• Published 26th Apr 2015
  • 46,216 Views, 10,223 Comments

The Substitute Demon - Reykan



Right before the Elements struck, the Nightmare unleashed a spell out of desperation. A substitution spell. Otherwise known as the correct use of Kawarimi.

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Retaliations

Gleam was going through her evening routine, grabbing a hot meal from the dining hall and chatting with a few of her friends about their herds and any ideas they may have for finally roping in her own stallion when it happened. A large shape moving into the room drew her eyes, the form of Queen Pandinus impossible to mistake with Cimmerian and Zelus gone. Without the others, the mare was the largest being living in the Temple. The thing that caused the unicorn to double-take was the queen's mood.

She was prancing.

'Oh sun and stars, now what?'

Waiting until the queen was seated with her dinner the mare excused herself, taking the remnants of her plate with her as she made her way to the changeling. With every step the queen's giggling and face-splitting grin just set her more on edge. She knew it would end in a headache for her. She just knew it.

Finally taking a seat next to the day dreaming shape shifter, Gleam gave her a rough jab with a hoof, drawing Din from her fantasies.

"What's going on, Pandinus? Why are you so chipper?"

Recovering her smile, the queen giggled, pulling the unicorn into a hug that in no way alleviated her fears. It merely exacerbated them.

"I just finished speaking with Cimmerian. He's finishing up with the thestrals and will be heading to the Everfree Forest to check something before he heads back. While not a total success, he told me there are at least two hundred and seventy six thestrals that will be making their way here."

Gleam's jaw dropped. Two hundred and seventy six? That was more than four times their current pony population! They didn't have the room for that kind of population boom, much less the space to give them all living quarters and feed them all!

"It will take them time to arrive, but the drones are currently clearing a large cavern for the thestrals to live in. I was debating on having it be accessible from the outside from a hole in the roof, but I think I may just go with a side tunnel at the top that moves upwards so that we don't have someone fall in by accident. I've also been looking into making a secondary wall, allowing us to create additional living quarters outside the wall if we need to, as well as trying to find new farmland," the queen explained, causing the unicorn's jaw to drop. "I think we're going to need to start using other locations for more farmland though. If we do too much around the Temple, we'll have no room to expand. I want you and Shadow to double check it all of course, but I think Cimmerian and I managed to work out a good portion of it so far."

Gleam just stared at the queen as the larger mare began tearing into her plate with gusto, drawing the cherry unicorn's gaze to the slightly more noticeable curve on the shape shifter's belly. Actually it would make sense that the queen would pursue the expansion of both her own and Cimmerian's powerbase so aggressively. She was currently carrying several foals, foals that would not only be her first sapient foals, but would also likely net her a boost in affection from the alicorn, if she hadn't already received such a boost.

"Ok, so you have an idea about where to put them, but we're still going to need to know what to actually do with them," Gleam said, causing Din to look to her in confusion with a piece of, of something hanging off her muzzle. "Jobs, Din. What are they good at, what do we need, what can we use them for, how badly do we really need whatever it is they're good at or trained for. Ponies work best when given jobs they understand or know how to perform. We can't just pull the information from others in a few moments, remember?"

Din's face scrunched up in thought, knowing it wouldn't be simple, "We're both aware it's not as cut and dry, Gleam, but there's nothing we can do until they actually arrive. Worst case scenario we can purchase supplies from Zarris until things stabilize here, and the griffons are producing more than enough fish to share some of it with the thestrals. In fact some of the thestrals will likely move to the port."

Letting loose a puff of air, the smaller mare shook her head in exasperation. Nothing would stop the queen from her goal, and the ponies were likely already on their way. At the very least they would already be preparing for the journey.

Seeing the queen begin giggling again, she frowned. There was obviously more. Despite being a consummate shape shifter, the mare was unable to actually hide much from anyone who paid enough attention. Her pathetic attempts at keeping a straight face may work on those who worked with her only in passing, but not a mare who spent almost every day beside her.

"What else happened?"

