22- Enkidu
“Prince Phasma.”
“Queen Chrysalis.”
She was seated at her desk and I across from it. After Eucharis had helped me out of the pod (my wings were too wet and pliable to fly), I was told Chrysalis was in her study.
“You look…. Like a drone.”
“I wonder whose fault that is? Are there any other repercussions from my hatching that I should be on the watch for?”
Chrysalis was silent while she thought. “... Well I’ve already covered the exploding and the turning pink. I did not expect such a drift from royal physiology.”
I raised my eyebrows but said nothing.
“You might have changed more than just physically. Do you have any heightened senses? Anything special of note?”
‘I knew what that pegasus was dreaming about, and I talked with a goddess in my sleep.’
“None.”
Lying to the ‘ling who taught me how to lie would normally be a very stupid and dangerous thing to do. Luckily, she merely improved my lying skills, not created them.
“Hmmm…. We shall see if anything comes up in your magic training when it resumes next week. For now, Chamberlain Eucharis informed you of your constraint?”
“The summer solstice.”
She nodded. “The summer solstice. You will have to begin reforming the Swarm immediately to make such an ambitious deadline. You will not fail me, nor will you fail the Swarm.”
“No I will not. I do have a plan for the Swarm and its restructuring. I presume that I am also drafting the plan for the invasion?”
“Aside from the infiltration of Canterlot and the duel with Princess Celestia, I leave the conquering of Equestria up to you. Should be easy, given the decadence and stagnation of ponies’ military.”
“Good, that is the assumption I worked off of. I suspect that if we were ponies, this is the part where I dramatically drop a thick binder of papers onto your desk? One labeled Evil Plans?”
Queen Chrysalis leaned in close.
“There is no good or evil, just survivors. Now tell me, High Marshal Prince Phasma, how will you make sure that we are the survivors?”
The room of changelings was packed full. The classroom was made to accommodate thirty, yet it was stuffed to forty five.
Private Ventricle was one of these forty-five changelings stuffed in like a hay bale on a cart.
‘This must have something to do with the High Marshal…’
The classroom door opened and a changeling walked in. He was, compared to everyone else, nearly unremarkable. The only difference between them and every single other changeling in the room was a long jagged scar across his left foreleg.
The newcomer stopped and turned to face the crowd.
“Time is short, as is my patience, so let’s get started. I am Sergeant Hermetia, but you all will call me Sir for short! You’re all here because the Swarm needs new officers, and you are one of ten groups tapped for this. By the end of this month, you’ll all be leaders, or you’ll be failures.”
‘Yeah definitely something to do with the High Marshal.’
“Each one of you will be responsible for anywhere from ten to twenty changelings. That’s a lot of lives riding on your shoulders. If you crack, you better crack now, or else there will be dead ‘lings on your hooves!”
The changelings in the room started to glance at each other, sharing the same thoughts. None dared whisper them outloud, not while a superior officer was in the room.
‘Twenty ‘lings? I’m just a private, all I’m supposed to do is break up fights in the habitation quarters. Or do long patrols out in the hot wastes!’
The Sergeant continued, “You will not be officers of the Swarm. You will be officers of the legions! The old Swarm is dead, High Marshal Prince Phasmatodea has ordered the raising of twelve legions, with room for more.”
“The fuck is a legion,” came an unbidden voice from the back.
Despite his line of sight being obstructed by five changelings in front of him, Sergeant Hermetia snapped to where the voice came from. Buzzing his wings, he lifted off and hugged the ceiling in a tight maneuver, before stopping above the back of the group.
All the while, his head tracked the source of the sound.
The changeling in question started to shrink under the Sergeant’s direct ire, making herself as small as possible.
The Sergeant continued to stare and the private started to sweat. Private Ventricle did not envy the loudmouth.
“I-I mean, uh, sir! W-What is a legion, sir?”
“A legion, maggot,” Sergeant Hermetia growled, “is our new formation. You, however, will be nothing more than a latrine cleaner in the Eleventh. Get the fuck out of my room, grub!” As the private scrambled up and over the changelings to get to the door, Sergeant Hermetia snapped his head up and took in the room. “I told you worthless grubs that I have no patience for your mewling. This is your one and only warning: waste my time, and I will make your life miserable!”
‘Fucking fantastic. There goes my easy meals.’
Private Ventricle knew his days of lounging around and yelling at drones were over. Well, not the yelling part. There would be much more of that.
But first, he had to survive this crash course on how not to get underlings killed.
“Thorax.”
Hearing his name, Thorax stopped pushing the cart full of sedimite rocks. The lower tunnels were lit up with the light green glow-moss that permeated throughout the hive. The only way he knew he was low, close to the base of the hive, was the intermittent creaking sounds coming from above him as the hive swayed imperceptibly in the wind.
