• Published 18th Oct 2020
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Changing Expectations - KKSlider



What does it mean to be a Changeling? To the former human Prince Phasma, that means doing what you can to survive and thrive in an utterly alien world.

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46- Hector

Group casting spells is a task that most ponies find extremely difficult. Given how each pony is raised to be as individualistic as possible, and often find working with others a difficult task, this isn’t surprising. This is why their Princesses often find themselves having to preach about cooperation to their ponies.

Changelings on the other hoof, are raised from their nymph stage on to be communal workers, often finding themselves working with others very often. Working with the lings next to you is emphasized greatly within the hive, especially when it comes to combat and casting magic. The hive would not survive if everyone was as self-concerned as they are in pony society.

That doesn’t mean that changelings are friendlier. In fact, they are more xenophobic than ponies, if the invasion and propaganda didn’t give that away. Anything not a changeling was most definitely beneath contempt, let alone working alongside.

So whereas the ponies have excelled at researching and discovering new types of magic as well as spells, including expanding their knowledge of the underlying mechanics of magic, changelings have excelled at perfecting teaching and casting processes for group casting spells.

This is aided in no small amount by the Weave. The subconscious near-hivemind assists changelings’ spell casting, helping them line up their mental spell constructs, their timing, and even their knowledge of the spell itself.

Now that the changelings were away from the hive, the only Weaves there were for the changelings were mine and Chrysalis’s. Our projected Command auras were like nascent Weaves, with far more limited range, capacity, and included knowledge than the gargantuan field projected by the entombed Princes and Princesses. I didn’t know just how inferior it was, and I did not have the time to test the limits.

Still, this was a boon that the ponies couldn’t even fathom. The very idea of ponies working in tandem to cast a protective shield spell, a sound amplification spell, and several layered illusion spells was inconceivable. The shield and amplification spell was quite possible and often employed together by Royal Guard officers. Illusion spells, now those were quite tricky to ponies, and so were often afterthoughts or theories frequently rejected when explaining strange sights.

I was certain that centuries of subtle sabotage in the illusion field by changelings when they could get into high pony society had lent a hoof to their lack of knowledge. When your means of acquiring food requires your food to be ignorant, you work hard to make sure it is.

The ponies within the Captain’s shield, Captain Shining Armor included, almost certainly had little knowledge of illusion spells. They absolutely had no knowledge of any assistance from the Weave. They would not comprehend the relationships between illusionary constructs and other spells, such as the visionary distortions caused by viewing the magical illusions through magical shields, or the similar audible ones produced by the sound amplification spell. Ponies just thought that illusion spells are near impossible to pull off without being disrupted by any other magic.

Simply put, we were putting on quite the show for ponies. Though there was no spell being casted that required group casting per se, the exact teamwork required was effectively the same as the difficult task. Great amounts of effort were put in to make everything seem normal. The ponies wouldn’t appreciate the amount of effort required to pull off this trick, so I had to show my approval for my minions’ efforts myself.

“Keep it up, you’re all doing good,” I whispered entirely through the Weave.

I had to keep my praises short and sparse, for breaking their concentration too much would be counterintuitive.

“Bring me a foal,” I commanded out loud. The changelings did as I asked, going along with the plan I had laid out. A unicorn filly was dragged over by a flying changeling. Her hooves and horn were bound, as well as her muzzle.

The filly was a unicorn, with a bright blue coat and white mane and tail. She had no cutie mark, so she must be really young. She stared at me with wide eyes as she trembled on the ground in front of me.

‘You reek of fear. Let’s hope that fear can spread,’ I thought as I freed her muzzle.

“Hello, little one. What is your name?”

“W-w-who are you?” She stuttered.

“This has nothing to do with her, let her go!” Shining yelled from within the shop inside the shield.

“That, little foal, depends entirely on what your dear Captain will do.”


Shining was standing on his hindlegs up against a table pressed against the window, peering through a crack in the makeshift defense.

There was another one of those massive bug things out there, though not the same one that attacked him earlier. This smaller one was stranger in appearance, looking more like those bug-ponies that all looked alike.