Chuckling at the mare's irritation, the queen leaned in close to the unicorn and whispered conspiratorially into the smaller mare's ear.

"Did you hear about that question I wanted to ask Luna?" At Gleam's nervous nod, Pandinus chuckled. "I got my answer last night without her."

Leaning in even closer, the queen's grin became downright malevolent.

"The answer is yes."

<-(0)->

The alicorn stallion walked out into the shipyard once more, his cheeks still tinted slightly in embarrassment. Din had sprung her 'research' on him without warning, catching him in a borrowed bed in the same room as two mares. Zelus had seemed slightly agitated at the scent but had otherwise said nothing, while Trixie seemed too lost in her own world to try relating something to him through the queen.

Trixie, bless her heart, was slightly shaken by her experience, but seemed nowhere near the level of damage Cadance had suffered. It likely was because the mare disconnected herself from her torture, where Cadance had no such opportunity. Looking ahead, he managed a smile as they finally came upon the ship they would be using for the next part of their journey.

The group was fully prepared for the road ahead, the guards all carrying their supplies, while Cimmerian himself carried a good portion of the newly acquired cold-weather gear. It had irked the guards, including Zelus, but the heavy gear hadn't even phased him. There was no need to exhaust those that were there to protect him while he lazed about. That was how one ended up fat.

Paying the dock master the required fees and boarding the ship, the group deposited their gear in the storage room, ready to grab it the next morning when they would leave the ship in mid-flight. Apparently, doing something like that was fairly common for unicorns and pegasi that were in need of a quick lift or who didn't want to sleep in the wild while headed to out of the way locations.

Stepping out onto the deck of the ship the group made themselves comfortable, Zelus dropping the mare off her back and taking a seat to enjoy the last sight of the large city. Cimmerian stared at her for a moment, noticing the queen seemed less agitated after the morning meal.

"Zelus? Zel, what's up?" At the queen's curious look, he continued. "You've been agitated lately, you look a bit more relaxed now."

Zelus looked over the Trixie, the smaller mare's eyes tracking over the city even as the queen spoke. "It's kind of like having the link again. I suppose most creatures would be angry about it, but she hasn't stopped talking since breakfast, and it reminds me of being in the hive again."

"Ah, I guess your used to the white noise then. Sorry I didn't manage to meet you two last night. Din caught me when I went to speak to her and warn her about the thestrals," Cimmerian explained.

"It's okay, though she may ask for an apology of her own. We, talked overnight, discussed the things that had happened to us in the last few years. She was looking forward to speaking to another individual, I believe. She was upset that you didn't show up, but I think I, I think that we managed to come to an agreement. Both of us have lost something important to the Mad Queen, both of us have reasons to distrust those around us. She's still mine though, and I told her the same thing Pandinus told me. The stronger my hive, the stronger I become, so I want her to become strong as she can be. I want her to heal."

The queen leaned onto the unicorn, nuzzling into her charge and drawing a strange huffing gurgle from the blue mare in response.

"I'm still going to call her Sapphire. She likes it, even if she says otherwise."

"Be nice, Zel," the alicorn softly rebuked. Looking at the mare and using his magic to face her towards him, he leaned down and smiled.

"You're feeling better?"

The mare nodded, causing the stallion to give her a confused look before he realized Zelus was allowing her the communicate in such a way. His smile soon matched by the one appearing on the mare's face, the queen listening to the movements the unicorn was attempting to use and implementing them in real time.

"That's pretty impressive. You're translating her movements for her?" he asked the queen.

Zelus nodded. "It's not that difficult, I am capable of controlling about sixty drones at once in that little game Din was teaching the alicorn mare. Feeling what she is attempting to do, I can then issue the order myself, giving her a bit of delayed control. Drones don't speak though unless I'm directly controlling them, so I'm afraid I can't manage that for her. It was just something I never bothered learning to do."

"Well, it's something, right Sapphire?" he asked the unicorn, earning a raspberry from the unicorn and a confused look from the queen. The two mares both halted all movement for a few seconds, leaving Cimmerian wondering what was being discussed.

