Princess Cadance, Alicorn of Marriage Counseling
Deep in the changeling hive of the Temple of the Shadows, Cimmerian finally awoke. He blinked a few times, blearily reassessing his position and allowing his mind to once more catch up with just what had happened the night before. The stallion sighed, cuddling into the form beside him for a moment before he realized something very important.
'Din isn't this plated.'
Opening his eyes, he realized he was currently beside Zelus. A quick review of the night before reminded him that Pandinus had brought the other mare into their room after their intense, discussion about the Temple's future. Yes, it was very intense, and it left him sweaty and hungry and possibly a little dehydrated as well. From the talking.
The second changeling queen had arrived afterwards, Pandinus claiming Zel was shaken up after her time in the Castle against the array crystal and that Din wanted to make sure Zelus' connection to the hive wasn't compromised. It bothered him a bit, and he wondered why it couldn't wait until the next day or at least until they'd aired out the room a bit. Perhaps those kinds of scents didn't bother the other queen? Maybe it was okay to, share a bed that your hive-sister had just...
'Okay, that's weird no matter how I look at it, but I can ask Pandinus later on, or Cadance. I don't know what the rules for that kind of thing would be.'
He yawned, feeling his body finally recovering from the previous night but no where near full strength. He'd likely spend a few days resting before he was ready to take on another dragon. He blinked in confusion as his movement caused the queens to reposition themselves; not because they did, his movement was translated through the gel-like mattress he was laying on. What caused him to blink was when Zelus snuggled into his side, actually burying her muzzle into the crook of his neck. She took a few deep breaths before relaxing, a sigh escaping the sleeping mare.
'Is it the safety thing?' he pondered. 'Zelus said she was feeling a bit rattled, and she was already treating me as a safe-spot. Yea, makes sense.'
With one last shift on the bed, the stallion dozed off again.
Zelus sighed as she readjusted herself, snuggling into the alicorn more. She'd woken up when he started shifting, but her paranoia seemed to not be able to bother her as badly as it usually did. She was sitting in a bedroom that wasn't her own, sitting next to two creatures whose magical power matched or exceeded her own, and yet she felt no need to run. Just as Pandinus had predicted. Just as the other queen had said Zelus only felt safe, she only felt a desire to press closer to the source of warmth and love.
The night had been stressful of course, but when learning things that go against what has been the standard changeling procedures for centuries, a little bit of stress was to be expected. The things that Din had decided to 'share' with her were still running through her mind. The intensity of the emotions the alicorn focused on her sister, the feeling of safety that just suffused the area, and the pleasure, oh by the stars she didn't know she could feel that good. She stifled a giggle, taking a deep breath of the male's scent and drifting off into a peaceful sleep once more.
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It was nearly one in the afternoon when Cimmerian finally managed to pull himself out of bed. He was surprised how clingy Zelus was, and was actually beginning to worry about the mare at this point. The second he'd left the bed, she'd begun moving around, eventually waking up and looking at him oddly, as if wondering why he was leaving. He told her he was getting up and she'd nodded, curling back into the mattress beside Pandinus. Both of the queens shifted around each other for a few moments before settling down again. But even as he left she was watching him, looking sad to see him leave.
He went straight to the changeling bathing area, not trusting to make it all the way to his own bathing area without being bothered by the residents of the temple, and dove in. Using the clean towels provided he gave himself a good scrubbing and removed any evidence of the previous nights activities. No need for anyone else to know just how hard he and his wife were debating topics of importance.
Feeling sufficiently clean, he dried off and headed upstairs, passing several batches of residents who all stopped to throw him various greetings. He returned them, smiling and even stopping to ask about how they were doing or how an individual was adapting to the odd lifestyle and location. It wasn't something he'd be able to remember, but he didn't need to remember it get a few cheerful smiles from the ponies and changelings he passed by. Finally arriving at the dining hall, he grabbed a few remnants from lunch, waving off Slop's offers to make him something special, and stopped before sitting down.
'I'll have to grab something for Din as well. She's going to be hungry as well, by now.'
The stallion grabbed a few extra bits, even throwing a few cookies onto the plate for Zelus. Sure the other queen didn't need them, but food always made him feel better. Well, usually anyway. There were some things a big bowl of ice cream just couldn't make better.
'That's something else I want to get sometime. I'm sure with magic users we could finagle something, even if its only once in a while.'
Cimmerian suppressed a yawn, making his way back to the queen's chamber with his food and a few drinks levitating in his aura. He smiled a bit, planning on having a bit of fun with Din. He silently opened the door to the queen's chamber and stepped in, placing his plate and the drinks on the desk. He then approached the bed and took a single steaming hot sausage in his aura. The alicorn waved the food in front of Pandinus' nose, drawing a few sniffs as well as a hungry gurgle from the mare. Her muzzle followed the food for a bit before he bopped her on the nose with it, causing her eyes to open in shock.
The delectable scent in the room and the gurgling of the mare's stomach drew her from her slumber. She wanted to go back to sleep, she was just so warm and comfortable. However, the pit in her belly would not be denied. With a blink, she opened her eyes as something bounced off her nose, catching sight of a grinning alicorn and a floating piece of food.
"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," the dark stallion greeted as Pandinus' bleary eyes focused on him. "I brought you a little something."
Pandinus smiled warmly, sitting up to eat when a dark aura surrounded both her and her hive-sister. They floated in the warm aura for a moment, watching the linens get pulled as fresh ones from the side of the room were laid over the bed. She frowned; why did he always insist on changing the sheets? Sure, she'd found them to be comfortable especially when combined with her bed, but what was it with ponies and changing them so often? Did they not enjoy the basking in the scent of their lover? Besides, it was just going to get ruined again. Several times, if she had her way.
The stallion finished by jumping onto the bed himself, flipping Din over and laying her on her back with her barrel raised on his own. The changeling blinked in confusion, watching as he floated the platter over to his side before levitating the breakfast link from before to her muzzle.
"What are you doing?" Din asked, watching the meat hungrily but with confusion. If he was going to bring her food, why would he not let her eat it? The queen felt the chuckle rumble through him, causing her to bob slightly against him.
"Feeding you in both ways. Now be quiet and go along with it" he teased, levitating the snack closer.
It struck her as strange, but she'd thought his insistence on mating without her dampening spells were strange. He'd been right about that, so why not?
