Echo Sierra Bravo

Walker scanned the tree line, trying to see through the mud that had splashed up on the windows of the Humvee. Seal was at the wheel, while Celestia and a green Shining Armor were in the back seat. Private Cook manned the .50 turret. As planned, they had left at dawn, but rainstorms had kicked up overnight and as a result, all of the exposed dirt had quickly turned to mud. It was not an issue for the Humvees, but it made it more difficult to watch for hostiles when the window was painted brown, especially since Seal seemed to enjoy ramming through puddles, splashing torrents of mud over the vehicle.

In total they had four vehicles, three Humvees and a Deuce and a half, all loaded down with men and arms. Walker wanted to be prepared, so each man was practically carrying his weight in ammunition, along with several spare crates loaded into each vehicle. He looked over his shoulder with an amused smirk at the sight of Shining Armor straddling one such crate. Due to their size and non-bipedal nature, the ponies had to make a real effort to fit into the Humvees. Celestia had insisted, however, that they go in the smaller vehicles, citing that they could squeeze in to allow the humans more comfortable seating in the Deuce. Walker had agreed for only two reasons, the first being that she was right. He had at least three men in the Deuce carrying heavy weapons, with at least one SAW and pair of M240 medium machine guns. Saddled with that, plus rifles and all of the associated ammunition, the men were large and heavy. Even now he could practically hear the Deuce sliding around in the mud, straining as they climbed the last hill to Overlord’s position.

The second reason was a bit more personal though. Because of her taller stature, along with her armor and fluffy wings, Celestia had managed to pack into the Humvee, with the effect of looking like a giant gold and white chicken, with feathers sticking every which way. Though nobody dared to laugh out loud to her face, all of the humans had shared looks and grins at the sight, and Walker had been one of them. His only regret was that he was seated directly in front of her, so every once in a while, he would receive a kick to the back of the head as her limbs shifted with the vehicle. After the third apology, Walker had simply tried to shift closer to Seal to avoid the swinging hoof. It was partially successful, in the way that she no longer kicked the back of his helmet, but his shoulder instead.

Seal grinned and revved the gas as he sped over a large bump. Walker glared at the man as the hoof drilled his shoulder particularly hard, definitely leaving a bruise this time. Celestia apologized, while Seal cast a glance over at Walker, that smile on his face.

“Sorry Colonel! You know how the roads out here are,” he laughed.

Walker rolled his tongue inside his cheek.

“Sure Captain, the roads,” he said sarcastically. Seal laughed again.

They finally reached the top of the hill, and the trees opened up, exposing a series of tents and walls surrounding a squat grey building. Walker tapped Seal on the shoulder and pointed to what looked like a guard station.

“Stop us right there, we’ll look around on foot.”

Seal nodded and his smile was quickly replaced by the steely demeanor of a Delta operator. He drove carefully now, his eyes scanning back and forth as it took in information. Seal drove to within a few feet of the guard post before stopping. He was out the door in a flash, giving directions to the rest of the vehicles. As Walker shoved the mud crusted door open, the vehicles formed a circle, and men began pouring forth, their weapons up as they scanned and set a perimeter. Walker slid his rifle strap on his shoulder and yanked roughly on the passenger door.

Celestia smiled, her face clearly giving away her embarrassment. Her legs were tightly packed against her chest, so much so that she unable to get out on her own. Walker smiled and offered his gloved hand.

“Need some help?”

She looked away, her face turning red. She accepted the hand however, and Walker pulled, forcefully enough to get her dislodged, but not hard enough to yank her into the mud. She slowly climbed out of the Humvee, trying to maintain her dignity, until a spot of mud dropped from the door and down her neck. She yelped and shoved Walker over, sending the man into the mud.

He could feel the mud sliding down the neck of his uniform, all cold and wet. He was lucky though, his rifle ended up on his chest and remained clean. Celestia gasped and she grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet.

“I am so sorry Cornelius! I was just surprised, and I moved forward and…”

Walker wiped away at the mud on his hands. He grimaced when it didn’t help. He squinted at Celestia as wiped the filthy hands on his relatively clean pants. She met his eye, but was clearly embarrassed about the situation.

“It’s fine Celestia, no harm no foul. Some people think mud is relaxing.”

“Are you one of those people Cornelius?” she asked.

Walker laughed and shook his head.

“No, I am not.”

Her face fell slightly as he laughed, but Walker saw a trace of a smile. He slid off his rifle and shouldered it. Walker found Seal looking at him, a small grin on his face.

“Something you need Captain?” Walker asked, his voice filled with faux force. Seal shook his head.

“No sir. Just seeing how a professional diplomat does it.”

Walker nodded toward the building.

“Get to work Captain, make sure we’re clear out here.”

Seal’s grin broadened.

“Sure, thing Colonel.”

He waved his team forward and they began to comb through the abandoned position. Walker looked to Celestia, who was still blushing faintly. He waved her closer.

“Come on, let’s start looking.”

She nodded silently and followed Walker as he hopped over a stack of sandbags. They had agreed beforehand that Walker would call the shots, with Seal as his immediate second and Celestia as the third in command. Seal had offered the second position to her, but she declined, stating that it was their mission, she was merely there to help.

Captain Armor slipped around the Humvees, quickly falling in beside Celestia. The slightly nervous, easy to embarrass demeanor was gone, replaced with unbridled confidence and awareness, surprising Walker. He was used to Shining Armor being a bit bashful, but in the field he was clearly a soldier, his movements precise and with intention.

The trio moved around the position as Walker’s men combed through the mud, looking for signs of life, or barring that, a struggle. The radio in his ear spoke up.

“Colonel, I’ve got bullet casings and weapons over here.” Seal said. Walker looked around, found the man standing near a stack of sandbags with a machine gun mounted over them.

“Any blood?” Walker replied.

“Negative, no blood, no goo, nothing. Just casings and dropped firearms.”

Walker scanned the ground, his eyes drifting up to the building to their front. It was slowly becoming more imposing, a silent bastion that almost definitely held the enemy, and Walker knew that they would have to enter it at some point.

“Check if the weapons are empty.” Walker said. “If they aren’t, strip them down and load them on the Deuce, no point in leaving them behind.”

He received two clicks in affirmation, and then the radio fell silent once more. Walker ran his boot through the mud, searching through each puddle and pile for anything. Like Seal, he ended up finding only bullet casings. No blood, no changeling goo, or even any bits of meat. Any of that would indicate that a fight had happened, but as it stood the weapons had just been fired, it appeared at nothing.

Walker slid his rifle over his shoulder and bent down, cracking open an ammo case next to another .50 cal. It was full, not a single belt had been taken out. With a curious expression on his face he checked the gun, dripping with moisture from the rain. He carefully counted the rounds, and found that only seven had been fired. Celestia peaked over his shoulder.

“What are you thinking Cornelius?” she asked.

He didn’t reply. He instead grabbed a fallen rifle, mud clogging its action. That didn’t matter, and Walker removed the magazine, wiping it clean so he could count the ammo left inside. Only seven rounds were gone. He dropped the partially spent magazine into the open ammo box and stood up, his mind working. Into the radio he said;

“Seal I need you to check all the weapons you find, report to me how many rounds are missing.”

He received two clicks in reply again. Celestia had a concerned expression on her face.

“What is it? What does the number seven mean?”

Walker chewed his cheek.

“I don’t know, but both of these weapons only fired seven rounds. One is a semi-automatic, while the other is a machine gun. Even if they fired for the exact same amount of time, they should both have different amounts of ammunition left. Firing seven rounds off is an intentional action.”

Her face shifted, becoming grim with understanding.

“Almost as if they were told to only fire seven rounds.”

“Exactly, and no commander I know would give that an order like that during open conflict.”

The radio crackled and Seal’s voice came over it.

“Colonel I keep finding them with only seven rounds gone. All of them, every single rifle and machine gun; I even found a side arm with seven rounds fired.”

Walker nodded; his theory confirmed. To everyone he said,

“Keep your eyes up and stay in pairs. Something compromised this position without anyone knowing. I think they were controlled into firing seven rounds, almost as if a test of that control. I don’t want the same thing happening here.”

Celestia frowned.

“Perhaps we should withdraw Cornelius. My best ponies have been working on methods to counter changeling mind-control techniques. My helmet, as well as Captain Armor’s have been shielded, but you and your men are exposed.”

Walker shook his head and shouldered his rifle.

“We don’t know if whoever did this is still here. We need to find out so we can take them out. We’ll leave once we find some trace of the command staff.”

She looked like she wanted to protest, but Celestia stayed silent, nodding in agreement. Walker stepped away from the sandbag wall and began walking toward the building. Celestia walked just a bit closer, her eyes scanning the surrounding forest.

As they approached the front doors, Seal and the rest of the men met with them. Everyone had their eyes out and their ears in as Walker began to speak.

“Alright, here’s the play. Seal take your Delta boys around the left side; I’ll go with Princess Celestia and Captain Armor around the right. The rest of you stay here and keep an eye out. Collect all of the weapons and ammunition you can find and load it up. When we return we’ll see about going inside.”

Everyone nodded in response. As they began to move away, Walker added;

“Seal give a whistle when we meet around back. I want to be sure it’s you.”

The man nodded; then he and his men moved off. Walker motioned for Celestia and Armor to follow him. As they approached the corner of the building, Walker held his hand up, peaking his head out around the side. When he saw nothing, he pushed off the wall.

“Come on, let’s take a look.” He said simply.

Walker kept close to the building, staying just far enough away that the tin roof wouldn’t drip on him as he walked. Celestia and Shining Armor followed, though a bit more spread out. All three walked slowly, scanning everything for signs of life, the building, the mud, the trees. All empty. The wind stirred the treetops, a whistling sound rising through the air as it did so. The grey clouds above them shot across the sky. Walker had a strong hunch it would be raining again soon.

“I don’t mean to sound cliché,” Armor said, his nose twitching, “but isn’t it just a bit too quiet out here?”

Walker nodded.

“It is. I haven’t heard anything but us and the wind since we got here. No birds, bugs, woodland creatures. Nothing’s moving out there; like something drove them away.”

Armor shivered.

“It almost feels like the Everfree forest out here, except for the quiet.”

Walker looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in question at Celestia.

“Everfree forest?”

She nodded, her eyes looking at the clouds.

“Yes, the Everfree is an area in Equestria much more consistent with your world than our own. It is a place where no magic can control the weather, and untamed creatures roam its depths. It is a wild and dangerous place.”

Walker chuckled and faced forward once again.

“Wild and dangerous huh? Must be truly horrible to be without magic.”

“I apologize Cornelius, your world is likely beautiful, and humanity seems to do well enough without magic.”

Walker shook his head as he poked a pile of debris apart with his boot.

“No apology needed Celestia, I’d love some magic these days. Make it sunny and a nice 74 degrees with no humidity. It would be positively peachy. The best weather control we have is to make it rain, and that only works sometimes.”

She looked at him curiously.

“You have methods for weather control?”

Walker shrugged.

“More or less. We’ve gotten really good at predicting it, as long as you don’t listen to the local weatherman. We can tell you almost down to the minute when it’s going to rain and where. That tech is at worst a few years off from being spot on 100% of the time. Actual control of the weather is a bit more… experimental.”

“Fascinating, what technology allows this?” she asked.

“For prediction? A series of advanced satellites and analytic instruments that read the air to find out where moisture is going and which way the wind is blowing. In terms of weather creation, we take either a plane, or in some places an artillery piece and seed clouds to encourage rain. It works sometimes, I’ll give it that.”

Celestia smiled.

“Still, to accomplish even that without some magic is unheard of in Equestria. Humanity must be quite innovative if it can do such wonders.”

Walker shrugged, his eyes drifting to the approaching corner of the building.

“Sometimes it pays to be the smartest guy in the room. As a species, we are an awful competitive bunch.”

He raised his rifle to is shoulder and the three slowed as they approached it. In a repeat of the first corner, Walker hugged close to the wall before poking his head around. He saw a group of men walking and gave them a whistle. Seal whistled in return and waved. Walker gave him a thumbs up before turning on his radio.

