I translated into Cadence’s dream alone, having said goodbye to Luna.
We were in an Equestrian classroom. It was filled with colorful ponies, each starting to slow down in their movements. I was behind the teacher, up at the front of the classroom. My arrival caused the dream to fall apart in its complexity and moving parts, and the other ponies in the room shuttered and faded away. All that was left was the pink alicorn sitting in the middle of the room. Cadence looked up from her desk. Even sitting down, she was over twice the size of the ponies sitting around her. To her credit, Cadence didn’t even flinch this time when she saw me.
A second later I realized that I was in a high school classroom. Aside from a few changes, namely the proportions of things, it looked straight off of Earth. I let out a shaky breath as Cadence perked up and tried to stand from her desk, only to be tapped within the small confines. The desk seemed to have not been made for alicorn proportions.
‘I came here for answers, not reminders. Damn it all!’
“Agh, just one second,” Cadence said while trying to extricate herself from the too-small desk.
“Take your time,” I said, managing not to hiss.
Desperate to distract myself from my immediate surroundings, I walked over to the side of the room where the windows were. The view outside was admittedly gorgeous; the classroom overlooked a wide park sitting across an avenue in downtown Canterlot. This high school was surely one of the better ones in the capital of Equestria, if not the best.
“There we go! Now, I have to thank you for your arrival, Phasma.”
“Oh?”
Cadence was walking up towards me with a smile, “This was far from the most pleasant dream.”
“How so?”
“For starters, I am back in freshman biology. But most importantly, there’s a test today and I didn’t even know, and therefore didn’t even study.”
“That sounds like an awfully… grounded issue.”
“Compared to what we’re dealing with normally? I’d say it’s a relief, a respite. So, Auntie Luna’s not here?”
“She had business to take care of: nightmares to kill.”
Cadence shook her head, “This dream nonsense is beyond me. What brings you here, Phasma?”
“Cadence, what do you know about Division-P?”
She shrugged, “It’s a police organization Daybreaker set up to weed out the changeling infiltrators in Canterlot.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t think that I should know about it?”
“You aren’t in Canterlot, and it’s still in its infancy.”
“Less so than you think. I need to know anything and everything about Division-P.”
Cadence twirled a hoof through her mane.
“Hmm… It was established two weeks after the Invasion of Canterlot was repelled. Prince Blueblood spoke of the need to root out spies within the center of our society. Daybreaker was all too eager to agree, and set in motion the plans to create Division-P. She relegated the duty to Prince Blueblood and I, and so we have been busy filling out paperwork, as well as receiving our own protective training…”
“Prince Blueblood? I would have noticed a fourth alicorn.”
She shook her head, “An inherited title, dating back to Princess Platinum. He’s a unicorn with a ceremonial title and bank accounts filled with bits. Still, that’s all you need to have clout in the royal court.”
“And what do you know about the day to day activities of Division-P?”
“They look for changelings and imprison them. I have been told that they only just started rooting our changelings in hiding. Oh! I meant to tell you that next time we spoke. Which would be now.”
“Uh huh, thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately, they are far more active and far more successful than you’ve been led to believe.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ve been rooting out changelings all throughout Equestria. I myself was nearly exposed by an agent of this clandestine inquisition.”
“Inquisition…” Cadence repeated quietly.
“So this Prince Blueblood is in charge?”
“.... Hmm? Oh, not really. Us two are creating the organization, but the actual management went to Lord Artful Acumen. Lord Acumen led the Puritan coalition, and as a reward for backing Daybreaker’s Temperance Bill, she rewarded him with the position of Jurist, the effective head of the organization. They seem to be good friends, those two.”
‘Lord Artful Acumen. Or, Jurist Artful Acumen. It seems I have a face to put to the actions.’
“You have no oversight over this Lord Acumen’s actions?”
“We do. A lot of paperwork flows from his desk to our hooves.”
“But the day to day actions?”
“He has autonomy.”
“And research?”
“You expect me to sign off on every experiment?”
“I expected that bomb collars would need a signature from an alicorn.”
“Bomb collars? What on Equus are you talking about?”
“Bomb. Collars. It’s exactly what it sounds like.”
“Don’t be ridiculous–”
“They also torture their changeling captives.”
Cadence shook her head, “No, that’s simply not possible–”
“My subjects have been enslaved, Cadence. My people are being tortured. They are potentially being strapped with explosives and made to out their fellow changelings.”
Cadence started to hyperventilate.
“No. No. That’s not– not here. Not in Equestria. Not under my nose.”
