“No, it’s definitely not supposed to do that,” Queen Chrysalis confirmed. She gently tapped my horn. Causing it to jiggling and me to yelp out in pain.
"I'm gonna peel you apart layer by layer if you do that again!"
That got a giggle out of Chrysalis.
"You've yet to show proficiency in the Sharpened Will spell or any alternatives, Prince Phasma. And you're in no condition for casting spells."
"Does My Queen know what ails our Prince?" Nurse Obturator asked from behind Chrysalis.
"Yes. He's losing his horn."
"Thanks captain obvious."
"Captain Obvious has been retired from the Equestrian Royal Guard for thirty years now. Prince Phasma, this has nothing to do with ponies. No, your horn is falling out. Not to worry though, you will sprout a replacement.”
“Changelings don’t just grow horns! We’re not deer!”
Chrysalis grinned. “Astute observation, Prince Phasma. We are changelings, yes. However, you forget that we are changeling royals, our biology differs from that of a drone’s.”
“So are you saying that your horn falls out, too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, of course not.”
I groaned and put my head in my hooves. Then I yelped in pain and shot upwards when I accidentally brushed against my horn.
“Then what the fuck is happening to me?”
Chrysalis’s grin vanished as quickly as it appeared. She cleared her throat, “It would appear that there are unforeseen consequences to your upbringing.”
Behind her, Nurse Obturator opened his mouth and raised a hoof as if to argue, but quickly shut his mouth and put his hoof back down.
Chrysalis continued, “It’s not unheard of for a changeling royal to lose their horn. It is assumed to be a… defect…. However we have neither the time nor the resources to truly investigate the matter. You will have to be placed in a healing pod shortly as you transition to a new horn. An unfortunate delay in your training, but I’m certain you will be able to make up for lost time.”
‘There’s definitely something she’s not telling me.’
“I’m going to be placed into a pod and that’s it? I’ll be all good?”
“Yes.”
“No chance of anything going horribly wrong?”
“Y-Yes.”
“You hesitated there.”
“No.”
“How bad is it?”
“....There is a chance you will explode.”
‘Oh god I’m gonna die again!’
She must have noticed the clear signs of panic because she followed up with, “Just a small chance. Well not really, but I’m sure you will be fine. You’re too important to my plans to die.”
“How reassuring.”
“Keep your sarcasm limited, Prince Phasma. You’re not as witty as you think you are. No, you will not die to this. Losing your connection to your mana-pool is far from safe, but you will have access to the best healing on this continent.”
‘I died once before, it’s not like I have plot armor or anything.’
“You may suffer other symptoms, though. Do not panic, I can have your peytral enchanted with a permanent disguise spell if you turn pastel green or pink.”
“I think I’d prefer death.”
“A reasonable response, but your duties come first. Once Equestria has been conquered, then I may consider a petition for your release from life, My Pretty Pink Prince Phasma.”
More carefully this time, I facehoofed.
“Ain’t this just fantastic? What does this mean for my immediate future?”
“You will molt very soon. Your combat training will also be delayed a bit to make sure that there are no complications, but you will begin reforming the Swarm soon. You have been creating a plan, of course.”
“Yes,” I answered the non-question. “I have been putting no small amount of thought into it.”
‘As well as finding answers that I need, ones that you won’t provide. Speaking of which.’
“Queen Chrysalis? Is there a reason you couldn’t acquire Equestrian books on military tactics?”
She took little time to think of a response.
“The infiltrator network has yet to breach Upper Canterlot, let alone the E.U.P., and the ponies keep their military tactics close to their chest. Rest assured, as the promised day grows closer, we will gain access to their codices and doctrines. The best way to fight an enemy is to know how they think, after all. It would be preferable to manufacture and distribute their training manuals ourselves for obvious reasons, but we do not have the time for such a deep infiltration.”
“I suppose I’ll have to implement counter-strategies and drills in the small amount of time between the delivery of their manuals and the invasion day?”
“You have excelled at all goals placed before you thus far. But first, you should focus on the herculean task in front of you: the Swarm’s reformation.”
For security’s sake, the bio-pod was placed in my own room. Nothing’s better than the most defended wing of the entire hive, after all. Nurse Obturator and Chamberlain Eucharis were in my room with me, the nurse to oversee and control the process, and the chamberlain for some reason I didn’t know.