“Alright, rally around front. Let’s see about going inside.”

Walker dipped back from the corner and the three repeated their walk, remaining in silence on the way back to the front of the building. As they turned the corner and the vehicles came back into view, Celestia asked;

“Cornelius, if you don’t mind me asking, is it common to know so much about weather prediction?”

“Nope.” Walker said simply.

His men had finished assembling all of the arms and ammunition into the Deuce and now they were all waiting in front of the double doors that made up the building entrance.

“I thought not. Did you do something before your military career?” Celestia asked.

Walker shook his head.

“Not really. I wanted to be a meteorologist when I was a kid. Turns out you need to know a lot of math for the job, so I decided I wanted to be a soldier instead. As it so happens, the US Army requires its officers to be good at math, so it looks like I didn’t dodge that bullet.”

Celestia chuckled.

“No, it would seem that you didn’t. Still, do you regret being a soldier?”

Walker thought for a second, then shook his head.

“No, I don’t think I do. Just like the recruiting posters said, see the world, experience new places. I’ve experienced quite a bit, saw quite a bit too. I liked some countries better than others, though most of them didn’t like us at all. That’s the way of the world, I guess. A guy from one place goes to another and meets a guy who thinks a little different. They either talk it out and separate as friends or start shooting each other. It’s just how it is.”

Walker paused, then turned to Celestia, who was watching him intently.

“Sorry, that got a bit dark. To go back to the original question, no I don’t regret being a soldier. It’s shown me a lot, and it’s helped me make a few new friends along the way,” he finished, inclining his head toward Celestia. She smiled broadly.

“Thank you, Cornelius, I view you as a friend as well. It is funny to think, mere days ago we did not even know each other’s existence, but now we are friends.” Her eyes fell slightly. “If only it were not in such dark circumstances. Who knows how much we could have shared?”

Walker shrugged.

“Probably nothing at all.”

She looked at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. Let’s pretend you just found your way here, or vice versa we found our way to you; do you think an Army captain is going to deal with first contact? Or is it going to be some scientist seeking information, or some bureaucrat seeking diplomatic relations? If our worlds met in a time of peace, we,” he said, pointing a finger between the two of them, “would likely have never met in our lifetimes. I would probably still be in some far-off desert, while you had the pleasure of wining and dining with DC’s political elite.”

Celestia made a face and stuck out her tongue at the thought.

“I do not know much about your political leaders, but they sound much like the snobby nobles that my sister and I must cope with. They are a greedy and corrupt bunch, good for little. If it were not for their place in diplomatic treaties, I suspect we would have unseated them from power long ago.”

Walker scratched his nose and chuckled.

“Yeah that sounds about right. There are a couple good ones though, men and women who actually want to help people and do the job they were elected for. Unfortunately, they are often butted out of real political discussion.”

“You are a purely democratic society then?” Celestia asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Kind of. Democratic Republic is the proper name. The people elect officials, those officials write the laws. Over time it has gotten messy though. Certain states with more people get more attention while the farm towns get largely ignored. We make do though. It isn’t perfect, but there are plenty of alternatives that are substantially worse.”

“Such as?”

Walker chuckled and looked at her.

“I’m not sure I should tell you. You’re a monarch, or at the very least a dyarch. We overthrew a monarch to be a nation.”

Celestia’s eyebrow raised.

“Were they cruel or unjust?”

Walker shrugged.

“Depends on who you ask. Me personally, I think we were in the right. People shouldn’t be ruled by a central power an ocean away. The power of a nation should come from the home front, where the people are. Staying high and mighty above everyone else leads to corruption, at least among humans. We are a greedy, nasty bunch unfortunately, though we do have our moments.”

Celestia smiled playfully.

“And what of me Cornelius? Do you think my power has corrupted me?”

Walker gave her a deadpan look.

“Are you really asking that? You went out of your way to help us out, a species on a far-off planet with few to no physical similarities. On top of that, you haven’t asked for anything in return. That’s pretty benevolent if you ask me.” He grinned. “Unless your secret plan is to enslave those who are left once all the bugs are gone. Or maybe the bugs were the plan, and that’s how you get us, eager to serve in your hooves like putty.”

She laughed, covering her mouth with her hoof. Before Walker or Shining Armor could stop her, the mud on her feet got on her face, giving her a dripping brown mustache. Walker chuckled loudly when Celestia looked at him in confusion. That chuckling turned to full blown laughter when Shining Armor tried to explain, without laughing himself, what she had done. It took a trot over to the Humvees and a look in a side mirror to see the damage, and then she joined in, giggling at her new “facial hair”.

By the time the trio were done laughing, Seal was walking over to them, tapping Walker on the shoulder to get him to focus. With a few trailing chuckles, Walker fell back into his professional mentality and they moved toward the doors.

“Anything around that side Seal?” Walker asked, trying to prevent his mouth from curling into a smile. Celestia was still giggling, her white fur stained slightly brown.

“Nothing of note. We found the generators, but they looked like they ran out of gas a day or two ago.” Seal replied.

Walker nodded. They approached the gathered men, and Walker was able to finally bring his mind fully into focus.

“Alright, here’s the plan. I need four volunteers to stay out here with the vehicles, preferably those with heavy weapons. They won’t do us a lot of good indoors.”

Four men raised their hands. Walker nodded and continued.

“Good, you’ll remain here. Set your alarms for three hours from now. If we aren’t out by then, I want you to take a Humvee and go back to Romeo. Get Princess Luna. She’ll bring back as many soldiers as she can spare and sweep the place clean.”

The men nodded and then wandered back to the vehicles. Walker scratched his nose.

“Next, we’ll need flashlights on. With the generators out we don’t have power for the facility, and we didn’t have enough night vision optics to go around. We’ll just make do with what we have. Seal, Delta and I will enter first. Sergeant White; you, Princess Celestia and Captain Armor will be second. The rest of you will follow in the rear. This is the formation until I say otherwise. Agreed?”

He got silent nods in response.

“Good. Finally, I have no idea what we’ll find in there, and we’re checking rumors to see if changelings can actually control human minds. Princess Celestia has provided us with as much intel as she has, but we just don’t know what these bugs can do to a human person. The password is Worcestershire sauce, anyone not found to be using the password will be treated as hostile, so remember it well. We all clear?”

More nods. Walker nodded in response.

“Alright, let’s get in and out as fast as possible. I don’t want to be here when night falls. Seal you’re on kicking detail. Everyone set up to breach.”

The humans quickly fell into position on either side of the door, taking out flashlights and fitting them to the end of their rifles as they did so. While momentarily hesitating in confusion, Celestia and Armor quickly found their spots, as the men had left two large holes in the stacking. Walker was on the immediate left door sill. Seal looked to him for confirmation, and he nodded.

“Do it.”

Seal reared back and planted a foot firmly on the left door. It shattered and fell in under the extreme force. Seal was through in an instant, with Walker and the rest of Delta close behind. Walker swept the forward right corner, and upon finding nothing moving, signaled all clear. The call was repeated as the rest of the men found the same. More flashlights flooded into the dark room as everyone else followed. Celestia was distinct in the darkness. Not only was she a pale white, but both her armor and her drawn sword were alight with gold light. Walker had offered a flashlight to the pony, but she had declined, stating that “There is no darkness that can suppress the glow of an Equestrian princess.” Now Walker believed it.

He poked around in the scattered papers on the floor, looking for anything that held obvious importance. Seeing nothing, Walker moved around the secretary desk, searching for blood or any other signs of a struggle. He found nothing, and surprisingly, he found that everything was remarkably neat; as neat as any desk got anyway. Pencils were still in cups, the computers looked intact, even the chairs were tucked away properly. Besides the shards of wood and glass from the broken door, and the occasional stack of papers on the floor, the entry way just looked like it had been packed up for the weekend.

Walker didn’t like that, nor did he like how quiet it was. Outside had been eerie, but inside was positively spooky, bordering on unnatural. He felt like he could hear everyone’s breathing. The air was still, almost lifeless. Walker imagined if he told everyone to hold their breaths, he could hear his own blood moving. He tapped his radio to life.

“Anyone found anything?”

He got a few no’s and no sirs, then Seal spoke up.

“I’ve got a staircase Colonel. Blood on the door too. Looks like the right direction.”

Walker quickly moved back around the secretary desk and weaved his way to Seal. The man was waiting beside a simple door with no window, and if Walker didn’t notice the sign beside it, he would have guessed it was a janitor’s closet. Walker stacked up on the frame, then nodded to the closed door.

“Open it, let’s see where it goes.”

Seal nodded once and then stood back, his flashlight bouncing as he kicked the door down. He rushed in, with Walker hot on his heels, only for a wall of smell to smack him in the face like a ton of bricks. The lights from their rifles exposed enough and Walker staggered back out of the stairwell, clutching his mouth. He stumbled away and made it as far as the secretary’s desk before he emptied his stomach. He coughed a few times as he heaved, felt someone patting him on the back. He looked up from his breakfast to find Celestia staring back, her eyes colored with concern.

Walker opened his mouth to speak, but instead turned away as he wretched again, a bit more of the stench still clinging to his nostrils. He spit in his vomit to try and wash the taste of bile from his mouth.

“Don’t…go…. in there.” He said before breaths. Seal walked out slowly; his face twisted.

Walker swallowed roughly as he tried to recover.

“Sorry everyone.” He said. Seal shook his head.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about Colonel. There ain’t a thing right about that sight there. It doesn’t get better as it goes down either.”

Walker nodded. He fumbled for his canteen, ripping it from his belt as he screwed open the cap. He took a long pull of water, rinsed out his mouth, then spat it on the tile floor. He repeated the action for a second time, though this time he swallowed the water.

Everyone was watching him closely. Walker felt a bit of pressure, and more than a little shame for reacting in such a manner. He put his canteen away and straightened, shouldering his rifle.

“If you have a bandanna or gas mask, I recommend you use it. It’s a horror show in there.”

Walker swallowed roughly as he wiped his mouth. Celestia moved in front of his dazed eyes.

“Are you alright Colonel?” she said, her voice at a whisper.

He nodded, meeting her eyes.

“It’s bad. Really bad. I’ve seen men blown into paste, but I’ve never seen something like that.”

He looked to Seal.

“Is that the only way down?”

The man nodded.

“Without power the elevator won’t work. This staircase is the only one on the floorplan.”

Walker nodded. He flexed his hand a few times, trying to work away the shaking. He swallowed roughly again before he looked up again. All eyes were still on him, though now a few of the men had gas masks and bandannas on their faces.

“I won’t hold it against anyone if you stay up here. If you do, just keep watch, set your alarms for two hours. I’m going down there though; we have to know where Overlord went. Anyone who’s with me… let’s get this over with.”

Nobody moved to stay behind. Walker suspected that would change once they saw what was in the stairwell. As he mentally prepared himself, he looked to Celestia.

“I am coming with you Cornelius. No horrors the changelings can wrought will deter me.” She said firmly, as if guessing his thoughts.

Walker nodded.

“Alright, but be prepared. If you have a spell that blocks off smell, then I’d use it.”

She nodded and her horn lit up. A light bubble appeared around both her and Shining Armor’s muzzles. Walker swallowed a final time and tried to fortify his mind. He took a deep breath and pushed back into the staircase.

This time he didn’t outright panic, but he felt the bile rise in his throat as his light exposed all manner of gore painting the walls. Every single inch of the stairwell was painted with blood, still wet. Pieces of meat slid down the walls, pooling at the bottom of each step. Seal tried his best not to gag when a piece of meat dropped from the ceiling onto his arm. He swatted it away as they both looked up. The ceiling was much worse. Body parts, chains, hooks, and what looked like stretched out muscles decorated the light fixtures like the world’s worst Christmas decorations. Walker swallowed roughly when he saw an arm twitch.

He and Seal moved slowly down the stairs, their lights spiraling about as more men joined them in the stairwell of death. Walker heard the sounds of gagging and choking, even heard one man react as he did, shoving his way out as he threw up from the sights and smells. Seal tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to a second door at the bottom of the short steps. The man didn’t dare open his mouth, none of them wanted to taste any of what they saw.

