Comforting Hermione and resolving the small trauma I might have caused her wouldn't be an easy task. These kinds of situations can break trust, but I don't think it's impossible.
I stayed with her until she woke up, and I could see how she tensed upon seeing me, despite my face displaying the kindest smile possible and my eyes reflecting calmness. I discreetly used my magic to soothe her and make her feel better. I think she noticed, but she didn't say anything about it and simply accepted that I was manipulating her emotions to help her relax.
As compensation for what I had done, I left a clone with her at all times, talking to her and keeping her company, while also using my healing magic to help her recover her original form. Though, deep down, I didn't want to lose my little kitten. Thinking about that, many ideas came to mind on how to keep her, and for that reason, a clone was working in the fief. However, a small complication arose…
...
"Come on, Lys, you can't be that mad," I said to the mare, who was lying on the ground, turning her head away from me and snorting in clear displeasure. It's surprising how, over time, she seems to become more human. "Tell me what's wrong. That bite couldn't have been an accident," I added as I rubbed my shoulder.
"You're a despicable traitor… FILTHY, FILTHY BAD STALLION!" she cried without even looking at me.
"What did I do now?" I asked, frustrated.
I was worried about Elise. The changes in her body had been drastic, to say the least, and her initial attitude made me think something had gone wrong. However, now she seemed more like an enraged girlfriend than anything else.
Elise had changed quite a bit after the experiments. Her size, which had always increased with each newly perfected lineage, seemed to have decreased by a few centimeters this time. Her eyes looked livelier and more intelligent, though without a shine. And, of course, there was no need to mention her wings. Those beautiful feathered wings growing on her back… Seriously, they're magnificent and very comfortable. Additionally, her white feathers had a particular dull glow.
Having become a flying being, she seemed lighter, though I doubt she has hollow bones like birds. Like other pegasi, her ability to fly likely depended more on magic than any reasonable physical explanation. And yes, I said she was lighter, but she probably only lost about 10 to 20 kilos at most. I don't want to talk about her weight— with each improvement, her intelligence and personality seemed to become more human, and her current tantrum only confirmed it. I don't even want to imagine what will happen if she starts becoming sensitive about her weight too…
Going back to the changes in her body, the most noticeable one was her coat. It had completely changed, losing its shine and shifting from pure white to a very light sky-blue shade. Right after the experiment, it was even a bit darker, but I suppose it will eventually return to its original color.
The real problem lay in her magical power. Once the experiment was over, her magic was almost nonexistent. It wasn't that she had lost it, but it felt as if it had been completely drained. I couldn't be sure, but I was convinced that her magical capacity was at least twice what it was before. However, having completely exhausted her magic, it was impossible to notice.
That's why she ended up so weak after the experiment. She could barely walk, let alone fly, despite her new wings. Her magic was regenerating, but at an extremely slow rate, as if it were a first charge. If she used it up again, it would recover slowly up to a certain point and then start increasing gradually. It was as if the experiment had entirely emptied her mana reserves while simultaneously expanding her maximum capacity tremendously. However, reaching that new limit would take time.
But well, putting aside her physical and magical changes, now I have to deal with her emotional issues. As I mentioned before, she seems more human with each passing day.
"Can you tell me what I did to make you angry?" I insisted once again, moving closer to her head and hugging her affectionately.
"You betrayed me…" she replied in a hurt tone. "You betrayed our relationship."
"How could I do something like that? You know how much I love you." I continued stroking her face and neck despite her attempts to resist.
"You mated with the enemy!" she suddenly shouted, turning her head toward me for the first time, her eyes filled with tears, before abruptly rising from the ground. "How could you do it with they?! They should die, not be with you!!!"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down," I gently asked, watching as her emotions started spiraling out of control. Her hooves dug forcefully into the ground, and the mere movement of her furious wings, even with the little magic she had left, stirred up an increasingly strong wind. Not to mention the small magical surge she accidentally released, completely depleting the little mana she still had.
"How do you expect me to calm down?! You mated with those stupid, disgusting spiders and… and…!" Her voice broke into sobs. She was no longer furious—she was devastated. She lowered her head and wings, and her legs began to tremble as if they might give out at any moment.
"Elise…" I whispered as I approached to gently stroke her mane.
"Why?..." she sobbed in despair. "Why did you do it with them?!"
"I had to test something…" I began explaining calmly. "Gemma is pregnant, you know that, and I had some concerns. I needed to find out certain things about my offspring. It's not like I went to the acromantulas for pleasure… Yes, they are our enemies, and that's precisely why they were the best choice for such a delicate experiment. It's not that I love them or that I've forgotten what they did to us. But I also can't say I hate all of them… because my daughters, even though they aren't acromantulas, are still spiders… and I love them. I hope you can understand that and that there won't be conflict between you. They are my daughters, Elise, and even though I didn't acknowledge them before because of their species… now I do."
Elise continued crying, both physically and inside my mind. I hadn't expected this to affect her so much, but then I realized.
"Why them…?" she sobbed. "Why can everyone have your foals except me?!" she shouted with suppressed rage.
"What…?"
