didn't say what, just said something about you to tease me. Or at least that's what I thought. The next morning I was overly bubbly and happy, which was the downswing of the blood rage. Part of me wishes it didn't end in, well, that but the other part says it could have ended badly." At the queens questioning stare, he explained. "I could have targeted someone else in my haze. Someone not uh, not capable of handling the activities of the previous night."

"But you weren't actually planning on doing that. That's what you're saying?" Din asked, no small amount of pain in her voice.

"No, Din, I wasn't. You're beautiful, you're becoming very kind, and it's a riot listening to you try to figure out why other races do things a certain way, like when Thrisha tried explaining to you why you don't just go around flashing the male you're interested in." Ted explained, a grin making its way onto his face at the last memory. "I've only known you for a month though. My species, the one I was raised as, we tend to date for a long time, making sure we're fine with our choice." He smiled warmly at her. "Though I find it comforting to know you noticed, and asked if I was ok. It means a lot to me."

Their moment was interrupted seconds later by the buzzing wings of the swarm behind him, the changelings all staring at the queen who not only walked among ponies without disguise, but walked among ponies right after a molt.

"Cimmerian, where did these drones come from?" Din asked, finally noticing her audience.

The alicorn gestured to the swarm. "The residents said they showed up earlier. I think they could smell the love in the hive."

The queen watched them for a few moments, before a single shape shifter approached her. "You live with the big pony?" It asked cautiously. "Who rules? Can only be one ruler, right?"

It took all of the queen's willpower to not snap out her ingrained response. Instead she looked uneasily over at the alicorn, before turning back to the changeling.

"I was invited to make my hive here under the rule of Cimmerian. He also provides most of us with our nourishment. The love you smell is his. I had trouble trying to absorb it all last night, and spent the night leaking it." She then walked up to the alicorn and pressed against his side, the top of her muzzle resting against the bottom of his. At the continued stares, the queen nudged Ted, whispering into his ear when he leaned down to her.

"Come on, Cimmerian, they don't believe it. Show me what you did last night when you first snuck up behind me."

"I don't know if I can replicate that Din, I was on the downswing of a blood rage. I was as high as a kite when that happened." The alicorn whispered back.

The queen blinked. "Surely you can at least..."

"That being said," he continued "I'm not going to leave you hanging out to dry in front of all these eligible drones, not after your show of support."

With that, the dark alicorn leaned in and wrapped his hooves around the queen, dragging her against his barrel and locking lips with her. He let all the positive ideas of the queen flood his thoughts, including his enjoyment of waking up that morning with a warm weight pressed against his barrel.

Despite the queen's increased size, she once again started looking a bit full, this time the love showing by giving her still white shell a pink tint. It felt odd to Ted, doing such a thing in front of a large group and knowing every single changeling was staring at them. Odd yes, but not the worst thing he'd ever done, and the queen's purring was adorable no matter how large she got. Breaking away for a moment, he grinned mischievously and ran a hoof over her still soft flank.

The queen gasped at the contact, glaring at him. She leaned closer and whispered to him "Don't start something you won't finish, Cimmer."

The swarm called for their attention before he could continue teasing her though, many of the changelings hovering uncomfortably close to the two, and one too many drooling over the love currently caking the alicorn's wings. The queen took over from there, pushing away from him.

"Food is not an issue for the changelings here. The only thing we need is resources to build a city, from food for the other races, to workers for a mine we wish to start. There is much to do, and any who wish to stay are welcome to do so." She touched her horn to several drones, dousing them with her surplus of love, before also pushing forward the jars Ted had brought out earlier. "Share this among yourselves; eat well, recover your strength, then lend that strength to our growing hive. If you require more, ask a resident to send word to my chambers. We are currently trying to clean up the love that brought you here, and I'm sure I could always pull a little more from my source if I need to." She said, bumping her flank into Ted's side.

The two headed back to the Temple, leaving the drones to their feast. Walking side by side, Ted smiled at the queen

"You're becoming good at that. Selling the benefits of this place, I mean."

"It's not difficult." She said, nose held high. "Changelings want two things, food and safety. We have both here, more than we know what to do with, actually. Is it any wonder they would flock here?" She cracked open an eye, leveling her snout. "Besides, I already told you why I'm willing to work with them. They're in the same situation I was before I ended up here."

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that they'll probably join your hive, increasing your power base even more, right?" He asked her.

"Shut up, Cimmerian. You're easier to deal with when you don't open your mouth."

Ted went straight to his room after the drones were dealt with, only stopping long enough to ask for a meal to be sent to his room before heading up to finally clean himself up. Starting up the stairs Pandinus, still tailing him, asked what he was currently planning on doing. It turned out that telling her he was going to take a bath to wash the pink sludge off was the wrong answer.

"You know I'd already be done if you'd just let me shower." The alicorn told the queen, laying on his bed. It had a few clean towels scattered over the bedding to prevent ruining the sheets, while the large changeling was currently happily removing the love from his wings.

"My hive is set to grow exponentially with the addition of the drones outside, not to mention I'll be laying again soon enough." Pandinus told him. "I want my first clutch of sapients to be raised on pure love, not the scattered emotions that works for the true drones."

The queens ears perked at the dampening of the alicorn's happiness. Hoping to salvage his mood, she started working on a large spot where the feathers connected to the wing, licking off the love before preening the area. Ted looked back at her with an irritated scowl even as his wings splayed. The queen just licked her lips, smiling at him.

"What happened to don't start what you won't finish?" He asked.

She giggled reaching in for another long lick. "I think we both know I'm more than willing to finish what I start. Besides, I need all the love I can get if I'm going to be raising these nymphs. Mirage will also need the energy, as she'll be helping and with so much love, I'm sure they'll be bouncing off the walls, unlike the near hibernation I'd seen some nymphs in back home."

Sensing the alicorns sudden shifts and unease, she emptied her current load of love into a nearby jar, took a few swigs of water from a nearby pitcher, and moved on to his back, burying her muzzle in his mane.

"Why are you troubled? Is it the prospect of the nymphs?" At his nod, she hummed. "I don't see the issue. You've known for a while now this was my goal, it was why I stuck so close to you... though I admit, learning you were not well, it makes last night feel like a hollow victory."

"Din, I have one last thing I want you to do." The alicorn said. "It will probably be the most difficult thing of all. I want you to not feed next time."

"Are you mad? Not feed on the torrents of love that... next time?"

"This is what you were working towards, right? I know you didn't think it would be a one time thing." The alicorn mumbled sleepily. "That's why it's so important to me, Din. I'm not just picking a one night fling. I'm looking for someone to stay with me for the rest of my life."

The alicorn used a combination of shifting his body and magical grip to drop the queen to the mattress, then shifted again till he was pressing her into the bed. Letting himself hold onto her possessively, wings draping on either side, he nuzzled into her cheek. He could see her mind working overtime, most likely at the prospect of having ready access to the love given to her the previous night for the rest of their lives and just how much that would amount to.

"So, just learn to not feed? I, why would you want that?" The queen asked him.

He chuckled. "I don't remember much from last night, but I do remember a certain changeling queen looking like she wasn't all there when I was kissing her. How much do you even remember?"

"I know you came up behind me, then you kissed me and put me on the bed, and you said something," the queen flushed in embarrassment "I didn't really hear you, all I could see, all I could smell, all I could taste was the love and lust." The queens eyes glazed over at the memory. "I've never felt anything so wonderful before. It was like no matter how much I tried to absorb there was always more, like I was drowning in love."

"I can't say we make a good couple if we can't bed each other while sober." He said with a grin. "I don't regret what happened, Din, just how it happened. Both of us were smashed by the time it occurred, me by the blood rage downswing, you due to the flood of love you tried to absorb. I was already looking at the possibility, of us being able to stick it out. So if we're going to do this, we're going to do it properly. We're going to both be all there, and we're both going to be able to remember every wonderful detail, got it? One night where you don't touch it, then you can do what you like. I'd say I don't mind if you never abstain again, but I don't think either of us would find that prospect enjoyable."

Pandinus nodded, shivering slightly, though whether it was from the hints of lust she was sensing, the prospect of an untold number of nights together, or the contact against her still hardening shell he didn't know. He smiled, laying down draped over the queen, just enjoying the contact for once, not thinking about the implications. It was done, there wasn't any point in worrying about it anymore and with the amount of love she could pull from him on top of her blooming concern for him he doubted she'd be leaving any time soon. She had it too good here.

"Cimmerian, I still need to finish getting that love off of you." The queen mumbled into the towels.

"I'll take a shower tomorrow." Before she could voice her protest, he snuggled against her, pulling her deeper into his barrel. "I'm sure I can replace whatever is lost, Din. It's not wasteful if it's an infinite resource, is it?"

He hummed in thought, the queens purring the only other sound in the room. "Maybe we can get a fountain someday, like one of those beautiful garden fountains. Multi-tiered with a bowl-shaped fountain of water. And instead of water, it will be love, and any time a changeling is feeling hungry, they can just walk right up and take as much as they want." That would be something, a fountain of love. And he'd be the one to see it built. It was something to look forward to, something he'd be proud of. Besides, if the queen was going to be having nymphs with his genes, his children, he'd have even more motivation to make sure no changeling went hungry.

With everything he'd done so far, and with everything he'd be doing over the next few days, he wanted to be lazy for a little while. He was also going to enjoy his personal masseuse, and would make sure she enjoyed the time off as well.

Author's Notes:

As I've said, I thought up the 'What would happen if a changeling was exposed to too much love?' thing years ago. I find it hilarious to think that they would just start leaking it like a sponge that absorbed too much water.

On another note, we saw how Ted, sorry, Cimmerian and Pandinus reacted. The question now is, how will everyone else take it? There's no denying it here, not when two ponies walked in on the aftermath.

And will Luna's cackles of amusement be heard from the other side of the planet?

I don't know, I just listen to the voices in my head. They seem to have some good ideas so far.

Embraced, Both in Body and Mind

There was just so much pain.

Everything hurt for so long.

Her horn had been cracked, because the magic backlash was funny to the mad mare. She delighted in the random sparks and surges the alicorn experienced due to the damage.

Her feathers had been removed because her tears brought a smile to the mare's muzzle. The exposed skin also left her shivering in the cold, tucked away in the deepest part of her cell to keep herself away from the monsters the mare played with when she grew bored of the alicorn's tears, of her pleas for mercy.

Her husband had been taken from her, the thing that followed the mare around empty of emotion and following her commands like a golem made of flesh. She knew he was gone. He had to be. It made it hurt less when she thought of it that way. It hurt less when she remembered it wasn't her husband who'd plucked the last few feathers from her wings. It made sense. The monsters didn't look at him, and they avoided the mare out of fear. Some still lashed out at her, driven to madness by either torture or starvation. She never saw them again after they did that.

The only monsters the mare kept fed were the largest of them, the ones that were laying the eggs. The mad mare would watch every now and again, giggling as a random pony was thrown in the range of the monsters' hooves, the monsters latching onto the pony, sinking their teeth into them and draining them of all emotion.

It was the monsters that told her Shiny was gone. They never looked at him, never hissed or snapped at him. They couldn't see him. It was like Aunt Tia had said so may years ago. Only the dead had no love in their hearts.

The mare told her of her deeds, bringing in news papers and pictures. The array she'd used to imprison the alicorns of the sun and moon, a picture of the petrified forms of the elements. A spear from the griffon capital city, given to her after she'd demanded they disarm. Her plans to invade the griffon country, then the minotaur kingdom with her mindless army, sweeping the best warriors of both races away in an endless tide of teeth and chitin, allowing her soldier to walk into the enemy cities to raise her flag.

It was so bad for so long. Then the mare got bored.

The mad mare started experimenting with the monsters, testing what was sent through the connections they shared. She forced the connections on ponies, giggling as they argued with ponies that weren't there. The mare practiced linking the ponies to the crystals she used to control the monsters. Then she brought out the nymph.

It was obvious to the alicorn what it was. It was a final insult to her husbands legacy, a final proof that the mad mare had complete control of the ponies in her country.

"Well, since you never gave him any foals of his own, I figured I'd help you two out. Oh, I'm sure mom will be happy to know she's finally a grandmother, even if it took getting a surrogate mother." The mare had told her, holding the nymph out to her. When the alicorn refused to get closer, she'd set it down on the cold floor and left, seeking other ways to amuse herself.

She'd wanted to end the monster's life. To hurt it, to make it feel pain for all the pain she'd been made to suffer. But she couldn't bring herself to harm it. Even if it was a monster, it was just a foal. An unwilling pawn in the mad mare's game. So she'd approached it, she huddled with it to keep it warm, even as she shivered in the cell. The monster's feeding had hurt at first, but the less she resisted, the more she found herself concerned with its health, the less it seemed to bother her.

Days later, the mad mare returned, citing her disappointment that it was still alive, and the alicorn inwardly smiled. She'd not let the mad mare beat her. Then the mare's frown became a smile, a smile that could freeze the very air.

"Oh, so you've become attached to it? I know a way to bring the two of you even closer."

Those words had pre-empted the resumption of the pain. First there was burning, then there was a voice, oh sun and stars above, the voice never stopped, always asking for food, always begging for warmth, and always asking for momma. It didn't stop when they slept either, the periodic chatter of a mind drifting in and out of consciousness keeping her awake for so many nights.

That was when the mare had come to her, a frown on her face. Said it wasn't fun playing with a broken toy. She'd forced one more mind on the alicorn, a giant of a monster, one whose sole purpose was keeping the alicorn and the hatchling alive. They'd been led outside, and thrown out, the mare giggling about how she'd have to choose soon. Saying she'd have to choose her own sanity and health, or the life of the hatchling. It was a monster after all. Eventually it would view her as food, and would enslave her as surely as the other one had enslaved her husband so many years ago.

Mentally wilting under the assault of two minds asking her for guidance, the alicorn began to walk. She wanted to be as far from the monsters as possible.

All of the monsters.

Cadance snapped awake in a dark place. It was warm. There wasn't any pain. The voices were distant, quiet. She sighed in relief, her body relaxing as she realized it wasn't a fever-dream. Her aunt really had appeared before her, directing her to a safe haven. She'd met somepony. No, it was two ponies. One said he knew Luna, and the other made the voices go away, or at least she told them to be quiet.

The alicorn's eyes widened, choking as she flailed in her confinement. She was in one of those changeling pod things. She was submerged, she shouldn't be breathing. Even as she flailed, though, a familiar presence pressed against the pod. Focusing on the being, she soon recognized the form of the hatchling, pressing against the pod while squeaking out concerned chirps. Odd, considering it only buzzed or spoke what little Equish she'd managed to teach it. When did it learn another language? It also looked a little bigger than the last time she'd seen it. How long had she been in the pod?

She fought past another brief bout of panic, wondering if the nymph had brought her to a hive to be fed on. The nymph didn't have a hive. There was nowhere it could take her.

Apparently sensing her growing panic, the nymph pressed its horn against the pod, breaking the seal with its horn and reaching in for the alicorn, even as Cadance pushed towards the hatchling. Seconds later she was free, hacking up the fluid onto the floor of the hive she found herself trapped in. Even as she regained her bearing, she brought Amare into a hug. There was one creature in this world she could trust, and she was currently in the alicorns forelegs.

"We need to get out of here." Cadance whispered to the hatchling. Amare looked at her curiously, before chirping happily. The nymph then pulled her to a small jar it had nearby, offering it to the princess.

"Drink!" The changeling chirped happily, holding it out with both forelegs.

Cadance looked at the glowing jar suspiciously, not certain of the contents, but not willing to disregard the foal's ideas. Against her better judgment, she chugged the thick pink substance down, noting the strange lack of flavor. Finishing, she blinked a few times, before gasping as the energy surged through her.

Love. It had to be love. How long had it been since she'd felt her husband's focus? How long had it been since she'd watched pony couples laugh and play and kiss. Drinking the substance brought back those memories, but it also reminded her of the love of couples who weren't certain of themselves. She flushed, remembering the couples that had come to her for advice after a rowdy night, finding themselves paired with a friend they'd had no intention of pursuing romantically. Cadance looked down at the nymph and smiled, patting Amare on the head.

"Thank you, dear. I needed that."

Using a hoof to wipe a few more drops out of the bottle for consumption, she turned her attention back to her current goal. Escape. It would most likely be easier if she could use the notice-me-not spell. Taking one last glimpse around the room, a bedroom of all things judging by the linens set up on the pedestal towards the back of the room, she turned to the hatchling and prepared for an exfiltration.

"Amare, we need to get out of here. Do you understand? Outside." Cadance told the hatchling. It nodded happily and galloped towards the door. She threw it open, causing the alicorn to wince at the bang of the door slamming against the wall. Still, she shakily rose to her hooves and followed. Taking one last look around to make sure there were no observers, she cast the spell and hobbled after the foal.

It was downright bizarre. The ponies here, they didn't act like thralls, they didn't wander mindlessly from duty to duty, or spent their days in pods. They wandered the halls, giving greetings to those they passed. Even the monsters. One even stopped and cooed at how adorable Amare was, nuzzling the little hatchling as she was passing by, earning a giggle from the nymph. It was confusing for the alicorn, and left her all the more terrified. What madness possessed the ponies to live with changelings, to treat them like their own?

She pressed on regardless, intent on finding her freedom. She passed ponies, thestrals, griffons, changelings, even strange dog-like creatures she'd never seen before. They were similar to the diamond dogs she'd read of, but they didn't seem to be the same. Finally, Amare led her to a doorway that opened into sunlight. The hatchling took off into the clearing outside, but Cadance was stopped cold as her eyes attempted to adjust. She wasn't sure how long she'd been down there, but it was long enough that her eyes were having trouble compensating for the sudden shift in lighting.

Finally able to see, she looked around the clearing trying to spot the hatchling. Eyes tracking across the newly built or under construction buildings, she spotted a large gathering of creatures, the sounds of orders being called out from powerful voices catching her ears. She barely noticed the small form of the foal darting into the crowd.

Cadance pawed the ground nervously, debating on pursuing the filly or taking her chances in the woods. It would guarantee her escape, but Amare was the one who freed her, she wouldn't leave the hatchling alone. Once more against her better judgment, the alicorn walked towards the crowd. That's when she saw them.

The first was an alicorn, nearly as large as she'd been all those years ago. He, there was no way a female had that kind of thickness in his barrel and legs, stood nearby, reading reports and conversing with two others, directing the flow of workers. His coat was dark, nearly black, while his mane was a very dark blue. He spoke with authority, but would often turn to answer questions, his voice becoming soft and loving. Most importantly, she recognized the voice as the one promising her safety days before. Even seeing the kindness he was directing towards the beings, her mind hitched on one fact.

'Nightmare Moon.'

The second that drew her attention was another monster. It was different from the others she'd seen though. It was large, nearly as large as the alicorn. Its shell was an ashen blue, while its silken mane was a deeper blue, nearly matching the alicorns even if it was a few shades lighter. The oddity was the chitin. It was nearly absent from the monster, small thin plates here and there instead of the thick plates that covered the first monster's body. Instead of the many holes over its body she'd remembered on the first queen she'd seen, its chitin was full, almost gleaming in the mid day light. It made the other queen, the one from her wedding and even those she'd glimpsed while in the Mad Queen's dungeons seems sickly and frail. Then there was its voice.

The queen spoke with a forceful authority, directing ponies with practiced ease and referring back to the small unicorn mare between the two for clarification every now and again. The changelings nearby however didn't need to be told their task. It was given to them over the link. How could Cadance know? This close to them, she could hear it. It was faint, but she could hear the queen commanding them, giving orders, even pressing against them warmly in praise. Once more, she recognized the voice. This one had promised to quiet the voices in her head.

It took all of her willpower not to scream. The monster was in hear head, and she could hear it. Could it command her like the drones? Were all these creatures under her power and unaware? Had she managed to subdue this stallion, this male Nightmare Moon?

To her horror, the queen's attention was directed to a few cheerful chirps as Amare jumped onto the platform. Both of the larger creatures smiled warmly at the nymph, the alicorn even bending down to nuzzle the small changeling affectionately. The queen's smile faded however, and she closed her eyes in concentration.

A moment later, Cadance felt a presence pressing on her mind, and the queen's eyes snapped open and locked on her, despite her spell. The dark alicorn looked to the queen in confusion, before following the changeling's eyes to Cadance's location. He squinted, trying to locate her when a sudden pressure on her mind caused her to drop the spell.

She shook her head to clear the disorientation to find a small form nuzzling her lovingly. Amare had come back up to her, probably worried about her sudden dizziness. She hugged the filly, forgetting her current location for a moment before here eyes bulged. She looked up to see all eyes on her. She panicked, dropping the nymph and beginning to cast the spell her Aunt had taught her, a panic teleport. Moments before she could finish it, she once more felt a presence bear down on her, interrupting her spell. That's when the voice came back. There was only one this time, but it was angry.

'How dare you try to use that spell! Does the hatchling by your hooves mean so little to you?' It yelled, causing the pink mare to wince at the pressure. Instantly she was assaulted by the ideas of the possible outcomes such a spell would have had on the nymph that was so close to her. Certainly it could have had no effect, but it could have dragged the filly along with her as well. She could have been hurt. She could have been killed.

'This is the thanks I get for aiding you? You panic and nearly kill the very proto queen you spent so long guarding?'

Cadance wanted to protest, she wanted to flee, but she couldn't find the will to. The queen, she was coming closer, but the physical distance mattered little. It didn't matter how far Cadance ran, the monster was in her head.

The queen stood over her, the glare fading into an exasperated frown. The alicorn soon stood beside her, looking over both of the mares with concern.

"Cadance, what are you doing out and about? You're still weak. Oh god, Luna would kill me if you managed to hurt yourself." The stallion said, inspecting the shivering mare. She couldn't run. The queen was in her head, it was over. She'd end up-

"Stop it." The queen said, causing the pink mare to recoil as if struck. "Do you think I allowed you to join my link so I could torment you? No, I did so because Cimmerian asked me to help you, and it was the only way to access the abomination that's been forced upon you. Luna sent you here because she trusts us, because she trusts Cimmerian." The queen leaned closer, lowering herself to the smaller alicorns height. "You're scaring Amare. Calm yourself, you and the nymph are safe here. Check the link, check your connection, what does it tell you?"

Suddenly the alicorn felt her connection with the hatchling increase in volume. Sensing her surrogate mother over the link clearly once more, the nymph immediately assaulted her with its happiness, its contentment, its feelings of safety. Queen was kind. Queen fed her, would feed momma too, would help momma get better. Queen treated her like one of her own hatchlings. Big pony was kind. Big pony fed Queen, so Queen could feed hive. Big pony was safe.

Cadance felt her muscles relaxing despite her lingering desire to run. Taking her slump of defeat as his signal, the large alicorn scooped her up in his forelegs, holding her tightly.

"I'll contact Luna tonight, alright? We'll get you two in a dream together, and I'll see about setting one up with Aunt Tia as well. I promise, we'll get everyone together for you, ok?" The alicorn whispered reassuringly. "It will be one big, happy reunion, and you can talk to them for as long as you need. And if you need to, we'll do it again tomorrow night. I know Aunt Tia will be ecstatic to see you again. They both talk about you. You mean the world to them."

The alicorn nuzzled her, and she once more felt the pulse of love. It was weak, but given her current state it was like a breath of air to someone who was drowning. Despite her fears, or perhaps because of them she cried, clinging to the alicorn. Clinging to the first creature to shower her with familial love in years. The voices died down again, but the pressure never stopped. It wasn't stifling though. It was trying to comfort her. It was trying to be a second pair of hooves wrapped around her mind, even as the dark alicorn's were wrapped around her body.

For the first time in years, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza allowed herself to experience the emotional cleansing that could only be found in a rain of tears, and to her shame she found it in the embrace of a stranger.

Author's Notes:

Family Get-Together

Cimmerian held her for a long while, even continuing his work with the construction of the courtyard with the pink alicorn still held close. It was what she needed right now, comfort and love in a time where she'd felt there was none, much like her aunt and even a few of the Temple residents had felt. It was a truly monumental burden some days, being everyone's rock, being the one everyone looked to for hope. It was his duty right now, though; no one else would do it. Once she'd calmed, he'd set her down beside him, allowing her to press against his side as he draped a wing over her protectively.

Her own recovery had gone well despite the fact that Cadance had spent only a few days in the medical pod. Where once her wings looked torn and ragged, new feathers were pushing out the old damaged ones, leaving the mare in desperate need of preening. Her horn was showing only minute cracks at the very tip now, the rest of the damage no longer visible, though if there was any internal damage he couldn't tell. But the thing that brought him the most joy was her eyes.

He had begun to rejoice when he saw hope reignited. She was so tired when he'd found her, so dead to the world she probably would have agreed to anything. Now her eyes tracked every creature that walked by, studying the Temples residents with an eye for detail. Her gaze often lingered on ponies or even gnolls and changelings that were openly affectionate, watching as couples bumped each other meaningfully, or pressed close to a loved one.

She jumped when she felt something press her closer to him, but soon she relaxed despite the changeling queen at her side, seeming to accept the additional contact for what it was; gentle reassurance. It made sense to Ted. The queen could probably sense her anxiety more clearly than any other creatures since she was linked to the hive.

Dinner was a somber affair, the small alicorn never straying from his comforting presence. His table, set up with a second seat right next to his for the queen, had a third occupant that night. The meal was quiet, many of the residents giggling and nodding in the direction of the alicorn, excitement in their voices. They knew of the one by Father. No one could miss the sight of the bright pink alicorn. They'd been fawning over her since they'd learned she was there, actually, even approaching the queen with offers to help with her recovery in any way they could. The changeling queen turned them away, insisting the best thing she could get was sleep, rest, and time to heal. She failed to inform them however, that the alicorn was subconsciously pulling love from the hive.

That had thrown Cimmerian for a loop. He'd known love had an effect on alicorns, but for one to actively pull from a changeling hive, it almost left the pink alicorn sounding like a changeling herself. Pandinus had dismissed the idea, but the idea of the similarities between the two, especially after he'd mentioned the growth based on the love of followers had caught both of their attentions. Their species, alicorns and changelings, they really weren't that different when one got down to it.

Luckily for the pink mare, the hive had plenty of love to go around. Ted and Din were close, the residents of the Temple often finding the queen pressed under a wing of the alicorn, or purring gently while laying between his wings while they relaxed in bed. That had been fun, the relationship of the two largest residents becoming public knowledge within hours of their being woken up. The first to approach them about it was Gleam and Shadow Weaver, both trying to be respectful, but attempting to understand their reasoning. The dark alicorn's response had left them both blushing.

"Shadow, hug Gleam." The alicorn said, gesturing to the mare.

Shadow Weaver looked at the mare, sputtering a bit, before managing to utter a quiet "why?"

Not waiting for them, Ted had grabbed both of them, and pressed them close, much to their embarrassment. He then chuckled, before pulling the mare closer to himself for another hug. Setting the mare down, he turned to the queen, who was giggling at his side, and pulled her into a hug, the queen baring a fang-filled smile at the two and making the difference obvious; Pandinus' hooves were still on the ground.

Blur had needed no explanation though, bless her heart. She took one look at the couple and hugged Din at the neck, much to the queen's shock. Her response to the queen's inquiry of why was simple.

"Well, you're Father's mate now, so that means you're my Mother. That means I have a full family again. Why wouldn't I be happy?"

The pegasus' response had rocked the queen, the idea of mothering the entire community, not just her hive leaving her quiet for the rest of the night. He'd eventually gotten her to talk to him about it. That was when he'd hugged her, telling her it was exactly what he wanted of her. He'd wanted a female that would accept his children, all of them, as her own. So she did. Where once she was curt and quick with the residents, she became warm and kind. She listened to their fears as he did, or directed him to residents who hid their fears, their pain. Once more the contentment of those in the Temple had risen by an incredible degree.

Even the griffons that had arrived with the return of the caravan were learning to adapt, the presence of the large group of changeling refugees only amplifying the spin the drake had put on the alicorn's previous actions. Sahkest had spoken after Ted's incident, it seemed, citing that the protectiveness they'd seen or heard of was extended to any who lived there. Driven from their homes, the idea of a creature that would give dragons pause standing guard over them had convinced many to make their way to the Temple.

Finishing dinner, and waiting for the pink mare to finish her own meal, including a small jar of love provided by the queen, the three went to the Cimmerian's room. The two larger beings pulled the alicorn between them, pressing against her from either side even as they dosed off. She was joined by several nymphs, Amare and two others finding places between their guardians and making themselves comfortable. The warmth and safety soon took the pink mare with them all, allowing her the first peaceful decent into sleep she'd had in a long time.

Cadance had barely had time to wonder what was happening when a blue blur struck her, tackling her and crushing the alicorn in a fierce hug.

"Niece! You are alright, oh we worried night and day when Cimmerian told us of your injuries! Let me look at you! Oh, heavens you look like you've gone twenty rounds with a manticore but it's alright now, you're safe now, right? Oh I missed you so much!" Once more the lunar alicorn pulled her into a crushing hug.

"A-auntie Luna! What's going on?" Cadance asked her. "I, I remember you saying something about this place, but didn't Twilight stop dreaming?"

Luna smiled lovingly at her niece. "Once more you may thank Cimmerian for our good fortune. His presence disrupts the arrays, shielding those who are near him from harm. You saw his mark, did you not? A fathering protector. It suits him, he works even now to see to your health."

"What do you mean? And what was he talking about earlier? He mentioned Aunt Tia. I know you can visit dreams, but how can he help me see her?"

"Soon, dear niece, soon. For now, I will return shortly." The blue alicorn said with a devious smirk. "I wish to speak to a certain changeling about the most delicious rumor that has been circulating in the dream realm. They have both denied me entrance to their dreams lately, and I will have my answer!"

It was only a few moments, but the emptiness of the dream left her worried. Soon enough though, Luna returned, this time dragging the dream-form of the queen into the alicorn's dream. Approaching Cadance, Luna pulled her into her side with a wing and spoke to the queen.

"I am grateful for the aid you have rendered my niece, Pandinus of the Changelings. To be able to hold her again, even if it merely in the dream realm, is a blessing I'd not hoped to have again."

The queen smiled at them, giggling lightly at the sight. "It is my pleasure. If it weren't for the amount of love I receive from Cimmerian, though, I may worry about the amount your niece has been pulling from my hive lately. She is ravenous; already she has consumed enough to sustain a drone for a year, and even now she pulls more. Were she a true changeling, I would be reprimanding her and warn her of becoming fat off of the amount she has consumed." The queen's smile faded a bit, before she turned to the pink alicorn. "I will have questions for you when you recover. I have reason to believe that the Nightmare has taken my mother, though whether she is dead or a slave, I do not know. For now though, we are waiting on-"

Luna suddenly perked up. "There!" She shouted, using her magic to yank the queen towards her, drawing a yelp from the changeling. Before Cadance could ask what was going on, her aunt pulled her from the dream, dragging both of them along as they floated through the realm of dreams.

After an impossible to determine amount of time, the world came back into focus. Cadance was slow to return to her hooves, noticing the two other mares were standing before her. There were voices, all of which she recognized. The alicorn stallion, Cimmerian was speaking, she hear Luna giggling conspiratorially, even the queen was purring in delight, while the final voice spoke in confusion and curiosity. The last voice drew all of her attention though. Even as she prepared to shove through the two mares before her, they stepped aside, letting Cadance see the one mare she'd missed more than any other on the planet. The mare that had been her comfort, her rock, her sanctuary when she'd ascended. The mare that she'd come to rely on so much over the years, the mare she'd asked to give her to her husband when her true parents couldn't make the wedding due to declining health. The mare that had given her so much, and only asked for her affection in return. The two stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, before they rushed to each other, each delivering a crushing hug to the other, even as they wept and cried each other's names.

"Aunty Tia!" "Caity!"

Cimmerian watched the two mares squeeze the ever-loving daylights out of each other with a smile. This was what it was all about. At the end of the day, this was what he was hoping to do. He scooted closer to the changelings, using a wing to pull her into his side. The action had become almost natural to him, using his wings for hugs. And in response, the queen giggled, leaning her head against his neck for support, her horn brushing up his cheek.

They were drawn from the sight by the sound of a clearing throat. Both turned to the sound seeing Luna looking down on them imperiously, or at least as far down as an alicorn that was half their size could. Ted looked at her, then at the changeling nuzzling his side, giving the alicorn a toothy smirk. He sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.

"So when will I be hearing of your first fathered clutch?" Luna asked, her sneer becoming a grin.

Din just smiled at her. "They've already started growing. I decided to start with a smaller clutch, since I don't know how this will turn out. Three eggs."

"Already?" Cimmerian asked, looking slightly pale.

"So what would be your estimate, Pandinus?" Luna asked, giggling slightly.

The queen put a hoof to her chin. "I'm not certain. Fathered drones take much longer to develop, but I've never laid any before. Not only that, but no queen has ever mated with an alicorn."

"What's that about mating?" Celestia's voice called out to them as she and Cadance approached. The two were still pressed tightly against one another, but the tears and dried. Mostly, anyway; Cadance was still a bit damp around her eyes.

"Your nephew has chosen his mate, and now begins the wait for grandfoals." Luna answered, causing Celestia's eyes to widen.

"B-but alicorns can't, aren't we sterile?" The solar alicorn asked.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Just because there aren't any kirins about doesn't mean the ponies or dragons that tried were sterile, sister. I believe it would be more along the lines that we are just too different for such a coupling. Honestly Tia, you've had more time to look into such things than I, why am I the one bringing such an idea to light. Why, I'm certain that once she's recovered, fair Cadance would be capable of bearing a foal or two of her own should she join Cimmerian and Pandinus."

Immediately three alicorns sputtered, trying to raise objections. Unfortunately, Pandinus was the first to form a coherent sentence.

"I don't see the problem. Perhaps she would be able to make up for that love she's been pulling from the hive link lately."

Locking his fetlock over his muzzle, Cimmerian groaned in exasperation. "Luna, I'm just now accepting all of this, and now I'm going to have to deal with not just the citizens calling me father, but actual kids that are blood relations. Let me recover from my repeated system shock before you make a joke like that."

The blue alicorn eyes him curiously. "Twas' no joke, son of our magic. Before she was subjected to the Nightmare's hospitality, she was approximately your current size." She looked at Celestia. "Do you not think they would be cute together, sister? I know he will see to your adopted niece's every need."

"I think..." the white alicorn said, moving closer to her one time charge "I think Cadance needs time to rest and recover. Such talk is not needed right now." Celestia nuzzled Cadance lovingly, wrapping the pink mare in her wings. "Take care, niece. And please watch over her for me, Cimmerian. I cannot do so right now, and your kindness is all we have to rely on at the moment."

Ted smiled at Celestia, using his magic to pull Cadance over to him once the older mare had released her. He wrapped his hooves around her protectively and smiled.

"I'll guard her with my life, Aunt Celestia. Just like I do for everyone at the Temple."

Author's Notes:

Last little heartwarming bit before work. Enjoy.

It's not Often We get Visitors

The next few days saw the newest alicorn resident slowly recovering, or at least Ted hoped she was recovering. The mare slept like a rock, clung to Ted when she was awake, and generally stared at nothing in particular when she wasn't being spoken to. Pandinus still scared her slightly, being a queen and also someone who could easily get in her head if the queen wished, but otherwise the mare was emotionally deadened.

"Sounds like whiplash." Luna said one night after he'd mentioned it, the blue mare gently stroking Cadance's mane in the dream realm. Even here she was quiet, not talking to anyone. She just clung to her aunt for support and stared at the ground or into the distance. "She went from t- a bad experience to being freed but mentally bound to the changelings, to being offered a safe place and even reunited with my sister and I. She's been through much over the last few years. I think she's just letting it all slide by her for now, letting her mind recover from it all." Luna shook her head, looking at Cadance. "I know this is odd, but Tia had me talk to somepony who was, what did she call it? He was a doctor for one's mind. I thought it a silly thing, but it helped me deal with my situation immensely after my return. Perhaps, if you can..."

"I'll keep an eye out for psychologists, Luna." Ted said, shifting a wing to pull the two closer.

So they sat there, the three alicorns pressing against each other, keeping the pink mare between them and pressing into her reassuringly even as the darker alicorns continued their magic lessons. Ted had abandoned the idea of leaving Cadance to her own dreams after the first two nights. Despite his best efforts, her dreams quickly devolved into nightmares, even as he sat inside of them. It was easier that way. She didn't dream, she was just able to hold onto someone she knew, people she trusted.

Nearly a week after the pink alicorn began following him like a second shadow the Temple received its first important visitors. Certainly the dragon quartermaster from their northern neighbor was well and good, and the griffons and changelings that had found their way to the Temple over the course of the last week. But this was the start of something big.

Cimmerian was in his war room as usual that morning, going over the needed expansions to both the Temple grounds and the last few material runs required before they would be able to repair the dock and storage shed. He'd been worried that the damage from the blast and the number of bodies would be a problem for repurposing the old town, but the only problem seemed to be getting the materials to rebuild it. The dead changelings were all but gone when he'd next visited the town, and the pony soldiers were nothing more than gnawed bones. Even the glass from the blast wasn't easily visible, the shifting sand of the beach covering it as the glass settled lower. The only issue at that point was the stench of dead fish, but even that was fading, other sea life and scavengers moving in to the once-again safe shores to feast on the bounty.

A griffon runner, standing at the doorway ruffling his feathers nervously, drew the alicorn from his plans. Looking up, he chuckled at the tom's anxiety. Some of the griffons were still getting used to the idea of living under his rule.

"Well? I know you're not here because you think I'm cute. What's going on?" He asked the griffon, drawing a nervous smile from his guest.

"A group of armored griffons just arrived from Zarris, sir. Demanded to be granted an audience with the alicorn of the Temple of the Shadows." the griffon answered. His gaze wandered a moment, before returning to the dark-furred ruler. "I think it was Talon mercenaries, the armor had the slash marks on the front."

"Really?" Ted asked, adopting a thoughtful smile. "I wonder if Herrick's put that rune to use already. Oh, this I've got to hear." The alicorn rose from his work quickly, his aura shuffling his desk into a neater pile even as he walked to the doorway. "Don't just stand there, lets go!" He said to the messenger, brushing past the griffon in his haste.

The alicorn passed many in the crowded hallways of the first floor. The Temple was busy as ever, creatures running back and forth, the mess hall having shifted to an all-day buffet and Slop taking on several more assistants to keep up with the demand. Hunting teams were going out constantly, a mix of several griffons, a gnoll guide, and sometimes a changeling, the emotional radar adding a little more safety. Injuries were common, but only one hunting party had actually been lost; another gnoll den had ambushed them, taking the hunters prisoner. Pandinus had immediately alerted him to not only the event, but the location of the den. A single show of force later, the destruction wrought by both an angry alicorn and a protective queen leaving the outside of the den a smoldering wreckage and several of the den's guards dead, and they not only had another den offering them tribute, but Ted managed to get this one to agree to the rules he'd planned on enforcing with the den that had attacked the Temple. For all the speed at which they responded though, it was still the first losses they'd suffered, and the alicorn and changeling had both spent the evening comforting each other.

For Cimmerian, it was his first loss of those under his rule. It was a reminder that things weren't always going to go smoothly, and that even things that were routine could be lethal.

For Pandinus, it was the first loss of a drone in her hive. She was left stunned for a few moments, having still been connected to the drone when a gnoll had decided to kill it. She described to him in detail the sensations the drone felt as his life left him, said she could sense his fear even as he hoped his Mother would reach him in time. She didn't though, they weren't fast enough. By the time they'd reached the den, he was gone. Twenty seven dead gnolls later, and she was demanding the drones body, personally carrying the remains back to the temple. A service was held for those lost, and a half-day was declared the next day, the alicorn publicly offering his time to any who needed an ear.

It was the first time he'd seen the queen so shaken. The first time she'd felt loss, felt just how fragile those under her rule were. She spoke to him, as they'd promised each other. She held onto him that night, and she asked him if she could feed on his sorrow, even if it was bitter. She wanted to use it, to feel the loss the way ponies did. The way everyone else did.

Shaking the memories from his mind and walking outside, he was soon joined by the queen, seemingly arriving out of nowhere as he made his way to the group of soldiers. She was connected to so many changelings by this point, she was able to keep tabs on almost any creature there. It was a bit creepy sometimes, but also useful. There were never any long searches for individuals he wanted to speak to.

"Where's Cadance?" Cimmerian asked casually, not even bothering with surprise at her arrival anymore. She'd probably been getting ready to send a changeling with the same news when the griffon went to speak to him.

"Sleeping in again. Amare is with her, so you'll be seeing both when she wakes up." The queen said with a hint of irritation. "I still don't understand why she doesn't try asking me over the link. It would be so much easier than asking through the proto queen she's so attached to."

"We've been over this Din, the link's not natural to her. It scares her." He answered, a grin forming on his face at the familiar sight of the Talon leader.

"Good morning, Herrick, what brings your company out here on this fine fall day?"

The griffon gestured to his side with the sweep of his wing. "A few friends of mine wanted to send their regards to the one responsible for allowing the first successful tweaks of the pony queen's nose since she started using those changeling swarms. You were right about the swarms, too. Break the crystals, and the damn things fall on whatever's nearby, including each other. I've even received reports of changelings being discovered after the crystal's been destroyed, and my toms have said they're often willing to part with any and all information they may have. It's been amazing. As for those behind me? These are representatives sent by my brothers."

"Kass Talon sends his regards milord." the first griffon said. "Sergeant Adne at your service."

"Bemot Talon sends his thanks for the runes." the second said as she stepped forward. "Sergeant Lorah stands in his place."

Finally a cloaked pony stepped forward. "Jantis Talon sends his thanks for the aid." The mare then pulled out a small bag, an orange hoof putting it on the ground between them. "He also sends two hundred gold bits in reimbursement for the strategies and suggestions he's started using against the Mad Queen. They've been most helpful."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Cimmerian said with a bow. "Though I'm curious why a griffon would send a pony in his place."

"I have earned his respect, and-"

"And she's full of hatred for you." Pandinus cut her off, stepping between Cimmerian and the cloaked pony. "Why are you truly here. Do you intend to try to harm him? The one creature that has offered mercy to my race?"

Before anyone could react, the griffons were all shoved out of the way, twenty changelings surrounding the mare with fangs bared. Four more jumped the mare, pinning her to the ground.

"What it the meaning of this?" Herrick yelled, shock and anger in his voice.

"She carries hate. So much hate she's likely willing to do something foolish." Pandinus snapped, pushing through the line of changelings. "I will not let you threaten him, little pony. He is my home, he is my food, he is my safety, and if you think you will harm one strand of his mane, I'll-"

"That's how they get you." The restrained mare shouted, tears visible under her hood. "They make you need them, make you think life doesn't run without them watching over you." She looked at Cimmerian. "It's always the Tartarus-damned alicorns! It's always your race, showing up to save the day! The princesses were wonderful, they watched over everypony and the second they were gone, nopony knew how to take care of themselves. It was disgusting! Then she came along, she brought Luna back, she made everything happy again, she grew up, even became strong enough, smart enough to turn into an alicorn. Lo and behold, Tirek attacks, leaving ponies picking up the pieces again as she's showered with praise. What about those who were hurt? Those who stood against him knowing they could do nothing to stop him? Nothing! Now she's gone nuts, she took our families, she took our hope! And then you have the gall, the ovaries to show up as an alicorn, leading a wonderful little paradise here. Why does your kind always show up when things are at their worse?! Why don't you buckin' alicorns go find your own planet to wreck?!? Why, why do we have to get stuck in the middle of your mess..."

The mare's tirade devolved into sobs, leaving the witnesses of the spectacle feeling a little unsure of the situation. Ted moved towards the line despite Din's warnings and leaned down to the mare's level.

"Who did she take from you?" He asked, pulling back her hood to reveal an orange haired and purple maned mare. She was battle-scarred, many small cuts running up and down her visible body.

She stared at him through wet eyes. "She stole my mentor, my hero, my everything...

"...That nag took Rainbow Dash from me."

"And who is Rainbow Dash." Cimmerian asked her, not flinching at the hatred she spat at him.

The orange mare snorted at him. "Figures you don't know, she's not impor-"

"I've only been active in this world for a few months, miss." He cut her off impatiently. "I've been doing everything I can to make a safe place for anyone and everyone who comes to me. I've also had to be weary of overextending. I've nearly made several mistakes, but thankfully most of the locals aren't fans of the Mad Queen. Meanwhile the griffons are being over-run by changeling hordes under the control of the Mad Queen, what resistance do you think I'll be able to mount here with less than five hundred creatures of various races, mostly changelings and griffon refugees? The only thing many of those here started with was working limbs to help us build, some didn't even have that and ended up spending time in the infirmary."

"Help me, miss. Tell me how to keep those around me right now safe while bringing more under my wings. I'd see this entire world sleeping in peace if it was in my power, and maybe someday it will be. You see alicorns as storm-crows, signaling the worst of times. I am doing my damnedest to be a light-bearer, bringing hope to those who have none. I've bled for this city, I've personally fought for many of those here. Ask around; they'll all confirm it. I'm not some deity sitting in a tower and throwing around orders. I even have a good portion of the residents here calling me Father, because they need family. They need the stability after what they've suffered. That is my job right now, that is my sole mission, my goal. Tell me how I can help you, how I can help this Rainbow Dash, and I will do everything I can to do so."

The mare stared at him, anger warring with the newly delivered information. She didn't believe it, there was no way he was that good. Calling an alicorn Father? What madpony would do such a thing?

"Cimmerian, we have a problem." Pandinus whispered into his ear. "She woke up, and she's having a panic attack again. She's still clinging to Amare, but she's screaming at anyone else who gets near her."

The orange mare's ears perked up at the information. "Who? Who's screaming? Who did you hurt?!?"

Ted sighed. "I didn't hurt anyone. A mare came into my care recently, she was tortured by the Mad Queen for a long time. She was quiet at first, and I thought she'd be ok, that she'd recover. But as soon as she started sleeping again, she, she kinda fell apart." Turning to the gathered griffons, he smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen. I'll return as soon as I can. For now, I gave my word to two very important people that I'd watch over this one. Pandinus, do you think you can take over as host for me? If not, I'm sure we can-"

Queen Pandinus put a hoof to his lips, chuckling. "I understand. She needs her comfort, and you made a promise. I'll take care of things here. If it gets out of hoof, I'll call Amald or Shadow Weaver." As she finished speaking, she lowered her hoof and pecked him on the lips.

As the alicorn trotted hastily to the Temple, the Queen of the Temple's Hive returned her attention to the griffons. A grin played across her face as she tasted each one's reaction.

"Yes, he did just leave a changeling queen to see to your wellbeing. Yes, I will do just as he would have; Lady Thrisha's lessons were quite thorough on hospitality and she'd have my shell if I ruined my first actual chance to put those lessons into practice." The queen chuckled darkly her grin widening into a toothy smile.

"And yes, I was being serious when I said he was very important to me." She said, turning her smile upon the still restrained mare. Instantly all mirth was gone, her smile becoming cold and foreboding. "And his kindness to all his guests is the only reason I haven't rendered you incapable of harming him. I could easily enchant a tired, angry mare like yourself with the plentiful energy I have access to, but he finds mental manipulations of any sort to be the most heinous of crimes. So thank him next time you see him; he's the only reason I've not ripped apart your mind to be certain you're no threat to him."

The queen's ear flicked, and she turned back to the griffons. "I've asked Gleam, and she said we currently have some unused land that's been cleared on the northern side of the yard. Your soldiers are welcome to set up camp there for your stay. We'd offer you actual rooms, but all of ours are currently occupied, even with most of my hive keeping to the tunnels at night."

Herrick was the first to find his voice, seeming to come to a realization. "The alicorn that was reported to be wandering around with the other residents of the Temple. I'd wondered if they were just getting his color wrong, but the descriptions match you too perfectly. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Guilty as charged." She said with a much more pleasant smile. "This way please, and keep an eye on your pony. Cimmerian may be a bleeding heart for such cases as hers, but I will put her down if she threatens my hive."

The griffons nervously began to follow the queen to a nearby clearing, this one not yet being used for anything, but the wood still having been cleared for use in other locations. The commanders set about making camp, the orange mare keeping well away from the changelings most of the time. As they were finishing up, Herrick approached the changeling queen once more.

"I have to ask, how does a changeling become so attached to a pony?" The warrior asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of such a relationship before. Doesn't your feeding hurt him?"

Din smiled as she watched the griffons go about their work, before waving a hoof back to the Temple. "You saw the changelings wandering the Temple, didn't you? Most of them have joined my hive, their own hives being subjugated by the Pony Queen. I have a hive because he gave me a chance. I have food because he offers his own emotions to me. Because they're freely given, their potency increases tenfold. He's never complained to me about fatigue after I've fed, my first feeding excluded.

"I have safety because our hives work together, bound together as a single hive despite the differences. Both work for the betterment of the whole." The queen raised a hoof, absentmindedly rubbing a small section of her barrel, just below her ribs. "I have everything I want here, and it's because he offered it to me. Why would I not be protective of my mate? Thrisha has told me many times that griffons can be, how did she say it?" The queen's voice shifted, gaining years of experience to it. "'Downright stupid when it comes to defending the life or honor of a mate when they believe it is in danger.'" Pandinus said in a perfect imitation of the hen's voice.

The griffon chuckled "I'll have to speak with her again sometime. I spent some time over in Frostborne a long while ago, and I think I remember her. Stubborn old hen, not surprising she'd still be causing problems." Something the changeling said connected just then. "Wait, did you say mate?"

Author's Notes:

Yes, I write a lot. Why do you ask?

No, Cadance is not well, She got excited seeing someone familiar, but that's passed she's not past the despair event horizon, but she was damn close. She's been reintroduced to her aunts, she's been given time to recover, now it's up to her. In the meantime, who is that strange mare that hates our hero so? I truly have no idea.

She Cares for Her Own

It was scary.

There was so much that happened, so much bad, it hurt her. She remembered being happy once, being loved. She saw some of them recently, but everything was so foggy. The fog was better, though; the fog didn't hurt as much. He made her dream, which was bad, but he also stopped the dreams, which was good. He didn't hurt her; she could see the love he had for the others, even the monsters. He loved everypony. Even the big one. Even the one that was inside her head.

The monster inside her head was strange. It didn't writhe in hunger and pain like the others did. Cadance didn't like thinking about those poor ponies She hurt, those poor ponies who screamed about hungry monsters trying to make them come closer. None of the monsters here did that. They smiled and talked and ate and laughed with the other creatures, with ponies. Some part of her thought it was wrong. Then she remembered she was holding a monster, hugging one. This monster was important though. It reminded her of good things. She just couldn't remember what the good thing was right now. It was good long ago, but it hurt now.

She woke up, and he wasn't there. The good monster was though, she was always there, just like...who was always there for her before? Blue and white, smiles, love, warm...hurt. She stopped trying to remember who the monster reminded her of. She didn't want to hurt.

She hugged the monster, which hugged her back and smiled. Part of her wanted to be scared when she saw the fangs, they reminded her of bad things, but she knew this monster wouldn't hurt her. It had been in her head before. She knew everything about this monster. It wanted her to be happy, it always tried to make the hurt go away. Even if it made the hurt worse when it tried to make it better. It was her Love. So that's what she called it.

A creature came in, one she didn't recognize. It said something to her, but she didn't care. She told it to go away, and Love agreed. Her monster hissed at the stranger, and she hissed too, and they made it go away. They did that often, chasing away the scary things. Love wouldn't chase away the big monster though. Love was nice to it, which was strange.

Actually, everything was strange here. The ponies smiled at monsters. The big pony was nice everyone, even to the big monster. The big monster was nice to everyone unless they did something stupid. Then she got angry. Sometimes Not Luna had to stop by and make the big monster stop being angry. He seemed good at that. Either that or big monster just didn't want him mad. The big monster was happier when Not Luna was happy. In fact, everypony seemed happier when Not Luna was happy. It was probably because they knew he'd make the bad things go away. He was good at that. She could trust him. Aunt Luna and Aunt Tia said so.

Cadance smiled at Love. Love told her Not Luna was coming. She didn't say he was coming, but she understood Love. Love spoke to her without words, like she knew big monster could. Not Luna would come, and she'd feel safe.

Cadance remembered Aunt Tia doing this. She sat by him as he talked to important ponies, to important creatures. Right now he was talking to griffons, talking about 'precision strikes' and 'guerilla warfare' and how to make Her hurt. The griffons didn't really like it, but they agreed, said there were too many bad monsters to kill them all, that the bad army grew too fast. She wanted to ask Not Luna to let her move closer, but she knew Aunt Tia got upset when she did that long ago. She also wanted to know if Not Luna would let her see Aunt Tia again. She wanted to feel safer, but she didn't want Not Luna to be upset. That was scarier than the griffons looking at her. Aunt Tia was upset with her once, and that made her feel bad. She didn't want to feel bad, even if it wasn't Aunt Tia.

Most of the griffons looked confused when they saw her, some even looked surprised. One looked very sad. He looked familiar, but she couldn't remember him. Couldn't find his name. He'd introduced himself; Herrick. It made her think of snow, of mountains, of blue and whi-

She stopped thinking about it. It was the bad kind of familiar, the kind that hurt. Made her remember things she didn't want to. She just watched, not really paying attention. She held Love close to her, and watched them. It wasn't interesting, but it distracted her. Distractions were good.

There was also a weird pony with the griffons. The weird pony looked at her when Cadance first walked in following Not Luna, and her eyes got big. The weird pony's mouth kept opening, like it wanted to say something, but it didn't. The weird pony was like the other griffon though. The bad familiar, the kind that hurt. The kind that was connected to something she didn't want to think about. It may have been happy once, in fact she was sure it was supposed to be, but she didn't like being around this pony.

It took a lot of time and a lot of words, but eventually everypony seemed satisfied. The griffons were smiling, Not Luna was smiling, the big monster was smiling, even the nice unicorns were smiling. She was sure the funny pegasus was smiling too, she smiled a lot. The funny pegasus was strange like that, she wanted everyone to smile. Cadance wondered if it was because the pegasus didn't want to be sad. It made the pink mare wish she could choose to not be sad. That would be nice.

Big monster took Not Luna aside after the meeting, said she needed to talk to him. Cadance didn't like it because it meant that she couldn't be close to him for a bit, but she still had Love, and he'd asked her to wait. He promised he'd be right back. So she waited, waited by the door to his room while they talked. She heard a lot of words, and she got curious. She pressed against the door, one ear perked.

"...like throwing it into a hole in the ground, Cimmer. She's eating it, but she's not processing it, not allowing herself to feel it. She's letting everything slide by, including the love she pulls from the link." big monster said, sounding kind of angry.

"What do you want me to do, Din? We don't have the knowledge of how to deal with this. Hell, I don't even know if this is something that happens enough to be a normal issue." Not Luna explained. "We call it PTSD back home; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Everyone experiences it differently, and honestly I'm just grateful she's not suicidal. But I understand. If you have any ideas that won't hurt her, let me know."

"I have one. She needs constant reassurance, but I need you to leave it to me. Don't help her tonight, alright? Let me try. If it doesn't work I'll let you know and you can go back to helping her your way." she said. Big monster sounded almost sad. It left Cadance feeling strange hearing that kind of tone from her.

Cadance looked down at Love, the little monster hugging her foreleg reassuringly. Who were they talking about? It didn't really matter, she supposed. She needed to go back to the room before Not Luna and the big monster found out she was at the door.

Cadance woke up in a sweat. The dreams were back, and they were always bad when Not Luna wasn't there. She looked to her left, seeing the alicorn sleeping in his bed, a wing over her. She wanted to curl up under it, but the dreams would just come back. Why didn't he stop the dreams? Why wasn't he helping her?

A soft chirrup from the door caused her ears to perk, and she looked over to see Love in the doorway, waving her over with a hoof. Cadance was confused, but knew Love wouldn't hurt her. She followed the changeling, walking through the dark hallways easily despite the low light. Not many ponies stayed up late, as their night vision was terrible compared to the other species. Even Cadance wasn't that good at seeing in the dark, though her pegasus magic improved her sight considerably. Still, there was no tripping, no bumping into walls. It was like she'd walked this path a thousand times before. She stepped to the side, letting a shiny black shadow pass by, only realizing afterwards she hadn't even seen it in the dark.

Cadance followed, and Love led the way. The little monster kept prancing ahead happily, and then turned into the room that led down into the tunnels. The alicorn stopped at the door, unsure of how to proceed. It only got darker from there, wouldn't she need a light? Love came back and ran behind her, playfully pushing the pink mare before darting forward again, the changeling's eyes visible as slits in the darkness ahead.

Despite her fears she followed. Something felt right about this, something about following Love made her happy. She descended into the tunnels, the occasional buzzing of wings alerting her to sleeping monsters napping in whatever free space they could find. She heard a few fly by, but they ignored her, they were busy. She followed Love to a door, then another. It was warmer here, it made some part of her feel safe. Some part of her mind was calling this home.

Flinging the last door open, Love galloped into the room, jumping up on the bed to the back of the room. Cadance blinked. It was a bed of sorts, just not one she'd think of sleeping on. She could see a slight glow from the strange sac, the nymph bouncing along its surface like she had when Aunt Tia had introduced the smaller alicorn to water beds. The little monster hopped around happily, then nuzzled something, chirping happily, before saying "Here!" softly in Equestrian.

Cadance's blood froze in her veins as the big monster opened its eyes, looking first at Love then at her. It stared at her for a long while, before shifting to her side. That's when the monster started talking. It didn't talk with words though. She started feeling things, started hearing ideas inside her head. The monster was calling her closer. She remembered the ponies that were pulled to the monsters, and she started backing up. She remembered the monsters hurting them, making them stop moving.

The big monster flinched, as did most of the little ones. The big one's smile stopped, and she looked sad. She pulled at one of the images. Cadance couldn't stop thinking of this one monster she watched, the empty eyes, the bloated body, but something else was hitting her from the monster besides comfort. The monster was sad about this picture.

Finally other pictures started flowing in. Cadance flinched at first, but they weren't forced like the others were. These flowed in, they almost felt like her own memories. The same monster from the last picture, looking down on her with a smile. The same monster from before, teaching her how to hunt. The same monster from before, telling her to leave; leave before the bad pony showed up.

Cadance blinked, not certain what was going on. What was it trying to say? Then she felt something, a pulling in her head. She saw them, her parents; a picture of her and her parents that she kept on her nightstand. Then another picture showed up. It was obviously just made, as it didn't look right, but it was the bloated monster and the big monster, both looking younger, both looking smaller. Then she understood.

The bloated monster was big monster's mom. It made sense to Cadance, she'd be sad if her mom ended up like that too. Where was her mom, anyway? She couldn't remember the town but maybe she could get Not Luna to take her there.

'1425 New Line Way, Outskirts of Mareland.'

Cadance blinked. Yes, that was the place. She could see it now, the small farm she grew up on, the town that blossomed into a city fairly quickly, the stall her parents used to sell their... what did her family sell again?

'Peaches'

Yea, peaches. The monster was smiling now, it wasn't as sad. Cadance understood a little more now. They both missed their moms, they both wanted to see them. The big monster helped her remember where her parents were, maybe they could go see them sometime in the future?

'Yes'

Cadance smiled a little too. The big monster wasn't so scary now, strangely enough. Love thought she was nice, Not Luna thought she was nice, even Aunts Luna and Tia told her she was nice. Maybe they were right.

'Here'

Cadance's smile fell a little. The big mons- the big changeling wanted her to move onto the bed. She didn't really want to. The memories said...she tried to use them, but the monster kept telling her they were wrong. That the ponies were hurt because the monsters were hurt. The big monster wasn't hurt, though. The big changeling was happy, and she wanted her friend, her sister to be happy. The queen wanted all of those in the link to be happy. Even her.

'Please?'

The alicorn took an uneasy step forward, then another. Despite her fear, she was soon at the bed. Love was beaming at her, as were a few other foals she saw before. Before she could try to pull herself up, the queen's horn lit up, and the alicorn was picked up in a warm glow. Her recovering wings beat in sudden panic from being lifted, the small feathers not strong enough to generate anything more than a slight breeze. The queen set her down in the cleared spot, right beside the queen's strangely soft shell, and Love and the foals quickly moved in. They cuddled up to her, purred their happiness, spoke to her mind about safety and warmth.

Cadance couldn't feel her fear anymore. She heard nothing but echoes of safety and warmth in her head. Echoes of happy monsters that looked forward to watching the sun rise the next morning. Monsters that couldn't wait to help their Mother and Father, who longed to bask in the warmth given off by the other creatures of the Temple. It was like no matter where she looked, she only found another hug, another reassurance. The voices were still there, but they didn't hurt. They never wanted to hurt her, she knew that, but now they didn't. They only offered reassurance.

Slowly, she found herself being lulled to sleep, the purring of the foals and the big changeling pulsing through her body. It was nice, like a massage. She felt her eyes getting heavy.

'Sleep'

The voice was soft, echoing through the link. The foals yawned and listened to the voice, quickly falling into the world of dreams. Cadance started to, but remembered the bad dreams. She started to get up when something caught her. She looked up and saw a diaphanous wing over her back, gently pushing her down like her mother had so long ago. She also noticed the mental pressure. It wasn't painful, not anymore. It was like someone was trying to hold her mind, her soul. It never went away, even in her sleep. It would watch her no matter where she was.

The pink mare allowed the wing to guide her back to the bed, a yawn escaping her muzzle. She was tired, and she was safe here. The monsters were her monsters, the monsters wouldn't hurt her, they wouldn't hurt one of their own. They would keep her safe, even in her dreams.

Cimmerian wandered into the changeling queen's dream once more. It was a strange place, now that she had her own hive. The dreams of other changelings were connected to it, they came and went as they pleased. Some were fully developed creatures, others came and went so fast they barely had time to take the form of a wisp before they'd left.

The queen was resting on her throne once more, a smile on her face. On a small cushion by the throne laid a pink alicorn mare, shifting in her sleep now and again. It brought a smile to his face. Maybe she could be helped after all?

"I'm happy to see your plan worked." He said softly, drawing the large changelings attention from the sleeping mare.

She looked up and smiled. "It took some effort, and a bit more patience then I'm used to, but I think I got something out of it as well." Without another word, an image appeared, this one of a bloated queen in a dungeon cell, eyes unseeing and with chains binding it to the floor.

"My mother is still alive, or was by the pink one's last memories of the place." the queen said, her voice cracking a bit. "I'm not sure how I feel about it though. On the one hoof, she's still alive, and that means that after the Mad Queen's fall, I can see her. On the other hoof, this isn't the mare I grew up knowing. I can only hope she's still in there somewhere. I hope she's suppressed, because if she's broken, I don't know what I'll do. Mother always said such weakness is to be wiped out, but then there's what I've learned here. Such connections give us strength, are to be nurtured and cared for.

"Cimmerian, if my mother is gone, what should I do? Should I fulfill her laws, or follow my own?"

The alicorn stepped closer, pulling the queen off her thrown with his aura and wrapping her in a hug.

"Din you're getting ahead of yourself. You're panicking over things that you don't have any control over, things that you may never see come to pass. There are hundreds of situations that could und up with the queens either freed before we get there, or destroyed. This doesn't help you. It doesn't help us.

"I'm glad to see you helping her though. It will be nice to know I don't have to watch over her constantly."

The queen gave him a sheepish smile. "It may have been fueled by my own selfishness as well." She said, breaking contact. She turned her back to him, and pulled him closer, wrapping his forelegs around her and rubbing her head against his neck and chin.

"It's hard to get personal time with you when she's clinging to you. Maybe this way, she can sleep with the hatchlings, and I can see if I can make it through a night without drinking in too much love."

The alicorn chuckled, reaching down to nip at her neck. "We'll just have to see, won't we? And as promised, if you can make it through one night, I'll let you see how much you can hold next time. With so many drones now linked though, I'm certain you could fill a large pool with the love you gather."

"That's already been dug" She said, smiling mischievously. "I plan on using it as a personal bathing area. Perhaps you can join me sometime?"

Author's Notes:

Enjoy XD

Don't Underestimate the Power of a Bored Mare

It started out innocent enough. A kiss here, a nip there, a nuzzle in exchange for a hug. Then it got mean. The alicorn and changeling queen started teasing each other in the worst ways; nips, kisses, growls, hisses, shoves, a few brushes against wings. It was honestly the most fun he'd had with her recently. Eventually he did have to leave the queen, but not before promising that if Cadance could be left alone tonight, they'd use his room this time. That had earned him the most wicked grin he'd ever seen the queen display. For most ponies and alicorns, it would have been a terrifying sight. For him? It only made him even more excited.

He ended up retreating to his own room for a while, letting himself recover from the, er, contact. The alicorn was fairly certain the queen was giggling to herself just as much as he was, but he needed to focus, he had other things to do right now. Concentrating, he managed to pull his wings in, a stupid grin still on his face.

'I think she had fun. Maybe as much as I did' he chuckled, floating back into the realm of dreams. He watched them for a moment, before noting an odd dream off by the griffon camp. It wasn't a nightmare, but it certainly wasn't a nice dream. He floated in, watching a young pegasus beating the ever-loving shit out of a large group of changelings, her wings having taken a few hits. Behind her were two more mares, a pale yellow earth pony mare guarding a unicorn, both looking equally terrified, though the earth pony at least struck out at the changelings that came to close. They were too young, though. The pegasus, the one Pandinus called out earlier, was a mere filly.

That's when Ted noticed the location. It was in a lavish room, the girls trying to hold a small supply room against a large number of the bugs. It bothered Ted though, how small the changelings looked, how weak and withered they all seemed. He watched the filly fight them for a long time. She never waivered, never lost hope. Eventually a wave of pink washed over the room, crushing all the drones against the far wall. Consisting of so little actual emotion, the corpses almost immediately dispersed, leaving nothing more than a few stray smears of green.

'The wedding invasion.' Ted realized, watching as what little remained of the changelings dispersed in the breeze generated by the fillies passing. 'Thus, the ponies first real contact with changelings was in a way that left them looking like mindless monsters that weren't actually people.

'And to think she'd already started fighting at such a young age.'

He watched them for a while, always sitting outside the mare's peripheral vision, listening to her chatter with her friends, watching her bounce around a blue haired and rainbow maned pegasus. She kept going on about how awesome the mare was, how fast she was, how strong she was. It was obvious she held the blue mare in high regard.

'Seems we've found Miss Dash.'

Eventually the dream started to fade out, but he reinforced it with his own magic. Immediately, the orange pegasus jumped, alerted to another presence. She looked around, hoping to find out what it was, noting how none of the others in her dream were moving. Donning a smile, Ted walked out into her line of sight.

"So that's Rainbow dash? Quite the colorful mane coloration. I'm going to hazard a guess and say it's her natural color." Cimmerian said with a smile.

"Yea, that's Dash. My hero, my role model... she was almost like an older sister to me." The pegasus said. She then looked at him suspiciously. "I thought Luna was in charge of dreams."

"Luna and I are a bit closer than we'd both prefer, though through no fault of our own." Ted answered. "Your friends called you Scootaloo, do you still use that name?"

"Yea, you never lose your name, but I do use the griffon one I have now as well. Especially when I'm working with them; Eloise is my name to the Talon's."

The mare kicked at the ground awkwardly for a few moments, looking for the proper words. "The, the pink alicorn. That was Princess Cadance, wasn't it?"

"You know her?" he asked with curiosity.

"I, yea. I was a flower filly at her wedding. My friends and I all were. I haven't seen her in years, but to see a pony that was always so happy just..."

"Pandinus is taking care of her right now." Cimmerian said with a smile. "She's needed constant contact and reassurance since we've found her, and I can't really think of a better source than Din. We'll do our best to help her."

"You really trust them, don't you? The bugs I mean." Before he could respond she waved him off. "They're different, I get it. I've never seen a drone that didn't have holes, much less an entire hive that was like that. Looking back, it makes all the other changelings I've seen over the years look downright sickly."

"The queen from the wedding, Din told me about her. She went mad from hunger, built that army of drones from what she could pull from animals. She was directing each one personally, which is extremely dangerous because if a drone dies while being controlled, the queen feels the death. Your capital was invaded by an army of empty shells." He looked around at the ponies still standing about in the dream. "She broke after the shield wiped her army out."

"Enough of this, though. Let's see about finding this Rainbow Dash, shall we?" He said with a grin, holding out a hoof.

"You can do that?" Scootaloo asked him, her eyes lighting up.

"If they're asleep, I can find them. Cross my heart, hope to die. If I lie, stick a needle in my eye."

The mare shuddered at the twisted version of the promise she knew so well. "I want you to show me a friend of mine first. Applebloom goes to bed early, so she should be in bed by now. Can you do her first?"

"Applebloom, huh? The light yellow earth pony from earlier?" At the orange pegasus' affirmative nod, he closed his eyes in concentration, pinging through the dream realm. He waited a few moments, pouring his power into the mare he was targeting, allowing her to construct her own dream even under the Mad Queen's anti-dream array. Far away, a return ping was finally given. He smiled, took the mares hoof, and the world shifted.

The next thing they saw was an apple farm. Ted marveled at the near-perfect fruit on every tree. Each apple became perfectly ripe at the same time on each tree. A sharp report from nearby drew their attention, and the alicorn and the pegasus both wandered the orchard, following the shouts of effort and the cracks of hooves against bark.

"Applebloom! Over here!" Scootaloo shouted, rushing over to her friend. The pegasus tackled the other mare, both rolling around giggling for a bit. Eventually they parted, the earth pony smiling brightly.

"Shoot, Scoots. If'n ya'd of told me ya was comin' I'da made ya some cider!" Applebloom gave one last kick against the tree even as Cimmerian entered the clearing, knocking the apples loose from their branches. "As it is, Ah still got a tonna apple buckin' to get done today."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "The day hasn't started yet, AB. This is a dream."

"A dream?" The pale yellow pony asked with a giggle "Silly Scoots, we don't have dreams anymore, remember? Not since, well, She took 'em."

"I respectfully wish to argue your point, Miss Bloom." The dark alicorn said, making himself known.

The earth pony looked at him, then scrunched her face up in confusion. "That ain't Luna. An since when was thar a alicorn tha' was also a stallion?"

"This is Cimmerian, AB. I met him while working with the Talons. He said he can help me find Rainbow Dash!" The pegasus said, hopping in place giddily.

Applebloom's eyes widened. "Can ya really do that Mr Cimmerian, sir? If ya can, I'd be mighty grateful if'n ya could find mah sister, Applejack. We ain't seen hide nor hair of her since Twalight went loco. Rarity too. She's the older sister of our other friend, Sweetie Belle. Same with two other mares. Ain't nopony heard from Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy for years."

"I'll do my best, Miss Bloom. In return, I'll ask that you let me know about any thing that happens on that side of the world, okay? I may stop by in a few days to ask you for the information. Anything you can supply us with would be helpful." Cimmerian said. If he was going to be helping them, he might as well find some way to help the Temple.

"Ah can do that. Ponyville's pretty quiet since Twalight took Canterlot. Always thought it was kinda odd she left her shiny new castle to use the princesses castle, but not much o' what she does makes sense anymore. Why, just the other day I heard tale of her attackin' other countries!"

"That one's true, AB" Scootaloo said quietly.

"Come on, Scootaloo. We need to get going." he said, drawing the mare from darker thoughts. " Say your goodbye's while I try to find Miss Dash."

Cimmerian tuned out the goodbye's, the threats, and the offers traded between friends. He sent the ping, and soon got a response from nearby. It was strange though. The ping was faint, nearly nonexistent. He pulled Scootaloo with him into the dream realm, and soon found the source. He made a dream himself, since the mare seemed incapable of it, before entering it.

The world was a black void, a formless emptiness that was much colder than it should have been. The pegasus unconsciously ruffled her feathers in discomfort, backing against him as they watched the area. He continued pinging, trying to find the dreamer. What caused her to be so distant? Why was she so deeply sleeping?

"This is odd." He said aloud, his voice echoing in the emptiness.

"Why is it so empty?" Scootaloo asked, looking around for any sign of activity.

Ted shook his head. "If I knew that I'd tell you." Again he pinged, finally feeling like he had a direction. He stood up, starting to walk in the direction of the echo. "I think we need to go this way."

The pegasus took off trotting after him, calling her hero every now and again. For what felt like an hour they wandered the void, nothing changing. After a while, the mare was nearly in tears.

"We'll never find her. This is supposed to be in her head right? Does this mean she's gone?"

"No, this is her mind. If she was gone, I don't think we'd even have gotten this far." Cimmerian told her, looking around. "It doesn't feel like we're getting closer, but I think it's because we can't from here."

"What do yo-" Her question was cut off when she suddenly shuddered, her form fading slightly. "What was that?"

The alicorn frowned. "That's someone waking you up. Talk to someone about getting a tranquilizer or a sleeping brew and joining me in the dream realm again later. Call Luna if you need to, she's wandering the area. If you sleep too late you'll catch her attention just by the fact of there not being more dreams about.

"Luna's out here too?" She asked, surprised.

"Not so much out here in the Temple grounds as she was always able to wander the dream realm." He told her as they walked. "Doesn't matter when there are no dreams though, does it? Take your time, Scootaloo, this may be a several-night endeavor."

Even as the orange pegasus faded from the dream, the alicorn frowned. What put the mare in such a deep state of mental hibernation?

It had taken so long to get any reaction out of the first mare that he'd decided to try the others, only to get the same results. All of the mares the that the farmer had mentioned seemed to be in some sort of deep hibernation, at least the ones he'd checked so far.

"What in the world is up with these mares?" he wondered aloud as he was finally giving up on the fourth one, Fluttershy. There was almost no activity, almost like they were in some sort of coma. No, that wasn't right, even people in comas dreamed, didn't they? Wait, what happened when people in comas couldn't dream? Did their minds shut down?

Sighing in exasperation at his current situation, he left the empty shell of a dream and pinged the last one. These mares were all relatively close to each other, likely prisoners somewhere. In fact he'd say it was the same room. Were they in changeling pods? How long would a pony last without a changeling watching over them?

'Din or Mirage would know the answer to that.' He thought, touching down in the final empty dream.

He looked around once more, and again was only greeted by a black void. 'Another empty mind.' He realized.

"Come on, just let one of these girls be reachable." He shouted, stomping a hoof.

A hoof nudged him from behind, drawing his attention to a pink pony behind him.

"If you're here for poker night, you're late. You'll have to ask everyone really, really nicely if you want to join in."

"So you brought them over for poker?" the alicorn asked, following the pink pronking pony.

"Well yea, what else are we gonna do sitting here for days on end?" She said with an eye roll. "It's not like we can just ask Meanie-Light for a vacation or something."

The pink pony led him to what appeared to be a small house, complete with a picket fence that reminded him of sugar. Actually the entire house looked like it was made of some sort of candies or baked goods. She walked up to the door, knocked a few times, then opened the door anyway. "Watch your head." She called back as she disappeared into the building.

It was odd, like something out of a science fiction cartoon or something. "It's bigger on the inside." He muttered, looking around at he mansion-styled receiving room. In fact, the building seemed to be divided into sections, each following a different style. One stairway led to an elegant room, where he could see portraits and fine china even from the door. Another led to what looked like a room made of clouds. The ground floor split into four rooms, oddly enough, two seemed like homely cottages, while the third was in the same style of the outside. The fourth however was his destination.

As he got closer to this door, some sort of living room, a raucous laughter could be heard within.

"I swear, there's no way she knew I was bluffing! She had to be cheating!" A scratchy voice was saying.

Walking into the room, he got a good view of each of the mare's he'd been trying to find for the last, well who knows how long it was in reality? Each of the mares was exactly as they'd been at the wedding, if a year or two older by his estimate. It seemed he was right on that part at least; the girls here were being held in some sort of suspended animation or something like that. That still left the question of why. What good would preserving these girls do whoever was keeping them imprisoned?

"Oh, she's...here..." A white unicorn said as she noticed him. "Uh, Pinky dear? That's not Luna."

"I never said it was Luna, I said it looked like Luna." The bubbly mare next to her said as she reshuffled the cards. "It's not my fault you jump to conclusions."

All eyes were soon on him, the looks he received ranging from fear to shock. The only exception was the pink mare, her focus more on the cards than anything else. The yellow pegasus fainted, drawing the attention of the white unicorn who immediately started fanning her with a paper fan.

"No way." Rainbow Dash said in a whisper, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull. "No bucking way, we got rid of it. The Nightmare was destroyed!"

"Uh, technically it abandoned ship." Ted said with a sheepish smile. "You look familiar. I think I saw you just after I got pulled here. Everything was a bit fuzzy, though. I was suffering from a pretty bad spell recoil at the time, too."

"Course you've seen us before, Nightmare Moon!" Rainbow Dash shouted, jumping in front of her friends and flaring her wings. "We kicked your flank once, and we'll do it again!"

"Uh, Dash? Don't mean ta burst yer bubble, but we kinda don't have the Elements this time around." An orange mare stage whispered to her friend, taking a supporting position behind her.

The alicorn blinked. "The Elements of Harmony. That's you girls?" At their confused nods, he laughed. "Oh my god, this is perfect! Do you know where you are?"

The mares looked around at each other, thrown off by the sudden mood shift from the monster. The white unicorn managed a response first.

"And why, pray tell, would we give you such information?"

"So I can figure out how to break the array of course." He answered with a grin. "Luna told me the elements are being used to power the spells that keep Celestia and herself trapped, while the element bearers were petrified. If I can get you girls clear, the Mad Queen's power base will collapse on itself. You're literally the base element of her entire campaign."

"Campaign?" The blue pegasus asked. "You make it sound like Twi's nutty idea of using the Elements of Harmony to capture the princesses actually worked. We've just gotta wait until Princess Celestia knocks some sense into that egghead, and makes her let us go."

Ted stared at the pegasus before shifting his gaze to each of the mares, unsure how to proceed. "How long have you girls been here?" He finally managed to ask.

