Harlequin was the first through the doors into the strange new prison. She didn’t expect much from the inside—it was basically just here to look nice while bugs were funneled across to the other side. They could tunnel over here, and bring bugs back whenever there was an inspection. It wasn’t like any of the ponies would be able to tell the difference between them.
Apparently they’d anticipated the state their prisoners would be arriving in, because right through the doorway she was struck with the stink of some kind of oil. Compared to the acrid tang of rotting shells, she’d take it.
Sure enough, their prison didn’t seem like it had been finished. There were huge structural beams of thick wood, the edges unsanded and the wood almost damp it had been so heavily lacquered. The ceiling overhead was wood too, huge beams that a bug would take weeks to chew through. There were no windows, only lanterns hanging from the walls. Their flames filled the space with a faint orange glow—not enough for a pony, but more than sufficient for a bug.
There was a single division in the front of the chamber, with a huge pile of metal bars spread across the space. They hadn’t even bothered to pound them in yet. Because they know we’re going to be leaving soon. We don’t have to escape.
“Those ponies didn’t feel very subjugated,” Pharynx said, as soon as they were through the doorway. He glanced over the space in a single sweeping motion, then lifted a metal bar into his magic. He held it up, as though he were guarding the entrance as the other bugs filed in. “What’s the nature of that arrangement, exactly?”
“We’re, uh…” She hesitated. “We’ve been winning over one of the pony families to help us. They take over guarding you, and we can smuggle you out. The prison is less than a block away from our headquarters. Hydrus said he’d be here to help sort the bugs out… I think he knew some of you wouldn’t be sane.”
“We’re not waiting for him.” Pharynx glanced out the open door, eyes narrowed as he stared at the soldiers. “I feel anticipation. Anticipation from an army is never a good thing.” He pointed towards the back of the room. “There, by the far wall! I see the foundation wasn’t finished there. We’ll begin to burrow immediately. Extinguish those lanterns, the darkness is ours.”
Pharynx had taken less magic than any of them—yet he led as though he still held the Queen’s commission even now. Though his eyes were furiously intense, for a moment she felt a little of what she’d known from Codex. His concern for his bugs was so real she could almost taste it. “You must return to Hydrus,” he said. “Tell him his orders. He is to tunnel here from the other side as quickly as possible. We will meet him in the middle. I believe these ponies mean to double-cross us.”
She nodded, then hurried back to the doorway. She could feel the pained eyes of bugs watching her all the way out, feel their indignation. But they didn’t try to stop her, or turn to follow her out. The heavy doors swung closed—the only things made from steel instead of wood. Harlequin hesitated, then called on a little of her magic… and vanished.
She reappeared on the other side of the door with a faint, magical pop. Soldiers gasped and stared—but of course, none of their prisoners would be able to do magic like that.
Soldiers actually hesitated with the door, as though they were going to demand she step back inside. Harlequin ignored them both, shoving one spear aside and marching for Fortnight. “Do you require my services further?” she asked, her voice icy cold.
He shook his head. “You’ve done excellently. For a moment I thought you were uninformed… you aren’t one of them, are you?”
She forced a smile—it seemed like what Hydrus would’ve done. “I thought my disguise was pitiful.”
“I always say that,” he answered, landing and tossing the crossbow casually over his shoulder. “I’ve killed two bugs with that line. But you didn’t flinch. Thought maybe you were just better fed at first. But teleportation, damn. We wouldn’t have taken back the city so easily if they could do magic like that.”
I didn’t know I could either. Harlequin nodded, then walked away. Despite his bravado, Fortnight hadn’t actually killed anyone. He hadn’t marched her bugs to death, or been pointlessly cruel with the injured. The more she thought about it, the more foolish her worries seemed. They aren’t going to leave us locked up in there. They didn’t even finish the prison.
Harlequin didn’t march straight across to the hive—she’d been seen with the bugs, after all, and the crowds were too thick. But after a few minutes of wandering through the crowd, copying ponies at random when no one was looking, she finally settled on a young earth pony stallion—the sort she figured would be visiting a brothel.
She let them lead her down as though she was a customer, only letting her disguise fall when she was underground.
The protective stone ceiling overhead and the moisture dripping from the walls were a faint comfort after what she’d seen, but they were something.
Harlequin marched straight for Hydrus’s office, ignoring the guards usually posted outside. They rose to stop her, but didn’t actually get in the way. Harlequin’s work today made whatever they could do to her seem petty and unimportant.
Hydrus reclined in a chair on the far side of the room, sipping at something red from a pony bottle and reading a pony book. He looked up as she came in, fiddling with the pony object in the corner. The strange sounds it produced suddenly stopped as he lifted the arm, and the black disk below just kept spinning.
“What’s that?” she asked, a little of her old self surfacing briefly. “That sound… I’ve never heard anything like it.”
“It’s a gramophone,” Hydrus answered. “And the sound it’s making is called music. I believe it’s called an orchestra. Listen carefully—you can taste how much they love their music.”
He lowered the little metal arm, and suddenly she could. Her eyes widened, and she was momentarily transported. Away from the dark prisons where bugs slowly starved, away from Canterlot and its ponies who hated them. She stood in a massive room, filled with grinning ponies, where a hundred different creatures each sat with their own unique instrument.
