In Another World

Captain Of The Army

"Again!"

Gnator flinched at the order of his commanding officer. He was tired and sore, not to mention frustrated at performing the same move again and again. Since he and Queen Chrysalis infiltrated Caterlot Castle months ago, the monarch ordered Gnator to begin training in the Changeling Army. Gnator eagerly agreed to join to get stronger to protect his family and play an essential role in the queen's plan to conquer Equestria.

"I've done this move a hundred times already!" Gnator huffed as he looked up to Fortis.

Fortis never agreed to Gnator joining the army, and he made that very clear from the beginning. He drilled Gnator from dawn to dusk, hardly giving him a minute to rest. Even if Gnator got praise from his comrades, Fortis insisted Gnator was horrible.

"And you'll do it a hundred times again!" Fortis barked. "Now, again!"

"Fortis, you've drilled him enough!" A female stepped up, earning a sharp glare from the commanding officer.

"Stand down, Entibus!" Fortis ordered. Entibus was a fellow soldier in the changeling army who quickly bonded with Gnator after the queen inducted him. The two became quick friends and worked hard side-by-side, even finding time after a long day to spend with each other. She walked up to Gnator and helped him off the dirt, to which Fortis did not take kindly for one second. He rushed right up and yanked Entibus to the ground by her wing.

"I said, stand down!" Fortis barked. Gnator glared at his superior and swung a solid and swift uppercut directly between Fortis' legs before he leaped into the air in a roundhouse kick to his head. Fortis fell to the ground on his back and looked up at Gnator just in time to see him jump onto his chest and start punching his face. Gnator landed punch after punch, from left cheek to right cheek again and again until Fortis gripped his wrist tightly and, with a growl, lunged his fist straight up into Gnator's chest, sending him flying into the air before landing on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

Gnator coughed a few times before he looked up to find Fortis flying through the air directly at him. Gnator quickly got to his feet to take a defensive position only to have Fortis land and twirl, sweeping Gnator's feet right out from under him, sending him back to the ground with a thud.

"Pitiful!" Fortis spat. Gnator glared at him, knowing full well his superior used magic to gain the advantage. Nevertheless, Gnator got back up and began swinging at his opponent, who dodged every swing easily. Fortis finally swung at Gnator's gut, knocking the wind out of him before suspending him up in the air with his magic by the throat. Gnator gripped the air around his throat as he gagged and kicked to break free in vain.

"The penalty for insubordination is death!" Fortis growled. "I'm going to enjoy watching the life leave your eyes!"

"Fortis!" Entibus cried out as she ran up. "That's enough!" Fortis sent a beam of magic directly into Entibus's chest, sending her to the ground gagging for air as she clung to her body.

"Let him go, Fortis!" A stronger female voice called from behind, getting all the changelings gathered around to drop what they were doing and drop to one knee as they bowed their heads in respect.

"This pathetic excuse for a drone has committed insubordination and must die, your highness!" Fortis growled while keeping his glare locked on the changeling in his grip.

"Put! Him! Down!" Chrysalis ordered, speaking the last word with such force, it caused the ground to tremble.

"If this piece of shit is as good as you think he is, he can get his ass out of this himself!" Fortis smirked as he watched the life drain from Gnator as he choked and kicked to break free. Suddenly, Fortis fell to the ground, gripping his groin in his hands as he coughed in surprise. Gnator collapsed to the ground, gasping and coughing as fresh air rushed into his lungs. Having recovered from Fortis' magic, Entibus rushed over to Gnator's side after kicking Fortis's penis.

"Well done, Entibus!" Chrysalis smiled at the young changeling while slow clapping as Entibus helped Gnator off the ground. Fortis growled as he struggled to his feet while glaring at the two. "You should consider yourself lucky, Fortis," Chrysalis continued. "Another second longer, and I would've removed your head from your neck."

"I'll kill you both!" He lunged forward at them. Gnator glared as he raised his hand at Fortis and fired a green blast of energy straight at his face, sending him flying back before hitting the ground with a hard thud. Chrysalis smirked at this as she sat on a chair made from her magical aura while folding her legs.

"It looks like my choice in leadership was right." Chrysalis mused. Fortis picked himself off the ground as he looked at Chrysalis in shock. Chrysalis smirked at Fortis. "Oh, didn't I tell you? Gnator is going to replace you."

"Your highness?!" Fortis countered. "This piece of shit couldn't lead the stone you walk on, let alone the changeling army!"

"Are you the one who selects those who submits changelings into the army?" Chrysalis asked with her brow narrowed.

"No, but-"

"Are you the one who makes the final decisions on where the army goes?"

"Your highness, I-"

"Are you the one who decides if you stay in your position or not?" Fortis's eyes went wide at this last question.

"You can't be serious!" Fortis protested, making Chrysalis growl sharply as she got to her feet.

"I've heard enough of your superiority complex!" Chrysalis hissed as she raised her hand at Fortis, who went wide-eyed at what he saw before him.

"I claim the Right Of Challenge!" Gnator piped up as he stood to his full height with Entibus by his side. All the changelings looked at Gnator in shock. Fortis glared in rage and disbelief while Chrysalis took a moment to process what she just heard before grinning.

