//------------------------------// // Pieces // Story: Babel // by BaeroRemedy //------------------------------// Princess Luna was ecstatic to be back on her train. It was far more comfortable than anything the Changelings had provided and had the added benefit that she didn’t need to worry about the walls listening in on her. The royal carriage had a charm on it to prevent shapeshifting spells, so she could be sure of that fact. Though it did not prevent Changelings from entering, as proven by King Thorax sitting across from her. “Really, thank you for letting me come along.” The monarch of the Changelings said with a nervous smile. “I haven’t been to Equestria in so long and it’ll be good to finally meet Princess Celestia, and to see Twilight again.” His eagerness was endearing, but at the same time very disheartening. Nopony should be excited to be around the alicorns, least of all an empath. “Our sister does not really accept visitors.” Luna figured now was the time to put those cards on the table. Honesty would be the best policy with her future…’spouse’. “She has experienced a deep sadness unlike no other. Her heart is as broken as the country and she is just as lost. Perhaps you can see her, but she will not be the Celestia you are expecting.” “I’m sorry to hear that.” Thorax offered in a soft voice. “I’ll do all I can to help, or as much as I’m allowed to help.” He reached out and gently touched her hoof with his own for a brief moment before pulling it back. “Of course, my first worry will be getting all of my subjects settled in Equestria.” “Of course.” Luna tried to return his smile, but they both knew it was a facade. “Just so we’re both on the same page-” Thorax leaned across the little table that separated them and lowered his voice to a whisper. “-I’m not expecting anything…you know, physical out of this. So if you have a…a consort or something like that, it’s fine.” “What?” Luna snorted and struggled to hold back a laugh. “Oh, We apologize.” She turned her head for a moment so she could compose herself. When she turned back to face the Changeling king, she found a smile plastered across her face that she could not shake. “That is not something you have to worry about, dear Thorax. Those…carnal desires have never bothered Us.” “What? Really?” Thorax cocked his head to the side and his eyes went a little wide. When Luna nodded in affirmation he scoffed. “But you’re the Princess of the Night.” “And…?” “Night is when ponies…you know…” Thorax’s green shell began to turn red with a furious blush. He cleared his throat and motioned generally with his hoof. “It is when they dream.” Luna deadpanned. “If We were susceptible to such a common vice as lust, it would make Our job of patrolling the dream realm much more of a hassle.” Luna dismissed the thought with a wave of her hoof. “We may be occasionally disgusted by a perverse dream, but We have never indulged in things of that nature when awake or while asleep. So it is not something you need to concern yourself with.” “Well alright…” Thorax half muttered and half sighed. “That makes things a little easier, I suppose.” “What do you mean by that?” Luna raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Were you worried about an attraction developing?” There was a little dollop of frustration bubbling in her stomach that was threatening to develop into something a lot more volatile if he did not answer her correctly. “We know Our appearance has changed, but We have been told that We still retain our striking beauty.” Just because she wasn’t for the more physical parts of love and adoration didn’t mean she liked being thought of as ugly or unattractive. To insinuate she was such a thing, even though she now represented a bat pony more than a traditional one, hurt. “Y-yes, of course you’re beautiful!” Thorax stammered and his wings buzzed beneath his shell. “Especially now with the fangs and the…you remind me of my mother a bit.” Luna could only glare at him. “Not in a weird way!” Luna had to wonder if there was any way for that not to be weird. Thorax took a deep breath, closed his eyes and waited for a moment before he spoke again. “You’re an attractive pony, Luna. You’re just not…my type.” “Hmm.” There was a silent standoff between the two rulers for a few moments as Luna digested that. She had a feeling about what he meant by that, but she also didn’t want to pry. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, does it. This will be a professional relationship, after all.” “Yes, of course.” Thorax said with a relieved sigh. Luna leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. Exhaustion was going to claim her and send her to sleep if she sat there and talked idly any longer. Since they were now on her train, that made her the hostess and it would be rude to fall asleep on her guest. She needed something else to occupy her mind. “Do you play chess, Thorax?” She asked with her eyes still closed. “Um, no. Should I?” The sound of his hooves tapping against the table nervously. “Is it something Equestrian royalty does a lot? I can learn it if I need to.” His voice was jumpy and she could hear a nervous chuckle percolate in his throat “Not anymore.” Luna grumbled as she opened her eyes and righted herself. “Celestia was never a fan of it, so it does not have the place of honor it should.” Luna felt teeth begin to grind against one another and she had to make a concerted effort to stop it. “I am afraid that long term planning and strategic thinking are not popular anymore. Too many prefer the thrill of instant pleasures and easy fixes.” Luna was well aware she sounded like an old mare, and she had earned the right to act like one. “Not even the nobility play it anymore and it is hardly a game played in schools either!” “So you like games?” “We like certain games.” Luna said with a frustrated sigh. “Not card games and not games of chance. There needs to be skill and thought. It needs to be something that can be pondered and studied. Like chess, or perhaps that wargame Twilight Sparkle got Us into when We first came back…” The name escaped her at the moment, but it was one that offended her. It was a fictional scenario involving an Equestrian civil war and the gameboard was an enlarged map of the country. Nightmare Moon was one of the leaders, of course. “...We always won that game so she stopped playing with Us.” “Well I’d love to learn one of them so I can play with you.” Thorax smiled and looked around the train car. “You’ll have to teach me.” “Oh trust me, you don’t want to play against Auntie Luna.” Cadenza walked through the door that was just behind Luna and patted her adopted aunt on the shoulder. “She won’t go easy on you at all. I’ve had my flank handed to me numerous times.” It was all taken in stride and the younger alicorn giggled as she joined the two rulers. “Cadenza, We were not expecting you.” Luna got up from her chair and Thorax followed her lead. “Have you forgotten something? Or is this just a last minute goodbye?” From the view outside of the window, they were still stationary and were not underway quite yet. The guards were no doubt still loading the bodies of unicorns that had wandered too close to the hive and getting Thorax’s retinue situated in a car. “No no, nothing so informal.” Cadenza’s eyes smiled behind her mask. “I was thinking I would accompany you both back to Manehattan to catch up with everypony.” Luna couldn’t help but smile. That would brighten the days of everypony in the royal suites. “Yes, of course. We would be delighted for you to join us.” Luna offered Cadenza her seat and the pink pony graciously accepted it. “We are certain that Shining Armor will be ecstatic to see you again. Celestia will also appreciate your company, no doubt.” “I’m going to go and make sure that everything is getting situated correctly.” Thorax excused himself and exited the cabin through the opposite door. That left the two alicorns alone once more. Luna took up residence in Thorax’s old spot. “I’ve been thinking about Elytra.” Cadenza said once she was sure that they were fully alone. “I’m pretty sure she was lying about a few things.” “We are quite sure of it.” Luna concurred. “For a Changeling, she is a very poor liar.” There was very little doubt in Luna’s mind that it had been Cadenza who had helped put Elytra off balance. Elytra knew what caused The Event and Luna was confident she had told Pharynx. That was one theory, the other being that Pharynx did have spies in The Royale Hotel. In either case, Luna could now see all of the pieces on the board. “It is the only reason that We have agreed to assist her in her quest to reunite with Cheerilee.” “Hmm?” Cadenza tilted her head to the side. “We have a trusted associate keeping an eye on Cheerilee.” Luna chewed on her lip briefly as she thought of the possible reports that might be piling up on her desk back at The Royale. “Seeing as she was the only surviving adult from Ponyville besides Twilight Sparkle, We thought it prudent. She gave Us her word that she would tell nopony of what happened there, but the added security helps Us sleep. Now that We know that Elytra has most likely told someone already, it will be easier to just keep her under surveillance along with Cheerilee. Two birds, one stone as the saying goes.” “I think you’re a little paranoid, Auntie Luna.” The slight smirk was audible in Cadenza’s voice as she spoke. “She was in a coma for six months and she was back home. You shouldn’t be surprised she told her King. I’m sure there was no malice behind it.” “Malicious or not-” Luna said with a frown. “-I would