"About two weeks?" The orange mare guessed, raising a hoof to her chin. "Don't rightly know. Nothin' really breaks up the days, an til' Pinks over there figured out how to get us all over here, Ah was mighty bored."

At his conflicted look, the unicorn shifted uncomfortably. "Um, excuse me, Mr Nightmare. Was our estimate incorrect?"

"I, It's Cimmerian, Miss. And I'm not the Nightmare, it swapped places with me when you launched the Rainbow Death-ray at it. I took the hit instead. I was just recently released from the armor after spending a long time trapped in it." He braced himself, trying to figure out how to say this nicely. "I was released about forty years after my imprisonment."

The blue pegasus mare giggled uncomfortably at the information. "F-forty years? Yea right! There's no way the princesses would let Twilight lock us up for that long, right girls? ...Girls?"

The others were all staring at the doorway the larger alicorn had just walked in through. In the doorway was a much smaller Luna, nearly the size they'd first seen her all those years ago. Next to her was an orange pegasus, staring at Rainbow Dash with tears in her eyes.

"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo whispered in disbelief.

The rainbow maned pegasus just stared at the newcomers, shaking her head while taking a step back. "No, there's no way. There's no buckin' way." She whipped around to face the larger alicorn with angry tears beginning to pour down her face.

"You think this is funny? You think I find it funny, being told I've been away from her for that long? Just you wait, you jerk! I'm gonna get loose, and I'm gonna kick your flank so hard you won't be able to sit on it for the rest of your life!"

"Oh stars and sun, it is you!" Scootaloo said, taking the younger mare in a crushing hug. "It's been so long, I thought you were gone, I though you were dead, I just, I, I don't care. Nothing matters now.

"I found you, and you're alive!" The mare said, her words degrading into sobbing into the blue pegasus' barrel.

Even as Dash floundered in the embrace of the orange pegasus, the others were looking at Luna with desperate eyes.

"Tell us he's wrong, Luna. Please tell us he's lyin'." the orange mare asked her. The others were staring at the spectacle, whimpering and muttering their own fears.

"Tell me Lil' Bloom ain't on her own. Tell me mah little sister ain't been left to take care o' the farm on her own."

"She wasn't, Applejack." Scootaloo answered quietly. "Me and Sweetie helped her. Big Mac did too, until he was drafted. He spent about ten years in the Royal Guard, then came back. Was even quieter then before, but he worked just as hard."

"An, an Granny?" Applejack asked, scared of the answer.

"She...I'm sorry AJ. Granny Smith passed about ten years ago."

The pink mare was at her side in a flash, in fact Ted was certain the pink pony left an after-image at her seat.

"It's wrong." Dash said, pushing away from Scootaloo. "There's now way this happened. This is you isn't it? You made it a nightmare. That's what you do isn't it?"

"Dashie, he can't." Pinkie said, stroking the grieving farmer's mane gently, even as her own mane lost some of its volume.

"Indeed." Luna said, speaking for the first time. "After all, this is no dream, is it miss Pie? I would place it more along the lines of an extremely vivid hallucination."

The pink pony nodded. "It is. It's nice to see you again, Princess."

"The feeling is mutual Miss Pie." Luna said with a wan smile. "I'm glad to see you retain your minds after so long. I feared the time would be less than kind on you. Please do not attempt to lash out at Cimmerian. He has done much to aid my sister and I. Even now he gives Cadance safe harbor." The smaller alicorn turned to the larger. "Speaking of Cadance, I did not see her last night. Where is she?"

"She's with Pandinus, Luna. We're hoping we can use the link to wean her off constant physical contact like she now requires." He answered. "The link allows the queen to know where Cadance is and if she starts to panic, Din can talk to her from anywhere. Basically she's never alone, even if she ended up miles away. Or at least I think that's how it works, I don't know if the link has a range."

"Queen?" Rarity asked.

"Cimmerian's home has become a sanctuary for all races. I've seen the dreams of thestrals, ponies, griffons, and changelings there. The Temple of the Shadows was once a temple dedicated to my possessed form, Nightmare Moon. Now it fulfills a role I'd never imagined. Blur especially cites the Temple as a place where the shadows protect the weary and the homeless." Luna turned to Fluttershy, the pegasus watching cautiously from the back. "She reminds me you actually, Fluttershy. It would not surprise me if you two were related."

"Changelings?" Rainbow Dash said. "You let changelings wander your home? Are you nuts?" She turned to the mare that continued to stay by her side "Tell him he's nuts, Scoots, you talked about being worried about those things for a long time after the invasion."

Scootaloo chuckled nervously, not wishing to go against her hero. Luna raised an eyebrow at the interactions. "Perhaps you would be interested to know a changeling queen is currently residing in the Temple as well?" The small alicorn giggled at the shocked expressions of the gathered bearers. "In fact, I believe she successfully courted Cimmerian." At that Luna's grin became downright malicious.

"Do not attempt to deny it, you carry her magic in your aura. She also dreams of you quite often."

"Thanks mom, I'll be sure to bring up your flings, like True Strike and Hidden Strength." He said with an eye roll before shuddering. "God, I'm not digging any farther than the names. Did you at least wait till the second date?"

"Why would I delay such wonderful opportunities? Oh! Perhaps you could learn something for use with your mate?" Luna teased mercilessly. "I'm certain you could learn plenty of things your mare would find pleasurable if you were to look."

"But- Luna, for the love of god, those are your memories! Doesn't that bother you!?!" he sputtered.

"Not really. After all, most gentlecolts won't delve into such things, not when the physical sensations are there." she said with a giggle. "In other words, I don't think you'd ever actually touch them."

Cimmerian rubbed the top of his muzzle with a hoof. "This has been a blast, Luna," he said, waving her off with a hoof "but I need to get going. I know it was morning a while ago. I need to go make sure everyone hasn't given up on me and started taking casket measurements."

"You-you're just going to leave us here? After telling us that?" Dash yelled at the alicorns "What are we supposed to do, sit here and twiddle our hooves in the meantime?"

Ted looked around at the gathered ponies. "I can't stay here forever, girls. I have others who are looking for help, others who are in even worse situations than yours. You said yourselves you didn't even notice how long it's been. For those who are still walking the world, things have become dangerous. I'm doing what I can, and you're on my list, but that list expands every day."

"Scootaloo! No mentioning them to the griffons. I know you trust them, but all it takes is one griffon getting that information, one griffon getting it in their head that they can pull the array down to lead to the death of every single one of these mares. For now, see about getting an actual location for the array using them. We pull it down, preferably by pulling them out of it, and the Nightmare can't hold Luna and Celestia any more. The griffons and minotaurs are going to be striking back against her very soon, I'd like to use the distraction to pull them out of the fire if we can."

Rarity blinked at the wording. "Wait, Nightmare? But Twilight's the one... with... you can't seriously be telling me that the dear's been-"

"I need to go, someone's been shaking me for the last few minutes. I'll reinforce the dream-side of this world, so Luna and Scootaloo can stay longer, but I need to leave. Luna, fill them in. Scootaloo, I'll be counting on you to help me help them."

The orange pegasus took a long look at her hero before slamming a hoof across her chest in a griffon salute.

"Be well, ladies. I'll stop by as I'm able. Luna, I'm counting on you to get her back to her dream when this one gives out." With one last burst of power, the alicorn exited the dream and made his way back to the Temple. Reclaiming his own body, he jerked awake, staring hatefully at the one who'd been poking him.

His anger fell as he took note of the queen sitting there looking at him with a concerned expression. He looked out the window and finally took note of how dark it looked.

"Din? What time is it? How long was I ou-ow!" He muttered, shifting and stretching his body. He felt abnormally stiff, and strangely hungry. Just how long was he gone anyway?

Ted rolled his eyes as he stuffed his face with leftovers from dinner. It was nearly sunset when he'd awoken, much to his dismay. The orange mare was currently in the infirmary being watched over by a few medical experts they'd picked up, ranging from changeling field medics to a griffon surgeon.

"...can't believe you left me to deal with both the griffons and Cadance. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is? It was like my entire day just zipped by. I had to not only guide the changelings, but the griffons and the ponies too! Do you know how irritating it is trying to guide creatures that don't listen? And don't even get me started on the mercenaries, constantly demanding my attention, that I actually speak to them in person instead of having a drone stand in my place. Fools, I'm a queen, I have other things to do than entertain them!"

'Kinda like trying to court a creature that doesn't understand my definition of love, I would assume.' The alicorn thought. Still, he let her rant. He hadn't meant to leave her in charge of the Talons for the day, either, but she'd done well from what he could tell. Even asked them to send any refugees they could find their way as well as offering some extra jarred emotion as proof of their words if it was needed. At the rate the hive was growing though, the temple would be a primarily changeling city before long. Maybe he'd need to finally do some advertising? Yes it was dangerous, but with the queen looking over the remains of the griffon's country and preparing for an assault on the minotaurs, she wasn't going to be looking at him for a while now.

'I'll have Scootaloo pass the word around. I'm sure she hangs out in the kinds of places that cater to the kinds we've been picking up anyway.'

The alicorn took one last sip of water and then drank the last bits of changeling honey, as the residents had begun to call the processed emotions. He needed every boost he could get, and if the pink goo helped him become more capable of defending his family, so be it.

"Are you listening to me? You better not be ignoring me, Cimmerian, I-"

A flash of light cut the queens rant off, leaving them both sitting in his room. Before she recovered, he smashed his lips into hers, using his magic to lift her onto his bed.

"I know I made you a promise, Din." He whispered into her ear before trailing nips down her neck. "I want to thank you for taking care of the Temple while I was out of it. I didn't forget my promise, I just found the Elements of Harmony today, and got distracted talking to them." He used a hoof to lay her on her back, gently pressing his barrel against her own. "I promise I'll make it up to you though."

The queen's mind was still hitching, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic and location. "I, I can try some of the things Cadance knows, I mean I know how to-"

He put a hoof to her lips, silencing her. "This is about you and me tonight, Cuddlebug." he softly said while smiling. "Tonight is going to be like trying food. It's going to be about enjoyment, about learning about each other, about fun. No pulling from a veteran. Now then, are you ready to finish what we started earlier?"

"B-but don't, sound ward?" She floundered, eyes tinting slightly despite not actively consuming the love. She giggled slightly, the saturation of love and lust in the air flooding her senses despite her attempts at resistance.

"I've had to put up with them for the first few nights before I learned the sound wards." The alicorn grinned, baring his fangs to the queen below him. "They'll live through one night."

Author's Notes:

Realized I didn't have any kind of warning about this, so if you're curious what happens later that night and aren't too squeamish, you can read it here: Defining Love

No lies, started writing this one and it got away from me. Next thing I know, I'm looking at a word count of 4k+ and I'm no where near a good end-point.

Wedding: I don't remember anything about the fillies during the wedding, but honestly, except for the numbers, I can easily see a few fillies fighting them off in a small area. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were tons of places where this happened, where the queen's focus was lacking and the drones were easily beaten.

Mane Six:*whiney voice* But Reykan, how could Pinkie-

Shut up, you damn well know the answer by now if this fandom has taught you anything. In fact, I could say Pinky is secretly pulling the strings, that Pinkie influenced the Nghtmare's spell, or that Pinkie already knows exactly how everything's going to turn out, and that Pinkie does, in fact, know that Time Turner is an alien.

Don't look at me like that, he was both a pegasus and an earth pony. What else would you call it but regeneration?!? I'm not mad, I'm perfectly sane! It's everyone else that's crazy!

Oh, and shippers? This video's for you. You know, in case it wasn't obvious enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHEsE9yN2CY

A God Without Worshippers

Warm. That was all his brain first registered as the alicorn finally came around the next morning. Warm, soft, and oh so very inviting. The night before was a blur, but what he could remember left his face between a grin and a blush. The two of them, Cimmerian and Pandinus, had very different ideas of what their night should entail. The queen was to the point; they were there for a purpose. He went along with it at first, but the next round, he was pretty sure she was convinced of the superiority of, well, enjoying their time together.

It didn't take long for someone to disturb him. By now he knew it was a forgone conclusion; the second he was comfortable in bed, some resident of the Temple would come along needing him for something. So as he sat in bed, the queen cuddled into his side in the much softer and more sensitive form of her alicorn disguise and the stallion swirling a pitcher of water in his magical grip, he pondered how to proceed. First order of business would obviously be a shower, one that would unfortunately have to be pretty quick. Wouldn't be able to get Swift and Humble in for it either, as the fewer citizens in the room right now the better. Next a quick brunch, then he'd be sending off the mercenaries. Herrick was supposed to be taking off today.

Nodding to himself, he tried several times to detach himself from his current captor, the queen's grip being much stronger than he remembered. It was probably the love she'd picked up despite not feeding during their, eh, fun. An idea popped into his head, and he started blowing into her ear. She flicked it a few times, before opening her eyes with an irritated scowl.

"Why are you doing that?"

"We need to get up." he told her, pulling her into a tighter embrace for a moment. "We're going to need a bath, and I think we'd have more time to enjoy it if we took it together."

The queen grunted in irritation, slowly disentangling herself from the stallion and making her way to the bathroom. She dispersed her disguise in a flash of ashen fire, leaving her true form visible even as she powered the arrays to heat the freshly drawn bath-water. It was a close thing, but they could both fit if they didn't lie down. Suddenly the door burst open, three drones buzzing in and starting to scrub and brush both of them down. At his confused look, the Din giggled.

"What good are drones if you can't take advantage of them every now and again?"

The alicorn shook his head, splaying his wings for the drone carrying his large feather brush, opting to use his own magic to lather a shampoo into most of his fur. He chuckled as the queen purred at the cleaning, leaving the bath-water churning around her.

'She's her own hot-tub when she runs the heating array.'

Both left the bedroom substantially more presentable, though they opted to leap or hover to the nearby balcony from the bathroom instead of traversing the biological disaster area that his room had become. As they flew around to the main entrance to hit the dining hall, Pandinus said she'd already sent several more drones to the room to help with the clean up. At the very least, they wouldn't have to worry about the pony servants being traumatized by the nightly activities of a male with magically enhanced endurance and a female that was empowered by love.

Ted laughed at the sight of the changelings in the dining hall, a few still having a slight pink tint to their eyes as proof of last nights bounty. Obviously there was no denying it, the scattered residents whispering and laughing amongst themselves as the two walked in. Even Scootaloo was present for the meal, though she still seemed to be recovering from the mental duress she'd undergone the last few days.

"So much for not feeding last night." He said, giving the queen a shove with his flank as they made their way to the buffet table. Both filled plates, though Pandinus' was smaller as hers was merely for enjoyment.

"Tell you what, Cimmer. Go out to the river and shove your head in the water. Hold it there for a few minutes, and don't drink any water." The queen responded as they took their seats, a second large chair having joined his some time ago. "While I managed to shunt what I accidentally absorbed to the hive, it's quite difficult to not inhale the love I was drowning in when my conscious mind takes a sudden vacation. After all, for the longest time, I was desperately draining every bit of emotion I could find just to survive."

The queen took a few bites of a breakfast wrap, rolling the taste around her mouth for a few moments before continuing. "That being said, you've left me in a horrible position. While the love I can feed on afterwards was nothing to sneeze at, I'd rather not get washed away like I was the first time. Yes, it was mostly because of the blood rage that it was so intense, but I still sensed quite a bit of love last night, possibly enough to leave me feeling bubbly for a few days."

"And the issue is?" The alicorn asked, buttering a few pancakes. Oh, how he loved pancakes. The only thing he couldn't find out here was maple syrup. That was kind of depressing.

"The issue is I find myself with the horrible decision of either feeding to my hearts content or enjoying our time together to the fullest. It can be, difficult," the queen said before trailing her tongue along his neck "to enjoy the experience properly when my mind is clouded by so much love."

The alicorn rolled his eyes. "Heaven forbid you have to choose between pleasure or gorging. I wonder how many queens would have killed for that kind of problem."

Din giggled at the idea. "All of them, I assume." She leaned into his neck, breathing deeply as she placed her muzzle against his neck. "And I'd do the same to keep this problem.

"Oh, I do believe I have a solution!" She said after a few more inconsequential bites. "I do believe we can bypass the problem altogether by doubling the amount of nights we spend together."

Ted laughed at the proposal. "Oh, and this is different from your current agenda how, miss sneak into my room every night when she first molted?"

She responded with a pout. "If you don't want to keep me warm at night, I suppose I'll have to find someone else to do it."

"I never said I don't want you there. After all, you're very comfortable when you start purring." The alicorn said as he stood up to get a second helping of breakfast.

"It's so sweet!" Blur said, seated across from a new pegasus she'd introduced herself too. "I mean they always hang around each other, but he usually doesn't return the affection so publicly. I'm not sure if it was because he was nervous about it or because he didn't want to encourage her teasing."

"Sweet isn't the word I'd use, kid." Scootaloo responded. "The two are strange enough on their own. I mean I barely remember the first queen I've ever seen, and I saw her when I was a filly. This one's a saint compared to that one, but I'm pretty sure that by the time both of them are done growing, you said he drinks the honey too? I'm pretty sure by the time both of them are done growing, they'll be around the size princess Celestia was at before she was captured. I think they're getting close, too; maybe they'll pass her?"

Turning back to her conversation partner, Scootaloo hummed as she gazed at the yellow pegasus. "So how did you end up out here? I know I came in with the Talon's and I think five or six of the local ponies came in from Zarris, but otherwise..."

"Oh, I was part of the original group that participated in the ritual. We freed Father from the armor he was trapped in, in fact Shadow Weaver managed to create a ritual that basically created a new body for Father's spirit based on his old one. I, I'm ashamed to say this, but most of us thought he would kill us at one point. Even I was part of that group, but within a week I'd learned the truth. He watches us, he protects us, and for when he's not there to do it himself, he teaches us to defend ourselves."

"It was really bad before he was here." The yellow mare said quietly. "I honestly didn't think we'd survive the week, much less the year. Now ponies are forming herds, planning families, some even hope to have their own homes some day."

"When did that start? Calling him Father, I mean." The orange pegasus asked between bites of her meal.

Blur stared at her plate for a moment, the memory still vivid for her. "For me it was when I saw him put on his armor. He was so scary, yet he was so kind. He hugged me, and told me he'd help us, that the shadows weren't to be feared. For the others, I think it was after the gnoll raid. Most of us were easily overpowered. We weren't fighters, we were just a bunch of ponies lost in the jungle. Even the griffon Amald was overpowered by the raiders. Then he came back from his expedition. He came back, he saw us being taken away, and he just, he ripped them apart."

"Can you even imagine it? To be so certain that what little freedom you had was gone, and to turn, with chains around your neck, to see a creature you already knew wanted nothing more than your protection? He started glowing, I swear he looked bigger, he moved with such grace, I think even his voice changed a little when he was going after them. He passed out in his room afterwards from exhaustion, I think, but the second he was awake, he was here, making sure everyone was okay. That was when I knew he truly loved me, that he truly loved us all." She mumbled, tears forming in her eyes. "I started telling them about what he told me, how he wanted us to be happy, how he wanted to keep us safe, and they listened. Soon, it wasn't just me calling him Father. It spread after that, and soon it just became so common, even the newest residents were picking it up."

The orange pegasus mulled the information over for a moment, something about it bothering her.

"You said you freed him from armor?"

"Yes, the Nightmare's Raiment. We retrieved it from the Castle of the Alicorn Sisters. It was why most of us were scared at first. Weaver said it would pit two alicorns against one another. At best, they'd destroy each other. At worst, the winner would be weakened enough to be beaten by other beings. It, it didn't work out that way though. I know he responded to Nightmare for a while, but...but I can't help but think it wasn't his real name, like he was humoring us. Now I know Father's true name. I know it may sound strange, but I don't think he's the same creature that was bound to the princess all those years ago. All those tales of cruelty, of killing those who spoke against it. They're just too different from Father's actions."

"That's quite the leap of faith."

"I know, but faith and hope was all we had back then." Blur told her. "Now we have a future. I'd say our faith and hope was well placed. Father didn't let us down. Even when we worried about the changelings, even when some whispered against his keeping the queen here, we held faith. She was sickly, she spoke in broken Equish, she just looked so scared all the time. Now look at her. She shines in the sunlight, she's the hive-mother of the changelings that come to the temple, and, and she's becoming so much more than a ruler every day. She's starting to fulfill the role of a Mother to Cimmerian's role as a Father." The mare giggled at the memory. " I know it's strange, but with how close she is to Father, it felt right. So one day I started to call her Mother. She didn't say anything, just kind of stared at me for a long while. I think it confused her. It still leaves her looking at me strangely some days, and some of the other residents look at me like I've grown a second pair of wings when I say it, but it feels right. It also makes me feel better, it makes me feel at home."

"I lost a lot over the years. I still don't know where my parents went, and my bothers... I need this. I need Father to be there for me, I love having Mother there, knowing she has eyes on everything that happens here. Even my dreams are guarded by my new family. What more could I ask for?"

A moment of silence settled between the two before Blur spoke again.

"Did he help you find her?"

At the orange mare's shocked expression, she smiled. "I heard you speaking about losing someone, and I know Father likes to help us. You slept most of the day away, so I assume you were with Father for most of the time. Did you find who you were looking for?"

"Yea. Yea I found her. Not in the way I was expecting, but I found her."

Blur reached a hoof over, laying it over the other mares hoof. "I'm sure he'll do what he can to help her too, and you if you ask him. If you need it, you can always come here. Everyone is welcome at the Temple of the Shadows."

"Even dragons?" Scootaloo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Look around you. We have changelings and gnolls, both creatures that ponies tell horror stories about, living here with us and the worst thing that happens is fights breaking out. There's no enslavement, no hypnotism. The only times I've seen changelings use those pods of theirs is to either help heal someone or to keep a prisoner contained." Blur explained. "We actually had a dragon from Zarris, Sahkest show up for a party we had. Father said we needed one, that it was our reward for making it so far. I think he wants to make it a yearly thing too, a founding party. No one said a word, no one panicked when he showed up. Sure there was some nervousness, but he was here with something for Father, said he was dropping something off." she smiled fondly at the memory. "I would have bet bits that Father would have claimed the queen that night, considering how smashed both were, but even drunk he isn't like that. Watch for them, Miss Scootaloo. If you see ponies or griffons, or thestrals or any creature that is lost or without hope, send them here. We wont turn away someone who needs help."

Blur gestured across the room, where Cadance was leaning against the larger alicorn even as Amare leaned into her own side. "He spent so much time watching Cadance, making sure she felt safe. I know that he'd do the same for anyone who asked for his help."

"What do you mean we still have him?" Ted shouted at the queen as they walked outside.

"He's in the storage tunnels down below. Grift said the pony he talked to paid him to keep Pivot Pelt here, said that it was the quietest month they've had since the pest was transferred to this area." Din said, fishing for the information even as she spoke. "Grift also says that they're interested in purchasing changeling honey if we ever end up with enough to sell, and he said he picked up the form for the trade caravan."

The alicorn glared at the queen, as if attempting to send his anger down the link at the drone. "And he didn't mention this earlier, why?"

"What do you mean you forgot?" Pandinus yelled, forgetting she was using the link. "I don't care if you told us now, you should have told us a week ago!"

"He had one job." The queen huffed, dropping her connection to the lazy changeling. "One job and he managed to fuck it up."

"Hey now," Ted said with a grin, shoving her "I'm the only one allowed to use those expletives, they're mine. You're stuck with buzz and buck and the pony swears."

"Just because the followers don't use them around you doesn't mean they don't use your words." She retorted. Several seconds later, she smiled. "Ten seconds, and I can tell you I heard at least twenty uses of either shit, fuck, damn, bitch, or hell. Only four of those were from changelings."

Cimmerian blinked, looking at the queen in confusion. "You can get sort through that much information? Wouldn't you need to, I don't know, listen to every conversation going on around the temple for that kinda thing?"

"It's simpler than that, actually. I just tell them to ping me when they hear the words being used. Much easier than trying to sort through all that noise." She explained. She nodded to the griffons, most of their gear packed up. "It looks like they're just about ready to go."

"Herrick!" The alicorn shouted, drawing the attention of the Talon leader. "It was a pleasure to have you and your band. I'm sorry I was unavailable yesterday, something important drew me away."

"Yes, Eloise told us of that. I don't know what you two found, but I've never seen that mare so happy while at the same time depressed before." The griffon said as he approached. "I can't thank you enough for the rune. The mad queen's achieved victory after victory against us, and to be able to rub this in her face? I'll let you know when I get in touch with the minotaurs, I'm certain that they'll want to thank you for a way to defend themselves."

"Just give me plenty of warning. That's quite the trip, and I don't want to leave the Temple for too long, not when I'm providing both shelter and food for so many creatures here." The alicorn said with a smile. "Tell your guys to be careful, Herrick. The Mad Queen's not herself, and these victories may provoke her."

"What do you mean she's not herself?" The griffon asked in confusion.

"Do your people know of Luna's fall?" the alicorn asked. At the griffons nod, he continued. "Twilight fell to the same demon, or at the least the same type of demon. It really shouldn't surprise anyone, honestly. Alicorns are some of the strongest creatures on the planet. If one is caught in a moment of mental weakness, they make tempting targets. I don't know much about the creature, but it seems to be attempting to drive the world into the ground, so to speak. Destroying all the countries around it. That's why I don't think it will stop with the griffon and minotaur lands; it wants to make sure there's nothing out there to challenge it."

"Just do what you can to make the parasite miserable, Herrick. Celestia and Luna are still out there, and I know you all saw Cadance while you were here. If nothing else, give hope to your people. Let them know the Mad Queen's reign is not going to last much longer. Her power-base is a carefully constructed deck of cards. Pull one or two pieces, and it all falls apart. The drones were the first piece, and I have an idea of how to break a second. I just need some time to build up here, to make sure my people can make do without me for a while."

"Take this with you as well." Pandinus said, a drone arriving with a jar of pink glowing liquid. "I'd pick up some magical shielding for it while in Zarris, but most of the local drones that you'd attract with this around here have joined my hive. It's concentrated love, and it is extremely potent; a sapient drone could live off of a single drop for a week."

"You could use it for bait, if needed. Set it nearby in a strong container, destroy a crystal, and the drones would swarm it, trying to break into the container to get at it. I wouldn't use the whole jar for bait, but it's up to you."

The griffon eyed the glowing jar suspiciously for a moment, before turning back to the pair. "Why are you so hell bent on giving away this kind of stuff? First the rune, then liquid love. Surely you get something out of this."

"I'm doing this to help Luna and Celestia. Luna's been teaching me magic and providing a lot of insight into leading." Ted told the griffon.

The queen was silent for a moment, looking between the two as she planned her answer. "The Mad Queen has my mother. Anything that brings me closer to seeing my mother again, be it to free her, or to end her torment, is worth any price."

"Those drones you see attacking griffon settlements? Any of them could have been of my mothers brood, but from what I've learned from the injured alicorn she is a shadow of her former self. A mindless broodmare that exists for the sole purpose of laying eggs. I will not leave her to that fate. Even if I need to end her life myself." She finished, her voice cracking somewhat at the end.

Cimmerian placed a wing over her comfortingly and nuzzling her gently. "We'll get her out of there, Din. I'm sure she'd be proud of your hive, as well as your physical appearance."

Herrick was silent at the news. He watched as Scootaloo passed him by, picking up her gear and signaling her readiness. After seeing the same signal coming from all of his soldiers, he turned back to the pair.

"Thank you for your efforts against her, Cimmerian, and for opening your home to my people when they lost theirs. I know we're supposed to be mercenaries, but the Talons are griffons first and foremost, and a griffon without his honor is nothing. When the minotaurs finally do ask for you, I'll send some mercenaries to escort you to our base of operations for the area."

The old griffon gave him a knowing smile. "After all, the world isn't as large as most would assume if you have access to the right gear."

With that the mercenaries left, leaving the two large rulers pondering his words. Their thoughts were interrupted by a poke to Ted's side.

"Father?" Blur spoke, attempting to get his attention. "Scootaloo told me to let you know, when she left, that she'd be letting Applebloom have the good news in three days, so don't ruin it for her."

The alicorn blinked at the time-table, his mind attempting to wrap around the possibility. Getting to Equestria in three days should have been impossible, much less so far into the country. Then the words of the griffon leader hit him, causing him to burst into laughter.

Even as the queen stared at him like he was going insane, he wiped a merry tear from his eye.

'You cheeky little bastard, you have a teleport grid or something like that squirreled away at your base, don't you?'

That the two of them would even so much as hint at some sort of fast-travel system for travel between their bases, much less give such an obvious helping of information, it was impressive. In fact, he'd guess that under normal circumstances such information would be guarded jealously.

"What's so funny? Did I miss something?" Din asked, still as confused as he'd been a few moments ago.

"I'll explain tonight in the dream realm, I'd rather not break the trust he's put in me." Ted told her, hugging her with a wing. "Now come on, I want to see how the mine's coming along."

Pandinus rolled her eyes. "I could show you in the my dream, you know. Having so many drones lets me paint a fairly accurate picture."

"I know, but if I start relying on you for that, I don't get out as much. I just spent the last day sleeping, I need to catch up." Turning to the pegasus, he frowned. "Is there something wrong, Blur?"

The mare just watched the departing griffons for a momemt. "I asked her to watch for anyone who needs help, and to send them to Zarris. Father, is there any way I could stay in Zarris, or travel to other ports? You've done so much for me, given me so much, I want to share this. I want to share what we have here."

Cimmerian bit his lip. He wanted to do something like this, and Blur was the most vocal about her faith, but he couldn't just let her wander off on her own. It was a recipe for disaster.

"I'd love to let you do that, Blur, but there's no way I'll let you go by yourself."

"I may have a solution to that." Din cut in. She zoned out for a moment, obviously talking to a drone, before turning her attention back to the mare. "I want you to speak with Sleight. She will give you some basic survival training over the next week or two, and she will also be going with you. I want you to also find a griffon who would like to accompany you as well. Having one of their own to speak to will let them know we aren't just blowing hot air about accepting all species. Once Sleight believes you're ready, you may go. Is this acceptable, Cimmer?"

The alicorn watched the two a moment, his heart melting at the excitement in Blur's eyes. "Sure, Din. That will work fine. I want you hanging on every word that Sleight teaches you, alright Blur? I need you three to come back to us. We'll make sure you have supplies for your journey, as well. If it goes well, we may send out more groups for recruitment."

The pegasus squeaked in joy, rushing up to him and hugging him. "Oh thank you Father! I promise I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't Blur." He said, pulling her closer with his forelegs. "Just be careful."

"What do you mean we've been attacked?" The mare said, glaring at the soldier. "The drones attack anypony not wearing an array, I've made certain of it myself. Nothing should be getting close enough to pose a threat, much less be capable of taking out a supply caravan. You're trying to tell me we've lost seven in the last week?" She yelled, several hairs springing up to poke at odd angles from her mane.

"Y-yes your highness. We've lost contact with seven supply caravans, and as I was leaving to hoof off this report, we were having trouble contacting one of our smaller outposts. The array crystal isn't responding either." The cowering soldier told his ruler. "W-we're currently preparing to send a team to physically make contact with the outpost from a nearby base, but it will be several hours before we can get eyes on the location, as it's in a remote location, and they don't have m-mobile communication crystals out there. The recon squad will need to bring the report back to the base to be passed back to us."

The mare paced the hall just outside her room, fury in her eyes. Suddenly she screamed, a nearby changeling drone being slammed against the wall as a vent for her rage.

"I want this figured out now! Do you hear me?" She screamed, sending the guard scampering back down the hall. The moment he was gone, the mare walked back into her royal suite, slamming the door as she started muttering to herself with her forelegs wrapped around her head.

"No no no no no, no, this can't be happening! I finally started feeding! The whole point of the drones was they were absolutely loyal, they can't be turned!" She stopped, staring at a mirror. Her fearful expression immediately turned to anger. "No! This isn't over! Do you hear me! I'm in control now! No one believes in you anymore! No one loves you! They all hate you, they all think you're a monster. Your dear foal sitter is dead, dead because of your research! Hahaha, and you saw her eyes when we threw her out, do you think she'd have ever forgiven you? You betrayed your friends, you betrayed your teacher, they'll all want you dead!

"Not just them either, oh no-no-no! They entire country, no, the entire planet will want you dead!" She said with a manic giggle. "There's no escaping it, Twilight. You're going to die, be it by my hooves or by those of your loving subjects! Oh, I wonder how they'd do it? Would you be beaten to death by an angry mob? Or maybe your beloved mentor herself would cast you into the sun? Idea! Let's go see Tia, shall we? Let's tell her Cadance is dead! Oh I can't wait to see the sweet despair on her face! And it's all because of you!" She tittered as she accessed the teleport grid Twilight had painstakingly created.

Celestia was drawn to consciousness by the sounds of her cell being unlocked. It was strange, as normally the Mad Queen kept to a strict schedule. The ex-princess checked her aura, being certain her last visit from the other alicorns wasn't showing on her aura as the door was opened. Perhaps it was a good thing they'd not visited her lately?

"Hello there, Nag! I had the most wondrous news, and I wanted to share it with you. I would have been by earlier, but as I'm sure you know, running a kingdom is a very demanding job." The purple alicorn said with a cheerful smile.

Something was wrong. Celestia spent enough time around nobles to recognize an attempt to draw a specific reaction from her. Truly, the fact that she'd needed an outsider to bring the possibility of a second Nightmare to her attention was almost insulting. Instead of learning from the incident, she and her sister had put it out of their minds, doing their best to forget such a painful time.

'Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, I suppose that old nut-ball was onto something with that.' She thought to herself.

"So, I had this special tracking array in my room to allow me to watch a very important project I had set up." The mare happily explained. "Namely, the impact of a changeling link being forced on a pony! Oh, but this was a special pony. Most of the ones I tried this on snapped pretty fast, but this old girl? No sir, she was tough! In fact, she was so tough, it was only recently that she finally snapped! Such a shame too. The array kept track of her link to some changelings I let her leave with. With it down, either she killed that poor little nymph, the only daughter of her husband, or something killed her! Poor Cadance, I had hoped she'd last at least a few more months. Such high hopes, just dashed into nothingness. As it stands though, she's either dead, or a gibbering mess wandering the world with the blood of a foal on her hooves. Such a sad fate for a foalsitter, don't you agree?"

That was it. It was hoping to draw a reaction out of her by telling her Cadance was gone. Thanks to Cimmerian, she knew it was false; her niece was alive, if not well. The question was why was it fishing for a reaction now of all times? Had something happened? Despite her situation, the white alicorn felt her old smile gracing her lips as a plan formed in her head. It would put her, possibly her sister as well, at risk, but she had to know. She needed a definitive answer, not all of these guesses and clues. She took a cleansing breath through her nose, eyes never leaving the gaze of the mare before her. Luna had told her that she was aware of everything that occurred while she was possessed, so Twilight was likely watching the meeting right now.

"I don't believe you, Nightmare."

"W-what?" The mare asked in confusion. "I'm not, I'm Twilight Sparkle, one time princess and now queen of Equestria."

"No." The white mare replied. "You're a parasite, and I'm a fool for needing somepony to point out to me that my ex student and fellow princess wouldn't just fly off the deep end. I can only hope and pray that she forgives me for not noticing sooner."

"No." The Mad Queen whispered. "No. No, no no no, no!" Before Celestia could blink, the mare had her pinned against the back wall with magic. The purple mare then charged her, slamming her hooves into her barrel. "No, I don't forgive you! Luna's mine, you're mine, Equestria is mine, soon this whole planet will be mine! Nothing will stop me, do you hear me? I, Twilight Sparkle, will rule this mud-ball of a planet! Do you hear me?"

It was the first time she'd ever seen the Mad Queen react so violently to her, but it still wasn't an admission. She steadied herself and pressed harder. "She's alive, Twilight! Cadance is alive, and he's helping her. He told me he was, and he's going to help you too! Stars and sun, I don't care if you forgive me, just don't give up! I love you, Twilight, we all do!"

"No, she's mine! Do you hear me? Twilight is mine, and you'll never see her again!" Suddenly the mare's hair flickered, an illusion spell finally failing as the Nightmare let it drop. The white alicorn gasped in shock at the sight of her one-time student. Once-lustrous hair was now ragged and patchy, some clumps having fallen out completely and exposing bare skin. Her eyes were foggy, her snout cracked and caked in blood. Her hooves, even as she used them to press Celestia against the wall, were chipped and withered, looking like they belonged to a corpse more than an alicorn.

"Do you see this? This is your fault! You couldn't save her, you didn't notice in time! It's your fault she's in so much pain, and it's your fault I'm still trapped in her. Give up, just give up on her and it will all be over! Everyone will forget her, and I'll finally be able to feed properly!" It said, glazed eyes staring daggers at the choking princess.

For her part Celestia was torn between horror and shame. She'd ignored it for too long, letting the parasite do this to her student.

"I'm so sorry Twilight, I-I didn't watch, I didn't want to think about them after they took Luna from me."

The Nightmare slammed a hoof into the white mare's barrel, winding her. "Who is he?! Who is it that told you Cadance is alive? Where is he?!? How did he contact you? Tell me! I've come too far, I've come too close to lose it all! Answer me, you whorse!"

"Don't despair, Twilight. Help is coming. He'll stop her, he'll save you, I know he will!" The princess shouted to the mare. She knew Twilight could hear her, that was why the Nightmare was reacting so forcefully; it was panicking. Her host was awakening, her host was being brought back from the pits of despair. Her host caught a glimmer of hope, and the Nightmare could do nothing about that.

With a scream of rage, the Nightmare launched the beaten mare across the room, rushing her and bringing down both forehooves on her wing in a brutal stomp. The fear in the demon's eyes would have been enjoyable had they not been the stolen eyes of her student. It knew something was wrong, and there was nothing it could do to act against her newest foe. In fact, without the changelings, perhaps Cimmerian could overpower her even now? Maybe that was why it had come in the first place. It needed reassurance. A smile graced the white mare's lips for a moment in spite of the pain; she'd done the exact opposite, ruining any chance the Nightmare had of breaking either of them.

"Tell me where he is! Tell me who he is! Tell me!" The mad-mare shrieked, bringing her hooves down again and again upon her limp victim.

Even as the pain overcame her, Celestia managed to find the strength to wheeze out a few more words.

"I'm sorry Twilight, by the Maker, I'm so sorry. Forgive me, I luh-love you.

"Please forgive me."

Author's Notes:

I swear, I don't update every week, and I start getting death threats. Take it and choke.

I'm kidding. Really, I am. There were no death threats.

I still hope you choke, though. while drinking your beer/soda/tea/what have you. And I hope it comes out your nose.

Taking Census

"So that's one hundred and sixteen griffons, one hundred and fifty two changelings with fourteen true drones, a queen, a proto queen, and a behemoth, eighty six ponies divided into twenty four pegasi, forty earth ponies, and twenty two unicorns, thirty nine gnolls, fifteen thestrals, and seven zebra." Gleam said while levitating the most recent census to the alicorn. "This of course doesn't record the fact that I've heard a few mares complaining about morning sickness, so I'm fairly certain our numbers will also be growing the old fashioned way as well."

Cimmerian took the paper, looking over the numbers with a frown. "Missing two alicorns, Gleam, but otherwise it sounds right."

The mare went cross-eyed a moment before smacking a hoof into her face, a groan of irritation her only verbal response.

"Hey, don't worry about it too much. The fact that our little sanctuary has gone from less than a hundred various species to this in three months is something to be proud of, we just need to keep on top of our numbers. In fact, I want you to look for help. We need to start working on getting a governmental system set up here, something a bit more involved than 'Cimmerian is in charge, these guys are next, and then there's everyone else.' I love how everyone's willing to pitch in, but we're going to need to make a shift soon. I don't think this will work long term." He turned to the changeling queen, an earth pony stallion, and a griffon. "How are our supplies?"

Pandinus moved a few notes in front of her before turning to the alicorn. "Emotion stores are holding up to the current drain, and I doubt there will be much more of an increase in the hive's numbers by way of free changelings. The last few changeling drones to show up were from just outside of pony territory, and the Mad Queen's been quite thorough in her own country. About half the hive isn't even drawing from our stores, having made enough emotional connections with other residents to not need to use our stores. As for other resources? The hive has begun to survey the entirety of the area, both above and below ground for any deposits of gems and metals. Any possible mine locations are to be reported to the geologists." With that she motioned to the map in the middle of the room, having several annotated flags on possible mine locations.

"Crops are still being harvested, while the amount of farmland being used has been tripled." The black stallion by the name of Machination spoke as soon as the queen turned to him. "We've tried expanding the farm land a distance away from the Temple, and the changelings have also set up a few tunnels for subterranean mosses and fungus for even more food. Herbivores should be fine once the latest farm plots start producing, though I worry how some of our crops will handle the rainy season once it hits. Right now it's cool and damp, but that will change once summer nears. I suggest a few more plots for extra food and expanding the food store areas."

"I don't mind the extra farmland, but make sure additional storage rooms aren't connected to the first. It will be more draining on those who have to power and watch the cooling arrays, but I don't want to lose our entire food stores to a single mistake. No reports of fatigue from overfeeding by the drones on any of the locals. That's great news, but I'd still like to see an increase in the pony population a bit before the hive gets much larger." Cimmerian said while taking some notes of his own. The alicorn then turned to the griffon. "The port?"

"A storage shed and even a few smaller buildings have been repaired for fishing crews, and the boat was dropped off three days ago courtesy of Zarris. It's a mess, but repairs are going smoothly. Had to pull the shape-shifters off of it, though, as their repairs won't hold up to constant water-logging. Ocean washes the coating off after too long. Most of the griffons have chosen to live in the port. Pretty certain it's because of the lack of changelings there." Jurgan responded.

"Housing?"

"Most of the ponies, thestrals and changelings are using the changeling communal sleeping areas at the moment; they're large, easy to expand, fit creatures of their size well, and generally give them a dry, clean, and relatively quiet place to sleep. The sleeping area of the Temple has become more of a place for herds to share some private time together, though that's led to a few fans being installed in the area and some windows installed to, uh, aerate the hall." Gleam said with a wince, pulling up a second scroll. "We're working on more permanent housing, but for now, many of the newer buildings going up around the Temple are simple changeling shelters. Not what I'd like to use, but our numbers have been expanding faster than we can build. We've also begun to survey a few areas for lumber, since we've uprooted most of the local area and we've only completed about half of the look out towers and a fraction of the city wall. It doesn't help that we've had to use some of the lumber for firewood was well, but one of the survey teams did report a few deposits of coal nearby, so as you requested we're going to try shifting to that for some of our fuel. I had a few unicorns suggest fire-rubies, but we don't know where to find them, much less enough of them to use as a fuel source."

"I've drafted Buster and Smoke to help with the training." Amald announced as the circuit reached his seat. "We've discussed a lot, even had the three of us working against several larger groups of trainees to test a few ideas out. It's been interesting, learning the ins and outs of our racial abilities; changelings being able to detect emotions even through walls and cover, gnolls being able to track several day old trails, griffons eyesight picking out targets well beyond the visual range of the other races, and we haven't even gotten through all the possibilities with pony magic. We've started trying to develop split patrols to guard the area, and are currently working with about twelve three person teams. It's not much, but it gives us something to work with for now. In the meantime, we have at least two changelings and a griffon to a watch tower to watch the perimeter at night. Not actual guards, but we don't have enough trained bodies for that kind of coverage yet."

"How's our magical protections, Weaver?" the alicorn asked, turning to the unicorn and last member of the current council.

"The anti-wildlife wards will be active for at least another month before they need to be refreshed, and the supplies needed aren't that rare. As for the array you recovered from the Equestrian ship, I've been going with the amulet idea that the Talons suggested. A few of the unicorns here are strong enough to be walked through the method, so I've gotten just under one hundred of them. They won't last long, but it's better than nothing."

Cimmerian nodded, making special note of the lack of medical requests lately. The changeling pods scared a lot of the residents, but they were often able to heal skin breaks and dermal issues better than pony magic, though spells seemed better for broken bones while the gnolls knew local poisons and diseases and their cures. The patrols were carrying poultices and bandages with them as well, something Amald wasn't going to drop from his own military's standard operating procedures. Barring a pandemic, their medical supplies weren't doing to badly. He frowned, double-tapping his hoof against the table. No need to jinx himself.

As for the port, the griffons seemed fairly proud and wanted to run it on their own. They still reported to him though, the port acting as more of a smaller town for his growing 'country' then an independent state. He cocked his head in thought. Could the hive be split up like that? He'd have to check with Pandinus, but it would be beneficial for the changelings to be able to spread out like that, sending emotion convoys to the other hive locations. Din could channel to her hive, but it didn't have a good range, especially with the amount she was often pushing.

He also had managed to get a copy of the Equis calendar. It was strange, the planet actually having a longer yearly cycle than earth. He smiled, having worked out a decent idea of where his own holidays would fit in the local calendar. Many of the races also had their own holidays, and he'd managed to start grabbing those and combine a few of them with matching holidays. For instance, many of the cultures had a similar spiritual holiday to all hallows eve, and he'd managed to put an order in with the caravan for a large shipment of candy for the crossed Nightmare Night/Halloween/Night Flight that was approaching.

It said a lot about the changeling race to him, though, that they were the only ones who didn't bring in their own holidays. In fact, the Temple of the Shadows was the closest to a changeling city the planet had ever seen. He'd asked Pandinus about holidays or observations and the closest they had to a holiday was the queen's birthday or a quick celebration for the hive's founding. Even those weren't really celebrated in the literal sense, just remembered.

'That's going to change.' Cimmerian thought to himself. 'The ponies have Canterlot as their city as well as all of the usual forms of art, griffons had High Talon and kept the weapons of famous griffon warriors or smiths as art, even the gnolls had wall paintings and stories. Now the changelings have a monument to their race, something only they can build and maintain.'

The fountain was actually done, many having been awed at the sight and many more having tried to taste the love themselves. It was a running joke for most residents now, having new people try the love and getting a chuckle at the victim as they sat there in a daze, the pure emotion overloading their minds for a few minutes. The queen also had a small reservoir of emotions hidden deep underground, as well as a small pool of love she'd pulled from him over the last few weeks. That had been something. She'd made him go through a ridiculously thorough decontamination before she'd let him see it, the queen also being scrubbed down as well. He'd found out why they were being cleaned moments later when she shoved him into it and jumped in after him, wrapping the alicorn in a death-grip of a hug and proceeding to try and remove his tonsils. Apparently it was the equivalent to bathing in the finest wine to the queen.

'Euphoric Shadows, bottled in forty-three After Luna's Return. Why did they call it that? Well, it was better than Cimmerian's Afterglow.' he thought jokingly.

"Alright, I think we're done here. Thank you all for showing up. We'll try and make this a quarterly thing at least, though if something does come up that requires my direct intervention, make sure to either grab me, or have a drone pass the message to Queen Pandinus. Yes Din, you have my permission to punish someone for continuously bringing up stupid issues that are either out of our hooves or not important." The queen grinned maliciously at the comment, causing the griffon beside her to scoot away. "Just make sure you warn them of why it's not a big issue before you pursue them. I don't want to hear about you draining a griffon because they asked you a stupid question once or twice. You're supposed to be approachable, remember?"

The meeting having adjourned, most of the participants left. Ted would be getting a report from Slop's number two first thing in the morning on spice stores and possible needed foods. Head Trauma was, surprisingly, still the only individual that was certified to run the medical operations, even with the actual surgeons and medics they'd picked up.

"We've already nearly passed Zarris in size, and we're only going to get bigger." he muttered, looking over the map a few more times. As the last person, Queen Pandinus walked towards the door, the queen took a moment to swat him with her tail, a playful smile on her muzzle as she walked out.

"My room tonight." She whispered, before picking up speed and heading out the door. Her expression caused him to shudder in anticipation. He had no regrets about picking up the queen even if it did cost him a veritable fortune. None at all.

'A few baked tubers, a spoonful of fried veggies, and a nice helping of clam chowder.'

The dark alicorn made his way to his table, the thrones having been removed earlier to storage until they had the space to construct some sort of throne room or maybe even a separate building for the ruling alicorn and changeling. Despite what Din said, he wasn't keen on having a court set up in the hive. Yes it would have been simpler, but he wanted something a little more open for such a thing. Actually, he'd thought about converting the roof into a receiving hall of sorts, and maybe change his own room into a guest suite. He wasn't spending all that much time there anymore anyway, and while tub was certainly nice, the bed was getting too small for the two of them. Especially when the kids decided to stop by as well. That left the only real solution as the changeling's bed, Din having expanded it to hold everyone comfortably. He sat down next to the queen, noting her oddly large proportion of food she was tearing into with gusto.

"Geeze, Pandinus. Save some for the rest of us." he chided her as he made himself comfortable.

The queen looked up from her plate, a rib bone held in her teeth as her tongue was removing every bit of sauce from the morsel. She giggled sheepishly, using her magic to drop the gnawed bone to the plate and licked her lips.

"Sorry, I just liked the flavor. I had to have it."

"It's fine, just take it easy." He was about to take a bite when he noticed the size of her plate. "Since when did you start eating full meals?"

"Uh, a few days ago. It shouldn't be any problem, right?" she asked him cautiously.

Cimmerian shook his head. "No, just thought it was odd. I suppose I'm just not enough for you anymore, huh?" the alicorn leaned in, nuzzling her neck before licking a bit of sauce from her muzzle. "Not bad. Slop and his aides get better every day."

"How's Cadance?"

"She's doing better. Amare still clings to her like a shadow, but that's to be expected, and actually helps keep the alicorn calm. She panics every now and again, but nothing too bad. The biggest concern is the drones think there's something out there lately. Something large. I think it may be another proto queen or full on queen, but it's keeping its distance for now. It knows we have food here, but it's also aware we know it's around. I'm a little worried about it, sorry, her."

"Worried she may make a move on me?" He said with a smile. "You know I won't be duped that easily, Din."

The mare shook her head. "No, that's not the issue. The thing is we can support another queen here, and the hive would grow even faster once she settles in, but I don't want to share. This is my hive right now. But we could use her. We could have her act as a governess of another town, or even helping me sort all of the messages drones try to relay to me."

"I though queen's don't share power? Isn't that what Mirage said?" Cimmerian asked her.

"We don't but her other options are starvation, moving against a much more powerful hive, or attempting to infiltrate a large community that has many residents who could detect her the moment she stepped into the open. Even if she tried challenging me for rule of the hive I could ignore her, as I doubt she has anything to bid against my position except for a few trinkets. Against a pool of love, that doesn't even start to pay her way in. Technically, I could easily buy out any drones she's captured, maybe even her whole hive if it's in bad enough condition." Pandinus took another bite of her meal, chewing thoughtfully. "We will have to deal with her, though."

Just as she was resuming her meal, her eyes widened and she started choking, pounding on her barrel with a hoof and laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" the stallion asked her.

"You, y*cough* you could draw her out easily." the changeling sputtered. "Oh by the stars, a changeling queen seduced by a stallion, I love it!" She laughed. "We need to do that. It's just too perfect!"

The alicorn chuckled along for a moment before his expression sobered. "As funny as it would be Din, we need to be better than that." He turned back to the queen, a sad smile now on his face. "We're making this a home for everyone, right? I'd rather talk to her before she tries to hurt someone out of desperation."

The changeling sulked a moment, the thought of pulling one over what was likely an older queen or proto queen being too delicious a thought to throw away. Still, he had a point. As much as she wanted to be able to lord her hive's success over another queen, that wasn't the way they worked.

"Fine, we'll find her tomorrow. You know she's going to pursue you, right?"

"And I'll have a wonderful wife who will be sure to shoot her down at every attempt. After all, if you had that much trouble getting me to finally bed you, what hope do you think she has?"

Pandinus giggled lightly at the joke. "Still, I don't like the idea. She's not going to like playing second fiddle."

"We'll discuss it later." Cimmerian said as he finished his meal. He sighed with contentment, pulling the queen closer with a wing. "I have something I want to do tonight." At her hungry stare he rolled his eyes. "Dream world, Din. I want to introduce you to someone. Rather, several someones. We're meeting up for poker, so ask around your hive for the rules."

The two large creatures soon stood outside a small cottage, the mare looking around in confusion as a pink mare brought them to the door.

"I have to say, Scimitar, you were right when she said she was different from Queen Meanie!" Pinkie observed, hopping backwards while leading the way. "I'd normally introduce myself as soon as I saw you, Mrs. Cimmerian, but I want to watch my friends freak out as soon as possible."

The alicorn chuckled at her antics, the hyper pony only getting more excitable the more new ideas for pastries, candies and games he fed her. Even when the other girls were still weary of him despite Luna's stamp of approval, the mare had warmed up to him for the low price of a few Earth party games, even though she already knew equestrian equivalents. Her reasoning? No one who knew how to party could be all that bad.

Cimmerian and Pandinus followed Pinkie into the house and into the game room, the loud sounds of explosions and shouting echoing from the room. They walked in to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash playing a game of Battlefront on a large TV, the mares having been caught up on the idea of the game system when he'd mentioned it. He'd had to meet Pinkie in the dream realm to show her the full extent of the games available, but she'd memorized a few games fairly quickly.

'The look on her face when I mentioned Kirby.' he chuckled to himself as he walked in.

Luna was already there, engaged in a game of chess against Fluttershy, the pegasus apparently being quite the strategist when she was properly motivated. Rarity was currently enjoying a game of solitaire, a cup of tea floating by her muzzle as she puzzled out her next move. Suddenly one of the characters on the screen was sniped, Applejack crowing her victory and the colorful pegasus immediately tackling the other mare before the two began to roll around the room.

"He's here girls, and he brought a friend!" Pinkie announced, drawing the attention of all occupants. Even the tussling ponies on the floor stopped, Dash having her forelegs around Applejacks neck even as the farm mare had the pegasus' tail in her teeth.

Cimmerian took a seat next to the door, waving a hoof in the queen's direction.

"I'd like to introduce you girls to Queen Pandinus. Din, these are the Element Bearers, all accounted for except Twilight, the Mad Queen."

The queen gave a respectful bow. "An honor, to be certain. I remember hearing of your victories over Discord and Tirek years ago."

The Bearers were silent for a few moments, most staring in shock and confusion at the changeling. Rarity recovered first, trotting over to the changeling as if in a trance. The unicorn walked around the queen, even ran a hoof over one of the larger mare's legs before speaking.

"Such light coloring, I'd only seen black changelings till now. Oh and the chitin. Not so much to weigh you down, but enough to draw the eyes. Yes, a dangerous look that still retains a sleek form. The mane though, it needs something more. Perhaps curls? No, curls would clash against the dangerous look. Perhaps a shorter mane?" The fashionista muttered, cocking her head to the left as she tried to check every angle of the changeling.

Pinkie shoved the unicorn, offering a hoof instead. "Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie. We're in my head right now. I'm glad you could make it. Do you want a snack? I don't think I have any love cupcakes, but I do make all my food with love. Does that count? Oh! Congratulations on the colt and fillies!"

The queen put her own hoof against the pink pony's, a look of confusion clouding her face. "How did you know I was carrying nymphs?"

"Silly, I just know these things!" Pinkie leaned closer to the changeling, cupping a hoof to keep others from reading her lips. "That and Cimmerian can't stop talking about it. I think he's excited."

With that she bounced out of the room, declaring her quest for additional snacks to the gathered group. Everyone took up positions around the table, the game system being turned into a music system and playing a few tunes the alicorn had introduced to the party mare, along with a few of her own songs in the mix for kicks. The alicorn barely held back a laugh as the first song started playing, the pink mare having zipped back to the table with the snacks and now wearing a green visor while she shuffled the deck.

"Okay, fillies and gentlecolt. Poker's the game. Each pony starts with fifty chips, buy in is two chips." Pinkie said, dealing the cards like a professional.

With that the game was on. Quiet conversations were shared, the other ponies introducing themselves over the first hoof. By the fifth hoof, it had devolved into gossip, Luna providing the mares with more than enough to think about while Cimmerian was elsewhere. By the time the last hoof was being dealt, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were back on the game system, the queen watching in fascination of the other planets being shown.

"She's certainly not what I expected." Rarity observed as she tossed in her chips. "The wedding wasn't too long ago for us, so to see a changeling queen that's so different from the other one, one that looks so, so..."

"Healthy." Fluttershy quietly supplied. "She also sounds very happy to be near you, Mr. Cimmerian. If it's not too much trouble do, do you um, could you-"

The stallion rolled his eyes at her nervous mumbling "I'm not going to bite, Shy, you know that. Do you want me to keep an eye out for something? Maybe check in on someone for you?"

"Oh, well I'd appreciate it if you could, if you're ever near my cottage. You don't have to if you don't want to, but there's a safe. If you could open it and flip the coin inside, I'd appreciate it. To open the safe, you actually just need to say a password." The mare shuffled quietly.

"I will assume Discord enchanted the safe for you? And likely the coin as well?" Luna said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know what became of him? I've not heard from him for years."

"Oh, he um, he wanted to go exploring. Outside our world. After he heard about the mirror, he wanted to see where else he could end up, said he was using the coin as a beacon so he could come back. Something about new ideas for what chaos could be." The yellow pegasus explained. "He said if I needed him, to flip the coin. I took it with me whenever I went somewhere I thought could be dangerous, but before Twilight-I mean the Nightmare trapped us, I didn't think I'd need it."

"Fortuitous. If you'd taken the coin with you, it would either be trapped in stone with you, or in the Nightmare's possession." Luna said.

"So, that's what that safe was for." Rarity said with a grin. "Tell, me dear, did you keep your chaos calendar in there as well?"

The pegasus cheeks grew pink at the mention of the calendar. She looked ready to say something, but all she managed was a squeak as she nearly ducked under her mane. Rarity tittered happily at the successful jab.

"A-at least he n-never used me as a shield." Fluttershy finally managed to retort, leaving the white unicorn to impersonate a fish for a few moments. Both then started laughing, though Pinkie looked like she'd bit into a lemon.

"Did you have to bring up the Gala?" She asked. "That was the worstest, most boringest party in the history of ever!" Pinkie's head hit the table a second later. "Oh my goodness, I'm going to be sooo behind on my parties when I get out of here, it's going to take me forever to catch up!" She slammed her hooves on the table, staring at Cimmerian. "Do you have any idea how many birthdays I've missed?!? Not just birthdays either, but, but... I don't know what happened to Gummy. I've missed a lot of his birthday parties too." she said, her mane deflating.

"Don't worry too much about your pet, Pinkamena ." Luna comforted. "I have heard of such creatures living quite some time. He may very well still be in Ponyville, under the care of the Cakes."

"You picked a good pet in that way, Pinkie." Fluttershy said softly. "I'm sure he had many baby bunnies, but it's not likely Angel is still alive. Opal and Winona are likely gone as well."

Luna looked around the crowd, smiling softly. "I'm certain it won't take much for you to rebuild your kingdom, Fluttershy. In fact, I'm sure many animals will either remember you, or know of you from their ancestors. I would not be surprised to find your home still standing after all these years, under the care of your friends." She looked at Pandinus and Cimmerian, her smile fading. "The hour grows late. We should be leaving soon. I would also like to speak to you later, Cimmerian. Something has happened. Something important."

The larger alicorn nodded, stretching even though it was a dream/hallucination. "Bad hand anyway. You ready to go Din?"

"One moment, Cimmer. I must teach these mongrels who wish to conquer my planet a lesson they will not soon forget." The queen said, never looking away from the screen. The others drew closer, watching as the queen attempted to wipe out the invaders.

"Look out! He's a sniper!" Dash shouted, jumping up to the screen and pointing out a particular enemy. She was immediately shoved aside by a grey aura.

"Out of my way, you pest! I need to see!" Din yelled, her horn still glowing as she glared at the pegasus.

It was too late, though. The distraction was the last straw, her character being overwhelmed and gunned down. The bold letters 'DEFEAT' were displayed on the screen, causing the queen to fume and launch the controller across the room.

"This is your fault, you blasted eye-sore!" She shouted, chasing after the yelping mare.

Just before the queen could exact her vengeance, she was grabbed in a black aura and pulled to the door. Her struggling stopped almost completely the moment Cimmerian's hooves wrapped around her, the hug and nuzzle causing her to go limp and just mutter darkly.

"We need to take off, Din. You can kill her later." Cimmerian told her.

Dash nodded with a grin. "Yea, you can kill me- hey, wait!"

Luna, Cimmerian and Pandinus were soon on a familiar beach, the rolling waves providing a nice background noise for their conversations. Luna sighed, knowing the queen's presence was more of a sign of trust by the other alicorn than an insult to the smaller alicorn. After all, he already trusted her with much more sensitive information. Not to mention his heart.

"My sister told the Mad Queen about you."

The queen's response was immediate. "What?!? Is she mad? The Mad Queen could crush us!"

"I think she made a gamble. The Nightmare attempted to draw more out of me, but her interrogation fell apart rather quickly, ending with her ranting about how she was in control, and how 'he' wasn't going to save us." Luna said simply. "I don't think Tia mentioned you by name, but the Nightmare knows someone is successfully working against her now. On a positive note, I believe my sister's gamble has impacted Twilight. She once more resists the Nightmare's influence. The parasite will be looking for you, but she is also hindered by Twilight's resistance. She is also likely going to be distracted by her current plans, plans which you have complicated by giving both the griffons and minotaurs the key to her greatest weapon and her strategy. I have no doubt she would come down on you like an iron-clad hoof if she could, but she has already started her campaign and were she to attempt to seek you out she would leave herself open to retaliation by either the griffon resistance or a minotaur first strike."

"So we just need to keep giving her other targets while we build up, and continue to reinforce her other targets." Cimmerian said calmly.

"That could work." Luna giggled at the memory. "It was quite distraught, mumbling to itself and yelling at Twilight almost constantly while in my presence. I'm not certain if it was because it thought I already new, or it was attempting to draw a reaction out of me, but I do know that Twilight would not have forgotten to check my aura. She did not do so, otherwise she would have seen all the ponies I've come into contact over the last few weeks. She's getting sloppy."

Cimmerian breathed deeply, closing his eyes in thought.

"We'll have to work with it. I'd rather keep quiet, but if she's as unstable as you say, she's going to start tripping over herself. The more we push, the more she'll stumble, true. But we also need to be careful. The parasite doesn't care about those around it, and if it blows up things could get very messy for those around it, enemy or ally."

The smaller alicorn's giggling stopped, her eyes going wide. "Oh. Oh dear. Twilight did overreact to things, according to Tia. Explosively so, sometimes."

"How wonderful, we have an unstable and xenophobic psychopath who is not above murder on the throne of the strongest country on the planet." The queen muttered.

Luna nodded, turning to the stallion. "Tell us, Cimmerian, did Earth ever encounter unstable psychopaths in leadership positions?"

Author's Notes:

All persons wishing to submit death threats to the author are hereby required to submit an additional form, the ID-X-T form (It's the updated version of the ID-VII-T form) with their threats or they will be ignored. Thank you for your cooperation.

No, I didn't mention the second queen because I'm giving him a harem. I just find the idea of only a single queen surviving the pony inquisition unlikely. While the drones under the Nightmare may sense the emotion, they're slaved to a computer and don't know to report that kind of information. The good/bad thing about computers; they do exactly what you tell them to.

Better the Carrot than the Array

Cimmerian chuckled as he left his own dream, the queen being returned to her own form and Luna taking her leave for the night. The smaller alicorn's question had left him in tears as he laughed uproariously. When wasn't there an unstable psychopath running around wrecking the world's shit? The difference, as he'd had to explain to Luna, was that Earth psychopaths weren't monsters that possessed people and made them do crazy things. Not most of the time, anyway. If someone had told him demons actually existed a year ago, he'd probably have patted them on the head and went on his way. Now his very existence on this planet was caused by such a creature trying to escape its exorcism, so who knew for certain any more?

Because Earth monsters were still people, he told them the solution was to either wait for Time to remove the idiot, or a particularly pissed off enemy to speed up the process. Pandinus was understanding of the process, claiming queens often did such things to unstable rivals who were threatening the race's invisibility; Chrysalis was an unfortunate case of a single changeling queen wandering into the woods and launching her attack without any other queens noticing her. Luna was...

Okay, Luna had looked a bit upset at the prospect. Apparently she was a big fan of redeeming everyone, especially after her so-called fall. When he'd try to point out that it wasn't so much her going crazy as her being possessed, her mood had dropped even further, claiming that she'd let herself become weak enough for that. He'd stop trying to justify it after that and just settled for a few hugs; sometimes someone just wanted to feel guilty.

Currently Cimmerian was wandering the dream realm, looking for the orb that would be their sneaky queen, hoping to either learn her location, or maybe even open up dialogue with her. The difficulty in finding her was a monument to just how many people were now living at the Temple. Eventually he managed to figure out the perimeter of the temple in the dream realm and find an orb that wasn't near any others. The only thing that worried him was that it was weak, so weak it reminded him of something.

'Din's dream was like that before she recovered,' he realized, carefully touching it. Such a dream was unstable, the mind not really having the strength to form its own world and working with simple images for dreams. Deciding to take a chance, he inserted images of his own.

Changelings wandering the Temple without disguise, walking right past ponies and griffons as they went about their lives. A nymph chasing after two foals, all three wearing smiles as they played. The fountain, yes the queen had seen it, but he showed what was in it, felt the queen's gnawing hunger when she realized such a thing was just sitting outside, free to any who approach. Finally, he grit his teeth in concentration. This would be the most difficult part. The world seemed to solidify into an actual dream, the alicorn's magic holding together what the changeling couldn't. That was when he got his first good look at his target.

That she was thin was no surprise, but the colors were a shock. A deep forest green was her primary color, her chitin covering every possible inch of flesh in stark contrast to Queen Pandinus. Her short and slick mane was a brown usually reserved for trees, lending the queen a natural camouflage color scheme that likely allowed her to move almost unseen in forests and jungles. She looked around in confusion for a few moments before her amber eyes locked on his approaching figure. He slowly walked up to her with an expressionless face before gently nuzzling her cheek, sending one last image to the confused queen. The cities half-completed southern gate with the morning sun just peaking over the trees.

"Meet me there. We'll help you," he whispered softly.

Even then it was too much of a shock, the dream shattering around him and leaving him in the dream realm once more. The first few times it had happened, he'd actually woken up, the shock of the transition pulling him from the dream realm as well. He shook his head, desperately hoping she got the message before returning to the residents. Many, especially the griffons and the few thestrals, were often plagued by nightmares. Sometimes it felt like his work was never done.

He watched the world around him, even going so far as to brush against a few of the more removed dreams, ending the nightmares of those in neighboring areas. He felt Luna pass him several times, the mare brushing against his own presence gently before returning to her travels, offering advice and encouragement as she'd done for so long before. He avoided such things. He was only in his twenties no matter what was added to his mind, he just didn't feel like he was worthy of such a task. Besides, why step into Luna's territory any more than he had to? The work kept her busy, it gave her something to do.

They were up and eating breakfast before the dawn. Queen Pandinus was absolutely miserable, following after him in her preference to sleep until noon if she had the opportunity. They ate in companionable silence, enjoying a large, warm omelet for each of them with the queen dozing off against him when she'd finished. After the meal they rose, walking out into the courtyard as the first rays of sunlight hit the Temple of the Shadows. The residents still couldn't decide on a proper name for the town, and he was preparing to throw his own choice into the mix just to end the debate.

The two waited at the gates for a few minutes, the alicorn growing increasingly worried that his message didn't go through or drove her away when Pandinus walked into the forest with a determined grimace on her muzzle.

"Din? Din talk to me, what's going on?" he asked as he trotted after her.

"I can feel her, them. This way, and keep your emotions in check," she called back before picking up her pace. He had to hurry to keep up and eventually nearly bowled into the queen when she came to a stop in a small clearing. Where he expected to find a single changeling queen in a stare down with Pandinus, he instead found a three-way confrontation. In the first corner was Pandinus and himself. To his right was a second queen, this one different from the one in the dream and in an aggressive stance. The hissing changeling had an amber mane and royal blue chitin. The second queen was more focused on the other group at the moment though. Two more queens stood across from them, both squared off against the single changeling. One of the group was the one from the dream but she stood close to her palette-swapped partner, both wearily eyeing the newcomers and keeping the second queen in sight.

Din immediately set about speaking to them, a series of rapid clicks and wing-flutters drawing the attention of all three queens as she laid down on the ground. The one from the dream's eyes widened upon noticing him, then she looked to her partner for a moment before replying in a way that shocked her ally. The green queen then also laid down, pulling her friend with her as the other mare clicked a fierce retort. The second queen didn't respond verbally, however, merely hissed and snapped at both groups.

"The lone queen is feral, Cimmerian," Pandinus whispered "I don't think we'll be getting through to her."

"Don't think or know?" he replied, moving forward and mentally preparing a few offensive spells.

"That was a general truce. It was one of the first things I learned, as sometimes changelings do get lost or have to work with other hives. The other two recognize it even if one objects, but that one didn't even respond," the queen took a steadying breath. "Do you see the second black spike on her head just behind the horn? Her crown has degraded. She no longer has the capacity to work with others, she won't lay eggs, and any drone she finds won't be claimed, it will be cannibalized for energy."

Cimmerian sighed in defeat. "If you're certain, we should put her do-"

The feral queen hissed upon tasting the surge of sorrow and pity, her eyes focusing on the dark alicorn. He tripped while backing away from her lunge, catching her with his hooves and launching her behind him. He was on his hooves again quickly, cursing the ridiculous situation; he couldn't even be resigned when dealing with changelings, could he? Scratch that, she could probably taste his irritation too.

"Fool, I told you to watch yourself, but you had to focus on her," Pandinus said. She clicked something to the other queens and they backed away, almost disappearing into the forest beyond. "It's the duty of queens to put the mad out of their misery. They will help us."

"If you're certain, I think I've got a plan. She's going to keep trying to feed on me, so we use that," Cimmerian said, focusing on the feral queen in his mind. The response was instantaneous, the queen barreling out of the trees with fangs bared only to be batted aside by a log surrounded in a dark glow. It flailed about for a moment before its hunger once more drove it to look to the alicorn. Without hesitation the feral queen rushed at him, only empty hunger in its eyes.

The lunge was intercepted by a tree branch encased in an ashen aura being used as an improvised spear. The branch shattered on impact but the queen's flight path was altered, sending her flying into a tree to the alicorns right. He immediately launched a shadow blade, drawing a line of green blood as the feral rolled out of the way of the lethal spell. Pandinus struck next, dropping from above in an attempt to crush the beast with her hooves. She missed, earning a cut from a horn swipe even as the feral queen backed away from them. It prepared to charge again when two horns pierced its side and throat.

The two other queens quickly removed themselves from the proximity of the flailing queen before they resumed positions at each others side. Din nodded to the other two before slowly approaching the beast. Using her aura to hold the queen still, Din reared up and brought her hooves down on the queen, ending her.

"What a waste," the stallion muttered before turning to the other two. The other queens were once more reclining on the ground in the pose Din had taken. Both sides faced each other and waited for the other to start.

"Uh, Din? Do I sit next to you, or..."

"No, this is between rulers of- on second thought, yes. Sit here, just a little behind me," his queen said, motioning to her right. As soon as he was seated the older queen hissed and clicked something at Pandinus, obviously not liking the message.

"Equish, he doesn't know our language." Din told them.

The younger was much calmer. "Why include him, why put him beside. Follow you, yes? Queen lead."

"Cimmerian leads the Temple of the Shadows. I, Queen Pandinus, rule the hive but he rules the town the hive is a part of," the healthy queen said simply. "That means that you will be under my rule if you choose to join and I report to him, and I really don't advise against turning down this offer. I can taste your cycling from here."

At the alicorn's look of confusion she explained. "They're cycling emotion back and forth. It allows two changelings to last much longer on the same amount of emotion, but it often ends with the changelings becoming ill and needing to go through a cleansing. They can't even touch love at the moment without getting sick, not of the potency we have back at the Temple. They'd become violently ill."

Turning back to the two queens, Din continued "You will also limit your laying as much as you can. Our changeling population is quite large at the moment, and Cimmerian would like more sources of emotion before we increase our numbers too much more. True drones are fine, as they don't eat much, but limit yourselves to your minimum clutch. Finally, the two of you will fill the role of operators in the hive once you've recovered sufficiently. I don't have any at the moment, and the hive has grown large enough that I can't keep track of everything."

The brown queen jumped to her hooves, pacing back and forth for a few moments while spitting, hissing and generally not acting very pleased at the terms. A few more stomps and a pleading look from her counterpart, and she slumped. The deal was sour, but it was that or death. The smaller queen looked curiously at Cimmerian and Pandinus.

"What about link? Mad Queen always find links, what different?" she asked. She stood up, slowly circling Din and taking note of her form. "So safe, willing to be weak? Why help?"

"My presence interrupts the array she uses to detect magic and links. The hive is over one hundred strong and none feel the pressure of Her array. The lack of chitin is for me," Cimmerian answered, grinning at Din. "Don't think I didn't recognize what you did that for. You made yourself easier to cuddle," he joked before turning back to the queens. "Why help? Because about two months ago she looked like you do now and she's learning to empathize, not just be empathic. Here you have a future, first as, operators? Yes, first as operators, then later as full queens over your own hives," he trailed off, gesturing for Pandinus to continue.

"I'd like to deny that, but he's right, there is a difference between being empathic and having empathy. Put yourself in another's situation, and you may find yourself much more willing to help them. You both know as well as I do that in any other instance the idea of helping another queen in your condition would be laughed at and thus has never been done, so we're going to be using the same rules as lost drones. Give yourselves to my hive, and you will be cared for. Once you repay the emotion it cost to recover, you may leave if you wish," she said before giggling. "I don't think that will be happening though."

At the older queen's angry hiss, Din broke into laughter. "I don't mean paying back the emotion won't be happening, that's easy; I mean breaking off won't happen. Why would you return to just surviving when you could be well fed and sleeping soundly at night? I'm certain you're taking shifts to watch while the other sleeps, what if you were both able to sleep the entire night? Sleep in a nest full of other changelings, your bellies full and the buzzing of the link at the back of your minds? Walk through the hive, knowing that your eggs are safe, and that they will not go hungry? That is the offer. Your aide and loyalty for food and shelter you will find nowhere else."

The queens stared at each other for a moment before the senior queen pulled her junior after her, both walking into the jungle and out of earshot.

"Din? Aren't you worried they may try something?" the alicorn asked.

"They'll accept. Agreements and meetings between queens are the only times lies and deception are prohibited by tradition, otherwise the hives would be in constant war and nothing would be accomplished. If the meeting was between drone proxies, then lying would be acceptable, but we're face to face. Also, they can't look at me and think my health is a trick. Even a disguise that would hide holes would be detectable by other queens at this range. As for betraying once they're linked? It would be betraying the agreement, and no queen would do that as no other hive would ever deal with her again," the queen answered.

The stallion hummed thoughtfully for a moment, "Speaking of other queens, they all had crowns. Didn't you say yours would be coming in soon?"

Pandinus looked back over the trees the others had left through, then turned to face him. She bowed her head, and used her magic to part her mane, exposing a small crown just sprouting on the top of her head.

"It's trying to grow, but I keep growing as well, and I believe that's slowing its development."

It looked odd to the dark alicorn, almost like a sea anemone growing in her mane. He leaned in for a closer look and she giggled at his breath touching it, pulling her head back.

"Is there anything on you that's not sensitive when it first comes in?" he asked, shaking his head in exasperation.

The healthy queen smiled in response, pressing up against him and basking in his warm flow of emotions. He wrapped a wing around her, nuzzling her gently as they waited. When it became visible he'd probably have people asking why she had one and he didn't, and that would most likely lead to his people making him a crown of his own. That would be neat, a king among aliens, wearing a silver or gold crown. He snickered, the idea of him sitting in a throne room with first a cardboard crown, then wearing a bottle of alcohol on his head. Too bad he'd probably be the only one to understand the jokes.

After nearly ten minutes of waiting, the two reverse-colored queens came back out, both looking at the couple in confusion. The younger one trotted up to Pandinus and with one last glance back at her companion, bowed her head.

"Accept. Ask only that treat well. Am Queen Zelus, other is Queen Lestidae."

Pandinus nodded, gesturing to the queen to lay down. "Cimmerian, could you please lay there? And I want her to sit there," Din directed them, having the two lay down on either side of the alicorn. She then directed him to hold a wing over each and begin focus on each of the queen's condition, allowing a little of his emotion to flow over them.

"While I'm linking with them, you will begin their cleansing. It's going to be messy, so hold their heads up if they get weak. Their bodies will need time to readjust to using the fresh emotions."

The alicorn did as was requested, and after about two minutes the queens began wheezing, then sputtering and heaving, a thick glowing green gel being spat out every now and again. Suddenly the younger queen, the first to be linked, shuddered and heaved a large mess of the gel onto the ground at the other queen's hooves before nearly passing out into it. Even as Din finished her work with Zelus, Lestidae was valiantly attempting to contain herself. Pandinus waited for a second, likely hoping the queen would just make her mess before she came too close. She lost her patience however, touching her horn to the older queen. A flash of emotions being transferred pushed Lestidae over the edge; with a whine, the older queen also vomited some of her cycled emotions in front of her, the dark glow of the alicorns magic now keeping both their heads up as Din linked them to herself.

Queen Pandinus slumped slightly, the joining of such powerful entities to her hive leaving her reeling slightly. The other two were asleep, their bodies desperately at work repairing an untold amount of damage they'd sustained over the years. Catching her breath, Din turned to the stallion, levitating the smaller queen onto her back.

"I'll carry Zelus, you can take Lestidae. This was only the beginning of the cleansing, and it is not a pleasant experience. The medical room will be their home over the next week. I'll have a changeling medic staying nearby, ready to remove the cycled emotions as they are ejected."

