Their Love Gives Him Strength
Entering the world of dreams once more, Ted watched the twinkling forms of his follower's dreams. It was calming to him, watching the shifting colors in the empty expanse. He was so engrossed in the mesmerizing display, that he didn't notice the Princess of the Night's presence until it literally shoved him, prompting him to return to his own body and create a dream for them to converse in.
"Hello Luna." Ted greeted. "Ready to answer some questions yet?"
"Hello Cimmerian." At his angry stare, she giggled daintily. "It is your name surely as Theodore, there is no reason to avoid it. Besides, any who are connected to magic and learn it will prefer it over any other name you may use." Luna grinned maliciously. "It would be a shame if some of your dreaming subjects were to hear it, would it not?"
Before Ted had a chance to tell her off, the lunar alicorn changed topics. "Unfortunately, though teasing you is entertaining, we have more important things to discuss. I notice you are much more calm tonight. How do you feel?"
"Better than I have in the last, forty years? I don't know what I should call it, time didn't really flow for me in the armor." He responded.
"Good. I wish to teach you something before we discuss anything else. I trust you have begun studying magic yourself, correct?" At his nod, she smiled. "Excellent. Think of the partition you hold in your mind, you should see a new array there."
"I see it, two smaller arrays in the center of a larger mess, right?"
Luna frowned at his choice of words. "That mess, as you call it, will allow you greater control of your ability to access my memories." Summoning a dream-diagram of the array before them, she explained. "Each array is easily activated by pushing energy into the one you wish to use. The array in the nine o'clock position is the full seal. Only what you have personally learned or natural abilities will be usable in this state. The three o'clock array allows full access to the memories, with all the boons and dangers inherent in such access."
"Right, so don't use it." Ted said, turning to the princess.
"This is serious, Cimmerian. The memories come with a price, it's true, but I saw the dreams of your subjects this night. You guard them jealously. I have no doubt that if you had to, you would dive headlong into those memories once more." Before he could protest, she raised a hoof. "There is nothing wrong with that, Cim, and should you fall, I will be here. So will your ponies, should you let them."
After a brief moment, Ted just nodded.
"Good, now, before we begin I wish to show you something. If you could, please shift the dream to represent the dream realm."
Curious what the princess was getting at, Ted did as he was asked, looking around at the twinkling dreams that surrounded them once more. Luna looked around, before she raised a hoof, pointing towards the distance.
"Over there. Do you see them?" Ted gazed in the direction she pointed, and noticed a few faint glimmers in the distance, almost unnoticeable at such a range. "An alicorns powers do grow naturally over time, Cimmerian, but such growth may be supplemented by the love of our ponies. Subjects, in your case. Your following increases, and thus so does your sphere of influence. Tia and I are known globally for our works, but our mana is currently stunted by the arrays of the second nightmare. You however face no such limitations. As your following increases, so too will your power. You have noticed it, have you not? More strength throughout your body, perhaps an increase in your physical size. Even simple spells may end up being easier to use, or much more effective. Because of this, I will warn you. Should your name become public knowledge, watch your power carefully. Where one day you have one thousand followers, the next day five hundred more may choose to place their faith in you. Not to mention should your name become too common, the Mad Queen will notice you, no matter how well your powers shroud you. You have great potential, but you are nowhere near ready to face her."
Seeing as the princess was done, Ted took a moment to digest the information, before asking if she would field a question he had.
"Certainly, Cimmerian. What do you wish to know?"
Scratching his arm uncomfortably, he decided to bite the bullet, getting the question at the forefront of his mind out of the way first. "Preening. Is it, uh, normal to have others do it for you?"
Luna once more adopted an almost predatory smile, giggling immaturely at his discomfort. "Ah, such wonderful followers you have, willing to go to such, intimate lengths for their leader." She said. "I suppose hygiene is as good a topic as any to start our lessons on."
