Year 6, Week 5, Sunday
David Young trotted through the door to the lounge and nearly collapsed onto the couch. “I take back everything I said about boot camp. This is a hundred times worse.” The white and red unicorn let out a sigh as he sagged onto the couch.
“Aw shut it David,” said the red and black pegasus trotting in behind him. “Fuckin’ Moody is running my ass ragged with her flight training.”
“You’d catch a break sometime if you didn’t keep chasing that flank, Desmond,” the earth pony stallion following Desmond retorted as he emerged from the washroom. “Last time we caught you two ‘training’, I wondered if we’d have to request a new trainer,” Emmet said with a chuckle.
“You shove it too, sir,” Diamond replied irritably as he flexed his wings, wincing as they protested the movement.
The final pony to enter the lounge was silent, plodding slowly to the largest of the couches and slouching onto it gratefully. He was a massive specimen, easily larger than any of the instructors that had been assigned to him. The couch frame groaned in good-natured protest, but held the black-coated body up. “Hold still Moses, I’ve been practicing my healing magic,” David said with a smile, his horn igniting with a crimson light as he washed the spell over his friend’s body. Moses sighed in relief as his sore muscles relaxed.
“So when the fuck are they going to tell us what’s going on?” Desmond asked as he looked out the window at the beach. The small base they had spent nearly five months living and training at was safely hidden away on the northern coast of Kauai, with three full squads of Royal Guard to keep any wandering tourists away. While they’d appreciated the chance to return to active duty, five months without any significant contact was a long time. A very long time indeed.
The peace and quiet was broken by the thud of hooves on floor as a deep red stallion entered the room, a broad smile on his face. “Up and at ‘em colts! Good news!” Aegis said cheerfully. With a chorus of groans the four stallions heaved themselves into formation and saluted. “Now now, no need for the fancy salutin’. Finally got permission from the higher ups to tell ya why you’re here, and I think you’re going to like it.” He took a pause for dramatic effect, enjoying the anticipation on the four’s faces. “Y’all get to find out what’s been going on in Scythion, the home country of the griffons.”
Emmet, once he’d picked his jaw up, blinked a few times. “Mind explaining sir?”
Aegis nodded. “Well, there were griffons involved in the attack on St Louis. We determined that they were responsible for the magic explosion that killed your unit. What we don’t know is how the HLF made contact with those griffons. But, your mission is simple. Infiltrate Scythion, find out what’s going on, get out. You’ll have a specialist accompanying you for the mission, they should be here within the next day or two. Unfortunately, they’ll need to have to be trained in their body before the mission is a go, but it oughta be a bit easier than it was for ya’ll.”
Emmet tilted his head. “Is there anything else you can tell us? Going in with an asset we know nothing about isn’t exactly conducive to a successful mission.”
Aegis shook his head. “‘Fraid not. Nopony’s told me anything either. But you four have passed every test we’ve given. If anypony can pull this off, it’s ya’ll.”
“So wait a minute, let me get this straight,” Rangel said for the third time. “So this serum is going to turn me into one of them?” He pointed to the two canine bipeds with a wavering hand.
“Well, yes,” Dr. Lewis said as he flipped through a few stapled pages, “the tests we’ve run have all come back as unequivocal. The serum will work, of that I can assure you.”
Rangel shook his head, trying to wrap his head around it. “So why me? And why turn me into one of these things? No offense,” he added hurriedly.
The colonel took a step forward. “I’m Colonel Harkness, in charge of this base. In the attack on St Louis six months ago, there were griffons participating in the attack. They helped slaughter a company of US Marines, and one hundred thirty National Guard, before making their escape through unknown means. Upon questioning of the griffon ambassador in Canterlot, he admitted to receiving a letter ordering him to destroy what documents he could and leave the country. In exchange for this information, he specified that no Equestrian set hoof in Scythion. Therefore, you will be attached to a specialist unit that has been assembled to infiltrate Scythion. This mission is to allow for the United States and Equestria to gain intelligence on the state of the country, and perhaps even learn how the HLF found out about the Hunters to hire them. Princess Luna has been the lead negotiator between us and the diamond dogs, and will explain further about what this project will achieve.”
