//------------------------------// // 133- Mahabharata // Story: Changing Expectations // by KKSlider //------------------------------// Celestia collapsed into her chair. “There’s nothing more that we can do,” she sighed. “Uh…. what?” I asked, taking my seat again. “Things are… less stable on our side,” Luna explained. “This public record will make waves. Only time can tell how big these waves will be.” “Oh. Well, good luck with that.” “The next thing we would like to discuss most certainly will not be released to the public,” Celestia said. Cadence giggled, “That would be counterintuitive.” Luna nodded, “The time has come to discuss the Fourth Hive.” “What’s there to discuss?” Coxa asked. “They have to go, and Phasma here will be the sole royal after we’re done with ‘em.” “There is the matter of ‘dealing with them,’ as you put it,” Celestia said. “Stenographers, you are done for the day. Thank you for your excellent diligence,” she dismissed the other ponies in the room. “We must end this war as soon as possible, so it is imperative that Queen Chrysalis is taken down, one way or another.” “And only changelings can use their magic inside the null-zone,” I said. “Precisely that. What can you tell us about this null-zone?” I shrugged, “Not too much, I’m afraid. It’s projected from the Mithril Throne, which sits in the Fourth Hive’s throne room, near the top of the hive superstructure. Mithril is a rare blue metal that somehow counteracts magic, though anything more specific about that particular relationship is beyond any of us. Perhaps only Chrysalis understands the metal and how it works, given that she forged God-Splitter, my Adamantine-Mithril hammer, but if she does, she guards its secrets jealously.” “So it is projected by an enchanted object,” Luna muttered. “If we were– and by we, I mean you– able to destroy this Mithril Throne, the field would go, correct?” “Correct.” “So the question is then how to destroy it…” Coxa and Cricket grimaced. Cricket stood, “You can’t be seriously suggesting that we destroy the Throne! That is a cultural artifact, one that has symbolized changeling royalty for generations! Destroying it would be destroying one of the only pieces of culture that we even have!” “Sacrifices must be made,” I explained. “But it’s something we barely understand ourselves–” I cut her off, “We will survive its loss. Believe me, I don’t want to destroy it, but I absolutely will if I have to. Now is not the time to pull our punches. If we have to destroy it in order to bring the Equestrians in and end the war, then that’s what we’ll do. Every day not spent working towards ending the war is a day wasted, especially with the Nightmares always lurking beyond the horizon. And I’m sure that the Princesses want their ponies back as soon as possible.” “Their loss is something that cannot even be understood,” Celestia whispered. “We have the Civilian Conservation Corps, but that just manages the problem,” Cadence explained. “Entire towns are just… gone, and all we can do is organize ponies to make sure the lights stay on and the flowers are watered. Hundreds of ponies dedicated to just making things look normal for when we rescue our ponies...” “You’ll get them back,” I said. “We will get them back,” Luna corrected me. “We,” I nodded. “The plan should be pretty simple. I take a battalion of lings, I approach the Fourth Hive from above, and break into the throne room. Such a task would be impossible for anyone but a ling, but we know exactly where the throne room is, and more importantly, we can use our magic. Once the field is gone, you need to move in. Or better yet, start moving in long before the throne is destroyed. Preferably, the Equestrians should be in position and ready to begin attacking the Hive the moment the Mithril Throne is destroyed.” “This sounds familiar,” Cadence said. “It’s a somewhat similar plan to how we attacked Canterlot,” I admitted. “A primary army grabs attention, while a secondary force stealthily destroys the defenses. I’ll be sure to target the Throne and just try to delay Chrysalis while you two– or three, if Cadence is coming– reinforce me. All of us will attack the Queen together. Alone, each of us would fail, but together, yada yada yada. You get the point.” Celestia rolled her eyes, “Do not scoff at the power of friendship, Phasma.” “That’s exactly what I’m scoffing at.” “Sounds like a solid enough plan. If it is not broken, do not fix it, as they say,” Luna smiled. “Sounds like a plan that will get changelings killed. Or worse, put the entire Equestrian army dispatched at risk if the changelings sally