• Published 7th Mar 2016
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New Family - awesomesauce4



We've all played games. But what happens after the game ends?

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Chapter 3

A few days later, Jeremy and the others were calmly relaxing, laying on specially crafted stone slabs as drones massaged them.

“Well, I guess I can admit that this feels really nice,” Jeremy reluctantly spoke up as a drone rubbed the tension out of his back, chittering slightly to the others.

“See? You should allow us to do favors for you more often,” Chrysalis rebuked, sighing in satisfaction as two of her drones attended to her neck.

“Yeah…” Jeremy softly replied, obediently putting his head down again as they began to work on his collarbones. “I just hate it when others feel like they owe me for something. I don’t like the feeling of being… in power over them.”

Chrysalis laughed. “How on Earth did you ever get thrown into Tartarus with an attitude like that?” she teased, and Jeremy chuckled.

“How could you not enjoy this? This is the best I’ve felt in years!” Sombra chimed in, grinning as a drone uncomfortably kneaded his lower back.

Tirek merely grunted contently as a small army of drones attempted to massage his massive upper body, while Nightmare Moon remained silent as a drone gently rubbed her wing.

“So… what shall we do after this?” Chrysalis asked.

Jeremy made a noncommittal noise, attempting to shrug while laying down and failing valiantly. “Draw up some more engineering blueprints to sell?” he suggested.

Sombra groaned. “We’ve been drawing blueprints and playing board games for the past three days now!” he complained.

“Well…” Nightmare Moon trailed off.

“Hmm?” Jeremy inquired.

“We… we were just thinking… there was something we always wanted to do with th- with all of thee, once we achieved our goal of escaping to the surface,” the lunar alicorn spoke up.

“And that is?” Tirek asked, after a moment of silence.

“There is a special port, at the South Luna Ocean to our west. We visited when we were but a little filly… we wouldst like to take thee there,” Nightmare Moon explained, looking at him hopefully.

Jeremy looked at the others, who nodded.

“Then let’s go,” he agreed, and Nightmare Moon beamed.

A few minutes later, they were packed and ready to go. The drones had stuffed every available cubic inch of Jeremy’s bag with food, hugging him and wishing him and Chrysalis the best as they tried their best to hold back tears. Jeremy, who was openly crying, hugged them back, promising every single one of them that he and his friends would all return safely.

“Art thou ready?” Nightmare Moon asked, as he finally made it to the entrance to the Hive.

He gazed out at the sky, looking for the very first time at the Equestrian sun.

“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. “I’m ready.”

They flew through the sky, laughing and whooping as the five of them enjoyed the feeling of the fresh, open air. Jeremy was atop Chrysalis’ back, while Nightmare Moon flew in circles around them as she led the group westward. Sombra, using his smoky form, darted to and fro just behind them, mostly looking down at the ground in some vague form of interest. Tirek, who appeared to be levitating by unspecified means, soared awkwardly through the sky, a metaphorical brick with wings compared to Nightmare Moon’s or even Chrysalis’ grace. Through it all, every one of them couldn’t stop looking up at the sky, at the sun which seemed to promise a brighter tomorrow every time they glanced at it. It was the first time the five of them had been truly outside together since Tartarus, and it had hit them all at the same time. They were free, free of the burden of being prisoners, of the desolate, hostile underground labyrinth they were once forced to call home. Winds buffeted them, sending Chrysalis reeling and Nightmare Moon into tailspins before they slowly recovered, still grinning. For Jeremy, it was the greatest feeling of his life. Up here, they no longer had to worry about what might creep out at every corner, or who might try to kill him next. He wasn’t even afraid of falling off of Chrysalis’ back – why would it matter? He would just SAVE over it, and it wouldn’t dampen his enjoyment in the slightest. If anything, he was considering doing it on purpose.

Hey! Chrysalis interrupted his train of thought indignantly.

Whaat? It was just a thought, Jeremy complained right back.

Don’t even think about stuff like that, she pouted.

Ah, fine, Jeremy dismissed obediently, leaning a little closer into her neck as they passed through a cloud.

