135- Beach Episode 2: Electric Boogaloo
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Luna’s cyan eyes, looking back at me.
“Hey,” I whispered after a while.
“Hello,” she replied. “You are not dead?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then we are good!” She said happily.
“We are?”
I tried to sit up and look around, but Luna pushed me down. We were in her room, and I was laying in her bed.
“You need to sit still for the rest of the day. Theoretically, you are perfectly fine, but extra caution is advised,” she explained.
“What… so it was a success? Did you… find it?” I asked.
Luna smiled, “Found it, contained it, destroyed it.”
I let out a huge sigh of relief and sank into the bed.
“It was a particularly nasty enchantment construct. The things it could do…. Not that you need to be worried anymore! It simply could have held a lot of power over your mind, given the correct stimuli.”
“You sound like Twilight.”
“I spend a lot of time with her.”
“Hm. What kind of things could it do?”
“It was designed to override your thought process when exposed to particular corruption or dark magic. If you felt an extreme inclination to activate or use potentially dangerous artifacts when you were in the Third Hive, this was partially to blame.”
“Oh… anything else?”
“For the most part, that was it. That was probably enough for the Nightmares to achieve their desires using you, so that was all that was required. The smaller and less intrusive it is, the harder it would be to detect. This one took a long while to find, and we would have missed it on every in-depth scan if we had no idea what to look for. Originally, I had shielded virtually your entire mind from magic. This would have proven to be ineffective, should the mark have ever been truly activated.”
I blinked as I realized something.
“So the only reason why we knew about its existence was because they bragged about it?”
“Precisely.”
“.... Morons.”
“Never curse villains for being foolish. The clever ones are the scariest ones.”
I snorted, “You got that right. The smartest ones could do something like plan an invasion of Equestria, and if that fails, figure out a backup plan to get what they want anyways.”
Luna leaned in and kissed me.
“The horror,” she said after parting. Then, she scrunched up her muzzle, “You have bad morning breath.”
“I can’t leave bed, how am I supposed to brush my teeth?”
Luna sighed dramatically, “I will have to aid you. There would be a long list of things to worry about, to watch out for, and follow-up appointments to make, but given that you will be by my side for many hours of the day and every single night, all you need to do is shower me with affection.”
“Business as usual, then?” I grinned.
“Quite so. Now, slowly get up. We shall bathe together so that I can keep an eye on your progress.”
“We already do that.”
Luna winked, “Yes, but now I have an excuse.”
“Since when were you worried about excuses?”
The rest of the morning passed by slowly. My head felt fine, so other than being noticeably tired, I felt no side effects from the procedure. When we went to breakfast to meet Celestia and Cadence– Luna slowly pushing me around in a wheelchair, they both were eager to hear about my recovery.
Celestia most of all, considering she was the one doing most of the work, apparently.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“I’ve heard that one before,” Celestia replied.
“There was some weird disturbance during my dream, but that was the only symptom.”
“Any trouble accessing magic or remembering things?”
I shrugged, “How should I know? Luna doesn’t even let me walk around.”
“You are quite capable of that,” Celestia rolled her eyes.
“This is my excuse for keeping close to him for the entire day. You can not take this from me,” Luna declared.
“Since when did you need an excuse?” Cadence asked.
“That’s what I said!” I groaned.
“At any rate, you should know exactly what we found,” Celestia said. “The mark of Lámhmarbh, as it was identified as, can be thought of as a prefabricated implant. Whoever designed it must have done so eons ago, so thankfully countless breakthroughs that have been made since its inception were not found. In fact, we can accurately date its creation to… some time after the Discordian Era. Given that we don’t know its exact origins, anything more precise than that is impossible.”
“It’s from a Nightmare.”
Celestia nodded, “Yes, but we don’t know where they come from. If they originate on the other side of Equus, then the flow of information could have been substantially slower, meaning this mark is much newer than we think, see?”
“.... I think so.”
Celestia continued, “This mark had great influence over your actions, but was inert almost the entirety of the time. It did not respond to almost all of our tests, and only in the presence of dark magic did it awaken. Then, it sent commands through your psyche and mind. We can accurately guess what those commands were, but we didn’t see the need to wake you up and confirm that. Once we knew what we were dealing with, we managed to unravel its structure and remove it completely. Luna placed the protective wards around the area, and that part of your soul should heal up within…. twenty years or so.”
