Chapter 11
the beast inside

The mood of the stone prison was stoic. Everyone in the room felt nothing but anticipation as they readied themselves for the forthcoming fight. Princess Luna sat, staring at the curdled blood and corroded frame of the deceased bug. The humans sat in silence cleaning their rifles. The silence permeated the room for an unknown amount of time before a voice broke through.

“Luna, what’s the situation on the castle? Is it close quarters?” Nate asked inquisitively While reaching for a hard bristle brush to clean his rifle barrels.

“It’s mostly tight hallways with a wide room at each new connection. There’s two throne rooms as well as a dungeon. There are many closets such as this scattered throughout as well. There are two dining halls and kitchens as well as a central courtyard and a large garden behind the castle.” Luna said with glossy eyes.

“Hamus.” Nate said while reaching into his bag. “SitRep says tight quarters and long Field Of Fire zones. These should help us a bit.” He pulled out a short barreled Remington 870 shotgun. This shotgun had a pistol grip and a collapsible stock, as well as iron sights instead of a bead.

“Where the fuck did you get that?” Mike said as he grabbed the shotgun and worked the pump. The noise was enough to break Luna of her stupor and draw her over.

“They were in a weapons cache from the building we cleared before coming here. I nabbed these and a few short barreled rifles and pistols. I grabbed some ammo too, not much though.” Nate said as he tossed two boxes of twelve-gauge shells at Mike. “You only got two boxes, as do I. Make em count.”

“What are these fire spitting weapons?” Luna asked from the side. Nate and Mike stared at her for a moment before Nate beckoned her over.

“This is a Remington 870. It’s a twelve-gauge pump-action shotgun. That means that every time I shoot it I need to rack the slide.” Nate said while giving a forceful pump to the gun, loading a shell at the same time. “It shoots out...Well...Whatever I put in it really. All I have now is buckshot, basically a few large balls that spread out the further they go. It has one hell of a punch to it. I've never seen anything live through a shot from one of these.” Nate said as he topped off his magazine and laid it on the cold stone beside him.

He rummaged through his bag and looked through his collection. He picked up several Beretta pistols and even a few HK pistols. At the very bottom he found something interesting.

“When did I pick this fucker up?” Out from his bag he produced a Colt Single Action Army revolver. After a minute of searching he found he had no ammo for it. He checked the cylinder of the revolver and found 5 rounds in it.

“Why the hell would you grab that?” Mike asked from the side. Nate looked at him a bit worriedly.

“I didn't. There wasn't a single revolver in that stockpile. Let alone one this...old. I don’t even have any ammo for it aside from what’s in it.” This drew strange looks from Mike who laughed it off.

“Maybe Echo put it in there. Perhaps in case shit went sideways.” Nate laughed worriedly at that, acting like Mike was right. Even though he knew there wasn't a pistol like this in their camp.

“So, any idea where they’d be keeping Celestia?” Nate asked to change the subject. The mood dropped back to the solemn tension it once was.

“I would think that she’s be captive in the throne room. It’s one of the most defensible points of the castle and it’s the middle-most room.” Luna said thoughtfully. Nate looked to Mike and they nodded.

“Then that’s where we’ll go. Gear up, we’re moving.” Mike said as he slung his rifle across his back and grabbed his shotgun. He moved toward the door and aimed it at the door. Nate slung his rifle and ran up to the right side of the door. Luna ran behind Mike and waited.

“What am I to do?” She asked almost eagerly.

“Stay behind us and stick to cover. We can’t risk you getting hurt during this. If your sister is...Unfit to lead then you’re country will need you.” Nate said as he swung the door open wide. A changeling revealed itself from behind the door and turned itself towards the disturbance. One thunderous bang and a meaty thump later the now headless changeling fell to the stone floor below.

“Move up. Get covering fire set up. Don’t die.” Nate said sarcastically as Mike ran through the door. Nate popped around the door frame and moved along the right wall while Mike moved by the left. Luna moved herself behind Nate and matched his speed. She had to break into a heavy trot to keep up with the humans. Halfway down the hallway three changelings flew around the corner and hissed at the humans. Two shots later and two of them were dead with one missing a wing. Moving up the hallway, Nate ripped his pistol from his holster and planted a bullet deep into the Changelings skull as he passed.

“Luna, which way we going here?” Mike asked as he cleared the hallway behind Nate. Nate quietly doing the same.

“Right. Go right.” She panted out as she crested the corner behind the humans. As soon as she gave the direction both her escorts bolted down the hallway. During their run, they passed by several empty corridors and closed doors. Curiosity told them to check the closed rooms but their focus on the mission said otherwise. “LEFT! FIRST DOOR ON THE RIGHT!” Luna shouted from behind the group. The humans never broke stride nor speed as they turned the corner.

