• Published 9th Sep 2022
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Approaching Apotheosis - KKSlider



When the days draw short and the nights grow long, the line between friend and foe becomes harder to see. The formerly-human King Phasma must stand strong with his friends against the encroaching dark.

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19- We The Changelings

It took a concentrated effort to keep control of my body. I discovered changelings could chirp from Thorax, and Luna proved that I was more than capable of chirping myself, but it was not something I wanted to do in public. It felt too… embarrassing.

I was positively vibrating with excitement– hence the fear of chirping– as I stood besides Thorax, Coxa, and Lacewing. The documents before us were pre-signed by Pharynx– a necessity, given his rank as Prince and a faux-member of the First Fang. However, he had presumably signed the papers and simply moved on to the next batch of paperwork that awaited him in whatever room in Nisir he took up as his own office. We had an audience.

An audience of several hundred changelings and ponies.

Dozens of reporters, many officials from Equestria’s Royal Court, the Princesses themselves, and many thestrals accompanied the excited gathering of drones. All of them had been carefully vetted and their identities confirmed before they could enter the crystalline city that the changelings had collectively called dibs on. Few ponies ever got the privilege of seeing the nascent city, so this was the public’s first look into what we were doing with their natural wonder.

Our faces were constantly lit up with the flashes of cameras as we signed the Constitution of the Fifth Hive. Formally declaring the rights of every single changeling, in perpetuity, no matter what a royal says. I was carving in stone what I wanted the Fifth Hive to be; even if I died now, I would leave behind a legacy of freeing the drones from the unequivocal control that the royals exerted on them prior to my arrival on Equus. Granted, they welcomed that control far more than the average human would, but even they had limits.

We were giving them a right to a fair trial, a right to housing and food, the right to work where they want and unionize, freedom of speech, a right to amend the constitution, and much, much more. Many of these rights would fly over their heads for a long time– I couldn’t imagine this generation deciding to unionize in the corporate empire I built for them, but when the time comes, they would have the resources and rights necessary. No longer would they be subject to the whims of Queens and Kings alike.

The structure of the Fifth Hive was also set in stone; Operation Pencil was now in full swing as Coxa got the foundations of each of his desired bureaus laid. With plenty of room to grow, the bureaucracy of the Fifth Hive would be able to handle the rapid modernization already pushing the changelings into the economic spotlight. Of course, there was also the formalization of the countless institutions and processes that you took for granted in a modern nation: government-issued identifications and hatching certificates, handling all the payments– in addition to rations and housing– for all the changelings, inspections and expansions of the city within the Crystal Caves, issuing business permits, formalizing the process for the Red Right Hoof to enforce laws and process suspects and convicted criminals, the process of judicial courts themselves– currently appointed by myself, and many, many, many more government-related structuring.

This was all before taking into consideration the gargantuan task of creating some sort of law-making body.

For now, that task was shelved. There was simply too much to do right now, and the law-makers would get in our way. Our species’ survival was still at risk and those delays could easily prove fatal. For now, we figured that the drones would want a democratic system, though to what extent would have to be planned out once the dust had settled.

The Swarm had also been formalized, though few effective changes took place. Instead, the Swarm received plans and instructions for how to expand in the face of new technologies and branches. I don’t know if firearms would ever be invented, but in the future we would most likely need some sort of navy and airforce.

But the ponies and changelings were hardly cheering for the opportunities to file the correct tax paperwork. All the focus was on the usual stuff: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

My smile stretched ear-to-ear as I signed the Constitution of the Fifth Hive, officiating the loss of my own powers. With the exception of Tarsus’s trial, it wasn’t like I was abusing my changelings in ways that these laws protected. Though in my defense, the bastard deserved to be abused– and I’m sure he would have been hanged quite quickly after being put before a human war tribunal, had all this taken place on Earth.

‘Smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.’

I waved a hoof at the cameras, the Adamantium horseshoe glinting in the flashes. It felt almost like a waste to use Adamantium for such small and insignificant pieces of clothing. It wasn’t even armor, more so an equivalent to the gold and silver equivalents worn by Luna, Celestia, and Cadance. To complete the set, I was wearing a simple Adamantium crown with a large orange gem in the center. The raw Adamantium had been recovered from the scrap that was once my gorgeous peytral.

‘I’ll make Division-P for ripping that apart. One day…’

“We done here?” Coxa whispered to me.

“Almost,” I whispered back. “Are things ready for tonight?”

“Lantern Night’s gonna be one hell of a party,” Coxa confirmed.

With the constitution officially signed, its pages were collected by Bray Call and taken away for duplication and safe storage. The media ponies slowly stopped taking pictures, instead switched to writing down notes and discussing with each other what they had just witnessed. The princesses walked over to join us in conversation.

“Congratulations, Phasma!” Luna cheered as she launched herself at me.

With an ‘oof!’, I managed to catch her at the cost of the air in my lungs. The smaller alicorn squeezed me as she gave me a big kiss.

“Luna!” I moaned. “There’s people with cameras watching!”

“Nothing under the moon can stop my affections,” Luna grinned. “... Except if you do not consent– but that is neither here nor there! Tis a monumentous day for changelings!”

“It really is,” Celestia agreed. “I can imagine you’re practically glowing with pride, all of you.”

Lace, Coxa, and Thorax all shared a smile and puffed out their chests.

“All those hours filing paperwork and planning were for this,” I said. “Feels like we’ve accomplished something huge today, even if all we did was sign a piece of paper.”

Bray returned after hoofing off the constitution, “Now this is why I signed up to be a pencil pusher! History in the making!”

“You’ve done an amazing job over the past few months, Bray,” I complimented. “That goes for all of you. None of this could have been possible without any of you.”

“That’s not true,” Thorax said. “I’m sure we could have survived without Coxa.”

The shorter drone elbowed Thorax, “You wish! You’d still be figuring out how to get the Lodges started without me!”

