//------------------------------//
// A Daughter's Fear 
// Story: The Substitute Demon 
// by Reykan 
//------------------------------//

	At the speed Ted tore through the jungle, some may have said he was flying. He'd barely struck the ground when the shadows around the temple enveloped him, silencing his passage and obscuring him to even the most alert watchers. But flying was not how he traveled. He didn't have the time for trial and error now. He would make the journey the fastest way possible at the moment. A full gallop through the jungle. He didn't see it, but the vines and vegetation could not find purchase on his form, seeming to slide off of it, or in some cases through it. He was on a mission, and nothing would stop him from accomplishing it.

Soon he heard the sounds of combat, though it seemed to be winding down. Since he wasn't even feeling winded, he kept moving, tearing into the clearing like a whirlwind of shadows. The last remaining attacker came into sight, a creature that appeared to be a giant flying cockroach with split mandibles gaping widely as it dove at its target. Two remained standing, the corpses of several of the beetles littering the area. As it flew at its target, Ted caught it with his magic, slamming the monster into a nearby tree with a wet crunch. Knowing that beetles tend to be resilient, he launched two shadow blades at the insect as well. The blades detonated against the tree trunk he'd pinned the bug to, showering the tree and the area around it with bug guts. Turning to the dreamers, he let the shadows fade from his form.

One was a griffon, wearing what looked like leather armor and bearing several blades, though it was currently using its claws to fight. The second one that was still up looked similar to a pegasus, but the wings and eyes were different. Bat wings adorned the creature's back, and its pupils were slitted like his own. A thestral. Luna's memories had references to them, and said that they were extremely loyal to her, but after her fall, there was no mention of them. It left a strange sensation in his heart, like finding a child you'd thought lost forever. At Ted's appearance the griffon drew a blade, but the bat-pony dropped into a bow.
Ted walked up to the thestral, a male as far as he could tell, and spoke. "No time for that, little one. Where are the other two?" Immediately, the two smaller creatures attention was directed to a second injured thestral, attempting to bandage the wounds of a younger third thestral. Ted breathed a sigh of relief, before focusing on the first two. "There was to be a fifth among you, wasn't there?"

"What do you want, alicorn?" The griffon spat the word as an insult.

"Amald! Stop it, don't you see his eyes? There was only one alicorn that ever bore such eyes in the ancient legends." The stallion said with zeal. Turning to Ted his gaze became less certain. "Though the Nightmare was a creature of anger and hate. How are you so calm?"

Ted stared at the thestral for a moment, a smile forming on his muzzle. There really was no backstory on the Nightmare, just legends of fear and eternal night. Even the memories he shared with Luna had her avoiding ponies as Nightmare Moon. The thing that was never brought up was why. What would drive the lunar princess to such madness, such horrific action as trying to end the world?  A backstory was something Ted had gotten very good at creating. "A brain, even an alicorn's is not made for holding two minds. When I found myself trapped with Luna, her anger and grief nearly crushed me. Unlike her, I was a creature of action. I lashed out at the apparent cause of my pain, and sought safety in what I knew. The night was my home, and I sought to be safe." Ted explained. "The elements separated us, but my body had long since succumbed to death. Thus I was left in her armor for decades. Ponies seeking my aid revived me in this form. Even now I'm affected by Luna's touch." he said. "Yes I was the one who lashed out in our madness, but I can now think my own thoughts. Once again I am able to offer protection to those who seek the shadows. Now I ask again, were you expecting a fifth."

The griffon and the first thestral glanced at each other uneasily, before both turned back to him and nodded. "Your friend did not make it. I am sorry, but I found a note referencing this location in the gullet of a large snake. The note was fairly damaged, but considering the condition of everything else, it's a surprise it was legible at all."

The griffon's face hardened before it spoke in a strong, masculine voice. "I assume you killed the creature, then? Did you keep anything from it? A fang or scale, maybe even the skull?" Ted nodded in response, and the griffon's expression softened slightly. "Would you mind if I had a piece of the creature? There is a rite to preform for this sort of death. I don't know who you are, but... it would mean a lot to me if I could be certain that Truda's rest is peaceful."