Seeing his questioning glance through her charge, Zelus spoke.

"She was explaining what that was. I've seen it before but I never understood why ponies held it as an insult. She said she's not sure why though, do you happen to know?"

Cimmerian shook his head, but one of the guards, Crescent, chuckled at the conversation.

"It's insulting because it Implies that you find the other individual unappealing, if I remember right. Something about how some ponies stick their tongues out when they taste something gross."

"I guess that makes sense," the alicorn muttered, thinking deeply on the topic. Or as deeply as one can think on a childhood insult. Before he could ask about griffons using the middle talon, the ship shuddered to life. Smiling widely, the dark alicorn turned back to the unicorn.

"When was the last time you saw the sunlight, Sapphire?"

In answer, the mare's head turned towards the bow of the airship, looking up the tunnel to the quickly approaching light of the outside world. Zelus wandered off, coming back just as the ship was reaching the barrier with both her heating bracers and the heavier coat for the unicorn.

"Too long," Zelus muttered, shuddering at the sudden drop in temperature despite the enchanted bracers.

Looking about, the Alicorn walked over to the open deck and tossed his pack to the side, pulling a large staff off the queen's recently upgraded arsenal. He turned to the guards and grinned.

"So who's going to beat the shit out of me today?"


The queen watched the alicorn play with the bat pony with disinterest. He had been reluctant to submit to her own training methods, stating they didn't have the time nor the proper medical facilities that such training would require. Fool, how did he expect to become better at fighting without actually doing it? One learned fastest when one's life was on the line, after all.

'He doesn't know how to fight?' her charge asked her, disbelief in the unicorn's voice. The queen shook her head and turned back to the mare.

'He hasn't even been a quadruped for half of a year, if what Pandinus has told me is correct,' Zelus responded through the link. 'He said he had some training before he became involved in this mess, but it doesn't help him much here. I've seen what he looked like before he was an alicorn, it was a very odd creature. Nothing like it on Equis, I believe. He'll show you if you ask. Whatever Din did to him left him embarrassed so he won't be going to her tonight, I don't think. We may also see Luna as well.'

'Wait, as in Princess Luna? Trixie thought Sparkle locked her and Princess Celestia away.'

'The Parasite did,' the queen corrected. 'Luna and Cimmerian are both certain that a similar creature to the one that had turned Luna into Nightmare Moon has taken hold of Twilight Sparkle. You knew her before her madness, didn't you? Did she ever strike you as the type of mare to go around committing genocide against all other races?'

Trixie's nose scrunched slightly as she recalled her first and second encounter with the bookworm turned princess turned dictator.

'Trixie will admit that Sparkle was more inclined to attempt to talk things out, even in the most absurd situations. Trixie still would like to have a few moments with Sparkle once she is in control again. She would like to be certain it is Sparkle that feels it when Trixie shoves her hoof up that purple mare's flank.'

Zelus smiled at the indignation rolling off the unicorn, a much better taste than the fear and anger her drone had been radiating earlier. A burst of shock and imagined pain drew the queen's eyes back to the battle, just in time to see the thestral make her move. Cimmerian swung too wide, leaving himself open. The mare flashed into his guard, sweeping his forelegs before coming back around and driving his muzzle into the deck.

The queen grinned at the dazed alicorn. 'Well, at least Crescent seems to know the proper way to teach a being not to make mistakes. Unlike the others.'

<-(0)->

The being stood tall among the structures of his city just as the first rays of sunlight cleared the horizon, staring out at the enemies encampments. The four-legs were busy making fortifications to their forward base, but he knew his own people had the advantage at the moment. It was for this moment, when the supplies actually arrived and were being unpacked, that he'd been waiting for.

"The troops are ready, Chieftain. We strike on your orders."

Chief Baine looked back from the field, his commanders suited up and ready to strike. Walking past them, the bull donned his helmet, the only piece of his armor he'd yet to put on.

"The Equestrian queen has trampled every law and treaty her predecessors have laid. She has shamed my father, shamed us all with her callous treatment of those not of her own people. Today we teach her the error of her ways. Today, the ponies will learn to fear the minotaurs. Today, they will feel the strength of The Minoan Charge."