To Jeremy’s surprise, the cloud was actually rather warm, like a spring rain on a sunny day. It was still wet, though, and the pair of them emerged from the other side soaked and laughing.

“I guess that takes care of my shower for the day!” Jeremy joked, shaking his head and causing a small spray of rain droplets to fall to the earth below.

“Think again, mister! You smell like rainwater now!” Chrysalis chided back, giggling as she shook herself off as well.

Nightmare Moon, watching them, was holding a hoof to her mouth in amusement, a grin hidden behind her hair. She looked strangely out of place during the daytime, her colors a vivid black and dark blue compared to the warm surroundings. Tirek merely rolled his eyes as usual, and Jeremy couldn’t quite make out Sombra’s expression.

“Come on, thou art going to miss it!” Nightmare Moon called out, pulling ahead of them.

Miss what? Chrysalis wondered.

Well, if we don’t hurry up, we’ll never find out, Jeremy pointed out. Chrysalis sped ahead, determined to catch up to Nightmare Moon.

They touched down at a small shore, hidden by trees. The sand was pure white, and there were no rocks or even hard pebbles. Just silky soft sand, trees all around them, and the quietly whispering waves. Without further ado, they ate the food they had packed, Chrysalis curling into Jeremy’s chest and inhaling his love as Jeremy in turn inhaled his sandwich. Once that was done, and the uneaten food had been neatly returned to their packs, Nightmare Moon turned to the shore, eyes gazing at the sun.

“Any moment now,” she murmured.

“What are we looking for?” Tirek wondered.

“Just wait,” Jeremy whispered, heart beating in anticipation of... something.

The sun, as though listening to their cue, slowly began its descent downward, still moving much faster than Jeremy thought it had a right to do. As it neared the horizon, it slowed, just for a few minutes, the light from its rays turning red and painting the world a shade of orange for a very brief sunset before the celestial body disappeared.

“Show-off,” Nightmare Moon muttered.

But, inevitably, the moon rose to take its place, and that was when they saw it.

A single shaft of moonlight, carefully structured by the clouds around the white sphere as it rose to its proper place in the night sky, touched down on their little beach. The crescent moon reflected off of the gently lapping water, curiously forming a twin image as Jeremy looked at it.

“Dost thou know what they call this beach?” Nightmare Moon began quietly. The other four waited with bated breath. “They call it the Heart of the Moon,” she continued, barely audible over the waves. “It was here that I was born, and here that I first found my sister.”

Jeremy looked around in shock. “You were born… here?” he asked.

Sombra appeared just as surprised, while Tirek simply raised an eyebrow as he took in the moonlit beach.

Nightmare Moon nodded. “From the tides, to be more precise. They say our birth was heralded by all the moonlight in the world collecting into this one spot, and… upon the shores washed up a small filly, as blue as the water she appeared from.” Jeremy listened intently. “Since then, we hath returned here, every year, on the day of our birth… or, at least, we did.”

Jeremy put an arm around her neck. “It’s such a beautiful place,” he whispered.

Nightmare Moon sniffed. “Thanks,” she murmured.

Tirek appeared to be mulling over something in the background, staring hard at the twin image of the crescent moon reflected onto the waves. The crescents were distorted by the angle, forming the shape of a heart.

“So, then… you weren’t born… naturally. You were… created,” Jeremy noted.

Nightmare Moon shrugged. “We cannot recall the moment of our birth, nor much of our foalhood. Perhaps we were merely birthed here, by some midwife whose name has been lost to time, and the legend was invented to give us a more mysterious air. Perhaps we really did come of seawater and moonlight. We shalt ne’er know for certain.”

Jeremy fell silent, contemplating this. This place must mean an incredible amount of things to Nightmare Moon, he mused. She mentioned she used to visit every year, and I bet she visited alone. Why bring us, then? “Hey, Nightmare Moon?” he spoke up after a moment.

“Yes?” she responded hesitantly.

“…Thank you for bringing us here. It must mean a lot to you, and… I’m glad I got to share it,” he remarked.

Nightmare Moon smiled, though there was a certain sadness in her eyes. “…Thou art quite welcome,” she softly murmured. “Though… when we first envisioned us here… t’was just the two of us,” she nearly whispered.

