//------------------------------// // 67- Achilles // Story: Changing Expectations // by KKSlider //------------------------------// I was dying. No, worse. I woke up before the alarm clock said ‘P.M.’ I rolled over in my bed to glare at the small appliance sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. Even worse than the fact that it displayed A.M. was the fact that the number next to it wasn’t in the double digits. “Eugh…. Fuck you.” I pressed every button on the top of the clock down, too lazy to find out which one. The horrible blaring cut out and I shut my eyes. Then there was a knocking at the door. “No.” But the knocking persisted. ‘Someone is knocking at the door. An alarm has gone off that I most definitely did not set, meaning it was set before I moved in. Oh Panar, does that mean they expect me to wake up early?’ After a pause, the knocking continued once more. With a pained sigh, I rolled off the bed and fell onto the floor. Getting my hooves beneath me– and remembering that I only had three, not four like in the dream, I lumbered across the room and over to the door. “Yeah yeah, ‘m here…” I opened the door and cringed. The hall lights were on, blinding me. I made sure that one of the first things I secured for my new apartment was a set of thick curtains to cover up the windows. I had planned on sleeping in often, but it seems that was not to be. “You look like a mess,” a voice replied. The pony who said it was right in front of me. I, however, was still blinking the sleep out of my eyes. “Who are you and why are you here?” “Sky. I’m right in front of you. Open your eyes.” I sneered but complied. “Bray.” “Hi sky.” “... Why?” “Why what?” “Early!” “Please use complete sentences. I know you’re capable of that, Sky!” “.... ‘M goin’ back to sleep.” I started to close the door but she outstretched a hoof to catch it. “Ha! C’mon Sky, you need to get ready. You were supposed to be down at Search’s office ten minutes ago.” “But it’s early.” “Yes…?” “... You can consider this my two weeks notice.” Bray smiled and rolled her eyes. “Get ready and get down to the office,” she said as she turned around and left. Shutting the door, I went to the bathroom to start this miserable day. Search came in and dramatically threw a newspaper onto the table. Bray and I glanced down to read. We had pushed two chairs up to the side of the room and used a small table to put papers down on it. Currently, she was quizzing me on basic procedures we just covered. Now, a newspaper covered the pamphlet and loose pieces of paper we were using. “Shit’s happening in Canterlot.” ‘PRINCESS OF THE MOON RETAKES HER MANTLE’ was printed in bold letters. Knowing that story, the other headlines interested me more. The second biggest story was a reorganization on sentencing prisoners to Tartarus. “A message in the stars, all to dispel the myths and prove her power. Alicorns…” Search trailed off. ‘Luna mentioned the feeding of changeling prisoners. Reorganizing these… ‘maximum security prisoners’ is a very convenient way of having a few souls disappear.’ Then there was the third article on the front page. It was the smallest of all, yet had arguably the largest impact. ‘Princess Daybreaker to pass moral reformation bill’ was the title. As Bray and Search talked, I read that article in particular. “You two see the stars last night?” “Yeah! That was so cool! And, uh… weird?” “Mhmm, well that article explains it all. To dispel the doubt in both her and in the crown, Princess Luna placed a message in the sky. Says she was tired of dealing with foal after foal who didn’t know who she was, and what her powers were.” “Weird flex, but okay.” “How bout you, Sky? Did you see the message?” “No,” I mumbled, trying to ignore them in favor of reading. “What, really? It was kinda hard to miss.” “Went to bed early. Tired, remember?” “Oh right right right. That whole, uh, blood loss thing. How’re you feeling?” “Tired. Not enough sleep.” “Ah. You’re just going to have to get used to that, I’m afraid. I’ll try to limit your physical exertion until you recover, but we start the day as early as everypony else. Are you a night owl?” “Yeah.” “Heh, sorry to hear that.” Bray interjected, “I have always been one to appreciate the morning. The day just isn’t complete without viewing Princess Cel– Daybreaker’s sunrise…” I picked up and flipped the newspaper to the second page. “You reading the article?” Search asked me. “One of them…” “Wait, is there something else besides the whole message in the sky thing? What could possibly hold a candle to that?!” “... Something big with far reaching changes,” I said. The door opened behind me. I was facing away but assumed it was Dew coming in. The low voice confirmed my assumption. “Sergeant. Corporal.” “Good morning Private Dew. Did you see the sky last night?” “I did. It was… strange.” “That’s an understatement!” Dew swept his black mane back. It seems that he came up directly from the locker room, his mane was still wet from a shower. "What's the reason behind it?" "Incredulous foal," Bray smiled. Dew nodded but I tasted some confusion on him. He likely didn't know what incredulous meant. I flipped another page. The movement recaptured Search's attention. "You were saying something, Sky?" I set the paper down when I reached the end of the article. Then, I rubbed my temples. Well, temple. I only had a single forehoof after all. “... You all might want to stock up on booze,” I said. "That is, if you drink." Bray picked the newspaper up and flipped to the start of the article. Quick Search leaned over her shoulder to read while Dew walked to the Sergeant's desk. I watched as he grabbed a piece of paper and read it over. 