//------------------------------// // 144- Malin Kundang // Story: Changing Expectations // by KKSlider //------------------------------// The Captain had indeed given away my cabin to Celestia, and frankly, I should have been less surprised. I was well within my rights to raise a stink about it and demand it back, but that was not a battle I saw any point in fighting. Luna was hitching a ride back to Canterlot with the Reactionaries so she could work together with the armorer to get blueprints of her armor done, which left me sleeping alone. Kicking Celestia out of my room seemed like beating up the elderly, so instead, I bunked with the soldiers. But before I returned to the drones, Celestia and I had a long conversation. I sat down in a spare chair, which was barely big enough to support me. Celestia took the big, pleather chair that sat behind the room’s desk. “Phasma…” She sighed. “You don’t like me.” I leaned back, “That’s one way to start a conversation.” “Am I wrong?” I exhaled slowly, thinking. “We started on the wrong hoof,” Celestia continued. “And our professional relationship and potential friendship has only been put under more and more stress.” “I don’t blame you for Daybreaker’s actions,” I said. “I’m thankful for that. I actually don’t blame you for killing Count Double Dealings. I don’t want anything like that to happen again, but… my ponies don’t really know how bloody Equestria’s past is. Luna and I… to unite the three tribes, we had to clear out the old world order. Anypony who stood in our way, we either peacefully talked them into seeing our perspective, or… we killed them. “Point is, I’m not a saint. Luna isn’t, either. We’ve done things that cannot be undone, and our hooves are stained in blood. I’ve rewritten history so that our actions don’t taint Equestria and pull ponies down with us, but there’s no point pretending we’ve never done anything wrong. From everything I’ve heard about Count Double Dealings, you killing him actually solves a lot of problems. I can’t imagine what a crime organization the size of the Fifth Hive’s would be like under his rule. Without a doubt, you saved lives. But you went too far. Nowadays, we control ourselves and keep a close eye on our actions. We talked about that, and I’m sure you agree.” I shrugged, “I guess.” Celestia leaned forward, “We’ve both made mistakes. Mine, far worse and far in the past. Mostly. Yours, far more recent and far more isolated. Before our ponies and changelings can become friends, we have to show them it’s possible. Overall, there should be little standing in the way of friendship between us. I want to know how we can bridge this gap that’s forming between us. I want to know what we can do better.” I groaned, “Celestia, you’re clever. You plan for things far in the future, you keep a close ear and eye on everyone around you, you manipulate events and people to get the outcomes you desire. I’m sure this behavior came as a result of ruling a nation for thousands of years; you need to be a political mastermind to maintain absolute power for so long. Problem is, you aren’t the only schemer I’ve met. In a lot of ways, you remind me of Chrysalis. I know I’m slow to trust people, but with you, it’s just reminder after reminder of her. You plot, you spy, and you plan. Again, I can’t blame you for most of that– hell, I do that too, but I just… I don’t think I can ever stop worrying about my future.” “I want you to trust me,” Celestia said, placing her hooves on the desk and into view. “See? Here are my hooves. Out in the open. It’s a metaphor.” I snorted, and she continued, “I’m not planning on doing anything horrible, or even negative. I only want what’s best for Equestria and for the Fifth Hive. If I plan something, it’s to our benefit– like the vacation for us. You enjoyed the weekend before accidentally stumbling upon an entire forgotten city, right?” “Yeah,” I admitted. “I mean, I know you’re not planning on killing me, or turning me into a changeling-flavored popsicle.” I tasted sadness encroaching on her emotions, “There’s a difference between trusting that I won’t kill you and trusting that I will help you. Here, let me be in the open; I use humor often to defuse the tension between us, because I know you like to joke around. I know you trust Luna implicitly because she saved you at your most vulnerable moment, but unless you want to go be a damsel in distress so that I can save you, we need to find another way of building trust. Do you want to be a damsel in distress? I can call in a few favors, find a nice tall