Walker let him slip past, doing his best not to touch the walls with any part of his body. Seal kicked this door down as well, and then he and Walker pushed into a dark, much colder hallway. Luckily, there was no gore painting the walls here, just cool moisture and silence. Walker let out the breath he had been holding in and doubled over, his hands on his knees as he took in deep gulps of fresher air. He was sweating profusely, the gore evidently still capable of giving off heat. Or maybe it was just the fear he felt in his chest. He prayed that whoever that was, that they had died quickly. Though he seriously doubted it.

Walker was surprised when all but two of the team came through the doorway. They reacted as he and Seal had, stripping away their protection as they tried to get the smell as far away as possible. Seal pushed past everyone and manhandled the door back into place, closing away as much of the stench as he could. Walker nodded gratefully. Sergeant White leaned again the wall next to him, taking deep breaths as he tried to purge his lungs.

“Cook couldn’t take it, so he and Bell stayed behind.” White said. “I thought it best to keep them in a pair.”

Walker nodded and gave him a thumbs up. His eyes scanned the darkness until he found the pair of ponies. Celestia was panting slightly, while Shining Armor was leaning heavily against the wall, his face green and his eyes distant. Walker elbowed White and pointed toward the pony while he grabbed Celestia’s attention.

“Princess? Celestia?” Her wide eyes seemed to gain awareness. She stared at him.

“My apologies Cornelius, that was most… distasteful.”

Walker pointed his thumb at the closed door.

“Do the changelings do that sort of thing often?”

She shook her head.

“No, they do not. In fact, it is the first time I have heard of changelings dismembering their victims at all. Usually if they eat a pony, they place them in pods to make a soup like substance and drink it. It is a vile practice, but this… this was not for food.”

Walker nodded.

“I agree, that was a deterrent. Those bugs really don’t want anyone poking around down here. All it means is that they’re still here. The blood was wet, meaning it was applied recently.”

Walker felt the bile rise in his throat again as the images cropped up in his mind. He shook his head to drive them away. He was going to have nightmares about that staircase for the rest of his life. He imagined that he wouldn’t be the only one.

Walker looked up, saw White whispering in Shining Armor’s ear, the pony slowly calming down. Walker pushed off of the wall, shouldering his rifle. His men looked to him, awaiting his orders as they slowly recovered.

“Let’s get moving. I don’t know about any of you, but I want to be far away from that room.”

He received several nods in return, and his men slowly drifted to their stacking positions. Seal was on point with his Delta operators. Walker followed close behind with White and the ponies. They moved from room to room, kicking down doors and checking for signs of life. Their flashlights cut through the darkness, showing nothing but dust and abandoned workstations.

Walker poked through the paperwork atop one such workstation, seeing if there was any kind of message left behind. Something that indicated where the men that had occupied the building had gone. He really hoped they wouldn’t find another stairway. Walker didn’t want to imagine that all of the men at Overlord had suffered such a brutal fate.

Celestia and Shining Armor remained close at his side, their eyes flitting from corner to corner as they too tried to find traces of life. Occasionally they would bump into Walker, followed by a soft apology. Walker truly didn’t mind, the presence of the ponies acting as calming agent, their bumps a sign that someone was watching his back closely. It worked well to still his frayed nerves.

The radio crackled in his ear.

“Colonel, we found a live one in here.” Seal said.

Walker immediately abandoned his search and moved into the hallway. Two doors down one of the Delta operators pointed into an open doorway. Walker moved past the waiting man, with Celestia and Shining Armor on his heels.

Slipping into the room, he quickly found Seal, kneeling next to a man that had his legs splayed out in front of him. His arms sat limply at his sides and his eyes were staring into nothing. A faint green glow emanated from them, and Walker felt a shiver crawl up his spine at the unnatural sight.

He set his rifle on the ground and crouched down next to Seal, trying to see into the man’s face. His mouth moved as he mumbled something.

“What’s he saying Seal?” Walker asked.

“Can’t tell you Colonel. Whatever it is, he’s been repeating it since we found him. Like a record stuck on repeat. He doesn’t respond to anything, noise, touch, nothing. I really don’t feel like getting too close though, those eyes of his are strange, and not in a good way.”

Walker nodded. He took out a spare flashlight from his belt and clicked it on. He shined it on the man’s uniform, finding his name patch. Then he shined the light on the man’s face.

“Private Stevens? Can you hear me?” he said loudly. He tilted the man’s chin up, wiping away some strange green goo as he tried to look into the man’s eyes. Walker listened closely at the man’s mumbling.

“For the queen…. Protect the queen…. For the queen…. Protect the queen…” the man whispered.

Walker spread apart the man’s half-open eye lids, shining his flashlight to check for reactivity.

“Private, this is Colonel Walker of the First Infantry Division, I need you to speak up if you can hear me.”

The man’s lips stopped moving, and the room fell into an unnerving silence. Seal shifted nervously. Celestia moved just a bit closer, and Walker could almost feel her feathers on his back. He ran the flashlight back and forth slowly over the man’s face.

“Private? Are you in there?”

The man’s mouth moved slowly.

“Walk…er” he said.

Walker nodded, inching closer.

“That’s right Private, I’m Colonel Walker. Can you say your name?”

The man’s eyes seemed to spring to life. They focused on Walker’s face, almost as if they were oblivious to the bright light being shined upon them. A wide grin spread across the man’s face.

“Walker.” He repeated.

Walker nodded slowly.

“That’s right Private, but I need you to say your own name. Once you do, we can work on getting you out of here.”

The man laughed. Loudly. His head snapped back against the wall. Walker shifted on the balls of his feet as the man cackled, filling the room with his unnatural laughter. The man stopped abruptly, his green eyes still on Walker. And then his arms latched on to Walker’s flak vest as he lunged forward, his mouth open like a viper.

A number of things followed. Seal was on his feet in an instant, his rifle pointed at the man’s head. He screamed at the man to stand down, though likely his shouts fell on deaf ears. Walker felt his body freeze up as the man’s face was almost pressed against his, and then he was yanked crudely backward. Flat on his rump, Walker was stunned when Celestia stepped in front of him, her wings flared as she drilled the man into the wall. The man responded by screaming out in unintelligible rage, which quickly changed back into that sickening laughter.

Walker swallowed roughly. His hand scraped across the floor in search of his rifle. He found the strap and yanked it close to his body, taking comfort in its cold plastic and steel exterior. Shining Armor and another man helped him to his feet. They asked if he was okay, but his eyes were fixed on the man, who was still sitting, his mouth wide as he continued to laugh.

“Ah Princess, it is so good to see you again, and you have brought a home welcoming present! I do appreciate it, and if you’ll excuse me, I would very much like to put it to use.”

“Remain silent worm.” Celestia spat at the men. “Your disgusting meddling on this planet is at its end. I will see to that personally.”

The man grinned at her.

“Why so hostile Princess? I am merely seeking out a way to both feed my changelings while also bringing humanity into the wonderful harmony that is the hive! I would have thought you would approve of this goal; for do you not seek to promote harmony amongst all living creatures?”

“We both know that is a blatant misrepresentation of my goals. I seek voluntary harmony, through works of friendship and diplomacy, not through slavery and corruption as you do.” Celestia responded with a growl.

The man laughed at the furious pony.

“I do not think the means matter Princess, more just the end. Unity for all is such a noble goal, my way is just… simpler. Your human compatriots would agree with me, I think.”

His eyes flickered over to Walker, who was wiping his hands on his pants. Celestia looked to Walker as well.

“Cornelius, we should leave. This creature is no longer human, and will only seek to divide us. It will try to affect your mind.”

Walker nodded, but moved forward anyway.

“Maybe, but it also has information, and that’s why we’re here. I won’t take long, and I’ll leave it to your discretion if you think I’m being controlled.”

“Would it help if I agreed to use no magic?” the man laughed. Celestia glared at the man, but Walker obstructed her view of him.

“I’ve got this Celestia, trust me. I only need a minute.”

Her furious eyes softened slightly. She sighed deeply.

“Alright Cornelius, I trust you. Please be quick.” She adjusted herself so she could glare at the smiling man over Walker’s shoulder.

“As for you worm, if you so much as create a spot of light I will see to your demise.”

The man grinned.

“I promise Princess, only words.” He crossed his heart, then let his arms fall to his side. Celestia accepted this and moved back slightly, remaining close enough to yank Walker back again if the man attacked again.

Walker crouched in front of the man again. He got as close as he did before, trying to show that he wasn’t afraid. He felt like it didn’t work. The man grinned widely.

“So, Walker, we finally meet. Face to drone.”

Walker nodded.

“I’m going to assume I am not speaking to Private Stevens, so just who am I talking to and where can I find you?”

The man’s grin widened.

“Eager to join me Captain? I am Queen Mentis, though soon you will simply address me as ‘my queen’.”

Walker smirked.

“Sure, and I’m sure I’ll grow a tail too. No, I’m going to find you so I can shoot you until I am very sure that you are dead. You’ve killed my men, my soldiers, my friends,” he said, his tone becoming angry. “and for that I will make you pay.”

The man scoffed.

“Please Captain, you are a soldier, and this is a war. People die.”

“It’s actually Colonel, and this war is of your making. You started it, but I can assure you that we will finish it.”

The man grinned again.

“I believe you Colonel Walker. Though I imagine it will not be the ending you want.”

The man looked away from Walker, and his eyes scanned the room, trying to match the stares of every human.

“Despite what your leaders believe, this is not a war you will win. You will be part of my hive, or you will meet the same fate as your dear fellows in the stairwell.”

Walker scowled.

“So that was you’re doing.” He said. It was a statement of fact, not a question

The man turned back to him and grinned, tilting his head at an unnatural angle.

“Why yes Colonel, it was. Did you like it?” the man asked with faux innocence.

“It only means that you have strengthened our resolve to see you lose.” Walker replied.

The man grinned in silence. Walker scooted back as he began to cough. Walker watched in horror as the man’s stomach bulged, as if something was shifting inside. Bright green goo poured from the man’s mouth, dripping onto his shirt. Walker heard someone wretch behind him, felt the bile rising his own throat at the sight. He clamped it down though. Seal shifted just a bit closer to the man, his rifle poking into the man’s hair.

“What the hell was that?” he asked.

Celestia was the one who answered.

“That is a sign that he has been implanted. Mentis had made your man into a brood-drone. Her wretched spawn are feeding off of the man as we speak, preparing to hatch. We should be gone from this place before they do.”

Seal looked to Walker.

“Colonel, should I shoot him? I can’t imagine that feels good.”

The man laughed.

“Quite the opposite. It is a pleasurable experience for everyone involved. Why, are you jealous?”

Seal’s face contorted with barely controlled anger and disgust.

“Another word out of you and I put one in your lap before I blow your head off.”

The man laughed.

“Oooh, I like this one. He will make an excellent bodyguard. Definitely a breeding drone.”

Walker rose and grabbed Seal’s arm, preventing the man from pulling the trigger.

“Not yet Captain, we haven’t got we need yet.”

Seal nodded and his rifle moved back slightly, though it did not drop from the man’s head. The man laughed.

“Another Captain? My, you humans certainly know how to make your queen feel respected.”

Walker stood over the man.

“Enough with the chatter. I’m assuming Private Stevens is dead? You killed his mind to make his body a puppet?”

The man smiled and shook his head.

“Not at all Colonel, Stevens is here with me.”

“You’ve yet to tell me where that is.” Walker said, crossing his arms. The man smiled and reached out his arms, as if asking for a hug.

“Come closer Walker, we can find out together. Being a part of the hive is a wonderful thing; so freeing from your mundane lives.”

“Doesn’t look that wonderful to me.” Walker said. “Give me a location so that we can come pay you a personal visit. It will be a blast I’m sure.”

The man smiled, but shook his head.

“I will tell you nothing with these vile ponies nearby. They have already poisoned your mind against me, and nothing I say in their presence will hold any weight. Send them away, then you and I can talk uninterrupted.”

