It was a miserable and exhausted changeling stallion that shifted in bed as the alicorns raised the sun the next day. Luna had made some glib remark along the lines of 'no sex, doctor's orders' then proceeded to grab Crystal and vigorously sixty-nine the smaller mare. Max had left in an irritated and aroused huff, ducking into a nearby room so he wouldn't have to deal with both the smells and the sounds of sex.
That idea failed though, as soon he could hear Crystal shouting and Luna squealing as the mares began to climax...

...Again, and again, and again.

Finally he'd moved to the other side of the castle, looking for an unused room. He'd found one, jumped into the bed, and then found himself shouting in anger as Crystal started giving him the play-by play of her exploration of Luna's body.

Celestia had heard his shout of frustration and after getting her giggles in offered to share sleeping quarters with him. After all, it was getting cool at that point in the night and his blankets only helped retain heat, not create it.

Thus it happened that, after raising the sun, Celestia found herself staring at the male sprawled in her bed comfortably. She was debating on rejoining him for a little while longer. After all, there wasn't anything that required her attention until much later.

Nodding and coming to a decision, she moved to the door and told the guard she did not wish to be disturbed until at least an hour before lunch. Five extra hours just lazing about in bed, it was almost criminal!

'Best get to it,' she giggled to herself, getting her forelegs onto the bed...

Only to stop as she raised the blanket.

Max shifted on his back at the cool air now flowing over his body, but Celestia didn't notice. She was staring at the alien scene before her, the stallion currently sporting a fifth leg with his lower plates opened up. She idly remembered searching for it while suffering from her mood swings and ending up unsuccessful. How she had missed it before she could only attribute to the plates and her confused state of mind.

Part of her wanted to ignore the stallion's morning wood, either grabbing a separate blanket and returning to the bed or finding another room entirely. There was that small portion of her mind though, that rebellious thought that was whispering in her ear.

'What would it be like?'

The novels had always described the act as the single greatest act a living being was capable of experiencing in spite of everything she knew. Something that left even the most disciplined creatures drooling in pleasure and wanting nothing more than to continue the act for eternity. Luna swore it was a wondrous experience, leaving her with a burn in her muscles as though she'd just worked herself to exhaustion and a tingle on her skin and in her spine. A sensation that words could never do justice to. Something 'one must experience to understand.'

She looked nervously to the door before turning her attention back to the sleeping stallion. It was wrong of her to even entertain the thoughts but here she was. It looked...strange? Ponies only had one ring, and the authors always emphasized the sensation of the ring dragging along the mare's sex, or of the ring striking against swollen vaginal lips during intercourse. Of the ring pushing at the sensitive flesh before sliding into the mare's depths or dragging along the inside. He also lacked the engorged head of a normal stallion, the rod coming to end in a soft rounded tip that even now shimmered slightly at the tip. It wouldn't hurt going in, in fact it could likely slip inside her with almost no effort at least until the first ring. The rings of a stallion's penis had some give, so even then it wouldn't be painful. It would just feel strange.

She leaned in quietly, her horn glowing as she locked the door out of paranoia. She couldn't believe she was even entertaining the thought but she had to know. She wanted to know first-hoof.

A careful sniff caused her nose to crinkle. Musky was the first word to come to mind. Sweet was the second, oddly enough.
'Like the honey,' she realized, remembering Luna's comment about the other way to make a magic restoration potion with the stallion's aid. The emotion-saturated honey had been one of if not the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted.

Celestia turned scarlet, realizing she was licking her lips while staring at the changeling's siring tool. She dropped the blanket and levitated another in her magic towards her. She was being ridiculous. All of the stress or something like that. Yes, that was it. Just rest and the heat in her stomach would go away. She'd feel better-

The alicorn whimpered softly to herself as the changeling shifted in his sleep, moving to press against her back and nibble at her neck subconsciously.

'So much for relaxing in bed.'

The male behind her shifted, the pressure against her lower back increasing slightly as he pressed closer. It was answered by a strange sensation in her own body, an unfamiliar intensifying of the heat between her legs as that traitorous part of her brain spoke again.

'Two spells. One to remove the blanket, one to line the two up properly. It would be amazing. Everyone said it would, even Luna. Especially Luna, and you trust her word.'

