“Thorax says the nymph clutches are being settled into the Crystal Caves,” Lacewing announced.
“That’s… good,” I said.
“You really need to schedule more visits to the Fifth Hive proper,” Lace told me. “Your presence is desperately needed– for a million different reasons. We’d all prefer it if you spent all of your time down there. You could at least move your office into the Crystal Caves; since everyling else is down there, it’d really speed things up.”
I stopped and groaned as loud as I could. Lace rolled her eyes as she stopped to address my temper tantrum.
“Grow a pair. You can see your marefriend in the mornings and afternoons. Do you at least understand the benefits of working inside the Hive? Actually being with your changelings every day, rather than hiding out in the pony Palace?”
I stomped a hoof, “But I don’ wanna!”
“A couple hours a day. That’s it.”
“..... Fine,” I sighed. “But damn it, my office is going to have to be so damn luxurious! I want poor people for footstools! Gold-encrusted finger sandwiches! Everything!”
“What the hell is a finger sandwich?” Lace frowned.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I’ll have a plate of them, all covered in literal gold shavings! Ugh… Yeah, fine. Since you’re in charge of the Crystal Cave retrofitting, Lace, make sure the royal wing has all the bells and whistles. I’ll move my workspace into there for the workday soon enough, probably after this Nightmare stuff. I'll work there for a few days of the week and spend the rest from an office in the Palace. I can spin it as closely tying our future with the Equestrians'. How are my changelings, by the way?”
“Find out yourself.”
“Okay… how are the nymphs? Are they getting accustomed to the Caves and being close to ponies?”
“Find out yourself.”
“I’d ask Thorax, but he’s been avoiding me,” I said, rubbing the back of a foreleg awkwardly.
“He’s avoiding us,” Lace corrected, feeling just as guilty as I did. “Guess going behind his back like that really pissed him off.”
“Yeah….”
“Oh well,” Lace shrugged and started back down the hallway. “Let him stew in his anger. He’s not going to get any happier when we go back for round two and gut that fucking traitor.”
“Not a good idea,” I told Lace after catching up. “We need to take several steps back and let that whole situation cool down. Capturing…. Tarsus again is one thing, but killing him is another thing entirely. One the ponies really don’t like. And it’s, like, the wrong thing to do.”
“It’s the smart thing to do,” Lace insisted.
I nodded, “Definitely. But we live with our food now. If we go around killing people when we feel like it, they’re going to take every excuse they can get to make life difficult– if not impossible. We’re already staring down the barrel of a food crisis, Lace.”
Lace glanced at me, “... Can we just kill him a little bit? Just slightly?”
“We can lock him in a box and throw away the key,” I offered.
“It’s a start.”
“But we’ll have to do that after things calm down in Griffonia,” I scratched my chin.
We turned the corner and a quartet of Royal Guards came into view. They stood sentry on either side of a rather plain wooden door. They saluted as I approached, surprising both Lace and me.
“Seems they’re starting to appreciate having a King in their midst,” Lace elbowed me.
Ignoring her, I stepped between the guards and opened the door and walked through. The room I entered, a rather spartan storage room half-filled with various boxes, was today’s destination. Princess Celestia and Cadance were both waiting inside, going over several clipboards and examining gold and metal boxes that had been set aside from the rest.
“Phasma,” Celestia greeted me.
“Celestia, Cadance,” I returned. “Remarkable weather we’re having.”
“Is it?” Cadance asked. “I’ve been stuck inside all day.”
“No,” I said honestly.
“Oh,” Cadance grunted. “Hello there. You’re…. C– no, Lacewing?”
“Right you are!” Lace smiled.
Cadance smiled for a second, before it fell from her face, “.... Right. You’re the one who carried out Phasma’s order a few days ago.”
“We have some good news, finally,” Celestia butted in, gesturing to the contents of the room. “With the capture of the deserters in Trottingham, our recovery of Division-P artifacts and equipment is looking…. Far from complete, if I must be honest, but it’s seen rapid progress. This artifact in particular should hold special interest to you,” she said, nudging one of the gold boxes towards me.
Gently, I picked up the box, lifted the lid, and peered inside.
“It’s… jewelry?” I asked.
“More than just the edgy necklace it appears to be,” Cadance said. “It’s a puzzle that has left Celestia confused for centuries. Now, it seems, we have an answer.”
“Confused is an overstatement,” Celestia interrupted. “It was merely an unsolved mystery. I wasn’t losing any sleep at night or anything like that.”
“So what is it?” I asked, lifting the charm out.
It was a red diamond-shaped gem set in a gray and black triangle pendant, with the silhouette of an alicorn rising above the triangle.
“The Alicorn Amulet,” Celestia told me. “The source of several headaches in ages past. Division-P had recovered it while scouring the kingdom for changelings. I was originally planning on simply locking it back up, but Lace revealed something interesting…”
“There was a team of changelings helping in the Trottingham operation,” Lace quickly explained. “One of them reported this artifact’s existence to me, and on a hunch, I checked in with Sting. She’s going to confirm it when they arrive in the First Hive, but according to our notes, the Alicorn Amulet matches one of the empty plinths in the First Hive’s vault.”
My eyebrows raised in surprise, “It’s a changeling artifact?”
“Makes me wonder what other magical trinkets come from your species,” Celestia muttered. “Several ponies with delusions of grandeur had used this artifact in the past to try to usurp power. I imagine your ancestors created the Alicorn Amulet in their attempts to emulate the power of an alicorn.”