Din took a tentative bite, enjoying the taste but also noticing the spike of emotion that passed from the stallion. Curious, she opened her jaws and allowed him to put the rest of it in her mouth. She chewed the sausage link and swallowed it, taking note of the flash of happiness that passed from Cimmerian.
Allowing him to feed her a few more bites while nuzzling up against her, the queen put her hoof up to stop the latest snack.
"Why are we doing this?"
"Because it's something couples do. They spend time together by doing more than mating," the alicorn explained, drawing a curious look from both queens. "I want to do a few other things later, show you what other races do to cement their bonds and enjoy time with their companion. I told you before, Din. There's so much more to this than love to feed on and sex."
"Like what?" the queen asked. She remembered him saying something about this a while ago, but she'd never given in much thought since they'd begun spending their nights together.
The alicorn chewed his bottom lip, giving the question some thought.
"Well, sometimes a couple will go somewhere to get dinner served to them, like a restaurant. That's kind of hard to do here, since we already have a chef at the Temple, but maybe we could do that over at Zarris sometime. The next thing is walks, but again that would be tough. I know there's not much out there that could take us on, but I'd rather not have a romantic walk get interrupted by a wild animal attack."
"But that sounds fun!" Zelus interjected, drawing an eye roll from Cimmerian.
"Maybe for you, but considering it's to give the couple a chance to talk, or even just to be alone for a bit, an animal attack kind of defeats the purpose. Another thing is they'll go see a movie, play, or performance."
Zelus was silent for a moment, thought Din could feel a connection being established before the other queen began nodding happily.
"Sapphire said she'd love to do a show sometime, though she may need some time to remember her act."
Din found herself actually intrigued, looking over to the other mare as she communicated to the hybrid unicorn.
"What kind of show did she do?" the stallion asked.
"A magic show," Zelus answered with a confused expression. "I don't really see how that would be impressive, many can do magic."
"A magic show...like card tricks and sleight of hand, well, sleight of hoof?" Cimmerian asked, beginning to trickle excitement. Excitement and, Din couldn't place the second emotion, but it tasted slightly bitter, but not unpleasantly so.
'A pony called it nostalgia.' Zelus supplied, seeing her confusion. 'It has something to do with being reminded of the past. He tasted the same way when he was in the bat pony hive, and saw their green and red decorations.'
'I remember hearing him speak of those with the other mares in the dream realm. I almost forgot about those!' Din communicated through the link with a giggle. "I need to get some of those missile toes that he was speaking of. The pony holiday is only a week or so away.'
Pandinus smiled, settling limply against the stallions side even as he offered another treat. She took it without hesitation this time, feeling each burst of emotion the stallion radiated. Reading about ponies being pampered was one thing. Having her mate do something so superfluous, yet so nice for her? She could enjoy this. Perhaps she would ask Cadance about things to do in return?
After nearly a minute of her pampering, she felt a soft ping from Zelus. Drowsily opening her eyes, the queen looked to her sister questioningly.
'Can I try it?' Zelus asked softly, eyes switching between her and her mate meaningfully.
Pandinus mentally shrugged, allowing the swap to happen and nabbing a cookie meant for Zelus in her sister's magic. She watched the other queen melt under the attention of the stallion, barely suppressing a giggle at how easily her hive-sister's fear of such contact was overcome. Sitting on your back with your belly exposed next to a pony, much less with another queen in the room? It was absolutely unheard of! Yet there Zelus was, accepting the fact with the same nonchalance as the younger shape shifter.
After a few minutes of enjoying the company of his mate Cimmerian shifted, moving Din's body off of his side and allowing her to lay flat on the bed. Zelus absentmindedly groaned in irritation, drawing a chuckle from both the stallion and Din before the stallion began nuzzling her and wrapping his wings around Din's barrel, kissing the swapped queen with the same passion he'd used the night before. Despite Zelus' protests, Din managed to get the other queen to agree to swap back. She immediately was assaulted by just how much love the male was giving her, almost forcing it down her throat. A quick check on her hive-sister out of the corner of her eye showed the other queen to be staring off into nothing, a dopey grin on her face.
'Cimmerian did make a big point about sharing. I think I like this kind of sharing. She's funny to watch, I can only imagine how she'd be if he actually accepted her as well.'
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The alicorn-turned-changeling nymph found all three of them in the war room just after dinner. She trotted in with a frown plastered on her face and came to a halt before the trio. As she'd expected, Pandinus was under his left wing as the two rulers worked on the paper-work pileup, though Cimmerian kept sneaking kisses and the Din kept nipping him, giggling like a filly the whole time. The reason Cadance was here though, was underneath his right wing.
Zelus was there, not really certain of what she should be doing, but pressing herself against the alicorn none the less. She looked over a few papers, turned to her hive-sister, nodded, then proceeded to make notes or sort them into different piles for the other two.
Clearing her throat, Cadance made her presence known.
"I need to speak with Pandinus and Zelus. It's kind of important. "
The trio looked over each other for a moment before both queens nodded, rising from their seats and following the younger mare out the door. They followed her for a good while, returning to the hive and eventually to Zelus' room. Cadance sat down by the bed and shut the door behind them, even using a locking spell and a privacy spell before turning to the changeling queens.
"Are you out of your bucking minds?" the nymph squeaked, causing the larger mares to jump back slightly. "Do you have any idea what it is you're doing? Din, do you have any idea what you're doing to your sister and your mate? You're betraying both of them, and the worst part is I don't think you even realize it!"
"B-betray?" Zelus said, looking to Pandinus with a hint of fear.
"No, not, ugh, it's not that kind of betrayal," Cadance corrected, burying her muzzle in her hooves. "She won't hurt you, not physically at least. But Pandinus, what do you think's going to happen if Cimmerian finds out you and your hive-sister are swapping without him knowing?"
"He's...going to be upset?" the younger queen guessed, confusion in her voice. "But why? I mean, he's not mating with Zelus. It's still my body, right? So there's no problem."
"I, give me a moment, I need to think about this," Cadance said, pacing the room a bit with her eyes closed. "Seriously, how do I make this clear. Ah! You see the hive as being inseparable from you, the hive doesn't exist without you, and you don't exist without it, right?"
At the nod from both queens, the nymph continued.
