• Published 26th Apr 2015
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The Substitute Demon - Reykan



Right before the Elements struck, the Nightmare unleashed a spell out of desperation. A substitution spell. Otherwise known as the correct use of Kawarimi.

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The Talk

The sun was already set and the moon was rising when Cimmerian was finishing his flight. In many way it was like the walks he used to take back home. It allowed him to clear his mind and flush the emotions from his system. He was still hurt that the queen would do that to him and not say a thing, but Cadance was right, the idea of the queen pulling that stunt had never entered his head.

'Not to mention Zelus looked terrible. Yelling at her would be as effective as yelling at Fluttershy. Poor mare was more confused by the animal attack than scared or hurt by it. Kept mumbling about 'it just wouldn't listen'. I'll have to check on her one last time before bed.'

The stallion made one final pass of Shadowtalon Port, coming to a halt just over the docks and staring out over the ocean. Far off in the distance, he could see another storm rolling in, this one looking pretty nasty. It was reportedly due to a bit of meteorological backlash from the local pegasi throwing storms at the Equestrian Naval ship. By the alicorn's guess it would be making landfall in about two days time.

Cimmerian took off for the Temple, following the energy the location seemed to radiate at all times, calling to him even in the darkness. There was Pandinus, Zelus, Cadance, and now Celestia all living there, and he could practically feel all of them if he opened himself to the magic in the area. He followed the signals, stopping short when he noticed a white dot on the Temple's roof.

"Shouldn't you be resting up?" he asked the white alicorn, who just turned and smiled at him.

"Shouldn't you be talking with Cadance and the queens?" Celestia fired back.

The stallion rolled his eyes and sat down heavily next to her.

"Sometimes you need to separate yourself from what's irritating you to think properly. After hearing what they did I was a bit, okay, really pissed off. Walks always seemed to help me clear my head back home, so I figured why not try a flight. It was nice. It's quiet, the air is fresh and cool, and I can fly over the beach. The sound of rolling waves has always calmed me down even more than walks, so combining the two was very helpful. Oh, and my anger tends to translate directly to them as making them eat dirt, or worse."

"It was about the two queens, correct? Cadance stopped by earlier to ask me about you, specifically anything I knew about your views on relationships. Judging by her irritation, they did something you didn't agree with and didn't tell you. Am I close?"

Cimmerian nodded, laying down next to the ousted princess and allowing her to lay against his side. It was comforting, in an alien way. He'd never really been so open to physical contact with friends before, though it could be his memories of Celestia being a sister talking.

"They swapped when I was spending some time with Din. I don't know if they'd done it other times where it wasn't obvious, but it's possible. I guess I dismissed the possibility of Din doing that during our private time, but she didn't. Said she was sharing like I asked her to. Pah, once again my wording comes back to bite me in the ass."

The mare's ears flicked at his rough language, but she nodded all the same.

"I've tried enough relationships to have been courted by other races, and sometimes we just can't anticipate some aspects of a relationship that they find important. I remember one time a griffon noble offered to take me on a date. I accepted out of curiosity more than anything, and the next thing I know we're meeting blades with him in a practice match. Not a romantic dinner, no time spent talking or cuddling. Sometimes they want to test their prospective mate, make sure they're worthy of the time. I can only imagine what kind of issues would pop up with a race that's so interconnected as the changelings."

"I know that now, and I think that's what is causing me so much grief. Pandinus even told me that she doesn't consider herself an individual. It's weird, but it sounds like I've basically become part of the hive without being linked and seeing as how they've shown the willingness to share thoughts, memories, hell, even bodies in the case of Amare and Cadance, I don't know how I should be thinking. I could accept that I don't love Pandinus, but I love her hive. That would include Zelus in this case, as they seem to think of themselves as inseparable right now. Or I could try to do that, that herd thing and keep considering them separate, but the question then becomes, 'what happens if another queen joins the hive?' How many queens would they expect me to accept in either case? What's to stop any of the other changelings from swapping out with the queens?" Cimmerian asked, shuddering at the thought of Pandinus' body kissing him and calling him daddy.

Celestia nodded.

"I suppose that's something that you'll just have to ask them. What was that last part though?"

