//------------------------------//
// Goals 
// Story: The Substitute Demon 
// by Reykan 
//------------------------------//

	Ted wasn't paying attention to either of the two females. It was safer this way. No letting them get a rise out of him, no allowing them to see a prod getting a reaction out of the alicorn-returned-human, and definitely no paying attention now that the two were strangely quiet.

Wait, that last one was a bad thing.

Finally tearing his gaze from the sunset, he found himself face to face with Luna once more, the alicorn once more at her reduced stature.

"Ci-Ted? I would like to request a chance to speak with my sister. I know you can reach her, and being able to speak with her after the Nightmare's visit would likely help her stay strong. I now have an escape, something to do to pass the time, but my sister is not so lucky."

"She doesn't know how to dream walk?"

Luna shook her head sadly "I've attempted to teach her a few times in the past, but she always broke the dreams she stepped into, attempting to use more force than is necessary. It is the personality trait that always prevented her from doing so. She has become much more subtle with her words over the centuries, but her magic style is the same as it always has been."

Ted took a moment to let the idea sink in. He had nothing against the princess, in fact she'd helped line up the lunar alicorn as a mentor of sorts for him. So he kind of owed the solar princess.

"Sure, I'll do it. It doesn't take me long to find someone when I know who I'm looking for. I could probably find your sister's student if I looked. Find out one way or another if I'm right."

Luna shook her head. "Please do not risk it at the moment. If you can find a way to release my sister and I, then I wouldn't mind helping you stop the Mad Queen, but until then, you give us a connection to the outside world. You are in a way our window to the rest of Equis."

"Fine, I'll get it set up. Will she even be asleep?"

"Yes, the interrogations we are put through are quite long and exhausting. I personally have been asleep physically for two days. Seeing as my sister was personally involved with Twilight, it is probably worse for her. Please hurry, I can't stand the thought of her being alone for too long."





Pandinus watched in confusion as Safe/Warm/Food faded from the dream, off to visit what she assumed was the Princess of the Sun. The princess took a few breaths before focusing intently on the queen, causing Din to take a few cautious steps back.

Luna grinned wickedly at the changeling, the miniature alicorn practically prowling up to her. "My sister's dream will be available shortly. I would give him five, ten minutes at most before she is receptive to us. That means you and I have ten minutes just to ourselves."

The queen was on the verge of panic. Ten minutes alone with an alicorn who dream walked on a regular basis? There wouldn't be anything left of her, in fact she'd probably be in a worse condition than when she'd first attacked Ted! She had to-

Suddenly the princess lunged at her, earning a strangled yelp from the changeling. Cracking her eyes open, Pandinus spotted Luna latched onto Din's muzzle, grinning at the changeling like a psychopath.
"Tell. Us. Everything!"

Pandinus' panic slowed at the statement. "What?"

"Everything! We require vast detail! How did you meet him, how did you learn you wished to pursue him, how did he react, what actions did you take to win his affection, I must know! All of it, in excruciating detail!"

The shape shifters response was filled with such inspiration it would be repeated for centuries to come.
"What?"

Luna finally backed up a bit, her grin fading a bit. "I have nothing to ponder these days. Before I was imprisoned I guarded the dreams of the entire planet. Now there are barely a thousand dreamers in the world, not including myself. Do you have any idea how excruciatingly boring it is? The only thing I have to entertain myself with these days is meddling with the dreams of ponies, and even that can only be done during the day where I am. Otherwise I am subjected to an immortal's greatest enemy. Boredom. So speak, make words! I will know everything I can! Oh, this will be so fun!"

Queen Pandinus was lost. The alicorn was mad! "Why would I tell you such things? I'll not help you learn of him, he's mine!"

Luna merely laughed. "I have no interest in him, not in that way at least. I have been helping the young one. Teaching him of his body and our world, hoping that one day he may release my sister and I. What of you? Certainly he's done something for you recently, for you to be so possessive of him." Her smile thinned just a bit. "So what are you doing to help him?"

"I plan on allowing him to rule with me." The queen said, anger in her eyes.

"Oh, good! A demotion for helping you!" The alicorn chuckled in amusement. "He already rules his subjects, even the changelings accept him as their ruler."

"Grift answers to me!"