‘If Twilight were here, she’d probably call them clones.’

For a moment, Shining was glad that Twi had left Canterlot earlier yesterday. Then he remembered that these monsters had to come from somewhere, and that meant that they probably attacked the towns outside of Canterlot first. Ponyville, the small town that Princess Celestia asked his sister to visit was north of Canterlot, but Shining wasn’t sure that it was safe there.

These invaders were very prepared for this attack, who knows what small towns weren’t taken over?

These invaders… The Division had said there was something strange happening in the South, but they couldn’t get more information. These ponies didn’t give a formal declaration of war. They didn’t send demands before attacking Canterlot, and likely any of the other towns. They just came and…

He saw what they were doing out in the streets. Ponies were being stunned and bound up. These foes didn’t care for the riches of the city, they wanted the ponies.

‘Where do they come from? What are they doing with their captives? When is Princess Celestia going to get back?!’

Too many questions, too few answers. Princess Celestia seemingly vanished soon after midnight, saying she was stepping out of the Castle for a moment. Wherever she was, it wasn’t in Canterlot. She would have returned to Canterlot Castle immediately if she was. Raven Inkwell assured everypony that this was planned. And then not three hours later, The Division said an army was marching on Canterlot.

Shining checked his shield spell for the fifteenth time this hour. It was still holding up, and would hold up for days potentially.

“Captain, let me take over watch.”

Shining dropped down and turned around to see Spearhead behind him. The brown pegasus was still in his scuffed up Guard armor.

“No, you need to rest. You took quite the hit helping me get away from that thing.”

“You can’t be doing much better, Sir. How’re you not experiencing any of that mana burn stuff you unicorns always gripe about?”

“Ha, this shield is my specialty, Lieutenant. Besides, I wasn’t casting most of the spells during that fight, that was Quirk and Silver.”

At the names of the two privates, Spearhead and Shining looked away from each other, to the barricades against the windows.

“.... Night Light asks if there’s any word from Princess Celestia.”

“She’s coming. I know she is. She has to be.” Shining said without turning back towards Spearhead.

“The civilians are also asking about what’s going on. They want to know what’s happening outside.”

“Tell them that nopony’s being hurt. The invaders are… Just tell them nopony out there is hurt, and once Princess Celestia gets back, she’ll make sure everypony is alright.”

“Is that true?”

“It has to be.”

“... She’s also worried, too. Even if she’s smart enough to not say anything.”

‘Her lessons, I’m sure.’

“I’ll reassure her shortly. Just give me a few more minutes to think of what to say.”

Shining heard the clip clop of Spearhead leaving the front room, back into the main dining area. Alone, he let out a sigh.

“Bring me a foal.”

The enemy commander was speaking again. As Shining started to stand back up to peek out the window again, he heard soft thud, as if a body hit the cobblestone road outside. Now looking out, he confirmed his suspicions.

‘They must be using a sound amplification spell. That pony-thing wants me to hear what’s going on.’

Shining watched as a filly was thrown down in front of the commander.

“Hello, little one. What is your name?”

“W-w-who are you?” The poor girl was stuttering so much.

Shining couldn’t believe what he was seeing. What does a foal have to do with anything that was happening?

“This has nothing to do with her, let her go!” Shining yelled.

“That, little foal, depends entirely on what your dear Captain will do,” the commander ignored Shining’s demand.

‘He wants to coerce me into leaving?’

“I said leave her alone!”

Now the commander looked towards Shining.

“Why don’t you tell Captain Shining Armor your name, then?’

“Sh-shining?

“He’s a Royal Guard in there, listening to us.”

“Are you hoping for a hostage trade?! We don’t have any of your kind prisoners!”

“That’s him speaking.”

“My n-n-n…. Name is… is Sparkling Water.”

“Sparkling Water. What a nice name, thank you for telling us.”

“C-can I go now?”

“Hmm,” the commander rubbed his chin in thought. “I suppose you can. After you do one more thing for me, of course.”

Shining watched, trying to figure out what the invader was planning.

“I w-want my dad!”

“Let. Her. Go!”