I placed it back in the box, “Can it? Emulate the power of an alicorn, I mean.”
“Hardly,” Celestia laughed. “Though, it does give the user quite the boost in power. The cost for this power and knowledge is the gradual corruption of the user. I had assumed that it came from one of the mage towers in Canterlot. Those nobles would do anything to achieve ascension…”
“Little do they know what’s associated with that word. Let’s go with your plan of sealing it up for now,” I said, closing the box. “Dealing with a magical artifact that corrupts its users is a bit too much to take on right now. We can look into researching it safely after the Umbrum and King Sombra have been dealt with. No point creating turncoats before that point.”
“I agree,” Cadance chimed in. “Less so about the studying part.”
“It’s an ancient changeling artifact. At the very least, we can learn more about who we once were,” I said.
“Let’s address that when the time comes,” Celestia said diplomatically. “For now, I’ll secure it in the Palace’s vaults. The rest of the contents of this room are… less important. The Amulet was the most notable item. Still, they belong to the Fifth Hive.”
“Actually, there’s one more thing you should see,” Lace said. “In that box over there, in the center of the room.”
The box she gestured to was a wooden crate marked with ‘UC11’ across the side. Curious, the pair of ponies followed me as I trotted over. I pried open the wooden lid and set it aside. The contents of the crate were hidden under paper wrapping, but a good two-thirds of the box was occupied by bulky objects.
“The one in the middle,” Lace pointed out from over my shoulder.
At her suggestion, I gently lifted up the middle package. It was sizable yet light. Presumably, it was hollow on the inside. I pried away the brown paper that the object was wrapped in, discarding it without care. When I saw a glint of orange, my pace quickened and I tore away the rest with feverish intent.
Soon enough, I found myself clutching an orange helmet. It was a Praetorian design, one of two ever created. One set of the orange Praetorian armor was sitting unused somewhere in the Fourth Hive. The second had been lost with its bearer; the lost member of the First Fang, who had died during the First Invasion of Canterlot.
Praetorian Oestridae, shadow and loyal bodyguard of Prince Phasma.
The friend I had sent to his death.
I fell to my haunches and lifted the empty helmet to look into its empty eyes. When I spoke, my voice was quiet and gravely, like I had swallowed sandpaper.
“A changeling who gives everything to the hive ascends above The Great Tapestry, to the realm of The Six Halls,” I recited. “Those were his words. Who the hell knows what’s in those halls, but that’s where he’s supposed to be…” The pair of Princesses kept respectfully silent as I continued, “According to one Human belief, warriors fallen in battle are taken to the afterlife by Valkyries, the warrior-angels of Valhalla. They would drink and fight and be merry for the rest of eternity up there.”
“Sounds… touching,” Cadance offered.
“I can taste your disgust, pony,” I said quietly. “Funny thing is, if that’s the afterlife that awaited Oest, he’d probably hate me for getting him killed. He hated being a guard, after all. Only signed up to be my Praetorian since I personally asked him. Knowing him, he’s probably up in the Six Halls doing something like starting a garden or taking up meditation, trying and failing to figure out how other people relax.”
Lace shook her head, “More likely, he’s getting shit-faced drunk, wondering how long it’ll take for his friends to join him.”
“Heh, yeah,” I muttered, turning the helmet over in my hooves.
“It’s… never easy,” Celestia said. “Nor does it get any easier. If anything, the foresight of what’s going to happen just makes it worse. But… the pain fades with time. I’m sorry for your loss, Phasma.”
“Didn’t you lose some guards, too?” I asked. “When Chrysalis attacked? What were their names?”
“Moon Dust, Stitch ‘N Time, Rolfor Strength, and Green Hoof,” Celestia recited without hesitation.
“Close?”
“They were part of my personal guard rotation for the past four years,” Celestia explained. “Two of them were on my rotation for eight. Every year, I got their foals Hearth's Warming gifts. This year, I got them killed.”
“It wasn’t your fault…” Cadance said.
“Hardly the same thing as ordering someone to die,” I agreed, “but I get your point, Celestia. I’m sure there are a thousand more stories you’re holding in your heart. I’m sorry for your loss. All of them.”
“Thank you,” Celestia sighed. “Both of you…”
“I’m also sorry,” Lace added.
Celestia snorted, “Thanks, Lacewing. Though now that I think about it… Ah, we’ll talk about it later. Now’s not the time.”
I replaced the lid on the box slowly, “I should also say thank you, Lace. This means a lot to me.”
“It means a lot to all of us,” Lace countered. “Coxa, Thorax, and I all agree: we want his armor on display, where his memory will be honored.”
“... Get the second set from the old Hive when you get the chance, Lacewing. When we start decorating my office, we’ll have both sets standing next to each other.”
With this meeting concluded, I had just one more important thing to do today. One more thing before the afternoon filled with my various meetings with the Fifth Hive’s leadership, at least.
‘Thorax. I’ve avoided him for too long.’
Tracking down Thorax turned out to be more difficult than I first thought. He was avoiding me as much as I was avoiding him. It took me until the late afternoon to manage to find him, since my efforts were constantly sidetracked by the necessary duties of ruling a species.
Thorax wasn't in the Palace. He hadn't set hoof inside there since the night I ignored him and ordered the assassination. Instead, he had spent his time in the Crystal Caves and the daily sortie out into the city. Learning his current schedule from a pair of helpful lings, I managed to find him as he conducted one of his new operations in Canterlot.
