When Three opens his eyes again, the dreary grey stone house in Canterlot is gone, replaced by a wide-open room with gold and dark purple themed everything. More a throne room-sized suite, actually, with small decorative pillars on the sides featuring various species in different stages of worshipping each others’ bodies. Through the thin curtains covering six glass-less windows on one side of the long room and billowing slightly in a refreshing breeze, Three can see blue sky and several tree canopies.

All in all, the entire suite is a mix of Saddle-Arabian comfort and dragon-tier greed for gold.

Adding to all that, Comfort has lost her changeling form and is now a reddish-pink, gold-maned pony with bat-like wings. And rounder, a lot rounder. She catches Three looking at her and stretches like a cat, forelegs forward, back arched, and wings spread.

“Real world and that old changeling body can be so confining,” she comments when she’s done. Furrowing her brows, she adds, “Just breathe, Thirteen. I hear the first time here is a bit overwhelming. I would be surprised that Three doesn’t look affected at all but… you know.”

Gem nods and Three gives her a puzzled look.

Behind Three and Gem, Thirteen is barely standing on her trembling legs, gasping for breath with sweat dripping from her forehead, completely ignoring the reality that changeling chitin doesn’t allow for sweat glands.

Noticing that, Three reaches up to pat Thirteen’s lowered head. She barely seems to even notice, only turning an inch towards him.

“What’s happening to her?” he looks back at Comfort, “How can we help?”

“It’s okay, she’ll get used to it. Five, Six, and Seven were alright when they were here, though they had time to gradually get used to this place,” Comfort shrugs.

“Used to what?” pleads Three.

“This is the realm of lust, the part of Tartarus where the succubi of all shapes and sizes live, as wrong as that term is. It gets a bit crazy for us changelings,” Comfort reaches to scratch Three behind the ear and stops when he backs away. It could be the first time ever Three would refuse a physical contact and it makes her shake her head, “Don’t worry about her, Three. I’d be more curious as to why you aren’t feeling anything.”

Three stops, tilts his head, sniffs the air, and shrugs.

“Boss always told me not to eat too much in one sitting, especially lust, or I’d get sick.”

Gem and Comfort exchange glances.

“So… dad told you that and you just do it?” Gem can’t help her jaw dropping a little.

“What’s wrong with that?” asks Three.

“My own first time here looked pretty similar to hers,” Gem nods to Thirteen very slowly regaining control of her body, “My body just started sucking all the lust in on its own with all the obvious downsides of such crazy overdose since there’s pretty much infinite supply here,” she looks at Comfort, “You really should account for that if we ever need to bring changelings here again and drop them off some distance away first.”

“I’m not a taxi service, Gem,” Comfort boops her, “If you want to use me as such, you need to get used to the Armaneian disco blasting from the radio, metaphorically speaking. Anyway, I know roughly where Flow is in the Silent Circle so I can send us there from here.”

“How do you know about him?”

“It’s not too often that someone gets forcibly banished here with such accompanying… hatred, pain, force. Difficult to explain to a non-resident, really,” Comfort frowns, “It was the strongest banishment I’ve ever felt, although I’ve been here for only like what… over two hundred years.”

“...p-please...” they hear a weak whisper from behind, “...either k-kill me… or don’t… do anything like this… ever again...”

“You’re all such drama queens,” Comfort rolls her eyes with a smirk, “I recall your sister sitting in the corner, swaying back and forth, saying ‘I will get fat, I will get so unbelievably fat, I will be like a blob, no amount of gym time will ever be enough’. You should both take a page from Three’s book.”

Gem looks away, blushing.

“I left booksy in my backpack,” Three looks longingly into the empty hole in his foreleg, “My pencil and crayons too.”

“...don’t… talk about… anything… food-related… please...” Thirteen covers her mouth with a hoof.

“Fine, I’ll just teleport us right now and we’ll deal with you throwing up later,” Comfort closes her eyes, pink fire envelops her and the three changelings, and the disappear.

They reappear a second later right where they were standing before, looking rather confused.

“Is he… already here in your home?” Three hazards a guess.

“No, no, definitely not,” Comfort furrows her brows, “The teleportation failed… for some reason.”