"Yes, one of four, though the other two are young. Tell me, what would happen if you were to leave? Would the changeling still follow you when your link was no longer protected by Cimmerian's magic? Would the changeling still follow you if you did not have access to the abundance of food Cimmerian provides for your hive?"
The alicorn circled the changeling, her smile gone. "Food. Shelter. A home. Acceptance for your race you will find with no other ruler. He has given this to you, and that is only the things I know of, what else has he done for you?"

Pandinus winced, the memory of her almost feral attack on the alicorn coming to the forefront of her mind. She could almost hear, no, she could hear her growling  as she jumped the invisible source of emotion that had entered her nest. Turning to the princess, she saw Luna gazing at a window, displaying the attack she'd been thinking of.
It was over. The alicorn would destroy her, leaving her the shuddering mess she'd been before this all began. Maybe worse.

"Ah, I see."

Pandinus opened an eye to see the alicorn still gazing at the memories, this one of her first time in the alicorns bathroom. As she was cleaned, she caught a glimpse of her self in the mirror, and Luna paused it with a touch. It was her just after her release from the cell, with barely two days of low amounts of emotion given to her, since Cimmerian was still recovering from her attack and didn't trust her. She was dirty, gaunt, her mane and tail in tatters. But worst of all was her eyes, giving off barely a spark of intelligence. She never wanted to be that hungry again.

"Fear. That's why you cling to him, isn't it?" Luna said, approaching her. "You fear what could happen if he abandoned you, fear what would happen if you didn't have his protection of the link." The alicorn began circling the changeling, the smaller creature still making her feel infinitesimally small. "You fear the possibility of returning to that state. Fear the hunger, the loss of self." Finally the alicorn finished her circle, sitting before her. 
"I've known loss myself, young one. If not for my sister, I may have been lost after my return from exile. Everything I knew was gone. The only thing that remained was my position and my sister, and my position was in a tenuous situation at best. Only by a great deal of political experience and placing her own position on the line did my sister save me from the ire of the nobles. After all, if one of the immortal rulers of the country had fallen to darkness, what is to say the other could not fall to the same fate? By having two on the throne, one does not hold too much power, and they may keep their counterpart in check. Because my sister did this for me, the moment I was strong enough I began returning to my duties. I held court, allowing the backlog of citizens requesting audience to voice their concerns. I entertained dignitaries while my sister took her first vacation in centuries. I even lectured at her school while she was busy with an emergency, so she did not feel like she had abandoned her duties, even though it was in the middle of my sleep schedule." Luna smiled sadly at the queen. "But the most important thing we did for each other was to forgive our mistakes. Not the mistakes the other made against us, but the mistakes we made against each other. That is where the fear comes from, correct? You fear that he still holds your attack against you."
Luna cocked her head quizzically. "What is your goal?" 

"My goal?" Pandinus asked. "I, I want his love. I want to know what it tastes like, what it feels like to not have to steal it. It's all so much better, so much more filling when he freely gives it to me, so what would love taste like? How much strength would it provide me and my children? Is that bad? Isn't it what ponies want when they look for a mate?"

Luna closed her eyes in thought for a moment, before smiling again. "Perhaps that is where our understanding differs. Love is your goal, and what happens when you reach that goal? You wish for more. Love should not be your goal, it should be your reward. It is what you want from your lover, in return for your care and affection. You fear him leaving you? Give him reasons not to. Advise him, offer an ear for his fears and worries." She grinned wickedly all of a sudden. "Offer him a chance to relieve stress."

"I, I have... repeatedly, actually. If not for the fact that I can taste an undercurrent of desire when I tease him, I would have thought him a colt cuddler." Pandinus said, dragging a hoof in the sand. "He actually just told me why he's been saying no before you arrived. He said he wishes to return home after all of this."

The alicorn was silent a moment, chewing this revelation. "He said that, did he?  I do not know as much about traveling worlds as my sister, she was much closer to the mage who studied such things than myself, but I will speak to him. There is an important detail he seems to be missing."

Pandinus brightened up. "He can't go back? He'll stay here?"