Which brought me to his…. Friendship Workshop. Despite the garish title, it was actually a pretty smart idea. Thorax managed to secure a weekly reservation at one of Canterlot's community centers and was hosting an array of activities, all aimed at helping changelings become accustomed to Equestrian society, as well as helping any pony brave or interested enough to stop by to understand changelings.
I sat in the back, almost out of sight, and quietly chatted with a few drones as Thorax stood at the front of the large room, hosting his workshop. Today he was trying to get the changeling to understand consumer economics.
'And good luck to him with that.'
The drones offered me an insight as to why they all bothered to show up: most were interested in the skills and opportunities that Thorax offered, but a few were just taking the excuse to try to meet ponies. Being in a relationship with one and providing love for the Hive came with many benefits, after all.
I warned them to not creep out any ponies that stumbled into Thorax's newly found cult. They seemed to take my advice to heart… Then again, I am the King. They might be listening to my title more than anything else. As an afterthought, I told them to keep attending Thorax's workshops to get an understanding of when it's appropriate to ask someone out.
I seemed to have arrived towards the tail-end of the workshop, as Thorax finished answering questions and gave a quick recap of what he covered today. Apparently, he was teaching the drones the basics of income, expenses, budgeting, stores, prices, taxes, and so on.
As it turned out, the current strategy was to rely on changelings who actually knew about that stuff, in addition to pulling that information from my personal Weave. Given that I actually had some education in economics, that should have been less surprising than it was.
When Thorax finally finished up his little class, I got up from my seat in the back and stalked over to him. Drones got out of my way, bowed, and offered greetings as I passed. I smiled and returned the greeting when I could, but Thorax had quickly noticed my approach and had started to excuse himself from the few drones lingering around to talk to him.
I caught up to the Prince as he trotted through an empty and dim hallway.
"Thorax!" I called out.
With a sigh, he stopped and turned to face me.
"King Phasmatodea."
"Thorax, I need to talk to… Look, can we talk?"
He glared up at me, "We seem to be talking already, King Phasmatodea."
I cringed, "Thorax, please. I came here to talk with you, heart to heart."
"I know. I sensed your Weave and knew you were in this part of the city. What do you want, Phasmatodea?"
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Sorry for what?"
"Thorax, can you please cut the crap? I ignored you and gave the order. I fucked up and I'm sorry."
Thorax shook his head, "You walked all over me. What was my purpose in the First Fang? What did you tell me was the reason why you kept me close?"
"... I wanted your counsel."
"Yet you can just ignore me whenever what I'm saying is inconvenient?" He hissed. "You acted like it was pointless. That I was pointless. I tried so hard to help you, to steer you away from killing needlessly. But you ignored me. Discarded me. Well, sorry to tell you, Phasma," he spat my name with venom, "but now I have something more. Lings listen to me when I talk to them. I can actually help others. I have a purpose!"
"I said I'm sorry, Thorax!" I insisted. "I was wrong to treat you that way! I broke my word and treated you as less than equal. That was wrong."
"Sorry doesn't change the past," Thorax huffed. "You saw only your feelings and decided to take what you wanted. You and Lace both. At least she has the excuse of blaming Tarsus for being tortured! What do you have?!"
"He tried to get me killed! He got Oest killed!"
"Despite your reincarnation, you really are your mother's son. You promised us- you promised the drones that they wouldn't have to fear for their lives in your kingdom. Tarsus wasn't a threat. Not anymore. He wasn’t trying to kill you when you tried to have him assassinated. You just acted out on your feelings, ignoring me when I stood right in front of you and told you that you were making a mistake."
"I'm sorry-"
"You're not sorry!" He yelled, pushing against my chest. "You're not sorry that you broke your word! You're not sorry that you ordered an assassination! You're sorry that you're facing the consequences of your actions. Nothing more. I've tried reasoning with you. But I… I can't. Not anymore. Not right now. I'm sorry Phasma, but I need some space and time to think."
"What can I do to fix this?"
Thorax frowned, "... First, you can set in stone the rights of drones. You're on the right path, have been from the beginning, but this cannot happen again."
"The constitution is being written," I nodded.
"Second, you have to swear that you'll never go against a member of the First Fang again. Not for these group decisions."
"I promise-"
"Not good enough. Not anymore. You have to swear. Swear to Panar, to Luna, to whoever the hell you care about anymore."
"... I swear to Panar, Luna, and the First Fang that we are equals, none above the other."
That mollified Thorax a bit. He gave me a half-nod and cleared his throat.
"Finally, you have to fix Tarsus's eyes and pardon him."
"What?!" I gasped. "Thorax, are you insane?!"
"I swear at times that I'm the only sane one in this Hive. No, Phasma, I'm serious. You have to heal and pardon the traitor."
"Healing is one thing, but I will never give that scum a pardon!" I seethed. "The only thing I'll give him is a retrial! That's the best he's going to get, and he'd better be thankful!"
"That won't work, Phas," Thorax sighed.
"What won't work?!"
"The retrial. You won't find any ling who will give him a proper judgment. Every single changeling will kill Tarsus now."
I froze as I tried to understand his reasoning. My brain kept skipping at the 'pardon' part.
"Think about it, Phas. You, the King, have passed judgment against Tarsus. Doesn't matter if you walk it back and task some drones to rejudge the trial, none of them would deliver a different verdict. None of them would go against the King. Even the former Fourth Hive loyalists would sacrifice Tarsus to pardon themselves and ingratiate themselves with you. He's burned. Noling will touch him, lest they face your wrath."
