Night prowled through the streets of Canterlot unopposed as she approached the hive. She looked it up and down as she approached it, muttering faintly under her breath. "Stupid stallion…" She came up to the guards before the hive and nodded to either. "I'm here to see Fast Change."
“Do you have an appointment?” One guard asked absently only to receive a glare from his compatriot.
“She doesn’t need an appointment, doofus!” the other guard snapped, “Right this way Mrs. Watch.”
Ugh, she was Missus Watch. She would… Night shook her head as she proceeded forward. Why didn't Silver understand? She was trying to protect him, all of them! With a loud snort, she followed after the changelings, though said little.
The changelings led her through the hive’s labyrinthine interior before stopping before one of the smaller, personal, audience chambers, “The Princess will be in to see you shortly.”
Night strolled in and began to pace, looking at the various decor. Unlike a 'traditional' hive, there were more things to remind one of a normal pony home, with paintings, tables, and general clutter to distract one from the idea that the inhabitants were insectile in thinking.
"You look nervous." Fast entered from outside. "Is it Silver? Is he in trouble again?"
Night turned towards Fast with relief flooding through her. Fast understood… "Yes. He decided he doesn't want to marry you."
Fast recoiled. "But… I thought…"
"So did I," agreed Night. "You were going to join our herd."
"But… you're here. You…?" She sounded so lost.
Night would protect her. She advanced. "It's alright. You're still invited."
Fast blinked at that. "Invited to what?"
"I'm making a herd." She turned to the side and stood so that her mixed status was easily visible. "I will be your stallion."
Fast sank to her haunches. "I… Look, that's… appealing, really, it is… I want nothing more right this second than to let you do what you want with that thing of yours."
"But?"
"What happened?" Fast leaned forward and nuzzled Night gently. "I don't oppose the idea of you wearing the pants of the herd, but why?"
"Because I can protect it." All the cards were coming out. There was no need to hide. "I learned magic, powerful magic. Be my First Wife, Fast, and I'll protect you gladly."
Fast shook her head slowly. "I… You forgot something."
"I did?"
Fast poked Night on the nose gently. "The mares protect the stallion."
Night felt something break as she crashed to the ground on her belly. The mares protect the stallion… How did she forget?
Fast nuzzled her left ear gently. "It's not that bad. You look sexy as hell. Want to give it a spin?"
Night fought her way to sitting on her haunches, "So you'll be part of my herd?"
"As soon as you go back to Silver, yes. We can all--"
"I told you!" Night bristled with sudden fury. "He doesn't want a herd… He wants to get married, the old-fashioned way."
Fast worked her jaw quietly a moment. "Oh…"
"See? No herd with him." She rose to her hooves. "I'm forming a herd, and you'll be part, please. You'll make a fine First Wife."
Fast gave a smile, a sad smile. "I want to, really… Look, why don't you think about this? My house is your house, you're welcome to stay here and decompress." She leaned forward and kissed Night's cheek. "I love you."
Night staggered out of the room. She had been welcomed there, to the hive, but she did not have her wife at all. That hadn't gone nearly as well as she thought, as she'd… hoped…
Surprise led the way, a strange juvenile burgundy changeling with a distended jaw and shark-like teeth trotting at her side, and a fairly nondescript changeling drone following behind. Suddenly the drone moved in front of the family, “It is the mean pony who tried to hurt Z-978’s hive sister in the bat-time!”
“Z,” Surprise corrected gently, “We’ve been over this. Those worlds weren’t real. And you shouldn’t call them bats. They don’t like that.”
The shark-toothed filly trotted up to Night curiously, “I remember you. You were that diplomat’s wife who came to see Uncle Train Wreck in the hospital. He was the human in the pod…”
Night blinked in surprise, her confusion wiped away with the new situation. "Hmm? Human?" She tilted her head. "I was…" She glanced from pony to changeling to… Oh. "Surprise." She gave a little smile, before she remembered. "Oh, sorry. Is everyone alright?"
Surprise gave a deep sigh, “As alright as we can be. I don’t know how much you heard… I was pretty hysterical when I wrote that letter. But you know about what happened to the bakery, right? And what happened to my husband, Train Wreck?”
“It was Luna’s fault,” the smaller, shark-tooth changeling sulked.
“Diane,” Surprise said wearily. “This is not the time to have this talk again. Anyway, meet… what’s left of my family. This is my adopted daughter, Diane, and my herd sister, Z-978.”
“Z-978 is pleased to meet the Night Watch who is not a servant of the evil Nightmare Moon,” Z smiled brightly.
“Hi,” Diane smiled, trying not to show her teeth, “We’ve met, but I was pretending to be a grown up changeling nurse. I’m not allowed to play pretend anymore.”
Night nodded to each of them even as the words echoed in her head. The mares protect the stallion, what if the stallion were a mare, and could defend him, or her, self? "I'm sorry for your loss. What… brings you here?" She gestured around the hive in general.
“Princess Fast Change is letting us stay here for a while,” Surprise bowed her head sadly, “We all lived in the bakery. We had an apartment downstairs. With the bakery gone and Charlie too… I’m just not sure what we’re going to do now.”