'What could be more interesting than my ominous warning?' "Moral reformation bill? What does that mean?" Bray was looking up back at me, hoping for an answer. "Citing fears and concerns brought to her," I absentmindedly quoted, "Daybreaker believes the changeling invasion is due to a lack of adherence to Harmony's virtues." “In laypony’s terms?” Dew asked, not bothering to turn to face us. “Things are going to change. First off, she is banning the sale and distribution of alcohol.” Dew started, put the paper down, and came over to look at the newspaper. ‘Ha, that got his attention!’ “Okay, so we’re going to be expected to handle the enforcement of that…” “That’s correct Sergeant. Further, we’re going to be cracking down on… narcotics.” “Narcotics?” “Drugs. Don’t know how prevalent they are in towns like Hooferville, but I suspect there’s going to be a list of banned substances released.” “Huh… What else?” “There’s going to be strict requirements on printing newspapers. No surprise there, she wants to stamp out any dissidence and changeling sympathy.” “Who would sympathize with changelings, or go against the Princesses?” “Very few, but each war does have two sides.” Search sat back on his haunches. “And here I was, thinking a sentence written in the sky itself would be the most important news of the day.” “That was likely on purpose.” All three looked at me with a confused look on their face, and a matching emotion in the air. ‘Oops. Perhaps I am being too clever. I better explain this and start stepping back from the conversation.’ “... No pony likes change. If Daybreaker wants to change society, then perhaps she thinks it's best to do so while we are all… distracted?” Bray shook her head, “I think you’re being way too paranoid, Sky. This is Princess Daybreaker we’re talking about here. She wanted to be called by a different name, and we all happily went along with it. Nopony hates change, it just makes ponies uncomfortable.” “Bray is right,” Search agreed, “Princess Daybreaker is just announcing this bill. Once it goes through, it’s going to be on all the headlines.” ‘Sure Search, sure. You’re the one with experience being under an absolutist monarch, after all. By the time the bill is passed, I am sure Daybreaker will be writing each article personally. Or rather, assign someone to write it to exactly her criteria and preference.’ “Okay, Sergeant.” “... I think Far Sky might be right.” “Now Dew–” “Sir, you know firsthoof just how far Canterlot’s elites have their heads up their own plots.” “The actions of the few don’t reflect the majority. We’ve been over this, Dew.” “This sounds like exactly what is needed to get their fat plots moving, Sir.” “You might be right on that. But still, this is going to apply to the rest of Equestria, too. Us more so, since we will be the ones enforcing these new laws.” “Princess C– Daybreaker holds our health and happiness close to her own heart,” Bray seemed to rattle off pony propaganda quite cheerfully. Search nodded. “Nopony’s arguing otherwise. Whatever this is, it’s for the best for Equestria.” ‘And thus the complacency of living under an immortal’s rule rears its ugly head.’ “Sure,” was all I said in reply. “Anyways, how is the training going you two?” Bray smiled, “Great! Sky is great at absorbing all these rules and scenarios!” “That’s some good news, alright.” “It’s nothing…” It was tempting to start feeding off the happiness these ponies were exuding. I hadn’t eaten for almost all of yesterday, having been consigned to their custody pretty quickly. Given how they hadn’t really bothered to check if I was a changeling, I figured it was probably safe to feed off them. I would have to start feeding in the afternoon, however. Spreading out my niblings of the emotions in the air over three of them would mean that the symptoms would take longer to manifest. However, I suspected that the guards would be far more physically active than Nurse Gentle Hoof, and would notice tiring quickly as being an anomaly. It is better to be safe than sorry. “I neglected to ask, what level of education did you achieve before you set out in the world?” “I was homeschooled.” ‘The perfect excuse, and not even a lie. It would be hard to cover up the gaps in my knowledge otherwise.’ “Close knit family, eh?” I chose not to answer that. Bray picked up on the poor conversation topic and switched its gears. “I think that’s enough of the material for today. Next, let’s go over what spells you know.” ‘Great, I have to tell more lies.’ The guards station had a training room. As it turned out, it was next to the locker room. The spell resistant dummy– a tall sack hanging by a rope attached to the ceiling– swung around after I had hit it with the fire bolt. It was a toned down version of the fireball spell I usually favored. “Impressive hit!” Sergeant Search cheered from behind me. “Thanks Search.” “It’s no wonder you trounced those wolves!” “Thanks Bray.” Our conversation about my known spells boiled down to weaker versions of the combat spells I knew, shielding, and the ability to check the time. Bray had looked and felt quite distraught, but wanted to see my spells in action. It wasn’t like I could tell her I could teleport or anything like that. “You said you were proficient in shields, right?” “Yes.” “Great, let’s see how good you are.” Sergeant Search had let Bray Call lead the testing, as she was the unicorn of the squad. I turned and faced her as Search moved to the side of the spacious gymnasium and sat next to Dew. Dew had decided to do some weight lifts in the meantime, watching my spell casting but not wanting to waste time. Now, he was taking a break. “Can you cast a shield around a distant target?” “Sure.” “Really? Most unicorns struggle with that.” “I know.” “Let’s test both targeted