“That’s a long time.”
“Indeed. Don’t split your soul or anything like that and you should be fine.”
“I’ll try not to. Anything else?”
“Until your soul heals, this will be a vulnerability. So you should avoid being on the front lines with the Nightmares, if they appear before you are healed.”
I shook my head, “That might not be possible. Furthermore, it might not even be up to me.”
Luna scowled, “It most certainly is possible. You are rather shit at fighting, anyways.”
“Language!” Cadence groaned.
“I’m not shit at fighting!”
“You can not win a fair fight, even if your life depended on it!” Luna retorted.
I laughed, “That’s why I never fight fair!”
“You will stay in the rear echelon, where you can guide the battle and provide shields. It is safe there!”
“I’ll go where I’m needed!” I declared.
Celestia cleared her throat loudly, “This is a discussion that can wait till later. There is something else that requires your attention, Phasma.”
“Hmph. What is it?”
She paused, clearly unsure of herself, “I… have not taken a vacation in quite some time. The idea of traveling to the mountains together this Hearth's Warming is most intriguing. However, I’d rather have it pan out for the better, rather than being a bust. Organizing my absence is an undertaking I would rather not waste. As such, it is necessary to make sure that enjoyment will be had and all things put in order.”
I tilted my head, “Which means?”
Luna clapped her hooves excitedly, “We shall go this weekend!”
“W–what?!”
“I need you two to scout the place and make sure it is big enough, luxurious enough, and, well, you get the idea,” Celestia explained.
“We shall depart early, so that we might visit your establishment in Manehattan, too!” Luna chimed in.
A smile slowly crept onto my face.
“Luna, Celestia, that’s… amazing!”
“I’ve taken the liberty of informing your right-hoof pony, Coxa, about your planned absence from Canterlot,” Celestia added.
“Oh, uh, thanks Celestia!”
Luna launched herself at me, squeezing me in a bone-breaking hug that would have been actually painful had I not been covered in chitin.
“Oh what merriment there is to be had! I say, I have not been this excited since the prospect of seeing you in person!”
“I’m excited too, Luna,” I said, patting her on the withers.
“Another victory for love,” Cadence smiled. “This will be a great vacation for all of us, come winter. I’m even getting Shiny to come over.”
I raised my eyebrows, “That’s us four, the First Fang, Shining Armor…. Anyone else coming?”
“Celestia has extended invitations to the Elements, as their heroism deserves rewards, but acceptance is unlikely for almost all of them,” Luna said, not letting me go.
“That would be a lot of ponies attending,” I remarked.
“We all have our separate rooms,” Celestia explained.
“–and I’m all for it!” I cheered. “Quite different than… my old life. We, uh, bunked up back then, going so far as to sleep on the ground whenever we went on vacation. But now we’re all rich, huh?”
“This was Celestia’s surprise,” Luna said. “Hence why I could not speak of it to you.”
“I figured you two could use the break more, especially with last night’s procedure,” Celestia admitted.
I felt my ears splay back, “... Thanks again, Celestia. I… thanks.”
Outside of the First Fang, there were few people I could trust that actually did something nice for me out of the kindness of their heart. The Fifth Hive served me out of blind loyalty, though some of it could be argued as not blind loyalty, and the guards of Hooferville had no idea I was a changeling.
‘And Celestia has thankfully not mentioned my…. fit.’
Last night had been one of the most stressful and frightening nights this year, which was really saying a lot.
“.... yourself de-stressed and ready for when you come back,” Celestia said. I missed the first part of her order. “We have a lot to do, even before the winter arrives.”
Luna broke the hug, “I shall go back immediately!”
“Wait–!” Celestia called out, but Luna had already teleported away. “You’re not leaving until tomorrow,” she sighed. “Well, you have the rest of the time off, Phasma. No more negotiations.”
“I’ll go work things out with my Hive after breakfast, then. There’s a lot left to be done; I’m nearly as buried in paperwork reforming the Fifth Hive and getting everyone situated as you are fixing your kingdom.”
Cadence smiled, “You’re staying? I expected you to run off with Luna the moment you could.”
I shrugged, “I don’t always eat food, but the company is always nice.”
Cadence pointed a hoof at me, “See?! You can be a nice, considerate pony!”
“Only when you aren’t threatening or accusing me of anything.”