"... Do they all know about the assassination order?"
"If they don't yet, they will eventually. Not to mention the fact that you already banished him."
I tried to think of a solution.
Before I could come up with anything, Thorax turned away, "Those are my terms for… forgiving you. Until then, it's up to everyling else to help you. I need a break. Oh, and one more thing: Lace needs a therapist, too."
Mmmmm yes uh huh interesting mm yes mm yes uh huh interesting I understand yes hm yes mmmmm uh huh yes absolutely yes totally uh huh yes totally assuredly yes hm interesting yes mmmm uh huh I completely agree mmmm yes great crazy.
Nice
Last 2022 update. What a year! It was a blast ♡
Thanks KKSlider!
First Fang, battle Brothers... 👍
Fuck...
Absolutely no win scenario...
Okay I get Throax being pissed he got walked all over and treated like he is lesser when he was told he wouldn't be put into that situation. Fair enough good reason to be angry, a close friend and someone you respected just flat out broke their word on an important thing. I can roll with that, and the conditions he had to forgive that offense were fair enough up until the damn traitor thing came back up again.
Good lord that one ling is becoming a pain in the neck in this plot...just want that nonsense resolved so I don't have to hear a word about back stabby McStabberton any more. The ponies won't shut up about it, and now Throax is being full on 'oh and we gotta fix him up AND pardon him.' and I'm just like ...Okay healing the eyes thing fine...but seriously now he just gets a pardon too?
Now I am aware that people have been pardoned for crimes over time even in RL, it happens....but generally that happens DECADES later...not literally within the same year unless it like someone being wrongly convicted. Just blah...I'm sick of just this one thing, everything else I enjoy but the traitor nonsense is dragging on a bit much I feel.
Personal opinion there of course, if you like this stuff hey you do you boo.
And Thorax is finally taking no more shit. I would say I'm surprised it took him this long, but he's a bit of a pushover in most regards.
Also, yes, Lace needs therapy. I'm surprised none of the others pointed that out yet.
Wouldn't a full pardon teach Tarsus that he can act without consequence? And cement the idea that King Phasma is a weak and indecisive ruler compared to Queen Chrysalis?
Are they all forgetting Tarsus was fully loyal to Queen Chrysalis even when a better alternative was presented? I doubt his loyalty has changed.
EDIT:
If Thorax can recognize Tarsus would never have gotten a fair trial that wouldn't call for anything but the death penalty then why is he so upset? Maybe Thorax will accept no other option than to befriend Sombra...
So is Thorax saying that his vote can veto all others? Everyone else voted for death. What's going to happen the next time Thorax throws a tantrum because he didn't get what he wanted?
To quote Luna "[Phasma]You spared his life and gave him a road to redemption". Phasma gave Tarsus a path to redeem himself. A path that the other ponies put at risk. I know Thorax believes that if Tarsus is forgiving, he will redeem himself. And while Tarsus did say he felt bad from betraying the First Fang; he still believes it was the right thing to do.
Tarsus wanted to be killed. He wanted to die serving a path that even Chrysalis no longer follows.
Maybe Tarsus will come back and truly feel sorry. Maybe he will show that he understands why what he did was wrong. He is hanging around Griffins. Maybe they are teaching him more about brotherhood and friendship then Ponies can ever do.
At least someone sees since, but I don’t honk he will even accept a pardon, Tarsus has been trashed to much.
Thorax is wrong here. he may be part of the first fang / ruling body but he is only one part. and the king is the king.
Tarsus is dam lucky he was not killed outright. he can stay were he is and the way he is.
11463146
Yeah, it's worth mentioning that "all equal" means that Thorax is massively outvoted. Everyone else voted for an outright execution.
11463235
Pharma was respecting Thorax's wishes of "anything but death" with the exile sentence then Thorax basically rescinded his own vote making the assassination the execution sentence instead. Very selfish. Or at least that's how I see it.
11463247
I wouldn't call malicious compliance respecting someone's wishes, and that's what I've repeatedly pointed out Phasma was doing.
FUCK that's so stupid it will make phas seem like a weak ruler that can't do anything right
11463248
I agree that the second part, the assassination, was petty and panicked malicious compliance but at that point and onward Phasma is trying to get the changelings to self-govern and not be under the yoke of the ponies as Celestia keeps pushing.
Many of the commenters agree that mutilating Tarsus was wrong and the exiling was justified
Giving a pardon is simply not right politically Thorax, it just saying look what I can do and get away with guys.
11452582
Fort Ripclaw was erased from the history books so I have to ask "what did 'they' do wrong?" What else was wiped from history to preserve their shining pedestal of which "they" stand upon?
11441214
Kill the Joker before we get an Injustice situation
11463268
I don't think you understand what "malicious compliance" actually is. It's when you do exactly what you're told in a way that pisses off the other guy more than disobedience ever could. Like, say, being told not to kill someone and giving them a fate worse than death.
Lacewing doesn't need a therapist so much as she needs a raise. Finally someone points out to Phasma that he knows to nothing about how things actually are in the Hive and that he should probably try to rectify that.
I mean really, say what you will about Chrysalis but she seemingly always took great care to perform her duties as queen to the best of her ability. While Phasma effectively made himself the changeling ambassador to Equestria and left the Hive all alone at the first possible opportunity.
11463301
complying with the letter, but not the spirit of an agreement. Like a money's paw situation
And how is being exiled or blinded an fate worse than death
Also...
