Equestria At War - The Austral Protectorate

Within the deepest pits of Tartarus, within the most tallest of prison towers, and within war itself...

That's where Chicanery would rather be then this pitiful excuse for an occupation. She would rather have been snuggling naked in a hole in the wall rather than be awake at this moment, for she hated these ponies with a vengeance.

All her work and dutifulness during the war, and what does she get? Guard duty, the worst kind, watching from so high up, down at the disgusting earth ponies, the mindless pegasi, and the annoying unicorns.

Sadly for her, she would have rather had been saddled with this boredom than get a visit from... The Claw.

"ATTEEEENTION! YOU WORTHLESS ONE! QUIT STARING AT THE PONIES BACKSIDES AND LOOK BEHIND YOU!" Shouted the annoying short one, the one with the aforementioned 'claw.' Chicanery looked behind her, looking bored, she had to deal with this one during the battles in the jungles. She wished it was the last time she had to be with her.

"Yes?" She asked, before noticing that the short changeling wasn't alone, she had with her a more suspicious looking changeling, who seemed to be smiling warmly at Chicanery. The bored changeling did NOT enjoy the smile, it was too warm.

"Congratulations! You are now a warden as per the orders of the Queen's Guard. No, you don't get to say no, I am going to force HANX to order you if you say NO! So no saying NO!" The overexplaining changeling said, before the hoof of the taller one silenced her a bit.

"What my sister is meant to say, the Queen's Guard is relenting control over the prison to you. Word from the top is that we're going to do plenty of re-shuffling of duties to make things work. I suggest going to the prison now." The changeling spoke, and finally Chicanery figured who she was from the mention of 'sister' and the feeling that she might stab her in the back.

"Infiltrator Malaise, I get the 'Claw' being here, but why are you with her?" Chicanery couldn't help but ask, even if she wanted to just go to the prison and get away from this pointless job. "I thought you 'Hearts' are supposed to be on different jobs now."

"Like I said, the top are re-shuffling duties for the bottom." Malaise dodged the question, giving a much less warm smile.

Fine, don't humor me then. Chicanery thought, as the 'Claw' was turning around and flying back down. "What- Rude." She said, upset at the sudden flight. She glared at Malaise, who seemed to still be here. "Aren't you going to follow your sister?"

Malaise gave a shrug, seeming to be too relaxed at the moment. "My sister's business is not my own, besides we are parting ways soon, I have business with Hauptmann Hanx." She said the name as if it had to be dragged out of her mouth.

Chicanery cared not, before suddenly waving over one of the changelings from below to come up. "Well, can you tell that guy that he has my job now? The prison won't function without a warden."

Malaise gave a nod, as the new warden buzzed her wings and flew off. Malaise gave a smug smile, plotting something in her mind.

"Well, time to see if Hanx is ready."

"Misery, please." Larynx begged.

"Come on, I heard someling say you liked me, so come on, share some of the love, I know you have a stash somewhere!" Misery said as she was getting uncomfortably close to Larynx.

The office was now a mess, again, all because of one love-addicted changeling. I swear to Chrysalis I am going to bite whoever told Misery this lie. Larynx thought to himself, as he smiled uncomfortably at Misery.

No weakness must be shown, she is a viper, a snake, she will strike if I show weakness!

Misery was looking pitiful, practically laid down on the, now metal, meeting table. Most of the charts and maps under her were being caught in her holes and some were being ripped from how much she was shaking with anticipation. She looked at Larynx like he was a prize.

"Come on! Come ooooon! Just one little drink, I need it! I'm dyiiiing for it!" Misery begged without a hint of shame, before Larynx finally saw a changeling coming. Help was coming, finally, he can be...

Miserable, he can be miserable, that wasn't help, that was the one changeling above the current one that he didn't want to see!

"PROTECTOR! I HAVE RETURNED! YOU! YOU WERE TRYING TO KEEP- Oh- What?" The clawed changeling known as Sphecidae said, as she stared at the strange occurrence in the office. In her eyes, on her one good eye, she had judgement, only the slightest hint of embarrassment. "Are you wooing while you are working, Protector?" She said with alarming calm.

"NOPE!" Larynx shouted as he finally pushed Misery off the table, giving his biggest smile yet as he re-organized the paperwork, feeling like several of his organs were going to bust from all the panic he was feeling at the moment.