"Uh, shouldn't we do something about-" Cimmerian's question died on his lips, the form of the feral queen already disintegrating.

"She's similar to the feral drones," the changeling explained, "Nothing holding her together except magic and hunger. By tomorrow, you may not even be able to find any trace of her besides ash and a bit of residual magic. Come, we're putting these away, and I'm going back to bed. I hate mornings."

'Just when I thought I couldn't love her anymore,' the stallion thought with a exaggerated dreamy sigh.

The queens were dropped off in the medical room and Din left to return to her bed. Cimmerian waited a little longer to make sure they were comfortable, then began to head out the door. He was nearly bulled over as the door was flung open, a small tide of changelings rushing in and looking over the newest additions. Several soon moved closer, earning the ire of the medical staff while some of the changelings realized they knew who was before them. In a flash many were blazing out the door again, spreading the news of the identity of the mystery queens. Some looked disappointed, others were jubilant.

'Didn't even think of what that would do for changeling morale,' He thought, 'Some of them will be happier than ever, knowing their queen or princess survived, others will keep hope that their mother is still out there somewhere. Then there will be those that learn about the feral queen, whose name I never learned. Wait, Zelus. I've heard that name before.'

He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of children, following their caretaker as she cautiously walked into the room. They stopped by the alicorn, playing and joking quietly , some attempting to draw a reaction out of him, but his eyes were on Mirage. The matron was slowly approaching the younger queen, as if her advance may scare the sleeping queen away. Gently, the mare reached out a hoof, softly stroking the mane out of the ragged queen's face before moving closer, hugging the insensate changeling. Realizing what was happening, the alicorn led the younglings out the door, leaving the gathered to celebrate the reunion. Mirage would probably be back at full capacity tomorrow, and Zelus wouldn't be going anywhere even after she'd recovered. Not with a familiar face to keep her here.

He led them to the nursery, several looking disappointed at being returned there so quickly, and shut the door behind him with a resounding slam. Several of the kids looked around in confusion before they met his gaze, their eyes widening in realization as several loose feathers were pulled from his wings and began to dance around him. An evil grin spread across his muzzle; he had at least an hour before Miss Goodhooves and Lady Thrisha arrived with the supplies for basic reading and writing classes. There would be no escape for them now.

Another day, another report of lost supply caravans and resources. It was starting to shake her grip, both on the world in general and her grip on her host. The Mad Queen had dragged the first few messengers off to her own personal entertainment room, but by now she was becoming increasingly dead to the reports. Honestly, if not for the continued love being directed at Twilight from somewhere, she'd have already subsumed the mare, but Celestia never gave up on her. Now the white alicorn's faith was unshakable, the Queen's charade having been uncovered. Luna didn't seem connected, citing ignorance, but was she truly as out of the loop as she implied? It was impossible to know, and her host had now taken up her old position, constantly heckling her and telling her how things were slipping out of her grip.

'Celestia knows something you don't.'

'Cadance is still out there, so is somepony else who is willing to stop you.'

'He wants to help me, he'll save us. I know he will, he'll stop us, stop you, and everypony will be happy again!'

'Everything you've done will be for nothing!'

She grit her teeth, causing the soldier who'd delivered the report the squirm in fear. As much as she relished such reactions, indifference was preferable. Even if she killed Celestia and Luna, there were others out there holding out for her host, in fact in the last month she'd felt the number almost triple. It was a stab in her gut, and a breath of fresh air to Twilight. Love was being directed at her once again, her body grasping at it desperately amid the miasma of hatred and fear she'd been drowning in. Why? Why was it the most powerful creatures on the planet, those most likely to fall to a Nightmare's possession, were fueled by love? She couldn't start feeding until she'd properly possessed the mare, as the pain of her feeding on such emotions would have driven Twilight away from her instantaneously. She could attempt to destroy everything here, letting the minotaurs destroy the army and unleashing the changelings on the world, her brood queens pumping out egg after egg and constantly reinforcing a mindless swarm of fear and death that would descend on the world, but they would burn out quickly and she'd be left defenseless. Magic was becoming more difficult. Even some of the spells she'd pulled from the mare were no longer available to her, Twilight having separated herself enough mentally to no longer give the Nightmare access to her plethora of spells and knowledge, and the Nightmare hadn't bothered memorizing anything from the mare, figuring she was as good as gone.

"My Queen! Urgent report from the border against the minotaur lands!" A courier shouted as she flew into the office. The mare hoofed over the report and saluted. The Nightmare sighed, breaking the seal and reading the message.

Minotaurs launched probing attacks against patrols. Changeling screens ineffective. Border units request immediate reinforcements as well as supplies to fortify positions. Casualties unknown ATT. Awaiting further orders.

To the surprise of both individuals, the Mad Queen burst into laughter, tears rolling down her eyes. She slammed a hoof on the table, unable to breath for a few moments before the Nightmare managed to wrest back control, terrified by her sudden loss of control. She slapped her hooves over her muzzle, eyes wide in shock.

'No, there's no way it's gotten that bad!' Nightmare thought. It was just a lapse, just a desperate push that likely took every ounce of Twilight's mental fortitude to push past her control.

"Draft. I need more soldiers if the changelings wont work," the Mad Queen muttered. Her eyes widened, a grin on her muzzle.

"Put a notice out to the thestrals. Join the Equestrian military, and I won't have to cleanse them. They have to prove themselves though; if they do really well, I'll even pardon their families. I also want a general recruitment drive. Our enemies will be attacking, and the changelings may not work against this force. Shining, I want you to grab a large group of specialists, and I want you to find out where He is. We crush whoever it is that's sabotaging us, and we'll have a much easier time of things. I want His skull, do you hear me? I want to take it to Celestia, and shatter it on the floor in front of her! I also want supplies moved to the warfront. We'll crush the minotaurs, we need to hit them yesterday. Anything they ask for, get to them, understand?"

The cost was inconsequential, because as soon as every other major power was dead, she'd let Equestria tear itself apart as well. Everyone would place the blame at her hooves, and then not even Celestia's unshakable love could save Twilight. In the meantime she'd have to find a threat to keep the mare in line. She was really starting to regret throwing away Cadance. If she still had the mare, she'd be able to threaten the pink alicorn's life to keep Twilight in line.

Ah, that was perfect, perhaps the idea of moving a few changeling units to various towns and cities. Most had empty caves and warehouses nearby, they'd never know the changelings were there till they 'escaped her control'.

Twilight immediately withdrew, and the Mad Queen grinned again. Minor setbacks. She wouldn't lose where it counted.

Author's Notes:

Cycling emotions... think Bear Grylls.

Basically it's the only thing around, it keeps them alive, and it's nasty as hell. Like drinking each other's piss. You'd live, but it becomes toxic after a while.

No, I'm not apologizing to any soldiers in communications, I'm sure that joke is older than most militaries.

The Legends of Another World

He crawled into the bed even though it was nearly ten in the morning. The benefit of being in charge was he could sleep in if he stayed up to work on what was needed or there were no emergencies, his position not having actual hours. Besides, he had a few things to discuss with a certain queen. Pandinus was staring off at a wall, not even flinching at his arrival. He adjusted himself, and when she still didn't react he laid on his side and pulled her into his barrel with all four legs, nuzzling her. She still failed to react.

'Fine, be that way,' he thought, blowing on the top of her head. The shifting hair caused her to flinch and she gave him a stink eye. A kiss on the cheek and he was apparently forgiven, the queen finally responding by shifting further into his grip.

"Talk to me, Huggle-buzz."

"I don't know how to feel," she muttered, ignoring the jab "Mother would have a conniption if she knew I was allowing other queens into my hive like this, but with how few changelings we have even with such a beacon to my race? It scares me. Is this all that's left? Less than two hundred changelings left in the world that aren't under Her control. Even of those among the enslaved, how many more are actually sapient, and how many have died so far? Yes, as long as a single queen survives and can lay eggs, we can rebuild, but it's still scary. If something happens here, and the four of us are killed, the only queens left are under the Mad Queen's control, and she may kill them if she runs out of targets for their progeny. And that will be that, no more changelings. People may come across an abandoned hive or two, but some may not even recognize it as a place sapient creatures lived.

"What do we actually have? We've been focused on survival and keeping hidden for so long we don't really have anything to say we were here. Yes, that was kind of the point for some hives. Yes, the central spire of my mother's hive was beautiful, carved with intricate designs that flowed like water, but that was done over the years by changelings in their spare time. My mother never mentioned any other wonders, never mentioned places of beauty built by our race. The love fountain, it was built by changelings and must be cared for by changelings, supplied by changelings, but it was the dream of an alicorn. I just don't know, I'm scared of what might happen. It never mattered to me before, but all of a sudden I'm planning these things out and I can't help but want to be certain of our future."

The queen let out a weary sigh, "This is your fault, you know. I never worried about these kinds of things before. It was just survival I was worried about, not legacy, not the future beyond 'do we have enough food for tomorrow?'"

"I understand pretty well, actually. Yea I have some of Luna up here, but you saw what I was, didn't you? I was studying to be a guard, not a king. Some mornings I wake up and wonder if it's real, or if I went crazy," he smiled at her "Then a certain changeling comes along and bops me on the nose, reminding me that, no, it's not a dream. Jury's still out on the case of my sanity, though."

"What's your thoughts on the queens? I know they're probably different from when a drone joins, but you must have gotten something from the connection."

"I'm worried more about Zelus than Lestidae. The older queen is a traditionalist, but she's out of her element here. She's going to be off-balance for a while with how different things are here. From what I've seen she loves planning and management. She'd be a boon to Gleam and Shadow in their planning of the town. There's a few drones that recognize her, even three that call to her as their mother, but even those three are leaving her care to us, trusting my medically inclined changelings to see to her health. After all, she's one of mine now as well.

"Zelus will be difficult to place. She's older than me, but still young. She never actually managed to start a hive of her own, but she did finish her training for position of queen. She likes being out and about, though. Subterfuge, spying, that kind of thing; I think she'd like to be running those kinds of operations more than a hive. Mirage knows her, as does one other, but they recognize her as a sister, not a mother. Like Lestidae though, much of her training will work against her at times while she lives here."

"Speaking of killing, you and I are going to be working on your combat skills," the mare told him. "I may not have been an expert, but Zelus knows much about the topic, and once she's recovered she'll be helping as well. Your fighting skills are all over the place. Sometimes you're a prodigy, slaying all in your path, and sometimes you're a blundering fool, like you were when the queen lunged. You could have killed her several times, but you kept either missing or not reacting to her openings. I'd feel better if I didn't have to worry about my mate defeating a dragon only to be eaten by a simple bear."

The alicorn rolled his eyes, a bemused expression on his muzzle as he ran a hoof over her back. "Alright, I'll give you that. I don't have much in the way of actual combat training, just some self defense that was for a different body. I accept your request that I be a punching bag."

"Good," she said, resting her head on his neck. "Now I request you be a pillow, and pillows don't make me worry about the future. They lie there being soft, and this one keeps me warm."

Gleam shuffled through the documents she'd written up concerning several issues that had cropped up over the past week. More griffons arriving, a request for supplies to be delivered to the port, and the results of the most recent fishing attempts that had been delivered just an hour ago. The griffons were currently using the dive method for fishing, spreading out over the ocean and grabbing a few fish before returning either to the shore or a small dingy they were using to cut down travel times. One of the fools even managed to catch a shark, earning several lacerations that required stiches and a poultice to fix. Still, the catch had rallied the village, many looking to make a second such catch. The result had been several injuries, two lost limbs, and the loss of a griffon which in turn had led to a call from Lady Thrisha that they stop being immature fools.

The unicorn couldn't fathom what would drive a griffon to attempt to fight a shark, but then again they were predators. Maybe it was normal, maybe it was just foolishness of the young. After all, she'd heard of many ponies wandering into places that were known to be dangerous for no other reason than idle curiosity.

'Maybe it's not just a griffon thing. Maybe it's a stupid kids thing.'

Things were going surprisingly well for the Temple barring a few difficulties, but even those weren't life threatening. Most supplies were in a surplus. What wasn't covered by the farms could be harvested from the jungle, or worst case scenario bought from Zarris. Fishing was becoming a bigger source of food, with the repairs to the fishing boat being a milestone that would help even more. Somehow even love was plentiful despite the large number of changelings feeding off the reserves.

'And that's just the focused love of one being supplying most of that, imagine what would happen if changelings joined a herd or two around here.' She mused.

All that was left was letting things fall into place and making sure it went smoothly. She was still confused about that letter Father had her send to Herrick. It was meant for the thestrals leadership, or what was left of it. She was curious why he trusted such a message to the mercenary leader but not regular post. Sure Herrick was more than happy to help after the copy of the array Father had provided him, but wouldn't it have been faster to send it by post?

The unicorn mare took a glance at the window, noting how high in the sky the sun was. Father was likely back in bed, though she knew he'd been up and about earlier for some reason. The two, Cimmerian and Pandinus, both slept like dragons. She'd need to send a runner to make sure they were up.

A drone flitted up to the table, giving a quick salute by pressing a hoof to its chest.

"Two queens are to be added to the census. They were picked up earlier today by Father and Mother and are currently in the medical room undergoing cleansing to remove the over-processed emotions from their systems. They should be healthy in about a week by Mist's estimates. Mother returned to her room afterwards to rest from the joining as well as combat with an unnamed entity, and Father is currently with her. Last report had them in the queen's chamber, and that was around ten."

'Two hours ago,' she realized. Two more queens. Part of her worried about possible infighting between them, but she'd welcome a second set of eyes and hooves to help her sort through this mess. She was able to make this work, but the scale of the projects was quickly growing beyond her ability to handle.

Gleam turned back to the drone, "I want you to wake them. Mo-Pandinus and Father, I mean. They'll sleep until the end of time if we don't drag them out of bed. If they don't comply within ten minutes, execute plan B. Their aren't any eggs in the room, so the water won't damage anything."

Pain was the first thing she was aware of. Lestidae's return to consciousness was unpleasant, though she did feel better than she did the day before.

'Not say much,' she thought bitterly, looking around the medical room. It was recognizable, but seemed almost cobbled together; a strange mix of medical beds and changeling pods in the room. The idea of ponies willingly entering changeling pods seemed completely ridiculous. Then again, the entire city or town that the two of them had stumbled upon when tracking down the large source of love seemed to be one big joke. Everything she saw from her scouting flew in the face of everything she'd been taught as a hatchling. The most insulting thing however, was that it worked. Not only did it work, it seemed to work well, the ponies relying on changelings for quick construction and scouting while the ponies provided food for the changelings. Other races were a part of the strange symbiosis as well, griffons and gnolls both relying on each other for protection and hunting, and both protecting the ponies who planned permanent defenses and provided large amounts of food.

'Prey species feeding three predator species willingly, get protection and shelter, predators either eat other things, or feed on prey without hurt them,' the queen realized, a grin spreading across her face at the idea. It was ridiculous, silly, insane, and she wished she'd thought of it years ago. Unfortunately, she was always told that even a single pony learning of them could end their hive, or even their race.

A quick flutter of insect wings brought her attention to a drone that began inspecting her, his horn glowing as he used a pencil to mark a small paper attached to a clip board. It wasn't a medical form but a series of notes, detailing actions taken so far and suggestions for further care. The medical changeling checked the seals placed on any breaks in her chitin, measured the holes in her body, then finally began tapping on her elytra, silently requesting access to her wings. Instinct told her not to grant such a request, but her situation didn't leave much choice. Carefully, Lestidae opened the cover and felt the medic inspecting the diaphanous wings with a studied familiarity. Normally only her own drones would be granted such access, but she didn't have any right now. Tartarus, she was part of another queens hive, not much higher than a drone herself.

The queen cast a glance to her right, the next bed occupied by a still-sleeping Zelus. The two had joined up after barely surviving an ambush and had been working together ever since. How long was it? She couldn't remember, but it was a decent stretch of time. The two had only each other to rely on, and Lestidae was not ashamed to say she'd trust the other queen with her life. That didn't mean she agreed with her in what amounted to surrendering to another queen.

She was jostled slightly as a drone landed on the bed, drawing her attention forward. Her eyes widened, recognizing the drone as one of her own brood.

"Kris," she whispered in her own tongue, leaning forward to nuzzle the drone even as he wrapped his forelegs around her snout. The drone was almost in tears, starting and stopping several times. He took a deep breath, and spoke at last.

"I betrayed you. I'm so sorry, I couldn't wait anymore. I joined her hive. I, I just didn't want to be alone anymore. I should have looked longer, you were so close but I-"

"Stop," she clicked, cutting off his rant. She brushed against him with the link. The connection Pandinus had given her was weak but she could touch him if she concentrated. "Feel."

His eyes widened in shock as she continued, "Not betrayed, made way for. Good guard, keep safe while heal, keep healers safe."

She pulled back from the contact, happy to know at least one of her hive had survived. "Others?"

"Yes mother, two others. Both-" he was nudged by the changeling nurse, this time carrying both a bucket and a small jar of white emotion-gel. Lestidae grimaced at the items, knowing exactly what unpleasantness she was about to experience. While normally regurgitating emotions was easy, replacing her current reserves was a chore. She'd likely have to go through this several more times before she was clean, but once she was and was given access to some of the love they had, her healing would accelerate tenfold.

The medical drone knocked back about half the jar, then touched his horn to her own, transferring the emotion directly to her system and allowing her to begin forcing more of the toxic mess she'd been living on to her spare stomach chamber. Her body was quicker to respond to even the diluted emotion this time, but even as she emptied herself into the provided bucket she gagged at the taste left in her mouth. She frowned at the bucket, knowing much of the emotion she'd just been granted was being used to carry the mess out of her system. After the third expulsion she sagged back onto the bed while her son made himself comfortable at her side. It would be a long week, but just seeing some of her children again would make it all worth it. Maybe she wouldn't beat Zelus into the ground for this after all.

A pink alicorn watched from the far side of the room. She still held a smaller changeling like a stuffed doll but she was calmer now. She could hear the voices still, but they didn't yell at her. They were gentle, kind, concerned, they wanted her to be well. The big changeling wanted her to get better, too. From what she could see and hear, the big changeling and Not-L, no, his name was Cimmerian. The big changeling was Pandinus, and he was Cimmerian, and she was Cadance.

She'd started thinking again, letting her mind wander. Sometimes the thoughts were happy, and she shared the happiness with Amare. Sometimes the thoughts were bad, or scary, and Pandinus or Cimmerian were willing to let her cry by their side, the queen even searching her out if she became overwhelmed while she was alone. Safe wasn't a word she'd have used to describe the m-changelings a few years ago. Now she couldn't think of a safer place in the world. She was never abandoned even in the dark of night. She was never alone even if she went off and sat in one of the towers on the Temple's roof.

She stretched her wings, watching each feather being realigned as she ruffled them. The motions set the hatchling in her hooves giggling and reaching for them. Cadance knew better than to let a foal touch her wings though. She'd learned that it hurt long ago. Colts and fillies she'd watched over the years, even a purple filly that often sent her into fits every now and again. She was getting better though. Pandinus helped her with that, communicating that it wasn't Twilight, that something was wrong with her. Not-Twilight hurt her just as it hurt everyone else, even Twilight.

Happiness and love. She could see the love between the new mon-changelings even though it looked weird. She knew some of them loved the new arrivals, and she could see the new arrival loved the one at its side right now. She was seeing love again, and it made her feel light, made her feel better. Amare always led her to groups of ponies who were happy, letting the alicorn watch them laugh and play. It was good for her.

That was what Cimmerian said, and she believed him.

The pink alicorn levitated the nymph onto her back before trotting out the door. She wanted to try something. It scared her to death, but she needed to do this. She walked up the stairs, passing the war room where Gleam was dropping off papers for Cimmerian and Pandinus to go over, the three discussing things she didn't really understand at the moment. She probably could have joined in if she wanted to.

She stopped before the door, her hoof almost shaking as she reached out and knocked softly. It opened just as slowly, Amare's presence likely telling the other changeling who it was that had knocked. The chubby changeling smiled kindly at her, managing to keep its fangs in its mouth. Cadance slowly entered the room, focusing heavily on her breathing. She felt Pandinus pressing against her now. The queen whispered soft reassurances to her mind; she was safe, they wouldn't hurt her.

Across the way sat the children. Foals, nymphs, chicks, and pups, all staring at her with interest. She was visibly shaking now, despite the reassurances from the link and Amare pressing against her. One of the fillies approached nearly causing her to bolt, but Din told her to hold still. The filly reached her and sat down while reaching both hooves out for the alicorn's foreleg. Cadance closed her eyes and whimpered, bracing herself for a bite, a buck, any of the things the last filly she'd cared for had done. The injury never came. She opened her eyes to see the filly hugging her leg, a bright smile on the foal's face. Another foal approached, then a chick, then a pup, all pressing against her, all sensing her fear but not understanding it. None understood how an adult could fear them.

Soon her shaking lessened, and she turned to leave. She accomplished her goal and needed to rest now. Her path was blocked, however, by a large being. Two large beings, actually. Cimmerian and Pandinus both sat in the doorway, blocking any possible retreat. The two rose and walked into the room, the queen calling through the link for her to follow. Cadance did so, resting against the queen uneasily as the children made themselves comfortable, eyes eager as they looked upon the dark alicorn. He said he wanted to tell them a story, a story about heroes and monsters, a story about hope, and how even when things were bad, the hero would triumph.

The alicorn grinned with his eyes closed, the light fading from the room except for around him. Another spell, and a cheery tune began to resonate throughout the room, setting the stage for the story. Finally, an image formed in the air, a strange creature garbed in green, with a golden mane and piercing blue eyes. Every eye was on the image, even the queen and chubby changeling looking at it curiously. Then Cimmerian began speaking.

"In a far away world, where magic was faint but still known by all, there was a young human who lived in a forest. He lived among others, but he knew he was different. After all, every other human in the forest had a guardian fairy. Some were his friends, others teased him. Time passed, and he grew strong. One day, his dreams for a guardian fairy were answered."

The image faded, a strange creature of light and wings being displayed in its stead, "A fairy came to his home and told him the guardian of the forest requested his presence. So the young boy stepped out of his home, never knowing just where that first step would take him."

Author's Notes:

First off, the crowns from last chapter Tuna joked about were
cardboard: The burger king crowns.
Booze bottle: Crown Royal liquor.

I think I'm going to have a blast with the new queens. They're easy to deal with now, but once they start moving around? Hoo boy, and Tederian thought Din was difficult.

Finally, who wouldn't skip work to play with kids?

Charity is its Own Reward...

"And so, the hero slew the great monster with his cunning, his sword skills, and the well timed use of high explosives!" Cimmerian said as he regaled the children with his story. "The beast flailed about the chamber, before falling into the lava that had nearly been the end of the hero several times. The magic powering the monster failed, and as the spell keeping the monster alive petered out, so too did the spell keeping the lava molten. It hardened around the creature, leaving nothing more than a black shell in the middle of the room. Grinning ear to ear at his total victory over such a great beast, he retrieved another crystal of fortitude and made his way back to the world above.

"It was there, just outside the dangerous caverns, that the leader of the Gorons met the hero. Darunia thanked him for his aide in providing his people food and even offered him the very item the hero had journeyed to the mountain to retrieve: The Spiritual Stone of Fire. Afterwards the hero followed his new friend's advice, traveling up the active volcano for the blessing of the powerful fairy who lived at the top."

"One more task lay before the hero now. Finding the Spiritual Stone of Water. It would not be easy, but he would not be deterred. He had journeyed too far. With two stones, the blessing of the Great Fairy, and his own limitless courage. The hero went to find the stones keepers. But that is for another time." The alicorn turned to the gathered crowd, a rather surprising mix of people from the temple all having stopped by to listen. 'Everyone likes a good story, no matter the world. And Link's adventure was always one of my favorites. Good to see the idea of a child hero turns just as many heads here.'

His declaration was met with a chorus of jeers, boos, and aww's from the children, and a few disgruntled comments from gathered adults. Cimmerian stood up, stretching his limbs to get feeling back in them after nearly two hours sitting on his rump. On the one h-oof he was surprised he was able to drag the story out that long from just the first two dungeons, but then again it was mostly a verbal story with a few images. Each fight was told, not shown, and still images could only do so much. He'd not yet mastered moving images and for this story likely wasn't going to use them. Dinner was the current destination of all the gathered. Hopefully, Slop and his assistant's weren't among those he'd suckered in with the story. He was kind of hungry.

The Alicorn blinked, stopping in his tracks as a stray thought hit him. "Oh, we're definitely doing pizza sometime soon. It's been way too long."

Later that evening found the alicorn lost at sea, a sea of paperwork at least. The first overboard was the changeling queen, slamming her head onto the table in the center of the war room in frustration

"I'm done." She muttered in exhaustion. "If I try to keep going I'm liable to set this whole mess ablaze."

"Not that I don't appreciate another set of hooves, but why are you here?" Gleam asked her without looking up from her own stack.

"Because she likes hanging off of me, but she doesn't like sitting around when everyone around her is busy." Cimmerian said. The alicorn stretched his wings, ruffling them in irritation. "Okay, most of this I understand we need to keep track of, but what's this about a separate settlement for the changelings?"

Shadow Weaver looked over the request in front of the alicorn before shrugging. "Many of the griffons don't like them based on the invasion, many equines distrust them because of how little we know of them, and what we do know is mostly negative. It's really not that surprising, despite what we see here. Sometimes it's hard to let go of what we've been told our whole lives."

Cimmerian locked a fetlock over his muzzle, groaning. "The changeling hive is about half of our workforce at the moment. Not to mention close proximity to others is what keeps them alive. Who's this from anyway?"

"No name." Pandinus said looking over his shoulder. "Not surprising."

"Alright, new rule. Names on requests or they get pitched. I'm not dealing with a bunch of hussies hiding behind their anonymity while they sling insults and such around. If they don't want their names put on it, they don't believe in it. If their worried about being teased about something, they can make a general request that I visit their dream and they can tell me there. Completely confidential." Cimmerian turned to the others gathered at the table. "Passing glance at documents if they don't have a name. If it's requests like this one with no name, it goes in a pile. Yes Din, you can burn them."

Din giggled maliciously, clopping her hooves together in anticipation. The table soon returned to companionable silence for a few moments, before the queen once again spoke.

"Was that your people's creation story?"

The alicorn blinked owlishly at her, lost at the abrupt topic change before realizing what she was referring to. Before he could respond, Shadow Weaver cut in.

"What do you mean his people's creation story?"

It took a moment for the full weight of the unicorn's question to hit the alicorn. Shadow Weaver and Gleam, in fact most of the Temple's residents, still thought he was the same creature that possessed Luna a little over a millennia ago. Queen Pandinus had, quite innocently, just shed light on the fact that this was not true.

"No Din, that was just a story within a story. We have hundreds of creation stories, and despite what some may say none of them have more proof than others. Belief is usually a combination of personal beliefs along with how and where you were raised." After the final words left his mouth, his horn glowed, casting the room in a dark aura.

"Din, I want two guards outside the door for a while, tell them to run the messages through you until we're done here." Looking at the two unicorns he held himself high. "Ask your question, Shadow."

The Shadow looked to Gleam for a moment before glancing back to the two lager equines.

"W-what did she mean by your people's creation story?" He repeated. "I, I was under the impression that the Nightmare was, well, a demon of sorts or uh, something."

"There are actually two Nightmares that I'm aware of, Weaver." Cimmerian explained, his voice flat. "One was the creature that possessed Luna so many years ago, and the other currently resides in the Mad Queen. One I could dismiss as being an oddity or dimensional hiccup. Two? I start looking for their place of origin, because I'm certain there are even more out there. And to answer your follow up question, yes you freed the creature that was trapped in the armor, but no, it was not the Nightmare that possessed Luna all those years ago. That creature was never sealed. It fled to another world, my world. I don't think it caused as much trouble as it was hoping to, but I won't know unless I actually manage to return there one day."

At the confused expressions of the smaller two beings, he explained further. "The world it fled to is devoid of magic as far as I'm aware. Even if there was magic on Earth, the Nightmare would need to find an alternate way to gather and use magic, as no human on record has ever given actual instructions on the existence, much less the use, of magic. Those creatures I told you of not so long ago, the one's who'd fought their way to the top of the food chain with nothing more than their wits and persistence? That's what I was.

"Note that I said was. I am currently exactly what you see; an alicorn. I believe the Nightmare that swapped with me currently owns my body, while your ritual granted exactly what it was supposed to. It gave the one trapped in the Nightmare's armor the body of an alicorn."

Gleam looked shaken. "But, but if you're not the Nightmare, why would you-"

"Why would I act like I was? Why would I lead you all, protect you all, keep you all alive? Gleam, that first day I saw you, you were skin and bones. Hell, most of those living here were. Humans run the spectrum from the Celestia to Grogar and everything in between. In truth, you could just as easily have ended up with a creature that saw you all as food. Being the largest creature around and with how weak many of you were, there's a good chance that if the creature the Nightmare had swapped with was as bad as it was, you'd all be dead.

"Yes, I said evil, Shadow. That thing, that parasite that possessed Luna drove her to madness, drove her to attempt to destroy this world. I know this for a fact. Remember those first few weeks, when I was kind of out of it? Or when I acted strange after the gnoll attack? I was born like you, I had maybe a century to live at most, I'm still living with that mindset, and frankly, I'm terrified of what will happen when I live beyond that scope! Will my mind shatter, incapable of adjusting to an extended life-span? Will something go wrong with the wards and blocks I have that keep Luna's memories, that the Nightmare stuffed into my head, sealed away causing them to flood my mind like during the raid?"

The alicorn snorted. "Oh, and while we're talking about things that scare me, how about we talk about the fact that my birth family is now stuck on the same planet as the original Nightmare, who's had four decades to do whatever it can to destroy the planet. Or we can go straight to my favorite local topic, what happens if the Mad Queen finds us? What happens if she shows up on our doorstep? Even if I can defeat her at our current levels of strength, will I have to choose between peace on Equis, or a little girls life? A mare not much older than myself, who's spent the last few decades being tortured daily by the new nightmare? Oh, the decision's easy. The hard part is explaining it to any friends and family she still has, or explaining to Celestia why I had no choice but to kill her one time student."

Cimmerian closed his eyes, visibly calming himself down. "I owe those two a lot. Celestia stopped Luna from viewing me as the Nightmare returned, and Luna has helped me block her memories. Hell, Luna's teaching me how to use my alicorn magic. If you think I want anything but the best for those two, you're insane."

Gleam was the first to speak, though she didn't ask the dark alicorn a question. Instead, she turned to the queen. "You already knew this. Did it change what you thought of him?"

"All he had given me, and you feel the need to ask such a stupid question? It wasn't the Nightmare that gave me a home and a hive, it was Cimmerian." Pandinus stated, wrapping her forelegs around him from behind. "My hive stands behind me, and I stand behind him."

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Gleam asked him. "From your reaction, you still don't trust us with this information, yet you trust us to work for the best interest of all those here. What's the difference?"

"The difference, Gleam, is that I'm more than just another creature in the Temple. At the moment, I'm a second incarnation of a creature that is feared nearly as much as Discord. Even then, the residents here are looking for stability. They found it here, under the wings of an alicorn, and I'm not going to take that away from them. I'm still learning about my abilities, and I'm certain I have enough raw power to level the town right now, but even the most powerful beings can't take care of everything. I keep you all safe, the town grows larger, I get to remain comfortable and talk to others. As it is, only the biggest threats are foisted off to me. We have enough griffons, gnolls and changelings to deal with the wildlife. The townies are safe, I suffer paperwork instead of mortal wounds, everyone wins. Yes, I'm getting by on the Nightmare's coattails at present, but think about it this way. The griffons don't like the changelings, but are convinced that if the changelings try anything, the Nightmare will destroy them. Many of the ponies here have seen me go after the gnolls, so there is no doubt in their minds that if the gnolls here try anything, it will only bring up a repeat of the raid. The fact that others may fear me enough to prevent such incidents is currently the biggest boon such a reputation grants me. When the time comes that I can let that go, I'll gladly do it. Until then, I'm going to use every tool available to me, even if they were handed out in a case of mistaken identity. To top it off, the Nightmare is known globally. Some griffons recognized me as the Nightmare by sight, automatically assuming I have the strength of the creature that possessed Luna as well as all of her spells."

"You mean to tell me you don't know any magic?" Shadow Weaver nearly shouted. The stallion was just barely avoiding shock. "B-but what about the blades of shadow, the telekinesis, the tracking spells! I've seen you use so many spells, now you're telling me you haven't even been taught a single spell until recently!"

"Most of them I patched together based on Luna's memories. The blades aren't even supposed to explode, it was because I messed up my patch. Personally I like the exploding blades, so even though Luna taught me the actual spell, I kept mine." Cimmerian explained. "I was stuck in that armor for nearly forty years, Shadow, I had a lot of time to sort through the memories, even if they were patchy as hell. Think of a shattered window pane with about half the parts blown outside, out of your reach. That was what I was working with. Enough pieces to get a picture, but not enough for much detail."

Weaver was silent, attempting to digest the news. The creature he'd freed wasn't the nightmare. In fact, it said that if he'd actually succeeded, he and everyone around him would be dead. Sensing his internal debate, the alicorn nodded to the door.

"Take your time to think on it. If you don't want to, or are incapable of continuing to help, let me know and I'll see you to Zarris myself. In the meantime, I ask that you keep this quiet. I'm not ready to share this information with the Temple yet. If you wish to speak further on the topic, send a message or talk to me, and I'll stop by your dreams. If both of you are interested, we can make it a full meeting. You'll be free to shout, scream, what have you."

The unicorns left the war room, both lost in thought. As soon as they were clear of the sound ward, the alicorn turned a glare at the changeling queen. A difficult task, considering her position.

"Relax, Cimmer. They're more confused than angry. I'm sure they'll stay," Pandinus offered.

"That's not really the point, Din. I trusted you with that information, and you shared it with people I didn't trust with it, even if it was on accident. The wrong accident at the wrong time can be dangerous. Not just to you and I either; if the Mad Queen benefits from it, the entire Temple could end up at risk." Cimmerian slumped, the worry eating at him even now. "I just don't know how I feel about this all getting out. It's great that ponies won't fear me, but on the other hoof, it's going to hit my reputation."

"Possibly, but it wasn't the Nightmare that repelled the gnoll raid. Even if it was with Luna's memories, it was your body that defeated them, and you could do it again. In fact, I believe you could do it without her memories now. As for the griffons' and the minotaurs' opinion of you? I assume many only have a name, possibly a species to attach to the wondrous gift that arrived through the Talons. With that one action, you did more damage to the Mad Queen's plans than any individual has before, all from the shadows, from the background." Pandinus chuckled as she pressed her head against his neck. "I'm certain my mother would approve of such an action. She loved doing things like that, making small moves here and there and watching them cascade over the world. Depending on how badly things go for the Mad Queen, we may be safe for quite some time, even if she does learn of us."

Despite the reassurances, Cimmerian set his head on the table. "What the fuck am I doing, Din. I'm leading town of aliens, helping in a war against a parasitic monster, I've got a way to communicate with creatures powerful enough to move the moon and sun, one day I could probably move the moon and the sun myself... I'm only a twenty-something human who was studying law! I should be worrying about my rent, or about finding a job, or what I'm going to buy for dinner! Not the survival of changelings and thestrals, or the downfall of a tyrant! I am so far out of my league it should be funny, but it isn't. It's terrifying, it's terrifying because it's not some movie I can laugh at; it's real. This is my reality right now!"

The dark alicorn rose, the changeling sliding off of his back. He began to pace the war room, shouting. "I'm boned! Do you have any clue just how bad this is? I can be a father, a dad, I've gotten over that, but a god? Even an immortal demigod is beyond me! They need me to be larger than life. They need me to be a leader, a ruler, a father, a teacher, a-"

His tirade was cut off by an ashen aura surrounding his muzzle, clamping his mouth shut.

"They need you to be you, Cimmer," the queen responded. "They need you to be there for them like you always try to be, they need you to watch their backs, to offer advice, to be their beacon of hope when their world has been ripped apart. You've given the griffons the means to start over, you've given the gnolls a chance at a better future than they could ever hope for, one that's more than just expanding the power of their den. You offer the thestrals a home free from the hatred the Mad Queen's inspired for their race.

"And I believe we've already discussed the changelings. As far as we know, this is it. This is the entirety of the free changelings on Equis; less than two hundred individuals from over a dozen different hives, three queens, and a proto queen, and we're here, safe, fed, and in some cases happy, because a certain alicorn opened his doors for us. You're not introducing yourself as Nightmare, not anymore at least, so stop panicking so much. It doesn't help anyone, least of all you."

The queen's eyes went blank for a moment, staring off into the distance before she returned, wrapping the rest of the stallion in her magic and dragging him through a changeling teleport ring. At his muffled query, she smiled at him.

"We're going to visit a few new friends. Mist is about to wake them up for their treatment."

The two passed through the ring of fire, arriving in the infirmary. The alicorn arched an eyebrow at the queen, and she managed to answer yet another unvoiced question.

"You didn't think linking with two queens would have no effect on me, did you?"

The two quickly picked out the new queens, both groggy and one currently being tended to by the changeling nurse, Soothing Mist.

"How are they doing, Mist?" Pandinus asked the nurse as she approached.

"Better than they were this morning." Mist answered, not looking back to her. "I was just about to give Zelus her third cleansing of the day, then kick out the visitors. Their hivemates and hatchlings can visit them tomorrow. They're in no condition to be going anywhere anytime soon. "

"Before you do, I'd like to ask her something." With that, Pandinus approached the recovering queen.

The difference between the two was almost painful for Cimmerian to look at. While Pandinus was just shy of his own height at the moment, Zelus was actually smaller, despite being older. The lack of proper food also was apparent, the older changelings both bearing the usual holes that he'd started associating with starvation and malnutrition. The chitin plates was another difference. The two older queens were covered head to hoof in thick plates that could likely deflect blades, while Pandinus only had a few small plates covering her vitals. Even those were much softer than the other queens' chitinous plates. Then there were the horns. Din's horn was nearly pristine compared to the chipped and scratched things adorning the older queens' heads. The biggest difference he could see, though, were the eyes. Queen Pandinus was nearly glowing with energy, while Zelus looked tired and Lestidae was staring off into the distance.

'Defeated would be a better word, I think. She's no longer in charge of her own path, taking orders from another queen. Probably one of the greatest insults in their culture, now that I think about it. Like a king being forced to serve under another king, or high king,' Cimmerian realized. 'Luna mentioned Din was pretty set on serving as the ruler here, then thought it would be a high-honor that I'd serve with her, despite the fact I was already in charge.'

Pandinus stroked the smaller queens mane with a hoof, drawing the attention of both queens. Zelus sighed at the contact in resignation. "Come gloat over victory?"

"No, just reminding myself where I was," Din said softly. "Besides, I don't want any animosity in my hive. As far as we know, this is it; the only hive on Equis that isn't under the Mad Queen's hoof."

Turning to the stallion, she spoke again. "When changelings start to cycle emotions, they set a timer for themselves. A pair of drones that doesn't exert themselves too much and that start full of happiness can last almost a year this way, but at the end of that time, the death that follows is agonizing, both in how slow it is, and in actual pain. The only times drones in this state returned to my mothers hive was if they had vital intelligence to deliver, after which they often asked for a merciful end. We just didn't have the food available to throw away on the cleansing process, and if they tried to feed on ponies in that state, they would start hacking up the gunk you saw earlier in the middle of a pony town. Kind of a dead give away that the infiltrator isn't a pony."

Returning her attention to the smaller queen, Din made her request. "Zelus, once you are recovered, you're going to be teaching Cimmerian combat tactics, both personal and battlefield. Also, once you two are able to stomach it, you both will force a molt." The healthy queen smirked mischievously. "I won't have a bunch of ragged changelings in my hive. I want to see you two in shining chitin by the end of the week."

The two queens gaped at her, Lestidae nearly jumping out of her bed at the mention of such a tactic. Zelus managed to sputter out a response first.

"F-force molt? You want waste love? Is mad!"

"I've done it myself, several of the hatchlings have done it, all of my drones did it was well after they were overloaded by Cimmerian when he was suffering the backswing of his blood rage. You saw the fountain, didn't you? That's not all the love we have, that's something Cimmerian suggested as a symbol. It's a symbol to changelings that love here is given freely, that it flows like water. I hope one day it will be even more plentiful, all emotions free for us to feed on as we please. As it stands?" Din smiled softly, once more running a hoof through Zelus' mane. "We have enough to take care of ourselves. Once you heal, make whatever changes to your body you feel would benefit you the most."

To Cimmerian's surprise, Queen Pandinus didn't limit herself to checking up on the other queens. Even as they were passing through to the door, the mare stopped at several other beds, inquiring about the state of the patients and speaking to them. He could see the shock on the other queens, the two staring after her with jaws agape. To him, though? It was exactly what he wanted from her, and judging by the fact that she kept bumping up against him, or looking back at him, she knew it.

Two days passing found two beings sitting side by side at the top of a patched tower on the Temple of the Shadows. An alicorn and a changeling queen, both enjoying the sight of the setting sun. Neither said a word. The queen was busy mentally sorting through requests and reports being thrown at her every moment by her hive, while the alicorn was still allowing the last bits of his panic attack to be burned away by his own logic. He'd calmed down considerably since the initial panic attack in the war room. Perhaps it was just another part of his growth? Panicking in and of itself wasn't bad, it meant one felt things were important.

'Something I'm going to have to get used to, I suppose. I'll ask Celestia if she has any advice on running a country. They say she ruled one for over a millennia, she has to have something for me.'

Zelus and Lestidae were both just starting to be capable of touching love, though it would be a waste if they were to try and use it to help purge themselves. Thus they were still limited to simpler emotions, like contentment and happiness. Cadance spent a surprising amount of time watching them, the proto-queen Amare clutched in her forelegs. He assumed it was because the pink alicorn was mentally likening their recovery to her own.

"Hey Din, did you ever mention the fact that the pony that's been staring at the queen's the last few days is in the link as well?"

The queen blinked in confusion before bursting into laughter. "No, no I didn't. Oh stars, I could tell them now and listen to them, but I think we both want to be there to see the look on their faces."

The two were interrupted by the sight of a trio of griffons approaching from the north. The group was intercepted by a group of changelings led by a thestral, the two races having the best night vision. Both groups met, words were exchanged, and the group of griffons made their way to the alicorn and Queen.

"They've come with a message for you. Herrick wants to meet up, something about meeting with a thestral," Pandinus explained.

Cimmerian nodded, ruffling his wings and stretching a bit as the griffons prepared to land. They did so in nearly perfect synchronization, beat out only by the changelings who landed behind and to either side of him. The thestral took position to his left, looking extremely hopeful.

The middle griffon spoke, confidence in his voice "Lord Theodore Cimmerian Fredson of the Temple of the Shadows, I'm Sergeant Jaecar. Herrick Talon sends his regards. He also sends along the news that the minotaurs have tested the array, found it was everything they'd hoped for, and send their thanks. They've already sent a few probing attacks into the Equestrian lines and returned to their city completely ignored by the Mad Queen's swarms. The high Chief, Chief Baine, requested the name of their benefactor, but understands these are dangerous times. He requests that you stop by for a proper show of gratitude when it is possible.

"General Herrick also sends word that the Thestral leadership has been given the message and that they are sending an emissary, who will attempt to arrive at the Zarris branch of the Talon Mercenaries in three days time. General Herrick hopes that you will arrive in a timely manner to meet with the emissary, as well as escort him to the Temple here. The General said they sounded quite desperate to get some distance between themselves and the Mad Queen. He's certain that while many will refuse to abandon their homeland to the whims of the tyrant, there will be plenty looking for a chance to live without her shadow hanging over them."

"I will do my best to be there on time." Cimmerian said with a smile. "I'm also glad to hear the minotaurs no longer fear being swept away as the griffon nation was. Your people's homeland will be back in griffon talons before too long, I'm certain. The creature on the throne needs to be stopped soon, no one can truly live with her shadow hanging over us. How go your raids?"

A wave of chuckles passed through the griffons, earning a half-hearted glare from the leader. "They go well. The ponies have started paying more attention now that they know the changeling screens aren't working against some of their enemies, but even the few losses we've taken have mostly been accidents. At least, that's what I've heard. At no point were any griffons left behind, so we've left no evidence of our use of the Equestrian Military's array. You have our thanks for the help you've provided. Berne is also still alive, though he's mostly stuck doing training or paperwork."

At the mention of paperwork, several of the gathered shuddered, including Pandinus.

"It's getting late. The Talon's are more than welcome to use the Temple grounds for the night, or head to New Talon to the west." The alicorn offered. "I'm certain Lady Thrisha has room if you ask."

"No, thank you. We'll be heading-" as he was speaking, the sun made its final descent, picking up speed and dropping below the horizon. The moon soon rose in its place, casting the jungle in a pale light.

"Damn, I thought we had more time then that." the griffon muttered, staring at the moon. He turned back to the alicorn. "I suppose we will take you up on your offer, Lord. I'd rather not fly back in the middle of the night."

Pandinus nodded, a few of the changelings already taking off. "The drones will lead you to a good spot. The wards keep the wildlife away, and we have patrols, so you may take your rest without worry."

The group left after a few more words of gratitude. Watching them follow the drones, Din spoke to him.

"It seems you'll be getting your population increase sooner than I anticipated. Hopefully having more ponies around will ease the drain on you."

The stallion nodded, yawning widely as he turned hop down from the tower's roof. "Thanks for holding off for a day, I do feel less lethargic. Will probably be back to full capacity by tomorrow. That's after nearly a month of feeding, too. If I can recover from a month of feeding in a day, I'd say we're doing well. You do know, however, that this means you're going to have to set up schedules for the changelings to follow so they're not draining all the locals every day, don't you?"

Din shrugged, as she landed softly beside him on the Temple's roof. "A small price to pay for the continued comfort of our hosts. Happy ponies produce stronger emotions. The overall yield is still higher than any hive before us has ever managed."

The stallion shook his head. "Whatever you say, Din. I'm headed to bed. Say hi to Cadance for me."

The two went their separate ways, Cimmerian to his room and Pandinus to her chamber. It wouldn't do for her to subconsciously snack on him when they slept. It would ruin his recovery time, and she wanted him at his best when he met with the thestral's emissary. More residents meant more emotions, more emotions meant capacity for a larger hive, and a larger capacity for changelings meant more hatchlings. As she relaxed in her own bed, the queen brought a hoof to her midsection, a frown on her face. It had been a long time since the eggs were fertilized and she'd still not felt the need to lay them. All she'd noticed was an odd weight from her middle as well as an almost unnoticeable bulge under the chitin. She'd have to get Mirage and Mist to take a look at her later, she was beginning to worry about her eggs.

Author's Notes:

I've been playing too many games lately, was skipping this. Ark has gotten much more interesting lately. You guys should take a look at the number of animals they've added so far, it's nuts. They just unveiled anglerfish, too. As if there wasn't enough nope in the ocean so far with megalodons, vampire squid, poisonous lobsters, electric eels, and several other aquatic dinosaurs

...but I do Accept Reality Checks

Cimmerian's night was spent doing nothing but relaxing on the beach. Luna stopped by, asked him how he was doing, but otherwise it was the former human's night off. No feeding changelings, no dream walking, just dozing in a dream. If that wasn't restful, nothing was. Still, all good things must end and eventually his alicorn alarm clock stopped by once more. Luna poked him a few times, rousing and alerting him to the fact that it was breakfast time.

Just as Luna was turning to leave, oddly enough feeling the need to walk away as she left the dream, Cimmerian returned to his human form. It took him a moment to remember the differences between his birth and current forms, but just before Luna escaped he nabbed her, lifting her off of the ground with a squeak of surprise.

"Buh! Cimmerian, what the hay are you doing?" she yelped, before her eyes widened in shock. Not a minute later the alicorn was a melted pile of contentment in his lap, his fingers dancing all over her form. Scratching behind her ears, both sides of her neck at the same time, her barrel and stomach, even rubbing down her legs and running his fingers through her mane. Sure it wasn't Luna's real body, but the sensations were there all the same and apparently Luna was a sucker for a good rub down.

"Bleh, you must do this to Tia. She'd love you forever. You need to open her dreams once more, by the way. I wish to strike her upside the head for her stupidity, as is my sisterly duty."

Giving her adequate time to recover, he sent her on her way while he himself left the dream realm. Yawning, the alicorn rose from his bed and instantly the world spun sideways as a strong sense of vertigo hit him. He fell off of his bed and onto his face nearly shattering the small nightstand that sat by his bed. He groaned in pain, peeling himself off the floor as his sense of balance returned.

'Right, it's been a while since I've used a different form. Different balance, different size, different shape. Waking up and trying to jump up like I've been doing was probably a stupid idea.'

After making sure his facial features bore no major damage the alicorn made his way to the dining hall, many residents either already present or leaving. He filled a plate from the buffet and made his way to his usual table. Queen Pandinus was already sitting next to his seat, a large plate of various foods piled up high in front of her as she stared off into the distance. She was eating in an almost mechanical manner; odd considering her species ate such things for pleasure.

Taking a seat next to her, he bumped her with a wing, drawing her attention. "What's wrong, Pandinus? You're acting strange."

She blinked a few times before turning to him. "I'm that out of it? Something's bothering me about this clutch. I'll be talking to Mist and Mirage after breakfast."

"That's good, but I was talking about the amount of food you grabbed. Since when do you go for a full plate?" he asked her, pointing at the plate with a wing even as he floated some scrambled eggs onto his toast.

"I was just feeling hungry, that's all. Didn't eat much last night." She replied, once more zoning out.

Cimmerian nodded, remembering skipping dinner to watch the sunset, then getting interrupted by the griffons. He never did make it back to the dining hall, opting to retire early. Just as he was about to take a bite of his eggs and toast he stopped, the queen's wording striking him as odd.

"What do you mean you didn't eat much last night?" he inquired, worry leaking into his voice. "The reserves are still there right?"

The queen blinked, cocking her head in thought before nodding. "Yea it's still there, still lots of emotion, but I've had a taste for this stuff lately. Just hungry, that's all."

The alicorn stared at her. "Din, you told me you don't gain anything from this food. Why would you eat it if your hungry? Why not go grab some of the stored emotions?"

Pandinus opened her mouth to retort but stopped, looking down as if noticing the plate before her for the first time. She stared at it for nearly a full minute before turning back to him, eyes wide. "I-I don't know, I mean I never, why did I not notice... I'm having them check me now!" She shouted, nearly throwing her chair back and storming out of the hall.

Cimmerian was after her a second later, stopping only to request a large platter be saved and sent to the war room for later. He arrived in the infirmary to find the Din already laying on her side on one of the mattresses as the changeling nurses performed their examination. Mirage's horn lit up, a scanning spell going over the queen. Even as Mist was continuing the physical examination, Mirage was in a state of absolute panic. She pulled the stallion aside, speaking to him in harsh whispers.

"Whatever it is you do to keep breaking the laws of the world, stop it!"

"Mirage, what are you talking about? What's wrong with-"

"She's pregnant, that's what!" the mare nearly screeched. "That shouldn't be news to you, but I can't detect the eggs, just the nymphs themselves! They're developing like pony foals, not changeling nymphs. I could already pinpoint their heartbeats! Nymphs don't develop that far until they've been laid, and she still hasn't said anything about a desire to lay them. This shouldn't be possible, but why the buzz not, you seem to like shattering everything we know about the world, don't you?!? Changelings. Lay. Eggs." the mare told him, each word punctuated with a harsh shove of her hoof against his leg. "Whether they mate with ponies, griffons, thestrals, what have you, they lay eggs. I don't even know if it's possible for her to go through with live birth! It's never been done before!"

The changeling took a moment to calm herself down, breathing deeply. "I'll explain it to her, but you're going to have to keep her calm. This is so far out of left field, I can't do anything for her. We're going to need a pony doctor for this. Griffons won't be much help, as they lay eggs as well."

The smaller shape shifter led him back to the bed currently occupied by his, well, technically Cimmerian supposed she was his wife in all but official documentation at the moment. Mist was just finishing her inspection when they returned to the bed.

"Your abdomen feels a bit strange right where the eggs should be, but other than that, I can't find anything wrong. We're going to have to go by the scan. Mirage?"

The changeling braced herself, "Nothing's wrong as far as I could tell. I found three developing nymphs, foals, whatever they'd be considered in this case, and I didn't find anything wrong with them." The queen breathed a sigh of relief at the news. "In fact, before you know it, you'll be giving birth to three foals, nymphs, hybrids, or whatever they'd be classified as."

"Well, if noth-" the queens words died on her lips. "Did you say "giving birth"? As in the thing ponies do? With the fully developed nymph coming out instead of an egg?"

Mirage nodded, looking at Cimmerian expectantly. Meanwhile, Pandinus' eyes were dilated, her breathing coming in quick spurts. "T-that doesn't make sense, I mean queens lay eggs, we don't carry them around for, how long do pony pregnancies last?"

As if in answer to the question, Blur was carried in on the back of Sleight, the pegasus looking like she'd lost a fight with a wood chipper. Or possibly in this case, lost a few fights with the infiltrator. Cimmerian saw it as an opportunity and waved the changeling over.

"Good morning Father, is there something you need? I was just about to leave Blur with the medics after her weekly sparring session." the changeling told him.

"I had a question for her, actually. Since most of the medical staff here are either griffon or changeling, I was going to ask her what the usual length of a pony pregnancy is." Cimmerian told the changeling. "But I suppose she's not going to be answering that question, is she? I know you're training her, but why does she look like she walked through a swarm of reavers?"

"Well, we don't have any wolves in the area, so I have to make do." Sleight answered.

"Wolves? Why, why would you do that to her?" the alicorn asked in shock.

"Well, that's how my master taught me," Sleight responded, obviously seeing nothing wrong with her teaching methods. She then adopted an air of superiority. "After all, 'A martial artist's life is fraught with peril.' If she can't handle this, how will she react to the speed swimming? Silver sharks are nowhere near as forgiving as reavers."

The stallion stared at the changeling for a good minute hoping she was joking when Pandinus, despite her panic, stepped in, "Sleight, put her into the medical pod, and report to Amald for guard duty. I don't want you overseeing any more training. What on Equis are you thinking? You're giving her a little survival training, not training her to be a mare among mares."

As the changeling carried the insensate pegasus away, a new voice interjected into the conversation. "I'd ask what that was about, but seeing how bad Blur looks, it may be better if I remain ignorant," Gleam stated as she approached the group. "After the two of you left in a hurry, I followed along to see what it was about. I heard something about pony pregnancy length. It's around eleven months, why?"

"We have reason to believe that Queen Pandinus may not be laying eggs this time." Mirage explained. "The scanning spell looked strange, and the young already have heartbeats. That's not supposed to happen until the clutch has been laid. Granted, we're dealing with mister 'I break the universe every time I yawn' over there, but I thought there were some things that would remain normal. I'm kind of worried about gravity at this point."

Gleam giggled while moving closer to the queen. "I know it's a bit late since we've known you were expecting for a while, but I was going to wait until they hatched before saying this. Congratulations, Queen Pandinus. Mirage, one thing you forget is that while things tend to get a bit silly around Cimmerian, it always works out for the best. It may be a bit strange, and possibly uncomfortable, but if you can alter your physical shape, I'm certain you can manage the changes every live-bearing female goes through just fine."

"U-uncomfortable?" the queen asked cautiously? "What do you mean uncomfortable. I don't feel much when I lay my eggs, just a little pressure."

Gleam caught herself too late, the changelings all looking at her for more information on live birth. "W-well, as the foal develops, there are several things that can happen. First there may be cravings. My mother tol-"

"That's why I've been wanting to eat pony food?!?" Din shouted at the mare.

"They've started this late? Well, I suppose being a different species will throw some things off. It also begs the question of just what they'll look like if they're requiring actual foods." The unicorn hypothesized. "I'd say it's a good sign. If your body can adapt to such a major change for them, there shouldn't be any major issues. The next biggest thing is morning sickness. Sometimes a mare will feel nauseous, or strangely tired at odd times of the day."

Healing mist buried her muzzle in her hooves at this point, growling "We spent hours checking her stomachs for parasites over the course of several days when she got sick. What a buzzin' waste of time."

"R-right." the unicorn said, shifting uneasily at the sight of several grumbling changelings. "The biggest thing about live births is the fact that they'll reach a decent size while you're carrying them. They're usually about this big at birth, though yours may be larger given their parentage." She spread her hooves apart, giving a rough estimate of a newborn foal's size. "Finally, uh, oh dear how do I say this. When they reach that size, they have to come out. The process is usually messy and painful, so we try to make sure there's a doctor nearby in case of complications."

That was it for the queen. Her pupils dilated and she began panicking. "P-Painful? Eggs aren't painful, it's a normal process! I lay them and make sure they're saturated with emotion. You're telling me I'm going to have something growing inside of me, to that size? The only time that happens is if something's wrong, and the queen it happens to dies!" She suddenly glared at the stallion. "You! This is your fault. You and that damnable seed of yours! You had to be different, couldn't be normal like every other creature queens have mated with over the centuries!"

Lestidae chittered something at Din from across the room before bursting into laughter, earning a glare from the nurselings and a sputtering exclamation from the healthy queen.

"Weak!?! I'm not weak, I'm the strongest queen here; possibly the strongest on the planet! This won't change anything, I'm still, I mean I'll still be, even during this I'll..." The larger queen's anger petered out, devolving into confused whimpering as she curled into a ball on the bed.

'And of course, they also bring about mood swings.' Cimmerian thought to himself as he stepped closer. The queen was sobbing uncontrollably by the time he actually reached her, which wasn't more than a few moments. The drones were at a loss, while Gleam tried speaking reassuringly to the larger mare. Turning to Mirage, he whispered "Is there anything actually wrong with her, besides the oddity of the pregnancy?"

The drone shook her head, and he continued on with his plan, lifting the queen off the bed and pulling her into a tight hug. The queen started pushing away the second she noticed what was going on.

"Don't touch me, that's how this mess started! I don't wammph!" he interrupted her rant with a kiss while wrapping his wings around her, attempting to reassure the frazzled queen. Seeing as she stopped flailing, he lifted her in his aura and set her on his back while addressing the females by Din's bed.

"We'll be in my room if you need anything. I'll meet you in the war room later on, Gleam. And Lestidae?" he called over to the still giggling queen "You may see this as a weakness, but all of these changes are only going to solidify and strengthen my attachment to Pandinus. If I thought Pandinus was injured or sick out there in the jungle, I'd burn the whole thing down to find her. It's another benefit of this kind of relationship; she doesn't need to be strong all of the time. What would happen to you if you were left in a similar situation?"

The older queen's giggling cut off, her mind currently processing his statement. Confusion broke out over her face moments later, but the stallion wasn't interested in explaining himself to her. Having said his piece he left them and walked out the door, making his way to his own bedroom.

It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense to the Queen Pandinus at the moment. The pregnancy, the sensations, the desires and needs. Even worse was the alicorn's increase in love and concern. She was not well, she would become worse, she would be weak. Why then was the amount of love he radiated increasing at her weakness?

The stallion gently placed her on his own bed, wrapping her in his still warm blankets before turning around and walking back out, stopping only long enough to tell her he was going to grab something. The gentleness was almost insulting to her. He was acting like she'd break if he didn't treat her like glass. A sudden wave of panic washed over her; he knew more about live-birth foals than she did, was it possible they could be damaged if she wasn't careful?

Looking around the room, her mind began assessing everything for danger. A mirror that could shatter and cut her, a chair could collapse under her weight and puncture her barrel. A decorative blade suddenly became a guillotine waiting for her to pass under it. Even the stalactites in the caves that she'd normally dismiss was suddenly a spear just waiting for her appearance. Her breathing began to pick up and she curled deeper into the blankets. Even her own room was suddenly dangerous, the amount of drones with bladed horns suddenly becoming very important.

The door swung open once more and the alicorn walked back in. She would have jumped up and clung to him if she wasn't worried about something inside her being jostled. Would even her walking harm them? In that case she couldn't move. She'd be stuck here or where ever the others left her for several months, unable to do anything else. Pandinus hated this feeling. She wanted to be rid of the damnable things, but the second she thought of inflicting any harm upon the young, her instincts became protective again rendering her incapable of such a thing. It left her confused, terrified, and most of all, absolutely miserable.

She was distracted from her spiral by the shifting of the bed. Cimmerian was gently settling himself down next to her, gently laying a wing over her and pulling her in closer. Her ears perked up, the scent of something catching her attention. Smiling at her, he revealed a large platter filled with various foods from the dining hall.

"I didn't get a chance to eat, so I had some food sent to the war room. Help yourself," he told her, taking a bite of a buttered pancake.

That was all the encouragement she needed. Her body was craving this food, telling her she needed it as much as if not more than emotions. Why though? She never needed it before, nor did she ever hear of any other queens going through a similar thing. She nibbled on some breakfast sausage for a moment before snapping the thing down in one go, her hunger finally driving her to dive into the plate. She shoved him when he laughed at her, but otherwise focused on her meal. It was easier to deal with than this insanity. If she ate, she'd be full, if she was full, she'd stop craving this strange food. If she stopped craving this strange food, she could pretend everything was normal again for a while.

After the food was gone, she relaxed in the covers for a while, the wards keeping the constant construction outside the Temple from intruding despite the open window. There were so many things she should have noticed that were wrong besides the length of time since her last clutch, but she missed them. Tartarus, she wasn't producing half as much processed waste as she should have been, considering how much she was eating. That left the question of how her body managed to make the changes necessary to digest the food without her realizing the changes had occurred. She breathed deeply, enjoying the scent of her mate surrounding her. His blankets, his bed, him laying right beside her. Another oddity; his scent calmed her. He was already her warm/safe/food/mate, now even the slightest hint of his presence seemed to help. Maybe that was another part of this illness that had taken her.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked her, managing to draw her from her thoughts.

"No. I'm a mess, I feel like anything could end up harming me or my hatchlings, if I can even call them that, and my own body is acting in ways it shouldn't. I'm just terribly confused right now," she responded with a dispassionate voice. "I'm still blaming you for this."

Cimmerian chuckled at her accusation, pulling her closer into his side. "Relax, Din. As I told Lestidae, you're not in a normal hive. If something goes wrong, I can name at least seven people here besides myself who would jump to help you. That's not including those of your hive, many of whom are comfortable for the first time in who knows how long."

"Why? Why is it when I was in the medical room, being told how weak I'll get, your emotions became more intense?" the queen shouted at him in frustration. "I'm going to be a weak, bloated, helpless mess. Why would you want me anywhere near you?"

"The reason is because that's what usually happens to females as I know them. To you it's weird and scary, but to me? My own mother birthed me that way, and I was expecting my mate, whoever she ended up being, to experience the same thing. The egg thing was actually a bit scary to me but I got over it."

The alicorn stroked her barrel, just below her ribs. "As it stands this is what I expect when I hear about reproduction, so of course I'll have no issue with it. It just means there will be more of you to love for a while. After that, you'll deflate to your old size and we'll have three kids running around the place, most likely keeping us up at odd hours, making messes, and generally being pests. It's also kind of exciting. The pregnancy is different, so what else will be different? Will they produce emotions like other species do, or have a connection to the hive like changelings? Will they be hybrids or changelings or alicorns? There's no way to know right now, but since your body's already adjusting, I'm not worried too much about complications. If you can change that much, I'm sure you'll be fine. And don't worry about not being able to move around. Equine and human females aren't restricted by their pregnancies for the entirety of the ordeal; it's only at the tail end of it that you may have issues moving around, if any. I've heard of women working right up until the end. Shape shifting may be a bit tougher, or maybe even inaccessible for a bit though."

The last bit of information caused her panic to flare again, a wave of smokey fire washing over her body. Her appearance was still similarly sized, form now that of her favorite body to tease the alicorn, but she couldn't help but notice even her altered form looked just a tad pudgy. Another thought struck her. Would it be easier to stay like this, in the form of a female alicorn, until the illness had passed? It would be difficult, certainly, but maybe it would make some things easier?

Her thoughts were temporarily put on hold as he moved away, leaving her wrapped in the covers. "I'm going to hit the paperwork again, you just enjoy your day. I'll see you tonight, and I suggest you stock up on love. I'm going to be heading to Zarris to meet up with the Thestral rep tomorrow."

The queen watched him leave, some part of her wishing he'd wave off the work and just stay with her. Maybe he was right, and she was panicking over something that wouldn't actually harm her. It wouldn't be the first time he turned out to be correct, even regarding something he understood nothing about. Her eyes were drawn to a small jar sitting on his dresser, displayed right beside a large scale and an even larger fang.

'There's no way he kept that, I mean why would he? It was a failed attempt to...'

It was the jar of love she'd tried to give him, her own love that she'd managed to create in an attempt to separate it from her being. The ordeal still left a twinge of phantom pain, her muscles clenching at the memory of the complications she'd run into after the incident. Actually, to say it was unpleasant didn't do it justice, it was one of the most horrible things she'd ever experienced. Why did she ever think that was a good idea?

Granted, it turned out to be worth it in the end, and it had given her his undivided attention for a while as well as helped them understand each other more, but that didn't explain why he kept it. Ponies, or in this case non-changelings, were beyond strange.

'I could ask him about it, I suppose.' she contemplated. A second thought crossed her mind a moment later. She had an expert in pony thinking a link away! Sure the little alicorn might wet herself at the contact, but such were the tribulations of being in a queen's hive. She'd just make sure she wasn't doing anything dangerous and, ah ha! Amare was still with her. A quick check of the nymphs active memories told her the pink pony was currently staring out over the town from the top of the Temple. The hatchling, realizing what the she was about to do, relayed the queen's desire to speak to the pony verbally, knowing she still wasn't comfortable with the link. Before Cadance could start to head to her nest however, the queen made a gentle brush against the alicorn's connection to the link.

A jar of emotion, the basics of what had happened, and a simple inquiry as to why were slowly filtered to the pink pony, the queen still remaining alert enough to understand a flood may scare her. Panic was the first response, followed by a concerted effort to reign in her fear. It took some time, but the queen was eventually able to transmit the information in a way Cadance could understand, and she could feel the pony processing the information. The answer came suddenly, the small alicorn's thought focusing around a single word when thinking of the jar.

Gift.

'Not good gift, failed gift. Why keep?' Pandinus sent, attempting to keep the thoughts simple.

The response was difficult to read, the pony's thought not meant for this kind of interaction. 'First gift, thing first given, pretty cloud, first proof of devotion, when's dinner?, first is always important us, miss him,' the images soon started to devolve into memories of her imprisonment. Din exerted a bit of her control over the link, dragging the line of thought away from such dark things, the alicorn's mind flooding with relief at the quick derailment of her train of thought. The queen was certain most would be furious at such an intrusion. In the meantime though, she had a few queens to mess with.

'Meet in infirmary. Will be funny.' With those thoughts, she cut the connection. The pony was doing surprisingly well. Her mind was still a mess, but it was to be expected with the images she sometimes broadcasted over the link as she slept. Thankfully they only reached Pandinus and not the hatchlings, otherwise the nymphs may start avoiding sleep as the pony had once done.

The mare looked around the quiet room one last time. She'd made plans now, but she was still comfortably lodged within her stallion's bedding. Maybe she'd keep some of his blankets in her nest when he left? Sure his scent was already present in her nest, but a little more comfort wouldn't hurt. She'd also send some infiltrators with him. They wouldn't be able to physically do anything he couldn't, but she'd be damned before she left him with only the mercenaries to watch him.

Ted sat back on his personal beach, a frown plastered on his face. The same one that had been present since earlier. The same one that stemmed from the news Din had delivered upon their retiring to his dream. He was sitting on the beach in human form, testing the effectiveness of multiple digits on changeling chitin for, you know, science, when the queen had decided to inform him of her earlier shenanigans.

It started out simple enough, the simple memory image of her entering the infirmary, Cadance already present with Amare. The queen had then watched the other two as she opened the connection between the pony and the queens while prompting the smaller alicorn to try to mentally greet them. Zelus had promptly sputtered gibbering about impossibilities and how it shouldn't be possible, while Lestidae...

Lestidae was very quiet, staring at the pony like it was ablaze. She giggled lightly, then again. Not a happy giggle though. The queen soon gave in to raucous laughter, laughter that left Din smiling and Cadance feeling more than a little uncomfortable. It turned out the long line of shocks was finally breaking the older queen. Cadance was the last straw, and Lestidae's grip on reality was temporarily snapped.

He'd wanted to be there to see their reactions, and she'd brought it to their attention while he was working on the latest reports. Sure he could see it as it had occurred thanks to memory viewing in the dream realm, but he wanted to enjoy it personally. instead, he'd had to resort to enjoying the queen's reaction to his stating she'd have to let him watch when they found another queen to link to the hive. It wasn't as good as what he'd missed, but it would sate him for now.

The queen, having stopped ranting about half an hour ago by his count, was currently slumped over him, her head resting on his chest as he worked his fingers through her mane. Judging by the purring, he'd have to hazard a guess that the treatment was just as effective on lightly armored changelings as it was on alicorns. His mood was damaged even further when the queen finally found the strength to speak despite his best efforts.

"By the way, Cimmerian. I'm sending drones with you. You're not making this trip alone."

"What makes you think I'll need guards?" He asked her, his tone one of slight annoyance.

"Celestia had guards, Luna had guards, Cadance had guards, every queen I learned of had guards, even my own mother had her own personal guards. You're too important not to have them. In fact, if Zelus was fully recovered I'd be sending her with you. Even then, the moment she's recovered she's going to be training you in combat and guarding you or I when we leave the Temple. In this case though, I'm only sending a squad with you. They've been supplied with enough provisions to last them a week of strenuous activity, and have enough medical supplies to keep you patched up for that same week."

The queen opened her eyes, staring at him and leaving him no room to maneuver. "I'm not backing down on this, you're too important to us, too important to me to take any chances. Just don't risk yourself needlessly," she finished, laying her head back on his chest.

The male actually hadn't thought of that. Maybe it was more to give them extra warning, or just to have backup? Either way, he was feeling a bit silly dismissing the idea of guards as meaningless. He didn't have to dismiss every tradition, and if he was going to throw them away, he should at least make sure they were as useless as he thought they were. Cimmerian smiled, scratching both sides of the changelings neck. She may not feel love the way he did, but she was certainly sounding more and more like a proper female each day. Next thing he knew, she'd be complaining about which way the toilet paper was facing. His smile flipped momentarily at a stray memory. He'd meant to pick something up for the queen last time he was in Zarris but was distracted by the blood rage incident. Maybe he could find her something nice after the meeting? That thought led to another, the horribly lost being contemplating whether certain types of gifts were truly universal or not.

'Do changelings actually wear jewelry?'

Author's Notes:

Bleah. Took me a bit, but hopefully I can get this moving again. Sorry about the long downtime.

Wasn't really sure where to go after the conversation in the infirmary, so I kinda floundered for a bit. I do have a plan of what's going to happen during the meeting though. Should be interesting/fun.

Surveying the Kingdom

The morning could have been better. The sun shined for the first part of the day, but the fall chill was in full effect, and storm clouds could be seen far in the distance. As the alicorn rose from his covers that morning, he stared out the window, watching the approaching storms.

"If I'm lucky it's just a storm." Cimmerian muttered to himself, watching the rolling storm front slowly approach. "Unfortunately I watch too much television. I'm leaving for a trip, and there's a storm coming in. With how fairytale-like this world's been acting so far, I doubt it's just a storm and not an omen."

Following that line of thought it was probably a good thing that Pandinus had selected a group of guards for him. He'd need them for whatever horrible things were going to go wrong on the trip. The dark alicorn looked around his room one last time, his eyes settling upon the still sleeping form the queen sprawled out amidst the covers. A malicious grin split his face as he approached, her position much too exposed for him to pass up the opportunity.

"I swear, if you ever wake me up like that again, I'm going to beat you to death with your own wings! I don't care how much love you're worth, understand?" Pandinus scolded as they approached the dining hall. It did nothing to diminish his smile though, in fact he chuckled at the threat which left her even more irritated. It wasn't like he could hide the fact that he found her rage funny; she could likely taste his amusement as easily as he could read her agitation.

Taking their seats as usual, his mood fell considerably when he noticed Din looking at her meal with caution. She was likely still feeling cautious of eating after the latest visit to the infirmary. That wouldn't do at all, she was supposed to be eating for two, no four, wait, she wasn't... three? The alicorn nodded to himself. Three little lives were depending on her getting over her squeamishness about eating. He had a mission now.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked her casually. It was still enough to get her to snap her eyes from the plate to him.

Queen Pandinus looked at him, then back to her plate. She slumped slightly before taking a simple nibble of toast. Her body obviously disagreed with her reluctance, issuing a gurgle that caused her to jump. The mare growled in frustration, turning to the alicorn.

"What the hell was that?" She asked him. "I don't think my body's ever made any sounds like that."

"It's your body telling you to eat something. You may not be hungry, but they are. Your body knows this, and it wants you to correct the problem," he said with an easy smile. "You'll be fine, Din. As I told you I don't think there's going to be any issues that you won't be able to get past with this. If you can adapt this much, there's not much I can think of that you won't be able to adapt to."

Cimmerian floated a large helping of eggs on toast in front of her, waving it in front of her nose teasingly. "Your body commands you to eat!"

"I hate you sometimes," she growled before taking the food in her own aura and taking a bite. She chewed the toast and eggs, her scowl slowly being replaced by a thoughtful look.

"You said you wanted to leave this evening, any plans until then?"

"I'm going to be wandering the town, double checking the progress. Also going to hit the port. It's been a while since I saw the griffons. I'll say hi to Thrisha, see how they're doing. After that? I'm sure Gleam will need some paperwork done before I leave."

His eyes widened as he remembered something important. "Do me a favor and make sure the armor is taken off the armor rack after I leave. I'll use it tonight and tomorrow to keep you guys updated."

The changeling nodded. "Good, I can still detect changelings in my link that are a good distance away, but communication becomes unreliable at that kind of distance. I also can't send them emotion from that range, so we'll be giving them some supplies." The queens eyes went out of focus for a moment as her attention was elsewhere. "Your supplies and the escort will meet you at the northern tower. Everything you need will be waiting for you. Gleam's already set it up."

"I'd be lost without you guys, you know that right?" the alicorn told her. "If I don't get a chance before I leave, tell Gleam I said thanks."

"By the way Cimmerian. While you're out and about, I have something for you to do." Din said, nodding her head to the door before she popped the last of her meal into her mouth.

Cimmerian looked to the entrance, and was surprised to see Lestidae and Zelus both standing nervously in the doorway. Both seemed to be fighting the urge to don disguises at the public location but were attempting to seem at ease. He smiled at the sight, not expecting to see them up and about for a while yet.

"They're already up and about?"

"Yup," she answered. "And you can show them around while you do your check. Two birds with one stone I believe is the term you use?"

The alicorn looked at the nervous queens, then back at the mare beside him. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

The changeling merely sniffed haughtily at him, raising her nose into the air. "Next time you want to wake me up like that, you'll think twice."

"...and finally, the extra crop plots were just starting to become harvestable when the weather became cooler. Some of the earth ponies have suggested cooler weather plants, but they're not certain how some of them will do in a more tropical soil and climate." Machination told him as they came upon the last stop of the tour. Much had been added to the town in the last month. The first building that could be considered an actual house was built, followed by about five more. Two more general barracks were built, bringing the total number to four and adding a good amount of living space that wasn't changeling shelters. The forge was expanded, doubling its capacity; they were now able to make their own nails and armor, though they still had no source for metals besides the mine. That was still being explored and mapped out. It wouldn't do for the miners to be minding their own business and discover a giant monster of some sort had decided to call the deepest part home.

'You know what they awoke in their greed,' the alicorn mentally recited, smiling at the quote. Oh, having a giant fire monster in the mine was no laughing matter, but it was still funny that he actually had to worry about these things. Maybe he could get it to work at the forge?

"Was there anything actually in the mine?"

"Aside from some subterranean terrapins, no sir. Nothing."

Cimmerian blinked owlishly for a moment. "Do they explode if you touch them?"

Machination stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the alicorn in confusion. "N-not that I've heard. Why, uh, would you think that?"

"With all of the other strange things that have occurred it wouldn't surprise me," the larger stallion said in exasperation. "Thanks, Mack. If all goes well, you may be getting Lestidae's help with the planning. She has a bit more experience in that field, though I want you to keep her in line. She may forget that not everyone can fly, having spent most of her time working with changelings."

The pony nodded, wandering off to continue overseeing the few construction projects that were still active. It had taken time and effort, but the Temple of the Shadows could now be considered a village or town. Actually, the alicorn could probably put in the paperwork to be the ruler of a country now, having authority over two different towns.

That thought stopped him short. At what point was one considered the ruler of a country?

"An odd place. Not what we were expecting at all, really." Zelus said, followed by a few chitters from Lestidae.

The observations drew his attention, the alicorn turning to them with a smile. "What you were expecting isn't my objective. The two of you are looking a bit better. What do you think so far?"

"Part of me is still wanting to don a disguise, another tells me this is some fevered dream and it's not possible even though I can sense the hive's love supply from here. I feel like I'm standing over an active volcano, I can feel the warmth of the love radiating through the ground." The younger queen said while pawing the ground. "I remember some shielding techniques; at the very least it will do a better job of protecting the stored emotion."

"I'll take any and all ideas you can throw out, just don't be offended if I do end up throwing one or two away. It's not just changelings living here," he told her, heading for the western edge of the town. "Do you think the place has lived up to Queen Pandinus' predictions, or are you going to be taking off as soon as your debt is repaid?"

The two queens began speaking to each other in their native tongue. It took a few back and forth arguements, but the alicorn realized the queens were discussing the question. Eventually he stopped waiting for a response, taking flight with the two queens following behind. The amount of time they spent talking was in that case completely reasonable, as it meant they were discussing their future. Leaving them to their discussion meant the alicorn was flying in relative silence to the port, the discussion sounding more like background noise to his ears than an actual language.

