“Mhmm! Sky did a great job helping out with the panic!”
Bray was positively beaming with happiness at the job well done.
“I don’t think I was really needed there….”
“An extra set of hooves goes a long way.”
Bray sat down across from me at our usual spot on the right side of Search’s office. Dew took up a spot on the opposite side of the room while Search sat down behind his desk.
“Bray’s right. It may not seem like you did a lot today, but that’s Guard duty. Some days you walk around town and nothing happens. Others, you break up fights before ponies get injured. That is the best we can hope for. We don’t go charging out, looking for manticores to wrestle. A quiet day is a good day.”
“Speaking of quiet,” Dew remarked as he gave a look to Search.
“Right. Paperwork.”
“Oh no,” I quietly gasped.
‘I thought I escaped that evil phenomenon!’
“I’ll go get everything from the main floor that we will need,” Search said as he slowly got up from his chair. He took off his helmet and placed it on his desk. “Let’s get out of this clunky armor before we get started. No need to be geared to the nines if all we’re doing is filling in blanks and checkmarks.”
We all groaned.
“Yeah yeah, I know it sucks, but that’s part of being a guard so we gotta do it.”
It was going to be a long afternoon.
The wind whistled in my ears as I flew.
I was soaring above the clouds. They formed a rolling layer of white fluff beneath me, painted in hues of scarlets and golds as I flew away from a setting sun. There was nothing but the blue sky and a few scattered clouds above me.
“You fancied a flight?” Luna called from my side as she beat her large alicorn wings to join me.
“Much to think about.”
“Oh?”
I adjusted the sound in the dream so that our voices were loud enough to not have to yell over the wind.
“There’s lots happening, and there’s a lot that needs to happen. How goes the war? I’m not exactly in a position to receive classified military intel.”
“Slow. Very slow. Daybreaker is practically ripping her mane out at how the changelings have retarded our progress at pushing them out. The E.U.P. have pushed them out of Equestria proper and are fighting them in the jungles just to our south. As you can imagine, that environment is very well suited to the hit-and-run fighting style your changeling army has adopted.”
“Does Daybreaker intend on pushing them as far as possible?”
“She intends to wipe them out, but I suspect she will have to settle for that, yes.”
“That’s…. Good. Very good. For us, at least. Daybreaker won’t be able to wipe out the changelings, I can tell you that much. That gives me time, lots of it.”
“Are you so certain in your kind’s ability to evade pursuit?”
“I am certain of our ability to hold our homelands. No one can… Nevermind. I shouldn’t tell you, on the extremely slim chance that that information could leak to Daybreaker somehow. How is your progress on convincing Twilight Sparkle to turn against Daybreaker?”
“The bootlicker has been told to stay far from Canterlot, all the way in Ponyville. She has her fellow elements there to help sway her, but Daybreaker has stationed a contingency of her finest Royal Guards in the town, citing potential incursion from hidden changeling elements within Everfree Forest.”
“Honestly not that bad of an excuse. I would have hidden several strike teams within those woods if possible. I take it that those guards watch her and keep her… indoctrinated?”
“Almost certainly. It is impossible for me to know for certain given the distance, but I suspect that our bond is tenable at best, and very much subject to change. I can change her mind given the opportunity, but…”
“Can you speak with her secretly through dreams?”
“Of course. However, I have had very little time to do so.”
“Then we have to cut down on our time together.”
I banked slowly to the side, cutting straight through a cloud that rose from the distant cloud layer beneath us.
“I…. I do not wish for that to happen. We have fought so hard and lost so much. Losing the one chance to speak with you each day is a toll I am ambivalent to pay.”
“Me too. There are often days where all I want is to just stay in bed, preferably asleep and with you. But we have to do this in order to move against Daybreaker.”
“Indeed. It is decided; I shall reduce our time together in favor of coercing the Element of Magic to our side. While I am at that, I shall request the aid of the other Element bearers to keep an eye on her out in the waking world. If they can also work to persuade Twilight Sparkle, then we have a good chance of counteracting Daybreaker’s machinations.”
“Agreed. How’s the Nightmare hunting?”
“Very little time for that, too.”
“Is it worth it to spend the odd night doing that? I don’t want those things left unmolested.”
“It mostly likely is worth the cost of time. They have been prospering under Daybreaker’s rule. I suspect that this ban on spirits and vices will only double down as Daybreaker executes her will.”
“Is it an intentional effort?”