It wasn’t food, exactly. She didn’t feel her reserves filling up again. But listening to it, she could almost hear the voice of the swarm. But its vast knowledge was gone, its collective, inscrutable purposes. Now it expressed only joy.
Hydrus watched her closely, nodding with satisfaction. “I can see my effort in your education has not been wasted. That sensation you feel, do you know what it is?”
She shook her head reflexively. “What you’re experiencing—it’s called beauty. Sensations carefully constructed, to be experienced entirely for their own sake. The swarm had little of this—we rarely built things to last. But ponies all think themselves immortal, and what they build they expect to last. Maybe they’re right. You’ve grown… so much. More than I would’ve expected in so short a time. I forget how effective harvesting a pony can be.”
She didn’t look away. She couldn’t think about her guilt, couldn’t even think of thinking about it. But what she could do was change the subject. “Pharynx is alive,” she said. “He wanted me to… to give you orders. To dig them out as soon as possible. Oh, and he already killed the insane. There were… a dozen bugs who won’t be coming home. I have their names if you—”
Whatever paternal feelings Hydrus had been experiencing vanished as she invoked Pharynx’s name. He rose suddenly, flipping the music off. “Your mission is accomplished as I ordered?”
She nodded. “Every bug is in the new prison across the street, waiting for their rescue. I assume you picked the spot because of the soil. Easy to dig to, and…”
“Partly,” he said. “You’ve done good work, Harlequin. I’ll give you a break before I call on your services again after such a difficult job. But do me a favor and bathe before we speak again. The stench you carry is… unfortunate.” He left.
“But what about rescuing the—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Hydrus called back. “You’ve done your part. I will do the rest.”
She wandered out into the hall, then stopped when she saw Thorax waving at her.
She sighed, then hurried over.
“You were with the prisoners, weren’t you?”
She nodded, watching Hydrus vanish up the stairs. Despite not wanting to talk to her about the rescue, he did seem to be going up there.
“I had a brother, uh… do you know—”
“Pharynx,” she interrupted. “Yes, he’s there. The ponies didn’t execute him.”
“Oh good.” He slumped onto the table in front of him, feeling a wave of relief so intense she almost choked on it. And that’s number three. “Did he, uh… was he still…” He gestured weakly at his head with one hoof, then looked away awkwardly. “Sane?”
She nodded again. “Most of them were. I think they must’ve been getting a little food, because it wasn’t… nearly as bad as what I saw in the caverns. One in four were past saving, and he wasn’t. He helped me get every bug out.”
“Good.” Thorax looked towards the stairs leading up. “You know, there aren’t many bugs down here who even knew who they are. The bugs here are all… barely named, the way you used to be. Without any bug reminding Hydrus about our losses, I worried he might never save them.”
“Hydrus is…” She hesitated. She’d just sat with him appreciating pony music, but she wasn’t actually sure how to answer that question. “Loyal,” she finished. “He wouldn’t leave our friends to rot.”
“No, no. Of course he wouldn’t,” Thorax lied. “He’s a great leader. He saved so many in here, more than I would’ve that’s for sure. We should be grateful.”
Harlequin nodded her agreement, but whatever she’d been about to say seized on her lips. She smelled something drifting down from above, something she couldn’t easily explain. Fire, thick and oily.
“I’ll be back,” she said, turning for the stairs. She galloped past the guards—they weren’t about to stop her, she was important. She was one of a handful of bugs who could leave whenever they wanted. After all, they couldn’t ever know when she had a mission.
She had the presence of mind to change into a pony as she broke into the faint evening sun, stained orange with sunset. Thick black smoke rose over the distant walls, visible even through the canvas ceiling overhead. Great Queens, no.
Harlequin picked a direction at random, ascending the tower and shoving past the guards. They scattered before her, dropping their spears. She ran along the wall, to where another figure was already standing.
A unicorn stallion, one she didn’t recognize. At least until he looked up, and she heard his voice. “You came to see,” Hydrus said, staring across the road.
The fresh prison and every half-finished building around it was ablaze, so bright that she could feel the heat even at this distance.
“Do you know what I’m burning, Harlequin?”
She was frozen, completely transfixed by his words. A dozen little details she’d seen all settled into place. ‘I’m burning.’
Hydrus seemed to take her silence for a negative, because he gestured again, dragging her closer to the wall. “Those are the bugs who sent us to die by the thousands. Those are the bugs who made us enemies of ponies for no reason. Those are the criminals who raised your generation starved and stunted, and didn’t even bother giving you names. Why grow attached?”
She pulled away from him, eyes wide with horror. I led them there. I told them it was safe. Was it her imagination, or could Harlequin hear their screaming voices, even from here?
“They knew how many lives it would take to get through the Equestrian shield, you know. Seven thousand, seven hundred and seven. When you lined up that day, they knew how many would be ash. They listened to Chrysalis as she spent our lives like mayflies in summer, and they did nothing.” His eyes hardened. “The swarm is mine now.”
Harlequin may be choking on relief, but I'm choking on irony.