<-(0)->
The lesson was like his Health class from high school, if said class were taught by a magical pony princess that giggled and laughed at any mention of genitalia whatsoever, and seemed to revel in his discomfort. The fact that she was more than willing to show him examples of any action, no matter how intimate, through her memories only made it more unbearable for Ted. He knew some of this was probably buried in his head somewhere, but some of it belonged in the depths of his mind, buried beyond his reach. The new alicorn had no desire to know the sensations that went along with, well, sex. Especially when they originated from a female. That was a can of worms best left in the closet.
"And be certain that you watch the grooves of your horn, as well. I understand that it too can be sensitive, especially when magic is channeled through it, but such discomforts are the price of magic, I'm afraid." Luna stated, finishing the lesson for the night. She'd been horrifically thorough, though it was probably something that would be important to know, since he would be stuck as an alicorn for who knew how long. "I must ask, have you adjusted well enough to notice your subjects?" At his confused stare, she chuckled once more. "Yes, Cim, I mean that way."
Ted flushed slightly, already having had enough of the lessons for a year. "No, I haven't. I can't really look at them like that, I mean, they're like kids to me, and well..."
"Yes?" The princess prodded, waving a hoof to indicate he should proceed.
"I'd be worried of, well, breaking them."
Booming laughter was his response, Luna clenching her gut even as she rolled over on her back, tears flowing as she rolled around the dream-world, much to Ted's chagrin.
"Seriously, I'm like three times their size, Luna! I want to lead my ponies, not snap them in half!"
The princess stopped to listen to his outburst, before she continued with a renewed bout of laughter.
"I, I'm sorry, I just remembered my sister's reasoning, for not taking a pony as a consort. I believe she said something about a wheat sprig blowing down a hallway? " Luna said, giggling madly, trying to contain herself and failing utterly. "I, I've always used disguises or transformations when the mood struck me, but Tia isn't as good at such arts. She tends to favor power, much like the celestial body she guides."
Wiping tears from her eyes, the lunar princess bid him farewell. "Oh, I've always loved hearing the embarrassment of younger beings over such topics. It has been a pleasure, Cimmerian, but I must be going. I will not be available for the next week or so, as the Mad Queen will be visiting us soon, and I must cleanse my aura of your influence. My sister must as well, so please do not seek her counsel in the coming weeks. I will let you know when it is safe."
It certainly wasn't what Ted wanted to hear from his best source of information, but it didn't surprise him. Murphy still liked to mess with him... Did the ponies have their own version of Murphy's law? He was pulled out of his musing by Luna one last time.
"Cimmerian, should you find the time, I ask that you keep an ear open for news on, on my niece." She said in a much more somber mood. "Neither Celestia nor myself have heard word of her since the Nightmare told us of the fall of the Crystal City. Should you hear of anything regarding Cadance, please, do what you can to help her. Of the three of us, she has been hurt the most by the newest nightmare's actions."
"I'll keep an ear to the ground, Luna. I promise, and thanks."
With that the princess left him once more, to watch the twinkling lights of his followers. He would investigate the new lights tomorrow, the dawn was too close. He could feel it.
<-(0)->
That morning Ted put his new knowledge to the test, practicing his preening in front of the mirror with the door locked. It still felt weird, and looking closer at his horn he could see dirt in the grooves as Luna had predicted, despite his bath the night before.
"Yet another thing to get used to in this form." He mumbled to himself. "I still can't believe she asked me that."
Breakfast was once again a simple affair, and before long the gatherers were ready to leave. The entire journey was absolutely mind-numbing, with the only things of note being Amald catching several snakes and dressing them in the field. Ted paid close attention to the griffon's movements, asking questions and even trying some of the techniques himself, to the warrior's surprise. It was messy work, but the idea of once more enjoying a slab of meat was more than enough to drive the alicorn on. Shadow Weaver spent most of his time surveying the previous battle scene, the corpse of the serpent reduced to bones by local scavengers already. Many ponies seemed to perk up after seeing the bones, despite the danger they represented. After all, they also represented the strength of The Nightmare.