Chrysalis glared at her, and Sombra looked at her sharply, though Tirek seemed to be too lost in thought to pay much attention.

“…Oh,” Jeremy answered after a moment. He didn’t look back, but he knew, by the crunching of their hoofsteps, that the others had left. He and Nightmare Moon were sitting alone in the clearing, the moonlight shining down on them.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Jeremy wondering if it was meant to be an awkward silence or just a contemplative one. Finally, Nightmare Moon broke the silence.

“Jeremy?” she asked in a small voice.

“Yeah?” Jeremy softly replied.

“We… we hope thou wouldst not take this the wrong way, but…” Nightmare Moon began, swallowing nervously. Jeremy listened intently, but it seemed Nightmare Moon could not go on.

“You’re attracted to me,” Jeremy supplied.

Nightmare Moon reeled back, shocked, and Jeremy sighed. “I… I knew for a while. You kept putting out hints, and… I didn’t want any distractions from getting you all out of there. Declaring my love for one of you over the others might make the rest jealous, or something, which… I didn’t want to make you deal with. And then, when Chrysalis asked me to be King… I couldn’t say no. She needed me, and I… I just wanted her to be happy,” he explained, looking across the waves at the heart-shaped crescents reflected in the sky. “I’m sorry, Nightmare Moon,” Jeremy apologized. “I knew this whole time, and I didn’t say anything. I’m so sorry.”

Nightmare Moon stared at him a moment longer, a thousand emotions flickering across her eyes. Jealousy, hurt, betrayal, understanding, anger, then… peace. “We understand,” she whispered, smiling slightly to herself.

“You do?” Jeremy asked, shocked.

“Of course,” Nightmare Moon laughed, a tear falling from her eye. “Of course thou wouldst seek to treat us all equally as friends. Tis’ what thou hast done this entire time. We were foalish to think otherwise…” she lamented.

“Hey, hey, don’t think like that! I…” Jeremy trailed off, unsure what to say.

“No… thou art right. We should not treat thy friendship as an inferior service,” Nightmare Moon admitted. “But… what can we say to Queen Chrysalis? The pair of us are already… at odds. We fear that if we admit our feelings to her, even in retrospect, she shall… she shall hate us,” Nightmare Moon mumbled quietly. Jeremy looked at her forlornly, placing a hand on her wing.

“I don’t hate you,” Chrysalis spoke up from behind them.

Nightmare Moon jumped, startled, and Jeremy jerked his hand away from her. Scrambling back towards the waves, Nightmare Moon stumbled to her hooves, turning to face Chrysalis.

“Thou – thou dost not? But-but what about our love for thine suitor? Doth that not perturb thee?” Nightmare Moon questioned incredulously.

Chrysalis shook her head. “I’ve come to realize that friendship and love… are two very similar things. And if Jeremy wants to, then… I’d like to include you in our relationship!” Chrysalis asserted.

Nightmare Moon clapped both of her hooves over her mouth, speechless, and Chrysalis turned to Jeremy. Jeremy was speechless as well, his mind in turmoil as he considered the possibilities. On the one hand, this would resolve tension between the two for the moment. On the other… was he really sure he could handle two mares? He'd only just started dealing with one, after all...

“I, um… uh…” he stammered, his face betraying his indecision as his eyes flickered between the two of them.

Finally, Nightmare Moon placed a hoof on his shoulder, startling him. “It is alright,” she soothed. “Thou can say no, and I shalt not hold it against thee.”

Chrysalis scuffed a hoof against the sand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that, I just… got a little caught up in the moment,” she admitted with a small laugh.

“T-that’s okay,” Jeremy answered reflexively.

“What if we… hmm. We art not sure what to call such a relationship, but what if we spend time with him as necessary, without… quite being lovers? T’would be a sort of transition phase between friendship and love,” Nightmare Moon mused.

“I’d be okay with that. Jeremy?” Chrysalis asked.

“Uh… what exactly would that entail?” Jeremy asked.