Also, great work, Hydrus. You just sent the loyalty of your greatest subject up in flames, along with who knows how many others. Oh, sure, some may be intimidated, but Harlequin? Harlequin's out for hemolymph now. And her siblings love her more than you.
And that's discounting the possibility of some of the old guard surviving...
Oh...
OH
OH NO
9805038
Pharynx won't be killed that easily, especially since he sensed something was wrong. Also Hydrus further stroking the fires of rebellion. Pun intended lol
Yeah...fuck Hydrus.
And once again I remain wondering just what the hell the Princesses are doing during all this. Surely a prison burning down with prisoners inside should be enough to attract their attention?
9805038
I bet one of them will survive. 3 guesses on who.
But as much as I disagree with him, Hydrus has a point. These are the changelings that embody the "old ways" and would not only be most likely to follow the Queens original plan but remove Hydrus from power, I wonder which of these really motivated him... Not that he has a leg to stand on here with how he treats the changelings in the lower level of his little empire.
9805093
The fire crews were probably on the way as that scene was happening.
This will turn Harlequin, Thorax, and possibly even Codex, the 3 most intelligent changelings, against Hydrus.
Good going, bud.
Kleine Wasserschlange, you have REALLY SCREWED UP! How to turn allies into enemies in one easy lesson- not only did you read the book, you hadda write a whole new chapter! As was said on the A-team, 'I pity da fool'.
Seems to me that varnish on the beams was more than just varnish. See you soon, Pharynx. May you choose the winning side.
9805038
He hasn’t really grasped the depths of her intelligence yet, nor her capacity for empathy. Sucks to be Hydrus.
9805099
Hydrus cut Harlequin off before she told him they were starting a tunnel. I'd say at least a few bugs survive.
So it wasn't a rescue. It was an execution.
Guess the power grab is official now. I'm a bit conflicted though. As horrible as Hydrus's actions are, and as horrible his rule is, those generals and leaders were exactly the same (barring possibly Pharynx). It isn't surprising for him to demand some blood for the ruin they brought his people (and conveniently get rid of a few political rivals as well). Though I wonder which motivation is the stronger. I suppose it's the latter. He's too in love with his power.
Anyway, it's time to prepare, Harley, the real threat is next to you. The hive needs reform not reorganization. And it looks like you're the one capable of doing it.
9805038
The fire rises. Uh, metaphorically and literally...
9805093
Well, we know Luna won't be touching this. She's gonna be hands off with this like she told Harley.
As for Celestia...
She's being lied to, she actually has limited power over these affairs compared to the nobles, she's a victim of public opinion (ponies are racist) and must keep up an image, or she's actually racist and doesn't care.
Either way, I don't expect much to come out of this. A fire is more likely to be interpreted as an "tragic accident" than a hail of crossbow bolts. If the ponies are even willing to call it "tragic".
9805099
He's almost certainly motivated by the taste of power. Though I suppose he really wanted revenge as well. A good way to justify his actions to Harley. It's the truth after all. Not the whole truth but still...
Just something that popped into my mind. All this happens under the watchful eye of the immortal sisters.
9805349
Killing the upper classes of the hive apparently doesn't count as "doing what the queen did". This is a changeling affair, through and through. No ponies harmed either. If it promotes the stability and security of the hive and the security of Equestria why should the princesses intervene? At least that would be the argument.
Wow. I did not see this coming. I knew Hydrus was going to do some kinda power play, but I didn't imagine it would be this. This is... Crazy. And big. And our dear protagonist is caught right in the middle of it.
Villain Has A Point
The question now is, is this an utterly shallow and predictable power play to remove the competition, or is he actually being sincere about his reasons?
9805393
I agree they'd be scene stealers if they were on the forefront constantly, but as a result of them being nowhere the Princesses just seem to be either entirely unaware of what is going on to the point of incompetence, or spitefully cruel to the point of mass murder. The mention of Luna watching Harlequin... didn't really help much beyond hint that Luna is in the later category.
....I'm starting to wish something did happen last chapter. Cause this, what just happened is even worse then I ever imagined. With that this is the last straw, I dont care what excuses the princesses have, they are guilty and need to be punished.
I know those bugs were criminals for what they did to thier fellow bugs but this....this is genocide!
What the hell are the princesses and elements doing! Aren't the princesses even gonna question the smoke!? And surely thier were civilian ponies who saw changelings go in that bunker and see it lit on fire, theres gotta be somebody that says something to authorities or even the princesses!
This story is awesome bro! Dont let my angry rants say otherwise.
However, what just happened, is a game changer.
9805386
It's still genocide.
9805386
9805503
That would be a bad argument, what happened here is that the ponies let prisoners to kill other prisoners with assistance of the guard who were entrusted to guard them. This reflects directly to those in power, those who should have been aware. But then again those powers that be considered it ok to let the lings starve so go figure.
Let us not forget that the Changelings are imprisoned by the ponies, they are not free agents but under the power of ponies. What has happened here is atrocious.
Personally i am starting to think that maybe the lings were onto something when it came to the invasion. If ponies act in this manner towards other species it could well be it was all too justified that they declared a war and went for the capital. If the sisters let something like this happen in their throne of power then what is happening everywhere else in Equestria?