rather make sure she does not slip up again.” There was one more idea she had, but it would be much more difficult to pull off. “Then there is Pharynx. We will need to do something about him…We would prefer to keep him as far away from the levers of power as possible.” She needed to take the King Thorax’s brother and remove him entirely from the equation. If possible she wanted to stick him somewhere very far away, like putting him in charge of watching over the doors to Tartarus. An old reliable backwater where troublemakers went to die of boredom. “His brother?” Cadenza asked. “Auntie Luna, I don’t think he’ll appreciate that. After all, he’ll need all the help he can get keeping track of his changelings and making sure they’re settled down and safe in Equestria.” “It will be handled.” Luna responded firmly, making sure to offer no room for argument. “You must understand that We have seen Pharynx’s type before. Numerous times. He is a snake: keen to lurk in the grass thinking nopony can see him and waiting to strike when it is most opportune. We will not allow him residence in the same place as Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. Not now, and possibly not ever.” Luna also knew the value of separating a King from his more powerful pieces. She would rather keep Thorax within striking distance of checkmate whenever possible rather than allow any stray rooks to stand in her way. “You’ll have to trust him eventually, Auntie.” Cadenza chided with a few ‘tsk tsk’ sounds added on. “After all, you’ll have to spend a lot of time with him. He will be your hus-” “-We know.” Luna hissed. “If he is worthy of Our trust, then he will earn it. Until that time comes, he will be treated with suspicion.” “I don’t think that’s a healthy way to live, Auntie Luna.” Cadenza leaned back in her chair and stifled a yawn. “You have to give trust to get it back. I’m sure he already trusts you.” “It is a way to live that has worked for Us.” “Has it?” “If you’ll excuse Us-” Luna stood from her chair and sneered at Cadenza. The jab at her past transgressions were not welcome and did nothing to improve her mood, nor did it dissuade her from her current course of action. “-the bed is calling Our name. Wake Us if needed.” —- Cheerilee poked her head out into the hallway. Scootaloo was not home, or at least she didn’t hear her anywhere inside and she knew that Rock and Roll were outside in their little clubhouse. These were both good things because she desperately needed a shower and she didn’t need the little ponies to see her in her current state. While being a teacher had more than prepared her for very awkward talks with little ponies, she wasn’t keen on having that conversation in a very disheveled state while she smelled of sex. The mare scuttled across the hallway to the bathroom and cursed the fact there wasn’t one attached to her room. Once she was safely inside, she locked the door and let out a sigh of relief. She had to admit, it was nice to be physically intimate with another pony again. Muddy was gentle and loving and very understanding and she truly could not ask for a better pony to experience it with again. For a traveling stud such as himself it seemed like common sense that he would fall into a routine or become a little bored with it, but he showed nothing but enthusiasm. Thank goodness. The only thing worse than a long dry spell was ending it with a very boring partner. Cheerilee got onto her rear hooves and stretched as much as she could until her front hooves could reach the top of the bathroom mirror. Her hooves touched a key hidden up there and she knocked it down onto the sink, then used it to unlock one of the drawers beneath the sink. Inside was a little box with big block letters that read “EBR”. Inside of that little box were various potions sent by the Equestrian Bureau of Repopulation to aid them in their endeavor. It had gotten in just the other day after she and Muddy had gotten physical for the first time. The little piece of paper inside of the box instructed the prospective parent to drink one of the pink potions in a tube after the deed had been done. She had already taken one of the purple potions before they had done anything just as instructed. So Cheerilee pried the cork out of one of the little tubes and downed the concoction in a single go. Like most potions, it tasted rancid. This one was as if someone had seasoned soap with a dash of cumin. After fighting off the urge to gag, Cheerilee put the box back in the drawer and locked it. The key was returned to its hiding place and the entire process was completed. Now all she needed to do was take a shower. As Cheerilee got the shower ready, she mused on the situation. It was a little risky to do it in the middle of the day when all of the foals were home and