Nightmare Moon blushed. “Perhaps just someone to… er… cuddle, occasionally? A-and talk about our troubles?” she offered, grinning bashfully.

Platonic love, Jeremy realized. That’s what she’s talking about. “Um… yeah, that… that actually sounds nice,” he admitted.

Nightmare Moon beamed at him joyously, and he smiled back uncertainly. Before any of them could speak further, the lunar alicorn had pulled the pair of them into a bone-crushing hug, nuzzling each of their faces as hard as she could.

“Oh, we are so glad that this worked out!” she announced excitedly.

“Does this mean we can come out now?” Sombra called out from somewhere behind them. Jeremy craned his neck around to look at Sombra, who was standing along with Tirek at the edge of the clearing.

“Oh! Um… verily, thou may,” Nightmare Moon allowed, blushing slightly.

“Now that that’s out of the way… remind me, how many days do we have until Princess Celestia arrives?” Tirek asked pointedly.

Jeremy paused a moment to think, trying not to instead ruminate on whether Tirek and Sombra had been watching. “Uh… three?” he guessed.

“Two, actually. T’was midnight a half hour ago,” Nightmare Moon corrected.

“Oh, right,” Jeremy recalled. “So… anything else to see here?” he wondered.

“Can we stay a while longer? I haven’t been outside in so long,” Sombra whined.

Jeremy shrugged and nodded. “I don’t see why not. We can just sleep on the beach,” he suggested.

Nightmare Moon smiled, and obediently laid down on the sand. Jeremy took a seat beside her, electing after a moment to rest his head on top of her belly. Nightmare looked at him in surprise, before smiling at him, shifting to make herself more comfortable. Chrysalis snuggled up in Jeremy’s arms, completing the trio, and Sombra snorted in disgust at their actions before rolling over on his side.

“I’ll keep watch,” Tirek rumbled, stomping off into the forest.

Jeremy watched him go, concerned, and Chrysalis tapped his side gently with a hoof.

“He’s probably fine. Give him some alone time,” she advised.

Jeremy reluctantly agreed, and drifted off to sleep, the soft sounds of the waves and gentle moonlight lulling him into the world of dreams.

Jeremy slowly awoke, wondering why his pillow was so warm. And furry. He quickly realized he was still laying on Nightmare Moon’s belly, and he groggily shifted so that he was instead cuddling into her back, Chrysalis haphazardly sandwiched between them. He murmured slightly, and Nightmare Moon shifted, flapping a wing lazily to try and reach him before giving up and returning to her prior position. Jeremy slowly sat up, Chrysalis protesting as he brushed the sand off of his backside.

“Morning, Chryssy,” he yawned. Upon hearing his voice, Nightmare Moon rolled over, sleepily cracking open an eye. “Morning, Moony,” he added as she did, smiling slightly at her dazed expression.

“Good morning,” she returned, sitting up abruptly and looking around.

Jeremy followed her gaze, distinctly aware of the bright sun overhead.

In the daytime, the beach looked much less… magical. It was just a boring, white beach, with sand, waves, and a few spots of grass.

“So, shall we depart?” Nightmare Moon asked, once the three of them had awoken. Sombra was still snoring on the sand, fast asleep.

“Wait. Where’s Tirek?” Jeremy wondered.

“He said he was going to keep watch,” Chrysalis remembered, having awoken as well.

“Sombra, wake up,” Nightmare Moon called, shaking Sombra awake with her magic.

“Wha – what is it?!” Sombra growled, apparently distinctly unhappy at being awake.

“Tirek is missing. Dost thou know where he might be?” Nightmare Moon urgently asked.

Sombra shook his head. “Last I saw of him was the last you saw of him,” Sombra denied, shaking himself more awake as he got to his hooves.

“Okay… let’s spread out, he can’t be that hard to find,” Jeremy directed.

“No need, I’m right here,” Tirek called out. The centaur looked exhausted, the bags under his eyes attesting to a lack of sleep and the expression on his face doing little to alleviate the matter.

“You okay?” Jeremy immediately asked, concerned.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep, so I took watch. I’m fine,” Tirek dismissed.

