The Faces of War

by Zero the Necromancer

Joint Operation

The hall, in which the Golden Way stands is now flooded with vehicles. Tanks, jeeps and even some dismantled ospreys and apaches. Old eighty music can be heard. They have a CD player. Some of the soldiers work on the vehicles and others play card games. The technicians work hard on a helipad on the rooftop of the building. John, who sits on the bonnet of a jeep looks at them, while they carry some of the parts.

These guys work really hard...First the radar tower, then the generators and now an entire helipad...What comes next? Artillery?

"Hey! John!"

He looks down and sees a hand from under the jeep.

"Can you give me allen key?"

"Yeah."

He takes the item from the toolbox besides him and hands it over.

"Thanks."

"You're pretty good at this, Lucy. Say, had you another job before you signed up?"

"Yep, I worked as a mechanic in Detroit. And you?"

"I studied medicine in Munich, but I stopped after the eleventh semester."

"Huh? You stopped so short before your university degree? Why that?"

"I...My family needed me back home, in Wald."

"Oh...Did someone of your family get..."

Oh, no. God, no. My father he...he died."

Lucy gets up from under the jeep and cleans her hands on a dirty piece of cloth. She is covered in black spots. Oil probably. Her brunette hair is bound together in a pony tail.

"Sorry, John. I didn't want to open old wounds..."

"It's fine. I made peace with it a long time ago. Plus, I still have a sister."

"Really? How is she?"

"She's the best big sis you can have. And you? Do you have family back home?"

"Yeah, my dad worked in Detroit too, but the company got bankrupt. And my mom's a whore.

"Don't say something like that, Lucy."

"No, I mean it literally. She's a striper. That doesn't change the fact that she's a good mom though. Hope I can see her soon."

"Well, just another reason to end this here quickly."

They assume their normal duties again but Johns radio speaks up.

"Hi, Human! How are you?! I hope you have a super duper day! My name's Pi-"

"Pinkie, give me that!"

The radio gives some pieces of sentences and static from it. John frowns. He turns his transmitter off and on again.

That always works.

"Here is delta four, there were some...interferences. What's your status? Over."

"Um...here is...tango...two. I need some help with that...thing. You better come and see it for yourself."

The voice is different now. It isn't high pitched, but rusty.

Did that guy ever learned communication rules?

"Copy that."

John follows the radio transmitters location, what is quite difficult without GPS but he manages to get around in the building. The bodies of the dead ponies have already been burned so no diseases can spread, but the blood puddles are still there. He stops in the middle of around room with a weird platform in it. A helmet with the transmitter lies there, but no sign of the soldier.

That's odd. Better report to the sarge...

"Here is de-"

Something fell on Johns head and back. He tries to throw it off but it holds itself on him very hard.

"What the fuck?!"

"Now Applejack!"

Something from behind punches him in his right knee throat. He staggeres and collapses on the ground. At least he manages to throw the thing on his head off. It's Pinkie Pie.

"You little piece of shit! I'll kill you!"

"No, you won't!"

The vioce comes from behind him. He looks at it. It's a purple...well, he can't say what she is since he never saw an alicorn before. However, it charges its horn and engulfes John in an also purple energy field. He can't move an inch. The only thing that he can is breathing. The purple pony lands nearby the pink one and helps it stand up.

"Are you alright, Pinkie?"

"Yes, but...he has a good throwing arm."

"Well, not anymore."

A third pony with a cowby hat trots to the others. While she passes John she kicks him with one of her hindlegs against his ribcage. He would scream if he could. The three now look at him. The purple pony steps to him, with anger and sadness in her eyes.

"Do you have any idea what you are doing? What your kind always did and will do until the end of time? You holded so much hope for us...So many of your inventions could have made our lives a little bit brighter. We wanted to help you, to laugh with you, to share our golden age with you..."

Her eyes begin to water and she turns away, her horn nearly touching the ground.

"But you just...just punched our hoof of friendship away, said what we did to you is evil and despicable."

God, I swear when I get of of here I'll rip hear tongue out!

"But it doesn't matter anymore, does it? You are here and now we need to protect our kind from you. And I think Luna can get some information out of you."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, princess."

The voice who said that is female and has an echo in it. John can't move so he can't see what's going on. The voice speaks again.

"You have already claimed my people. You will not take them aswell!"

The pony before him was shocked, but that soon changes in anger.

"We defended us from you, Chrysalis! Just like we need to defend us from them! You don't know what they are capable of! You haven't seen their true self!"

"Your kind is a bunch of spoiled brats, who fear anything that looks different from them! We said that we're sorry! We tried to reason with you...But you let us starve to death!"

What the hell is going on?! Chrysalis?! Who the fuck is that?!

"You're lying! Like you changelings always do!"

"That's enough!"

A green bolt of energy hits John's prison and destroys it, but leaving himself unharmed. He immediately graps the pony in front of him at the neck and strangels her. Another two green bolts hit the other two ponies, leaving them injured an unable to fight. The purple pony begins to grow weaker and her eyes turn upwards. But then her eyes fill with a green shine and black crystals grow from the ground. She begins to laugh quietly.

"Step back!", the echoing voice shouts.

And he does that. Just in the right time. Before him a black crystal grows extremely fast out of the ground. It would've impaled him. The green shine in the ponies eyes subsides and she shakes her head. As she looks at the black crystals around her, she begins to cry.

"I...You made me do it again..."

Another green bolt is launched but the pony can evade it, through teleporting away. She spawns near the other ponies and teleports herself and them out of the room.

John finally got a chance to looks at his savior. As he turns around he is so shocked that he graps his rifle and points it at the thing. It is a equine insectoid with a distorted horn, blue transcendent wings, blue hair and green reptile-like eyes. It slowly advances to him, its head on his eye level.

"Stay where you are! I'll shoot, I swear!"

A gentle smile is forming on the beasts face, revealing a pair of fangs.

Fuck! A predator!

"No need to be afraid, human. We stand on the same side."

"What are you?! Some kind of genetic experiment?!"

"I am Queen Chrysalis. The thing you found in the unbreakable shell. Well, it seems it is not so unbreakable after all."

"Wait, you're that black...mass?! And what about the other thing?!"

"She is still unconcious from your hit."

"You know?"

"Yes, I was awake the whole time."

"And now? Are you going to eat me or put eggs in my stomach like a fucking facehugger?!"

"I don't know what a 'facehugger' is, but no. How I said, we are on the same side."

"And I should just believe you?"

"No, not now. Words are worthless, but actions are not. Come with me and tell your leaders they should prepare their troops."

"Fine. I guess if you want to kill me you would've done it by now."

The two head to the roof of the building. They walk past some other soldiers and John ensures them that he has the situation under control. As they stand on the half constructed helipad the most important human majors and sargeants are present. Even general Carter himself stepped through the portal to see the creature. He speaks up.

"So, creature. How do want to help us?"

The changeling steps forward.

"Mighty humanity, I, Queen Chrysalis, are offering an alliance between the Changeling Kingdom and your nations against Equestria and their allies."

"So, you want to join the United Nations?"

Chrysalis bows down.

"I and my people would be honored."

"Well then, show us what you're capable of. I want that this city falls in twenty four hours and maybe then I will send your request to my superiors."

"Y-yes, of course."

The general walks back into the building, while Chrysalis launches another bolt of green energy in the air. It passes through the shield and explodes like a firework.

"And now?", one of the sargeants ask.

"Now we wait for my people to come and destroy the shield. Then we will attack the golden city."

"So we're making a joint operation?", another one ask.

She looks to John, who nods slighlty.

"Yes, a joint operation."