“... Possibly. Combining a Nightmare and an alicorn leads to a drift. A sort of melding of desires and a distortion of ambitions.
“So Princess Celestia has sort of negated some of the raw evil of the Nightmare possessing her?”
“Possibly. This is hardly a studied science, and my experience in the matter is rather tainted. My memory is suffering from an unreliable narrator sort of issue.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. How are you doing?”
Luna smiled.
“These nights certainly help. Rebuilding Canterlot goes well, if always struggling for funds. Daybreaker has already delivered the contract of rebuilding Canterlot Castle to her specifications and the basic work has already been started. As for the city proper, that has been left up to me. Daybreaker has been too focused on the war to bury herself in the minutia of the reconstruction. That is quite a small miracle. One I have exploited to the fullest; I am certain that if it were left to Daybreaker, many a pony would be out house and home. As it is, many of the fire-scathed blocks have been either rebuilt or have been cleared out in preparation for rebuilding.”
“Heh, sorry about that, but–”
“I understand, Phasma. You waged a war that was quite bloodless, in comparison to the crusades my sister and I have led. Or really, just myself. Casualties are low, limited almost entirely to those who were injured to the fires.”
“There’s also the missing ponies that you won’t be getting back.”
“Yes… There will not be a shortage of proverbial ammunition against the changelings in that regard.”
“Can’t be helped. On that note, I do have some good news and a favor I need to ask.”
“Do go on, the world is quite starved of good news at the moment.”
“A friend got in contact with me. I had banished him from our kingdom– long story– and he finally has made contact again. Apparently, he could sense my Weave. That is, he could feel a sort of low-level hivemind that changelings royals produce. We can talk about that later, such as when you tell me your story or I speak with Cadence again. It’s quite the useful aid for fellow changelings, and I certainly benefited from the one at the Fourth Hive, right up until I ordered that one’s destruction, or rather the entombed brothers and sisters projecting it. I don’t know if it has an off-switch. If I can turn it off, I wasn’t taught how. I bet there’s a lot concerning the Weave that Chrysalis did not teach me. Anyways, this friend, Thorax, found me despite my relatively remote location.”
“I’m surprised that any changeling found you all the way up north in Hooferville.”
“Yeah that surp– wait, what?”
I stopped flying forward, choosing instead to hover while staring at Luna. She had to circle back around when she noticed that I had stopped, having continued flying forward for a few seconds. When she came back, she seemed confused.
“... What?”
“Hooferville? I never said the town’s name, Luna.”
“... I have never excelled at cloak and dagger pursuits, despite my affinity for the night.”
“Luna, did you go searching for me?”
“No, I knew all along. I apologize, I just found your desire to stay hidden an adorable pursuit; I know where you are every time we meet together during the night. The exact location of your dream correlates to a location on the physical realm, hence why dear Cadence’s dream was close to me. So I respected your wish of not being found, despite already knowing where you were. A cursory glance at a map yielded the name of the settlement you washed up at.”
I face-palmed.
‘Face-frogged?’
“Lunaaaaa! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“I suppose I lack an adequate excuse. I must apologize again.”
“It’s fine, it’s just… Augh! Alright, alright. Whatever. You know where I am but so long as you don’t go stirring the pot– that means looking for me– I should be fine. Damn it all, it seems everyone in the Panar damn world knows where I am!”
“Everyone but Daybreaker and your forebearer.”
“Thank The Weaver for that. What the hell was I talking about again? Ah, Thorax. He got in touch but due to my closeness with the local Guard, we can’t talk for long, nor frequently. However…”
“... You two can converse in the Dreamscape! Indeed, that is a tactic I have used to great extent prior to my banishment. I am proud that you have already thought of this useful technique, my apprentice Dreamwalker.”
“So while you are busy hunting Nightmares or speaking with Twilight, I can start rebuilding what power I have over my changelings, starting with Thorax. And that means I need to learn how to identify a specific person’s dream.”
“Quite so. Let us begin our next lesson. This time, you shall discover the properties of each dream you sense.”
I ended the sky dream and brought us to the Castle parlor. It was easier to focus in here, after all.
“Right. I take it that I should start with sensing the other dreams around?”
Luna nodded.
I repeated the steps first taught to me for sensing other dreams. Soon enough I felt the presence of the other bubbles in the Dreamscape and projected them as a star map around us. Since this was the second time doing it, it felt easier. I even managed to push out further, filling the room with stars.
“Hooferville has a large population,” Luna commented.
