//------------------------------//
// All Work and No Play Leads to a Frustrated Cuddlebug 
// Story: The Substitute Demon 
// by Reykan 
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	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.



<-(0)->



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.