“The tales I have heard speak highly of you,” Celestia added in. “Your changelings look up to you greatly, and you instill positive values in them. I cannot ask for much more, aside from proper behavior and self control. But enough inflating your ego, today we’re having Prench toast.”
I clapped my hooves, “I knew there was a reason why I decided to stay!”
The Crystal Caves were almost empty now.
Most of the lings had been moved off to Manehattan or other locations, with only the Red Right Hoof staying behind, as well as my support staff. The Fifth Hive’s military and command structure could not leave easily, and having them in Canterlot was very important: the administration team for obvious reasons, and the Red Right Hoof because they would be training alongside the Equestrians starting next week.
With Celestia’s guidance, we finally had some rooms picked and cleared out for my changelings to use. She even provided a few large rooms to serve as barracks, which I gladly took, but the administration team was provided apartments in Middle Canterlot on my own dime. Given their importance, justifying renting– couldn’t find anything to outright buy yet– was a simple matter.
All that was left was moving the last of the changelings and materials out of the Crystal Caves. A lot of the material was slated to head directly to some storerooms within Canterlot Castle, and the whole process would be finished by the weekend.
So it was time for a celebration.
We had swarmed one of the larger, more reclusive fancy rooms. This one was high up, and had a bunch of windows with great views. I had brought out the good vintage for this occasion. The changelings cheered and toasted their glasses, each a mixed drink of alcohol and love rations.
“To brighter futures!”
“To better tomorrows!”
“To an end to the hunger!”
We all knocked back the glasses. I coughed and cringed, still not quite used to the strange combination. Most lings struggled similarly, but a few just laughed.
“Your Majesty,” Cricket whispered, making me lean over to hear her.
“Yes?”
“Just wanted to add onto the good news; there’s been a breakthrough in deciphering the language that those tomes you rescued from the Third Hive were written in.”
I coughed, feeling some of the drink come back up, “Really?! That’s great!”
“Mhmm. Twilight Sparkle stopped by for a preliminary glance into what we were preparing for the exchange program, and her help was insightful when it came to translating the morphemes. We have a rough idea as to what the tomes are about.”
‘This is actually great news. Whatever these tomes are written about is probably something we have forgotten about. Unless it’s a bust and it describes transformations or something, this could be a huge boon for us all!’
“Go on,” I said, turning to face her fully. “What are they about?”
“The books are all on,” Cricket paused to glance around, “soulmancy, Your Majesty.”
“Soulmancy?”
She nodded, “The practice is forbidden in Equestria, hence me trying to keep quiet about it, Your Majesty.”
“Oh. Well, is it… new information?”
“Yes sir. With the field now known, we’ve taken a look at a few of the spells written down, and they seem completely new. At least, we think so. It’s not exactly possible for any of us to know what Chrysalis knows about the field, or what the Princesses of Equestria know.”
“Neither of ‘em know anything,” I explained. “Chrysalis's expertise laid in genetic and biological sculpting, and neither Luna nor Celestia know much about Dark Magic. They considered this one of its fields, since its so often entwined with it, and it has been outlawed in Equestria since the kingdom’s inception.”
“You’re awfully knowledgeable about the subject, My King,” Cricket remarked.
“I was born through a necromancy ritual, and Celestia was clear on what magic she wouldn’t tolerate in Equestria. Knowing this stuff is my job. Thanks for the new information, Cricket.”
“Should I tell the teams to give up deciphering it?”
“No, no,” I waved to her to stop. “This is very good stuff. I might be able to get permission from Celestia to use the magic within Equestria’s borders, and if I don’t, we can just scoot on over to the Third Hive’s ruins and practice it there. If it’s safe, of course. No point in using it if it just propagates Nightmares or something equally unpleasant. I’ll talk with Luna this weekend about it. Anything else?”
“That’s it, Your Majesty.”
I nodded. The changelings around us were still chatting away, swapping stories, having drinking contests, and otherwise wasting their time. I even spied Coxa and Lacewing sitting on a couch in the back, snuggling and kissing lightly.
‘Awww, how adorable– I mean, absolutely revolting! Coxa exists only to make my life easier and to fill out paperwork! And Lace…. deserves to be happy. Whatever, the joke fell apart. They’re cute, they deserve to be happy, roll credits.’