could come in at any time, but it was necessary. She was actually off for the day and she had been certain all of the foals were out of the house. It was either do it then or wait until the night, but her bed had a loose headboard and she didn’t want to traumatize anypony. Now all she had to do was keep at this, at least once a day for the next week or so, and then use the pregnancy detection spell in a few weeks after that. According to the little slip of paper in the box, this regiment had a success rate of about ninety-five percent. So the odds were definitely in her favor. “What if you’re too old?” That annoying and damning question rang through her head. It had been a constant companion ever since she first signed up for the program. Even the pony at the local office had asked her that same question. “I’m thirty-five.” Cheerilee grumbled to herself. “I’m not some old maid. I still have some time left to have a foal.” Now it wasn’t a lot of time, even she would admit that. It’s why she was doing this, sleeping with somepony she barely knew, because she desperately wanted a family she could call her own. Also for the good of Equestria, of course. The shower was quick. She didn’t shampoo her entire body, just the parts that had been marred with stray bodily fluids. Drying everything off to make it look like she didn’t take a shower was the usual hassle but it was done in a reasonable time. The brush was taken to her mane to tame it and forge it into the usual curls. Something caught her eye in the mirror. Something that Cheerilee had not noticed until right that moment. It was her mane. It had not been cut since before The Event and now those pink curls reached down to her shoulders. Normally they would be ‘high and tight’ as her mother called it. Now it was all very loose and flowing. She had to admit, it wasn’t a bad look. “Could use a trim, though…” Cheerilee put down the brush and left the bathroom, only for her face to hit Muddy right in the chest. She gave a squeak of surprise and rubbed her now sore nose as she looked up at the stallion. Here he was standing in the middle of the hall, looking like he had just finished plowing a field and smelling like a brothel. “Did you take your potion?” He asked in that gentle but concerned tone he often adopted around her. “Yes, Muddy.” She said with a smile before she gave his chest a pat. “Now get in there before somepony sees you just standing here like that.” “What? Worried that the colts will see?” He chuckled and looked down the hall. “They know what I do, Cheerilee. They know all about the birds and the bees, don’t worry about them.” That was a little surprising but it was something they could interrogate at a later time. “Does Scootaloo know why I’m here?” “...no.” Cheerilee heard a frustrated sigh leave Muddy’s lips and he shook his head. “I just…I don’t know how she would take it and…” And she wasn’t sure if she could have ‘the talk’ with Scootaloo. Obviously, if this worked she would need to at some point. Cheerilee being visibly pregnant was a long way off though. For now she could assume Scootaloo was ignorant of the realities of reproduction and not worry about being proven right or wrong. It was better that way. Cheerilee was more than a little worried about Scootaloo’s development. The Event had been horrible and traumatic for the adults. There was no telling how it would affect the foals that had survived. Cheerilee supposed that Scootaloo was lucky in that she had only seen true gore on their way from the shelter to the castle and then back again and had never seen anypony die in front of her. She was not like Rock and Roll, who had seen some horrific things. All Cheerilee had to do was keep a close eye on Scootaloo and make sure she didn’t act out. It would be imperative to keep her responsible and active while keeping the lessons of harmony and friendship that had been instilled in the filly intact. It was a tall order, but that’s what being a parent was about. “Well, I’ll leave that to you.” Muddy said with a wry grin. “Talking to little fillies about their first cycle sounds like the least fun thing in the world. “ Oh sweet Celestia, that was right. Scootaloo would be coming up on that in a year or so. “Oh you hadn’t thought about that. Well good luck with that.” Muddy chuckled and pushed right by her into the bathroom. Cheerilee’s hooves carried her into the front room, where she rested on the couch and thought more about her former student/current adopted foal. At the end of the day, Cheerilee just hoped that she was enough. She was a lone mare who had no experience in raising foals, only in teaching them. A mother and a teacher shared many of the same qualities, but there was a chasm between the two roles. Cheerilee could only hope that she could make the leap.