"How dare you!" Fortis yelled.

"He has as much right to challenge you as any changeling in the hive," Chrysalis stated as she sat back on her cloud of magic. Forits blinked at this statement as he glared at Gnator.

"Gnator, don't do this," Entibus pleaded as she held Gnator's arm. "He'll kill you!"

"I can handle myself, Ent," Gnator began as Fortis chuckled, cutting him off.

"You can handle me?!" Fortis laughed. "You can't even do the simplest training exercises! Honestly, I don't even know why I'm wasting my time talking about this!" Fortis outstretched his hand to conjure a bound sword. "It's time to face your execution!" Before Fortis could make another move, he fell to the ground, completely paralyzed. "What the fuck?!" Fortis looked up to find Chrysalis standing over him with the angriest expression on her face. "Your highness?!"

"The only one who should be executed is you!" Chrysalis hissed.

"Your highness!" Gnator cried out.

"Speak, young one," Chrysalis answered without taking her glare off Fortis.

"Let me have this, and he won't be a problem for you anymore!" Gnator offered.

"And if you fail?" Chrysalis asked, still keeping her eyes locked on her mark.

"Then you can do with him what you will," Gnator answered. "Kill him. Stuff him. Banish him. I don't care. Just let me have this." Chrysalis' glare slowly turned into a grin that sent shivers sprinting down Fortis' spine.

"Very well, young one," Chrysalis said as she returned to her seat with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. "In any case, this will be quite entertaining."

Fortis regained feeling in his body, and he got to his feet, his body visibly trembling from what just happened. He took a deep breath to regain his composer before glaring at Gnator. "You will regret this!" Fortis pointed to the ground and did a full three-sixty twirl, using his magic to draw a large circle on the ground before glaring at his opponent. "Step in the ring!"

Gnator took a breath before taking a step forward. "Gnator, don't!" Entibus pleaded as she clung to his arm.

"Entibus, I can do this," Gnator said calmly without taking his eyes off his opponent. Fortis only snorted in response.

"Gnator, he's captain of the army for a reason!" She reminded him.

It is true, Fortis was one of the best changelings in the hive, worthy of his title, but he got to that position by using anything and everything to his advantage. He knew how to manipulate the world around him, and he never held back. Anyone who stood up to him ended up either dead or disgraced.

"Entibus, I can do this," Gnator said again, this time with pure conviction and determination. Entibus watched Gnator, and the look on his face put her mind at ease. Gnator was calm and collected, a different changeling from the one who just got into a fight with the commanding officer.

After a minute, Entibus let his arm go. "Come back to me, you dumb ass," Entibus ordered before she planted a kiss on Gnator's cheek. The stakes just got even higher. If Gnator lost this fight, not only would he lose his life and his family, but he would lose the changeling who he had come to love.

Gnator stepped into the circle, keeping his eye on his opponent the entire time. As soon as Gnator entered the ring, the line in the dirt ignited in green flames. The two foes glared into each other's eyes as all the other changelings gathered around the ring of fire to watch the inevitable fight while giving Queen Chrysalis her personal space.

"The conditions?" Fortis asked.

"No magic and no shifting outside of non-magical creatures!" Gnator answered. Fortis scowled at this."The battle ends when one of us shifts to a magical creature, or when one of us leaves the circle!" Fortis snorted, and Gnator could see the frustration in his face spike. He knew Fortis would be at a disadvantage without using magic. Fortis' greatest strength was in his magical ability, and without it, he would not stand as much of a chance, which made Gnator even more proud to have taken his father's fighting lessons to heart, but now he would have to focus on them more than ever.

"And if I refuse?" Fortis asked.

"Do you even have to ask?!" Gnator spat out sharply, earning an audible growl from his opponent. Fortis accepted the challenge as soon as he stepped into the circle. Walking away now would automatically force him to lose. "If you refuse these terms, then you lose!" Fortis' glare grew even more fierce, so much so it did not seem possible. Gnator already won the battle when Fortis accepted the challenge, and he knew that; he just wanted the satisfaction of beating this filth in a fair fight.

"I accept your terms," Fortis growled. The crowd gathered with excitement, starting to cheer and place bets on who would win this fight. Gnator raised his hands against his opponent, who just stood there glaring at him. Fortis may have been at his best with his magic at his side, but he believed himself to be better than this young changeling, nonetheless.

"Let the battle begin!" Chrysalis called out as she shot a sparkle of green magic into the air with her hand.

Fortis lunged forward at Gnator, who braced himself for the attack before stepping to the side. Fortis slid on the ground, trying to prevent himself from passing the line behind Gnator, who kicked him in the center of his back to send him out of the ring. Fortis twisted his hips and grabbed Gnator's leg before giving it a firm yank. Gnator used all of his weight to fall backward, pulling them both to the circle's center. The crowd gathered around cheered and shouted at the two combatants.