Luna nodded her thanks as she took over from Harkness. “In exchange for our assistance, the largest pack of canids, led by Alpha K’rik and his Beta, Ferrik,” she indicated K’rik and Ferrik with a wing, “have agreed to support us in this infiltration. There will be a team of ponies who will be accompanying you, all former National Guardsmen saved in St Louis. But ultimately, the decision was made to pursue this new serum for two reasons. One, the short term gain of having a diamond dog on the mission vastly increases its chance of success. Two, the diamond dog’s population is just too low. Something needed to be done to try and help them raise their numbers. This serum both does that, and gives humanity another option when it comes to Conversion.”
Rangel held up his hand. “Okay, a lot of this is going over my head. Can I just have some time to think about this?”
Luna nodded. “Of course. There is a small lounge through the door there. Take as much time as you need.”
Rangel walked through the door without another word. K’rik looked at Luna, a faint trace of annoyance in his eyes. “The human is weak. He will not accept this offer.”
Ignoring the canid, Harkness grunted. “If it were up to me he’d be suckin’ prison air for the rest of his life.”
Luna laughed lightly. “I think you both underestimate him. Asking something like this out of the blue would cause anypony a great deal of confusion and worry. Just give him time.” She glanced at Harkness. “And if you’d really had fault with our recommendation for his selection, you didn’t express it at the planning meeting.”
Harkness only scowled as he stared at the open lounge door.
In the lounge, Rangel was preoccupied with counting the specks on the floor, trying to get the shaking hands back under control. He’d spent the flight over preparing to undergo Conversion and be a pony. Now things were starting to crumble again, and he was getting tired of the edifice of his beliefs being shaken up at every turn. He’d known that there were other intelligent species living in Equestria, but none of them had really made any effort at coming to Earth and mingling with humans like the ponies had. He’d wondered about that, but had never thought to ask one of the ponies, believing that they’d either lie about it, or worse, that they had conquered the other races and thus were keeping them enslaved.
He found himself wondering if it really was as Luna had said, and it was simply that these diamond dogs were a relatively tiny population compared to the Equestrians. But then what did that say about the Equestrians? Were they even aware of the suffering of the other species? Did they even care? Maybe they didn’t know, but if they were telling the truth, he sure as hell knew now. But would Conversion be the solution to this, or would it simply be a matter of relocating the diamond dogs somewhere where they could increase their numbers? But where would they relocate to?
He put his hands to his head in an attempt to quiet the storm of questions rattling around, not even noticing Dr Lewis entering the room and sitting next to him.
“It is a tough choice, believe me, I know.”
Rangel leaned back against the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling. “You got that right, Doc. Did you guys even consider that Conversion might not be the answer to this?”
Lewis took a deep breath. “Well, I can’t say for sure. I’ve thought about it for a while during the development of the serum. From what I’ve talked about with Luna and the other ponies who were brought in, the diamond dog population’s just too scattered for them to have a viable breeding population. K’rik’s pack is a start, but from what I’ve come to understand the diamond dogs are a very fractious species, even more so than our own. Not to mention that trying to force those diamond dogs that don’t want to relocate would be just as wrong. So, Luna and Celestia felt that developing the serum to create new canids would be the best alternative. It’s not the best solution, but it’s the one we thought made the best of the situation.” He got to his feet and walked over to the water cooler, pouring himself a drink. Glancing back at Rangel, he tilted the cup questioningly. When Rangel shook his head Lewis drained the paper cup in a single go, tossing it into the garbage can. “I can’t tell you if undergoing this Conversion is the right or wrong thing to do. If it works, we’ll be able to give a species time while we look for another solution. The infiltration into Scythion will have a much better chance of success with you along though.” He sat back down next to Rangel. “You thought, in St Louis. You didn’t let your fear and anger control you and prevent you from making the morally right choice. There wasn’t anything to gain from murdering children.”
Rangel nodded, only half hearing what the doctor was saying. “What happens to me when I come back?”
Lewis swallowed. He’d known, in a way, that this question would come up. “Well, there are conditions attached... I want you to know that I in no way agree with them but...”
“I’m not going to be allowed to just go back to a normal life, am I?” Rangel asked quietly, his hands still.
