//------------------------------// // 136- Garmr // Story: Changing Expectations // by KKSlider //------------------------------// Luna stepped off the platform as I triple checked her disguise. It was ramshackle, didn’t quite fit, and still made her out to be a giant of a pony. But it would have to do. Her disguise, a pegasus with a grey coat and blue mane as per her own suggestion, was created using a disguise spell that was apparently stolen from pony society ages ago. Coxa had provided it, having read it in one of the books he had a chance to skim over before we left the Fourth Hive for an invasion. His memory was clearly far from perfect, as I could tell the disguise was breaking in countless places. The spell had nevertheless piqued the ponies’ interest, and he had been swamped for the next hour explaining the spell. Luna did a slow circle, taking in every sight she could. The city ahead of us dominated the horizon, but there were dozens of ponies walking around us, in the air, or otherwise filling the city. Her circle stopped when she caught me staring at her. “See something you like?” Luna asked in a sing-song tone. “A bunch I don't like, too.” Her expression hardened, “How bad is it?” “It won’t hold up to any scrutiny, and you can forget about using it tonight.” Luna huffed, “Damn. Summon the carriage let us figure out what our plan is, in that case.” “Already on its way. I called for one when the train came to a halt.” I had basically yelled over the Weave that Luna and I arrived that we were here for the day. “And tonight?” Luna asked. She wanted to visit Last Chance, the Speakeasy we owned here in Manehattan. “You’ll have to go without a disguise.” “I can’t do that!” She whispered. “The political ramifications would be unfathomable. Unfathomable, Expected Value, unfathomable!” I was disguised as my favorite pony-sona, of course. It would rather defeat the point of us going unnoticed if I was out and about, especially with a strange mare in my arms… forelegs? A carriage arrived, stopping in front of us without a single word. The puller, a blue earth pony, nodded to me once. I opened the door for Luna, and shut it behind me when I entered. After we got situated, I told the driver to send us to the Manehattan headquarters of the Hive. “So?” Luna asked. “So fuck the consequences.” “Phasma, you know that things are fragile right now.” “So being seen partying with changelings is bad press?” “Being seen breaking laws is.” “Pssh, what law are you breaking?” “The Prohibition on alcohol?” “You’re not selling or transporting it,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s no law against being a customer. In fact, you’ll be helping our species’ relationship by showing cooperation and a lack of fear.” “That is not how many ponies will see it,” Luna sighed. “They’ll see what they want to see. A few might think poorly of this, but the majority of ponies that give you any backlash will have done so regardless.” “.... Perhaps you are right. I do not fully believe you, however. This is something you do not have experience with.” “Look Luna, it’s our vacation. Do you really want to spend it worrying about what others might think about us?” That got her thinking. “We don’t have to decide just yet, just… think about how excited you were.” Luna sighed heavily, “This also means that we will not be able to see many of the city’s sights.” “Will it?” “Yes? How am I able to relax with ponies showering me with questions, affection, hatred, or otherwise attention?” “If you never make a public appearance, how will the public see you? If they see you interacting with the city and other ponies like a normal person, isn’t that for the best?” “As a public relations stunt, most assuredly.” “It’s either that or we forgo most of the city entirely.” “... We will try it your way. But! If I am not satisfied, we cut the tour off.” “That’s perfectly fine,” I said. “You won’t regret it.” “Do not make promises you can not keep, King Phasma.” I leaned over and get her a peck on the bridge of her nose. “It’ll be fine, Luna. Worst case scenario, we make the club invite-only. There’s plenty of regulars who would be vetted by the changelings there, so you’ll still have ponies partying in the club if you want the authentic experience.” Luna nodded slowly, “That is… acceptable. Thank you, Phasma.” When we arrived at the office building the Fifth Hive used as our headquarters, Thorax and Double Diamond were there, waiting for us. “Hiya Expected Value!” Thorax waved when I stepped out. “Hey there…. you.” “You forgot my name, didn’t you?” “Yes.” “Of course you did.” I rolled my eyes as I helped Luna out of the carriage, “Let’s just take this inside, Thorax.” “You’d make a terrible infiltrator,” he said before smiling at Luna. “Good afternoon…?” “My cover name was supposed to be Star Shine, but that faux face is already falling apart,” Luna complained. “Star Shine! That sounds like a lovely name,” Double Diamond said. “Double Diamond, may I introduce Luna, Luna, Double Diamond,” I quickly explained, motioning everyone inside. “Come on, this place is undisclosed, and I want to keep it that way for now.” As they all were ushered into the lobby, I directed them towards the elevators in the back. “Oh! Princess Luna!” Diamond gasp. