Coco slowly walked down the hall, grunting in time with her footsteps as the crate of food in her paws continued to get heavier with each passing second. The crate had been filled so thoroughly that much of the vegetables were obscuring her vision. Every step she took felt like an eternity since she constantly had to stop and look around the bushes of leeks to see where she was going.
As she walked further down the path to one of the many bridge halls connecting the den, she heard a strange voice echoing out towards her. Now she couldn't quite place the voice or smell of this person, so either it was a pony, or it was one of the scary new ones. A quick peek around the leek blocking her vision confirmed her worst fear. There, directly in front of the path she needed to take, was the new alpha pacing and incoherently talking to himself.
Coco silently groaned, cursing her luck, and moved quietly to not alert him to her presence. She stopped just in front of him and watched for an opening to pass since he constantly moved back and forth, but every time she wanted to try it he seemed to subconsciously block her way again.
Her arms cried out in pain for her to get a move on, so when he next moved she sprinted forward. Unfortunately, the alpha once again rounded back and collided with her like a moving brick wall. She yelped as the force propelled her back and onto the ground, but before she could even apologize for hitting him she froze. He hadn't moved an inch after the impact, and he still hadn't even noticed her. He just continued to pace and talk to himself violently.
"Just do it, make the choice! Wasting time, wasting it!" She tilted her head in confusion as she watched him continuously berate himself, growing angrier and angrier in the process. Her confusion turned to concern when he suddenly started speaking gibberish and smacking his forehead over and over. “¡Te voy a dar unos putazos si no me dices el plan!” She didn’t know what it was that was causing him to be like this, but she knew that if she didn’t do something quick then she may be the first to suffer as a result of his break.
“Uhh…” She started with uncertainty, and of course, he failed to hear her faint voice. Coco looked at him with growing concern, and eventually mustered the last of her strength and bravery into a loud bark directed right towards him. Finally, Alpha stopped and looked at her. She shied away from him for a moment, holding her arms close, but she quickly reminded herself why she had drawn his attention in the first place. “A-alpha… are okay?”
He looked down at his hands, then rubbed his forehead while letting out a soft hiss of pain. “What… I don’t...”
“You here, walking round. Talking.” She said as carefully as she could. She wasn’t as good at talking as some of the other dogs were, but she knew enough. At least, she hoped she did.
He shook his head and let out a long sigh. His eyes darted around as he tried to find the right thing to say until they looked down at the mess of food that laid between them. He gave her a slightly guilty look before kneeling and starting to pick them up. “Let me help with that. I can only assume that I was the culprit.”
Suddenly, Coco started to panic and shake her hands in protest. “N-no, I… you, uh. Oh, how say!? Not need!?” She cried out frantically, but the alpha just laughed and continued stacking the fruits and veggies into the crate.
“Do I ‘not need’? Or maybe you just ‘not want’?” He asked with a devilish grin while mimicking her way of speaking, but Coco had to take a moment to understand him fully. “What? Am I not good enough to help you?” He said with a pained expression and over-the-top offense in his voice.
Coco’s ears dropped as he implied she was trying to insult him, but her words turned into anxious stutters and mumbling as she tried to defend herself. The strange creature just laughed at her as he finished picking up the items and neatly setting them so that the top would no longer get in her way. “I’m just messing with you… heh, I really needed that.” He said with a wistful look aimed at the wall.
Coco calmed herself down and swallowed her fear, then crouched down to retrieve the food so she could hightail it out of there. Before she could though, she looked up at the Alpha’s expression, taking particular note of the smirk he had on his face. He was smiling, but it felt like the saddest smile she’d ever seen. While the new Alpha was certainly intimidating, there was something about that look that made her want to know more. “Umm, Alpha okay?” She asked once again.
He glanced at her, seemingly ready to answer when he suddenly hesitated and dropped the smirk he had prepared. With a quick look around, he inched closer to her and spoke with a much softer voice. “What’s your name?” He asked, to which she responded by jostling the collar resting atop the light grey fur of her neck. He raised his eyebrow at her, staying silent for a moment, so with a confused cough, Coco dropped the collar and just answered him.
“Coco.”
With a nod, the alpha continued. “Coco… you ever just stop and think about things? Have you ever had a choice? A choice that seemed so simple at first, but ended up being far harder to make the more you thought about it?”
“Uhh, Ummm.” Coco started fidgeting uncomfortably, not due to the heavy nature of the questions, but because she could only understand about half of what he had asked her. Thankfully, he seemed keen on talking some more regardless of the answers she gave.
