Rehab with Bright Colors

While Hex's meal remained civil as the ponies and humans went over a few details of the coming days he couldn't help but notice how guarded everyone was. It seemed that his allies didn't take the hostile way his brother had earned his position, even if he had been truthful so far of everything brought to the table. The constant threat of violence that may have garnered him respect from the west wasn't going to work here in Equestria, but at the very least they shared the same goals as far as the zerg were concerned.

"Up for a bit of training brother? Lumia and Kalia have a number of troops here in Canterlot that need a commander with your unique talents."

Just as Vinyl slammed her hooves down on the table top Hex reached over and placed a finger over her lips with his other hand halting any the rebuttals of those still gathered around the table.

"First off do they come with some sort of price tag? I'm not too keen on borrowing or taking things on loan. Second question is why ask me? If we're talking about that talent we share wouldn't it be more efficient leading them yourself?"

"Nothing on loan Hex, nothing with strings attached. I have a number of my own hand picked units that I can use, but a majority of them are not suited for what we need. We aren't looking specialist like me. The zerg may have high value command units, but even without command they are dangerous and need to be put down by the hundreds."

"What's the matter Mark? It's a part of bein higher up ta have your hands soaked in the blood of your men. Gettin cold feet now?"

Durge had a point. Leadership of all those ponies fell to him after putting down the competitors for Kalia's hand. Come to think of it most of the poor souls had probably spent much of their young lives being groomed for the position of leadership. Regardless of how well a soldier preformed on the field the story changed into something far more dreadful than the prospect of death. It is always easier to die under the orders of another then handing them out personally.

"I would send any number of soldiers to die if it meant keeping these populace safe. I would gladly make my own grave beside them, but the difference is Hex knows how to bring more of them back home alive. I don't know how to fight as a unit, or in any large scale battle, or watching out for someone else on the field. I am a sniper, I have one target, and nothing else matters. The infantry could pick up some marksman skills from me, but not the mass killing my brother has survived through."

Lumia looked up from where she was resting to stare at him, anger still glittering in her eyes even if her voice remained neutral.

"Mr. Hexus... We have two hundred and fifty of our best soldiers sitting idle within our tents. It would be a waste of their skill to leave them in less capable hands. Every single one of them are adept magic users, and can surely supplement the fifty guards that are still new to open warfare."

Once more it was Durge who answered her.

"I hate to break it to ya Ma'am, but your best ain't worth anything more than cannon fodder. Death Knell's know what we're fightin against, they know how they move, what spots to aim for, and more then anythin how to stand their ground. You're not dumpin your trash on us. Those boys have enough to worry about without baby sittin."

Shining laid a hoof on his shoulder before addressing the mare in a more civilized tone.

"I'm sorry Miss Kalia for my sergeants bluntness, but I am forced to agree with him. We can't simply take new troops and hope to mesh them together without taking them to the enemies... and seeing whether or not they can survive or simply perish. Three weeks is by no means a great length of time, but when nearly all the members of the company came close to being killed and subsequently ending the lives of the zerg... there isn't a way to mimic the training. It will take months of further instruction to give our own armies an idea of what they will be dealing with. Your infantry is greatly appreciated but it would do a far greater amount of good to have them integrated with regular units during instruction."

Kalia looked back up into Marks face as he nodded.

"You are correct Shining, in the practical terms of training. I full understand the necessity of those hazardous expeditions, but I am not speaking of integration by normal means. We can all agree on the need of able bodied infantry to deal with the zerg, but we don't have the luxury of knowing how much time we have. My wife has a spell we wish to use in order to speed their preparation. Both yourself and Mr. Durge have witnessed my brother's efficiency in disposing of the zerg, now I want you to imagine borrowing that proficiency for a short time."

This was going somewhere Hex didn't like. It was bad enough having Mark inside of his head but having more strangers occupying the already cramped space wasn't something he wanted to attempt. Kalia continued to ruin his day further with an explanation.

"The spell is by no means dangerous to the pony or human it is being cast upon. The caster enjoys the same level of expertise understood by the subject having the spell cast upon them. When my husband's infantry use it their ability to single out targets and magically destroy them over long distances are unmatched. It is not perfect by any means, and while no harm can come to the subject, the caster can be succumb to insanity or death."