Lace nuzzled Coxa, “We know you did most of the work here, Coxa. We’re just stealing some of the glory for our own reputation.”

“We all had our roles,” I said, “but yes, Coxa did a lot of the heavy lifting with this particular one.”

“You laid the groundwork,” Coxa shrugged. “I just wrote it down and made everything nice and tidy. But if you all insist, I’ll martyr myself and take all the credit! Now, enough chatter. Let’s break out the good stuff!”

“Here here!” Celestia cheered. “Though, this is your opportunity if you want to make a speech,” she nodded towards the ponies with cameras that were finishing up packing their gear.

“Our actions will speak louder than any word we say,” I shook my head.

“Plus, I don’t know if the ponies will care about anyone other than Phas delivering a speech,” Thorax said.

“They’d listen to you,” Cadance said. “The ponies would know of the four royals involved. Maybe Pharynx least so, but your name is becoming more and more well-known thanks to your frequent workshops and public outreach programs.”

Thorax smiled, “I’m happy to hear they’re having an effect, but I’ll leave all the talking to Phas.”

I almost missed the sheer amount of excitement that Bray was emanating, as Luna was still hugging me.

“To think, six months ago I was arresting ponies for loitering,” Bray said. “Now I’m here, with the Princesses and changelings! C’mon, what’re we waiting for? Let’s go celebrate!”


Luna pulled her cloak closer as she leaned into me, gazing up at the lights filling the night sky. Lantern Night was now fully underway, with celebrations filling up the streets and the skies alike. While the sky was being flooded with orange lanterns bobbing around and rising through the cold air, the main plaza of Canterlot had been cleared of the usual stalls and replaced with tables, chairs, food and drink, festive games, and… well, stalls again, but these were offering themed treats and knick-knacks.

“When I was… on the moon,” Luna began quietly, “I could see every star in Faust’s Light. A river of stars, stretching from one dusty horizon to the other. It didn’t fade away with day’s arrival, nor did any city lights dim its majesty. It was there, always present, always beautiful. For many centuries, I believed that I had crossed over unwillingly to the great beyond… I was angry– I was always angry during my banishment, of course, but I was angry at the idea that I had been robbed. An experience that one would have once in a lifetime. At the end of it, to be exact. I have always wondered what it would be like to travel across that river. What would I see? Would the stars flow underhoof like a stream’s current? Would they surround me as they floated and fell like snowflakes?

“Now, tonight, the night sky has been made into a reflection of delusions long past. I… I wish I could fly up there and see what it is like. I would very much like to soar between the lanterns, following their path as they leave behind all else.” Luna stood up straighter and gestured towards a group of ponies lighting lanterns nearby, “Judging by the way those pegasi shuffle their wings and spread them ever-so-slightly, I am not alone in this desire to fly. Unfortunately, it is quite impossible to fly in such cluttered airways.”

I grunted a reply, “Hmm. Maybe there’s a spell that lets you phase through objects?”

Luna rubbed her chin, “No such spell exists, not to the extent of my knowledge. Though such a spell, if it does exist, would undoubtedly require mastery in its respective field.”

I shrugged, “Then I guess we’ll just have to make it a reality in the Dreamscape.”

“Ha! That sounds like a worthwhile endeavor! We shall fly together.”

A pair of ponies being stopped by our guards brought an end to our conversation. One of the guards turned to us for directions.

“Ah, Brilliant Cut, Bunny Hill!” I yelled a greeting. “Let them through, guards.”

The white-coated pair of ponies passed through the cordon and stopped in front of Luna and I, bowing deeply.

“King Phasma, Princess Luna!” Brilliant Cut beamed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness!”

“Cut, please, just Phasma,” I said. “Luna, this is Brilliant Cut and Bunny Hill, the father and mother of Double Diamond.”

Luna nodded, “Ah yes, Double Diamond, Prince Thorax’s paramour. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

“The pleasure is all ours,” Bunny Hill returned, standing up straight with her husband.

“Any friend of Phasma’s is a friend of mine,” Luna returned. “That way, Celestia cannot hope to bridge the widening gap in our contest…”

“Uh, contest?” Brilliant asked, sharing a look with his wife.

“You need not worry about it,” Luna waved a hoof dismissively. “It is a trifle game. Whomever has the most friends wins. Despite having ten centuries of an advantage, I have left Celestia back at the starting line.”

“We’re glad to hear that you’re adjusting well,” Bunny nervously chuckled.

“I recall Phasma mentioning experiments of yours,” Luna broached. “Something about a hoof-held machine capable of performing mathematics?”

“The calculator!” Brilliant smiled.

“An apt name,” Luna chuckled.

Brilliant nodded, “Yes, an inspired idea! It took many iterations, and countless breakthroughs, but we believe that we have a working model…”

I rose, “You serious?! That’s amazing news!”

“That’s not all,” Brilliant beamed. “Using enchanted crystals as the medium for the processing, we can get started on mass production within the month!”

“Within the month?” I quoted. “I… I’m not familiar with enchanting. How is that possible?”

Bunny explained, “It’s a simple matter of setting up a macro-enchantment that can imprint smaller patterns on even low-grade crystals. Now, neither of us are unicorns, but I know enough to know it can be easily done… with an initial investment.”

“Sounds good,” I smiled. “I love it when bits start to grow on trees. How much will these magic beans cost?”

“A modest sum,” Brilliant explained. “But it’ll require more than bits. As it so happened, we have an opportunity to keep the cost down. Last I heard, a certain someone was shoveling tons of low to medium grade crystals into boxes as quickly as they managed to get said boxes?”

I blinked in surprise, “The Fifth Hive’s excavation! Brilliant, that’s brilliant!”

“Not to cut in on your conversation,” Luna said, “but you mentioned a working model?”