Rushing to the prepared soldiers, using hidden tunnels to go underneath the cities walls, the commanders were soon ready. Looking to the rising sun to his left, and his enemies before him, the proud minotaur chieftain raised his horn to his lips, and blew.

The blast of the horn rang out across the empty field, followed by a thundering shout. Bursting from their hidden shelters, hundreds of minotaur warriors raced out to meet the enemy, certain that the biggest threat to their safety had been dealt with. Each bore on their armor the rune granted to them by their benefactor, a creature that had given the rune to the Talons in the hopes that the mercenaries would be able to strike back against the Mad Queen. Baine rushed forward, his own personal guards flanking him as he charged the Equestrian lines. As the griffon mercenaries had told him, and as his own people's testing had proven, the changeling swarm made no move towards the advancing army. He smiled grimly under his helm seeing the ponies begin to rush to the walls of their fortress, hopelessly attempting to rouse the changelings and prepare to receive the minotaur charge. His army reached the walls almost completely unmolested, and axes were taken to the wooden structures and supports. Less than two minutes later, and with only a minimal amount of crossbow and spell fire from above, the gates were pulled apart by force. His soldiers charged into the camp, and he rushed in after his own soldiers.

The camp was already in a state of panic and disarray, ponies desperately attempting to mount some sort of defense against both superior numbers and better equipment. Rushing to the location that had been reported by his own scouts, Baine shoulder-checked the door, crushing it under the combined weight of a minotaur and his armor. He swung his warhammer, the ornately crafted head sending the nearest pony through a solid wood wall. He was in no mood to spare these fools, not with the insults they'd spat upon him and his people.

Walking up to the glowing crystal, he paused. The griffons had warned about destroying them outright, stating that the drones would go mad and attempt to kill any in the vicinity. Thus his presence. He would not allow the ponies to unleash this madness upon his city. He would not allow some pony to enter the room and activate some hidden failsafe that would destroy the crystal array.

"Spread out and fortify this position," he shouted, turning to his guards. "We will hold this room while the soldiers clear the camp. The changelings are a secondary objective. Once we're ready, we'll test them for sapience at our leisure."

The chieftain looked outside the shattered doorway, watching as his forces quickly overwhelmed the pony defenders. It was too easy. Did the Mad Queen truly depend so strongly on her drones that she had left the walls almost unmanned? Had her warriors become so arrogant that they felt that nothing could reach them?

The sounds of battle soon drew to an end, and less than an hour after it had begun the entirety of the forces had been defeated. Not just defeated; the invaders had been routed, his own forces only suffering a few casualties upon closing on the wall of the enemies base. Their fortifications, their traps, his scouts had found and marked them all. The ponies didn't even have proper patrols to watch for scouts anymore, so sure were they of their changeling screens.

'Now they know their folly. We will not be able to count on their foolishness forever.'

"Chieftain, the base has been secured, and we've begun moving the changelings in small groups into the magic-sealed room. Any further orders?"

The bull smirked, turning to run a single gauntlet-covered hand over the changeling control array. It was a work of art, even he would admit that.

"No, it has already been planned out. I will be heading back to the city to begin plans on our assault on the next closest Equestrian base. If we move quickly, we will have it before they even know we have taken this forward base out. This is what I needed to see though. The arrays don't just shield us from the drones attack, it leaves us nearly invisible to them, while their arrogance blinds what little sight they retain.

"Send word to the diamond dogs that I have confirmed the usability of the arrays that we have sent them, and forward them the plans I drew up for an attack. The dogs already have the explosives they need. A small strike force to destroy the array would leave the fort an empty shell, ripe for the taking."

"As you command, chief," the warrior said with an arm across his chest. The warrior immediately went to send the runner to the meeting point, and Baine sighed as he sat down on a nearby table. He shook his head, surprisingly disappointed in how the battle had played out. There had been no effective leadership that had rallied the ponies, no brave souls that had stood in the face of impossible odds, there had been no shouts to rally, to stand firm in the face of their enemies, to never give up against their foes. Instead the Equestrian lines had simply collapsed. Had there even been any true warriors here?