“Yeah, it’s a big town. Now, what next?”
Thorax was suddenly aware of the fact that he was dreaming. At least, he was pretty sure he was dreaming. Last he checked, he was in Hooferville, not here. He shot up from the couch he was lounging on. He was in an apartment he had stated briefly in while in Manehattan. His last memory was falling asleep countless miles away from here.
There was a knocking at the door.
Confused, Thorax crept silently up to the door and pressed an ear against it. He could hear two voices speaking quietly with each other out in the hall.
“–polite to knock. You wouldn’t appreciate it if I were to barge into your room, would you?”
“You are a Dreamwalker. You must assert your presence to the host, lest you plant the idea that you can be subject to their whims. Appearance is paramount, Phasma.”
“Phasma?” Thorax asked out loud, and he threw the door open.
Phasma was standing out in the dimly lit hallway. Next to him was an alicorn– Princess Luna, if Thorax’s memory served correctly. The newspapers almost exclusively talked about Princess Daybreaker, but Thorax has seen a story or two on Princess Luna’s work.
“Ah, hello Thorax. I suppose I should introduce you two. Thorax, this is Luna. Luna, this is Thorax.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, changeling.”
The alicorn stretched out a hoof in front of her.
“Uh…”
“Say it’s nice to meet you and bump her hoof.”
“Right. It’s nice to meet you, Princess Luna.”
Thorax met her hoof with his own and smiled.
Phasma nodded, “Fantastic. May we come in?”
“Oh, sure! Wait. Wait wait wait wait! What’s going on? Aren’t I dreaming? How are you here? And how am I aware that I am dreaming?”
“A Dreamwalker’s presence will naturally make the dreamer cognizant of their situation,” the blue alicorn explained.
“Dreamwalker?”
“Luna and I are capable of traveling between dreams. That’s how I more or less forged an alliance with Nightmare Moon. I brought us here so you and I could talk privately.”
“I came with because Phasma is still learning the trade. An undisciplined Dreamwalker is one doomed to die an early death.”
“Die? What?”
Phasma frowned, “It’s not a safe practice, Thorax. May we come in?”
Thorax stepped aside. Phasma and Princess Luna entered into the small apartment. With all three of them in the room, the place felt very cramped.
“So you two have been talking together in dreams?”
“Yeah, that’s how I first met Nightmare Moon. I’m apparently a natural Dreamwalker, so I somehow stumbled upon her while she was imprisoned on the moon.”
“A fortuitous meeting.”
Phasma smiled, “Extremely.”
“... Do you two often meet together?”
“Pretty much every night, though it’s looking like that might change.”
“Well a friend of Phas’s is a friend of mine.”
“Thorax, could you conjure up some more… seating arrangements?”
Thorax tilted his head, “How do I… do that?”
“Just imagine there being a second couch somewhere.”
Following his instructions, Thorax imagined a mirror copy of the worn out black felt couch across from the coffee table the first one sat behind. Thorax blinked and suddenly his imagined copy was before them.
“Perfect, thanks Thorax.”
Phasma walked up behind it and simply rolled over the back of it, laying sprawled out over it on the other side. Luna walked around and sat next to him. Thorax took a spot on the original couch.
As the seconds started to tick by, Thorax nervously tapped his hooves together. He wanted to talk to Phasma, but it would be rude to not address the alicorn in the room. Considering the punishments that existed for merely inconveniencing Queen Chrysalis, he was scared of what Luna could do, especially since they weren’t even physically meeting.
“So Thorax,” Phasma broke the silence, “I am relieved beyond words to see you again.”
Taking Phasma’s lead, Thorax let Luna’s presence go uncommented.
“Heheh, you too Phas. Since I heard about your death, I was worried sick! What happened in Canterlot?”
“The rebellion failed, if it wasn’t clear. I fought Chrysalis and she won. I managed to teleport out, but it was close.”
“You teleported?”
“Yes, it was quite a lucky Deus Ex Machina. I did pay for it with my right foreleg.”
“The dire wolves attacked you after you teleported?”
“They actually attacked after I lost the leg…”
Luna spoke up, “Phasma shall regale the tale to you later. There is still much to be done. Need I remind you Phasma that you still have to meet with dear niece Cadence once more?”
“We’ll get to that eventually. We can see her next time we're together, even. Straight to business, then? Thorax, you and I will meet here in this Dreamscape from now on so that we can talk more and plan for the future.”
Thorax sighed, “I like that idea. We really need to put an end to this horrible war.”