"I gathered several items from the creature after I managed to kill it, including a nice chunk of meat. It was delicious, actually, and deliciously ironic, considering it tried to eat me." Ted answered, smiling at the griffon. "My ponies call me Nightmare, though my own name has been lost to me, and I currently preside over this area. I'm afraid I don't have proper staffing to keep the area patrolled, however." He said.

"Amald is my name." The griffon said, before gesturing to his companions. "The stallion here is Swift Screen. The mare is Whisper, and the colt is Dart."

Ted looked at the two injured ponies for a moment, before turning back to the griffon "The colt was on watch?"

"I take the blame for that one. I assumed he would be stronger than he was, and able to fight off sleep. I was wrong." Amald said, sparing a glance at the injured colt. 

Ted nodded. "There is a healing spring nearby, it should mend any injuries you received during your battle. But first I must ask you, what do you hope to accomplish here? Why did you come to this land?"

Swift answered first. "The Queen is mad. She said we were tainted by Luna during her madness, and set about purifying thestrals, at least that's what she called it. Some of our elders attempted to explain to her that our race predates the princess' fall, but she would hear not a word of it. Said we were confused, and she would help us, and make us better. That there were only three pony races, and that any others were mutations. She went on to purify the elders right in the throne room. From what I heard, the process is excruciating, and some end up broken because of it. I won't let her do that to my family."

"High-Talon isn't what it used to be" Amald said when his friend had finished. "I left when the Griffon Queen gave in to the Mad Queen's demands for demilitarization. This included the destruction of most weapons, even heirlooms. The pony queen has become so powerful that any kingdom near her country's borders has no choice but to give in to her demands. Those who don't? Well, it was only temporary, but the entire city of Boga was trapped in stone for two months as an example to the rest of the world. And no one has heard from the Crystal Kingdom in years."

Ted nodded. "The temples doors will be open to you, if you wish. Now, would you like to head to the spring now, or take your things with you and find a new camp later. I'm not certain this is a good place to stay anymore, as I'm sure the reavers will start to stink soon. That will be both unpleasant, and draw scavengers we do not wish to deal with."

The group agreed upon packing up the camp, and followed the alicorn to the healing spring, where they allowed the waters to mend their wounds. Swift pulled out a bottle to take save some for later, but was quickly admonished by Nightmare, who told the stallion what had happened when he had tried to take some of the water. Waiting for the group to finish their inventory check, the dark alicorn decided to explore the glade a bit. The aura around the area would assure the safety of the dreamers, and he was feeling a pull. A need, like something was calling to him. Someone needed him.
The group paused in their discussion, looking at the alicorn. The emblem on his flank was giving off a faint light, and Whisper only barely noticed the colt starting to follow the glow like a moth to a flame in time to catch him.

Walking down by an obscured creek, he heard whispered mutterings, he could practically feel the panic in the air. Parting a final set of reeds, he came across a pair of changelings, though one seemed to only be a baby. The other was frantic, eyes darting around the clearing it stood in, muttering about a need to keep moving. Approaching the pair, he readied his magic to grab the young shape-shifter, if it tried to run. A likely course considering its fragile mental state.

Deciding to forgo the diplomatic route and risk losing the lost child, he seized the panicked changling in his aura, and turned it to him. It immediately began thrashing and yelling, before throwing the young nymph away, which he barely managed to catch. This left both young changelings in a panic, the younger now crying from the rough handling. He heard the others enter the clearing, and turned upon hearing a blade being drawn. "Put it away, Amald. They're children." 

"They're parasites." The griffon countered.

"They are sapient beings like you and I. Keep your xenophobia to yourself." The alicorn reprimanded. "Besides, they are my prisoners. If you do anything to harm them, I will consider it an attack against myself." Returning his view to the changelings he stepped forward, pulling the younger one close first, before lying down on the ground and pulling it under his wing. Focusing emotions seemed to work on Mirage, so he repeated the process on both changelings. The nymph settled down shortly afterwards, sleepy after eating a full meal of concern and care. The older of the two had finally stopped thrashing, and was now just staring at him with wide eyes.

"A last meal? I heard they let prisoners have it ,but Tick said ponies don't give last requests to changelings. What do you want? I don't know anything about the hive! I didn't even want her! I couldn't stop it, I didn't want the Link! Tell me how to turn it off and I will!" The young shape shifter ranted.