Z moved to nuzzle and support Surprise, while Diane glared at Night accusingly, “You made mom cry!”
“It’s okay sweetie,” Surprise sniffled and put on a strong face, “It’s not Night’s fault. I’m really sorry. She can get protective, since… you know…”
Night drew a small breath. Was this the mare she had been so angry about? Who… "So… you're from… wherever Silver was, right?" She glanced left and right. "Tell me about it? Maybe talking about that will lighten the mood a little?"
“Okay,” Surprise nodded sadly, “It might really help, come on we might want to go back to our suite, instead of talking in the hallway.”
Surprise led the way as she spoke quietly, “It wasn’t just me and Silver. There were lots of ponies there. And other humans. My Charlie was there, but he was like Silver. He wasn’t from our world he was…”
“Luna put him in that stupid nightmare!” Diane said, snapping her vicious teeth for emphasis, “It was terrible! I saw it once! Everything was all broken and mean! And Celestia tortured humans and threw them in even worse nightmares!”
“Diane,” Surprise nuzzled the filly, “Princess Luna was trying to help. Your uncle was hurt very bad, he’d been hit by a train. Luna wanted to make things better.”
"By a train?" Night squinted faintly. Princesses had not turned out well. Luna was a huge headache, even if she was sexy. Celestia, total stuck up… Fast… Even Silver… Maybe royalty just wasn't for her… "Tell me, how did you end up with a herd, instead of, you know, the usual marriage?"
“Well,” Surprise smiled a little as they reached the door to her suite, “I met Charlie in my world. He was a lost human eating out of a dumpster. He was confused and angry, and nearly naked. I couldn’t leave him like that! I just couldn’t.”
The changelings proceeded into the room, followed by Surprise and finally Night. They all took seats as Surprise continued her story. “I let him stay in my Pinkie Cave, and we became really good friends. Almost a lot more than friends. We’d play naughty pranks, and stay up all night laughing. But… well in that world I was the element of laughter, and Charlie was… well at the time I thought it was part of his condition, but it wasn’t, he was right. Celestia really was out to get humans. Anyway I sent him away where I thought he could be safe and happy and I thought I had all the time in the world to go back and we could maybe just be us… I guess you know how that worked out…”
Night rolled a hoof as she settled onto her haunches. "I understand that, but none of it explains how you ended up in a herd. Besides, that was then, how did you do it now? I mean, if you'd rather not say, I won't pry…"
“What does Night Watch mean?” Z-978 interrupted in confusion, “How do we do what now? We are a family. We are together in a dream or in a not-time or in the world. Because if we are not together we are broken. Even Z-978 understands this.”
“I guess you could say it’s complicated,” Surprise admitted, “Each of us intercepted each other’s path before we ever met in the ‘real' world. The pieces just seemed to fall where they fit.”
“Actually in the dream, I was Charlie’s wife,” Diane bragged. “He didn’t know how old I was… or maybe he did and that’s why I could never get past snuggles…”
Night raised a brow at Diane. What a strange family she had the fortune(?) to meet. "I see, well, Night Watch is my name. I was a night guard for quite a long time, and good at it I'd say." Her wings rustled on her back. "So… not really a herd now, with no stallion."
“What does Night Watch mean we are not a herd?” Z cocked her head to the side. “Z-978 loves her sisters. Z-978’s sisters love her. We are a family. We are a herd.”
“I have to agree with Z, Night,” Surprise nodded, “What do you mean?”
"You can be a family without being a herd." She held up a hoof. "I wouldn't want to imply you're less of a family, because obviously you care about each other, but you aren't a herd. Without a stallion, there is no herd."
“I think I see what you're getting at,” Surprise scrunched her face a little in thought, “But how does it make a difference what you call it? We had a husband, and a brother, and an Uncle. Now we don’t. Now we have each other. I really don’t get where you're going with this Night, I’m really sorry…”
Was she going anywhere? Night rolled an ear back. "Sorry…" Even in her state, it seemed wrong. "You must be sad." A smile suddenly erupted over her face. "We've only met a few times, but I know what you need to do." She rose to her hooves. "They have a kitchen around here?"
“Of course we have kitchen.” Diane rolled her eyes. “These suites are for pony guests. We do know ponies have to eat food. You know that, right?”
“Diane!” Surprise scolded. “It would be nice to do some baking again. Although, I guess since smarty pants changelings don’t need to eat they don’t want cupcakes…”
“Z is not a smarty pants,” Z cut in quickly, “The other changelings remind of her this! Z-978 wants cupcakes!”
“Can we make banana bread?” Diane asked earnestly. “It was always Uncle Train Wreck’s favorite!”
“What about you, Night?” Surprise smiled. “I know that you don’t know me very well, but how about a ‘Yay We Found Another Friend We Met In An Alternate Universe Party?”
"Better than the alternative." She adjusted her glasses lightly. "I'll help, if you don't mind?"
“It’s always more fun with friends to help.” Surprise felt the hint of her first real smile since the funeral.
“What is this ‘alternative’ Night Watch speaks of?” Z whispered to her sister.