The only 'ling that would look for Thorax was Pharynx. Thorax wasn’t sure how his brother found him deep down here in the hive, far away from their shared room in the habitation block, but he was glad for the company.
“Pharynx! Can you believe they put me on…”
Turning around, Thorax saw a changeling that most definitely was not his brother. The voice was deeper than he remembered, but there was no mistaking those eyes.
“Hello again Thorax. I always keep my word.”
Thorax studied every detail of Phasma’s new appearance. Tall, red tail and fin, and a much taller horn. This was not the nymph Thorax last saw a month ago, this was a changeling royal with presence.
‘He’s back?!’
“Ph-Phasma?! I thought…”
Phasma chuckled, “That I wouldn’t find you? It wasn’t easy, especially not with how busy my schedule is, but I heard word that a certain pony-sympathetic changeling was seen down here in-”
Thorax leaped at Phasma, pulling him into a hug.
“-Ah! By the Nine, does the whole First Fang love hugging? If you all hug me each time I say hello or goodbye, I will be suspected of encouraging pony ideals!”
‘The First Fang!’
The thought made Thorax let go and back up.
“You managed to get in contact with everyone else?!”
“Not yet, you’re the first. I was going to collect Oestridae after this. How have you been?”
Thorax glanced back at the cart.
“They have me doing manual work. Apparently I’m too risky for my old duty processing love-gel. They thought I would steal, or something.”
Phasma sighed and had a downcast expression when Thorax looked back at him. Or rather, up at him.
“You’re tall now!”
He chuckled, “Just noticing? I molted five days ago, and now I look like a bastardization of a drone and a royal."
‘I can definitely see the drone part.’
“You look good, Phasma.”
Phasma grinned. “That means a lot. Thank you, Thorax. How’s uh… how’s your brother?”
“Oh he’s doing well. He’s in a training course, something about a High Marshal making tons of new officer positions? I imagine you’ve had something to do with that.”
“What? Nooo. You’re thinking of another High Marshal.” Phasma chuckled quietly, “Hehehe, I didn’t come here to speak work, though.”
“You came here just to say hi, then?”
“Yeah. It’s been…. I’ve already had times where I lamented the loss of your company, Thorax. Despite what others say, it’s a breath of fresh air to hear what you have to say.”
Thorax stared at the ground and scuffed a hoof. “Oh, you seem to be the only one then.”
“The First Fang also misses you.”
Thorax snorted and looked back at his prince. “You just said you haven’t seen ‘em!”
“Oh right, you got me there. Well I’m sure they do. We’re family, after all.”
“Hey, if we’re family, do you think you could…?”
Thorax pointed to the cart.
Phasma rubbed his chin. “I think so. Putting a changeling in my personal retinue as… divisive as yourself would paint a target on your back, though. Think you can handle it?”
“Well you got my back, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then we can handle it.”
Phasma smiled.
“We can handle it. It’s good to have you back, Thorax. C’mon, we got a silent softie to go foalnap from his duties.”
They left the cart were it was and walked back to the upper levels. They passed a closed door before the main junction, with ‘Excavation Office A037’ carved next to the doorway.
‘Oh right, I need to explain to the foreling. Don’t want a search party looking for me, after all!’
“Hey Phasma, I need to tell my boss that I’m being reassigned.”
Thorax peeled off and knocked on the door.
“Enter,” came a muffled yell.
Thorax pushed the door open and slipped inside the muggy office.
“Excavator Thorax. Shut the damn door, you’re letting the heat out.” He did as he was told.
“Foreling Soleus? I, uh, I’m being reassigned.”
The ling scowled, looking up at Thorax. He was sitting down at a hive-gel desk that had a few actual papers on it, and was holding a real clipboard.
“No, you’re not. Get back to work or I’ll cut your rations in half for the next week.”
“I am!” Thorax moved closer. “Pha- err, Prince Phasma is personally reassigning me.”
Soleus raised an eyebrow, “Really Thorax? You flunk an infiltrator course and suddenly you think you are the best liar in the h-”
Thorax heard the door behind him open.
“Praetorian Thorax, hurry this up. I was serious when I said my schedule is packed.”
Thorax turned around, seeing Phasma half-in the doorway.
‘Praetorian? What’s… I’ll ask him after. Right, I need to play up his titles!’
“Apologies, My Prince! I was just being delayed, it will be resolved immediately!” Thorax turned back around and saw Soleus with his jaw open, clipboard slowly slipping out of his hooves.
“Y- I- Oh-”
“It is proper to bow before your prince, drone,” came the low voice behind Thorax.
Soleus let the clipboard slip from his grasp before ducking low.
“Apologies, My Prince! And Thorax, I will make sure there are no issues here!”
Soleus’s scared reaction made Thorax lurch forward, “Oh, thank you Soleus! Don’t worry about this, you were just being-”
Phasma cleared his throat behind Thorax, “We’re leaving, Praetorian.”