Hefting himself up and shoving a communication array over with his hammer, the bull made to return to his own city at a sedate pace. Disappointed he may be, he no longer had an impossibly powerful enemy at his doorstep. He would need to learn the name of the bull who'd sent the array to him via the Talons. That guy had earned himself a true Minoan Feast. Tartarus, if the guy ended up helping them end this entire nightmare, he'd be willing to marry off one of his daughters to the guy. Never let it be said the minotaurs didn't reward those who aided them.

Of course he'd have to make sure the guy could fight. He'd not have one of his beloved daughters in the care of a male who couldn't even swing a stick properly.

<-(0)->

"Why is this so difficult for you? You swing the stick, you hit the thestral. End of issue," Zelus rebuked from the sidelines.

Cimmerian was in the midst of shaking off the latest powerful blow he'd received, the grinning bat pony that had just sent his vision spinning smiling at him from three different locations on the deck.

'No, not three different locations, my visions just a bit fuzzy at the moment.'

Signaling for a break, the alicorn stumbled over to his water and took a few hearty chugs as he let his vision clear. For some reason the guards seemed to like watching him wobble around after a sharp blow to the head. They aimed for it every chance they got.

'That or I'm just shit at defending my own noggin. It could honestly go either way at this point.'

"You're definitely doing better sir," Crescent said as she hovered nearby with a wet cloth, wiping the slight trickle of blood he hadn't noticed before. "I know it may feel like we're being really hard on you, but honestly when we first started I hit you three times and you didn't even react. We have to put quite a bit of power into the strikes for you to feel it properly, and it's difficult to find that level between 'will hurt an alicorn' and 'will lay an unprepared alicorn out'."

"It's fine, Crescent. I've literally asked for this several times. I need to figure out how to defend myself properly besides just throwing magic at something until it stops moving. Some incidents may require a bit more finesse than I'm currently capable of. This is also a good way for me to relearn control after wandering Silver City. Changelings aren't the only things that are empowered by love. It's not the same, but love or worship directed at an alicorn can boost their power as well."

The queen blinked at the statement, looking at him in confusion.

"You feed on love as well? Is that why you eat the honey sometimes?"

"I don't need it," Cimmerian corrected her. "I don't think I do, at least. It's just that I noticed it helps make me stronger, and I'll take any advantage I can get right now. There didn't seem to be any side effects that I've noticed, why would I not use it?"

The alicorn blinked a few times, his vision finally clearing after the second minute of rest. He stood up with slightly less trouble than he sat down with and began to make his way to the stairway to the lower deck.

"I think it's a good time to head for dinner and then get some sleep. We're not going to be very safe for a while once we enter the forest from what I've heard. We'll be keeping shifts once more once we enter the Everfree. That includes you and I, Zelus. You're not skipping out on watch this time."


It had been a long time since she'd been able to speak her mind, and though it was strange speaking to the changeling without words, the mare relished the interaction. The food, the snide remarks passing from the guards and the alicorn, even Zelus chipping in a few now and again, it was amazing; it was almost freedom. Almost.

Trixie twitched her tongue even as her body moved towards the room the alicorn and queen were sharing, the shape shifter burying herself into the stallion's fur even as she pulled the heating bracers off of her legs. A single piece of the unicorn's dinner had gotten caught in her teeth, and between the changeling not understanding such hygiene and the mare not having her own supplies the mare was left feeling the irritation of food stuck in between her pearly whites.

'Do you wish to join me on the bed, or would you like to use the other bed?' Zelus asked her through the link.

'Trixie would like to use the other, actually, Trixie will accept your offer. She has been alone for long enough,' the blue unicorn answered, feeling her body moving towards the queen at the decision. It wasn't direct control, but it was little things like that, the queen allowing her to make the decisions or asking the unicorn before she acted that had allowed the blue mare to accept the changeling's aid. It wasn't much, but it was more control than she'd had a week ago.