“Maybe the collars are fake and are merely magic suppressors. But I can’t stand aside and simply hope for the best. Where is Division-P’s headquarters?”
“What?”
“Their headquarters, where is it?”
Cadence rubbed a hoof against her forehead.
“I–I don’t. Uh. They have a few offices in Canterlot Castle and they keep prisoners in a newly constructed ward in the dungeons, but their main office is in a newly constructed complex in Upper Canterlot. But you’re saying they are torturing changelings?”
Cadence fell back onto her haunches and put her hooves to either side of her head. I put a hoof on her shoulder.
‘This is taking too long. The sooner this conversation is over, the sooner I can leave this damned room.’
“Cadence. Look at me. Cadence!”
She looked up at me. There were tears starting to gather in the corners of her eyes.
“I don’t want to– I mean, this can’t be true. It can’t be! Ponies wouldn’t do this. They wouldn’t. Couldn’t! It’s not possible!”
“Daybreaker is bringing to light the less ‘harmonious’ elements of your society. You want to put a stop to this, right?”
“Of course!” She shouted.
“Then first you need to calm down.”
Cadence clenched her eyes shut, took a deep breath while pointing a hoof to her chest, and let out the breath while extended the hoof back out in front of her. She repeated this exercise a few times before she opened her eyes and nodded.
“Okay. Okay. I… I’m calm. You’re right, we have to stop this. To think something this horrible could happen under my own nose! What do I have to do?”
I lifted my hoof off her shoulder and put it back down onto the ground.
“We need to expose Division-P and its activities. If pony society is as kind and benevolent as we all hope, then surely public support would drop, right?”
Cadence nodded slowly, “Yeah. There are still a lot of good ponies here in Canterlot that will raise questions and demand answers. I can get this information out to the right ears, given the opportunity. Horseapples, I let this happen, so I will fix it myself!”
“Don’t forget that Luna is on our side, too. If you need help–”
“I’ll go to her, I know. Thank you for telling me this, Phasma. This is not something I will allow to happen. Not in my city. Not in my Equestria. I’ll investigate further, and find out what else is going on within Division-P. If you, an outsider not even in Canterlot, have found out about this detestable thing, then there has to be more going on.”
I gave her a smile, “I appreciate the enthusiasm.”
“They must’ve buried me in paperwork to keep me from noticing what was going on. A fool, they played me for a fool! Don’t worry, I’ll bring Harmony back to Canterlot, even if I have to shove it down these ponies’–”
“Don’t reveal yourself when doing this,” I interrupted. “Daybreaker mustn't know that we are moving against her. You and Luna have to appear as loyal as possible.”
“I can do that,” Cadence confirmed.
“Thank you. Now, as much as I would like to chat, I simply abhor this locale.”
Cadence squinted, “What do you mean? What do you hate about schools? I mean, have you ever even set hoof in one?”
“Not on this world.”
“Oh. I’m sorry, I’ll uh…”
“Imagine a new location, and will it to be.”
“Okay,” she mumbled as she clenched her eyes shut and concentrated.
A few moments later, the room blurred away and was replaced by a large balcony that overlooked Canterlot. There were several padded chairs and seats laid out underneath two large umbrellas. Behind us, a pair of closed stained glass doors led the way into Canterlot Castle. Cadence sat down on one of the chairs and sighed as she looked out over Canterlot. An afternoon sun danced off the reflective metal roofs, windows, and ponds.
I unclenched my jaw– which I didn’t notice until now was even clenched– and I let out a sigh of relief as I rolled my shoulders around in their sockets. Cadence inspected me with a curious gaze.
“Are you alright? I’m not exactly an expert on changeling body language, but if it's anything like pony body language, you’re about as wound up as a ball of yarn.”
“I’m fine, I just don’t like reminders of what I’ve lost. Tell me about this place, if you would. I’d rather not linger on this subject.”
“This used to be my favorite spot to relax,” Cadence began.
“Used to be? Was it destroyed in the Invasion?”
Cadence rolled a hoof.
“More or less. It’s not on the priority list of repairs, so it’ll be a long while before the construction crews fix it up. And considering the tastes that the rest of the Castle was built to, I don’t know if I’ll be able to relax here.”
“Daybreaker putting up her own flair?”
“Yes, she is. Auntie Celestia loved whites, natural blues and greens, and flowing architecture. Rococo and Baroque, for the most part. Daybreaker seems to take to Gothic, with its strutting pillars, pointed buttresses, and vaulted ceilings. It’s going to be a pain to undo once this is all over…”
I sat down on a chair beside her.