Edit:
To specify, let happens means that even if they are unaware that means they would be unaware for all other burning/starving of prisoners and or other species which might happen in their domain. Not to mention lesser crimes.
I would not be shocked if the changelings already started digging before the place went up in flames.
9805605
9805503
At this point, we'll have to think how many changelings are worth a pony. It doesn't look like Equestria much cares for its prisoners of war. Actually, it might not even be about just race considering their attitudes on other creatures. It might just be because the changelings had the gall to attack them. They're enemies and everyone hates enemies. I have to say this plan might not really involve the Princesses directly. Just Blueblood and Hydrus. Mentions of mass genocide are easy to hide too. It's an "accident". Probably easier hide it now if they're planning to clean out the actual prisons. And if the public opinion is negative enough against the changelings, they'll probably even ignore any allegations at best. At worst well...
Anyway, it's still happening. Maybe there will be a reaction afterwards. Positive, I don't know. A bit optimistic to say that given what we seen so far.
9805447
It's probably both. Harley can tell if other changelings are lying. Hydrus would know that too. There's no reason for him to lie. Of course, we both know which of his two reasons he's actually doing this for.
9805501
I'm not trying to defend the princess's actions and lack of actions leading up to this point. As I feel they are morally indefensible.
But I imagine they were not aware that the plan was for the new prison to be set on fire. Besides the princess's very few ponies seem to really be in the know about what is going on with the changelings. I don't think the elements or the populace or even most the guards had any idea whats been going on. All those ponies had plausible deniability... until the prisoners were marched starving through the city and then put into a building that was lit on fire.
So I do imagine there will be a massive reckoning, as the 'evil' that was going on had been out of sight and out of mind, and now its no longer hidden.
I can't remember where I heard this, but "It's all fun and games till someone burns down the Reichstag."
Refusing to kowtow to Hydrus already, huh? Good! I am totally onboard with this plan.
You caught onto that too, huh? Dang, Pharynx, we're totally on the same page today!
I dunno, Harley...I think Pharynx is right--this reeks of a set-up. I knew from the start Blueblood and company were planning to play Hydrus and beat him at his own game, so this would fit that expectation.
But here's what's scarier...the ever-sneaking suspicion that Hydrus is in on it, too.
Sure you will...
Oh c'mon, not even Thorax is buying it at this point. THORAX!
They were under orders to do it from a deranged tyrant of a queen who didn't take no for an answer or leave them much alternative, as were you, Hydrus. And I seem to recall you didn't do much to stop it either...
It's easy for you to be the supposed "bigger changeling" now, when you've got no one higher up to oppose you or answer to, but, ohhhh, part of me kind of wishes Chrysalis will come back to retrieve the imprisoned changelings, if only to see Hydrus's bravado crumble under her imposing her rule again, as I'm quite certain it would.
I think I've finally got you figured out, Hydrus. Spoiler alert: it's not a good picture.
Um...yeah. I have a very big problem with that, Hydrus. I've already seen how you rule, and I don't care for it. This little stunt does not help.
Also, I want to know how he plans to pass this off to the pony public who clearly saw the changeling prisoners get escorted into there, and regardless of whether or not that crowd got dispersed first, a fire that big within a crowded city like Canterlot...there will be witnesses. Lots of them. And whether they were for this or not, questions are going to be getting raised now, hard ones that might not be so easily dismissed. Suspicions of a conspiracy among the public arising from this would be easy to see. I'm sure the princesses will want an explanation as to what happened, too, and as we know Luna already has insider information...she, at least, might not be so easily dissuaded.
Assuming the princesses aren't in on it themselves, but...I don't buy that. The set-up feels wrong for them to be involved like that, too haphazard. If they are involved regardless though, I have to wonder if they've been fed false information to convince them to play along...or at least inaccurate information, considering the bias sources it's likely coming from.
Further, I'm not ruling out a Pharynx Ex Machina just yet...because Pharynx. Besides, he knew a double-cross was imminent. And he's not the sort who'd take this lying down. He'd at least fight to get as many out of there safely as he could before the flames took them. I just pray he succeeded in the scant time given him, even partially.
Though I will hold it personally against Hydrus if Pharynx himself hadn't made it out because of this. In this short stretch of time we got to interact with him here, Pharynx demonstrated way better skill as a leader than Hydrus ever will. And as I recall from a past flashback (I'd look for it, but I don't recall what chapter it was and it'd take too long to seek it out right now), Pharynx wasn't fully onboard with Chrysalis's plans either, he just didn't see anything to gain from opposing her. As Hydrus likely did, otherwise, if he's really so righteous, then why didn't HE do something, anything to stop the invasion? Hmm? HMM? Explain to me that!
Not very happy with Hydrus at the moment, in case you couldn't tell.
9805038
Yes. This in a nutshell.
9805099
I dunno about that...Pharynx seemed very bent on putting the other 'lings before himself all throughout this. I wouldn't put it past him to let himself be sacrificed if it meant the others survived.
...still hoping and praying that's not ultimately the case, though...