The supplies were gathered, one unicorn even pointing out a strong type of leaf that Ted and his ponies had missed during the previous expedition. It turned out the leaves could be used as makeshift covers, bandages, or even roofs of shelters if prepared properly. Knowing the need for such things, Ted himself ended up carrying a large bale of them, bound and strapped to his back by nearby vines. Before long the expedition had returned to the temple, this time finding not a twig out of place. The supplies were distributed, and Ted took the last few hours left in the day to clear the rest of the area on the west side of the temple of underbrush. Mentally he was already drawing plans for the area. A smithy, a storage building, possibly even additional housing. As the night came upon the land once more, he checked the abandoned storage room, now almost completely torn up to reveal a gently sloping tunnel into the ground. It wasn't deep, but it also wasn't even close to done. Hopefully the new changeling stuck around long enough to help with the digging, since Mirage was now Head of the Nursery, having had previous experience with young and no further reason to avoid the nymphs.
Dinner was served and finished, with Ted watching several groups of ponies walking down to the ritual room even as he headed up the stairs to his own quarters. He knew where they were headed, as Blur had taken off as soon as she'd finished eating, the elated pegasus practically, no, literally floating out of the dining hall in a cloud of bliss. He lost himself in his thoughts on his way to bed. Nightmare, Father, Cimmerian, Theodore. All names he currently held, though some more grudgingly than others. He was tempted to take Luna's advice on this one. She'd been right before, and had so much more experience with this sort of thing. Personally it almost felt like abandoning who he was prior, but was that really the case? Carefully, almost fearfully, he took a peek through the princess' memories on the topic, even as he pulled himself into bed.
Princess of the Moon, Dream Guardian, Silent Blade, Mistress of Illusions, Star Mother. All titles the princess held, all different names from that which she knew was her own. Yet she answered to them all. Why? How could she be so unconcerned about her name?
Then another thought struck him. Why was he so protective of his own? Why did he fight the name given to his new form, even as he withheld his birth name? Why was he so scared of new titles and names?
Such thoughts clouding his mind, the dark alicorn drifted off to an uneasy sleep.
I think we all felt a little awkward during Health, Physical health, or whatever that class was called. I've also learned I'm really bad at rapid, uneventful periods of time.
I feel like I need to note it, but I'm not certain how. Se la vie, I suppose. Next chapter things will start up again. In the meantime, I'm taking up NetherWalker's offer, let me know what you guys think of his cover. I got a kick out of it, if nothing else. Tell me what you guys think, and give him a pat on the back if you like it.
Stats
Page generated in 0.046 seconds
Total duration
1,080 users online
2,312,891 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Cim? ...Cim.
static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11116/111169436/4489800-i-am-zim-invader-zim-2879951-1023-768.jpg
xD Sorry, sorry. Couldn't resist because, you know, Alien invaders?
i am ashamed at how long it took me to get/recognize the joke in the cover art.
Giving my thumbs up to NetherWalker on that cover art, that's clever thinking.
More dreams on the horizon, who's coming next I wonder...
HA HA WHAT ARE SIDES ANYWAY
6031750 Joke in the cover art? That's basically the joke in the title and first chapter!
Have you never played pokemon, you peasant?!?
That looked like a mercury djinn to me at first. I was confused. Then...
cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/8/89/Greninja_SSB4_Substitute.png/250px-Greninja_SSB4_Substitute.png
Oh. Well played.
6031779
6031750 it's shaped like the plush that is made when a Pokémon uses Substitute
Glad you agree.
The problem with names is one of identity versus the titles that Luna has. Cimmerian is a name, Nightmare and Father are titles, and Theodore is what he still identifies himself as, rather than this new name that holds no meaning to him. Give him a couple centuries being called Cimmerian, and I imagine he will either segment his mind again, so that he does identify as that more than Ted, and no one will be any the wiser.
