12- Apostles
Another day, another class covering material I already know. I had been in this class for eight days now. At this point I’m wondering if Chrysalis had intentionally put me in a class where I already knew everything to make myself, and possibly by extension herself, appear far more knowledgeable than we actually are.
Today’s lesson was on schooling our expressions and to be always on guard during a conversation for slips and gaps of knowledge that would give us away.
‘Thorax had better be paying attention. He may be useful as of yet.’
Once the class wrapped up, we had a few minutes for another Q&A session. It seems the changelings of the hive never receive any visits from Chrysalis, so actually meeting her is usually bad news.
I was with five other changelings at the moment: Thorax, Lacewing, Tarsus, a nymph named Coxa, and an adult named Oestridae. These five seemed to stick around me the most, asking questions about me.
We had actually gotten to know each other somewhat by this point. I knew that Thorax totally would be in on my conspiracies. Lacewing wanted to become an avid painter with her disguises. Tarsus was a shoo-in for some position close to me I’ve yet to invent and suggest to Chrysalis. Coxa would have made an excellent assistant to the Chamberlain had he not been rerouted into the Infiltrator pipeline.
And Oestridae… He would probably make an excellent personal guard. Dude’s built like a brick shithouse and has the personality of a kitten. I didn’t know it was possible to be bigger than the normal changeling, but I swear he’s at least two inches taller than normal. That’s practically The Mountain That Rides!
‘Not sure why any changeling thought a transportation specialist as big and clumsy as Oestridae would be needed out in the infiltrator line of duty, but maybe he’s going to ferry materials back to the hive?’
I was zoning out again, answering benign questions for the most part. Really, these changelings have crazy imaginations. How could you even come up with the idea that Panarthropo talks to me personally?
‘Actually, I might already be receiving visits from a deity in my sleep. Need to check up on that at some point, the vault may have information on this Moon Presence.’
“Prince Phasma, who is your dad?” Lacewing asked.
This one got my attention, shaking away thoughts of Bloodborne bosses.
‘Dad? Uhh... Who… I don’t think I was ever told?’
The changelings had noticed my silence.
‘I mean, I don’t think his identity matters, but still that sounds like something important to know. What if it’s a changeling within the hive? Or a pony Chrysalis seduced at some point?’
I shivered at the thought of bug-mom sleeping with anyone. Nasty.
“My Prince?”
‘Did she even sleep with anyone? Don’t ant queens mate with themselves or something? Oh god that’s disgusting and I don’t want to think about it anymore.’
“Prince Phasma?”
‘I remember my human dad. That’s enough for me. Yea, no one can replace him, whoever this mystery donor is is completely irrelevant.’
I snapped to my side, where a hoof landed on my shoulder. Tarsus was looking at me with concern.
“You too? I woulda thought with Queen Chrysalis....”
‘Too? Wait, all nymphs are raised in a communal setting.’
“None of you know your parents, huh?”
The nymphs and adults gathered around me shook their heads.
Thorax spoke up, “Well, I know Pharynx is my brother, but none of us have actually met our..”
Said brother was currently on the other side of the room, talking with a buddy of his.
‘The guard is not present, I may have an opportunity right here and now. They don't have a family, so let's make one.’
“They don’t matter.” The five changelings raised their eyebrows at this. “They don’t. What matters is us. Us hivers have to stick together, right?”
More confused looks. Exactly what I was hoping for.
I continued, “If no one else has our backs, then we need to watch each others’. We look out for our own, and we help each other when we have to.”
Coxa rubbed his chin in thought, “Like some sort’a pony family?”
“No,” I shook my head, “we’re changelings, not ponies. We’ve got to be something else, something better. Families fight and bicker, we need to be watertight!”
Ostridae grinned, “Yea!”
‘Eloquently spoken, Gregor Clegane.’
Lacewing looked down at her hooves, “I’ve never…” She looks up at me, eyes beaming. “I would like that, My Prince.”
‘If I had a camera right now, that’s a picture that I would hold onto forever. On second thought, having pictures of others’ kids being adorable in your wallet is probably creepy.’
Tarsus nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Hmm…. I like the idea, but I dunno if we should tell others about it.”
‘And that’s why I love Coxa. I don’t need to suggest all these near-treasonous ideas when he reaches the conclusions I’m getting to before I can even hint at them.’
Thorax pitched in next, “But Pharynx is my actual family! How could I just abandon him like that?”
I stepped into the conversation again, “You won’t have to. We can consider him an.. Honorary member. We cover his back, just without him knowing. We’d never leave your brother out to dry, Thorax.”
“I don’t like lying to him. Can’t we just include him in on this?”
I frowned. “He’s got enough to worry about when it comes to protecting the hive as a guard. We don’t want him to favor protecting us over the rest of the hive in his royal duties, do we?”
This made Thorax pause in thought, but he continued his line of thinking, “But you’re The Prince. He’s already got to favor protecting you over us.”
‘Stop poking holes in my argument, Thorax.’