As Max nuzzled into the fur on her neck she shivered. She couldn't remember ever feeling like this before. She...

She had to move or else she'd lose her mind.

She threw off the covers and jumped from the bed, her wings fluttering in agitation and her heart pounding in her barrel. The male was still sleeping of course, blindly groping for the warm body that had vacated the location. She caught the blanket before it settled back down, staring once more to the veiny green rod the male had pressed into her back. Maybe if she just...

Max stirred, irritation still his primary emotion as his eyes slowly readjusted to the light. Luna had just revealed to the two of them she was capable of entering the hive's dream-side, with the sole focus of getting him as riled up as possible. He'd grabbed both mares by the scruff of their necks and launched them from his room, slamming the door closed behind them. He was able to block out most sound with a little concentration, but his connection to the changeling proto queen was strongest in the dream-hive. She and Luna were still going at it after only a quick break to swap the heavenly bodies.

'Hope those assholes end up dehydrated,' he thought darkly.

He flinched, an unexpected sensation of a cool breeze flowing over a full-on erection.

'I hate morning wood.'

His irritation gave way to surprise when he looked down to find he'd gained an audience, one was that was currently in the midst of an emotional battle with herself.

Celestia was staring at him, her eye twitching as he did from a stray breeze. There was also something else, something...

The alicorn dropped the blanket and walked a few steps away, pacing while muttering to herself as her emotions swung from lust to embarrassment. She slowed, looking back to the blanket and what it covered while completely missing the blue, cat-like eyes staring back at her before going back to her pacing with a flick of her tail.

'Hoo-boy. This is gonna be fun.'

Shifting onto his belly to contain himself he used a quick flair of magic to poke the alicorn's shoulder. She jumped in response, her emotions clearly matching her face as she became filled with embarrassment and self-loathing.

"Tia, get back here," he called after her as she made for the door. Her wings and tail were both slightly raised while a faint glint of moisture could be seen on her right leg's inner thigh.

"You walk out that door and I'll ask Luna and Crystal to bring you back. You'll never hear the end of it."

To his surprise she slumped, her head bobbing in sobs.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I was just, just..."

"Curious? I'm not going to yell at you, ya goof," he said calmly. "In fact I want to apologize. Did I wake you or...I didn't uh, poke you or anything did I?"

"After I raised the sun I was going to go back to bed and I saw it," she whispered back, her cheeks still crimson.

"You silly mare, look at me. Tia, please look at me," he said softly, rolling in left hoof in a 'come closer' motion when she did. "Everyone wonders. Everyone looks at others and assesses their attractiveness. It's hard-wired into our brains, it's how we keep the species going. There is not a damn thing wrong with you, do you understand? You are a healthy, beautiful mare who just went through a very hard time. It's completely normal to be curious. In fact I could say it's strange that you're just now beginning to look. Luna certainly had no issue doing so from what I've been told."

He chuckled as the mare refused to meet his gaze.

"Celly, when you saw me in the dungeon for our first encounter, how did you feel?"

"Worried," she answered easily, having grown used to this game during her recovery. "Discord claimed you as an ally and seemed to think your arrival would help him. It did in a way, but not in such a manner that left us in danger. Relieved as well. The knights had no issue capturing you. I'd spent several restless months worrying about another Discord arriving in our land, setting him free and forming an alliance Luna and I would never be able to match."

Max nodded.

"When you found Luna and I together?"

"Angry. She didn't know you, didn't know who or even what you were. She hadn't even spent a day with you and felt you were safe to be around. Scared; that you'd hurt her, or that you already had. Um, confused that she was happy. She was, for a while she was happier in your presence than in my own. That hurt, it hurt more than any..."

"Did you ever talk to her about that?" he asked.

"No. No I did not. I was also feeling guilty. She was lonely and I didn't respond. It took a stranger showing up and staying with her for several days, quickly improving her mood to show me how quickly I could have saved her myself if I'd paid her more attention. How am I supposed to-"

"Nobody can catch everything. I knew there was a problem-"

"I did as well!" Celestia interjected. "You even told me the issue and I still didn't know how to fix it!"