“Tell me about Celestia.”
“Oh, that’s right. You never got to meet her, did you?”
I shook my head.
Cadence sighed mournfully, “I hope we can save her soon. Auntie C. was my closest friend and confidant for the longest time, and she doesn’t deserve this whole possession thing. She’d want to be here, helping her ponies. She never forgot them, even living up here far above the world, she always made time to listen to petitioners. It wasn’t just the royal court that held her ear.”
“Sounds like the opposite of my mother.”
Cadence snorted, “That’s an understatement. I’m not sure if you two would get along, though. She would probably admire the lengths you go to to protect your citizens, but… She abhors violence. Finds it utterly revolting, and prefers to avoid it when at all possible. Centuries of conflict does that, I suppose. You, on the other hoof…”
I shrugged, “Whatever works.”
“That attitude I’m not so sure on. I’d really prefer it if you’d give peace a chance.”
I chuckled, “Isn’t that why I’m here, talking to you?”
“What a strange happenstance, isn’t it? A Prince of a secret species that has hidden themselves from the world for thousands of years, and a Princess from a podunk earth pony village, trying her best to pick up the pieces her aunt left behind and fix this nation.”
“Luna’s helping, isn’t she?”
“Of course. She’s running the majority of the day to day functions of the crown, whereas my Princess studies have more or less ended and I have been burdened with Auntie Cel– with Daybreaker’s paperwork while she’s off swinging her maul.”
“Morningstar,” I corrected. Luna had told me about Daybreaker’s favored weapon in passing.
“I know her favorite flavor of cake, not how she wages war. I’m the Alicorn of Love, this subject isn’t my expertise.”
“Right, right. So, you were telling me about Celestia?”
Cadence leaned back into her chair and started regaling me stories from her time together with the former ruler of the sun.
The top of the pod was pulled off as I emerged, hacking out the warm liquid.
It was cold outside the pod. Cold enough for me to almost consider going back into the goo and shutting my eyes. Almost. I had work to do, and people who counted on me. As I started to pull myself out from the healing pod, Thorax came close with a few towels. When I flopped down onto the floor, Thorax lent a hoof to help pull me to my hooves.
I finished expelling the translucent liquid from my lungs as Thorax helped dry me off.
“Uh, Phas? You grew while in the pod.”
“What?” I wheezed.
“You’re taller now,” he pointed out.
I straightened up just to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, I was towering over him. Whereas before I was one and a half drones in height, now I was as tall as Chrysalis or Princess Celestia / Daybreaker.
I looked around the apartment room. It was essentially a large closet that Thorax had stuck me in. Double Diamond was away when I had arrived, so I would be meeting the pony when I emerged. Thorax assured me that I could trust this Diamond. I never met the guy, but I did trust Thorax. His naivety had led to promising results, after all.
“Where is Double Diamond?”
“Getting takeout. He knows I don’t need to eat it, but it’s still fun to eat delicious food.”
“Right. And the rest of the changelings?”
“I’ll tell Coxa you’re out tomorrow. In fact, I’ll bring you to meet him.”
“Do we have a hideout?”
Thorax scuffed a hoof on the wood floor, “Sorta. Coxa has been trying to secure a big enough building but it’s been hard. There are several offices and warehouses in the outskirts of the city that have been appealing, but legitimately purchasing them has been… slow.”
“By legitimate, you mean legitimate enough to not get looked at?”
Thorax smiled, “Of course.”
“Alright, I’ll check in on that and see if I can help in any way. Anyone else have news or something that I need to address?”
“I’ve got the love distribution system in place. Everyling brings in what they can, and it is divided up equally. Once we get a place, we’ll store the spare love there. Until then, we store it in hidden locations and dead drops.”
“Good idea.”
“Thrips and Cricket are working on getting suppliers for alcohol. Guard presence is too heavy for salt production here in the city, so they’re looking out in the sticks for potential sellers. Thalamus is looking into potential Speakeasies locations.”
“Already adapting the slang, I see.”
Thorax chuckled, “Hehehe, yeah. It’s a lot of fun. But anyways, everyone has a job to do, and they’re all doing them well.”
“That’s very good to hear. What needs my attention?”
“Transportation. Coxa said that we’re all too busy to secure that, so the specifics of bootlegging will have to fall to you, Phas.”
“I can handle that. A few shell companies, a few well placed bribes, and some disguises ought to give us free rein when it comes to moving whatever we need. Any news or sightings on Division-P?”