“I have a choice to make. A choice as easy as 1, and 2. Yet before I could even make it, both choices led me down paths that I couldn’t even see the end of. Paths that made me lock up and think a million times harder than I ever had before,” He paced back and forth just like before he'd noticed her, but this time he was able to catch his rambling and stop it. “I guess it's just... the more I realized just how much a choice matters here… the more I realized how much MY choices needed to matter," He leaned against the wall beside the hall entrance and sighed. "It’s not going to be simple anymore, and if I can’t even pick a side to talk to then how the hell am I even going to... I don't know.” His venting finally trailed off as he shook his head solemnly.
Coco grumbled in frustration and tapped her head, doing her best to make sense of what he was talking about even if his vocabulary wasn't exactly making it easy. Regardless, Coco was no fool, she could tell he was in dire straights and needed help fast. He may have looked weird, but no creature that looked as defeated as that could be as bad as she thought.
She eventually garnered from the tone of voice, and what little she understood, that three main things were bugging him. He had a choice that was supposed to be simple, 1 and 2, and now he’s stuck. “Oh! Oh! I know!” She shouted excitedly while lifting her arms and waving them like a pup learning in class.
By the time the alpha looked back to her, she had already stuck out both of her hands and closed them into fists. “One,” She shook her left hand. “And two!” Then her right. She looked up in confusion for a moment though, then put her hands behind her back once she realized saying it out loud defeated the purpose. She swung them back to the front and smiled once more. "Now one and two, only me know." Alpha looked at her cluelessly for a moment, but she just continued to smile at him. He was far less scary to look at now that she realized just how similar he was to her, and there was something about his curious look that was, dare she think it, cute? In the end, she just hoped that her dumb little method would be enough to help him.
He put his hands on his hips and shook his head at her, but this time with a brand new smile brimming with relief, instead of covering dread. “Coco… you are one good girl.” He said with a chuckle.
There was something about his praise that made Coco’s heart skip a beat. She couldn’t help but smile even harder, and wag her tail, as he reached out and made his choice.
I stand in front of the wooden door and let out a huge sigh. Thanks to that cute grey dog I finally made my choice, so now I have to stick with it, okay? Just get in there and act. Same old, same old. Comprende?
With a final burst of confidence, I grab onto the handle and fling the door open. What I see on the other side is a large cafeteria-like room filled with tables and chairs that look like they’ve been nicked from all over Equestria, then mashed together with little regard for style or cohesion. From wooden picnic sets to plastic lawn chairs, and even low ground recliners. I guess after society crumbled the dogs didn't have anyone to complain about their relocation of goods. I wonder if that was Warble's plan or something they were always good at.
On some of those chairs, scattered around the room, are my locust. Chorsus was on the far left with his helmet on the table beside him, and his revolver held in his hands as he span the chamber around in thought. Verus was on the far right with his weapons laid out on the table, organizing them from smallest to largest with what little room he had. It was the textbook definition of efficiency. And finally, Roc was in the far back leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and standing beside the wretches who were snoozing on the ground.
I slam the door behind me, finally gathering everyone’s attention, and stand proudly as they rush to kneel before me. “Sorry for the delay. I had some important matters to attend to. However, I am here and ready for a full report. Tell me of everything that has transpired in my absence!” That’s a good sign, I’m getting much more comfortable talking to these guys.
Heh, good for you Ben. Just wait until they figure out who you really are. You won't be feeling so good then.
Must you ruin everything?
“My king?” I snap back to Verus and clear my throat. “Do you… understand?” He asks curiously. Aw man, that’s the last thing I need to hear right now! See what you make me do, disembodied voice that questions me? Okay Ben, no worries, just let your instincts take over and everything will fall into place.
“Yes, Verus. I understand completely. Though, if you’d be so kind, could you repeat what you just said? I don’t think… everyone was paying attention.” I gesture my head towards Roc in the back, and after a quick look at the dead expression on his face, Verus nods. Hey, what can I say? I'm a natural at throwing people under the bus. In my defense though, I really do think he wasn't paying attention. You just can't fake having brainpower that low.
“Of course. I said that after I helped bring you to your quarters, I and several of the ponies went to gather the others. They were on their way back but were being pursued by a large blue beast. One that the ponies called, an Ursa Major. We drove it away before it reached the new hollow.” Verus finished his explanation with a salute and a nod. Wow, he really said all of that while I was thinking to myself? Just how long do I spend on even the most mundane thoughts? I need to be more careful with how I- "My king?" He suddenly interrupts again. God damnit Ben, focus!