“Sorry, that was a stupid idea,” Three hangs his head.

“Not entirely, considering that you know nothing about this place,” comments Gem, “However, it can’t be good.”

“No worries,” Comfort waves her hoof, “Just one more weird phenomenon, really.”

While it calms Three and Thirteen down, Gem can read her old mentor well enough to know Comfort is persuading herself as much as them.

“How do we get to the Silent Circle then?” she asks.

“There are static bridges between this place, Promenade, and Silent Circle. If those stopped working, I’d know about it,” Comfort looks at Thirteen, “Feeling better?”

“A little,” Thirteen has progressed to a state where she can at least talk properly, “So much energy and it’s all so wrong.”

“Yeeeah, lust overdose is a pain in the plot but you have enough love for your body to mix it properly. Still, if you start feeling worse, Gem and I will think of something but it’s better if you power through it.”

Thirteen slowly nods.

Comfort leads them out of her suite and a single staircase down until they reach a huge gate flung open and leading outside.

“We were… higher than one floor,” Three gives the outside a suspicious glare, “I saw the tops of the trees.”

“I really wouldn’t bother with trying to force normal world limits onto this place,” Comfort shakes her head without any worry this time, “Just look around and enjoy. You won’t see view like this in Canterlot these days.”

And so, Three walks outside into beautiful, warm, blinding sunlight.

“I’ve missed this,” Gem breathes out, “Darkness suits our situation so much more but I’ve missed sunlight so much. Everything went dimmer when corruption spread through Equestria and now with no sun or stars...”

“You don’t like the underground?” asks Three, “I mean, it’s really nice here for a while, but give me a good hole to dig any day over this.”

Comfort pokes him with a smirk.

“It’s peaceful, safe, and you can’t tell me you don’t like all the colors.”

That’s where Three has to admit she’s won. While the smooth black and white marble of the succubus palace hallways as well as Comfort’s gold and purple suite were a difference from the usual blackness of the underground, they still felt stuffy and too solid, static. The garden which spreads to both sides as far as the eye can see, with smooth green lawn and trees and plants of varying colors and shapes impossible to find on Equus, is a living, breathing place even before one accounts for creatures glowing with lust doing rather gymnastic things to each other.

All that finally punches through the internal dark clouds Three’s been fighting with ever since their escape from Crystal Empire prison and the drone starts galloping like mad towards a demonic red ball lazily floating through the air.

“IT LOOKS LIKE A GIANT, CUDDLY TOMATO WITH TEETH!”

The floating demon turns around and spits out a ball of fire at Three which harmlessly disperses against his chitin. Its expression of shock and anger changes into pure panic when Three pounces into the air, lands on the demonic ball, and starts hugging and nuzzling it.

“You know,” Gem leans to Comfort’s ear, “Last time one of those cacodemons shot me while I was armored and it hurt like blazes a whole week.”

“You deserved it for the sin of not being Three,” replies Comfort with a smirk as she watches the cacodemon trying to shake Three off.

“You know what I mean. I doubt he even felt it.”

“Is it that difficult to comprehend for someone as experienced as yourself, really?”

Gem pouts.

“Let’s say that I have a working theory and I’m asking for an opinion of the expert on these things.”

“Well, my little Gem, here we have an infinite source of lust coupled with a changeling who himself is basically a source of love, although a trickle rather than the cloud of lust that’s currently still choking Thirteen. Mix the two together right and you can do anything.”

“I’m getting better...” Thirteen breathes out.

“So that means, in theory, that if Three stayed here long enough he would have infinite power?”

“Pretty much,” Comfort nods, “Certainly he’d have more raw power at his disposal than me or any other creature here. So don’t worry, he’s pretty much indestructible.”

“Can’t we use it somehow?”

“I’m not sure how, really,” Comfort shakes her head, “It’s not as if he has the capacity to store anything crazy and take it with him. He’s still mostly just a drone. Down here, though, he could pretty much tank Sunbutt nuking him in the face repeatedly with her full power and barely notice anything other than the pretty colors. Watch!” Comfort whistles loudly, “Hey, Three! I heard that guy gives the best hugs,” she points towards an enormous minotaur-like demon with mechanical enhancements all over his neck, skill, and his arm who is almost as tall as the succubus palace itself.

