Equestria At War - The Austral Protectorate

The smell of fear was in the air, as a bunch of ponies were busy dragging concrete bags around. The unicorns had rings around their horns, stopping their magic. The pegasi had their wings tied to their sides, stopping their flight. The earth ponies... Existed, as changelings really didn't fear the earth ponies.

All this amounted to making the reconstruction effort infinitely harder on the ponies, as the changelings stood around with their guns, watching down as they flew around. Some of them snickering at the ponies that were clearly having trouble staying up on their hooves.

"The first pony to drop down on the floor gets shot." Elytra shouted, as she shot her gun into the air, hissing at the ponies that seemed just about ready to drop. This had the intended affect of making the ponies a bit more motivated to do their jobs. "Seriously, can you ponies do this ANY slower!? At this point we're going to be rebuilding this city until WINTER!"

All she got in respond was a few grumbling ponies. She glared down, before hearing a changeling landing behind her, making her slowly turn her head.

"Hauptsturmführer! Hail Chrysalis" The changeling said as he held their hoof up in a salute. Elytra saluted as well, though she seemed to be glaring at the changeling, who's clearly not of the Queen's Guard.

Must be one of my informants in that dumb Protector's regiments. She thought to herself as she turned around completely. "Hail Chrysalis. Now what brings you to this side? The Queen's Guard are the ones in charge of the rebuilding effort, fool." She spat with indifference.

"Well... The captain of the police guard is uh.. Well he is planning to utilize a school system on the ponies." The changeling said, noticing Elytra's annoyed expression. "He is also planning to... Separate the ponies into their tribes and putting them into work soon."

Finally, Hanx is doing something instead of just waiting for the dumb Protector. Elytra thought, though her expression turned sinister, as she smiled at the battered ponies. Now for a way to subvert this to my benefit.

"Dismissed. Next time don't come to me in the open, idiot." She waved the changeling off as she started to make her way to the one changeling that might have an idea for her plans.

"You want me to do what?" Said a pink-tinted changeling, who was busy staring at some of the ponies in the factory, clearly sniffing at the air, the taste of love was thin in the atmosphere of dread, but it was enough to drive her crazy. Of course, ignoring one's superior when they are right to the side, is not a bright idea.

"I want you to cease whatever you are doing in the factory, stop drinking the love since we need that for the tax, and then I want you to go-" Elytra stopped talking as she glared at the pink-tinted changeling, hovering her gun around to slam the butt of it against the changeling's helmet. "Misery, you love addicted idiot, FOCUS!"

Misery rubbed her head, as she took her helmet off, giving a weak nod and an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, Hauptsturmführer..." It was an odd sight to see a soldier for the Hegemony being as embarrassed as a foal to their crush.

Elytra gave out a hiss, before rolling her eyes as she repeated herself. "Cease being here. Cease drinking love until we GIVE you your rations for it, and get your chitin to the Protector's office." She placed a hoof on Misery's mouth before she protested the love rations part. "Understood?"

Misery looked... Well, miserable at the orders, but she tilted her head at the last order, moving back to able to speak. "The protector's office? Is he calling for me?" She asked her commanding officer.

All she was met with was a glare, but then a devilish smile formed on Elytra's face. "Oh yes, I believe he's interested in... A partnership, perhaps he'll even let you in with his love stash." Elytra said, delighting in Misery's face, believing her lies.

"Really?" Misery simply said, a bit baffled.

"Oh yes, I'd never lie to you, Misery." Elytra lied as she breathed, patting the pink-tinted changeling's head. "Now go and speak to him, endure his smile and excuses, he's clearly so interested in you."

Misery soon enough placed her helmet back on, as she ran out of the factory, leaving Elytra alone, as she smiled like a monster, watching its prey walk into their path.

The distraction is set. Now it is time for... Elytra's smile slowly faded, as she glared to the side. The Claw...

A strange event was going on the street in front of the prison, a large changeling running like a filly from a more smaller, yet meaner looking changeling. What made it so bizarre is the shift in the large changeling's posture as Elytra came in, he stopped immediately, giving a salute. "Hail Chrys- OW!"

Big mistake, considering that the smaller changeling never stopped chasing him, biting at one of his hooves, almost trying to create new holes in it. The big one shook her off, trying to point out the fact that Elytra was here.

"Hail Chrysalis. Sphecidae, what in the world are you doing?" She pointed at the smaller changeling. The clawed smaller changeling finally stopped trying to bite off the larger changeling's hoof, glaring up at Elytra. "Stop trying to discipline Metamorphous, unless he decided to waste more of the panzer's ammunition."

"I'll discipline him as I please, you placed him under my authority, now that you made him into a lieutenant as well, he thinks he doesn't need to show respect, I'LL SHOW YOU RESPECT YOU LITTLE MANURE-EATING BASTARD!" She ranted as she pointed her claw-like hoof at the bigger changeling, making him uncomfortably shift.

"Hauptsturmführer, please control her, she's been cranky ever since she came back from the protector. Not to mention she keeps... Blapping about something that I have no clue what she is saying." Metamorphous tried to explain, as he kept inching away from the claw of the changeling.

Elytra just glared at them both, before figuring out a plan. "Sphecidae, I have an assignment for you." As she said so, the smaller changeling went from a feral beast, to a very very VERY disciplined soldier, standing up straight as she awaited her orders.

Once more Elytra glared, not enjoying the fact that she can't anticipate this changeling. "Find your sister, tell her to stop the infiltration of the 'residence' here, and tell her to start endearing herself with Hanx. After that, I want you to go and to give the wardenship to Chicanery." She stared, thinking that there will be objections or questions. She didn't receive any.