Brilliant and Bunny shared a wide grin before Brilliant reached into his saddlebags and produced a large, boxy calculator. The bottoms were several times larger than what I was used to, but the overall shape and screen were familiar enough.

“Getting the screen to work was an unexpected hurdle,” Brilliant said, turning it on. “And the battery will need to be replaced after a few months of usage. But! But but but! It works!”

“May I?” Luna asked, extending a hoof.

Brilliant hoofed it over, “Absolutely, Your Highness!”

As Luna examined the device and pressed a few buttons, I spied a pony crossing the far side of the plaza. Now, that wasn’t unusual. There were a total of a few hundred ponies and changelings in Canterlot’s central plaza at the moment– though none of them came close to the cordon of Royal Guards and Red Right Hoof soldiers. This pony was…

Familiar.

She was a pink unicorn, with a red mane and a strawberry Mark. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t personally remember her. However, the information was practically pushed into my mind from my Weave subconsciously. I had, in fact, seen this pony before.

I had seen her once in public, when she had passed me while outputting emotions of extreme hatred.

“Looper,” I commanded one of the Infiltrator Red Right Hoof soldiers. “The pony Northwest of us, at the far end of the plaza and passing underneath the sign for that bakery. Pink coat unicorn. See her?”

“... Yes, My King.”

“Follow her. Don’t be seen. If she does anything suspicious, arrest her. Monarch, shadow Looper and sound the alarm if anything goes wrong.”

The two changelings stalked off, the first discretely discarding their armor and donning a disguise. As they left, the two guests shuffled around anxiously and Luna leaned over to me.

“Trouble?”

“We’ll see,” I answered her.

“It has only been two months since the last dregs were burned out of Canterlot,” Luna replied. “Three or four since their downfall during the Gala. It takes time for the skirmishers to test defenses, Phasma. They may be bold, but I doubt they have the capacity to strike us so soon.”

“Happy is the city,” I quoted, “that in times of peace, dreams of war.”

Brilliant cleared his throat, “This is… Division-P you’re talking about, right? We’ve heard rumors, but…”

Luna turned to them, “Worry not. They are growing bold, but we are ever vigilant. Phasma is right to be on guard. There is no shadow that they can hide in from us.”

I nodded, “They mostly work through their pawns. For the past month, the gangs of Manehattan have been growing increasingly bold.”

“We’ve heard and seen things in Manehattan,” Bunny remarked. “The ruffians and thugs marking up territory even in the… ahem, affluent areas. This is related to those monsters?”

“Yes,” I confirmed, “but don’t worry. With the combined efforts of the city’s guards, the Royal Guards, and my own Red Right Hoof, we’re catching them before they even realize that we’re onto them.”

“To segue into a more pleasant topic,” Luna said, lifting up the calculator, “I would like to show this to my sister. That is, if you two do not mind? I am certain she will be even more taken with it than I am! And I am already shaking with excitement at the idea that this tool will cut down on one of our most dreaded duties: paperwork!”

“The… Princess?” Brilliant stammered. “P-Princess Celestia?! Why we’d be honored, Princess Luna! By all means, show her– keep it, in fact!”

Bunny stepped forward, “Not that we aren’t honored and excited to have your support, Princess Luna! It’s just that, uh, we grew up only seeing–”

Luna lifted a hoof to stay them, “Do not worry, I understand. ‘Tis not easy to shake decades of upbringing.”

Despite her words, I tasted hints of sadness coming from her. I reached out and grabbed her hoof, holding it with my own. Luna looked over at the gesture and smiled, her sadness banished for now.

“Your support really means a lot to us,” Brilliant insisted. “Without Phasma’s support, and your support of him, we would have never achieved any of this.”

“Then celebrate,” Luna commanded. “Today is a day of giving thanks for our changeling friends. Enjoy yourselves. I know I will tonight...”

“Luna!” I hissed.

“... When I see all the pleasant dreams of our subjects. What?”

“N-nevermind,” I muttered.

The pair of ponies chuckled quietly, bowing as Luna left us to go show off to Celestia and claim our achievement as hers.

‘Suck it, Celestia.’

The rest of our conversation was comparatively subdued, moreso talking about their son, Double Diamond, and his coltfriend, that one changeling named Thorax. The pair were excited to see such a kind soul become a part of their family, and were excited to hear about the outreach and diplomatic projects that Thorax was heading.

“Most of the drones can pull basic capitalism info from my Weave,” I was explaining. “But that’s far from an intuitive understanding of how and why you want to save or spend money. The old Fourth Hive operated on a bare-bones favor-for-favor trading….”

I trailed off when Looper, Monarch, and the Red Right Hoof guards returned. The guards had the pink unicorn between in and in cuffs. Brilliant and Bunny shrunk back at the sight of the pony with her horn-suppressing ring on.

“Your Majesty,” Looper greeted me. “We caught her sneaking off to an alley and bringing out these bottles.”

The drone offered up a sealed glass bottle, one I recognized as a specific brand of wine that the Fifth Hive distributed. Now, the Fifth Hive was currently the only distributor– though that was soon to end if Celestia’s talks of the Parliament’s votes was anything to go by– but there were many old, pre-Prohibition brands that simply closed up shop, if only for the time being. This bottle was one of ours.

I took it from the drone and examined it closely.

‘Filled and sealed. They seem to be after our goods… that is if this pony is even Division-P after all, and not just someone sneaking away some extra booze for later. They’re stealing as much as they can get, but why? Surely they know that they can do very little harm, all things considered. Is there some parallel to Earth, something to do with the Prohibition?’

“Wait,” I said, staring back up at Looper. “Did you say… bringing out?”

The former-Infiltrator nodded, “Yes, My King. She didn’t have them when she went into the alley, but had them when she came out.”