“... Riiiight.”
‘Oh I do not like how drawn-out that was.’
“You are planning on ending the war, right Phas?”
“Well obviously. It’s just going to be difficult to figure out a solution to the problem that started the whole war while we are starving to death.”
“Actually, with the successes that Swarm Group East and West pulled off, the Hive can sustain itself for years now.”
‘Not that any of that matters anymore.’
“How do you figure that?”
“I had seen some of the figures behind the whole sustaining the food supply thing back at the hive. You weren’t exactly concerned with us seeing the important documents you left lying around on your desk.”
“... Well who would be stupid enough to break into the royal wing anyways? At any rate, that’s good news. So we have time and a method of meeting each other. Did you make any progress on finding alternatives to feeding?”
Thorax huffed, “I’ve been busy you know! After you kinda kicked me out of the hive, I had to make sure to not die.”
Phasma immediately looked like he kicked a puppy.
“Sh–Shit Thorax, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean–”
“I know. Chrysalis made you do it."
"Not really. I think she was waiting to see whether or not I spared you."
"You still exiled for a reason, right?”
“Yeah. I wanted to appear as loyal as possible. If I had other changelings that swayed my opinion, I had thought that Chrysalis would have moved against me before I was ready.”
“We must all suffer in the short term for us to reach an acceptable coexistence in the future.”
“What Luna said. Still, I’m sorry you went through that Thorax. It’s all my fault, I know.”
Thorax relented, “I don’t really blame you… Though if you must know, I did find a solution to our hunger problem.”
Phasma lurched up from his splayed position to sitting on his haunches with his hooves between his hindlegs. Thorax always remarked how that position looked like how a pony’s dog would sit. It made him smile.
“You did? You actually did?”
“It’s not just you working to save the Hive.” Thorax put a foreleg across his head in faux sadness, “Yes, after you callously threw me away like a piece of trash,” he let the hoof drop back to his side, “I solved it.”
Thorax could see Luna leaning on the edge of her seat. She of course has vested interest in seeing this to an end, of course. Then he saw Phasma jump across the table and wrap Thorax up in a hug.
“Yes! Yes yes yes! You’re a lifesaver!”
“Yep! Once we get back in contact with the rest of the First Fang and the Lodges, we can convince them to bring the war to an end.”
Phas stopped mid squeeze.
“.... Right. The First Fang.”
“Phas?”
“The First Fang… There’s something I need to tell you.”
“... What happened?”
Phasma’s voice was low, to the point where Thorax nearly had to strain to hear him.
“Chrysalis found out about the rebellion before I could start it. Coxa and Lacewing were ambushed. I got Coxa out of there, but Lacewing was gone. No one knew where she went, if she even somehow survived the brutal ambush… Then I went to fight Chrysalis. With so many Praetorians right behind us, defeating them all at once was going to be impossible. So I ordered… So I ordered Oest to hold them off. He was to stay behind with the last of the Lodge members with us. He… I never saw him again, too.”
Thorax felt cold. It felt like something had gone right through him and stolen the warmth from his body. As Phasma continued, Thorax started to shake.
“The fight did not go well. Despite her duel with Celestia, she was faster, stronger, had had a wider arsenal than I. At the end of it all, I was on the ground, broken. There was so much pain that I could only focus on two things, getting out of there and answering a question. How did Chrysalis know? As I laid in a growing pool of my own blood, I saw a changeling be addressed by Chrysalis. He had a scar over one of his eyes. A scar that matched a certain changeling we know...”
“No.”
“Tarsus. He sold us out. He got Lacewing and Oest killed. Maybe Coxa too, I don’t know. Even if he escaped Chrysalis’s troops, Daybreaker wouldn’t have been merciful. I tried my best, but… I failed. I failed them. I failed everyone.”
Thorax clenched his eyes shut. He could feel hot tears starting to come down his face.
‘No! This isn’t how it’s supposed to be! We’re all supposed to get back together and– and– and everything would be fine! We’d… We’d… Phasma was supposed to rule! We were supposed to help him, to be at his side as he guided the changelings out of the dark age! Oh Panar, no! It can’t be like this!’
Phasma squeezed tighter.
“I’m sorry. I exiled you. I led Lace to her death. I ordered Oest to die. And then I failed you all.”
‘No! It’s not your fault! I know you did your best, and that you didn’t want any of this to happen!’ Thorax wanted to say. Instead, he could only cry.
Phasma held him tighter.