My bed, still bare, had been pushed to the corner of the room. In its stead, a dark blue ovoid dominated the small room. It had a glisten to it, like I was looking at hardened candy. Knowing that it was going to be filled with a love slurry added to this comparison, though strangely enough I was not looking forward to being submerged in the drugs-gel combination.
‘I really hope I can’t overdose on love. I’m too handsome to die!’
Obturator popped open the top using his magic, revealing the translucent pinkish slurry within.
“This positively charged psychomagnotheric love-gel will help facilitate the sealing of your mana-pool when it’s exposed to the outside environment. In addition, it will also prevent infections. Now, Prince Phasma, all you have to do is hop in. Once you are lulled to sleep, I will close the pod. Your health will be checked up on several times a day.”
I turned to face the nurse. “Look, I don’t mean to call into question your qualifications– mostly because I doubt their existence– but this does not look like something I want to ‘hop in.’ It looks like it’s going to digest me!”
“Well…”
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” I rubbed my temples.
“I was joking, My Prince. I am sorry, this is serious business. It’s perfectly fine, plenty of changelings are podded to repair serious injuries. I’ve got a pod occupied right now, down in the medical spire. Everything will be fine.”
Eucharis added, “I was briefly podded a few years ago when an accident destroyed part of the training room I was in, Prince Phasma. It fixed me right up, and was as pleasant as a long snooze.”
My studies did briefly cover the different pods. These had a very, very high success rate, the kind that human doctors would salivate over. Or insurance companies looking to bleed people dry.
“It looks disgusting.”
“We all endure hardships, Your Highness,” Eucharis spoke up. “Surely some discomfort is worth not dying?”
‘Eucharis has a point, I’m acting like I’m a six-month-old child. I need to stop acting my age.’
“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry, this pain has made me irritable.”
Eucharis gave me a smile, then nodded towards the pod.
I dipped a hoof in. It was lukewarm, and the slime felt strange on my chitin. I buzzed up and above the pod and slowly lowered myself into it and the sudden movement sent a jab of pain through my head. The pod was giving me a very strong sense of déjà vu.
“Hey, is this the same stuff that’s in larva eggs?”
Obturator’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s actually very similar. In fact, we discovered it after reverse-engineering the albumen fluid found within those eggs.”
“Your mind never rests, it seems, My Prince.”
“Not by choice. I’ll see you when I wake up and undertake the biggest reformation in changeling history, then?”
“Yes, My Prince. Focus on that, and a week will fly by in the blink of an eye.”
I already felt the warm ooze– which should by all accounts freak me out– start to make me feel drowsy.
‘Why does love always make me sleepy? What is love?’
My eyelids started getting heavy and I didn’t fight to keep them open. As I let them fall closed, I sunk lower into the gel. I didn’t even notice when my head became fully submerged in, though I did notice the pain slowly ebb away. My whole body, in fact, started to feel better immediately.
‘There must also be a numbing property as well.’
I couldn’t tell when I fell asleep. The moments seemed to blend in with each other as blackness took me.
However, I knew I was asleep for some time when I started dreaming.
My eyes shot open and I found myself staring at the night sky. My night sky, not the alien one I caught glimpses of during my flying lessons. I could point out the constellations. The Big Dipper. The… well only the Big Dipper.
Still, the sight made me smile. I was lying down, I noticed. Turning my head, I felt fine silt brush against the back of my head and neck as I turned towards the side. Grayish white rocks and powder rose up to meet the sky. It looked like I was in a crater.
A glance at the night sky confirmed my suspicions.
Flipping over and standing on all fours, I rose out of the shallow crater and took in my surroundings: a vast, unending landscape of white dunes, rocks, and craters.
I looked down at myself. Unlike my last eventful dream, I had no space suit. No, I was as naked as the day I was born. And the day I hatched. And every day after that one, except for one occasion where I had a fancy necklace.
I giggled at my own joke, but I couldn’t hear myself. I felt the vibrations from my vocal chords, but no sound reached my ears. Instead, I heard someone else’s voice. A very familiar someone.
Someone feminine and right behind me.
“Who Hath… Chrysalis? My, this is a most unexpected development.”
‘Can’t go a week without this shit.’
I put on as big of a smile as I could, and turned around.
She's enjoying this WAY too much.
If you only knew.
Oooh! Four earns you a cookie.
Phrasing there, queenie.
Hey! Phrasing!
Sometimes both.
Baby don't hurt me; don't hurt me; no more~.
Oh, dear. Things just got more interesting.