9805325
And see, I thought that too...up until we actually met them. Now I'm not so sure that was as really the case as Hydrus would like everyone to believe.
Either way, they were, after all, under orders of the queen herself (and we know what she's like), so I don't think it's totally fair they get all the blame for this...certainly not enough to justify this little stunt, at least.
9805349
Ooh, thank you for giving me the chance to refresh my memory on what was exactly said in that...it makes me all the more confident that neither of the two sisters were on board with this. And if they weren't on board, then they WILL want answers.
So not only has Hydrus robbed himself of the support of some of the most powerful, intelligent, and useful changelings he has access too, he's probably going to have the forces of the princesses' respective investigative services coming down on his roof too.
Not really one of Chrysalis's finest after all, eh, Hydrus?
9805386
It's a very weak one.
9805447
There's no doubt in my mind it's more the former than the latter. Hydrus doesn't even have that great of a standing to say it anyway, as the exact same could be said of him. He knew the details of the invasion. He knew what was planned. He (claims to) suspected it would fail. Yet I distinctly recall him going along with it all anyway. He didn't start singing a different song on that until well after the invasion failed.
Personally, I think he saw an opportunity for a power grab and he's taking it.
...Any other comments I feel I need to comment on too? No? Okay, I'll go now. See you all next week for the next chapter.
Pharynx takes charge immediately.
I wonder how Hydrus is going to feel about being given those orders.
Is that pony music actually delivering love? Because if so that's nuts.
Love to see the Thorax and Pharynx connection.
Oh shit, the oil.
Oh my god.
The changeling nobility won't trust Harlequin after this, assuming they are still alive.
So Hydrus gets (apparently) uncontested hive leadership and Blueblood gets... what, accolades that slipshod construction immolated notorious prisoners of war right after he took over their welfare?
But yeah, we'll see if he really got them all. You come at the 'ling, you best not miss.
FUCK YOU HYDRUS.
I thought you were at least on a path of semi-enlightened self interest, but then you pull a stunt like this.
Well.
Well, this just made things a lot clearer to me. She's going to have to kill him.
9806579
Careful, can't take action when your enemy has all the cards. Do as best you can to appear in agreement, retreat, coordinate with Codex, Thorax, the drones, and search for survivors. Discretely. Then, coordinate with Lord Irongate to acquire a decent source of love to recuperate and finally, strike.
Problem: even if Hydrus still trusts Harlequin, he will not be idle over time. He will pursue ever greater power, and will likely keep tabs on Harlequin's activity restricting what she can do without drawing suspicion. It will not be possible to achieve the ideal scenario. Harlequin may need to risk it with a decisive confrontation, backed by Thorax and the drones.
9806588
I don’t think he’ll care until he realizes she has her own machinations, at which point it will be kill or be killed very quickly for the two of them.
9806341
Blueblood gets a long term contract with a net of shapeshifting spies.
Still, the fire should raise a lot of uncomfortable questions considering the prison and its occupant were under his care. A bit suspicious the fire started shortly after the transfer, or that all casualties were only changelings with no guard left behind.
9806377
I dunno, I kinda thought this was well telegraphed, albeit in a bit roundabout way. Hydrus is enjoying the finer things in pony society. It would behoove him to maintain the status quo while elevating himself. Think Napoleon from Animal Farm. As long as the other changelings are present, they are a constant threat to that. The transfer was a chance to get every changeling killed, or at least most of the problematic ones.
He even planned for Harlequin's success or Pharynx's practicality. Harlequin convinced them to do as they were told and Pharynx enforced it. Not a single 'ling was harmed outside the prisons. In such a scenario, he'd have to just wipe them all out. Too many loose ends. Beams not sanded and wet with lacquer? Well, a little ignition and you've got a fire. How could we expose it to fire... I know! A changeling knocks out a light. Oh my, such a terrible accident. Well, can't be blamed for changelings offing themselves. The Bluebloods were already paid, Hydrus gets rid of threats to his lifestyle, and Harlequin's loyalty is cemented. After all, he just killed the ones who would have thrown her life away.
... Except Harlequin isn't going to be his attack dog (re: Animal Farm). She's been growing on her own. Though she hasn't gained the knowledge of high culture, she's also had more interaction with ponies on a friendly level to know that Hydrus is and will be a threat to all. We can see from the outside that Hydrus is not molding her into the number two that he wants. He only thinks he is.
TL;DR Please, Hydrus has gone from wallowing in mud to wallowing in high-thread-count sheets.
9806341
I'm sure an "impartial and thorough" investigation will show it was an accident caused by the changelings.
9805503
Yup, no question. Now the spin on the other hand? "Tragic, certainly, but fewer undesirables."
9805790
If that happens, I guess we get to see if Thorax has a breaking point. It’s one thing if Pharynx fell in battle, or some impersonal pony didn’t feed him because they didn’t know how to and he starved.
But Hydrus, a specific creature, deliberately targeted and tried to kill Pharynx, and my have succeeded.
And as much as Thorax is a big dork, everyone has a rage breaking point.
9806588
See, maybe, yes, but at the same time I can’t help but feel that if she rips his throat out right now things will be better. Sometimes one of the best assets a bad guy has is that his enemies are unwilling to act immediately because they’re caught up in long-term consequences and so on. Time is valuable. I believe in giving foes as little of it as possible.