tower, and have you locked up and guarded by a dragon.” “Heh, And you’ll come and save me?” “Absolutely!” She beamed. “Right after lunch. If my schedule allows it, that is.” “It’d have to be a big dragon,” I said, leaning back in my chair. “I know a guy,” Celestia said slowly. “But we should get back to business. You can’t think of anything that will change your mind about me?” Rubbing my head, I sighed, “No, I… just give me time, Celestia. Everything has been so recent, I… You could start by not undermining my authority in front of other lings.” “Hmm? What do you mean?” I shifted in my chair, “You basically stated that you would tutor me, instead of asking. I don’t really care, but it’s all about perspective. My drones don’t see my thought process of considering the idea, then deciding whether or not it’ll be to my benefit and that said benefits outweigh the costs. They only see you ordering me around.” Celestia shrugged, “Very well. That sounds like an issue with a simple fix; I shall make requests, instead of stating things.” I nodded, “Thanks. It’s strange that that’s an issue I have to deal with now. I’m not quite used to being a ruler yet.” “I am unused to having an equal, too,” Celestia smiled. “It’s quite a novel phenomenon, as it is even more complicated than my relationship with Luna, though I’m a thousand years rusty on that, too.” “Yeah, I get it. Do you have any suggestions for uh… friendship?” She tapped a hoof on the desk, “Hmmm. I have a small idea, but no more surprises, so let me tell you right now; how would you feel about a birthday party?” “A… a birthday party?” I echoed her. “You’re serious?” “I am. There’s no way to forget what you’ve lost– and I’m not going to pretend I know exactly what you’ve been through– but the best way to move on from loss is to honor the past and celebrate what you have now. That I know from experience.” “If you say so… Alright, let’s do the party. I don’t want anything huge, so it’ll just be my friends. I’d say you can invite yours, Celestia, but I know you don’t have any.” She jabbed a hoof in my direction, “Hey! I have friends! I have so many friends I have them pouring out of my metaphorical sleeves! I have so many friends, that my friends have friends! That’s how many friends I have!” I started laughing, and after holding a straight face for a bit, Celestia started laughing too. “It’s not easy being the unapproachable Princess,” she said, collecting herself. “In pursuit of perfection, I’ve lost too much along the way.” “Well you probably know more about making friends than I do,” I shrugged. “Though I can’t imagine any opportunities you could have to find some.” “Perhaps I should practice a hobby where I can meet other ponies… Anonymously, if possible. I’d rather leave a first impression of being down to Equus.” “I am working towards one way of meeting others,” I revealed, “but that’s years and years off. In fact, Double Diamond just gave me a message today from his parents; our inventions have some serious design issues and delays, meaning we’re farther away from our goals than we thought. So no video games anytime soon…” “Video games?” “Like board games, only a thousand times more complex, and possibly more fun. It’s… a long ways away, but I know for a fact that it’s worth the effort. There are of course other advances that will come with the invention, such as the economic pillar that is the internet or the scientific wonder that is the computer, but who cares about societal-changing and revolutionary concepts that create paradigm shifts? All I care about is spending my leisure time how I want to. Maybe try joining a book club? That sounds like something you’d enjoy.” “Hmmm… It would take a bit to break through the ice, but maybe that could work. I’ll think about it, thank you for the suggestion.” Celestia looked around the room, “This place is rather threadbare, isn’t it?” “It’s a ship’s cabin, there’s not going to be much in it. But if you are looking for something, try the main drawer on the desk,” I pointed to it. Confused, Celestia followed my suggestion, opening the draw and pulling out a glass bottle. “How did you know this was in here?” She asked as she examined the bottle of wine. “I used this cabin frequently. I keep some stuff in here for my own use. It's one of the more innocent things hidden on this ship.” “What do you mean?” I smiled, “I planted a few things here and there aboard the Clear Skies. I needed insurance that the captain wouldn’t rat me out… Ah, it doesn't matter. I’ve been thinking of my past too much, and I want to