“You can see him soon. I just need you to convince Captain Shining Armor to leave his bubble.”

“Sh-shining? I want t-to see my dad. Pl-please do what he says…”

The foal’s shaky voice sounded so clear through the amplification spell.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see him once Princess Celestia comes and fixes this!”

“Oh, I tried using words to convince him to come out. That won’t work.”

“Then… then w-what do I do?”

Shining saw the commander levitate a massive green hammer over–

‘No! He… He can’t! Wouldn’t!’

“I’ll show you, little one.”

“Spearhead! Get every guard up here!” Shining half-turned and called out to the doorway behind him, before looking back out the window. He heard the filly ask what was the thing that the commander was bringing over.

‘I need to stall for time!’

“What are your demands, invader!”

The hammer stopped midair, almost above Sparkling, as he looked straight at Shining Armor. Shining could pick out slitted eyes staring him down, even at this distance.

‘Just like the female commander. Are they related, or something?’

“For you to come out. This is inevitable, Captain. You will only harm others by putting up your pitiful resistance. Do the smart thing, and surrender. No pony will be harmed if you don’t resist.”

Shining heard hoofsteps behind him, and saw the five other guards inside the building line up behind him.

‘Need to stall him.’

“Agh, you… wait a second!”

‘Way to go, Shining. You sure got him there!’

“What’s going on, Cap’n?” One of the Royal Guards asked.

“That enemy commander who arrived earlier, he’s got a foal hostage. Remove the chairs against the door.”

“Sir? What are we going to do?”

“Make sure nopony gets hurt.”

As they removed the barricade, Shining looked back out the window. The commander was still looking at him.

‘No pony was being hurt out there. In fact, these strange ponies were using spells less lethal than our own, aside from that fireball barrage in the beginning! He’s just bluffing to get me out!’

“Well? Are you coming out?” The commander demanded.

“Please!” Sparkling begged, still at the invader’s hooves.

‘... But I can’t call him out. I can’t take the chance that he’s not bluffing.’

“Yeah, we’re coming out!”

“We?”

‘Oh buck me!’

“I meant myself! I’m coming out alone!”

“... Good.”

Shining let out a sigh of relief, before getting down from the window.

Spearhead asked, “Do you think we can take them?”

“Six against forty-something?” Shining asked.

“That’s a no.”

“I’ll take out their commander. Then, I’ll nab their hostage, Sparkling Water, as I fall back to this place. You’ll all cover my retreat, then I’ll put the shield back up. Enemy Very Important Pony down, foal rescued, day saved.”

The other guards nodded.

“Sounds like a plan, Cap!”

“Alright, get to either side of the door.”


“Not coming out, huh?” I asked the very shy Captain. “Guess I’ll have to incentivize expedience.”

I levitated the hammer above the foal, and pulled it back. Then, the door kicked open, and a white unicorn in purple and gold armor emerged from the dark doorway.

“That’s enough,” he said while walking towards the edge of the bubble. “I’m out, just as you wanted.”

I tasted only one source of fear, defeating the idea that he didn’t come out alone.

“Out of your shield, little pony.”

“Fine. But you’d better not hurt her!”

Frankly, I was surprised I didn’t have to fake torturing the filly. I had wholly expected to have my changelings make an illusionary version of Sparkling Water that I would ‘torture,’ with the real one pulled away, the swap covered up by an illusion.

But I kept the hammer above the real filly. Just in case.

The pink bubble around the shop fizzles out of existence, leaving the Captain standing before us.

“There we go. Now, don’t resist as we–”

Captain Shining Armor immediately started resisting by firing a focused will beam at me. The blue laser shattered the shield in front of me that was maintained by the changelings, striking me in the chest.

Thankfully, I was not me.

The illusionary construct right behind the shield was ripped apart, revealing me and the filly off to the side, and plenty more changelings around me, who were casting the illusionary spells.

“Well that was rude. Get him!

Captain Shining Armor recovered from the brief shock of realizing he shot an illusion, and started casting. Before he could get another laser beam off, I levitated the filly in front of me, and Shining pulled his horn up at the last second, scorching a line on the building behind me across the street.