“... No.” Lewis heaved a sigh as the word left his mouth. “I’m sorry, but the United States cannot just let you go free. Even if you did the right thi-”
“Don’t.” Rangel rose to his feet and walked to the counter, gripping the edge tightly. “To be honest, for a while afterward, I couldn’t look myself in the face again. Let alone my family.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a simple piece of folded paper from it. Unfolding it slowly, he gave it a look before turning to face Lewis. “My family was in the Charleston Bureau when the attack happened. My parents disowned me. I admit I never really got along with them after I said I was joining the Army. When they found out I was one of the HLF terrorists captured, I guess it was too much for them. My little sister Carrie, though, she sent me this letter. Said she knew I wasn’t really one of the terrorists, that I was fighting them from the inside. She said that she’d never forget me, and to never forget her.” He folded the letter with shaking hands, clutching it tightly. “But, if I’d been sent to one of the other floors, I think I really would have shot the ponies there. But the sight of those foals, they reminded me of Carrie, and suddenly I couldn’t pull the trigger. I can’t ever look her, or my parents, in the face again.” He took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes a little wet. “So, what’s the specifics of that, Doc?”
Lewis flipped through the papers. “You would not be allowed to return to the United States under your old identity. You would be expected to choose a new name for yourself, preferably a diamond dog name. Of course, should you so choose, you can emigrate to Equestria and live there as well, though that would present challenges of its own.”
Rangel nodded slowly. He looked down at the letter held in his hand, not even seeing it, but the smiling face of his sister. Taking a deep breath, he met Lewis’ gaze. “Alright, I’ll do it.”
Lewis nodded, and walked back out into the lab, Rangel following after him. Colonel Harkness had gone back into the observation room and was speaking on a phone, his shoulders stiff. Rangel pulled his gaze away as Lewis spoke briefly with Luna, who relayed the news to the two diamond dogs. The larger one chuffed out a breath and turned to face him. This time, Rangel met it’s feral stare evenly, not willing to let himself be intimidated again.
“He... may survive this,” K’rik finally said. “For how well the serum works, that will have to be seen.”
Lewis, in the meantime, was busy helping Rangel get ready. The former soldier stripped out of his clothes and put on the plain hospital gown provided. “That’s good, just lie down on the table there. No sense in you falling over after all.”
Rangel complied, wincing a little at the cold bite of the metal on his skin. He looked over as Lewis carefully lifted a tray bearing two needles and set it on the end table nearby. “So that’s it, huh?”
One needle was full of a translucent liquid, what he assumed was the anesthetic. The other glimmered with a faint tan light. He could feel the barest tinge of his skin starting to itch with it sitting next to him, and looked at Dr. Lewis as he swabbed his arm. “So, is it going to hurt?” He wondered if all converts asked that question.
Dr. Lewis chuckled as he picked up the needle of the clear fluid. “Well, that’s what the anesthetic is for.” He carefully slid it into the vein, pressing down on the plunger. “Just relax and let it do its job. You won’t feel a thing.”
Rangel yawned as the anesthetic began to take effect, his body slowly shutting down as the medicine circulated through it on it’s way to his brain. His eyes stubbornly stayed open for a few more seconds, but they too finally yielded and drifted closed, his brain firing the last few neural snaps before they too fell into slumber.
The crescent moon hung in the sky, a silent observer to the dance of life occurring under it. He lowered himself to the ground, eyes hard as he scanned the trail for the prey-sign. He had been stalking this prey for a long time, across the rough ground. Gripping the assault rifle tightly, he began to creep forward, toward a copse of trees. Bootprints led directly toward it, and he allowed a small mental smile to form as he noted the panicked spreading. The prey was afraid, and its fear inspired the opposite in him, a deep, primal desire to see it run down and ended at his hands. Nudging aside a low branch with his weapon, he paused for a moment in confusion, trying to remember whether it was a spear or an assault rifle he was supposed to be carrying. With a shake of his head, he dismissed the concern and glanced ahead, taking a deep sniff of the cold air drifting past. It was subtle, but the prey-sign was there, thick with the stench of fear and pain. Taking another few slow strides forward, feeling the snow crunching underfoot, he could see the ground slope down toward a small clearing, a thick patch of brush hiding the interior from view. His claws extended, the hardened nails gleaming in the moonlight. But his nose didn’t lie to him, and he quietly slid into the thicket, finally seeing it. The prey stood in the center of the clearing, having taken a moment to rest and lick its wounds. He peered at it in confusion, not recognizing the shape of the terrorist for a few seconds. But as he blinked, the form resolved itself into the more familiar prey-shape of the deer he had been hunting. It was a fearsome stag, antler points like knives in the dim light.