Coming upon the refurbished port, the alicorn stopped dead upon seeing the repairs that had been enacted. To say the griffons made progress would have been an insult. The guard tower was patched, the last bits of changeling paste being scraped off of the tower as the new cement had finished hardening, allowing the building a cement and stone finish that left it twice as sturdy as before. The warehouse had been torn down and rebuilt, as had many of the buildings, though a few were still as rough looking as he remembered them. The biggest change that drew his eye though, was the repaired docks. The docks were now in proper working order from the mess he'd last seen. Actually, last time he was here the docks had been vaporized by the explosion of the control crystal. There was also a large boat in the dock, though it looked like it had seen better days. All along the beach were smaller boats, some looking new, others looking pretty old.

'Probably donations from the Talons or other griffons,' he thought, landing lightly. The mercenaries were more than happy to help out the griffon refugees, showing a loyalty to their people that was surprising based on their profession. Not only that, they'd apparently funneled even more refugees to the port, as he was certain there were even more griffons here than last time he'd gotten a count. He'd need to ask Thrisha for an update; while the griffons were allowed to do their own thing, they still answered to him for the moment.

A squawk of fear drew the attention of the alicorn and his tagalongs to a small griffon that had just spotted them. The young griffon, by his guess a female, was ready to bolt when she was stopped by a second griffon, this one missing his wings.

"Berne, right? What are you doing here?" Cimmerian asked the griffon.

"Lord Cimmerian." The merc greeted with a light bow. "Checking in on family. There aren't many places accepting griffon refugees, what with the Equestrian Navy tracking some of the ships down. No one wants to deal with either of them. Because of this, your little unnamed port here has become quite important to the flow of refugees," he explained, gesturing for the alicorn to follow.

"I'd just like to ask, what's with the changelings? Many here are a bit jumpy around their kind."

"Showing two queens around." Cimmerian explained, causing the griffon to direct a raised eyebrow his way. "While the griffons were driven out by changelings, many fail to acknowledge that the changelings have been subjected to this same treatment for years, and their numbers have taken quite the hit. There's a good chance that what we have at the temple is it. Three queens and just over a hundred drones, Berne. That's the entirety of the free changelings. Those under the Mad Queen's control are often not sapient, just monsters born and raised to die. I'm sure you've heard reports of them going insane when the crystal is damaged or destroyed. It's sad that many don't realize how similar your situations are."

The griffon nodded. "I'll give you that. They don't act like changelings I'm familiar with. Too predictable. Alright, here we are."

The griffon stopped before a newly cleared part of the beach. Sprawled out before the small group was a large group of tents and temporary shelters, all housing a large amount of griffons. Some went along their business, others stopped and stared, whispering to one another in poorly disguised fear of the creatures behind him.

'Two of them. I've got what amounts to two refugee camps as a kingdom. Changelings and griffons mostly, because they've been booted from their normal homes. Hell, I may end up with three if things really take a bad turn for the thestrals. Knowing how bad the Nightmare may get once things fall apart, that's a good possibility, not to mention what could happen if active war breaks out between the Minotaur Tribes and Equestria.' Cimmerian realized.

"Well, this is a surprise," a female voice called out to him. The alicorn turned to the right, spotting a large group of griffons surrounding Lady Thrisha. Many were looking at his own group with worry or, again, fear but many were also curious about Thrisha's easy familiarity with the alicorn.

"To what do we owe the honor of your visit, Lord Cimmerian?"

"Just checking in on things," Cimmerian responded casually. "I've been drowning in paperwork, but it's no reason not to see how things are flowing out here, and reports only tell me so much. I didn't realize just how many griffons had showed up. Last report had them at just under two hundred griffons, this looks to be quite a few more."

"Yes, the Talons have been funneling those they can to the nearest available settlements. There are several others like this, but several ships besides ours took this route," the old hen shook her head sadly. "The number of griffons that are still missing is horrible."

"All war is horrible, Thrisha, no matter what fools feed others." he told her. "I've also heard stories of the glories of war, of the wonderful honors awaiting those who persevere. That's not what you should be fighting for. Fight for something that matters, like family, and your freedom. Honor doesn't feed the family, after all."

One of the griffons snorted, "I could hardly consider what happened a war, alicorn. The changelings overran us before we had a chance to blink. There were no declarations, no formal announcements."

The stallion turned his gaze to the tom, leering dangerously at the griffon. "It's called a blitzkrieg, a lightning war. Strike fast, strike true, and the enemy is defeated before they know they are under attack; by the time the formal declaration reaches them through the mail, it's already over. It's not the first time I've heard of such tactics, and even then, do you think you could have held out against innumerable unfeeling beasts for years? Even if you fortified your cities against them, all the Equestrians would need to do is cause a few breaches from a safe distance, not too difficult with the magic available to them, and watch your defenses crumble. This isn't an opponent you fight head on. We don't have thousands of monsters to throw into a sausage grinder, hoping a few get through and weaken our enemies. If we try to fight a war of attrition against the Mad Queen? We. Will. Lose."

He stalked closer to the griffon with his wings flaring, the tom obviously not expecting the hostility. "I took this area and made it what it is. I had others help me it's true, but I am the one leading this country. You can't claim ignorance of my name as it's been said right in front of you. I accept familiarity, in fact I encourage it; but you damn well be willing to respect who I am, griffon."

Thrisha's only response to the threat was a light chuckle at the male's discomfort. "If you'll follow me, Lord Cimmerian, I'll give you the official tour, as well as some of the plans we've come up with. A few haven't even been set to paper yet, but perhaps you can help us with the planning. I've actually had a few suggestions for a name for the port as well. I think my favorite is ShadowTalon Port. Considering our proximity to the Temple of the Shadows."

"Ha, you'll be ahead of the rest of the Temple," he told her bitterly. "I still can't get a name out of the residents. I may just go with Sanctuary or something like that, but I'd rather the people name it."

"As you've seen, we have a large number of temporary shelters set up on the beach. Most of them are merely so we have somewhere to put those just showing up until we can get them settled elsewhere. Others sign up with the Talons first chance they get, hoping to get some sort of payback. Still others move on to other cities. While the fishing boat's the only one here at the moment, we've had up to two other ships docked here at once, one dropping off supplies, the other taking a few griffons off to other settlements that they'd be better suited to. Many of those that leave do so because of the proximity to the Temple's hive, but for the most part those here leave Pandinus' drones alone. Oh, we've had a few fools start trying to rile up the locals, but most of the guard are griffons Amald and I can trust, and they break that up fast."

"The storage shed was in horrible condition, so we ended up tearing it down and constructing a new one. The wood for most of these buildings was rotted, so it's all fresh construction. Even the old inn was scrapped, and the building that's taken its place is acting as our town hall. We've managed to get about twelve actual houses up, but with the numbers and aid we've been getting, that's still a pitiable number."

"Well, depending on how things go in the next few weeks, the Equestrians may lose hold of High Talon and the surrounding lands. The swarms are doing the ponies no good against the Talons or the Minotaurs now, not against those who are properly equipped," the alicorn said. His gaze once more fell upon the guard tower.

"Thrisha, who's the one who thought to use the changeling paste to hold the building up while the cement hardened? It's a brilliant idea, and I'm glad to see someone using some cross-species thinking."

"It was a young tom, Curtis of the Bluetalon clan, that came up with that idea," The griffon matron explained. "I was quite surprised when he asked me if it would be possible to get a few changelings to work for him, but Queen Pandinus was happy to send a few to help out when I asked her. It certainly opens up a few possibilities, doesn't it? The gel actually still allows the cement to harden, so it holds the cement in shape while it hardens, then we can pull the black stuff off. Some of the craftsgriffons, they said normally for such work you'd need to line the tower with wooden braces to do that. The drones did it in an hour or so, and left holes for the cement. Once it was poured in, they sealed those as well."

"I'm going to be headed to Zarris tonight, but afterwards, I'd love to speak with him. If I can't get something set up then at the very least, pass along my personal thanks and commendations." The alicorn looked around, seeing many griffons staring at the group still. With a quick smile to the queens, he turned back to Thrisha and gestured to the crowd.

"So Lady Thrisha, are you going to explain to me who's who, and what other griffon names I should be keeping an ear open for?"

Thrisha giggled at the alicorn's blundering attempt to direct her tour to a specific goal, but proceeded with introductions regardless.

The progress made by the griffons on the abandoned port was nothing short of amazing. Even more amazing though, was the number of donations that had flowed in from various griffon organizations. Food, money, lumber, metals, even several craftspeople of various skills had shown up to help build up the griffon town. It was honestly more than the alicorn had expected when he'd set Thrisha up with enough supplies to start the town.

It also left him with the awkward question of asking for at least the repayment of the materials that he'd initially invested, but that issue was sidestepped when he found out Thrisha was trying to talk a few of the extra craftspeople into heading to the Temple to at least check the construction.

'Nothing more awkward than wondering how to ask for things they were given as charity,' he thought with a scowl as he flew back to the Temple. The griffon had given him several reports directly rather than waiting for a messenger to deliver them to the Temple. It was just after lunch now, and he had to leave by dinner. The trip would be made mostly at night, but with the sky likely being clear that night, and the bright light of the moon, a night flight wasn't out of the question.

Arriving at the Temple of the Shadows, the alicorn landed lightly in front of the Temple, turning to the queens. He'd felt he'd given the two enough time to discuss the situation, and now wanted an answer.

"You've had several hours to discuss the question, so now I'll ask it again; will you stay after you've worked off the debt, or will you leave?"

The two once more looked nervously at each other, but it was Lestidae who responded, though the clicks and buzzing meant little to him. Zelus was kind enough to translate for them, though.

"She says while it is nice, things are still changing around us. This, way of living, is very strange to us. It goes against everything we know. We were quite certain the griffons would attack us, in fact many tasted of anger and hatred when their eyes fell upon us. The fact that they didn't act on that hatred speaks much louder, though. I will wish to have my own hive in the future, as I never managed to start a hive before The Hunt began, but for now..."

The younger queen pawed nervously at the ground for a moment, weighing her words, "Lestidae wishes to reserve her judgment. I believe she is still waiting for the other hoof to drop. Myself, I wish to help. I will stay, at least until it becomes safe to start my own hive again. We both know Pandinus truly worries for the species, and after reviewing the information she has gathered I find myself in agreement with her. It's, I do not like working with other queens, but it has kept me alive this long, and even preserved me past what was a death warrant for our species. I wish to see my species survive this, and this is the best option I've found."

Cimmerian smiled warmly at the statement. It wasn't surprising that the older queen was still nervous, as she likely had many more years of indoctrination in the normal changeling lifestyle. He was currently being immersed in completely different cultures with only a few decades of life behind him and it was difficult to adapt, how much worse would it be if you were told your ideals were wrong after five decades?

'That's why some of the elderly can't accept the changes of modern society, it's too radically different. Too many changes too fast, too many years of being told the world's a certain way, the changes scare some of them.'

Still, Zelus was with them, it seemed, and willing to work towards what she perceived as a mutual goal. It brought a warm feeling to the alicorn, and his smile grew even wider when saw the changelings eyes widen in surprise.

"Come on, Zel, where do you think most of the love Pandinus has access to comes from?"

This caught the attention of Lestidae, who chittered a question to Zelus.

"He, he's directing the emotions to me. It tastes strange," the younger queen responded. "I suppose that's what she meant when she said it's stronger this way, that the emotions have more energy."

Cimmerian nodded "I've got things to take care of. You two enjoy your day, and I hope you two enjoy your time here."

The two queens watched the alicorn depart, one bearing a smile, the other a scowl. Lestidae was far from happy with how her situation had changed over the last century. She'd lost her hive, been driven from her home, forced to work with a younger queen who under normal circumstances she'd have nothing to do with, and now was living in another queen's hive. The icing on the cake was she'd found a few of her children in said hive; the other queen was able to save them when she had failed to do so.

"Tradition would dictate that I find a way to usurp the weaker queen, who dared to show weakness by aiding other queens in peril."

"True, but not only am I certain Pandinus is aware of that, I think she truly does worry for our species. After observing her hive, I believe her concern is genuine. Not only that, but the other species here follow either their own leaders or the alicorn, and most of the leaders stand behind him."

Queen Zelus tittered in amusement, turning to face the Temple, "Even if you managed to best Pandinus, who is currently powered by more love than our hives have ever possessed and with a direct source for more if she requests it, you would also need to best the alicorn as well as his followers."

"Don't think I haven't realized that, hatchling. I've been at this game for far longer than you've existed." Lestidae rebuked the younger queen.

"Oh, but the game has changed, old nag; your experience betrays you. Don't you see? Emotion has been shown to be freely given to those who request it here, and hives beyond the blessing of the black alicorn are quickly found by the Mad Queen. We must adapt to this new life, Lestidae. We must adapt or like so many of our kind, we will die. You saw those the Equestrians hold captive. I for one will not fall to that fate."

The older queen huffed at the statement, eyes being drawn to the fountain trickling in the courtyard not twenty paces from her. She had little doubt the alicorn did that by accident, leaving her in sight of fountain that flowed with condensed love . Such a thing actually angered her. It was a frivolous waste of love, and was just begging another queen to send drones to steal from her. That was the problem though. Pandinus would likely give that love to them freely if she was asked, just as her mate had taught her. 'Love shared is love doubled' or some similar nonsense. Sadly, there were no other queens nearby to make such an attempt. The fountain instead served three purposes.

It was a monument to their race as the stallion had hoped. It was a source of nourishment for the drones who found their way to the temple many of whom she'd been told were on their last legs when they'd arrived. Finally, it acted as a beacon to their kind. This much love, exposed to the air and set out for all to see, was a signal to any and all changelings from hundreds of miles around that this place was safe. It was a sign that there was food here, that there was shelter and safety.

Lestidae didn't like this place but she would see her debt repaid. She would also see her curiosity sated; what would become of the young queen who'd dared to bed an alicorn? What would become of her brood? Would she ever lay eggs again, or had the stallion's touch done something irreversible to her? Then there was Zelus. The young one wasn't just staying for the future of her species now if she interpreted the younger queen's curious gaze correctly. Honestly, what would the stallion expect would happen when he waved the possibility of such a large quantity of love in front of her? Zelus wasn't stupid, and could make the connection. If nothing else, it would be funny watching where it all went. She'd passed many days watching Zelus doing strange, silly, or just plain stupid things; some things just never changed.

At least she wouldn't be bored.

The paperwork was grueling, but eventually, dinner rolled around, freeing the stallion from the never ending flow of bureaucracy. He enjoyed a warm meal, a special meaty dish prepared specially by Slop as a farewell and good luck meal, and made his way to the northern gates. As he approached, he managed to catch his first glimpse of the security detail the queen had thrown together in about a day.

It wasn't entirely composed of changelings, surprisingly enough. In fact, there were only four changelings; the others were two griffons and two thestrals. All were bearing full armor and all moved comfortably enough in their armor to leave him with the impression that such garments were nothing new to them.

'The thestrals are actually a great idea, considering who I'm meeting.'

As he neared, a few shouts echoed around the tower and the guards began making their final checks and preparations. By the time he reached them, they were standing in formation before him, Amald passing through their ranks and checking their armor and weapons. He gave a respectful salute to Cimmerian upon the stallion's arrival.

"Lord Cimmerian, they're ready when you are," the griffon told him. "Your things are in that pack over there. Are you certain you won't be taking your armor? I think it would be wise to keep some extra protection."

Cimmerian shook his head. "That armor is the worst thing to be wearing if I get attacked. It amplifies everything, Amald, not just my power. That includes pain felt from blows. I've felt a gnoll scratch me with and without the armor. Without it, I barely felt it, though he did break my skin. With it, he didn't actually cut me, but I felt like someone had cut me open, poured salt in the wounds, then added a little lye to the cuts just to be certain I felt it. I'm better off without it. Besides I'll get more use out of it by leaving it here, trust me."

Several of the guards shuddered at the implication, but they were otherwise silent. Amald nodded, accepting the alicorn's explanation. He turned to the guards one final time.

"Alright, you know your orders. Watch the lord's back, and make sure he returns in one piece. Queen Pandinus has told me to pass on that she'll be taking every feather out of place out of your hides when you all get back."

Without further fanfare, the alicorn donned his gear and took off, the guards taking formation around him. Cimmerian settled into an easy pace. It would get them to Zarris before it became too late or the storm hit, but it wouldn't leave his guards exhausted should they run into trouble. About ten minutes into the flight, with no conversations with the guards, boredom struck and his mind started wandering.

A grin on his face, Cimmerian began humming a song he'd not heard in years. After a few moments of mere humming, he decided to serenade his guards.

"The music washed away all their hate, and society started advancing. Every demographic was represented, it was a rainbow coalition of dancing!"

The guards were staring at him, one even chuckling at the odd song.

"Whoa-oh-oh, everyone was wearing fingerless gloves. Whoa, oh--oo-whoa, I saw a Spanish guy doing the Bartman!"

No reason he couldn't have a little fun during his flight. Besides, Equis didn't have in flight movies yet.

Author's Notes:

Headed out, I plan on having fun with this. And don't tell Tuna someone else may be making bedroom eyes at him. It's a surprise for when he gets back.

The Truth About Changeling Culture

It had taken a ton of effort, but Theodore had managed it. He'd commanded them several times, attempting to break through their discipline on the agonizingly boring trip for his own amusement. Eventually a few had cracked, and he'd managed to get the thestrals and a few changelings singing with him. It left a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart seeing a couple changeling singing 'What is Love' in an amazing synchronization that left an echo that perfectly reflected the original work. If he was lucky, it would spread throughout the hive, and even Zelus and Pandinus would be humming the song before too long.

'What other love-themed songs do I know?' He pondered. 'Love' themed songs are funny and all considering a good portion of them are changelings, but we need, I got it! Welcome to the Jungle for the gnolls, Do You Believe in Magic for the unicorns, I Believe I Can Fly for the pegasi, I'm Gonna Be for the earth ponies... I'll figure out the others later.'

It was probably stupid, but it would still be funny to give them some songs to sing. This world didn't have radios as far as he'd seen, so music had to be taught orally.

'Technology. Do they even have any idea what could be done with magic? Do they know that lightning can be harnessed? That rivers and lakes can be used to power their lives? That even the sun can be used to run machinery?'

It was definitely something he'd need to look into. So far his knowledge of technology was entirely based on magic-free tech from Earth. What, if anything, had the locals done? Pegasi could control storms right? Electricity was something they'd never run out of, just keep a storm going over a collection grid, and the lightning would power everything for miles.

"Sir, I can see the torches on the Port's perimeter. We should be there momentarily," one of the thestrals shouted to him over the wind. The storm was just about on them, but with the port close by, it was likely they'd be inside before the rain started.

Not five minutes later, the group was landing in front of the town gates, the guards already moving to open them as the alicorn's group had been spotted earlier. Cimmerian was met just inside by Herrick Talon and a small group of mercenaries.

"Didn't think you'd show up so early, the emissary isn't due until tomorrow," the griffon said with a hint of surprise in his voice. "I assume you were looking to cut the travel out of your list for the day though. We've prepared rooms for all the proceedings already. The Talon base has plenty of rooms that don't see any use, so it wasn't that difficult to set it up."

Cimmerian nodded, following him to the far side of the town. The first drops of rain were just coming down and the sun had set almost half an hour ago, so there weren't many on the streets. It suited his group, as his mixed guards would likely draw quite a few eyes. Just as they walked in, the clouds cut lose, unleashing their unholy wrath upon those foolish enough to still be outside. The alicorn looked back over his shoulder with both relief and pity. Relief for being able to retreat from the storm into the fort, and pity for the guards still standing in the rain.

The Talon base was a beehive of activity, most of it being mercenaries moving supplies from room to room to make space for even more supplies, and on more than one crate he saw were the words Shadowtalon Port. Another mercenary passed his group bearing a bucket of amulets, all marked with the array that protected them from the feral changelings.

"We've been pretty busy with all the refugees ending up scattered to the four winds, but we've managed to prepare three rooms for your meeting," Herrick explained. "Two for sleeping quarters, and a third for the actual negotiations."

The older griffon opened a door, stepping aside to let the alicorn and his group inside. "These will be your quarters for the next few days. Just don't break anything or make a..."

Cimmerian followed the griffons gaze, seeing a young hen currently already in the room. The hen reminded him of the griffons he'd often seen in storybooks. Where most of the others had grey flecks or didn't quite have the right shade of fur as most lions he'd seen in pictures, this one was nearly golden, with snow-white plumage. Not sure what to make of the occupation of the room meant for him, he turned to the Talon leader.

"So I'm not as up to date on griffon customs as I should be, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline the offer of hospitality, Herrick."

The reactions to the joke were mixed; more so than he'd expected. Several griffons passing by who'd heard the comment and seen who it was directed at reached for blades, causing his own guards to do the same. The hen merely stared at him with an expression caught between confusion, and shock. Herrick...

The old griffon buried his beak in his talons, before muttering "Lord Cimmerian, be known to Princess Isana, Daughter of Queen Federica. Your Highness, be known to Lord Theodore Cimmerian Fredson, ruler of the Temple of the Shadows and founder of Shadowtalon Port."

The stallion stared for a few moments, finally comprehending just what he'd done. With a sigh, his wings sagged and he chuckled with a rueful shake of his head. "Of course. I can't even make a joke without stepping in it."

"What do you mean you can't? I said prepare a group to hunt down this benefactor immediately!" The purple alicorn shouted at the lieutenant before her. "This male, this, this thing is a bigger threat than any army! It must be found and either captured or killed immediately!"

"Y-your Highness, we have griffons raiding our caravans at will despite the changeling squads, we have minotaurs making prodding strikes against our eastern borders, despite our best efforts to make sure the griffons could not strike back, we're looking at a war on two fronts without the forces to fight it!" The soldier attempted to explain. "You're asking us to send out specialists of all types looking for a creature whose name we do not know, nor do we even know its species. Not only do we have nothing on this creature, we have even less on its location. One of the intelligence officers suggested checking the lost ships, but those were scattered by a powerful storm and two went down in the middle of the ocean."

The Mad Queen's eyes lit up momentarily with hope. "The storm! Did you check it for magical properties?"

"Of course Your Highness, it was one of the first things we did when we found out we lost crew and resources to it," he responded. "It was completely natural. Normally we have weather teams send a counter-storm to stop it from reaching Equestrian shores and don't give them a second glance."

The Mad Queen began pacing about her dais, mumbling to herself. "No no no, I know he's out there, we need to find him and stop him. He's the reason the changelings are being bypassed, he's the reason she's fighting. If he keeps doing this, it's all going to come down."

Much to the surprise of all those gathered, in a few seconds she relented. "Very well, but I want the specialists ready to gather and move out when the word is given. In the meantime, I want the information network...what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh, you disbanded R.I.D.E eight years ago, Your Highness." One soldier mumbled, ducking his head in a bow afterwards in the hope of dodging her focus.

"I, I did?" She said softly, sounding unsure of herself in public for what was likely the first time in months if not years. "Oh, well uh, is there, no, I'm the Queen. I want it back up and running, and its only job will be to find this creature. Once they find him, send word to the specialists I listed and send them to the last location of the creature. Other than that, I want alternatives on how to deal with the minotaurs, and somepony find out where these griffons are striking from! We've already captured all of their main cities and towns, there can't be that many places left for them to rally."

"Of course, Your Highness," the soldiers said in unison before walking out the door to their appointed tasks. The Mad Queen watched them go, a little more certain of herself. It hurt to admit, but they were right, she was sending troops she may need elsewhere off chasing a nameless shadow. All it would do for her at this point is weaken her already strained position.

"Well? Anything to add, 'Captain'?" She asked the white stallion standing beside her throne.

The captain merely snapped a salute at her attention before speaking, "Nothing that you are not already pursuing, Your Highness."

"Of course not." She snorted in disgust. Of course she was left with fools surrounding her, she'd removed most of those that displayed sort of intelligence to make things easier to control, and those with any spine, she'd grown frustrated with and fed them to her experiments. Truly, the life of a tyrant was a frustrating one. Those like her were too willing to attempt to usurp her to use effectively, and those intelligent enough to be useful were also too intelligent to stay anywhere near her when she was so likely to have those around her executed and/or tortured for her own amusement. If only she had a...

"That's it! I build my own officer. A little of programming with a few changelings and I should have a perfectly loyal soldier. Oh don't think the fact that you won't help me will stop me, fool. I still have access to your notes!" She cackled cheerfully as she darted down the halls to her personal lab and library.

Pity the Nightmare, a foolish creature who had no idea that there was a reason the purple unicorn turned alicorn had an assistant for keeping her notes and research in order. Nor did it realize how difficult programming golems could be. The Mad Queen was in for a very long and frustrating experience.

Pandinus paced. Lestidae watched.

The larger queen paced for nearly ten minutes, debating on the idea that had occurred to her. Zelus was finally cleansed enough to move on to actual love, and was ready to start helping in any tasks set before her. The current task Queen Pandinus was contemplating was sending her after Cimmerian to act as an additional, albeit much stronger, bodyguard. Certainly she trusted the alicorn to watch after himself, but his aura kept her hive safe, his love is what kept them fed.

"Out with it already. What has you wearing a rut in the floor." Lestidae said in irritation. "You're a queen, aren't you? Stop acting like some freshly hatched proto queen and either ignore it, or make a decision."

"Like you've ever been in this situation before." Din snapped back. "If something happens to him, our link will be exposed to the Mad Queen and the majority of our love supply will be cut off. On the other hoof I don't want to coddle him, as he's my mate, not a nymph, and I've already had guards sent with him." Pandinus paused for a moment, looking at the older queen. "Zelus would be an excellent bodyguard I'm certain, able to fight off anything that could threaten him in the local area, maybe even stand against alicorns if it was required. The tales told of a hunger-crazed queen sapping the true love of a single stallion and managing to fight an alicorn. In that case, fueled by so much love, do we even need to worry about hiding? Even if the worst occurs and the Mad Queen captures him, would anything be able to stop us if we put our stores to use?"

"Do you even need to continue this charade in that case?" Lestidae asked with a haughty gaze. "When he returns, defeat him, lock him in your quarters and harvest what you need. I really don't see the issue here. Why allow him to leave at all?"

"He's the source of the love, yes. However, his happiness increases its potency. You still haven't tasted it, have you? Neither of you have. The love we have stored here, not only is it plentiful, it's potent."

Pandinus approached a small desk that had been added to her room in the last few weeks. It was more for Cimmerian, allowing him to quickly sign urgent papers instead of having to trek all the way to the war room or his own quarters for proper writing implements than for her own use, but she still made use of it. She opened a bottom drawer, drawing a single glowing pink jar that may as well have been the sun in the nearly pitch black of the room. The sudden change in lighting startled Lestidae, who's secondary eyelids snapped shut at the sudden increase in light.

"This is the most potent of it. I keep some here, not allowing it to be diluted amongst the rest of the love. The love of an alicorn for his mate."

Wordlessly, the larger queen floated the jar to herself as she reclined on her bed. A clinking sound caused Lestidae's ears to twitch, and she spied several small glasses floating to the bed as well.

Pandinus poured the pink gel into three cups, only allotting a small portion for each glass before stoppering the jar and returning it to the desk. Before Lestidae could ask who the third glass was for, the door swung open, admitting a surprisingly energetic Zelus.

"You had something to discuss, Pandinus? I hope it's important, I was just about to train some of the guards by thrashing them. It has been far too long since I've engaged in such activities for entertainment," Zelus cheerfully stated, her smile nearly splitting her face in two.

Without looking at either of them, Pandinus floated a glowing glass to each queen, staring into her own as if it held the secrets to the universe. "I want you to know. I want you to understand, Lestidae, just how different the situation is. You continuously complain about how we are breaking tradition, but you fail to see what I have; you fail to see what's been shown to me.

"You complain about losing our traditions and the laws that we have followed for so long? The griffons have real traditions, ceremonies so intricate they are an art-form in themselves. The ponies have traditions, tales passed down through the generations, plays, songs, even history books recording who their ancestors were and what they did. The minotaurs have their heirlooms, weapons and armor passed down through the families that each new generation learns the exploits of, as well as they who wielded them. Even the gnolls and the diamond dogs have stories of their ancestors, of their origins.

Pandinus' eyes hardened, focusing on the elder of the queens. "Do you know who your grandmother was? Have you ever heard tales of the exploits of changelings? Not warnings or tales of tragedy but tales of changelings succeeding, of them surviving impossible odds to return home, or to defend their hives. What about works of art? The central pillars are abandoned when the hive moves on, and any odd scratches the drones have made over the years are forgotten. We can alter our voices to reach nearly any tone that may be heard with equine ears, yet never have I heard of a song composed by a changeling. Where are our traditions, Lestidae? Where are our customs, our heritage? We have less than the mongrels that spend all day foraging through the jungle for scraps of food! You speak of the proud changeling race? We've spent millennia hiding in the shadows!"

"The proud changeling race, ha!" Pandinus scoffed. "How proud are you truly of your race? The fountain outside, it is the first creation of the changelings, the first thing that any race can look upon and know changelings existed. Even should our race be wiped out, other races will speak of the fountain, of a beautiful creation that glowed with the love of those who lived here. The only other location where one could see such a concentration of love is the Crystal Kingdom, and the idea was proposed by an alicorn!"

"Our laws are binding, Pandinus," Lestidae responded coolly. "You cannot just dismiss all your mother taught you because some alicorn comes along and asked you to dismiss your rearing."

"Name one law your mother taught you that cannot be broken in times of strife!" Din retorted. "There were none in my rearing, the survival of the hive was paramount. If I had to submit myself to another creature for the survival of my hive, I was expected to do so! If I needed to order half of my hive killed because our food stores would not sustain our numbers, I was expected to do so! Tell me Lestidae, tell me one law that is unbreachable by our race. Just. One."

For a few moments the queens stood there in silence, Lestidae starting to speak several times before snapping her jaws shut, even a single loophole being grounds for dismissing the best choices for her counter-arguments. Unsure of how to proceed, she turned to Zelus, eyes asking for aid. Instead, the smallest queen shrugged, swirling the glowing liquid in her glass.

"Mother told me there were no true laws, that they were guidelines on how to deal with other hives and that we make the laws of our own hives. I'd hate to say it, Lessy, but she has a point."

The eldest queen scowled, though whether it was at the nickname or her ally's lack of support was unknowable. "Fine, you've made your point, Pandinus," Lestidae said to the largest queen. "But what has this all to do with the love?"

"You've tasted stolen love, correct? Mother told me most queens and proto queens were given any the hive managed to obtain, and I remember it was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted. My time here made me realize something though. The emotions we harvest are flat, not at all as fulfilling as they could be. As Cimmerian told me, we've been living on crumbs. Taste it, I want you to understand why I would put myself through so much misery for this prize."

With that, Din slowly sipped her glass, savoring every moment. Zelus was about to knock back the entire glass, but a quick glance at the other queens stopped her. She slowly sipped at the honey, rolling the taste around in her mouth for a moment before going slack, Din's aura the only thing stopping the cup from hitting the floor.

Lestidae stared at her fellow queen in shock, waving a hoof in front of her face a few times before poking the smaller queen. It was enough to upset Zelus' balance, the changeling slowly tipping over much like a tree that was harvested for lumber. The reaction drew a giggle from Pandinus, who then stared expectantly at the only queen remaining on her hooves.

"I told you, Lestidae, we were not living, we were surviving. Taste it, and tell me anything you've ever come across even comes close. Taste it, and tell me you wouldn't give your wings and horn for a sure supply of it."

Lestidae glanced worriedly at her glass, fear appearing on her face. 'Poison? No, she wouldn't heal us just to poison us, and she's had some as well, unless she's already taken the antidote. What happened?'

Pandinus giggled, using her magic to move the insensate queen to a small pile of blankets by an empty pod. "Oh that's priceless. Can you hear her, Lestidae? She's not moving, but she's high as a kite at the moment. I think I was just as bad the first time I tasted it. In fact, I remember waking up drooling love, with everything being tinted pink."

Lestidae focused on Zelus, and to her surprise heard the queen over the link. As Din had said, the younger queen was giggling uncontrollably even as she lost all control of her body. Was it truly that powerful?

"Try it, Lestidae. Or do I need to start calling you Lessy as well?" Din said with an impish grin.

With only a small remaining amount of hesitation, the older mare drank the honey, quickly settling herself into a reclining position and setting the glass on the floor. She rolled the taste around in her mouth, enjoying the sweetness that love always carried, but there was something more, something...

The world went pink for the elder queen, and she was aware of no more.

Din giggled as both queens ended up practically drooling over themselves from a love overdose. It would be even funnier if not for the fact that it highlighted the primary problem she'd been seeing lately. Give them an actual source of love, and most are so sensitive they instantly turn into a gibbering mess. How could her species live if they weren't even capable of feeding properly without getting high?

She'd have to change that over the next few months. The nymphs would obviously be the best suited for the new lifestyle, growing up with plenty of food and having other species hatchlings to teach them the drive they would need. The drones may be capable of it, but there was the possibility some would never achieve the level of culture ponies enjoyed. The queens?

That would be a long hard road, but they would live long enough to be able to adjust.

Or maybe the stress would kill them? Can't say she didn't try.

The queen watched as Cadance trotted into the room, looking curiously at the two queens before hopping up onto the central bed and pressing against the changelings side. It was exhilarating, the things she was planning. Hundreds of changelings, all of them living in comfort. Queens speaking of her and her mate as the ones who brought their species into a golden age after approaching the cusp of extinction. Would it be a golden age for them? What would a golden age of changelings entail? She'd found a few books in the library detailing the advances ponies enjoyed during such times, and they set her imagination ablaze.

Yes, it was definitely a good day to be the queen of the hive.

Her attention was suddenly drawn to the door as it swung open once more, admitting the mobile armor of Cimmerian. The glowing eyes of the armor took in the sight of the comatose queens before turning back to her and asking a single question.

"Din, what the hell did you do to them?"

Cimmerian stretched his wings just outside the building of the Talon compound. The thestral ambassador was due in about an hour, and he would likely be stuck inside for the rest of the day. The storm had passed, leaving an overcast sky and only the faintest rumbling in the distance and a damp scent in the air. Well, damper than usual. Zarris was a seaside port town, after all.

His stretching complete, he turned to walk back inside when he noticed a griffon just exiting the main building.

"Good morning, Princess Isana. Did you sleep well?"

"As, well as can be expected, Lord Cimmerian."

"Cimmerian is fine, if you'd like. Once more, I apologize. It was an attempt to break the silence with humor, and it fell so flat you couldn't pick it up with a spatula." He said with a chuckle.

"I understand." Isana responded hesitantly. "I, er, once insulted a minotaur diplomat by asking why his horns were cracked strange places. It seemed innocuous enough but apparently it was a deformation, not battle related, and calling attention to it was seen as a grave insult. It was done in private, so the matter was quickly explained by my mother and apologies were given, but the experience remains."

"Something to take home, I suppose. I know there's a few gestures that while where I'm from they're positive things, there's another place where it's a grave insult. Culture can be a strange thing, even your own. If you truly look hard enough, I'm sure you can find something in your own culture that confounds you."

The hen giggled daintily, holding a talon over her beak. "It is true. I don't remember them at the moment, but I do remember asking my nanny several questions regarding insults and greetings. Oh, that was it. Stone-Talon is fine, but never call someone a Stone-Wing."

"Ah, bad luck, right? Or maybe it's a curse?" Cimmerian mused aloud.

"It could be both, actually, though as an insult it's more the latter." The princess looked around the compound worriedly for a moment before whispering to him.

"Why do you consort with changelings?"

The dark alicorn looked at her in confusion for a moment, before understand sparked in his eyes. "Ah, the guards. A request from my wife, actually. She asked that I take some guards, and one of my organizers set me up with a full group of flyers. Changelings are in the majority at the Temple of the Shadows, though, so it's easier to grab more of them. That and Pandinus probably picked those four out herself."

It was now the hen's turn to look confused. "Pandinus? Is that another alicorn I've not heard of?"

"Queen Pandinus of the Temple's Hive." He clarified, taking a seat beside the griffon. "When I first found her she was nearly insane with hunger, now she's the strongest changeling I know, possibly the strongest on the planet. She's grown a lot, from a single-minded nymphomaniac to a wonderful leader and a kind mother. If you'd like, I'm sure I can spare a guard for your questions. Learn about what you fear, princess. Often enough it's the unknown we fear, not the actual creature."

"Sir, the ambassador's arrived and is waiting for you in the designated room." A Talon mercenary said, approaching with a nod to the alicorn and a bow to the princess.

"Must have used the array." Cimmerian muttered, standing up and stretching his wings for what was likely the last time for a few hours. "I'm on my way. Oh, and princess? You're not wrong saying I consort with changelings. Din's my mate."

Watching the princess's white fur somehow light up pink was well worth it as he walked back into the compound. 'Dammit, I still need to find out how a ruler goes about getting married. I can't exactly marry myself, and I'm the only actual ruler in the area.' Sure he could just say he was married, he could even make up the paperwork and sign it off himself, but would it really mean anything?

'Sides, Mom would never forgive me if I had kids outside of an official marriage. She'd find a way to cross dimensions and kill me. It's going to happen, so now I need to make it official,' he thought with a smile.

The door swung open with his aura, allowing him entry into the well kept room the talks would be taking place in. The alicorn walked in, his guards closing the door behind him. As he took his seat, he noticed the thestral ambassador staring at him wide-eyed.

"L-Lord Cimmerian?" The mare managed to stutter out, her brown eyes locked on his own.

"I am. You're the ambassador sent by the Thestral Council in response to my letter?"

"I, I..." The mare's words were caught in her throat, so instead she followed her instinct. Before the alicorn could blink, the mare had kicked out of her seat and prostrated herself on the floor, teary murmurings and fearful requests for forgiveness only barely reaching his flicking ears.

Looking at the mare, the alicorn only barely suppressed a sigh.

'This is going to be one of those weeks.'

Author's Notes:

Din drugs the other queens, hooking them on love that she provides. Din's learned to be a drug dealer.

I'm so proud of her.

The gesture thing is the thumbs up. I think I read that in a few other countries it's an insult, and ok signal with your hands, the A-ok! sign is signaling that you're a homosexual. Isn't cross-cultural interaction fun?

The Start of the New Way and the Scars of the Twilight Coup

The mare blinked once, then twice, clear thought once again returning to her. She tried to stand up, but her legs refused to listen. She looked around her, seeing only the dim chamber where she'd first lost track of herself. Apparently she was still in Pandinus' chamber. Zelus blinked a few times, looking around and soon spotting the prone, still-comatose form of her fellow queen, a line of drool falling from the elder queen's gaping maw and trailing down her slender neck.

Zelus giggled at the sight, knowing how rare it was to catch the always-serious Lestidae in a compromising position. Truly it would be wonderful if she could find a crystal-recorder to immortalize the picture, but considering how dizzy she was feeling she wasn't certain she could hold the crystal in the proper position long enough.

"You're already up?" a voice asked from the other side of the room. Zelus managed to turn, seeing Pandinus smirking at her from the doorway.

"What time is it?" Zelus asked, rubbing her eyes with a foreleg.

"It's just past noon," the larger queen answered, approaching the blankets and helping the other queen to her hooves. "Flush the extra to the hive, Zelus. It will help clear your mind until you can adapt to the higher concentrations."

Zelus frowned at the order, her instinct to hold onto the emotions she'd ingested being very strong in its reproach. There was more in that single shot than she'd tasted in the last five years. Despite this, she took a deep breath and did so, opening her eyes to find Din smiling at her.

"This way."

She followed the other mare, curious about their destination. Soon enough they came upon a small door, a full compliment of guards standing before it. She felt them brush against her in the link, verifying those who approached and then stepping aside. Walking in after Pandinus, Zelus' jaw dropped.

The room was large, with several large covered pools throughout the room. Different emotions were stored in each, the colors varying depending upon the concentration and the contents. The queen walked between them, noting the consistency, the purity, the sheer amount of emotion contained inside the pools.

'They were diluting what they were giving us.,' she realized. If she'd tried consuming some of this in her previous state, it would likely have left her violently ill. Snapping out of her thoughts, she noticed Pandinus hadn't stopped, continuing on a path to the back of the room and a second door with yet another set of guards. They passed into the next room, and the sight nearly made the smaller queen weep.

"Love has always been the most powerful, most empowering of all the emotions. We keep it back here, away from the others so there is no cross-contamination." Pandinus explained, three true drones moving to clean the two of them with towels and brushes. Then, before Zelus could ask what was going on Din stepped forward, walking into one of the small one-person ponds in the room and letting out a sigh of contentment. Din looked back with a grin as the drones went back to their places.

"Are you going to sit there all day? Or does the idea scare you?"

"Why?" Zelus asked her. "You have so much here, why do you need us?"

Pandinus stared into the distance for a moment before responding. "Amare is not my daughter by birth, she's a proto queen that is only here because she was linked to Cadance. Mirage, Kris, Healing Mist, Umbra, Still, Gem, all of them a part of my hive, and yet the only drones that I've personally given birth to are a few true drones, including the ones by the door. I'm not worried though, do you know why? Because I know I'll live to see tomorrow. I'm not scared, trying to lay as many eggs as I can to increase my children's chances of surviving each day. I don't see other changelings as an obstacle, things that consume resources better suited for my own children. Instead I follow Cimmerian's plan. I make those here want to stay, I work to make this better than any alternative."

Zelus nodded as she cautiously slipped into a second personal pond, shuddering as she felt the warmth of the honey pressing against her shell.

"I, I can't say it's not effective."

Din giggled, focusing her stare on the other queen. "It's wonderful isn't it? I want you to do something for me though. I won't stop you from starting your own hive, but until you decide if you want to leave or not, I want you to guard my husband. This, all of this, is because he gave our people a chance. That love you sit in, that's yours. Use it, heal yourself. Force a molt, alter yourself in any way you see fit. The entire contents of that pond are yours, I'm not even going to add it to your debt. Keep my mate safe during this time of danger, and I'll consider your debt null."

Zelus stared at the other queen in shock, here eyes going from Din to the bathing pond of love she was currently standing in. Had she not seen and felt so much love and other emotions in the area, she'd have called the other queen mad for suggesting such a waste. As it stood...

Zelus took a deep breath, allowing her form to fall beneath the surface of the pool. Her heartbeat slowed, her eyes glazed, and her body slowly began its repairs. She knew what had been asked of her, and knew the importance of her new task.

A ghost of a smile graced her face. She would be the defender of her race's future. She would be the warrior queen she'd always wished to be.

Pandinus smiled softly as she felt the smaller queen's link going dormant. Zelus wasn't one for sitting in meeting rooms all day, that much she'd already discovered. As such, the best place for her would be in the field, which was odd considering she was a fellow queen.

She was, however, much easier to deal with than Lestidae. The older mare would likely have had an aneurism if she'd been put through a similar situation, but she'd have her own use. The changeling's face hardened in conviction. Lestidae would learn to adapt, or she would leave the hive.

Dunking her head under the honey and enjoying being completely encapsulated in love, allowing the warmth to permeate every part of her form, the changeling took a deep pull of the glowing emotion-laden honey. She broke the surface, stepping out of the pool carefully and allowing the drones to clean the liquid from her form. Afterwards, she left them with orders to maintain the depth of Zelus' pool. Her husband's guard would have anything and everything she needed.

Pandinus shook her head in frustration as she felt her gut gurgling once again, the constant need for both types of food weighing on her mind. She wasn't used to this need, nor was she happy about how slowly the nymphs were developing. It would be worth it, though. The intensity of the alicorn's love, even his desire for her safety had multiplied upon the discovery of her condition. She could only imagine how much it would increase when the young were finally born.

Entering the dining hall nearly an hour after the meal had ended, she was greeted by the sight of two other mares also seated at a table, munching on a late meal and giggling amongst themselves. Seating herself by them, she smiled kindly at the mares even as one of Slop's assistants approached to take her order.

"So it starts, hmm? Who are the fathers?"

The mares blushed, breaking out into a renewed fit of giggles before naming their respective stallions and asking the queen how her own pregnancy was progressing. Eventually the conversations were put on hold, all the gathered females having received their meals. Din smiled through her lunch, a free hoof finding its way to her barrel. Maybe this wasn't as bad as she'd first thought.

He tried waiting for her whimpering and groveling to stop.

He tried speaking softly to the mare, or even gently approaching her, but her shivering only increased to outright shaking.

Finally, he tried authority, demanding she explain what was wrong, why she was so fearful of him, but all it drew from the mare was additional tears.

Cimmerian sighed in exasperation, hooking a fetlock over his muzzle before standing and once more approaching the mare. He ignored her whimpers and shaking, laying down in front of her and using his magic to lift her face to his own.

"Look at me."

The mare struggled against his aura for nearly a minute before raising her eyes, though the second her eyes rested on his they darted back to the floor. She renewed her efforts to try and hide herself or meld into the floor.

"Why are you afraid of me?" he asked her with a mixture of curiosity and disappointment. "Do you know why I called your kind here? Do you know why I asked to speak to one of your people, a representative of the thestrals?"

Surprisingly she answered his question.

"Gram t-told me you'd come one day, to call us on our, our debt. I didn't believe her, oh stars, I don't want to die, please don't kill me!" she wailed.

The stallion's face scrunched up in a mixture of disgust and confusion. He'd seen a few thestrals that bowed or even groveled the first time they'd seen him, but he'd yet to see the mind bending fear this one displayed. His curious look towards the thestral guards was answered by the one to his left.

"I, I think she may be a descendant of the Nighthawks, sir."

Cimmerian raise an eyebrow. "And those were..."

"The Nighthawks were a group that decided to side with Nightmare Moon during the Twilight Coup. They pledged to side with her, but didn't manage to reach Equestria in time to help Nightmare Moon, so she swore to punish them when she returned. I heard that many Nighthawks were plagued by night terrors for years after Nightmare Moon was banished. Sometimes they even haunted the dreams of their descendants."

The guard shook his head. "Equestrians may have forgotten over the years about Nightmare Moon, but the loss of Princess Luna left a huge impact on our people. Princess Luna wasn't just a foreign ruler, she was an embodiment of our element. She was a physical representation of the night sky. Not only that, she saw us not as monsters or twisted pegasi, but our own people. She talked to us, she visited, she learned our traditions." The stallion took a shuddering breath, the topic very close to his heart. The second thestral took over, seeing her friend not certain how to proceed.

"Princess Luna became a symbol to our people. A symbol, and then a god. There are still places back home that worship the Lady of the Night. Many actually assumed Nightmare Moon was natural to her, a phase of her life just as the old tales told of the cycles of the moon in the times before Discord. Just as Princess Luna was the cool embrace of the moon's light, Nightmare Moon was the silent death that awaited those who disrespected her realm."

The alicorn nodded, a little bit of understanding lighting his eyes. "Therefore a physical embodiment of The Night's Hatred before someone who is a descendant of those ponies would be pretty terrifying."

Cimmerian took one last look at the quivering mare before turning back to the guards. "I'm going to step out for a moment, tell her I won't harm her or her loved ones in any way. I called for an ambassador to discuss the future of her people, should the Mad Queen move against them. I only want to see her people happy." The alicorn grinned at the female guard. "Tell her of your experiences at the Temple. I seem to remember a certain thestral who also acted similarly upon first seeing me."

With that he turned and left, hoping the other thestrals would be able to calm her down enough to allow them to continue the talks. Three steps out the door he almost bumped into Herrick, the old griffon wearing a concerned expression.

"What happened? Did she attack you or something?"

"No, apparently some thestrals have a bit of history with Nightmare Moon, and with how closely I resemble that individual..."

"I thought you were the Nightmare. Isn't that what those crazies set out to do in the Temple? Bring back the Nightmare?"

The stallion blinked at the counter, unable to form a reply for a moment. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he looked straight into the griffons eyes, even as his guards looked at him for an answer.

"No, Herrick, I'm not creature they set out to resurrect."

The griffon looked at him for a moment in confusion before gesturing for him to elaborate.

"The Nightmare is a parasite, a horrible creature that did in fact want to destroy the planet. However, it's also a coward. When Luna returned from her exile, the creature once more attempted to fulfill its mad goal of destroying all life. When it lost and was about to be purged by the elements, it abandoned Luna to her fate, casting a spell that swapped its position with a random being amongst the universe. That being is me. Theodore Fredson, son of an accountant and a doctor, brother to an older sister, and a creature from a world devoid of magic."

The changelings eyes widened slightly, but the griffons beside him were left with their jaws on the floor. Herrick himself was left blinking in confusion, attempting to come to grips with the reality he'd been told of.

"So, no magic, but you... how do you know any spells?"

"The creature used a swap spell, leaving a copy of its host's memories in exchange for a copy of mine. I was sealed in that armor for forty years with several centuries of memories stolen from Luna. The only reason I can think of that I didn't fall apart to such a mess was because I didn't have a physical brain. My mind was free to handle the information as it wished," the stallion explained. "When the cultists went to free the Nightmare, they freed the creature that was trapped in the armor instead. When they gave the Nightmare a physical form, it was the one they believed it should have, that of an alicorn. This body, this power is the result of their freeing me. That is why I protect them, Herrick. I am a man who was helped when he was trapped in a situation he couldn't possibly understand. My upbringing taught me to help those in need, to return good deeds in kind."

Cimmerian stood up straight, staring down imperiously at the older griffon. "Despite my origins, I am exactly what you see. I am an alicorn, a being whose domain is the shadows. I command them, I bend them, I call them my home. I have millennia of experience to call upon. I wish to see this world protected from the parasites that even now seek the destruction of this world. The Mad Queen is my goal, Herrick. Once she's dealt with, we can focus on getting everyone home, griffons, ponies, and thestrals alike. I don't know if I can bring her down without bringing ruin to those I protect, though. So I move slowly, cautiously. I offer aid from the shadows. Call me a coward, call me a sham, a counterfeit, I really don't care. If I have to bear the title of a monster to see my children safeguarded, I will. I will wear the title of Demon King if need be. But I will see my own protected."

Herrick stared in silence as the dark alicorn left, the stallion making his way back to his quarters. The griffon guards were silent for a few moments, though the changelings quickly moved to follow him.

"Changelings, why would you still follow him? He just told you he's not who he pretended to be." The griffon called to them.

One turned around, its face a stony mask. "His emotions can not be faked. We taste them, we know liars and deceivers. Father is neither. He will see us through the day to the safety of the night." With that it turned to rejoin its brethren, no words being exchanged as they took up position outside the alicorn's room.

Herrick stared for a few moments, allowing the information to sink in. That's when one of the line's the alicorn had used came back to him.

'protected from the parasites that even now seek the destruction of this world'

Parasites. Multiple, more than one. According to the alicorn, he was moving against a creature whose end goal was likely the same as Nightmare Moon; the destruction of all life on the planet. If one removed the need for the Mad Queen's own country to be safe from the equation...

"Wings of the Skylord protect us," the griffon muttered, his eyes widening in horror. "She'd unleash them upon the world just to watch it burn."

He would have plenty of time to question the apparent alien at a later time. He needed to get this information to his brothers and the other nations before it was too late.

The mare never recovered enough to allow her to speak to the alicorn as her position demanded, so Cimmerian was forced to cancel the talks. He offered the mare a tour of his home instead, given by the female guard, Shrike. The group would make their way back to the Temple, then, barring any big problems, set out for Transylmaneia within the week. It would be just over a weeklong trip even flying for the entirety of each day, but Cimmerian felt an obligation to the ponies. He had to make the trip, he had to at least try. Besides, as one of the griffon guards had said, who would believe the mare?

He'd been worried after his outburst, afraid that his guards would lose their faith, afraid that the Talon's would attempt to kick him out or worse. Instead, he woke up to a very strange occurrence the next morning. His guards were also unshaken in their duties, the changelings still seeing him as their King, or Queen's Consort. As for the Talons?

"Captain Herrick is nau' present at the moment, sir." A griffon merc told him. "Captain left late last night on impor'ant business, something about worst-case scenario prep'ration. I don' know what you told him, muh lord, but I've not seen Cap'n Herrick that rattled in a long time. Still, Cap's orders were to see you and yours were properly looked to fo' as long as needed, so iff'n ya need anythin' just say the word."

"I see. Thanks, Geert," the alicorn said, moving silently to the courtyard. His entourage was already there, even the thestral ambassador who he'd since learned was named Jasmine Breeze. The group did their final checks and took flight, the storm having long since past, but the alicorn knowing his troubles were only beginning. Just past the walls of the Talon compound, a voice called out for them to stop. Cimmerian turned, seeing a small company of well-armed griffons moving towards his group while at their center stood the unmistakable form of Princess Isana.

"I wish to see your city, I wish to learn of these creatures that have become such a terror to my people." Princess Isana said as she reached his group. She grinned slyly to the alicorn, continuing "If Herrick were here, I'd likely not get the chance, as he's the only one here who would stop me. I also wish to see Shadowtalon Port. Would you allow me to enter your country, my lord?"

Cimmerian looked at her and her guards for a few moments, the soft beating of wings the only sound that reached them at their current height. With a sigh the alicorn nodded. "I'm sure Lady Thrisha would love to have you visit the port. I don't know if we'll have any rooms suited for one of your station, but we will do our best to see that you're comfortable, Princess."

No sir, Cimmerian's troubles were just beginning.

Author's Notes:

Your backstory is leaking, Ted. No stopping it now.

Also, I'm going to have a lot of fun with Zelus here. She's going to be a joy to write. Pandinus was fun, but she had to grow up, had to learn to be what her race needed. Zelus doesn't have that.

A New Type of Hive

The flight back to the Temple was quiet, this time Cimmerian in no mood to enjoy himself. Too much was on his mind, too much that was beyond his control, too much that could go wrong. The truth of his origins was spreading, how long till others learned the truth? Would the Temple be able to take that kind of stress? How would his trip to speak with the thestrals go? Would the council all quail and flounder like the ambassador they sent had? Herrick had taken off soon after he'd been told the truth, what was he doing? Was he spreading the truth of the alicorn's origin, telling all how he wasn't to be trusted?

So the alicorn brooded, not noticing Princess Isana's attempts at conversation, and almost not registering the squad of changelings that approached them to escort them to the arrival zone. The griffon princess' squawks of fear did manage to catch his attention, however.

"Relax, princess. Look closer, they move in formation. The feral creatures that attacked High-Talon were a wave of fangs and chitin." One of his guards soothed, doing it for her own guards as much as the princess. The alicorn smiled at the welcoming, noticing Pandinus out on the field even as they began to approach. With an excited grin, the alicorn sped his descent.

Almost the second his hooves had hit the ground, she was on him, latching onto him with a powerful kiss that nearly knocked him off his hooves. Properly situating himself, he returned it, finding the queen's apparent addiction to him funny.

"Cimmerian, I thought you were going out to speak to a thestral, what's this?" Pandinus asked him as she sidled up to him.

Two beings separated from the group, neither seeming very certain of approaching the pair. It was almost funny in fact; Jasmine Breeze was still looking at him with undisguised fear, while the griffon princess was looking around at the gathered changelings as if they'd change their minds all of a sudden and attack her. So the alicorn took the initiative and approached the group, laying a wing over the changeling queen's back.

"Princess Isana, Ambassador Jasmine Breeze, I welcome you to the Temple of the Shadows, new name pending of course." Cimmerian offered them with a respectful bow of his head. "Not exactly a mere temple anymore. This is Queen Pandinus, leader of the changelings at the Temple, and my wife."

Din smiled warmly at the two as they came closer, Isana seeming fascinated by the appearance of the larger, strange looking changeling, and the Ambassador more willing to approach the queen than the alicorn. Stepping away from Cimmerian, Pandinus offered her hoof in greeting to the Princess.

"Hello, Princess Isana, I assume you will be moving on toward Shadowtalon after a quick tour?"

"Yes," Isana said with a smile, eyes darting over the queen's form and even looking between the changeling mare and the guards in the field. "I've never seen a changeling queen before, you're bigger than I had heard. Not nearly as horrific, either."

Taking the comments as a compliment, the queen smiled good naturedly. "My size is definitely on the large size compared to others of my kind. Lestidae would likely be closer to what you'd expect. Unlike most of my kind, I have had ready access to an abundant supply of food, and I've found my body changing to adapt to my new circumstances. If you'd like, you may ask Lady Thrisha most of the questions I'm sure you have. She's already written down most of the questions and myths griffons have developed about my people, and I'm sure she'd be willing to give you a copy to return home with."

The hen brightened at the thought "I would appreciate that. Not that I would find asking you the questions less appealing, but-"

"It's fine, princess. I know you don't fear me as much as my children. We're empaths, remember?" Queen Pandinus explained with a smile before turning to the thestral.

"Jasmine Breeze, welcome to our home. You do not need to fear for yourself here. If changelings and gnolls are free to walk the city, what makes you think thestrals would be any different?"

The thestral just stared at her for a moment, her eyes darting to the alicorn behind the queen once, twice, three times before the mare stuttered an apology, directing her gaze to the ground. Barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at the display Din issued several commands to her drones, one of them stepping forward and standing beside her.

"If you'd like, Isana, you may have some of your guards use one of our spare barracks for housing, or send them straight to Shadowtalon. A tour with about twenty griffons may be a bit awkward. Also, would you join us for dinner? I've yet to hear a griffon complain about Slop's cooking, despite his being a pony. When you decide what you wish the soldiers to do, tell Deflection and he will direct them to their destination. I will leave you to Cimmerian for now, I have a, friend that's just waking up that I must deal with." With a quick bow Pandinus turned and left, her wings taking her to the Temple.

The alicorn watched her leave for a few moments before turning back to his guests. "If you'd ladies like, we can start the tour now. Shrike, if you'd be so kind as to guide the ambassador, I'll watch Princess Isana." The alicorn turned to the thestral mare, who flinched a few steps back at his gaze. "Jasmine, enjoy your time here, and don't hesitate to ask anyone if you have any questions or find you need something. I know you weren't planning on being away for too long, but sometimes we need to adapt as the situation around us changes. Princess Isana, this way if you please."

Pandinus found her right where she left the older queen; in pile of blankets and misery. While Zelus was slightly disoriented from the overdose of extremely potent love, Lestidae was reacting quite negatively.

"My friend," the older queen greeted with a forced smile as she saw Pandinus enter the room, rising to her hooves unsteadily. "My dear, good friend...you dirty, lousy, sheep-herdin-"

Din winced as the older queen tripped, the floor cutting off the rest of Lestidae's tirade. Stepping closer, Din watched as the smaller queen struggled to get her hooves under her again.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Lestidae muttered drunkenly. "What did you give me?"

"Just love, Lessy. Just a nice dose of love." Din replied, using her aura to pull the other mare to her hooves and keep her there.

"That wasn't love, there was no way in Tartarus that was love." Lestidae growled, her eyes attempting to focus on Din but not quite able to.

"Of course it was. It just so happened to be actual love, love Cimmerian has for me. Not that stolen stuff you'd always enjoyed as a treat back when you were just a proto queen. Not the stolen love all the other queens seem to covet like a dragon seeks gems. Flush the rest of it, Lestidae, it's too much for you right now. Flush it to the rest of the hive, let it disperse amongst them; let it feed the hive and clear your mind."

Lestidae did so quickly, her anger and presumption that it wasn't love leaving her much less hesitant to do so than Zelus. Her mind clearing now that she was no longer floating , she quickly straightened and glared at Pandinus.

"What the buzz was that stuff? And don't tell me it's love, there was no way it was love."

"Follow me for a moment, Lestidae, I'll prove it to you." Pandinus told her, heading out into the rest of the Temple. Lestidae followed, muttering darkly the entire time. Before long, Lestidae spotted the dark alicorn, Pandinus headed straight towards him as he spoke merrily to a young griffon hen. The older mare blinked, focusing for a moment on the griffon before recognizing her.

"What's the griffon heir doing here?"

"Cimmerian, do you remember my experiment last night? I offered that love to Zelus and Lestidae, a proof of concept." Pandinus said to the alicorn, drawing a nod from him. Din giggled, looking back to the smaller mare and then to the stallion. "She absolutely refuses to believe it's actual love, thinking I tainted it somehow. Would you be a dear, and help me prove her wrong?" she said, leaning into the alicorn and nuzzling into his neck. He chuckled, looking to the griffon hen for a moment.

"Princess, you were asking how the changelings kept fed here, correct? This is how." With that the alicorn sat on his haunches and pulled Queen Pandinus into a crushing hug, kissing her deeply. Pandinus pulled lightly at the emotions, feeling the torrent of love wash over her. By the First Mother, she hadn't even spent a day out of his presence and she was looking forward to this.

"What are they doing?" Isana asked the elder changeling, watching the alicorn and changeling queen wrapped around each other. Suddenly Din slacked, her hooves going slightly limp as her eyes drifted open, rolling back into her head. Still holding the queen upright as her head slightly lolled, a pink tint to her eyes, the alicorn chuckled, trailing kisses up her neck.

"You're not the only one who missed their other, Din," he said with a devious grin. "I have a trip coming up, we're going to have to make sure you guys are well supplied."

Din giggled senselessly, pushing the love she'd just been gorging on to a very specific part of the link and smiling even wider when she heard the older mare gasp in shock. Feeling that part of the link no longer capable of accepting more emotion, she began dispersing it to the workers in the storage chambers, the drones immediately setting about putting it into the proper pools. Finally able to see clearly again, Din tightened her grip on the stallion, nuzzling into him and catching a wonderful view of the griffon staring at the drooling form of Lestidae.

"That, princess, is how changelings feed. If we're linked in a hive, we can share the emotions over short distances. For the most part though, we store excess emotion as a gel, as my dear companion Lessy is demonstrating right now." Din said with a laugh, drawing attention to the pink fluid slowly dribbling out the comatose mare's mouth. "As I've learned here, if a changeling is exposed to too much love for their body to process, they begin to leak it in what appears to be a glowing saliva. It's actually the overflow of her honey-pouch. Her body is trying to produce more, but there's no where to put it."

The alicorn chuckled at the information, watching as two drones approached and carried Lestidae back to the tunnels. "That explains a lot about that first night. I guess I'm just too much man for a changeling queen."

Din shoved him, moving past him and the still gaping princess to the dining hall. "If you're done stroking your own ego, I must acquire my other source of nourishment now." Pausing at the doorway to look back at the alicorn, giving a slight flick of her tail she smiled seductively at the stallion. "If you're good, perhaps I will stroke your ego myself later tonight."

She didn't need to see his response. She could hear his wings snap open even as they pinned several passerby against the walls.

Despite the constant attention of an amorous queen, the meal went off without too much trouble. The princess was shown a little more of the Temple, and as it was too late to escort her to Shadowtalon, she was granted a room at the Temple. Specifically, Cimmerian's old room.

"You aren't trying to imply something here, are you Din?" Cimmerian said as they made their way through the halls. "I mean, I didn't actually sleep in there too often but moving my stuff into your room seems a bit presumptuous, don't you think?"

"Well, since my room is made with the hive material, it's a bit easier to clean," she responded simply. "Besides, I think I felt your bed strain last time. We've both grown since we've come together, and while my bed can be reinforced, there's only so much you can do with a simple wood bed."

The stallion chuckled at her response before becoming serious. "Thrisha told me she wasn't ranked high enough in griffon society to perform a marriage ceremony, but Isana is. Would you let me ask her to make this official?"

Pandinus looked back at him, cocking an eyebrow before stroking a hoof over her barrel. "More official than this?"

"Okay, maybe official is the wrong word.," he said, tapping a hoof to his chin. "Legal? While I'm sure there was a time when marriages didn't exist they do now, and we need to set a good example for the rest of the country. Can't have the rest of the kids thinking their rulers think they're above the law. By the way, what happened to Zelus? I'd have thought she'd be present to watch Lestidae get gorged on love."

"She's in the storage chambers, undergoing a forced chrysalis-state. She should be finished in a few days, well within the time it will take you to prepare for your trip." At his questioning look she explained further. "I asked her if she would be willing to carry out a task for me, and offered her the resources to repair herself and undo any changes she may have had to undergo in the last few years. She is currently in hibernation as her body makes the changes. This kind of focused transformation takes a lot of energy, so she's in one of the love-pools. My drones will keep it filled until she finishes. I'm not certain how much love it will take, but I know there's a good chance she may use at least a full pool."

"Whoa." Cimmerian breathed. the sheer amount of energy the queen was discussing was staggering. While not as big a n issue with their plentiful supplies, for a single changeling to burn that much in a few days? "What is it you're having her do?"

The queen climbed into her bed, fluttering her wings and looking at him with a fanged grin. "Protecting the heart of my hive, of course. Your trip should be an excellent first job for her."

The dark alicorn looked at her in disbelief. "You have a queen willing to work with you and the best you come up with is making her my personal guard? Wouldn't she be better suited for defending the city? I mean, she's going to start laying as well, right? Won't she need access to an egg chamber or something?"

"She won't have the intense drive I did when I first made my transition because she's in a hive, one that also has an alpha queen that she's serving under. Yes she'll have her own clutches, but many of those will likely grow up here in the hive as siblings and clutch-mates with my own children." Pandinus giggled in excitement. "It's never been done before, you know. Sharing egg chambers, the broods of two queens growing side by side. In fact, if we keep adding queens to this hive like this, we could have a larger hive than any before. A queen can only maintain so many drones via the link at a time, but when queens link like this, that's no longer a problem.

"Is this how we were supposed to live?" she asked him as he laid down beside her. "Multiple queens presiding over a single link, sharing food instead of fighting over it, guarding each other's children and resources instead of wasting so much time and energy fighting? Besides, Zelus wants this more than I do. She wants to wander, she wishes to see the sights this world has to offer. This allows her to do so. I'm certain that after we win, you'll need to visit other countries as well."

"If she wants to see the world, why can't she just go? Nothing's stopping her, right? She's a queen. After she pays back her debt she's free to do as she wishes." Cimmerian said, allowing Din to crawl on top of him and begin buzzing her wings. The stallion slumped, his own wings going limp at the vibrating massage.

"That may work for your people and even work for ponies, but changelings need a purpose. We must have duties. As a queen hers would be to guide her hive, but as a beta queen, she can be tasked with other things, things that allow her to see the world as she so strongly desires." The queen buried her muzzle into his mane, breathing deeply. "Hmm, I think we need to make sure our stores are topped off, don't you? Hah, you wouldn't believe how bland honey tastes after being able to feed directly from a stallion."

The rest of the week had passed before the alicorn could blink. Isana made her way to Shadowtalon after apologizing profusely to the alicorn for being unable to perform a marriage. It turned out she was considered of high enough station for such a ceremony, but hadn't actually been certified for it. It wasn't surprising, but he'd kind of hoped it would be something he could accomplish while waiting for the boat that would be arriving in Zarris. Instead, all he was able to do was wed about forty griffon pairs. It turned out the chance to get your marriage sanctioned by the princess was quite a driving force, many pushing their weddings weeks, if not months ahead to have them while Isana was visiting.

Din wasn't helping him, either. He'd pestered Pandinus about Zelus' state several times, curious about the changes the smaller queen would be undergoing and wanting to know what to expect. Every time he asked, however, all he received was a 'you'll see when she's ready' or a 'I don't know, but how about we make sure she'll have enough energy?' Cimmerian shook his head in exasperation. That mare was capable of being absolutely insufferable when she set her mind to it.

Speaking of insufferable, Lestidae was on the verge of being kicked out of the hive, the differences in the Temple's hive being too much for her to accept. She'd been in several arguments with the alpha-queen, and had even threatened to attempt to take the hive and run it as a hive should be run. Despite his misgivings, Din had actually brushed it off, citing Lestidae as not only being physically weaker from her starvation but not even having an actual powerbase to launch her takeover from. Instead Din said she was going to try one more thing, and if it didn't work, so be it. Lestidae loved the old ways so much, Pandinus would treat her as they demanded.

Finally, after nearly a week of paperwork, weddings, and a clingy queen, it was nearly time to leave. Cimmerian sat in the field he'd designated the 'airport' with his supplies and a good amount of gold for both his passage on the ship and any extra supplies the group may need. Beside him sat his guards from last time, minus the changelings as Din had them tasked elsewhere. Off with a few other thestrals sat the ambassador, no longer shaking in his presence, but still not willing to speak to him directly. Finally receiving well-wishes from nearly every griffon that had been able to make the trip, Princess Isana stood with her own contingent of guards. The princess had apparently had a blast in the port, the only depressing incident having been the night before, when she'd run across Cadance.

It turned out Isana had known the pink mare from before the Mad Queen's rule, and seeing the alicorn in such a state had hurt her deeply. Still, the two had been able to spend some time talking, discussing the whereabouts of friends and mourning those they'd lost. Even now Cadance sat nearby, wishing to see the young hen off properly.

The larger alicorn smiled, the pink mare just barely beginning to notice the world around her again, just beginning to do more than exist. Maybe by the time he returned she'd be even farther along. Din certainly seemed to be doing well with her.

Speaking of the queen of the hive, the shape shifter was now approaching him, and if her smile screamed 'I know something you don't' any louder she'd be carrying a sign.

"Hello Cimmer, you almost prepared?"

"Just about," he told her, sneaking a quick peck on the queen's cheek. "One last snack for you before I leave. You take care of everything for me, Din. Tell Weaver and Gleam-"

"Or you could tell us now." The unicorn mare said, the Weaver walking along beside her. Sure enough, the two were almost intimately close, their sides bumping into the other's every now and again. The pair approached Cimmerian before bowing.

"I'm sorry I let my fears get the best of me, Lord Cimmerian. You've done nothing but help us, and I should have been able to take that as proof," Gleam said looking up with a sad smile. She waited a moment before nudging Shadow Weaver with a hoof.

"I know, I know," the unicorn muttered at her. "I came here to free the spirit in the armor. I achieved my goal, and even learned that I could have a home, a place that didn't hear my name and assume I was some sort of warlock of the same breed as Sombra. I'm sorry for letting my fear get the best of me, Lord Cimmerian. I wish you well on your trip, and you can count on us to still be here when you return, helping Queen Pandinus in any capacity she may require."

The alicorn nodded staring at the ground for a moment before lighting his horn with power. The two unicorns squawked in surprise, soon finding themselves crushed against the larger being's barrel.

"I owe you two too much for you to be apologizing to me," Cimmerian told them, placing them back on the ground. "I just asked that you keep doing what you're doing, and helping to keep everyone here safe. My offer still stands, though. If you like, I can preside over the wedding as soon as I get back."

The two sputtered, their faces turning red for a moment before they stopped, looking at each other and laughing softly.

"Maybe we'll be ready by then. I just have to try a little harder to convince him." The mare said, nudging her nervous stallion back to the Temple. "Come on, Weaver. We still have a lot to do."

Din looked back to the Temple of the Shadows, a soft curve of her lips slowly morphing into a full-blown smile accompanied by giggles. She turned and addressed the gathered.

"Cimmer, Lady Isana, Lestidae, I think she's ready." Pandinus said, her glee poorly contained. The mare was all but bouncing on her hooves as she looked back to the Temple, a shadowy figure moving out of the smithy and headed straight for them. As the figure approached, Cimmerian's jaw dropped.

It was Zelus, but the only reason he could identify her was because he knew she and Din were planning a big reveal. Where once stood a skeletal changeling mare barely clearing his shoulders, Zelus now stood just shy of his own height, actually a bit taller than Pandinus, but nearly twice as thick. The mare's chitin was jet black, the traditional changeling shell color only being interrupted by stripes of deep blue flowing from her eyes and to her mane as well as a faint pattern of the same stripes in an almost zebra-like pattern along her barrel. The plates that had once looked chipped and cracked now gleamed in the noon-day sun, some of them looking thick enough to turn away even spell fire. The mare's horn was also altered, a wickedly curved protrusion that looked more like a small blade on her forehead than a horn. Finally her body was sleek, the plates being thick and strong, but not being so bulky as to slow her down too much. In fact, the plates almost seemed to have veins deep inside. The impressive sight didn't stop there, though. She was also wearing a saddlebag bulging with supplies, with several blades hanging from different straps on her body. She even carried two chakram's, the weapons anchored to either side of the saddlebags.

"What do you think, Cimmer?" Din said as she approached the restructured queen. "She wished to be a warrior queen, and has trained with many weapons. I had the smiths create a few, though the two of you may wish to purchase something from a griffon or minotaur smith on your travels. Sterling wanted to do an armor suit, but with her current form, Zelus and I both believe it would just get in the way. The blades are all straight from her memories. I had them forged while she was undergoing her transformation."

The alicorn stared long and hard at Zelus, trying to overlay the new form with the one he'd seen not a week prior. The changes were so radical, so unexpected... "That's, I didn't know you could do that..."

"Normally it's both too difficult to do and too expensive energy-wise, but I think it's worth it. Don't you Zel?" Din asked the mare.

Oddly enough, while her physical form was now very intimidating, the queen inside the shell had apparently not changed at all.

"Oh definitely! I can't wait to get going. I hope something happens, like pirates or bandits or, or...Oh! We'll be close to Equestria, right? Can we hit the Everfree Forest? I want to fight a manticore like this!" Zelus squealed in delight, hopping about on her hooves like a little filly. "I even managed to add two extra emotion pouches to my body besides the normal one, so I can go longer without actually feeding!"

The mare of war giggled excitedly, sidling right up next to Cimmerian, "Of course, with a willing source I won't even have to worry about feeding, will I?"

"Back off, Zelus. You can find your own alicorn" Din said, using her aura to pull the still tittering queen away from her stallion. Queen Pandinus looked straight at the other queen, making certain she had the mare's attention. "You keep him safe, and you can enjoy the travels for as long as you are with this hive. Do that and any nymphs you bear will be cared for as if they were my own. That is all I ask."

"Zelus' giggles died down, though she still wore a large smile. "I will, Din. Thanks for the chance to do this."

With that the armored mare's elytra split open, revealing large double-pair of diaphanous wings that rivaled the alicorns own in sheer size. She took a few test strokes then took to the skies, calling back to the rest of the group, "What are you all waiting for? We're burning daylight!"

Author's Notes:

That last bit started out challenging, but Zelus promises to be a fun character to write. Fun, and frustrating to some of those around her.

Enjoy. And don't expect this kind of update rate after the 11th!

Some Bend and Some Break

The flight to Zarris was not a boring one for Cimmerian, but it wasn't exactly because of any intelligent conversations. No, it was kept interesting by the constant string of questions flowing out of his bodyguards mouth. The mare would not stop talking.

"Oh, I've never actually been on a ship before, have you Cimmerian? I bet you've seen a lot of things, like a lot of cities. I want to see a city. What do you think the Transylmaneia looks like? I hope it haves caves. Do you think they have Vamponies there? Not just ponies that look like them, but actual, immortal blood sucking ponies? Do you think I could fight one? I wonder if they're strong. Can we make a stop in Equestria? I want to fight a manticore! Have you fought anything cool, Isana? What weapons did you use?"

Despite the irritation of several guards, the alicorn and the griffon princess smiled at each other.

"I must say, I've never seen someone so happy to be on guard duty," the griffon said, redirecting her gaze to the flitting form of the changeling. Zelus was still on cloud nine, giggling happily at her newfound freedom. Suddenly the shape shifter gasped, swooping down to the forest below with a warcry. As she disappeared beneath the canopy, a loud crack was heard, followed by the strangled yelp of whatever hapless creature the queen had targeted.

The group came to a halt, almost everyone's focus on the spot in the forest the queen had disappeared into. After several moments, the buzzing of wings was once again heard and Zelus once more rose to their level. She was positively beaming.

"Zelus, what did you.." Cimmerian's question died on his lips, a hoof being rested on his muzzle in frustration. The mare's hooves were spattered with blood; red blood, so it obviously wasn't hers.

"I saw something, I wanted to fight it! Wasn't much of a fight though. I think I broke it's back when I landed on it. I did get this though!" the queen said gleefully, holding up two fangs in her aura. To his surprise, Isana gasped in shock.

"Chubacobra fangs?" Isana said almost religiously. "Those, those are, may I have one?"

Zelus looked questioningly to the alicorn, who shrugged in response, before floating one of the fangs over to the hen. The other she stashed in her bags, giggling at the thought of what was likely her first of many such trophies.

"Zelus, while I know you want to enjoy yourself, you need to have a bit more self-control," Cimmerian rebuked her. The queen's ears splayed, realizing she'd wandered off on the job. Flying closer, he put a hoof on her shoulder. "I don't mind if you have some fun, but remember you're here as a guard. I almost went down there after you, thinking something was wrong. All I ask is you give me some warning, okay?"

The mare nodded, her smile fading a bit, "I will, I'm sorry. I'm just so excited that I don't have to flee from everything anymore!"

With that his guard-queen continued her previous route, flitting hither, thither and everywhither while steaming an absolute tirade of questions.

Isana giggled at the queen's antics, watching her perform a quick loop before the shape shifter tucked in her legs, barreling through a low-hanging cloud.

"She's older than I am, yet she acts like such a child."

"If a child could kill a chubacobra in about three seconds," the stallion said with a grin. "It's the freedom she's been granted in her new role. She has to stick by me, but she doesn't have anyone looking to her for orders. That's all on Pandinus at this point. Zel's free to do as she wishes for the most part, heck, we may stop by the Everfree on business. We're already that close, may as well check on something. She'll get her chance to fight a manticore, I'm fairly certain of it."

The group continued for a bit longer, soon noticing the distant walls and ships of Zarris. The guards also soon spotted a large group of griffon mercenaries approaching, causing Zelus to tense and move closer to the alicorn.

"It's fine, Zelus. They're Talons, they're probably here because Princess Isana took off when Herrick's back was turned." The alicorn said, turning to the blushing princess.

Sure enough, said griffon was at the head of the group, rushing ahead to meet them.