"Cimmerian sees Pandinus as one being, and Zelus as another. Zelus' mind and Zelus' body are considered inseparable by him, in fact most ponies think that way as well. We can't just trade around like changelings can, so there's a constant mind-body connection. Cimmerian has pledged himself to you, Pandinus, not to your hive. The hive gets the emotion for food, and he understands that. But mating is considered very private by some ponies, and Cimmerian is one of those ponies. He thinks of his time with you as being very special, something he doesn't share with anyone but you.
"This could scare him, Pandinus. He trusts you a lot right now, and this will hurt that trust. If he finds out some other way, he may never trust you with his love again."
Both queens blanched at the notion. The simple enjoyment of sharing an experience, an action Pandinus thought the alicorn had endorsed, could damage the love she harvested?
"But, but he was always talking about sharing, about sharing the love with the hive and, and about the ponies and hive being like a family." Din whined in confusion. "I don't understand, why would that hurt him? I was doing what he asked!"
Cadance's left eye twitched slightly. Working without her alicorn senses, or at least with them dampened like this was making this more difficult than usual, and she couldn't just bring forward the love Cimmerian and Pandinus shared. This was a deep-rooted issue that stemmed from the difference between the stallion's rearing and the queen's understanding of mind and body connections.
"He's, Cimmerian thinks of it like giving you a gift, something for you and you alone, Pandinus. He can't tell you not to do this because the thought likely hasn't even crossed his mind."
"But I can give a gift to another if they want it, right?," Din countered. "It's mine, so if I want to give it to Zelus, I can."
Cadance made to retort, but just stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open. Logically, Pandinus was in the right. However that didn't matter if Cimmerian caught wind of this, and considering how many were either woken up the night before or were already awake when Zelus screamed, it wouldn't take long for everyone to start putting two and two together. Add in the fact that the other queen was now clinging to Cimmerian now, and it would go from possible to obvious.
"Okay, you know how Cimmerian has his, his quirks? He sometimes does things that don't make sense, or that don't really help anyone? Like how he likes certain ponies more than others? He' really nice to Mirage, Gleam, Blur, and Shadow Weaver, but he's even nicer to you. For him to want to give this kind, this level of love to you, he has to trust you. He doesn't have that trust with Zelus, and he'll be hurt when he hears about this. It could damage the love he has for you. That love can heal, but it will be hurt, and not as strong for a time. He may not even sleep with you for a while."
"I'm not trying to tell you that he's not going to love you anymore, Din, I'm trying o help you save some of that love. You need to be the one, though I think both of you should go, to tell him about this. If he starts hearing ponies talk about him being with both of you, and he doesn't know what's going on, it's going to be worse.
"Finally Din, what do you think this has done to Zelus?" the hatchling asked, gesturing to the other queen. "I can't see it well, but I know she feels love for Cimmerian as well now, but it's unreciprocated. He doesn't and may not be able to return it. How do you think she would feel if she can never feel his love again?"
"What?" Zelus squeaked, looking wildly to the younger queen with tears forming in her eyes. "What does she mean? What does she mean I can't have it again? I need it!"
Cadance backed away in surprise at the outburst, not expecting such a powerful attachment to be born from a single feeding.
Pandinus just stared at the other queen, a fearful look on her muzzle. She turned to Cadance.
"Could love be addicting?"
The alicorn-turned-hatchling looked at the near-hysterical form of Zelus, and while it sounded like a silly question at first she was dealing with changelings.
The pain of a loved one passing was real. It was very real, and sometimes left ponies unable to cope. They would sometimes pass on as well if the connection with the deceased was too powerful. It was rare, but she'd heard of entire herds passing in the span of a few days. Granted the members were all old, but it had happened enough in the past that it had a name; Chain Heartbreak Syndrome. Even if a few of the herd members were strong enough to survive the loss of one, if another fell that weight doubled, sometimes taking the life of another. If three fell, it was very likely the entire herd would pass on at that point.
Now, while thinking about just how dependent changelings were on emotion and therefore love, could they be physically addicted to it? Could a changeling queen become addicted to an individual?
"It, I suppose it's possible. We'll have to watch Zelus closely, but it would actually make some of your rules more sensible. If a queen ends up attached to a pony, they may not be able to survive without them. Add to that the fact that ponies only lived about 80-120 years in the distant past, and a long lived queen would be better off never getting attached to one. I do have a question though. Cimmerian was gone for a long time, how did you make do without him if you're addicted to him?"
Din gave a weak smile to the nymph.
"I kept a few jars of the most potent of his love for myself. I didn't find myself needing them, but I still ended up drinking three of them in the time he was gone. I was, I began to get a bit nervous when I saw I was on my last one. It helped, but I still really wanted to be with him."
The proto queen nodded, her eyes focused on the floor.
"Alright. We need to talk to him about this, but first things first. I want you to apologize to Zelus. It was by accident, but you exposed her to Cimmerian's raw love and I think that's what did this. I haven't heard of any of the other changelings having this issue with the love-gel, so it may be the unprocessed stuff that's the problem. Oh Tartarus, I wish Twily was here, she'd know how to figure this out properly."
"I don't want an apology, I want to taste it again," the armored queen whined. "Now you're telling me I can't, what am I supposed to do? It won't let me taste that love again, it won't make me feel better, I can't, I can't just-"
"He's been very nice to everyone so far, right Zelus?" Cadance whispered, trotting up to the whimpering changeling and patting one of her legs. "He won't hurt you, or anyone else, and he'll do what he can to make you feel better. We'll figure this out, and learn a little in the process."
"This is part of what I did when I was just Cadance; before I was princess of the Crystal Kingdom. I helped ponies learn to adapt to each other, or helped other races learn about each other to prevent things like this. Sometimes it was damage control. That's what we're going to be doing today. I know you don't think you did anything wrong, but it's not always about what you feel or know, it's-"
"-It's about what others perceive." Pandinus cut in, rubbing a hoof across her muzzle. "Tartarus, this is the griffon thing all over again isn't it?"
"Griffon thing?" the other mare's asked, waiting for more detail.
"Cimmerian was attempting to explain to me the difference between truth and perception and had me introduce myself in a specific way to Lady Thrisha. Because of that, the hen took me to be familiar with nobility and how to act around them. The opposite is true, but because of how I introduced myself..."
"He taught you a formal introduction, and so Thrisha assumed you were educated in such things. Yes, it's exactly like that. He perceives you as an individual, a single person who happens to be connected to the hive. You know that this isn't true, and could take advantage of this error. However, since he's someone you love, you need to tell him about this; you can't use this against him or it could hurt him. You can fix this problem, but it's going to take work. Work and patience."