hurt a bit less than normal, so open the damned bottle.” Her muzzle scrunched up, “Using alcohol is an unhealthy escape mechanism. A better pony would find another way to let loose, but… we’re not better ponies. Cheers.” The drones were ecstatic when they realized I was staying with them. There were a few spare beds, even with the hot bunking system they had, and so I stowed away my armor and hammer and met with the changelings. They talked and shared stories about their captivity or how the Fifth Hive brought them more love rations than they had seen in an entire year while in the Fourth Hive. But things were not perfect in paradise. I took complaints from them, namely concerns about how the rations are already seemingly becoming more and more stringent. I confirmed this; with the massive influx of changelings freed from Division-P, we had more mouths to feed. Still, we could feed countless more than we had. In time, more interspecies relationships would increase the ration pool, especially when I start to personally donate love. There were also complaints about the Royal Guards. Cooperative training sessions were difficult to pull off. Apparently, tensions were high between the two armies; many of the veterans of Canterlot’s burning harbored grudges, and were slow to let them go. Then came story time. My changelings huddled around me in the crowded converted cargo hold, and listened as I regaled my tales of action and adventure following the failed invasion. From fighting the Dire Wolves immediately after, to slaying the Rat King in the woods outside of Hooferville, to plunging into the depths of the Third Hive to slay The Prophet and detonate the entire city, the changelings were eating up my stories like they were infused with love. I shared the stories of the friends and allies I made along the way: the thestrals who sheltered us after the Third Hive, Luna bridging the gap between our kingdoms, and even the three guards in Hooferville who accepted me, war crimes and all. Halfway through, I noticed the arrival of a few more guests; Celestia, Daring Do, Thorax, and Double Diamond had joined the changelings, sticking to the back of the crowd. With changelings filtering in and out of the room as they went to sleep or perform duties and drills throughout the ship, my audience slowly rotated through the entirety of The Red Right Hoof as the day turned to night. When I became too tired to continue, the huddle was broken, the drones went into their own conversations, and the guests retreated back to their quarters. I had to answer a number of questions from curious drones before I could finally get some shuteye. We arrived the next day, setting down at one of the Crown's landing spaces at the edge of the city. Daring Do slipped away, citing the need to keep her cover and visit the city as her archeologist disguise. A contingent of Royal Guards had met us with a carriage, and were standing at the ready when the boarding ramp dropped. “I am always at your service, Your Highness,” Captain Silver Sky bowed as Celestia stepped off the boarding ramp. “Thank you, Captain. It was a treat being on your ship,” Celestia bowed courteously. "King Phasma, it's only fair for me to extend an offer of transportation after you so graciously allowed me usage of yours." "That's very kind, Princess Celestia. I'll be with you shortly." When she entered the carriage, I gave Silver Sky a glare, “I don’t recall paying to sleep in a cargo hold.” The pony bowed, “Your Majesty, I was reorganizing the sleeping arrangements aboard my ship. It was a necessary task that I had done before, you needed only to speak to me for a new place. I apologize profusely for any undue hardship you endured, but I would have arranged for it to be solved…” “I don’t pay you to make me come to you with problems you created,” I said. “We’ll discuss the terms of your contract later.” Before he could argue, I went down the ramp and joined Celestia in the carriage. ‘Just because I don’t intend on doing anything doesn't mean I shouldn’t remind Silver Sky of who I am. If I let him get away with this, it could look very bad for my public image, or at least his image of me. Best let him sweat it out for a while, then come back with a more calm and collected approach. I’ll appear more benevolent, he’ll see right through my charade in an instant, and we’ll all be good. Him seeing through my façade isn't necessarily a bad thing, though.' 