Hercules, I wonder if that was the name of a pony?
although they have something similar to Latin, and with Greece, the Pegasi have a lot of things
Fancy that! Did you know there are certain bee species where the male drones explode during copulation? It creates an audible pop that people can hear.
I guess we know what fate waits Phasma now!
Edit: Calling the pairing right now: Phasma and Nightmare Moon. MAKE IT HAPPEN!
10554682
Instead of spamming a ton of replies for every little line, why don't you just EDIT your first one and add to it?
So it would seem that we're finally seeing some repercussions for Phasma's accelerated growth. I'm curious to see exactly what the consequences will be to his appearance that Bug Momma hinted at. And is anyone else amused that after six months, Phasma has finally had his first temper tantrum?
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Also, good lord Chrome, have you never heard of combining your posts/statements? That was way overkill.
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Sorry. I'm using my PS4 to do this, so it's just easier for me this way.
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That is a lame excuse if I ever heard one. Sorry you couldn't take the 30 extra seconds of effort.
I am sure i already seeing her giggle fanart somewhere but i forgot...
Edit:
Well not fanart but close enough ¯\_༼ •́ ͜ʖ •̀ ༽_/¯
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f623f8c8-fa24-4636-9c57-67befd69e937/d7o4531-bdf894ab-843d-47c7-9787-4e1cdc862a77.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvZjYyM2Y4YzgtZmEyNC00NjM2LTljNTctNjdiZWZkNjllOTM3XC9kN280NTMxLWJkZjg5NGFiLTg0M2QtNDdjNy05Nzg3LTRlMWNkYzg2MmE3Ny5naWYifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.niAGZlInIoxag2RAY7nb_kwzmsehjSTPbMLsjEHf5CU
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Question: What makes you laugh?
Phasma: "Puns so bad I recoil in pain."
Chrysalis: "The suffering of others."
Don't make me say it...
"Endymion"
'Endymion was a person of Greek mythology, a beautiful youth who spent most of his time in perpetual sleep. He was loved by Selene, the goddess of the moon, who would visit him every night while he lay asleep.'
Have I mentioned how interesting I find mythology, or how it somehow incorporates into every chapter? Every part that comes out, I look up who or what you named and I find something new. So I have decided to share the myth and lore behind each chapter for others to see, if you will allow me.
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I, a random bystander, approve
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I, a random author, very much approve
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Many thanks to you both.
I wish I had done it sooner.
Well I think he might be in for a bit of a rude shock a few years down the road, depending on how things play out.
Who said he'd be using spells?
Ah yes, Phasma’s two choices of company: evil queen or evil big queen.
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2 Evil Queens? Lucky guy.
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You've obviously never tried working with the PS4's crappy web browser. Anything more complicated than clicking links is a nightmare to get working right, if it's even possible with all the limitations.
People crap on basic Internet Explorer for being what it is, but PS4's browser barely even functions most of the time.
Also, before anyone gets on me for not simply editing my previous comment; I almost did. But the content of that post has nothing to do with this one, so I deliberately kept them separate.
I had wondered if it was a result of his shape changing taking features from what he turned into.
He emerged from the pod, shaking off the goop as shocked eyes watched. "What?" He stretched his wings, flicking more gunk from the feathers- ah. "Oh. Oooh. Oh shit."
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Changelin's have ... LAYERS.
Very nice. This looks like a reformed luna at this point, I wonder how she'll react if it is her.
I love where you're taking this, I look forward to more.
How
Like is he getting filled up with methane gas of something.
Seriously like how does someone or in is case Changeling just explode by being put into a healing pod.
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Maybe something goes wrong with their manapool? Like it gets pressurized trying to escape and the pod seals it so it cant. Then boom.
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Still not buying it. There is NO REASON to post multiple one line replies to that, each quoting a different line, simply because you don't want to spend the effort. Any line you want to quote you don't have to go back up, find, and make a separate reply for. Just, you know, type it out by hand and use your freaking keyboard to add the [ quote ] tags. No, making replies like that is still BS. If you think that's the best way to make replies, don't bother replying at all.
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What boggles me is using a PS4 to read and comment on a web site. If you have a few hundred to drop on a fancy consol, why can't you afford a cheap laptop or cheaper phone-- seen more than a few one-shots on fimfic that was written on a phone (with lots of typos). Heck, a Chromebook isn't much more than those Triple-A rated games?
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You know what happens to champagne when pop the cork? Yea, that.
