Hivemind Control

The moment Cosmo was back in the room, Shining could smell that something was off. The same acrid, burnt smell that had been emanating from his food was now piping out of the tea kettle. It wasn't quite as strong, but he could still detect it out of the other aromas that were meant to cover it up.

"What kind of tea did you choose?" asked Shining. "So many choices out there, it's hard to make a decision sometimes."

"I don't do the whole 'premade' thing," replied Cosmo. "Anypony who drinks tea regularly knows that the only way to do it right is to blend your own herbs. Do you not do that, Prince Shining Armor?"

Shining chuckled. He did handle his own blends, usually in big batches every two months or so at a local tea shop in the Crystal Empire. It was a normal thing to do, no matter your class, as it didn't take much to combine dried leaves and hot water. The fact that it was seen as fancy was fallacious.

"I actually trust my herbalist," he admitted. "She's been brewing tea longer than I've been alive. I tell her what I want from my brew, and she uses her expertise to come up with something I would like. She's never disappointed me yet."

"You should give it a try," smiled Cosmo. "It's very rewarding. Picking your own flavours means it's never a shock, and you eliminate the need to rely on somepony else for your tea. Sometimes, ponies go missing."

"And what flavours did you choose for this particular kettle? I'm detecting already mulberry and rosemary."

"An astute observation. There's a few other flavours in there as well; all tasty stuff." Cosmo poured three cups, passing one to Luna first. Before he could say anything, Shining saw her take a big swallow. If Cosmo had been trying to poison him, he'd probably have gone about it slowly, which meant that whatever she was drinking down was slow acting, which likely accounted for why she was still alive. It would likely cause his body to fester and rot away like hers. He would not be held down like that.

As Cosmo handed him his teacup, their hooves grazed against each other. Cosmo's hoof felt... wrong. Like part of it was missing. It looked like everything was right where it was supposed to be, with firm callouses from hard work. It looked that way, but it didn't feel the same. It felt hard and hairless, as if his entire hoof had been coated in resin. More accurately, it felt like there was hoof everywhere, even where there should have been flesh.

"You look frightened," leered Cosmo, taking a sip. "Something wrong?"

"Just thinking to myself," nodded Shining, trying to keep his face firm. He didn't intend to let his fear shine through, and had thought that he had done a good job hiding it, but if he could read his emotions so easily, there was nothing for it. "So much information from the both of you these last two days. It's a lot to take in, and I was just taking a moment to reflect on it all."

"What part has you so on edge?"

Shining leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't answer that question honestly. Instead, he picked the third most concerning thing. "I'm worried about Celestia and Luna not being able to make up with each other."

"We want to make up," stated Luna. "It would be best if we were once again together."

"I disagree," said Cosmo. "I think it's best if you stay apart for the time being."

"Of course, you're right," muttered Luna, once again deferring to his choice. "But perhaps eventually?"

"Perhaps. I don't want to be caught in the middle of the two of you again."

"Okay."

There it was. This was what Shining was so upset about. Cosmo was actively controlling Luna in front of him, when it should have been the other way around. Certainly, he knew how important it was to keep your private affairs and professional business separate, and even knew that mares that were quiet and submissive on the job could very easily tie him to the bed and whip him until he begged to be fucked with a strap-on. It was reasonable to guess that Luna, a ruling body of authority, could be sexually into being told what to do, but this was a step too far. She needed to be able to find a middle ground with Celestia.

"Perhaps right away," suggested Shining. "No stallions between you, just a few mares to make sure that you don't fight?"

Luna's eyes opened wide, and for a moment, Shining could see joy on her face. "We could do that."

"No, we can't," retorted Cosmo. "It's too early. They were separated to recover from what's been taking their minds apart. If we joined them together right now, you'd just cause them to drift even further apart. I will not let you make them hate each other!"

All of the rapturous happiness that had flooded Luna's face at the thought of seeing her sister again suddenly drained away. She looked down at the floor and folded her front legs, like a filly being told she couldn't have cake on her birthday. "If you think that's best."

Shining couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was not a fun bedroom dynamic or a codependent relationship. Luna was a puppet being controlled by Cosmo. "That's not your decision to make. It's hers."

"You weren't there," growled Cosmo in response. "You didn't see what happened."

"Keeping them apart will not heal their relationship," scowled Shining. "They need to work this out, and as soon as Luna's ready to go, I'm going to arrange it."

"Good luck convincing the princesses not to fight with each other," barked Cosmo. "They're going to come to blows again, mark my words!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"What, you're going to convince them not to fight? You can't even convince your own sister to let you investigate me!" The room fell silent as Cosmo and Shining glared at each other. After a minute, Cosmo smirked and began clapping slowly. "Almost. I was so close. You just had to press, didn't you?" He took a deep breath and chuckled. "Perhaps I have been sloppy. Oh, well. No matter now."

He kicked the door shut, letting the lock fall into place. The guard outside the door looked down at the lock and, realizing that he didn't have the key, ran off to the front office. As he was no longer around, Cosmo jumped to his hooves, and dropped his disguise. After a quick smirk, he shifted once more, taking the form of Shining Armor himself. "I will not let you harm Princess Luna any further, you foul creature!"