I’m not saying it’s a bad idea by any means to think of future considerations, I’m just saying that I doubt Hydrus’ plans account for one of his most trusted agents ripping out his throat at the moment of his greatest triumph, and that I doubt Blueblood cares which bug is in charge.
9806821
This is true, and he was demonstrated to be willing to take on a dragon in defense of Spike in the episode, Triple Threat...
9806835
Also on your note about how Hydrus was part of the problem, one of the changelings that was fine with the invasion...as I recall, Thorax wasn’t. He objected, openly, and got demoted down pretty far as a result (I think he was bonking Chrysalis prior to his demotion, even). So he’s a bug who’s perfectly willing to stand by his principles, while also serving as proof that it couldn’t exactly be claimed to be an instant death-sentence or reason to fear for your life. So Hydrus really could have stood up and objected if he’d actually felt that strongly pre-invasion.
9806839
...but in the process would've likely lost his rank and position of high-standing and power in the hive. And of course, he couldn't have that. Which says so much about his priorities, doesn't it?
And yes, Thorax was one of the 'lings banging Chryssi in the lead-up to the invasion before getting demoted (I don't think the exact reasons for that demotion were ever specifically given as of yet, but it probably was from Thorax voicing discontent with Chrysalis's invasion plans). He even mused at one point that he may have helped sire Harlequin upon first meeting her, but then ruled it out, thinking her personality didn't seem consistent with that. Personally, I'm not convinced with that, but bigger 'lings to fry at the moment, if you catch my meaning.
9805706
9805790
Maybe. I just find it disappointing is all. He's been a pretty reasonable personality up until now, and despite the situation with the drones, he's done more to help the changeling race than probably any other changeling in history. He's established a working peaceful relationship with ponies. It wasn't Harlequin who did that, it was Hydrus. He's the one who made the conceptual leap to understand money, and he's the one who set up a love/food barter system that's keeping the hive fed.
Hydrus probably saved his species from extinction. Not Harlequin.
But now out of nowhere he's suddenly gone all "rawrr, I'm the bad guy!" and it's disappointing. Even worse, the whole thing was stupid. If he really wanted all the old changeling nobles to die, all he had to do was absolutely nothing. A quarter of them had already starved to madness. All he had to do was just wait, and in a few more weeks or months the rest would have gone too.
But instead, Starscribe decided he needed some excuse to make him the designated bad guy and to make Harlequin not like him anymore, so he handed him the Idiot Ball. That's never satisfying.
Seriously, what was Hyrdus supposed to have been thinking here? What, after his big deal about loyalty, is he supposed to think that Harlequin will casually accept him conspiriing together with ponies to murder changelings? Because he's certainly not trying to make a secret of it, giving the end of chapter 40. But if he's so casually letting her know that he did this...why in the world didn't he tell her ahead of time? He acts like of course she's on board with this because Harlequin's his girl, but he kept her in the dark just so she could feel betrayed when he casually let her know afterwards? What was he thinking? How does he expect Thorax to react to finding out that he murdered his brother? This does nothing to help him, all it does is hurt him, and it was stupidly pointless because they all would have gone insane and died anyway.
This is nothing but an excuse to make the character who's been extremely positive and helpful to both our protagonist and the changeling race as a whole, suddenly become a designated villain for no good reason.
9806673
And given the "anticipation from the army" which implies that even the rank and file in the house guard / city watch were all in on it, which means that everypony in the whole world is going to know what happened pretty much as soon as somepony goes to a pub and starts drinking.
This made no sense. Idiot Balls for everybody.
9806765
well that's just fucked up.
9805888
I doubt there's many if any survivors, Pharynx being the hardcore fighter he is, is the only one I can see making it out of that.
9806866
Starscribe: "You are going to be a reasonable authority figure."
Hydrus: "I don't want to be reasonable. I wanna see Pharynx burn."
9806866
Clearly, you've not been reading between the lines of his character, because I caught on that he was totally capable, and was definitely planning, something along these lines for awhile now, and that he planned to bump-off these VIP changelings in the end.
I mean, your argument isn't totally invalid to be sure. It's true, Hydrus's actions are positive from the changeling perspective, at least by comparison to the treatment everybody else gave them. It totally could've been the first stepping stones towards a better existence for all if managed right. But it was pretty clear to me he wasn't doing it selflessly almost from the start, and that it was always meant to be a little more self-serving than for the good of his fellow changelings. The fact the benefits of his little "hive" seem to end up more with him than the rest, as well as the fact that he seemed to make sure he was spared the more "undesirable" tasks of the arrangement where he could, are all excellent examples of that. And history has shown that a self-serving ruler almost never ends well. The shady double-dealing with the arrangement with Blueblood and the fact that from about then on Hydrus was clearly leaving Harlequin out of the loop on major details of his long-term plans (sometimes it felt like she was lucky to be told anything about said plans at all, and that what little he does tell her feels like it had to be forced out of him sometimes) only served to further raise red flags. It all suggested he was planning something that he knew others might protest as wrong or at least morally questionable if they knew about it. And then they'd be challenging his rule over them, a problem as he's not been too great at hiding the fact that he likes being in charge...just a bit too much.