"I realized it could just as easily be Amare or Gem swapping with the queens. That more than anything scares me. There were a few times I remember seeing newscasts about these communities that accepted polyamorous relationships, and more often than not it was because they were in trouble with local authorities. Either for not properly caring for one of their herd members or for abusing children."

At the smaller alicorn's expectant look, he continued.

"I've heard that in a few places marrying a child is considered okay, but overall Earth doesn't accept that. I just can't see a kid understanding what they're getting into. Love is supposed to be a long-term thing, something you dedicate yourself to. Is a child who may not even have reached puberty ready for that kind of experience?"

Celestia blinked in realization before grinning.

"Thus we come to the heart of the issue. You fear being seen as such by your peers. Seen as a male who pursues little fillies who are not ready for such things."

"That's part of it, but it's also a matter of being raised that way. I know you and your sister were okay with herds, hell I've stuffed the memories of Luna's herds about as far back behind that lock as I can shove it, but my family isn't. I've already lost everything that was familiar to me Tia, I'm scared of what giving up too much of myself will do to me.

"I've lost myself in them before. The memories I mean. When the gnoll raiders first hit us, I lashed out at them, wiped them out. The residents never found any trace of them, and I'm worried what I'll find if I try looking for that memory. I wasn't Cimmerian during that fight, I was Lunacae Nocturnis. I was the Princess of the Moon and those damned beasts were enslaving my ponies. I know it was the sight of my mark that brought me back, because I remember what she was thinking at that point clearly. She was wondering why she was a stallion, wondering where she was, wondering why she couldn't sense you. I've never been more terrified of those memories than I was that day, I was ready to have them ripped out of my head."

Cimmerian settled his head on the cool stones of the Temple's roof, directing an eye to the alicorn beside him.

"What do I do, Tia? How do I keep from losing what makes me, me during all of this?"

"There's no good answer I can give you, Theodore," the mare replied, drawing a smile from him at the use of his birth name. "We change every day, and I've heard of ponies getting changed to other races. Sometimes they go mad, sometimes they lose themselves in the new instincts, sometimes nothing changes but the shape of the face. The same can be said of ponies who ended up with memories that were not their own, though I don't know of any reports of both happening to the same individual. It's always been a case by case basis.

"Instead of thinking of what you've lost though, remember what you still have. You remember your family don't you?"

Cimmerian nodded and Celestia smiled sadly.

"That's more than some individuals with memory issues have. You still know who you were, still remember your old goals and your old life even if they are out of your reach now."

"There was once a pony I knew long ago," Tia recited, her face becoming solemn. "His name was Churning Nova. He was a bright young unicorn that I ended up adopting years ago, and he made quiet a name for himself. His line eventually culminated into one of the most powerful lines in our world. Twilight Sparkle is the end result of that line, if you need a reference to just how strong they became. I don't know what became of her family, but I know that once upon a time her ancestor Churning Nova went by another name.

"Even before he was Churning Nova he was a brilliant pony. The things he could do with a scroll, ink, and quill would take your breath away. Sadly, in his haste to preserve himself from death's calling the pony elderly stallion he once was made a mistake. He damaged himself during a spell gone wrong. He was experimenting with time and age spells, and ended up regressing himself to a newborn foal. A foals mind cannot contain all of the information we keep about ourselves. He both was unable to recast the spell to age himself back, and unable to teach me the spell as some of his work was damaged in the miscast. Thus I watched helplessly as his old personality slowly disappeared into the drooling foal he turned himself into. Thus Churning Nova was born, and I buried my old friend, Starswirl the Bearded."

Cimmerian pulled the mare closer to his side, hoping to give her some comfort as a few tears were shed at the memory.

"Thank you, but there is a reason I bring up Starswirl. You may have already been altered by these changes, and not even realize it. Churning Nova never reclaimed his old memories, even in the presence of old friends or mementos. But do not despair as you still retain much of your old life. Changing and adapting to the situation is fine. I understand you may feel you are betraying your family and the values they taught you, but I also ask that you keep in mind several things.

"First, relationships are give and take. Yes you've given the changelings much, but our subjects will always need more. It's something I learned long ago and it's why I held court even though I didn't need to.