shielding and self shielding. Targeted first.” I decided to construct a shield around the target at the strength I could normally maintain. An orange bubble flickered into place around the hanging tan sack. “Ready.” Bray walked up next to me. “Alright, I’m casting.” Her horn lit up in a lavender shade, the same color as her mane and eyes. Then, four shards of ice appeared around her and zipped off towards the target, flying in dramatic arcs. They broke against the shield harmlessly. More projectiles, this time fire bolts. Six of them pinged off the orange shield, the fire flaring out and dissipating in the hot summer air. Finally, Bray picked up a weighted ball. It was a huge thing, maybe fifty pounds, and she chucked it at the shield. The ball bounced off and onto the protective mat below. “That’s one tough shield!” “Is it? Was that supposed to be a lot?” “Hey!” She lightly punched my one remaining foreleg. “If you need to call some pony else, I’ll understand.” “Sky! I may not have my Mark in offensive casting, but I’m no slouch!” “Oh. I just figured that since I didn’t feel anything, you just sucked.” “If you weren't funny I'd teach you a lesson you wouldn't soon forget. Wait, nothing?!” She huffed but then looked back to glimpse at my flank. Or my Cutie Mark, whichever she found more interesting. “... What does your Cutie Mark mean?” “My Mark?” “Yeah.” I shrugged, “I dunno. Figured it was something about the sky. Fits my name, you know? Its meaning wasn't exactly clear when I got it.” “You don’t know...? What if it was magic related?” “Huh?” “Magic related. Those are often obscure in design. That would explain your skill. I’ve never seen a shield so strong! You know, the Captain of the Royal Guard has his specialty in shielding.” “Really? I never would have guessed.” ‘Is that where he got his expanding shield trick? That would have been a godsend in the fight against the wolves. To be able to shield without sacrificing your ability to move to the offensive is a game changer.’ “Mhmm. Even if you don’t become a Royal Guard, there’s plenty of institutes that’ll pay top bit for a shield specialist. From researching the property of shields to becoming a safety professional, there’s sure to be plenty of professions you could fit in. How did you get your Cutie Mark, anyways? That should, you know, hint at what you’re good at.” ‘What was the lie I came up with? Something about telescopes? Oh right, I trashed the one story I had.’ I shifted on my hooves uncomfortably. “Sorry, don’t feel pressured to share if it makes you uncomfortable.” I looked at Bray with genuine surprise. “Oh, thank you…” “Eh, most ponies unreasonably expect others to just open up completely. I understand if there’s some things you don’t want to share, especially for somepony like you with such a rough history.” “How did you…?” “The Sarge shared some details. Sorry, but the basic psych stuff we gotta know, lest something bad happens in the field. It’s required Guard stuff, ya know?” “Oh.” ‘Is this that whole ‘military owns your ass’ stuff? Sounds like a massive invasion of privacy, but these are ponies. Not sure if they even understand stringent privacy concerns...’ She smiled after noticing my discomfort, “Don’t worry, none of us will talk about if you don’t want us to. Unless there’s a problem that comes up, though. Then we do need to talk.” “That’s… fair.” “Anyways, back to what we were saying, I think you could get far with your expertise in shielding. I don’t even know if there’s a point in me trying to hit you when you’re self-casting your shield. If I couldn’t scratch it while you were projecting, then I bet you could stop a train while self-casting!” I briefly remembered my fight with Chrysalis. A massive light green beam slammed into my shield and had bounced off. The sheer power behind it… “Maybe.” 'And this is with factoring in my reduced magical strength due to hunger. Damn, I remember tiring out after two whole hours of casting not half a year ago. Am I already starting to reach alicorn-tier mana capacity and casting powers?' Sergeant Search had gotten up and walked over after seeing us not cast spells for a while. Catching the tail end of the conversation, he added in his two cents. “Maybe we should test how powerful your shields are. Would be useful to know what your upper limit is.” 'It's been a long time since someone managed to break my shield. Should I intentionally weaken it? Either way, that's going to hurt.’ I sat down and rubbed the side of my horn as I thought. Search furrowed his brows at the sight. “Another day, then. You did well, Sky.” 'What? Oh, the rubbing. He probably think I'm suffering from a lack of mana or something.' “Yeah! I’ll teach you some basic spells, let’s get back to the office.” “Actually,” Search interrupted, “I was thinking of grabbing lunch. It is past noon.” “Is it? I must’ve lost track of time.” I was hungry, too. “... Could do with some food.” ‘Just a nibble. To test the waters, you know? If they do notice the symptoms, they’ll pass it off as a post-food coma.’ “Sounds good,” Private Dew said, having spontaneously appeared next to the Sergeant. There’s a chance he walked up when I wasn’t paying attention, but I thought it more likely that he somehow teleported, as opposed to catching me off guard. “Is there a cafeteria here, or...?” Search shook his head, “No. We go out and grab some food. The guards get their food for free at approved cafes and diners during our workdays. Well not really free, the bill is just sent to the Guard Station to be paid out at the end of the month. That is to say, we get free food and let the bean counters deal with paying.” ‘... Do ponies eat using utensils? Oh Panar, that wasn’t covered in the Infiltrator class!’