'... How many lings in this room are liars, merely pretending to be happy? I let my guard down once, and because of that, Lace got captured and Oest died.'
“Hey Cricket?” I whispered.
“My King?” She whispered back.
“... How many Fourth Hive spies do you think are in the Fifth Hive?”
“My King?” She asked, confused.
“The war against the Fourth Hive proper should begin soon. How many traitors are in this room? Beyond?”
Cricket was silent. She looked around the room, trying to hide her worry.
“My King, I don’t know how to answer that. The Infiltrators were in Canterlot, and a few were bound to have been captured. Unless they come forward willingly, I don’t think we could ever possibly find them.”
“But how many are in the Fifth Hive?”
“.... A dozen? Less? It’s impossible to say, My King.”
I swallowed, “Should I be worried?”
Cricket shook her head, “Even if they had contact with the Fourth Hive, which is completely cut off, you’ve proven to be worthy of the title of King.”
That didn’t add up.
“They’re loyal to Chrysalis, though,” I pointed out.
“Technically they’re loyal to the Pontiff, which is a title that can’t be usurped.”
“Which is something I’m trying to do, right?”
Cricket cringed, “Sorta? It’s complicated, Your Majesty. On paper, Chrysalis is and always will be Pontiff. However, given your accomplishments and the success of the Fifth Hive, it can be easily argued that Panar has clearly chosen you to lead us, and therefore you are the Pontiff.”
I snorted, “And will the Infiltrators believe that?”
Cricket shrugged, “Who knows?”
I sighed, “In any case, thanks for the insight.”
“I’m at your service, My King.”
“Suppose I’ll have to figure out vacations for all of you guys as well, huh?” I said, my voice returning to normal speaking levels.
“You’re already giving us four weeks of vacation days a year, Your Majesty,” Cricket replied.
“And will any of you actually use them?”
“Of course not, My King.”
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Isn't that the truth... smart and capable villains are the scariest ones. The ones that won't monologue about their evil plans. Or let hubris decide that an enemy isn't worth killing. Luna is very right on this...
Good chapter! Though I wonder how long until a spy does betray Phasma in the Fifth Hive?
But, how else am I to secure my immortality if I don’t make Horcruxes.
hey author, its a bit obvious what is gonna happen now
So true. They are the ones that won't go away in a single episode's worth of work, and they will exploit every misstep you make.
Phasma has the most loyal changelings that ever were.
Why is called beach episode 2
They aren’t at the beach
Also when was the first beach episode I feel like I am missing something
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That'd be the chapter "107 - Gratuitous Beach Episode". The beach portion of that was actually a dream because Luna, so the logic checks out.
Soulmancy
Got to love Phasmatodea humor. Sooo Soul magic. Might be extreamly useful vs Nightstalking being without bodys. What kind of spell was the one Phasmatodea learned in the Third Hive?
Soul magic... Perhaps it could restore Chrysalis former and still most beloved daughter?
Vacation time... Sweet!
There were no beaches here! I was lied to!
11064047
Good noone write a offical 'Evil mastermind' hoove book.
11064058
It's more of a fail save than securing immortality.
How about this? It's one way of immortality i guess:
static.wikia.nocookie.net/deadspace/images/3/37/LightBlackMarker.png/revision/latest?cb=20201224111450
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Like Daring Do's rivals. Just less Monolog and more cut of the head...
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Since we see third hive Changelings die on order, they might be more loyal. But i give you the benefit of a doubt
11064120
KKSlider betrayed us! Get him!
Tickles until he surrenders!!!
That was kinda funny.
Order 66 moment
Well, I am disappoint that Lacewing isn't chasing Phas, but at the same time, Woohoo Lace and Coxa! You be nice to her!!!
...you just had to say it, didn't you?
I can hear Murphy loading Checkov's gun from over here!
Well someone is being tricked by nightmares again...Come on Phasma they ALWAYS use Luna to do it...
"Let me at them! I want to hit them with my hammer!" I shouted, struggling against the many hooves holding me back. With Unbroken Radiance on I could not simply be restrained by magic, but at the same time I could not teleport towards the enemy without dropping out of the armor.
"Phasma, stop! You're going to hurt yourself!" Luna cried. She and her sister were clinging to my sides like cake-filled saddlebags.
"You bull-headed brute! We told you to stay put!" Cadence chided, pushing against my chest.