"It's always patience, isn't it?" smaller queen said in irritation. "It never requires me to blow something up, or have fun with my mate."
"It is. Aunt Tia told me the hardest thing for any individual to learn is patience, but needing to be patient with those you love can make it worth it. Stars know she was patient with me when I first found myself with a horn," Cadance said with a smile. "It's just one of those things we need to learn, and I'm sure you can pull it off, Din. In the meantime, we need to find a solution for Zelus. Depending on how our talk with Cimmerian goes...actually, he may have an idea as well. We can discuss this with him. Lets go."
With that, the nymph bounded for the door, only to be snatched up in the auras of both queens. They both began talking at the same time, and the young mare's eyes crossed in confusion.
"One at a time! Zelus, you first."
"Do we need to tell him? Can't we just keep doing it this way, I only need a little bit, right?" the queen asked, nervously trotting in place.
"Zelus, this isn't going to go away, especially with how you've been acting. He may dismiss it for now, but he's going to start getting worried and asking questions. Just because he doesn't feel the same about you as he does for Pandinus doesn't mean he won't be watching. If you approach him though, and let him know what happened, he'll be much more willing to help the two of you make amends, and maybe help you find a way to deal with this."
"But what if he stops loving me?" Pandinus nearly shouted. "I can't do this, I can't lose it. I need it, my hive needs it, it will help you too! What if-"
"Pandinus!" Cadance shouted, pulling her out of her spiral. "This needs to happen. He will be upset, he may even get angry, but if you don't talk to him now, it's going to get worse. what happens when you don't take care of an infection?"
"It, it festers, it gets worse," Pandinus said, not seeing the connection.
Cadance nodded.
"Exactly, it gets worse. If we take care of this now, and write it off as a mistake it will be taken care of, but-"
"But if he figures it out, I get it. So we have to do this, and now?" the queen asked looking at her hive-sister, who looked just as nervous.
Cadance nodded, and both queens whined in despair. This was not how the day was supposed to go.
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"So tell me again how this happened?" Cimmerian asked Gleam, who was scratching the back of her head while looking at the report. Currently all five of the de-petrified mares were in his office for either causing a commotion or picking a fight with other residents. All except for Fluttershy, though she was in the infirmary getting bandaged up from a wild animal attack.
The moment he asked the question all four of the mares started trying to explain themselves, leading to an awful cacophony in the war room.
"Shut up! Gleam, give me the report."
"Slop has requested that the pink mare never be allowed in his kitchen again, as she only ever made baked goods and treats. He asked her several times to cook normal meals, and each one was so saturated with sugar the griffon taste-tester couldn't finish it. Miss Pie also ran through a hefty chunk of our sugar in the process, and thus we either need to make an extra trip to Zarris for more, which is expensive in both funds and manning, or we're going to be cutting down on snacks and sweets for the next week or so."
The latter option drew a gasp of horror from the pink baker, the mare's eyes widening comically at the prospect of less sugar in her future. Before Pinkie could defend herself, Gleam moved on.
"Miss Applejack apparently got into an argument with Machination over the farming set up, though that's really not a surprise. Nothing much came out of it, just a request that she gets the full situation before she tries taking control of the farmland. Miss Fluttershy went on a walk outside the fenced area with no guards, and was mauled by a Chupacobra-"
"Which is really weird because 'Shy's really good with animals, and I don't think I ever heard of an animal attacking her, and even if our magic isn't fully recovered I didn't think something would attack her and-"
A dark glow cut off Pinkie's tirade, and Cimmerian nodded in understanding.
"She figured her ability to communicate with animals would protect her. In a way I suppose it did if she survived the confrontation. We've lost several residents to wild animals after all. I'll speak to her about it later. We're not in Equestria right now, and she's not at full strength. Rarity?"
Gleam flipped to the next report and continued.
"Rarity was kicked out of several buildings for making a commotion about the decorating. We really haven't had the time or resources to decorate, so most of the buildings are, in her own words, 'horribly drab and uninteresting.' I've explained to her that most of the residents of the Temple of the Shadows would rather live in a drab and uninteresting home than have a few nice houses with about half the population stuck outside.
"Finally, Miss Dash has been reminded several times that there is no weather patrol here, and that the weather runs naturally. She insists on the necessity of such a thing, though. Thus she's been kicked out of the local airspace by our own pegasi, and when she tried to violate the restriction, well..." Gleam trailed off, pointing to the tied up and gelled Pegasus struggling in her bonds on the floor. She was bound and gagged, a few dollops of changeling gel binding her wings to prevent her from flying. Looking over the report, they were just about to throw her into a pod right next to Pivot Pelt to keep her out of the way.
"I understand you girls want to help, and each of you have your own ways of doing it, but this isn't Ponyville," Cimmerian tried to explain. "We live differently here, and I need you girls to work with me. I want you each to take a few days to recover, as well as learn about the area and the locals, then you can talk to Gleam about something you can do to help. Four days minimum, understand?"
"Ah ain't gonna sit around on mah flank when there's work ta be done, Ah'm fine," Applejack argued, drawing several agreements and a vigorous nod from the still silenced Dash.
Cimmerian just stared at the mare for a moment before countering.
"At no point did I say that you had to sit around. I just don't want you trying to change how things are done here. I know for a fact you didn't work with changelings before, as everyone I've spoken to about them either didn't know anything about their race, or was hostile to them. Did you ever work with griffons? What about thestrals or gnolls?"
"W-well there was this zebra that we met, and-"
"Shucks, Rares, you know as well as Ah do we didn't take to Zecora all that well when we first met her, and Gilda was our first experience with griffons. That went over about as well as..." Applejack conceded with a sigh. "Alright, we take time ta get used to the place, and the changes. What then?"
"That's completely up to you dear," Gleam chimed in.
"I know you ladies all have your, quirks," the cherry mare said while casting a meaningful glance at a beaming Pinkie Pie "but that doesn't mean you cant find work, or even happiness here. Tartarus, I was just another pony following Shadow Weaver on his mad quest a few months ago to secretary and advisor to an alicorn who runs a small country. The same alicorn who's brought together griffons, ponies, changelings, thestrals and gnolls all under the same banner. Anything is possible at this point."