Thorax, I love you, I know you were wronged, and you're right to be angry.
But fuck me, your morality is going to give me an aneurism.
I mean, I get it, the First Fang sans Thorax does not subscribe to the magic of friendship, and that Thorax's genuinely right in an absolute moral sense. But does that mean that the rest of the First Fang's feelings and own personal judgement on the matter are irrelevant? Does the context of his actions, his intentions, or the consequences of a pardon mean nothing?
I feel as if Thorax himself is so blinded by his emotions by Phasma's dismissal that he himself gave a disproportionate response to Phasma's pleas for forgiveness. Thorax might feel guilt over the fate of Tarsus, but that does not mean you get to absolve your own personal guilt by overcorrecting and making the rest of the FIrst Fang writhe in their own personal hells in seeing the being they hate the most in the world walk away without consequence. Does he really think that a pardon would resolve Tarsus pariah-status? He was the defendant for the Changeling trial of the millennia and was found guilty. Even if he was pardoned, he would still be effectively exiled from the Hive.
I think the best for Thorax is indeed to take some time and think, especially in reflection over this conversation. This was effectively him lashing out in the most Thorax way possible. And while I do definitely think that Thorax should be in Phasma's ear, one must also realize that one of the most important tasks in any ruler, regardless of government, is to know when to listen to counsel, and when to make one's own decisions. While Thorax was entirely right in the moment and afterthefact that Phasma should've listened to him, he should also not treat it as if he became Chrysalis 2.0 by not heeding his councilor's advice.
11463312
From the original story:
Even Tarsus wanted Tarsus executed, because it'd be more reasonable within the framework of changeling society than what actually happened.
11463358
After finding and rereading the section where his capture and his trial took place I rescind my comments but not my concerns. In fact, my concerns get far worse! Tarsus still views Phasma and The Fifth Hive as traitors of the Hive Eternal. Blinding Tarsus was an action Phasma took without the input of the First Fang The banishment was a unanimous decision amongst the First Fang members. I do believe that Exile would keep him safer from any other changelings that may have execution in mind.
I don't know where Thorax gets the gall to attempt to overturn a First Fang unanimous decision. And after Phasma told Thorax that he valued him for his morality and told him if he wasn't comfortable with something to just voice his objection.
First Fang's unanimous decision means Thorax agreed with the punishment.
in conclusion: Tarsus should have his eyes healed but not be pardoned and Thorax is trying to overstep the First Fang
It's basically the One Ring, but in necklace form.
Behind a three fold barrier.
Thorax might have the heart, but none of the brains honestly. Tarsus proved himself unreliable and cowardly in the face of change and Thorax making these demands would be hilarious if he wasn't also integral to the foundation of the changeling nation. You can't just walk back an action, not a mistake IMO always kill a traitor before an enemy Jimbo, like this and expect continued support, at best it'll look like Phasma's being bullied into submitting which aint a good look. Healing him and turning him loose in the world, while an unnecessary risk, would be acceptable but a full pardon is completely out of the question. Sure he's pissy that Phasma and the first fang didn't give him 'full veto power over all decisions now and forever in perpetuity because im such a nice guy' but it was an otherwise unanimous decision.
Personally I've never liked Thorax or the way people write him, I like my changelings black and proud not "harmony-washed" into technicolor eyesores and I think changelings being kind of horrifying is a neat thing to play with when it comes to integrating a people. Are changelings more worthy of being allies if theyre sparkly? and if thats case then theres a lot of fantasy racism to toy around with, and if its not then Equestria really does try to live up to its ideals.
I'm sick of everyone shitting on Phasma for ordering the death of a proven traitor, the ponies are all babies and dont get that you need to make some hard decisions and murder is definitely not off the table. Maybe in a perfect world we wouldn't need to execute our traitors but this is most certainly not a perfect world. And everyone seems to conveniently forget that changelings were brutalized by Division P and seem to just not think about it if they can help it, how many changelings did Division P kill, How many lives lay at Celestia's and the Equestrian Pony's hooves? do their lives not matter because they arent ponies? But no lets all dogpile Phasma because hes an easy target. I really want them to stop being so sanctimonious about killing bad and phasma bad when theyre on the doorstep of war with horrifying shadow monsters from beyond the veil and we might need to break a few eggs to make this omelette.
rant over, still digging the story but man these preachy whiners need to leave my main ling Big P alone for a bit.
Thorax lays down the law to Phasma... The consequences of his actions are catching up to him. But we haven't seen all of the ripples yet.
Can't wait for the Tarsus situation to finally be resolved. Thorax needs to compromise. Otherwise, let him take full responsibility and be done with it.
It's nice they have some closure with Oest.
Man, everyone needs a vacation, one holiday night is not enough...
Lightning Dust, eh? That's a bit of a timeline change one extending to before the invasion. Interesting.
Also the obvious solution for the re-trial is that it happens in pony courts. Let the ponies decide as a gesture of good faith.
according to an arbitrary set of morals espoused by the ponies, the human Phasma, and race traitor Thorax anyway.
