"Care to play liar with us Twenty-Eight?" a young girl adorned in tattered rags asked placing down two cards. It was unmistakable. She was my sister Molly, pure and unmolested. "Two sevens."

"Liar." a nameless soldier muttered as if he was bored to be there and the girl picked up all the cards on the table in response. He was there too. I never learned his name, but he was with me during the massacre. "One eight."

Looking to the last man my heart wrenched. Why does he always have to be here? The other two I can ignore their foul accusations, but I can't ignore Liam. His blackened veins threatened to poison me and his eyes set my very soul ablaze. Not looking away from him I took my seat at the table and picked up my cards.

"Two nines." the words left my mouth with finality, no doubt to be had. The pain in my heart was swelling. I had lied. No matter how much it hurts I have to be calm and collected. It's my duty as a man of sector three.

"Liar"
"Liar"
"Liar"

The three said in tandem. Picking the cards back up I look to them and their appearances became more gaunt. Their skin paled and their eyes began to glaze over.

"You said you would protect me from all the monsters." my sister accused placing down three cards. I wasn't fast enough

"Liar"

She picked the cards back up blood dripping down her skeletal arm bits of flesh clinging desperately to their home. Her face had become perverted with those repugnant bite marks. The terrible gashes ruining her once perfect face.

"You said you would break us out of that enemy encirclement. We just needed to follow orders." The solder sighed placing two cards. I wasn't smart enough

"Liar"

I waited for him to pick his cards back up but he never did. Looking back to the man I saw why. His arms were gone and a large piece of shrapnel was lodged into his right cheek, the flesh on his face melted away from the blast.

"We were going to see the sun one last time." Sage said in his baleful tone. I
wasn't strong enough "We were brothers, bound by our suffering in Hades. You said we would escape together. YOU SAID WE WOULD SEE THE SUN!" he screamed at me. The the grievous wounds that came from our time in hell exasperated on his face and the disease ate away at his flesh.

"HOW IS IT FAIR THAT YOU LIVED!?" the three corpses screamed at me. Tears were leaking from my eyes. It wasn't fair. I promised them. I promised them.

"Do right by us." Sage whispered. Looking up the three of them were gone and in the place of our cards instead was laying a pistol. Reaching for it I knew what I had to do. Picking the gun up I checked to make sure it was loaded. Raising the gun to my head I closed my eyes, the tears refusing to stop.

====================================================================

My eyes were forced open as my head jerked up involuntary, sweat wetting my coat. Coat huh, I guess it wasn't a dream after all. Seeing Evan was still resting on my side he looked as if he was having a pleasant dream, and it seems he's a heavy sleeper seeing as my sudden awaking hadn't disturbed him in the slightest.

Looking around the room I saw a rock that was out of place, and either my eyes were deceiving me or that rock was shaking. Come to think of it that changeling mare could turn into another horse, why not a rock?

"Reveal yourself." I say in a commanding tone. The rock then suddenly shivered. A strange sight to behold, seeing something that should be still as stone quake. Normally I would strike such an intruder without hesitation but their was no hostile intent emanating from the rock. There's also the fact that something about these changelings put me at ease.

They were hungry and at the very least I could offer them food so they won't attack, but its also their general demeanor. Other than their Queen the changelings seemed a lot like the outsiders that join the military.

The ferocity and zeal of my sector three brethren is unmatched. Any man from a different sector who joins the military is dammed to be outdone in every way. They all had this same way of pretending to match us but when you looked into their eyes there was an ever present fear. The changelings reminded me of that. They tried to act tough but despite the fact that they outnumbered us they were scared for some reason.

The changeling decided that they didn't want to drop their disguise so I'm going to have to take a more active approach. Gently nudging Evan off of me I stand looking directly at the rock. "If you don't revile yourself I'll assume you're hostile and act accordingly." I command ensuring my voice had the proper authority to go with the command. To my surprise the voice that left my mouth was amplified to something that was beyond expected. The vibrations shaking the rock before me and in turn it was enveloped in a sickly green flame.

"P-p-please, I just wanted a snack." a familiar voice said, Skitter I think it was. The mare didn't wear any sort of fascad or false bravery, she well and truly looked as if she was afraid of me. What had I done to earn the fear of these creatures? The Empire has no qualms with them nor could they, and I've taken no hostile action on their people.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" I ask the trembling mare.

"You're an alicorn. Alicorns are the most powerful ponies and ponies don't like changelings." she replied as if I would strike her for speaking against me. So apparently these winged unicorns are powerful enough to negate a massive numbers disadvantage? The thought baffled me, I didn't feel as if I was any stronger than I was in my natural form. Was it that the changelings were just that weak? No, none of this adds up.

Looking at Skitter I could see that she was awaiting my response with bated breath, she was afraid and it was my fault. Something about her fear unsettled me and it made no sense. I have been feared by friend and foe alike but it never made me feel bad. It was probably because I'm a horse. Changelings were also apparently emavores, so maybe this had to do with that. By dwelling on my hatred and fear I'm probably making her sick.

"Come here and lay with me." I tell her as I try to manipulate my wing. As she shakenly walked her way to me I got the movement of my wing down enough. As the mare layer down by my side I draped my wing over her, the cold carapace against my wing was a unexpectedly pleasant feeling.

"What are you doing?" Skitter asked the fear slowly turning into confusion. I was only doing my duty. It is the responsibility of those born in sector three to sacrifice for their allies just as much as for their brothers. Becoming a burden and a net drain amongst your peers is a great sin. To bring pain and discomfort to this mare isn't forgivable.

"You said you were hungry right?" I asked half mindedly as I focus on happy memories. I would be lying if I said I had many pleasant memories to draw from, but the ones that had been, shown bright. Thinking back to when I had the chance to speak to the emperor I had been overjoyed, or the time Marquise Raven had first shown interest in taking me under his guidance. Some of the few moments that my life could have been said to be happy.

After a few minutes of reminiscing I had noticed something different. Skitter had pressed herself against me and was purring in a way. This development brought a strange feeling inside me. I felt warm. It was a sort of happiness. The warmth that was brought by embrace is something I've never felt before. To see another brought joy through my efforts comforted me. In my time serving the military I knew my efforts better the lives of my countrymen but I never saw the joy It brought.

Secretly I was hoping more changelings would come so that I may amplify this warm feeling but after a time passed that seemed unlikely. Silently I chastised myself for having such greedy desires. Skitter looked up to me with eyes that seemed to say why aren't you happy? My heart and mind were in a tug of war. If I let go of this warmth I'll become a burden to Skitter but having selfish desires is a sin for which I should repent.

It would be best to hold onto this warmth and ponder the morality of my wrongdoings once I'm alone again.

Closing my eyes I let my mind greedily hoard that pleasant feeling and the purring soon returned.

This new world is so confusing.

Author's Note

sorry for such a short chapter after two weeks but work is really picking up and it will probably be this way till January