out to attack before we are ready,” Celestia said. I crossed my forelegs, “Ponies getting hurt is worse than changelings dying?” “That’s not what I meant. This plan would put an entire army at risk; we would not be able to fight back if the Fourth Hive chooses to sally out from their defenses and attack us.” “We’ll have changelings disguised as unicorns in your formations. If the Fourth Hive sallies out, they deploy the shields. No matter how prideful or ignorant Chrysalis is, she cannot deny facts; the sight of ponies using magic within the exclusion zone proves your capability of defying it.” Celestia shook her head, “That still poses risks. Not only to all of us, but to you and your team, too. Just how long do you hope to hold out against Queen Chrysalis while targeting the throne? How long will you have to survive her attacks while we fly over?” “I’ve gotten quite a bit stronger since our last duel. I was running on empty back then, and I didn’t have Unbroken Radiance. If Chrysalis thinks she can easily dispatch me, then I’m all for her acting on that assumption. Her loss is my gain.” “Is there any alternative plan? One less… openly confrontational?” “What do you mean?” I asked. ‘She’d better not be suggesting I give peace a chance or some other bullshit. Enough lings have died already, I’m not throwing away any more lives on meaningless grandstanding on morals.’ “Why not send an infiltration team in to destroy the throne?” Celestia offered. “Magic won’t–” I began to say, but paused. “Changeling drones won’t have the power to destroy the Mithril Throne with spells–” “But explosives will,” Cadence of all ponies said. “But explosives will,” I confirmed. “At least, in theory. Maybe it’s too durable or anti-energetic or something, but it should work. The problem then is two-fold; infiltrating the Hive might be impossible and the amount of explosives used would destroy more than just the hunk of metal Chrysalis parks her ass on.” “It would destroy the entire room!” Cricket hissed. “Every single piece of history! Every artifact! Your Majesty, a cost must be paid, surely, but we would lose everything!” “Which is why I won’t pursue that plan,” I said. “Not only would it destroy what precious little cultural artifacts our species has, it will also give away our plan. We would have to infiltrate the Fourth Hive, which by this point would probably shoot any outsiders on sight out of fear of spies. We would have to smuggle in explosives and plant them in one of the most secure rooms in the entire continent. Finally, it would clue the Fourth Hive into the fact that they are now our combined target. To say the odds would be stacked against the team is an understatement. I’m not going to throw away the element of surprise and the lives of this infiltration team on a fool’s gambit.” “... Thank you, Your Majesty,” Cricket sighed, visibly relaxing. “Is this the right move, Luna?” Celestia turned to her sister. Luna tapped the table quietly. “.... Perhaps. What Phasma says holds merit; this Mithril Throne will be guarded by the Fourth Hive’s best, including Queen Chrysalis. We should not waste our chance with a doomed team. Phasma and some explosives should be enough to get the job done.” Celestia sighed, “I don’t like the idea of marching an army that can’t fight. This is something I must think about. I assume we are all fine with adjourning for the day?” We all gave our yes’s, and Celestia declared the day’s negotiations ended. “Now is the part where we eat the food,” Luna announced, reading off the note she held. “Is it, now?” Luna sat down on the picnic blanket, opening the basket and spreading out its contents. We had decided to eat our lunch alone together in a secluded part of the gardens. The little clearing was bordered by tall hedges, with a lone tree taking up half of the circular space. A heating spell imbued on a white oval stone she had brought projected a bubble of warmth that kept out the autumn’s chill, allowing us to enjoy the garden without having to bear the wind’s bite. “That is what the note says we do now. Have you not heard of this, either?” “No I know what a picnic is, I just am interested in this note of yours.” “Cadence wrote it for me. A step by step guide for… eating outdoors.” “Is that the only thing you are getting notes on?” Luna smiled, “Is that a question you really want answered?” I frowned, “Uh….. no?” “You have answered wisely. Now! Let us eat!” I plopped down onto the blanket and stretched out. Luna sat down in front of me, leaning back against me as she prepared a sandwich for herself. “I said eat. You must prepare your sandwich. ‘Tis on the list, see?” She said, lifting the list up for me with her magic. “I am eating,” I said. ‘Delicious, delicious love.’ Luna had no reaction whenever I fed. More proof that Thorax’s method of feeding off ponies that love you for the changeling you are is the superior method, I had supposed. By this point, my internal tanks were nearing full. I had no idea how I actually knew that, or by what empirical measurement my energy reserves could be measured by. I just…. knew. Soon enough, I would deposit any spare love into the Hive’s ration stores. That was a process I wasn’t looking forward to, but it would be a small price to pay for my Hive’s salvation. “Oh yes, you and your ambiguous emotion-feeding. That will not be enough! I demand that you partake in this meal, Phasma.” I groaned and started picking up the pieces to make a sandwich. “I am told that this activity is most enjoyable, so we must enjoy it,” Luna explained. “I am enjoying it,” I said, lying my head down and watching Luna. “Good. No other answer is acceptable.” Her left ear, the one closest to me, flicked backwards, and she looked down at me. “.... I have forgotten to get drinks for us. Would you please find something for us, Phasma?” She asked, raising her voice. ‘That’s that tone of voice every girl uses to ask me for something…’ “You’re lucky you’re cute, Luna,” I said, groaning and standing up. “Thank you. I will patiently wait for you,” she said. I begrudgingly left, having only managed to nibble on love. Finding drinks was a simple enough task; the kitchen staff weren’t quite allowed to start using alcohol, so I got them to create a pitcher of some fruity non-alcoholic cocktails for us. It was far too early to drink, and I didn’t want to end up like Celestia anyways. She might function drunk at all hours, but I had a long ways to go before I became that forlorn. When I finally returned to Luna, I stopped just before entering the clearing. When I was with her, all I could really sense was love. Now, as I approached her once more, I tasted… annoyance. Disgust. Frustration. Anger. I slowly peaked around the corner and saw Luna standing up, speaking with a unicorn. The unicorn had a white coat and blonde mane, and a distinctive Cutie Mark. ‘Prince Blueblood, if I am not mistaken.’ I stayed where I was, catching the tail-end of their conversation. “–harmful process. It’s perfectly safe,” the unicorn was saying. “It is not the process itself, but the act of doing so,” Luna replied sharply. “Princess, please, the safety of the kingdom is at stake! Think of what could happen if you are wrong!” “I am not wrong. The mere fact that I am willing to hold this conversation with you could be considered a breach of trust. Tell me, why should I not tell King Phasma about this?” ‘They’re talking about me. What the hell do they have to talk about that requires my absence? This Blueblood fellah is up to no good.’ Getting too anxious, I decided to intervene. I backed up a few paces, and then walked forward and into the clearing at my full walking speed to hide the fact that I was eavesdropping. Prince Blueblood’s head snapped towards me when he heard me approach. I could taste his emotions as I came to a stop. Even if I was hiding the fact that I knew what their conversation was about me, there was no point in hiding that I could sense his emotions. The Prince was angry. Angry and afraid. “.... And you are?” I asked, setting the pitcher of colorful drinks down. The unicorn cleared his throat and straightened up, “Prince Blueblood of the Principality of Equestria. But you knew that already.” I made a visible effort of leaning to examine his sides. “.... You don’t look like a Prince, little unicorn.” Luna stepped between us, “Prince Blueblood, this is King Phasma. King Phasma, this is Prince Blueblood.” “I know who it is,” Blueblood sneered. “Then you should know that you should be running,” I sneered back. “Ha! As if I would be afraid of the insect that made a fool of itself the moment it showed itself in public! ‘Dread Prince’ my flanks!” I leaned in close, “Your fear is delicious, little unicorn. But keep pretending you’re brave. Who knows? In time, maybe you’ll start believing in that lie.” “Fine, fight it out, I have put in my token effort,” Luna huffed. “I know what you’re up to, invader,” Blueblood growled. “Know that at every turn, ponies will stand against you and your evil. The Princesses will be rescued from you!” “Is this the part where you tell me your plan?” I asked. Blueblood stomped angrily and started to leave. “Don’t worry, Princess Luna, ponies care