Temporarily, given the Tarsus situation it's pretty clear that there's nothing special about /pony/ emotion as opposed to at least griffon emotion. Given the more militant knight-esque culture I strongly doubt they'd take issue with capital punishment being delivered to traitors. As such a hive or two in the griffon lands would severely hamper any attempts to "make life difficult," as well as limit foreign pony meddling in domestic affairs.
which, given everything, will accomplish absolutely nothing except making Phasma pay Tarsus' room and board before his inevitable escape should this come to pass. And given the references /to/ the food crisis I imagine doing so would go over oh so well. "I know everyone is starving but we have to keep heinous criminals alive and fed so deal with it."
ah yes we wouldn't want those barbaric changelings getting any uppity notions from studying their own culture and artifacts: they might find differences with us and want to actually keep said barbaric superstitions instead of becoming second-class citizens of Equestria. "Civilizing" them is already going to be a difficult enough task.
"I'M MAD AT YOU BECAUSE YOU MADE A FIAT DECLARATION OVER MY HEAD IN CLEAR VIOLATION OF THE RULE OF LAW. THIS WAS A BAD THING. SO I SHOULD GET TO DO IT TOO, IT IS NOW MAGICALLY A GOOD THING BECAUSE I'M USING IT FOR THE 'CORRECT' OUTCOME ACCORDING TO MY ARBITRARY MORAL CODE." -Thorax. The hypocrisy in this entire section is absurd. Especially since, you know, Thorax himself found Tarsus guilty and that, given the arbitrary conditions Phas set for the death penalty, Thorax's voice already carried more weight than anyone else's there. And now "no the results must be abolished because this still offends my sensibilities." At least he's correct about not finding a single changeling who wouldn't find him guilty, after all Thorax himself did the same. "He's guilty but please don't kill him," is not the same as finding him "innocent." Hell Thorax refers to him as "the traitor" in this same section. Given that Phas, Coxa, and Lace all voted death while Thorax voted no death and Pharynx abstained, Thorax has /far/ less ground to fiat override the results. Especially given that Phas can at least point to a majority consensus for his actions. I wonder if Thorax realizes that benevolent tyranny is just as tyrannical as any other kind, and that if the rule of law is to be sacrosanct then such tyranny cannot be allowed.
If the ponies and Thorax are supposed to represent the "morally correct" viewpoint, then why are they almost universally detestable to anyone not five flavor aids (because if you're going to make a Jonestown reference you might as well make it accurate) deep? We've established Thorax's newfound hypocrisy, whereas before he was tolerable just extraordinarily naive. Celestia seems to have a positively Randian (in the sense of Ayn Rand) outlook of "if only everyone could think objectively like me, and by that I mean my subjective point of view is totally objective and therefore correct." Meanwhile Cadance exists as an ego booster and yes-mare of that mentality constantly encouraging Celestia to keep up that White Mare's Burden and to not lose hope of "civilizing" their lessers. Luna would be likable, if she didn't treat her pragmatism and respect for anything that didn't mesh perfectly with "the pony way" as personal failings, blaming them on her banishment, either from being out of touch or the trauma from it. The mane six? hoo boy where do I start with the mane six. While their initial xenophobia is perfectly understandable, what with changelings being "the enemy" and all during their first impression, the changelings have been part of the country for how long now? At this point only two of them have made any meaningful attempt to deal with their xenophobia: Twilight and Fluttershy (incidentally putting them as potentially two of the four characters I actually want to see survive at this point, assuming they keep it up). While none of them have received much screen-time at this point all of them were accessory to the Birthday Incident which really doesn't endear any of them. I can only describe it as a born-again-Christian (or any other religious zealot, I use my example because they're known for this kind of zeal and behavior), going to a funeral and proceeding to rant and rave about how "the deceased is now burning in hell and everyone else in the room will suffer the same fate unless they repent and become saved by the true light of god." Well meaning but tactless at best (after all the zealot is truly concerned for the souls of everyone there(if your beliefs are close enough to theirs to believe that), just as the ponies... might be truly concerned about saving these savage changelings from committing malicious acts out of ignorance at best), mortally offensive at worst. All I recall Rarity doing outside of that was make some polite meaningless conversation with a few faux pas here and there but nothing to feel strongly about one way or the other. Aj and RBD I don't think I need to elaborate on them, and I honestly can't recall anything Pinkie's actually done. This speaks well of your Pinkie and puts them as a longshot fifth decent character, as Pinkie tends to run the gamut from Chaotic Good to Chaotic Stupid (for people who don't know D&D slang "chaotic stupid" refers to an interpretation of "chaotic neutral" boiling down to any character described as such being too lolrandumb to be even remotely coherent).
And yes to the people wondering you did hear correctly that there are only four characters (five pending pinkie) that I actually want to survive: the changelings are also lacking in redeeming characters. To people who've paid attention to my rants on here it'll come as no surprise that the other two characters I want to live are: Coxa and Lace. They hit the trifecta of being likeable/sympathetic, intelligent, and competent, whereas most every other "important" changeling is missing one or, usually, more of these traits. So let's go through the rest of changeling high command to discuss why I'd be perfectly happy (indeed in most cases this will be the preferred outcome) to see each dead:
Thorax: already spent a paragraph observing that he apparently only has a spine when it makes him a massive fucking hypocrite. "How dare you override my will even though I overrode everyone else's at the tribunal and now you need to let me further override their will. But, you know, rights and laws and stuff are suuuuuper important and need to be maintained over any one changeling's will... except mine clearly." All I have to say to that mentality? fuuuuuuuuck you. Not smart, not sympathetic, capability is debatable: as king hell no (would just be a mouthpiece for the ponies and chain the changelings to them as tightly as possible rather than diversify their food sources), as some sort of preacher (for... the pony way I guess given that everything he has to say is some sort of fusion of their morals or human ones) sure. Conclusion: would happily reread a chapter in which he dies fifty times to the point that I could recite it from very fond memory.