'But I do need to consider creating my own airship. I can’t rely on a pony smuggler to transport my army, so perhaps I should send someone to start looking into contacting shipyards…’ "Equus to Phasma?" Celestia waved a hoof in front of my face. "Hmm? I was lost in thought, sorry." She smiled, "That much was obvious. I was asking what your immediate plan for Nisir was." "I have to begin the process of drafting a colonial team, and getting them supplies." "Any chance of there being ponies on that team?" Celestia asked, wiggling her eyebrows. I shifted around in my seat, finding it hard to get comfortable, "You've already got scientists, now you want colonists?" "I think it has the potential to be an equal population city," Celestia explained. "Proof of concept that changelings and ponies can live and work side by side." I tapped my chin, "That does sound nice… The colony's main purpose is to increase changeling numbers, though. We are very close to extinction, and I'm worried that restricting that growth to allow for ponies would slow down the growth of our entire species…." "There are benefits for either way," she admitted. "Still, I'm glad you are actually thinking about my proposal, rather than shooting it down. With how possessive you were when we found Nisir, I was a bit worried you would hold onto it like a dragon's hoard." I shifted around more, ducking my head so I didn’t pierce the ceiling with my horn. “I’m just worried about my species’ future. If Nisir is equally filled with ponies as it is changelings, then it’s going to be much slower to get us out of this situation.” Celestia shrugged, “Then don’t have it be a one-to-one ratio. Manehattan, Cloudsdale, and Canterlot are all primarily one tribe, and each are bastions of Harmony. Ponies will be fine with Nisir being a changeling city like Canterlot is a unicorn one, you just have to make room for others to have a place in it.” “That… could work,” I agreed. “Damn it Celestia, what’s in these seats? Have you filled them with coals?” She frowned, “There’s nothing wrong with the seats… are you feeling well?” “I feel a bit hot,” I admitted. “I swear, if I caught a cold from an ancient ruin… The last thing I need is some ancient virus to wreak havoc on my body. Then again, I suppose there isn’t a good time to get sick, is there?” “This is as good of a time as any. I’ll fetch a doctor to give you a checkup. One with experience dealing with changelings….” I slumped into the seat, “Great, sounds like I’m going to get a visit from Dr. Mengele. Will you be retrieving this pony from prison?” “... Potentially.” “We’re just going to hope he won’t try to assassinate me, then?” Celestia waved dismissively, “Nonsense. I would never put you in a position where you could be harmed.” “Knowingly,” I added. “I assure you, I will have this professional fully vetted. What have I done to make you so untrusting that you are worried about your health?” I stared at the ceiling as I began listing things off, “You did spy on me, Luna said you were planning on the Fifth Hive being integrated into Equestria so I can’t be too sure of all of your motives, and I’m not exactly a trusting fellow…” “Alright, alright! I get it,” she sighed. “Look, I’ll run any visitors by your aides, Coxa and Cricket. Is this acceptable?” “Yes.” “Excellent. They will give a second opinion on anypony I send your way. Like the therapist.” I groaned and put my head in my hooves, still shifting around in my seat. “I forgot about that shit. Can we just not do it, and say we did?” “No.” I gave her a pair of puppy-dog eyes, “Not even if I say please?” “Not even if you say please. This will benefit all of us. Because we’re all going, in case you forgot. That is an order, not a request.” “Very well. It’s a small price to pay for literally getting away with murder,” I admitted. “Self-defense,” Celestia corrected me. “I’m all for not forgetting your mistakes and doing better, but let’s not get to the point of torturing yourself. You can speak with Luna about where that leads. Plus I’d rather you not go around claiming to get away with murder. It makes Equestria look bad, and it makes you look worse.” The carriage came to a halt, and the door opened, allowing Celestia out and me following her. After stretching, I caught up to Celestia, only to notice a changeling standing by the doors to the palace. He waved to me, “My King! There’s three ponies who claim to know you in our office. They wouldn’t take no for an answer, and their story checked out…” ‘Three ponies, eh? That’s a genuine surprise, but I guess they decided to come visit me up on Capitol Hill.’ “I’ll see them shortly,” I told the changeling. “I’ll catch up with you later, Celestia.” “See you this afternoon,” she said. “Dinner’s at nine.” I found the three troublemakers loitering in Coxa’s office. Undoubtedly, they would have trashed my own office if I actually had one instead of fitting into Luna’s office. Sergeant Quick Search was sitting in Coxa’s chair, staring at a map Coxa had pinned to the wall. The map was of our transportation routes. Given that we had political immunity, there wasn’t a need to hide our business anymore. Corporal Bray Call was arguing with a drone. The subject of their argument seemed to be a pile of documents that the drone was holding, and that Bray was interested in. From what I overheard before I interrupted the conversation, Bray wanted to read the documents made on changelings, while the drone said she didn’t have the clearance. Private Warm Dew was sitting on the ground behind Search, watching Bray Call’s argument with a small grin. “What’s this I hear about trespassers harassing my drones?” I asked loudly as I stepped into the room. “Ah, there’s the depressed stallion,” Search said, rising from the chair. “Sky! I mean Phasma!” Bray cheered, forgetting her conversation and rushing over. “Yes, it’s me,” I said before grunting as Bray hug-tackled me. “Careful, I might be contagious with a zombie plague right now.” The drones that were keeping them corralled shuffled off, giving us some privacy. “Hope you don’t mind us visiting,” Search said, “but we decided to visit our old pal now that he’s famous. Well, famous and accepted.” “We also wanted to mooch off of you,” Dew said, earning a punch in the shoulder from Search. Bray let go, “Mooch off of you and see how you were doing. You made a lot of national headlines, you know.” “A lot of headlines,” Search stressed. “Crashing Canterlot’s biggest party? I have to say, that was rather exciting to hear. Those stuffy nobles could use a good shakeup or twelve.” “And you freed Discord,” Dew added. “That wasn’t a good thing.” “I had things under control,” I said. “And by that, I mean I didn’t, but things worked out in the end. Daybreaker had to go, and releasing Discord was the only way to get that to happen.” “You’ve also got a marefriend,” Bray shook her head, “and a Princess, no less! How’d you score her?!” I nervously chuckled, “Well, she scored me. I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to… feelings?” “That much was obvious,” Dew interrupted. Nodding, I continued, “Right. I bottle everything up. Luna was the one who approached me about… everything.” “So she wears the pants in the relationship?” Search teased. “What are you talking about? You ponies don’t even wear pants.” “It’s an expression,” Bray explained. “It means–” “I know what it means,” I cut her off, “and no, I think I cause her way too many headaches for that to be considered the case. Luna just… pushes me to display and give affection. And to trust others. And to stop stealing from her stash of iced oatmeal cookies she keeps in her office.” “Sounds like Her Highness is a good influence,” Search smiled. “Glad you took our advice of getting friends to heart.” “The papers also say you killed somepony,” Dew moved the conversation along. ‘Oh they are not going to be happy about that.’ “I did. It was self defense, and I had tried to deescalate the situation, but I did end up killing an organized crime boss.” “Did you have to?” Bray stressed. I scratched my chin, “I suppose I could have spared his life. But I didn’t.” Quick Search sighed, “That’s rather troubling. We were hoping that was just tabloid craziness, and not the truth.” “I thought we taught you better than that,” Bray shook her head. The two ponies were clearly upset with me, but Dew wasn’t. “... A crime boss, you say?” Dew asked, his emotions matching his curiosity. Bray Call huffed, "You can't be seriously considering excusing this." Dew put up his hooves, "I'm not saying what Phasma did was right, I'm just saying that to help ponies, they have to want to be helped. If Phasma tried to de-escalate, and things still turned bloody… now, you never need to resort to murder, that I don't approve of, but sometimes they leave you no choice but doing things the hard way." "But Phasma’s practically an alicorn!" Bray stamped a hoof. "He's more than capable of bringing bad ponies down without resorting to killing." "Regardless of how we feel," Search said, stepping between the two, "I'm sure the Princesses have passed judgment on the matter already." "They have," I admitted. "They agreed that what I did was somewhat warranted, but not acceptable. So they are sending