//------------------------------// // 30- Manifest Destiny // Story: Approaching Apotheosis // by KKSlider //------------------------------// The walls of the tunnel pressed in around us, never more than a leg's length away to either side. The cart ahead of us, pulled by a sturdy changeling, rocked side to side as it was pulled over the bored-out and smoothed-over floor. It would be some time before the tunnel from the base of Nisir's mountain to the city itself was anything more than a claustrophobic hallway. The fact that it had been bored out in such a relatively short amount of time was thanks only due to the power of magic and being a literal king. Getting blasting caps and permits was quite easy when you could say ‘I am dating your Princess, and also this mountain is mine.’ After all, Nisir was officially sovereign territory of the Fifth Hive, not Equestria. The access tunnel was vital in cutting down the time it took to get into the city, even if it created a security concern. Supplies and personnel could be moved in and out a hundred times faster than scaling the mountain and dropping them in from the open hole in the ceiling. We would have to expand the tunnel's size and add proper gates to it later. Warm, yellow-tinged light periodically flashed across our faces as we passed each enchanted gem mounted on the walls, the loaded cart ahead obscuring them until they were within reach. After a considerable amount of time walking, the pattern of lights were suddenly broken when the walls vanished, falling away and being replaced by distant, faintly visible metal plating far, far above our heads. We had passed the threshold of the tunnel and had finally arrived in the ancient changeling Hive. For a moment, just long enough to send my heart racing, I imagined assassins on either side of the tunnel’s mouth, poised to cut me and Luna down. But when the moment passed, I breathed out slowly, my right hoof darting for Luna’s closest. That nearly tripped her up, but she took my hoof and gave me a smile as we walked into the city. “Something on your mind?” Luna asked, leaning to the side away from me to look past the cart ahead. “Just… worried about an ambush there. Now I’m thinking about other things.” She squeezed my hoof, “Then by all means, talk away.” I felt my ears pin backwards, flattening themselves along my fin, and I hummed the tune that had stolen my train of thought. “The world was young, the mountains green; no stain yet on the moon was seen. No words were laid on stream or stone, when Durin woke and walked alone…” The alien warrior princess leaned back towards me, resting her head against my shoulder as we walked, her hips bumping against mine as I whisper-sung the old Tolkien poem. Snow crunched underhoof as we journeyed into the ruins. Our path was lit by metal gas lamps, their buzzing providing both light and warmth against the near-arctic cold. Stone, metal, snow and ice, and materials I could only guess at were piled high around us. The main road had been cleared, and clearly work had begun on preparing areas for both study and inhabitation, leaving detritus piled high and left to be ferried out of the hollow mountain. Though there were ample spots that would have been great for ambushes, I found that my focus was entirely on humming my tune and being with my marefriend in the moment. “You’ve sung that before.” I frowned, “I have? I mean, it is pretty catchy, so that’s no surprise.” “It certainly has a charming spirit to it,” Luna remarked, leaning away from me as we turned a corner. “Your old language is so… rumbly.” “Rumbly? Is that even a word?” She giggled, “If it isn’t, I shall order the dictionaries to be amended so that it was always a word.” I gasped, “You tyrant!” Her giggles grew to quiet laughter, “Hahaha…! Hmmmm. This is… hardly an ideal spot for a quiet weekend, Phasma.” “No, but I’ll take what moments I can get. That’s what you said to do, right?” Luna grinned wider, “Ah, yes, that does sound wise enough to be my own words.” Our caravan started to rise. The city slowly sunk beneath us as we climbed a great hill, arriving at the heart and nexus of the frostbitten ruins: the royal palace. Its new defenders stood high on the battlements and on either side of the barren gatehouse. The changelings refrained from saluting as the caravan passed though, instead looking straight ahead, as stoic as the fragmented remains of the statues that stood sentry on either side of