"Second, which I'm glad to see you following already, just because you think you understand how a role works for your species doesn't mean another species sees it the same way. Pandinus is a changeling, and thus the hive is more important to her than her own life. If she were to pass on, I'm certain she would want you to protect and preserve it in any way possible, including taking Zelus as a substitute queen and lover. It may sound strange to you, but that is a mother's love; we put our children ahead of ourselves.

"Finally, don't be offended if your mate does something that you don't agree with but didn't know they were capable of. I found out the hard way that dragons sleep for very long lengths of time, and lost several friends to that long slumber. Sometimes a dragon wakes up, and a chance encounter just isn't remembered. Sometimes, as much as it hurts us, those we speak with and interact with just can't remember everything about us, and may end up hurting us again. That is why patience with those we love is so important. It allows us to take those wrongs, to accept those accidental betrayals and mistreatments and give them a chance to seek forgiveness. In some cases though, it allows us to forgive without ever letting our other know we were wronged."

Cimmerian nodded as he stared off at the sleeping town. The tiny town growing around the Temple wasn't anywhere near what he'd call a city, but the locals seemed to have a different gauge for such things.

"I'll talk with them, I'm actually supposed to meet the queens and Cadance tonight. I'm sure they're already waiting for me. I mean, If I can sense you from a distance, I can only guess that Din could pick me out from several miles away. Don't stay up too late, Tia. Recovering alicorns need their beauty sleep. That, and if you stay up to late I'll throw you in the nursery. Put Mirage in charge of your sleep schedule. You can play, take naps..."

"Do I get snack time?" she asked with a giggle before nodding in agreement. "I'll be headed to bed shortly, you go work things out with your mate and her hive. And if you're still interested in a marriage, I can help you set one up. I can run it as either an elder or a family member of the groom. I'm surprised no one warned you about marrying under another ruler. Sometimes such things are considered bad luck, while others will take it to mean you submit to their rule."

"Well, I'll have to see if a marriage is even something Din would want at this point." Cimmerian said with a laugh as he rose to leave. "I'll think about it, I should see how the conversation goes first. Thanks Tia."

<-(0)->

Once more the stallion found himself sitting at a table with the queens across from him. To his left sat the nymph form that currently contained the mind of Cadance, and apparently his marriage counselor. The stallion was breathing deeply, keeping himself as calm as possible to avoid causing any undue stress to the changelings. It was hard, but he didn't want to cause them any more trouble.

Cadance was about to speak, beginning the meeting when he raised a hoof, calling for attention.

"The first thing I'd like to do is apologize. Pandinus and Zelus, I know I shot you two a nasty blast of anger and fear earlier, and I'm sorry. I'm not used to watching my emotions, and sometimes I let them go out of habit. Will you forgive me?"

Pandinus nodded.

"After Cadance's lecture, I figured you may have been upset even if I didn't know why, so I was prepared. I shielded myself a bit, and didn't take the full brunt of your mood swing."

"I was hurt by it a bit. I didn't know you were capable of having your mood switch so easily and was open to it. I'm still a bit bubbly inside from the anger, but it's settling. I should be fine in another hour," Zelus offered.

"So you're going to have to make that up to her," Pandinus said with a playful smile, pulling a smile from his own face. If nothing else, Din was still being playful.

The stallion schooled his expression, looking at the two queens stoically.

"The first question I have is, what am I to the hive?"

The queens traded a look before they hissed and clicked out a series of unrepeatable sounds, their wings buzzing during at least half of the title. Cimmerian and Cadance both stared in curiosity at the queens, waiting for a translation. Pandinus provided it.

"Few would be able to understand the word anyway, as we made it up ourselves earlier. There is no real word for mate as you ponies describe it. So the title is a combination of things. Bounty, cloak, spear, safe, trusted. There is no one word, no one title that can name all that you do for the hive, Cimmerian, and there is no title for the position you fulfill. Thus we had to make one. We will be sharing it with the hive, and hope you accept it. For now, we will officially use the Equestrian term hive-father."

Zelus smiled softly at the alicorn.

"You are not the only one who spent your time thinking. We have discussed much as well."

"How do you see us?" Din asked.

"I, I see two changeling queens, one who I know and have come to care for deeply, and one who did her best to guard me, even though she had no idea what she was doing. One is also the mother of my children, and I wouldn't hesitate to do anything to keep her safe," Cimmerian answered, looking at the two mares.