"Your Highness I must say I'm disappointed. I turned my back for a day and you take off in mostly unclaimed territory without so much as a word to me. Your mother would have my wings if she knew I lost track of you."

The princess sighed, shaking her head at the mercenary.

"Herrick, I'm visiting griffon cities and camps to try and raise morale. I asked you several times if I could go to Shadowtalon but each time you gave me an excuse. I needed to do this."

"But we could have set up something, I mean-"

"I just said I've been asking to go there for a while now!" Isana shouted. "You had no intention of letting me go there, and while I understand you're watching out for me and likely distrust the hive at the Temple, that leaves all of those griffons out of my reach. I can't fight on the front lines, nor can I command armies. This is something I can do, Herrick, and fear of changelings isn't going to stop me from doing so. Besides, it was an interesting experience and I had a lot of fun." The griffon princess' smile became a bit strained for a moment. "Seeing the queens was also an uh, interesting experience."

"Queens?" Herrick asked, seeming to notice Zelus for the first time. The griffon turned to Cimmerian. "I thought you mad for keeping one of them, are you telling me you've picked up more of the damn things?"

The alicorn moved in front of the changeling, moving a foreleg in front of her to hold her back. Turning back to the griffon, he gave the griffon a dangerous smile.

"I've said it once, and I'll likely have to say it a hundred times more Herrick. The griffons aren't the only one's the Mad Queen is pushing toward extinction. You're not even the latest; she's demanded the thestrals all submit to cleansing, a process which is likely to kill them outright, or remove their species by turning them into pegasi. Princess Isana was given some information on changelings by Thrisha, and I know she spent some time talking to a few changelings herself. Learn about them before you dismiss them. Besides, there's a saying back where I'm from. Better to have a wolf at your side, than at your throat. Wouldn't you rather have an ally than yet another enemy?"

The old griffon chewed the phrase over for a moment, looking at the alicorn. "That from Luna, or from before you came to Equis?"

"The place of my birth, Herrick," the stallion responded. "The land devoid of magic. We made do with what we had. As I do even now. Adaptability is extremely important to us, and there is no greater form of adaptation than turning enemies into allies. If you wish to see how effective it is, you merely need to visit Shadowtalon. Ask Thrisha about the guard tower. Then think about how that same technique can be used elsewhere."

Isana nodded, "Yes, she explained that to me. We may be able to quickly repair, or even reinforce sections of High-Talon after this war. Thank you, Lord Cimmerian. If there's one thing I managed to walk away with after this trip, it was Queen Pandinus' belief that our enemies are not so insurmountable. She's quite certain that one on one she could crush most ponies of Equestria's guard, perhaps even the Mad Queen's captain. With the aid you've given us, and that we've forwarded to the minotaurs, my mother may yet see her throne again in her lifetime. One of the scary things about battling an immortal being, Lord Cimmerian, is that they can outlast you. Even the greatest griffon warriors fall to age eventually."

The princess gave him a short respectful bow that he returned in kind, an interesting feat to perform a quarter-mile into the air, and made her way back to the Talon compound. Most of the griffons followed suit, leaving Herrick to stare after her for a moment. He sighed, turning back to the alicorn.

"You love complicating my life, don't you?" he muttered. "It's simpler for the smallfolk to accept that their enemy is a mindless monster that is to be put down. It's easier to tell my soldiers that the ponies are evil and need to be destroyed before they wipe out all life, not that they've been betrayed by their ruler."

"The Equestrians haven't been betrayed by their ruler, their ruler was betrayed," Cimmerian clarified. "The Nightmares make promises, offers to make everything better. They say they can solve your problems, while pointing out all of your own failings, everything you've done that they could have done better. They corrode the wills of the unwary, until they finally convince you to cede to their wishes.

"That's when they reveal their true nature. They leave you to watch as a passenger in your own body as they destroy all you love. They mock your existence, leaving even the kindest individuals with a record that puts the greatest criminals to shame. That thing on the Equestrian throne forced its host to watch as it tortured a childhood friend, Herrick. It left Cadance as you last saw her, and let its host watch as her babysitter was plucked on her orders. The only positive I can see is that Twilight never had any children of her own. I can almost guarantee they'd be tortured or dead by now."

Cimmerian shook his head in disgust. "That's why you should always confirm all the facts before you act, or at least all the facts that are available to you. You may find yourself with unlikely allies, as I have with the changelings and the gnolls."

The alicorn then took off, quickly approaching the gates of Zarris with his guards not far behind. The city watch opened the gates for the stallion, recognizing him from his previous trips, but they looked uncomfortable at the sight of the strange bug-like creature that constantly darted about the group giggling excitedly.

"I've never been in a city before! Are there really twenty creatures per building like mother said? Which of those boats are we going to be using?" The queen suddenly gasped, darting off into an inn. The same inn the alicorn had spent the night at on previous occasions. Cimmerian winced at the sound of shattering glass and muffled shouts of surprise.

'Why do I get the bodyguard with A.D.H.D.?'

Before he could walk in and apologize to the innkeeper, Sahkest walked out, wearing an irritated expression and a giggling changeling queen on his back.

"Cimmerian, I expected you to be in town today. Your boat leaves soon, correct?" At the alicorn's nod, the dragon nodded as well. "Yes, just one question." The dragon shifted, causing Zelus to slip to the ground. Before she recovered, he grabbed her by her tail, holding her up to the stallion.

"Is this yours?"

Madness, that's what it was. Lestidae had seen enough of it.

"Mother, you don't really plan on attempting a coup, do you?" her oldest living son, Kris, asked her with worry. "Queen Pandinus may not live by the old way, but she is powerful, much more powerful than, well, you are in your current state. Perhaps if you waited, just until you recovered-"

"I am not waiting any longer. Every day she descends further into her madness, dragging more and more of our kind with her. We will restart our hive in the jungles and rebuild our empire. I will not allow the old ways to die."

"Mother, please!" the changeling begged. "Where would we obtain our food? Queen Pandinus and Lord Cimmerian would crush us if we attempted to kidnap any of the Temple residents, and they would do the same should we act against Zarris in order to maintain good trade relations with them."

"Are you questioning me, Kris?" Lestidae demanded, looming over the smaller shape shifter. "Has her poison seeped into your mind as well? I see; there is no time to lose, then." The queen's eyes glowed, causing her drones form to stiffen. She looked about the room, and several more drones went stiff, the queen's will over-ruling their own.

"We will take several ponies with us into the jungles when we leave. I will rebuild the changeling race myself if I have to. The jungle is far enough from the Equestrians that they can't find us, so we will use that to our advantage. Once our numbers are sufficient, we will crush this mockery, this desecration of the Old Way."

Lestidae moved her soldiers to the door, opening it with her magic to the room outside, ready to sweep aside any opposition. Following the drones through however, she was surprised to find none. The doors to the storage room were sealed, some strange rune emblazoned on the door that blasted back the changeling she told to open it. Frowning at her inability to raid the larger queens emotion stores, Lestidae moved on, finding most rooms sealed shut with copies of the strange rune on the doors. With increasing agitation she marched through the halls, finding no creatures, no easy targets, not even other changelings she could add to her hive. Striding up to the door to the kitchen she could hear the ponies inside, could sense the one called Slop moving about as if nothing was wrong even as his aides quaked in tantalizing fear. She bucked the wall beside the door, irritation flooding her mind. Finally she breached the door to the outside, storming out ahead of her troops into the waning sunlight.

"Is there something the matter, Lessy?" a calm changeling queen asked her.

The older mare blinked, looking around herself and her newly claimed hive. Pandinus stood before her in the middle of the pathway, the fountain behind her devoid of honey. Instead, Lestidae found her soldiers and herself surrounded by changeling soldiers, all of them glowing with emotion. Among them stood griffons, gnolls and thestrals, all armed with weapons and claws, some even bearing bows and crossbows, every one of which was aimed at her.

"Did you really assume you could steal drones from my hive and I would not notice? Did you think you could plan a coup while connected to me by the link? Come now Lessy, you know better than that. Kris was right, too. Even if you had managed to walk off with some of the ponies here, I'd have you tracked down to the gates of Tartarus itself." Pandinus grinned maliciously at the other queen. "As it stands? Well, you know what happens when a queen loses, don't you? I tried it my way, Queen Lestidae, but if you love your old ways so much, I will treat you as they demand."

With that, Pandinus launched a thick beam of grey energy at the other queen. Les blanched, quickly erecting a barrier and using her drones' magic to reinforce it. Sensing the other queen moving through the link she struck back, damaging the link and dazing all drones connected to it. The attack struck at both of them, causing Pandinus to flinch and stop her attack even as Lestidae dropped her own barrier. It would leave her to fight the mare by herself, but if push came to shove, she was certain she could outmaneuver the pregnant mare.

As she prepared to move, a crossbow bolt buried itself in her shoulder, followed by two more in her neck and foreleg even as several arrows bounced off of her shell.

"What's the matter, Lessy? Forget about them? Or did you assume they'd sit back and watch as their home was threatened?" the larger mare taunted, erecting a shield of her own should the enemy queen retaliate. Lestidae didn't attack though; she knew when she was outmaneuvered. It was how she'd survived this long. Instead she gave a command over the damaged link, one that caused Pandinus to scream in rage. Lestidae demanded her soldiers offer their energy stores to her.

The energy was transferred to the queen, the drones around her dropping to the ground as they followed her final order to them. Some merely passed out, the damaged link preventing a clean transfer, while others dropped dead, no longer even containing the energy to keep their hearts beating. Without even looking back at the dead she took to the skies, flying as fast as her wings would allow.

Blinking away tears of pain as her adrenaline faded and the bolts in her shell made themselves known, Lestidae's ears twitched. She craned her neck around, seeing a blazing pink orb approaching at high speed, surrounded by several smaller dots. As the orb reached her, Pandinus dropped the aura, whipping around and striking the already injured queen with a double-hoof buck that sent her barreling into nearby trees and jungle detritus.

"You couldn't have just left, could you?" Pandinus snarled at Lestidae, stomping up to her. "I wouldn't even have stood in your way. I would have let you and any who wished to follow you leave without a second thought. My only warning would be to be cautious, cautious that you didn't stray too far. Because had you gone outside of Cimmerian's influence, the Mad Queen would have found your hive, bringing her soldiers here. No, it's not that she can't reach us here, it's my mate that protects my hive, that protects you. No more, though."

Din grabbed the smaller queen in her magic, wrenching her free of the shattered trees and vines, the sharp crack of a dislocated leg drawing a scream from the battered mare.

"You spat in the face of my hospitality, you plotted to kidnap my children, and you killed twelve changelings, seven of which were not even yours to begin with!" Din slammed Lestidae on the ground before her, drawing another strangled yelp as a still-embedded bolt was driven deeper into the queen's body.

"If this is what the way of the changeling is, if that is what it means to be a Changeling Queen, than thank the Sun and Stars I didn't go through my metamorphosis until I found Cimmerian."

Lestidae coughed, the bitter taste of her own blood leaking into her mouth. Whether it was because of internal injuries or that she'd bit her own mouth or tongue was irrelevant. Instead, she grinned at the changeling standing above her. Even as the hard landings of griffons and thestrals surrounded her, she smiled. She watched the queen's hooves rise over her head, and still she smiled.

"I die as I should have. A queen of my own." Lestidae muttered weakly. If nothing more, she would stand before the First Mother a loyal daughter. She had not allow herself to be corrupted; she had even saved several of her children.

The larger queen's hooves fell upon her, and still Lestidae smiled.

Din angrily wiped the ichor from her hooves, ordering the guards to burn the body and leave no traces for others to find. While the feral queen had almost instantly fallen apart upon her death, Lestidae had enough emotional stores in her corpse to preserve the body for a few weeks. Unfortunately with the mare's death the stores were sealed from the larger queen, and useless to other changelings.

Teleporting back to the Temple's outskirts she was instantly greeted by the worried forms of Mirage and Cadance, the latter bearing a whimpering Amare.

"Total injuries and deaths?" Din ground out mechanically, passing by the two on her way to the Temple's entrance.

"Seven deaths, all due to total energy depletion." Mirage told her. "Several will survive, but it was a near thing. if not for the quick actions of a pair of griffons and a gnoll, we'd be looking at about five more deaths in the following moments while we recovered from the attack on the link. Luckily they knew enough about changeling biology to administer honey to the afflicted and those changelings are now in the infirmary."

The drone scuffed the floor for a moment, her anxiety causing Pandinus to look back to her.

"I, I try to say Zelus wouldn't do something like that, that she was a sister and too close to me, that mother would never have let it come to such things." Mirage said, looking ahead to the covered bodies of the fallen drones. "It's a lie though. Mother's first priority was her own safety and we all knew it. It's how it had to be. I need to know, though. If she had tried to leave with suppressed drones..."

"I would have stopped her." Din said evenly. "It was one of the first things I promised you and Cimmerian, and I won't let another queen's actions, a queen that I allowed into my hive, to break that promise."

The queen made her way through the Temple, passing changelings and ponies alike that quickly scooted out of her path, even passing Shadow Weaver as the stallion removed wards from doors and released those safely barricaded inside. It was her final offer to the mare, a show of force and a display that showcased how her new way had not left her weak. It failed though. Lestidae would not have it, would not take the final offer of partnership, instead opting to spit in her face.

The changeling queen reached her room, climbed into her bed, and collapsed, levitating the helmet of the Nightmare's armor over to her side. Through her door she sensed the pink alicorn, the mare's concern touching but unwanted at the moment.

'Would mother be able to change?' Pandinus thought, gazing into the holes of the helmet. 'Will I save her just to watch her attack me out of anger and disgust? Will any of the queens even be left with enough mental health to recover, or is this it? Two queens now, two free changeling queens, only one of whom is actively laying and supporting the hive.'

Pandinus stared at her own form, the slight bulge of her barrel drawing a shiver of fear. While Gleam had remarked that the pregnancy was moving along quickly compared to those she knew, it was slow to her, so disgustingly slow. A queen's first mated clutch would obviously contain her first proto queen, but the pony in the dream had mentioned she'd have three hatchlings, two female and one male. Would she have two proto queens, or one and two drones? How would that work? Would the rest of her clutches be restricted to this ridiculous incubation time? If so, she would need to find an alternate solution. Her hive was counting on her, and she would need another source of eggs soon. The mare took a deep breath. She would begin training Amare soon. Between Cadance and herself, the proto queen would have more than enough knowledge to survive. That left only time. Time for the nymph to develop into what they needed. She dearly hoped it didn't come to that, though. She knew childhood was important to most creatures, that it shaped who they would be. If she tried to rush the proto queen's development too much, the young nymph would break.

With a sigh, the queen laid down her head, and reached out to the only other remaining queen.

The stallion sat on the deck of the ship, staring into the sunset as the boat left on its journey. Once the ship was cleared of the Port's waters, it deployed its main balloon, raising the ship into the air and allowing it to travel freely to its destination, unhindered by ocean waves and the rules of the sea. The crew wandered about, their tasks not distracting them nearly enough to keep them from staring at the odd pair watching Zarris fade into the distance.

Cimmerian shifted, the odd sniffle from the mare to his left drawing his attention. He nudged her, curious even as a tear fell from her face.

"Lessy," Zelus mumbled. "She went through with it. I told her not to, told her if she didn't like it she could leave, but she didn't listen."

"What happened?" the stallion asked, rising to his hooves. "Are they fighting? Does Din need us?"

Zelus shook her head. "Lessy tried walking out with drones that didn't agree with her, suppressing them and intending to take some ponies with her for food. Din didn't let her. They fought, Lestidae was injured and fled. Din followed her, mad that Lessy ordered those she was controlling to dump their energy to her, and..." Zelus clamped her eyes shut, a few tears falling freely. "She killed Les."

Cimmerian moved closer to the crying queen, laying a wing around her in a comforting gesture. "Was anyone else injured?" he asked softly.

Zelus shrugged, not having the capacity for much else at that point.

"A few drones ended up dying because of the drain, but most survived. Din says she's fine, just tired. Anything you want me to tell her?"

The stallion stared at her in thought for a moment, before nodding. "Pandinus told me she could feel injuries inflicted on those on her hive. I want you to transfer this to her. You can have some of it as well." He said with a sad smile. "I know you and Lestidae were close for a long time."

With that Cimmerian pulled her into a hug, wrapping his wings around her comfortingly. Zelus had opened her link to Pandinus, but shivered at the wave of warmth that passed through her from the stallion. She felt a request from the absent queen, and backed away, allowing Pandinus to speak to her mate directly. The moment she felt Zelus' body, the alpha-queen returned the hug, causing the alicorn to let loose a grunt of surprise as his ribs creaked.

"Thank you, Cimmerian. I did not expect her to try to drain the drones, though I feel as if I should have expected that. We lost seven in total, including Kris and Shroud... I'm worried, Cimmer. Two. We're down to two, and one of us isn't even prioritizing breeding at the moment. Take care of her as well. I know we have said she will be your guardian, but if anything happens to me... I want you to guard her like you guard me. Keep my clutch-sister safe. Do you promise me? Zelus, no stupidity. I know you want to have fun, but we need you both to come back from this."

Feeling Zelus' response through their connection, the stallion saw the mare smile. "She agrees. I don't know if she can feel emotions I send her from here, but I want to try this." With that the queen moved forward, smashing her lips against his. He was apprehensive, not sure how to handle the situation but soon relaxed, returning the kiss full force. It was Pandinus, after all. Even if it looked and sounded like Zelus. And smelled like Zelus...

...and tasted like Zelus.

It was still Pandinus though... maybe if he told himself that a few more times he'd believe it.

She stood amongst a rushing tide of emotions, the swirl of energy almost washing her away. She felt the deep, burning desire from the stallion for his mate as it passed through her to its true target, felt the desires of the mare being directed at him even if he received no nourishment from it. She felt it washing over her, drowning her in the most intoxicating blend of energy and flavors she'd ever experienced.

Then there were the mare's words. Clutch sister. Pandinus called her a sister, called a queen hatched from another hive a sister, promised to see her and her nymphs through any adversity. She'd known Lestidae for nearly four years, spent every waking hour guarding the other queen's back and trusting the mare to watch her own, but had their fortunes ever reversed Zelus knew the truce would have been abandoned. Lestidae was an ally. Pandinus however, Pandinus was family, and her sister would guide and guard any hatchlings Zelus left in her care. Allowing the overflow of raw emotions to fill her reserves, the warrior queen of the Shadow Hive basked in the warmth of their love. Perhaps one day she would have her fill of adventure, and wish to settle down as a true queen-mother. She only hoped her mates love tasted this pure.

Author's Notes:

I had this mostly finished, so I decided to sacrifice my first hour or so of FO4 for you guys.

You better damn well appreciate it

Yes, Zelus is still fun to write. I hope that never changes. I don't think I could take a sad Zelly

Your Bed is Warmer

It had been about four days since they'd left, and the alicorn found himself staring across his cabin from his bed. His guards were in rooms on either side, two griffons in one, two thestrals in another...

"But I'm cold!" Zelus whined, an enchanted blanket draped over her back. It was supposed to help her deal with the dropping temperatures as they headed farther north, but according to her it wasn't nearly enough.

"I said your not sleeping in my bed." Cimmerian told her, glaring at the pouting queen.

Looking around, Zelus ignited her horn, being consumed in a flash of changeling fire. The blanket fell, draping over her now much smaller form. The queen, now about the size of a young pony, popped her head out of her blanket, wrapping the warming cloth over her like a bag.

"What if I sleep like this?" She asked, her voice squeaking as if to match her much more childish size. "Come oooon, please? It's getting cold, and its going to get even colder before we get there!"

The weather wasn't having that much of an effect on him, actually. Be it the inherent power of an alicorn, or the pegasus magic flowing through him, the stallion found himself not even flinching during the cool days and cold nights. He was actually wondering if even a full blown blizzard would force him into actually wearing something, but he couldn't remember Tia or Luna ever needing an extra layer.

Changelings didn't have that protection though. Zelus explained it to him, saying most colonies are far enough underground that they're not effected by the weather. Either that or changelings, in emergencies, are capable of burning energy to survive the lower temperatures. For the most part though, they'd hibernate, most of the hive going dormant for the colder months and sealing the hive off from the surface to prevent discovery or raids from other hives. Others tried to keep to warmer climates, allowing them to be active during all parts of the year. Certainly it was noticeably colder at the Temple nowadays, but it was nowhere near cold enough to drive the changelings into hibernation.

The alicorn stared at the bundled mare, her large eyes watering with unshed tears as she attempted to break him. With a sigh he looked away, raising his wing in an admittance of defeat. Zelus squealed, her eyes instantly drying and causing the stallion to roll his own. Watching her jump up on the bed beside him and press as deeply into his side as she could, he lowered the wing, almost completely covering the mare. He pulled her in tight, actually feeling the icy cold chitin encasing her form as she attempted to get as close as possible to the warmth he was radiating.

'Maybe I was being a bit too hard on her about that. She was actually pretty cold.' Cimmerian realized. Slowly, he allowed himself to doze, drifting off into the dream realm. There wasn't much to do during the daylight hours but some aerial combat training or blade training with his other guards, so he'd taken to sleeping most of the time away. Luna would meet with him, and the two of them would go over more magic theory and world history to pass the time. Not this night though.

Floating about in the dream realm, he focused, pinpointing his target and dragging along the irritating queen. He'd awoken twice so far with her trying to snuggle him, so he had begun dragging her with him into the dream realm to keep an eye on her.

'Can't believe I have to babysit my bodyguard. What the hell, Din?'

Eventually he found his target, landing lightly in a well-tended field. Zelus looked around from her position beside him, taking in the sights and even snatching a single apple from a nearby tree.

"Put it down, ya var- oh! Mr Cinnamon, sir! Ah take it this is a dream?" Applebloom asked him, looking about curiously.

The stallion frowned at the butchering of his name, but continued regardless "It is. I'm going to be nearby, and Zelus and I will be in the Everfree before too long. I have some memories of the forest, but with how often it changes, any information you can offer would be helpful."

"Truth be told, mister, most o' the bigger critters are gonna be sleepin' or gettin' ready to sleep for the winter. First snow should be fallin' any day now, an' the Ursas and the manticores are usually in their dens by then. All ya gots to watch fer is the Timberwolves, an they shouldn' be too much trouble for ya." The farmer looked at the changeling beside him, frowning. "Scoots told me ya were with a changeling, but whoo-ee! She's a biggun! Reckon she's about half again the size of that one we saw at the weddin' way back when."

Cimmerian chuckled, opening his mouth to correct the mare when Zelus giggled, siddling up to him with a fanged grin.

"I can't help it, he's just so cute when he gets all worked up!" the queen explained with a fanged grin. "Not to mention, sometimes when he peaks his eyes cross."

The alicorn sputtered, face going a deep purple. "Wha-bu-How the hell would you know that?!? Din's my mate, not you!"

The farmer looked confused, but the shape shifter turned to the alicorn, still giggling. "Silly, we're sisters now. Changeling sisters share everything." Zelus leaned closer, nearing his right ear. "Including memories."

Cimmerian narrowed his eyes at the larger mare as she drew away, the changeling nearly prancing from the fun she was having.

"If you've been through her memories, you know my opinions on the subject."

Zelus nodded, "I have, which is why I'm still looking for a different mate. Depending on how Din's pregnancy goes though, how her second turns out, and the state of the other queens, we may be able to work out some sort of schedule. Every other night or something? Although, I've heard some herds involve all members on a nightly basis."

Even as the alicorn attempted to sputter out denials and objections, the apple farmer looked to him with a bemused expression.

"Ya got some queer friends, mister Cinnamon."

"It's Cimmerian," he corrected, rubbing his muzzle with a fetlock. "and it's likely because no one else will put up with them."

"Your Highness!"

The purple alicorn jumped, spilling ink and sending papers scattering throughout the room. Looking around her at the mess, she schooled her expression before turning to the soldier.

"This had better be worth two hours of research, Wrench."

The guard looked over to the mess with an expression of fear before stuttering out his explanation.

"A-apologies Your Highness but I was just going over some anomalies we've been experiencing with our mapping spells. We were looking over all the areas that are near the locations of wrecked Equestrian ships, and I was correlating it with other occurrences and I may have found something."

The alicorn was on him in a literal flash, having teleported from her desk. "Explain."

"W-well, we were looking over the jungle's near one of the wrecks, and one of the technicians noticed the leaves weren't changing, so he tried rescanning the area..."

"The one that was near the Kharazi jungle, right?" the mare asked with a scowl. "Fool, the climate there is temperate enough that the leaves don't change."

Wrench nodded in agreement, "That's what we told him, but his focused scans brought up another issue. Our scryers are having a difficult time scanning the area, as if there's some type of shroud over it, some magic that's dispersing any spells that try to enter the area."

At his queen's silence, he continued "I also went back and noted any odd occurrences in the area for the last few weeks, and noticed the arrays lost track of a pair of wild nymphs in the area. Ma'am, it's completely possible that our assumptions that those nymphs are dead was incorrect, especially if this magic layer can interrupt the tracking arrays."

The mare was silent for a while. She turned from the soldier, grasped a scroll and a quill with ink in her magic, and noted a set of coordinates she'd saved. She then walked up to the guard and dragged him with her in a blink of purple magic.

Almost as soon as she arrived in the war room she was moving to the map. "Where was the aura?" She asked quietly, levitating the coordinates near her. The soldier lit his own horn, highlighting a large portion of the jungles on the far side of the planet. The queen looked at the area, noting the dot that marked the disappearance of the pair of drones as well.

slowly, she looked over the map, noting the coordinates she carried with her and marking the location as well; the dot appeared well within the shroud that had appeared over the jungles. She swore silently, only now remembering how over the last few days she was tracking the other alicorn's link it was becoming increasingly difficult, as if the other mare had entered a fog. Seeing the marker for the Equestrian naval ship near a second marker on the map, she pointed to the shore.

"What's that, where were they headed?"

"The ship was headed to an abandoned port. They reported capturing a fleeing griffon ship that had dropped off several criminals at the abandoned port. The shipmaster's report said the griffon told them it was an black alicorn with slit eyes, but considering the confession was likely under duress, we assume it's a thestral, albeit a large one."

"This port, why was it shut down?"

"I checked up on that. It seems there was a temple nearby built in the honor of Nightmare Moon. The cultists foalnapped several townsponies, likely for sacrifice, and the fear drove most away from the town. One gold mine and a few exotic ingredients in an area swarming with cultists and predators isn't worth the military resources they'd have to pour into the venture, so it was shut down."

The queen was silent for a moment, a hoof under her chin.

"This thestral, this supposed alicorn, do you have a description?"

The guard looked at her for a moment, slightly confused by her interest in the ramblings of a mad griffon before he levitated the report to her.

'Almost black fur, dark blue mane, slit eyes, feathery wings.' She read, her frown deepening. 'Are you still alive somehow? Are you the source of my troubles? No, Nightmare Moon was a mare, she was the Nightmare that had possessed Luna, Celestia said it was a he that was moving against me. Then tha-'

The mare's eyes widened as she read the next line in the report.

Griffon claims unidentified alicorn/thestral was male, possessing a voice too deep to be feminine.

'There's no way... the Nightmare was destroyed by the Elements of Harmony.'

There was a commotion by the entryway, the being thrown open by two more guards, Both entered at the same time, saluted at the same time, and unfortunately for her, started reporting at the same time.

"Quiet!" she yelled, pointing at the one on the left. "You give your report first!"

The soldier saluted again before speaking. "Your Highness, we have reports of a minotaur force striking Camp Star, the nearest camp to the Equestrian/Minos border. The reports were garbled, but they struck quickly and even managed to cut off the report mid-transmission. We have no idea what kind of numbers we're dealing with, nor do we know how they managed to get past the changeling screens. There were over four thousand drones in that area."

The second soldier winced at the report before giving her own "Your Highness Twin Pines, a settlement to the west was sacked by griffon raiders. As far as we know, they burned the town to the ground. Survivors are reporting most not wearing any particular armor, though a few looked like they had the emblems scratched off or removed. Last report before I came to tell you said the griffons were moving into the woods in a scattered formation, making it impossible to pinpoint where they are regrouping, or even where their next target may be. Nearby towns are calling for additional guards in the event their towns are targeted next."

The Mad Queen stared at them for several seconds, her fury boiling over. She finally had a location and species for her tormentor, finally had something to work with and the minotaurs decided they'd strike now? And the griffons, didn't they know when they were beaten? Their country was hers now, they had nothing. Why were they still fighting?

With a scream of rage she launched all three soldiers from the room, turning back to the map and highlighting the area that was being obscured with her own magic. She focused, noting all the curves the aura followed, attempting to pinpoint the exact epicenter of the aura so she could teleport there and remove the threat. She grinned manically, flaring her magic when a soft laugh from the back of her mind interrupted her.

'Yes, teleport to the other end of the planet. In our current state, you'd be lucky if you didn't fall short, ending up embedded in solid rock or in the planets core,' the mare said with a giggle. 'Even better, he's been collecting followers. Do you think you can take him on while suffering that recoil and hold off his followers?'

The mare ground her teeth in sweltering fury, having nothing to vent on. She'd always been able to reach the target of her anger, always had something to vent on. It was not so this time. She'd need to deal with this as a ruler would. She'd need actual ponies to fight his followers, possibly even him if he was as powerful as an alicorn normally is. In impotent rage, the alicorn launched the table out the window, screaming obscenities and shattering pictures and pottery alike.

All the while, the voice in her head taunted her, just as she had done to it years ago.

'It's only a matter of time, dear friend. He leads them against us, and soon he will come for us. This Nightmare will soon be over; one way or another.'

"...mostly hangs around Froggy Bottom Bog but it's been known to wander into the Everfree from time to time. If ya can confuse its heads it's not much of a threat though, specially if ya can get them arguin' over which head eats ya." Applebloom explained, the trio taking a walk through a dream-version of Ponyville for the stallions benefit.

"I'll keep that in mind, though I doubt the Hydra's going to be hanging around since it's getting colder," the stallion said. He turned to look for the queen, spotting her flitting around the stalls and inspecting the different wares as the farmer remembered them.

Applebloom poked his foreleg, drawing his attention, "If'n ya don't mind me askin, why do ya let her talk like that to ya? T'ain't proper for a mare to be talkin' dirty to another mare's stallion, even if she wants to join them."

"The biggest reason is because she doesn't know better." The alicorn told her softly. "She may be older than you, but she hasn't exactly had time to, mature socially. Thrisha taught Pandinus a lot about proper etiquette and understanding how the way we act impacts the opinions of others, but for the most part queens don't really think about it. They only ever need to deal with drones, though sometimes they'll talk to other queens through envoys or letters. It's just not something they're taught as they grow up. However, now that I know they're sharing that kind of thing, I'll have Din teach Zel some manners. At the very least it should help keep her from causing an international incident. Right now though she's a bit high on her newfound freedom. I don't know if anything anyone tells her would stick."

The yellow mare chuckled at that, "Ah think ah understand; it's a lack of experience kinda thing. Sweetie told me her sister had ta help Twi understand some things about heats and relationships when she got ta Ponyville. Mare knew exactly what was goin' on with her body, but had no experience goin' out with her friends during such a time and the silliness that can happen. Dash thought it was hilarious, though. Do the queens go inta heat?"

Cimmerian blanched at the prospect, "God, if that wasn't their version of it, I hope not. Din was clingy as a limpet when she changed to a queen, something about needing a mate for her clutch. I think that for queens it's a bit different then it is for mares like yourself. Pandinus isn't sneaking into my room every night anymore, not that she needs to, and Zelus and Lestidae never really looked at me like that. This is the first I've heard of Zelus looking at me, actually. It's kind of odd. I would have thought Din would forbid her from that, that I wouldn't have to worry about it."

"But Cimmy," Zelus whined, wrapping her forelegs around his neck from behind and nuzzling his cheek. "Din and I are talking the future of the changeling race here. You wouldn't leave us hanging, would you?"

"I thought you were going to be looking for your mate while exploring. Wasn't that your tertiary objective? After guarding me and seeing the world?" the stallion grumbled.

"Of course it is. If Din's second clutch is the same as this one, we'll need a different source of eggs, that different source being me and a different mate. If her second clutch proceeds at normal speeds though..." Zelus trailed off, snuggling into his neck. Leaning closer, she whispered into his ear. "If it makes you feel better, Din said I can take her form. Some of the ponies were doing similar things, allowing a changeling into their herds for such things; apparently its a common fantasy among both stallions and mares. You didn't think you were the only source of all that love, did you?"

Even as he sputtered denials, the queen grinned at the pony. "He says no, but I can taste his emotions. I think that deep down inside he likes the idea of twins waiting for him."

"How, Din said she can't taste my emotions through dreams! Why is this different?" he demanded, turning an exquisite shade of purple.

"While Din couldn't taste you when you from the dream realm while you were in another room, I can taste you just fine." The queen told him. "After all, if I were any closer, I'd be physically bound to you."

"What's she mean bah that?" Applebloom asked with a frown.

Not even looking at the queen he grit his teeth. "She doesn't function well in the cold, and has been, well..she's-"

"He's keeping me warm right now." Zelus said with a smile.

The mare looked at his strained expression, covering her muzzle with both hooves to suppress her laughter. Closing his eyes, the alicorn took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping. "Let's go Zel. We have one more stop tonight."

"You could leave me behind, you know" the queen said, snuggling even closer to him and apparently reveling in his discomfort. "Pandinus was right, you taste funny when you get all uncomfortable."

"I am not leaving an amorous queen in the same room as my unresponsive form while I go dream-walking" he told her. "We're going to see someone I should have talked to a while ago, actually. I was just a bit pissed at her and so was Luna, so I thought it best to cool off before I visit her again. Enjoy your night, miss Bloom. If you notice you have dreams over the next few days, don't be afraid to try calling out to Luna or myself. I'm kind of curious how far my aura reaches at the moment, and who it impacts."

The alicorn and changeling faded from the dream, Zelus' grip becoming ethereal but no less tight. The alicorn pulsed his target, pouring his magic into her and allowing her to form a dream once more. Flowing towards the newly formed orb and being certain he didn't lose his hitchhiker the stallion stepped into the dream.

"Hello Tia," Cimmerian greeted tersely. His mood dropped soon after he spotted her though, the alicorn curled up in a ball and whimpering apologies.

"I'm sorry I told her, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to I just wanted to be certain. I'm sorry, please don't leave me here again. I'll do whatever you want. Please don't leave me here again! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Even Zelus flinched from the mare, the misery being obvious even without tasting it. Approaching her, Cimmerian poked at her a few times, attempting to catch her attention.

"Tia? Aunt Tia, come on, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"...I'm sorry, I know your mad, I didn't mean to give you away. I, I-"

The alicorn swept her into a hug, shushing her and holding her close. "I was a little upset, but I didn't stay away to punish you. I stayed away so I didn't say anything I'd regret. It also kept Luna from saying something she'd regret."

The explanation did little to comfort the mare, her tears falling freely no matter what he said. A second presence soon called his attention to Luna as she joined him, her irritated scowl soon giving way to concern. The lunar alicorn swept her sister away from the stallion, leaving Cimmerian to watch from a distance as the two spoke in hushed whispers, Luna continuously attempting to comfort her sister. Eventually Luna had calmed the other mare down a bit, calling the stallion and changeling over with a wave of her wing, though she motioned for silence as they approached. The four spent the next few hours in silence, Cimmerian and Luna pressing into either side of the white mare while Zelus fidgeted awkwardly, finally settling on curling up on the other side of the larger alicorn.

It was Luna who spoke first, breaking the silent companionship. "We won't abandon you Tia, you should know this by now. We will return in a few days. I'm sorry this caused you so much grief."

The dark stallion nodded in agreement "You know I'm trying to help you two in any way I can. Relax, Celestia. No one will leave you trapped here forever."

The three bid the mare goodbye with hundreds of promises to return shortly before leaving the dream, the stallion quickly dragging Luna back to his own dream along with Zelus. As soon as they'd landed on the beach he was before the smaller mare.

"What was that? I thought you two were fine!"

"Fine? We're stuck in cells that continuously drain us of our power and prevent us from stopping the coming apocalypse! We are far from fine!"

"No I, that's not what I meant, I mean why is your sister suddenly so, so fragile!"

Luna made to retort viciously, but bit her tongue. "Tia did spend over a millennia waiting for me to return from my exile, but for as long as either of us can remember she has been surrounded by ponies. She's trying to be strong, but this most recent event, this perceived punishment for giving the Nightmare information on you, I think it scared her. It drew attention to the fact of just how dependent she is on you for any contact.

"Tia's a planner, Theodore. She makes plans so deep, so complex, and so far reaching it would put the best chess masters to shame. But she did not see this coming. She did not foresee it, and it caused those around her immeasurable pain. Worse still is the fact that even as Chrysalis held her captive, even as Tirek locked us in Tartarus, Tia was never alone. She is immortal, and never before has she been so alone. It's not something she knows how to handle, and it has left her desperate for contact. I believe that is why she reached out to Twilight."

"Your sister is falling into loneliness-based depression." Cimmerian stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Do not make light of this!" she snapped. "Tia has never had to deal with this, and she's older than this country. I fell to depression, but spent many years fighting the loneliness. I have methods to combat it, and even without them I can speak to your citizens to pass the time. Tia doesn't have that!"

"I'm sorry, Luna. It's just difficult to reconcile the mare I remember with what I just saw. She's stood before armies, faced Discord without showing any hesitation, I know she had her moments of weakness as we all do, but that was just..."

Luna huffed "I know, this is a strange situation we find ourselves in. Do not disregard the pain of others though. It is the first step to becoming a true monster."

Her face slowly morphing into a smile, Luna looked over to the queen "So Zelus, you finally managed to worm your way into Cimmerians bed? It took you much longer than I figured it would."

The queen giggled, thankful for the change in topics from one she had no way to help in. "It was a long battle, but it was worth it. He's warm, and he tastes funny when ponies tease him."

Cimmerian groaned "I'd leave you two to go off by myself, but I don't know if I trust you two alone like that. How long have you been plotting against me, Zel? What kind of bodyguard does that?"

Zelus stuck her tongue out at him, the action almost reminding him of a snake flicking its tongue. "I have to keep you healthy. Luna said it was a good idea to help you with stress after the meeting with the thestral council."

"This is your doing?" The larger alicorn demanded of Luna, looming over her.

The mare chuckled abashedly, scuffing a hoof in the sand "Well, you know what they say, sometimes we need to give foals goals to work towards, it keeps them occupied." Seeing her words did nothing, she turned to bolt, momentarily forgetting she could just leave the dream. Before she could get away however, she felt a hoof come down on her tail, along with the solidification of the dream around her.

"Silly little Luna, you may be a lot better at remote dream manipulation than me, but this is my dream." Cimmerian told her with a wicked smile. A squeak of surprise drew the smaller alicorns eyes to her comrade in trouble, the queen now shrunk and stuck in a glass jar. Fearfully, the mare turned back to the stallion, swallowing loudly.

"My turn" he said with a wicked smile.

"I said I was sorry!" Zelus, still in her pony-sized form said as she followed the alicorn on his way to the galley.

Cimmerian had spent the last few hours just letting them struggle in their bonds, Luna stuck in a large hamster wheel and Zelus trapped in a glass jar that didn't budge no matter how large she made herself. That had brought a smile to his face; Zelus squished and twisted about in a small glass jar, continuously whining about how unfair he was being. Luna had eventually attempted to used the ball to ram him, so he'd set it on a small set track that just went in circles. After going about fifty rounds of the track as she attempted to jump the rails, the mare was too dizzy to continue trying to escape, merely collapsing in place. Unlike the queen, the alicorn took her punishment with silent dignity. That or Luna was speaking too low for him to hear.

The alicorn didn't look at her as he responded, "I don't appreciate what you did, Zelus. I've bent over backwards to help changelings, and you pull something stupid like that. I told Din I wasn't comfortable with that kind of relationship, and I expect you to understand that."

The mare huffed, returning to her normal size in a flash of magic. She trotted past him, flicking him in the muzzle with her tail as she passed by.

"I've had to change my entire life philosophy these last few weeks, Cimmy, even accepting another queen as being my alpha queen. What changes have you accepted lately?"

Watching the mare trot ahead he scowled after her, muttering "My fricken' species. My understanding of the universe in general, too. Give me some time and I'll write you a list."

Author's Notes:

So fallout has been taking up a lot of my time, but that doesn't mean I don't love you guys anymore.

But I do really really love fallout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e9vk4S-nRo

Also, looking over the mods on Nexus, and already spotted a moon changer, adds the Mare in the Moon. So it begins, and magic seeps into the radiation-scorched hell.

Now Remember, First Impressions are Important

It was nearly the evening of the next day when the alicorn first noted a distinct lack of irritation caused by the changeling queen wandering the ship. He dismissed it at first, seeing as Zelus was busy moping about in their room or some nonsense. Instead he chose to focus on the hoofwork needed for actual combat.

While swinging around a sharp piece of metal properly was difficult in and of itself, learning to sidestep an attack with four legs had left the alicorn tasting the deck several times over the week. It was obviously not something that was taught overnight, and not even the muscle memory he borrowed from Luna could help him here. Luna could use a blade, but according to her memories she actually preferred either attacking with magic or from a distance with ranged weaponry like bows or crossbows. After all, it was her sister that was the close quarters expert. Why learn how to use bludgeons when you were a natural at spell casting? Unfortunately, this affinity for spell casting was not passed on to Cimmerian. While it was undoubtedly easier than it would be for most creatures, it was by no means simple. Therefore he was using his newfound free time to learn how to swing not just sharp sticks, but heavy sticks, long sticks, and spikey sticks.

So it was that Cimmerian spent most of the trip learning how to properly use weapons, and this day in particular to wield a large hammer. Learning how to swing it without it hitting himself in the face, learning how to use the shaft to block blows and even strike quickly and unexpectedly. Learning that his magic could quickly speed up the hammer for a quick strike, but also learning that magic still required time and concentration to slow it down again.

"I'm so sorry sir, I thought you'd learned to remember the backswing by now," one of the griffon guards said, following the wobbly alicorn to the galley.

"It's, it's fine, De- Ber- whatever your name was. I'll be better in a bit. I mean, I heal pretty quick, so a black eye isn't too bad," Cimmerian chuckled even as he almost stumbled to the floor. "Look at the bright side. I didn't bleed all over the deck this time. Much better than my practice sessions with a sword or morning star. You'd think that after almost taking out my own eye I'd remember the center of balance for the weapons is on the weapon, not on myself."

That was what had given him most of his problems. He carried the weapons in his magical grip, but swung them with the idea that they'd swing around him as they would if he were holding them. Such was not the case; if you wanted them to act that way, you had to actually give the swing a pre-determined arc. If you weren't paying attention, you could and would merely rotate the weapon. A bad idea when you were trying to protect your face with it.

"I was going to be using Zel for this kinda' training, but she's been less than helpful lately. Between being distracted by hive issues and the cold having a bad effect on her, she's not been very helpful. I'm sure it will change once she settles down and acclimates."

"Sir, a guard shouldn't have to acclimate. If she can't do her job, she shouldn't be here" the griffon said, a bit of irritation in his voice.

Cimmerian nodded "Normally I'd agree, but this is a changeling queen we're talking about. They run a close second to alicorns in both rarity and magical power. Sure dragons may be stronger physically, but Zel is no pushover. I wouldn't suggest challenging her to an arm wrestling match; she'd likely break your talon. In this case she's the heavy hitter of your team, an ill acclimated one, but one that would be able to lead a charge into a wall of steel if she needed to."

"I think I understand, sir," the guard responded. "Still, I would like an actual team. The others are at least professional about this."

Grabbing a plate and serving himself from the galley's buffet, the alicorn snorted in amusement.

"Man, I've been having to work with what I have for the last few months. I don't know if you realize this, but Shadow has no actual leadership experience besides getting a few ponies to agree to go into the jungle with him. Even then, most of those were convinced by others, while Gleam was just another follower that I appointed secretarial duties. Both have adapted to the changes in our needs well, just as I've had to adapt. You've heard the rumors floating among the guards, haven't you?"

The tom paused, looking uncertain if he should answer.

"The, the ones about you being, not an alicorn?"

Cimmerian blinked, turning back to the griffon. The alicorn stared for a moment before bursting into laughter, moving towards his seat and gesturing for the guard to sit at his table.

"As I told Herrick I'm exactly as I appear. An alicorn that is in a way connected to Luna. In fact I've spoken to her, and she and her sister both speak to me as a son and nephew, respectively, at times. It's my mind that's different. I was born and raised in a very different world. As much as everyone's had to adapt to their new circumstances, my own have been radically altered as well. In fact I don't even think one can reach my home without magic from our location.

"As such, I decided that the best course of action was to help those around me. One thing led to another, and soon my bleeding heart led me to start allowing all those like me into the Temple. Next thing I know, I've got a country on my hooves and a pair of alicorns asking me for help."

The stallion chuckled, shaking his head. "Adaptation is important. We learn to adapt to the changing circumstances or we're swept away. Luckily I've been fairly flexible but there are some things that just bother me."

"Herds?" the griffon guessed, drawing a nod from the dark alicorn. The griffon shrugged, "I don't know much about them as they're mostly a pony thing, but I know even the thestrals tend to use them. Pony births seem to favor mares from what I've heard. Thus if they practiced monogamy like griffons they'd have a lot mares that would be left without."

"Logically that makes sense. Your people are a bit more similar to my own than ponies in many ways. Omnivorous, monogamous, fairly aggressive especially around strangers and the unknown. At least I kinda' guessed you guys were monogamous since I didn't see any, you know" the stallion circled his hoof in the air, looking for the proper word. "Flocks? Would that be the right word?"

The guard nodded, finishing a portion of his meal before speaking "They happen from time to time, but usually flocks are formed by pegasi. Most common flocks of griffons are either after wars or disasters that claim a lot of males, or the Griffozonian tribes in the most secluded mountains. It's strange, but some of those tribes are patriarchal."

Cimmerian choked on his water, pounding his barrel with a hoof and laughing at the idea of patriarchy being the exception, not the norm. "My own people were most often patriarchal, though there were a lot of matriarchal societies throughout the ages. Even in the matriarchies though, males were the ones who led most of the military forces. I don't know many female military leaders off the top of my head. In fact, in my own country there was a time females were not allowed to own property. There were also tales of tribes in the deep jungles, Amazons, that were full of warrior women who some said would abduct men for mating. Depending on the male, they may not have objected that much. Not at first anyway."

"That's insane... what other similarities and oddities have you found?" the tom asked with an inquisitive smile.

"Griffons are real" the stallion deadpanned, drawing a stare of disbelief from the guard. "Yea, imagine waking up to a world of mythological creatures. That's been my reality lately."

After a long and engaging conversation on the topic of culture shock that eventually brought in several other guards Cimmerian retired to his room. As he expected, the changeling queen was sitting in her own bed, a mess of blankets and covers scattered over her form. What he also expected was for her to give him a glare upon entering the room. He didn't expect the queen to not even react.

"Zelus? You up?" he asked, poking the bundle of blankets. When no response came, he started unraveling the covers. After pulling a worrying number of blankets off of her he found out why she was so quiet. Pulling a final blanket free he found a chattering queen buried deep underneath them.

"Oh geeze. Why didn't you say you were cold? Didn't you say you could burn emotion for heat?" the alicorn admonished her, pulling apart the ball of blankets she'd wrapped herself in. The queen didn't answer, merely igniting her horn and trying to pull a few of the blankets back to her.

"I swear, you queens are all impossible," he muttered, hopping into his own bed and bringing Zelus over. Wrapping the two of them in several blankets, about three times as many as he'd find comfortable, he settled in for the night.

The other queen was a good distance away by now, and the link was starting to wane. Sure Din could still sense Zelus in the distance, thus having a good idea of the location of the group but the information that could flow through the link at such distances was minimal at best. Even now though, she could get a good idea of the other queen's mood. That unfortunately ended up being a combination of frustration, misery, a few pangs of hunger, and oddly enough a faint undertone of despair.

"What the hell is she doing?" the queen muttered, sorting through the still growing pile of requests and notifications that seemed to find their way to her even with the alicorn gone. Gleam and Shadow both lent their aid, as well as the Thrisha when she stopped by, though that wasn't as often as the queen had liked. Pandinus enjoyed speaking with the hen, even if half of what the griffon said made no sense. It was just a pleasant sensation, a sort of white noise as the stallion had once jokingly referred to her hives buzzing as.

Looking across from her at the recovering alicorn, Din passed another simple request form to the mare, encouraging the mare to start thinking. It had been helping, Cadance not merely staring off into the distance stroking Amare anymore, the slightest bits of affection being directed at the proto queen. Perhaps she'd never fully recover, but at least she wasn't cowering in the presence of others anymore.

*poke*

Pandinus blinked, looking up at the mare in surprise. Cadance merely cocked her head, trying again.

*poke*

"What's wrong?" the alicorn asked, her voice barely audible.

"Nothing in particular, at least not anything I can actually affect at the moment," Din answered, still looking at the mare in shock. That hadn't been physical contact. The pink mare had pushed her through the link. The queen pondered a response for a moment, settling on a gentle reassuring pressure through the link.

"I'm sorry" Cadance said in a whisper. "I know you said you'd help, I was just so-"

"I did the same thing." Pandinus said, cutting her off. "Cimmerian offered me food and shelter, a place to call home. I came very close to running when I had the chance. That's why when he asked me to help you, I did. That's why when the other queens showed up on our doorstep I helped. That's why I'm sitting here sorting through this mess, no matter how much I find it frustrating and petty. I've been on the run for a long time with no allies, no hive. I grew up knowing the link, to spend so many years without it was painful and scary. Even if I hadn't cared for you personally, didn't care about what happened to you that, that mess attached to your head, I had to fix it. It was an abomination of something dear to our kind.

"Cimmerian told me there was something called the gold rule. 'Do to others what you want them to do to you.' He wanted others to stay near him so he wasn't alone, so he offered his help and the Temple to them. He protected them. In exchange the ponies here made the Temple a home. He offered me food, shelter, actual love, and a hive, so I offer him all the support I can, even when he wants to do something that goes against everything I know. The fact that Zelus is now working with us I'd never have expected. I thought both would react the way Lestidae had.

"Now I offer you safety, food, and undisturbed sleep in your weakness so that when you recover, you can return my help. The ponies talk about you, how you are the alicorn of love." Queen Pandinus smiled softly at the mare, shifting herself closer. "I believe Cimmerian is correct in this case; had changelings been allowed to speak to you freely, been allowed to approach you without fear of death, many would have named you a goddess of our race. Given your return to what you once were, that may still be in the realm of possibilities, especially since you are now so intimately familiar with our kind."

The pink mare's ears perked, the slightest taste of hope becoming tangible, "Do you, do you really think it wasn't Twilly? That it was one of those, those Nightmares that made her, that makes her do this?"

"Luna and Cimmerian both believe so as far as I know. You will not find anyone more familiar with the Nightmares than they," Din explained to the mare. "Have some faith in Cimmerian. He drives me to insanity, but more often than not he's proven himself reliable."

Consciousness slowly returned to her, though she knew something was strange. She felt warm, much warmer than she had when she went to sleep. She'd even raided the ships extra supply of blankets and covers the night before. Sure she had a full jar of potent love left, but that was given to her as a last resort, as in 'something's going to eat everyone and she would need a huge power boost to defeat it'. Opening her eyes, Zelus noted she wasn't even wrapped in that many blankets anymore; a few of the extras she'd acquired were on Cimmerians bed.

'Wait, his bed was on the left when you enter the room, so why is-'

"Finally awake?" a voice rumbled, the proximity of the speaker causing the words to rumble against her own barrel. Jumping in fright, the queen looked to her right and spotted the alicorn, head still on his pillow but looking at her with a sleepy expression.

"Had me worried, you wouldn't wake up. Checked your supplies and you've burned through most of your emotion supply. Next time you're running low on food, say something," he scolded, using a wing to pull her in closer. "I fed Din well before we were together, and I fed Mirage and the nymphs before that. All you need to do is ask. Now why were you already running low? We haven't even reached Silver Cavern."

"The training a few days ago and all this cold, it's... it's making me burn much more energy than I should be," she admitted. "I've also never been so cold before, so I'm sure I've burned more than I needed to while learning. The last jar though, it's for an emergency. As for not asking? You've tasted kind of angry these last few days and I really was hoping Luna's ideas would work. Then I wouldn't have to worry about food."

In response the alicorn shifted closer, nearly cuddling with the queen and warming her with both fresh emotion and body heat.

"We'll talk about this when we get back, Zelus. I thought I was clear about my wishes, but I think Din, you, and I are going to need to talk. Make sure we're on the same page. Now go ahead and feed, then we'll head to the galley. Bring your blanket. We'll have something to eat then we're going to the observation deck. We should be coming up on the city soon."

The thestral hadn't even waited for breakfast to be served that morning, taking off from the ship the moment it was in range her home. A guard attempted to stop her but a quick flash of her identification as well as her urgency had her waved through. She blazed through the streets, nearly taking out several other residents and had to shout apologies to a few friends who asked how her trip was.

Jasmine Breeze darted through the streets even as her wings burned from the distance of her flight. The councilors needed more warning than her simple letter sent through the Talon mercenaries. They needed more than her terrified scribbling, more than what she'd told them in her state of absolute terror upon first seeing the alicorn. Finally reaching the council building, she burst in through the front door, the secretary jumping with a squeak of fear and glaring at her.

"I need to speak to the councilors, now! It's about the letter I sent, and the request that came through the Talons."

The secretary huffed at her, ruffling her wings. "The councilors are currently enjoying their breakfast, interruptions will not be-"

Jasmine didn't hear the rest, having darted past the secretary. She tore down the halls before slowing only enough to not break down the doors to the council chamber. The mare took a moment to catch her breath as the various councilors stared at her, several with food in their mouths. Before she fully recovered, one spoke.

"Ambassador, I trust you know exactly what it is that you've done?" Fruit Fox said, eyeing her with a raised eyebrow.

"Leave off, Fruity. She said she'd be arriving with the one who sent the letter," a second rebuked the first. Turning to Breeze, the older mare smiled graciously. "Now, what was this nonsense about an alicorn sending the letter?"

"N-not nonsense" she panted. "Outside on airship, brought few guards, including changeling."

That last part grabbed the attention of a few councilors. "Poppycock, the only one with any control over changelings is Queen Twilight," Fruit Fox said dismissively.

"What did you see, Breeze," the older mare, Councilor Silver Light asked her gently.

Taking a few more gasps to steady her breathing, as well as a glass of water, the mare began to speak.

"He said he wants to offer, to offer us an alternative to Queen Twilights purification. He talks to Princess Luna, and she spoke to me when I was over there. She said he speaks with her authority, that she trusts him to guard and guide her subjects in her absence. She said Queen Twilight is not, not right. There's something wrong with her. But there's more. He, Lord Cimmerian, he bears the traits of the Nightmare."

Several gasps and sputters of indignation resounded through the chamber at her announcement.

"Preposterous! The Nightmare was destroyed by the Elements of Harmony. Not only that, Nightmare Moon was always a mare, you said this, this Lord Cimmerian, a stallion, bears the traits of Luna's Shadow? Absolutely ridiculous, why I'd-"

"We will allow him to speak to the council." Silver Light said softly, looking around the chamber. "Unless any of you have any objections."

While there was some whispering, no actual objections were raised. Smiling in satisfaction, Light turned back to the ambassador.

"Grab something to eat dear. I'll meet him myself. I'm quite excited to meet the heir of the True Darkness."

"I gotta admit, I wasn't sure what I'd be seeing when I imagined the capital of the bat ponies, but this isn't what I imagined," Cimmerian commented as the ship approached the mountain. A huge tunnel was carved out of the mountain, leaving easily enough room for two airships to fly right by each other. Flying deep into the mountain, the griffons shifting uneasily as the sky was left behind. There was a twinkle farther down the tunnel, and soon, the entire party was staring at the sight before them, the walls of the cave shimming in the light.

'Silver City. They dug their home in a silver mine,' the stallion realized with awe. It was a beautiful sight, the walls shimmering and shining with every flicker of the lights of their vessel.

Zelus was staring at the sight, mouth agape. The queen had never even been in another city, much less seen a capital. To see so many thestrals zipping about, so many creatures living in one place...

The ship flew through a ward, the air around them becoming noticeably warmer. The queen blinked in confusion for a moment, daring to step away from her mobile source of heat. Realizing it was actually comfortable in the cave, the changeling darted to the railing, giggling excitedly. Cimmerian followed her, allowing a large smile to play across his muzzle. He remembered seeing a few caves when he was younger, but had never imagined something of this scale being done. Seeing the shipyard coming up, and the actual city not so far away, the stallion barely repressed a childish giggle of delight. This was something he'd want to do; to travel this world, seeing the wonders it held. A city on the side of a mountain, another in a silver mine, a castle in the middle of a dangerous forest. There was just so much to see, and over the next week or so he'd make sure to see a few of them at least.

Stepping off the shipyard dock and into the city proper, the alicorn's ears perked as the sounds of a busy market slowly faded away. Curious, he looked around, seeing every thestral present staring at his group. No, that wasn't right. They weren't staring at the group. Nor were they staring at the now-nervous changeling queen. Every single eye was on him, at least every eye that wasn't currently attached to a face that was buried in the dirt.

Looking around at the scene, the alicorn stared with a stoic expression.

"I don't know what I expected."

Surprisingly, several thestrals seemed to be waiting for him near the shipyard, one in particular looking ecstatic to see him. Guessing that the mare and her escorts were there for him, the alicorn made his way directly to the second group. Bowing respectfully he introduced himself.

"I am Theodore Cimmerian Fredson, ruler of the Temple of the Shadows. I sent word some time ago that I desired to speak with you."

The thestral bowed low, stopping just shy of prostration before rising again.

"I am Silver Light, and I am honored to welcome you, Lord Cimmerian, Heir of the True Darkness. Welcome to our city."

The alicorn stopped short at her greeting, wincing at the title. 'Wonderful. More cultists. I hope they aren't all like that.' Looking around at the thestrals in various states of fear and worship he shook his head.

'Who am I kidding. The only question is what kind of cultists I'll be dealing with.'

Author's Notes:

Arrival. I'm not sure exactly how this will go, but I have a few ideas. After that, I'm going to be having some fun. We'll see where it goes, as usual. So, after this little arc what do you guys think he'll find while wandering the everfree?

The Council and the Patchwork Mare

The Silver City was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. In fact, had it been a normal day for him, Cimmerian would likely have enjoyed himself. The shimmering walls of the cavern, the beautiful support pillars of worked silver and stone, the underground park that was illuminated by bioluminescent fungus, the tour he was given was absolutely stunning, leaving not just him, but the queen, the griffons, and even one of the thestrals gawking at the sights.

"Here we have the Silver falls, a natural river that leaks down from the mountain above us. We've had to pass a few laws about weather regulating in the area, but by keeping the weather free of pegasus magic the snow on the mountain restores itself naturally. During the summer months the falls are actually quite loud, but seeing as the temperature is dropping, so is the water. It's no issue of course; the supplies in the lake here will last all winter and well into spring, when the first thaws will cause the falls to explode into life. That's something to see!" Silver Light explained to the group, walking slightly ahead of them. The mare was personally giving the tour, pointing out historic buildings and current works alike. She clearly loved her city and kept updated on the current state of things but there was just one thing that bothered the stallion.

"Is there anything else you'd like to see or learn about, my lord. We still have several things-"

"It's fine, Silver Light. The city is beautiful, but I'm here about a very serious problem for your people," he said with a wan smile. "Things are not well in the world, as I'm certain you know. I heard from a thestral that Queen Twilight has attacked your people in what she considers a cleansing of the races. Should her forces ever push you from you home, I wish to extend an offer that many griffons have accepted. That, and I needed to take Zelus on her walk. She gets antsy if we keep her cooped up for too long."

The changeling stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to chuckle .

The councilor shifted uncomfortably at the byplay "Anyway, if you'd like we can visit the market. I'm sure you'd find it a learning experience, we can also-"

"I'd like to speak with the council, Miss Light." he interrupted once again. "We have things to discuss, and I'd like to get the business out of the way before I attempt to enjoy any of the things your city has to offer. At the very least, I'd like to allow you to start discussing my offer."

"I see. Very well, Lord Cimmerian. The council chambers are this way," she said flatly. The thestral then led them through the city to the large city hall, the building looking quite ostentatious even among the resplendent manors of the area. The group walked up the stairs and entered the building, the secretary looking up from her papers with a squeak of surprise.

"C-councilor Light, the others are just w-waiting for you. A-and your, guest as well," the spectacled mare behind the desk squeaked out.

Cimmerian shook his head in irritation. It had been that way all day, ponies squeaking or stuttering in his presence. It seemed the thestrals at the Temple had understated just how deeply fanatical some of their race were, both to Luna and to Nightmare Moon. He followed the mare into a large chamber, fifteen chairs circling the room with a single podium by the door. Silver Light trotted up to her seat quickly, fluttering her wings nervously as she smiled at the alicorn, though he could see how strained it was fairly easily. Looking around, he found all the councilors were either outright staring at him or at the very least looked nervous. He swept his eyes over the entire group before whispering to the queen beside him.

"Do any of them not taste of nerves and fear, Zel?"

The queen pointed to one councilor, then another. "Those two taste more like adoration, not as much fear or shock."

Cimmerian nodded to her in gratitude before returning his attention to the council. When none made a move for a few moments, he stepped forward, speaking loudly.

"Good afternoon councilors. My name is Theodore Cimmerian Fredson, Lord of the Temple of the Shadows and Shadowtalon Port. I've come here today to speak to you about a distinct possibility and options that are available to you in such an event."

The ears of a few of the councilors perked up, but most were still attempting to reconcile what they were seeing. Stomping a hoof into the floor and leaving a web of cracks in the tiles, the stallion snorted in irritation. The ambassador he could forgive, it was one mare going off into unknown territory and facing down the alicorn and his guard. This however, was supposed to be the ruling party of the thestrals. If they couldn't get past his appearance, how could he help them?

"I said I am here to speak with you about a possibility and the options that are available, specifically the possibility of Queen Twilight going forward with her demands. Right now she is moving against the minotaurs. Between the minotaurs and the griffons she is being stretched a bit thin, so she has no way of enforcing her plans for your people. Should the minotaurs fall, and the griffons be defeated however, there is no doubt in my mind that your race will be hunted to extinction."

That drew a reaction, several of the mares going wide eyed.

"You really think, think that she'd go through with it?" one mare asked quietly. "Sorry my lord, I'm Moonlight Whisper. I was one of those appointed in the aftermath of the original purification. We lost almost half the council to that event. The ponies who they became, they weren't right. Even other ponies who didn't know who they were reportedly avoided them. As far as I've heard, none of them lived past a year."

"Surely Queen Twilight was bluffing." another stated. "She does that all the time, threatening things, often with displays of overbearing magic on small groups or easily targeted areas. She doesn't actually-"

"What do you call the attacks on High Talon or her mustering of troops on the minotaur borders?" a third shouted, interrupting the second. "Is that a bluff? Do you think she'll pull back after she defeats them, ruining their countries just to show she could?"

"What about her offer?" the second pursued. "She offered any thestrals that joined their military safety from the purification. They and their families would be-"

"What about their descendants?" Cimmerian asked, drawing all eyes in the room. "She already dismissed your kind as impure, as unwanted yet now that she's running into issues she's allowing them to live? I don't believe her. Even if she does allow you to survive after the war, even if she doesn't turn right around and purify you anyway, what about your grandchildren? How many generations are safe from her by way of this agreement?" He let his gaze drift along the councilors once more. "I am not asking you to betray an allied nation, I am asking you not to ally with, not to render aid to a nation that has it on record that they will remove your species from the planet if given the chance. I ask that you take into consideration the possibility of having a fall back point should she attack this city. I offered the griffons one, and Shadowtalon Port is now a busy port that traffics many of the refugees. I wish to make to you the same offer I made to them."

Silver Light looked up form her thoughts, "What would you have us do, Nightmare? Half of our army was working with the equestrians as they always have, and they are now either purified or imprisoned."

"She's already wiping out your race and you still look to petition this mare for peace?" Cimmerian asked incredulously. "I understand the guards she's captured doing so in order to survive, but...never mind; and Silver, I told you, while we are closely bound, Luna, Nightmare Moon and I are all separate beings. We always were." That drew some murmurs from the council. Seeing the opportunity, he smiled at them, "I will be in the area for a few days, and would be happy to answer any of your questions regarding the three of us. I ask that you think long and hard on this, and I hope you understand just how tenuous your situation is."

The small group turned to leave, letting the councilors discuss the information. As they were walking towards the door Zelus snarled, her horn lighting with blazing magic, followed by a large object falling from the ceiling and striking the floor with a crack. Before anyone could react, she'd driven her blade into its back.

"Tasted it earlier." Zelus said with a growl. "Wasn't sure if it was one of their guards or not, but it tasted different than the others. Not what a guard would be feeling."

The alicorn stepped closer to the newly created corpse, pulling back the mask but already knowing what to expect. Underneath was a unicorn mare, sky blue fur with an almost silver mane. Etched into the sides of her face were the familiar runes of the changeling control arrays, only much smaller than the ones used on Cadance.

"So she's already moving on to other ponies. I have to wonder how many others she's done this too though. Zelus, if you get the chance, try to capture one. If there's any part of them left-"

Suddenly the body twitched, the mare shifting up along the blade with her horn beginning to glow. The stallion heard Zelus hack from behind him and the blue mare's horn suddenly sported a coating of changeling goo, the blue horn sputtering and sparking underneath it.

"Think you can steal her, Zelus?" he asked the queen, gesturing to the arrays on the spy's cheek.

The queen walked up to the unicorn cautiously, her horn glowing as she inspected the mare. Pulling back more of the spy's clothing revealed a veritable patchwork horror of scars and, even more disturbing, chitin plating in various places. Even where the blade was piercing her lower barrel, the mare wasn't bleeding, not as much as she should at least. Looking back to her face, he noted the empty eyes that conveyed no emotion even as she struggled against the blade pinning her to the floor and the gel hardening on her horn.

"I think I can, although we'd need to disconnect her from whatever hive she's attached to at the moment," Zelus said, looking back to the alicorn. "Are you certain you want to do that?"

"I should be able to disconnect her. Councilors, if you don't mind, you may wish to leave. I don't know what will happen, and while I doubt she could hurt either of us in her state, she may lash out. You guys too," he said to the guards. "Zelus and I will take care of this, you watch the door. When you're ready, Zel."

As the queen circled the mare, getting a feel for the magic and energy that would be needed the thestral council wandered out the door, all except for Silver Light who stopped beside him.

"What are you planning on doing, my lord?"

"Most changelings that are held captive are more than willing to give any and all information they may have in exchange for their freedom. I don't see it being any different with a pony, though her mental state is an unknown at the moment. She may never recover, or she may just ask us to put her out of her misery. I don't know," he explained quietly. "Ready Zelus?"

At her nod he surrounded the mare with his own power, cutting off the almost untraceable link of magic that bound her to the Mad Queen's arrays. The second the connection was cut the spy ceased her struggling. Strangely, her attempts to channel her magic didn't fade, instead they began to increase. Zelus swore loudly, her own horn beginning to blaze as she bit the blue mare's coated horn, cracking the coating like candy and pressing her horn against the unicorn's own. For several moments he waited, ready to phase both himself, the councilor and the queen out of the room if the buildup continued. Just before he did, the mare's pink eyes flashed with light blue, the color of Zelus' own aura. The array flickered a few times as well, settling on a gentle blue glow and the mana buildup he'd been detecting from the mare began to fade as well.

Zelus backed away from the spy, letting loose a sigh and slumping slightly from released tension.

"That did it. She was ordered to cascade if she was ever cut from the hive. Changelings used to do something similar, but it's too easy to stop. That, and unicorn magic pools are notoriously resilient. She'll be able to cast again tomorrow despite the mana-burn she experienced."

"Anything from her? A name, orders, memories?" he asked, stepping closer to the pair. Drawing near the queen, he settled a wing over her back, allowing her to soak in his concern and happiness at the outcome.

Zelus giggled a bit at the rush before turning serious. "She's a true drone, she's basically here absorbing information to be transmitted back to the hive at a later time. It does strike me as odd though. A drone wouldn't have any emotions, so I looked deeper and found something. There's a, wall for lack of better word. That's where the emotions are coming from. Anger, frustration, and an absurd amount of stubborn tenacity."

Cimmerian smiled at the news. "So there's something left of her after all. Good. I was hoping that would be the case. You don't think she'll be any problem, do you?"

"I doubt it. I checked her over for any buried commands, and found nothing. This kind of thing is the reason changelings don't use true drones too often, and that we don't let those in charge of logistics leave the hive. It's too easy to repurpose drones, to take them from their original hive for use elsewhere. Certainly fathered drones have a bit of hive loyalty, but that won't stop another queen from stealing the information they may have access to." Zelus narrowed her eyes in concentration, staring at the mare.

The spy jerked, the rune on her cheek flaring as new commands came from the linked queen. She slowly stood up, or at least tried to. With a nervous giggle, the queen removed her blade, her horn glowing as she removed the weapon from the mare's back and spat more goo on the wounds, sealing them from the air.

"She's a bit jerky, but I think I can work with this," the changeling queen said as she circled the blue unicorn. "The wounds are already healing actually. She's been modified to heal quickly, a long term infiltrator. The emotions she'll feed on will need to come from me as she has no way to process them herself, but she'll also eat normally." Zelus stopped, jerking slightly before grinning. "Good, that will work. Drone 81-TCH," the queen thought for a moment, before looking back at the unicorn. "I think the Mad Queen had something against her."

Thinking about the name, Cimmerian chuckled as well, "We'll call her something else then. Any ideas? She'll be under your control till she either recovers or we get back."

The queen stepped closer to the mare, almost wrapping around her protectively. "I wish to call her Sapphire. Is that appropriate for a sturdy blue mare?"

"That will work. Let's go, we need to get some rooms for tonight."

"I, I would like to offer my own manor for your use, my lord," Silver offered, nervously scuffing a hoof across the floor. "I'm certain I have room for you and your entourage."

Zelus watched her cautiously for a moment before turning to the alicorn, nodding. Seeing the changeling okay it, he smiled at the thestral, giving a quick nod himself.

"That would be great, Silver Light. I'd be happy to entertain your questions over dinner, I'm certain you have quite a few. If any of the other councilors wish to stop by, I'd also be happy to entertain their questions as well."

"Excellent, I just uh, I mean, are you, will you be bringing the uh, unicorn, thing?" the councilor stuttered out.

"Yes, I'll be bringing her with me. She's liable to just run into walls if I'm not watching her all the time right now." Zelus answered for the stallion. "I need to reinforce the connection, and the best way to do that is to keep in close proximity for a while. After a day or so, I should be able to control her just as I would any changeling drone. The array binding her to a link is rudimentary at best and an absolute mess at worst. Most of the runes in the array are used to keep her from speaking and moving as she wishes."

The alicorn chuckled darkly at the thestral, gesturing to the spy. "This is one of her own citizens, Councilor Light. What do you think Queen Twilight would do to your people?"

"You wished to speak to me Your Highness?"

The purple alicorn turned from her studies, smiling naturally for the first time in a long time.

"I do. I recently figured out the general area of our most recent problem, the one I believe did something to my drones. I want you to redirect the experimental drones to these coordinates. Wipe it all out."

The soldier caught a small piece of rolled parchment with the coordinates and unrolled it, attempting to figure out his destination. With a start his eyes widened.

"Your Highness, these coordinates. They're in the middle of nowhere. The only civilization in the area is a small port to the north of this place, but even then Zarris is so small it doesn't even warrant a mayor. The port master runs it."

"Intel's scans show this to be the area the strange aura is emanating from. I want you to take the new drones and don't come back until everything there is dead. Do you understand me?" the mare stated, her withering glare broaching no argument.

With a grunt the soldier rolled the parchment back up and stashed it in his armor. He quickly saluted and made his way out the door. The Mad Queen signed returning to her studies. With any luck the new drones would leave nothing left of the alicorn and his followers. If not, it would severely weaken him. That meant she could return to her studies. The mare shuddered. This was why she took the mare in the first place. The alicorn's mind was saturated with information, but until she found a way to break her again, the Nightmare was stuck doing this the old fashioned way. Maybe news of the death of her host's anticipated savior would finally allow her to resume feeding.

Cimmerian smiled warmly at the gathered thestrals, only about nine of the full council having accepted the offer to meet with him after the meal. He levitated a small cup of tea in his aura, though it was more to hide the scanning spell Luna had taught him a few days ago. Sure the thestrals were quite enamored with both of them, but apparently Luna had learned how to cast a simple scanning spell on anything she ate and drank as a precaution. All it took was one incident of aphrodisiacs in their tea to cause Tia and Luna to use the spell to the point of it being second nature.

'If Luna had to worry about that kind of problem with most of the councilors being mares, I'm going to have to be doubly cautious.'

Settling in, with Zelus and her new drone, Burn sitting off to the side, the alicorn nodded to the councilors to begin.

"I think the biggest question amongst us is, you said Princess Luna, Queen Nightmare Moon, and yourself are all separate individuals." Silver said cautiously. "Our history states that this is not the case. I, I'm really not certain what to believe. On the one hoof, Luna and Nightmare Moon are known to us as being the same mare, in different phases. On the other hoof, you bear their likeness, you say you've spoken to Luna, are an alicorn, but say this is not the case?"

Cimmerian nodded easily, eyes closed as he thought of a response.

"Luna and I have spoken, recently as well. I'm not certain when, but you've noticed dreams in the last day or so?" Several councilors gaped, while others nodded furiously. "My very presence interrupts Queen Twilight's arrays. In this way, I've gained access to Luna as a teacher and ally. We are also much closer than she is to Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was a, demon for lack of a better word. It struck when she was weak, and infested her mind with dark thoughts. Eventually she believed the lies, and it stole her body from her. Thus Nightmare Moon came into existence, with the sole purpose of removing all life from the planet."

"What are you talking about?" Fruit Fox asked him, looking insulted by the explanation. "The Nightmare merely wished for eternal night. How is that so bad?"

The alicorn blinked owlishly, staring at the councilor in confusion. Several councilors shifted uneasily at the attention being directed, though Fox merely cocked his head in confusion, stating "What's wrong with the night? It's my favorite time."

Cimmerian shook his head. Before he could respond though, Zelus sputtered in disbelief.

"Are you daft? What happens when the sun doesn't nourish the plants ponies eat? What happens when the world starts becoming colder? Ponies begin to die, that's what! When ponies die, changelings starve as well! My mother spoke of Luna's fall, said her mother told her that the changeling queens were preparing to act. Had Celestia's gambit failed, the changeling queens would have allied against Nightmare Moon, working together for the first time in the history of our race. That's how bad eternal night is!"

"Didn't know that," the alicorn muttered looking back from the queen. "Yes, eternal night is a bad idea. The better question is why would this monster try to wipe out all life? My only idea is that it would make it stronger somehow, or perhaps that's how they spread. A nightmare wipes out a planet, and several more nightmares are born, going on to continue the cycle. Luckily, Celestia managed to stop it in time, and then it was chased off with the Elements of Harmony."

"Chased off? Celestia and Luna said it was cleansed by the elements, destroyed." Moonlight Whisper said, confusion in her eyes.

"I have reason to believe it may still be alive, though its current state is unknown to me at the moment. After all, I was about twenty years old when it used the substitution spell. The creature swapped places with me, taking my body for itself and leaving me with Luna just as the Elements struck. It also used a memory spell, grabbing a copy of mine I assume while leaving me with a lump of Luna's memories. Some of those memories included the soul-crushing despair Luna experienced watching her body move about without her input, watching as the creature that stole her body viciously attacked those she held dear to her. I can safely say that Luna and I both hate the Nightmares with an almost equal passion."

"You said Nightmare Moon, the Nightmare as you called it, that it wanted to destroy everything. What makes you so sure of this?" a mare next to Silver asked. "I don't remember anything so terrible being said about Nightmare Moon."

"Because another nightmare has reared its head, and it's doing the same damn thing the last one did?" Cimmerian said with a tired gaze. "Queen Twilight is not herself, anyone who knew her could tell you that. I'm told she was an energetic bookworm with a keen mind and a big heart; Queen Twilight is a cold individual who imprisoned her mentor and her friends, tortured her old babysitter, enslaved the changeling race, seeks to wipe out your own, and is seeking world dominance. This change, while not as sudden as Luna's, was still extreme and caught those closest to her off guard. If one of the creatures sought the worlds end, it's strange. Two doing so? Tell me, what do you think will happen to all those drones she has once she runs out of targets?

"'But Cimmerian', you say, 'I followed the other Nightmare, why would I not follow this one?' Ha, this one has specifically targeted your race for annihilation. It's the nightmare that wishes to purge your race, not Twilight. I can tell you from shared experience that the only thing that mare really wants right now is some control over her life again, and possibly a blade in her barrel. Your path is fairly clear, if you don't mind me being blunt. Work towards taking the mare out of power, or face extinction."

The councilors present were silent at the ultimatum, many giving each other uncertain glances. One, Cygnet Chorale, shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. Why would such a creature seek the destruction of all life? You claim you are not the nightmare, that Queen Twilight is. My loyalty lies with the True Darkness, not some knockoff."

The changeling queen bristled at the idiocy, but Cimmerian raised a hoof to call her off. "We're here to try and warn you. If you wish to see your people into ruin, I won't stop you. All I ask is that you take a good look at the facts before you make your decision, and that you do your best to avoid dragging others along with you who do not want to take that path."

Looking around and spotting a clock, the alicorn bowed to the gathered group. "It's been a long day, and I would like to get some rest. I will spend tomorrow in the markets while you and your fellow councilors discuss this. I hope to have an answer before too long. I have other places I wish to visit, and I don't want to be away from home for too long."