I rechecked the bottle and found the match number. While I didn’t myself recall it, my Weave once again supplied the requested knowledge…

“One of the stolen batches!” I gasped. “Monarch! Alert the Princesses and Royal Guard! Tell them… tell them to put an end to the festivities. Stop everyone from drinking!”

“My King?” Monarch questioned.

“Go!” I ordered her.

At once, the drone saluted and buzzed away, heading straight for the cloister of Royal Guards that protected the Princesses.

“The rest of you Red Right Hoof, spread out and make sure that– nevermind.” I grunted and switched to speaking over the Weave, “Changelings of the Fifth Hive! Hear me and obey: Lantern Night is over, be on alert for Division-P activity. And get the ponies to stop drinking any alcohol!”

The rest of the guards around me saluted and started spreading out and ruining tonight’s fun.

Satisfied, I halted the former Infiltrator, “Looper. Show me this alley. I need to confirm it for myself.”

“What’s going on?!” Bunny asked, panic edging into her voice.

I turned back to them, “Sneaking in poison into Canterlot would be very difficult. But booze? I know exactly how easy that can be. You two, go home. The party’s over.”

Leaving the stunned ponies behind, I followed Looper to the far side of the central plaza. As we walked, ponies shrunk back– guided by the nearby changelings to go home.

“Poison?” Looper asked. “Are you sure, My King?”

“No, hence the need to confirm it. But… it lines up with my knowledge of my former life.”

The drone shivered, “Thank the Goddess you were sent to guide us, then, King Phasma!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I muttered. “This is the place?”

Looper had guided me to an alley between a bouquet store and some jewelry store.

“Yes, My King. I found a large opened crate just around the bend to the right, next to the dumpster and just out of sight.”

I froze, staring down at the cobblestones. The ones in front of me, the ones I physically couldn’t step on, were unremarkable. Completely normal smoothed stones that made up the numerous sidewalks and streets of Canterlot.

Except these ones were in an alleyway. Unlit, urban, and as filthy as an alley could be in the heart of Canterlot.

“... Drone, what is your name?” I asked over the Weave.

“What?” He asked. “It’s Looper, Your Majesty. Are you alright?”

“Just making sure,” I said quietly. “Are you sure it's in there?”

The drone looked around, “King Phasma, I examined it myself. It’s there. What’s wrong?”

I swallowed, “Nothing, just… just keep an eye out. Make sure no one but the Princesses enter after me, okay? And redirect any changelings if they pass by and have them stand guard with you.”

Looper saluted, “I’ll make sure no unauthorized pony enters, My King!”

I looked down at the stones.

‘Just walk forward. People might die if that crate holds a clue to all of this. If people have been poisoned, if there’s a way to detect it, if there’s a sample there… What was it that Dr. Sweet Dream said? Some bullshit about how strength is fighting on despite the hardships–’

“My King!”

Another Red Right Hoof soldier arrived, skidding to a halt in front of us.

“Name?” I asked again over the Weave.

The drone bowed, “Trachea, My King. Oh, checking our identities. Good thinking, Your Majesty! B-but I bring grave news!”

“What is it?” I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

“Ponies have started getting sick, My King. We’re stopping everyone else from drinking more, but it seems to match symptoms of a slow-acting poison! But it’s only ponies getting sick, not changelings! Medical prof–”

“A false flag attack!” I growled. “Trachea, Looper. Guard the entrance.”

Before I could think twice about it, I stomped into the dark alleyway. An orange tinge suffused the alley as I lit the palace up with magical light. Shadows twisted as I walked forward, eyes on the prowl and ears literally on the swivel.

Things were different this time. Even though this was a space between the facade of Canterlot, everything was still nice and shiny. Aside from a light dusting of snow underhoof, the ground was clear. It was colder, though considerably drier. Most importantly, I had a real purpose to be here. I was here to save lives, not to cut a corner.

The intersection was empty. The alley that opened up on my right was unremarkable. I had slowly checked the corner, throwing the light out the instant I peeked, making sure to have blinded any would-be attackers.

But there was nothing. Not even a rat scurrying away at the light. The place was just… empty.

Stepping forward, I eyed the many doors and corners as I looked around. The dumpster that Looper mentioned was right in front of me, pressed against the wall and almost overflowing with garbage. Next to it lay a large wooden crate, rectangular in shape and propped open.

‘Time is of the essence, Phasma. Get to work.’

Briefly pausing to scan it magically for traps, I looked into the crate and found more bottles of wine. The box was two-thirds empty, empty slots suggesting that Division-P had distributed over thirty bottles of poisoned alcohol already.

‘Poisoned alcohol. My hunch was right. It was another parallel to Earth and its Prohibition. This time, I can make sure no one dies or gets seriously hurt.’

I pulled out a bottle and ripped out the cork, pouring out the red liquid and scanning it with an analyzing spell.

‘That’s got to be some hint! If I can at least identify the poison, then we can…’

My left ear twitched as I heard the sound of metal almost silently grinding against metal.

‘No! Not again! Not again, not like this, not when there is so much I can do!’

My heart beat. It beat and it beat and it beat, drowning out every other sound. I heard nothing but the blood pounding in my ears. I sensed no emotion. I saw nothing but what was in front of me. I smelled nothing but the rank stench of days-old garbage.

Thump thump thump thump–

But I knew they were there.

Thump thump thump–

And they were here to kill me.

Thump thump–

Unless I killed them first!

Thump–

Muscle and chitin moving like a finely tuned machine, I dropped the bottle and spun around quicker than a heartbeat. Time seemed to slow as I flew around, but it didn’t slow enough for me to cast a shield spell. Resorting to physical means, I raised my right foreleg in front of me. It was the same one that was obliterated months ago.

Thump–

A green blade cut into the front of my leg, cleaving through the chitin, flesh, bone, and the rest again as it came through the other side, halting as its speed was robbed by my own flesh. Droplets of blood splattered across my face and chest as I lowered my leg, pulling the thin blade down with it.