The Link must have been what Mirage mentioned. Ted remembered that she had said that changelings were found whenever the connection was made. Did that mean that this changeling was being tracked? A quick glance at the magic in the area showed that something was trying to lock onto the foals, but was having difficulty doing so. Cocking his head to the side, he pulled the other closer, before covering them in the nearby shadows. Immediately the spell lost any hold over the changelings, and releasing them did not bring it back. It seemed that the only reason it was able to keep a lock on them in the jungle was due to its pre-existing connection to the tracking spells targets. Looking back at the children, the older had passed out once under his wing, adrenaline no longer keeping since the tracking spell was no longer bearing down on its mind. He lifted them up, and set them on his back. It seemed to be getting common for him to do this, but despite the connotations of allowing himself to be ridden like the animals from his home, he couldn't find issue with it. His older sister had carried him, as had his parents. It was not someone riding a beast in this situation. It was a caretaker providing the support their charge needed. 

"If you are ready, I'm heading back to the temple. I would rather see these nymphs to safety before too long."

Amald was looking uneasy at the idea of sharing residence with the changelings, though the thestrals seemed surprisingly calm. "Sir, the tales told of changelings waylaying ponies and leaving them emotionless husks, were they wrong?" Swift asked.

"I have only met one other so far and she has done nothing to earn my ire. In fact, she helped one of my ponies who were injured, though the damage was well beyond her ability to help." He stated. "Even if we discover them to be dangerous at a later time, I will find a way to help them. I feel no drain when I feed them."

The dreamers were silent for the rest of the trip, baring hushed whispers behind Ted's back. It didn't concern him though. He'd left in a hurry, and had to get back before the ponies did anything stupid in his absence. Considering their track record, he didn't have long before he would need to intervene.



<-(0)-> 



The cultists were relieved to see him walking up to the temple, almost as relieved as Ted felt to find the temple still standing in one piece. The ponies he led looked shocked by the strange creatures following him, and most looked a little put out when they saw the changelings nestled in his wings. Why was the Nightmare gathering more of the bugs?

'I want to start my own ant farm.' Ted chuckled to himself. 'In all seriousness if they live underground then they must be diggers, and that is something were going to need.' Looking back at the sleeping nymphs, he corrected himself 'Well, we'll need it in the future, at least. No need to rush their childhoods.'

"I want these four given refuge for the day, they may decide to stay or leave once they are rested. In the mean time, send a breakfast to my room, as well as Mirage. I wish to discuss something with her."

On his way to his chambers, Ted noticed a pony slinking by, desperately trying to avoid his gaze. A foolish thing to do, considering he could see just as well in the darkness. Closer inspection revealed why the pony was trying to avoid the alicorn.

"Oh, good morning Shadow Weaver! I trust you slept well?" Ted asked, his face beaming and his voice entirely too jovial.

Weaver cringed from his presence, trying to will himself into a wall. When the alicorn decided to await a response, and his attempts to squeeze through the walls were met with failure, the unicorn merely dropped into a grovel. "Forgive me, master! I spoke in confusion and wayward ideals! Have mercy on your humble servant!"

"Do not make this mistake again, Weaver." Ted said, finally continuing past the shivering unicorn. Walking into his room, the dark alicorn stripped himself of his armor once again, using his magic to remove most of the grime that covered his hooves and used a small towel to clean up his two sleeping guests. He then hopped onto his bed, catching up on his interrupted sleep while keeping the nymphs close by. Until he found a place for them, he'd need to keep them under watch. Before too long, his rest was interrupted by a light knocking on the door.

"It's open, enter." the alicorn called. The door slowly opened to reveal the face of Mirage poking into the room. Her body looked better than the night before, if only just. Already the holes were not as gaping as before, though some he could still put his own hoof through without touching chitin. "Just the pony I wanted to see. I have a question for you, several actually. Do you know anything about caring for foals and nymphs?" 

"Y-yes sir, I.. I was a Nurse-mother before the hive fell. I helped care for the younger changelings." Mirage said, walking into the room. Ted closed the door behind her, and lifted a wing, revealing the nymphs to the older changeling.

"Excellent, then you can help us take care of these young ones." He said.

The shape shifters reaction was almost immediate, though not what he'd expected. As she registered what the two dark forms under his wing were, the changeling screamed, pinning herself against the far wall. "No, NO! By the First-Mother, keep them away from me! I don't want to feel it happen again!"