Walker smirked and turned around.

“No, I don’t think I’m going to do that. Seal, kindly put Stevens out of his misery and let’s move on.”

The man behind him laughed.

“A shame Walker. You had such potential.”

Walker froze. He looked to Celestia, who met his eyes, slowly shaking her head. Her eyes pleaded with him to walk away. Walker knew he couldn’t. He turned around, squinting at the man.

“What did you just say?”

The man smiled.

“Nothing at all Walker. I will only speak more if your little “friends” leave.”

Celestia pressed against Walker’s back, whispering in his ear.

“Cornelius please, let us be gone from this place. Mentis seeks only to brainwash you. She will give us nothing, no matter how much we try.”

Walker turned so that the man couldn’t see his mouth move.

“I have to Celestia. So far all we’ve gotten is words. She’s good at sounding important while saying nothing. We need details, information about these bugs and where they are. If she thinks she can corrupt me to be like that thing,” he said throwing his thumb at Stevens bloated body, “then I have to take the risk to see if she’ll make a mistake. So far all we have is some guns and a few bodies. We still don’t know how they took out Overlord. If they can do this kind of thing here, how long is it going to be before they can force us to fight each other?”

Celestia frowned.

“I do not like this. She is a queen; they thrive on lies and deceit. How will you be able to tell when she’s lying?”

Walker cast a glance over his shoulder.

“I won’t, but if I can put on a good enough show she might slip up. It’s a chance, but it’s all we have. We’ve been here for over an hour now and have nothing to show for it. We need a win, and this might just be the random shot in the dark we need to get it.”

Celestia looked into his eyes, as if searching for something. After a second, she sighed and looked away.

“Are all humans so reckless?” she asked.

Walker grinned and nodded.

“Afraid so. It’s how we get so much done. How’s the saying go, “Fortune favors the foolish”?”

Celestia sighed again.

“I feared you would have a saying like that. Alright Cornelius, I trust your judgement. Just….”

She pulled Walker into a hug. Walker was stunned for a moment, then returned the gesture, wrapping an arm around the pony. He could feel a bit of her fur through her body armor; it was incredibly soft, like a kitten run through a dryer. Warm heat seemed to emanate from her as well, driving away the moist cold of the dark basement they found themselves in.

Walker felt a bit sad when it ended, and Celestia seemed to stare at him, sharing his sadness.

“We shall be just outside. If you need any help, please do not be afraid to yell for it.”

Walker nodded. Celestia and Shining Armor slipped out of the room. Walker paused as they left, then he looked to the men who had come inside as well.

“Everyone else out. I want you watching the hallway until I’m done in here.”

Seal shifted nervously.

“You sure about that Colonel? No need to tackle this bug on your own.”

Walker nodded.

“I’m sure, I have a feeling the only real honesty will come out if it’s one on one. Am I wrong?” he asked, looking at the possessed man sitting on the floor. The man smiled and tilted his head.

“That you are Walker. So insightful. I am glad that you were not killed, I believe I can find many uses for that mind of yours.”

Walker nodded toward the door and most of the men left, save for Seal, who didn’t budge. He stared at Walker.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked again. “I don’t know much about the bugs besides where to shoot them, but I definitely don’t think we should be alone with them.”

Walker drew his sidearm and leveled it at Stevens’ glowing eyes.

“Go Captain. I will follow shortly.”

The possessed man grinned, while Seal remained in place for a moment more. He looked Walker up and down before nodding once and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him. Silence immediately fell in the small room, and Walker met the possessed man’s eyes.

“I am giving you one minute. I suggest you fill it with words. If the time limit is reached, if I don’t like something you say, or if I feel even a hint of something afoot, I will not hesitate to empty the entire magazine into your stupid bug head. Am I clear?”

The man’s smile widened.

“Of course, Colonel Walker. I only want to talk after all.”

Walker pressed the barrel of the pistol into the man’s forehead.

“Then do so before I get tired of hearing your voice.”

The man laughed.

“Very well Colonel, tell me, would you consider me a friend?”

Walker’s face twisted slightly at the question.

“Are you insane? You kill my men, and then subject my commanders to whatever horror show you have going on here, friend? I wouldn’t piss on you if you were dying of thirst.”

The man chuckled.

“A colorful metaphor Walker, but tell me, would you consider the ponies friends? Particularly Princess Celestia?”

“Sure, why not? They saved our asses and regularly kill bugs like yourself. That’s all I need in a friend these days.”

The man nodded.

“It is a good measure for friendship, no? War can be useful for so many things. Tell me Walker, has she told you much about Equestria?”

Walker shrugged.

“A bit, nothing substantive. If you haven’t noticed we’ve been too busy for idle conversation. Speaking of, you have thirty seconds. Start getting to the point if there is one at all.”

“Patience Colonel Walker, all in good time. As she told you about Equestrian changelings? As she told you about how she dealt with those queens?”

Walker shook his head.

“No, I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. She kills them here; she’d kill them there.”

The man laughed and shook his head.

“No Colonel, not quite. You see, there are still several changeling hives in Equestria, hidden deep underground. And your little “friend” knows all about them and has not acted in anyway against them.”

Walker felt his grip on his sidearm tighten. His eye twitched, whether from stress or anger, he couldn’t tell.

“Why?”

The man looked him in the eye, the green on his face seeming to flash.

“Because she is friends with those queens of course. She even delivers changeling eggs and brood-slaves to them.”

Walker smirked.

“Oh, I get it. Yeah sure, the princess that I have personally witnessed cutting through changelings like copy paper is giving them resources. Sure. And I’m the president of the united states. Right.”

“Your sarcasm is noted and appreciated Walker; I have no doubt your tongue can be put to good use for the hive as well. But I do not lie. She values all life Colonel, even that of changelings. The Equestrian queens have made treaties with the sun princess to encourage peace between their peoples. It is a brilliant move that I only wish I would have thought of first.”

Walker pressed the sidearm forward.

“You are wasting my time with your babbling. Make a point or I’m done with you.”

The man’s eyes flashed.

“I will not tolerate that impatience when you are mine Walker. You will keep your tongue still if you have nothing to say.”

Walker snorted.

“Celestia was right. You’re just lying to try and spread confusion.” He grinned. “Or maybe you’re just buying time to save your skin. Let me be the first to tell you that you failed.”

His finger tightened on the trigger.

“Don’t you want to know what the treaty was about Colonel?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Walker said through gritted teeth. “I know you are lying. This little game of yours is over.”

The man cocked his head.

“Then why are we still talking Walker? I think you want to know more but are simply to cowardly to admit it.”

Walker snarled and his finger almost pulled the trigger then and there. Almost.

“I am not a coward bug. I am not the one hiding behind some sort of mind slave.”

The man grinned.

“I am not hiding Colonel; I am merely biding time as I prepare your welcome party. You humans enjoy parties do you not?”

Walker frowned and took a step back, his arm falling.

“So, it’s a trap then. I was right and you’re just stalling. This is all for nothing.”

The man snorted.

“Of course, it isn’t a trap Colonel. I want you to go deeper into the hive so that we can meet face to face. You will find the way open until my throne room. I believe with a bit of personal contact you and I will become the best of friends. Just like you and “Celestia”.”

Walker’s arm raised again as he stepped forward and pressed his sidearm against the man’s temple.

“Keep her name from your mouth.” He snarled.

The man laughed.

“Such devotion! She truly does have a gift in making loyal followers.”

He licked his lips, his tongue a disgusting black.

“It is to my benefit regardless. Changeling mind control works by replacing a significant figure in one’s life with myself. For you I imagine that is your friend. Very kind of you Walker, preparing yourself like a present for your queen. I do appreciate the gesture.”

Walker growled.

“You said the path was clear to your throne room, where is it?” he said, trying to regain control of the spiraling conversation. “If we’re going to meet, I don’t want to be late.”

The man grinned.

“Continue on your current path, you will find your way to me. Or maybe I shall find you, one never knows what the day can bring. Onto my previous question however, do you want to know why Princess Celestia works with changeling queens? Or are you already so far under her hoof that you don’t care?”

Walker growled again.

“Talk.”

The man smiled.

“It is for those like you Colonel.”

Walker’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Like me? What does that mean?”

“Those that have been converted. Or those like the slave you see before you, who have the blessing of being my carriers for my children. You humans are wonderfully violent creatures, it is in your nature. You will take any and all opportunities to see your enemies driven before you. For Equestrians it is not so, they abhor violence. They instead prefer to be diplomatic, working out problems with their disgusting friendship.”

The man stuck his tongue out in revulsion, as if the word was poisonous. Walker noticed that there was bright green goo on his tongue as well. The man continued.

“Because of this glaring weakness, the Princess usually practices headhunting, searching out and killing queens like myself so that our hives fall into disarray; not to kill the drones after, no, but to take them back to my Equestrian brethren. It is part of their agreement. You see, when we began setting our sights on the wider universe, there was a split. Some queens wanted to remain in place, make alliances with the valueless ponies. To put our differences aside and work together for the betterment of all, they said. I was of a different mind and wished for conquest. The ponies were strong in magic, so we were unable to conquer them, but other planets? Not so. So, I and others took our hives and left. To conquer and claim the universe for the hive.” The man said with a dramatic flair.

“That still doesn’t support your claim that Celestia is actively supporting changelings.” Walker cut in. The man sighed.

“I am getting to that Walker, that rudeness of yours will have to go as well, but that’s for the future. When the strongest changelings left, Celestia followed, fearing our unchecked power, and began a race to save as many planets as we wanted to conquer. She could not guard her ponies and the rest of the universe, however. When she found out that once a queen died, her subjects were as helpless as hatchlings, she decided to “save” the left-over drones. Her soft heart damned her campaign, she overstretched her already thin and meek ponies by trying to contain the abandoned drones; so, she cut a deal with the Equestrian changelings. She would ship them a constant supply of brood-slaves, free mind drones, and eggs, while in exchange they kept active tabs on our expansion as spies, while also promising to not attack her little kingdom. Her conscious clean, she continued to fight us, occasionally successful, but most times not. We have taken planet after planet for the hive, assimilating their populations into drones. No planet has ever lasted more than three hours against us without the Equestrian’s intervening. You should be proud that yours is the first, Walker.” The man grinned and licked his lips. “I am certainly excited about getting my hooves on some fresh humans.”

The man sighed, rolling his neck.

“My fellow queens and I were unfortunately hasty in our attacks, and we had already converted or broken all of the human’s we captured. Such a waste. A mistake I shall not repeat, fear not Walker. You shall be very aware when you are mine.”

Walker’s mind was alight. If any of that was true… did it change anything? Celestia still fought, still killed changelings when they attacked. Did it matter that she saved the left-over changelings if the queen was dead? Surely not all of the bugs could be evil.

The man tilted his head.

“I see you are still conflicted Walker. Tell me though, even if she is right in her quest to preserve life, if she truly thought she was giving these egg sacks mercy, would she not be honest with you about it? If you are truly friends, she should trust you with this knowledge, correct?”

Walker swallowed roughly.

“Shut it. You don’t know a thing about friendship or trust. I’m done listening to you.”

The man nodded in acceptance.

“Of course, Colonel. I shall see you very soon. I am looking forward to your conversion. If you are a good boy and play your cards right, I may even give the lovely princess to you as a sl-“

One shot rang out, momentarily deafening Walker as it went off in the enclosed space. The green light disappeared in the man’s eyes as blood began leaking from the hole in his head. Walker simply stare at the splatter of the blood on the wall for a second. His eyes were only drawn down by motion. The belly of the corpse was roiling, the skin shifting and pulling as something inside tried to make its way out. Walker leveled his sidearm at it and fired until his magazine was empty. The shifting stopped.

Walker closed his eyes, letting his neck fall back as his face pointed at the ceiling. After a moment of silence, Walker dropped the magazine and slowly pushed in a new one. Then, he slid the pistol into its holster. He slid his rifle over his shoulder and grabbed at the door handle, pulling it open.