"We both sorted through what Cadance and Sapphire could provide us about how ponies see individuals, hoping to learn where the disconnect was," Pandinus explained, looking to her hive-sister for a moment. "We are not as you see, Cimmerian. We may have been hatched from separate hives, but we are both hive-mother to the Shadow Hive. Your hive, your ponies, already call you Father, and to our hive you are the Father of the Shadow Hive. In the case of our children, we ask that you treat them as you always have. As your own."

"We are writing our own traditions now, attempting to find something that works for us, something that we can understand and at the same time that uses a little of what you've given us," Zelus continued, the two in an almost eerie synchronization. "But just as you do not see us as we are, we are not certain how to view you. You are, complex. We have one goal, the betterment of our hive. You have many goals. The raising of your young, the improvement of those around you, your own comfort, the health of your mate...you pursue all of these separately from what we have seen, seeing to each task as a way to help it becomes available. We find it silly, but we cannot argue that it does bring about results. Your, lateral approach to some issues is also strange to us. We have always been taught to either overwhelm a problem or subvert it. You asked if it was really a problem. You took the problem of 'changelings feeding on your ponies to avoid starvation' and turned it into 'changelings providing for ponies who provide for changelings.' We find this important, and do not wish to lose it, to lose you."

Cadance waited for a moment, noting that the queens were finished in their explanation before turning back to Cimmerian. The stallion nodded to her and voiced his next concern.

"My next, issue is about your ability to swap. There are a few questions it brings up and I need answers."

The queens motioned for him to continue.

"How many queens do you uh, intend to link with?"

"As many as we can, though not all of them will be of this physical hive. If you worry about how many will be here with us, with you, I do not think it will surpass three or four at any given time, unless we convene for a sort of meeting. That may be important actually, I'll have to remember that," Pandinus mumbled, her distraction passing the baton to her hive-sister.

"If you wonder how many we will ask you to provide for, it would not surpass three. If your seed isn't viable for proper hive expansion, we can't use it that often anyway. It will no doubt be in demand when breeding new queens, but drones would take too long. Which leads us to our next problem. If Pandinus is any sign, we need to be able to harvest from other sources to expand the hive at an increased pace."

Cimmerian's wings twitched, the stallion suppressing his desire to be outraged. Logically it made sense and the queens were being nothing if not logical about this whole ordeal. He watched both mares across from him shuffle a bit, likely tasting his flashing emotions. The alicorn shook his head in frustration. Zelus still called it harvesting; there was no emotional investment when they mated. He'd have to swallow his pride here and try to be logical as well. Even if it went against everything he knew.

"I, I accept that," he ground out, causing Cadance's jaw to drop. "I also want to be informed of any and all beings who have 'access' to your swapping. I don't mind you swapping among one another, but I want to know if someone new tags in. I also reserve the right say no if I feel it wouldn't be appropriate."

"What do you mean not appropriate?" Din asked him, a smile forming on her face as an answer to an old question was being presented. " This is one of your causes of discomfort, is it not? Please explain."

Cimmerian drew an unsteady breath before explaining as best he could.

"I can easily see anyone in your hive swapping with you at any given time, and it bothers me. I don't want to find out one day that one of the ones who used your form was, was a small child or something like that. It's a crime back home, and I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole. It's just, I can't risk have that happening."

Pandinus and Zelus both blinked in confusion while Cadance blanched at the idea before offering the stallion an apology

"Oh stars, I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry, Cimmerian! Here I am, an adult alicorn in the form of a foal and, oh wow..."

"You worry about a nymph trading, or being exposed to such things?" Zelus asked. "Why would they be exposed to that? It would do them no good. Nymphs are not developed enough to understand what is happening. To do such a thing would be a waste. It could also be dangerous, as the emotions present are powerful. Their mind could be damaged. Such swaps will not be allowed among any but queens, both for their safety and to promote the drones' pursuit of other sources of love."

"We are also aware of your, need for a mate as other species define it, so we have agreed that we will keep a designated queen for you," Din said with a suddenly bright smile.

"Pandinus has, of course, volunteered her body for such a position," Zelus said, giving her hive-sister an even look. "On top of her growing mental attachment to you, it is also because you have the greatest emotional investment in her, as she currently carries your young. Depending on how her second pregnancy goes, we will review your viability as a mate. As it stands though, you are not a proper source for drones."