So I at least wasn't so surprised Hydrus pulled a stunt like this, as I caught on to the telltale signs of it in his character fairly early on. Disappointed that it happened at all? Yes...but more because it was allowed to happen at all and no one in the story caught on soon enough to intervene.
In short, no, I don't think this is out of the blue for Hydrus's character at all and that Starscribe set it up for it decently well. The tell-tale signs are there if you know to look for them.
That said, I do absolutely agree that Hydrus offing the VIPs in the this public manner is only going to bring more trouble down on him in the end. There's no way ponies or changelings he wouldn't want poking their noses into this are going to stay out of it now. But I suspect he was thinking more of the spectacle than anything else--he has a personal grudge against these VIPs, after all. He wanted to make an example of these 'lings he's trying to doom.
We can only hope at the moment that he at least wasn't totally successful at this goal.
9807025
We aren´t questioning Hydrus amorality and thirst for power. The problem is up to this point he had proven himself smart and charismatic enough to put himself in charge of a bunch of loyal followers, settle a food supply for his subordinates in a more or less inconspicuous way, and establish connections with some powerful figures in pony society.
And now Hydrus risks everything for the sake of petty revenge against the ling elites, despite as LordBucket mentioned he had no need to do so. Even if he wanted to make absolutely sure Pharynx and co. were eliminated he should have done it under the secrecy of their current secluded prison rather than a starting goddamn fire in the capital.
Like we said, Stupid Ball is in effect.
9807094
I got all that the first time around. But my counterargument from before still stands. I think the issue here is that I recognize Hydrus was never as capable or reasonable as a leader as you seem to give him credit for, and I don't see this move of his is as a sudden change of tactic or out of character for him either, or really that out of the blue. Deep down, I kind of always knew it'd come to this with him. And to me, I felt the story had always been pretty good at conveying that.
In other words, he's been carrying that stupid ball for a good while now. So to me, this is just continuing that trend, and so I admittedly take issue with the suggestion that he's suddenly carrying it now as if he wasn't already. Nor do I like the accompanying implication that the character is now "botched" by doing so, for reasons that I, again, already argued in my previous comment.
Most of my previous comment was directed more at solely LordBucket anyway, who I was given the impression hadn't caught on that Hydrus was always going to be trouble like this, and I sought to point out evidence to the contrary. If not, he or she is of course free to correct me at any time, and I won't be offended, but we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.
Besides, I can see some of Hydrus's thinking on this particular course of action. I pointed out earlier that he wanted to make a spectacle of it, yes, but he's also done it in such a way so that he wasn't directly involved. Almost certainly, whoever started the fire were the pony soldiers that had escorted them into the prison, and not any changelings. (If it was a changeling--say, another undercover operative like Harlequin, only with different orders, except Hydrus has previously indicated that Harley's the best he's got--then it was done stealthily, and in such a way that it'd be hard to prove such a hypothetical 'ling was ever there without direct proof. And why would the ponies, who would present the bigger risk here at the moment, assume as such anyway? From their view point, why would changelings want to set fire to some of their own? They wouldn't see a provable motive here). But the point of all of this is, Hydrus arranged to have the prison set on fire, no doubt, but he or any other 'lings weren't directly involved in lighting the match. So if anybody does ask, he can just point the blame onto the ponies and throw them under the bus. I mean, he's not really allied with them, he's just using them as a means to an end, until such a time he deems they are no longer useful. He's already made it clear that his long game is to ultimately win out over the ponies in the end.
...Actually, now that I think about it, this could work in his favor, in the sense this could cause turmoil within the pony ranks as they try to figure out what happened that he could then, theoretically, use to his advantage...
...in fact, if he can convince even just a few key ponies of his and his changelings as innocent, make it seem like they were the victims here, that could further help to misdirect the attention of the ponies...
...But as all that's speculation, it's neither here nor there for now.
Anyway, I don't think the above will ultimately be enough to fully spare Hydrus bringing more trouble upon himself, especially as he fails to recognize that members within his own ranks are not as loyal as he thinks...but I do largely see his line of logic behind it, or at least what he might be thinking to lead him to decide to take this course of action.
Not that I approve of it, of course. I liked Pharynx in this story, and I was looking forward to him facing off with Hydrus. Hopefully we'll still get that.
Either way, I feel obligated to defend Starscribe's approach to this. If nothing else, I can see his line of thinking on this, and not only do I not have much issue with it, I approve of it, on a storytelling technique stance. I want at least that much on the record here.
If he wanted them dead why not just execute them in their cells when they were weak?
9807025
That sounds like anthrocentric bias to me. Which to be fair, the author does appear to be heavily buying into. Most obvious example being Harlequin being disgusted by being fed by ponies, even though she has absolutely no cultural bias that would lead to that and presumably quite a bit of biology leading her to be completely ok with it.
But by human standards, to paraphrase Codex, it's sexual indentured servitude forced by the threat of starving to death otherwise.