“I’m pretty sure she was totally hitting on mom.” Diane shifted her eyes left then right. “But I think it’s okay now. I’m not gonna have to see if her head will fit inside my mouth this time…”
Night Watch is really messing up the herd...Silver's actions/reaction/lack-of-action didn't help.
This is a right mess.
she thought, she she'd... - she thought, as she'd... --or-- she thought, she... she'd...
This is not the time - this is not the time
what what if the stallion is a mare - what what if the stallion --or-- but what if the stallion
stallion is a mare - stallion were a mare
and can defend him - and could defend him
was out get humans - was out to get humans
as Surprised continued - as Surprise continued
the ‘real; world - the ‘real' world
not a herd. - not a herd?
what your getting at- what you're getting at
What about you, Night. - What about you, Night?
*****
And a hearty breakfast for a Monday morning!
A little lighter than the previous chapter, for which I am grateful to you and Ki. Still there is a lot of heavy material here to consider.
It's increasingly evident that Night Watch is not thinking as clearly as she usually does, if she's forgetting key concepts of herd structure as well as trampling over other people's feelings in her desire to put a herd together as quickly as possible. I see a glimmer of light that the realities of what she's seeking are starting to percolate in her clever mind.
The sense I'm getting now is that many random elements have been injected into her life and the lives of her family, and the situation is in flux as it all seeks a new balance. There is chaos, but the most extreme pathways forward are being eliminated one by one. I hope that everyone gets a chance to catch a breath before more chaos is introduced to the system.
7321336 Despite Silver not wanting to drift back to same herd dynamic in his dreamworld, the soft touch approach isn't working with Night, time to put his hoof down and fix this.
7321336 Typos fixed, ugh, and so many. We should be ashamed. Good thing we got rid of such emotions.
So Night is trying to protect those she cares about...but from what exactly? She's clearly not herself if she doesn't have a clear idea of what she's doing with her actions and I doubt getting male bits alone caused this.
7321455
Direct confrontation is likely just as bad an idea as passivity.
Silver is a clever pony and he has clever friends and loved ones. If there is a middle ground to be found it will be.
Night be like, "Hey, there's a herd that needs a stallion."
Look's a little closer, "Yeah... nevermind..."
Things are getting worryingly bad when an alternate reality Pinkie is the most stable part of the story.
7321654 His passive approach seemed to have the opposite desired effect.
7322121 Wouldn't passivity involve agreeing? Going with what Fast wants would create new problems, but these are not they. You keep using that word, but I'm not sure it applies.
7322121
Yes, I agree that the passive approach was not what was needed, but I also feel that the opposite, aggressive attempts at control, are also not the answer, either. There may be a middle ground and it may not involve Silver directly but some intermediary.
Wait and see is the order of the day with serial dramas.
7322321
Somepony needs to stop feeding the drama llama!
I'm with you in the hope that Night realizes how oblivious she's gotten in an almost desperate attempt to keep this herd together. The clues keep knocking on her head, trying to get in. The mention about mares protecting the stallion happily match up with my own head cannon. I suppose the other part about the [alpha] stallion mitigating/defusing disputes between the mares [beta or not] is probably also true.
I'm also thinking that gem with the Stallionhood transmog on it is more trouble than it's worth; not unlike the Alicorn Amulet. It's almost as corrupting, sheesh.
7322249
I stand corrected. Perhaps the better word is non-confrontational?
You know it's bad when your perceived enemies shoot down your weirdness. Come on, Night, get yourself together!
It's neat to see other characters join the fray temporarily.
Keep going! ;)
7322249
7322321 Don't know what to think anymore, I'm just a bloke, all I see is black & white. Night has way more grey areas than I'm used to in a lady. ( you'll probably all burn me for this one, but I'm just confused now.)
sisters
So when is Night going to run the odds on herself? Or is she going to remain blind to possibilities until it gives her CUtie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome?
7322908 Fixed, and we are most often blind to our own follies.
Drama time, I can never tell who's in the right in these situations, are neither? Are both? Hype yay!
7323153 That is a very nuanced thought. Things are always more complicated when there isn't a distinct bad guy.
7321336 I feel bad for the Pastel family (for my readers, this takes place shortly after the funeral, but before the events of the "Circus" arc). They are already in a raw, painful place to be pulled into the domestic disputes of other ponies.
So in night's mind she has already left silver and is looking for new herdmembers. I wonder when she will realize that it was silver most of them was interested of. And now she is of and inviting other to join her alone she either has left silver or she is cheating on him
Not gonna like that the second half with Surprise completely lost me. More really could have been done to explain her backstory. At the same time I feel disappointed in Night Watch. Her insecurities seem to stem from her forgetting a fundamental aspect of her own culture.
7527037 This alternative Pinkie Pie has a whole story I wrote for her. Check out One Step, Pink Step.
7527068 Maybe consider picking an appropriate chapter to link that story in, like you've done so many times before? He's not the only one suddenly lost due to the missing backstory.
Wait, What? When did Surprise get a family? How are there more peeps from the dream?
I'm so confused.
8084907 Surprise wandered off to KiKi's story. Things happened.