Thump thump–

The unicorn clutching the blade with a hoof stared in shock. In an instant, I took in every detail I could. Their coat, their mane color and style, the thick clothing she wore that disguised the armor underneath, and the look of hatred that burned within her eyes. Finally, I took in the far off details: there were seven more unicorns and pegasi, silently hurtling towards me from every corner of the alley.

Thump thump thump–

‘Not again! Never again! Never!’ I screeched in my mind, giving her a matching look of hate as I bared my fangs. But I offered the unicorn no taunts or witty phrases. I only gave her a single spell.

The orange light sped from my horn like a bullet. It expanded into a vertical blade that shattered the Adamantium blade between us. It kept going, growing larger and larger. First, it parted her fur. Then it cut her skin and flesh. Fractions of a second after that, it cut deeper, ripping apart bone and organ like a hot knife through butter.

With hatred still burning in her eyes, the pony was bisected from horn to hoof.

Thump thump thump thump–

I was showered in the viscera that sprayed from the pony as the orange blade continued to cut. Stone chips flew upwards from the ground as the cobblestones were ripped apart by the lower edge of the curved spell.

The two halves of what once was a unicorn had started to sag and split apart when the rest of the murderers descended upon me. There was no time for shields, nor teleporting away. I didn’t even think about teleporting away until much, much later.

“Die!” I screeched, dripping blood from my face as I faced the new attackers.

The ponies offered up their own challenges– which I promptly ignored. The blood was still pumping too loudly in my ears to listen, even if I wanted to.

I conjured two short blades made of magic and parried two physical blades an instant later. In the second before a brown armored unicorn finished casting some spell at me, I swooped low and picked up the handle of the lower half of the shattered Adamantium blade using a hoof. I did not have speed on my side. I never had. I was a huge changeling, towering over these lesser assassins. Though each one was far faster than me, I had strength and flexibility that none of them could hope to match.

My heart continued to beat so fast it threatened to burst right from my chest as I spun around and around, blocking and parrying blow after blow. The spell that the unicorn was brewing up finished its casting process and I immediately tasted metal. As I blocked blow after blow from the cloaked ponies, I had kept one eye on the unicorn’s horn and managed to maneuver my head under its direct path. When the spell came out, it was so fast that I didn’t even see it pass by. There was only a thunderclap and the taste of metal.

And some severe pain at the tip of my muzzle, where the spell came close to hitting me.

The two ponies who were trading blows with me dove in to secure the kill. I slumped towards the ground, dropping right underneath the two of them and springing forward like a coiled viper. The brown armored unicorn had not been prepared for me to simply dart past his comrades, and his next spell died on his horn when I sunk the shattered Adamantium blade into the space between his peytral and neck guard.

I wrenched the blade free and hurled it behind me at the fourth pony to join the combat: a pegasus in white armor, similarly hidden under a dark cloak. She blocked the attack, but the two unicorns had been distracted by the thrown blade, allowing me to cut one right through the neck, beheading him in a single stroke.

These assassins were far from the most difficult opponent I had faced. There were a lot of them, however, and they were still going to kill me if I even made so much as a single mistake. Dodge, parry, duck, dive, parry again, and on. The pegasus and remaining unicorn pushed me backwards as I avoided their blows, contorting like a possessed person. All those hours training in the ring gave me the edge I needed to use my new technique to avoid the flurry of blows leveled at me. A few scored lucky hits. Some even cut deeper than chitin.

I kept the two of them at a distance, using my spells to slice at them. I tried to look around for the last three ponies that should have joined the ambush by now. Between attacks, I found that they had gone after the two guards by the alley’s entrance. The Division-P assassins were doing a good job at pushing the guards out from the alley and further away from me.

Trachea the changeling crumpled when one of the two assassins struck them right in the horn mid-spell.

Grunting in anger, I dove behind me and grabbed the top lid of a circular trash can and hurled it at one of two pursuers. At the same time, I pumped a large amount of mana into an ice spell directed at the second. She expertly dodged the attack, leaving the suddenly appearing spikes of ice piercing nothing but air.

But the maneuver bought me a few seconds. I turned towards the pair of ponies trying their hardest to kill Looper, reached out with my telekinesis, and grabbed one of them. Their natural magical field worked hard to resist me– I kept pouring mana into the low-level spell to counter this.

Here I am! I screamed aloud and over the Weave.

The pony flew to the right and knocked over his companion by accident as I mentally, and physically, reared back and wound up. The pair of ponies by me recovered and started to close the distance between us once more. They would not be in time so save their friend.

Here I remain! I screamed again, my chest heaving from the effort.

With every last scrap of panic-driven power left in me, I threw the pony squeezed in my telekinesis. I had aimed simply away from the remaining changeling, to the left specifically. Unfortunately for the pony, my aim was flawed in my haste. Instead of flying off into the sky and maybe surviving with a miracle, maybe being picked up mid-air by one of those Wonderbolts attending the festival, the pony clipped the corner of a nearby building due to the bad angle.

The living missile whistled through the air before blasting the corner of the building. From our perspective on the ground, the pony was nothing but a blur before the corner of the building exploded outwards and away. The ground shook underhoof as chunks of broken brick, mortar, lumber, shingles, stone, metal gutters, and chunks of what was once a pony scattered across the sky. I saw the highest of this macabre debris field from my spot in the alley, as it crested over the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

I was still screaming when the two nearby assassins lunged for me. The unicorn’s Focused Will laser beam cut a second hole in my left foreleg and I crumpled to the floor from the sudden lack of support. As I fell, the pegasus’s wing blades skittered across the chitin of my back, cutting neat grooves into the exoskeleton but failing to get any further.

I turned the fall into a roll, kicking off from my right and sweeping right into the pegasus. Her blades slashed and brutalized the stone around me as she attempted to dice me up while being flung off her hooves. I ignored her.