Three leaves the now sobbing and defeated cacodemon alone and starts flying towards the figure towering over the gardens.

“You warned me to get out of the cyberdemon’s way last time I saw it, that it’s too much for me,” Gem sits down, crossing her forelegs.

“Do I have to repeat myself? You aren’t Three,” Comfort smacks her over the back of her head in a friendly fashion.

The demon notices the drone buzzing towards him with forelegs spread, and his expression turns from passive observation into that of the purest horror.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” the rumbling roar resonates through the gardens as the cyberdemon turns around and flees away at speed Three decides not to match.

“Ohhhhh, so he still remembers that,” Comfort raises an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Well, last time when Five and Seven came here to rescue Six, Six did something to all those mechanical bits on the demon’s head. I guess the memory stuck and he has healthy respect of changeling drones.”

“Dad has no idea how weird his hive really is...” Gem rolls her eyes.

“Ohmigosh you’re so adorable!” a busty humanoid succubus snatches Three who is now lazily buzzing back to the group from the air, slightly crestfallen after being deemed not hug-worthy by the big demon for to him no apparent reason, “There’s no reason to be sad here, tiny black bug horsie,” she pushes his head into her cleavage where it disappears completely between the soft pillows.

“I don’t like that!” Thirteen catches herself growling and glaring daggers at the demoness.

Of course, her reaction is not lost on Comfort who allows herself a rather sadistic smirk.

“Hands off, you cheap slag!” calls out Comfort, “Leave the buggo to his own kind.”

The succubus turns her head to snap back at Comfort, realizes who she’d be talking back at, and decides against it, letting somewhat dazed Three drop on the soft grass. Gem is the only one to raise an eyebrow on the statement of Comfort’s apparent authority.

“See? No problem there,” Comfort looks at Thirteen and two fresh bulging teats between her hind legs the size that’s bound to make walking difficult, “Take those off, Thirteen.”

“But he liked them on her,” objects the young changeling.

“Look,” Comfort gives Thirteen a stern glare and says in a quiet, low tone, “There’s one thing Three can do better than me, better than any infiltrator, demon, and maybe even better than Cadance herself, and that is seeing into the hearts of others. It just seems so often that he’s naive and downright dumb because he believes harder than anyone else than whatever tiny bit of good is in anyone can win in the end. We are changelings. With enough love, we can look like whatever we want, so do you think that hoofball-sized tits and ass are going to be the deciding factor in getting the kind of attention you want from him? That’s both insulting to him and stupid from you.”

“I-” Thirteen takes a step back from the suddenly serious succubus.

“You picked a tough fight,” Comfort shakes her head, “because if you want him to love you more than everyone else, especially the boss, it will be even more difficult than trying to turn a loveless griffon,” she nods towards Gem who just chuckles and smiles, wise enough not to try to lie to her mentor.

“I just admire him, his optimism, and I want to see him cheer up after how hard the massacre in Crystal Empire prison hit him-”

“I’m suuuuure that’s all you want,” Comfort rolls her eyes, “Girl, don’t try to lie to the number one- well, maybe number two infiltrator since I’m out of practice but more importantly - don’t try to hide matters of lust from a changeling succubus.”

Thirteen sighs.

“...why would he ever want me anyway…?”

“That’s up to you to figure out,” Comfort smacks the back of Thirteen’s head, “HEY, THREE, TIME TO GO!” she yells and nods towards the open gate in the wall that seems to be separating the garden from the rest of Tartarus, although one can never know in such place.

When Comfort, leading them, passes through the arch and disappears without a trace, Gem gives the rolling green hills bathing in warm sunlight in the distance one last longing look and walks through as well.

With both senior, in experience if not always in age, changelings gone, Three and Thirteen exchange glances, take a deep breath, and disappear.

The short feeling of falling associated with teleportation is something Thirteen decides she could live without as soon as the gateway spits her out in what looks like the longest wide street imaginable which nonetheless is crowded. Mostly with zebras for some reason.

“Wooow, it looks like a market street in Brauheim, only infinitely bigger,” she says once she realizes that the soft barrel touching her own is Comfort’s.

