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.
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"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."
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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..."
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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."