‘Never going to kill me! Never! Never!’

The unicorn was the bigger threat in my eyes and had to die next. Still yelling, I attempted to flashbang them as I rolled back onto my three good legs. In response, my horn flared up in gut-wrenching pain and orange sparks. I stumbled and choked on the pain as my recovery returned to the ungraceful fall it started as.

The unicorn hadn’t had time to avoid me, however, and I knocked him over when I hit him. We went down onto the ground, tumbling and kicking. Using my heavy weight, I pinned him underneath my good foreleg. He tried to charge another spell to end the fight, blue magic gathering around his horn. Still screaming, I swung my head down onto the pony’s neck. My two fangs stabbed straight into the pony’s exposed throat, and I bit down for all I had. Wrenching my head backwards, I was once again sprayed with blood as a chunk of the pony’s flesh came with me.

As the pony clawed at his own bleeding throat, the armored pegasus flew past me… and straight into a wall. She fell from the stone masonry into an unconscious heap on the ground. Still huddled over the struggling pony, I turned to look over my shoulder at the pegasus’s attacker.

About thirty Royal Guard ponies were flooding into the alleyway, with many pegasus having to take to the air to fit into the enclosed space. At the forefront of their charge was Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, and Captain Shining Armor.

‘Murderers! Thieves! Liars in disguise, I’m not going to be fooled, not again! Never again! Kill them all!’

I bared my bloody fangs at them, hissing as the blood dripped from all over my body.

“Phasma!” The fake Celestia called out.

I rose to face them, pressing down onto the fallen unicorn’s horn with a hindleg. The fake Princesses took a step back at the sight of me.

“Phasma, it’s us. We’re here to help!” Cadance called out, stepping closer. “Calm down, and get away from that pony! He needs help!”

At her words, I saw the Royal Guards rounding up remaining ponies in the alleyway who were still breathing, and administering first aid. I wasn’t about to fall for such an obvious ruse. I hissed a challenge. The Division-P agents disguised as Royal Guards leveled their spears at me. Through the pain and confusion, I tasted their fear in the air.

‘They still have the disguise necklaces. You can’t fool me! I’ll rip out every last one of your throats before I go down! I’ll kill you all!’

“Princess,” the fake Captain of the Guard said, “that unicorn doesn’t have long!”

Celestia’s face darkened as she nodded.

Her long horn lit up in golden magic, giving me ample time to throw my weight to the side and avoid the magical bolt that shot out from her horn. Unfortunately for me, the damn thing tracked me as I dodged, slamming into my chest and sending me to the ground for the final time. A cold feeling diffused across my body from the spell, numbing the countless wounds that crisscrossed my chitin. It did nothing for the mind-splitting pain in my horn, and only took some of the pain off for my twice-punctured foreleg. Another thing it did was completely paralyze me from the neck down, leaving me gasping on broken cobblestones, staring across the alleyway at the opened crate of bottles that started everything.

‘No! No, no, no! It can’t end like this! I was so close! I was going to live! Panar take you all! I can’t die like this!’

Ponies scurred past my view, with a few stopping and hesitantly watching me, spears pointed up away from me. When I saw the pony disguised as Celestia walk into view and up to me, I snarled, barely able to turn my head to get a better view up at her.

The impersonator hesitated, glancing across the devastated alleyway.

“Phasma!” Luna cried out over the barking of orders that filled the alley.

The fake Celestia stepped back, her white long legs in my vision replaced by blue galloping ones.

‘Bastards! Going to kill me while wearing the face of Luna, are you?! I’ll kill every last one of you! I’ll come back and kill you all!’

She slid to a halt, metal horseshoes grinding on stone as she slid.

“Phasma, we are here! It is I, Luna!”

“... Back!” I wheezed, bearing my teeth at her.

The impersonator stepped closer to me. I was helpless to stop them; I couldn’t even twitch a hoof. It didn’t help that my body was twitching and shaking all on its own. When the pony was within reach of me, I sensed something that drove ice into my veins.

“... Love?” I whispered.

“Yes, it’s me!” Luna yelled, closing the distance between us.

The alluring emotion flooded my senses. Luna took the opportunity to hoist me up, embracing me and drowning me in the ambrosia. I gasped, completely slack in her grip.

“Ph-Phasma,” she whispered, “don’t you dare leave us alone here! We were a fool to leave thy side, even for a second! These dogs will pay for what they did!”

“It’s clear they already have,” Celestia said plainly, standing at a distance from us. “Captain…”

Shining Armor saluted, “I’ve already given the order to lock down the entire city, Princess! Nopony is getting in or out without us knowing! We’ll… we’ll get control once more! This won’t happen again!”

“What even happened to begin with?” Cadance said, staring in horror at the mare ripped in half.

“Poison,” I mumbled.

“Poison?” Luna questioned. “Oh! Your runner delivered the message, Phasma! Thou needn’t fear, we have rushed all the ponies afflicted to the hospital! No more shall die today! But pray tell, what happened here, Phasma?!”

The only thing I could do in response was groan, shut my eyes, grasp the Thread of Emotion, and start feasting on the offered love as I shook like a leaf in Luna’s grip.


Celestia regarded the bloodiest scene her city had seen with sadness.

‘No, far from the bloodiest. The changelings endured far, far worse months ago. The whole place feels tainted, now. Its purity has been corrupted by so much fear and hatred. Now once again, death visits our walls. None of this should have happened…’

All around her, Celestia found suffering strewn across the white cobbles of the alley. Pegasi flew the only injured attacker away, and two ponies were taken with relatively light injuries. The rest were laying still on the stone, their blood pooled and already icing over in the winter night’s air.

Celestia had to swallow bile when she saw the two halves of the pony lying next to each other, like an apple cut down the middle.