"All I ask is that you girls try to keep your noses clean. I'm willing to give you some slack considering your circumstances, but I have to keep my subjects, my family happy as well. You're still considered outsiders by most here, and while we're welcoming, we're not going to let some new arrivals break down all that we've worked for because they don't like our methods."
Taking the gag out of Rainbow Dash's mouth, he gave her a harsh glare.
"That includes you, missy. We don't have the numbers to regulate the weather for this entire area, nor are we capable of producing the needed weather with our current set-up. That's why we don't want you setting up a weather patrol. It's not that we doubt your ability, or that we want to keep you from showing off, it's that it's not feasible with our current resources. If you keep causing trouble, I'm going to allow the changelings to pod you like they requested, am I clear?"
"Pod? Like one of those changeling things? I thought you were supposed to be a good guy!" Rainbow Dash squeaked out, remembering her own close encounter with such immobilization techniques.
"I am, and right now you're coming close to being a public menace. I want to help you, but I have an entire city here to watch. If you want to know how far I'm willing to go, ask around. I'm sure everyone here will tell you what I'm willing to do to keep this place going, including personally fighting off giant snakes and raiders."
The stallion dismissed them, watching them leave and making a note to check up on Fluttershy at a later time. For now he had-
"Cimmerian? We need to talk to you," Cadance said, entering the war room/office with the two queens in tow.
Cimmerian watched in confusion as the queens sat on the other side of the table while Cadance closed the newly attached double door to the room and applied a privacy spell to the area. Afterwards, Cadance sat to the side of the table, almost as if she were playing the part of a third party in a discussion. Seeing her use that spell, as well as the positioning of the queens caused a knot to form in his stomach.
"What's this about, Cadance?"
The proto queen pointed to the queens, Pandinus and Zelus, who both looked nervous. After the two traded a few looks, and Cimmerian was certain some words as well through the link, Pandinus started.
"Cadance, she brought up an issue that I didn't think about that could hurt you, could hurt our relationship. She said I should talk to you about it, so I, we came here to clear this up. She said you may be mad, but I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Would you be mad if I switched with Zelus while we were mating last night?"
For his part, Cimmerian took a few moments to realize just what it was that was being said. The moment it set in, his eyes widened, and both queens recoiled slightly at the blast of emotions that rocked them. Cadance felt it as well, but it wasn't directed at her. Still, what she could feel radiating form the alicorn just proved her point.
Taking a few deep breaths, Cimmerian gestured to Cadance.
"I'm going to assume this isn't a hypothetical question, considering I know it's possible."
Pandinus squirmed a bit, only now realizing just how much this bothered her mate.
"I wanted to, to reward Zelus for her help, and since it was still me, or at least my body, I thought that it wouldn't bother you. I mean, you were always talking about sharing the love we gathered, and treating each other as family, so I-"
"Din, I was talking about the love you harvest, not the love I'm giving to you, or what we do in our room!" Cimmerian cut in. "Once you feed on it and process it I don't care what you do with it, but I love you, not her. Zelus is a friend, not a mate. I don't want that kind of relationship with her and I've told you that before. Hell, I've told several people that. Remember that entire spiel you gave me when you were frustrated about me being monogamous?"
"But you told me to share it! How am I supposed to know what's okay to share and what's not? Memories, feelings, emotions, a hive shares all of these! I'm not just Pandinus, I'm a queen, I'm connected to everyone in my link; Zelus especially! I've not felt this complete since I left my mother's hive, Cimmerian. Another solid point in the link after so long, it's more than I could ask for. We're hive-sisters now, and I can't just drop that," Pandinus shot back with a quick hug to her fellow queen.
The stallion scowled at the excuse.
"So because you can't accept that I'm not interested in her, I have to accept that you don't care, that my own standards are worthless to you? That because it's a 'hive thing', my personal opinions can go jump off a cliff?"
"That's not what's being said, Cimmerian," Cadance said, attempting to placate him. "They're trying to correct your assumption about how the hive works. You can't specify rules for a relationship if you don't understand how an individual works, after all. I brought them here so this doesn't boil up, so that it's taken care of quickly. They're going to explain this and answer any questions you may have, and in the future they'll do their best to bring these issues to your attention before they become a problem."
"So you want me to forgive them, forgive Pandinus for going against what I asked her, to forgive Zelus for taking advantage of the fact that I thought it was Din. Are they even apologetic, or are they just acting like that because I'm angry?"
"We're worried about the hive, dammit!" Zelus shouted, choking a bit as the anger was directed at her. "It's gotten better but you're still the primary source of food for most of the changelings. If something goes wrong and you stop loving her, we're going to be facing a dearth of emotion!"
The dark alicorn blinked at that statement before closing his eyes and taking a breath. Of course it wasn't something he could understand, but the implied betrayal of his love was just...
'They don't think of it as a betrayal, though. It was just two members of the hive sharing information, sharing food. God, when did my life devolve into this?'
Rubbing his muzzle with a hoof, he spared a glance back to the mares. Sure enough Zelus was almost hysterical while Pandinus looked hurt and nervous. Cadance was attempting to keep her cool, but she kept looking back to the two.
"I, I'm going to take a bit of time to think about this, mess. Was there anything else?" Cimmerian asked, standing up to leave.
"Do you think it's possible for a changeling to become addicted to love?" Cadance asked, stopping him cold.
"What?
"We were talking about Zelus not being able to, experience the love anymore, and she became distraught." Din attempted to explain. "With you not wanting me to swap she won't have access to the pure love anymore, and as I told Cadance..."
"Please, I just want a little bit." Zelus said, going around the table with tears in her eyes. "I don't care if you love me, I just want to taste it again, just a quick swap every now and again, you won't even notice! I just-"
"Whoa, calm down Zel. Calm. Are you calm?" Cimmerian said, catching the queen with his forelegs and holding her up. She nodded once and started a second time before vigorously shaking her head no, leaking more tears as she pushed forward the last few steps, latching onto him with a desperate hug.
"I need it, please I don't want to go without it again, it was so good. There was just so much and it tasted so wonderful," Zelus sobbed, clinging to the stallion's barrel. "I'll do whatever you want, just don't make me go without it!"
Cimmerian blinked a few times, looking over to the other mare's for help. Cadance coughed into a hoof before attempting to explain.