“Please stop,” I said disheartedly.

Shining casted a shield spell just in time as nearly thirty stunning spells of different sizes hit him, each bolt fizzling off the pink shield that materialized out of nowhere.

Five Royal Guards yelled as they surged forth from within the shop, galloping out to their Captain’s aid.

‘I can’t let them link up with their Captain!’

“Keep the Captain distracted!”

I dropped the filly and leaped up and over the shielded unicorn, my wings aiding my jump. Landing on the other side, I swung God-Splitter towards the approaching Royal Guards, aiming for the center of the group. The brown pegasus it was heading straight towards struggled to put the brakes on his charge, but couldn't stop all his momentum before the hammer hit him right in the chest. The guard flew all the way back through the open door.

I heard Shining growl in anger behind me, the emotion leaving a sour taste in my mouth, but the constant barrage meant that he couldn’t drop his shield for even a second.

Oestridae jumped down from the roof of one of the buildings next to the shop, darting after the charging guards with speeds that should not be possible in such heavy armor.

A shield I put up stopped an incoming freezing spell directed at me by one of the guards, and I responded by pulling God-Splitter back. All four guards were nearly upon me now, so I raised God-Splitter and smacked the ground ahead of me as hard as I could.

Their approach was delayed for but a single second as they stumbled and had to focus on not tripping on their own hooves as the shockwave ripped apart the ground up to ten hooves around God-Splitter. I had to focus on staying upright the most, being so close to the hammer.

That delay was long enough for Oestridae to catch up, tackling down two of the guards, their faces and helmets scraping against the cobblestone road. At the same time, Oest picked up an earth pony guard, flinging him at the last standing Royal Guard, the unicorn who fired a spell at me.

Captain Shining Armor seized the chance to expand his shield, spin around, and cast another laser at me. The expanding shield lost rigidity as the spell moved in a way it wasn’t meant to, knocking all of us off our hooves.

The laser went straight at my head.

A protective shield flickered to life as the nine gems on my Adamantium Peytral started glowing fiercely. The shield held out long enough for me to recall God-Splitter and brandish it in front of me. The Admantium started glowing red then burst into flames as the spell continued to hit the hammer. I jumped up, tucking my legs beneath me and straightened my neck forward, hiding entirely behind the hammer, wings carrying me aloft.

I pushed the hammer forward, into the laser beam. The beam broke up as it hit the hammer, sending smaller blue beams scattered around the place. When one of the strays hit a changeling onlooker, shield spells were erected around us, the changelings not figuring out they should hit the pony that was on the offensive, and entirely unprotected himself.

I was going to actually take the time to yell at them to do exactly that, but God-Splitter reached Shining Armor, connecting with him right on the front of his muzzle. The blue laser immediately stopped, and God-Splitter was left hanging in front of him ablaze as he swung around from the blow, staggering backwards and to the side.

“Whoa. I did it!” I cheered.

Then Shining righted himself, and glared at me, his horn starting to glow as he began channeling another spell.

Oest flew past me and tackled him to the ground, hitting him with a shock spell as he did. The Captain was now out for the count, leaving me to catch my breath. I looked around, and realized that Oest had tackled three guards into the ground.

‘He really likes doing that, huh? I suppose it’s stupid to discount our natural strength, and only focus on our magical capabilities.’

“This was a stupid idea,” Oest said, “I should have been next to you the entire time.”

He got off Shining and the Captain was quickly bound up tight in changeling-gel, with standard magic-disrupting spells being channeled into the sticky slime.

“Everything’s better in hindsight. I was worried he had a trick up his sleeve, you know this.”

“I am not leaving your side next time.”

“That’s fine. You apparently do know best about this stuff…”

I dropped God-Splitter onto the ground and it sunk a bit into the stone, still on fire. Then, I walked over to Shining Armor. He was twitching as the shock spell slowly started wearing off.

“Oh. You all can clear the building now,” I said without looking away from the bound pony. I picked him up by the upper torso and started to shake him. “Wakey wakey, I need answers.”