And yet, we don't see any of the other changelings having a problem with it, because of course they wouldn't. Codex reasonably would, because he's a former pony, and he's male. Why would Harlequin object? She wouldn't. But she does, because she's the protagonist and we're supposed to identify with her. It doesn't make sense in the context of the story.
As for Hydrus, by changeling standards he's an extreme "humanitarian" reformer, and a successful one. And as far as the fruits of that change going mostly to him, well yes of course. That's exactly the cultural example he has to work from. Imagine a character, we'll call him Bob, who's the son of a slaver who beat sand whips his slaves. And Bob decides to stop whipping and beating his slaves.
"Oh, he's a slaver! What a horrible person!"
Well, no, that's not really fair. Hydrus has been good to our protagonist and treated her fairly. He's given her opportunities, he's trusted her with a great deal of autonomy, and he's rewarded her successes. Hydrus has reformed changeling society, he's succesfully established peaceful trade with ponies, he's created an entirely new way of life based on mutual cooperation in which war is no longer required. But he's a bad guy because that's not enough?
I think your expectations are excessive.
Hydrus has apparently learned how to be a pony from the example given to him by the pony nobility. Hoard bits, buy luxuries. That's not bad. Personally, I expected for the past dozen chapters or so that while Harlequin would become queen, Hydrus would become the point of contact that ponies could relate to. He's learned to act like a pony and to like things that ponies like. The simple act of sitting down with someone and sharing a glass of wine together is an act of comfort and familiarity. Human business people do it all the time. How much better for changelings if Hydrus is the one sitting at the table to talk with ponies, instead of a changeling who's going to call them food and act like a changeling. Hydrus had a valuable and nuanced and interesting role to play in this story, and it was thrown away for the sake of turning him into a designated generic mustache-twirling villain.
If you're bothered by his wine-drinking and the gold and tapestries and so forth he's decorating the place with...why is that a problem? The changelings are running the brothel because they want the food it produces, not the bits. What are they going to do with shiny bits of metal? Personally I saw him as a glutton-in-the-making smitten by luxury, not a power monger. He should be schmoozing with the nobles and getting fat eating expensive food and wine he biologically doesn't even need, not shouting "the swarm is mine! Power muahahaha, power!" As for sparing himself undesirable tasks, yes of course he does. Do you think Chrysalis cleaned out the latrines? As for enjoying the fruits more than the drones, again no surprise. Harlequin is doing the same thing. She knows perfectly well that there are a bunch of crazy starving drones out there preying on each other, but she's staying in the nice and safe place with enough magic stockpiled that she's regularly hiding her use. Is she a bad changeling? Leaving Harlequin out of the loop? Well, yeah? Of course. How stupid was Blueblood for apparently letting his troops know what was going to happen? That's going to come back and bite him, don't you think? But again...why in the world would Hydrus keep that particular secret and then brazenly tell her afterwards? That was completely stupid. If he really trusted her with knowing, he should have told her beforehand to be sure sure wouldn't be caught up in it and lost, thereby losing his most valuable assistant, and if he didn't trust her with knowing he shouldn't have told her. By all appearances, Starscribe very deliberately had him wait to tell her at the worst time so that she would be mistrust and hate him as much as possible. "character has absolutely no reason to do X and it's in his best interest that he not, but the narrative requires that he do it" is a poor reason for characters to do things, and nothing in the previous 39 chapters indicates that Hyrdus is a complete, unrepenting moron. You might or might not like him, you might or might not agree with him, we can talk about his moral compass....but up until now he's been intelligent and capable. He was simply handed an Idiot ball.
9807094
The fire could be construed as an accident. They couldn't be killed in the prison because everyone knows there would be a prisoner transfer and they weren't technically under Blueblood's control. There was need to wait. A crossbow massacre during the transfer would have been investigated. Not something impossible to explain but probably an undesirable situation. The fire was probably the best chance to get rid of them. It could have been done later but the digging probably moved up the timetable.
9808721
To be fair to Harlequin's character, she's apparently one of the few changelings around to be exposed to quality love, and we know that lust is a subpar source. So just from that, the brothel feeding would be dissatisfactory. Also, imagine that this story is a window into a real alternate universe, and we could pick whichever character to follow around as our "protagonist." We would probably end up picking the character that thinks most like us. And it's not hard to imagine that there could be a 1 in 1000 changeling that 1. thinks like a pony/human and 2. because of that ability becomes one of the most capable and talented changelings (and thus becomes a viable candidate for our protagonist). Besides, Harlequin only finds the brothel feeding to be unpleasant, not outright detestable. It also requires her to behave subservient, which is something that she can, but doesn't like, to do. Finally, it physically is commonly not going to be comfortable and likely not pleasurable, which only makes it less likeable.
9809909
Furthering this, it's also important to remember that this whole story is being told from Harlequin's point of view, and as her knowledge of the world around her only goes so far, especially in the early chapters, she's also a flawed narrator. She doesn't always catch the significance of certain events in the story like others might, so what Harlequin observes may not always be the whole story and there's a bigger picture there that Harlequin occasionally fails to catch.
It's good to keep this in consideration with not just the brothel but most of all the major elements in the story that Harlequin encounters at any given time.