He shook his head, “They stay away from cities. It’s harder for them to go unnoticed, so they usually send solo agents or rely on the local guards. A badge means less here in Manehattan. Do you have any news on what they are and what they’re doing?”
“I got some info, as well as getting Princess Cadence to investigate further into the matter. Apparently her and some noble by the misleading title of Prince Blueblood are the administrators of the organization, but the real leader is one Lord Artful Acumen.”
Thorax rubbed his chin, “Yes, the secret organization is run by a pony aristocrat. Good detective work, Phas.”
“When did you become so sassy? Besides, we have a name. That’s a hell of a lot more than what we had two weeks ago.”
“Three.”
“Three?”
“Three. You’ve been in the pod for three weeks.”
“Oh. Shit.”
Thorax looked at my new right foreleg, prompting me to do the same. Transitioning from the Dreamscape to real space had meant that I didn’t even notice the new appendage. Aside from a jagged scarring of the chitin just past the shoulder, the leg looked pretty much identically to my other appendages. The rest of my wounds had finished healing, especially the puncture wounds I had just received from the Rat King right before I arrived in Manehattan.
A door unlocking and opening pulled us out of our conversation. As the door creaked open, a pony called out as he shut the door behind him, “I’m home!”
“That’s Diamond,” Thorax whispered the obvious as he left the small room and went out into the apartment proper.
“I got dinner,” I heard through the open door to the room I was in.
“Sweet! I uh, hey Diamond?”
“Yeah Thorax?”
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Taking that as my cue, I strode out from the confined room and into the main apartment room. It was a large space, with a family room that had two couches and other furniture, a kitchen with all the expected appliances– even a refrigerator, and a front hallway.
A white earth pony, from his coat to his mane, was setting down two paper bags onto a table in the kitchen. When he turned to face Thorax, who stood in front of me, he slowly craned his neck upwards as his jaw dropped.
“Tall…”
Thorax giggled, “Diamond, this is King Phasma. Phas, this is Diamond, my coltfriend.”
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you, Diamond.”
“Uh…” Diamond shook his head vigorously, as if to shake off loose thoughts. “It’s nice to meet you, Your Majesty.”
I raised a hoof, “Please, call me Phasma. Any friend of Thorax’s is a friend of mine.”
“Thorax has told me a lot about you. You’re like, his closest friend.”
“I am thankful to receive such high praise. I consider Thorax to be my closest friend, though I hope you keep that a secret. Don’t want to let the prestige get to his head.”
Thorax waved a hoof in my face, “Hey! I’m right here, you know!”
Diamond remembered what he brought in, “I’m sorry, I only brought food for Thorax and I. If you want, I can run out and get more–”
“That’s quite alright,” I interrupted. “You two enjoy your meal. I’m sure you have a lot of questions to ask, so why don’t we sit down and talk while you two eat? I know I have a few questions of my own.”
Diamond looked at the wooden chairs at the table, and then back up to me.
“I’m not sure if the chairs can handle your weight and size, Your– I mean, Phasma.”
“Hmmm…. Perhaps not. It would be awkward, to say the least. Where is the nearest mirror?”
Thorax pointed to one of the doors in the room, “Bathroom right there.”
I opened the door and ducked through the doorframe. The bathroom was a tight fit, but I sat down in front of the sink and mirror all the same. Closing the door behind me, I formulated a new disguise. Once I had one in mind, I held the image in my mind as I funneled energy into the Thread of Change. With a blink, the tall changeling royal that I could see only from the neck down in the mirror in front of me was replaced with a unicorn stallion.
I had dark blue fur, a faded black mane and tail, hooves of a similar shade, orange eyes, and a cutie mark of the greek letter Mu. I tossed the long mane out of my face as I inspected my new face. I was much shorter now, back in line with the average pony and changeling height. Satisfied, I left the room and went back to Diamond and Thorax.
“There. I should fit in just fine. I am a unicorn named Expected Value; this shall be my main disguise from now on.”
“Whoah,” Thorax exclaimed, “You look great! If I had met that disguise before Diamond, I might have fallen right for him.”
“You’re into strong masculine guys, I know that already,” I rolled my eyes.
“Well yeah, of course you do. You’re the one who taught me how–”
The distance between us was closed within a fraction of a second as I zipped over to him and clamped his muzzle shut. I looked around the room, but thankfully Coxa hadn’t spontaneously materialized from the walls.
“No one must know,” I whispered.
“No one must know,” Thorax mumbled through a shut muzzle.
‘Not while Coxa is still alive. We’d never hear the end of it!’
Diamond was very confused, "What–"
“No one must know!”