“Look, the worst case is that I order him to protect one of you if needed.”
“... If you say so, Phasma.”
‘Already discarding titles, are we?’
I looked to the five changelings gathered in front of me.
“Then it’s settled. We stick together through thick and thin.” I stuck my hoof out in front of them.
“Together,” Coxa put his notched hoof on top of my solid one.
Lacewing added hers, “Together.”
“Together!” Ostridae placed his massive, quarter-of-an-inch bigger hoof onto the pule.
“Till the end,” Tarsus added unnecessarily ominously before piling on.
‘If Thorax stays out, then that’s one less liability. If he joins, then that’s a changeling with a conscience I can use.’
Thorax looked apprehensive. However, he added his hoof. “For our family.”
I had to refrain from fidgeting in place. This was striking a bit too close to home.
I was standing next to Queen Chrysalis’s throne in, you guessed it, the throne room. There were twice as many royal guards present, up to two dozen. There was also the entire retinue of the royal court, from the Head of Infiltration to the Captain of The Royal Guard.
The reason for such a turnout was sitting glued down in front of the throne.
Evanii, an infiltrator, was on trial. He was currently making himself as small as possible, flinching at the Chamberlain’s words.
“... conspiring to subvert the hive, conspiring to threaten the peace, and high treason against Her Majesty,” Chamberlain Eucharis finished reading off the charges.
Officer Katydid stood next to me, trying to be a reassuring presence. However, you don’t inspire confidence when you look about as content as a drowning rat.
Apparently he knew Evanii from class, a few years back.
‘I would not be comfortable if anyone I knew was being sentenced to death…’
Bug-mom spoke up for the first time into this trial which had already been going on for twenty minutes, “You are faced with all these charges, with all this evidence, and yet you dare plead innocent? Have you no shame?! You waste the court’s time. You waste my time.”
“B-but all I did was suggest that maybe the hive could benefit from Your Majesty hearing our plights directly! T-there’s precedence in Equ-”
Chamberlain Eucharis interrupted, “You dare lie to the court?! The Royal Guard has searched your room and we have found more than ‘suggestions,’ you have in your possession a Treatise on Harmony, written by the Pony Princess Celestia herself!”
Evanii started to tremble. “I-I’ve never s-seen that book in my life! I swear!”
“We know you brought it into the hive,” Eucharis pressed, “Sources have confirmed the book as being yours specifically. My Queen, the accused has made his plea, and has provided no evidence to support his radical claim!”
‘Wait, someone had said in Infiltrator class that their roommate possessed a book.’
I scanned the room, looking for a changeling in particular. If there was a changeling I had met before, the Weave would intuitively provide their identity if I saw them.
“Infiltrator Evanii, the evidence cannot be denied. You are guilty of bringing in pony ideals into the hive. Furthermore, you have attempted to poison the court with their false teachings. The sentence for such a crime is death.”
Evanii gasped and started sobbing.
Next to me, Katydid started shaking. I wish I could have reassured him that Chrysalis is going to back down from the death penalty, but I dared not speak outloud. It was expected of me to be reserved and silent, so reserved and silent I was.
Chrysalis wanted me in here witnessing this for a reason.
“However..” The Queen drawled, “I am a merciful queen. Instead of being sentenced to death, you will be enrolled into the guard training program. In addition, you will have recycling vat duty for the next thirteen months.”
“T-Thank you, My Q-Queen!”
Katydid let out a sigh of relief which was drowned out by Evanii’s rambling thanks.
Chrysalis stood up, “Your recreation hours will be sacrificed to fit in your extra duties. I am giving you a second chance. You would do well not to relapse.”
‘Note to self: don’t get caught.’
“This court is adjourned.”
As the changelings started to file out, two breaking the infiltrator’s bindings and dragging him off, Officer Katydid leaned over to whisper to me.
“You did well, My Prince.” However, before he could continue with his unneeded compliments, Chrysalis approached us.
“Queen Chrysalis,” I said aloud, and Officer Katydid looked up and bowed to the monarch.
“Prince Phasma. What would you have sentenced the traitor to?”
‘Fuck, a test already?’
I took a deep breath, giving me a moment to think.
“I do not think I could have done any wiser of a sentencing, Mother. Announce the death penalty to strike fear, then backing down to a less severe penalty to project an aura of mercy and power to our subjects. He will tell those around him how thankful he is that you granted him the honor of a second chance, thus reminding the populous the penalty of treason against the crown.”
Chrysalis nodded, then walked off.
As I smiled to myself, Katydid stared at me.
“Something the matter, Officer Katydid?”
“You…. Nothing, My Prince.”
I sniffed and looked away, towards the glass-less windows of the throne room.
‘So many things I need to do, so few hours in the day. Find a way into the vault, continue to build a closer relationship with the five classmates, and study for tomorrow’s exam on illusion spells.’
I did not find the changeling I was looking for in the throne room.
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so a possible changling who likes equestria is in the hive and framed another?