“Very good general, you did well. We will have to keep tabs on this Ursa soon, but the important thing is that you and the others returned to the new hollow safely.” Thank you for giving me that one. I think calling this place the new hollow for as long as I'm in charge will really help me set into my role as the locust king. Besides it sounds way cooler. Also, Ursa Major my ass. We're lucky a real major didn't decide to pop its terrifying head out of that den and make mincemeat out of everyone for messing with it's cub. Definitely something to keep an eye out for later.
All of the locust suddenly share uneasy looks as I finish my praise. What’s got them acting so weird? Oh my god... someone didn’t make it back, right? It was a ‘he’ if I remember what Warble said correctly. They must be nervous that I’ll come down on them with the might of Zeus when they tell me they let a pony…
My eyes go wide, as I finally realize that I had not yet seen someone among the group. A certain someone who would definitely be hard to miss in a world like this. “Where’s… Krogg?” I ask warily, still holding out hope for an incredibly mundane answer. Maybe he’s helping the wounded? Stuck outside doing weird kantus shit? He’s doing something, right? There’s a reasonable explanation for why he’s not in this room right now!
Chorsus stands up and salutes me. “We followed your orders, protected the ponies with all we could. One of the injured ones, the striped one, began screaming in pain. I sent Krogg to help, and that’s when the Ursa came,” I don’t like this pause man, don’t do this to me! Oh god… why is he choking up? He’s a locust, a subterranean murder machine whose vocabulary has 30 words for genocide and 0 for mercy. Why is he choking back tears? “In our escape… he was killed by the Ursa.”
My world goes numb as he utters those words. I suddenly feel so light, like I’m about to start floating away any second. My head does a spin that sends me stumbling into the door behind me, and quickly the locust rush to help. Verus and Chorsus hold me up, then lead me to one of the tables to sit down. After a few minutes of calming down, I finally regain my ability for higher thought.
I never even imagined that this could happen. These were locust... no, MY locust. They're invincible. Not even for a second did I entertain the thought that one of them could die here, but now I have to face the facts. I did this, didn’t I? I killed him. My orders… my obsession with these ponies. That’s what killed him.
Of course that’s what killed him, you good for nothing idiot. Why couldn’t you just leave them? Why couldn’t you just let it go? Why do you always make the wrong decisions? Just end it all, because after this there’s no way that anyone will ever-
“MY KING!” I suddenly snap to my right as Verus roars into my ears. I look up at not only him, but all of my remaining locust. I’m hyperventilating, they’re looking at me with fear. Why are they afraid? No, no, it makes total sense! They were all close with Krogg, immensely so. His death would leave them all in a place of uncertainty, so who better to turn to than their king? The man with the plan.
Yet here I sit, hyperventilating and beating myself up. I can’t do this, not now. I need to be a leader, THEIR leader! No matter what I have planned, no matter what I’m trying to do, right now these locust are depending on me to get them through the day. And with Krogg gone, they’re probably thinking that any one of them is next.
I grab onto my royal medallion and stand back up. For some reason, I find it comforting to hold onto its chain at the moment. So puff out your chest Ben, you need to be strong. “Krogg’s loss is… unfortunate to say the least. He was not only an exceptional soldier but the best shaman I had ever seen,” I turn towards the others who begin to nod solemnly. “The loss of his knowledge and skills will no doubt deal a hefty blow to our plans, but we must persevere.”
That one wasn’t even a lie. If Krogg’s gone then that throws just the tiniest wrench in my plans. I was going to disguise the ponies’ wake-up with his shouts so that they don’t suspect Warble in any sense, and so that they have another reason to trust us completely. We’ll just have to improvise then. As I grip the chain of my medallion, I suddenly remember a crucial fact about the locust.
“Chorsus, please give me Krogg’s medallion,” I hold out my hand, but Chorsus just grumbles and shakes his head.
"I could not recover it my king. Your orders I had to follow, leaving no time." He responded solemnly. Damn, those tags are really important. We can't have a ceremony without them. I mean, we can, but I'd just feel shitty if we couldn't at least bury something representative of him. The last thing I want is to be sending more locust, ponies, or dogs out there to find his body, not after the Ursa. Not only that, but the changelings are probably out there right now finding anything they can about their missing prisoners.
Should I just give a eulogy now? I wouldn't even know what to say, what does a king do when his high shaman dies in locust culture? Ah shit, I'm freaking out again. Wait a minute... yes, yes! That can work perfectly! If Gears Of War lore won't save me, then maybe Halo can? "So there is no proof of his demise? Nothing physically that can pronounce him dead?" I turn to Chorsus while cocking my eyebrow.