Then there was the living to consider. With the three surviving ponies being taken away to the cells or to a maximum security hospital ward– and the injured changeling quickly taken away by the Red Right Hoof changelings trying to pour into the already crowded alleyway, the only one left to account for the whole thing was dripping blood into her sister’s fur. Phasma was shaking as he embraced Luna. Celestia watched her injured friend with thinly veiled sadness. A few paramedics with the Royal Guard had stopped by and were wrapping the worst of his injuries up, but there were many cuts and small wounds that they didn’t bother trying to address here, and there was nothing they could do about the sparks of magic still sizzling from his horn.

‘Mana blowout. Really bad, at that. Normally, that sort of thing comes with long-term ramifications, but going by Phasma’s story about his initial horn health issues, he might just pull through with nothing but scars… Scars that can be healed using changeling healing pods. Oh Harmony, what I’d give to find a way for ponies to use those miracles…’

Several of the changeling leaders had arrived and were gathering around Phasma, notably the First Fang and Phasma’s generals. Celestia began walking over to the group, chips of rock crunching under her boots as she approached. A glint caught her eye; Celestia leaned down to pick up a crown of green metal and one large orange gem, lying discarded in the chaos and smeared with blood.

She beheld the headpiece, studying its newly-found scratches and bloodstains.

“Must’ve dropped it in the fight,” Cadance said, causing Celestia to turn to the smaller alicorn.

‘Stars above, I’ve forgotten what m– our duties are!’

“Cadance,” Celestia said, “Can you go visit Canterlot General? Do what you can to help there.”

Shining leaned over from his huddle of Lieutenants, “Actually, Princess, if you don’t mind me suggesting, I think everypony should get back to the safety of the Palace. We don’t know if there are future attacks, and…”

“I can help,” Cadance insisted.

Celestia looked down at the crown gripped in her hoof, “... The Captain is right. The last thing we want to do is create more trouble for everypony to worry about. Let’s get a brief explanation from Phasma and head back.”

The Princesses resumed their walk over to Luna and Phasma while Shining Armor returned to his subordinates to coordinate securing the whole block building by building.

‘An assassination attempt in my city. Our city! And such a brutal way of putting it down, I have so many questions…’

The gathering parted for the pair of alicorns. Celestia stopped before her sister and the changeling royal. Luna’s ears twitched as Celestia arrived, and the younger sister repositioned herself so that Phasma was leaning against her side as they both faced the crowd. Phasma did his best to sit up straight– an admirable feat considering the fact that he should still be completely paralyzed.

“I’m not going to ask something as foolish as ‘are you alright,’” Celestia said. “But I hope you’re at least feeling calmer…”

Phasma pressed his chin to his chest, “Pure love helps… They tried to kill me, Celestia. They tried to kill me again…”

A chill worked its way up Celestia’s spine.

“In an alleyway again!” She realized. “Do you think they knew? The details of your death are not public.”

Phasma shivered, “Don’t know. Don’t want to die…”

“Why did you come here without protection?” Cadance asked. “You only had two guards, and you were hounding us earlier about how likely it was that Division-P was going to make a move!”

“Poison,” Phasma said. “That crate over there. We need it to get a cure, to save lives! I didn’t want to wait, didn’t want anyone to die…”

Celestia glanced at the mentioned crate, “Any proper poison would have killed regardless of whether or not it was identified. Still, I appreciate the effort and worry, Phasma.”

“... So it’s all for nothing?” Phasma whispered.

“No–” Celestia began.

Luna cut her off, “Yes! You suicidal colt, we nearly lost you! You are never going anywhere without half a dozen guards, do you hear me! I can’t lose you!”

“Sorry,” Phasma mumbled.

“Nopony can fault you for trying to save lives,” Celestia argued. “If the same thought crossed any of our minds, we would have done the same.”

“I certainly would have,” Cadance admitted, rubbing a foreleg. “Is there nothing we can do with the poisoned wine? No way we can make things easier for the ponies who are sick?”

“We will take it in to investigate it, but the worst symptoms are non-fatal,” Celestia summarized. “We can try to create some sort of detection for the poison for the future, though I suspect our foes will simply switch poisons– or tactics altogether.”

Cadance frowned, “Speaking of which, isn’t it a bit strange that only ponies got sick? Is Division-P going to–”

“Princess!” A Royal Guard called out as she approached.

“What is it, my little pony?” Celestia asked as the guard bowed.

“We’ve found something you all need to see in the building!” She explained, pointing to the building directly behind their huddle, across the alley from the crate.

Phasma tensed, “Ambush…”

“No,” Celestia muttered. “Look. There, in the window!”

All heads turned towards a small horizontal window on the back of the building. Though it was quite dark, the illumination provided by the Royal Guards glinted off a metal case and glass lens that sat behind the closed window. Below it, a Royal Guard’s spear was tentatively poking the device.

“It’s a camera,” Cadance pointed out. “That’s a restaurant from the looks of it, they wouldn’t have something as expensive as a camera pointing out the back for no reason!”

“It looks recently placed,” Coxa said, hovering up to see through the window.

“It’s all a false flag attack,” Celestia realized. “Only ponies got sick and they recorded a fight involving Phasma killing their agents! Wait, wouldn’t that video show them attacking him with actual swords?”

“Edit the video?” Phasma asked.

“Edit?” Luna questioned.

“Change,” the changeling explained.

“You can do that?” Thorax asked. “Just change what a camera records?”

Phasma grunted, “I guess? Hey, can I… go to the hospital or something? Or can you hit me with that stun bolt again? Please?”

“Let me help,” Cadance said, stepping forward to administer some first aid.

“Thank you,” Luna said. “Healing was never my forte…”

Celestia spoke up, “I believe we have adequate healers within the Palace. We should return there immediately.”

“... Your Highnesses,” the Royal Guard said. “There was one more thing of note we found by that camera…”

Attention returned to the guard as she produced a set of four pitch-black beetles and presented it to the collection of rulers.