"First, the human… who appeared out of nowhere and is now going to give birth to your foals, even though I was here first. I spent years by your side, being your mare… and now even our enemies!" She looked at me with a mix of frustration, anger, and sadness. "I'm at my prime and in perfect condition to give you a foal, but you won't… You keep seeking other females. Even those damn spiders before me…" Her voice trembled with pain and desperation. "Why…? Am I not your mare? Are you not my stallion? Am I wrong? Do you not love me? Is our bond not real? Why can everyone give you a foal except me…?" Her voice sounded broken, as if those doubts were tearing her apart from the inside.
"No, Elise, it's not like that… You are my mare… Look at me." I held her head with both hands, forcing her to look at me with those tear-filled eyes. "I love you. Listen to me carefully: I LOVE YOU, Elise. Never doubt that.".
Then... why?" she whispered, still unable to believe me. "Don't you think I can give birth to them…? Raise them...? Don't you think I'll be a good mother?"
"No, Elise, it's not that..." I sighed, gently caressing her face. "It seems that... you've reached that stage in life, haven't you?"
She blinked, confused, tilting her head slightly. She didn't understand my words... and perhaps, deep down, she didn't want to understand them.
"Do you remember when you told me you didn't want to have children because you were afraid they'd go through what you did?" I asked, looking at her with compassion.
Elise's eyes widened in surprise. Her body tensed for a moment before she suddenly broke free from my grasp. She firmly planted her hooves on the ground and brought her face close to mine to shout desperately:
"That's why! I regret it, I REGRET IT. Please, let me have your foal. Don't push me aside... I'll bear your foals, I beg you."
Her scream momentarily stunned me, but beyond the volume, what truly struck me was the desperation in her voice. This time, it was a different kind of fear. I could feel it. So, despite her face being just inches from mine, pleading for forgiveness with tears in her eyes, I leaned in and gave her a soft kiss before embracing her tightly.
"Calm down, my Lys... Everything is fine," I whispered, trying to soothe her.
"Please, forgive me... I'll bear your foals... Let me have them..." she kept pleading against my chest.
"I never said I wouldn't... Calm down," I tried to reassure her, and my words seemed to take effect. "That's why I said you've reached that moment... when your instinct overcomes your fear, right?"
"I'm still afraid," she admitted, her voice trembling. "But... when I saw those spiders... I thought I didn't want to be left behind. You're my stallion... my duty is to give you a strong foal. I can't let my fear take me away from my duty... I want to be like my mother... I want to feel the power of giving life... Life with you, the one I love..."
"My Lys..." I whispered tenderly. "You are not obligated to give me anything… beyond your love. But if this is truly what you desire, I'll be happy to make it happen." I kissed her head repeatedly while playing with her ear.
"Then you won't leave me behind? All the others have already given you foals… You won't take away my turn, will you?"
"Never." (Red)
"Then… will you give me a foal… even if I wasn't the first as I should have been?" (Lyz)
"If that's what you truly want… but not now," I replied calmly.
"Why?! No… no, no… I ruined it… I lost your favor," she began to sob desperately.
"It's not that," I assured her, trying to calm her down. "Remember your condition. You are no longer an ordinary unicorn… And according to our plans, the experiment isn't over yet. Think about it: what do you think would happen if we carried out another session while you were carrying a foal? Do you think it would be safe for them? Do you think they would survive? Do they deserve to feel the pain that you struggle to endure?"
Elise remained silent, lost in thought. Slowly, her expression changed as she processed my words.
"So… my own choices have taken this opportunity away from me?" she asked, her gaze distant. "Did I condemn myself?"
"No, Elise. You haven't lost anything… We're just postponing it. I know it means a lot to you, but there's no harm in waiting. We are still young… and even more so after the experiments. If my calculations are correct, your current lifespan is around 210 years… That's a lot for any known equine. What I mean is… let's finish this first, and I'll give you all the foals you desire, okay?" I kissed her nose affectionately.
"How many experiments do we have left?" she asked, still fixated on the idea of motherhood. Her natural instincts, and perhaps the springtime atmosphere of the fief, had put her in heat.
"Two… maybe three sessions, depending on how much progress we make in each. Next on our list are hippocampi and thestrals. Then, we move on to the two most complicated ones, which we can attempt together or separately: centaurs and wizards. And if you don't want to exclude them, in the non-magical category, we have ponies, zebras, and donkeys. In the magical category, we have hippogriffs, porlocks… and maybe a few more."
"Hmm… Let's start now," she said impatiently, but without energy. She hadn't recovered yet and had exhausted her magic in her outburst. She could barely stand, leaning more and more against me.
"You haven't recovered yet," I pointed out, noticing her obvious exhaustion.
"We can do something," she pleaded with those beautiful, enormous eyes.
"Mmm…" I tried to resist, but her insistence was overwhelming. Finally, I sighed and gave in. "We can continue with the non-magical ones. It's usually less demanding on your body."
"Yay…!" She neighed happily. But in her sound, there was something strange… A pronunciation that, for an instant, resembled human speech.
I dismissed it, thinking my mind was playing tricks on me.
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