me to therapy to make me learn the extent of my powers, or something." Bray frowned, "The newspapers mentioned that you were a year old…" I nodded, "Yes. That's correct, I wasn't a changeling a year ago. Then I died, and now I am one." "That's weird," Bray muttered. "That's bucking weird," Dew agreed. Search raised an eyebrow, "You were a pony? Or a griffon?" "An alien. A bipedal, omnivore primate." "That is bucking weird," Search said. For the next half hour, I caught them up on my story and everything that had happened since I left hooferville. It turns out, there were a lot of rumors around me and my changelings, but public opinion was hopeful that I could end the war that had emptied life out of an entire fourth of Equestria, though a much smaller fraction of its population. If I could bring back those ponies, then every last pony would forgive anything I did. Mostly. It was something to keep in mind. Not that I wasn't planning on returning the ponies, but hearing that there was already support for changelings, even in smaller cities like Hooferville, was good news. My story was interrupted by Coxa's arrival. Without a fancy-shmancy carriage to ride in, he had to fly to the Palace. Apparently, he took the opportunity to check in with a few things before heading back to his office, where we were. "Hey Phasma, I need to talk with you for a moment," he whispered into my ear. I nodded, "Fellas, this is Coxa, a close friend. Coxa, this is Search, Bray, and Dew. If you three will excuse me for a moment…" Search motioned to the door, "By all means. We'll be here, and I'll make sure Bray doesn't make a mess of the place." "Thanks," I said before stepping out to talk with Coxa. "Alright, give me the bad news." Coxa grimaced, "Cricket hasn't been seen in two days." The heat I felt at the back of my neck intensified. I felt the now alien sensation of hairs standing on edge, despite being covered in chitin. I shook my head, "Let's hope for the best and plan for the worst. Start assembling search parties and interviewing lings and ponies. Find out where she's been, who she was last seen by, and where she was headed. Best case scenario, she's passed out drunk somewhere after enjoying a small vacation." "And the worst?" Coxa asked. "... Division-P remnants may already be moving against us." Coxa hissed in frustration, "Here? In Canterlot?!" "They will have loyalists in the E.U.P., without a doubt. That might give them enough intelligence to operate within the city. We have to assume that Cricket has been nabbed by them. I'll finish up with my three friends and get Celestia on the case. Hopefully, with Royal Guard help– even if they are compromised, we can find her." "Alright, I'll go talk to Froghopper and Katydid. And make sure those ponies don't trash the place!" I headed back inside, only to find Bray conspicuously moving away from the door and whistling. "Trouble in paradise?" Search asked. "Yes. We're going to have to cut our chat short, unfortunately." Bray sighed, "Then let's get to the mooching. Sergeant Search was hoping you could put in a recommendation to the Royal Guard for him. Or get somepony else to." "As nice as Hooferville is, I'd rather retire with a Royal Guard's pension," the red pegasus explained. "A few tours in Canterlot and I can transfer to one of the local divisions." "I'll see what I can do," I said, trying to think how my word would be worth anything to the Royal Guard. 'Maybe I can ask a favor from Cadence, who will whip Shining Armor into doing it. I shudder to think what Cadence would demand in return, but that's a bridge I can burn another day. I owe it to these guys.' "Yeah, I can probably get that done," I said, nodding to myself. "And," Bray said, "I need a recommendation to get into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." "Sure, is that a college?" I hadn't exactly heard of the place. "Technically no, but it does have a program for after high school education," Bray explained, tracing a circle on the ground. "Think of it like an apprenticeship program. It opens a lot of doors for me if I can get in. Trouble is, you have to know somepony. Or, you have to be very rich." ‘Well, that should be a really simple matter of throwing my weight around to get what I want.’ “Alright, I can get you the opportunity to get in–” Bray brightened up and gasped. “–But!” I continued, “Only the opportunity. You have to prove your mettle and actually pass whatever entrance exam or interview they have.” “Of course,” Bray nodded rapidly, “I couldn’t ask for anything more! Thank you so much, Phasma! I won’t let you down!” “I’m sure you won’t,” I chuckled. “Now, come on, let’s go see what you have to do to get in.” “Guess we’ll come, too,” Quick Search said, motioning for Dew to follow. “That would be for the best,” I agreed. “The school’s office is probably closed, though,” Bray pointed out. “It’s mid-afternoon.” I smiled coyly, “I know. We’re not heading for the school, though.” She paused, “Then where are we heading?” “Why, the throne room, of course. Where else would Celestia be?” “Wh…” Bray short circuited. “What?” “You can’t be serious,” Search whispered. Dew smiled, “We’re actually going to see the Princess?” Bray shrunk back, “I didn’t mean– isn’t this like an abuse of your station, or something? We’re just three ponies–” “You’re three friends,” I put a stop to that thought. “Celestia’ll be happy to meet you. Besides, I need to talk with her anyways.” “If… you insist,” Search said hesitantly. “I do, now come on.” The Princess of the Sun was in her throne room, which I was happy to find out. The more theatrical the meeting, the more I impressed my friends. The more I impressed the three ponies, the more fun I had. She was standing in front of her oversized pair of thrones, addressing a team of Royal Guards. From the epaulets and insignias I could spy from across the hall, they looked to be officers. Hoping that I wasn't interrupting something important, I led the trio of ponies across the throne room. Aside from her and the officers, there were about twelve Royal Guards spaced out along the walls. 'No pony crowd today. That makes sense, she could hardly hold court when she had no idea she would be in today.' When Celestia saw me approaching, she dismissed the Royal Guards and turned to meet me. "Phasma, I know you might be hungry, but dinner is hours away." "I know, and I'm finding ways to keep busy until she gets back," I joked. "Hmm? I don't follow– ooh, my sister–” "Your sister," I said at the same time. "Anyways, Princess Celestia, these are my friends: Sergeant Quick Search, Corporal Bray Call, and Private Warm Dew. Fellas, this is Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria and ruiner of fun." The ponies bowed before the princess, who smiled at their display. "Please, rise my ponies. I've heard of your exploits from Phasma, and I am happy to meet you." Search rose slowly, "It's an honor to meet you, Princess." Bray followed, "I hope we aren't intruding…" Dew, as silent as ever, rose quietly. Celestia shook her head, "You are not, in fact. I don't have much free time but I do have a few minutes." I motioned to Bray to step forward, "I need to ask you for a favor, Celestia. You see, Bray here was hoping to get a chance at getting into your overpriced unicorn school." Bray reddened up like a tomato and stammered, "N-no, I n-never said that! I just– I wanted to ask for a recommendation from Phasma to get my hoof in the door! I would never–” "As you can see, she's very enthusiastic to meet you," I chuckled. "So, any chance I can abuse my position to arrange for some nepotism?" Celestia rolled her eyes, “I cannot give you a spot in the school but I can give you the opportunity to earn a place. There are a few openings, so you will have to prove you are capable of handling the rigorous course load. Are you up to the task?” Bray’s head shook up and down so violently that I half expected her horn to fly off. “I’m ready for any challenge, Your Highness!” Celestia nodded, “That is good to hear. You will need that enthusiasm. I can arrange for the entrance exam to be given as soon as you are ready. Does next Wednesday work for you?” More furious nodding, “Anytime, Your Highness.” “You aren’t going to be missed at your job in Hooferville?” I asked. Search spoke up, “I arranged for us to have the rest of the month off. Since you kinda took care of the Rat King and the tunnel it came from, there haven’t been any attacks and the guard can take more days off.” Celestia smiled, “Perfect, please report to the School’s office Wednesday afternoon at one. Do you need help finding the building?” Bray shook her head, and Celestia continued, “In that case, I would love to stay and chat, but I’ve got a meeting in five. Is there anything else, Phasma?” “As a matter of fact, there is,” I said slowly. “Cricket– you met her at the negotiations– hasn’t been seen in two days. I’d like the Royal Guard’s help finding her.” “Oh dear,” Celestia breathed, “I remember her. I’ll notify the guards immediately, but I don’t know how much help we can be.” “Any help is welcomed. I’ll attach changeling