The Dissonant Infection

Twilight had wanted to do this as quickly and cleanly as possible. Get in, report to Grim Fetlock, slip away to search the labs at the first opportunity. That had been the idea, but things hadn't quite gone to plan. In hindsight, returning to base with two missing Special Ops agents was bad, but what else could they have done? They couldn't exactly take the two extras back with them, nor could the girls just leave them alone.

Twilight supposed they could've found a way to knock them out, dragged them along and made an excuse, but that would've caused its own problems later down the line. Well, that's what Twilight told herself, but in reality, she'd just given in to her newfound bloodlust. They all had—her, Pinkie, and Fluttershy—but there was no use worrying about that now. What was done, was done. That wasn't the real issue, though.

No, the real issue here was the fact that neither Twilight nor the others had thought to radio in ahead of time. They'd all consumed the brainwashed soldiers. They knew their helmets came equipped with magical communication sigils. They knew the protocol. Twilight herself likely could've come up with a believable excuse and save them all the headache that had been their most recent situation.

Twilight just... hadn't thought of it. There'd been other things to think about. The knowledge had gotten lost amidst the roiling sea of Radiant Ruby's memories. Her mind was too focused on what to do once they all made it inside. She'd wanted to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible, and hadn't given a single thought to making preparations beforehoof. In short, it was simply a massive blunder on her part. An inexcusable oversight—or, at least, that's how she saw it.

Regardless, it was too late for regrets now. The planned hadn't worked out the way Twilight had hoped, but as her brother had told her once long ago during a particularly intense game of Ogres and Oubliettes, “no plan survives contact with the enemy”. She'd hoped to head straight to Sergeant Fetlock, but another pony found them instead. The trio had barely gotten a good look at the ruin they'd left behind before their way to the nearby military base was barred.

A burnt yellow unicorn mare in a black and grey double-breasted suit approached the veiled viruses. The combination of her purposeful stride and the two heavily armed Crystal Guards flanking her told Twilight the unicorn was going to be trouble. The mare had a short and snowy, windswept mane and a disconcerting smile that seemed permanently fixed to her face. Her bright orange eyes seemed to pierce right through Twilight, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

The unicorn had introduced herself as Sunny Shores, and she'd started asking some very pointed questions the moment she reached Twilight and the others. Caught on the backhoof by the mare's appearance and forwardness, Twilight hadn't been able to answer those questions to Sunny Shores' satisfaction. What followed was a polite but clearly non-negotiable command to follow the mare to the holding cells beneath the military base.

Given there were soldiers and researchers all over the place, Twilight opted to keep her mouth shut and follow along. Thankfully, there was no need to urge her friends to do the same. They were all on the same page and that made things a little easier. Searching the memories of her victim, Twilight recalled the role Sunny Shores played in this operation. She recalled what kind of pony the mare was, and was confident she and the other two could get out of this mess if it was just the intelligence officer and the two guards.

They just had to wait for the right moment.

The officer sent a guard patrolling nearby to inform Sergeant Fetlock of the situation before leading Twilight and the others to the cells. Twilight wasn't sure if this would lead to further trouble or not. The info she'd acquired about the thestral stallion didn't exactly paint a clear picture of how he'd react to Sunny's suspicions. From what she could tell, Fetlock didn't exactly bother to communicate with his team outside of giving direct orders, so the viral unicorn had no real read on his personality or triggers.

What she did know was that the thestral sergeant was sporting some very interesting magic based technology. Unfortunately, there was only one instance she could find in Radiant Ruby's memories where Fetlock used the arcane device. Given how much power he'd displayed then, Twilight quickly decided that it'd be best if they escaped before Sergeant Fetlock arrived.

And so it was that Twilight put her very much off-the-cuff plan into action. Sunny Shores had intended to imprison and interrogate the three suspicious operatives on what actually happened at the lab's borders. She and her two guards only got as far as shepherding them into a cell before the viruses struck. Taking a chance, Twilight dropped her disguise and rounded on the unsuspecting mare just before she had a chance to shut the cell door.

What followed next would have been a bloodbath had Twilight not remembered the old adage of discretion being the better part of valor. Capitalizing on the intelligence officer's shock and horror, Twilight consumed the mare whole, making sure not to leave a trace of her behind. Pinkie and Fluttershy, not having realized what Twilight meant to do, hesitated for a moment, surprised at their friend's sudden and violent actions.

