“I just feel like she’s out there to cause me problems right now, that’s all,” Cimmerian was mumbling. “I know her too well to think she’s not.”
“Saying she’s out there causing trouble is both obvious and useless, as you are stuck here with us,” Luna responded with a grin.
“Indeed. Though I understand sometimes we need to gripe, so if it makes you feel better you may panic all you like.”
Pulmonus chuckled, cocking her head. He felt one of several scanning spells begin to focus on a particular part of his brain at that point.
“Ah, another possible issue at section 1c, cross section 7j. Feels like an inversion.”
Twilight rotated a small wire-frame replica of the brain, using her magic to mark the mentioned area. One of an increasing number of areas that were possibly damaged in one way or another.
“You know, looking at that thing I have the feeling I should be dead.”
“The mind is a bit more resilient than that, Cimmerian,” Twilight replied. “Most of this damage isn’t even physical. They’re also reporting possible memory disconnects or false-connections that the addition of Luna’s memories resulted in. So it’s not all physical trauma. Add to this the fact that you have the alicorn resilience to any and all damage, including magical and mental-“
“I was actually fairly close to insanity before the Nightmare,” Luna added with a twinge of guilt and shame. “It wouldn’t surprise me if that helped you here, as the unnatural thought patterns didn’t seem capable of influencing you. This put a good amount of open space the mind defines as time passing between my memories and yours. There is also very little of the Nightmare’s thought-patterns here either. It is mostly early me into the first outbursts of my madness.”
“Many immortals go mad, dear,” Pulmonus said softly. “I’ve seen more than a few go that way, most of them to the same enemy you faced. Loneliness. It is a terrible foe that sometimes you do not even notice. Others attempt to ignore it, hoping work will keep it at bay. For a mortal that may do, but one who will not die of old age will eventually fall to it.”
“I tried to use work, yes,” Luna said, not looking up from her scanning. “It helped for a little while. Eventually though I realized it was all I had anymore. I was working to work. I experienced no joy in it, I was not working for a purpose. I knew only my knights who stood watch at night with me, and most were looking forward to switching back so that they could see their families again.”
The blue mare sighed.
“It was one of the things that started to grate on me. That and when that maid asked who I was. That was...”
“As I said, seeking refuge in work changes nothing. Ponies especially need others. They are not meant to be alone. Even a changeling queen can get lonely after a few centuries. I befriended a few beings over the years, but none were privy to my race. None really knew me. Even such connections, though flimsy as they were, helped to ease my mind. I still check in on their descendants every now and again as well.”
Cimmerian looked between the two mares.
“I don’t know if loneliness is going to be as big of a problem for some of us. Changelings walking the streets means you can, what was it you said you wanted to do?”
“A coffee shop,” Pulmonus chuckled. “I have owned a few businesses but it was always an assumed identity. A mare who would eventually need to disappear. Oh, I tried the whole “pass the business on to myself” shtick, but that just raised more questions. Some ponies even accused me of being a Vampony.”
“Celestia eventually came around and I had to drop it all. Donated most of it to various charities or nearby friends, took the rest of the money and stashed it in case I needed it in the future. I’ve always been surprised at how often I needed money. My mother never even considered retaining wealth, always leaving it behind as inconsequential. And yet knowing how money works has saved my life and my hive many times. Even today there are places where a changeling can buy ponies.”
Luna almost growled at the mention of slavers, but Cimmerian was a bit more thoughtful.
“You wouldn’t even need to catch them. They’d be delivered right to you and nobody would ask questions. Interesting.”
“I...will admit that it is clever but I still find the idea infuriating. I spent years hunting down slavers, even going as far as passing laws that would prevent Equestrian traders from doing business with any country or city that worked with them. It is especially infuriating because I found out that the law was repealed soon after my banishment.”
“Was it Tia who pulled it or...”
“No, it was not. A few lords did so while she was away, also repealing our anti-slavery laws under the guise of undoing the damage caused by my madness. I would have loved to see her reaction when those lords were found wandering the streets with their new slaves. It was one thing that Tia and I never had trouble agreeing on. That slavery was not tolerated in Equestria.”