Misery, as stupid as she was love-addicted, simply whined as she stood up. "Come on! Someling told me you liked me, am I to assume they lied to me?!"

If it was a changeling, YES!, Larynx wanted to scream that to her, but he merely thought it as he was too focused on the 'Claw.'

For once the 'Claw' was doing her job as a bodyguard, biting down at Misery's tail as she dragged her away from the Protector. "Misery, get it together." She was unusually gentle, until Misery kicked at her face to try and keep close to the Protector.

Then all Tartarus broke lose, as the 'Claw' did not take the kick kindly, pouncing on top of Misery, pushing her against the desk, ruining the files yet again. Larynx gave up all hope on an organized desk.

The short fight finally ended with the 'Claw' on top, being short didn't mean she didn't have more guts, specially since she kept on hissing at Misery to finally calm her down. "ARE YOU QUITE DONE BEING A STUPID GRUBLING? YOU MISERABLE MAGGOT! NO WONDER THEY CALLED YOU MISERY, YOU ARE LOATHSOME! YOU-"

Misery simply took the insults, trembling a bit as she was hissed on closely, as Larynx tapped on the metal table, giving both of them a smile. The smile was barely one, as it was shaking too much. "Can you two please get off of my desk, please?"

Both Misery and the 'Claw' stared at the Protector in a confused manner, before Larynx realized that he is probably saying 'Please' a bit too much, before he finally gave a more stern order. "Get off the desk."

Finally taking the order seriously, the 'Claw' got off the desk. Misery was taking her sweet time getting off, grumbling to her pink self that she lost to a pint-sized menace. Of course, now that she finally figured that she was lied to, she turned around and tried to make a quick run without so much as saying good bye.

"Good Chrysalis, why did I end up with this job." Larynx accidentally said out loud, then the 'Claw' soon answered.

"You didn't end up with it, you got REWARDED with it!"

Looking over a schedule of the days to come, both Hanx and Tarsus were busy trying to figure out something for the tribes of ponies to do.

"I'm telling you, we need to focus on the pegasi first. As far as we're concerned, the sky is getting too hectic for any meaningful farm work to happen." Hanx tried to explain, though Tarsus seemed unconvinced.

Tarsus tapped at window, watching one of the skinny earth ponies pulled a bag of concrete towards one of the many buildings that need repairs. "And I'm telling you, we need food, we might not be starving, but the ponies we have under us are barely surviving. If we go another month without any farming being done, we'll die. We need to restart the farms, or get a shipment of food."

Hanx was about to say something, before hovering his gun and aiming it at the door. Soon enough it opened, making Hanx breath in a bit, before lowering the gun as she squinted. A Queen's Guard.

"PISS OFF!" Tarsus shouted, in pure changeling tongue. Hanx gave him a glare, he hated using such low-language anymore, he'd rather just speak Herzlander. Of course, the shouting didn't deter the Queen's Guard from entering, though they seemed to be smiling warmly at the both of them.

Hanx didn't like this one bit. "Why are you here? You got the other side to focus on, Protector's orders." He practically tried to nudge the conversation to already end, not wanting to deal with the Queen's Guards at the moment.

"I am Malaise, one of the Hearts." The Queen's Guard spoke, as her warm smile didn't fade from the stern looks.

Tarsus glared even more, realizing what she met. "Oh goodie, one of the crazies." Tarsus could deal with fanatics, but the Hearts were always more fanatical than most Queen's Guards.

"Behave, Tarsus." Hanx didn't try to be much commanding, as he too wanted to say that. "What's one of the Herzen doing here? You hunting for rebel leaders inside the main building of the Protector's Guards?

"Oh, I'm just a peace offering." Malaise giggled.

Tarsus and Hanx simply stared, with Tarsus looking a bit more uncomfortable. Hanx rolled his eyes. "You are making it sound like we are at war with each other." Hanx said.

"But are we not? We've cut the cities into two parts, not officially, but for what? Better management? Or just to keep the troops segregated?" Malaise mused to the two as she started to walk inside, looking over the charts.

Tarsus placed his hooves over the data, glaring at Malaise, still not trusting her one bit. "I'd rather us stay segregated, you know the Queen's Guards doesn't mix well with anyling." He said.

Malaise giggled some more, smiling tenderly. Tarsus wanted to recoil. "Sure, but we Hearts aren't technically part of the Queen's Guard." She said even though she was wearing one of their uniform. "We're supposed to help all the soldiers, within the army."