Jeremy gave him a lopsided frown. “You need to get some sleep sometime,” he lectured. “Otherwise you’ll start hallucinating, and we both know that’s not a fun time for you.”

Tirek snorted. “As if my dreams are any better,” he muttered.

“Nightmares? Mayhap we canst be of assistance,” Nightmare Moon offered.

Tirek raised an eyebrow at her, considering this. “…Maybe,” he admitted thoughtfully.

Jeremy, pleased to see that they were working together, merely smiled silently.

They flew back, Jeremy relaxing on Nightmare Moon’s back this time. “I should really learn how to fly,” he commented at one point, watching Chrysalis swoop in circles around them.

Nightmare Moon laughed. “Thou? Fly? Thou hast no wings!” she pointed out.

Jeremy chuckled. “I’d build a jetpack, or something,” he dismissed casually. “It would certainly save everyone the trouble of having to fly me places.”

Chrysalis, overhearing, sighed. “We’re actually having a lot of fun flying you around, you know. It’s not a burden, it’s a pleasure. Enjoy it!” she ordered.

Jeremy chuckled louder. “Oh, alright, if you say so,” he agreed. "I just... I dunno. I've wanted to fly ever since I was a little kid."

As they returned home, Jeremy and Chrysalis were instantly swarmed by a horde of delighted changelings, not least of which were the small army of baby changelings which immediately made straight for Jeremy’s torso, once again burying him in a cuddle pile. Chrysalis slapped a hoof to her forehead, and Nightmare Moon giggled as she observed Jeremy attempting to hug as many changelings as he could reach.

One of the small ones was especially relentless, licking his face and kissing his nose as much as it could, and it began to glow with a white light. There was a pop, and suddenly it was much more colorful, a shade of lime green as opposed to its prior black. It had tiny blue horns on top of its head, and a mane and tail of the same blue. Jeremy stared at it in consternation, as it emitted a happy chirp. “Is that… normal?” he asked Chrysalis, who appeared frozen.

“That… um… I…” she stuttered. The new changeling wriggled its way into Jeremy’s arms, where it cuddled up against his sweater, to the audible envy of the other changeling babies.

Chrysalis swallowed nervously. “That’s… that’s what happens when a changeling… gives all of its love to someone, without expecting anything in return. It... it transforms into some kind of... ascended form, that isn't constantly hungry,” she admitted looking away.

“Okay…” Jeremy answered uncertainly. Wasn’t that a good thing?

Why was she so reluctant to answer?

And then it hit him.

Chrysalis was looking down at the ground, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” she sobbed.

Jeremy gently set the newly transformed changeling down on the ground before rushing over to comfort her. “Hey, hey. I knew things wouldn’t be okay instantly,” he soothed.

“But – but I-“ Chrysalis began.

Jeremy put a finger to her lips. “I’m gonna take a guess. You can’t ‘love me completely’ because you’re still messed up by your past relationship, right?” he tried. Chrysalis ashamedly nodded. Jeremy took her into a hug, the other changelings watching. “That’s normal,” he insisted. “Everyone does that after an abusive relationship, it’s super common back home. It’s not your fault, and you will get better with time, I promise,” he murmured, gently stroking her hair.

Chrysalis was silent for a moment. “If I… If I looked like… that… would you love me more?” she asked quietly.

Taken aback, Jeremy leaned his head away to stare at her more appropriately. “Girl, you’re a shapeshifter,” he reminded her, causing Chrysalis’ mouth to quirk up in the barest hint of a smile. “I love you for who you are… not what you choose to look like.”

Chrysalis launched herself forward, kissing him on the lips and pinning him to the ground as she happily made out with him.

“Ugh,” Sombra groaned, looking away. “Disgusting.”

Tirek watched impassively, neither disgust nor delight registering on his face. Nightmare Moon, meanwhile, was blushing, and looking away with a guilty smile.

Finally, the two of them stopped kissing long enough to inhale some much-needed oxygen, and Jeremy blushed bright red as he realized just how many had been watching them.

“A-Anyway… let’s go inside,” he offered, and the changelings who had come out to greet him obediently formed a circle around the five of them, spears at the ready as they formally escorted him and his friends back to the throne room.