the open gateway. They undoubtedly knew I was traveling in the supply caravan, but I had called ahead to make sure everyling knew that Luna and I were in disguise. We had taken up disguises that wouldn't have held up to close scrutiny, but I figured that was fine. The caravan crew were all trustworthy ponies and loyal drones. Still, it was important to at least mitigate the odds of our charade being detected outside the controlled environment that was the First Hive's colony. Speaking of my Weave, I noticed something else scratching at the back of my mind. Behind the powerful presence of the synthetic Weave within Panar's Gift, a weaker, nascent hivemind was pushing up like a flower springing from a forest floor. ‘Pharynx. Already, his Weave is strong enough to be felt at the due of the palace's grounds. This is really making me wish we had knowledge on what Weaves actually can do. Too many unknowns, too much lost knowledge…’ Continuing the metaphor of new life springing from old detritus, the colony within the heart of the dead city was first signaled by more paths cleared in the snow- and more accompanying magical street lamps that gave off heat as well as light, then by the occasional patrol of Red Right Hoof soldiers, then finally the non-combative members of the colony. Drones pushing wheelbarrows, ponies wrapped up in winter coats or with thick scarves tied around their neck walking in groups or carrying objects this way and that, and the occasional huddle of changelings and ponies around some ruin of the ancient Palace, pointing things out, digging them up, and casting spells on the stones. ‘The colony is bringing life back into this ancient ruin. Within a few years, I wonder what this place will look like. I wonder what opportunities it will give us. So much potential…’ Many perked up at our arrival, both for the promise of new food from the South, and for the arrival of their monarchs. The pony scientists, all verified and checked three times over before being accepted into the cooperative research program, weren't kept in the dark about our arrival. If they weren't interested in meeting me, then they most certainly would be interested in seeing their Princess. Our caravan arrived at our final destination: a courtyard in the center of the ancient Palace. The space, formerly bare, was now stockpiled with crates, barrels, piles of rock and debris, and a large number of people working to offload the wagons. Drones and hired hooves worked as a well oiled machine to clean off each cart as they parked, while new arrivals were being directed into a line. Getting close to ponies again, Luna and I adopted our disguise’s personas, acting as newly-met colleagues once more. The changeling giving directions to the new arrivals called out across the courtyard, “Cricket, so nice to have you back!” The Infiltrator had arrived with our airship, giving me more of an excuse to come all this way North. I had wanted to see how she settled in. Unfortunately, the fact that we changelings can feel Weaves meant that hiding my presence from her was an impossible effort. That didn’t stop me from discretely leaning to the side to watch them. “Latch!” Cricket greeted the drone from her spot at the front of the line.. “Yes, you’ve heard the good news, I’m sure; I’m not dead!” “Trust goes both ways, you know,” Luna whispered to me. “Shush, I’m watching my telenovela.” The heavy stone doors slowly slid shut behind me, cutting off Luna’s and Cricket’s conversation. Before me, a grand space and roaring fireplace had quite clearly been the First Hive’s royalty’s favored relaxation room. Now, the chairs and tables that filled it could be described as anything but royal. I knew for a fact that the Frostborn Expedition had sourced it from a cheap furniture shop in Shimmervale. Prince Pharynx stood with his back to me, brooding as he stared out a window. If our species had arms instead of four legs, I was sure that he’d have them crossed, or behind his back, looking as regal and brooding as physically possible. “Your Majesty,” he greeted me. “Pharynx. There’s no need to stand on ceremony between us,” I said, breaking the ice and quickly getting closer to the warmth of the fire. He half-turned his head towards me, staring at me with one eye, “I… need to talk to you, Phasmatodea.” I snorted, “Yes, I got that from your request to speak to me in private. If this is about this colony, there’s no need to have it behind closed