"That was actually something that always surprised me," Pulmonus said. "Creatures enslaving their own kind. I understand taking other species, but-"
"Humans did that, still a thing in some parts of the world. Some people also get away with it by using legal jargon to say that the slaves aren't technically slaves," Cimmerian added. "Of course for us it's only other humans because that's the only thing that can be a slave. You really can't enslave a dog. By definition, only a sapient creature can be a slave."
"Sometimes pets are often treated better than slaves," Luna said. “Of course, I was also surprised sometimes by the loyalty some slaves would have to their owners, and sometimes even a freed slave would remain near the owner, as they knew nothing else. They were...lost for lack of a better word. They were uncertain what to do with themselves."
The group fell into silence, save the occasional identification of possible problems in the stallion’s head. Looking over to the alicorn possessing a drone, the stallion idly noted she had several crystals around her, and was apparently on her third recording crystal.
"Is there just that much or-"
"Oh, no. Not really, I mean there's a lot compared to a healthy pony-mind, but sometimes the issues are so close to each other I can't really record them on the same crystal so I need to use another."
"There's also the possibility of the issues we're finding being the difference between humans and ponies," Pulmonus added. "For now we're not checking for that, we're just listing as many issues as we can find to review later."
"I am truly sorry, Theodore," Luna sighed. "If not for my madness and the Nightmare-"
"We'd all be worse off," Pulmonus cut her off. "While it left him with damage, it also saved most of us from a worse fate."
Pulling away, Pulmonus ended her scanning and motioned for Luna to do the same.
"I believe that's good for now. We still need to find an expert who could walk us through any repairs, but I believe two hours of scanning is plenty. Why don't you go find your queen and find out what she's up to before she brings the town down around her ears?"
The alicorn stallion nodded, standing and stretching after so long on his belly. With a quick flap of his wings he was off of the examination table and out the door, leaving Luna, Pulmonus and Twilight alone.
"I must find Tia. She has been short lately and likely has not slept well either. Enjoy your day."
Twilight blinked, looking up from her crystals and realizing that the only other creature in the room was Pulmonus. she chuckled nervously, seeing the queen's predatory grin.
"I think I need to check on.. um...stove..."
"No, no I don't think so dear. I know about your love of learning, and I've always wanted to teach a pony a few things...."
The drone-rider's ears perked even as she eyed the door. Learning new things was something she always looked forward to, but with a millennia old queen offering the information...
Pulmonus didn't give her much time to think about it, approaching the drone and circling her appraisingly. The queen began poking and prodding, mentally comparing the drone against the mare's previous form.
"I think you could do better. Yes, I meant you could do better. You learn fast, youngling. It is your best attribute."
"You could do anything with this form. That is something I do not think you have quite realized yet. The changeling form is much more malleable than a pony body. That is not to say flesh shaping is impossible for ponies, but with so many more biological systems, it is easier for a pony to make a mistake and kill themselves. Changelings have fewer organs to worry about. Fewer ways to make a fatal mistake. Add to this the fact that true drones are living but not sapient and we have plenty to practice with and changeling queens are just better suited for this sort of thing."
"I, I mean I could but uh, aren't you worried that I'd-"
Pulmonus shook her head.
"That will be one of the things we review. While your teacher taught you many things, all of her previous apprentices were mortal. There are things an immortal must be taught, either through lecture or experience. I believe a simple example would be Luna. Things don’t work the same way for us. If we attempt to use the same coping methods they will fail.”
“Oh this shall be interesting! I have only ever taught my daughters in the past, much less a pony. So prepare yourself, hatchling. You are going to be very busy over the next few weeks. I expect you to at least keep pace with a proto queen’s learning ability.”
Uncertain of what else to do, Twilight gathered the crystals and followed the mare, a pit of uneasiness growing in her stomach.
<-(0)->
Cimmerian sighed as he followed the trail of ruffled feathers and irritable scowls that signified the passing of his wife. She wasn’t truly meaning any harm, but these weren’t his ponies. These were either refugees or soldiers. Individuals who’d had a rough time, some of whom were still looking for loved ones or hoping to get home again.