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty!” Luna smiled, “Thank you, Double Diamond. Ugh, what is this thing, Phasma?” She asked when the elevator we all stuffed into started moving. “An elevator. It goes up and down quickly. Are there none in the palace?” “Ah. Indeed there are, but I have not used one. They are mostly for the staff to quickly move things between floors. I have seen one used a few times.” “Don’t worry Your Majesty, they are perfectly safe,” Double Diamond reassured her. “In fact, my great-grandfather invented them!” “Is that so?” Luna asked. I could tell that she was sorta faking the interest, and Thorax probably could tell, too. “Alright, we should re-plan our afternoon,” I announced, moving the conversation along. We stepped out of the elevators and onto the top floor of the office building. I directed us to the meeting room. “Something wrong?” Thorax asked. “Luna’s disguise is already falling apart. Coxa’s disguise spell is a long ways away from working properly.” “Hmm, I see.” When we arrived, we took pairs of seats opposite each other. “So, what shall be our destinations this evening?” Luna asked. It was decided that we would hit two museums, Central Park, and end the day at Last Chance. Luna was initially hesitant against going anywhere public undisguised, but when we actually arrived, she quickly got past her fears and worries. The first museum, some art one, was a bust. Luna waved to the ponies that started to crowd around us, but the ponies didn’t take the hint that we wanted to see the art and sculptures in the museum. Not that it mattered much anyways, it turned out that Luna didn’t care for the stuff anyways, and I would have been bored most days I would have visited. The park was marginally better, but not by much. None of us four could enjoy the park with the crowd that we never could quite shake, and there was only so much walking-in-nature one could tolerate. I had done enough of that back in Hooferville, anyways. Luna was glad for the chance though, likely to do with the fact that there aren’t any trees on the moon. However, it was safe to say all of our moods were quite subdued by the time we reached our third destination. When we were in the Equestrian Museum of Natural History, a location I had visited once before, Luna and the rest of us found ourselves having more and more fun. We had acquired a tour guide and a substantial entourage, and Luna was enjoying the company of both. As the tour guide brought us from exhibit to exhibit, Luna herself would remark on quite a few of them. The pair of swords from Griffonia, for example, were called inadequate by Luna. Apparently that pair of swords were shoddily made, and were considered sub-par. The ponies listened to every word of hers as if it was gospel. This was my first public appearance, too. Ponies were… less enthused about that. Many had given fearful glances my way, and hatred lurked in a few of their stares. However, I stuck close to Luna, never leaving her side. Using her as a good public relations pony-shield seemed to help the issue considerably. I also kept the worst of the ponies at bay; the journalists and nay-sayers that most certainly would have heckled Luna and harassed her instead kept to the fray of the crowd, intimidated by the Dread Prince’s presence. The fact that they were significantly outnumbered helped quite a bit. Our visit wasn’t exactly advertised, so there were only a hooffull of ponies working for newspapers in the entire building, and that was only due to a new exhibit opening up this weekend. There were a few ponies brave enough to ask Luna questions. Thankfully, those questions were restricted to the past, as there were a few historians in the crowd brave enough to ask the Princess directly about events she either commented on or was generally present for. Any excuse for Luna to regale her tales and rise further into the elated mood that was growing was a welcome one. “Oh, I remember this trash,” Luna muttered when the tour guide showed us an exhibit from Yakistan. It was a gold necklace with a single, massive ruby at its front. “This is from a princess that had a particular penchant for sidetracking conversations into pointless dithering. Princess… Gruntwig?” “Prince Gruntwig,” the tour guide bravely corrected. “Ha! I remember now, thank you! Prince Gruntwig was fine enough, but his significant other left much to be desired. The business conducted with the Prince was of paramount importance between our people, yet the female yak was more focused on sampling our cuisine than anything else!” Overall, the experience acclimated the public to us, and our relationship, quite a bit. We were all worried that it would have been a disaster, but the worst thing that had happened was when Thorax and Diamond had been separated off by the crowd, and approached by a few ponies with a lot of rude things to say. Thorax and I were undisguised, of course, so he was a rather easy target to pick out. Double Diamond had leapt to his coltfriend’s defense before I could do so much as twitch an eyebrow angrily, so the situation was more or less resolved peacefully and without my interference. Thorax was put out a bit, but a few of the pony bystanders offered their sympathies and actually cheered him up. Manehattan was a ways away from the areas affected the most by the invasion, so while there were plenty of ponies that despised changelings, there were just as many, if not more, that were willing to give us a chance. ‘Thank Panar for that. This peace wouldn’t have been possible, otherwise.’ Honestly, I had zoned out too frequently to make proper note of what was going on. All that happened this day so far was of little interest to me. What I really wanted was to enjoy my evening with Luna at Last Chance. Dancing, good, unhealthy food, great music, the whole deal. Listening to music was a luxury that I didn’t expect to miss, but without smartphones or anything like it, the opportunity to listen to songs I actually liked was exceedingly rare. Going to a museum was fun and all, and I would love to go to more with Luna, but it wasn’t the kind of fun I was looking for at the moment. Though I did make note to talk about the pony’s disposition to changelings with Luna and Celestia. The questions aimed at Luna and the overall warm welcome us changelings had was a huge step in the right direction. Even if it meant nothing in the grand scheme of things, it certainly improved our moods, despite the hiccup with Thorax. We left the museum behind, finally shaking the crowd when we used a carriage to make a hasty retreat. “Now what?” Luna asked, still beaming from the positive attention. ‘At least she’s getting support from the crowds, despite whatever’s going on in Canterlot.’ “Last Chance,” I said. Thorax wrapped a foreleg around Diamond’s withers, “Oh, I can’t wait! In the morning, we’re going on a vacation! I’ve never been on a vacation before!” “I too look forward to this,” Luna beamed. After about half an hour, the carriage came to a final stop and the puller signaled that we were here. The door was opened by a pair of changelings, disguised as unicorns. Since I was the closest to the door, I was the first to get out. I had to disguise myself as a unicorn during the ride in order to fit into the carriage, as my normal changeling self would have taken up more than a quarter of the small carriage. I channeled energy into the Thread of Change, and let the disguise burn away. Taking a moment to stretch, I got a good look at the ponies on the street and sidewalks gawking at my sudden appearance. The rest of the group filtered out behind me, and I ushered them into the club. The two bouncers, disguised changelings, bowed to me and held the door open for us. There was a pair of ponies in front of the guards, and they had become quite confused when the bouncer they were trying to convince to let them in suddenly bowed and opened the door. When they turned around, they were even more shocked to find myself and Luna approaching fast. They quickly moved to the side, jaws wide. I had to duck to fit into the doorway, but the hall beyond was tall enough for me to only have to angle my head awkwardly in order to fit. The sound of muffled music grew louder as we passed the coat check desk. “I dare say I have never heard music like this before,” Luna muttered quietly. Sure enough, the club was packed with ponies and changelings– still disguised. The atmosphere in the building was positively charged with emotions. Nothing quite as potent as love, but carefree happiness was good enough on its own. When we entered the club proper, changelings and ponies alike stopped their conversations, dancing, and drinking and eating to gape at the royalty who just walked into the almost-illegal city nightclub. “Round of drinks on the house,” I announced, nodding to the bartender– a pony, as it happened. That broke the ice. Ponies cheered, and changelings followed their example, moreso to appear normal than anything else. The four of us made our way to the private booth that the Hive’s upper echelon had used to celebrate prior to the Gala. The colt-couple sat down next to each other and started discussing what to order for dinner, while Luna collapsed into a seat next to me. I watched a few ponies get up and leave the club as Luna used me as a glorified body pillow. The ponies trailed disgust and hatred in their wake. ‘Good riddance, and don’t let the door hit ‘ya on the way out.’ With the few bad eggs voluntarily weeded out, I felt a lot better about the night’s prospects. “I do not recognize half of these dishes,” Luna remarked. I looked down and saw her holding up a menu while leaning back against my chest. The position offered me a perfect view of the menu, too. “I’ve heard of a few of these, but I’ve never been much of a fan of… food.” Luna chuckled, “Even before becoming a changeling?” “Yeah, suddenly not really needing to worry about physical food was a welcome change. The starvation that comes with being a changeling was a different matter.” “You have been eating well, no?” Luna asked, patting my thigh. “The entire Hive has. But enough about that, what catches your eye here?” “What is that?” Luna pointed to one of the dishes. “A hayburger? I’d imagine that’s a burger, but made with hay.” “Yes, I recall Twilight mentioning the foodstuff in one of our nightly conversations. What is it?” I shrugged, jostling Luna slightly with the motion. “It’s a sandwich, with a… hay patty, I guess? Then a bunch of other stuff is thrown on top. This one has lettuce and tomato, with a few extra options.” “Hmm…” I grinned, “It’s a far cry from the palace’s food, that’s for sure.” “What should I expect?” “Greasy, unhealthy, and amazing taste.” “I would not have it any other way! What shall you have?” “I’ll fill up on hay fries.” “Those are listed as a side dish,” she pointed out. “I’ve eaten enough to probably survive half of a year, Luna. I don’t actually need more love, let alone physical food.” “Yet you still eat. I shall order two of these burgers, and you will have one of them.” “Sounds good.” Luna shifted so that she could look out over the club, and seemed particularly interested in the band and the dancers. Several ponies and changelings were unsubtly looking up at us, no doubt gossiping to each other. Meanwhile, I stole a glance at Thorax and Double Diamond. Thorax was leaning back, balancing his chair on two legs, while Diamond was giving their order to a changeling waitress. When he was done, the waitress came and took our order. I made sure to get a few extra helpings of fries. “I think I enjoy this music,” Luna said, head bobbing to the beat. “If they played new music such as this at the Gala each year, I am certain it would be a lot livelier.” “You had the Gala before the rebellion?” I asked. “Indeed. Though it was held far less often; once every three or four years or so. There were a great deal less reasons to hold it back then. No need to corale or curtail the nobles when you hold absolute power. Feh! Celestia letting go of the reins is something we will all come to regret soon enough.” “How about stuff like this? Have you ever been anywhere like this?” “Oh yes, dozens of times. Sadly, dozens of times spread throughout such a long lifetime is not many at all. Further, the taverns Celestia and I, or later, just myself and a trusted guard or two, visited were a lot less…. Equestrian. Ponies tend to stick to a more orderly type of tavern. It is only when you visit the crude imitation of a tavern that the dragons use, or the hot-blooded griffon taverns that frequently host fights that you really start seeing people loosen up. This feels like a new take on the idea of an Equestrian tavern; a bunch of ponies getting drunk, dancing, and otherwise making fools of themselves, yet maintaining law and order. It is a most welcome development. The band is certainly much better than the odd performer or two most taverns were able to afford.” “You know, I’ve never been to a tavern,” I admitted. “There’s only bars, clubs, and restaurants like this on Earth. I mean, there are taverns, they’re just a lot rarer where I’m from. So the only experience I have with them was in Dungeons and Dragons.” “Dungeons and Dragons?” Luna repeated. “That sounds like a heart-racing afternoon, regardless of which direction it goes.” “N–not like that!” I stammered. “Quite the opposite, honestly. It’s mostly a bunch of guys and girls sitting in a basement, roleplaying as an adventuring party. Half of the time you’re having a blast, and the other half of the time, you’re waiting for your friends to struggle to do basic math or think out their decisions in combat.” “Is it fun?” “Hell yeah!” “Then perhaps we should try it at some point.” I nodded, liking the idea, “I can get my friends in on it. Is there anyone you’re interested in playing with?” Luna sighed, “There are few friendly faces inside Canterlot. Perhaps Cadence and Captain Shining Armor?” “Hmm. Maybe we’d need to run two separate games if we do that. We’ll see. I doubt either of those ponies will enjoy the game, though. Shining Armor doesn’t strike me as the type to sit down and play board games.” “You have not met him properly, then.” “Hey Phas! Luna!” Thorax called out. “We’ve got some time until the food is made, you two wanna hit the dance floor with us?” “I’ve been waiting since the Gala!” I cheered. “This seems like a far less organized form of dancing,” Luna muttered as I began to sit up, forcing her to give up her incredibly-handsome body pillow. “It is. You’ll like it…. Probably. If you don’t, we can always spend the rest of the night up here, talking, enjoying the food, and annoying Thorax.” There was someone waiting at the meeting site. This was new. Every day they checked the secluded cafe in Canterlot’s Lower District, there were only ponies there. Every time they had checked their own meeting site in Manehattan, as far away as that was from the invasion’s crown jewel, there was never anyone else of importance there. That was expected. At this point, having no Contact had become the regular