Pharynx: was always a sociopath but whatever, he's not around much so it doesn't matter. But what has he gotten for character development? Why, a case of thanatophobia of course! A thanatophobic soldier is about as sympathetic as a pyrophobic firefighter or a thalassophobic(fear of large bodies of water) sailor: it's not a tragedy it's a farce. Not likeable or sympathetic, not intelligent given his whole conflict arc in the first story, but is probably competent as a soldier (if his newfound thanatophobia doesn't rob him of those skills of course). Conclusion: I sort of hope he dies in front of Thorax's eyes to add that extra bit of pain before Thorax dies too. Will this happen? Of course not Thorax is the "right" one. But a man can dream.
Queen Chrysalis: not smart, incapable of utilizing any of her race's numerical strengths to put them in an advantageous position with any sapient race they might feed from or even stave off starvation. Incapable of recognizing that keeping lobotomized family members tucked away in the basement might lead to unfortunate conclusions being drawn. Lost to a vastly more capable Phasma than the one portrayed in this story. Can at least say she tried her best and didn't compromise her principles (such as they are). Conclusion: possibly the only changeling receiving this treatment that I don't actively want dead. While she isn't good by any stretch she's the least bad option to lead the changelings once all this Nightmare nonsense is dealt with, hopefully taking most characters along with it. That said I won't be shedding any tears if she goes.
Phasma: Apparently at some point between last story and this one went to a surgeon and asked "would you kindly remove my spine and balls? I won't be needing them anymore." Incapable of defending changeling prerogatives generally, or his own personally anymore. Intensely confusing given his ability to raise a rebellion out of a totalitarian dictatorship while being placed under more surveillance than anyone else (also lending credence to the idea that Thorax is drinking way too strongly from the pony flavor aid: said rebellion is recent history that he was in the center of on the rebel side yet now he's the one saying that "no changeling would ever go against the title of king" as though it didn't just happen). In this story it seems like every time Phasma decides on a course of action: he argues for it, the people around listen patiently because that's what you do for such a lost and damaged soul, and then they tell him how things are actually going to go thank you very much. And each and every time he just sits there and takes it. Conclusion: no longer capable, no longer intelligent, completely detestable compared to his former self. I sure hope Coxa or Lace become royals, because the changelings need someone capable and willing to defend their interests.
I've been trying to stay out of this bickering nonsense, but I'll pick apart the biggest comment just this once. Keep in mind, I'm only going to tolerate so much bullshit before I start deleting comments. This is pushing the limit, but it's acceptable.
11463544
Starting off with the term race traitor, off to a good start. No, they are not arbitrary. The fact that you think these morals are arbitrary makes me wonder if you've ever even seen an episode of MLP. Or read a canon-compliant story, at least having to do with character personalities. Or have any understanding how modern law and judicial systems work.
TL;DR: Killing people because you want to is bad. Full stop. There can be good reasons to kill someone, but there are plenty of reasons to not to in this case.
What you're describing is a decades-long process that would yield lesser results than focusing on ponies. The reason why changelings target ponies is for a pretty good reason: they are quicker to trust and love others. Like little emotions factories.
Phasma is the King, what he says goes. A single life added onto ~15,000 others is statistically nothing when it comes to food reserves.
What Cadance is worried about is the studying of dangerous artifacts. How many stories involve someone studying something and not taking enough precautions, or something bad happens because they didn't know the risks involved? In Equestrian, this would be a notion worth considering.
Yes.
Seems like you missed everything he said about finding an unbiased judge. None of this is about guiltiness, it's about legal proceedings. Except the blinding bit, that's a moral dilemma.
Pot, meet kettle. You have an ingrained headcanon of how changelings should act: uncaring, brutal, and not meshing with ponies at all. All questions of morality aside, how the fuck would they ever be accepted enough amongst ponies to regularly feed and integrate with them?
"Oh don't mind Fangs over there, there's only a small chance he'll slit your throat. Isn't he wonderful?"
Correct, to a degree. This isn't zealots crashing a funeral though, this is a group of mares (practically every pony present) ruining a birthday party because they just learned that the Birthday Boy had brutally mutilated someone when they weren't looking. To look the other way is to forgo any sense of character consistency or morals they have.
... Like that. Exactly like that.
I hate Pinkie as a character outside of television medium, so she hasn't said a word since the first invasion.
Thorax's whole point is that the First Fang came to an agreement; banishment with mutilation. Thorax blames himself for allowing the mutilation top occur. However, Phasma and Lace broke this agreement when they attempted to assassinate Tarsus. That's the crux of the issue.
We've seen one or two scenes from him, and your conclusion from his absence is that you want to see him die. I'm not going to even entertain this ridiculousness.
In case you forgot, there was around 20,000 changelings and around 4 million ponies or so, with the Royal Guard being maybe 200,000?
She's not exactly the wisest person alive. Also, let the record show that she thoroughly beat him the first time, and came to a draw the second time.
Sticking to his plan of introducing rights for drones and understanding that a culture of brutality, execution, and unrepenting war hawks will lead to problems that could lead to the starvation of his people is abandoning his character and future of the changelings? Quite the 12D chess you're playing here. Remember, for changelings, PR is directly equated to food supply.
Previously addressed by my earlier points. Balancing the future of an emotion-vampire species is a lot more complicated than you think. Much more, evidently.