I've just realized that this is probably still before Lunas return, since I don't recall Phasma having ever seen the moon, but not a single mention of night lasting longer than it should.
Hmm, five different friends with their own traits and Prince Phasma, Elements of Harmony version of changelings
Hope to see more Royal behavior from Phasma and not get too soft.
Waiting for transformation lessons, it's not just illusions, is it?
10524947
Next chapter will start disguises, so you won't have to wait long
10524884
Night lasting longer? I'm a bit confused here, what do you mean?
10525012
Well on the summer sun celebration where luna returns celestia is supposed to raise the sun during the ceremony, but then you have the whole nightmare moon incident that delays it for an unknown amount of time. Personally I'd say it's about 3 hours or so. But that's what I mean when i say 'night lasting longer than normal'
10524788
well he might like equestria but that changeling still a dick
10525235
Not my fault that your language uses same word for little mass and visible EM radiation :P
That's somewhat dated and simplified picture.In normal condition on heavier instable nuclei may disentegrate if they get enough energy from outside , but radiated energy is higher than one used. While theoretically fusion was producing energy only under Fe (iron). Iron supposed to have the most stable and "useless" nuclei. Those theories found an expansion based on experiments. It is possible to cleave iron atom using coherent radiation (i.e. a laser).
10525283
But, again, without the chain reaction you aren't getting energy in useful quantities. You can't blow up a building by splitting a single atom in a pencil eraser, to use a specific example. And by "specific example" I mean that this is a thing I saw in a cartoon and that still annoys me.
10525298
Or in Startrek. Single Omega molecule somehow disabled hundreds of cubic parsecs of space, heh.
But. Here we have magic. Q had done worse
10525038
I don't think Luna has returned yet
So...
An infiltrator, whose job is to pass himself off as a pony, was tried and convicted for a book... a pony book... a pony book that could easily help him understand the pony way?
If he wasn't an infiltrator i could understand but... that's his job...
10525924
It's a book on Harmony written by Celestia.
If it was just on Harmony, Chrysalis might have looked the other way if the infiltrator was convincing enough...
10525932
That's...
...
Are we sure royals are ageless? Chrysalis seems to have a problem.
10525283
Yes, for fission any element iron and lower takes energy to split anything higher you get energy when you split it, the flip side of that of course is you can fuse lighter elements to produce energy.
10525298
Yep, splitting a single atom (ignoring a pencil would contain all relatively "light elements") is about a trillionth of a joule (very approximately). Basically radioactive decay is this for unstable isotopes.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/NucEne/nucbin.html#c2
I hope to see how you show that changelings eat, love alone will not be enough, or not?
And thank you for a great story!
camo.fimfiction.net/AY8GfNIuZUKuPu2hdbaLMBex_KjmzX1zorbj5di6gXM?url=https%3A%2F%2Fderpicdn.net%2Fimg%2Fview%2F2017%2F9%2F3%2F1527136.jpeg
For the changeling mafia
10529200
You come to me on this, the day of my Niece's wedding?
10529211
Umm Yes
BTW congrats on the wedd.
10526819
The story already said they're optional omnivores. Neochangelings are probably just full omnivores.
If he has Apostles... Oh no, who's Judas??
I wonder if this was a show trial just to teach the Prince a lesson or it was a legit one.
Stagnation means death. Knowing something and practice it are two different things.
The suggestion has merit but since Chrysalis skips the leadership hierarchy and do basicly everything herself she cant do it even if she wanted it.
10529211
Now whether to reply with the movie quote or the Zootopia one...
Self fertilization? No. Either They need the semiregular visits from drones(phat flying sex machines who die after mating) or its a breed that keeps a large store from sexy times back during the nuptuial flight.
Interesting, there is yet unrest in the hive...
Lol
Phew...
That is as a close one
Sudden Bloodborne vibes intensify. Beware the Moon Presence and the Hunter's Moon child.
Wait... Was that edit in later ?
Pretty sure
StallinChrysalis like to frame others... Chrysalis made anything but a good impression all story long so far...Oh, Phas... how I wish you'd known what befriending Tarsus would cost you. Nopony as kind as you deserves go suffer the consequences of what he'll eventually do...
11021825
Moon's haunted.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/d29b13d3-b006-429c-8587-f5b0d8163d29/dcuba5p-aae8fab5-111f-48a3-b047-d9b609f5e927.png/v1/fill/w_1309,h_4582,q_80,strp/moon_s_haunted_by_tadpoledraws_dcuba5p-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDU4MiIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2QyOWIxM2QzLWIwMDYtNDI5Yy04NTg3LWY1YjBkODE2M2QyOVwvZGN1YmE1cC1hYWU4ZmFiNS0xMTFmLTQ4YTMtYjA0Ny1kOWI2MDlmNWU5MjcucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEzMDkifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.VRjN91hBc8qlaga9rPfSjM8z5CbTdUz6J3FymUlk0VU
11788108
Please put your message in spoilers
Chrysalis is sowing fear, not respect. Something that loyalty is not growing well on, if at all.