Once there, he was greeted by a trio of changelings looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

“My King,” they murmured, bowing as he approached.

“My subjects,” Jeremy answered happily, trying not to laugh at himself as he called them that.

“So, um, we used to be clothing designers in Canterlot before we were discovered, and, uh, um…” one of them began, before trailing off nervously.

“We made you a dress!” the second one blurted, and was immediately shoved by the third.

“It’s called a suit! Males wear suits, not dresses!” they whispered.

The three of them fell silent as they glanced over at Chrysalis, who appeared unamused by their antics. Jeremy, however, was still holding back giggles.

“Okay, what’s it look like?” he asked.

At this, the first changeling revealed a neatly folded square of cloth, holding it up in the air as the other two jumped up, grabbing the corners and flying upward to display it properly.

It was revealed to be a robe, made of sleek, black silky fabric with buttons in the front. Upon the torso was a small, heart-shaped design, and as Jeremy looked at it he realized his heart necklace fit squarely in the center. It had a high collar, reaching up and outwards just a little past Jeremy’s neck and making the whole thing look like the uniform of a supervillain. Finally, dark purple trim was present around the edges of the sleeves, the collar, and the bottom.

“Oh my goodness,” Jeremy marveled, taking it all in. “This. Is. Fabulous!” he gushed.

The three drones looked at each other excitedly.

“I told you he’d like it!” one whispered.

“Put it on!” another begged.

Jeremy obediently held out his arms, and they swooped forth, pulling it onto his form easily as Jeremy thrust his hands through the sleeves. “I look so cool!” he commented excitedly, twirling around to get a look at his new robes.

“Very stylish,” Nightmare Moon remarked, grinning.

“Not what I’d imagine a changeling King to look like… but not bad,” Sombra admired.

“It’s a piece of clothing,” Tirek scoffed.

“Correction: It is an incredibly cool and fashionable piece of clothing,” Jeremy lectured, crossing his arms in smug delight.

“My King, your words are too much for us lowly designers!” one of the drones exclaimed, swooning dramatically. Jeremy laughed, and knelt down to hug all three of them, shocking them.

“My words are not nearly enough to express my gratitude,” he countered. “I will wear this robe with pride.”

They hugged for a moment more, and finally Jeremy broke away to look at Chrysalis. “Though… if it’s not too much trouble…” he began, and the three clothing designers looked at him curiously. “Chrysalis, would you like a matching one?” Jeremy asked.

Chrysalis, taken by surprise, blushed slightly. “I, uh, sure?” she answered.

Jeremy looked at the designers, who saluted. “Right away, your Majesties!” they chorused in unison, before bolting away, already excitedly chittering about which colors and fabrics to use.

“You already look beautiful, but with a dress like this, I don’t think anyone will be able to resist you,” Jeremy teased.

Chrysalis fell silent, a blush spreading on her face as she fought to compose herself.

“Thou art a shameless flirt sometimes,” Nightmare Moon chided, gently cuffing Jeremy on the shoulder.

Jeremy laughed. “What? I like making people smile. It makes me feel good,” he defended.

The others laughed, except for Tirek, who put a hand to his chin in thought.

They finished off the day with yet another feast, still barely even scraping the vast quantities of food stored in the Hive.

“Just one more day until Celestia shows up,” Jeremy remarked.

“If it came down to it… could you fight her?” Tirek wondered.

Jeremy shrugged. “Won’t know until I try. I can probably make it, though,” he noted.

Tirek snorted. “I’m sure you can,” he muttered.

“Aww, thanks, big guy,” Jeremy answered.

Tirek grunted, and lumbered his way over towards where his room was.

“Goodnight, Chryssi,” Jeremy whispered a few minutes later, having brushed and tucked himself into bed. His robe hung neatly on a hook just inside the door, and he was cuddled up next to Chrysalis as usual.

“Goodnight… Jere… um… Jeremy,” she whispered back.

Jeremy chuckled quietly. “Don’t worry, you’ll think of something,” he teased.

Her belly rumbled in amusement, but she said nothing more, and the two of them drifted off to sleep.