He froze as a new, unfamiliar smell made itself known, just to his right, thirty feet away. Turning his head slowly, so as not to spook the prey, he could make out a shadowed form lurking, cold eyes staring back at him. He flexed his claws slowly, careful not to make any noise and alert the prey. The other figure did the same, and in unspoken agreement, the two turned their focus back to the prey in front of them. It’s head was up, ears twitching round as it sought the source of the sudden, dreadful silence that had fallen upon the clearing. Even the air itself was still, the whole, uncaring focus of the Wild brought to bear on the single moment in time.
As one, the two predators leapt from the thicket, powering through the driven snow toward their quarry, which sprang into motion almost simultaneously. But it was a fraction of a second too slow, its injury too debilitating, and that second was lethal. He came down upon it first, his claws fixing into its shoulder, jaws closing on the neck. The flesh parted, the blood beneath gushing hot and fast into his mouth. It only exhilarated him, and with a twist of his head he tore free the mouthful of flesh. He felt it struggling mightily to escape, but he was mightier still, and soon it fell quiet and still, the snow beneath them stained black in the moonlight. He swallowed the flesh in his mouth and was reaching for another when something slammed into him from the side, knocking him sprawling into the snow.
Surging to his feet with a snarl of breath, he saw the other predator clearly now. It was an enormous wolf, though after a second he realized it wasn’t, as it prowled forward. It stood easily six feet feet at the shoulder, fur as dark as the night sky, claws four inches long. It’s yellowed eyes stared directly at him, conveying a wordless message as clear as day.
Submit.
He snarled his rejection, standing his ground defiantly. The hulking figure acknowledged it by blurring into motion, flashing past him before he could even react. A hot flash of pain burned across his left thigh, his pants soaking with his blood. He shook his head and spun to face the figure as it turned around. Again, the figure demanded through scent and posture. Submit. He snarled and charged forward, spear raised to strike. The figure batted the spear aside with one paw and slashed at his arm with its fangs, scoring a second deep wound. He was knocked to the ground from the force of the impact, crying out in pain as his injured leg gave out.
The figure turned and loomed over him, its head framed by the crescent moon. “Will you submit?” Its voice was like the rolling thunder, and for a second he found his knees trying to bend.
With a grunt he forced them to stop, and with a hiss of pain, pushed himself upright. Looking down at the savaged body of the terrorist, he felt a mild sense of revulsion, but brought his eyes up to meet the feral ones staring at him. “Not gonna happen.”
It’s mocking laugh rolled out of the bottom of its chest. “You are barely standing. How long do you feel you can keep this up?”
“As long as I have to,” Rangel snapped back, his hands trembling a little from the cold and blood loss.
The creature stared at him for a second, then heaved itself up so it was standing on its hindlegs. The dim moonlight started to brighten, until he could make out its form better. At best guess, he put its height at twelve feet, corded muscles rippling under its skin. It was similar in appearance to the werewolves he remembered reading about when he was young, but this thing practically radiated nobility in addition to the savagery. “You are an interesting hunter of these trails, Steven Rangel. You bring much strength to my pack. I will see you again, at the end of the hunt.” Throwing back his head, the monstrous diamond dog howled, a world-shattering cacophony that carried with it the loneliness of the winter night, the savage joy of the predator chasing its prey, and the warmth of the sunrise. Steve winced, falling to the ground from the deafening assault and the pain of his injuries. The sound kicked up the snow, swirling it into a tornado that blinded and spun him about until he was completely disoriented. Finally, he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, the driving snow in his eyes fading into utter blackness.
Rangel jerked as he took a gasping breath, feeling something trying to hold him down on the table. With a delirious shout he threw whatever it was off as he rolled off the table onto the floor. Leaping to his feet, he took a few staggering steps back, towards the wall that he knew was close by. Stopping suddenly, he realized that he could feel the wall, literally sense where it was in relation to his feet on the floor. Opening his eyes, he blinked at the brightness of the lights and sneezed. The breath that surged back into his nose was a second reason to freeze. He could clearly smell the eight other beings in the room, which his eyes picked out a second later.