Half the crowd began to get wild as Fortis was already about to claim victory. Gnator and Fortis rolled in the dirt before Fortis pinned Gnator to the ground and raised a fist over his head with the intent to deliver a killing blow. Gnator looked up at his opponent and jabbed his fist directly at Fortis's groin, hard. Fortis fell to the ground, clutching his cock as he coughed and wheezed in pain. Gnator quickly got to his feet and glared at Fortis.

"What the fuck?!" Fortis Growled. "What the fuck's with all these fucking crotch shots?!"

"Get up!" Gnator ordered. "That was pathetic! Get up and try again, you worthless, pathetic piece of shit!" Fortis glared at Gnator as he used his own words against him. "Get up!"

"Strike him down now!" A few changelings called out. "Don't let him get up! Kill him!" A few others called out. Entibus watched in horror. She knew Gnator was not the type who would senselessly kill an opponent, especially when they were at a disadvantage like this.

Fortis struggled to his feet. "Cheap move, fucker!" Fortis coughed as he stood upright while glaring at his opponent.

"Whatever it takes, right Fortis?" Gnator replied, earning a sharp snort from Fortis, who charged with a yell. At that moment, Gnator closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath. Time seemed to slow around him. The sound of the changeling crowd cheering and chanting around the battle zone faded into nothing more than a whisper, allowing him to focus on the sounds his opponent made, both in his war cries as well as his loud claws digging into the ground.

"Remember." The sound of Vitam's voice echoed in the back of Gnator's mind. "Never be too eager to rush your opponent." Gnator opened his eyes. His calmed state made time seem to slow to a crawl. "Don't let the adrenaline get to you." As Fortis approached Gnator, he raised his fist with the intent to strike at the head. "Wait for an opening, and strike!"

Fortis's fist came flying toward Gnator's head when Gnator side-stepped just in time for Fortis' fist to miss his cheek. Gnator grabbed Fortis's wrist tightly with his right hand as he lunged his left first straight for the back of Fortis's elbow. As his fist came into contact, the sound of bone cracking could be heard just before the screams of pain escaped Fortis' lips. Gnator then kneed Fortis in the gut, knocking the rest of the wind from his lungs before Gnator let go of Fortis' wrist to raise his arm above Fortis and shoot his elbow straight into his opponent's back, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

Time resumed its natural flow, and the sound of the cheering crowd filled the air once again as Gnator stood over Fortis, who lay there coughing while clenching his arm. Entibus smiled at Gnator as she stood her ground. Chrysalis smiled at Gnator for his accomplishment. Fortis pushed his chest off the ground with his good arm as his broken arm dangled in the dirt while he looked at Gnator in both shock and anger.

"How the fuck did you do that?!" Fortis groaned. Gnator only glared down at Fortis. "Answer me, you little shit!"

"It's over, Fortis," Gnator stated matter-of-factly. "You've lost." At this statement, Fortis shouted in anger as he lunched up at Gnator while shifting into the form of a dragon. With a mighty roar, Fortis' mouth lit up in flames, ready to roast Gnator in one swift attack before he suddenly fell to the ground, his body restored to its natural form and once again paralyzed. The green flames around them vanished, and the crowd went silent. Gnator took a step back as he watched Chrysalis walking toward Fortis.

"Your highness!" Fortis cried. "No!" Chrysalis placed her right foot on Fortis' neck, forcing the air pipe closed with the pressure.

"Charge, violating the terms of the challenge," she firmly stated as Fortis struggled to get out from her grip in vain. "Sentence," she hummed with a sadistic smile, "execution." Fortis desperately struggled to break from the grip of her clawlike foot. She leaned down and grabbed his neck, lifting him off the ground, his body dangling in the air like a ragdoll. Fortis could only look into Chrysalis' eyes in horror, silently pleading for mercy. Chrysalis smiled at him as she slowly moved his face closer to hers. When his muzzle was only an inch away from hers, she opened her mouth.

The crowd watched in horrific silence as a green light began to escape from Fortis's mouth, a look of pure terror in his eyes as he stared into hers. The green energy left Fortis's mouth and retreated into hers. As the energy left Fortis's mouth, began to leave his eyes. What only was a few seconds felt like an eternity before the life escaped Fortis's body, and he dangled in Chrysalis's grip. The green light vanished in Chrysalis's mouth before she let the body go, a loud thud filled the air when it hit the dirt.

Chrysalis closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath while hanging her head back as if looking up at the empty, sickly orange sky. After a few seconds, she lowered her head and opened her eyes to look around at the gathered changelings. "Let this be a reminder!" she called out. The changelings could only watch with pure intent out of fear. "I will not tollorate such lack of respect and loyalty!" She then looked at Gnator with a smile. "Now, let us put this sad loss behind us and welcome our new champion!" She raised a hand toward Gnator, who stepped forward to her. "Captain Gnator!" The changelings all burst out into roars of cheers and applaud.

Entibus ran up to Gnator, tackling him to the ground as she pressed her lips passionately against his. Gnator internally screamed in pain from his aching muscles and the, which soon melted away as he embraced his lover, rubbing her sides as he leaned into the kiss. Chrysalis chuckled. "Well, what better way to celebrate than with a mating session?!" The cheering increased. "Go, my children! Have fun!"