"But I was free to help her while you two were on different schedules. I knew what it was that was bothering her and had a way to fix it. While joining her flock wasn't my goal, I was also looking for a solution to both of our issues. I was in danger of dying of starvation, remember?"

"You told me the issue, you told me to my face what the issue was while expecting nothing in return. I still left you in the dungeon. I wanted to leave you there and forget about the entire encounter. Instead of fixing it I wanted to punish you. That's not...I don't know why I did it."

Max smiled softly.

"And how do you feel now? Come on, you know you can tell me, Sunny."

"...Scared. I want to know, but at the same time I'm terrified. Luna is adamant that it's the best thing in the world, that she feels safe. I certainly feel safer as well even without being part of the flock and it confuses me, because the last time-"

Max perked as she cut herself off, her emotions spiking sharply between fear and anger. It worried him, and he let that emotion seep into his voice.

"Tia? What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit, you're hurting. I don't even need empathy to tell that. What happened?

"It's nothing!"

"My ass it's nothing, Celestia you're scared of something. Tell me so I can help you, please?"

Stepping off the bed, Max winced as his shoulder pulled in an uncomfortable way. He moved forward though, sitting down in front of the now-shaking alicorn and placing his hooves on either shoulder.

"Tell me I've not done everything I can to help you. I want you happy, I need you to be happy. It makes me physically stronger, Celestia. This isn't some idle good will I have, it has a direct impact on my wellbeing as well. If Luna leaves, you are my second lifeline. The knights are nice, but I need someone who genuinely cares about me as more than 'the boss's boy-toy'. Even as a good friend, you could keep me going. I hate this, I hate being tied to people like this because it makes me feel weak. But I want you to be the best damn alicorn princess you can be. Have I done anything to make you think otherwise?"

Celestia sniffled, her eyes drifting to the now-dim patch on his shoulder before shaking her head.

"Did somebody hurt you? Did somebody hurt you before you became an alicorn? While you were taking care of Luna, just the two of you?"

Her eyes darted to the and for a moment he thought she might run. Instead she bowed her head.

"He said it was either Luna or myself, that if I wanted her to be safe- it wasn't like there were guards. Nopony watched us, they were all busy trying to survive in the Age of Discord. None would miss a couple of fillies." she choked out. "Said it was how it worked, that it was natural. That the reason it hurt was because I was broken. That I was a freak and it was my fault."

Max felt his heart drop out of his chest.

"Oh my god, Tia. Oh geeze, I don't-"

He pulled her into a deep hug, shushing her while rocking slightly even as she returned his hug, sobbing uncontrollably. She said it had been awful, that it had hurt. That she had become terrified when Luna started asking questions about stallions. That for a while she'd felt uncomfortable around males before just assuming there was something wrong with her.

"So why do you trust me?"

"You, you said it yourself that day I found you with Luna. When you stuck her to the bed and I thought you'd done something to her." she whimpered. "You can't do that. You can't, it would make you sick. The fear, the pain. It's not something you can do, it would hurt you as well. I want to feel like Luna, I want to be safe and happy but every time I think about it, I just, I want to try it, part of me wants it but I just keep- I want it gone. You keep saying these things but I only know what I have experienced."

"Listen, listen to me. What I do with Luna and what happened to you are two different things," he said softly. "There's a process, you may not even know it but earlier, I could smell you, I could see you're interest. You were curious, you wanted to know. Remember what I said happens when a mare gets excited? The wetness? That wasn't present for you that first time. That's why it hurts. He didn't care. I do, Tia. Oh stars above, do I care. I want you happy, I want you to be the happiest mare you can be. Anyone who does something like that is scum. They are the lowest form of un-life in the universe."

He gave her head a quick kiss, returning to his rocking hug.

"Tia, Tia. I'm right here, Luna will always love you, you are the most selfless mare I know. I love you too, we all do, you wonderful mare."