“The Promenade expands as needed from what I gathered. Gem brought me up to speed about what happened in Zebrica so I’m assuming the rush is because of that.”

Gem hums to herself and muses:

“You know, since everyone thinks the rest of the universe is destroyed, I would expect more… alien shapes here, tentacles, big heads, all that conspiracy stuff. The succubi definitely come in shapes that aren’t based on anything from Equus. But no, just a ton of sad, striped butts.”

Comfort points in a direction and they all follow her as she jumps into the air with a flap of her wings.

“I must admit I have no idea why. Maybe your bad guy will know,” she flies off to the right and straight into the wall of a house which wibbles as she goes straight through as if jumping into a lake.

Closing her eyes, Thirteen follows.

After the second teleportation, their surroundings come back, vastly different. All the feeling of warmth and energy is gone, replaced by grey, boxy apartment complexes similar to the cramped conditions in Manehattan but with none of the street life. Steel grey sky hangs overhead and haunting breeze brings with it faint echo of someone sobbing, possibly in one of the open windows high above street level.

The three biological changelings can feel it immediately - there’s no love here. It’s not like being in the wilderness where there still exist some ties between animals and their needs, this place dead and devoid of all positive emotional energy. Despair, pain, and fear, though, permeate the air, making Thirteen feel as if she’s breathing razor-sharp snowflakes.

Three’s newfound resolve to walk on his own crumbles and he immediately flies up on Gem’s back which Thirteen notes with a sigh.

“This isn’t a good place,” he says slowly and looks around in case someone heard him.

“It’s not supposed to be,” replies Comfort, “Silent Circle is the true prison of Tartarus. There’s no escape from here.”

“Those houses don’t look exactly secure,” comments Thirteen.

“As far as I know, this place is technically infinite. Unless you’re extremely lucky, or unlucky for the matter, you won’t meet anyone from millennia. It’s a big solitary cell that looks the same everywhere where you slowly go insane from boredom, guilt, or pain if the sentence calls for it.”

“That doesn’t sound safe,” Gem looks around.

“The prisoners can’t interact with us. They can only hurt but not harm each other and only in a limited amount anyway. Only the most powerful creatures you can imagine are left with any shred of their original abilities.”

“Like you, the princesses, or miss One?” asks Three.

Comfort shakes her head.

“All of us would be just weak baseline ponies here if we were prisoners.”

“So… the big baddie Flow probably won’t be able to bring the sun back for everyone...” Three sighs, “Everyone was right in saying that my idea was stupid… again.”

“I’m here for answers,” says Gem, “And you wanted to know if your feeling about the situation was right. Let’s leave the sun out of it for now.”

Three only hugs the back of Gem’s neck in response.

Their surroundings shift with a quick blur and Comfort nods to the building to the right.

“We’re here.”

No one bothers asking how she knows.

The main door isn’t locked, there’s no one at the reception, and the whole place is deathly quiet. Comfort stops by one door indistinguishable from others on the third floor and knocks.

They hear a ‘thud’ followed by a groan and hoofsteps coming closer and closer.

The door opens.

“YOU SAID EVEN SOMEONE WITH THE POWER OF THE PRINCESSES WOULD BE A NORMAL PONY HERE!” Thirteen yells at Comfort through her changeling hive link.

The pony opening the door is an alicorn. His bronze coat is occasionally streaked with black strands of corruption, his mane is white with the occasional blond streak betraying its original color. Everyone would easily be excused to think they got the wrong prisoner until…

...until they saw his eyes, the same glowing light blue eyes Gem saw through the istrium mask.

“Flow, I presume,” says Gem after the first shock fades.

The alicorn lets out a short chuckle.

“In a way, yes.”

Thirteen was expecting some booming, haughty voice or at least cackling mad one, not one soft, exhausted, and slightly higher pitched than what she’d call an adult stallion.

“We need to talk to you.”

“Really? I thought you were the pizza I ordered,” he raises an eyebrow with a smirk, “Extra cheeselegs.”

Author's Notes:

If there are any questions regarding Blaze's point of view in Legacy of Light, now's the time to ask while I have the time to add them.