Everyone stared at him as he exited the room. Walker didn’t meet any of their eyes. He was more content to simply stare at the wall as he gently pulled the door closed behind him. Seal cleared his throat.

“Sir you have a bit of…” he swiped at a spot on his face.

Walker mirrored his motion and his thumb came away wet with blood. He absentmindedly wiped it on his pants, his eyes staring straight ahead while his mind was a million miles away. He only reacted when Celestia tried to move closer. Walker shifted a step back, his eyes finally focusing on something. Her face showed her concern.

“Cornelius, are you alright? What did she say?”

Walker didn’t answer for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. Anger welled up though, the emotion seemed out of place, almost like it was not his own, but Walker didn’t care. He met her caring eyes with his furious ones.

“Is there something you haven’t told me?” He said, his voice coming out much harsher than he intended it to. She flinched.

“Cornelius, I-…”

“Is there something you have not told me, Princess?” The word seemed to cut her like a knife, especially the way Walker used it. She took a step back, shaking her head. Shining Armor noticed the motion and moved forward, putting himself between the two. Walker glared at the pony but said nothing.

“I do not know of what you speak Cornelius,” Celestia said. “whatever she had told you I can assure you it is untrue.”

Walker smirked, the motion lacking any trace of humor.

“Sure. Yeah, that’s probably right. The bug is trying to push us apart, right?” Walker moved forward a step. “That’s what you said right? That the changelings would try to break our trust in each other? That’s pretty rich, considering there was no trust to begin with.”

“Back off Colonel.” Shining Armor growled. Celestia pushed the pony aside, however.

“Cornelius, of course I trust you. I have said as much several times.” A bit of anger touched her voice as well. “I have even taken steps to prove it.”

Walker nodded and sniffed, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

“That you have, that’s why I am giving you a chance.” He pointed to his watching men. “You’re going to tell them about the treaty you have with the changelings. You’re going to tell them the truth, because if you don’t, we are done. Alliances, friendships, are built on trust, and I have been nothing but honest with you.”

“Colonel that isn-...” Seal started, but Walker cut him off with a raised finger.

“When I want your input Captain, I will ask for it. Now shut it.”

He stared at Celestia. She remained silent, her eyes pleading with him. Walker didn’t budge.

“Well? Are you going to tell them, or will I?” he said.

She sighed and her face fell. It was the first time Walker had ever seen her hair fall. It looked strange when it wasn’t flowing in a nonexistent breeze. A small part of him whispered in his ear that he had cause this. That he was to blame for her suffering. Walker quelled that part, shoving it into the back of his head.

“Yes, I have made treaties with several changeling queens.” Her head raised, and Walker could see tears on her face. “But you must understand! It is the only way to save the lives of the slaves they take! All of those creatures are innocent, they are merely forced into it! The queens of Equestria are different, they value the lives of their subjects. They care for them and treat them as one large family, I did what I did to ensure as little suffering happened as possible.”

Her voice found anger again.

“And I would never ally myself with Mentis and her ilk. They are evil, and I share no doubts that they must be destroyed.”

Walker snorted and shook his head.

“Bold words, but the results say different.”

He began to turn away from her, could see her heart begin to shatter in real time. Until Walker found himself slammed against a wall. Seal glared fiercely at him, pressing his throat with his elbow.

“The hell are you doing Captain?” Walker shouted.

“I’m trying to save your stupid ass before you do something monumentally stupid, sir!” Seal responded with a shout, his voice matching Walker’s in power. Walker tried to break free, tried to look for someone to help him, but nobody moved. Evidently, they agreed with Seal.

“Let go of me Captain, that’s an order!” Walker shouted as he tried to work his arm free.

Seal responded by tightening the pressure on Walker’s throat.

“What has gotten into you Walker? Have the bugs really scrambled your brain so much you can’t see how idiotic this is?”

Walker reared his head back and headbutted Seal in the nose. His grip momentarily loosened, and Walker got an elbow free. He used it to shove Seal off of him. His feet just hit the floor long enough to feel it, then two men grabbed him, shoving him back against the wall as Seal recovered.

“Traitors!” Walker shouted. “The lot of you!”

Seal wiped away some of the blood dripping from his nose. He looked at Walker with disgust.

“I don’t think so Colonel. You talk about trust, but you don’t even trust your own men. I was a damn fool to agree with you when you said we shouldn’t tell them.”

White stepped forward and clamped his hand over Walker’s mouth as Walker struggled against his captors.

“Tell us what?”

Seal managed to staunch his bleeding nose.

“Yesterday when my team and I got in, Colonel Walker and I had a few minutes to speak alone. We mostly talked about standard crap, but one part of it wasn’t.”

Seal looked at Walker who had stopped struggling and was instead glaring hatefully at the man. Seal sighed.

“A few days ago, the US authorized nuclear strikes on civilian targets. For those of us who don’t know what a nuke is, imagine the biggest explosion you’ve ever seen, then multiply that by a hundred. They can vaporize cities in seconds. And we did. We decimated populations. Foreign cities, our own. New York is glass, DC is gone.”

Seal stopped. He signaled the men holding Walker and they let him down slowly, keeping their eyes on him for any sudden moves. Walker didn’t notice, his eyes were on his boots. The normally brown boots were coated with blood and gore. He couldn’t even see the boot itself anymore. An apt metaphor for his hands.

“Why? Why would they do that?” Celestia asked.

“As an act of mercy.” Walker said without looking up. He stared at the floor for a few seconds before looking up. He tried to find someone who would meet his eyes, and only found Celestia.

“That’s what it was. An act of mercy on a massive scale. Better than the alternative, right? Better than becoming one of those things.” He said, pointing to the closed door. His eyes fell again. “It’s just human mercy. They made that call to save lives by ending them. No pain, just a flash and then nothing. Mercy.” He said, his voice dead. He stared at his boots.

Everyone remained silent. Walker smirked.

“Maybe that’s why that bug got to me so well. I’d make the same call, have made the same call really.”

“Cornelius you don’t mean that.” Celestia said.

Walker chuckled.

“But I do, what do you think those shots were? I shot Private Stevens right in the face. Bang, dead. I’d do it again too. I’d want the same done for me.”

Celestia didn’t say anything. Walker could imagine her face but didn’t dare look up to see it. He imagined it was full of horror, and likely disappointment. Walker snorted as he stared at his boots. He tried to scratch the back of his head, but couldn’t quite get his fingers under the helmet.

“Maybe the bug was right. I have a lot more in common with her than I do with you Celestia. I’m a killer, I’m a liar. Seal was correct when he said that I shouldn’t talk about trust. How can I ask for it from you when I can’t even trust the men under my command? What a fucking joke of a commander I shaped up to be.”

He felt shock spread amongst his men. He never swore. At least not while not he was acting like an officer. Was he even an officer anymore? He’d already demonstrated unwillingness to work with both allies and his own soldiers, so was he even worthy of the position? Walker didn’t know, and he remained silent, unwilling to open his mouth in case his inner doubts spread to his fellows.

Walker remained still, didn’t want to move. His mind raced while his body slowly seemed to grow colder. He felt more alone than he ever had before. Cold. He used that feeling like a weapon, cutting at his own emotions as he carved them away. Anger, sadness, guilt. He cut and cut until all that was left was the soldier.

He sighed and brought his eyes up.

“Here’s the play.” He started. He slid up his sleeve and looked at his watch. “We are supposed to meet up top in an hour and a half. That gives us two options, continue, or go back and hope whatever plane comes by, it drops enough ordinance to level the right area to drive the bugs away.”

Walker rolled his tongue in his mouth. It tasted strange, and awful bitter feeling.

“I will leave it to your discretion, but I am going forward. I won’t lie, if you follow me, I cannot promise your safety. It is more than likely a trap.”

He looked at some of the faces, but refused to look over toward Celestia.

“I intend to spring it. I have enough ammunition to do some damage and a fully capable sidearm to use should the worst come to pass.”

He shouldered his rifle and started forward without another word, not waiting to see if anyone followed. As he progressed down the hallway, Walker heard footsteps behind him, and as he paused to kick in a side door, Seal pushed past, silent as he resumed his point position. Walker brutally kicked down the door, sweeping the room in a second.

As he left, Celestia stood waiting outside, her face sorrowful.

“Cornelius I-…”

Walker held up a hand.

“Don’t Princess. Just… don’t.”

She nodded and fell behind him silently. Shining Armor pressed close to her side as they continued forward in silence, and Walker could feel the heat of his glare on his back. He did his best to ignore it. He also tried to ignore the slowly widening hole in his chest. Nobody trusted him now, nobody would even look at him. Seal pushed hard, remaining at the front so that it always seemed like he was entering another room as Walker would approach. The Delta team followed their captain. White stayed near Celestia and Armor, his eyes hard and scanning. Whenever Walker tried to find those eyes however, they would find something else, a dark corner, an abandoned hallway. They were always just out of reach. The rest of his men were simply too far back, and Walker didn’t want to look at the ponies.

So, he took a note from Seal’s book, throwing himself into the work of clearing the building. His foot became sore with the force of each kick. Each door looked more shattered than the last as they passed empty room after empty room. Sweat began to bead across Walker’s brow as they kept going deeper, whether that was from exertion or not, Walker did not know. He didn’t care either. He preferred mindless motion to trying to solve the many problems he would soon have to face.

As they came up to an intersection of hallways, a black shape darted out of the shadows. It froze as the flashlight beams hit it in the face, exposing the changeling to the team of soldiers. Before anyone could open fire, three more appeared beside it, their teeth shining in the white light of their flashlights. Nobody moved.

In one sudden motion, three leapt at the party while the fourth fled down the hallway.

“Contact front!” Seal called out as the Delta team opened fire. The hail of bullets quickly tore through the attacking changelings, but the fourth one was out of range. One of the Delta operators sprinted forward.

“I’ve got him!” he yelled as he took off like a shot. Walker immediately pushed past Seal and the other two, trying to grab the man to stop him.

“Wait!” Walker shouted, sprinting off in hot pursuit. The changeling turned a corner, and the operator followed. A second later, Walker skidded and slammed into the wall, trying to catch his breath as he sped after the man.

“Hold your ground soldier!” he shouted. “There could be trap-…”

Before he could finish his statement, an explosion tore through the building. Walker was thrown from his feet, and he could feel the heat of the blast on his face. He blinked rapidly to get rid of the afterglow of the flash. The Delta operator was gone, a pile of mush in his place. The changeling had also disappeared, likely far enough ahead to avoid the blast. Walker got to his feet, could hear the approach of the rest of the team, but then he felt dust sprinkle on his back. He looked up in time to see a ceiling tile beginning to crumble. The ceiling gave out behind him, so his only option was to run forward.

Walker almost slipped on the puddle of blood left by the Delta man, but he kept running forward, trying to build enough speed to reach the next archway before the whole ceiling gave out at one time. He felt debris hit his back and helmet. The dust began to get in his face, and by extension his mouth and lungs. Walker tried to cover his nose, but it was too late, the dust already clogging up his nostrils.

The archway appeared from the darkness, lit up by his wildly swinging flashlight. Walker put on an extra burst of speed, stumbling only when he felt something heavy impact his helmet, crushing his neck down under its weight. He hit the archway just as the ceiling gave out, sending a billowing cloud of dust into the air, blinding and nearly smothering Walker. He coughed as he waved the dust away from his face, trying to keep more of it from filling his lungs.

The beam from his flashlight barely cut through the cloud, but it did enough to show Walker that the way back was blocked. Beside the pieces of ceiling tile and the foam insulation, there was a mixture of concrete and black dirt blocking the hallway. The explosion had evidently been powerful enough to even bring down the super structure. Walker sighed. All it meant was there was no way for him to dig through that way.

He tapped his radio.

“This is Colonel Walker; can anyone hear me?” he asked.

Silence. Walker sighed again and tried to wave away the dust. It was dispersing, but slowly, and while he didn’t want to stay in it, he also didn’t want to move from this spot in case someone could find their way to him. Walker toggled the radio again, trying to ignore the throbbing sensation coming from the top of his head.

“This is Colonel Cornelius Walker, if you can hear me, please respond.”