Twilight, now giddy from the euphoria of her kill, didn't give either her friends or the startled guards a chance to recover. Even as she continued to break Sunny Shores' corpse down into more biomass, she used her virally enhance magic to keep the two Crystal Guards restrained and silent. One guard tried to bite down on the mouth trigger connected to the twin gun barrels on either side of his hazmat suit.

It was a valiant effort, and he'd almost managed the feat, but the ebony aura of Twilight's magic clamped down on his jaw along with the rest of his body, freezing the terrified stallion in place before he could exert any pressure on the trigger. Neither Twilight nor her friends had ever seen a contraption like the one the guards were wearing. During their initial escape from the labs, the only ones they'd seen using firearms were the griffons.

The ponies in the mix had used a mix of melee weapons and—in the case of unicorns—battle spells. That said, thanks to all the ponies and griffons the girls had consumed, they at least knew of the gun saddles. Even in her violence induced haze of euphoria, Twilight could recognize and appreciate just how far technology had come, even if they were tools of war. Of course, that didn't mean she'd stop to admire the complex machine.

No, she had other tasks to take care of, and so did her friends. With that in mind, she made to tell the others to consume the two guards, but found the action unnecessary. Twilight had barely opened her mouth when a horrifying amalgam of teeth and tendrils blurred past her and fell upon one of the guards. The poor stallion was unable to even scream as he was eaten alive by a monster beyond his understanding.

Fluttershy wasn't far behind Pinkie. The bestial mare leapt forward with a vicious snarl before tearing into her own victim. While Pinkie was quick to follow Twilight example, leaving no trace of the guard himself, she found she couldn't consume the gun saddle. Fluttershy, unfortunately, had no qualms about leaving behind a bloody mess. While she did consume the stallion, she too had to leave the gun saddle behind.

The bloodshed was explosive and visceral, but lasted only a dozen or seconds before it was over. Once that was done—and once Fluttershy's battle rage had subsided—Twilight wasted no time in snapping out orders like the sergeant she came to report to. Trusting Twilight not to lead them astray, Pinkie and Fluttershy obeyed without question. There was simply no time for lingering doubts and hesitation.

In a matter of moments, the two had taken up the guise of the Crystal Guards they'd consumed. Thankfully, the bulky weapons had come out of the brief but brutal assault relatively unscathed. With newfound knowledge on how to attach and operate the gun saddles, mounting the weapons was a quick process. It was around that time that Fluttershy's unique viral sense warned her of a potential enemy headed their way.

“Are you sure they're coming this way specifically?” Twilight asked, inwardly cursing as she tried to think of an exit strategy, “I saw a few different halls on the way here. Is there any chance—”

“I don't think so,” Fluttershy interjected with a shake of her head, “whoever it is, their approach feels... purposeful somehow. I can't explain it, but they're definitely coming this way.”

“Horse apples,” Twilight muttered as she took in the mess Fluttershy had left behind, “how long until they get here do you think?”

“Not long,” Fluttershy replied with a worried grimace, “a minute, maybe two at most until they reach the hallway. If you have a plan—”

“You two go guard the entrance,” Twilight cut in, speaking quickly as her mind raced. Out of time, she decided to just wing it, “I'll take care of this mess and meet up with you once I'm done here.”

“Are you sure, Twilight?” Pinkie asked uncertainly, “what if—”

“No time to argue!” Twilight snapped, hating how her composure was slipping away, “just.. go! Hurry!”

Fluttershy and Pinkie gave each other one last glance before rushing back to the stairs leading out of the room. Twilight paid them no more heed as she focused on the bloody remains before her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Twilight distantly recalled a certain spell she knew. It was a cleansing spell she hadn't used in some time. In her panic, she struggled to remember how to cast it, but thankfully realized she might not have to.

Acting on a hunch, Twilight lit up her horn and swept a wave of raw mana, unfiltered by any spells, over the bloodstains. As she cast her magic over the mess, she focused on the same viral instincts she used to change her body. She focused on the desire to consume, to adapt, to survive. It took a long, heart-pounding moment, but just as she'd hoped, her pathogen ridden mana absorbed the blood like a sponge wherever it landed, leaving the floor spotless in seconds.