Snapped out of their discussions so rapidly, Silver Light, looked to the clock, eyes widening at the time.

"Oh dear, it's that late already? I, thank you all for coming. My lord, would you like an escort to your rooms?"

"We'll be fine, councilor, thank you for having us. Come on, Zel. We're going to see about fixing your insulation problem tomorrow. I want you to work on Sapphire tonight, see if you can learn anything from her."

"You, your actually going to be keeping that, that thing?" Moonlight gasped. "Why? You said it's a minion of Queen Twilight."

"The mare doesn't seem to predict issues with her plans. Zelus has control over it at the moment, and unless it falls into Queen Twilight's hooves again, I don't think she has any way to recover it."

Turning to face the group one last time, he bowed politely.

"I bid you all a good night. Sleep well, and enjoy the dreams. If you ask for her, I'm certain Luna would be happy to speak with you."

Author's Notes:

Sleepy. Going to bed now. Fallout and ponies are a bad combination.

Happiness Doubled by Family Shared

Once more the alicorn wandered the realm of dreams, this time stopping nearly as soon as he entered. Right beside him were two dream-orbs, one entwined with the other. The first was Zelus, the large dream of a powerful entity that he had spent enough time around to recognize almost instantly. The second, it barely even registered as a dream. It was a weak and pitiable shadow, but even then it had the tinges of a possible nightmare. Fear was big, so was pain. Looking at the interactions between the two dreams, he realized Zelus was attempting to access the mare through her dreams. It was a strange thing, but he'd seen Pandinus do the same on several occasions, even seeing a few drones making their way into his own dreams by their connection to the queen. The dreamer was still resisting the contact though.

'She likely doesn't even know she's been taken from Twilight,' he thought sadly. 'Even then, it would likely just feel like she was passed from one slaver to another.'

Entering the stronger dream, he trotted up alongside the concentrating queen, the mare looking at the curled up unicorn before her. The blue mare was blurry, attempting to retreat from the queen's dream into her own mind, but the larger queen was slowly winning the battle. Zelus was no array attempting to brute-force her way into the mare's mind. She was a changeling queen, a powerful spell-caster and master of connections such as the link. It was likely only a matter of time before the queen managed to pull the mare from her carefully built defenses, but the question was what would it do to her?

"Zelus, are you sure she can take that kind of pushing?" he asked the queen, drawing a squeak of surprise and a small jump from the queen.

The blue mare instantly faded from the dream, retreating into her own mind once more. Seeing her progress reduced to nothing, the changeling snarled in frustration, glaring at the intruder.

"I almost had her! I could taste her emotions so clearly, could start to feel her thoughts and you ruined it! Why?!"

Cimmerian shook his head. "Zelus, she's spent how long with no control? Let her rest, we're in no hurry to pull her out of her shell." The queen shuddered at the phrasing, causing the alicorn to wince as he realized what he'd suggested.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. She's walled herself off from what was happening to protect herself. Yes you could overpower her, but so did her previous owner. By letting her come to you, you inspire loyalty. She's not going to be afraid you'll steal her body from her. Let her sleep in, let her eat good food, let her sit in a warm bath. Things that you enjoy, let her participate. Let the sensations; the tastes, smells, touches, let all of that draw her out of her shell."

He sighed heavily, sidling up to the pouting mare and pulling her into a wing-hug.

"We don't even know what that would do to her, Zel. She's not a natural changeling. Forcing her like that may damage her mind in some way. Besides, you liked how Din treated you didn't you? How she didn't force you to join with her, or how you were allowed to recover at your own pace."

"This is different! She's already connected to my hive, remember? Besides, you asked me to do this."

The mare once more fixed him with a glare, certain of her position. "She's my drone, I should be able to pull the information I need from her. She's withholding information from her queen."

The stallion used his wings to tug her closer while shifting slightly, pulling her into a shoulder-check. "Her situation is not different. Her body is not her own at the moment. Your goal should be to return it to her. I asked you to take a drone and you did. The pony attached to it is not yours though. Sapphire is scared right now. Forcing her like that will only strengthen that fear. Worse, it could cause her to break altogether, thinking that she's failed to keep her mind safe. If that happens, the mare inside that body could die, alongside any information she may have for us.

"This is your new job, Zelus. I want you to watch her, to listen for any attempts she may make to take back her body. If she tries moving a bit, let her. If she tries using magic, make sure she's not trying to hurt anyone. If she's not, let her. If she tries putting some distance between the two of you, allow her to. Just tell her the truth. If she runs too far you can't help her. We want her to come to us willingly, so we need to be diplomatic about this."

Once more the queen's glare slowly morphed into a pout. She laid down on the floor of her dream-hive, puffing out an exasperated breath.

"Why do ponies have to be complicated?"

Cimmerian chuckled at her question before answering, "Because if we weren't life would be simple, and simple is boring. Besides, do you think Din gets all that love just by asking? She went through a lot, and in the process she earned the loyalty of her hive, the loyalty of many of the Temple residents, and my love. If she didn't do so well, her position would have been much weaker and Lestidae and yourself could have easily taken the hive from her."

"...this is going to be painful isn't it?"

The alicorn gave her a fanged grin.

"Maybe not physically, but it will be difficult. Heck, it may be physically dangerous for you was well. Pandinus nearly killed herself due to a misunderstanding of one of my requests. Don't just learn from her though, learn how your personality works with those around you. You'll have better luck that way. It's not just conforming to what others want, it's learning how to interact with those around you in a natural way. Do that, and you'll never have to worry about tapping into the hive's stores again."

The queen's ears drooped as he finished his explanation.

"Fuck."

Pandinus stared at the mound for a few moments, not certain how she should feel. Inside the raised lip four newly hatched drones stared out at her, awaiting orders despite the fact they'd only just hatched. It was how true drones were. From birth they would follow any order of their queen. There were many things they simply didn't have the strength for, certainly, but it didn't mean they were useless. The problem was they weren't her drones.

'That's not true, they are your drones, just not yours by blood,' she corrected herself. The drones were a batch left by Zelus in her care, the first the queen had produced in several years. They were likely not her first set of true drones, but that didn't make Din feel any better. It was like she had taken something from the other queen. It was supposed to be her connecting with them; it was supposed to be Zelus giving them their first orders, not Pandinus. Zelus, the queen who laid their eggs was supposed to connect them to the link, not her. Their birth-mother was supposed to be the mare to feed them, to mind them, to enjoy these moments of new nymphs joining the link, even if they were true drones.

She touched each of the newly hatched drones, pulling them into the link and setting them up with plenty of emotion to grow. By the time Zelus returned, they would likely be half-grown, if not fully matured. She turned back to the door, already knowing who was approaching thanks to her connection to the guards outside. The door swung open, causing the mare to jump even as Pandinus called for Gleam to enter.

"Sorry Pandinus, there was just some... I thought you weren't, you're still kind of swollen so how..." the mare stuttered for a few moments, looking from the queen to the nymphs.

"They're Zelus' first clutch here at the Temple," the changeling explained. "It's easier this way, as she started developing them the moment she was feeding properly again. This way she won't have to worry about laying for another two weeks or so at the least. Depending on the conditions, it may be longer. I don't think the cold is treating her well.

"I promised her I'd watch them, told her I'd guard them like my own and so here I am. It's strange though. I feel like I'm stealing this from her, yet at the same time I feel as though they are mine as surely as they are hers. It's not normal for me, for my species. I remember mother treating the drones of other hives with such disdain, saying they were lesser creatures for being of another hive. Yet here I am, watching over the nymphs of another queen and I can't imagine treating them any different from my own."

"Well, it likely has something to do with your current hive," Gleam offered. "Think about it. Your current hive is mostly a collection of changelings looking for a home, with only a few true drones actually being your own foals, right? So you've already adapted to not worrying about their origin. If they had the option, I think a few of them would even have to think long and hard if they wished to return to their original hives, since they have it so good here."

Din frowned in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well even if their hives were somehow restored would they be able to just walk away, going back to the lives they had before?" the mare asked the large changeling. "They have friends here, they work publicly, they can socialize with other species. I don't think I'd be able to give that up. Not when I knew there was such a better way to live."

The unicorn approached the hatchlings, smiling kindly at the strange, soft creatures.

"Think about it, would you normally have allowed a pony this close to your nest? Instead of seeing each other as enemies or resources though, we help each other. Mirage and Miss Goodhooves watch over most of the foals, and there are only seven of their races to be watched. The rest in the nursery are gnolls and griffons. We have a good thing here, and I think everyone knows it."

Gleam giggled lightly, pulling a few papers out of her saddlebags. "Alas while we have a good thing, it has its downsides. When you're done here I will need you to help me with some paperwork. Just because Cimmerian is away doesn't mean we all get a vacation."

The changeling groaned, slapping a fetlock over her muzzle. "Food, shelter, safety, but damn if I don't wonder if the paperwork is worth it all sometimes."

Gleam's smile became slightly more devious. "You know we could get Cimmerian to use the armor to do paperwork, right? We could make him do it even as he sleeps."

The shape shifter shook her head.

"I feed off of him. I want him to be happy, Gleam. Making him do paperwork at all hours is the fastest way to starve. Besides, it's not just feeding and work stallions are good for, right?"

The unicorn blushed at the queen's waggling eyebrows for a moment before gathering her own courage.

"I'd like to use mine for more, but he's being stubborn. I think it's a stallion thing."

Rising and walking to the door, Pandinus motioned for the mare to follow her. "Maybe I can give you some tips on grabbing his attention. Sometimes you can't be subtle, after all."

"Right," the mare said with a roll of her eyes. "Because I'm going to be taking relationship advice from a mare who didn't know what dating was. Don't think I don't remember your goal when you first started chasing his tail, Miss 'I just want super-foals.' If anything, I should talk to Thrisha. You had better luck after you received lessons from her."

Stopping in the doorway, the unicorn developed a wicked smile. Sensing the emotional shift, Din turned back to her, and nearly jumped at the out of place expression on the mare.

"He mentioned being able to feel things while in the armor, does he feel sensations from his body while in the armor?"

Pandinus stopped shot, a look of confusion passing over her face.

"I, I don't know. I suppose he could..."

"Then what would happen," the mare managed between giggles. "If you were to say, brush against his real wings when he was elsewhere? Mentally I mean, in the armor. He doesn't move his true body much when he does that, right?"

The queen stared at Gleam for a few moments, processing what was being suggested before her own muzzle started to match the unicorns.

"Oh, I like that. I like that very much. First I'd need a way to keep him from just returning to it though, or maybe have him use the armor to train with Zelus. Oh I love it!" Din shouted, snatching the unicorn up off the ground in a hug. She hugged the mare fiercely, giggling for a bit before calming down.

"Tell you what, I'll talk to Luna if I can catch her, we'll see about pestering Weaver in his dreams as well. No stallion is safe with Luna and Pandinus on the case!"

It was fairly early the next day in the Silver City when Cimmerian rose from his bed. It was a nice bed, and likely would have been considered huge if not for the fact that he himself was so large. That, and the two other bodies currently occupying the bed. With a yawn, he stretched his wings and turned to the still sleeping forms of the queen and the recovered mare. Both were still sleeping, the queen curled around the mare protectively with a blanket covering the both of them.

'More like Zelus has found a new source of body heat.'

Taking his time to get ready, including a shower with wonderfully hot water, the stallion wandered back into the bedroom. Using the damp towel, Cimmerian snapped it in his magic, striking Zelus in the rear and causing the queen to yelp and jump out of the bed. Or at least she tried to. With a strangled yelp of surprise, the queen, her blanket, and Sapphire all tumbled off the bed.

The alicorn laughed even as he pulled all three off the ground with his aura, the Sapphire still not moving as she'd yet to receive any input from the queen. Zelus was a different matter entirely. She flailed about even as he was righting her, and the moment she managed to get free of her blanket she prepared to retaliate. She stopped short though, seeing him grinning at her. Not a moment later the door flew open, two of his guards rushing in, the thestral actually carrying her blade in her mouth.

"I'm fine, guys," he told them. "Just waking up my other guard. You're not doing a very good job, Zelus."

The mare looked around for a few moments, piecing together her situation before her ears sagged.

"Sorry, I'm just, I mean I-"

"It's fine, I don't expect you to know how to instantly become a bodyguard overnight, but I think you should ask them for tips," the stallion said, walking over to the drone. "I want you to clean yourself up, and take her in with you. Just because you have chitin instead of fur doesn't mean you don't get funky after a week on an airship. After that we'll head for breakfast."

Turning to the guards, his smile dropped slightly. "Thanks for responding anyway, I appreciate the vigilance. Tell your partners to clean up and get something to eat. I'll be heading out into town after breakfast, and I expect them to be bright eyed and bushy tailed in about two hours at the latest."

"Uh, I don't think Shining Crescent's tail can be made bushy, sir. In fact I don't think any of our tails are capable of that. I mean, I might be able to puff the end, but..." the griffon responded.

"It's an expression, relax. I just want them up and ready in about an hour or so," Cimmerian explained. Settling on the bed while he waited for Zelus and Sapphire, he cast himself into the dream realm. He may be starting his day, but he wanted to check on a few things back at the Temple in the meantime.

Nearly an hour later, and much poking at his insensate form by a bored queen, the alicorn found himself eating a wonderful breakfast with his host.

"You'll want to head to Runic's Ruminations for the enchanted clothes, Lord Cimmerian," Silver Light told him between bites. " Runic knows enchantments better than anypony in town, and I'm certain he'd be happy to help you. It shouldn't take more than a few hours for him to put it all together either."

"I'll definitely check it out, Silver. I'm curious how everyone's going to-" the statement was cut off as the alicorn's fork launched from the table and embedded itself into the ceiling, much to the confusion of all parties. Looking to the utensil with a frown, the stallion focused for a moment before silently swearing to himself.

"It's starting."

"I'm sorry, what's starting?" The councilor asked uneasily. "Is there something I can do to help? I'd be happy to help in any way."

Cimmerian shook his head, "It's not something you can help with. Luna and Celestia explained to me that a boost in followers, in beings that believe in you, worship you, or love you can cause an alicorn's strength to increase. I should have expected this honestly, I mean I walked through a town of thestrals last night and a good portion of them were bowing the entire time. I just need to compensate for the power increase."

Looking back to the queen, he chastised her once more.

"Make sure Sapphire actually eats something, Zel. It may help wake her up a bit."

Zelus nodded and turned to the drone, issuing the order before turning back to her own meal. The food didn't do anything for her, but she'd begun to enjoy the taste. The queen nearly jumped into the air the second a syrup covered pancake entered the mares mouth though. The queen's horn lit up, only to be struck by the stallion's floating spoon.

"Don't scare her, Zelus. Remember, slow and steady. She reacted to it, right? She opened up a little?"

At the changeling's frantic nod, he smiled and continued, "Good, but if you try to grab her now, she'll probably retreat and be harder to draw out. We need to see if she'll come to us, remember? Wait for her, when she tries moving, let me know. Otherwise, continue keeping her nearby. Don't let her use any powerful spells for now, but don't stop her from trying to take back her body. We want to talk to her, and the more patience we have, the faster this will likely go."

Finishing his meal, he turned back to the councilor. "Thank you for the meal, Councilor Silver. If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to entertain them after I get Zelus' problem taken care of. I may wander your city for a bit as well."

Grudgingly, the changeling tossed the rest of her syrup-soaked pancakes into her mouth, followed by Sapphire doing the so as the queen had ordered. Stopping just shy of the door, the stallion turned to the queen, whispering a question into her ear. When she nodded, he chuckled, before whispering something else. Something that caused the mare's ears to flatten as she turned back to the living quarters, the blue mare following behind.

"Don't be like that, Zelly." Cimmerian chided the pouting queen, giving her a slight shove as they walked to the market. "She's your responsibility now, and that means you have to take care of her, even the stupid pony things she has to do."

"It was gross," the queen whined. "Why couldn't she be more like a changeling?"

"At least you had Shining to help you, right? I saw you catch her on the way," At her noncommittal grunt he shook his head with a laugh. Some things just weren't meant to be. It seemed Zelus would continue to whine until he found something for her to murderize. Seeing his destination, the stallion picked up the pace, swinging open the door with a merry jingle.

"Welcome to Runic Ruminations, I'll be with you shortly," a male voice called from the back. Cimmerian wandered into the shop, fascinated by the various widgets and whatsits lining the walls. Self-heating mug for coffee, self-cooling bowls for ice-cream, towels that repelled dirt and grime, allowing them to go longer without being washed. Finally he came to a set of minotaur toys, runes cared all over the figurines and several runed weapons set out in front of them. Looking closely, he noticed the weapons could be set in the figurines grip, allowing them to hold them. Doing so, the runes activated, both figurines bowing to each other before attacking with the weapons. After several moments of vicious combat, the one with the bastard sword delivered a powerful swing, knocking the other's weapon away. As the loser deactivated, the winner danced a victory jig, before he too dropped his weapon, deactivating.

"Please don't mess with the battle-golems, they can be easily-"

Cimmerian turned to the stallion, his own eyes approaching the size of the stallions. Standing before him was not a unicorn, but a strange combination of unicorn and thestral. Blinking away the shock, he turned to face the strange pony.

The alicorn gave a respectful bow, "Sorry, I meant no disrespect. I've been directed to your shop by Silver Light. My guard, Zelus, is having difficulty adapting to the cold. I need something that she can wear that will not become loose in combat that will keep her warm."

Turning to the mentioned bodyguard the stallion went from wide eyed, to wide eyed and gaping.

"T-that's a queen!" he shouted, rushing over to Zelus and her drone. "How did you manage to get her to follow commands? I don't see any arrays, and you don't carry anything. Do you have the control crystal in your saddlebags? Could I see it?"

The stallion stopped, his face going pale as he noticed the mare bearing arrays etched into her cheek. "What, what the hell is this? This is completely against any and all laws of magic. You don't do this to a sapient being!"

Zelus scowled at the pony, towering over him with a glare that, once he noticed it, caused him to scuttle backwards.

"So it's a crime when it's done to a pony, but a changeling is fair game? I'm going to-"

"Zelus, that's enough." Cimmerian said, interposing himself between the two. Looking down on the stallion, however, he was far from kind. "I'm going to hope that your words were based on ignorance. That you truly were not aware that changelings are sapient. Is this the case?"

The stallion gave a terrified rattling of his head, nodding up and down so fast the alicorn saw a blur. "In that case I'll forgive this insult. Do it again, and not only will I take my business elsewhere, I'll destroy you. No one fucks with my family, and as a hive sister to my wife, Zelus is family. Am I understood?"

"P-perfectly, Mister alicorn, sir." Runic sputtered out.

"Good, and to be clear, Sapphire is not our work. That's the work of Queen Twilight. We merely appropriated the connection, allowing Zelus to control her instead of those damn arrays the queen uses." Breathing deeply, and letting closing his eyes, he let his irritation slide away. "Now, we're here for an item that will allow Zelus to function better in cold weather. She's susceptible to the cold, and I'd like something to nullify that. Preferably something that can be used in combat's a bit durable. If you don't have anything, I'll take the arrays to a smith, and get something made."

"No, no sir, I think I have something I can use, and that kind of enchantment is used really often this time of year. All I need to do is apply the enchantment. Give me about ten minutes and I'll have it done."

With that the unicorn disappeared into the back room again, nearly running through the door. Zelus was still fuming at the stallion, but Cimmerian was allowing his focus to once more roam to store. Looking outside, the stallion noted a mare putting up a strange green thing up on a nearby light post. Looking at it for a moment, the stallion was silent, something about the decoration calling to him in its familiarity, but he was unable to place it. With a final flourish, the mare flitted to the top of the post and attached a red bow, darting off to help a friend with the decorations.

Staring at the wreathed light post, the stallion collapsed onto his flanks, his eyes watering as he was reminded once more of home. Of all that he'd lost.

Zelus scowled after the pony, watching the pest scurry back into his work area. The nerve! And Cimmerian just forgave him? Okay, so it seemed the pony was legitimately surprised she was sapient, but that didn't mean he could-

Zelus flinched, an intense burst of an odd blend of emotions pouring from the stallion beside her as he stared out the window. Following his eyes, she saw the ponies decorating for one of their upcoming holidays. She hissed, her aura flaring as she watched for the pony who put it up. She'd smash the pony for causing him to hurt.

Before she could storm out the door to hunt down the hapless mare, she was caught in the alicorn's aura, the stallion pulling her into a hug, blasting her with a flood of confusing emotions; anger, sorrow, loss, love, happiness, and hope. She didn't understand; what could make him feel so many different things at once? Her ear twitched, noting a light humming as his emotions stabilized, the humming slowly growing in volume before he began to sing.

"...may your days be merry and bright... and may all your Christmases be white...we're going to pick up a pine tree while we're out here. I need it. If we have to, I'll take a seed. I'm sure there's spells to make them grow faster," he softly told her, leaning into her. For her part the queen just sat there, once more absolutely lost at the actions of ponies. They made no sense to her. Still, if the blooming well of happiness that was beginning to radiate from Cimmerian required a tree to continue, she'd find the time to rip one out of the ground. That's what Din said, at least. Keep the ponies happy and they'll keep you fed. Zelus was fairly certain the other queen was dumbing it down for her though. There seemed to be a bit more to it than that. Nothing was ever simple with ponies.

She cast one more glare at Sapphire, the source of several of her most recent problems. Things were never that simple.

Author's Notes:

You've been gone for what you know is around four decades. You've been kept busy for the most part in the last few months, not really thinking about home anymore, and then one day you see someone setting up decorations that remind you of Christmas. Boom, instant feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSUT8Inl14

Holiday Fever

The queen followed her charge at an easy pace, her drone following silently behind her along with the stallion's two other guards. Both seemed as lost as she was at his sudden mood swing, and that was with cultural context! What hope did she have of figuring this mess out?

"Oh, I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do! Don't want a doll, or dinky tinker toys, I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy! I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you? He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue, Just bring him through the front door, that's the easy thing to do!"

Turning to the guards, the queen tapped one on the shoulder, drawing the attention of the griffon. "What the buzz is a hippopotamus?"

"Not sure, uh, ma'am. I've never heard of one," he answered, never taking his eyes off the stallion.

The queen cocked her head in confusion as the stallion practically pranced down the street, chuckling as he began yet another line of some strange song about receiving strange creatures as gifts.

"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, only a hippopotamus will do! No crocodiles, or rhinoceroses, I only want, hippopotamuses! And hippopotamuses like me too!"

Zelus winced at the alicorn took off at a quick trot towards the lake, a strange glimmer in his eyes and a giggle on his lips.

"Stars, what's come over him?"

"Maybe the Hearths Warming reminded him of something? He was talking about being from another place, another world. Maybe they had a similar holiday."

At the queen's and griffon's questioning stare, the thestral guard continued, "I know some ponies get really attached to their holiday traditions, and if its similar, it may feel like a bit of home. With all the things he told us were similar, there are still a ton of things that are different between the worlds. I think I'd be happy to be in familiar territory again, even if it wasn't quite the same."

"I guess I can see that," the griffon said, taking a seat as the alicorn moved down to the water. Cimmerian's horn ignited, a few large globes of water being levitated out of the lake. He held them over the ground, setting them one on top of the other, and wove a second spell, freezing the globes of water on top of each other. Chuckling, he pulled a small scarf out of his bag, wrapping it around the connection between the top and middle stacked orbs while magically altering the color of several locations on the statue. Nodding in satisfaction, he began singing yet another strange tune, this one being one about a man of snow.

"You're a changeling. What's he thinking about?" the griffon asked her.

Zelus watched him silently for a moment, shunting a little of the emotions to her drone. "I can taste his emotions, not tell you his thoughts. That being said, he's happy, but at the same time there is sorrow. It is a strange combination, and I don't think I've ever tasted it before."

"Nostalgia, I think. That's about what I feel when I'm reminded of the past. When I'm reminded of good times that are gone," the thestral said softly.

Zelus turned back to the alicorn, having sensed yet another surge of power from him. She watched as he focused on a point near the lake yet again, but he did not pull globes of water. The water flowed over the cave floor to him, freezing in place as it reached the position he required. The ice began to flow upwards, thickening into a large post before suddenly expanding from the base it had been given, forming a crystalline tree made entirely of ice. Strange formation hung from it, orbs in random places, lines that seemed to wrap around the tree, and a star at the top. It was beautiful, and before long she noticed they were not alone. Cimmerian's spells had drawn a crowd, thestrals of all ages staring at the strange creations of ice and magic.

As the stallion's gaze moved over the crowd, lingering on the gathered pony nymphs especially, the queen felt it again. That burning happiness she'd felt from him every time he spent time with the hatchlings at the temple. He reclined on the ground, looking around with a calming smile and spoke loudly enough to be heard over the crowd.

"Who want's to be the first ponies in the world to hear a tale," he asked them, causing silence to cascade about the crowd. "The story of a creature whose heart didn't understand the holiday spirit, the tale of a miserable creature, the Grinch, who tried to steal the holiday?"

"Are we ready?" the soldier asked his subordinate as they trotted onto the airship.

"Just about sir. We have most of the supplies, and the mark fours are already loaded into the ship. I've also debriefed the soldiers about the dangers of these models. Don't need a soldier thinking they're normal drones and stepping on one, or worse kicking one," the younger stallion responded, following after him.

The commander nodded in response, trotting up to the ships bridge.

"Prepare to take off. The Queen wants this problem dealt with as soon as possible. We do this fast enough, we'll be back just in time for Hearths Warming. I'm sure everyone will appreciate that."

Looking over the map the commander sighed in exasperation. The area was supposedly dead except for an old trading post way out there, Zorro if he remembered correctly. Not exactly the place to test the mark fours, but at least the chances of them harming Equestrian citizens was minimal, should something go wrong.

For the first of many times, the commanders shifted uncomfortable as the ship began to move, the idea of being on the same ship as those drones not being the most pleasant idea. Faust help them if some idiot went over and punched one of the drones. The Royal Navy would likely not find anything left of the airship.

She watched the Nightmare as it spoke, but she wasn't listening to its words. She watched its actions, watched as it nuzzled foals, watched as it laughed and joked, watched as it created objects of beauty with ice and magic. This was not her god, this was not the dark deity her family had pledged itself to. It was a mockery, a disgusting twisted form of Her majesty.

"You're certain he said it was her?" she asked the thestral beside her.

"He was quite certain. Said that it is not the same creature, but the same species. I plan on leaving in a few days. I wish to learn more of this fraud first. If you are true to her, you will be at the docks in four days. Gather the loyal. We can't hurt him, not with what I've read on alicorns, but we can strike against him with her aid."

The mare nodded, watching as the alicorn continued his story, a large image of a strange green furred monster stealing Hearths Warming items from the odd bipeds. The councilor may have been certain about joining the Nightmare, but she had heard what the sham before her had said about that creature as well. She didn't like the alicorn, but he was right. The Nightmare had specifically targeted their race and called for their annihilation. The mare and those that followed her would not be at the docks. But neither would they join the alicorn before her.

'He may not be the being mother always spoke of, but should the Nightmare move to end the world as he predicts, we may need to work with him. I don't know about that fool, but I'm quite fond of living.'

Even as the hidden meeting was ending, another was taking place, this one also giving its attendees a front row seat to the spectacle by the falls.

"I don't know, Silver. You said he has Luna's blessing? We've been waiting for this for centuries," the armored stallion beside her whispered.

"I'm certain. I even spoke to her last night. Nightmare Moon, she never bothered with dreams even with a name like that, never attacked through dreams. It was always shock and awe. This one at time he carries himself strangely, almost like a mare. It fits with Her words of his past, of his origin. Princess Luna has named him as her son in all but blood, and even his magic bears her mark. You know this as well as I, Crimson. You've seen the dreams, heard the foals talking about them. He even spoke to a few of them, calming their night terrors."

"Night terrors he could have caused," the stallion interjected.

Silver rolled her eyes, knowing the stallion was mostly being paranoid for the sake of argument.

"Yet I don't see it. He lacks the control Luna had, his tells are fairly easy to read. His tail shifts freely, as he is still unused to controlling it. His ears twitch freely, his wings shift when he is uncomfortable, he may not even realize he has these tells."

Waving a hoof towards the gathering she pushed on, "Yet he draws ponies to him. He doesn't even try, he just does. He sees ponies decorating, and he wants to join. He created a beautiful tree, and it brought the crowds. He tells them a story, making them trust his words, making him feel more approachable. Princess Luna even told me his ponies back in The Temple call him Father Cimmerian, sometimes just Father. He's that approachable, that concerned with the wellbeing of those that look to him for aid that they give him that title."

The stallion sighed, the sound producing an odd echo from behind the faceplate of his armor.

"I would have agreed to lead my soldiers under his banner just with Princess Luna's blessing, you know. Why would you be so willing to put more out there for me?"

"Because as much as I wish to believe the Night Watcher would do what's best for us, I don't know if she would," Silver explained in a tired voice. "Celestia and Luna are loyal to their country first, even when it betrays them. This one though, he doesn't care what you are. That's a changeling queen following him, Crimson, and she does so willingly! They never even show up in public, yet here is one, acting as his bodyguard. If even a changeling queen, as flighty as they are, is willing to follow his lead and guard him with her life, how can we who have sworn to aid the Lunar Diarch do anything less?"

The stallion was silent for a moment, tapping a hoof on the ground as he thought.

"He's staying at your place right? I'll stop by tonight with the heads of the Night Wings. If he'll accept us, we'll be leaving at his word. Be careful, Silver. If someone as loyal as myself can question his legitimacy, you know there will be those who will move against him. Take care of yourself."

Silver nodded, turning from the display and nodding to her companion.

"I will, Crimson. I will see you tonight. If you ask, I'm certain he will have a place for your flock as well. He seems to have a soft spot for families."

It was nearly two hours later that the alicorn finally managed to break away from the crowds. Some seemed to know what was going on out there, that not all was well in the world, and they were scared. Seeing an alicorn that treated them kindly, that brought them back what the Equestrian Queen had stolen from them, it reassured them. Others were just fascinated by his appearance. He was the next step, he was to them what Celestia and Luna were to the other pony tribes. His very presence seemed to draw the thestrals to him, even with the large changeling hovering behind him.

That had actually surprised him. Zelus had started hovering the moments the crowds started to grow but never stepped between him and the citizens. Certainly she could probably figure their intentions based on their emotions, but it was still a strange change from her usual all or nothing style of guarding him.

"Yes, sir! Mister Wood sells seeds, you could probly get one for your tree from him!" a young colt shouted to him as several bounced around him, not willing to allow the neatest thing they'd seen in years out of their sight just yet. Fortunately for the stallion, it wasn't him the foals were fascinated by.

"I heard bug ponies had holes in their legs, where are yours?"

"Do you eat ponies, or drink blood, or suck out souls?"

"Momma said changelings were just really big bugs, that they didn't actually think. What makes you different?"

"Can you turn into Mister Cim'rian?"

To his amusement the queen bore all their questions with a silent glare, acting the part of a real guard the one time he was hoping she'd act naturally. It would have been an excellent opportunity if she'd use it; learning to deal with kids was great practice. Most wouldn't hold mistakes against you, just laugh at your mistakes. It was embarrassing, but that same embarrassment helped to reinforce the lessons learned.

Shaking his head with a rueful chuckle at the mare's expense, he once more entered Runic's Ruminations, the stallion bolting to the counter the second he'd heard the jingle from the door's bell.

"Hello again, Sir! I finished the runes about an hour ago, all that's left is choosing what to emblaze them on. After that, a quick charge and they'll be ready to go. I can do it myself, or I can show you how to charge them, seeing as you're both capable of magic."

Pushing a few of the remaining foals away from the queen, he pulled her along with him to the back of the shop, shooting the foals an apologetic smile.

"I'll let you guys have her after we get her fitted, okay?"

A few cheers erupted from the foals, and Zelus glared at him.

"Cheer up, Zel. They're hatchlings, right? Treat them kindly, and they'll return your kindness with affection."

"Ok, now I have a few items to choose from, but if nothing here-"

"This will work." Zelus said, levitating a set of bracers to herself. They were simple things, even if they were made of silver. The stallion nodded, quickly grabbing a measuring tape from a nearby shelf and getting a measurement of the queen's forelegs. She shifted uncomfortably at the contact, but Cimmerian's hoof on her shoulder seemed to calm her down. The Inscriber then ran over to the bracers, quickly transcribing the runes directly onto the surface of the bracers. After about five minutes of etching, he sighed, lowering them to the table.

At his instructions, Zelus slipped them onto her forelegs, the bracers easily being adjusted to accommodate her larger than normal size. The instant she applied magic to the array, she clopped her forelegs together, feeling the magic shielding her from even the slightly cool air of the shop.

"They work?" Cimmerian asked, earning a blurring nod from the changeling. He smiled at her enthusiasm before turning back to the unicorn.

"How much do we owe you for the bracers?"

"1,400 bits sir. Or you would, a stallion came by and paid for them, said it was an early gift for when he sees you later tonight."

Cimmerian's ears flattened in irritation at that, "Did you get a name at least? I'm not a fan of accepting gifts from strangers when there's a war going on, and if you did something to the bracers-"

"I swear on my horn I didn't sabotage them, geeze. You're as paranoid as a cow at a griffon festival," the stallion said with a roll of his eyes. "I think it was one of the Night Wings. They're an old order, predating even Canterlot's founding. They're pretty rigid ponies, but would follow their leader into Tartarus itself if he asked them to. Crimson, their leader, is old money but he's also big on history. I don't think he's going to cause you any trouble, especially if you've got foals hanging on you like you do."

The alicorn bowed respectfully to the stallion.

"Thanks, Runic. I don't know if it's been put out but I came here to offer the thestrals a place if they need it. I'm sure Weaver would love some help with the defensive wards he's designing on the temple."

"Weaver...Shadow Weaver? That fool managed to survive his suici-" the stallions jaw dropped open and he stared at the larger stallion for a moment, his horn blazing as he scanned over Cimmerian. Zelus tensed, but seeing it was a scanning spell relaxed slightly. She still kept her aura focused on a chakram, though.

"I can see it, yea that's his magic in there. Amazing, he laid down the foundations, and a living body, this was the result. The magic involved must have been, I can't even imagine just how he managed to pull it off. There's been no complications, no issues? You don't move like a soul in a golem, so the only answer I can think of is the body is now completely settled, leaving you with an actual flesh and blood container."

"I eat and sleep if that's what your talking about." Cimmerian answered, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"And rut, from what Din showed me," Zelus called out from across the room, inspecting the runes and testing the temperature adjustment controls. She stuck her tongue out at his glare, giggling as she turned her attention back to the bracers.

"Wait, like you can even, oh wow now that's thorough," Runic said with a chuckle.

"I think it has much to do with the fact that I had a lot of magic bound to me as well," Cimmerian said, still scowling at the queen. "I took a hit from the Elements of Harmony, and they left me in the armor. That armor sat in the Everfree for almost half a century, and was saturated in the wild magic there. Between being extracted from an alicorn, being blasted with a powerful source of Order magic, and basting in wild magic for that long, I probably provided a good portion of the used magic myself." Cimmerian told the stallion, watching the gears turn as Runic processed the information.

"Amazing, oh I wish I'd been able to, wait! Do you still have the armor?!?" Runic shouted, his smile turning manic. "The armor was said to have been crafted from pure magic, able to focus the power of its wearer to an incredible degree! It's to inscriptionists and enchanters what the Queen's Chalice is to worshippers of the First Herd."

The alicorn smiled at that, remembering a similar cup from his own past. "I'm sure I can let you take a look at it, if you like. Of course, such a favor would need a form of payment, possibly-"

"Done! I'll have my stuff packed by the day after tomorrow! Just give me a destination, or something I can use to find it. Oh, this is going to be so cool!" the stallion practically shouted, dancing about on his hooves. "See Weaver again, get to tease him about his bad enchantments in college, study the armor, see the world, oh, do you think I could take a look at the arrays on the pony?"

"Maybe at a later time, we do have a rune you can study though. For now, we arrived on the boat from Zarris. If you take a ship there, ask the port master about the Temple. Tell him the dream pimp sent you, that should prove to him you actually spoke to me," Cimmerian said with a grin. Poor Silver may get upset that he'd be stealing away her enchanter.

Walking out into the city with his guards, he moved closer to the changeling, speaking softly.

"You didn't taste anything out of place during the offer, did you? Anything that I should worry about?

"Nothing but childlike wonder and excitement, no," Zelus said with a shake of her head. "He wasn't lying at any point, nor was he planning harm to anyone as far as I could tell."

"Good. Now, let's go get that tree. I also want to pick up a few bells and ornaments to mail to the Temple. The Trading Company should be able to get them to us pretty easily, since they have an office in Zarris. We'll send it all there and pick it up on the way home," he said, turning to her with a easy smile. "Try this if you get surrounded by kids again. If they make a simple request, fill it. If one asks you to turn into me, go ahead and do it. Talk to them Zel, learn how to interact with others. I know it wasn't big before, but even as a guard it can help. Learning how others normally react is useful, as you can spot odd behavior much more easily. Aggression isn't the only thing you need to be able to spot, it's also those who feel too, blank. I remember reading about this a long time ago, but some assassins would learn to cut off their emotions, not providing any killing intent for those sensitive to it to detect."

The queen stared ahead for a few paces, processing the idea. She nodded softly, looking to him for a moment.

"I'll give it a try. It's still, strange to me."

It was yet another boring day for the Queen of the Temple of the Shadows. Her king was off beyond her reach for the first time since she'd been captured by him, but she could still just make out the presence of her sister. She was calm; irritated but calm, so Din didn't worry for his safety too much. Sure an army might be able to defeat them, but a simple patrol? Cimmerian was smarter than that. He'd not stick around in any area long enough for their enemy to mobilize a large enough force. She trusted him with that.

Walking about the Temple, she sighed in relief at completing the needed forms and requests with Gleam. Even Cadance had stopped by, nabbing a few to help them with what little she was capable of. Soon though, the memories started becoming too much, forcing the pink alicorn to retreat once more. Pandinus was still grateful though, mentally pressing against her charge through the link with a gentle reassurance, making sure the mare didn't freak out too much or spiral anymore.

Speaking of her charge, she was currently headed to check up on the pink mare. She knew Amare was once more with her, but what they were up to, she had to see for herself.

Walking out into the fading sunlight, she smiled brightly at the sight, Cadance and Amare standing at opposite sides of a training field. In the center, four drones rolled around, wrestling for position. It wasn't just a fight between drones though. The drones were her own, true drones that under normal circumstances were all but useless in combat. What drew her smile was that Amare was teaching the alicorn to use the link.

It was a basic game, one Queen Pandinus' own mother had taught her years ago. Two queens, or in most cases a queen and a proto queen, would command several drones, giving them each orders on how to attack, react, and counter their opponent in real time, learning to multitask in a way many creatures couldn't comprehend. Her mother had started her with four drones, and of course had gone easy on her. Her mother could easily command eighty drones fluidly without breaking a sweat, the point was for her daughter to learn. Once Din had improved enough, her mother would add a drone, further dividing her attention, and starting again at an easier level.

The queen had started Amare with two, seeing as how she had no real experience with true drones, and if she pushed herself the proto queen could now utilize six drones before her mind started missing details. That wasn't what caught her eye though. It was the Cadance, the array on the mare's cheek burning brightly as she focused on the drones, giving orders and attempting to get some type of advantage over her adopted daughter's drones.

The drones rolled around, bumping into one another, and eventually devolving into a blob of chitin and fury. Cadance's ears perked in confusion for a moment, before Amare's drones both pinned the other two. It brought a smile to Pandinus' face, knowing exactly what had happened. The alicorn had lost track of them and sent her orders to the wrong drones, drones that were actively being controlled by another queen. The orders would fall on deaf ears, and her own drones would go without, stalling in their movements. Amare had capitalized on the mistake, and won the game, leaving the proto queen to hop around giggling at her victory while Cadance sulked, realizing her mistake.

"Well done for a beginner, much less a pony," Pandinus said cheerfully, drawing both sets of eyes. She looked over to Amare, her grin turning impish. "I see you enjoy winning against someone who is not so adept at our game. Enjoy it while it lasts, little one, we will practice again tonight. Seven drones this time."

As the proto queen's ears splayed in irritation at the perceived punishment, Din turned to Cadance.

"I didn't expect you to try this for a while yet, if you ever did. It's an interesting game, is it not?"

"It's, it's strange. Fun once you get used to it, but it's just so confusing sometimes, especially when you can't tell them apart, or they start sending information back. I think that messed me up a bit too," the pink mare said softly, turning back to the drones. The two that had been pinned moved towards her, standing at attention on either side. It was the ready position for the game, and Din smirked, snatching the other two with her own mind. She trotted over to Amare's position, the drones taking their places on either side of her, and she smiled warmly at the pink alicorn.

"I don't know how much Amare has taught you, so let's see how much you've learned," the queen stated, her drones taking the field. "I won't have you learning something incorrectly, you know. It would reflect poorly on my own image. Do well enough, and I'll have Slop make you something nice for dinner tomorrow. Your choice."

Cadance smiled for a moment before it faded into a look of concentration, the runes on her cheek blazing with energy once more. Her drones moved ahead slowly, taking their positions and readying themselves. At the queen's signal, the battle was joined. Cadance grinned despite the mental load. At least Amare was cheering for her.

Author's Notes:

What, you didn't think changelings were all work and no play did you? Queen's gotta learn to multitask somehow, right?

Memories of Christmas Warmings past

Queen Zelus was slowly getting used to ponies and their strange ways. They threw her for a loop every now and again, certainly; Cimmerian's emotional whirlwind earlier that day had left her feeling tired just watching and tasting it, so she could only imagine how he was holding up as they approached Silver's estate. The alicorn was still wearing a smile, but it was an exhausted one. She could sense the mental fatigue starting to creep over him, feeling his emotions slowly dampening, slowly turning darker. She figured it was why he had decided to turn in at this point, even though there were still several hours left in the 'day.'

She followed at an easy pace behind him, watched as he knocked on the door and was led inside. She sensed a burst of confusion from him, and prepared herself. In the middle of the living room were several thestrals, most wearing intricate armor while one, who she guessed was their leader, sat with Silver Light. All eyes were on the alicorn, and she settled slightly, seeing and feeling nothing but awe and admiration from the soldiers. The leader was a bit tougher to read, but she was a changeling. She could read a rock if it had emotions. Even he tasted of awe at being this close to the alicorn.

Fluttering his wings, Cimmerian approached the meeting and asked Silver if she would introduce her guests. Zelus could hear the other question though. She stepped up beside the stallion, nodding with a small smile in an attempt to calm him. They weren't enemies.

Cimmerian's wings relaxed slightly at her nod, his smile becoming less forced. She reacted correctly it seemed. He was unsure of their intention, and she was able to convey that this didn't seem to be an ambush.

'Perhaps there is a bit more to this guard thing than I thought.'

"Lord Theodore Cimmerian Fredson, I'm Crimson Lance of the Night Wings. Ages ago our ancestors pledged themselves to the service of Princess Luna. When we heard an alicorn was present we investigated, and Silver has provided us with much to work with. She, she even said Princess Luna spoke to her last night. We are well aware that the Nightmare was something else, that it wasn't her, or that it was a madness that had overtake her, as the Nightmare never bothered with dream magics. Hearing your explanation, it may be because such magics would have revealed its true form to those it attacked," the thestral said to him, the pony's eyes flashing toward her for a moment.

"I-we would like to accept your offer, Lord Cimmerian. The Night Wings serve Princess Luna as they always have, and Silver Light says you speak with her authority. I was hesitant to believe such a claim, but your presence heralds the return of our dreams. It has been years since we have been able to use dream walking, yet tonight we happily begin to pass this skill on to the next generation."

The alicorn stared at the group for a moment, and she could taste his roiling emotions. Happiness, curiosity, hope, worry, fear...that last one made little sense to her.

"I appreciate your offer, Crimson. It is not just for followers of Luna though. I'm making this offer to everyone, as I made it to the griffons and as I made it to the changelings. I'm glad you'd like to join, but I need more than that. I would need numbers, I would need to know if their families will be going as well. This isn't a call to arms, I'm not going after Queen Twilight right now, not directly. She has an army, she has hundreds if not thousands of drones under her control; I don't wish to bring that upon my people. You and yours would be welcomed at the Temple of the Shadows, not as additional troops, but as new residents. We could always use additional trained soldiers, I'm sure, but there's more to this than just standing under my banner."

The thestral seemed confused for a moment. Hah! Did the fool expect them to march from here to Canterlot, laying siege to the Mad Queen's capital? She nearly giggled at the sight, but managed to minimize it to a fanged smirk.

"I understand my lord. We have about two hundred soldiers and their flocks. Some may not wish to move, but I'm certain most would be willing to leave on your word. We can even supply you with a properly trained and equipped guard if you wi-"

"My current guards are fine. I know you likely mean nothing by it, Crimson, but those picked to be my guards were chosen from over one hundred individuals. They have been granted this position over their fellow guards as a matter of trust and as an honor.

"I'm certain you and yours are well versed in many things and my guards are fairly new to this, but let me ask you something. If I were to offer to replace your own guards, how do you think they would take that? It's both an insult to those that trained them and to the guards themselves. Second, their training was handled by the previous captain of the Storm Talons, and I'm confident Amald taught them well. Finally, I know these individuals. I've not memorized some names, but I'm working on it, right?"

Queen Zelus mentally scoffed at the idea.

'Why would he not choose better guards if he had the choice? I would, especially if they'd proposed to serve me and I knew they would not betray me. It would be better than...oh.'

The queen's eyes widened in realization, a strange mix of anger at the thestral and respect for the alicorn filling her. To replace the guards was to claim that they, that she was incapable of doing their job. Cimmerian had seen that and sidestepped the issue. It was both a scolding for the thestral and a pat on the back for his own guards. For her as well, actually. She was one of those guards, in fact he had looked to her the moment he thought something was wrong.

That thought made her chest swell with pride. She'd always been raised to be looked up to, but this, it was a different kind of dependence. The stallion didn't truly need her as her drones would, as her children would need their queen. He looked to her because he trusted her. Trust wasn't something she'd been given very often. One had been Lestidae; a mutual trust that saw them surviving a world gone to Tartarus. The second was Pandinus, her hive sister. Now the alicorn before her had claimed her as a trusted individual. Normally she would have scoffed at the idea, but Din explained it in a way she never heard the idea before. Trust was being able to molt around others and not worry about a blade in your soft shell. It was about providing others with a boon knowing they wouldn't immediately turn it against you. Trust was being able to leave your hatchlings with another queen and knowing no harm would come to them, or leaving your mate in the care of another queen and knowing she'd do everything in her power to see him to safety.

Zelus had originally thought this duty was a sign of trust from just her sister, but she now knew different. It was trust from the stallion as well. Even as they planned the route the thestrals would need to take to reach the Temple, she fluttered her wings in poorly restrained glee. He trusted her to watch out for his safety, and she was trusting him to keep her fed, to keep her supplied with the energy needed to survive the harsh climate. It was different, strange, exhilarating even. She needed the stallion to keep supplying her with energy. The strange dependence was just so against everything she'd been taught.

'I don't even need a disguise while doing this, it's amazing!'

She redirected her attention to the male she was guarding, hearing him laugh at some joke made by the bat pony councilor. A frown crept across her face; he was smiling and laughing with them, but he didn't taste happy. In fact, his mood seemed to still be dropping though at a slower pace. That was something she'd have to learn how to fix. He was starting to taste kind of bitter.

"Thank you for the meal, Silver. I think I'm going to head to bed a bit early. It's been a busy day, and I'm feeling a bit fatigued."

Zelus followed the alicorn, her frown having grown. She wasn't going to call him out as being sad in front of all of the others, but she was growing more concerned as the time passed. The meal was eaten, but she knew he didn't really taste it so much as swallow what he thought he needed to eat.

'Now I know why a queen was entrusted with this task, a drone would go mad attempting to understand this.'

Closing the door behind her drone, the queen made her way to the bed mat that had been set up in the room. The stallion was already in a foul mood, and she had no desire to antagonize him by attempting to feed on him. As she settled the drone and herself in for the night, Her ears perked up at a whisper.

"Zelus. Zelly? Come on, I know you prefer being on the bed." Cimmerian called, raising an inviting wing. She scowled at the offer, not understanding his reasoning. Didn't most ponies prefer to be alone when sad? She certainly didn't want to be near him when he was exuding...ok, it wasn't just sorrow. There was some happiness in there too. What did the guard call it? Reminiscing? That seemed to be it. A strange blend of sorrow, joy, longing, and just the slightest hints of hope and despair. Taking one last look at the drone that was currently shutting down for the night, the queen cautiously moved to take her place at his side, the stallion chuckling and giving a brief flair of amusement at her wariness.

'Now he mocks my confusion. Frustrating creatures,' she fumed with a huff of annoyance. She hopped up on the bed and laid against him, immediately receiving a burst of happiness and a wing-based hug.

"Luna always felt better if she had someone beside her when she was feeling down. I usually kept to myself, but I might as well try it out," Cimmerian explained to her. "Might be an pony thing."

She nodded, not truly understanding of course. It still drew a little more happiness from him.

"Why do you taste a mess?" she asked after a moment. "I understand not wishing to look weak, but it does not explain the, mixture of emotions you exude now."

"I just ran out of steam, that's all. All of this, the holiday stuff, it reminds me of holidays back home. I was pretty good at making it back home for most Christmas breaks," he gave a mirthless chuckle at the idea, "but no amount of planning will let me see my parents for this one."

"I see. This is what causes you to taste so strange? What do you mean by you ran out of steam?" she asked him. It was likely beyond her understanding, but it didn't hurt to ask. Not too much at least.

He laid his head down on the pillow and relaxed, "I was just running out of happy thoughts, that's all. Ran a bit dry on holiday cheer."

Zelus blanched at the notion. Running out of happiness? Was she feeding too much? She quickly jumped from the bed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to feed too much, just let me get a jar, you can have it back!"

"What? No, that's not what I meant. You didn't drain me too much, Zel. Calm down," Cimmerian said with a chuckle and another burst of amusement. "I meant that the holidays are a mix for me. I've done my celebrating, now I just need to do some mourning. It's completely normal. I just need to not let it become too all-encompassing. That's what Pandinus got mad about last time. Now get over here. I was actually feeling better for a bit there."

Cautiously the queen resumed her position, still tense and ready to jump at a moments notice. The moment she was settled in again he gave her a devious grin.

"I just thought of a great way to relax. You ready?"

There was no time to leap to safety, no time to shake her head with a negative response. He leaned towards her, his horn alight, and Queen Zelus fell into the land of dreams.

No, not fell. She was dragged there, kicking and screaming.

"Is it not considered a good thing among your kind to worry about the state of one's mate?" Queen Pandinus asked as she received reports from her drones. It was strange to the blue alicorn mare, but the meditative state that Pandinus used to communicate with distant drones allowed the queen to speak to Luna even while awake. Luna was more than happy to take advantage of this, talking to the queen even as the alicorn kept an eye out for Cimmerian's dreams.

"It is, but that does not mean asking for constant updates. He spoke to you two days ago. Calm yourself," Luna said, watching the sleeping drones flitting about the hives dream-side. "I will let you know when I see him."

"Cadance will be going with us. She wished to speak with him again, now that she's recovering. She's also bringing Amare with her," Pandinus said, a smile gracing her muzzle. "Amare has been teaching Cadance to use the array. Last time I checked your niece was capable of controlling three drones at once. While not impressive for a changeling queen, her mind is not made for such things. I was impressed at her ability to multitask. Cimmerian tells me such things are difficult for other races.

"She did forget to breathe at one point though," Din told her with a chuckle. "She was so focused on what was going on around her, so focused on everything from their breathing to the steps and movements they were taking, she started holding her own breath and didn't notice until she passed out. She awoke a few moments later, confused as to what had occurred."

Luna cocked her head in curiosity.

"The array allows her to control drones? I thought it merely joined her to the link that changelings share."

"No, it actually was a connection similar to a queen's. It was why Amare and Vis looked to her for orders and guidance. I don't know enough about pony minds to attempt to remove it, and I must admit I find it humorous that she can now actively use something that was created to torment her. I was actually teaching Cadance and Amare about shifting one's perception to a drone earlier," the queen explained, focusing on the two individuals for a moment. "They are currently practicing on each other in my chamber."

"You mean they're trading perceptions? Amare controlling Cadance and vice-versa?" Luna asked in amazement. "I must say, that shows an exceptional level of trust."

Pandinus nodded, "I believe Amare still looks to Cadance as her mother figure, despite knowing it isn't true; Cadance did not even want the nymph at first. But they've, I believe the phrase is grown on each other. Both can see the love each has for the other, so there is no worrying about betrayal."

Luna gave a rueful chuckle at that thought, "I suppose Amare spending so long with a pony who was risking insanity to keep her safe would leave her feeling comfortable in trusting Cadance. I just don't know how Cadance can say the same. Giving such control to another is a frightening idea to most ponies."

Luna blinked suddenly, looking off into the distance and finding a grin of her own, "And there he is."

"This will only take a moment, and we'll be ready," Din said, her focus drifting elsewhere. Less than a single minute later, Amare and Cadance had appeared in the dream, finding their way to Pandinus in the link's dream-side. Both drew nearer to the larger mares while wearing large grins.

"It is wonderful to see you smiling again, Cadance," Luna told the pink alicorn. "And if I'm not mistaken, you've begun to grow again."

"I have, auntie," the pink mare answered with a smile. "I was hoping to see Cimmerian and Auntie Tia tonight, if it's not too much trouble."

"We'll ask once we see him. Do you require extra power, Luna?" Din asked, turning to the smaller alicorn.

Luna nodded, "Yes, it would help. I can move about freely, and even take a guest, but a larger group is not within my current capabilities."

The world shifted as the alicorn of the night and dreams dragged the three of them into the distance. it didn't take long, one of the positives of moving through the dreamscape. They group entered the targeted dream with a muffled thump of hooves on carpet. Three of them looked around confused for a moment, unsure of where exactly they were. Amare was the first to recover from her confusion, rolling around on the soft floor and giggling merrily as she eyed the room, the multi colored lights scattered throughout it holding her attention.

"Hearth's Warming?" Luna asked, looking about the room.

"I don't know, I don't recognize some of the imagery. Oh, but there's a Hearth's Warming wreath," Cadance pointed out, confusion breaking out across her face. "Why does the dream have both 'Christmas' and Hearth's Warming?"

"Likely because his mind is mixing the two," Luna explained. "I assume this 'Christmas' is his species' version of Hearth's Warming. He is also carrying around years of my own memories, so it is plausible he is confusing the two subconsciously."

The small group made their way deeper into the dream, following the sharpening of detail to the dreamer. Amare chittered happily, enjoying the bright and festive decorations scattered all over the strangely built home, while the mares made guesses at the uses of various objects that were alien to them. One in particular that drew their eyes were strange orbs that gave off light without magic, not enchanted crystals but seemingly made of glass with wires.

'I suppose a species bereft of magic would find other ways to illuminate their homes,' the Luna realized, looking at the flickering globes.

The group soon came across the dreamer, reclined on the couch in his birth form. On his lap was the frazzled form of Queen Zelus, though she seemed to have been reduced in size and was currently being treated to the wondrous massage the stallion had given Luna not too long ago. The reduced queen perked up as they entered, directing a pleading look at the group and mouthing the phrase 'Help me!'

Luna burst into giggles at the mare's discomfort, stirring Ted even as Pandinus quickly trotted up to the couch. With a flicker of her horn, Zelus was removed from his grip and Din replaced her, jumping up on the groggy and confused creature's lap. Before he could register that his companion had been replaced, the larger queen snogged him.

"Oh, I like this form now. I'm bigger than you like this." Din told him, a predatory grin on her face.

Luna chuckled at Pandinus' antics, noticing Cadance staring at the two of them in confusion. The blue alicorn smiled warmly while pulling the other mare closer and explaining the situation to her.

"Cimmerian is not of our world, Cadance. This is the form he was born to. When the Nightmare fled my mind in the face of its defeat, it switched places with him, dragging him to our world. He then spent years in the armor, and was released by those ponies living at the Temple. He's adapting well, all things considered."

Luna's gaze wandered over to a still-frazzled Queen Zelus, who tried to speak but was unable to form any coherent phrases. After the changeling's fifth attempt, she finally managed to sputter out a question.

"How can you stand that? His emotions go all over the place!"

"Oh Zelly, you need to enjoy things that are different. I'm feeding on stored love right now and I can tell you for certain, I would rather be feeding directly from the source no matter his mood than consuming the stored emotions we have at the hive." Din chided the other queen from her position on the couch. "It's just not the same when you've had access to such a source of love only a week ago."

Luna giggled into her fetlock, turning her attention to Zelus even as Pandinus returned her attention to the male.

"So has anything exciting happened since we last spoke?"

"The Nightmare seems to no longer be content experimenting on changelings," the shape shifter told her. "Cimmerian and I came across a mare with chitin grafts and another array etched into her temple. She is currently under my control, but Cimmerian has requested I be kind to her instead of taking the information I seek from her mind."

Luna nodded in agreement, and Cadance perked up at the mention of another going through such an experience before speaking.

"Thank you for listening to him, Zelus. I know you'd prefer to just grab the information, but if it wasn't for Pandinus' kindness I don't know where I'd be right now. Mentally speaking of course. The mare will be scared, that much I can tell you. Give her a chance to learn of you, to learn that she's free, and I can almost guarantee she'll want to help you. Loyalty is a big thing for most ponies."

"Can you show us what this mare looks like?" Luna asked.

Zelus shook her head.

"I could likely tell you about her, but I don't know how to conjure an image."

"It's simple, Zelus," the blue alicorn instructed. "We are in a dream, so such things are much simpler to transfer or conjure. Imagine on this wall here a painting of your mare."

The shape shifter grimaced at the idea, but closed her eyes and imagined the wall bearing a likeness of Sapphire. Luna and Cadance watched the image with differing expressions; Luna's was one of shock at such treatment of a pony, while the pink alicorn's expression was one of sympathy.

"That poor thing. To be, twisted in such a way," Cadance whispered.

Luna growled at the image even as her niece pawed at it.

"The more I learn of this creature's habits, the luckier I count myself to have been possessed by such a fool. At least my nightmare had the decency to not plan too far ahead."

"The coat and mane...I think I remember Twilight telling me about a pony like that, but it was only in passing. Something about a mare grabbing a dangerous artifact just to show her up," Cadance mentioned to the group. "It wouldn't surprise me if it targeted that pony in retaliation. This kind of over the top punishment is something that would also hurt Twilly. The pony would blame her if she ever escaped."

"Cimmerian is correct, Zelus," Luna said giving the queen a warm smile. "The best way to win a pony's trust is through kindness. Such a thing may bring her to you, solidifying her loyalty more than any mind control could. It is the same reason Cimmerian and Pandinus trust you. They know you will not betray them, because they have won your loyalty through positive methods. If Pandinus had forced you into her hive, and attempted to subjugate you, would you not use the first chance you had to strike at her?"

At the queen's nod, Luna continued. "It is for that reason Cimmerian does not like such methods. They are fast, but they are not effective long term. The moment the mare broke free of your control, if only for a moment, she would do everything in her power to destroy you. We know nothing of her, and in spite of what you may think of ponies they are capable of horrible things if pressured. This mare is not even in control of her own body anymore, she could be extremely volatile if handled incorrectly."

Cadance nodded in agreement before turning back to the engaged couple, laughing at the two as while Cimmerian was no longer reclined on the couch, he was still sitting, and was now pinned against the back of the seat by the larger of the queens. Even as she rolled her eyes, Luna gave her a shove.

"I seem to remember you doing the same thing every chance you had with your beloved."

The pink alicorn giggled for a moment before her smile fell, her face gaining a far away look. All three mare's jumped as Pandinus growled, turning from her target long enough to forcefully pull the pink mare from her darker recollections. The moment she received a thankful nod from the pink mare, she went to turn back to her mate, stopping only to glance back curiously to Cadance.

While the two seemed engaged in some mental discussion, Luna looked over to Amare, the foal being much too quiet for her age. She found the nymph sitting before a strange flashing window, the images in the object constantly shifting, giving the illusion of motion. Looking from the glass to the nymph, the young filly giggled and chittered a few odd words before shouting one word at the blue mare, one that caused Ted to break into laughter.

"Blockhead!"

Cimmerian chuckled to himself as he journeyed through the dream realm once more, the outburst of Amare had been just too perfectly timed. He was certain Din had something to do with it, or perhaps it was just the nymph picking up on the other mares' frustration with Luna's poor topic choice. Either way, Din had related Cadance's request, and he was on his way to find Celestia. He stopped for a moment, an idea forming. It was the season for gatherings anyway, right? Why not make this extra special for everyone involved?

With a final incorporeal chuckle, the alicorn set off into the dream realm, an additional destination now in mind. Twilight was beyond what he was comfortable attempting considering her possession, but the alicorns weren't the only ones who had missed a couple holidays.

Once more Zelus was stuck in an unfavorable position. Cimmerian, after returning to his alicorn form, had departed to prepare the way for Celestia's dream, allowing the alicorns to enjoy a holiday night together. The stallion's departure had left her with a rather odd situation in the remnants of the male's dream.

Pandinus was glaring heatedly at Luna, the queen having said some choice words about topic choice around certain individuals (she was fairly certain the other queen meant Cadance). Luna was scuffing her hoof awkwardly, having apologized to both Din and Cadance for her blunder. Cadance was watching the two with no small amount of worry, hoping the larger shape shifter's foul mood was merely hormones and not a sign of a deeper hatred for the mare.

Then there was Amare. The nymph had gone right back to the strange glowing screen once no one was focused on her anymore. Seeing nothing better to do while waiting, Zelus sidled up to the hatchling, attempting to decipher the strange story being told in moving dolls. After nearly ten minutes, Luna alerted them that it was time to leave, and the queen was no closer to figuring out what was going on, only that the fat creature in red was in charge of the multi-horned beings, and the red-nosed one was a mutant. It was likely another strange pony- no, it wasn't even a pony story. It was another strange story that she would likely need the background information to understand the background information on, but it was preferable to watching the stare down in progress behind her.

Luna pulled the group along, empowered by Pandinus' own magic to allow the alicorn the additional passengers. The small group floated through the strange world that was the dream realm for a time before reality finally reasserted itself. Zelus looked around, expecting a similar dream to the one she was in recently, but was shocked to see a small house ahead of them. Luna seemed surprised as well, though her expression soon shifted into one of glee. She ushered the group inside, directing the group to an impossibly large receiving room and from there into what seemed to be a living space.

'More ponies. Wonderful.'

Zelus knew she needed ponies to live, but at this point she was almost willing to endure a week of starvation to avoid the confusion that seemed to follow. Zelus actually worried for the pink alicorn for a moment, the mare breaking into tears as she greeted and hugged the smaller mares. It was only Pandinus' warm smile at the sight did she allow it to continue. It had to be another pony thing. Who cries when they're happy?

"Thank you Cimmerian," Celestia mumbled, hugging the stallion with a grip that was surprisingly strong for her size. Cimmerian just smiled, watching the reunion from the sidelines and grinning all the wider when the mares began cooing and cuddling Amare, the nymph delighting in the attention. Even Fluttershy, who would normally hide from Luna if she was surprised, wasted no time in giving the filly her undivided attention.

"It's no problem," he said easily. "The holidays are a time to reconnect with family and friends. For those of us who can't reach family, friends are all we have. Right?"

Looking at Celestia's devious smirk, he rolled his eyes.

"I know, I know. I have a family here. I meant my parents and biological family. Yours too, and the girls' families. I can't do too many dreams at once, but maybe once I reach the Everfree and get closer to the girls I can bring them all together. I can do two dreams at once now, but I think this is pushing it even with my most recent boost."

"Boost?" Celestia asked curiously.

"I walked through Silver City last night," the stallion related. "The population was either terrified of me, or prostrating themselves before me. My magic fluxed a bit after that."

"Ah" the mare nodded in understanding. "Just be careful when you get close to Equestria, Cimmerian. I know she doesn't know about your trip, but she may lash out at any news at this point. She was extremely agitated the last time I spoke to her, and I think Twilight's causing her trouble."

The group soon devolved into a rotating meet and greet, the element bearers being introduced to Amare and Zelus and vice-versa, Cadance being reintroduced to Twilight's friends and speaking to her aunt about her newest abilities, and Celestia just roving about the party, enjoying the noise and the contact. Dream or not, it was likely the loudest thing the white alicorn had experienced in several decades.

"Wait, you can like, tell them things that and move them around just by thinking at them?" Dash asked incredulously.

Cadance nodded in affirmation. "I can control two so far, three if I really push myself. I'm also learning how to project my awareness to another changeling, as well as learning how to accept another awareness into myself. Normally I'd be a bit squeamish to let somepony else into my head, but I've had Amare long enough that I trust her with that. I know she won't hurt me, and I won't hurt her."

"Don't that make yer head spin though?" AJ interjected. "Ah sometimes trip over mah own hooves, Ah can't imagine trying to walk in another pony's hooves, let alone two other ponies'."

Cimmerian suddenly clopped his forehooves together, drawing the attention of all the gathered mares.

"Speaking of drones, Cadance said she recognized this mare we found, something about Twilight mentioning her years ago. Do any of you know a sky blue unicorn with a white mane and a wand cutie mark?"

"You mean Trixie?" Dash spat out. "That mare caused trouble both times she showed up in Ponyville. Why, she cause trouble for you too?"

Applejack nodded in agreement.

"Ah can't imagine ya could get within five paces of her without learnin' her name, sugar cube. She spouts it every five seconds or so."

Luna and Cadance both winced at the biting comments, knowing the mare's current state. Before either could say anything, Cimmerian responded.

"She wasn't exactly in any condition to tell us. The Nightmare got ahold of her, and it seems to have taken, Trixie you said her name was? It seemed to take her one-upmanship personally."

The element bearers stopped cold in their seats, looks of apprehension slowly spreading over their muzzles.

"I, I dread what the Nightmare could do to the mare, even if she was a bit, uncouth." Rarity said, shifting uneasily. "How bad is it, exactly?"

The stallion looked to Luna, his questioning look being answered by a tired nod. In the center of the table an image formed, the current form of Sapphire, or Trixie as her name had been revealed to be, in her current state.

The reactions were instantaneous and sharp. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, a muttered 'Oh buck.' escaping her lips even as Applejack gasped into her hat. Pinkie's hair drooped, a look of sorrow and pity overtaking her normally cheerful expression. Rarity managed to keep her cool, though she studied the image in detail, more than Cimmerian believed may have been healthy. Celestia looked incredibly tired and sorrowful at the image's reveal, while Fluttershy burst into tears.

"Why, why would it do that? She was a bully, but... nopony deserves that."

"She was being used as a spy to submit reports to Equestria, likely to the Nightmare's hive network," Zelus told them. "I don't know how the Nightmare sorts through it all, but I sensed the mare from her hiding spot above the council chambers and pulled her down. I even ended up pinning her to the ground, thinking she was an assassin. Cimmerian asked me to take her into the Temple's hive since she was still alive, and after he disconnected the mare I pulled her into our own link. She's currently beside me, though she won't respond to anything I do through the link. She has been giving off bursts of emotion every now and again though, mostly surprise."

"Her name may help us as well. Sorry Zel, you can't keep calling her Sapphire if she already has a name," The dark alicorn said with a grin. Turning back to the bearers he smiled warmly.

"We'll take care of her. She's pretty stubborn from what Zelus could tell, so given some time, I think she could come back. No one is ever the same after something like this, but if she can spend how many years keeping herself separate from the link she was bound to, I'm sure she has the willpower to recover."

"I think that's enough on that for now," Cadance interrupted. "We're here to relax, and to enjoy each other's company again. So with such enjoyment in mind I have to ask Cimmerian, that creature that you were before. Does your species have any special holidays dedicated to love? What about romantic traditions? Certainly they have something romantic for Hearth's Warming, right?"

Cimmerian shook his head in exasperation at the sudden topic change, letting the image fade away.

"There are many holidays around the winter season, but the one I celebrated was called Christmas. As for romantic traditions around Christmas time, I never found out why, but there was this thing about mistletoe in the doorframes."

Author's Notes:

No I'm not dead. Just horrifically distracted.

Not that kind of love, geeze!

Cimmerian slowly picked himself up from the bed's warmth, stretching his limbs and drawing out a few weak pops from his wings. The stallion was fairly happy with how things had progressed, allowing the alicorns their first full meeting in years, allowing the element bearers to enjoy some extra company, and apparently revealing the fact that freely given love can lead to withdrawal in changeling queens. That was really the only reason he could think of for the tenacity with which Din was attempting to remove his tonsils. Not that he didn't enjoy the attention, but he knew she couldn't feed from the current distance. All she was doing was riling the both of them up.

Glancing to his side at the still drooling Zelus, he managed to suppress a chuckle at her expense as he left the bed with a gentle leap. Wings made doing so much simpler.

'Might be a changeling queen thing, Din drooled when she was comfortable as well. Or maybe they salivate subconsciously in the presence of positive emotions.'

Slipping into the pony-styled bathroom and starting a warm shower, he pondered that last idea. It made a surprising amount of sense actually. She complained a few times about never drooling before she'd begun sleeping with him, and considering her species fed on emotion...

"I'll take it as a blessing they don't overfeed in their sleep. I don't need to explain that kind of mess to Silver."

A warm shower left him in an even better mood, a smile on his face as he tossed the towel into a pile of other used linens in the corner. Pondering his breakfast, he caught sight of the cornflower blue mare curled up in the corner. Approaching carefully and giving a quick glance to the still sleeping queen, he walked between the bed and the mare and created a power-based solid shield between himself and the unicorn. Leaning in, he whispered through the shield.

"What do you want for breakfast, Trixie?"

The mare's ear flicked at the sound of his voice and he grinned, quickly smothering it for a simple smile. Sharp teeth isn't something an herbivore wants to see in the morning. A couple hoofs to his muzzle had stopped him from waking Gleam like that after the first time he'd woken up early. One eye flicked open and blearily looked around the room, soon settling on the alicorn behind a blurring wall of magic. Instantly the mare's eyes widened and she launched a powerful burst of magic into the barrier. The shield absorbed it easily, and Cimmerian settled himself on the floor before her.

"It's ok, you're free of her. I promise," he softly whispered.

The mare's head jerked oddly and her legs were not moving in more than slight twitches. Her mouth cracked opened, but only slurred gibberish poured forth. The stallion frowned, seeing her fear and anger turning to frustration. He carefully lifted her and placed her on her stomach, facing her head towards him.

"I had the same issue for a second after I first was released from the armor. Control will come back to you I promise. Just give yourself some time."

A rustle from the bed drew both of their focus, the queen attempting to rid herself of the covers.

"Cimmerian, she's- oh, you already know."

The mare immediately went wide eyed, attempting to charge her horn but only getting sputters and sparks. Seeing her starting to panic more, he dispelled the shield and brought her muzzle up to his own.

"Calm down, look at me. She's not going to hurt you. Does she look anything like Queen Twilight's changelings? Does she sound like them?"

Once more her lips moved slightly, but she made nothing more than a garbled mess of sound. She began to tear up, trying again to speak, but no words were formed.

"Give yourself some time, just try every now and again to speak. It's been a long time since you've spoken, your cords might be messed up. We'll also see if there's a doctor around here, ok?"

Standing up again, he motioned Zelus closer.

"This is Queen Zelus. She noticed you earlier and helped me disconnect you from the Mad Queen's link. I know she brings up bad memories, Trixie, but she's only going to help you. She's not a mindless monster like the others you've been stuck with."

A knock at the door drew the attention of all three occupants of the room.

"Sir, breakfast will be served shortly. Lady Silver would like to know if you would join her for the morning meal."

"We'll be there shortly," Cimmerian responded, turning to the unicorn. "If you can't get your feet working we'll just have to carry you down there. You hungry?"

"She wants pancakes and syrup," Zelus called over her shoulder as she walked into the hallway. Trixie flinched, tears beginning to form in her eyes once she realized how the queen retrieved the information.

"You're not the only one with an array, Trixie. Do you remember the Princess of Love, Princess Cadance?" At the mare's focused stare he smiled. "She was left with one as well. She's learning how to use it to her advantage right now. She told me last night she could control a few drones from a distance and even move her consciousness into another changeling that's connected to her. I know it makes you uncomfortable, but Zelus can do what you can't. She can tell us what you want to say. Later tonight I'll see you in your dreams, and you can tell me anything you like but until then, Zelus can be your voice and your legs. She's the one who kept you fed on both food and emotions while you were still out of it."

Trixie's muzzle twitched, the idea of eating emotions likely not sitting well with her. She looked to her hoof, eyeing the chitin plating grafted to her right foreleg. Seeing her ears drooping again, Cimmerian picked her up in his own forelegs, giving the unicorn a firm hug.

"We'll see if it's possible to remove that stuff later. At the very least, Pandinus should know how to make it smaller and softer. She's our resident chitin expert as it is."

The idea she may be rid of the plates seemed to cause her to perk up, and the mare gave him the barest hint of a smile. She attempted to stand up once more, but once more her legs just didn't seem to want to cooperate. Shaking his head, he lifted the mare onto his back, smiling as she huffed in irritation and began attempting to move her limbs, remembering the sensations. Even if it was only to regain her freedom, she wasn't going to let a little thing like an unknown amount of time without control of her body stop her from her goals.

"So she can hear me now?" Silver asked, looking across the table at the blue mare. The mare was still unable to move but Zelus was holding several muscle groups that allowed her to sit normally, even if the unicorn did look a little stiff.

"Yes, though her muscle control is shot. I'm not surprised, since she's likely had no control for a long time," Cimmerian commented, taking a second helping of eggs. "Pretty sure she's upset that she still has no control, but at least she's aware of what's going on now. One hurdle at a time, I guess."

Hearing Trixie's stomach gurgle, the stallion looked over to her and her plate, taking note of her weakly sparking horn and her focus on a fork. Rolling his eyes, he used a wing to shove the queen.

"Your charge is hungry, and you're not eating. Help her out."

Zelus scowled, and the mare's horn suddenly gained a brighter glow as the queen took control of her magic and body.

"Warn her, Zel," Cimmerian chastised her, seeing the look of fear that had come over the unicorn's eyes. "You're using her body there. I've never had it happen to me, but I find even the thought of that terrifying."

Zelus rolled her eyes, huffing.

"Fine."

Trixie let out a strange gurgle of shock as her own magic suddenly became focused, the mare eating her breakfast in a rushed manner. Cimmerian watched her for a few moments, hoping the unicorn would at least accept the help grudgingly.

"She's still yelling at me," the changeling said with a frown. "I don't know what she wants me to do. If I don't do this, she'll go hungry; if I do she gets angry. I hate dealing with ponies."

Silver hopped down to the floor and approached Trixie, grasping the blue mare's head in her hooves and eyeing the unicorn's pupils.

"One of my sons was paralyzed in a flight accident a while back. He spent nearly a year being unable to move anything but his mouth and eyes. Once we finally managed to get an appointment with the proper specialists, a bunch of unicorn doctors, and made it out to Trottingham, it had been nearly a year and a half."

Moving on to the mare's forelegs, Silver continued her story and inspection.

"Even after he regained the use of his body, he was very weak. It will be something you will experience in a different fashion, dear. While you can't use your limbs properly, they have not been idle. You're in good shape and will be able to go straight back to doing as you wish as soon as you recover control of your limbs."

"Speaking of recovering, I'd like to get her pony parts checked by a doctor before we leave. We also need to resupply. Cold weather tents, blankets, preserved food, that kind of thing. Is there any way I can borrow someone to help us out there?" Cimmerian asked their host.

"I don't have anypony available at the moment, but I'm sure Crimson would be delighted to help you, or at least hoof over somepony who could," Silver mentioned, moving to the unicorn's barrel. "The council will also want to speak to you one last time before you leave. I think a few of them misunderstood your offer. I'd also appreciate if Trixie here would allow some of the councilors to inspect her. A few have asked me about the legitimacy of the spy's grafts, or if she was a fraud used to scare them by your party."

Trixie's eyes burned with anger at the dismissal of her state and Zelus flinched, the anger unexpected.

"Zel? What's up?" The stallion asked, noticing the expression of surprise and pain on the shape shifter's face.

Shaking her head, Zelus scowled once more at the pony who was causing her so many problems.

"She just started blasting anger and raving about ponies calling her a fraud. Have I mentioned I hate dealing with ponies in the link? Because I have to taste her anger even if I don't want to."

"Be calm, dear. I know this is a scary and frustrating time, but it will pass," Silver explained to Trixie. "The fact that your muscles respond at all shows improvement. Give yourself some time and you'll not have to rely on Zelus anymore. In the meantime, help her to help you. My son was frustrated as well, but venting on those helping him only spread the misery. Make the process of helping you less of a chore, and ponies will be more inclined to do it."

Cimmerian nodded to both pony mares.

"I'd be happy to speak to them again. How about it Trixie. Would you like to rub their noses in it, show them that you're not some sham that tried to spook them?"

The blue unicorns eyes couldn't have had more fire in them had they ignited. Zelus shook her head as she was once more exposed to the unrestrained emotions of a pony through the link.

"She says they'll rue the day they doubted her legitimacy. Honestly, you ponies are ridiculous. I'll be happy when we get back to traveling and fighting."

The alicorn shrugged in response.

"Din's still trying to figure me out, but seems happier for it. I'm sure you'll figure things out before too long."

Pandinus was reclining on her bed as the sun was setting, a look of concern on her face. Cadance hadn't seen that very often, and even when the queen was bothered by something she often kept her features schooled. Something was bothering her, and it was doing quite a number on the changeling mare.

"What causes a pony to seek out their mate, what is it that makes a pony want to stay with them?" Pandinus asked her.

Cadance cocked her head, thinking up a proper response.

