//------------------------------// // 50- The Fall of Dusk // Story: Changing Expectations // by KKSlider //------------------------------// Changelings stationed at the castle’s checkpoints saluted as we passed them, hunting for the third most powerful ling in the hive. Finding Eucharis turned out to be an easy task. He was snooping around one of the first rooms we checked, over in Princess Celestia’s personal wing of the castle. It was Her Highness’s personal study itself that caught the Chamberlain’s attention and he was going through the stacks of files piled high on the desk. When I opened the two large, pristine aged oak and gold embroidered doors, I couldn’t help but compliment Celestia’s taste in decor. The room was maybe twenty hooves by twenty hooves in size, but it seemed to be just the perfect size for its contents and purposes. White marble tiles covered portions of the floor, with the rest– the path up to the desk in the back of the room, as well as almost the entire area behind it– being covered by a red carpet that had purple and gold thread twisting around each other at the edge of the fabric. The walls were a gold bordered dark oak panel for the first two hooves, and a teal blue material I could not discern for the rest of the height, all the way up to the ceiling. Just like in all the hallways around the castle, white gems floated above curved, golden sconces. The gems themselves glowed, lighting up the room. The ceiling itself was a work of art, the transition from the walls to the ceiling itself was a short barrier of white, with equally spaced small wooden curled supports, as if the ceiling were a heavy object that needed their tiny help. The ceiling was a testament to the night sky itself, covered from inch to inch in the black expanse, with the white dots scattered throughout like islands in the black sea. And those were just the floor, walls, and ceiling. The actual contents of the room were no less awe-inspiring. In stark contrast to Chrysalis’s simple wooden desk, Celestia’s was truly where the heart of bureaucracy of the dominant power of the world beat in its every day task of turning paper and ink into power and influence. It was a Satin Birch desk, the marbled pattern of the wood encased in gold lining around each and every edge, with floral and fleur-de-lis patterns extending up from the edging on the longer stretches. Right on the front of it and facing the door, Equestria’s royal seal was plated onto the desk. It was a white alicorn stretched upwards, facing the sky, holding a yellow circle with its wings, with two laurels on either side of its hind legs at the bottom. Below the alicorn, a stylized scroll stretched across the seal, bearing the words ‘Per Harmonia, Omnes Ad Pacem.’ An escritoire stood to the side, in the corner of the room. The writing desk was of similar make to the massive desk, the only difference between the two being their shape and contents covering them. In front of the desk sat two low chairs, no doubt more comfortable on the equine body than most alternatives. They were made of dark tan wood, purple velvet fabric, and of course more gold filigree. The chair behind the desk itself, from what I could see, was a tall, massive chair. Made of the same materials as the low chairs, the main difference was the back. Instead of stopping two hooves above the seat, it extended six hooves above the desk, the top of it ending in a solid gold liner. There were two carved dragons, each putting a claw to a diamond set in the very center of the top of the lining. ‘Far more opulent than what Chrysalis could ever hope to achieve…’ The rest of the room consisted of bookshelves, filled with tomes of a rainbow of colors. There was a section of filing cabinets behind the desk and they seemed to shimmer in the moonlight coming from a partitioned window that was right in the center of the back wall, behind the massive chair. ‘Protective enchantments? I bet they’re locked up tight.’ The final thing in the gold-covered room that caught my attention was the occupant of the chair. He was going through folders filled with paper that were piled high on the desk. As I watched for a moment, he closed the one he was examining, placing it on his right hoof side, and picking up a folder from the stack on his left. “Chamberlain Eucharis, I see you’ve picked the fanciest room in the castle for yourself,” I announced as I entered the room. Oest entered behind me and stood next to the door. The changeling looked up from the papers he was reading and smiled. “Oh, hello Prince Phasma. This is quite the place, isn’t it? Why, there is more wealth in this room than there has been wealth in the entirety of the hive in its entire history. Not counting Queen Chrysalis’s and your Adamantium war gear. I imagine these ponies would have paid a substantial fortune for those.” “I’m sure they would have. What are you doing here, anyways?” The room shook a bit, and a bit of dust came down from the ceiling. ‘We must be close to the throne room.’ Eucharis briefly looked at the ceiling when the room shook, but resumed our conversation. “Preparing. Your job may be more or less completed, with just the sweep of Equestria remaining, but mine is only going to get busier. I have to familiarize myself with the resources the Equestrians had at their disposal. That camera was only one such invention we had no knowledge of, there’s quite a lot more around the place.” “That’s quite the task…” “Indeed. Which is why I have taken to getting a headstart. It’s not like I can help with that tussle going on over in the throne room, anyways.” Another rumbling shake of the room emphasized his point. I took in a deep breathe and plotted out my next words. “Eucharis…” “Yes, My Prince?” “... I have discovered something quite… disturbing.” He dropped the folder onto the desk and leaned in towards me. “What is it?” I looked away, examining the books on the closest bookshelf. “Queen Chrysalis. She’s… She’s not loyal to the hive.” “What? What do you mean?” “I found proof that she’s been torturing the most loyal changelings to the hive, and pumping them full of pure love, even during our shortage of food. She’s… mutilated her own children.” I turned back to Eucharis. “Her own children. She lobotomized them and stuffed them into tubes. They were still alive and stuck in their own bodies when I found them.” Eucharis sat back into the chair, staring at the desk before him. “You… found your brothers and sisters?” “Yes, I did. I freed them, too.” His eyes snapped up to meet my own. “They’re free, Eucharis. Forever.” “They were free to begin with. Your siblings have been dead for a long time, Prince Phasma.” “No. Chrysalis lied to us all. They were still in their bodies, I know it. I know it.” “You know nothing, you’re still a nymph in so many ways.” “I know plenty. I know that Chrysalis was planning on making me meet the same fate.” “Queen Chrysalis won’t do that.” “Why are you so confident she won’t? There was an empty vat, just for me. She is planning on getting rid of me the moment I’m no longer necessary.” Eucharis shot out of his chair, slamming his hooves on the desk, sending folders crashing to the ground. “She won’t do that!” “How do you know?!” “Because we made a deal!” “What?!” “We… we made a deal.” “You…” “Chrysalis won’t hurt you. Not as long as I report on your behavior. I know she won't Ascend you, not while I’m still loyal.” “Ascend? You… you knew?!” “Chrysalis needed an assistant. Someone to help with the complicated rituals and processes, someone with a good head on their shoulders. She needed someone to help with your… She trusted me. She still trusts me.” “You ripped apart my brothers and sisters?!” “They were dead long before I was even born. I covered up their fates and made sure you were trained right. An order is an order, and Queen Chrysalis needed my help!” He got up from behind the desk and walked over to me. “Let’s just… pretend this conversation never happened. You’ll walk out that door, I’ll get back to my work, and everything will be just fine.” I shook my head, “No. That’s not going to happen. What is going to happen is that I’m going to kill Chrysalis before she gets the chance to murder me.” “You’re getting ahead of yourself and jumping to conclusions, My Prince. I said she won’t hurt you, and I promise that is true.” “Oh, you promise? Do you hear that, Oestridae? Eucharis here promises that everything’ll be okay. We can go home now, the rebellion is over!” “I don’t trust him.” “What? Why not, Oest? After all, he only secretly reported on every one of my actions and every word I said to the Queen. He says it’s all going to be fine, so it must be true! He’s never lied to me before.” “Prince Phasma, I understand you’re scared that Queen Chrysalis is planning on hurting, even killing you. But–” “Oh I’m not afraid of death. There’s no surprises there for me. What I am afraid of is being trapped within my own body, unable to even fucking blink.” “That’s not what happens. Those changelings died and joined Panar’s side. To Ascend is the greatest honor that could be bestowed on a dying changeling, Phasma…” “Greatest honor? No Eucharis, they were still alive, still sapient. I’m not going to let Chrysalis imprison me forever for the crime of living at the same time she does. I’m going to save the hive.” I looked around the room. The shaking and distant thundering had ceased. One way or the other, Chrysalis’s duel with Celestia was over. “It’s time to make a choice. Are you with me, or against me?” “I am on your side. Just listen to my advice, and forget this ever happened. I won’t ever say a word of this. Ever.” “There’s no pretending. This movement is already in motion, and nothing under heaven can stop it. Over half of the Legions are in on this, are you?” “You are trying your damnedest to get yourself killed, aren’t you? I am on your side, as I keep saying. If this is already happening, then I have to go tell Chrysalis myself. She will peacefully end this misunderstanding, and she can’t hurt you. She can’t. Not while our deal still stands.” He pushed passed me, to the door. ‘No! I’m not letting him destroy everything I’ve worked for!’ “Eucharis! Stop!” “You can’t defeat Chrysalis. She has centuries of experience with fighting ahead of you. I’ve watched you grow over the past year, I know you don’t have what it takes to defeat her. Now, I’m going to save your life.” Oest moved to block the door. “Out of my way, Praetorian Oestridae. I’m trying to save the Prince’s life.” “No.” “Stand down, Eucharis! This is your last chance, before…!” “I’ve always looked out for your best interest. You know that, even if you disagree with what I did. You cannot deny that I have always been looking out for you. Now stand aside, Praetorian. I will not let you stop me from saving Phasma.” “Not going to happen.” ‘No no no! Why won’t he just fucking surrender?!’ “Move aside, or I will move through you. Don’t think just because I am a Chamberlain that I can’t defeat a single Praetorian in combat.” Eucharis's back was to me while he was still arguing with Oest. “I did what I was told to last time,” I muttered, almost growling. “But this life, I’m the master of my own fate!” I envisioned a cold point right next to me, devoid of energy. And then, I thrust it forward. Eucharis froze as the ice spear cut straight through the chitin on his neck, going straight through to the other side with a sickening SWICK sound. I grabbed him, holding a hoof right above his horn, ready to bring it down in case he tried to cast magic. “The crown thanks you for your many years of service. But unfortunately, your services are no longer required.” His eye closest to me looked at me, the pupil shrinking. He stumbled back and more into my grip, falling to the side. He gurgled, and blood spurted from the front of his neck as the ice spear dissipated from the lack of mana supporting its magical structure. As he fell, blood continued to spurt out, and I saw a spray of it on the door from when the spear hit him. I held onto him as he fell, lowering him to the ground. He continued to gurgle and pour blood as he fell. He faced me, staring me in the eyes. The room was silent except for my panting and his desperate gasping for air, only being met with blood filling his airway. His mouth moved to form words, but all I heard was air bubbles rising up and popping in the liquid that covered the entire front lower half of his neck. I was tensed up, ready to strike so swiftly and so brutally that my hoof could sever his horn clear off his head. Yet he never tried to use his magic. No spell came to him as he lay in my forelegs, drowning in his own blood. The blood jostled around as more bubbles came up from his lungs. He slowly lifted a hoof, and pressed it against my chest. I saw the corners of his mouth twitch, eventually pulling upwards into a pained smile. In the back of my mind, I felt the Weave being pulled, manipulated. ‘Is he trying to call for help? Ask me to help? A threat? What is he doing?!’ A concept was pulled from the depths of the Weave, accessing the subconscious knowledge inside my own head. I examined what he was trying to grasp onto. Pride. He mouthed a word, and the light faded from his eyes. He went limp, bubbles no longer appearing in the blood pouring out from his neck like a faucet. Now, all that I could hear was my heavy breathing. And my heartbeat. It was fast, and painful. My face had gone numb as I continued to stare at Eucharis. There was only one word that could fit the concept he pulled on and the shapes his mouth made. My jaw started to shiver. I let go of Eucharis, letting his head and upper barrel hit the floor. I looked up, at the wall to the right of the door, which we had turned towards as he fell. There was a ceramic vase, covered in blue floral patterns sitting on a table between the bookshelves. It was polished to a shine, and I could see my own reflection in the vase’s sheen. I was covered in blood. My mind connected the dots all too easily. Chrysalis’s hints pointed to someone important. She didn’t want me to know who he was. Eucharis himself said that he always had my best interest at heart. He had a deal to protect me and me alone. ‘He helped cover out the fate of my brothers and sisters. He constantly reported my activities to the Queen. He tried to stop my rebellion. But he did it all for what he believed to be the right reasons…’ “He was trying to save his son.” I looked down at his lifeless body. Blood had stopped coming out of his wound, where I… Where I ran him through. The red substance had stained the light red carpet a dark, deep crimson. At the edge of the carpet, where his head lay, some of it pooled onto the white, shiny marble tile floor. “What?” Oest asked. I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t look away. “He tried his best.” “Phasma? What are you…” “His last word. Son.” ‘I… could have casted a stun spell… Didn’t need…’ “... We have to go, Phasma. Time is of the essence.” I stood up, gaze never leaving Eucharis. My chest was hurting something fierce. “C’mon Phasma. We still have to find Commander Scorpion.” “Yeah…. The Commander. This isn’t over.” I managed to tear my gaze away, only to see the bloody door in front of me. I stumbled at the sight. Oest stretched out a hoof, catching me. “Ahem. Let’s… find this Commander.” We left the room, closing the door behind us.