“Right, My Prince! Sorry, My Prince!” Thorax hurried after the retreating form of Phasma.
When they were out of earshot, Thorax whispered over, “You came into the office quickly."
"I didn't like what I heard when the door was still open."
"...Phasma, what’s a praetorian?”
“A Royal Guard,” he whispered back. Changelings bowed to Prince Phasma as they continued up the hive.
“A Royal Guard is a Royal Guard,” Thorax returned.
“Not anymore, I had them renamed so they don’t get confused with the ponies’ Royal Guard.”
“Wow, I’m a Royal Guard?”
“No, you’re a Praetorian.”
“... Hey Phasma,” Thorax whispered as quietly as he could while still being heard, “does this mean I have to hurt ‘lings? I don’t-”
“No, don’t worry about that. Leave that to Oestridae.”
‘That’s a relief! That whole office thing though, are the rumors true…?’
“Hey Phasma,” Thorax whispered again.
“Hey Thorax.”
“There’s rumors going around– and I’m sure they’re not true– saying that you… executed a changeling?”
Phasma looked at Thorax out of the corners of his eyes as they continued to walk.
“I’ve never harmed anyone else.”
“Right. That’s a relief. But, uh… would you?”
“Sentence someone to execution?”
“Mhmm.”
Phasma took a moment to think it over. It was a moment too long, in Thorax’s opinion.
“Yes.”
“Phasma, you’re better than that!”
“Am I?” Thorax had to strain to hear that response.
Thorax nudged Phasma’s shoulder.
“Don’t give me that! You’re a good ‘ling, Phasma. Promise me you’ll never hurt someone else.”
Phasma stopped walking and faced Thorax, ignoring the changelings staring at the small royal procession of two.
“I’m the High Marshal. It’s my duty to hurt others. I’d prefer not to, but something’s gotta change here and it falls to me to make that change happen.”
He moved on, leaving Thorax standing there before he hurried to catch up to Phasma.
“You could try working with the ponies!”
“Working with the ponies? ‘Hello, in exchange for hurting you, would you care for some vomit?’ We can’t offer them anything.”
“... Have you even looked into alternative feeding methods?”
“Not yet, but I wouldn’t put too much hope on that. It’s us or them, Thorax. I’m sorry, but you can’t change that.”
‘I don’t give up that easily, Phasma! I’ll figure out something, just you watch!’
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
996 users online
269,192 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
He's taking Roman stuff ooohhhh.
In another life, Thorax was definitely correct here. He'll have to be much quicker to pull things off in this one...
This is so sad, I can't believe Phasma would repeat Chrysalis's rhetoric to Thorax.
Funnies aside, another chapter that has me hungering for the next one; t'is a curse and a blessing. I'm an addict through and through, and it's all your faaaault.
10561360
We live in a society
Changelings rise up
10561360
I really doubt he truly feels that way, in a public setting he would have to conform to some basic behavior otherwise he would look suspicious.
Enjoying this, but 'yeah' is spelt with an h.
10561407
I... I need an adult!
This has got to be a regional thing, right? Surely I have not been spelling it incorrectly for over a decade.
10561353
the real question is if they do go the way of the show and reform then it seems antlers show positions of power so if thoraxes stay the same how big will the princes be? also maby he loks like a drone for this reason?
10561421
... ... Who should tell them?
Great chapter! Though I am curious on how this will affect Canon.
Your chapter titles are very interesting, considering their definitions.
Edit:
Interesting... this might affect canon in a particular way, especially if they go with the more 'dramatic' route with Celestia and NMM's combat if any. Might scare them off, or make them reconsider their strategies considering the consequences of "Night-time forever."
Or y'know, an Alicorn with no restraint on zapping guardsponies...
Or Thorax figuring -something- out during the night. Hm. Interesting. Many theories and many paths. Time will tell, one should suppose.
10561421
Also "yeah" is how it's spelled. Some folks spell it "yea" as it's the dialect, like " 'Eres 'Oppin' Mad Jimmy!" for most speech.
It's why the more 'recent' way people say it online (or just to be cute) is 'ye,' not regarding Ye Olde English.
I worded this so crappily, sorry. xpx But I hope it makes sense.
10561421
It's a regional thing. I live in Indiana, and I've seen people spell it at least 3 different ways.
10561398
I was being facetious you goober.
I for one would never name my personal guard Pretorians. Bad luck that.
10561421
I don't think I've ever seen it spelt without the 'h' except in text speech, and definitely not in published works. I can believe that it's a regional thing, but if so "yea" is the regional variation and "yeah" is the standard spelling.
"Enkidu"
'Enkidu is another being from Ancient Mesopotamian myth. Crafted from clay by the hands of gods, Enkidu is neither male or female. After descending to the Earth they fought the legendary hero Gilgamesh. At their defeat, Enkidu served directly under the warrior-king Gilgamesh, and as time passed became Gilgamesh's close friend and together went on many adventures.'