11463308
While Phasma's schedule includes a lot of meetings with changelings that I don't write about, Lace/you are pretty much right about this point.
11463117
11463146
11463175
11463269
11463333
Pulling back the veil a little bit, Thorax is correct about a retrial being almost impossible, and that their overall actions have endangered the precedent they've been trying to set. However, there's no way in hell that Phasma or Lace would ever accept a pardon as a solution. Simply put, it's never going to happen.
11463533
Accidentally used a canon name. Changing it to something generic.
11463567
Correct me if I am wrong but Thorax's request for Phasma to pardon Tarsus would mean Phasma needs to overturn a unanimous First Fang sentence. Thorax's third demand breaks Thorax's second demand. I is confused!
11463569
That.... is a paradox, yes. Phasma would have to convince Coxa and Lace to also agree to the pardon.
11463561
Wait... They all agreed to the mutilation? I read it as Phasma choosing to do it without the First Fang's approval and no one (other than Thorax) objecting because they wanted death
11463570
Is Thorax aware of this paradox or is he too mad to realize it? Either way, dick move, Thorax.
Aggh! The audacity of that changeling to demand a pardon for that son of a bitch traitor. Phasma should've had Tarsus killed properly when he had the chance, not rushed the process. He could've made some shit up about the cancellation of the order being miscommunicated or something.
Tarsus a former general who lost in a civil war got blinded and now probably thinks his banishment was for show since he almost got assassinated and is best buddies with a demigod ruler of griffonia is NOT a threat, nope, he doesn't hold a grudge nah, he doesn't think his life might be in danger and he would definitely NOT try to restart the civil war against the guy he definitely doesn't hate. Just pardon him, consequences what's that? Hierarchy what's that? Just do everything I say phasma you wanted my COUNSEL after all, just do what I say even when I'm the only one who thinks this is a good idea. You should listen to OUR opinions more phasma but screw the rest of the first fang you should do what I say. How about you just give me that crown, it looks heavy.
While I feel for thorax he keeps going on and on about not over ruling other members of the first fang while completely over ruling Phasma's and Lace's opinions.
The ponies and Thorax are so soft, his existence is a threat to Phasma. Eliminating threats is part of being a monarch.
I want someone to betray thorax directly so he can feel the pain phas went through and be more understanding.
Im not saying phas is in the right but thorax isnt being a very good friend either like i know having your friend completely ignore your opinion is shitty.
I've had it happen and it hurt a lot. But thorax isn't really trying to help he's just making the problem worse. Hes not trying to understand phas' pain at all and that seems like the first thing he should do. Is he just tired of empathy and mediation? Cause thats the vibe I'm getting from thorax...
Alright, time to replace blindness with muteness and deafness.
11463705
Thorax doesn’t need eliminated, he’s not a threat. Unless you think all of George Washington’s cabinet was out to get him, as they squabbled and yelled at each other constantly. See: Alexander Hamilton, one of the top Federalists & Thomas Jefferson, one of the top ANTI-Federalists.
Having a government that challenges itself with differing opinions to counteract each other means misaction will be harder to occur, as anything that happens would effectively need everyone’s support.
11463745
I was referring to Tarsus. He is a general who has the willingness and ability to challenge Phasma's rule.
Thorax and the ponies forget that changeling politics is bloody. And for all their talk of tolerance and coexistence are incredibly inflexible when it comes to changelings settling internal matters.
11463389
This is very much what I intended you to realize. Tarsus' sentence was fed up by all three applicable moral standards (pony, changeling, modern human).
Honestly, the best thing everyone involved can do at this point is move past this whole Tarsus fiasco. Both Phasma and Lacewing fucked up because they can't move past his betrayal and are letting their grudge towards him poison their minds. Thorax commits the exact same mistake he accuses Phasma of doing by letting his emotions cloud his judgement. Both him and the ponies are under the impression bringing back and pardoning the single most hated changeling of the Fifth Hive is going to magically make everyone kiss and make up without considering the gigantic fallout it might cause. Phasma will lose respect and legitimacy before his own subjects, and Tarsus is a known dissenter that could stir up even more trouble through his mere presense. Hell, there's no guarantee Tarsus even wants to come back. He's found a place among his griffon companions, he's got no reason to return to a place where he will be treated as a political pawn at best, a pariah at worst and where he even might risk getting murdered.
Tarsus is practically tearing them all apart without even being personally present. What's done is done - Tarsus got his punishment, no matter how unfair, and he is out of their reach now. Better for everyone involved to accept this and start letting go instead of allowing him live rent free inside their heads.
Thorax is upset Phasma didn't listen to his advice and decided to leave. Even though the whole point was for him to try to steer plasma away from killing, that didn't mean he's not allowed to kill. Thorax's job was to make sure Phas doesn't turn Cruel, and making sure a grand traitor that can invoke dissent is killed as to not cuase an uproar and riot in the kingdom sounds like a good idea to me and not evil.
Phas is king and while he knows he has to be careful, everyone around him is telling him he doing his job wrong, and they know best.
11464046
my concerns were more about Thorax trying to strip power away from the other First Fang members by trying to overturn a unanimous decision. I still believe that Phasma should not have blinded Tarsus but Exile was perfectly fine. Especially since the guilty viewed them as traitors and if he were to return they would be open to sabotage in the name of a higher power.
I see Tarsus as a religious fanatic and Thorax is trying to force all charges to be dropped weather out of stupidity or maliciousness