6031779 Some of us only played gen 1.
dat story pic.... I KNOW THAT CREATURE IT HAD BULLIED ME ALL THE TIME IN THE WII POKEMON!!!!
ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/412piKhx5EL._SY300_.jpg
*used subsitute*
GO SOLAR FLARE!
*0 dmg...*
F!ICK!!!
6031818
Actually, substitute is introduced in Gen 1. It just looks a little different.
I haven't really played the newer generations either, but I got the reference somehow.
That new cover art. XD
6031856 Huh, I guess I never encountered that TM, and I don't think I ever used Mr. Mime.
Another cute, and birds and the bees style awkward, chapter. Nice one. Just curious, but are those two ponies that wanted a wedding still going to go ahead?
6031809
Could be worse,.. could be a pony spouting off new names for him all the time; Tedarooni, Tedman, Tedmiester, the Tedinator, Ted, Ted, bo-bed, Banana-fana fo-fed, Fee-fi-mo--med, Teee~ed! (Said pony would probably be related to a certain pink pony)
As for Cimmerian, eh, it's a nickname. I've got lots for my own that I respond to.
One thing I've not seen addressed in MLP is true names as in using such to magically force the subject against their will (or summon them for parties). Is Cimmerian his true name? Ted perhaps? Unlikely. If anything, it would be an old name and written as such in something very old and very dead so no linguistic shenanigans could happen over the eons of time-- such as Latin is a dead language and unchanged from our modern perspective. For an effectively unaging race like alicorns, that language had better be real old.
An interesting bit of info was gleaned from this chapter however, it says that Celestia is a most likely a virgin and Luna is, er, not, as in so very not that she makes up for Celestia's self-imposed celibacy. This doesn't mean Ted's gonna figure out how to transform into a common pony for "sexytimes" any time soon, but the idea is there now and it will never leave him alone (what was the silly time period quoted as to how often they think about sex?). I do wonder if he's gotten a
handhoof on the species change in regards to something so frightfully personal as interspecies recreational procreation? Most HiE stories where the human ends up as something else tends to have an near existential breakdown when sex is mentioned. Almost never is the new body given a mental "meh" and they go at it like, er, animals because it's fun. And fewer fics deal with magic in the bedroom which could turn fun into F'ing Fantastic. Now, an alicorn in the bedroom? Yikes, better have a medical team on standby so they can revive you and surgically remove the grin from your face.Handy having dream links to bypass new and communication backouts, though the more the Nightmare Queens spies pick up, the even more paranoid she is going to become.
Perhaps because his original name is the ONLY thing he has left of his previous life and can subconsciously feel the horrendous damage to his psychological wellbeing every time Luna uses the manufactured new name against his wishes. That's not even bringing into account the value of names given by parents in human society, to just throw it away and take on a new name is a great disrespect to his past and his parents.
Alicorns growing stronger as their number of followers increases, the more they are loved, the further their name is known, etc, is an interesting idea I haven't seen used much. I like it.
Hmm. Twilight is an alicorn here, right? Not just a Nightmare-possessed unicorn? If that is the case, might she not be hated and feared by many, and if she is, would that weaken her as opposed to making her stronger like love and faith (etc) would?
...best pony likes sex. A lot...not sure how to feel about that.
Although I believe the wheat sprig in a hallway would be more apt to describe her wouldn't it? Zing. LOL.
Hilarious cover art by the way.
Eventually Ted will have sex, but not soon.
Just so you know... It's "C'est la vie", not Se la vie.
Personally? I kinda liked the other cover more.
6032115
Some people were really happy at how things were going in Soviet Union. Same rules apply.
6032115
Personally I'm of the mind that hate and fear don't weaken an alicorn. Love from their followers boosts an alicorn's power since it is freely given. Hate and fear may also be freely given, but they could be considered an attack on their power and therefore shielded against.