"It always sounded so strange," the alicorn mumbled into his shoulder. "For a long time I thought that was just how it worked. I read the books. The medical texts describe it exactly as it happened, while the novels described it in almost the same manner. I thought they were lying, or that the writers were attempting to play up the pleasure. I enjoyed the stories but when it would reach those parts I would skip them. They were so fake. I thought you'd done that to her at first. Even through the mental barrier with the Elements, I wanted to destroy you. Then I saw Luna positively glowing, smiling so brightly. She kissed you, hugged you, acted as though you had only been kind to her. Like you hadn't hurt her. I was so confused. I felt, I spent so long telling myself the stories lied but Luna wasn't lying. If she wasn't lying, then what did that say about me? Maybe it was my body that was wrong. Maybe he was right. I don't know anymore. I just-"

"They weren't lying and there's nothing wrong with your body," he assured her. "The only thing wrong was with that asswipe's head. Love is a beautiful thing. It's trusting the other person completely, knowing they love you just as much. That the'd never hurt you. Luna would turn him into paste if she knew. So would I if I found him, and so would Crystal."

"You don't know that, what if there's something wrong with me?" she argued, pushing away from him and pacing the room again. "What if there's always been something wrong with me? What if my- mine doesn't work?"

"It works just fine. I saw that while you were pacing around earlier."

The alicorn stared at him, her emotions swinging from anxiety to embarrassment so fast it could have been called emotional whiplash.

"Y-you looked at my-!"

"And you saw mine," Max said calmly. "Do you want to hear how I know?"

Celestia worried her lip before nodding, her wings fluttering nervously.

"You spent some time looking at me, right? I saw you pacing, but the thing I also saw was your body reacting. Your wings lifting a bit, your tail hitching slightly, but most importantly was when you were going to run out the door, I saw a little bit of a shine on your rear right leg. I could also smell it. When a mare gets excited, you can smell it."

"When Luna's excited, her sex starts producing that fluid that helps prevent injury. When Crystal gets excited, now that she's been fixed at least, she starts to leak that fluid. When human females get excited, they start to produce a similar fluid. It helps the male slide in and out without harming either of the participants. It makes things more pleasurable. Celestia, you are a perfectly healthy, exceptionally beautiful alicorn mare. And if anyone who finds the female form attractive tells you otherwise, you don't pay them any mind. Because they don't matter."

The mare blushed, a ghost of a smile quirking her lips for a moment.

"You said that when I was better you'd-"

"I said I'd be willing to, yes. Anything you two need. If you need me to stand here while you cry, holding on to you the entire time I'll do that. If you need me to leave you alone with your thoughts, I'll wait until you're ready to talk to me. If you want to beat someone up in the training yard, I may ask for another day to heal, but sure. I'll be there. If you want me to prove to you, once and for all, that sex is not a horrible thing and that you were wronged in the most horrible way, I will. If you want me to prove that there is nothing wrong with that beautiful body of yours, from your shimmering eyes to your flowing tail," he said with a playful smile, "I'd be more than happy to."

"I think that I just want to feel safe. I just want..."

Max hobbled back to the bed, slowly pulling himself back onto the cushions and settling the blanket over himself while holding one side of it up for her. The alicorn smiled cautiously but accepted the offer, resting on the bed and shifting slightly, leaving herself curled into his side. He dropped the blanket over her and rested his head on her neck, settling in for a comfortable nap. She was still scared, still radiating a bit of fear but it was a small thing. The past wouldn't hurt her here.

"You can count on me," Max whispered, kissing her forehead and dozing off beside her.

Luna sat beside the tunnel the diamond dogs were using, nervously shifting her wings while Crystal clung to her side. The younger mare had mentioned tasting strange things from Max and with Luna's encouragement had pursued the information. What followed, Luna still didn't understand. Crystal's emotions swirled, anger to some unnamed being, fear, sorrow, and determination. Determination to protect someone. She refused to explain even at Luna's demands for information. When Luna demanded to at least know why Crystal was being silent, the changeling looked at her and smiled.

"She doesn't want anyone to know. I shouldn't know either, so Max wouldn't want me saying it. I...I agree with him. She will speak when she is ready to."

Luna found herself wrought with worry at the explanation. It had something to do with Tia. The mare who meant so much to her was in pain again and once more the white alicorn was hiding it. Max had only barely pulled it out of her, according to Crystal. If Max thought it was best not to say then it would likely be for the best. He spent the last week with Celestia, seeing to her every need. He fed her, bathed her, made sure she slept. He knew her well, he knew who she was behind her mask, behind the wall she'd raised with the Elements. Even before the Elements, Luna had felt as if there was some barrier between them. Something that had kept them from understanding each other.