"You were never much of a gambling man Hex, but the pay out for the soldiers who can survive would be soldiers similar to you in open combat. They may not use the same weapons or go about things in your exact manner, but it would keep a lot more of them alive. My talents lie in stealth and hunting brother, your machine is built on survival."

"I thought you said that was just the talent Mark. Even if this insane bullshit were to work how can any of those soldiers borrow something like that out of my head?!"

"The talents are all ghost, the structures though... What you made it into is all your own design."

"What about breaking everything apart to put it back the right way?"

"There's nothing wrong with the talents Hex. There is plenty wrong with your head though, and that's where all that resistance and pain came from. It's nothing more than a trial run with a few ponies. Those numbers we gave you were the best on hand, and out of them those two hundred and fifty volunteered to come."

Durge knocked on the table for attention.

"Your names Vinyl right? I need ya to vacate the table for a minuet sugar. There ain't no point for you to listen to this what we're about to talk on, no reason to give you nightmares. Don't worry on Hex though, he ain't doin shit that will get him killed, at least not for a while."

"I like you a lot Durge, but I'll crush your dick if he gets messed up again the moment I leave."

"I would let ya do it."

With a sigh she gave Hex a hug that he returned. He would miss his comforting little friend while they dove deeper into the land of bullshit and insanity. Durge looked over at Mark the moment Vinyl closed the door.

"Yer wife there said somethin about dying if this magic shit goes wrong. It's one thing losin men from combat and another gettin them killed before anythin gets done. Second is you ain't been around your brother long enough to understand he's ass backwards as far as stability goes in combat. Sure he's good at puttin zerg down, and he fights real well at the head of a company, but he ain't right in the head for someone killing things."

"I wouldn't expect him to be normal considering his talents Durge. As far as ponies going insane from the spell my wife will be there to sever the connection should something go wrong today, and any unfit to use it will go with Shining Armor's recommendations. Unless you have a hidden company of Death Knell's we need more infantry suited to the work, and it will take some time transporting the rest of my forces here. If anything goes wrong I will be present to neutralize the problem..."

"So your gonna kill your own men after testin this shit on them? For a ghost I'd think you'd be against fucking with peoples heads."

The two of them looked close to blows after that little comment, but thankfully Kalia interrupted them in an irritated and unexpected way..

"If you boys are finished comparing dick sizes then we can continue. There is no danger and there are plenty of precautions to avoid incident."

He suddenly liked Kalia a lot more when she dropped the polite air she held when talking. Hex was rubbing at his temples trying to wrap his head around an idea that sounded like something out of a cheesy flick.

"Five. I'll test this horse shit out on five of the infantry."

"Don't you mean pony shit Hex?"

"I wish I had the ability to set you on fire Mark."

"Maybe when you're not so pissy and whiny I'll teach you how to set people on fire."

"This is bull Hex, why risk it?"

"Because I would like some peace today Durge. Maybe if I threw myself out of the window I'd have it."

"I told ya about them damn windows..."

Assholes. They were all assholes, but he had to admit that was what friends and family were for. Without further interruption their little group departed for the courtyard in question. It surprised Hex that Celestia was joining them for this little experiment and when they did arrive he had to resist the urge to flee.

Sparky was there chatting to a group of mares dressed in brown robes, and if the previous week had any forebaring the word experiment and Sparky should never be used in the same context as it always ended painfully. Looking around at the other ponies milling about one fact stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Mark.... Why is the courtyard filled with mares?"

"These are the infantry we brought. They're the personal guards of Lumia and Kalia so why wouldn't they be mares?"

"I can't integrate them with an all male unit."

A tap on the shoulder had him staring face to face with an irritated looking Celestia.

"Do you have a problem with female assistance Mr. Hexus?

"Not when they're segregated into single sex units no. Problem with mixed units is they tend to form relationships pretty quickly when shit starts going down hill. I don't need a soldiers going mad when their lovers die in front of them."

Kalia stepped in front of the group and said something in her native language, causing nearly a third of the massed mares to step forward.

"These are the ones in relationships with other mares in the unit Hexus. Is it beyond your comprehension that some of your boys might see each other intimately?"

The tell tale throb of pain signaled the oncoming migraine. He wondered when everything went from simple bug hunts to convoluted freak mind training and remembered it was his brothers fault. There was a beating in Marks future, even if it meant possibly getting his brain fried.

Pointing to one of the massed mares and gesturing her forward brought the first volunteer.