As Walker listened to the silence, he tried to adjust his helmet, only for the pain on his scalp to worsen. He unclipped the strap and took off the helmet gently. He laid his rifle on the wall, its light pointing upward so it would provide him with some measure of illumination. He then took the helmet in both hands and turned it over. It quickly became apparent what was causing the pain, as Walker thumbed at a piece of metal shrapnel that was imbedded straight through the helmet’s ballistic material, the tip of the object sticking through just enough to scratch and stab at his head. Walker felt his hair, and his fingers came away red and sticky. He frowned. He inspected the helmet again, and then he grabbed the shrapnel with the idea to pull it free so that the helmet was still usable. The shrapnel didn’t budge. Walker tried yanking harder, but all he succeeded in doing was carving a line across his gloves. With a sigh he dropped the helmet on the ground and scooped up his rifle.

“This is Walker; if anyone can hear me, I’m going to try and find an exit. My helmet took some shrapnel and is no longer viable, so I’m leaving it behind. I have some minor lacerations, but I don’t think I have a concussion. If you can hear this transmission, return to the surface and wait for my arrival. If I don’t make it out in time… Seal knows what to do. Walker out.”

Walker put his back to the blocked hallway and looked down each side of the hall he found himself in. Both were pitch black and the air was dead, giving no sign if a breeze was blowing through. Walker wracked his brain, then pulled out his compass. The building had been to their west, and they had entered the stairwell to the left… which meant if he wanted to try and go back to the main entrance, he would need to go north, which the compass indicated was to his right. Walker clicked it closed and shouldered his rifle, setting off to the right.

He didn’t bother trying to clear every room he passed, it would take far too long. The only thing he could do is sweep the corners and keep moving, relying on dumb luck to keep him from getting ambushed. More than once he thought he heard something crawling, on the ceiling, on the walls, behind the closed doors, but every time he stopped to listen, the only sound he could hear was his own breathing. So, he pressed forward, a bit quicker, his sweeps not quite as precise.

Unbeknownst to Walker, a tall figure watched him carefully as it crept from shadow to shadow, always staying just out of the light of the flashlight. It analyzed his movements, studied his eyes as they shifted in and out of panic. Most of all, the figure smelled the air, taking in deep breaths of his scent, relishing in the taste of determination, tinted with a shade of fear mixed with a touch of guilt. Otherwise known as a perfect cocktail for deception. The figure grinned and slipped ahead, applying a disguise as it crawled through the new tunnels that snaked above the human ceilings.

Walker tried to his still his heart when he heard a crash from up ahead. He had slowly begun moving faster, his careful walk speeding up to a light jog as he tried to make his way back toward the entrance. He didn’t remember the other hallway being this long, and a part of his mind worried that he was actually walking deeper into the complex.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar yellow glow emanating from one of the hallways at the intersection in front of him. He picked up his jog, a slight smile touching his lips at a sign of friendly life. Walker stopped and his rifle snapped up when Celestia slammed into the wall, sprinting toward him, her head looking over her shoulder at a trio of changelings hot on her heals.

Walker waved with one hand and shouted as he tried to grab her attention.

“Celestia! Move to the left! I need a clear shot.” He shouted. Her eyes flicked to him, and she nodded, quickly shifting to the left side of the hallway. Walker held his breath as he aimed at the changelings, hoping that something wouldn’t cause his rounds to stray and hit the pony princess.

He fired three rounds in quick succession, taking down two of the bugs. The third paused at the loud noise and the sudden deaths of its fellows. It stared at Walker as Celestia ran past him, and Walker sighted the bug easily now. He pulled the trigger twice, sending the bug down in a spray of goo. Walker kept his rifle raised as the bug hit the ground, then he counted to ten to make sure that it wasn’t a trick. When none of the changelings moved, he slowly lowered his rifle.

Walker turned to check on Celestia, only to be wrapped in a sudden hug as the pony practically tackled him.

“Colonel! I am so glad to see you! When the trap went off, we got separated and I thought I was alone, and then the changelings showed up and-…”

Walker pushed her back to arm’s length.

“Woah there Celestia, slow down. First, where’s your helmet?”

Her smile fell slightly, and she felt her undecorated head.

“Oh, I lost it and my sword when the ceiling collapsed. A piece of stone fell, knocking it loose.”

Walker nodded, blinking as he accepted the simple explanation. His eyes scanned her body, searching for signs of any injury.

“Second, how did you get caught in the collapse? And where is everyone else? I thought you stayed back with them.”

She shook her head.

“No, I tried to keep up with you, but I was only quick enough to turn the corner as the ceiling fell. I had to blast my way through a wall to escape.”

Walker blinked. He could have sworn he saw her horn glowing green, but it was dark now. He dismissed it, attributing it to his head wound. Her story sounded plausible enough, and it almost explained everything. Walker pointed to the three dead changelings.

“Why were you running from them? I’ve seen you take down hordes of changelings before.”

She shrugged.

“It must be from the ceiling collapse. My magic has been unreliable since I lost my helmet, and my wing-blades are useless in tight spaces. With my sword gone, I had few defenses, so I ran.”

Walker blinked again. Good enough, he thought.

“Alright, are you hurt anywhere?”

Celestia shook her head.

“No Colonel, I am quite alright. Are you unhurt?”

Walker nodded.

“Mostly. I have a little scratch on the top of my head, but otherwise I’m still good to fight. Come on, let’s find the exit and get out of here.”

She smiled and nodded, gesturing for Walker to lead the way. The pair carefully stepped over the leaking changeling corpses and with Walker on point, they continued through the maze of dark corridors. Walker rubbed at his forehead, a migraine quickly forming. He felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He felt much better with Celestia at his back now. It gave him the confidence to press forward without fear. It also helped that the noises around him had stopped, filled in now with the clopping footfalls to his rear.

Walker blinked as he looked back at Celestia. He felt like he should say something, but didn’t know what.

“Is something wrong Colonel?” she asked when she noticed him staring.

Walker shook his head, his eyes returning forward.

“Nothing at all Celestia. Just feel like it shouldn’t be this quiet.”

“Yes, it is quite still. In the future Colonel, please call me Princess. It will make things simpler.”

Walker blinked, and thoughts he had about that sounding odd dispersing quickly. He nodded, rolling his tongue in his mouth.

“Sure thing Princess.” He replied, the words seeming out of place in his mouth. Walker suppressed that feeling as well, he was sure that Celestia was trying to create emotional distance between them due to the things he said. His mind flashed as his actions of the past hour came back in a rush.

“Celestia…”

“Princess.”

“Right, look, I’m sorry for snapping earlier. It’s just… all of this? It’s a lot for the human mind to take. I’ve been in a few armed conflicts, but nothing that looked like this. I just can’t wrap my head around the enemy. The way they fight… it’s cruel, manipulative. It’s like they can be anywhere and everywhere, and I can’t do a damn thing to stop it. They drive wedges between us like it’s nothing and I… I’m just too weak or too stupid to see it.”

He felt her hoof on his shoulder as they paused.

“Colonel, you are neither weak, nor stupid. I would not have chosen you if you were either. You are a brilliant thinker, as well as a strong leader. Though you may not believe it, you have no need to apologize, and all your transgressions are forgiven.”

Walker sighed.

“But they shouldn’t be.” Walker emphasized. “I haven’t been as focused as I should be; I keep making bad decisions and it’s only through dumb luck that nobody has died yet because of it. I’m weak, and I’m afraid of letting my men down, and of letting you down Celestia. You’re my friend, but I haven’t been a very good one. I keep calling your actions into question, and for that I am truly sorry. You have been nothing but honest with me, I just wish I did the same for you.”

Walker blinked as she turned him around, a frown clear on her face as she stared into his eyes.

“Listen to me Colonel. It shows immense strength that you are willing to admit your failings. The first step to growing is to admit where you are weak. Only by working together as one are we able to destroy are weaknesses, and by extension our enemies.”

Walker looked away, his eyes falling to the darkness of the hallway. He felt the sudden urge to look back to Celestia but ignored it.

“Maybe.” He mumbled in reply. He sighed deeply and stared for a moment before rolling his shoulders.

“Come on, let’s keep moving. We’re running low on time.”

Walker continued forward, with Celestia remaining close behind him. She wasn’t pressing against him, though she was close enough that he could her breath clearly over his own. Walker blinked as the want for her to be closer washed over him. Stubbornly, Walker shoved it away, his mind locking onto the darkness as he searched for any signs of light.

They passed another intersection of hallways, and Walker tensed up as Celestia gasped and fell into him. Catching her with one arm, he spun around her, his rifle looking for targets. When non appeared, Walker relaxed his hold, his eyes quickly scanning over the pony.

“Are you sure you’re alright Celestia?”

She sighed and nodded. Walker blinked as her horn flashed. Were her eyes always green?

“I apologize Colonel, I am just tired. I tripped on the floor. Clumsy me.”

Walker took the spare flashlight from his belt, and cupping the light, he shined it on her face, gently holding her cheek as he looked in her eyes.

“Are you sure? I can do a quick check to make sure you weren’t hurt and just didn’t notice.”

She sighed and pushed his hand away. Her face fell and her hair fell over her eyes.

“I apologize again Colonel; I have been lying to you.”

Walker quickly shifted the flashlight from her face and began sweeping through her hair, looking for any signs of head trauma. Upon finding nothing, he shifted the beam of light to her body, searching for any blood that might indicate a wound.

“Where are you hit Celestia? I’m no medic, but I can get you patched up enough until we can find one.”

She grabbed his hand firmly in her hoof and lowered it as she moved away slightly.

“Rest easy Colonel, I am in no way physically injured.”

Walker looked at her in confusion.

“Then what seems to be the problem Celestia? Have the changelings been trying to affect your thoughts?”

Her face fell as if she was searching for the words in the dark tiles of the floor. She sighed and looked him in the eyes.

“I am…. In love with you.” She said breathlessly.

Walker blinked as his mind struggled to process that statement. It seemed wrong. Like it was completely and utterly untrue and there was nothing in all of reality that would change it. Walker blinked again. They had known each other for what, forty-eight hours? It just didn’t make sense.

Walker stepped forward again and re-ran the flashlight over her head, combing her hair with his fingers as he tried to look for anything that would indicate head trauma. There had to be some sort of swelling or an abrasion. She seemed to push closer, her fur brushing up against his chin.

“Colonel….”

“Just relax Celestia.” He said, trying to shift the light so he could see better. “I need to give you a thorough look over; you may have a concussion.”

She nuzzled against his chest and sighed.

“No Colonel, no concussion. Perhaps it would be better if I just showed you.”

“Show me wh-…”

Her limps clamed firmly on his. Walker blinked at the sensation. He couldn’t tell if it felt horrifyingly wrong, or if it felt absolutely right. He tried to step back, to get some breathing room to think, but Celestia followed, pressing closer as she shoved him against the wall, her lips still pressed against his. Her tongue pressed its way into his mouth, seeming altogether too long as it explored his teeth. Walker didn’t know if it was natural or not for ponies, and he blinked the thought away.

Walker had almost begun to accept it, his eyes beginning to drift closed as he relaxed, until Celestia’s throat bulged in a disturbing manner as familiar green magic crept up it and into his mouth. Walker’s eyes widened and he began to struggle as he felt her tongue hold his down as something large crawled down his throat.

Walker managed to get an arm between them, and with all of his strength he shoved, throwing Celestia against the opposite wall. No, not Celestia, some sort of large changeling. Not-Celestia’s eyes flashed green and she laughed, her kind voice giving way to something much harsher. Walker stuck his fingers in his throat, and he bent over as a mix of bile and goo poured out into a pool of vomit at his feet. He spit as he tried to get the taste from his mouth.

Not-Celestia giggled madly.

“What’s wrong Colonel, not what you expected from your first kiss with a pony?”

Walker felt his hands shaking at his sides. He couldn’t grab his rifle; he didn’t know why. Every time he thought about it, he blinked, and his hands refused to move. Not-Celestia sauntered over to him, pressing herself against his chest as her green eyes looked into his.