As for the Mad Queen (nightmare Twilight) all of her subjects could hate and fear her and it wouldn't matter. She is artificially boosting her power by stealing from Luna, Celestia and the Tree of Harmony.
...
...
Best sentence in a HiE fic, ever.
6031945 I've actually got an idea for something similar, though much more limited. I think you'll like it.
6031817 Not a double sermon, sermon from a different perspective.
6032265 I've seen both unfortunately, I'll take your word for it.
6032169 Not necessarily likes sex, just is more comfortable with it than Ted. I feel that a creature that's lived several thousand years may have a different view on such interaction, especially when there are no viable partners out there. And no, no tena or telestia ships, they too closely related. You sick f
ks keep your incest fetish away from my story.
Why is that so fun to do? I love using that emote when I say f
k, and I have no idea why. Probably because it's yellow/quiet.
6032115 I don't think it would hurt the Nightmare too much, but it won't help much, especially with all the active weakening of others she's doing, and the active searches to try and purge the changelings. That being said, she's got almost half a century of growth on Ted, even if it is a bit stunted.
6031809 You know this, and I know this, but I don't think everyone would realize it.
6031915 Related to? Why not be? I mean, they're pretty far away, but the Bearer's aren't dead, just learning how Discord felt for all those years. Probably having a lot worse time of it, though, considering how young they are in comparison.
6032655 That would be because the other person/people are wrong. If you try to type it in Google, it will automatically correct it to C'est La Vie. (I only took two years of French in High School, so I'm not expert, but that's one of those super common phrases that you come across. X3)
Hmmmm. I think that after seeing Ted get The Talk, and noting the Sex tag, that everyone's shipping senses are tingling. It's not that we're expecting sex scenes, or even a full-on romance plot, but the two seem to suggest that Ted should get something.
6031915 I give it three months before one does. Also, according to Luna, it's his magic given name, so every one with magic will call him that.
6031915 I personally don't see the issue, I mean I find Twi'lekks hot, I find Asari strangely sexy, I find Warcraft's dragon queen sexy and hot. If there's something about them I can enjoy, I'mma enjoy it, damnit. They're sapient, so what's the issue?
Also, where did you get the idea Tia was a virgin? Luna said Celestia compared a pony consort to a wheat sprig blowing down a hallway, as in, "Is it in yet?" I was worried I was going too far, maybe I didn't go far enough.
I don't really understand the new cover art. I don't think it really fits the story.
6013666
6013659
6012176
6012142
6012049
My headcannon:
Celestia of the day, Luna of the night.
Cadence of love, Chrysalis of lust.
Twilight of order, Discord of chaos.
6010397
To beings like us, who revel in horror for the hell of it, it's hardly a prank. To an extremely sheltered species whose idea of war is throwing apple pies at each other, it would be devastating.
6032859 http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Substitute_(move) The first chapter's title is even the wording used in the first generation of poke'mon when the substitute was attacked.
6032497 What? No, seriously, what? I'm sorry if I come across as dense here, but I honestly don't understand what you're trying to say here.
6032859 Take the mane off the figure, and you've got the shape of the thing that appears when you use Substitue in Pokemon.
6032693 If something is that deadly at range, I'd rather get out of range than get closer.
6032962 Sometimes a cruel ruler is loved. That is what I'm saying. Ideology is a science and Twilight is very scientific mare. I expect she first figured out how to get a massive power and faith boost before taking over Equestria.
If you noticed, the army follows her orders and even uses small changelings to track hidden changelings. This means they think it is a right thing to do.
Population believes her because we see that only around a hundred tried to act up. But she is feared that much that they chose to run into dangerous forest knowing some of them will not survive the trip.
Probably there are groups inside Equestria that work against Twilight Sparkle, but story has sais nothing about them.
So, obviously, Twilight is very strong at the moment and it will take a lot to make population believe she is evil.
Edit. Sorry, I am Russian, so English is hard for me sometimes.