Settling onto the bed and having the queen help her snuggle into the covers, Trixie was soon drifting off to sleep. She snapped back to awareness in a familiar place, a large chamber that seemed to be underground. Looking about, she noted the queen dozing contentedly once more on a large throne, several ghostly images of changelings flitting in and out of tunnels that faded into darkness. The queen jerked into alertness as Trixie began exploring, wandering the dream and enjoying the freedom that was denied her in the waking world.

"Good evening ladies," a familiar voice called out to them.

She turned to look at him as he entered the dream, a pleasant smile on her muzzle for the first time in so long. That first face she'd seen after so many nightmares, the voice that woke her up form that eternal nightmare. That idiot who'd seen fit to promise to speak with her last night and left her to deal with the queen on her own.

"Trixie would wish you a good evening, but she's still a bit sore that somepony doesn't keep their promises."

The stallion chuckled at her jab, trotting over and shoving her with a hoof in retaliation.

"I told you already, I got nabbed by Din last night. It's nice to hear your voice, Trixie. Even if it is in a dream."

Trixie giggled nervously at the compliment, unused to the kind treatment. Certainly she remembered being treated well, but kindness for the sake of kindness? She couldn't remember the last time somepony had spoken to her with such warmth.

"I have to ask, do you remember what you did back before all of this? Back before Twilight was possessed?"

"Trixie, Trixie was an entertainer. She traveled the land of Equestria, wowing the masses with tales of her exploits and her amazing feats of magic!"

To her delight the stallion smiled brightly at such an introduction, recognizing the profession.

"A stage magician, right? Illusions and sleight of hand? Oh neat, I remember hearing stories about Houdini when I was younger. I actually tried learning a few of those tricks once upon a time. Let's see if I remember any tricks. No that one requires sleeves, that one requires hands, and... damn. I can't think of any good ones that I can do like this."

It took a few seconds for the mare to decipher his meaning, and she stepped closer to the alicorn.

"Hands, Zelus said you were something else before. Could you show Trixie what beast has seduced a changeling queen?"

She chuckled as the alicorn rolled his eyes, but soon her eyes widened as his form shifted. His muzzle collapsed into itself, his barrel twisted, flattening out. The strangest part was his limbs, twisting this way and that as they shifted into much more precise instruments of manipulation.

"A hooman...that crazy old mare was right, they did exist..."

"A what?" the creature asked, looking at her in shock. "Are you telling me you recognize this form? Where did you hear about it?"

"There was this mare Trixie spoke to in years gone by, she doesn't remember the mare's name but she was always going on about visions of these strange creatures that lived their lives without magic. They were strange enough that Trixie incorporated a few stories about them into her shows once or twice, but otherwise they were merely a novelty. Something dreamed up by a crazy mare."

"Interesting, do you remember any details about this mare?" a new voice asked, drawing the blue unicorn's gaze from the strange creature before her.

"Princess Luna!" Trixie squawked in surprise, looking between the queen and the princess a few times. "Twilight said she'd sealed you away!"

"The Parasite that holds Twilight against her will did indeed seal us in an unknown location, but I still retained my dream walking. Not very useful when nopony dreams, though. How are you feeling, Trixie?"

Shuffling nervously at the attention of royalty, the showmare smiled. "Trixie is certainly doing better than she was, though that isn't saying much."

The biped behind her made a strange snapping noise, causing all the mares to flinch at the odd sound.

"I got it, you want to see a neat trick? Watch this!"

To Trixie's horror, the creature bounded over to the princess, the blue alicorn unable to scramble away fast enough to escape his sudden approach. Laying his strange limbs over the princess, dancing them over her coat, he started laughing as he began to hum a tune. The princess could only struggle weekly as her body seemed to go limp, helpless in his grip.

"Try to understand, try to understand

try try try to understaaand, he's the magic man momma,

oooh, he's got the magic hands."

Author's Note:

Should ponies ever invade, every human being is equipped to deal with them. From childhood.

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