“I told you we would meet soon Colonel, and oh my how you have played your part perfectly. Isolating yourself, pushing ahead blindly, just what your queen needs in a servant. Obedient and willing to serve my whims, even if you don’t know it.”

Walker tried to look away, but found that he couldn’t. Instead, he closed his eyes, screwing them as tight as he could as he tried to block those glowing green eyes. Not-Celestia cackled.

“So strong, so resistant. Good, this would be no fun if you didn’t make it challenging. All of your human friends made this far too easy. I want your conversion to last.”

Walker felt her tongue draw itself slowly up his cheek.

“Look at me Walker, look at your queen.”

Walker flexed his hand, trying to think of an out. His rifle wasn’t going to help, even if he could grab it, she was far too close. His hand drifted against the holster of his sidearm. He wrapped his fingers around the grip, could feel the trigger under his finger. She must have been working him over as they walked, but she forgot about the little gun. At such a close range though, it wouldn’t matter.

“Open your eyes Colonel, show me the will power that I lust to steal from you.”

Walker felt his eyelids creep open of their own volition. Not-Celestia smiled as he lost himself in her eyes.

“Good, follow the orders of your queen like a good drone.”

Walker nodded dumbly, playing along as he waited for an opportunity. Any slip ups and he lost completely. The longer he stared into her eyes, however, the less he felt like he should resist. Would it really be so bad? She felt just like Celestia…

Not-Celestia purred and nuzzled his chest again, never breaking eye contact.

“You are a good drone Walker, and you are my drone. You will be by my side forever, always doing my will like a good drone. Soon all of your human friends will be good drones as well, wouldn’t you like that? All of your friends, and you will be a commander over them again. It is merely a change in form Walker. You will still lead the same soldiers, but instead of as a human, you will lead as my good little drone. Won’t that be nice? Isn’t that something you want? To be cared for as my little drone?”

Walker swallowed roughly. His mind kept slipping. He was blinking more and more rapidly, his eyes felt like they were closed as often as they were open. Either way he could still see her eyes, couldn’t look away. Not-Celestia smiled and she used a hoof to pry his lips apart as she slid her tongue back in his mouth. Her throat bulged again, matching the color of her eyes. She was going to put another one of those… things in him. Walker needed to act.

He reared his head back and brought it down with as much force as possible against the base of her horn. She cried out, what looked like a small black egg falling from her mouth as she staggered back. Back in control for a moment, Walker shouted as he crushed it under his boot. He then drew his side arm and gripped it with both hands as he leveled it at her head. Not-Celestia clutched her forehead as she rubbed away the pain, then looked to Walker with a feral grin.

“Very nice Colonel. Such a strong fighter. You will be beautiful at my side.”

“Drop the illusions you psychopath!” Walker shouted. He let his anger override everything. Hopefully it would help him fight her brainwashing. “Show me your real face, then I’ll decide whether I should take you prisoner or execute you like the bug you are.”

Her smile didn’t waver.

“As you wish Colonel. A queen is nothing if not beholden to her subjects.”

Her body disappeared in a flash of green fire, replaced by a changeling with bright green eyes that matched Celestia in height.

“Look upon your queen drone. I am Mentis, Queen of the Changelings, and you are mine now.”

“I am my own man!” Walker shouted back. “Not some drone, and definitely not a damn bug!”

She smiled, taking a step closer.

“Not yet Colonel, but you will be.”

Walker felt bile rise in his throat again, as well as a pressing sensation against his rib cage. He didn’t dare look down as he felt a chill run down his body.

“What did you do?” he asked in horror as his breath began to come in gasps.

Mentis moved closer, staying in front of the barrel of his m9.

“I simply began your conversion Colonel. I do not much care for the old way with the pods. It is far to quick, and there is no time to really savor the conversion. I use that for the standard drones, but for those I wish to keep close? I prefer a more intimate approach.”

She grinned as Walker tried to move away, one of his hands dropping to feel at the wall. He needed to get away. Needed to run from this… thing.

Mentis stopped with the barrel of the pistol just centimeters from her head, uncaring as she stared into Walker’s eyes.

“You feel it, don’t you Colonel? That feeling making its way around your head, begging to be enslaved. You crave my orders just as you crave my attentions. I am not a cruel queen Walker, I will be as close as I need to be for my drones to be happy, all you need to do is put your little weapon down. Then we will be together, as one.”

Walker shook his head, unable to form words of resistance. Why hadn’t he killed her yet? Why was he still hesitating? Walker’s eyes flicked to his shaking hand. Pull the trigger you idiot! DO IT!

Mentis followed his eyes, could almost sense his thoughts. She inched closer.

“If you truly don’t want to be at my side Walker, then do it. You have the choice in your hand. One way lies salvation, a place with the hive, a position forever at my side as my little drone. We shall make many children together drone. So many eggs to spread across the universe.”

She tilted her head and sighed with fake sadness.

“Or, you can pull the trigger. Kill me, but know you will never find happiness in your worthless life. The change has already begun, there is no stopping it. You may escape this place, may even find your precious friends, your mind intact. But they won’t love you now. Nothing will. You will be ostracized by humans, Equestrians, and changelings. You will be a lonely, loveless thing. Every day will be suffering, and in this manner you will die, suffering and alone.”

Mentis smiled broadly.

“Make your choice. If you accept me, accept your new life, tell me what I am to you.”

The shaking in his hand only grew worse. A flood of thoughts rushed his mind all at once. Walker’s eyes screwed shut. Voices seemed to be seeping into his thoughts, yelling at him and pulling him in a million directions.

“Say it Walker, say the words.” Mentis said, her voice firm, knowing her victory was at hand.

Walker felt his mouth move.

“M-my…”

Mentis pressed forward in victory, touching the sidearm in his hand. Her last mistake.

In an act of pure stress filled reflex, Walker pulled the trigger. The 9mm round tore through her head with a loud bang. She seemed shocked by it; Walker was too. And then all of the voices vanished, and his mind closed like a steel trap. He gritted his teeth as he unloaded the side arm into her head, pulling the trigger over and over until all he heard in his battered ears were clicks.

Walker stared at the corpse in front of him, the head reduced to nothing but a pile of goo. Upon her death, the glow in Mentis’ eyes had disappeared, though Walker had a difficult time finding the eyes in the pile of mush that was left. He felt his breath coming faster and faster as his mind began to panic. Then bile rose in his throat and Walker doubled over.

With his arm braced against the wall, Walker emptied his guts, over and over until he was dry heaving. No matter how much he threw up though, he still felt something in his stomach, like it was clinging there. Walker looked at the changeling corpse again as he wiped his mouth. It remained still, dead. Good riddance.

Walker reloaded his sidearm, sliding it into its holster. With one last look at the changeling, Walker shouldered his rifle and moved a few shaky steps away, tapping his earpiece as he moved. When he looked back, he could no longer see the body as it disappeared into the growing darkness left by his retreating flashlight.

Walker swayed slightly as the radio crackled voicelessly in his ear. His head was pounding, and he couldn’t quite get his breathing under control. Sweat began to run down his back as he swallowed roughly. Walker wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke into his mouthpiece.

“T-this is….”

Walker doubled over again as he felt something shift in his torso. He coughed, foul green goo falling from his mouth. He moaned in pain as his guts felt like they had been turned inside out.

“T-This is Walker. If anyone can hear me…”

His voice trailed off as a deep cough wracked his chest. His eyes streamed tears as he tried to breathe.

“I just got jumped… by… Celestia of all people.” He said. Walker screwed his eyes shut as he tried to focus his mind. “Make sure…” he hacked a glob of phlegm onto the floor. “make sure that you’re with the real one. The changeling looked just like her…”

Walker doubled over again. He couldn’t focus properly.

“I-… I think I’ve been compromised. The bug… kissed me and something went down… I don’t know what. I tried to throw it up, but all I keep getting is nasty goo.”

Walker swallowed; his mouth suddenly dry. His hand scrambled for his canteen as he unscrewed the top and upended the entire thing on his face. Damn was it hot in here.

“T-the, the bug is dead. Mentis I think she said her name was.”

Walker coughed deeply, goo and mucus mixing as he spit onto the floor. He wretched as he tried to speak into the radio again. It was starting to hurt to stand. Walker bit his tongue to give him something to focus on. He tasted blood as he spoke, able to control his body for a moment.

“This is Charlie Whiskey. If you can hear me, then listen up. I want you to leave this place, level it like we planned. Then bring back as many men and ponies as you can and sift through the ashes to make sure there’s nothing left. Other than that, all orders going forward from me are moot. Change the passwords, change the callsigns if you have to. I don’t want anyone getting jumped by a fake me.”

Walker took a deep breath, the pain momentarily subsiding.

“I’m going to stay on this channel for as long as I can. I’ll keep pressing forward, see if I find anything. I am currently registering myself… as combat ineffective.” He said with a sigh. “I’m issuing a steer clear order. Don’t shoot me on sight, but don’t get too close either. I don’t want the same shit happening to you.”

He coughed lightly, his body coming back fully under control as he scanned the dark hallway that stretched before him.

“I’m going to move forward now. I’ll try to maintain radio contact. Walker out.”

Walker rubbed his shoulder as he pushed off the wall. The muscle had suddenly grown tense, and wouldn’t loosen up. Walker shrugged it off. He had to keep moving.

As he moved forward in the nigh total darkness, his head began to ache. Walker rubbed at his forehead to try and ward off the approaching migraine. He felt his stomach shift again, less painfully this time. The longer he walked, the more Walker leaned against the wall. Whether from whatever was happening to his insides, or just from outright exhaustion from the past few hours, his legs began to grow shaky. His vision blurred slightly as the headache built, pressing against the front of his mind.

Unseen in the dark, Walker’s toe tripped on a loose piece of tile. In his distracted state, he wiped out fully, sliding a few inches on his hands and knees. With the sudden change in motion, Walker felt his stomach churn, and he vomited again, more green goo spilling forth from his mouth.

After he finished, Walker leaned tiredly against the wall, fumbling at his radio.

“This is Walker, steer clear is still in effect. I think… I think it might have been some sort of poison; probably designed to make me weak for whatever changelings do to convert someone. It’s got to be, because it’s getting hard to see or walk straight. Not an order, but someone should catalogue the symptoms. If I can give you enough, you may be able to make some kind of antidote for it or something. I have no doubt that I won’t be the last guy to have this happen.”

Walker gritted his teeth as more coughing shook his chest. His spit was turning green now, leaving a clear indication where he had coughed on the floor.

“There’s green stuff coming out of my lungs and stomach.” Walker said as he tried to remain stable while he listed off symptoms. He screwed his eyes shut as he focused. “Lungs feel like they’re on fire, I can’t stop coughing. I’m still me though, or at least I think I am. I don’t know, maybe it’s just some bug flu. Doubt it, but hey.”

He pushed himself up the wall and stumbled forward.

“Christ, I’m going to die down here, aren’t I?” he mumbled. Only after he said it did he realize he was still holding the radio function button. He quickly dropped it and moved on, staying close to the wall for support.

As he approached yet another dark intersection, Walker looked down each hallway, trying to determine which would be the best. As he looked down the one to his right, a pair of blue eyes stared back. Walker’s eyes widened and he fumbled at his rifle as he tried to raise it. The changeling was faster, pouncing on top of him with teeth bared.

Walker felt it clamp onto his flak vest, and he saw stars as the back of his head hit the ground. In a daze, Walker groaned and tried to focus his eyes on the bug tearing at his chest. No, not tearing, just sitting. Not entirely sure he could believe his eyes, Walker rubbed at them. The changeling hissed in his face, but otherwise didn’t react. Walker stared at the bug in shock, his throat dry as he stared at the barely illuminated face of the enemy.

The bug stared back; its teeth bared. Walker felt like he could faintly hear a buzzing but ignored it as anger rose into his mind. The memories of soldiers who had died at the hands of these things flashed before him, and he wildly swung a fist at the changeling’s head.