"Cease your celebrations, fool! Were he to witness your joy at his expense, what would he think of you?" The queen took a few steps back at the outburst. "You wish for his love? Seek to bring him happiness, not cheer when his misfortune benefits you. Truly this situation can become advantageous for you, but if you are not careful, it could ruin you just as quickly." Just then Luna's left ear perked up, and she looked off into the distance. "We must continue this another time, my sister calls me. I will visit every now and again, and we will discuss your progress. If you have questions, I will aid you." Luna pulled the changeling into a firm hug. "My sister and I can offer little but council and training in our current situation. You however are free to aid him in whichever way you find necessary. Make that your goal, ahead of merely bedding him. I am sure you will see better results. Now come, I wish to introduce my sister to you! Oh, Tia is going to love this!" The alicorn giggled, before she pulled Pandinus across the dream realm with her.



<-(0)-> 



It didn't take Ted long to find his target, and as soon as he was certain he was close, the dream started taking form. He entered even as it began to take shape, and was immediately pulled into a powerful hug.

"Thank you! Oh thank you so much, Luna sent you didn't she? Oh, I cannot believe we didn't see it before, her posture, her speech, everything about her was wrong. I Just, I don't..." The rest of what the alicorn had to say was incomprehensible as she devolved into sobbing, leaving Ted to pull her into a winged hug. This was supposed to be a goddess to the locals, right? Yet here she was, blubbering like a lost child into his barrel.
'Then again, everyone needs a shoulder, don't they?' He thought, pulling her closer. 'And she spent the longest time being the shoulder everyone else needed.'

'When the world starts crushing you, who does an immortal goddess turn to for support?' He thought sadly.
'No one.'

Thus the alicorn waited, allowing the princess to vent. She cried, and he comforted. She despaired, and he reassured. She clung tighter, and her held her closer.

Finally wiping away a few remaining tears, Celestia finally pushed away from the darker alicorn. 
"T-thank you, I'm sorry I put you through that, I-"

"Don't apologize." Ted cut her off, pulling her in close once more. "You and your sister have done a lot for me. I'm happy to return the favor, even if it's just acting as a snot rag." He said with a grin. The smaller alicorn chuckled at his words, and he continued.
"All I ask, is that you continue to help me, and if I need it, return the favor. After all, you and a drake I've met from a nearby port town, are the only ones who didn't attack me during our initial or follow-up meeting. Unless staining my fur counts as assault. Personally, I don't trust him as much more than a companion, though."

Celestia chuckled, even as she pushed herself free of his grip.
"I understand. I've met a few gentledrakes in the past, and while they can be wonderful company, the moment something shiny or female becomes involved, they tend to be easily distracted."

"So it's not just that idiot? I swear, that guy was either talking money, or females."

"Oh stars no, I do remember this one dragon I met, he was convinced he was Creations gift to females! Kept trying to convince me that "Once you ride the bad drake, nothing else will satisfy." I'm not kidding, he actually said that!" The princess said with a giggle.

Ted merely hooked his hoof around his muzzle. "I don't think Sahkest would do that but-"

"That was him!" She shouted. "Blue scales and a love of drink, right? I can't believe he's still around!" She giggled, clopping her forehooves together in glee. "Tell Him, heehee, tell the bad drake that Sunny Days remembers him, nor did she think he lived up to his talk."

"Wait, you mean to tell me you actually-"

"Sister! It is wonderful to see you again!" Luna said, taking her sister into a bone crushing hug. "I feared the worse when I saw the feather! Are you alright?"

"Feather?" Ted asked. "What's this about a feather?"

"The Mad Queen, she likes to taunt us, flaunt our inability to stop her from committing her crimes." Luna said softly. "She brings trophies, newspapers, whatever she believes will get a rise out of my sister and I. Her most recent present was a few long pink feathers."

Ted pondered the meaning of such a thing a moment, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, it doesn't sound familiar."

"How could you- right, your memories began before Luna was introduced to her." Celestia said sorrowfully. "The only source of feathers of that size and color would be my niece. She was a pink alicorn, the alicorn of love."

"The one from the Crystal City you mentioned earlier." Ted said, frowning at the implications. "What happened to her?"

"We do no know for certain, only that the Mad Queen was extremely smug for, in her own words, breaking the alicorn of love." Luna said with a stony expression. "I fear for her, Cimmerian, more than my sister or myself. Please, if you hear anything of her, and can aid her without compromising yourself, do so."