“Right, what’s the inside of this room like?” Nate asked as he reloaded his weapons. He moved his rifle so it dangled at his side for easy access.

“Long, open, straight.” Luna panted out as she caught her breath. Nate looked to Mike and stacked up on the door. Mike shook his fist three times and on the third he turned on a heel and brought his boot to the door. With a nasty snap from the wood the two men swept through the room.

“My god…”

Luna

All through the throne room lay the mess of the Changelings. Their goo and slime holding hundreds of ponies to their doom. Chancing a glance to the throne, I found my sister deep within an egg. The look of pain on her face said more than words ever could. Chrysalis was nowhere to be found.

“What the fuck…” I heard Umbra whisper as he dropped his weapon to his waist.

“This…” I said as I step forward. “...Is what the changelings do. All these ponies are feeding their queen. After all their love is gone, they will be eaten. We need to free them if we are to have a chance at winning.” The two humans looked on with...Unknown looks. I could never put into words what their looks described. It was a glare so baleful that it seemed to resonate heat. But their faces were near stoic. I had never seen a glare that hate-filled...

“How do we get them out?” Hamus asked angrily. His voice was much like an animals growl.

“Magic is the best way. I can get them out but it will take time.” I said as I focused my charge on a group of ponies close to me. I saw the humans wander up to the throne before closing my eyes in concentration.

Nate

Mike and I walked up through the coagulation of ponies and ascended the staircase to the throne. It’s usual ornate carvings were filled with the same green goop. The lush designer cushions were tattered and soaked. And the red colored rug was covered in a sickly green sludge that came halfway up our boots. With each step a disgusting squelch emanated from our boots.

“So...Is this the real one?” Mike asked jokingly. I tried to laugh but even I wasn't sure.

“One way to find out.” I said as I pulled my knife from it’s sheath. The blade seemed to shine as it stay before the egg. With a grunt, I pushed it deep within the eggs and sawed my way through. With the rumble of escaping air and a mighty wet slurp; Celestia fell before us.

“Hamus, stay with her. I need to go see if I can find our...Host.” I said as I sheathed my knife and raised my shotgun. I looked over my ammo count and was disturbingly low. I needed to make every shot count. I started to walk away, out of the sludge. The clacking of my boots echoed through the cold and lifeless room.

“Umbra…” I heard from behind me. I turned my head just enough to hear what Luna needed to say. “Chrysalis is strong. Especially now that she’s feeding off of all of these ponies. I fear you won’t be able to stop her…”

My face fell as I heard this. I couldn't fathom how strong this pony was. But standing and worrying never solved anything…

“You don’t need worry about me. I don’t expect to win.” I said ominously as I walked off through the single doorway behind the throne. I didn't need to look back to see the confusion on Luna’s face. And didn't need my microphone to know Mike was chuckling.

“Always with the riddles. Best of luck brother.”

2 hours later:

After checking what seemed like the thousandth corner I still had no clue where to find this bitch of a leader. The only way I knew where I haven’t been has been the footprints I left in the endless amounts of goo. I heard a gasp and a subdued smash of glass to my right.

’fucking finally’ I thought to myself. I hurried to the source of the noise. It came from behind a massive wooden door. The old iron supports seemed to rust away and the handle looked broken. I tried to pull it open only to have the handle snap off.

“Fuck...Looks like it’s a push.” I let out a loud grunt as I planted my foot solidly into the door. the rusted metal vibrated and cracked loudly. Another kick sealed the fate of the door as it snapped off the hinge and fell down a large flight of stairs. The echo of old wood sliding down smooth stone reverberated up the stairwell. Whatever was down there knows I’m coming. Looking to my right, I saw an unlit torch hanging on the wall. I grabbed it and used some matches from my bag to light it. Descending down into the the Dark abyss the first thing I noticed was that it smelled of cordite and sulfur. I could hear the crackling of wood and the splashes of goo splattering. The flames licked at the walls as I continued my descent. I let my shotgun hang from the sling across my chest and drew my pistol.

“Why the fuck didn't I think of bringing a flashlight…” My voice echoed down the stairwell and before long I could see the hard cracked floor and the detached door. I silently snuck down the stairwell with my pistol raised. The first thing I saw when I glanced in the room was a hell of a lot of goo. More so than in the throne room. The second thing I noticed was a very, VERY large bug creature. Without thinking I dropped the torch and holstered my pistol while bringing up my RFB. The torch seemed to melt through the goo and once it became submerged, it extinguished.

