Changing Expectations

by KKSlider


10- Ma’at

Chrysalis is smiling at me again. I don’t think anyone is brave enough– or stupid enough– to tell her that her smiles are creepy as fuck. Self-preservation and all that.

“Prince Phasma, you have been working hard at your studies.”

‘But I failed yesterday’s first exam?’

“I do my best, Queen Chrysalis.”

She nodded, “I know. Which is why I have secured a luxury for your efforts.”

At this point I’m expecting her to give me a slave or something equally horrible. She brings over a jar from her desk. I can hear whispers coming from it…

“-I don’t know, with-” “-need you my-”

‘No, it couldn’t be... There’s going to be an awful catch to this. Okay, which puppy am I going to have to strangle?’

I closed my open mouth before I drooled. I don’t even know when I opened it in the first place.

“With hard work comes rewards that make it worth it. You might not have realized what you are working for, so I shall enlighten you. You will be my second-in-command of the changeling race, and together we shall bring an end to the miseries that have befallen our people.

“Prince Phasma, you will be the key to the fall of Equestria, and with it, you will bring the hive an unlimited supply of love. Enough not just for us, but for every drone that bows to us. No more rationing. No more hiding. This is what we are working towards. This is a goal worth fighting for.”

‘She is buying my loyalty with pure love!’

“I do as you command, mother.” I can’t even take my eyes off the jar.

No matter how hard I try, I can't. Stop. Staring!

“I need more than a mindless drone, Prince Phasma. I need a commander, a war master who will bring ruin upon my enemies. You are more than a weapon, you are Prince Phasmatodea of the Fourth Hive Dynasty. Princess Celestia shall come to fear your very name!”

“... I will not fail.”

“No, you won’t.” With that, she uncaps the jar and hooves it over to me and I take it up in my magic. My magic had shifted over to a light orange hue from the changeling green shortly after starting magic lessons.

I could hear the whispers much clearer now that the love was sooo close...

‘Oh by the nine, I have missed this!’


I was in my room, standing at my open, empty chest. Staring at it. Staring through it.

‘Do I…. Should I….’

I growl and shake my head.

‘No, one thing is clear. I need to find out what happened to those who came before me. I will not be just a footnote in changeling history. Or worse, scrubbed from it entirely. If she had a hoof in their possible demise, then I am in danger. She could very easily dispose of me when we are victorious.’

I felt uncomfortable and sweaty. I wanted to vomit.

‘She’s got me like a dog on a leash. I am a fucking drug addict and she holds a monopoly on the supply.’

I began to pace the room.

‘I doubt there is any possible way I can secure a supply of love outside of her directly, which means I have to play nice and follow orders. I will do whatever she says until I can get the truth.’

I remembered that tomorrow I will meet other changelings outside of Officer Katydid for the first time.

‘Allies. Resources. Information. I cannot make bricks without clay.’

If I am worrying over nothing, then tomorrow will pass by unremembered to all but those in the class.

But if she killed her offspring before me, then what I set in motion tomorrow will be the end of Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Fourth Hive Dynasty.

‘As it is woven, So it shall be.’


A loud knocking on the door woke me up.

“Prince Phasma, it is time to wake up,” came a muffled voice on the other side.

“Muh,” I eloquently reply, and turn over in my bed to face away from the door.

Heedless of my stern warning to not wake me up, the door opens and Chamberlain Eucharis moves into the doorway.

“Prince Phasma, it is time for you to attend infiltration class.”

“Nnnnuh.”

Eucharis sighs softly to himself, "Every damn day.” The Chamberlain then tilts his head forward and shoots out a firework illusion spell into the room. The immediate BANG! and flash of lights sends me shooting off my bed.

He repeats himself, “Prince Phasma, it’s time to wake up.” With that, he steps back, and closes the door behind him.

I groan and my eyes. This was not a fun way of waking up, but after sleeping past the start of just a single lesson Chrysalis arranged for the Chamberlain to make sure I was awake on time.

‘They really need to invent alarms.’

“Queen Chrysalis, it is time to wake up,”

I stood up and stretched, producing a series of satisfying pops.

‘Today is the first day I will see changelings that are not my mother, military, or the two Broodnurses from so long ago. First impressions are everything…’

I lamented the lack of a mirror to make myself presentable. I would ask Chrysalis to see if she can procure one but let’s be honest; what could I even do? I don’t get bed-head since Chrysalis is the only changeling with hair. I can’t brush my teeth since toothpaste hasn’t been invented yet. Or maybe it has and there just isn’t any in the hive.

BANG!

I open my door and step out into the hall, waiting for the Chamberlain. Currently, he is closing the door to Chrysalis’s personal bedchamber, cutting off a particularly nasty string of curses. He turned around and walked up to me.

“Are you ready, My Prince?”

“Whoever invented mornings needs to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.”

Ignoring my ramblings and opening the door to the throne room, Eucharis led the way out of the royal wing of the hive. We walked past the throne room and into the grand hall. I hadn’t seen the grand hall since I first arrived in the upper echelon of the main hive spire. In fact, I had forgotten the existence of the hive outside of the throne room, which I only caught occasional glimpses of.

I followed Eucharis as we descended a few staircases down into the hive proper. Yet again I was met with the spectacle of changelings stopping, staring, and bowing.

‘Only this time, they’re bowing to me, the prince.’

There was a lot more staring going on than when the Queen first took me up. A few changelings even gasped when they saw me, then ran off to go tell their coworkers or friends that the prince was walking through the halls for the first time.

I felt my face heat up despite changelings being unable to blush through solid chitin. I wanted to stop being a public spectacle as soon as possible. Being told that I would be looked up to and have my every action scrutinized is one thing. Experiencing it first hoof is entirely another. I could claim that I would be fine all I wanted, the truth was another matter.

I was not subjected to being the center of attention for too long thankfully, as we soon stopped halfway down a large, busy corridor, in front of a door. A sign above the door read Classroom 431 in Equish.

Chamberlain Eucharis looked to me and grinned, “Here we are, My Prince. I will be here to escort you back to your chambers once class is finished.”

“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, “Thank you Chamberlain.”

We stood there a long moment before Eucharis spoke up.

“Your class is inside, Prince Phasma.”

“Yes yes, I’m getting to that.”

But before I could use my magic to open the door, Eucharis leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry My Prince. Everyone was anxious during their first day of school.”

‘So basically I’m acting like a child. Get your shit together, Phasma, you’re not six years old.’

“Thank you, Eucharis,” I said quietly.

Then, I opened the door to the first changelings I would meet outside of the royal court.