about you and won’t give up,” he called over his shoulder. “..... That happened,” I muttered when he left. Luna sighed, “His heart is in the right place, so it is a shame that his mind is nowhere to be found.” “What’s up with him?” “In case you failed to notice, he believes that you are mind controlling Celestia and I. The fop has no idea that if anything, it is the other way around.” “So he’s some kind of conspiracy theorist?” “He tends to take leave of his senses at the most inopportune time… I wonder at times if he exists only to cause others misery.” I snorted, “Do I need to worry about him?” “.... Likely not. Celestia keeps an eye on his less than scrupulous activities, at any rate.” ‘That’s good to hear.’ “Why were you even talking to him in the first place?” Luna sat down and started pouring herself a drink, “If we do not give him the time of day for him to list his nonsensical ramblings, then he will bring those ramblings to those we wish to keep ignorant. That is the price to pay for his silence. Though now, I suspect he will be a bigger thorn in our side than ever.” I joined her on the blanket, “Last I checked, you and your sister don’t really have to worry about any politics too much.” She shook her head, “That is changing. We will, for the first time since our nation’s inception, have to gather allies within Equestria. Prince Blueblood is guaranteed to be against our interests, even if in his own delusion he believes he fights for our safety.” “And making friends with the invaders doesn’t help?” “No, it does not. We will survive and thrive, however. We have faced worse odds than mere politics before.” We got comfortable again, intent on enjoying the meal. “.... Did you send me away to talk to him?” I asked. “I feared, rightly so, that you two meeting would make things more difficult.” “So, yes, then?” “Yes. I heard his approach and knew he was waiting for a chance to speak with me. Sending you in the opposite direction was a deceptive measure. I am sorry, Phasma.” “Why didn’t you just tell me, Luna?” “Would you have left?” She asked. “.... No.” “I did not think so. Still, I am sorry. But while we are on the topic of plans and deception, there is something I believe you have the right to hear.” ‘More deception? At least she’s being honest and telling me, I guess.’ “I’m listening.” “Celestia has informed me about her plan for you and your kingdom. She wishes you to integrate your kingdom completely with Equestria.” “I’m not doing that,” I responded immediately. “I know that,” Luna said, motioning to me to pause, “and Celestia does too. She hopes you will come to that decision on your own, eventually.” “What’s she planning?” “She does not plan on doing anything, other than to further sweeten the idea of integration. I felt that you should be aware of her motives, given your… paranoia.” “Thanks, Luna.” Luna nuzzled the side of my neck, and then gave me a kiss. “I simply wish for you to relax. You are among friends, now, Phasma. You can leave behind your worries. Or, at the very least, share them with us.” “I, uh, I’ll try, Luna. Here you are, worrying about me and my problems, what about you? How are you adjusting to being back? We haven’t talked about that in a while, now.” “It gets less and less frustrating with each passing day. The aid rendered from friends certainly helps the process. And I have a coltfriend to unwind with, and share my worries.” “Then share your worries with him. I’m sure there’s only a fifty-percent chance he’ll dismiss your worries callously.” Luna chuckled, “I will, after tomorrow’s operation.” “..... What?” “Tomorrow, we will examine the brand the Nightmares put on your mind. Did you forget...? Phasma? Phasma…?” I swallowed, “Uh….” ‘It’s already time? We have to…. I have to….’ I was suddenly reminded of the Nightmare’s torture: being strapped onto a surgery table, drills piercing my skull– “Hey,” Luna said, squeezing my forehooves. “I will be there. You do not need to worry, okay?” “Okay?” I repeated, trying to remain calm. “Sorry. It’s just–” “I know. There is no need to say anything. Just breathe.” I nodded and followed her orders. “I am told it is called Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. We had names for it way back when, but dealing with it has always been hard. I do not care if we talk more about your issues than mine, I am thankful that I have so few in comparison. Further, helping others has always been a passion of Celestia and I. It brings me no small amount of joy to help others in their time of need...” I listened to Luna ramble on, her voice bringing me back down to Equus.