“Hmhmhmhm, did you really think you can beat me in the darkness, Creature?” A cold, drawn out voice asked. Whatever this thing was, it was trying to mess with me.

“Not when I don’t need to.” I said as I pulled out an old, heavily used pack of matches and struck one. The light was small but it didn't take long to find my target. I threw the match onto one of the barrels of sulfur and the slow forming ball of liquid fire made enough light to see most of the room. I raised my rifle and looked around for the creature. The constant laughing seemed to pulsate around me. It didn't allow me to get a bead on where exactly this thing was.

“Such a shame you wish to fight me. We could rule this world, you know? Just you and me. Who could oppose us? Not to mention all the gold we would...Acquire.” The voice said as it started giving me an idea.

“Sounds better than living our lives in a forest. What exactly did you have in mind? I said as I lowered my rifle, if this was going to work I’d need to fake it well. The creature laughed ecstatically. I could hear the squishy clopping of hooves as they plodded across the goo.

“So frail, so manipulative, so...Delectable.” The creature said almost divinely.

“Chrysalis, I must ask you something.” I said smartly. The creature stopped in it’s tracks and seemed to lose breath.

“And that would be?” She asked in her usual cold as ice voice.

“Do you know what happens when sulfur and magnesium meet?” I asked almost innocently. It didn't matter if she knew or not, she knew I did. She reeled backwards and went to charge her horn but it was too late. With a twist I drew my pistol and shot some of the stone above the barrel of burning sulfur. I really hoped the stone actually had magnesium in it like castles did back home. With a deafening blast the barrel exploded in a massive wave of fire and heat. Chunks of burning barrel scattered itself around the room. The last thing I remember before passing out is a chunk of the room falling onto me and a large, charred and bleeding creature flying across the room.

The world turned black as I slipped into the divide.

Hamus

It’s been two hours since Nate left and Celestia still hasn't woken. Looking towards Luna I saw...Something inside of her. I would say hope but it seemed more than that. I could have sworn that her eyes fucking sparkled as she pulsed her magic into Celestia. With a choking gasp Celestia awoke. I rushed forward to hold her steady and help her out of the goo.

“Luna? Hamus? Wha-What are you two doing here?” She asked between coughs. Saying she looked terrible would be a compliment. Her mane was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot, she was cut up badly and her normally white coat was a dingy color with a deep green hue to it.

“Long story short, bugs are spreading this goo shit everywhere, stealing ponies, and trying to kill us. Care to explain why?” Hamus summarized as he looked Celestia over one last time to check for any life threatening injuries.

“Changelings?” She asked breathlessly. Her face told the tale of prior engagements with these vermin. “If changelings are attacking then we’re going to need more hel-wait...Where’s Umbra?” Almost on cue, a massive staccato of explosions echoed through the halls. I sprung to my feet and raised my shotgun towards the sound.

“What was that!?” Luna and Celestia shrieked as they too rose to their hooves.

“I believe that was Umbra...God-dammit...You’d better be alright…” I said as I started to run down the endless hallways. the roar of flames and the crackle of stone pinpointed the way. After a few minutes of sprinting I arrived at a charred and destroyed section of the castle. Looking around I saw a large burned...Thing and in the center of the carnage, was Nate.

Without hesitation I ran down the stairs and over to him to check if he was still alive. Thankfully he was, however saying he was fucked up beyond repair would be kind. His body was a deep red from the heat and his clothes were burned harshly. His face on one side had a massive chunk of burnt flesh hanging from it and his right arm looked worse than burnt wood. His left arm was pinned beneath a massive chunk of rock. I immediately pushed the large rock off of his arm and went pale at what I found.

“Fuck me…” I said breathlessly. His right arm was mangled and broken but his left...I feared I wouldn't be able to save it. It was smashed horrifically with a massive pool of blood around it. A grunt from Nate told me he was waking up. It was at this time that the princesses ran over to look at Umbra’s condition and recoiled at the sight of him. After they spit out the rest of their stomachs contents, they rejoined me.

“Fuck…” Nate grumbled out as he tried to hold his wounds, neither arm responded to the command. Pain flashed across his face as I looked to the princesses.

“Please tell me you can do something…” I said in a forlorn panic. I already knew the answer but desperately wanted to be proved wrong.

“I...Maybe? We may be able to save his limbs with the proper help…” Celestia trailed off as she panicked.

“Fuck…” I slouched down and kissed Nate's forehead. “I’m so sorry brother” I said as I reached down and picked him up as gently as I could and placed him on my shoulder. His cries of pain echoed through the destroyed room around us. his blood quickly stained my sleeves as I turned to walk out of the room.