"Maximus has her, Luna," Crystal reassured the panicking alicorn. "They just went back to bed. She wants to rest. She trusts him to keep her safe, trust me to let you know if they need help."

Luna exhaled, settling her wings back to her side and nodding.

"Very well. I shall ask Maximus later on tonight what he thinks. I need to know Tia is well. She is-"

"Important to you. I know. You're important to her, too. More than you realize."

Luna looked taken aback by the casual certainty in Crystal's voice but nodded none the less. The older alicorn had cared for her for years, after all. Well, they'd cared for each other, but Tia was the elder. She was the one who remembered the blankets or the food, she was the one who brought the extra from their garden into town for thread or cloth or medicine. She certainly deserved the chance to rest.

'She deserves to be loved.'

Crystal buzzed her wings, getting Luna's attention and pointing a hoof to the tunnel. Not a minute later, a diamond dog stepped out, followed by another, then another. They kept coming, a grand total of twenty seven Diamond Dogs. The entire pack by Luna's guess. They seemed to jubilant at being above ground. They hugged, they cheered, some wept. Like ponies who had escaped the windigoes, from what Starswirl told them. Like ponies who learned that Discord would no longer torment them.

'They were lost for a long time. Is this truly the first time they have seen the sun?'

They were still cautious, weary of the strange ponies watching them from a distance. The elder from the day before approached her, bowing his head.

"Blue One. These are the elders of the pack. Mitzy, the pup-minder. Rusty, our tool-mender. Buster is our metal-expert and scouting master. And I am Duke, Elder alpha of the Rock-Divers."

"A pleasure to make the acquaintance of you and your pack, Elder Duke. I am Princess Luna and this is Crystal, beta mare of my flock. My fellow ruler, Princess Celestia, is currently resting while Max, my flock's stallion watches over her. While I understand you would like to remain outside, we have an outdoor garden in the keep. If you would prefer we can speak there. I shall be happy to answer questions if you would be willing to entertain my own."

The elder dogs exchanged glances before nodding to Duke, who in turn gave a toothy smile to Luna

"An outdoor meeting place would be preferred. I mean your home no insult, Princess Luna, but we only just found the sun again. We would like to remain under it for now."

"Excellent, will your pack require anything? Water, provisions, directions?"

"They shall remain near the tunnel for now. For all that we have longed to see the sunlight, the tunnels have been our home for far too long to just leave them."

Duke walked off to the pack, barking(literally) orders for a few moments before returning with two dogs with weapons and armor crafted from shaped gems. The dogs were not the first owners of the tools, however. They seemed ill-fitting. Like the helmet was too large on the first and the shoulders were too small on the second. They were lovingly cared for, though, the armored dogs moving in such a way as to put the minimal amount of stress on their weapons and armor.

"It is not a problem if these guards remain with us, is it?"

Luna shook her head.

"They are defending their leaders. I see no harm, so long as they remain calm and civil. I wish for you to be comfortable, after all. Please, follow me."

Max watched the meeting through Crystals eyes, the TV in his room serving as his viewpoint as he lounged in his bed. He knew the alicorn was still sleeping as he could feel her emotions bleeding into him, he could feel the warmth of her body radiating into his own. It was the best of both worlds, in fact. Learn what was going on with the dogs while giving Crystal some additional information or helping her understand what was happening, all while providing physical and emotional support for the white alicorn sleeping beside him in the waking world.

"...Starswirl, a powerful unicorn and a very knowledgeable pony, took Celestia and I as his apprentices. He taught us all he could in the time he had, wide topics from history to economics to the laws of Paradise Valley, the homeland of the ponies. Even with the education he provided we have dedicated ourselves to learning more. We are forming our own library with the help of our subjects, collecting all of the information we can. One of the changeling drones, a changeling that is of similar size to our subjects such as Lemon here," Luna gestured to the servingmare as the pony offered to replenish the alicorn's tea "thank you Lemon, is sorting the information and making certain we do not have the same information scattered in twenty scrolls throughout our library."