"The Heer." Hanx fixed the wording, as Malaise stared at him, confused a bit. "Soldiers are supposed to speak Herzlander, not just officers."

"Yeah but... What are you, a griffon lover?" Malaise tone shifted from a warm figure, to that of an annoyed little sister. She then shifted right back. "Besides, we are not out in battlefield, and technically, what we are doing is policing the city."

Hanx gave a hiss, he did not like his work being called mere 'police' work. He was a soldier, an officer. Not a 'police' chief. Tarsus seemed to be nodding with what Malaise said, but he still didn't like her one bit.

"Well. Fine then." Malaise said as she finally glared back. "Let's just do this the rough way then. If you don't accept my cooperation, then maybe you'd rather the 'Claw' be with you instead? You know we 'Herzen' don't leave a job undone without using every option, right?"

Tarsus glare went a bit soft as he thought about the threat, but Hanx was still glaring, before rolling his eyes. "Elytra's stupid, and I know you got more than one 'sister.' Don't you have that one 'disgrace' or whatever you call it." Hanx said right back.

"The 'Claw'?" Tarsus guessed, but he quickly stepped back as both Hanx and Malaise glared at him. "Uh-"

"She's a cripple, not a disgrace, she fought for the Heer even when her body was broken." Hanx showed some respect to his fellow Bodyguard, even if deep inside her hated her guts with a vengeance.

"My 'clawed' sister is no disgrace, why do you think they still have her? She can still do her fair share of work, and she is still a grand leader." Malaise tone was a bit too protective, as she gave a sigh as she stared at Hanx. "As for the 'disgrace' we have... I assume you mean our sister that renamed herself to a filthy pony name?"

Hanx gave a nod while Tarsus looked a bit baffled. "Isn't that treason?" He said, though Hanx waved it off.

"No, it's not treason. She had that name changed during the war, it was strange. But I'm more concerned about her fascination with the ponies." Hanx said as he spat at the floor, with Malaise spitting as well. They both seemed to share the same kind of loathing for ponies. Tarsus awkwardly nodded.

Malaise adjusted herself a bit. "Sometimes infiltrators get too washed up in their disguises. I assume she must have had an identity crisis, she did spent more time and deeper inside the ponies lines than I or any of my other sisters did." She spoke with the hushed tone of shame and embarrassment. "By the Hole, she called herself 'Ice Dice'. ICE DICE!"

Hanx and Tarsus looked at each other as Malaise seemed to have started to kick herself into a frenzy.

"I mean- 'ICE DICE'?! What is she?! INSANE?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING CALLED KANX?! IT'S NOT A BAD NAME! IF SHE DIDN'T BLEED WITH US AND CHANGE BEFORE OUR VERY EYES WE'D..." Malaise stopped her ranting as she looked at the others, giving an awkward cough as she calmed down.

Tarsus tried to ease the tension in the air. "So... I can now see the resemblance to your uh.. 'Clawed' sister." Hanx glared at Tarsus, as Tarsus shrugged. "What? They both sound the same when they rant!"

Malaise rolled her eyes, she tried to smile warmly, but she scoffed as she glared. "This was a big waste of time. I'm going now, my calm is too compromised for this manure. I'll leave you with this." She said as she walked close to Hanx. "We need to start cooperation between the two guards... Or else we're going to drown in the sea of ponies that we are currently trying to control. Okay?"

Hanx nodded, as Malaise walked away, leaving the two alone again. Tarsus gave out a cough as he tapped at the chart. "So... You trust her?" Tarsus asked.

"She is a one of the Hearts, so not really. I've dealt with them during the war, they are good at making stuff up and of emotionally manipulating people..." Hanx squinted as he stared down. "But she seemed to be on her wit's end. I mean, only three hearts are in this region, I don't know if they even have any more of them outside here."

"I meant one of the collaborators." Tarsus tapped at the chart again, tapping at a picture of an earth pony. "Never trust any of those weird Queen's Guards."

"I suppose that is the safer option... Also wait a second, damn it, Tarsus, you are trying to pull a fast one, we are NOT going to restart the farm first, the weather is shit for it!" Hanx tone flipped on a dime as he noticed what Tarsus was doing.

Tarsus grumbled with Hanx, as soon as night came...

Somewhere... A Protector was about to get a very annoying visit from two changelings he does NOT like one bit.