When he finally did catch up to her she was in the middle of the town, walking down the main thoroughfare openly and admiring the designs of the pony buildings.
“It doesn't quite live up to the tales of Canterlot but it is beautiful in its own way. I remember sneaking through a few towns before, but...”
Pandinus giggled as she turned to him.
“I was too concerned with other things to really look at the town. Every dark spot held pony soldiers. Every cellar was host to an enemy queen. It wasn’t like new things to a hatchling. New was dangerous, and everything about the situation was dangerous.”
“Is that why you were at Zarris?”
“Zarris was small. It was also in dangerous woods, where the residents accepted that sometimes people would disappear. At least three of those you found with me were lost in the jungles. Either I would take them, or something else would. I’d say they got off fairly easily.”
“Drained of all emotion. I guess that’s better than dead as I don’t know if a dead pony can be recovered. Depends on the local feelings on necromancy I guess.”
“Worse than on changelings, even before the Hunt,” she answered. “In fact most creatures fear them. As well they should, I suppose. I've been told many see other beings as less than useless. Others see them as walking batteries. Not an individual you want to speak with."
"I seem to recall you looking at ponies in much the same way, even if you didn't kill them," the stallion said, poking her side.
Pandinus scowled but nodded.
"I guess there are some similarities. I just happened to find a way that didn't result in-"
The queen jerked at his cough, looking at him through narrowed eyes as he looked away innocently.
"I was shown a way that didn't result in a pony being relegated to a power source. I admit, it's much nicer to have them take care of themselves even if I have to put up with the whims of such strange beings. It cuts down on the number of needed drones by quite a bit. Normally a hive needs at least a hundred drones just to care for the ponies, simple tasks like transporting them, repairing pods, filtering the pods, all the simple things that keep the ponies healthy. Without the need for them, I really don't see many good uses of true drones aside from having them follow ponies and help with menial labor. Even then though, sometimes the tasks the ponies give are too complicated."
"A drone's connection with me means I can make them perform complex tasks, not because the drones are capable of it but because I can order them through every step of the process. In truth, without such a connection and without such constant orders, even asking a drone to retrieve a single bucket of water every day may be too much. Move the bucket it's supposed to use, and it will short out instantly. They do not handle such things well."
The alicorn nodded, a little uncertain about how to react to his wife using the body of what he considered a friend. He settled for a wing over her back and pulling her into a hug for now, at least until he felt a little more...comfortable with the situation.
"You taste funny again," she laughed. "Like you are uncertain. The love is there, as it usually it, but there is also confusion. The disconnect of changelings, as we discussed?"
"It's odd, yea. I know it's you, but every time I look at you I see Zelus. The fact you changed your voice is nice, but it's still odd."
"I suppose that means mating is out right now?" the mare asked with a fanged grin.
Cimmerian looked to her with a playful smile.
"I dunno, actually. Maybe if I can get Zelus to stop pushing this kind of oddness on me, I'll start hanging out with her more."
The mare, to his surprise, smiled at that.
"Excellent."
He stared at her in confusion before sighing.
"Of course that wouldn't bother you"
"What? Oh, I mean, uh, oh no, whatever shall I do and uh, what a world?"
Pandinus ended her false lamentations with a laugh, pulling the stallion into a hug.
"Oh no, he's seen through my plan. Whatever shall I do? I mean, it's not like he's become comfortable around her or anything silly like that."
"You girls are horrible, you know that?"
"And you're being silly. I won't press you while I'm exchanged with Zelus but it would still be nice. Perhaps as a celebratory thing?"
Cimmerian didn't answer, just staring over the buildings around him. It...didn't bother him as much at this point, oddly enough. Zelus was no longer this random female that was intruding in his family. She was someone he trusted, someone who had not only stood with him but literally carried him when he'd been incapacitated. Sure he still felt she was strange but when everything around you was strange, you began to take comfort in what was most familiar. In this case...
"Let's finish this Nightmare business first. Then we'll discuss family connections.
He steadfastly ignored the large smile that played over the queen's face at his words, realizing why she was excited a moment later.