"We unfortunately did not manage to retrieve much from our home. The rubble was soaked through with water, and we were ill equipped to deal with the aftermath. We tunneled for many years, finding other packs every now and again by accident. Some were ambivalent to our meetings, others welcomed us. Still others were hostile, though we knew not why. We shared what knowledge we remembered with those who would speak with us, passing it on to the next generation as best we could. But not everything is remembered. Digging strategies, tool-shaping techniques, how to form the ores of the earth into metals, so much was forgotten. The only tools we have left are a few diamond hammers and a blades. Anything less powerful has worn away, while it is just not worth forming new armors from what little we have. Even more tools were lost do accidents or a pup getting lost, unable to find their way back. The ruins are so deep underwater, I fear they shall never see the light of day."

'S'cuse me, Crystal,' Max said, tapping into her vocal cords and mouth.

"Retrieving them would be easier in time. I am aware of several methods of moving about on the ocean floor, while changelings may be able to shape shift ourselves into forms more suitable for underwater exploration. A barge or even blimp with a properly prepared crew could retrieve your homelands artifacts."

Duke blinked in surprised, both at the changeling's sudden interruption as well as her sudden willingness to speak.

"Apologies, Elder Duke, allow me to explain," Luna said, chuckling at their confusion. "I mentioned yesterday that Crystal was removed from her hive, correct? A hive to changelings is in fact much closer than a pack or even flock."

"Nothing is closer than a pack," one of the dogs, Buster, interjected, his hackles rising at the perceived insult.

Duke raised a paw to the other dog, calling for calm.

"You will explain, of course?"

"Oh, yes. I apologize. It is not a matter of my doubting the bonds of your pack. A flock is a pegasus family unit, different from a community in that it is often intended for foal-rearing and close inter-member support. Changelings are even closer than that. They are connected to each other mentally, able to speak to each other over a good distance with a single thought. The one who spoke was not Crystal but Maximus, the stallion of our flock."

Max chuckled nervously, feeling the proto queen slip back and push him into control of her form. It was an alien feeling as much as any other, and he found himself rubbing a fetlock with the changeling mare's hoof.

"I apologize. Sometimes I allow my mouth to run unchecked. The solution is very real of course, it would only take time to bring together sufficient resources and confirming technologies. There is also the possibility of hostile creatures in the oceans which we would have to contend with. Otherwise the history of your race is not as out of reach as you may think."

The dogs nodded dumbly, watching the changeling queen as she acted differently now. She was more relaxed, her voice more calm. She also spoke with conviction, believing every word she spoke.

"And you know how to do this?" Duke asked.

"I know the things we need. Many we do not have at the moment. Rubber hoses would be needed if you wanted dogs or ponies down there, and that's assuming changelings have a way to shape shift gills. I don't know if we can do that, as I am not an expert. I will ask our infiltrator later tonight and inform you of her answer as soon as possible.

"The barge would take time to create, at least two years by my guestimates if we had decent ship builders, which I don't think we have. Metalwork for the helmets, rubber or some other waterproof material for the suits, a way to pump air down to the divers, maybe we could magic something up like water-breathing spells if we really want to get fancy. Then you would have the supplies; you'd need enough food and water for the trip of course, or instead of water you'd need a way to take the salt and organisms out of the ocean water so it would be safe to drink."

"It sounds...time consuming. And expensive," Rusty said, deflating. "We have neither time nor resources at the moment."

"I'll get back to you on those, as there's one big issue that prevents us from moving to do this even if we had the proper equipment. Princess Luna, do you know what I'm alluding to?" Max asked through Crystal.

"The location of the island," she said, nodding. "Even if we were to find all of these things within the next hour, we have no idea where we would send this barge."

"Don't give up on retrieving your people's heritage," Max added, flashing an understanding smile. "Instead focus on recovering from the disaster you suffered. You have a chance to start again. Other packs are still searching for the surface, right? Leave a note or message in your old caves. Send scouts to the nearby packs and help them as well. Pull your race back together, make them strong again. You can rebuild without this information if you need to, you could discover these things again. Finding your homeland is a long-term goal, as is our desire to find the Hive. It is something we would like to do, but aren't ready to attempt yet."

The elder Alpha closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"I...see wisdom in this counsel. Thank you. Other packs may wish to search for the Old Land, though. What would you suggest then?"