"Wait, Chicanery?" Metamorphous said, as he tilted his head a bit. "Why're we trusting one of the Protector's guards? I thought we were trying to keep the prison within only Queen's Guard's rule, ma'am."

"Well, idiot, I have DIRT on that dumb changeling, that's why." She said it so matter-of-factly that she made it so true that it was akin to calling the sky blue. "But since you want to talk so much, I want you to help set up some of the Anti-Air equipment of the roofs of the tallest buildings around."

The big changeling shut his mouth up, as he nodded, waving at some of the Queen's Guards around as he started to march off. Elytra stared, rolling her eyes before staring at Sphecidae.

"Do you seriously not have any questions? Usually you can't keep your mouth shut." Elytra asked in a very condescending way.

"No, Ma'am. There is one thing to clarify. The Protector sent me to guard the forest, the jungle, and the towns outside." The clawed changeling said, as Elytra stared with amusement.

"Oh, so he's trying to keep you away from him, well if he wants that so much, go and bother any of his guards that step outside the city, tell them that you have the entire region under control." Elytra spat with sarcasm, before realizing who she was talking to. "Don't do any of that, he was clearly trying to keep you away, after done with my assignments, go back to him. I don't want to see any assassination attempt on him, you hear?"

The clawed one gave a salute, before buzzing away, leaving the Hauptsturmführer alone. She gave a sigh as she stared at the crumbling buildings.

If I can't get this place working, it'll mean humiliation to me. She thought to herself. While I'll enjoy the Protector's demise, I do NOT want his demise to become mine own. I need to get this city fixed before winter comes...

And I think I know one changeling that might make that possible.

"So, what have I done to earn this... Visit?" Klein spoke in a sleazed up manner, his top hat crooked a bit, as he leaned back on his comfortable looking chair. His office was decorated with all sorts of things, not to mention how much he seems to be gloating this fact to Elytra.

The one building that was left not even SCRATCHED from the invasion. She ranted to herself. "Oh you haven't done much, except for being rich, profiteering off the war, and... Being fashionable." She wanted to tell him he was a prick in the end, but she had to get him on her side. For now.

Klein gave out a chuckle, spitting a bit on the desk as he leaned a bit close. "I'll do much more than that now that the war is over. Equestria is a land of plunder and wonder, you know?" He tried to offer her a drink, which she at first refused, before she looked down at it.

"Is that... Bottled love? Seriously, you are bringing this commodity in here, are you stupid?!" She was baffled by the fact that he brought something so dangerous here. The bottled love was blue, frozen love that would turn pink if anyling would have opened it up.

"Oh please, you have so few trust in our soldiers in here. I mean, half of them are Queen's Guards. Those won't disappoint the Queen and take love for themselves, no?" Klein teased, as he dragged the bottle close to Elytra.

She glared at him, making him pull the bottle back as he seemed to notice that she was being a bit more serious than he thought. "Whatever, I don't care, be a fool, if you get shot by one of the guards for that love, blame yourself. I have come here to ask you something. Do you know any contractors?"

Klein's smug look turned into one of genuine interest, thinking to himself. "Let me guess... You have guns, you have the numbers... But you don't have the skilled workers to fix the city, am I right?" Klein spoke, smiling some more as he noticed that Elytra giving a small nod.

"Mercenaries is out of the question for this region, specially since the Protector seems so against any 'compromised' regiments." She started to walk around, fiddling with some of the oddities that Klein had. "But what I know we can convince him of is the use of construction workers. I mean sure the war's over, but plenty of changelings are used to building stuff fast, no?"

"And since this has nothing to do with the military, the Protector can not say no without looking very suspicious." Klein added, enjoying this a bit too much.

"Yes... But if we do this, what's to stop him from taking all the credit?" Elytra slowed down the enthusiasm, though she noticed Klein was still smiling.

"Capitalism." He bluntly said. Elytra stared at him, she was looking more confused now. "We will rebuild the city, and while he is the Protector, which means he is utterly in charge of the city... That doesn't mean he'll be in charge of individual buildings."

"And if we rebuild half of the city's buildings, we'll have... Half of the buildings... We'll basically be much more free of his infernal grasp." Elytra slowly spoke as she came to realize, a smile forming on her face. "Golly, I love Capitalism."

Klein rolled his eyes. "I'm more of an enjoyer of using capitalism, the system itself is too competitive for my liking. I prefer to stay on top, rather than have an upstart on me. Of course, there is a catch to all this."

Elytra dropped her smile, glaring at the Klein as she figured that he would be making a demand. "Let me guess, you want something out of this deal."

"Oh yes, of course I do. I don't like Baltimare, so I don't really care for owning but a single building in it... However, if you can convince the protector to allow me to finally start my rubber plantations in Tenochtitlan." Klein dropped the offer like it was a mere suggestion, though Elytra looked uncomfortable.

You fool, you'll die if you head into that city, it's barely under control. She thought to herself, before squinting at the changeling. "Let me guess... This is the part where you tell me to try and convince him to give you the right to hire... Mercs, right?"

"A changeling after my own heart" Klein teased, as he nodded. "It's a simple trade, I give you half of the city, the Protector gets his capital finally running and working, and then I get to FINALLY get to work on my rubber production. It is a win win for everyling."

"I hate you, I don't think the mercs will be that much of a help, but whatever. Make the paper work, we'll show this tomorrow." She turned around to leave, as she grumbled to herself.

"Elytra, remember. You need me more than I need you." Klein casually said, as Elytra glared back at the wording.

You'll get what's coming to you. Elytra plotted inside her head.

You all will.