"On a different note, sister, I have somepony I'd like you to meet." Luna walked in the direction she'd come from, drawing the attention of all the residents to the third guest in Celestia's dream. "Sister, be known to Queen Pandinus, Queen of a mighty hive of one changeling." The alicorn said with a mischievous smile. Pandinus shuffled her hooves, muttering something to Luna.

"Oh, our apologies, Queen of one changeling and seven eggs." She corrected, breaking into giggles.

Celestia merely gaped at the changeling before her. The princess had seen one or two, but neither prepared her for the sight. The changeling was not quite at the size of a fully empowered alicorn, but what caught her attention was the holes along the queen's body. Rather, what drew her attention was the fact her shell was nearly devoid of them.
"Why did you bring her here, Luna?" She finally asked, still inspecting the uncomfortable shape shifter.

"You cannot imagine how glad I am that you asked, dear sister. Pandinus, the adorable little hormonal creature she is, is currently pursuing your nephew's hoof! Oh, we had a nice, long conversation about it while waiting for Cimmerian to open your dream to us, and we discussed much about her goals. After all, I wished to know why a young queen was pursuing a stallion that is everything but my own flesh and blood. A mother should always attempt to get to know the mare pursuing her son."

Even as he buried his face in his hooves, Ted could see the changeling shrinking from the miniature alicorns, her shell somehow seeming slightly more pale than it was moments ago. 
'I will never understand how that works. Ponies blushing through fur is weird enough, but seeing the color drain from her face through chitin?'

Ted watched the sisters talking to each other, both about, and to the squirming changeling. Every now and again, she'd throw a pleading look his way, but the sisters just wouldn't leave her be. At one point they even ushered the poor bug away from him, so they could speak to her without his presence. It was extremely strange to him, and left him uncomfortable. He knew Tia liked pranks, and both of the sisters would be bored after spending so much time trapped in their individual prisons that they'd be chomping at the bit for any kind of entertainment, even if it was at the expense of their benefactor. The slowly rising noise of conversation brought him back to reality, or at least the dream version of it, and he turned to see the princesses approaching once more with Pandinus, though the queen was somehow sporting both a blush and was still slightly pale.
'Don't question it, just go with it.'

Celestia trotted ahead, greeting him with a smile. "Upon further inspection, I second my sister's opinion of your chosen consort. I also believe you would be in a much better condition to lead your ponies if you just took her to your room and-"

"Stop right there, princess." Ted interrupted her. "I've already told her why that's not happening."

Celestia's smile dropped slightly, but she continued on a different topic. "Yes, she told us. She also spoke of goals, both hers and your own. How she has done much to garner your attention, even if my sister and I find her attempts entertaining and cute, if a bit misguided." She smiled at that last thought, before her expression became serious. "She also told me of your desire to return home. I understand your desires, but I must ask you two things first, Cimmerian."

Ted's heart was in his throat as she finished her statement. There was no context in which that could be considered a good sign. Not trusting himself to speak, he merely nodded, prompting the princess to continue.

"The first is; how old was the rest of your family? You said that humans live for at most a century, correct? And it has been nearly four decades since you were lost to them. I truly am sorry for asking this, but would they still be alive? Even if they are, would they have not laid your memory to rest by now?" She asked him, eyes glistening with pain.

For his part the larger alicorn said nothing, having already considered the possibility. It could be true, it could be worse. That wasn't what drove him on. It was the not knowing that was truly hurting him.

"Next I give you a warning. The farther you get from our world, traveling through others, the harder it becomes to find your way back. Even when guided by a master of traveling between worlds, the worlds we saw were still saturated with magic. To travel far enough to find a place devoid of magic? You would never find your way back to us. I do not believe the Nightmare had any intention of returning, knowing we had the strength to defeat it. Should you pursue it, you would not see Equis again."

Ted nodded, knowing that it was a possibility. That was part of life, right? Risks were expected to be made for rewards.

"Finally, the form you now take, an alicorn, is a being of the strongest magics, second only to the titans and the fiends in sheer capability. As such, your body renews itself continuously with the magic in the air. Have you ever seen a fish that has been removed from water, nephew? That would be your fate once you reached those fringe worlds, even those with traces of mana. You may never even reach your goal, your power running out before you reached the correct world." Tears falling freely, the princess voiced her final question. "Would you, Cimmerian, be willing to relegate yourself to a certain death with no guarantee of finding the correct world, much less making it to a world as devoid of magic as you believe your own to be?"