The dark alicorn stared at the armored queen's clinical dismissal of his 'viability' before stifling a laugh. It was somewhere between insulting and humorous, but he wasn't certain how he should feel about it. It almost sounded like those people who spent all that time breeding pokemon for the proper traits and statistics.

"We also want to limit the number of changelings directly exposed to your most potent love, that which you express during mating, until we learn more about its effects. We don't want the entire hive to end up addicted to it, and we don't think you do either," Din said. "So even if we find another queen, we're going to keep her separated from our chambers for now. That way we have at least one queen that is unaffected by this oddity."

"Heart?" Cimmerian guessed.

"She is...unwell," Zelus stated, the queens looking a bit uneasy. "Her mind is fragile right now, and she has a very powerful attachment to the dragon she was with. I don't think she would survive being separated from him at this point. No, we speak of Amare and Pandinus' odd hatchlings. If one is a proto queen, we'll have more to work with, but until then Amare will be kept separate from you after her final molt."

"We need a queen that we know will be able to carry on in the event of your death," Zelus continued with a nervous buzz of her wings. "If Pandinus and I are truly addicted to your love, than we may not be able to. Such an event would be catastrophic to the hive even without an assault from the Mad Queen."

"I told you I hated how you made me start planning, Cimmerian," Pandinus told the dark alicorn. "I've even begun running scenarios of how the hive would continue in the event of each important being's death."

"Finally, my sister's actions have left me burning," Zelus stated, shooting a glare at her hive-sister. "My body is trying to use seed that isn't there, and with the deaths of several hive members in combat, we have felt a need to replenish the hive's numbers. It was kept at bay with the influx of drones that readily submitted to our link, but a queen still needs to expand her hive. Pandinus told me this was going to be the oddest thing, and we weren't expecting you to accept it. I need to start harvesting soon. I would prefer tomorrow, but I'm willing to wait a few days if you require time."

Cimmerian chuckled to himself before turning to Cadance.

"So miss marriage counselor, what does your knowledge of love and happiness say about a marriage with a changeling?"

Cadance winced at being called out but managed to try to give Cimmerian a smile.

"I know it's weird, but I think if they, I mean...okay it's not really marriage to a changeling queen so much as marriage to a hive. I think the drones work differently, and they're willing to attach themselves to one partner, but the queens have a different drive. I asked them earlier, and they don't have a word for marriage. The closest word or phrase they have translates to 'swan song' in Equestrian. To bind themselves to a pony is considered to damn the hive, as it minimizes the variation in the queen's drones."

"Don't be too upset, Cadance. Your information about pony culture has given us something to work with in regards to understanding Cimmerian's drive," Pandinus said, attempting to comfort the alicorn-turned-nymph. "I didn't realize it was a priority for him to see his bloodline continued. It is similar to my drive to expand my hive, and to birth a proto queen. To learn that the reason males mate is because of such a reason was something we'd never considered. It just wasn't something we cared about."

"There was also the thing about pheromones, sister. I didn't know about the attachment thing," Zelus said, nudging Din. "Ponies don't use pheromones as actively as changelings. Thus we don't recognize some of your binding signals that would cause two ponies to become attached to each other after mating. Changelings are already as attached to each other as possible, so pheromones are not as important for identification, just general communication, and it is often only from a queen to the drones. A content queen releases pheromones that tells her drones she is doing well, and they relax upon picking up those signals. A distressed queen releases different pheromones, agitating the drones and making them naturally more alert."

"So what do my pheromones say to you?" Cimmerian asked in genuine curiosity.

"It doesn't mean anything in particular actually. It's just something we've come to associate with food, shelter and a feeling of safety," Din answered. "It may not even be your love that's doing this to Zelus, it could very well be your pheromones. I molted into a queen already being exposed to them, while she was already a queen for her first exposure. We just don't know at this point. If it is the pheromones then there's not much we can do aside from keeping additional queens away from the Temple."

"Wait," the stallion said, holding up a hoof. "Is that why you get mad when I change the sheets?"

Both changeling queens nodded in unison.

"Sometimes the new ones still retain some of the pheromones, but they're thickest in the air after you mate. It's relaxing, and makes us feel calm. I could likely bring one of your blankets and be able to sleep soundly in Canterlot," Zelus estimated.