to the E.U.P. patrols so they can identify her if they run across her.” “That sounds like a good plan. Do you have any idea what happened to her?” I looked around the room nervously, “No, but I fear that Division-P is on the move.” “Already?! Do… Is it possible that they have infiltrated the castle?” Celestia asked, keeping loose control over her emotions. “No, I would have noticed–” That heat at the back of my neck returned, like someone was watching me. I noticed something thanks to Celestia’s comment; there were twelve guards standing around us, and every one of them was outputting emotions. All of them, save one. He was close to us, standing to my right. Between the two other guards around him, his lack of emotions was masked by the flow of the others around him. I only noticed because I looked for something out of place. He was a unicorn, with the standard colorings that their armor provided. “You there. To my right. Drop your disguise, and identify yourself,” I demanded over the Weave. I slowly turned to face the imposter, and the pony stepped forth, letting the spear he was carrying to droop to the side. “It’s you. It really is you…” he whispered. “Phasma? Is that one of them?” Celestia asked, putting myself between her and the guard. “What’s going on?” Sergeant Quick Search asked, his two companions sharing his confusion. “I said drop your disguise and identify yourself!” I barked, verbally too, this time. The other guards figured out what was going on, and leveled their spears at the faux pony. The changeling– having responded to my Weave command the first time, he had to be one– complied, and his disguise was stripped away in green flames. The changeling drone in the Royal Guard Armor stared at me in awe, jaw slackened. “Your Highness, you’re alive! I… this truly is a miracle!” “Identify yourself, soldier!” I commanded once more, without the Weave. “Infiltrator Spider, Your Highness. I was attached to the Fourth Legion, scouting out and cutting off communications ahead of the Swarm…” “Fourth Legion,” I said breathlessly. “That’s impossible, they all exfiltrated out of Equestria successfully–” I gasped in realization. “I can take you to safety, My Prince,” the changeling whispered. “Come with me.” “You’re from the Fourth Hive.” He nodded, “I can get you out of here, just say the word.” ‘Back to Chrysalis?!’ I took a step back involuntarily, “The Fifth Hive stands with Equestria. Surrender, and you’ll be integrated into it peacefully. I mean it, Infiltrator Spider. I can get you love rations immediately, you’ll be better off with us than–” The changeling sighed, “She warned us of this. The Queen said you were brainwashed, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that that’s the case. Don’t worry, Saint Phasma, I’ll save you.” “What–” I began to say. I had only a moment to react to a shard of metal that flashed in the evening’s light spilling through the window behind the changeling. I instantly brought up a shield in front of me, and a metal dart smacked into the shield and shattered. From the sheer size of the metal piece, it looked more like a speartip than anything else. ‘Designed to puncture thick chitin,’ I realized. When I tore my eyes away from the dart, I saw the changeling starting to fly up, dodging spells and lunges from the Royal Guard, who, to their credit, reacted immediately. I watched helplessly as the changeling burst through the window behind him, a shield keeping the spellfire off his back. I was stunned by another realization, one that shook me to my core. “King Phasma, are you okay?” Celestia asked, still behind me. The heat I felt at the back of my neck had traveled throughout my body. Most frighteningly, I realized that it was in my mind. It was always there. Ever since I set hoof off the Clear Skies, it was there. She was there. Chrysalis’s Weave was present in Canterlot. Chrysalis is in Canterlot. Somehow, the Fourth Hive had found a way past the encirclement and had managed to get all the way to the capital of Equestria. Once more, the city had been infiltrated– right up to the highest and most secure echelon, somehow. ‘Our guard was down, and most of the guard presence was absent. The fucking Reactionaries and Red Right Hoof were gone, and the Legions slipped through the open door!’ I took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of my lungs. "Winter Contingency! I repeat, Winter Contingency! Chrysalis is in Canterlot! Sound the alarms! Alert the Royal Guard! Evacuate the Hive’s civilians! Make safe the city! To war! To war! To waaaaar!”