"Even though she physically wasn't exposed to the unprocessed love, which we think is what's causing the addiction, she was exposed to it mentally. While mental addictions aren't as bad as physical ones in most cases, they can be just as hard to break. They're even more difficult to break when the individual doesn't want to break them."
"When did you become an expert on addictions?" the dark alicorn asked.
"It's part of my old job. I counseled married couples all the time before I took over the Crystal Kingdom. Even after I was crowned its princess, couples would come to me from all over the world for blessings, advice, or counseling. Addiction was one of the bigger problems spouses ran across. No amount of love magic can stop a pony from running right back to their comfort in a few days; the magic doesn't last that long. It's possible she could get over it if she's not exposed to your love while her system burns it out of her body, but until then she's going to be clingy and irritable, and she may do this every now and again. It may not even work, as changelings don't always work like ponies. I didn't even know a changeling could be addicted to an emotion, or that emotions were addicting. There's just not enough information."
Cimmerian looked from the sobbing queen to Cadance, then to Pandinus.
"Are you not affected by this or something?"
"It's entirely possible I am in some way, but I have both more access, as well as a small cache of love that I keep for my own use. I've also not gone without it for that long, nor have I had to look at the possibility of going without it," the smaller queen explained while scuffing a hoof on the floor. "It helped me deal with your absence, but I was still running short on it and was getting nervous. I don't know if I'm addicted like Zelus seems to be, but I know that I really like having access to your love, and most other emotions just don't cut it anymore. That's why we, we're both nervous about this. I didn't think I did anything that was wrong, but Cadance said you may not agree, and going by the anger earlier I guess she was right."
"Yeah, she was right. Just give me a bit to cool down and we'll talk, okay Din? I know you didn't mean anything by it but, but that doesn't help me feel better about this situation."
"Just don't try to make any decisions without asking them first, Cimmerian," Cadance counseled, knowing the stallion was going to be taking his leave soon. She'd done enough of these to see it in his movements, in his constantly twitching wings. "I know you feel hurt by this, but they don't have anything but the best of intentions. You need to work with them, work with the hive and your wife to make this pan out. All I can ask is that you don't just give up on your love because of this confusion."
The stallion nodded before he turned back to the shaking queen and pulled her into a comforting hug, placing a kiss on her forehead before he left.
"I don't love you like that, Zelus, but we'll figure out a way to help you, okay? I'm not going to hold something you can't help against you."
Zelus gave a weak nod, watching him leave like a hawk.
He shook his head in frustration before walking out into the fading sunlight, taking off for a flight over the jungle. With any luck the evening air would help him clear his head. He soared through the cloudless sky, not paying much attention to his surroundings but letting his magic and his wings carry him in large circles around the area.
'Even coming back home is a pain in the butt. What to do, what to do, what to do...'
It was a weird situation to be in, that was for certain. He had to wonder sometimes, what would his life be like if the parasite didn't grab him?
"It would likely be a hell of a lot simpler, that's for sure," he muttered with a self-deprecating laugh.
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Drug Dealing Din? I guess it can be a thing.
Is Zelus going to turn into Kesha now with the whole "love drug" debacle? That would be pretty humorous.
Cimmerian telling the Mane 6 - 1 to know their place in his home pretty much shot him to my #2 on my Top OCs list.
(Idol Hooves has my #1 spot on lock).
6896585 Idol Hooves? You've piqued my curiosity, if Cimmerian isn't number one. I must know of this Idol Hooves!
this is what I imagined. @1:28
Woo! I was wondering when this would come up!
6896595
Idol Hooves is from The Changeling of the Guard.
Really good fic.
Sweet Lucifer one day and the Mane6 are acting like children again.
Did they miss out entirely on how there is literally a war going on with every single race against their best friend who is trapped in a Nightmare?
Man Rey, you've no idea how perfect of a time this came at. Got the worst news of the last couple years, started to drown my sorrows in a 1.75L of Captain Morgan's White Rum, and BAM new chapter. Well played sir.
Yummy. The tension is delicious.
I would have reacted the same to the Bearers. "Don't fuck with my house, y'all are guests here. Until the majority of my family accepts you as our own, don't you dare try to change what we have." I'm hellishly territorial like that.
Can one become addicted to love? Without a doubt. Poor Zel.
An addiction that evolves into something that is literally required for one's continued existance... it... it hurts.
Good chapter!
On a side note I was kind of hoping that Cadance would bring up his fear/aversion to herds...may be make mention that both Din and Zelus are bending over backwards to try and follow all his rules, regulations, and sometimes weird reasonings...they have had to throw away everything they have believed in or were ever taught...and if they want to stop the extinction of their entire race they have to listen to Cimmerian and follow his orders and rules...after all the hurdles he has had Din go through it does not seem like it would be that unreasonable to request him to try to get over his little herd phobia...
I understand that he was not raised that way, but neither were the changelings raised believing in all the things he is having them doing now...The changelings had to change their ways thanks to present circumstances...I think it is about time that CImmerian sit down with Cadance and have a long talk about why he has a problem with herds.
Fuck you, Reykan! I hate you for devolving love to addiction! You seems to like The Twilight Saga, yeah? The exact same type of the relationship, addiction in the place of love. I HATE YOU SO MUCH FOR RUINING THE BEST FIC ON FIMFICTION!!!!
I have to say, Cimmer's insistence towards a monogamous relationship is starting to bother me. I'm not pushing for a Harem here, but this problem would be easily and quickly rectified if he would just accept that he doesn't necessarily need to adhere to human social norms. Though... I imagine he probably believes doing so helps keep his memories and Luna's separate. If that's actually the case, I suppose I can't argue, especially if it's working... dammit, now I backed myself into a corner.
Ah well, I'll just keep reading until we get to the part where they solve the problem.
*Notices lack of next chapter button*
...
k!
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F
6896648
Well they're used to being the top dogs of their respective skill sets, farmer, designer, vet, weather manager, cook/baker, and now they're out of their depth and don't want to accept that.
This was just a rude awakening that time has passed them by and they're a long way from the comforts and connections of home.
Withdrawls and addictions? Good times, good times. Spent two years surrounded by recovering addicts of every persuasion. It's an interesting experience. MAnipulation and rationalization.
Well, Cimmerian does call himself the Dream Pimp. I guess it's only to be expected.