As we entered the hallway, I noticed the black creature was stirring. I walked over to it and kicked it square in the jaw while I yanked up the shotgun with one hand. I placed the barrel straight unto the side of it’s head and fired. Green ichor was sprayed all over the floor as the creature lay limply on the floor. I spit on it’s carcass as I carefully picked up Nate and ran along with the princesses to the nearest occupied hospital.

Omnipresent

Earth

A lone supply truck pulled through the massive gates that made up the military's headquarters in the India district. The guards aimed their weapons at the truck until the driver stepped out of the vehicle and showed himself to the guards. One of the snipers on the wall recognized the man and told the gatekeepers to open the gates.

The rattle and scraping of heavy metal rattled the man's ears. He returned to his truck and drove steadily through the new-found doorway. After a short drive across the opening barracks he arrived at a small building made of salvaged metal and stacked cars. He parked the vehicle and grabbed the large canvas bag beside him.

“Morning Uri.” The man, Uri, heard from behind himself. Knowing who it was without looking he started to smile.

“Morning David” He replied in a thick Russian accent. Uri was one of the few that wanted to come help the United States after “The Event”. The heavy set Ukrainian man turned and hurled the large bag towards the skinny male behind him.

“Nice haul Uri, this should keep us fed for a few days at least.” The man said happily as he dug through the bag full of canned foods. “Boss Man wanted to see you by the way. Better not keep him waiting.” The man replied as he slunk back into his small metal hut.

Uri always hated going to see the Boss The spineless coward has never done anything for himself or his comrades. The way his small face just seemed to leak out lies and hate for everything made Uri wonder if he could make a basketball out of it. But none the less, he walked towards the command tent.

The guards out front smiled at Uri as he arrived and moved enough for the large man to pass.

“Have fun.” He heard one of the guards whisper as he passed, earning a grunt for his effort. Inside the small olive colored tent sat a lone desk with two chairs and a few books scattered about the floor. There was a small laptop in front of a scraggly looking man. He looked up over his small framed glasses and stared into Uri’s deep amber eyes.

“Sergeant Thorne. You wanted to see me?” Uri said as he stood ramrod straight in front of the man's desk.

“Uri. Sit.” The man commanded in an unsettlingly deep voice. With a sigh he removed his glasses and dragged his small tan hands over his face before settling his icy blue eyes on the man in front of him.

Uri sat in a dilapidated wooden chair causing the chair to scream in protest at the large tanned man. “Uri, care to tell me why you haven’t been meeting the quota?” The man said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“We've stayed in this location long enough that it’s getting much harder to find things worth scavenging. I recommend we either open trade routes or move locations.” The man stoically replied.

“Uri, I didn't ask for your opinion on the situation of our base! I asked why your dumb ass can’t do something as simple as finding food! You have until the end of today to bring back forty pounds of food or don’t bother returning.” Uri gawked at the number bestowed upon him. The sergeant was asking for a week of scavenging in mere hours!

“There’s no way that could happen! Is impossible!” The Ukrainian man shouted in protest, letting his accent soak through. But Thorne wasn't in the mood for this at the moment.

“Get the fuck out there and scavenge! Take a group from the reserves and go!” The sergeant screamed as he rose from his chair and stared down the large man. Uri toyed with the thought of crushing his face with his boot before silently turning and walking out of the building.

He walked towards the local Garrison and threw open the door hard enough to slam the handle through the wall on the other end. everyone stopped to see what commotion was going on when they spotted the huge man. He silently walked over to his locker and strapped on his gear. Large reinforced plates rested snugly over his body as heavy mesh coverings took the space under the armor.

He looked like the Middle Ages and the Present collided in an arms race. He grabbed his helmet which covered everything down to his shoulders. He was not sure what it was made of but it proved itself in combat. The metal helmet bent in all the places it needed to for full maneuverability and still held up to anything short of a .50 caliber armor piercing round. The helmet had no viewpoint to see from. Instead the man saw out from a large screen that encompassed all of the front and sides of the helmet. From what he could tell, there must have been thousands of microscopic cameras on the helmet. The armor was standard issue for a Spartan but his weapon was not.

“What’s got you getting geared up, Uri?” One of the men asked from behind. He sounded overly cautious, almost as if Uri was a wild animal. The hellish man turned towards the group and selected a handful at random.

“You five! Gear up, we’re going on a raid.” Was all the man said before turning to his locker. Inside was what appeared to be a massive metal square. With a guttural grunt the man lifted it onto his back, letting the armors exoskeleton take all the weight off of him. He grasped hold of a small black handle on the side of the case and tugged it out causing a band to fall from the bottom of the case. inside the band he could see rows and rows of bullets. Only one came out at any given time but the band itself held five rows that all fed into the single opening.