He hadn't said no.
'These queens are going to be the death of me.'
<-(0)->
Rolling out of bed, or at least trying to, Zelus giggled as her different body shape caused her to roll back to her side. It would likely be frustrating after a while but for now it was new enough to be silly, something she didn’t often deal with. A novelty. Her nymphs were still following her everywhere and she adored the closeness, though the lack of her hive sister trying to communicate with her over the dream-hive with her mate’s aid was irritating. She’d been looking forward to telling them about the quiet whispers from the unborn foals and the reactions between their clutches.
Stretching languidly and moving to the dining hall, a motion she’d learned long before her body screamed for actual food, she absentmindedly began sorting duties among the connected changelings as queen’s normally did. She also mentally reviewed their reports and even assigned two changelings to put the reports to paper for the ponies, as her sister had instructed. It wasn’t like Gleam was a part of the hive after all. The queen couldn’t just dump the information into the mare’s mind.
‘Even if I could they don’t work that way. Sapphire had quite a few issues with any information transfers and her mind was constantly tripping over them.’
As her plate was set before her, Zelus belatedly noticed that she’d used a still-sleeping Trixie to gather her meal. It wasn’t even as if the mare had been the closest drone, she was just...the first one Zelus thought of. Sapphire was hers.
A cup of coffee was soon retrieved with the aid of another drone, prepared to the patchwork pony’s memories of the last cup she’d enjoyed with a small helping of honey to help wake her up. Zelus waved the cup under Sapphire’s nose, gently rousing her favorite pony/drone from their slumber.
“...you used me again...” Trixie muttered, grabbing the coffee with her hooves and taking a sip.
“Mmm, at least you thought of me this time. Honestly though, the other side of the world and you still cause Trixie problems. What am I to do with you, Zelus?”
The queen giggled at the disrespectful comment, pulling the blue unicorn against her side. It was funny, listening to the always-sharp comments or Sapphire’s constant needling. It was what made this one different.
“And you’re still calling me that. Some of the drones try calling me that as well. Will I ever get you to acknowledge my real name?”
“Probably not,” Zelus chuckled.
The mare sighed as Zelus chose to pick her up, smothering the chitin-plated mare both physically and through the link. Her irritation was all for show, both of them knew it. After so long trapped in her own mind, her Sapphire loved the attention. And no amount of whining or lying would hide it from a queen.
‘You’re a pain in Trixie’s flank.’
‘And you’re my Sapphire. A drone I found by accident that I grew to like. One who loves this kind of attention, even if you say otherwise. Or did you think I couldn’t tell?’
Zelus began eating while holding her drone, the nymphs helping her in the affectionate smothering of her captive. And while the pony in the queen’s forelegs continued to grumble, her mind was turning fuzzy as she relaxed.
“Just...don’t forget me.”
‘I’ll never leave you alone, Sapphire. You are mine now, until such a time comes that we see fit to part ways. But I don’t see that happening for a long, long time.’
Zelus smirked, shifting a few bits of the hive-connection in the mare and allowing her more access to the hive in general, a higher form of connection as well. One that her true drones and even most sired drones would recognize as a leading role. The queen couldn't change the type of connection as that was based on the array, but she could give her favorite a few perks.
‘And speaking of perks, I think a little cleaning would do us both good.’
Finishing her breakfast, Zelus dropped the still-dozing pony on her back and made her way to the deeper parts of the hive. I wash, polish, and a soak were just what she needed.
Trixie mumbled to herself the queen carried her along on Pandinus' back. Unlike before there wasn’t pain as her body was forced to do things it wasn’t made for, though. It was being pampered, surprisingly, the queen not using the unicorn to pamper herself but calling other drones to pamper the both of them. There was the faint sensation of a bath, with warm water being used. There was the comforting tug of a brush running over her fur. Then there was this odd sensation, an overwhelming sense of warmth flooding her body and setting her normally cool plates alight.
She opened her eyes and found herself now resting on her queen’s barrel as they soaked in a small pool of love. She allowed herself to relax in the mind-numbing warmth, feeling all her worries melt as her mind could only comprehend love.