Twilight's relief and excitement in confirming a suspicion about her altered mana were both short-lived as a distant voice reached her ears. Upstairs, beyond the door to the holding cells, she heard a stallion's voice, one she recognized from stolen memories. Mere seconds after what sounded like a vague acknowledgement of the guards outside—Fluttershy and Pinkie—Twilight heard a door creak open and hoofsteps heading down the stairs soon after.

Grim Fetlock had arrived, and Twilight was completely exposed.

The room wasn't all the large, but it did consist of a row of three aisles. Before that, there was a small warden's office you had to go around to get to the rows of holding cells. This thankfully meant that anypony coming down the stairs wouldn't be immediately spotted. Twilight and the other girls had been guided to the central aisle directly behind the office. It was a blessing, but a small one.

Even now, Twilight could hear the stallion moving around the empty office to reach the rows of cells behind it. For one manic moment, Twilight considered throwing all caution to the wind and attacking the stallion. He was alone after all. They might not have a better chance at getting rid of a potential threat. The notion was an enticing one, Twilight thought, but then the reality of her situation slammed back into her.

They were deep within a hostile base of operations and any altercation here might attract the rest of the Crystal Guards stationed here. Maybe Twilight and the others could handle them, but Twilight didn't know for sure how many soldiers there were in total. She didn't want to take the risk when things had just started to go mostly well. Besides that, she didn't know what Fetlock was fully capable of, and that magical implant of his worried her. No, she decided it was best to stay covert for now.

She needed a way to escape unnoticed...

...and realized with a mix of relief, embarrassment, and frustration, that she already had one.

Twilight's body shifted, her form momentarily morphing into a pure black blob of biomass. A second later, the older and slightly taller form of Sunny Shores stood in Twilight's place. The mare cast one final glance around the aisle and, satisfied that everything was in order, lit up her horn once again. Making sure to magically mask all sound within the immediate vicinity, Twilight cast the teleportation spell she'd completely forgotten about in the heat of the moment and vanished with a muted pop.

She reappeared in the hall just outside the room and immediately swept her gaze over the area. It was only once she confirmed she was alone save for her startled friends that she let herself relax. Slightly. They weren't out of the woods yet—far from it. Twilight turned to the only other ponies in the hallway, wondering why they hadn't done more to stall the sergeant but not caring enough to voice her question.

Pinkie opened her mouth, likely to ask what happened, but Twilight didn't give her the chance. With an image of one of the many sterile halls within the large facility in her mind, Twilight's horn flared to life one last time. With another magical pop the three ponies left the military base in a flash of anti-light. A few minutes passed before a troubled Sergeant Fetlock stormed out of the room and back into the now completely empty corridor.

Once he finally took notice of his sudden solitude and the realization set in, the stallion's concerned expression turned thunderous. He wasn't sure how just yet, but Fetlock was certain he'd been had, and he wasn't going to take the matter lying down. Whatever the situation was, he'd figure it out and rectify it—no matter what he had to do.

Elsewhere, within the massive, multistructural facility that was Sky Talon Laboratories, two armed Crystal Guards and an intelligence officer abruptly popped into existence. Unfortunately, their sudden appearance in the middle of a nondescript corridor did not go unnoticed. At the sound of alarmed cries, the intelligence officer turned to find two ponies in dark blue coveralls quickly scrambling away from where she and her escorts now stood.

A quick glance showed the two ponies were unarmed and both their faces were obscured by gas masks. Looking at them, Twilight—disguised as Sunny Shores—realized that, while Pinkie and Fluttershy wore the same coveralls and gas masks, she herself only wore the standard dark blue military blazer of an officer in the Crystal Army. The problem, of course, was the requirement of protective garments while in the facility.

It was yet another blunder, but one that was more or less out of Twilight's hooves at the moment. The disguised mare told herself there wa no need to panic just yet. There was still a chance she could talk her way out of this situation. And if that didn't work, there were... other options. With that thought in mind, Twilight searched her mind for a solution... and then she realized something else.

Why did she have to talk her way out of this? Why not just take the other option?

These two ponies, likely researchers based on their lack of weapons, were the only other creatures in the corridor. If they disappeared, none would be the wiser—at least not for a good while. What's more, they present an easy opportunity not just to gain more information, but to fix Twilight's issue regarding her lack of proper attire for the circumstances.

Consume. Adapt. Survive.

When put into the proper perspective, the solution was simple. There was no need for negotiation—not in this scenario.