“Get off of me!” he yelled as the punch connected, driving the bug off his chest. It sat on the ground, momentarily stunned as Walker tried to find his rifle. He tracked it by the flashlight on the end, but as he grabbed it. The changeling pounced again, this time landing on his back. Pinned once more, Walker heard the creature buzzing aggressively in his hear. He growled and drilled it in the nose with his elbow. It tumbled away again, and Walker dragged his rifle to his chest.

As the changeling tried to pounce on him a third time, it was met with a 7.62 round through its eye. The bug collapsed in a puddle of goo that leaked from its now empty eye socket. Walker closed his eyes, content to rest for a second. His heart pounded away, screaming bloody murder in his ears. His chest was beginning to hurt and the heat radiating from his body was becoming unbearable.

Walker rolled over and crawled away from the bug, unable to rise from his hands and knees. His legs just simply refused to support his weight. As he moved away from the corpse, Walker fumbled at his radio.

“Walker… here… head is killing me. I’m sweating buckets, and I can’t walk. I’m…”

He paused to suck in a wheezing breath, why did his lungs feel clogged?

“I’m going to keep moving forward. If you sweep at ground level, you might see me.”

Walker abandoned his dignity as he crawled forward on his hands and knees, his fists clenching tightly as he moved step by agonizing step. His jaw began to ache, and his teeth seemed to get sharper. He bit clean through his tongue at least once, but surprisingly, the action didn’t bother him. Walker simply spat away blood and chunks of meat, running his now slimmer tongue over his teeth. It was an odd sensation, one he elected to ignore as he moved forward.

Walker gave a shout as his head suddenly flared up in pain. It felt like a thousand nails were all being driven into his skull at the same time. He pawed at the sides of his head, trying desperately to make the pain go away. He felt his fingers tear away at his face, but when he checked for blood, he found nothing. Walker attributed it to the poison; it likely contained a powerful hallucinogen, that was why he couldn’t feel his ear in the same place anymore.

All at once the pain stopped, and the hallway fell silent. Walker groaned, struggling to roll off his back. His legs and arms seemed almost the same size now, and he really couldn’t see his hands. At some point in his flailing his rifle had disappeared, but Walker patted his side, taking comfort in the sidearm that remained attached to his leg. While the holster was a bit loose, Walker was just glad to have a familiar piece of equipment close at hand.

Walker found the motivation to roll over and got to his hands and knees. He squinted, was surprised to find that he could see down the hallway now without the aid of his flashlight. Walker grinned; he must be close to an exit. With renewed vigor and energy, Walker walked forward, noticing that his hands and knees felt harder than he remembered, that and he seemed to be crawling taller. He scoffed and dismissed it. Besides the occasionally cough, he felt much better.

Walker almost leapt for joy when he saw a small bit of light at the next intersection. He reached for his earpiece, but found that it was no longer in his ear. Walker slid the radio from his back, and frowned as he struggled to use his hands to manipulate it. In frustration, he clenched his fists and held the mouthpiece between them.

“Walker here. I see a light up ahead, I don’t know if that means I’m dying, or if I finally found an exit. I’m going to check it out, if I don’t respond after this, it’s probably the former.”

Walker felt his emotions rocket from glee to pure depression and back again. He held his head to try and stabilize the wild organ inside, trying to regain control of his mind. The radio crackled in his clenched hands.

“Cornelius? Cornelius please answer.” A female voice said. “This is Big Papa calling for Cornelius Walker.”

Walker fumbled with the radio again.

“Princess? This is Walker.” He giggled. “I found someone that looks just like you.” Walker felt a scowl creep across his face, anger entering his tone. “They’re dead now. Stupid bugs.”

The radio crackled again and Celestia’s voice poured through. Walker smiled as he listened to that voice, had never really appreciated how warm and nice it was.

“Cornelius, listen to me carefully, you said you saw a light?”

He nodded; the motion lost to darkness since he was talking to her through a radio. Walker didn’t care.

“Yes Princess. I’m getting close now, I can feel it!” His tail wagged in happiness. Like a sledgehammer to the chest, his nigh suicidal depression returned as if in response to the hope he felt. “My head really hurts Celestia. I doubt if that light is sunshine it’ll make me feel any better. Better than dying in this damn hole though.”

Concern seeped through the radio as Celestia replied.

“Cornelius, I believe we are close to you. Can you remain where you are?”

Walker shook his head as fear traced up his spine.

“No Princess, I can’t wait, and I don’t want to. I won’t die in a hole Celestia. I won’t die in some bug hole.” Walker felt a press on his head. “I have to keep going forward.”

Walker held his chest as his breath became a wheeze. His voice sounded different.

“I’m going to leave the radio behind. Try to stay light. I’ll break it as best I can.”

As Walker drew the pistol from his holster, the radio crackled.

“Cornelius please stay on the radio! We are close, just hold o-…”

Several shots rang out. The radio crackling a little before it fell silent. Walker didn’t remember how exactly he pulled the trigger, but he knew he did. It didn’t matter, the radio was shot and now he had no use for the sidearm. He dropped it to the side and walked forward. The light quickly grew closer.

Ahead he heard voices.

“I think the shots came from this way! He has to be close.”

Those voices sounded familiar, but Walker couldn’t quite place them. What was the man’s name? Campbell? Walker decided it didn’t matter. They had lights, that meant they weren’t changelings, so Walker sprinted forward. The motion felt a bit more natural now, like he was supposed to run with four limbs rather than two. The voices seemed to grow quieter as he approached, but Walker didn’t care. He was simply eager to be done with this one way or another.

As he got within a few steps of the light, Walker collapsed as a powerful wave of pain wracked his body, sending him tumbling forward. His momentum was more than enough, and slid straight into the lights, hacking his lungs out as he did so.

“Contact front!”

“Kill that bug!”

“Hold! That is Corenlius!”

“That fucking thing is the Colonel?”

“What the hell happened to him? Why is he a bug? Princess what in the fuck is going on here?”

“Remain calm and keep your distance.”

Walker felt a shadow fall over his face, and he cracked an eye as his coughing eased. Celestia and Shining Armor were standing over him, both with their horns alight. Walker could only focus on Celestia though, a small part of his mind whispering that she looked beautiful, that she would be a perfect mate. For a brief moment, Walker smiled.

“Heya Celestia.” He said, a goofy expression on his face. “Password was Worcestershire sauce, right?”

Her smile in reply contained a lot of sadness, and for a second, Walker had no idea why. Then everything was wiped away as he learned a new definition for the word pain.

One single word was repeated endlessly, bouncing around his head, filling it as voices poured in, whispering, talking, yelling, screaming. It was like sticking his mind into a jet engine.

KILL

KILL

KILL

KILL

Walker couldn’t help himself. He clutched the sides of his head and screamed.

*****

Celestia watched the changeling in the tatters of Walker’s uniform writhe, his screams hurting even her well protected ears. For a moment, his eyes had been open, and they were the same steely grey that she had seen every time Cornelius had spoken to her. Unlike so many of her subjects, the human had not averted his gaze during conversation, had only looked away when thinking hard, or when speaking to someone else. Celestia liked that about him, liked that he didn’t fear her because of her position. Now however, all he felt was pain at the mere sight of her. Changeling programming was in their DNA, and it had likely activated as soon as he set his eyes on a pony. Even with the death of his immediate queen, Cornelius could be scooped up by any of the changeling queens on Earth. Even from a great distance they could finish his brainwashing and give him orders. Celestia knew she had to work fast to save the man turned changeling. It would require immense precision to snip the connection at the exact moment when his physical transformation finished, while cutting it before the mental one could be completed. If she cut it too early, he would die an abomination, halfway between both species and in complete agony. If she cut it too late it wouldn’t matter at all.

“Captain, hold him still, this will require my full concentration.”

Shining Armor nodded and pinned the changeling, receiving a headbutt to the muzzle for his efforts. He didn’t budge though, simply enduring as blood poured from his nose. Celestia began to channel the spell as she forced one of Cornelius’s eyes open, watching for the moment.

She heard a shout and Sergeant White strode over, aiming his rifle at the struggling Walker’s head. Celestia broke off her casting and pushed him away.

“What are you doing?” she shouted at the man. He looked at her with rage in his eyes.

“I have my orders Princess. Colonel Walker doesn’t deserve to live like this. It’s what he wanted.”

The rifle snapped back up, and Celestia flared her wings, pushing the man back with a gust of magically conjured breeze. She then immediately grabbed Cornelius’ head in her hooves, prying open his eye as she tried to restart the spell. She still had time…

White snarled at her, and he began walking forward, his rifle aimed at the squirming changeling beneath her legs. Shining Armor screamed at the man to stop, but he was ignored. Celestia looked into Sergeant White’s eyes. She saw a deep pain there, and an even deeper anger. She knew he thought he was doing the right thing, knew that Cornelius had indeed wanted what White intended to give him. Celestia knew she could save him. If he hated her afterword, so be it, but she knew he didn’t have to die. Celestia knew she could convince him that he didn’t want to, even if he was a changeling now. She had to try.

She gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she tried to ward away White while also focusing her magic on the separation spell. Her hoof slipped and Cornelius’ eye slipped closed as he thrashed. Celestia heard the rifle come up…

Seal shoved White aside. The sergeant looked at him with obvious confusion and anger.

“What the fuck are you doing Captain? You know what he said!”

“Shut up Sergeant!” Seal snarled. “This is above your pay grade.”

“Like hell it is.” White growled in return. He looked at Cornelius and Celestia and began to move forward again, only for Seal to shove him back again. White shouted in frustration.

“This isn’t right Captain! He asked us to make sure he wouldn’t become a fucking bug, and now you’re just going to sit by while it happens? Fuck that!”

Seal ignored him and looked to Celestia.

“You’re doing something with that horn of yours, can you save him? Make him human again?”

Celestia grunted as she felt a hoof drill into her side.

“In the mind, yes. I can prevent him from being anything less than the Colonel Walker was in mind and spirit.”

“And his body?”

Celestia couldn’t look away from Cornelius, couldn’t make eye contact with Seal to plead with him. She felt a tear slip free.

“Please Captain, his body is gone, but I know he can still find happiness as he is now. I just need the chance to save his mind.”

Seal nodded.

“Sergeant help Captain Armor hold Colonel Walker still. She needs focus, and she can’t do that while he’s moving like that.”

White glared at him.

“And what happens if she fucks it up and he becomes a bug and tears her throat out? I won’t let that happen Captain!”

Seal grabbed the man by the vest and threw him to the ground next to Walker.

“Just do it Sergeant. I’ll watch Walker.”

Seal leveled the barrel at Walker’s head. White stared at the barrel, then back at Seal. His eyes looked to the two ponies struggling to keep the bucking changeling still. Celestia made eye contact with him, could feel him give as more tears fell free.

“Please.”

White hesitated, his mind working furiously to decide if he should help; then, his mind made up, he nodded firmly and grabbed hold of Walker’s head, freeing Celestia to keep his eyes open. She saw a bit of green creeping in around the edges, but the grey color was still dominant, pushing it back as his mind struggled to reject what his body could not.

“Work fast Princess.” Seal said firmly. “If I see something that isn’t Walker, I’m blowing it straight to hell.”

Celestia nodded and felt the mental connection form between herself and Cornelius. In her mind’s eye she could see the strands of minds creeping in on his as an outside hive tried to establish contact. Celestia burned away the closest ones, counting the seconds as she waited for his body to finish. His horn was growing, but far too slowly.

The strands began to attack her, trying to press in faster to claim Cornelius’ mind. His screams rose in intensity and he began to thrash even harder. His fangs elongated, nearly biting into Sergeant White’s hand. The man swore and grabbed the changeling’s jaw firmly, locking his neck in place. Celestia drew on her reserves of magic as she cut away at the strands. Several wrapped around her mind, but she was easily able to shove them aside, scorching them as she fought like an animal to keep Cornelius’ mind his own.

Her eyes flickered down as the tip of his horn formed, establishing his permanent medium to connect with the hive. His thrashing ceased and a low whimper crept past his lips. The strands all leaped forward at once. Celestia felt her magic flare as she struck.