Colonel Harkness tilted his head. “The serum worked then.”
Standing in the corner, hackles raised and ears flat, was another diamond dog. Standing about as tall as Ferrik, it’s fur was a range of greys, with splashes of russet along the shoulders and eartips. It’s eyes were the same shade of yellow-brown as K’rik’s, though they were currently widened in fear.
Dr. Lewis wheezed from his new spot on the floor. With Azure’s help, he managed to pull himself to his feet, a massive bruise forming on his cheek where Rangel had struck him. “Well, his reflexes seem to be functioning fine, coordination is weak, but better than most newfoals.”
“What’s going on?” the canid Rangel had become suddenly barked out. “I can feel the room, all of you pressing down on it!”
Luna tilted her head curiously, then her eyes narrowed in realization. “Is that what I think it is?”
“All diamond dog sense through the rock. Is our gift from the Alpha of Alphas,” K’rik said sharply. “Ferrik, bring him to heel.”
The shorter dog nodded before taking a few steps forward and facing Rangel squarely. “Will you submit?”
Rangel froze, the words of the diamond dog in front of him now making perfect sense to him, the scent and body posture a mirror to the dream. His lips instinctively pulled back and he crouched lower to the ground. “No.”
Ferrik cracked his neck to one side, then the other. “Ferrik not ask again. Submit.”
Rangel’s only response was to snarl. Dr. Lewis and Azure took a few hasty steps back, while Luna, Harkness and Cloudhammer remained where they were next to K’rik. “I do hope this behavior isn’t always going to happen,” Luna remarked to K'rik. “The standard Bureaus won’t be able to handle this sort of violent tendencies.”
K’rik chuffed dismissively. “This is normal. Diamond dogs are not ponies. Our way is through strength. If needed, I will bring the pack to ensure discipline.”
Ferrik, in the meantime, was nearly face to face with Rangel, both of them now snarling at each other. Rangel lunged at the diamond dog with a snap of his teeth, who rocked back while slapping out with his paw. The claws left three stinging cuts across his face, and Rangel instinctively yelped and closed his eyes. Ferrik grinned and lunged forward, grabbing Rangel’s arm and twisting it behind him, dragging the two of them to the floor. The two struggled violently before Rangel managed to pull his arm free. However, as he started to try and roll into a position to bite, he felt the pricks of teeth gripping his own neck.
“Now, submit,” Ferrik growled. Rangel bared his fangs and started to swing up to claw at the other dog in an attempt to escape. He never made it, as Ferrik’s jaws tightened slightly, a hairsbreadth from puncturing his jungular and carotid blood vessels. “Keep going, Ferrik will end you,” the native said with a thick snarl. The room was silent as the assembled onlookers waited to see what would happen.
Rangel’s mind raced, trying to think of a way out, but his body seemed to almost take over, his limbs going slack and his tail tucking itself underneath him as best it could. Finally, with a pleading whine, he went still. After a few seconds, Ferrik let him go and stood up. Rangel followed him with a resentful snarl. “Fuckin’ touch me again and it won’t go the same way, dog. And for that matter, why can I understand him now?”
Ferrik’s response was only a harsh laugh as he walked away. “Ferrik likes this pup. He carries the heart of the stone in him.”
Luna shook her head before walking forward to face Rangel. “We’ve been refining the base serum spells to allow for the Convert to understand the tongue of the species they become, and now...” she paused, a look of pride on her face, “now, it gives you a basic knowledge of how to speak it. Anyway, Steven, we need you to put this enmity behind you. You will need to be trained in how to use your body, and Ferrik here will be the one to teach you. ”
Rangel bared his teeth slightly, but relented under Luna’s stern gaze. “Fine. But he thinks I’m gonna behave like a good boy, he’s got another thing coming.”
Luna smiled. “Excellent! Now then, come Dr. Lewis, we need to take a blood sample and his vital signs.”
Lewis grunted acknowledgement as he rubbed his bruised face. “Long as he doesn’t hit me again.”
Rangel rolled his arm to try and alleviate some of the pain from it nearly being dislocated, and realized his tail was still firmly pressed against his rear. Taking a few deep breaths, he felt it start to loosen up and hang freely again. “Now that is going to take some getting used to.”