"Hexus, my husband and I have already selected the best candidates..."

His nerve broke when he detected that same arrogance her damn friend had, and in an instant he was bent over and in the mares face.

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHO WAS PICKED! SHE GOES FIRST AND IF SHE DIES YOU CAN ORDER THE REST OF THEM OFF THE FUCKING CLIFF SIDE"

So maybe he was a little pissed off with the political and ethical game they had been playing all morning. There was a time in his life when he would have gladly debated the issues, but that was years ago and thousands of people dying around him since. The anger he could see on his selected mare's face only added more fuel to his own aggression.

"Whatever the fuck your name is, cast the spell."

Another few lines of foreign language from Kalia had the mares horn glowing, and after a few seconds pause he could feel a tingling along his scalp and a very irritated presence. Mia was her name, and even though her thoughts came in that strange language he could understand them. He understood what she was saying out loud from the link, and as he slipped into the machine he didn't feel the slightest bit sorry for her terror after being called a sexist prick.

She was recoiling from him, her mind was trying desperately to sever their link but Hex used the machine to draw her further in and forced her to recall a very specific memory. During an assault on a hive cluster one of the men in his unit had developed some very personal feelings for the medic that was attached to them. He felt a memory of her own surface, one of another mare who she shared such intimate affections for. It made his example all the more horrifying when a hydralisk tore into the medic, and impaled her over and over again as she screamed through the radio and thrashed on the ground.

He recalled turning towards her lover, and hearing his voice over the comms as he began to whimper and cry. Before he could stop the man a grenade was already primed in his hand, and with a scream he threw the weapon straight for their commanding officer who had his back turned to them. The explosion killed him and another marine, leaving their platoon without command. Hex drew his guass pistol and ended the still screaming individuals life. He spoke to her through the machines cold presence, welcoming its lack of emotion and watching the mare in front of him weep as her body quaked.

"Many will die in the warfare to come, and three soldiers died for something as ignorant as love. He was arguing with the commander before the mission began, and blamed him for her death. Another died simply from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and we lost three soldiers who could have prevented many more deaths. This is why I do not mix my units. What purpose will you serve if your lover dies?"

Mia was shaking and crying when she babbled her reply, still in her native language but perfectly understood while she remained within his mind.

"We won't fail you. Our lives are yours to use till death takes us. We will not fail you."

"Then let us test your resolve."

Turning back to the gathered infantry he yelled for twenty of the mares to stand in the more open part of the courtyard.

"DEFEND YOURSELVES AS IF YOUR LIVES DEPENDED UPON IT!"

Turning back to Mia, Hex dragged her into the comfortingly cold embrace of the machine. Her breathing went back to normal and the tears stopped flowing down her cheeks as a neutral expression dominated her face.

"Tear them apart, but leave them alive."

The twenty mares were still staring at him when Mia vanished, and shock replaced their angry glares when the mare teleported into the middle of them and cast her first spell. Lightning arched between them, causing some to thrash violently as a few cast spells to ward off the effects. Mia vanished again only to appear beside one of the few still remaining upright. Smashing her right hoof into the half stunned mares jaw she moved on to the others before the limp body could come to a rest.

Mia worked just as well under the machine as he always had, and while he didn't know the details of the spells she used or how she was selecting targets the mare would have turned it into a slaughter if ordered to do so. When none of them remained she stood over one limp form and asked for release. It was her lover, partially burned but still alive and he could sense her mind trying desperately to feel something.

The machine didn't allow emotions to interfere, and he wondered if she would have acted differently if it hadn't been designed in such a way. He turned to the other gathered mares who were staring at the scene with shock and confusion.

"Treat the injured and return here tomorrow. That will be all for today."

He allowed Mia to terminate the spell, and the mare broke down crying again beside her lover, babbling in her native tongue once more. Mark patted him on the back and smiled before speaking.

"Not bad brother. Should have to worry to much about the zerg if all of them can manage to do that."

"Mia nearly broke under that spell Mark. We still don't know what will happen when one does."

"We just have to hope for the best Hex. At least smile a little, today was a success."

"A success at what? They will all be fucked up by the time this is over."

"A sacrifice that has to be made. Trade a few for the many brother, it is always better that way."

"And deal with the fact that its my fault when they get messed up."

Turning away and ignoring everything else being asked or said behind him Hex took a direction and kept going until he was alone with his thoughts.