-------
After reading a bit further in than what I have written about Enkidu and his story, I can't help but feel the implications you have laid on Prince Phasma and Thorax.
Foreshadowing perhaps? Or perhaps I am merely reading too much into it.
Either way, my answer awaits in future chapters.
So how tall is phasma now?
10561941
Few inches taller than a drone/pony. So still looks up to Queen Leggy, but is now far taller than any other drone (the best is like an inch taller, I think I wrote?). Don't have an exact number.
Me thinks that's why you're there...
I wonder why he chose the Roman terms and standards of organization. Flight and magic kinda make things like Roman formations less useful. Unless he's doing it for symbolic reasons then actual military doctrine, I suppose? Guess we'll find out next chapter on that front.
I do wonder what the cause of Phasma's "mutations" are. Is it something Chrysalis did (or did wrong), was it his training regimen? Contact with the Weave? Contact with Nightmare Moon? Some other as of yet unknown outside influence?
I get the feeling it's going to be Throax that keeps Phasma in touch with his own conscience, or acting as it. And if he's wise, he will keep his council. A wise commander listens to opinions and ideas different to their own, not brown-nosing yes-men. In this regard Thorax will help him see and realize things he might otherwise overlook.
10562125
Much of roman legion organization a) symbolic and got psychology and social aspect b) was most successful military structure in its time, built out of crowd of barely educated c) still exist today , because aside from some rules and paradigms, modern military _uses_ roman model.
It includes not only formation, but such aspect as supply lines, embedded auxilaries, chain of comand. Legions were first military to use concept of flexible chain of command which could be restored during battle.
Very nice, I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes, it looks like thorax might be the one to both keep Phasma in check morality wise, and maybe be the head researcher into alternative feeding methods. Nothing let's you learn as fast as true motivation, and Thorax has that in spades.
10561599
Ironic. That it's the exact term for large soldier ants protecting hive's chambers
10562125
I still suspect the human element, referred to as "transplant rejection" back when it was more deleterious.
Damn straight you will, bestbug
Would be great if Thorax can help get better harvesting methods/grounds.
Thorax would make a nice number 3 in the hierarchy of the Prince. His brother would be a good nr2 i think.
10561353
Perhaps he pulls a miracle
10561360
Addiction to ones only food... That harsh
10561398
Game, set, goal
10561434
Chrysalis playing evolution master
10561488
Everything/ nothing. Or anything in between
10561599
How did you explain that one? That new to me...
10561941
Hes less than a year old but Chrysalis breaks his body via extream growth. Impossible to tell...
(Edit: Nevermind)
10561665
Were you get that stuff? Wikipedia? Love the lore
10564542
As long as that solution doesn’t evolve turning neon and growing antlers. Please. Your better than that Thorax.
Telling what they need to hear.
So is thorax gonna kill phasma now?
10791567
I highly doubt that. Hurting others let alone killing anyone is not in Thorax' nature, and it seems pretty obvious to me that Phasma is playing ignorant to get Thorax to look into those alternatives, while maintaining plausible deniability for now.
Ooh, she didn't like that
The androgynous warrior of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu can be described as a self-sufficient boss battler who fares especially well against Divine enemies.
“Watchers in the Dark.”
“High Marshall.”
“Legions”
Anyone else picking up all the 40k references here? Next thing I know he’ll be calling the war on Equestria a Crusade.
Best part of being late to a story, you can read for hours without having to wait for updates.
I hope the Pretorians won't stab the emperator. That usually happens in history.
Thorax can learn shield spells and hoove to hoove combat. It keeps him the closest in a war to pacifist way.
This situation reminds me of 'Metal Gear Solid' where you can choice the non lethal path. It is mostly non lethal... Because a War for survivel Nation vs Nation always produces a pile of corpses...
For whatever their faults were, the Romans did have the best ran military of their heyday. They had the greatest innovation, engineers, effective logistics, and could win against armies larger than their own forces in the field because they would be willing to take a gamble and do the unexpected. The only significant opponent they ever faced during their peak was Hannibal of Carthage, and only because Hannibal took a page from their own book and did the unexpected. Atilla the Hun was the only other significant threat they faced, but by then, the Romans were already on decline as many of the top Roman officers were coming from a long list of nobles who were slowly being poisoned from their lead pipes. It was bad decisions by such brain-damaged leadership that caused widespread civil wars, desertions, breakdown of discipline, and poor battle plans that were as much contributing to Rome's collapse as the invading hordes that eventually overwhelmed what was left of any functioning army.
Thorax succcckkkkssssssss
11593841
Something that seem to be a repeating cycle in human history. Someone like Luna or Phasma would be ideal for the leadership of humanity, keeping politics and lobbyists in check.