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What keyboard? The PS4 has a controller and buggy as hell input boxes, which are a nightmare for sites like this. And I didn't say it was the best way, just that the alternative is a pain in the @$$ and/or impossible on the tech they're using.
Also, not everyone knows enough html to do manual tags in the first place.
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Their computer probably crapped out on them. It happened to me a while back, and given my lack of options (I have a flip phone w/basic talk and text) I had to resort to my PS4 browser for literally anything internet related while I waited for my new one to come in.
So, you know, speaking from experience here.
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https://www.psu.com/news/how-to-use-a-keyboard-and-mouse-on-ps4-and-which-games-are-compatible/
Wow. That took me exactly 10 seconds to search... If you can afford a PS4, you can afford a cheap wired USB keyboard, and I don't see why you wouldn't get one if you intend to use it to reply to website and forum posts. My sister has had a keyboard and mouse for her PS4 since she got the dang thing.
The tags are pretty dang easy to remember. Every time you press one of those nifty little buttons above the text window they show up in your reply box. If you don't have two braincells to spare to remember the basic ones then that's not my problem.
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Two things, and then I'm done with this conversation. Fistly, "intend". It's entirely possible, and even likely, that they didn't intend to use it for such. I personally have a Playstation for playing games -since that's kind of the whole point of a dedicated gaming console- and a PC for everything else. So if the latter breaks down, I'm stuck dealing with the former for however long it takes to either fix it or get a new one.
Secondly, "afford". You seem to think that owning a big name gaming console means that you have the income to make such purchases lightly. It doesn't. I saved up for months to be able to "afford" a PS5 and a single game. I now have a brand new console sitting in my room... and just under 200$ to my name until my next check. And even if they did buy a keyboard, they'd still have to deal with the aforementioned buggy input boxes. The issue is less one of hardware and more that the PS browser is a poorly designed interface that was obviously tacked on as an afterthought at launch and never patched afterwards.
Anyways, I'm done here.
First: I think you mean "firstly". I don't know what "fistly" is. And IF he didn't intend to use it as such, he wouldn't have done so repeatedly for half a dozen comments in a row. The fact that he did and has used it as such seems like pretty big intent to use it in such a manner to me. What a coincidence. My sister has her PS4 to play games also, but she still uses a keyboard and mouse with it, to play games.
Second: If you have a $300 to $500 gaming console, then yes, I certainly do think you have disposable income to buy a keyboard and mouse. Especially considering PS4 games can retail at list for around $60 US dollars, and a USB Keyboard and mouse combo can be acquired for $20 or so. That's a third the cost a single game can be. So it's not as big a purchase as you're making out. It's your choice to buy an overpriced piece of hardware that will be oudated in a couple years. SO if you're nearly broke due to that, that's not my problem.
I'm glad you're done. It was a boring conversation anyhow.
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I seem to recall an old geek tv episode where they hacked a PS3(?) to run linux. Dunno if it could run Crysis but I thought it was nifty "lets see if this works" trick.
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Huh, nifty! Makes me think of all the things people have hacked to play the original DOOM.
AWESOME chapter!
This does nothing to disabuse me of my earlier suspicion that Eucharis is Daddy.
So refreshing to see a human turned changeling story where the main protagonist doesnt have a "Save the ponies" hero complex.
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yeah just a slight moral imperative
YO THE CHAMBERLAIN IS HIS DAD BRO
Chrysalis being sus as usual, well she did say she didn't technically kill her offspring. They just had a series of mysterious accidents that no one really needs looking into.
This mysterious occurance also doesn't need looking into as its nothing serious as Chrysalis points out.
Also doesn't help that this all occurred after that interrogation about his siblings from chrysalis.
One week to befriend Nightmaremoon/ Luna i guess?
Bloody hell... They can explode?!
Great Chrysalis forced increased growing in mind and body and now hoped a healing pod can fix everything ?
Indeed going trough Changeling royals like candels...
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Who did you upset that someone focus on downvoting normal comments?
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Im surprised your dont have likes in the double degit at least...
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Multilayer personality for a infiltrator. Multilayer for the thick headed Changelings
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Bloody firework if Cadance and Shining do there love repellant spell?
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That dark... Let me give you a hug
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Kaiba is Chrysalis and everyone is the stairs and/or there inventor
The banter between him and Chrissy almost made her endearing there for a second.
It's amazing how you do this. Every chapter there is at LEAST one line that genuinely makes me laugh. Great author, great story