status quo. Though the agent had once met another Infiltrator there, there was never an unrecognized changeling. Yet now there was finally someone waiting for them. Someone from the Fourth Hive, unmistakably. The mud-brown earth pony flicked an ear at their approach. The Contact had a menu up, looking lazily at its contents. “You’re late,” he said. “You’re not supposed to be here,” the Infiltrator muttered back, taking a seat and picking up another menu. “Yet here I am, and here you are. Report.” The Infiltrator cast a careful glance around, disguising it by signaling over a waitress. “Here? Now?” They said after both ordered a cup of coffee. “Yes.” “Why?” The Contact glared, “It is not your position to ask why.” The agent cleared their throat, “Last I checked, the boss was on vacation. We’ve been working on our projects alone for a while now.” “Last I checked, the boss is still the one who signs your paycheck.” The Infiltrator scoffed, “Not anymore.” “That’s not how it works. Do I need to take this to HR?” “You can take it to whomever you want.” “You know there will be repercussions for this, correct? We might have to let you go.” The Infiltrator snorted, “I’d like to see you try. The Vice President organized a union for us. We’re all watching each other’s backs now, and we’re much happier than we were under the boss’s micromanagement. You can’t scare me.” The Contact stiffened, “The Vice President? That isn’t possible.” “Why not?” “Because he’s dead.” At that, the Infiltrator actually burst into laughter. “Oh– haha ha ha haahahaha! You! You! You really think– bahahahahaaa! Oh that is good!” The Contact shrunk a little, “Ponies are watching,” he reminded the Infiltrator quietly. “I’m sorry for laughing at such a funny joke!” The Infiltrator chimed back. “The Vice President is in town, in perfect health. Has been for some time. Do you live under a rock or something?” “.... In a way.” This time it was the Infiltrator’s turn to stiffen. “You’re serious?” The Contact recomposed himself, “You will report to the President directly. They will want to know this. They need to know this. You’re coming with me.” “I’m not going anywhere,” the Infiltrator said smugly. “I’m busy enough as it is, this is certainly no time for a vacation.” “Remember your contract. You don’t get to choose what you do.” “No, I don’t,” the Infiltrator admitted. “But the Vice President has proven quite capable. In fact, he’s nominated himself to become the new boss. There’s no pushback.” “That changes nothing,” the Contact snapped, keeping his voice low. “It changes everything,” the Infiltrator grinned. “It’s become quite clear just who the stockholders favor.” “What do you mean?” “Profit.” “Profit?” “Out in the open, unrealized profit. Moreso than the President could have ever gotten. Plans for division branches in every city. Expansion beyond Equestria’s borders, all the way to Griffonia. Where is the President Now? What’s she doing? How’s all the workers? I doubt any of them can come close to how well we’re doing.” The waitress arrived with their drinks. The Infiltrator received theirs with a wide smile, and the Contact stewed quietly in his seat. He cheered up slightly when he received the pleasant extravagant drink. The Infiltrator laughed to themself at the sight. “You two make such a sweet couple!” The Waitress cooed. “Oh, we’re just coworkers,” the Infiltrator explained. “Oh, excuse me,” the waitress blushed. “You’re fine,” the Contact waved her off. After the pony departed, the conversation resumed. “This makes the report all the more important. You need to tell this to the President in person.” “I’m going nowhere, and certainly not with you.” “Remember why you took this contract. You know what’s at stake, what can happen if this information isn’t relayed properly. I should also warn you of the consequences of being delinquent.” “I’m too important to go on vacation all the way out there, as I’ve said before. My absence would be noted immediately.” “You won’t be gone for more than a single day.” “I won’t be… What? How?” The Infiltrator demanded, struggling to keep quiet. “You’re not exactly a unicorn that can teleport us.” “Don’t need to. If you have any sense of credibility left, if you have any respect for the contract you signed and the importance of your work, you’re going to come with me and we’re going to report all of this to the boss directly.” As much as the Infiltrator hated to admit it, the Contact was right. There were a lot of lives that would be affected by this information. In fact, keeping silent would only make things worse, as Infiltrators can disappear at a moment’s notice. They watched each other’s backs, but they were also the first ones to thrust a knife into said back if the moment called for it. There were a substantial number of Infiltrators that she couldn’t account for, and were likely subsumed back into the Legions under Chrysalis’s control. Keeping her guard up at all times was pointless. If she wanted any control over the situation, she would have to take things into her own hooves. “Fine,” Cricket said. “Take me to her.”