"Provide what aid you can or what aid you are willing to, but don't put your pack at risk. You'll get there, but don't be afraid to leave this task to the next generation either. Don't destroy yourselves chasing an dead city that you don't even have the location of. Instead do what I plan on doing in the future. Put a bounty on information. Wealth, items, whatever you want to offer. You'd likely need to talk to sailors about it though, considering where it was and where it is now."

"I do apologize for interrupting your tale, I just felt it necessary to bring that up. There have been quite a few disasters these last few years and sometimes the depression they invoke gets to me. I will likely be joining Princess Luna after lunch along with Princess Celestia, so I look forward to seeing you in person."

Crystal accepted control once more, her presence pressing against him in her own happy way as he pulled back to the dream-hive. The proto queen gave Luna a bright smile before returning her attention to the dogs.

"An interesting trait. Is it only the two of them, or..."

"Changeling's must bond mentally to allow such interactions," Crystal explained, the ears of the pack elders all perking at her change in tone and posture. "Only Maximus and I are currently bonded, but we may add other changelings at a later time. I am a bit hesitant to do so, however, since Max is not used to the bond."

"Thank you Crystal, and tell Max that I appreciate his aid as well. His ideas were most appreciated," Luna told the proto queen. Turning back to the elders, she smiled brightly.

"You have a goal for the future it seems, but what do you intend to do in the interim?"

Max listened to the planning as best he could and even threw Crystal a few ideas or clarified some statements for her, but for the most part the changeling mare began zoning out the conversation. Which meant most details began to float in one ear and out the other faster than Max could catch them. It was strange, trying to catch details when the owner of the ears wasn't paying any attention. Eventually Max gave up as well, telling Crystal riddles while she attempted to answer them. It was good for her, expanding her knowledge-base and helping her learn more about the world he'd come from.

'Got to go, Crystal. Think Tia's waking up.'

He woke with a smile on his face, the whining of the bored proto queen still reaching him even as he took stock of his situation. He was still beside the white alicorn, his neck resting protectively over her own. She was emitting a little fatigue, but otherwise she was staring at the wall.

"Feel better?"

A single pink eye looked to him, their faces quite close due to their position.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"You didn't wake me. I don't even really sleep the same way anymore. Not totally, anyway. I'm sure if I didn't at least do my zone-out thing in the dream-hive I'd pass out from mental fatigue."

Shifting onto his side he pulled her to his chest in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for pushing you earlier, Tia, but you're scaring me. The first time I think something may be wrong, I find you abusing the Elements. The second thing that comes up was...promise me you'll talk to me, or someone else if you don't trust me to understand. Just talk to someone."

"I do trust you. Stars, I still don't know why I said that. I don't-you promise? Anything I want to say? No matter how weird or bad. Or scary or stupid?"

"Anything."

"I used to wet the bed as a foal. I did it once when Luna was sleeping with me and I told her it was a leak in the roof."

Max cocked his head.

"Did she buy it?"

"She spent two hours the next day helping me patch the roof of our cottage."

Max nodded, looking to the cushions they were resting on.

"You grew out of it, right? I won't have you trying to tell me you spilled tea?"

The alicorn regarded him in silence for a beat. It was as if she was waiting for him to laugh, say 'just kidding, I think you're a freak!' and trot off. Instead he leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially.

"When I was a little kid I was so into a cartoon, I peed myself because I didn't want to go to the bathroom. I blamed our dog, and my dad started yelling at it while cleaning up the mess."

He smirked, fondly remembering his foolishness.

"My mom grounded me later. I couldn't go out to play or watch TV or anything like that for a week."

"She discovered your lie?"

"Humans wear clothes all the time. I had thrown my ruined clothes in the laundry and my mom put two and two together. She wasn't too happy about that, but my dad would still joke about it years later. You remember what I told you? What I said I wanted to be for you? A friend, a confidant if you need it. Someone you can say anything to. I trust you, Crystal and Luna to watch out for me. Luna trusts all of us to look out for her."

Pressing his muzzle against her cheek, he rubbed his nose against her.