doors. Anything that can be said to me, can also be said to Luna.” One of his ears flicked in irritation, “No. Or, I suppose, it does have to do with the colony… I have been thinking. Thinking a lot, actually. There’s not much else for me to do up here than to… contemplate.” When he turned back to the window– which had been replaced with a small gem projecting a forcefield to keep the cold out, glass was hard to bring in here, I cleared my throat, “Go ahead.” “... I am stepping down as leader of this small Hive. I cannot remain here in Nisir, not for a single night longer. If I must, I will resign my post as Prince to do so. It… never meant much to me, anyways.” “Oh,” I grunted in surprise. “That’s… Okay. I guess I can find someone else to lead this place. Worst case scenario, I’ll teach the drones how to do elections.” Pharynx’s eyes snapped to me, confusion and frustration as plain as day written across his features, “What?! What do you mean, ‘okay?’” Now it was my turn to be confused, “What do you mean, ‘what do you mean?’ I said I’ll find someone else.” “... That’s it? I said I’m quitting and you are just accepting it?!” I glanced side to side, “Should… I argue? Did you want me to argue?” Pharynx stamped a hoof in frustration, “Yes! N-no... I… I expected you to. You forced me to come here as punishment, after all.” “Punishment?” I echoed. “Pharynx, I needed a commander who could oversee and plan defensive embarkations and create contingencies. I assume these are all in place?” “Of course! That took me a week, not a day more!” I shrugged, “Then you can leave. I’ll need you or someone else just as powerful here when the night draws closer and the Umbrum are clawing at our door, but until then it’s okay.” The newly-risen Prince stalked closer to me. At this close distance, I could feel his new Weave. It was… different. I knew the strange brushing sensation from my time near Chrysalis, and this mountain held another Weave– albeit synthetic, and from his Weave I could grasp ideas and concepts that were entirely new to me. That being said, most of the knowledge within his Weave was about how to fight. ‘He’d make a good training commander, now that I think about it. If drones can pull any concept from our Weaves, and his is filled with his skill and experience, he could impart that knowledge onto any warrior…’ “You ordered me to be here. You shut me down when I protested. You condemned me to this frozen hellhole. But now you cave at the slightest push?!” His voice raised to a yell as he pushed me back, “Day by day, never seeing the sun, shivering in the dark, forced to look out this damn window and see the spot where I will die- and for what?!” “I-” But he continued, “There was no real reason to keep me here! If you were not punishing me, why exile me?! If you had no other orders for me, why was I kept here?!” “Pharynx?” “What?!” He barked, snarling as he pressed me against the wall I backed up into. Slowly, I reached up and placed my hoof over his, pressing down to lower both from my chest. I looked down into the smaller prince's eyes, trying my best to figure out a solution to this. “I said I needed you here to plan the defense. This is the battlefield that will decide if everyone on this planet lives or dies. I'm sorry that you were kept here longer than needed; things are busy down south, to the point where I have not been able to check up on your progress until now. I put you here because you are the greatest military commander that I can trust, Pharynx. I entrusted you with the task of starting the defenses of the most important battle for a reason.” “And now that the plans are made?!” He growled. “You are relieved of duty,” I said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Someone else will take over.” Pharynx grabbed my hoof and pushed it off his shoulder, “I am leaving! The sooner I get out of this place, the better. I will not spend my last months in my grave.” I frowned, “Pharynx, what's all this about your death? Is there something you want to tell me? Is the city undefendable?” The little prince froze, “No! That's not… it doesn't matter, nevermind.” “Clearly, it does matter, Pharynx.” Slowly, he looked over his shoulder at the shielded window. I tried again, “Pharynx. Pharynx, look at me. Is there something you want to tell me? Something you need to?” I watched as he struggled to find the words. His mouth opened and closed. His eyes darted to the side. “... A soldier's duty