6032655
The very idea of trying to imagine Fluttershy getting so quietly riled up she actually swears like a sailor is too funny not to start giggling.
Speaking of swears, isn't that often the first words you learn when learning a new language? I mean really learn, not like a proper classroom style or firing up RosettaStone software. I used to know quite a bit from the Portuguese workers that cleaned the store during 3rd shift.
6033056 Indeed. Twily
seems to beis probably running somewhat of the North Korea route with the Glorious Leader, sheltering the population from the foreign filth and striking down hard upon threats to the nation.6031915 She find pony dicks too small... There are also minotaurs and dragons.
*que Tia and bigger spike and bowling pins and bowling ball
and chains picture from derpiboory*.
6032734 Congratz on Harkness test
The test:
-does it have intellect comparable or greater than yours?
-is it of age of consent and, well, consenting?
If yes/yes then proceed to sexytimes if it makes you want it.
6031818 it was in gen 1. lance and the ghost-type elite four woman used it extensively in yellow (sorry, "special pikachu edition)
6032115 they are faithful, just more out of fear and respect for her power than out of love or adoration, which makes them easy pickings for any new hope that arises. also, it appears alicorns also get power just from being known regardless of the cause for their fame or infamy. this lore appears to have been taken from folklore about the fey, gods, and many other myths and legends, but I feel it applies here. it'd also explain why cadence would potentially be far weaker than celestia or luna since she's far less well known. though if cadence has the same powers as extended universe ma-ti from captain planet then she'd essentially have an AoE version of fluttershy's stare.
also, unless celestia does not consider herself and luna unicorns twilight had more raw power than either of them when she was just starting school, and celestia decided to take her under her wing (both literally and metaphorically) to prevent an untrained living nuke wandering around blowing shit up and turning rocks into dragons and whatnot.
6032072
he is no longer human, and he no longer has those parents in a physical sense. if this follows the common pattern of this trope he'll decide that ted is his human name, and cimmerian is his pony name after some unknown amount of deliberation.
6032693 that honestly depends. a spear is more deadly than a sword when the one with a sword is closing in on the spear wielder, but once the one with the sword has closed in the spear is reduced to a dagger with a really long and unwieldy handle. one would be less likely to use an AoE style explosive attack that, say, turns the bones of anyone caught in it into baguettes when their opponent or someone they don't want to hurt is within range of the attack. I personally see celestia's favored spells being explosions and wide energy bursts (mostly cone or burst AoE type spells, very few shields) which is why chrysalis was able to defeat her. she COULD have taken chrysalis down without a fuss if her "little ponies" weren't in the room with her so she could go closer to all-out. there is a reason canterlot castle is made of stone after all.
6033230 In addition, Twily is siphoning power from both Celestia, Luna And the Elements of Harmony.
Though depending on when the other Alicorns were imprisoned, we might within a few decades see a sudden decrease in their power as the generation who worshipped them directly die out.
Blur needs some sugar.
6033056 Those are some very good points. Thank you for the clarification.
6033230
It doesn't matter, the fact they they are pushing this on him against his wishes without giving him time to adjust and laughing about it is completely wrong and amoral. I wasn't saying that he could never take on a new name but to just force it on him before his memories and subconscious are even settled without taking his feelings on the matter in to account simply because of their belief system that everyone should just use the name given to them by magic makes me want to hate your version of Celestia and Luna.
6033023
That's one of the things about melee weaponry. If you're fighting a person who is wielding a weapon with a halberd/spear and you have a broadsword, you'd want to get in close so they can't use their weapon effectively and vise versa. However if the person is using a ranged weapon like a crossbow the ideal tactic if you cannot get out of range without getting hit, is to hide behind cover for the person to shoot and then rush their position while they're reloading.
I do not understand the cover image.
6031779
There's getting the joke in the first chapter and then there's recognizing the sprite of a move from a game i haven't played in 15~ years. gimme a break man!