“A changeling communication device,” Thorax identified it. “They must’ve taken it during the war with the changelings. Just how many of these exist, Phasma?”

Phasma sighed in relief as Cadance applied a new numbing spell, “Mmm…. Dunno, couple. A dozen?”

Cadance turned away from Phasma to examine the device, “I am guessing they were using this to receive orders and coordinate the ambush?”

‘Meaning we can identify who is in charge of this operation. They might not expect their communications to be compromised so quickly, and we can catch them off guard. If they reveal any details about their location on accident, we can find them and bring them to justice!’

“Activate it,” Celestia commanded.

“What?” Coxa asked in disbelief.

“I just realized all of us, the leaders of the Canterlot Confederacy, are in one place,” Luna said quietly. “Perhaps we should disperse, or at least move to the Palace now?”

“That’s exactly why Lacewing isn’t here,” Coxa said. “Celestia, are you sure you want to do that right now?”

“The whole city will know about the attack within an hour,” Celestia pointed out. “We must act with haste! Is there a way to track where it connects to?”

“No,” Phasma answered. “That would have been a glaring security breach of the invasion. The only clues we’ll get are what we hear and can see.”

The Royal Guard set the beetles down onto the ground as the alicorns and changelings lined up before it. At Phasma’s prompting, a Red Right Hoof soldier nudged the beetles into position with his magic, causing them to light up in green magical energy and start up the device. A circular looking-glass portal was conjured into being above the beetle set. All eyes were upon the pony who was standing on the other side of the portal.

The sky blue unicorn sat with his back turned to the portal, leaving only his cloudy-gray mane and drooping red cloak visible. His ears twitched as the portal activated, linking their devices. Celestia drank in the details about the scene around the unicorn: a lavish office, but one far from the obscene decor found in Canterlot. The curtains were drawn shut on the window, and there were no paintings Celestia could use to identify the office’s owner or location. The style matched Canterlot high society, meaning it could be anywhere in Equestria. Anywhere within a mansion owned by somepony who loves to emulate Canterlot without actually living in the city. Celestia also made a mental note of the colors of the stones and woods found throughout the office, even trying to memorize the grain of the pink marble columns seen on the far wall. She stretched her mnemonic techniques and used a spell to make a mental snapshot that could be reconstructed later.

As for the scene itself, the unicorn was sitting behind a desk covered in papers and books, too far away to be legible– though not for lack of trying. Overhead, a silver chandelier adorned with crystals shed light onto the large study, illuminating the scene from above.

‘Somepony wealthy, who has ties to Canterlot high society, wealth to flaunt, but clearly doesn’t have the exact suppliers that most well-to-do ponies in Canterlot have– so they have to live outside the city. That… does not help. In all likelihood, this means he is hiding in a manor owned by a political ally. I will have to recreate this image and see if anypony I can count on can identify it. Rats, I could have really used a camera right about now!’

The unicorn cleared his throat and spoke to the portal behind him, “I take it everything is ready, then?”

Celestia opened her mouth to address the traitor, but Phasma beat her to the punch.

“Your lackeys are dead. Soon, you will be sharing their grave.”

Jurist Lord Artful Acumen turned slightly to face the portal, one faded-red eye staring back at the ponies and changelings. Celestia noted that his old War Mage armor had considerably more damage than last she saw.

‘... Didn’t he have purple eyes?’

“Ah… The Prince of Terror, I presume?” Acumen greeted. “These were not the circumstances I wanted us to meet, Prince Phasmatodea of the Fourth Hive. And it is good to see you three in good health, Your Highnesses,” the unicorn bowed.

“Artful Acumen,” Cadance sneered. “I should have known.”

Artful Acumen turned his chair to face the portal. On the chest of his scarred armor, his dented medals dangled on ripped ribbons. The gold highlights of his armor had faded, and the main black coloring had been stripped away around the many marks of battle.

“Surrender, traitor,” Luna said plainly, “and you will receive a just trial.”

Acumen raised an eyebrow, “And if I don’t surrender, I’ll receive an unjust trial? That was rhetorical, Your Highness. I see the changeling literally already at your ear. It brings me no small amount of pain to see Equestria brought to such a state, but never fear, I shall not rest until you are all free.”

“Good to hear you want to do things the hard way,” Coxa chuckled. “I was worried that things would get boring.”

Acumen’s face twitched, “Princess Celestia, I am sorry that I failed you and left you to these dogs. I will set things right, I promise.”

“You can set things right by surrendering peacefully,” Celestia told him. “You and you alone can stop this bloodshed.”

“Bloodshed,” Artful Acumen repeated, nodding slowly. “I am sorry that more ponies had to die tonight. Ponies who believed in Equestria with all of their hearts. But their deaths will not be in vain– nopony’s death will be unremembered. As you say, Princess, only I have the ability to end this occupation without bloodshed. And I intend to.”

“What are you planning, fiend?!” Luna demanded.

The unicorn stroked his long white beard, “The ponies of Equestria will not sit idly by as the insect menace takes root within the Palace. Ponies all across the kingdom are fighting for you, Your Highnesses.” Acumen raised his forelegs high in the air, “We will use the tools you gave us to free you! We will force these parasites into the light! On every street, in every town, in every province, we will resist! Hear my words, Prince of Terror; you will have a chance to comply, to lay down your arms and surrender peacefully. The ponies of Equestria will make their voice known. Defy the acts of Parliament, and there won’t be a single friendly face from Dodge Junction to Rainbow Falls!”

Phasma looked to Luna, then Thorax, Coxa, Celestia, and Cadance before answering Acumen.

“... Your days are numbered, Artful Acumen. We are coming for you. By the grace of Panarthropo and Harmony, justice will be delivered to you and all who flock to your banner.”

Lord Artful Acumen gave one derisive chuckle before severing the link.