"Alright, I have a question of my own," Cadance interjected. "Why do you two sound so, clinical all of a sudden. You're both usually a bit more identifiable by speech and personality."

Once more the queens traded a look before speaking simultaneously.

"We spent a good portion of the day closely linked to each other while working out what was causing difficulties in the Temple. We are more synchronized than we care to admit right now. We are certain it sounds strange, but it feels stranger still. We have never been this attuned to another queen before," they finished, shaking their heads.

Cadance shuddered at the echo in the queens' voices while Cimmerian stared a them in awe. That kind of synchronization was amazing, he could easily admit that.

"But will this have any long term effects on the two of you?"

"Again, we don't know. We've been actively pushing each other to speak first so we don't end up doing this," they said in stereo. "We are hopeful that having different schedules for the next few days will allow us to desynchronize a bit more than a different reaction to a comment or one of us finding humor in something the other doesn't find funny. As with many things we've been coming across here at the Temple, no changeling has ever heard of such things happening before. We are exploring uncharted territory for our species, both in working with other races and in working with each other."

The group waited a few moments for any more question to be raised. None were forthcoming, so Cadance nodded and stood up.

"I'd suggest holding these meetings a few more times in the future, just in case anything else comes up that needs answering."

"You wish for us to do this again?" the queens asked. "Why? Have we not covered everything of importance?"

"No, she's right," Cimmerian said. "We've tried working things out, and given ourselves some rules, but we may need to adjust them. Thanks for pulling us into this, Cadance. I hope it helps."

Cadance nodded happily.

"So do I, Cimmerian. I didn't really know what they were talking about when they said you tasted bad when you were upset, but I kind of understand it now. It's not very pleasant, and I can't imagine it being any better when the emotion is focused on an individual changeling."

"Speaking of which, Zelus is owed some additional attention, don't you think?" Din said while looking to the stallion, both queens smiling happily.

"Fine, but give me a day or two to get used to this before you girls try anything. Besides Din, Zelus can't play with us that way. She's going to be the hive's designated egg layer, remember?" Cimmerian reminded them, gesturing to the armored changeling.

Zelus huffed in irritation as she circled the table.

"That doesn't mean you're not relaxing to be around. Just as you enjoy Pandinus' purring we enjoy your warmth and scent. Now come, it's been a long day. We must be up early tomorrow for the griffon and pony ceremonies."

With a shove from her snout, she started pushing Cimmerian around the table, where Pandinus was laughing gleefully.

"Oh, Cadance had this wonderful memory of directing misbehaving ponies, and it seemed to work no matter the age," the smaller queen giggled. "I wish to try it!"

Before the stallion knew what was going on, Cadance whispered an apology and bolted out the door. The next moment, Pandinus was pulling him by his ear down the hallways, Zelus prodding him forward with a poke from her horn every now and again.

"Ow, ow ow, dammit, stop it! I'm perfectly capable of walking!"

About halfway to Queen Pandinus' chamber, she released him, his irritation burning brightly enough to not be worth the amusement. The three of them climbed up onto the mattress and settled in for the night, Pandinus taking her spot on his back while Zelus buried herself into the crease between his shoulder and barrel. Cimmerian felt his muscles going limp at the vibrations of the purring and the echo from the bed, and easily draped a wing over the armored queen. She snuggled a bit closer, mumbling something about forgiveness before dosing off.

'I'll get her for exposing them to that idea,' Cimmerian vowed as he drifted off to sleep. 'Watch your back Cadance. I will get you for that.'

Author's Note:

Unfortunately the first thing I think of when I think of polygamy and polyamory IRL is things like The Order, also known as The Kingston Clan. That's a wiki link if you're curious. It's one of the more infamous ones out there, and the first one I came across when looking up polygamy online.

It's tougher to write on this topic than I anticipated. It's actually very easy to fall into the trap of only writing from a single perspective, forgetting about everyone else's needs and wants. I think I ran into that issue really early on in Magic's shadow, among other things, and I know I've done it here before. I think it's because we're naturally greedy. That and I get tunnel vision.

:applejackconfused::derpyderp2::rainbowhuh::twilightoops::rainbowderp:

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