"It depends on the pony usually. Some stick around based on loyalty to one's lover, others wish to see their foals properly raised," Cadance explained. She blushed slightly, letting loose a giggle. "I think others stick around because they enjoy how their lover makes them feel."

Din nodded, shifting on her bed uncomfortably. "I think I'd fall under the last one at the moment. I know he hasn't been gone too long, but I miss having him here with me. It's just not the same, speaking to him or kissing him in a dream. I can't feed, I can't...actually I don't know if I can mate with him in a dream or not. I may ask Luna later on tonight. With my luck I'd just end up feeling even more frustrated."

Shaking her head at the queen's seeming one-track mind, Cadance giggled.

"You're never happy, are you? I guess I can't be too upset. I know me and, and Shiny were like that," the alicorn trailed off, the memories of her husband still causing her pain. "Thank you, by the way. You and Cimmerian, the two of you let me know it wasn't Shiny, that it wasn't Twily and my husband who attacked me. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for your help."

Pandinus waved a hoof, dismissing the alicorn's thanks.

"You've helped me learn to better connect with Cimmer. I also have a better understanding of how pony minds work, keeping yours together over the last month. I do have another question about mates though. I was remembering the one or two times I'd fed on stallions in the past, and while I know I had reduced my sensitivity for my own safety, I can't remember feeling even a little bit excited or happy about it, yet I can't think of my time with my mate without becoming excited."

"What do you mean?" the mare asked.

Instantly the alicorn's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed, the changeling queen answering her question by pouring her experience into the other mare's mind.

"Oh, oh my goodness Din, you don't, why would you do that?!?" the pink alicorn sputtered, shaking her head and covering her muzzle with a fetlock. "There are some things I don't need to know, that is one of them! Why does everyone assume that being the Alicorn of Love means I care about their sex life, or that I need to know all of the details?"

Din just stared at Cadance dispassionately.

"Odd, Zelus barely reacted when I did that to her."

Steadying herself, Cadance actually laughed.

"I forgot that I'm dealing with 'what's yours is mine and what mine is yours' changelings. Those kinds of things are usually considered private and intimate, not to be shared with others by most other races. Yes some may brag, but most keep the details to themselves."

Pondering the actual memories now stuck in her head, memories she had no idea how to remove, she blinked.

"There is no detail."

When the queen frowned at her statement, she explained.

"You gave me the actual, er, experience, but there's no actual details to it. How did you feel, what did he say, what did you smell, how did it make you react, that kind of thing. It's all horribly, uh, dry I want to call it. There's nothing here that would be considered exciting, just a few pictures or memories."

"Oh," Din said, the implications striking her. "Perhaps that is why Zelus hasn't been pursuing a mate as vigorously as I had anticipated. I thought that the experience would have spurred her search for and desire to claim one with a bit more enthusiasm."

"Would she even know that there were supposed to be sensations attached to the memories?" Cadance asked the queen. "I mean, you were first just looking for a mate, a pony to, harvest for seed. That's what all queens pursue, right? It's what Zelus would dismiss your memory as. At worst, she could view it as rubbing her nose in the fact that you already have one."

Closing her eyes in concentration, she tried recalling her first experience, dredging up every detail she could and pushing it towards Pandinus. Cadance owed the shape shifter so much, she could help with this.

She heard the queen squeak as the memories began flowing in, the full sensations of one of the pink alicorns first experiences being shared instead of just the barest of details. The scents, the sights, the sensations, she dredged up every detail she could remember, substituting from other experiences if she couldn't recall some things.

"This is what you should be trying to share if you're going to do something like that, Pandinus. Not just the facts, not just what happened, but all the things you found memorable, everything that made it so much more than just another feeding. Another issue that may come up though, is would Zelus even recognize the sensations? I don't know if she'd be able to understand some of what's going on. I can substitute my own knowledge for the ideas you gave me, but without that it's meaningless."

Pandinus closed her eyes, pondering what the pink alicorn had told her, as well as what she had shared. It was true of course, there was the chance Zelus found the experience to be an insult instead of the push it had been meant to be. There was also the chance the other queen didn't understand what it was that was being shown to her. Din's eyes flicked open, an idea coming to mind. Her lips curled into a grin and Cadance squawked in shock, the close proximity and tight connection to the queen telling the alicorn exactly what the queen was planning.

"You! You're a horrible creature you know that?" Cadance chuckled at the changeling. The pink mare burst into laughter at the queen's devious machinations, knowing no amount of persuasion would change her mind. Still, she would not fight the perverse, not this time. She would revel in it.

"If you're going to surprise him, I have a few things I can suggest. First of all, you can't tell him anything we discuss. Second, you need to know how his body works. I'll see if we have some anatomy books around here for you to look through. Having access through the hive is all well and good, but it would be better if it was your own knowledge. Oh, and knowing your own anatomy would help, as well as what excites you. You don't want any surprises, as they can give him the chance to reverse the position of dominance. Once you've studied those we can move on to..."

The alicorn, the changeling queen, the unicorn, and the stallion's guards left the small hospital in a foul mood. Most of the doctors had been reluctant to check the blue mare. Whether it was out of fear of finding something that would upset him, or fear of not understanding half of how the unicorn's body worked at this point was beside the point. Even obtaining the minor check ups for reflexes and scans for parasites was like pulling teeth from a turtle.

Following the guide lent to them by Crimson, the group quickly acquired the materials that would be needed for the trip; heavier tents that the alicorn would carry on his back, food for the journey, and extra cold-weather clothing for the newest addition to the group. Having gathered all the supplies and deposited them at Silver's mansion, the group departed for the city's council chamber.

"Lord Cimmerian, while we appreciate the opportunity, the council will not be accepting your offer of asylum," Fruit Fox announced once everyone was present.

"We will not leave our city for the vague idea of Queen Twilight invading our country."

"Vague, hah!" another shouted. "We're not right next to Equestria, what are the actual chances of her making the journey around the Everfree to actually attack us? Not only that, we'd have plenty of warning to-"

"To do what, Crescent?" a third shouted. "To dig our own graves? If she actually marched on our country, with the numbers she's using, there would be nothing we could do! We would be over-run or have to close off the mountain completely. After that it would only be a matter of time before we starved."

"I did not come here to say you should leave your country!" Cimmerian's voice boomed out. "I came here to offer you an opportunity should an invasion ever happen, not to ask you to abandon your home. I don't need nor do I want a decision right now. It's a standing offer."

"Why did you remain in the city if not to await our response?" Silver asked, already knowing the answer.

"I needed to grab some supplies, and wanted to make sure Zelus had a proper grip on Trixie," the alicorn stated, gesturing to the changeling and her pony drone. The unicorn's eyes were once more blazing with fury, the queen having stepped several paces from the mare in discomfort.

"Saph-Trixie wishes to know which of the council claims her grafts to be a fabrication," Zelus spoke for the mare, walking her up to the stallion. Many of the councilors flinched slightly at the sight of her in such close proximity, the scars now much more visible in the light of the chambers.

Silver Light smiled at the blue unicorn.

"I myself have already closely inspected Trixie, and I cannot feel any disconnects between the chitin and the mare's coat."

Several councilors cautiously approached, inspecting the mare for any signs of false scarring or a way to remove the chitin. A swat from Zelus was the answer for one overly zealous individual who'd tried pulling a plate off, the pain being transferred from the mare to the queen who immediately responded.

Cimmerian chuckled, watching the queen hovering protectively despite her frustration with the unicorn. It was possible they'd eventually connect the same way Pandinus and Cadance had. The other queen had been very frustrated by her charge, often complaining to him for extended periods when they'd first found the pink mare. Now Pandinus would likely react to any threat to the alicorn mare before he was even aware one existed.

After an exhausting examination, the councilors returned to their places and began speaking amongst themselves. Calling the queen and mare back to him, Cimmerian coughed loudly, grabbing their attention one last time.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow, but I hope you understand that Queen Twilight is not going to go away. The minotaurs and griffons are doing what they can, but they're battling what amounts to an infinite supply of soldiers. If you decide to stop sitting on the fence, get into contact with one of us and we'll give you the information you need to fight back. In the meantime, enjoy your holidays, councilors. Spend time with your families, those of you that have them. You never know when the last day you'll see them will come."

Stepping out of the chamber and leaving the increasingly loud shouts of the councilors behind him, he sighed. The trip hadn't ended up a rousing success, but neither was it a total failure. The whole point was to offer refuge to the thestrals should they need it, not get them all to move in with him by the end of the week. Still, the way some had looked at him; the fear and hatred in a few eyes, the undying devotion and love in others, it was scary. He wasn't used to seeing that, to hearing that ponies would leave everything they knew and loved to follow him. Everyone else at the Temple of the Shadows was there as a last resort, they were at the Temple because they had nowhere else to go. He only hoped Crimson Lance followed his order to respect the chain of command already existing in the Temple. The last thing he wanted was a civil war in his city.

"I want to thank you, Lord Cimmerian," Silver Light said, following him out of the council chambers. The stallion stopped, surprised she wasn't staying behind to attempt to corral the councilors and restore some semblance of order to the room. Seeing his curious look, she shook her head.

"I know I won't be able to do anything right now. Sometimes the others need to scream and shout, and let it all out."

Cimmerian smiled at the older mare. "Your help is greatly appreciated, Silver. If you or yours need a place, I'll keep a place for you."

"I appreciate it my lord, but I doubt I'll be leaving the Silver City even at the worst case scenario. This city is everything to me. Should anything happen to me here though, please keep an ear out for my son. Waning Light was traveling the world when things escalated, and I haven't heard anything from him in a few weeks. I will also tell my other children of your offer," Silver Light said, smiling softly. "Silver Strike will likely be heading to the Temple with the Night Wings."

"I'll let Pandinus know next time I speak to her that she'll have some thestrals arriving. Crimson said he'd have full count of the numbers by tonight," Cimmerian looked over to the queen for a moment before looking back to the thestral. "I'm sure Din will be happy to hear the number of ponies will be increasing. It makes it easier on everyone if there's more ponies empowering the changelings. More ponies allows us to easily keep more changelings, or to burn the energy they harvest in other ways. Zelus here burned a lot of love healing from years of damage and starvation in a single week."

Following his quick glance to the shape shifter and her charge, Silver chewed her lip in thought. "It truly doesn't bother you, does it? The changelings feeding off of your emotions I mean."

The dark alicorn shook his head. "Nearly two months of feeding up to fourteen changelings every day left me feeling somewhat fatigued, but that was feeding changelings that were almost dead of starvation and that I had little emotional connection to, up to a comfortable level. I don't think it can be counted as a good measurement of drain. There's also the fact that I'm a bit more resilient than most ponies, being an alicorn. Now I'm feeding a queen actual love, love for a wife or mate, and she's positively glowing with energy. I can only imagine how easy it will be for the changelings to survive once things settle down for us all."

"Tonight we'll enjoy one last meal, and we'll be gone by lunch. We'll be out of your mane soon."

The mare bowed. "It's been no issue, Lord Cimmerian. It was a pleasure to host you and yours. It was also an, an eye-opening experience, meeting Trixie. Do keep her safe while she recovers."

"I intend to," Zelus stated, levitating the blue unicorn onto her back. The unicorn looked far from pleased at her accommodations, but considering the queen wasn't complaining about the hybrid mare's whining, the stallion assumed she was at least going along with things begrudgingly.

Chuckling as the queen and unicorn left them behind, the dark alicorn looked to the councilor.

"Pandinus treated Cadance the same way when we first found the pink mare. They grew on each other though. I think that given enough time, they'll connect as well. Take care, Silver Light."

Author's Notes:

I enjoyed writing a lot of this, but now it's time to move on. The Everfree awaits, and you'll all get a look into my idea of that mess of jungle and forest.

I honestly do believe that would be Cadance's response to someone talking to her about their sex life. She likely hears waaaay more than she wants to.

Retaliations

Gleam was going through her evening routine, grabbing a hot meal from the dining hall and chatting with a few of her friends about their herds and any ideas they may have for finally roping in her own stallion when it happened. A large shape moving into the room drew her eyes, the form of Queen Pandinus impossible to mistake with Cimmerian and Zelus gone. Without the others, the mare was the largest being living in the Temple. The thing that caused the unicorn to double-take was the queen's mood.

She was prancing.

'Oh sun and stars, now what?'

Waiting until the queen was seated with her dinner the mare excused herself, taking the remnants of her plate with her as she made her way to the changeling. With every step the queen's giggling and face-splitting grin just set her more on edge. She knew it would end in a headache for her. She just knew it.

Finally taking a seat next to the day dreaming shape shifter, Gleam gave her a rough jab with a hoof, drawing Din from her fantasies.

"What's going on, Pandinus? Why are you so chipper?"

Recovering her smile, the queen giggled, pulling the unicorn into a hug that in no way alleviated her fears. It merely exacerbated them.

"I just finished speaking with Cimmerian. He's finishing up with the thestrals and will be heading to the Everfree Forest to check something before he heads back. While not a total success, he told me there are at least two hundred and seventy six thestrals that will be making their way here."

Gleam's jaw dropped. Two hundred and seventy six? That was more than four times their current pony population! They didn't have the room for that kind of population boom, much less the space to give them all living quarters and feed them all!

"It will take them time to arrive, but the drones are currently clearing a large cavern for the thestrals to live in. I was debating on having it be accessible from the outside from a hole in the roof, but I think I may just go with a side tunnel at the top that moves upwards so that we don't have someone fall in by accident. I've also been looking into making a secondary wall, allowing us to create additional living quarters outside the wall if we need to, as well as trying to find new farmland," the queen explained, causing the unicorn's jaw to drop. "I think we're going to need to start using other locations for more farmland though. If we do too much around the Temple, we'll have no room to expand. I want you and Shadow to double check it all of course, but I think Cimmerian and I managed to work out a good portion of it so far."

Gleam just stared at the queen as the larger mare began tearing into her plate with gusto, drawing the cherry unicorn's gaze to the slightly more noticeable curve on the shape shifter's belly. Actually it would make sense that the queen would pursue the expansion of both her own and Cimmerian's powerbase so aggressively. She was currently carrying several foals, foals that would not only be her first sapient foals, but would also likely net her a boost in affection from the alicorn, if she hadn't already received such a boost.

"Ok, so you have an idea about where to put them, but we're still going to need to know what to actually do with them," Gleam said, causing Din to look to her in confusion with a piece of, of something hanging off her muzzle. "Jobs, Din. What are they good at, what do we need, what can we use them for, how badly do we really need whatever it is they're good at or trained for. Ponies work best when given jobs they understand or know how to perform. We can't just pull the information from others in a few moments, remember?"

Din's face scrunched up in thought, knowing it wouldn't be simple, "We're both aware it's not as cut and dry, Gleam, but there's nothing we can do until they actually arrive. Worst case scenario we can purchase supplies from Zarris until things stabilize here, and the griffons are producing more than enough fish to share some of it with the thestrals. In fact some of the thestrals will likely move to the port."

Letting loose a puff of air, the smaller mare shook her head in exasperation. Nothing would stop the queen from her goal, and the ponies were likely already on their way. At the very least they would already be preparing for the journey.

Seeing the queen begin giggling again, she frowned. There was obviously more. Despite being a consummate shape shifter, the mare was unable to actually hide much from anyone who paid enough attention. Her pathetic attempts at keeping a straight face may work on those who worked with her only in passing, but not a mare who spent almost every day beside her.

"What else happened?"

Chuckling at the mare's irritation, the queen leaned in close to the unicorn and whispered conspiratorially into the smaller mare's ear.

"Did you hear about that question I wanted to ask Luna?" At Gleam's nervous nod, Pandinus chuckled. "I got my answer last night without her."

Leaning in even closer, the queen's grin became downright malevolent.

"The answer is yes."

The alicorn stallion walked out into the shipyard once more, his cheeks still tinted slightly in embarrassment. Din had sprung her 'research' on him without warning, catching him in a borrowed bed in the same room as two mares. Zelus had seemed slightly agitated at the scent but had otherwise said nothing, while Trixie seemed too lost in her own world to try relating something to him through the queen.

Trixie, bless her heart, was slightly shaken by her experience, but seemed nowhere near the level of damage Cadance had suffered. It likely was because the mare disconnected herself from her torture, where Cadance had no such opportunity. Looking ahead, he managed a smile as they finally came upon the ship they would be using for the next part of their journey.

The group was fully prepared for the road ahead, the guards all carrying their supplies, while Cimmerian himself carried a good portion of the newly acquired cold-weather gear. It had irked the guards, including Zelus, but the heavy gear hadn't even phased him. There was no need to exhaust those that were there to protect him while he lazed about. That was how one ended up fat.

Paying the dock master the required fees and boarding the ship, the group deposited their gear in the storage room, ready to grab it the next morning when they would leave the ship in mid-flight. Apparently, doing something like that was fairly common for unicorns and pegasi that were in need of a quick lift or who didn't want to sleep in the wild while headed to out of the way locations.

Stepping out onto the deck of the ship the group made themselves comfortable, Zelus dropping the mare off her back and taking a seat to enjoy the last sight of the large city. Cimmerian stared at her for a moment, noticing the queen seemed less agitated after the morning meal.

"Zelus? Zel, what's up?" At the queen's curious look, he continued. "You've been agitated lately, you look a bit more relaxed now."

Zelus looked over the Trixie, the smaller mare's eyes tracking over the city even as the queen spoke. "It's kind of like having the link again. I suppose most creatures would be angry about it, but she hasn't stopped talking since breakfast, and it reminds me of being in the hive again."

"Ah, I guess your used to the white noise then. Sorry I didn't manage to meet you two last night. Din caught me when I went to speak to her and warn her about the thestrals," Cimmerian explained.

"It's okay, though she may ask for an apology of her own. We, talked overnight, discussed the things that had happened to us in the last few years. She was looking forward to speaking to another individual, I believe. She was upset that you didn't show up, but I think I, I think that we managed to come to an agreement. Both of us have lost something important to the Mad Queen, both of us have reasons to distrust those around us. She's still mine though, and I told her the same thing Pandinus told me. The stronger my hive, the stronger I become, so I want her to become strong as she can be. I want her to heal."

The queen leaned onto the unicorn, nuzzling into her charge and drawing a strange huffing gurgle from the blue mare in response.

"I'm still going to call her Sapphire. She likes it, even if she says otherwise."

"Be nice, Zel," the alicorn softly rebuked. Looking at the mare and using his magic to face her towards him, he leaned down and smiled.

"You're feeling better?"

The mare nodded, causing the stallion to give her a confused look before he realized Zelus was allowing her the communicate in such a way. His smile soon matched by the one appearing on the mare's face, the queen listening to the movements the unicorn was attempting to use and implementing them in real time.

"That's pretty impressive. You're translating her movements for her?" he asked the queen.

Zelus nodded. "It's not that difficult, I am capable of controlling about sixty drones at once in that little game Din was teaching the alicorn mare. Feeling what she is attempting to do, I can then issue the order myself, giving her a bit of delayed control. Drones don't speak though unless I'm directly controlling them, so I'm afraid I can't manage that for her. It was just something I never bothered learning to do."

"Well, it's something, right Sapphire?" he asked the unicorn, earning a raspberry from the unicorn and a confused look from the queen. The two mares both halted all movement for a few seconds, leaving Cimmerian wondering what was being discussed.

Seeing his questioning glance through her charge, Zelus spoke.

"She was explaining what that was. I've seen it before but I never understood why ponies held it as an insult. She said she's not sure why though, do you happen to know?"

Cimmerian shook his head, but one of the guards, Crescent, chuckled at the conversation.

"It's insulting because it Implies that you find the other individual unappealing, if I remember right. Something about how some ponies stick their tongues out when they taste something gross."

"I guess that makes sense," the alicorn muttered, thinking deeply on the topic. Or as deeply as one can think on a childhood insult. Before he could ask about griffons using the middle talon, the ship shuddered to life. Smiling widely, the dark alicorn turned back to the unicorn.

"When was the last time you saw the sunlight, Sapphire?"

In answer, the mare's head turned towards the bow of the airship, looking up the tunnel to the quickly approaching light of the outside world. Zelus wandered off, coming back just as the ship was reaching the barrier with both her heating bracers and the heavier coat for the unicorn.

"Too long," Zelus muttered, shuddering at the sudden drop in temperature despite the enchanted bracers.

Looking about, the Alicorn walked over to the open deck and tossed his pack to the side, pulling a large staff off the queen's recently upgraded arsenal. He turned to the guards and grinned.

"So who's going to beat the shit out of me today?"

The queen watched the alicorn play with the bat pony with disinterest. He had been reluctant to submit to her own training methods, stating they didn't have the time nor the proper medical facilities that such training would require. Fool, how did he expect to become better at fighting without actually doing it? One learned fastest when one's life was on the line, after all.

'He doesn't know how to fight?' her charge asked her, disbelief in the unicorn's voice. The queen shook her head and turned back to the mare.

'He hasn't even been a quadruped for half of a year, if what Pandinus has told me is correct,' Zelus responded through the link. 'He said he had some training before he became involved in this mess, but it doesn't help him much here. I've seen what he looked like before he was an alicorn, it was a very odd creature. Nothing like it on Equis, I believe. He'll show you if you ask. Whatever Din did to him left him embarrassed so he won't be going to her tonight, I don't think. We may also see Luna as well.'

'Wait, as in Princess Luna? Trixie thought Sparkle locked her and Princess Celestia away.'

'The Parasite did,' the queen corrected. 'Luna and Cimmerian are both certain that a similar creature to the one that had turned Luna into Nightmare Moon has taken hold of Twilight Sparkle. You knew her before her madness, didn't you? Did she ever strike you as the type of mare to go around committing genocide against all other races?'

Trixie's nose scrunched slightly as she recalled her first and second encounter with the bookworm turned princess turned dictator.

'Trixie will admit that Sparkle was more inclined to attempt to talk things out, even in the most absurd situations. Trixie still would like to have a few moments with Sparkle once she is in control again. She would like to be certain it is Sparkle that feels it when Trixie shoves her hoof up that purple mare's flank.'

Zelus smiled at the indignation rolling off the unicorn, a much better taste than the fear and anger her drone had been radiating earlier. A burst of shock and imagined pain drew the queen's eyes back to the battle, just in time to see the thestral make her move. Cimmerian swung too wide, leaving himself open. The mare flashed into his guard, sweeping his forelegs before coming back around and driving his muzzle into the deck.

The queen grinned at the dazed alicorn. 'Well, at least Crescent seems to know the proper way to teach a being not to make mistakes. Unlike the others.'

The being stood tall among the structures of his city just as the first rays of sunlight cleared the horizon, staring out at the enemies encampments. The four-legs were busy making fortifications to their forward base, but he knew his own people had the advantage at the moment. It was for this moment, when the supplies actually arrived and were being unpacked, that he'd been waiting for.

"The troops are ready, Chieftain. We strike on your orders."

Chief Baine looked back from the field, his commanders suited up and ready to strike. Walking past them, the bull donned his helmet, the only piece of his armor he'd yet to put on.

"The Equestrian queen has trampled every law and treaty her predecessors have laid. She has shamed my father, shamed us all with her callous treatment of those not of her own people. Today we teach her the error of her ways. Today, the ponies will learn to fear the minotaurs. Today, they will feel the strength of The Minoan Charge."

Rushing to the prepared soldiers, using hidden tunnels to go underneath the cities walls, the commanders were soon ready. Looking to the rising sun to his left, and his enemies before him, the proud minotaur chieftain raised his horn to his lips, and blew.

The blast of the horn rang out across the empty field, followed by a thundering shout. Bursting from their hidden shelters, hundreds of minotaur warriors raced out to meet the enemy, certain that the biggest threat to their safety had been dealt with. Each bore on their armor the rune granted to them by their benefactor, a creature that had given the rune to the Talons in the hopes that the mercenaries would be able to strike back against the Mad Queen. Baine rushed forward, his own personal guards flanking him as he charged the Equestrian lines. As the griffon mercenaries had told him, and as his own people's testing had proven, the changeling swarm made no move towards the advancing army. He smiled grimly under his helm seeing the ponies begin to rush to the walls of their fortress, hopelessly attempting to rouse the changelings and prepare to receive the minotaur charge. His army reached the walls almost completely unmolested, and axes were taken to the wooden structures and supports. Less than two minutes later, and with only a minimal amount of crossbow and spell fire from above, the gates were pulled apart by force. His soldiers charged into the camp, and he rushed in after his own soldiers.

The camp was already in a state of panic and disarray, ponies desperately attempting to mount some sort of defense against both superior numbers and better equipment. Rushing to the location that had been reported by his own scouts, Baine shoulder-checked the door, crushing it under the combined weight of a minotaur and his armor. He swung his warhammer, the ornately crafted head sending the nearest pony through a solid wood wall. He was in no mood to spare these fools, not with the insults they'd spat upon him and his people.

Walking up to the glowing crystal, he paused. The griffons had warned about destroying them outright, stating that the drones would go mad and attempt to kill any in the vicinity. Thus his presence. He would not allow the ponies to unleash this madness upon his city. He would not allow some pony to enter the room and activate some hidden failsafe that would destroy the crystal array.

"Spread out and fortify this position," he shouted, turning to his guards. "We will hold this room while the soldiers clear the camp. The changelings are a secondary objective. Once we're ready, we'll test them for sapience at our leisure."

The chieftain looked outside the shattered doorway, watching as his forces quickly overwhelmed the pony defenders. It was too easy. Did the Mad Queen truly depend so strongly on her drones that she had left the walls almost unmanned? Had her warriors become so arrogant that they felt that nothing could reach them?

The sounds of battle soon drew to an end, and less than an hour after it had begun the entirety of the forces had been defeated. Not just defeated; the invaders had been routed, his own forces only suffering a few casualties upon closing on the wall of the enemies base. Their fortifications, their traps, his scouts had found and marked them all. The ponies didn't even have proper patrols to watch for scouts anymore, so sure were they of their changeling screens.

'Now they know their folly. We will not be able to count on their foolishness forever.'

"Chieftain, the base has been secured, and we've begun moving the changelings in small groups into the magic-sealed room. Any further orders?"

The bull smirked, turning to run a single gauntlet-covered hand over the changeling control array. It was a work of art, even he would admit that.

"No, it has already been planned out. I will be heading back to the city to begin plans on our assault on the next closest Equestrian base. If we move quickly, we will have it before they even know we have taken this forward base out. This is what I needed to see though. The arrays don't just shield us from the drones attack, it leaves us nearly invisible to them, while their arrogance blinds what little sight they retain.

"Send word to the diamond dogs that I have confirmed the usability of the arrays that we have sent them, and forward them the plans I drew up for an attack. The dogs already have the explosives they need. A small strike force to destroy the array would leave the fort an empty shell, ripe for the taking."

"As you command, chief," the warrior said with an arm across his chest. The warrior immediately went to send the runner to the meeting point, and Baine sighed as he sat down on a nearby table. He shook his head, surprisingly disappointed in how the battle had played out. There had been no effective leadership that had rallied the ponies, no brave souls that had stood in the face of impossible odds, there had been no shouts to rally, to stand firm in the face of their enemies, to never give up against their foes. Instead the Equestrian lines had simply collapsed. Had there even been any true warriors here?

Hefting himself up and shoving a communication array over with his hammer, the bull made to return to his own city at a sedate pace. Disappointed he may be, he no longer had an impossibly powerful enemy at his doorstep. He would need to learn the name of the bull who'd sent the array to him via the Talons. That guy had earned himself a true Minoan Feast. Tartarus, if the guy ended up helping them end this entire nightmare, he'd be willing to marry off one of his daughters to the guy. Never let it be said the minotaurs didn't reward those who aided them.

Of course he'd have to make sure the guy could fight. He'd not have one of his beloved daughters in the care of a male who couldn't even swing a stick properly.

"Why is this so difficult for you? You swing the stick, you hit the thestral. End of issue," Zelus rebuked from the sidelines.

Cimmerian was in the midst of shaking off the latest powerful blow he'd received, the grinning bat pony that had just sent his vision spinning smiling at him from three different locations on the deck.

'No, not three different locations, my visions just a bit fuzzy at the moment.'

Signaling for a break, the alicorn stumbled over to his water and took a few hearty chugs as he let his vision clear. For some reason the guards seemed to like watching him wobble around after a sharp blow to the head. They aimed for it every chance they got.

'That or I'm just shit at defending my own noggin. It could honestly go either way at this point.'

"You're definitely doing better sir," Crescent said as she hovered nearby with a wet cloth, wiping the slight trickle of blood he hadn't noticed before. "I know it may feel like we're being really hard on you, but honestly when we first started I hit you three times and you didn't even react. We have to put quite a bit of power into the strikes for you to feel it properly, and it's difficult to find that level between 'will hurt an alicorn' and 'will lay an unprepared alicorn out'."

"It's fine, Crescent. I've literally asked for this several times. I need to figure out how to defend myself properly besides just throwing magic at something until it stops moving. Some incidents may require a bit more finesse than I'm currently capable of. This is also a good way for me to relearn control after wandering Silver City. Changelings aren't the only things that are empowered by love. It's not the same, but love or worship directed at an alicorn can boost their power as well."

The queen blinked at the statement, looking at him in confusion.

"You feed on love as well? Is that why you eat the honey sometimes?"

"I don't need it," Cimmerian corrected her. "I don't think I do, at least. It's just that I noticed it helps make me stronger, and I'll take any advantage I can get right now. There didn't seem to be any side effects that I've noticed, why would I not use it?"

The alicorn blinked a few times, his vision finally clearing after the second minute of rest. He stood up with slightly less trouble than he sat down with and began to make his way to the stairway to the lower deck.

"I think it's a good time to head for dinner and then get some sleep. We're not going to be very safe for a while once we enter the forest from what I've heard. We'll be keeping shifts once more once we enter the Everfree. That includes you and I, Zelus. You're not skipping out on watch this time."

It had been a long time since she'd been able to speak her mind, and though it was strange speaking to the changeling without words, the mare relished the interaction. The food, the snide remarks passing from the guards and the alicorn, even Zelus chipping in a few now and again, it was amazing; it was almost freedom. Almost.

Trixie twitched her tongue even as her body moved towards the room the alicorn and queen were sharing, the shape shifter burying herself into the stallion's fur even as she pulled the heating bracers off of her legs. A single piece of the unicorn's dinner had gotten caught in her teeth, and between the changeling not understanding such hygiene and the mare not having her own supplies the mare was left feeling the irritation of food stuck in between her pearly whites.

'Do you wish to join me on the bed, or would you like to use the other bed?' Zelus asked her through the link.

'Trixie would like to use the other, actually, Trixie will accept your offer. She has been alone for long enough,' the blue unicorn answered, feeling her body moving towards the queen at the decision. It wasn't direct control, but it was little things like that, the queen allowing her to make the decisions or asking the unicorn before she acted that had allowed the blue mare to accept the changeling's aid. It wasn't much, but it was more control than she'd had a week ago.

Settling onto the bed and having the queen help her snuggle into the covers, Trixie was soon drifting off to sleep. She snapped back to awareness in a familiar place, a large chamber that seemed to be underground. Looking about, she noted the queen dozing contentedly once more on a large throne, several ghostly images of changelings flitting in and out of tunnels that faded into darkness. The queen jerked into alertness as Trixie began exploring, wandering the dream and enjoying the freedom that was denied her in the waking world.

"Good evening ladies," a familiar voice called out to them.

She turned to look at him as he entered the dream, a pleasant smile on her muzzle for the first time in so long. That first face she'd seen after so many nightmares, the voice that woke her up form that eternal nightmare. That idiot who'd seen fit to promise to speak with her last night and left her to deal with the queen on her own.

"Trixie would wish you a good evening, but she's still a bit sore that somepony doesn't keep their promises."

The stallion chuckled at her jab, trotting over and shoving her with a hoof in retaliation.

"I told you already, I got nabbed by Din last night. It's nice to hear your voice, Trixie. Even if it is in a dream."

Trixie giggled nervously at the compliment, unused to the kind treatment. Certainly she remembered being treated well, but kindness for the sake of kindness? She couldn't remember the last time somepony had spoken to her with such warmth.

"I have to ask, do you remember what you did back before all of this? Back before Twilight was possessed?"

"Trixie, Trixie was an entertainer. She traveled the land of Equestria, wowing the masses with tales of her exploits and her amazing feats of magic!"

To her delight the stallion smiled brightly at such an introduction, recognizing the profession.

"A stage magician, right? Illusions and sleight of hand? Oh neat, I remember hearing stories about Houdini when I was younger. I actually tried learning a few of those tricks once upon a time. Let's see if I remember any tricks. No that one requires sleeves, that one requires hands, and... damn. I can't think of any good ones that I can do like this."

It took a few seconds for the mare to decipher his meaning, and she stepped closer to the alicorn.

"Hands, Zelus said you were something else before. Could you show Trixie what beast has seduced a changeling queen?"

She chuckled as the alicorn rolled his eyes, but soon her eyes widened as his form shifted. His muzzle collapsed into itself, his barrel twisted, flattening out. The strangest part was his limbs, twisting this way and that as they shifted into much more precise instruments of manipulation.

"A hooman...that crazy old mare was right, they did exist..."

"A what?" the creature asked, looking at her in shock. "Are you telling me you recognize this form? Where did you hear about it?"

"There was this mare Trixie spoke to in years gone by, she doesn't remember the mare's name but she was always going on about visions of these strange creatures that lived their lives without magic. They were strange enough that Trixie incorporated a few stories about them into her shows once or twice, but otherwise they were merely a novelty. Something dreamed up by a crazy mare."

"Interesting, do you remember any details about this mare?" a new voice asked, drawing the blue unicorn's gaze from the strange creature before her.

"Princess Luna!" Trixie squawked in surprise, looking between the queen and the princess a few times. "Twilight said she'd sealed you away!"

"The Parasite that holds Twilight against her will did indeed seal us in an unknown location, but I still retained my dream walking. Not very useful when nopony dreams, though. How are you feeling, Trixie?"

Shuffling nervously at the attention of royalty, the showmare smiled. "Trixie is certainly doing better than she was, though that isn't saying much."

The biped behind her made a strange snapping noise, causing all the mares to flinch at the odd sound.

"I got it, you want to see a neat trick? Watch this!"

To Trixie's horror, the creature bounded over to the princess, the blue alicorn unable to scramble away fast enough to escape his sudden approach. Laying his strange limbs over the princess, dancing them over her coat, he started laughing as he began to hum a tune. The princess could only struggle weekly as her body seemed to go limp, helpless in his grip.

"Try to understand, try to understand

try try try to understaaand, he's the magic man momma,

oooh, he's got the magic hands."

Author's Notes:

Should ponies ever invade, every human being is equipped to deal with them. From childhood.

I'd say Screw the Everfree Forest...

The group was back on the deck of the ship early the next day despite the still falling temperature. Zelus' bracer was now working in tandem with a blanket and her pony slash mobile heat source to keep the queen warm as she played back seat combatant to the alicorn.

"No, you idiot. You don't parry a weak side strike, you step out of it's range. Otherwise they have the perfect opportunity to strike at you with their other limbs while you waste time and energy with a full block. Tartarus, just use your hoof, it's not like he has the power to split it even with a full strike."

"Why the buzz are you just standing there? Move forward! Crush your opponent! You don't win fights by staring at them, you're not a cockatrice!"

"Even Sapphire knows better than to try and overpower an opponent that is properly braced, fool. I could see them preparing the throw the second they settled themselves and waited for you!"

Cimmerian took her comments in stride, knowing the queen was just burning frustration at his being trained 'incorrectly' by the guards. Taking a moment to let the deck stop spinning, the alicorn turned to the queen and shot her a question.

"How the hell did you train so aggressively and not kill the drones you were training with? I mean, I assume your mother couldn't always take the time to train you personally, and learning from several teachers can sometimes help with such a wide subject."

"I did kill them," Zelus answered, to the abject horror of those around her. "Or at least, the true drones mother moved their consciousness to. After that, they'd snap back to their true bodies and the next would begin fighting me."

Cimmerian stared at her in disbelief.

"That is both disgustingly brutal, and horribly inefficient. Your hive was suffering from a food shortage and you were throwing away the resources to raise those drones."

"Not really," the queen replied lazily. "Mother would switch to producing true drones for a while every now and again, as they don't require as much food as a fathered drone. Pandinus told you queens need to lay eggs no matter the circumstances, correct? We would sometimes end up with several hundred spares we had no use for. Using them like that at least helped teach me to fight properly, instead of them just sitting around wasting space."

"I can't exactly do that with my guards, Zel. I break something, and they'll have to live with it," the stallion explained.

The queen blinked as she looked to the guards, as if the idea hadn't occurred to her. She fixed a stare at the unicorn sitting beside her only to receive a burning glare in return, Trixie daring her to try and volunteer the unicorn for such a purpose.

Zelus sighed in defeat, "Okay, so you can't use my methods here. Perhaps when we get back to the Temple though, we can do it my way."

"Well, now that we know why Zelus is telling me to kill my own guards, how about some lunch?" the stallion suggested, clopping his front hooves together." Last chance to fill up on decent food before we're stuck on trail mix for a while."

The shape shifter rolled her eyes, as did her charge.

"I agree, Sapphire. For a given definition of 'decent' food."

Just after the break for lunch the captain approached the group, warning the alicorn that they were approaching the point of divergence; the airship would be banking due south soon, leaving the Everfree Forest behind it.

The group quickly gathered up their supplies and made their final checks, Cimmerian making certain the unicorn was properly secured to the changeling queen's back. Trixie had begun to fidget a little more, but it was nowhere near enough control to hold onto the queen during flight if Zelus became distracted. The larger mare had huffed at his insistence, stating that if she couldn't focus on both an attacker and Sapphire at the same time she'd reform herself as a drone with her next molt.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Zel. It's just a thing. Better safe than sorry. 'Sides, this will allow you to put your full focus into the problem if something does go wrong. We may need to leave her up there too, depending on how thick the foliage is."

Seeing the unicorn glaring at him from her tied down position, he chuckled pitifully at her.

"You're not the only one who can't wait till you can move freely again, Trixie. It means we'll be able to let you do your own thing instead of keeping you nearby."

Securing his own supplies, several large bundles and his own large saddlebags, the group lifted off the airship and flew down to the tree line. Landing lightly, the group did yet another check of their supplies, this time making certain all their packs were properly secured to make the rest of the journey on hoof.

One of the griffon guards, Raymond, frowned as the alicorn meticulously inspected each strap and tie.

"Have you done this before, sir? I don't think my own mother checked my packs as thoroughly as you have."

"I have, though it was years ago in the scouts. One of the guys I was with was talking about keeping your stuff secure so you don't lose it. Some of us listened while others laughed off the warning. Next thing some of us know, several of the guys are missing canteens, extra cloths, one guy even dropped his sleeping bag somehow. We're not really going to be able to backtrack if this place is as bad as I've been told, so we need to be ready to go. On the other hand, the knots I have you guys using can be undone quickly in an emergency. Pull the second string to undo it. That way you're not trapped under all that gear if the processed biological waste hits the rotating air circulation device."

Seeing the uncomprehending stares, the alicorn took a few moments to look around, realizing the line, even in clear English, was likely useless on this world.

"When the shit hits the fan?"

"What's a fan?" the queen asked, looking to one of the griffons, who shrugged in confusion.

"It's, I... never mind, it means you'll be able to drop the gear in a hurry if everything goes pear-shaped."

"What do pears have to do with the jungle?" Crescent asked him, still looking horrifically confused.

"You. Can. Drop. The gear. If things. Go. Badly," Cimmerian enunciated clearly in frustration.

Zelus rolled her eyes while her charge gurgled something.

"I agree with Sapphire, if that's what you meant, why didn't you say it?"

One of the griffon guards shook his head.

"No, I want to know what an air circulation device and poo has to do with our situation, why would you bring that up?"

Planting his rear on the snowy grass heavily, the alicorn gave a tired stare at the griffon.

"Fans are usually made with metal or plastic blades that are angled and spin really fast to move air. What do you think would happen if shit hit a fan?"

"Oh..." the guards muttered, looking at each other as understanding finally was achieved.

A sudden hard landing nearby caused all the guards except the queen to jump, reaching for their weapons, but the alicorn merely approached the new arrivals with a welcoming smile.

"Glad to see you could make it Eloise. Thank you for coming out here for us."

The orange pegasus trotted forward, greeting the alicorn with much less hostility this time.

"You're headed to my old stomping grounds, I wouldn't miss the chance to regroup with an old friend of mine under the guise of official business. Besides, we've gotten lost in there enough times to know a few tricks. If you're not careful, the Everfree can tear up even the strongest units."

Trotting up beside the pegasus, a light yellow earth pony mare bowed in greeting.

" 'Sa pleasure ta meet ya in person, Mr Cimmerian. Yer a lot bigger in person, it seems."

The alicorn returned the bow and the greeting, "Pleasure's mine, Apple Bloom. Though I do have to wonder why both of you are here."

"It has to do with the magic o' the Everfree," Apple Bloom explained. "It can be right nasty if ya don't have the proper magical load out. Earth ponies have it easier in tha forest as we're anchored to Equis. Otherwise, ya can end up half-way cross the forest one minute, and two leagues south o' where ya started the next."

"I see. Shadow Weaver told me that what scared ponies about it was how it functioned on its own, nothing was mentioned about random teleportation," Cimmerian told the mare with a frown. "I would think that kind of information would rate a bit more unnerving than lack of enforced order."

"Shucks, there's plenty a' places where the magic o' the world gets a lil' wobbly. Everfree is the only place on Equis that functions totally independent of all outside control though."

Apple Bloom's smile dropped a bit, seeing the changeling queen's cargo. "Mr. Cimmerian, who's that? Ah swear Ah've seen that mare before."

Zelus moved forward, recognizing the pony from the alicorn's dream walking.

"This is the Great and Powerful Sapphire!" Zelus said, splaying a hoof out in a grandiose pose that sent the stallion groaning in exasperation. Zelus then scowled at her passenger the mare obviously not happy with the ruined introduction.

"I don't care, I like that name better. And I'm not going to waste my magic doing some petty explosions. Who do you take me for, your lackey? It's the other way around, pony!"

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both stared at Cimmerian, hoping for some sort of explanation. Seeing their pleas, he answered.

"The mare's name is Trixie. We found her in Silver City a few days ago. She was messed up by the Mad Queen in much the same way Cadance was, only she didn't retain control of her body. She's getting better and she can fidget a bit now, but it's a slow process.

Apple Bloom, still not quite understanding the situation, turned to her pegasus friend for an answer.

"When I was at the Temple of the Shadows, where Lord Cimmerian is based, I saw Princess Cadance," the orange mare explained" She, she didn't look too good, Bloom. Had this weird thing on her cheek, and she kinda' clung to him the entire time. Her feathers were also pretty ragged."

Cimmerian nodded in agreement with the purple maned mare, "Cadance is doing much better now. In fact, Din and Amare are teaching her to use the array for her own benefit. While I don't think Trixie will be able to use it the same way, she will likely be able to talk to anyone in the hive that's close enough to hear her. That's how she's talking right now, actually. She tells Zelus what she wants, and Zelus passes the message to us. Not ideal by a long shot, but it's better than being mute."

The stallion looked over the mares, making note of their bags and supplies.

"Thanks for agreeing to hold our hands on this little expedition through the woods."

"Gotten lost in there enough times to know most of the things you'd run into, at least near Ponyville. Zecora taught me how ta take care of mahself if Ah need to go in there for anythin'," the farmer replied. "Just follow us, an' don't touch nothing without askin' first!"

Nodding in understanding, Cimmerian turned to the guards.

"Right, you guys heard the lady. No licking the trees, no tasting the rocks, and no fetching the sticks, no matter how brown and sticky they may be."

The griffons chuckled at the alicorn's rules while the thestrals and the queen gave him a confused look. Zelus' faded a moment later, the mare on her back likely clueing her in on the sarcasm. Turning back to their new guides, the group ventured into the forest; Scootaloo and Apple Bloom in front, the thestrals next, Cimmerian, Zelus, and then the griffons.

"First things first, don't wander off on your own. Try to keep in sight of each other at all times. While the Everfree doesn't randomly teleport someone away the second no one's looking, it may do so if you wander too far off. You also need to be moving for it to teleport you, so you can sleep without worrying about that. If you can hear each other, your close enough."

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement before giving the second point.

"The second thing ya gotta worry 'bout in the Everfree is it's all about wild magic. I don't mean like nopony's controlin' it, Ah mean like it tends to mess with any other magic that enters it. Even the trails blazed bah earth ponies fade really fast. The only ones that stay are older than the forest itself. That or ponies that have earned the forests respect, like Zecora. Ahm not sure how, but sometimes a pony that spends a lot of time aroun' the Everfree just seems to have an easier time of it."

"And the third thing is, you don't bucking use fire spells in the forest." Scootaloo said, looking at the only casters in the group. "Almost every time a unicorn doesn't come back out is because they used a fire spell. The body, or the last place the pony was would be found with scorch marks around it, and that was it. After that, the Everfree stops playing Ms. Nice Mare."

Crescent snorted in amusement.

"I was under the impression that the Everfree Forest is already brutal. Wha-"

"Don't tempt fate, idiot," Cimmerian said with unusual seriousness, releasing the mare's muzzle from his aura before addressing the rest of the group.

"If I hear anyone asking how things could get worse, or saying it could get worse, any of the multitude variations of such phrases, or any other such invocations of Murphy's Law, you better hope whatever shows up kills you because if it doesn't I will."

"Who's Murphy?" Zelus asked from her position in the line.

"Murphy's Law is as follows," the stallion explained, subconsciously going into lecture mode. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The extension says that it will likely go wrong at the most inopportune time, or that the thing that goes wrong will be the thing that will cause the most damage. There are also hundreds of variations, like the harder an itch is to reach, the worse it will itch and my personal favorite, if things are going well, you've overlooked something."

"Sounds like paranoia to me," Raymond muttered, eyes wandering the thickening foliage.

Cimmerian brightened at the comment.

"Ah, that's another good one. It's only paranoia until someone tries to kill you. Then it's foresight."

That one drew a laugh from the queen.

"Indeed. I do remember watching ponies scold their own for being too cautious. Those were usually the ones we liked to target, the ones who ridiculed others for their caution. It was fairly obvious they didn't pay much attention to their surroundings."

Apple Bloom shot a long look at Scootaloo after hearing that comment. The orange mare responded by rolling her eyes and turning back to the queen.

"Do you have any plans of using that now?"

"I have ready access to emotion, a home, and a hive," the shape shifter responded easily. "Unless I find the need to infiltrate another country or city, I see no reason to. Why?"

"'Cuz talkin' like that makes ya sound kinda evil, Miss Changelin'," Apple Bloom told the queen dryly.

Zelus rolled her eyes.

"Ah yes, when a changeling kidnaps a pony to feed the hive, it's evil. When ponies start wiping out changeling hives it's justice, correct? Please tell me again what the enslavement of my species does to benefit your race?"

Wincing at the remark, Scootaloo looked back at the alicorn.

"You're just going to let her talk like that?"

"I fail to see why I should intervene," Cimmerian said coolly, not looking at the queen or the earth pony. "I'm not going to stop her every time she insults someone. Not only does she need to learn to interact with others without me holding her ha-hoof the entire time, I didn't hear a retort from either of you. Who's ruler is it that's wiping out the other races again?"

Both Equestrians went silent at that, the queen holding her head high with a victorious grin on her face. Cimmerian shook his head. Hopefully this wouldn't be their entire trip. He didn't need his guides and his guards at each other's throats.

"I understand these are extenuating circumstances, that Twilight's not a bad person. But you're going to have to remember what I've told Din, and what I've been trying to teach Zelus. It's not the truth of the situation. It's also how everything looks to everyone around you."

The group made decent progress through the woods, only a few close brushes with the strange creatures of the forest that had slowed them only slightly. The forest had quickly turned temperate despite the snow and cold outside the tree line, causing most of the group to stop and pack up their cold weather gear. Zelus was the happiest of all, finally no longer needing to rely on the bracers for comfort.

The odd wolves they'd seen, Timberwolves Scootaloo had called them to Cimmerian's endless amusement, were a very tempting target for fire spells. The alicorn had caught himself several times thinking about how well a simple fire-ray would work, igniting the entirety of a pack. Zelus wasn't much better, her instinctive reaction in combat being to use the most efficient mode of eliminating her opponent going against the rules of their guides. She'd managed to hold off so far, but Cimmerian had taken to reminding her every time a wolf had prodded their defenses. After the third time and the queen almost aiming a spell at him though, he explained it was as much a reminder for himself as it was for her.

After the third time Zelus had waded into a small group of forest creatures, Trixie had been passed to the alicorn for her own safety. While Zelus was capable of defending herself, she was also used to allowing glancing blows to slide off of her chitin. Trixie may have had some plating, but those claws and teeth would sooner or later find something softer to connect with on the immobile mare. Not an hour after the unicorn had been passed off, Cimmerian heard Trixie sigh in relief as Zelus charged in to fight the latest 'random encounter' as he'd taken to calling them.

The creature was a large blue blob of slime, at least six feet in height and nine feet wide, much like some of the basic enemies he remembered from so many video games. Several pseudopods formed as the queen closed, swinging at and attempting to either bat away or ensnare the changeling. Zelus dodged them all, squealing in gleeful triumph as she drove her spear into the gelatinous mass, only to be swatted away when the creature didn't seem to register the strike.

"Of course it wouldn't just roll over and die like a good little mob," Cimmerian muttered as he launched two shadow blades at the creature. The blades were Luna's version, as he had no desire to splatter the creature over the landscape just to find out it was acidic. They passed through the creature with little visible effect and dissipated in the forest behind it, much to the alicorn's chagrin.

"Look for some kind of nucleus or something inside that would function as a brain."

Either not hearing his words or too lost in her own rage at her attack having no effect, Zelus charged again, this time with her blades drawn. She began hacking and slashing through the tentacles, even scoring a few useless hits against the main body. The shape shifter squawked in surprise as the goo changed thickness on her, leaving both of her blades stuck in its mass. The creature took advantage of her momentary surprise, quickly nabbing her with its tentacles and attempting to drag her into its mass, including a single tentacle wrapped around her horn to prevent casting. The queen held her ground for several seconds before the creature took a different approach, rolling forward and right over the queen.

"Dammit Zelus!" Cimmerian shouted, still looking for a weakness as the other guards continued trying to fire arrows or bolts into the creatures mass. He soon spotted it, surprisingly close to the flailing queen that was being pulled into the center of the slime. A large blob that was nearly indistinguishable from the rest of the beast.

'Never thought biology class would save my life, or that of a friend.'

The dark alicorn shifted his body, not daring to fire a spell with the queen inside the slime.

"Trixie, see the circular shape near Zelus? I need you to tell her about it! It's gotta be the weak spot, the brain of the entire slime."

To the alicorn's joy, the queen stopped flailing, the information having been passed from the unicorn to her via the link. The queen twisted, pulling yet another blade from her pack and flailed downwards, finding some sort of purchase on the ground even through the muck. With a powerful push off of the ground, she propelled herself forwards and up, driving the blade into the creatures core before ripping the blade free, spilling the core's contents into the rest of the creature.

Deprived of its core the beasts pseudopods fell limp, allowing Cimmerian and the others to rush forward and begin digging the queen out of the slime. It took only a few moments but he finally managed to pull her out by the tail, the queen instantly beginning to hack and cough as fresh air rushed into her lungs.

"Holy shit, Zel. You gotta be more careful about animals in the forest," the stallion said, lifting the queen's head up off the ground. Seeing her slit pupils looking unfocused and slightly bloodshot, he swore loudly, pressing an ear against her muzzle to be certain her chocking wasn't just reflex. He let out a breath of relief when he felt her exhale, but still went about using a spare towel to remove the ooze from her muzzle.

"..I-it.." the queen gurgled, breaking into a coughing fit. Several chunks of slime escaped her throat during her coughing, the changeling breathing a little easier with the obstruction gone.

"What's wrong with her? She was coughing, so she's not dead right?" Scootaloo asked, looking over the queen for any cuts or punctures in her chitin.

Her breathing finally stabilizing once more, the shape shifter attempted to speak once more.

"It's in my everywhere," Zelus quietly sobbed, using a hoof to weakly wipe at more of the grime.

The group had quickly decided it was for the best to remove as much of the slime from their persons as possible, and to do so as quickly as possible. Finding a small stream, Zelus had wasted no time checking it for any more unpleasant surprises before running a wet rag over the entirety of her form, all the while chanting a continuous 'ew ew ew ew ew!'

Cimmerian chuckled quietly at the queen's antics. Just an hour ago she was rearing and ready to take on anything the forest threw at her. Now she wanted nothing more than to curl up in the deepest part of her hive and pretend the fight never happened.

'At least everyone lived to laugh this off. I thought slimes were supposed to be the easiest things to kill, not nearly capable of killing one of the strongest in our group.'

"Cimmerian!" Zelus shouted from nearby, rushing over to him with three towels in her aura.

"I can't, it's still there, you're going to help, now!"

Flinching back as the queen nearly hit him with one of her ooze-covered towels, the alicorn looked around at the others present before turning back to the queen.

"Why me? Can't you have Crescent or one of the other girls take care of this?"

"Fool, the goo is in my wings and under my shell, do you think I'm going to trust them with such a thing?" she quietly hissed at him. "I won't have creatures that are not of my hive touching the insides of my elytra."

Squeezing the excess water from his towel and carefully running it over her back and removing the slime, the alicorn sighed to himself, realizing the awkward position his wife had unintentionally put him in.

'She considers Din her sister, and I'm Din's mate, so I guess that makes me part of Zelus' hive. I think I remember Din saying something about queen's not letting anyone near their backs like this.'

"I'm sick of this place. I want to go home already," the changeling whined, vigorously scrubbing several locations with her other towels. The queen suddenly snarled, baring her fangs at someone who had gotten a little too close while her wings were being cared for.

Scootaloo backed up quickly at the unexpected display of aggression.

"Whoa! Easy there, Queen Rush, I was just going to offer-"

"I have enlisted Cimmerian's aid already, pony. Back off before I-"

"Relax Zelus," Cimmerian whispered, leaning to her ear. "She doesn't know about the wing thing. Wing care among flying military units is considered important, so she's just following her own culture's rules. She'd be expected to help her friends, and they'd help her."

Turning to the orange mare, he smiled apologetically.

"Changeling queen's are protective of their wings and the skin underneath them, Scootaloo. It's nothing personal, she just doesn't want anyone she doesn't know that well near them."

"Speaking of being near wings," he continued, turning back to Zelus, "Why do you trust me with this?"

"Pandinus spoke highly of your ability to care for her wings," the mare explained. "Said you knew exactly what to do and what not to do to them. I assume she was speaking from personal experience considering she seemed to reflect quite thoroughly on your abilities afterwards. From what I have felt, she was not misleading me. You haven't pulled or pushed them while wiping them down as I expected you to. Thank you."

"It's no problem, Zelly," the stallion said with a smirk, ignoring her glare, "I'm just glad you made it out of that okay. You had me worried for a bit there, I thought you'd stopped breathing. Just be careful, because we may run into another one of those things, or something similar. You're my guard, and that means protecting me. While it does count as protecting me when you kill everything that looks at me funny, it doesn't help me when you manage to get yourself killed. Din would probably be pretty upset if that happened."

The queen cocked her head in confusion, the towels ceasing their work for a moment.

"Why would she be upset? You're the one the hive needs."

"Don't sell yourself short, Zelus. You're one of two queen's currently capable of reproducing at the Temple. If something happens to Din, you're next in line. She's learned to care for those who live with her like I do, and that includes you."

Wiping away the last visible bit of slime, the alicorn pulled the queen's elytra shut with his magic before pulling her into a comforting hug.

"That, and all of our hard work on teaching you about living our way would have been for nothing. I don't like teaching others just to have them die on me."

The queen turned to stare at him a few moments, leaning towards him till her muzzle was just shy of his own.

"Din was right," the queen mused, "You taste strange sometimes. It's a different kind of love. I think she called it familial love? I never really noticed the difference in taste, but it's there. Thank you for the snack."

Watching her trot over to her gear he stared in confusion, the unicorn still tied to his back heaving with muffled laughter.

"Shut up, Trixie."

The blue mare heaved even harder.

It wasn't even dinner of the first day in the forest and Cimmerian's group was getting sick of it. Between the all the random encounters with wild life, the twisted paths that were sometimes overgrown with vegetation, forcing them to back track and find another route through the forest, and the times that the group had to back track because their guides said an open field wasn't safe, the alicorn and his guards were becoming frustrated.

"For what reason are we turning around now? It's another open field, why can't we just go forward?" Zelus asked Apple Bloom in frustration. The mare rolled her eyes, walking up to the field and stopping just shy, pointing to the seemingly innocuous field of flowers.

Cimmerian cautiously scanned the field, looking for some sort of snout or muzzle poking out of the vegetation.

"I don't know, I'm waiting for some sort of dragon to be hiding under it all. A safe, open field in this forest? Bullshit."

"There's nuthin' under the flowers, trust me," the yellow mare said. "It's the flowers themselves we gotta avoid. It's called poison joak. Stuff is mean if your not careful around it. If ya walk through it, it leaves a jynx on ya, like mah sis got turned really small while Twalight's horn went limp. S'kinda funny in hindsight, but it wasn't very fun at the time considerin' they thought this zebra, Zecora, had cursed them."

"We're turning around for a damn plant?!?" the queen shouted. "Why the hell don't we just- no, I'm done with this!"

Seeing the queen trot up to the field, her horn glowing with energy, Cimmerian's eyes wide as he realized her intent. Even as the rest of the group took off in the other direction to put as much distance between themselves and the queen as possible he galloped over to her, attempting to contact her horn with his own to dispelling her gathered energy before she could unleash the spell that would likely doom them all.

He was too late though, a torrent of changeling green flames flooding from the queen's horn and over the field. The effect was instantaneous, the green flames quickly being replaced by a cloud of blue smoke that seemed to rear up as if alive. It came crashing down on the queen and the alicorn, engulfing them both in the shimmering spores.

Were it normal joak it likely would have had little to no effect on the stallion, but charged by the queen's own magic he felt it burning all over his body. The swirling cloud was finally fading as he passed out several paces from the changeling, but he managed to utter one last thing before everything went black.

"God damn it, Zelus."

Author's Notes:

Slimes are easy in video games, as most enemies have a health pool. Not so easy when it's a living creature. Also, ew for goo.

I had several ideas about what the curse/jynx would be, and I think I settled on a good one. Cimmerian, Zelus and Trixie are all going to have fun with this. No, nevermind. It's just me that's going to enjoy this. and maybe you guys.

Finally, I've read enough stories with the poison joke/joak to have seen a ton of curses, everything from changing genders to silly little things like changing the size of the body or one limb/organ. I actually at one point had wanted to do something where Cimmerian ended up with two horns on his back and a wing on his forehead, but I may use that joke later.

On a final note, my computer hates Apple Bloom.

...But It May Derive Some Pleasure From Such an Act

Cimmerian returned to consciousness feeling...off. He already knew that, considering what Apple Bloom had told him about the plant, he had likely been altered in some way. Shifting on what turned out to be one of the sleeping mats the stallion braced himself for the worst, standing up and opening his eyes.

To his confusion, it seemed that no one was there. He was apparently left alone, except for a single individual he didn't recognize. An older zebra sat by a campfire, poking the weak flames with a staff and muttering to herself. At his movement her ears perked up, though she didn't look away from the crackling fire.

"Foalish is the one who uses fire spells in this forest I call home," the zebra said. "Many who do so often end up buried beneath the loam. Scootaloo speaks quite highly of your intellect and caution. Tell me, what made you act in such a reckless fashion?"

"I don't understand. I didn't-" Cimmerian paused, a hoof reaching up to his throat. His voice was off, having an almost alien echo. Raising a hoof to his eyes, he blinked in confusion.

"Well I can't say I really expected that. Then again I suppose that's the point."

He continued to inspect himself even as the zebra rose from her spot by the fire and approached him. A gleaming, full black shell of chitin covered his form at the moment, while a clean deep navy blue silk hung form his head and fomed his tail. His horn was now jagged and sharp, though it's usefulness as a weapon would depend on its sensitivity; if it was anything like his alicorn-form's horn, that would be a no. Looking over his shoulder he frowned, not able to see his wings but noticing the same type of shell-covering that Zelus had over her own wings.

'My eyes probably didn't change much, but I still want to check them out. Wait, do I still have my-'

A panicked check revealed that, though once more it was altered to fit his current shape, protected by several chitin plates of its own, he was still quite male. Cimmerian exhaled in relief,

"The effects that the leaves leave are varied and odd, but I found nothing out of place on your rather large bod. Normally the effects are quite obvious, perhaps you can point out what it was that I missed?"

"Well, I wasn't a changeling a few hours ago," Cimmerian answered dryly, finally finding the muscles for his new wing-covers and wings and managing to splay them out.

The mare raised an eyebrow at his lack of panic.

"Most would be unnerved by such a radical transition. How do you remain so tranquil at such a revelation?"

"Not the first time I've found myself in an alien form, miss," the stallion replied with a rueful chuckle.

Inspecting himself further, he hummed thoughtfully

"Actually, this is kind of funny. I mean, considering the other changelings that are of this size are queen's, I'd list myself as a changeling king right now, if such a thing exists. I was also already practically carrying that title since my wife's a changeling queen. Creative, I give it a nine out of ten. Oh, if there's never been any changelings like this, maybe I can name it? I want to be known as a Changeling Lord. Ha, I'll be the overlord of the Temple of the Shadows! Wait, that means I'll lose. Nevermind."

The large alicorn-turned-changeling turned to the zebra with a suddenly worried expression.

"How's Zelus?"

"You speak of the large mare similarly cursed? She seemed untouched, I thought it would have been worse."

Cimmerian cautiously approached the huddled form of the queen, more curious than worried at this point. So far all he'd seen and heard of this weed was fairly inane changes that didn't leave the victim in pain or incapable of living, just incredibly annoyed. After all, it's not a joke if the victim doesn't survive. He stumbled as something caught his attention; a faint echoing curiosity, the emotion barely brushing against him.

'Is that Din?' he wondered, realizing he may be capable of touching the link in his current form. He attempted to let his mind push off towards the curiosity, thoughts of his lover filling his mind. He felt the curiosity turn to worried confusion and he smiled. He'd likely have to talk to the mare later on to assure her he was still alive and kicking, and that he was the one that she was reaching through the link now.

'Speaking of the link, wasn't Trixie- oh! Uh oh, she was caught in that cloud as well. Did it change her as well?'

Reaching the second bag, he lifted the covers and peaked in, finding Zelus currently curled up under her blankets. Only where the day before he'd seen a changeling queen, now he was staring at an alicorn mare with a black coat and blue stripes, the same dark colorations the queen had held.

'Oh this is going to be a riot, right until she starts panicking at least.'

Cimmerian nudged the queen, drawing a soft groan of irritation before her eyes flew open, the mare nearly jumping out of her blankets in shock.

"What happened! The blue, I, where is everyone?!" the ex-changeling shouted.

Catching the mare's muzzle with his hooves and bringing her eyes to his own he spoke quietly to her.

"Calm down Zelly, nobody got hurt. Relax a bit."

"Who-Cimmerian? Why.." Zelus' eyes soon tracked down, taking note of the strange looking form standing in front of her before her eyes noticed her own situation. She began breathing heavily as she raised a hoof, then splayed the wings of her current form. Her eyes wide in shock and her horn sparked wildly, likely trying to undo the transformation as she normally would have. After the sixth set of sparks, she lost control of herself.

"I, I can't, oh Tartarus, I can't change back. What happened to me!" the mare shouted, looking to the similarly cursed being before her.

The stallion just smiled kindly before explaining the situation.

"Poison joak leaves weird effects on those who walk through it. We ended up washed in a cloud of it. Does this really surprise you Zel?"

"This. This is my fault," the ex queen mumbled, her head drooping in shame. "I can't, I'm sorry, I can't do this. I keep messing up, I'll just end up getting you hurt. I never should have left the hive."

Even as the alicorn mare began to walk away from the campsite, the stallion was staring off with a glazed look, feeling fairly sick to his stomach from the despair Zelus was giving off. Shaking the effects off as best he could and powering through the rest, he stomped a hoof into the ground.

"Zelus, get over here. Now."

The queen turned alicorn stopped, looking back at him for a moment, seeming to debate following the order while tears began to stream down her cheeks. He pointed to the ground before him one more time, and she sighed in defeat before approaching. Stopping just shy of the changeling she looked up cautiously, as if she expected to be struck. He didn't lash out at her though, instead he started pulling her away from the camp, just out of easy earshot from the group. He could still see the fire from the new location, so there wasn't any possibility of getting lost at this distance.

"Zelus, stop crying," he said as he turned back to her. When she refused meet his eyes he once again grabbed her muzzle, this time with his sparking aura.

'I need to figure out the differences between the types of magic, this seems to function in a weird way.' "I mean that literally Zelus, I don't know how to control the emotion-feeding, so you're making me dizzy."

He received one more burst of sorrow and shame from the queen before she picked herself up slightly, her eyes still shimmering with tears.

"Now, tell me what happened," he demanded. "You're not stupid enough to just disregard what Scootaloo and Apple Bloom told us about it, so what happened in that field?"

"I, I wanted to get out of here," Zelus mumbled, slowly picking up volume. "I wanted to fight things, I wanted to make everyone proud, wanted everyone to say how good I was at being a guard and one of the first things that didn't buckle to a single strike...

"I've been fighting things for years, Cimmerian. Ponies, griffons, minotaurs, chupacobras, reavers, quaray eels, rockadiles, jagulas, all kinds of things. I never walked away with more than a few simple scratches. Now, now I'm fully healed, I just molted with the love Queen Pandinus gave to me, gave to me so that I could protect her mate! I'm more powerful than I've ever been in my life, and that thing, it just..." Zelus broke into sobs once more, unable to contain herself.

"The power, the armor, it was useless. It didn't matter what I did, it didn't matter how hard I could hit it, or how many hits I could take. It was suffocating me. I felt so weak when you pulled me out, I was ashamed! I couldn't even stand afterwards, I was so out of it! I just wanted to go home!"

Giving a few heaving breaths to try and stabilize herself, the distraught mare continued.

"But then we found that damn field, those flowers that made us turn around. I didn't want to turn around, I wanted to leave this place, I hate this forest. So I burned it, I burned it so we could leave faster. Now I messed up again, and I screwed everything up. I can't stay here, I need to leave, before I mess something else up. Before you get hurt anymore. I can't be a guard when the one I'm supposed to be protecting is keeping me fed and saving my life. I failed, I failed my sister, my first family in so long..." Zelus sobbed, collapsing on the ground in tears.

"Now I'm stuck like this, I can't hear her, I'm alone again, and I don't understand my own body. I, I'm just so confused..."

Cimmerian settled in next to the mare despite her emotional state causing his stomach to do somersaults. He felt his wings buzz uselessly, unable to wrap around the mare like he'd intended, so he settled for using his foreleg to pull her closer.

"So you got scared and made a mistake. I've done that a few times, and a few times it's ended worse than this, trust me on that one. The biggest mistake you made here Zelus, was not saying anything about it to us. I ended up scared a bit too when I almost got eaten by a snake, but I also had Luna's memories to help me put it in perspective. Humans also don't like to think about death that much, and when we do it's usually with a touch of humor to make it more bearable. I've come closer to dying here than I ever did at home, I think. Trust me when I say this world has put me through my paces.

"So the next time things are backing up you talk to us, okay? You're not with another queen that will abandon you if you seem weak, you're not with a hive that needs a strong queen all the time. Din is pregnant right now, and when Lestidae tried taking over, who did they side with. The queen who was inhibited by her pregnancy, something that is completely alien to her species. They chose her, and the stability she brings them over your old ally's traditional rule. Din knows that if she has a problem, she can talk to me and I know the opposite is also true. That goes for you too though. If you need to talk to someone, but don't want it public, you come to Din or I, and we'll hear anything you need to say. Okay? Even if I have to stop the trip for an hour or two until you feel better, you tell me you're not feeling well."

Standing up and motioning for the mare to do the same, he smiled warmly at her, drawing a ghost of a smile from the cursed queen.

"Besides Zel, I need an expert in changeling bodies to help me adapt to this, and I don't think you're going to know what to do when your body starts sending you the signals I know it will. After the trouble you had with Trixie, think of how bad it will be when you don't have her or Crescent telling you what you need to do."

The mare blanched, memories of caring for the pony-changeling hybrid resurfacing like some suppressed nightmare. She shuddered, feeling her wings rustle in agitation and turned to glare at them. Cimmerian chuckled at her before noticing an odd muscle group near his upper jaw. He tested them almost reflexively, gagging and spitting as an acrid taste rolled over his tongue. Spewing and sputtering, the ex-alicorn coughed slightly before noticing his most recent issue.

'Why does my mouth feel like I've just been shot up with a ton of novacaine?'

His tongue lolling out of his mouth uselessly, Cimmerian led Zelus back to the campsite just as the rest of the guards returned with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, all carrying different plants, fruits and several large fish in the case of the griffons. All the guards gave the changeling and alicorn a cautious look as they walked back into the campsite and set about preparing the evening meal. Apple Bloom trotted up to the pair. Strange as it was, Cimmerian could literally taste the concern washing off of the farmer.

"How are ya feelin' Mister Cimmerian?" Apple Bloom asked Zelus, causing the stallion to burst into laughter, his limp tongue making it sound even more ridiculous.

Seeing the male changeling currently too busy laughing at their confusion, Zelus sheepishly corrected the group.

"Actually, I'm Zelus. Cimmerian's the changeling right now."

Even as the queen was shrinking back from the slack-jawed stares of the group, a small blue blur flitted up to Zelus' muzzle, landing right on her snout. Focusing on the little blue form, her eyes widened as she realized just what, and who, she was looking at.

"Trixie will have many hateful words with you. Many, many angry and hateful words for what you have done to Trixie!" the Tiny and Miniscule Trixie shouted, though her voice was barely heard by the changeling and the alicorn.

The Queen of the Shadowed Hive was once more in her meditation, Luna watching for the dream of her mate with a bit more anxiety this time. Not only was the Everfree much more dangerous than anything the stallion had faced so far, Din was certain something had happened to the group. Her connection with Zelus had been interrupted and she still couldn't feel the mare, but something else had taken her place, something that had responded to her query with love and reassurance.

"You're certain of what you felt? And the new connection is still there?" Luna asked the queen, her worry evident on her muzzle.

Pandinus scowled as she attempted to pull more information from the distant link, but failed.

"I can't even call it a new connection. It's strange. I feel like I should recognize it, but it just feels...wrong. Like something's affected it. Something unnatural."

Luna jerked as the dream appeared to her, though she too was soon wearing a scowl. "I think I found his dream, but you're right. There's something wrong with it. We should hurry."

The two left for the newly solidified dream with a flash of magic, the blue alicorn's own power being supplemented by the queen's to cover the sheer distance between Din's own dream and that of her mate in a second.

"Cimmerian, are you okay?" Luna asked even as the queen began to inspect the alicorn, as if she'd find something out of place in the dream world. To Luna's confusion, the grin on Cimmerian's muzzle was both disturbingly similar to her own when she had some prank planned for her sister, while Zelus was looking distinctly uncomfortable at the larger queen's actions.

"You're not going to find anything wrong in a dream, Din. This is a representation of how I think I should look, remember? It's why I can shift it so easily between my two forms. I can add a third to that list now, though!" he told her cheerfully, his form shifting before their eyes.

Luna watched with open wonder as the alicorn before her shifted, his sleek fur taking on the sharp and angled forms of changeling chitin while the opposite transition was taking place with the changeling queen, Zelus. Before long, Din and Luna were staring at a dark blue changeling male, and a black alicorn female with blue stripes.

"W-what, how, I mean what kind of magic is capable of..." Luna sputtered, the changeling queen beside her completely silent.

The newly revealed changeling chuckled at their shock.

"We had a run in with something in the Everfree, poison joak. It caught Zelus, Trixie, and I and twisted our forms. We ended up like this, and Trixie...well, Apple Bloom said she looked like something called a breezie, though I've never seen one before, nor had Luna before her banishment as far as I can tell."

"Yes, Tia told us of the breezies," Luna said, nodding. "Very strange beings. Fairly useless, but strange."

Din walked up to Cimmerian, circling his form with a critical eye.

"How did this happen, and how long does it last?"

Zelus seemed to shrink in shame at the questions, taking a step back.

"The, the zebra said it was because I used a fire spell on the joak, she told us how to make the cure, but suggested against it for at least a week, especially if we're going to be moving through the Everfree for a while longer. Any other patches of poison joak may react to our presence for a while, since I attacked it."

"The zebra, she would not happen to be Zecora, would she?" Luna asked. "I remember hearing my sister mention her while we discussed some of Twilights latest misadventures. I was not impressed with Ponyville's hostility towards what was such a powerful ally after the fall of Discord."

Cimmerian nodded, "That's her. Said she felt the Everfree get agitated from the use of a fire spell, but she also said the forest isn't a fan of the joak either, it tends to mess up the natural flow of the Everfree. Joak spreads quickly, and the Everfree still hasn't generated a creature that can destroy it besides slimes. That's actually why we ran into one, I think. It was moving towards that patch we came across."

The mention of the slime had Zelus shuddering again, only to be pulled into another hug from the ex-alicorn.

"Zelus had a bad experience with the slime. Armor and power doesn't protect from suffocation. Think you can talk to her about her new form, Luna?"

The smaller alicorn nodded, drawing the still-shaky form of Zelus away from the two changelings. Looking to his wife, Cimmerian found himself taking a instinctive step back.

Pandinus' stare was intense, as if she was checking him for the slightest flaw, or-

'Trying to memorize the new form.' "You know, I'm sure Luna could teach me a transformation spell even after I get this jynx removed. If you're good, it won't be the last time you see it."

That caused a stir, the queen's eyes immediately meeting his own. He stepped back, a little intimidated by the hunger that was present in her stare.

"I was wrong you know," Pandinus whispered, circling him slowly, "I thought it was an alternative, using the dreams to enjoy time with you. I ended up feeling even worse the next day though. My stomach was gurgling, as if to ask why it wasn't full afterwards. My body ached, not feeling at all refreshed as there was no love to pull in during our time spent together. In short, by the next day I was swearing to myself I'd never do that again. Now, now as I sit at the Temple waiting for you to get back I find out that you've accidentally gotten yourself turned into this?

"Make sure you say your goodbyes before you enter my hive, Cimmerian. Because you won't be leaving for at least a week."

With what was a cross between a hiss and a snarl the queen left the dream, opting to return to the Temple than to spend more time around the stallion. Cimmerian slumped at the frustration in her voice, even if he found himself exited by the warning. Hearing her like that wasn't something he enjoyed. He'd have to see if he could hurry the trip along a bit. Besides he missed his own bed, and the one who kept it warm for him.

Zelus stood before the blue alicorn, feeling smaller than the current form of her new drone after explaining the fights and mistakes to the blue mare. Fear and frustration wasn't something a queen was supposed to feel, it was something that could spell the end of a hive if the queen fell to them at the wrong time. Her mother would be ashamed to call her daughter at the moment, and she was certain Pandinus would be ashamed to call her sister.

"I see," Luna said, nibbling her lower lip in thought, "Power is a very strange thing, isn't it? You have more than you had before, yet you never came this close to death. The boost made you reckless, Zelus, but the important thing to remember is that you are not alone. Just as your actions can and will impact those around you, it also means that there are others nearby to rescue you from your own foolishness. I abandoned my friends as much as they left me when I fell to my loneliness and jealousy. It left me weak and easily manipulated by the Nightmare, who I first thought was just another part of my being. I allowed it to grow and fester, often committing acts that anypony who knew me would have acknowledged as strange behavior. As I was alone however, the signs went unheeded. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late and my own body was no longer mine to control.

"My sister was still there for me, though; she never gave up on me. Like I sought to defend my subjects through martial might and the destruction of our enemies, so too do you defend your sister's mate through strength and skill. Just how I fell to the idea that I needed to be strong at every turn, you too have fallen for this pitfall. You need not be strong all the time, as I'm certain Cimmerian has told you.

Luna giggled lightly, a smile gracing her muzzle, "A dumb, stubborn male he may be, but he does have several hundred years of memories as a mare to slightly offset that."

Zelus cautiously allowed herself a smile as well, Luna's mood somehow brightening her own even without being able to taste it.

The reminder caused Zelus to lose what little of her cheerfulness she'd recovered, but Luna was fairly certain she knew why.

"It will pass, Zelus," the smaller alicorn explained. "You will not be like this forever. Take this for what Cimmerian sees it. An opportunity. You have a chance to see things like we do, just as Cimmerian will see and feel things as a changeling for a while. I'm certain he's already trying things out. Did you know that your current form is likely more resistant to magic and recovers faster than your previous form? I've been laid low in combat and been on the field of battle in three days time. Broken bones, fractured ribs, the works. With a little healing magic from a unicorn to properly set everything, and my own healing trance, I was good as new and back on the field before my opponent had even been properly stabilized."

That news caused Zelus to giggle, the memory of the stallion accidentally activating his venom glands and numbing his entire mouth popping into her mind. She quickly shared it with Luna, who soon joined in the laughter.

"Oh, I see. Make fun of Cimmerian Day. Two can play at that, Zelly. Luna, you might want to explain to her what happens to all that food she scarfed down earlier. I think she's going to enjoy the fact that she won't have to regurgitate it like I would right now," the changeling stallion said with a devious smile.

Luna roared with laughter as the queen-turned alicorn blanched at the reminder.

"Indeed, I recently instructed Cimmerian in the care of the alicorn form. I would be thrilled to teach you what I know as well!"