is to protect the Hive at all costs.” “Aye,” I said, still unsure of what he was talking about. “And this battle will likely result in many deaths, but there's no need to be so fatalistic about it. There is always hope.” “Not for me,” he whispered. I tried again to physically reassure him. This time, I pressed a hoof against his chest. He reached up and grabbed it, as if he intended to push me away again. Yet he didn't, instead choosing to stand there, holding onto my fetlock. “Pharynx?” He looked up at me, “I don't wanna die. It's different. It's not doing my duty, it's… It feels like jumping into the mandible of an Uttu spider, Phasma. Every day, I share out and see the skulls and my own body. It's there, I swear it- I can still picture the steam rising from my own blood. I don't wanna die, not when I finally have my little brother back again.” “Pharynx,”I said, getting an understanding of what was going on, “Thorax had mentioned you saw something when you Ascended. What was it?” “My corpse,” he growled, equal amounts of hatred and dread in his voice. “There were other bodies, but mine was the freshest. I was bleeding and h-headless, unm-moving… I don't… Phasma, w-what was it like to die?” “There's no-” “Don't lie to me. Please.” I sighed, “Fine. You really wanna know? It was painful, slow, cold, and agonizingly lonely. Is that what you wanted to hear?” In the silence between us, I swore I could hear the echo of the gunshot. “No,” he admitted. “But it's what I needed to hear. I don't know what to do. What… what do I do, My King?” I glanced down, seeing that he still held onto me, “First thing will be to get you out of here. Then I guess you'll need therapy.” Pharynx grimaced, “Is that really… beneficial?” “For some people. Not really for me,” I revealed. “It's worth a shot. Next, you're going to have to tell Thorax. I think he's been worried about you.” He stiffened, “I would rather not. He has enough to worry about-” “Tell him!” I hissed. “He can handle it, and you need the help you can get!” His gaze– and hoof– dropped to the floor. My foreleg followed suit as he collected himself. “Yes… Yes, you’re right, My King. Thorax deserves to know. He’s not the nymph who was banished from the Hive anymore, he’s got chitin thick enough now. Heh, that sounds like a pony lesson, getting him kicked out to let him grow and all that.” “If you love someone, set them free,” I quoted. “If they love you, they’ll come back. Typically for lovers, but I think it can be applied to any friendship or kinship.” Pharynx grimaced, “Just because you hang out with him, doesn’t mean you have to quote him.” “It’s a saying from my world, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it exists here.” I sighed, “Besides, Thorax doesn’t talk to me nowadays.” “What? Why?” I shrugged, “I ordered the assassination of Tarsus without his approval.” The little prince blinked, then nodded slowly, “Yeah that’ll piss him off. I’m still mad at you, you know.” “That’s fair.” “You shouldn’t have forgotten me up here.” I rolled my eyes, “Yes, I apologize for that. I’ve been busy with Chrysalis’s trail, Division-P, traitors within the E.U.P., creating an empire from scratch– no, worse from that, from various broken pieces that will kill you if not slotted in correctly, combat training, magical education and experimentation, running an expanding corporate empire, and dealing with Coxa when he doesn’t get his morning coffee.” “I’m more important than at least half of those,” Pharynx insisted. “Now, do you want to go skulk in Shimmervale for the next two days until the next airship gets here, or will you join our tour of Nisir?” He grunted, “I’ll give you your damn tour. Come on, let’s get to where the eggheads are nested. The sooner we get this over with, the better.” The egghead nest in question was a large room with both a fireplace in use and a far wall of windows, now replaced with shimmering fields. Once it may have been a sitting room or large bedchamber, but now it was filled with desks, filing cabinets, boxes, and arcane devices. The combination of scrolls piled high on desks, chairs pulled close to the fireplace, and warm yellow lights gave the place a very cozy atmosphere to it. In fact, it was so cozy that one of the ponies inside was happily snoozing away at his desk, snoring loudly and undoubtedly earning some severe neck pain when he woke up. “This is the main research lab,” Sting explained as she led Luna, Pharynx, and myself into the room. “There are supporting research spaces around the castle, but this is the main one. Keeps the warmth the most, y'know?” The drone was eventually put in charge of the changelings’ side of things, both by virtue of her skill and by virtue of the fact that I had put her on the spot to explain everything way back when we first found the city. ‘I swear if these buggy bastards start electing leaders based on how many words I've spoken to them, I'll have to kick some asses.’ Lune and I nodded while Pharynx grunted a response, “Yeah. They've been hauling the bits and pieces of this dump into the other labs to study, while keeping the juicier morsels in this room.” Sting smiled abashedly as she backwards-shuffled towards the sleeping pony. Reaching out a hindhoof, the drone kicked the pony's rear, sending him lurching off the chair in the other direction. Said pony, colored black with a white mane and tail, squawked in surprise as he scrambled to his hooves. “What the hay was that for, Sting?!” Sting smiled in a manic fashion before she gestured towards us, “Naper, this is His Majesty King Phasmatodea, Her Highness Princess Luna, and of course His Highness Prince Pharynx- which you already knew.” The pony dropped into a bow- and I swore I heard his neck and back cracking from the stretch all the way across the room. “Your Highness…es! And… Majesty!” He exclaimed, raising from his bow and tripping over his words as he finally took in our presence. His gaze lingered on me longer than on Luna, as he drew himself up taller. I tried my best to ignore the familiar cocktail of emotions suddenly sent my way. “Would,” he said quietly, licking his lips. As an afterthought, he continued, “... you excuse my impropriety! I am Naper, head of the Royal Institute of Canterlot's archeology department! Or, at least, I was. I'd gotten bored of the politics of the office, and preferred to have my nose buried somewhere else other than books.” He stared up at me, smiling as I turned towards Sting, “Right. Sorry about the sudden intrusion, I realize that our visit was more or less a surprise. I hope I didn't trouble you too much?” “Not at all!” Naper beamed. “We live to serve you!” Sting pantomime gagging behind Naper's back, “To be honest, My King, we have been scrambling to get things ready and presentable for you. Naper here fell asleep compiling the summaries and practicing his presentation notes.” Suddenly remembering the existence of his papers, the black earth pony sauntered over to his desk, grabbing a few and fixing a pair of small yellow reading glasses to his muzzle. “Analysis on the city has yielded a number of interesting finds,” the pony began. “We've had to split up into a few different teams to handle our biggest projects. Namely, we have the records team, the Adamantium team, and the anthropology team.” “Fascinating,” Luna said in an impressively flat tone. “Now, Princess,” I chided, “just because you find things boring doesn’t mean they aren’t important.” “Some creativity could go a long way,” she shot back. I pursed my lips, “Fine. Naper, Sting. These three teams have been renamed to Team A, Team One, and Team Blue. It’s up to you all to figure out which is which.” Luna giggled, “Better!” “Hardly,” Sting groaned. “I mean much better, Your Highness and future Queen of our Hive!” “Now strike the names because they will get confusing,” I said. “Tch, bore!” Luna admonished. “This… records team,” I ventured, “what have they found?” Naper smiled, “Quite a lot, as it turns out. Come, I will show you the goods!” Pharynx lifted a hoof, “Wait.” Naper faltered, “Prince Pharynx? Is something wrong?” Pharynx paused, shook his head, and cleared his throat, “Save them for last.” He turned to me, “Their finding is the most dramatic, and your tour here should end on a high note.” I nodded, “Alright, then. Sounds like a plan, Pharynx.” “Or don’t,” he quickly added. “You’re the king, not me.” I turned away from the tsundere Prince, “Naper, Sting. Let’s start with anthropology.” “It wasn’t easy, learning how ponies– or rather, changelings– lived ten thousand years ago,” Naper began. “But without hard work and getting our hooves dirty, our efforts were rewarded with a huge load. Of findings, that is!” He added, winking at me. ‘Between ponies fawning over me and ponies fawning over Luna, I’d like to think I have the better deal. At least no one is erecting secret shrines in my honor… that I know of.’