[inb4 IForgot2TurnMySwagOffWokeUpCoveredInBitches GIF]
6896648 To be fair, they aren't exactly in a favorable position.
The world around them has suddenly and sharply changed. What was once a normal every day thing for them has in literal moments become big DO NOT DOs. That kind of extreme change takes time to wrap your head around. Remember how Luna fared when she came back. It's not as bad for the Mane 6... 5? er, -1? ANYWAYS!!! It's not as bad compared to Luna, but it's still forty years of the world gone by that happened, in their perspective, in a couple weeks. I'm not surprised they're having trouble integrating.
.... I actually saw these problems coming, good work in going with a different direction then I would have,
6896717
What ways? It's been stated multiple times that changelings have no culture. Also his problem with herds? What about their problems with monogamy, this isn't a one way street of rules and regulations here and Pandinus is fairly comfortable with the monogamous deal.
Oh you mean like that other queen that didn't? (Can't remember her name) But she didn't abandon what she was taught and look what happened.
To be honest I don't understand why you think his "fear/aversion" to herds is something that needs to be 'dealt' with, most humans and probably some ponies just aren't comfortable having multiple partners
This really isn't something he can 'get over' this is part of who he is and even if he did give a herd a shot all he would feel about the arrangement is VAST discomfort. And really him being monogamous really doesn't affect that much because being monogamous in a polygamous society will at worst lead to a couple uncomfortable moments whereas being polygamous in a monogamous society will probably lead to vilification.
This whole argument on my side has been fueled by my own personal opinion. So apologies if I come across as... whats a good word here... assholeish.
Sidenote: I've tried picturing a changeling bending over backwards and I keep imagining a sickening crack noise.
6896800 I actually don't think that most humans are monogamous, most humans are just hypocrites. At least people up to their 30s would give polygamy a go. Men would prefer having multiple female partners, not other competing males, but still.
All it takes is to learn how to adapt to new things until you're way too old and set in your (outdated) ways. I remember how I went from "ew gays are trully disgusting" to "this guy is kinda hot". Hell, entire societies came from open aversion of homosexuality to neutrality to acceptance.
6896727 No, this fic handles the subject much better than the twilight saga.
besides.
1. only two of the three parties in question are addicted.
2. the fic does a pretty good job of having it emerge natuarlly from everything established before. (Din did some drug dealing earlier on. One of the queens finally had enough change because of it and decided to go down fighting, taking a number of drones with her)
3. Changelings literally feed on love. You may as well complain that this fic has literally reduced love to nothing but a salami sandwhich.
6896727 check ICD 11. Love is mental illness. I don't remember exact phrases used, but something along those lines.
6896800
Their way was a way of secrecy and mobility...teaching by word of mouth(or mind)...the queens rule is law...there are many cultural things that were mentioned or hinted at.
All of that culture...as dumb or ridiculous as we may find it was very important to the changelings and their way of life...their very identity as a race...it all had to be thrown away at Cimmerians word or Din and the rest of the changlings would get no love from Cimmerian.
Exactly my point.
The other queen did not fall in lockstep with Cimmerians rules...and wound up dead because of it.
Now we all know Cimmerian would not be that cruel to hold his love over them like that, but the truth of it is that even if it is never mentioned that way the reality is that if DIn and/or the rest of the changelings did not follow his rules, and accept the new culture he is forcing on them that they will die...either by starvation or killed out right.
Now we all acknowledge that his rules are better for the changelings than their original rules were, and that he is not really going around forcing them at knife point to comply...most are just happy for the free love...it does not change the fact that he still forcing a change on to an entire species...a good change yes...but still one he is forcing them to make.
Which brings me to my next point.
After all the change forced onto the changelings Cimmerian should at the very least be willing to talk to Cadance about his herd phobia.
Here is the thing though...
He is not human any more...He is on a whole new planet with a whole new set of cultural norms.
Yes he will be uncomfortable at first...obviously since it will be his first time giving something like that a try.
Din almost killed herself trying to live up to his cultural norms...yet he can't get over his pride and a little discomfort to try and work out his herd phobia?
Lastly...no she is not.
If you remember in the very beginning she even cursed his "d@mn monogamy".
She then did not was too much time when she saw a perspective herd mate in Zelus to try and get Cimmerian interested.
Pandinus would love to be able to share her hive sister with Cimmerian.
6896800 The ways being referred to involve things like "don't let a pony see you without a disguise" and "whatever you do, don't get caught up in the excitement of sex or you'll get caught for sure".
Whether that counts as a culture or not is something I'd rather not get into, but it is a way of survival. Picture someone who's grown up on a medieval farm and suddenly they've been placed onto a modern farm. Some of their knowledge may still be useful (for changelings, this is things like "how to store love" or "how to manage the hive mind"), but by and large, their methods of farming are now uselessly outdated.
6896849
Here's ICD-11, point, where's it?
Also, не тот ли ты самый Муханоид, который в своё время играл в Хоупсвилль?
6896826
O, rly?
Same, vampire was addicted to female human's blood.
It was NOT drug dealing, it was more like "making extremely tasty food for everyone".
Food - ok, I have no problem with it. But Din herself had _feelings_ of love, she even proved it by extracting and bottling some of it. Why that suddenly was reduced to addiction?
WHY, REYKAN, WHY?!
6896648 What 6896747 said, each handling it in a different way. Pinkie and Rarity have never been in a situation like this. Pinkie worked in a Bakery, so probably never ever ran out of supplies, or if they did, was just a few minutes run down to the market to get more. This is not the case here, and resources need more managing and the closest 'stores/markets' are the next town over through a monster filled forest.
Rarity, like wise, is used to living in places where there is peace and they have been around for a while. Because of this, there were Decorations in the buildings and such. However, here in this place survival is top priority, being efficient over being pretty. She's never been to a brand new town being built, like when Appleloosa just started out. But even then, Appleloosa had access to resources from an entire nation. The Temple, if I remember, is NOT getting very many resources from outside of it. All the wood, the food, and everything is from their own farms and trees. I think they might be getting some, but mostly they are being self reliant. Rarity just isn't used to that, and doesn't understand that.
Rainbow Dash, I'm surprised at. She's not just a random 'weather pony'. She's the Leader of the Ponyville Weather Team. While I could see someone like Lightning Dust doing what RD did here in the story, I don't see canon Rainbow Dash doing it. Because she was high in management, she should already know the things that Cimm told her. In fact, SHE should know more about that then he does and should be the one telling him that.