Stepping back from the two mares, one looking way too excited for the upcoming lesson and the other likely looking how he was feeling after his own experiences with Luna's lessons, the large changeling sighed.

'At least I don't get bored here.'

"Ah thwere, Ah fee ike ar-ar inks, alkin' a-oun ike hiss," Cimmerian mumbled over his limp serpentine tongue. He'd recovered overnight, but during breakfast had once more accidentally activated his new venom-glands, leaving his tongue limp as the group continued their journey.

The zebra, whom Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had introduced as Zecora over dinner the night before, was currently leading them through the winding paths of the forest, and oddly enough managing to avoid every single predator along the way. It was almost unbelievable. It would have been, in fact, if not for the issue of him already being slightly jaded to strange things.

'I swear, it's getting to the point where nothing would- no, don't do that, that's when weird shit starts to happen more often.'

A tapping on the inside of a shoulder plate nearly caused him to jump, but he focused on the plate, shifting it enough to open the natural storage pocket and allow his passenger some fresh air. The miniscule pony flitted up to the top of his head and settled in just outside of his ear.

"Trixie wishes to thank you for not leaving her in Silver City, and for thinking of her safety after her transformation. Trixie was very, put off by her new situation, but she believes you are correct. At least like this she is mobile again."

"Goak can's pwank ew ith ew can's 'oove," The stallion mumbled, wincing at his garbled English. He spat, accidently releasing yet another dose of the venom into his mouth, the sixth one in the last two hours. His eyes narrowed in frustration. At least he was learning the triggers for that muscle-group. Zelus was having her own issues, and he watched her mutter and walk off the trail, likely to take her tenth toilet break of the hour. She was quite upset with her new needs, and her lack of understanding of just what her body was capable of. He'd have loved to explain that her body could wait, but he was trying to keep his own speaking to a minimum.

"True. Being so small and easy to miss, Trixie would likely be quite irritated at such a turn of events. However, while Trixie will not remember this with any fondness she is quite pleased with the increased mobility."

A slight rustle of the branches over the changeling's head caused the mare to yelp, literally diving into his ear for cover. It took a great deal of willpower, and yet another spurt of accidentally released venom, but Cimmerian managed to settle for just pressing his ear down as additional cover instead of flicking the mare out of his ear and into the open.

"S-sorry, Trixie finds herself quite ready to be out of this forest, much like Zelus. The sooner Trixie is no longer fearing for her now much more vulnerable life, the better she will feel." the mare spoke softly, doing her best to keep her wiggling to a minimum so as to not tickle him too much.

"How is Sapphire?" Zelus asked as she caught up with him, looking tired from her own string of learning experiences. Between not having any hive connection anymore, not having innate transformation magic, learning her bodies new wants and needs, and sweating after trotting around for a bit rather than buzzing her wings to fan herself (something that often left Cimmerian feeling too hot or too cold as he couldn't find the right amount of time to buzz to keep comfortable), the mare looked absolutely miserable. Realizing it would be a good chance to be rid of his passenger for a while, he pressed his snout up against Zelus, holding it there while raising his ear for his ear's occupant. Seeing the offered ear as a much softer ride as well as someone who would not mind endless chatter, the breezified Trixie flitted across the small space into the alicorn mare's ear.

Zelus, who had begun to flush at Cimmerian's proximity, immediately sobered up, realizing he was just dumping her drone back on her. The two began chatting about every little thing, from the sky, to magic in general, to things they'd seen or would like to see, even what they thought of their breakfast. The mares seemed fairly good for each other actually, Trixie still reveling in having someone to talk to, while Zelus needed the constant chatter as reassurance that someone was nearby.

'In her ear is about as close to in her head as Trixe can get,' the stallion contemplated.

Cimmerian grinned as for the third time the alicorn went silent for an unnatural length of time. It had become obvious she was attempting to use the link to talk to Trixie, but kept forgetting no such connection existed between the two of them. The changeling was brought out of his musings as a large form stepped into the clearing. A manticore, easily twice as large as himself, and with a large pattern of scars crisscrossing its body.

The guards all tensed at its appearance, even Zecora, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo all preparing to fight the creature. Cimmerian saw it though. A small scrap of cloth tied lovingly around it's right paw just as the mare had told him several nights ago.

'We'll see if her name still carries weight in these woods.'

Walking past the guards cautiously and getting as close to the creature as he dared, he took a calming breath and spoke to the manticore.

"Miss Fluttershy is expecting us, Mr. Whiskers. We'd like to pass by so we can see if we can help her."

The large stallion winced as the manticore roared in challenge, as if ignoring his statement.

'She better be right about this. I'd prefer to avoid this fight, but I'm not getting filleted by this thing for being too nice.' "What would Fluttershy say, if she saw you talking like that? I bet she'd lay into you, don't you think so?" he said with a disappointed tone. Surprisingly, the thing recoiled as if he'd physically struck it.

"I said that we're friends of hers, and we're trying to get through the forest to see if we can help her. Are you going to let us pass, or will I have to tell Fluttershy that I got into a fight with one of her animal friends because he was being mean?"

That seemed to do it. The manticore took a few steps off to the side of the path, cowing its head as if the mention of the shy Pegasus was akin to invoking the wrath of an angry god. Or, considering how the mare had cared for animals, a disappointed mother.

The group passed by the manticore uneasily; even Zelus seemed more eager to get past the predator than to add to her collection of trophies at this point. The second the last guard had passed it, Cimmerian reached into a bag and pulled out a large jar of honey, popping off the lid and setting it next to the beast.

"Miss Fluttershy may not be able to care for you much right now, but she still asked me to give this to you if you were nice," the inept shape shifter explained. "Enjoy, and thank you."

The second he was back with the guards, he was assailed on all sides by question, causing his senses to flare up at the focused curiosity and excitement. He stumbled for a second, unable to see the path. With one last step he fell on his face, the stallion who'd faced a giant snake and talked down a manticore laid low by simple questions and excitement.

"Back off, you idiots," Zelus roared, shoving them away from the heaving changeling. Their curiosity had shifted to concern, but once more it was all focused on him. "He doesn't know how to shut out emotions, you're overloading him!"

"Push it, Cimmerian. Push the feelings that aren't yours out," the mare coached, and the changeling hacked and wheezed, slowly vomiting up several blobs of multi-colored gel. He seemed to settle down at that, though he was still shaky. Zelus made sure her own gear was secured, then carefully levitated Cimmerian onto her own back. Though she was loath to admit it, her new form was likely as strong as she was when running on pure love, so she barely felt the male and his gear being added to her own considerable equipment.

"So what, we can't even be concerned about him right now?" Scootaloo asked, trying to keep her mind off of the large changeling.

"It's not that concern is bad for him, it's that he doesn't know what to do with it," the blue-striped alicorn explained "I think he also still feels something from the Temple. I don't believe he'd be able to get within a day's journey of the Temple in his current state, not without going into a love-coma."

The group came to a halt as Zecora raised a hoof, turning to gesture to a small, rundown cottage just a little farther down the path. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom began muttering about how unfair the world was, while Zelus stared at the hut slack-jawed. Looking to the thestrals and griffons, she could tell they were similarly confused, one even staring at a map and looking from the hut to the path they had followed. After a few changes between the sights, the griffon began laughing. It wasn't a happy laugh either. Zelus couldn't taste the griffons emotions, but she had a feeling the creature was quite distraught. The black alicorn turned to the zebra, looking at her with the obvious question burning in her eyes.

Zecora just chuckled at the confusion of the group, waving a hoof back to the forest.

"When one understands the Everfree as I, one learns where all the shortest paths tend to hide."

Her confusion slowly shifted into irritation, and Zelus trotted up to the zebra mare. Not two paces away from their striped guide, the alicorn growled in irritation.

"That's bullshit."

Author's Notes:

Zecora seems to show up in the strangest places when I read the stories, almost like she can access the Everfree Forest's teleport grid for her own, like the Gravemind did with the ring's grid on Halo 2.

As for the Joak, I know someone called me out on the swap, but I wanted to mess with Trixie as well, and what better joke on someone who tries to inflate their image? Well, it could also make her kinda rubber-y like a balloon... No, nevermind. No rubber Trixies. Too many dirty minds in the community for her to be safe like that.

Bunnytopia

The cottage the group approached was old, likely not having been properly cared for in at least a few decades. A few bushes had grown into the building, and the trees surrounding it felt more like a protective curtain than an invasive reclamation of property.

"Miss Shy's cottage," Apple bloom explained while leading the group closer. "Miss Fluttershy was a kind mare who took in any an' every kinda critter under Celestia's sun. Ya could set some unruly beast right in fronna her and in a few minutes she'd have it eat'n outa her hoof, rollin' on its back and lettin' her pet its belly, or lettin' her treat it fer whatever was wrong with it. Hay, she was the only mare I knew who could give Opal a proper bath instead of a quick rinse."

Zelus, still carrying a recovering Cimmerian, trotted up to the yellow mare and stared at the cottage with curiosity.

"It looks like something is in there."

Scootaloo nodded in agreement, "I know last time I passed by here Angel had taken to guarding it in Fluttershy's absence. I don't think rabbits live that long, but he wasn't stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if he left someone else to watch this place if Fluttershy wasn't released in his lifetime."

Zecora chuckled knowingly, bowing to the group in farewell.

"I have guided you to your destination in safety, and now must make an exit most hasty. If ever you find yourself in need most dire, you need only ask for the assistance you require."

"Thank you. Oh, and Cimmerian thanks you as well, or he would if he could," Zelus told the zebra. "I apologize if I've been short with, everyone actually. This has not been a pleasant or simple trip, as I thought it would be."

"I take no offense at your frustrated outburst. My own first encounter with joak left me acting much worse," Zecora explained with a knowing smile. "Learning of our shortfalls can be a bitter pill to swallow, but know that we grow stronger with every new tomorrow."

Zelus turned slightly, giving the heaving changeling a worried look before realizing he was laughing weakly, likely at the constant rhyming. He raised a shaky hoof, waving farewell to the zebra as she left. The rest of the group bid their zebra guide goodbye as well before turning back to their destination, keeping to the treeline.

Zelus shook her head in irritation at her passenger.

"You know, at least Trixie could talk to me when I was carrying her."

"Yes, but Trixie was not very happy with losing control of herself to a bug she didn't know," the little mare retorted from her place in Zelus' ear, "Trixie only hopes she keeps her mobility after she is cured of this transformation."

The group came upon the yard unmolested, though that changed as soon as they approached the door. The griffons and thestrals perked up, looking around for the source of rustling in the trees even as Cimmerina noticed faint traces of emotion floating around the cottage.

"Somethings still living here," the changeling muttered to his vehicle.

Suddenly the trees were lined with hundreds of eyes, all pointing tiny makeshift spears at the group. Several primitive bows, and even what appeared to be a ballista was set up and aimed at the group. Feeling the alicorn tensing up below him, Cimmerian nudged her and whispered into her ear.

"Remember, Zelus. We don't want to fight so talk to them, see if we can work this out."

"They're rabbits," the alicorn deadpanned.

"They have ballistae," he retorted, pointing to the siege machine, "and if they have that one in plain view and are smart enough to build and use it, I'd bet they have more hidden in the foliage; I know I would. My shell will probably deflect most of what they have, and I don't think they'll be able to puncture your skin with anything but the bolts, but we're not looking for a fight. Step ahead of the group and announce our intention."

Cautiously the alicorn moved ahead of the group and spoke in a clear voice.

"We're here for the Coin given to the yellow pegasus by Discord."

"None shall enter the chambers of The Caretaker!" a deep voice spoke out, causing Zelus to take an involuntary step back in shock. A single rabbit in a brown robe hopped forward to meet the changeling-turned-alicorn, a glowing amulet around its neck. As the rabbit chittered, the amulet pulsed.

"For generations we chosen of The Caretaker have guarded her abode, awaiting her glorious return! What right do you claim to invade our lands!"

"The Caretaker is likely Fluttershy," Cimmerian whispered into the mare's ear, "We're going to try to use the coin to summon help for The Caretaker."

Zelus nodded, encouraged by the stallions coaching.

"We want to use an, Artifact left in the pegasus' cottage to summon help in freeing her."

"No such thing exists in the Home of the Caretaker," the bunny argued, "Had it existed, the First Guardian would have used it."

"The Caretaker was caught offguard by her friends betrayal. She did't tell him the password to her vault. She gave the password to Cimmerian."

"So you say. What proof do you have that it was she, the most kind of the four-legs, that sent you?" the robed rabbit challenged.

Shifting himself off of the alicorn's back, Cimmerian wobbled a bit on his hooves before steadying. With Zelus keeping him upright, he approached the elder.

"The Caretaker has given me the password and ordered me to never reveal it to another, binding me by the most holy of oaths."

Several of the bunnies squeaked in shock, one even swooning dramatically and being caught by a nearby friend. One bunny, wearing several odds and ends that had been fashioned into an ill-fitting set of armor, hopped right up to the elder and began squeaking and chittering rapidly. The elder silenced him with a raised paw.

"I know the Oath of which he speaks, Hoppalong; it is no myth. Many generations ago, The Caretaker was befriended by several other four-legs. One of them knew the magics of a powerful oath, one which no four-leg would dare break. If he is indeed bound by such an oath, it is out of our paws. He may pass."

Turning to the changeling, the bunny stared hard at him with more intensity than a rabbit should posses.

"Prove to me, outsider, that you know The Oath."

Cimmerian sat back on his haunches, taking a deep breath as if to center himself, to prepare for some ancient ritual. The griffons and thestrals watched on in interest, wondering what ancient right they were about to witness, while Zelus cocked her head in curiosity. With great reverence, and with his eyes closed, the stallion crossed his heart with a hoof, then fluttered his forelegs like wings. He then proceeded to tap an eye with a hoof, wincing as he pressed too hard against his eyelid to be comfortable.

The robed rabbit gave a knowing nod, stepping aside and motioning for those behind him to clear a path.

"The Holy Oath. You and your mate may pass, though the others must remain here. The Caretaker's chambers are small, and I do not believe your group would even fit. Be respectful of The Caretakers abode, outsiders. It is all we ask of you."

Zelus attempted to protest at the misclassification, but Cimmerian cut off the mare with a quick application of his magic to her muzzle, whispering into her ear.

"I can still barely walk straight Zelus. Let it go. And Trixie? Keep your head down."

The two walked into the cottage, passing through the overgrown living room and the creaky but still serviceable steps to the second floor. Zelus stopped the changeling for a moment, entering the room first to make certain it was empty before waving him in.

"You're learning, Zelly. We'll make a guard out of you yet," the stallion joked, earning a glare from the alicorn.

"I want nothing to do with this stuff anymore," the mare retorted, "The moment we get back, I'm going to talk to Pandinus about doing something else. Maybe I can guard the hive instead."

"You jumped into this with no prior training as a guard, Zelus. It's kind of to be expected that you'd make mistakes. You're not here as a bodyguard anyway. You're here as our heavy hitter. If we need someone to break an ambush open, you're our mare," the shape shifter countered, looking about the room for a small safe. "You had a bad scare. I understand that, I was kind of nervous after I almost got eaten by a giant snake. But I didn't have the time to worry about it happening again. Besides, we won both of those fights, and we'll win any others that come our way as well. Now look for a small safe with three butterflies on it."

After about four minutes of searching, Cimmerian was jolted out of his search under Fluttershy's bed by a loud 'We found it!' from Zelus. Despite his warnings, Trixie was flitting around the newly revealed safe, an illusion having been cast over the area to hide its presence.

"Trixie spotted the illusion as I was looking around the room and walked me through dispelling it," the black alicorn explained with a smile. "The charm was quite powerful, but we managed to take it down."

"Awesome. Now, let's see," Cimmerian muttered leaning closer to the safe. Running the password through his head one last time, he sighed at the ridiculousness of said code.

"Discord Rules, Celly drools."

With a click, the safe popped open, revealing a coin sitting in the middle of the safe, surrounded by-

"I did not need to see that," the changeling muttered, grabbing the coin with his magic and quickly turning away from the safe. As he pondered how to activate the coin, the pegasus' advice being 'do something random with it', his ear flicked as two mares approached the safe, his hearing picking up a shout of excitement from the minuscule magician.

"Playcolt? Oh, Trixie hasn't gotten her hooves on one of those in ages! Quickly! Open it, open it!"

"Why are they wearing socks? And why does that make them more appealing?"

"Oh Celestia! Look at that barrel! Look at that horn! Put it in the bag, Trixie will have need of this for later!"

"Perhaps you can explain later what this is about. Should I take this as well?"

"Ew, Trixie refuses to acknowledge you asked her that. Have you never seen one of those?"

"Well, it looks like-"

"Trixie knows what it looks like, and she refuses to play with another mare's toy."

"Zelus, please tell me you're not planning on taking Fluttershy's..."

The words died in Cimmerians mouth, the queen holding a small plastic figurine of some superhero, a pegasus in a green body suit and purple mask.

"...toy."

The stallion rolled is eyes, placing the coin on Zelus' snout. The alicorn mare crossed her eyes to try and stare at it, and it glimmered slightly, apparently activating.

"That did it?" Cimmerian asked in shock.

After a few moments the coin deactivated, giving no clue as to whether Discord had heard its call. Cimmerian sighed in defeat, returning the coin to the safe and closing the door.

"If he's not going to show up, I'm not going to carry that thing around with me. I can feel the magic radiating from it from here, and if the Nightmare is scanning for magic, it's going to pick up something like that pretty easily. It would be like dragging a bucket of chum along behind you as you swam through the ocean."

"So what, the trip was wasted?" Zelus asked, following the stallion back down the stairs.

"No, not in the least," Cimmerian dismissed, "But this part of the trip was useless. That's why we're doing so many things in one trip. If something doesn't pan out, we still have other things that were successful. We talked to the thestrals, and we went to the Everfree like you were asking, though I don't think that ended how you had hoped. There's still two more things I want to do out here though. First, I need to check in at the town hall for missing persons flyers, see if I can find some information on the foals back at the Temple. I don't know which idiots decided to kidnap children, but I need to know if their parents are looking for them. Second, I want to know where Celestia, Luna, and the Element Bearers are being held. Once we get to Bloom's farm, you're going to give me a lesson on shape shifting, and I'm going to check it out. As it stands, the griffons and thestrals would be cause for alarm in this part of the country, and alicorns are looked to as royalty. Normally I'd have sent Apple Bloom or Scootaloo to check this, but as a changeling I think I can check the records myself."

"And what about us?" Zelus growled. "We're supposed to be guarding you, remember?"

"I'll bring Trixie. If anything happens, she can warn you guys, and you can destroy anything that gets in your way," the dark blue changeling answered, stepping into the sunlight. Walking up to the robed rabbit, he bowed his head.

"The artifact did activate upon our discovering its hiding place, but Chaos did not heed its call. Thank you for your aide, but we will search for another way to free The Caretaker. I have a way to find her as well as those imprisoned with her, and will be using it tonight. If all goes well, I will have the location and be able to see her with my own eyes tomorrow to begin to devise a way to free her."

"Beware, four-leg," the elder said as Cimmerian's group gathered their things. "They say The Caretaker is guarded by a beast most foul. To see her with your own eyes is to risk its wrath."

The changeling bowed one last time to the rabbits as they departed.

"I will be wary of such a beast. Thank you for the warning, and thank you for allowing us access to The Caretakers Chambers. May your people continue to serve Her with dignity and honor."

Safely out of earshot and sticking to the cover of the forest on the way to the farm, Zelus drew closer to Cimmerian and shot him a question.

"The Tartarus was that about? Why did you talk like them back there?"

"It felt right," Cimmerian answered with a grin. "Besides, they were kind enough to let us in; I can at least humor their cause. I don't get to talk like that very often. It's fun."

"Buck, that was awesome!" Scootaloo squealed, prancing on her hooves. "Did you see the ballistae those rabbits had? Those things would have punched through royal guard armor! And the ambush! I knew Angel was smart, but holy horse-apples, that was nuts!"

"Ah didn't realize it had been so long since we stopped by Shy's place," Apple Bloom said in a daze. "That was, Ah can't believe we've got a little civilization o'bunnies right next door ta the farm."

Listening to the idle chatter as they approached the farm, a different question played through Cimmerian's mind.

'Why did that rabbit sound like Morgan Freeman?'

Gleam rose from her bed with a groan, unable to sleep. She knew something was going on, but what it was she hadn't a clue. The changelings had started acting off. Agitated was a good word for it, and even Pandinus was staring off to the north-west on several occasions, as if there was something out there. The niggling feeling at the back of her mind wouldn't leave her, and so despite the early hour, the unicorn rose and went to confront the queen.

The changeling queen currently residing in the Temple of the Shadows was sitting on the roof of the Temple, looking towards the north-west when Gleam found her. Already worried, the unicorn cautiously approached, making uneasy note of the fact that Cadance and Amare were beside her, and both staring off in the same direction as the queen.

"Pandinus?" the cherry mare softly asked, "There's something going on with the drones, and I was wondering..."

"We're not alone out here," the queen answered. "I've already sent a messenger to Zarris and Shadow Talon to warn of the possible threat, and considering changelings are not fans of water, I doubt it's some long lost hive. A link approaches from the sea, Gleam."

"Do you think the Nightmare's discovered us, Din?" Cadance asked, not looking away from the horizon.

The queen shook her head.

"I don't think she knows the specifics, but she may have an idea. The last batch of drones that were sent out here, they were a multitude of things. Anger, fear, despair, and so much hunger. But these, these are empty of everything. I don't know what it is we will be facing, but we must prepare for conflict."

"Gleam, tomorrow things will begin," the large changeling said to the unicorn, turning to face her. "The weak and frail of Shadow Talon will be arriving around noon. They will be directed to the newly excavated area that was being prepared for the thestrals. I know griffons don't like being underground, but we can't waste time moving them to safety when an attack could happen any moment. The open chamber should calm them a bit, at least. In the meantime, we will be shoring up defenses around Shadow Talon and preparing towers for both casters and archers. Should they be over run, we will activate the shield Shadow Weaver has been working on. It will seal the Temple for several days, and it will be up to Cimmerian to destroy the array while it holds. If that does not work... we will evacuate by digging new tunnels and escaping underground."

"But, but this is our home. You want us to just-"

"Cimmerian has asked that I keep you all safe. This entire temple could be razed for all we care, so long as the beings that live here survive. We have the ability to survive, we have the ability to rebuild; twice as fast and strong this time. That being said, we're not a few random beings lost in the woods anymore. We are a nation. I will not allow this country my mate has left me in charge of to burn on my watch. I have plenty of love; if nothing else, I can hold the barriers up myself."

"That would be dangerous, Pandinus," Cadance said from her position to the left of the queen. Tearing her gaze from the danger lurking in the distance, the alicorn looked to the shape shifter, Amare cradled in her forelegs.

"I want to, to help with this. I learned how to maintain barriers myself. I'll use a lot of energy doing so, but it would be safer for me to do it than you."

"But-"

"I'm not going to let you do this, Din," Cadance cut the queen off, "You're pregnant. That kind of strain could harm the foals."

Pandinus winced, holding a hoof over her barrel protectively. The pink alicorn smiled at the sight and continued.

"You and Cimmerian have done so much for me, I have to start helping too. This is something I can do to repay your kindness."

Pandinus chuckled, using her aura to pull the smaller mare into a hug, crushing the small proto queen between them as Din nuzzled the top of Cadance's head.

"Thank you, Cad."

"You know, most ponies would take that name as an insult," the pink alicorn said with a grin.

"Well it's a good thing you know why I find it a good name," Din replied before turning back to Gleam.

"My hive will be ready to defend the Temple to the best of our abilities. Later on today you will leave a note on the message board about the danger, and ask everyone to begin preparations for the assault, as well as moving medical supplies and a good amount of food into the storage chambers. The emotion storage rooms may be used to store your own food as well, as long as you keep it properly secured. I don't know what would become of solid food that's dropped into a pool of emotion, but I do know that food can rot. I don't want someone dropping food into a pool and not noticing."

"What about Cimmerian?" the unicorn asked hesitantly. The queen had been in a foul mood ever since her slight boost had worn off after her 'experiment' and Cadance had explained that there were unexpected side effects that had left her feeling miserable. Thus Gleam was a bit hesitant to bring up the absent alicorn.

"He should still be able to help if we need it, as the armor is still here. That would actually be something I'd like to try. The captured hives berserk after the array is destroyed, and they can't taste him when he's not physically there. The drones would attack whoever is nearby, leaving us to worry about whatever's left."

Turning back to the horizon, the large changeling continued.

"However, he needs to be able to find it, and even if I can feel him at the moment, he that won't help us, as the distance between his physical form and myself is too great. I can speak to him when he takes the armor, but I won't be able to direct him to the other hive."

"Wait, you're speaking about him as if he was a changeling, did something happen, is that the side effect Cadance was talking about?" Gleam asked, earning a glare from the pink mare.

Pandinus scowled at the alicorn still in her forelegs, but sighed after only a moment.

"No, that wasn't the side effect. Cimmer and Zelus came across something in the Everfree, a plant called poison joak. It switched their species, so now Cimmerian is a changeling and Zelus is an alicorn. From what Luna told me afterwards, Cimmerian spent most of the first day unable to speak properly as he kept activating his venom glands by accident, leaving his tongue numb," the changeling explained with a faint smile. Cadance and Gleam shared a giggle at the thought, but both looked to Din to continue her explanation.

"That's him we feel in the distance now Cadance, not Zelus," the queen said, continuing her explanation. "It's his physical mind I would be in contact with, it's through an actual mind that we communicate. His possession of the armor does not allow for me to feed off of him, nor does it allow me to communicate clearly with him in his current form."

"So you can't direct him to where you sense the danger," Gleam finished, nodding in understanding.

"Nor can he find it himself, unless he has other ways to detect the arrays. I won't send him out over the ocean to find a single ship. He could easily get turned around or get lost and then he'd be less than useless to us, and he'd have to abandon the armor in the ocean somewhere," Pandinus finished.

The queen released her grip on the pink alicorn and set her gently on the bricks beside her.

"We need to work on a transfer array for this. It will keep you supplied with love while you channel the shield. Several drones will be in the emotion chambers, consuming what you need and sending it to you. In the meantime, I am going to be flying over to Shadow Talon to oversee the preparations. I will let Luna know about this latest threat when I next see her, and she can warn Cimmerian. I have much to do."

"We're nearing the port designated on the map, Your Highness. By the navigator's estimates we'll be in visual range in two days," the image of the commander said.

"Good," Queen Twilight replied. "The sooner that area is cleared, the sooner I can figure out what they did to my drones, and the sooner we can get back to purifying Equis. The changelings could be repurposed, the griffons, minotaurs, dragons, and thestrals cannot. I want that area clean of living beings by the end of the week."

The image flickered as the connection was cut, and the mare turned back to her most recent acquisition, a manic grin on her face.

"Always thought you were too good for us, didn't you? Thought you could go where ever you liked, do whatever you wanted. But now, now you'll be what my changelings cant be. I will find a way to use you, my dear friend. With your consent or without it."

From his place in a heavily warded room made completely of arcanite and crystal, the Avatar of Chaos floated lazily even as arcs of lightning kept him tethered to the ground. He cast a disinterested glance at the purple alicorn and sighed.

"What is it with you alicorns and not having any self-esteem? I mean, I heard Lulu fell to one of those things, but you, Spackle? I thought you were made of sterner stuff than that."

Recoiling at her captives knowledge, the alicorn sneered through the magical barriers.

"She fell as they all will. The Nightmares are unstoppable. I will finish the job that the first was unable to; I will see this planet destroyed."

"Well that's no fun. What if I don't want you to destroy this world? Besides, I hear there's this most interesting individual working against you now."

Discord turned to face her, head resting on his paws.

"I don't work with ponies who don't have my best interest in mind."

The mare gave him a grin that would not have been out of place on a dragon.

"I'm afraid, my dear friend, that you really don't have any choice in the matter."

Author's Notes:

Didn't think it would be that easy, did you? Oh, and-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch5MEJk5ZCQ

Those Who Suffer in Silence

"We're just about there, fellas," Apple Bloom called out as the group tromped through the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. "Can't wait, we haven't had company in a while. Big Mac's never been one for conversatin' an between him not really invitin' anypony over and my havin' to pick up the slack since AJ disappeared, we ain't had nopony over in a long time."

Cimmerian smiled at the mare's eagerness, though he did worry about using such a public location to rest. Needs must, however, and the farmer had even promised to whip them up a cure for the poison joke that they could take with them. That had been helpful, considering they weren't quite done with the Everfree just yet.

"Hey Bloom, is there any way to replicate the effects of poison joke at a later time? Or is it random every time one is afflicted by it?"

The yellow mare thought deeply for a few moments before answering.

"Ah don't rightly know, Mr Cimmerian. Most ponies don't look to gettin' another cursin' at the hooves of poison joak. Ah'll ask Zecora next time I see her, but Ah do know how to whip up a smoke bomb usin' poison joak leaves. Pinkie and Dash asked Zecora for some for prankin' a long while ago, and it was one of the first things Ah mixed up for anypony. They got in lotsa' trouble though, and Ah did too once Applejack figured out Ah was the one who made the powder.

"Ah just gotta ask though, why didn't ya seem too shocked about the bunnies?"

"I was, Bloom," the changeling replied. "But I've also been through quite a few shocks since I started helping out. I don't think I'm immune to shocks, but I'm almost to the point where I just kind of go along with whatever shows up. I mean by our recollection, magic didn't exist last year. Now it's one of the fundamental forces of the world I live in. I'm married to an egg-laying emotivore, I've personally killed a snake longer than a bus, I got drunk sharing drinks with a dragon, we had our species altered because of some weird pollen, and I talk to immortal demi-god ponies in my dreams. Weird is par for the course at this point."

The group slowed a bit, noticing they were coming out of the forest and that the ambient temperature was dropping sharply, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo continued on their path. The farmer called over her shoulder to them, telling them there was no need for alarm.

"We're comin' up on the back of the farm now, Ain't nopony gonna bother us round this time. Oh, Ah can't wait. Ain't gotten no visitors in a long while, with AJ bein' gone and Big Mac not gettin' out much. Ah have a few friends of mah own I invite over every now and again, but Big Mac don't like us havin' parties at the farm, he's gotten kinda reclusive since he spent a few years in the Royal Guard."

After only a few moments exposed to the cold, Cimmerian found himself shivering, or at least attempting to. His new form wasn't equipped with the proper muscles, leaving him spasming painfully every few moments.

"Dammit, this is w-w-worse than I expected. Z-zelus, allow us to wield thy brac-c-cers."

The alicorn took a quick look at him before her eyes widened, looking around her at the gathering snow and likely realizing it wasn't effecting her at all. She dropped her bag and dug out her bracers, helping the stallion snap them on and activating them with her own magic, seeing as how her magic pool now regenerated without feeding on emotions.

"Something wrong?" Scootaloo asked, noticing the group had stopped.

"Changelings can't shiver. I'm sorry, Cimmerian, I should have noticed," Zelus responded, holding the shape shifter against her barrel as he'd done for her on the ship. "We can replicate the visual cues, pretending we're shivering, but for the most part we either burn emotion to keep going in the cold, or we hibernate through it. Since shivering is instinctive for most races though, he's trying to shiver with muscles that aren't there. It's causing the muscle-spasms." Almost as if in response Cimmerian began seizing again, his body shuddering uselessly every now and again.

After a minute the bracers and proximity to the alicorn mare began to have a noticeable effect and his body temperature finally began to approach comfortable levels.

"Okay. I, I think I'm good now. Thanks Zel."

The group approached the farmhouse, a few lights on the house showing it was occupied. Apple Bloom smiled widely, turning to face the group while walking backwards.

"Looks like Big Mac's home. Ah'm gonna let him know ya'll are comin so he don't get too much of a shock, kay?"

With that, the mare took off, easily plowing through the light dusting of snow and rushing up to the door, kicking the snow off of her hooves before running inside and shouting for her brother. The rest of the group slowly came up to the farmhouse, arriving at the porch just as the red farming stallion walked out the door. He took one quick look over the group before turning around and slamming the door shut, leaving Apple Bloom outside with everyone else.

"Big Mac? Macintosh, you get yer flank out here!" Apple Bloom shouted. "You know well as Ah do we don't turn away guests. Open the door and at least let us in outa the cold!"

The door peeked open, the farmer sticking his head out just enough to glare at his little sister for a moment before turning his glare to the orange pegasus.

"Don't deal with monsters, carnivores, or traitors. Git off mah farm. You too Bloom, maybe yer new friends can give ya a new place to stay."

"AJ'd sock ya for sayin' that an' you know it!" the yellow farm mare growled while pointing an accusing hoof at him.

Big Mac narrowed his eyes at her for the comment.

"Well AJ's gone, and she ain't comin back. Farm's all Ah got left of 'em, so Ah ain't gonna let nopony take it from me."

"I think your sister would be a bit upset that you buried her without a body," Cimmerian cut in, realizing they were speaking of the orange mare from the Elements of Harmony. "We're actually in the area to find out where she's being held."

"Ain't nopony in the area got the power or ponies to keep those mares squirreled away for this many years. Besides that, we got family all over the place, we'da heard sumthin' on her by now."

"Big Mac, this is Cimmerian," the yellow mare introduced. "He's supposed to be an alicorn right now, but he's had a run in with poison joak. He's linked ta Luna, and he's the reason ponies started dreamin' again. He saw her, Big Mac. He spoke to her, and Scoots got ta speak to Dash."

"They're still young, like they haven't aged a day since they disappeared," Scootaloo added. "Luna said Queen Twilight cast some sort of petrification spell on them, and they're being used to keep the princesses sealed away."

"That's not true. Twalight told the guard the changelin's did something to her an' the others. That's why we were checkin' all the hives."

"So what happened after you checked the hives?" Zelus asked dangerously. "What happened to the changelings that you broke from their hives, to the eggs and queens and nymphs?"

"Dunno, was too busy lookin' fer any sign of missin' ponies to really care," the farmer replied without missing a beat. "Found a bunch of em, some had been missin' fer years. Others we had no idea were gone. Never found AJ or her friends though."

"Well, it's likely you never found her because she never left Equestria," Cimmerian said, a slight smile on his face. "I know the dream originated from this area, so she's gotta be in the neighborhood. I'll be getting a better idea tonight. Scootaloo, while I'm working on that, do you think you can take care of something for me? I was going to do it, but with the cold, we do not believe I could manage it even if we did figure out shape shifting."

Scootaloo nodded.

"Probably. I can take care of it in the morning, if nothing else."

The big red stallion looked over the large changeling for a few moments, as if weighing his word against his form before nodding.

"You prove to me you can find mah sister, and I'll give ya whatever help ya need. Give me the run-around though, and Ah'll plant ya in the western fields."

Zelus chuckled at the threat, knowing the stallion would likely get his flank hoofed to him on a platter. Between herself, the guards, and Cimmerian's own power, there wasn't much the earth pony could do to lay out the changeling. Still, with an uneasy truce worked out the group moved into the farmhouse. Apple Bloom immediately appropriated the thestrals and Scootaloo to help her prepare a decent meal, while everyone else warmed up in the living room.

Cimmerian sat as close to the fire as he dared. Even with the bracers, a blanket, the fire, and the alicorn sitting beside him, he'd have sworn he'd never be warm again.

'I'm never dismissing changelings' complaints about cold again.'

Luna was passing through the dream realm, a grin on her ethereal muzzle. Pony dreams, the dreams of her ponies once more accessible to the lunar princess. She flitted her and there, calming nightmares and enhancing already wonderful dreams to be truly memorable. She had no idea how long it would last, or if it would disappear the moment Cimmerian left the area.

'I suppose I should enjoy this, but I must be cautious. Ponies speaking of my appearance in their dreams will only exacerbate Twilight's instability. More so than the return of dreams, at least.'

Flitting hither and thither, the mare reveled in the large number of dreams, even spotting her sisters before the white alicorn left to attempt some dream walking of her own. With so many in close proximity, she could practice much more easily. Her decrease in power would also leave Celestia less likely to burst the dreams when she attempted to enter them.

An oddity soon grabbed the lunar princess' attention, a dream-orb that simply wasn't. She slowly circled the dream, wondering just what it could be when it suddenly started pulling her towards it. With a soundless yelp Luna was sucked into the dream, leaving her floating in an endless white space.

"Who's there?" she challenged, attempting to get her bearings. "Show yourself!"

"Well, it's good to see you too, Little Lu," a voice from behind her answered, causing the mare to jump with a squeak. Turning, she found herself muzzle to muzzle with the avatar of chaos. Discord took out a measuring tape, taking the measurements of her eye and then the bottom of a hoof, tutting as he checked the numbers in a notepad.

"I seem to remember you being a bit larger than this the last time we met, Luna. What happened, has your sister been eating your portions as well now? I told you she was getting bad."

"Discord? Wha-when did you return to Equis? I was told you were traveling beyond the veil!"

"Oh I was, so much to see out there, it was a real eye opener," Discord said, pulling out a photograph of himself and a strange, many eyed and betentacled creature. Luna cocked her head, attempting to decipher how the draconequus had taken the picture so accurately before it was replaced by yet another, this one of Discord sunning himself on a world that had four suns. All around him were molten pools of various materials. He seemed to be enjoying it, even if he looked a bit, yellowed with pink spots?

"Zantrox Seven, four suns all circling each other, leaving all the planets in the area absolutely inhospitable. But you know my favorite part? There was civilization there! It wasn't native, but some creatures had figured out how to mine the cooler side of the planet. Oh, the technological marvels that race created. It was a shame about the flesh-eating parasites that wiped them out, though. I had to learn about them from a little robot they left behind, 666 Devil's Advocate. Charming fellow, if a bit out there. Just between you and I though, I think he was a tad insane.

"Oh, and the fungal gardens of Se'Percian Alpha, absolutely stunning. Of course, the spores kind of grew out of control, so nothing goes there at all anymore," Discord explained, a small picture that seemed to be mostly covered in black spots. What was visible though, were large mushrooms and fungal stalks larger than mountains.

"Ah, it was wonderful, each world home or unwilling host to its own brand of chaos. Even met a few other multi-dimensional beings. One chap invited me along for a visit to one of his favorite spots, a restaurant at the end of the known universe? Of course, it was their own universe, and some time travel was involved, but still, to watch it all just disappear in a flash of light...I don't know, I don't think I liked that part. The soup was fabulous, though. Can't say enough about it."

Tossing the album of photos away, chaos reclined in the void, stretching his arms and yawning unrealistically wide, causing the mare to flinch as his jaw slowly stretched to envelope most of his face.

"Still, it seems that you and yours haven't been without their own brand of chaos. I come home to find things all a mess, and I wasn't the one to cause it. Do you know what that does for my self-image, Luna? Absolutely destroys it! I mean, Sparkle-butt has done more to damage this world in a few years than I managed at my release, and I'm suppsed to be the Avatar of Chaos, the Duke of Diversity, the Viceroy of Variation, the-"

Luna rolled her eyes at his titles.

"I understand, Discord. Twilight is not herself though, she has been-"

"Taken over by a Nightmare, yada-yada. I know, I could tell the moment I looked at her," Discord said, waving a paw dismissively.

"Truly Luna, I messed with ponies' heads often enough to know about how they work. I've been able to read most of them like open books for centuries; how do you think I can twist them so accurately? The Nightmares though, they're a tricky bunch. There are a few races out there that have actually managed to hunt them down and destroy them, even warding their veil against further intrusions by the little ear-worms. My big question though, is if you already knew they were out there, why didn't you act before this? Aren't you and Tia supposed to be the responsible ones?"

The alicorn looked away in shame.

"My sister and I, we wanted nothing more than to forget about the incident. We know now that this was foolish, but by the time it was made apparent to us, it was too late to act."

"Made apparent..." the draconequus repeated with a raised eyebrow, "You didn't even notice on your own, did you? You and your sister, one of whom knew this pony her whole life, who practically raised her, needed someone else to tell you there was something wrong with her.

"I'm sorry Luna. You and your sister usually get top marks for intentions, but this time, I'm afraid I have to fail you on perception," Discord said, handing her a paper with a large F emblazoned on the front, a flowing red cape wrapped around the document.

Pulling out a rolodex, the self-proclaimed Lord of Chaos began flipping through the cards.

"So who was it? Tirek's still in Tartarus for another few centuries at least, Chrysalis, no, couldn't have been, ew, Grogar's found other things to occupy his time, heard he even started a school of his own, Sombra got vaporized a while ago..." Discord frowned as he pulled a single card out of Luna's ear and began to inspect it.

"New guy, shadows, yada yada. Oh, changeling wife, that must be interesting. Shape-shifters can be a real hoot in the hay. Currently living in the Temple, well at least someone found a use for that old place. Used to be dedicated to me, you know. I think there were a few hidden rooms in the area, I even left them with a few gifts, though your sister destroyed most of them. Then the Nightmare cultists decided to use it, I think. Those guys were truer to the Nightmare than they realize. Didn't do a lick of work themselves."

The misshapen creature walked casually around Luna, tossing cards left and right as he skimmed through the information.

"Original species, human? Oh, I think I saw a few of those in my travels. Odd little things, most didn't have much in the way of magic, but by chaos are they fun to watch. Did you know they're the only species I came across that developed crystal matrices to allow for magic spells even among the magically inept? Even someone devoid of magic could use basic spells that way. Spent forty years in, ouch. That must have been less than, no never mind, he likely doesn't remember much of it. I know my own frame of reference was off when I became petrified. Adoring subjects, the usual hooey when it comes to alicorns ruling ponies, ooh, gnolls huh?"

"Cimmerian is currently ruling a mixed country. Gnolls, ponies, thestrals, griffons and changelings," Luna said, watching Discord warily. "Fluttershy asked him to use something to contact you, something that she was unable to reach."

"Yes, yes. The coin I gave her. I honestly thought for a while that the instructions were beyond ponies; I thought Flutters couldn't figure it out, and that's why it never called me. But no, it was because Tia's wonderful student had a mental breakdown and a Nightmare capitalized on it. She's quite clever, you know. Had a teleport trap all set up for me the moment I returned to this dimension. It drew me in like a lightning rod, plopped me right in the center of this big ol' chamber designed just for yours truly. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so used to these kinds of things. You know she's not the first to try this kind of thing, right? Starswirl spent a good decade working out the kinks that come into play when trying to contain my power as a mental exercise, never could figure it out. What hope does she have?"

"You mean she can't hold you?" Luna asked incredulously. "If she cannot contain you, why are you allowing her to hold you captive?"

"Oh, it's not that simple. Nothing ever is. You see she can keep a good chunk of my power contained, but the wards that solidify reality around me actually damage the strength of her magic barriers. It's one of those things that drove so many beings that tried to capture me to drink. The more arrays and barriers you start layering over an area, the more they start to interfere with each other; the more holes you try to plug, the more leaks you cause. I've been held in this kind of trap before, so I know the holes. But what fun is it to just walk right out of a trap? I like poking it, and I like to poke the one who made it even more. You know she came by to gloat? Oh it was adorable, a little pony princess trying to tell me how she would destroy the world, bring darkness and end all life, yada yada."

The draconequus' expression turned serious for a moment, pressing his muzzle up against Luna's own.

"I hope your friend can find a way to pull that Nightmare out of her Luna, considering she's already taken out the Elements of Harmony. I'd hate to have to smear that nerdy little librarian across the aether of the world. I like this world, and while I'm no good at the reformation and 'saving everypony' that Tia seemed to live by, I won't let this world die."

The seriousness left his expression almost as quickly as it appeared.

"Well, we're not getting anything important done besides some extra exposition, so why don't we head to the next dream?"

Before the alicorn could ask what he meant, Discord snapped his fingers, whisking the two of them away with a loud belch.

"So this is how you keep track of where all the buildings in the Temple are located?" Zelus asked as she followed the stallion through the blocky corridors.

Cimmerian, able to reclaim his alicorn form in his dreams, nodded as he led the changeling queen through the replica of the Temple of the Shadows.

"It's been a big help. I can plan a bit ahead, guess as to the traffic that will be flowing through an area, decide on fortifications, and I can even see how it's all going to look ahead of time. It's been a bit help, I even taught Din the basics of the physics and block types so she can use it if she wants."

"I think I saw one of her early models," Zelus said, poking at a strange green-speckled creature. "It made no sense when I came across it in the link, but seeing this, seeing what it's supposed to be... Yea, I can see this being useful. I'll ask her for the basics as well when we get back. Maybe I'll design an obstacle course or some sort of arena."

Leaving the Temple and taking off for the West, the stallion called back to the queen.

"Come on, I want to go make sure I updated Shadow Talon before we left. Otherwise I'll have nothing to base it off of. See, we can already see the tower...from here..."

As the two came to a stop just shy of the town's border, Zelus could only stare in wonder at the strange sight before her.

"Cimmerian, why does the town look like cheese?"

The stallion quickly approached the tower, testing it with a hoof.

"Sponge...there's only one type of person who would dare turn someone else's creations into sponge."

"HAX!!" the stallion shouted, launching several televisions at a mismatched creature even as he was turning another building into sponges. Zelus stared with her jaw hanging open as the alicorn persued the creature throughout the town, soon realizing that the misshapen creature was none other than Discord.

Even as the draconequus warped in various barriers between himself and the alicorn, the stallion continued to pursue.

"You may be a hacker, but I'm the admin, bitch! I'll teach you to screw with my stuff!"

Even as the queen watched as the two took off into the distance, a smaller alicorn came flying up to Zelus.

"Have, have you seen Discord? I came across him earlier, and, and he said we would go see the next dream," Luna gasped out, "I, recognized this as being something Cimmerian used but, Discord took off before I could say anything."

Zelus merely pointed across the way to the sight of Discord zipping through the town, the dark stallion keeping pace while swinging around a large hammer that seemed to vaporize anything it came into contact with. Wincing as yet another building was removed from existence by the enraged alicorn's wild blows, Luna shouted for their attention.

"Cimmerian! I need to speak with you! Both of you!"

Cimmerian came to a sharp stop, looking back to the two mares before launching the hammer at his opponent. Discord stopped as well, looking at the two mares before looking back to his pursuer, only to get a hammer to his face for the trouble.

Both males reached the queen and the alicorn at about the same time, Cimmerian still glaring at the draconequus while Discord was pouting, a large imprint of a hammer inlaid with the word 'BAN' still highlighted on the mismatched beings face.

"We must be going. Please calm yourself, Discord is not an enemy," Luna told the dark alicorn.

"I know, but I'm still pissed he was messing with my stuff. That, and I just felt really angry when I saw him. Luna, after this, do you think you can check the seal again? I think I'm leaking a bit."

"Leaking?" Discord inquired, leaning over and peering into the alicorn's ear. Sticking most of his face into the ear, he was quickly yanked out by a still irritated Cimmerian, but ignored the glares of the stallion.

"Luna, when I said you needed to do something about those anger issues of yours, I didn't mean give them to someone else. Though you do get bonus points for creativity on this one."

Luna rolled her eyes, before addressing the other alicorn.

"I will check it after the meeting. You know who you will be bringing?"

Cimmerian nodded "Yup, got one extra on my end, AJ's older brother, but otherwise we're good to go. I should be able to pinpoint their location this time by comparing my current location versus where their dreams are."

"He can find people based on the locations of their dreams?" Discord said with feigned offense, "Hello, can you say police state?"

The dark alicorn raised a hoof while holding another over his heart.

"I promise to only use my powers for evil, I mean good."

"I like this guy." Discord stage whispered, leaning into Luna. "He's actually got a sense of humor. Welp, lets go everyone. Before we waste too much time ruining Cimmerians cruddy replica of his own house."

Once more the draconequus snapped his fingers, and once more the entire group was pulled into another dream.

Once Cimmerian's vision cleared, he found himself staring at the house that Pinkie was using to host the other element bearers, while a confused Celestia looked about wildly and gibbered nonsensically at her unexpected displacement to his left. Rolling his eyes, the stallion picked up the pony princess and followed after the slithering form of Discord as the reality warper rang the doorbell. The door soon swung open, the cheerful expression on Pinkie's face soon dropping as she took in the sight of the draconequus. The mare glared for some reason, stomping right up to Discord with no fear and pointing down by her hooves. With a sigh and crossing his arms, Discord floated down to her level and Cimmerian fully expected the mare to begin chewing him out for not showing up sooner. To both their surprise though, Pinkie grappled Discord in a fierce hug, giggling and nuzzling into his chest.

"Dissy! Why didn't you send me a letter? We missed you, and nopony knew where you disappeared to!" Pinkie shouted, the smile back on her face.

"Well, trans-dimensional postage is horrendous, my dear," Discord answered nonchalantly "Not to mention you never know if the mailman actually knows how to reach the address you wrote down. That and the whole point of the trip was to wander around. I really didn't know where I was going most of the time."

The mare nodded in understanding, opening the door for her guests "That's okay, I hear the reliability gets worse the farther from the Source you get. Eventually it just gets so bad that the Outsiders deliver it, just to throw off the numbers. They probably read your mail, though, so I wouldn't send it that way either."

The large group soon entered into the building, following the pink mare into the living room once more, though the room was about twice the size as before. Even as family rushed to see loved ones once more, Cimmerian pulled Pinkie Pie aside for a moment.

"How did you know we were visiting tonight?"

"Well, my tail itched, then my nose wiggled, or at least tried to, then the voices in my head started singing the pony pokey. That means a family reunion, and since I knew that would mean more ponies, I expanded the room a bit," Pinkie answered with a smile.

Cimmerian frowned at the mare, gripping her head between his hooves to her confusion. He stared at her for a few moments before nodding.

"You're hurting yourself doing this. Pinkie, I know you like to help, but you need to take a break."

"What are you talking about, Cimmy? I'm fine, I mean-"

"Pinkie, I can feel you straining from here. Three minutes and we're leaving," he told her.

"No, no you can't. We, I can't do this anymore. I can't be alone like this anymore, I need this!" Pinkie sobbed, her mane deflating. Before she could continue, Discord was in front of her, having noticed the alicorn's inspection.

"Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie," the draconequus tutted, "I thought you knew better than to do that to yourself. If you needed the extra help holding the ponies here, you should just say so. Luna, Cimmerian, Tia or myself would be happy to help take the weight off of your mind."

With a quick tap on her forehead, the pink party pony seemed to relax, her form going limp in Discords paws. Picking her up, he floated out the doorway, calling to them that he'd return shortly.

"I cannot believe I didn't think of such a thing," Luna muttered darkly from beside Cimmerian. "I'm supposed to be the one who understands dreams. I feel like a little filly, having my ponies discomfort discovered by other beings."

"Well, technically it was your abilities that spotted it, remember? I just tend to rely on them a bit when around individuals I don't know. Helps me read them easier. You've also been kind of starved for interaction, and Pinkie was trying to hide her discomfort from everyone."

Looking about the room once more, the conversations much more reserved without Pinkie's constant zipping about the room, he turned back to Luna.

"I'll try to get them out of this in the next few days. From what I can tell, they're about where my, where your old castle was. It's pretty out of the way, and the rabbits said there was something out there guarding it now. It's likely Queen Twilight is following the bad-guy handbook here and has them guarded by some monster, the question is what is it and how difficult will it be to defeat."

Luna nodded.

"I will teach you how to dispel the petrification after the party. After that, it will be putting the multiple-target teleport to use. You have been practicing it, correct?"

"Yeah, I have. I think I've got it down pat, but I'm going to use an anchor point for this and leave them as statues. That way I don't have to worry about them fidgeting while I'm casting, and Zelus can make sure they don't tip over after the teleport."

Watching the changeling queen arguing with Rainbow dash over who went next on the game system, Cimmerian chuckled.

"We're likely going to have to use the antidote for the poison joak once we reach the Castle. I need to be at my best; we all do, so I'll be hitting Apple Bloom up for that tomorrow morning. While we're working on that, Scootaloo is going to take my list over to the town hall. I want to know if there's been missing persons posters put out for the kids. Even if I can't get them home, or let the parents know they're okay, I can tell the kids their parents are still looking, or worse case scenario, I'll adopt them. Most of them already call me father or daddy, so I may as well go the extra mile for them."

"What of your apprehension with beginning a family here?" Luna asked with a sly smile. The stallion shoved her while wearing a grin of his own.

"I think that idea went out the door when I ended up giving Din exactly what she'd been asking for. She's showing now, you know. Scared her to death when she realized she wasn't going to lay these like she normally does."

"I am well aware of that. She was screaming at me when I visited her dreams one of those first nights. She's calmed since then obviously, but she misses you quite a bit. They all do," leaning against the larger alicorn, Luna sighed.

"Be careful Cimmerian. Do what you can to rescue us, but please put our ponies first. The girls deserve more than they've received in their lives. They're heroes, and most of their world is now beyond them. Life has passed them by; I fear what may become of them if they are left to fend for themselves."

"I know, Luna. It's a common motto back home, 'Leave no man behind.' Or mare, in this case." The stallion said with a chuckle.

Author's Notes:

Discord is actually pretty easy to write. I just have to channel my inner troll. He's a pathetic shriveled thing, but he's still mean. He also has a weakness for cute pony pics, so that helps.

Big Mac was... I don't think he'd take AJ disappearing too well, 'specially on top of Granny's passing and his own term after being drafted. That and I'm certain he came closer than he'd like to changelings during his time in the Royal Army.

Also, Discord taking selfies with a Beholder. I had to.

Pandinus Discovers Pranks and Cimmerian Embraces His Feminine Side

"You're certain you have it?" Luna asked the larger alicorn for the sixth time. "If something were to happen to me during this attempt, Cimmerian, it could take you years to learn it yourself. The texts are in the vault in Canterlot, you will not find them elsewhere, at least not legally."

Cimmerian chuckled at the small mare's constant need for reassurance.

"I think the legality of the method through which I learn the spells is of lesser importance than my knowing them in the first place, Luna. Besides, I have the arrays tucked away in my mental drawer, I've practiced it for half an hour, I'll try it a few times before we head out, and I'll double check everything before I do it. If I have to, I'll levitate the girls out myself so I can cast the anti-petrification spell in peace."

"Very well. We're all trusting you with this Cimmerian. I can guarantee that if you pull this off, this nightmare will be less than pleased. She will likely begin to act out even more. I would say use caution, but you sometimes act more paranoid than I do. You're certain you don't want me to tell anyone?" Luna asked him, looking over to the now mixed group of ponies talking in somber tones about the changes that had occurred since the disappearance of the five mares.

"I am. If something happens and I can't reach them, I may need to try again later. You have a direct line to me, but they don't. They can't ask me or my guards our progress, or when the next attempt will be. Their biggest enemy right now is time, time spent thinking about this," the stallion's gaze wandered towards the doorway momentarily. "Discord's going to help Pinkie out so she won't be hurting herself trying to keep everyone sane, but I don't want them counting down the days till the next attempt, especially from the first shot."

Luna sighed in defeat.

"It makes sense, and my sister isn't doing very well either. She's living for these moments right now, you know. She needs her ponies more than they need her sometimes. At the end of the day, if my sister and I were to disappear off the face of Equestria, unicorns can move the sun and the moon. When we're separated from our ponies though; well, you know firsthoof what happened to me."

"We'll be taking off later on. Apple Bloom will have the antidotes after breakfast, or so she tells me. After that we'll head back into the Everfree. We'll take them once we reach the source, I think it's our-sorry, your old castle. The rabbits at Shy's house mentioned something guarding her, so I know they're not being held too far," Cimmerian explained, his face lighting up with an idea. "Worst case, I could even ask if one of those rabbits could take us to where they're being held."

The smaller alicorn nodded, a crashing sound drawing their attention to the television as once more, a changeling queen was dragged into a fight with Rainbow Dash. The two trotted over, each grabbing a tail and separating the participants.

"I think we're going to be heading out, Luna. I'll see you later. I'm going to relax a bit."

With that, he walked out the door, Zelus following shortly after swearing vengeance on the polychromatic pegasus.

Catching her sister's attention, Luna made her own departure apparent.

"Tia, I'm going to be visiting Pandinus. Is there anything you'd like me to pass to Cadance?"

"Just my love and my hope that I see her before too long, sister," the white mare responded. "I think I'm going to stay here for as long as I can."

With a flicker of her limited power, Luna left the dream, moving across the dream realm with practiced ease and slipping into the changeling queen's meditation dreamscape. She watched for a few moments, allowing the larger mare to notice her on her own so as to not spook her. Luna had made that mistake once, and it had been less than pleasant.

The queen opened her eyes, looking in Luna' direction without her stony expression changing.

"Luna. I was hoping to see you. Things are happening. Just this morning before the sun even rose my hive detected another hive approaching from the sea."

"The nightmare's forces?" Luna asked with worry.

Pandinus nodded. "I'm going to assume so. We're already preparing, but they'll be within flying range in about a day or two, depending on the weather. I have the pegasi working to send harsh winds against them, and we're fortifying everything we can in preparation for the assault. I even sent word to Cimmerian's friend Sahkest. I don't know how he feels about changelings at the moment or what he expects from Equestrian forces, but my drones say he's currently preparing for the worst. The Talons are also making preparations, setting up both fortifications and ambush points fully stocked with both rations and the wards. They've started inscribing those wards into the buildings to see if that helps, but I don't know if it will. We'll have to see.

"In the meantime, we're moving those that won't be able to fight into the tunnels. Cadance has basically demanded that I stay down here as well, but I don't know if I can. Your niece has volunteered to hold the shield should things go badly at Shadowtalon. If that happens, we're going to need Cimmerian to destroy the array. If they push us that far, I've no doubt they'll make landfall. He should have no issue finding their boat and destroying the array."

"He's approaching the area where the Elements of Harmony are being held. We also believe the nightmare is keeping Tia and I nearby, so the power isn't being piped too far. If he's correct, and we're in the old castle in the Everfree, they could be there by dawn your time."

Luna frowned, searching the room for her niece.

"Where's Cadance?"

"Finishing up her practice with Amare, then she'll be reviewing shield spells. I have them spending at least an hour each day swapping with each other, and they can only stop if they spend at least half an hour of that time without a non-changeling realizing they've switched places. It's excellent practice, and it teaches Cadance misdirection and coming to a friends aid by either distracting the suspicious party, or by solidifying the other's cover story," Din said with a grin. "After all, Cadance's speech is much more practiced than Amare's, so there's a big difference if you listen to them for extended periods."

"Thus Cadance learns to keep her charge moving, or distracting those who may question why she's not speaking," Luna nodded in understanding. "She's okay with learning this?"

"With the array etched into her cheek, she's accepted that she may never be rid of the link, so she asked to learn about us. I'm, flattered really, but there isn't much to teach besides our infiltration techniques, so that is what I'm giving her. All of it, including the things my mother told me. It puts her into the proper mindset, allows her to understand us better I think. If she were a changeling, she'd make a proto queen I'd be proud to raise."

The alicorn winced at the statement.

"I don't know how Tia would feel about that, but Cadance is aware enough of her situation to make her own decisions, I suppose."

"If Cimmerian manages to make his move without causing too much of a stir, ask him to go back and agitate the nightmare. At the very least, there's a chance she'll recall her forces to attempt to deal with him," the shape shifter explained. "He's moving fast though, so he should be fine."

"Possibly, but the Element Bearers may be weak after their imprisonment," Luna countered. "I know my sister and I will be, and we're alicorns. The process will not be pleasant no matter what comes of these engagements."

"Yes, well we'll deal with it as it comes," the queen said, waving a hoof almost dismissively before blinking. "Now he's got me doing it. Speaking of him, I would like to talk to Cimmerian and warn him of the coming troubles. Could you take me to him? I'm already in my chambers for the night."

"Yes, though he said he was retiring for the night. I don't know why, but sometimes he just lays about in the dream realm. It's not like he can sleep in dreams," Luna muttered with a huff. "Let's go, I wish to ask him why he does that now."

Pandinus found the stallion in his usual location, an alien beach before an alien sunset, the gentle sound of alien waves drawing her eyes to an alien ocean. The differences were enough to give her pause though. Instead of just reclining in the sand as he had the first few times, Cimmerian seemed to have created a comfortable beach blanket to relax on, dozing peacefully. Second was a bit more, well worrying wasn't the word she was thinking of, it was just odd considering his earlier objections.

"Don't say a word," Zelus muttered, the stallion currently wrapped around her barrel, his muzzle in her neck. Din giggled, knowing that the alicorn tended to find himself in the same position he was actually sleeping in if he wasn't paying attention. She'd woken from these dreams several times to find the two of them in the exact same position she'd seen before waking up, and knew that Cimmerian likely had just as good a grip on Zelus in the real world as he did here.

"Why, whatever do you mean Zelly?" Din asked, her fanged grin leaving her intentions clear.

"He keeps getting closer to me every time I push him away; I think it has to do with body heat," Zelus explained with a scowl. "I know I did it when I was the changeling so, so I stopped pushing him away. I argued for being able to keep warm, so I'm not going to leave him cold. Wasn't that the whole thing with you and your 'golden rule'? He won't be able to push me away now, not after he does the same blasted thing."

"I actually came here to warn you that something's approaching the hive. It's about a day out, give or take the bad weather we've been sending its way to keep it busy. I suppose you'll have to give him the information when he wakes. It's about that time anyway, isn't it Luna? Yes, just about morning over there. I know just how to wake up Cimmerian, as well," Din said while circling the two like a shark. Zelus shifted uncomfortably, trying to keep the other queen in her sight. "He tends to take the same position in the waking world when he dozes like this, you know. So he's likely wrapped just as tightly around your currently warm body as he is here."

Coming up behind the stallion with a giggle, she whispered over him to her hive-sister.

"And you know what? He feels things the same here as well." She said, giving a nip just under the stallions jaw before trailing a line of nips down his neck.

"Din? Din, what are you doing?" Zelus asked, her voice tinted with confusion and worry.

"Just something to wake him up," the ashen queen replied, moving on to nibble lightly on her mate's wing. Before Zelus could demand her hive-sister stop the stallion shifted, nibbling on her own neck and drawing a squeak from the blue-striped changeling. Cimmerian began shifting more as Pandinus continued to play with his wings, eventually beginning to trail his own nips and kisses up his captives neck. With one last squeak of confusion, Zelus found herself the target of a powerful kiss, just as Cimmerian opened his eyes.

The desire in his eyes quickly shifted to confusion as he found himself staring not into the orbs of his wife, but the very confused eyes of the other changeling queen. His confusion quickly shifted over to shock, the dream shattering as the two shoved away from each other, leaving the echoing cackles of Luna and Pandinus ringing in their ears.

The two large equines were tripping over each other, attempting to untangle themselves in a hurry. Zelus was no help either, her new alicorn wings splayed in shock and refusing to heed her commands. Eventually the two separated, just as the griffons and thestrals were waking up to see what the commotion was about. The guards quickly left though, all bearing red faces once they saw the condition of the part of the barn Zelus and Cimmerian were using.

"Oh, I'm going to have words with her," Cimmerian muttered, walking awkwardly after his wife's ministrations. "You okay, Zelus?"

"I, I think so," the mare replied awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably. "You're the one who knows how ponies work, right? Is there, is there any way to uh, to turn it off?"

The stallion frowned, looking over to the alicorn.

"Turn what off?"

An hour and two cold showers later, the group was eating breakfast with the apples. Cimmerian was nibbling on a pancake, muttering darkly about not being able to fully enjoy it, while Zelus was still staring off into space as she mechanically filled her own gut. The sensations that had filled her earlier were confusing to say the least. She'd been with males before, but her current body seemed to have different rules for its functions. For one, she knew it wasn't ready to lay- no, it was a pony body, so it would be a pregnancy. She knew it wasn't ready for that, so its desire for male contact was pointless.

The stallions instructions of 'Don't think about sex' were both frustrating and effective. The moment she tried recalling previous times she'd stolen love or seed, her body heated up once more, even during her plunge into a nearby river as suggested by Apple Bloom (the Apple family's shower just couldn't produce a temperature low enough to effect her). Even worse, just thinking about these oddities seemed to cause her to warm up, her cheeks flushing and her heart speeding up if she spent too long pondering such things.

'I miss my control. I never had this issue as a queen,' the mare lamented. She had been avoiding looking at any of the males in the room for the entirety of the meal, leaving several confused as to why.

"Luna brought Pandinus, my wife, to my dream last night. I feel better if I zone out for an hour or two each night, let my mind process what's been happening, so I didn't notice them. I forgot to let Zelus leave my dream though, so I curled up with her because she's warm. Din messed with me, and let nature do the rest."

'Messed with, yes, that's a good way to describe what happened last night, as I was laying in bed, wrapped in the hooves of-'

"Excuse me," Zelus stated, jumping up and rushing out the door. For the sixth time that morning, she cursed her sister's prank. The second the yellow farm mare finished those antidotes, she was taking one. For now, though, she had a date with a half-frozen river.

"What's wrong with Zelus?" Scootaloo asked as the queen shot out the door.

"She's trying to understand a weird body that works differently. It's the same kind of issue that means that I can't just start scarfing down pancakes. I'll have to hack this stuff up later, if what she told me is correct. I've been feeling kind of bloated since I was changed, and Zelus said the next time we're in the forest, I'm going to have to puke out everything I've eaten so far. I can't digest it properly, just turn it into that gel that changelings use," Cimmerian explained, looking at his plate with a forlorn expression. "I like food too much to be a changeling. The not being hungry thing is cool, but I think that's because I have such a following in both Silver City and the Temple. I can almost feel it from here, and I'm not really that hungry as a result.

"This sucks, it smells delicious. I'm probably going to gorge when I get back home."

"The potion will be done settlin' in about twenty minutes. Ya could save some pancakes till then," Apple Bloom offered with a smile.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to change back while feeling so bloated like this. I don't know how the rules work, but I want to do that on an empty stomach," the changeling explained, before gaining a curious smile. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt to know how to projectile vomit, I wonder how accurate I can get."

"Do you mind? I'm trying to eat," Crescent shouted from across the table, her grey fur looking slightly green.

"No, not at all," Cimmerian responded quickly, earning a few groans of irritation.

"Ya could use the sink or the bathroom, spit it out there." Big Mac offered with a cautious smile.

The large farmer's mood had done a complete 180 from the previous night, and Cimmerian had even caught him whistling a few times. Still, Cimmerian had no desire to ruin his mood like that.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Changelings can get a lot of force behind their, uh, spit. Seeing as I've never done this before, I don't want to end up shattering your sink or toilet. Bad manners, destroying your hosts bathroom, ya know?"

Big Mac's eyes widened at the thought, giving the changeling a thankful nod for thinking about such things. The rest of the group soon finished, the thestrals and griffons all giving the Apples well deserved praise. Scootaloo merely belched loudly, rubbing her stomach with a hoof and congratulating her friend on doing the one thing the other two of their group had never been good at; cooking.

"You shoulda seen it, Cimmerian. Rarity's sis, Sweetie Belle, could burn anything. I think she burned orange juice once. I don't know how, considering all she had to do was pour it from a container," Scootaloo told him, the two friends cracking up at their friends lack of culinary skill.

"Ah swear, Ah used to think she'd grow outa it. She even married a chef, an Ah thought he'd be able to teach her how ta do better. Last Ah heard, she wasn't allowed inta the kitchen anymore on account o' her meltin' four of his favorite pots," Apple Bloom said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Ah remember tryin' ta teach her a few things, an' Ah just ended up throwin' mah hooves up in frustration. She just don't pay no attention when food's involved."

The table was cleared soon afterwards, and Apple Bloom left to retrieve her potions from her personal alchemy lab. The group gathered their things, Big Mac even offering Cimmerian a few pancakes to take on the road for once he returned to his original form. After refusing about four times, he grudgingly accepted the gift and tucked it away. Trixie, despite his objections, immediately consumed her antidote, returning to her hybrid form and resulting in a gasp of shock from the red-coated farmer. Zelus grabbed one as soon as she saw it from her place in the doorway, chugging the potion and wincing as her fur all fell out, leaving a slowly dissipating pile of fur all around her. Not being as put out by his transformation as the others, Cimmerian winced as the queen and the mare began chattering through the link, their voices ringing inside his head even though their lips never moved. Holding a hoof to his temple, the stallion took the last potion, drinking it while pointedly ignoring the put upon expression of Apple Bloom.

"Ah thought ya said it didn't bother ya that much, and that ya were gonna use 'em when ya got to the Castle," the farmer asked, gathering the empty flasks for cleaning and reuse.

"That was before I had two other voices rattling around in my head," the once again alicorn said as he massaged his temple with a hoof. "My ego takes up quite enough space in my head, I don't have room for anyone else."

Pulling off the last piece of chitin, he inspected his once more warm-blooded form. Nothing seemed out of place, no second or third right foreleg or extra horn jutting out of a random place on his back or sides. He sighed in relief, turning back to Apple Bloom.

"Thanks. Sorry about-hurk!"

Cimmerian rushed out the door, barely clearing the porch before he exploded a large stream of green changeling goo all over the front lawn.

A strange gurgling noise once more echoed through the group, Zelus wincing as her insides churned.

"You sure you're okay Zelly?" Cimmerian asked, watching the queen hobble slightly as she curled around her aching insides. She stepped into the bushes once more, making unpleasant hacking noises as she attempted to empty her body of the stray bits of food that had become trapped when she returned to her birth-form.

"Zelus says she will be fine once she vacates the remainders of the accursed pancakes that she had enjoyed an hour ago," Trixie answered from the alicorn's back. "She will likely be finished soon, as she can only feel two or three more bits hiding amongst her innards."

"Ah didn't realize it would cause the two of ya so much discomfort. Ah'm awful sorry 'bout that."

A weak looking queen soon exited the bushes, waving a dismissive hoof in the mare's direction before returning to her place in the line.

"Zelus does not hold you accountable, she merely has found even more reason to hate that cursed blue flower," the blue unicorn translated once more. "She also is thankful for the wonderful job Trixie does of relaying her messages with Trixie's much more commanding voice."

"We're all thankful for that, but if Trixie keeps shouting in my ear, she's going to find Cimmerian forgetting to properly secure her to his back, possibly resulting in her face getting dragged through the muck," the alicorn countered, turning to face her. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"You wouldn't!" the blue unicorn shouted in shock.

"Uh oh, I think something's wrong with the rope. Gosh darn it Apple Bloom, I thought you said this stuff was the good, sturdy type of rope." Cimmerian said as his horn glowed. The unicorn on his back began slowly listing to the right before slipping off, only held by the ropes. She continued to drift closer and closer to the ground until her muzzle was being tickled by the grass.

"Trixie yields, she yields!" The mare shouted, hooves flailing and attempting to keep her face out of the mud.

The glow around the ropes intensified, this time including the mare and pulling her back to her original position, the ropes tying themselves tightly around her barrel once more. The blue mare huffed but otherwise remained silent, though judging by the low chuckling from Zelus she was far from silent in the link.

"So what was that thing ya asked Scoots ta take care of?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I asked her to check on some missing person notices. I've got four ki-foals in the Temple. Rose mentions her dad every now and again, but otherwise the others don't really talk about their families, even to Cadance. I want to know what's up with them, if they have family looking for them, that kind of thing. Shadow Weaver mentioned the expedition being less than a year ago, but I don't know how long they had the kids. I can't bring the kids back to Equestria just yet, not with how much they've seen and how much they know about the Temple; they'd be a tempting target for the Royal Army, not to mention how dangerous it would be to get them through the borders," Cimmerian explained, slowing down as the group approached a whispering river.

"Oh. Ah, Ah didn't realize ya had some foals over there." the farmer responded softly.

"It's not just the one's the cultists found or took, though," Crescent responded, looking back to the yellow mare. "I've heard several of the herds are expecting foals soon, and some of the griffons are looking to settle down and start their own families. Even Queen Pandinus was beginning to show before we left, so the changeling's numbers were set to increase a bit before we left as well. Really, the only things we don't have at the Temple is minotaurs and dragons."

Just before the group could move to clear the river, Cimmerian moving to pick up Apple Bloom and carry her as well, a pair of eyes were spotted looking at them from the river.

"What's this about dragons?"

The residents of the Temple all tensed up, the griffons reaching for their weapons, but Apple Bloom trotted over to the river and happily waved to the eyes.

"Mornin' mister Magnet. We're just talkin' about the place these folks were livin' at. Said the only thing they don't have at the Temple would be dahmond dogs, minotaurs and dragons."

"Oh, how nice!" the eyes responded, rising out of the river and revealing a purple scaled and, oddly enough, orange haired and mustached serpentine being. The creature then proceeded to laugh daintily while waving an arm at the mare.

"Oh it's just been years since I saw you and your friends! How are Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle doing?" the river serpent asked, leaning on the bank.

"We're doin' pretty well, Steven. Scoots is taken care o' somethin' in town for Cimmerian there, and Sweetie is in Manehatten," The farm mare informed him.

Motioning for the group to cross the river, Cimmerian approached the two, keeping a cautious eye on the large purple serpent. He slowed beside the farmer, allowing the mare to introduce him on her own time.

Seeing him out of the corner of her eye, the famer obliged.

"This here is Mister Cimmerian, Ah, sorry Cimmerian, Ah can't remember yer full name," Apple Bloom said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"It's fine, Bloom," he said with a chuckle before turning to the serpent. "I'm Theodore Cimmerian Fredson, though I've been going by Cimmerian lately. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'd hate to interrupt your reunion, but we do have somewhere to be. Pandinus has passed on information that the Temple may be in danger later, and I may need to control the armor to help them fight off an attack. I'd like to finish this as quickly as possible."

"Yea, we're goin' ta try and free mah sister and her friends. Cimmerian says they're probly in the old Castle," Apple Bloom said, waving farewell to Steven.

"Well, don't let me stop your journey, friends. If you ever find yourselves in the area, give me a call. I'd be absolutely delighted to help you out in any capacity," the purple dragon said, diving elegantly back into the river.

Wrapping a single fetlock around the mare, Cimmerian cleared the river in a few flaps of his wings, landing lightly and releasing Apple Bloom on the other side.

"T'was an odd fellow."

"Your doing it again, alicorn," Trixie called out, chuckling.

Cimmerian growled at the mare's mirth.

"We are aware at the moment, but I'm going to have to press on despite the adversity we find bearing down upon us."

After passing through a section of the forest with strange trees and over a canyon whose bridge had collapsed due to disrepair, the group finally caught sight of their destination.

"We're almost there, keep your eyes peeled for the guardian the rabbits spoke of," Raymond whispered, jerking in shock as Cimmerian walked right past them all.

The alicorn led the way, pushing past his guards and throwing the doors open with a burst of magic. Zelus stopped the thestrals and griffons from approaching him, instead opting to carefully take Trixie off of his back. The stallion looked around the decayed hallways, tears forming in his eyes.

"What has befallen our home?" he whispered, his voice having an odd, almost feminine tone. "Do our subjects not care for us anymore? Where is our sister? We can not feel her presence either. We-"

The alicorn jumped, almost as if seeing them for the first time.

"Wha- no, we-I know them, we're, we need to move on, need to find the Array," he muttered, shaking his head and tapping his forehead with a hoof.

Zelus cautiously approached him, keeping in his sight and keeping her head low to appear unthreatening.

"Cimmerian, if you need, we can scout the area while you rest. I'd be happy to help you reinforce those, those things Luna was checking last night."

"No, we-I need to keep moving. The longer I'm here the worse it will get. It's the magic of the Everfree playing with my head. We will move forward and free the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony before the next fall of our sister's sun. We need to move before the nightmare knows of our presence," he said, casting a few quick spells at the thestrals and griffons, their armor taking on a blue and silver tone. The changeling queen soon noticed a crescent moon glowing on her barrel, marking her as one of Luna's guard as well.

"There, that should help. No matter how I speak, follow my commands. When you're in that armor, she'll see you as allies as well. Worst case scenario, just, just remind me every now and then why we're here. We must continue."

The group walked through the courtyard, the stallion stopping every few steps to mourn another destroyed statue or to replace a knocked over table with a tender care that left the guards slightly unnerved. He seemed almost alien to what they knew of him, constantly falling back into the old Equish and muttering about days long forgotten. After finally approaching the throne room, they were stopped dead.

In the middle of the chamber was a glowing array, five statues surrounding a crown. Each statue bore a glowing amulet bearing a resemblance to the marks on the statues flanks. To either side of the array were two glowing rooms, the walls of the prisons newer than anything in the castle besides the statues. The stallion approached them, then proceeded to walk right past them, stopping before the dilapidated throne and shedding a few more tears of loss.

"F-focus, this is what we're here for. Zelus, prepare the anchor in the previous room. We, I am going to use the teleport once we are prepared," Cimmerian shouted, his voice echoing across the empty throne room.

A sound answered his echo in the distance, and the guards all went for their weapons. The alicorn wasn't having it though. With a flash of his magic, he was encased in a silver and sapphire armor, the stallion shifting and molding the armor to fit his form with pure will. With a second flash, a glowing silver longbow appeared floating in his aura, accompanied by two ornate obsidian daggers spinning around his form.

With another blast of his aura, he turned to the sound, shouting, "Thou dare trespass in our domain? Reveal thyself, cur, that we may remove thee from this plane!"

The rumbling continued to increase in volume, the beast drawing closer. It finally arrived, moving through the doorway from behind the group. The guardian lumbered into the chamber, feeling nothing but hatred for those who dared to trespass in the area he was commanded to guard. It towered over them, easily five times as tall as the alicorn and changeling queen; it's thick purple scales likely being impervious to their weapons and it's rippling muscles only wishing to aid in their deaths. The Guardian bellowed in rage, before shouting at the group.

"Mine! Not steal!"

Apple Bloom stared in horrified fascination at the creature.

"Oh stars above, it's Spike," the farmer muttered.

Author's Notes:

I'm sure a few of you put it together, but yea, there's Spike. Cute, ain't he? As for Din, I can see her doing this pretty easily, and poor Zelus is now just as viable a target for pranking as anyone.

Luna's a bad influence on my changeling love-dealer.