The man returned to his locker and picked up the custom made cannon. the large frame weapon took all of his strength to pick up. He pulled out a thick piece of metal from the side of his armor and placed it below the weapon and into a slot on the underside of it. releasing the gun, he found that it stayed in the position he left it in. grunting in satisfaction he grabbed the massive band and clipped it onto the side of the massive weapon. Pulling back the charging handle, the massive 20mm rounds Fed through the belt and into the weapon. He grabbed the weapon and found it floated around smoothly. He placed it in a low ready position and waited for the rest of his team to finish gearing up.

The man stoically watched as the men ran about and grabbed armor and rifles alike. Once he saw the last of his impromptu squad put on the last of his armor he started towards the door.

“Alright. Let’s move.” Was all he said as he walked out into the night. The men mumbled out affirmations and followed the brute of a man.

Time seemed to crawl by as the men stalked their way through the night. The sound of crumbling concrete and squealing metals were their music as they walked through the destroyed landscape. There was what appeared to them as a large forest ahead. They heard rumors that it was the last bastion for the Rebels, none had yet to guess why they never attacked. Veering off from the forest, they tracked a small stream.

Uri

All this water is really starting to piss me off...We have only been following this steam for a mile and the constant splashing and bitching of these “Men” is enough to drive anyone insane!

“Something feels wrong here…” One of the soldiers forebodingly warned. I have yet to learn this little shits name. Jacob? Jacky? Jock? Fuck it, I doubt he’ll live long enough for it to matter anyway.

“You've been saying that for the past 500 meters. Care to explain more?” I asked sarcastically. However, this little spitfuck jumped at the opportunity to gripe to whoever would listen.

“Well...It’s that type of feeling that makes your hair stand on end. Like how you’d react if you were being hunted.”

“Son...That is the stupidest thing I've heard today.” I said dumbfounded. How could one man hold this much stupidity!? We continued on until we came across an old house. It had some long dead soldiers in front of it showing that the Rebels were still very much active.

“Snipers...Clean holes right through their heads. I bet there’s more inside too…” One of the soldiers said solemnly. I grunted and walked as gracefully as a treant to the front door of the building before kicking it clear off it’s hinges. The scraping of metal on concrete reverberated throughout the halls.

The first thing I noticed was two more dead soldiers laying by a snuffed out fireplace. The second thing was a few small crates of assorted weaponry. It looked brand new, like they haven’t been in a crate for over forty years. I walked forward and looked at the crates before picking them up and handing them to my followers.

“Why do we have to carry everything again…” I heard one of the men complain. Ignoring it, I motioned for them to be silent and follow me. We cleared the rest of the building finding a few strange scorch marks of the floor and another dead body. We returned to the main room of the building and looked around for anything useful.

“Ugh! It reeks in here!” Someone shouted while doing some mix of blowing his nose and inhaling violently. I looked on in curiosity as the rest of the men started acting strangely as well.

“I’m gonna be sick…”

“Agh! My head!”

“Aah!”

“We gotta get outta here!” As much as I agreed with that last statement, we had a job to do. I opened my mouth to say something to the men but was quickly interrupted by a deafening clap of thunder. I looked to the ceiling to silently curse the sudden storm but was blinded by a flash of light. I looked on as one by one, the men disappeared in blinding green light. I cursed my luck just in time to see one last flash.

Time stood still but for a moment as I looked on at the creature in front of me. It’s large bloody fangs dripped with anticipation as it watched me. It’s blood red eyes stared on with cat like pupils. It seemed to stare deep into my soul as it blinked. It’s eyelids moved much like a lizards, moving sideways to close. It raised its front claws off the floor and let loose the most guttural roar I've ever heard. I raised my weapon to it and readied myself.

“Yekani, isilo. Lolu kuzakuba ukuphela kwakho. Buyahamba, ingane yami yesono. Phakamisa amafulegi zami black of inzondo kulabo kwangenza bakhothamele okufunwa yibo labaprofethi bamanga..” The beast echoed through my mind. I couldn't understand what it said. But I felt it was important.

With a flash, I disappeared along with the beast.

Author's Note

What's this? A new chapter? Yes folks, it's true. A new chapter of my once dead fic is out! I mean, I had to rethink the premise for the entire chapter like a BILLION times! But...It's done!

Tell me what Y'all think! I do hope this chapter is up to snuff with my others, if not better! Enjoy!

And here's a translation of that last line since Google Translate is so damn awful:

"Stop, beast. This will be your end. Go, my child of sin. Raise my black flags of hatred for those who made me bow down to their bidding and false prophets."