AJ is the only reasonable one. While she got into an argument, she didn't try to do anything yet;
AJ at least wanted to know the full details before claiming the other guy was wrong and she was right and should take over. AJ shouldn't be punished here at all. Rarity too kinda, since didn't she just complained about the looks and nothing else? So really Rarity just needed a little talking too, and AJ maybe as well.
RD and Pinkie need to be punished because while Pinkie didn't realize what she was doing, she DID waste a lot of resources and that's costing them, and RD from what I understand, could have had the weather go out of wack and ruin the weather, which would ruin the Farms and thus the food for the whole temple. That would have been VERY bad.
Fluttershy... She's suffering enough. Just give her a talk and explain this isn't equestria and things aren't the same with the animals here. However, a second time and she should be banned from going near animals, for her own safety and others. Don't need her being hope this cute little chicken snake hybrid that ends up turning all the ponies outside into stone.
6896867
Ok yeah I see what you mean.
6896869
Хоупсвиль? Не слышал о таком. Или не помню. Godville знаю.
В ICD-10 или 11 это было где-то в F секции.
Похоже на это и это:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histrionic_personality_disorder
http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F60-F69/F63-/F63.9
Found it!
http://saversky.livejournal.com/23103.html
Yep, it is F63.9
Drug dealing Din? Why does that sound-
(Hears an echo: "Tibbs! Are you selling drugs!")
Oh, that's why. That moment you unintentionally referenced Fallout is Dragons...
6896973 *For some reason, suddenly hears Sidney Portier* "They call me MISTER Tibbs!"
6896744
Just because more than one female wants him doesn't mean he wants more than one. It might be he genuinely doesn't feel he can love two different individuals equally in such a way and wants to avoid it since it wouldn't be fair to them to play favorites, or maybe he just lacks the emotional capacity to be in love with more than one individual.
Or it might be something as simple as, "No, I don't want to do it and trying to force it on me will just make me bitter and angry." For example, I'm not a tea drinker. I can't stand the stuff and would rather have water. If I got dropped someplace where drinking tea is the norm, but water is obviously available as well, why can't I just drink water?
Have you, perchance, looked up the rules on how to use ellipses and commas? Like, ever?
6897077 That is just the thing...we do not know why he has a problem with herds.
You could be right and he simply is too shallow of an individual to love two or more beings in a romantic way...
It has been hinted at though that just like he tries to hang onto his original name he is also trying to hold onto any little thing he can from his previous life...
You mean like how he forced his ideas of love on Pandinus by threatening to kill her unhatched foals?...How he is literally training her to accept and understand only his kind of love an no one else's?
She has done everything he has asked of her, and all she wants is for him to try...and yet he can't even be bothered to really sit down and talk about it...
I am kind of confused as to why he doesn't just start a herd. It might be because he has to much stuff to think about already.
He has asked so much of Pandinus, which changed her entire way of living, and yet when Pandinus asks something in return he becomes angry and bitter.
Give and take is the norm in a relationship.
I want CImmerian to take Zelus in! I want him to make both queens drool love. I know I would do it.
Her nose looks scared?
Zel?... You might as well face it your addicted to love.
Nice chapter, good work.
6896867
My impression of "culture" is that it's, in part, the actions/thoughts that become normal outside their initial purpose. Take humans and clothes, for example. Yes, there are very valid reasons to wear clothes. But is the primary motivation for people in advanced countries to wear clothing is survival or because that's just how things are done and to do otherwise would be "indecent?" Indecency is a cultural thing.
Similarly, human focus on monogamy is a cultural thing that I think initially developed to make stronger families while changeling polygamy developed from constant mental close contact and to better share limited resources. There should definitely be a discussion on monogamy versus polygamy that involves more than "I do it this way. Yeah, well, I do it the other way."
I actually think that Cim might be open to polygamy, given enough work and understanding from his partner(s). The problem with Zelus in this chapter is that Pan went through so much to reach Cim, but Zelus was allowed to cut to the head of the line without doing any of the necessary work to make Cim okay with things.
If concentrated love is addicting then this is a big problem as love is the only food source for Changeling to feed on, and if it they brains are wired to it just like the human brain that to sugar is as addicting, them the effects each time will always be like the first time they consume it. I wander if their are regular Changelings that have become a couple with other non-Changeling, and what makes it work to live together. Also I have a hard time imagining that Cim alone actually supply the bulk of the love to the Hive, what makes his love more potent than any other being in the city anyway?
He's the one they call Doctor Feelgood! He's the one that make them feel so fine!
Pinkie... Go back to baking.
But if I use up all the sugar, we won't be able to have any snacks at all...
6896648
Yes.
Yes, they did.
They even missed the harsh reality of time's passage.
Nothing about this has been real for them, only confusing.
6897221
Muzzle of pony = face of human
6897347 No. The muzzle consists of the nose and mouth. You can't just go around randomly changing the definition of words.
6897173
Not all decisions are made on the spot while talking about them. Sometimes it is good to go for a walk/fly and think things over. Once you have most of the information it is good to let it simmer in your mind, you can get various solutions and ideas, and why rush to decisions?
I would call it wise what Cimmerian is doing, he basically heard them out, assured that they will figure something out and went for a fly.
6897175
Not all people want more mates than one. It is a personal decision of every person. You cannot choose who you love after-all. Look at it this way: You are in relationship with a man who brings a new wife and asks you to accept her. It is exactly the same thing here, we do not just usually see such things from point of view of man in fiction. (Who does not literally jump on the change)
6897269
Alicorn.
Also, he can literally go all night, keeping the entire hive up handling the overflow, and do so every night.
Also, Alicorns are empowered by the love of their followers, which becomes a troll-logic feedback loop producing higher maximum quantities of love per day.
6896882 I think you misunderstood. The way I read the passage was that the complaint was just more of a request that she get educated before trying to take over anything. Applejack probably did try to tell them how to do their jobs and got rebuffed. That still puts her in a better position than Pinkie and Rainbow who not only thought they knew better, but acted on it repeatedly to the point where they needed to be banned from the workplace and physically restrained, respectively. Without knowing the details, I'd guess that Rarity is basically in the same place as Applejack only they felt more insulted.
Nitpicks:
night's
it's
Let's
can't
Something's missing here. I suppose the simplest change is to turn "was" into "went from".
"What?"
(The next paragraph is a different speaker.)