"My King, please! Let the guards deal with them!" Cricket pleaded, pulling my tail behind me.
"But, but...! Hammer!" I protested. I waved God-Splitter around in my magic, trying to shake off Coxa who was holding onto the handle for dear life.
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So beautyful
11064176
the only non Phas X luna ship I accept is Phas x Thorax.
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Based
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They would make a seriously good couple and thorax is cute af
11064070
Well, I guess one out of three isn't too bad for Chrysalis?
11064408
Ah, a person of good taste you are.
I have been lied to. There is a lack of gratuitous beach scenes in this chapter! This was just delightful conversing followed by a changeling symposium!
Have Coxa and Lacewing greet infiltrators with, something like, "Braise be to the pontiff," and guage their reactions to see where their loyalties lie.
Just after he was told not to get his soul split lmao. Obvious foreshadow is obvious
My head canon is that Phasma has a herd/harem and all the changelings are in it...
They all hold hooves and sleep in giant snuggle bug piles while not killing each other.
...isn't that exactly what Daybreaker did?
Executed an effective take over, suppressed counter attacks and when she was inevitably defeated ensured she had a contingency plan in place so that her most fanatical supporters escaped and could continue whatever she was planning
Light hearted interpersonal bickering is the kind of thing that I live for and revel in
Hmm.. this seems very specific.
[Loads Chekhov's gun with malicious intent]
Well, seems like meeting the Royal Siblings is back on the table. It's been quite some time since the last Weave communique.
Idol Hooves would appreciate all the lings here that won't take vacation. Wonder what he'd say about the mingling of their militaries...
11064553
Not really. She was already in control.
It’s what Phasma did. After the invasion he ended up ending the hunger anyways.
11064090
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Maybe the real beach was the friends we made along the way...
11064553
how do you execute a take over when you possess the leader of the country you are 'taking over'?
11064209
i too am a hint worried about that. but so far we have no proof of any skull duggery
another good chapter although i do worry how he worded the soulmancy thing
first he sounded certain celly and lulu don't use any magic they forbid which is just silly, it might bite him in the ass if they every turn against him.
secondly, they way he described needing cellies permission, yes it makes sense you don't use forbidden magic within equestrian borders but i just get this feel with the way he worded it. feels like he is looking up to celly as an authority and asking permission. like how he said he might do it in secret otherwise. i'd hate to see phas start kowtowing to celly for every lil thing. but that's just paranoia on my part i'm sure, he is just making concessions for his allies. just don't go too far phas :c
11064787
I mean, doing things without Celestia's permission is one thing, but this is a type of magic considered closely related to Dark Magic, so in this case, it's kinda important to ask for permission. Because she would know how to it safely, if nothing else.
Nice
11064789
yep yep, like i said it makes sense regarding the fact they are now allies and there has to be trust, just paranoid it is a trend. but i know you wouldn't do that unless for story reasons so really i'm just spouting my paranoid ranting. sorry about that
11064787
Daybreaker took over equestria by possessing Celestia. Sorry I should've probably been a little clearer when I typed that
11064929
ah, i had a feeling you might have meant that, thanks for clearing it up. but to address another part of what you said, i'm not sure daybreaker planned on her zealots to escape and prepare for her return, i think that was an indipendant action. i'm interested to see how it goes
I feel like this chapter is a dream scene, it is just too good to be true.
Damm so no Horcruxes for some time :(?
What?
I get it if these were old pony tomes but they are not
There is no reason for her to be able to help them with that.
You kind of make her into something like mary sue.
"Hey I helped with that, and that, I'm also a qualified magic surgeon, Oh I deciphered an ancient tom of different species that lived in secrecy!"
Etc, you see it now?
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I wouldn't be surprised if she had a vague plan to ensure somepony who was aligned to her escaped, but since we don't know the full details of her dead man's protocol we can't really say
11064983
Twilight's specific strength is being smart and knowledgable about magic and books, just because her character flaw is not an issue recently doesn't mean she's being a Mary Sue
11064047
Truly scary villains pose themselves as forces of good. That requires less killing and more PR.
This chapter brightened my day. But where is beach episode 1!?!?!?!
11064964
LiFe Is a simulaTioN
11064176
Why would lacewing chase phas? Luna and him are already married? Or not I forgot.
i.imgflip.com/5vteyn.jpg
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107.