"We want you to trust us to do the same. You're not a unicorn filly looking out for a pegasus filly anymore. We're all adults here, we're all capable of taking on that responsibility. And we're all damn well capable of defending each other. Even if my version of defending is just being a meat-shield."

Max sighed.

"It's coming up on lunch. We could get in a bath if you'd like, or just head over to speak with Luna and the Diamond Dogs. Or we could do something else. I'm sure Luna would let you get away with a token appearance if you don't want to talk to them."

The alicorn rose drone the bed, stretching her wings to their full extension.

"Lunch sounds lovely, actually. I believe I shall meet with Luna and decide on further plans later."

Max watched as the large white mare stepped off the bed, stretching her legs in an almost languid fashion. He chuckled in spite of the situation, causing her to look back as she stretched her forelegs, flank in the air and pointing directly at him.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," he said, rising into a sitting position and flaring his wings in his own stretch/display.

Stepping off the bed himself, he ran through his own stretching. The fact that he kept his smile focused on her the entire time didn't seem to help her recover from her earlier embarrassment. Finishing and moving to the door, he shoved her with his shoulder as he passed by.

"Don't be embarrassed about your body. I'm just learning what the local species consider attractive. Even then, I bet most mares would kill for a figure like yours."

"Flatterer. I am too tall, my legs too skinny. I was always awkward as a young mare, now I am an oddity. One of two oddities. Luna is closer to the pony ideal, but even she is much too tall now."

"Really?" Max asked. "I must be ugly as sin to most ponies in that case. Too tall, too skinny, no fur, horn looks like I grew up with scoliosis of the horn."

He never lost his smile though. Instead he looked back at the alicorn as he opened the door.

"Good thing the only mares whose opinion I value think I'm at least tolerable. Besides, old male saying. When you get into a relationship, be the ugly one. If I'm the ugly one, then that makes Luna and Crystal the pretty ones. And if Luna's pretty, where does that leave you?"

"With a stallion who enjoys talking logical circles in order to make me feel better," Celestia sniped, a small smile on her lips.

"Exactly. Now let's get some food in you. I need some water, too. Would also like to get Crack to take a look at my shoulder and eye. These patches are driving me nuts."

"I can hardly see that being a specifically difficult endeavor."

Max clutched his chest, gasping dramatically.

"Oh, she strikes so deep!"

Slumping to the ground in the hall, Max put a fetlock over his eyes.

"Oh, I can feel my strength fading, I'm not long for this world, already I an see the next life and it's..."

He peaked under his foreleg, finding a pair of knights staring at him in confusion.

"Filled with sweaty stallions. Shoot, I didn't think I warranted eternal damnation. No cute mares in water balloon fights?"

"Hurry, Maximus. Sometime before night?" Celestia chided, poking him with a wing.

"Hark, what joy my heart sings with. A vision of beauty come to grant my dying wish. A kiss? Nay, I would not sully her lips with such a request. Listen close, fair creature of light. My wish, my last request...is that you give Luna a noogie."

With that the stallion fell limp to the floor, his tongue hanging out in feigned death.

He felt the alicorn's amusement even as she sighed, picking him up and setting him on her back.

"I suppose he is too large to dispose of through the garderobe. Perhaps I shall ask Luna what she wishes to do with the body."

As the alicorn began carrying him down the hallway her stomach cried out for nourishment. She stopped in her tracks, embarrassment blooming in her emotions while Max snickered in amusement. She let loose a nervous giggle in response before her stomach spoke again. This time Max laughed, shifting off of the alicorn's back and moving down the hall.

"Come on," he said, still grinning brightly. "Let's go make sure that wild animal you're hiding in there is fed. Otherwise it may eat someone."

Author's Notes:

This is in fact something I have considered was a possibility in their past several times. As I said, my headcanon for the two was that Luna and Celestia were both separated from their families and banded together, Celestia taking care of Luna as the elder filly in an abandoned cottage. A unicorn caring for a pegasus. That wasn't a safe time, though. There are no large bases of power, Discord roams free, Ponies are driven mad and tribalism is still a very real thing. Celestia and Luna wanted better for the future. So they decided that with their new power, they were going to carve their dreams out of a world that abandoned them.

And I can easily see Celestia doing anything to protect Luna.

I promise, teasing is only going to last so long.