“Mmm. Wha… Agh! S-stop shaking me!”

I dropped him to the ground, his helmet clanging quietly against the stone.

“Where’s the Princess?”

“Like I’m going to tell you!”

“I’m not in the mood for games. Let’s just pretend you held out on telling me for a respectable amount of time, and finally caved just before I started pulling teeth.”

“Go to Tartarus!”

I sighed.

‘Hmm, maybe it’s time to test…’

I took a moment to center my thoughts, then began to form the most complicated spell I knew. I had come across it months ago, and while I did go over it a few times, like teleporting I never tried casting it.

It took a bit of time and quite a bit more mana to get the spell ready to cast, but once it was, I looked Shining in the eyes as I casted it.

“Where. Is. The. Princess?” I spat out each word, and pressed in on his mind. At first, I thought it was working. Then he narrowed his eyes and snarled.

“Buck you!” He hissed, as my horn started stinging. I felt the spell already falling apart so I didn’t bother trying to save it.

‘Damn it, no mind control. Maybe next time.’

“Nnn…. Fine! If you won’t answer me, then I’ll get Sparkling over here, and then you’ll be wishing you told me!”

“You won’t hurt her, I’ve seen your kind fight. You’re not hurting anypony too much!”

“You have no idea who I am, Captain Shining Armor! We aren’t maiming because you’re all worth more to us alive. But believe me, you’ll be wishing for death if you keep up this pointless charade. Oest, bring me the foal!”

“H-hey! He’s out, I g-get to see my dad now!” The filly wiggled in Oest’s magic grip as she was brought over.

“I’ve altered the deal, pray I don’t alter it any further. Now Shining, where are they?”

“You’re all bark and no bite, invader!”

“The name is Prince Phasma, remember it. In fact, to make sure you don’t forget, I’m going to carve it into this filly here.”

“All bark!”

“You know what? I think I could use a boost right about now. It’s been quite a while since my dinner, you see…”

“What are you talking about, invader?”

“Prince. Phasma.” I turned to the filly. “I’m sorry about this sweetie, but Shining really wants to see you hurt.”

I grasped the Thread of Emotion, and started slowly pulling on it. Sparkling Water’s struggles quickened, and she grunted in pain. Feeding by taking emotions from an uncocooned pony was a dangerous thing, far far more painful for the pony than if they were in a cocoon.

“Ow! Y-you said! You said! Puh… Please stop! Let me go! I want my dad! OW!”

“Stop!” Shining yelled, and I did immediately. Sparkling sighed and sagged. “What the buck did you do to her?! She’s just a foal!”

Sparkling curled up, and I tasted hints of suffering amidst her fear. I didn’t hurt her much, but with the stress of the situation weighing on her, I might as well have cut her with a knife.

“She’ll be a stain on the pavement if you don’t give me what I want! I’m prepared to murder to save my people, Shining. Are you prepared to watch your people die out of nothing but sheer stubbornness? Where. Are. The. Princesses?!”

“You... “ Shining growled. “.... Princess Celestia disappeared shortly after midnight.”

“Where did she go? And Cadence’s location?”

“Nopony knows. We were told her disappearance was planned.”

“Where is Cadence?”

“She’s…”

“My Prince! Look who we found!”

I looked up, and saw four changelings dragging out a pink alicorn bound in gel.

“The Princess of Food! You have no idea how glad I am to finally meet you!”

The alicorn looked up at me with wide eyes, her pupils tiny dots.

‘Fear. So much fear. That’s all I’ve been tasting here, really.’

She looked to her side at Shining Armor, and gave out a muffled cry. I got hit by a whole cocktail of emotions coming from the Princess.

‘Sadness. Anger. Love. Wait, love?’

“I’m fine, Cadence. Don’t worry about me,” Shining tried reassuring Cadence.

“Bring them to Canterlot Castle. And bind his muzzle, he’s been very uncooperative and deserves no boons. Yes, hello to you Princess Cadence. I’ve known your name for a very, very long time. Since roughly around my hatching, you see. I was raised to be your… anathema. Come now, there's someone I'd like you to meet.”

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