He, Verus, and even the apathetic Roc share look of confusion wondering where it is I'm going with this. "N-no my king... no proof." He lowers his head in what I think is regret.
I hold my head high while taking off my medallion and holding it into the air. Immediately the locust glance at it and fall to their knees in probably the deepest prostration I've ever seen. Good, I want this to have some weight. "So long as his medallion, corpse, and belongings remain unfound, Krogg is not dead. He is now missing in action. Any contrary to this decree, unless specifically ordained by me, shall be considered heresy!" The locust roar almost as soon as I finish my command. I quickly tuck the medallion into my armor again and tell them to rise.
They seem a bit hesitant at first, but after a minute of waiting, they finally get the message that prostration is not good for their backs. "As I have said, so it shall be." The locust nod along with me in a robotic fashion, but mostly remain silent and still. I think I just shook them to their cores right now. Did I... was I a bit too heavy-handed with that one?
Just as the awkwardness began to mount, I suddenly hear the clicking of the doorknob on the other end of the room. The door swings open to reveal Warble as he peeks his cute dog head into the room. Good, I need a distraction from all this stuff, at least until I can find a better way to honor Krogg. He... meant a lot to me.
"Hey, uhhh... Boss?" He starts as he slowly enters the room and lightly shuts the door behind him.
I pat Chorsus on the shoulder and tell them to take a seat, which they do, then make my way to Warble. "Alright, I assume you're ready?" Warble looks down at his hands, then snaps his head to me as if he'd only just heard what I said.
"Ha, ha, hee, hee. Yeah... yeah..." What the hell is he doing with his face? Oh god, smiles look weird and creepy on dog snouts. God, I wish I could take a picture because... I don't think I could ever explain that look to another human being. "You see boss... there's a slight problem." He says as fast as possible before cringing his face.
"Alright, how slight?"
"Uhh... I can't wake them up." I stick a finger into my ear and clear it out, but unsurprisingly I find nothing in the way. Yep, he just said what I think he said.
"You what!?"
"I know, I know," He quickly retorts. "I'm trying to find the beats I left on them. They're small paralysis hexes meant to pacify ponies after they've been podded and-" He stops and looks at the locust behind me. "Uh, maybe we shouldn't talk about this here?"
I roll my eyes and turn back towards the locust. "Hey, listen up. If you repeat anything that me and Warble are talking about without my permission I'll kill you." They simply nod in agreement and resume staring into space. Man, being king is stressful, but I have to admit that that was pretty cool. I guess it's not all bad.
"Uh, right," Warble continues nervously. "Well, It's a you know what type of spell unique only to the what I am type of things. It wasn't meant to be used for any longer than a day, so I thought we'd be in the clear, yet somehow they just... vanished!"
Oh shit, this is not good, not good at all. "What the hell do you mean vanished? Didn't you use the damn thing? How could you not know how to fix this?"
"We've been over this, I'm not the best when it comes to... these types of things. Not only that, but this has never happened before, like, to any changeling. At least I don't think." I rub my hands on my face and groan. It's just one thing after another. First I waste half an hour pacing in the halls, then I find out Krogg dies, and now this bullshit! I'm never getting home at this rate!
I look back over to Warble and sigh, then start to mull over some solutions. "Well, how do you suppose we fix this, bug boy?"
He taps his chin for a moment and I can immediately tell that he's putting all three of his brain cells to work for this one. "Unless we're fine with waiting to see if I can find it again, which I'm sure the ponies would absolutely 'love', then there's only one way I can think of fixing this as soon as possible. You're not gonna like it though," Oh god, please don't tell me. "We could capture a changeling... and force him or her to wake them up for us."
And there it is. The call to action that's going to force me to stay in this world until I'm old and gray, err, grayer. "Please tell me that's not the only option," He just shrugs his shoulders apologetically. Great, just absolutely fucking great. How long have I been awake today? An hour? Two tops? It feels like it's been months already and now all I want to do is take another depression nap. "Alright Warble, if this is the solution, then where are we going to find Changelings?" I ask with a tired sigh.
"There's an outpost not too far from here, made from an old pony town. The changelings were using it to stage ventures into the Everfree after the ponies. They'll probably be there even longer now that you sprung the prisoners." I hum in thought, and suddenly a brilliant idea hits me. All we need to do is set some bait, catch some off guard, then have them do what we want them to. I may not be good at stuff like that, but I won't have to be. Black Theron's are masters at tactics, and most importantly, torture. They may be extinct, but I just so happen to have the last one right here as my General.
"Alright Warble, gather the dogs in the main hall, I'll need to give my address sooner than we planned. If we're going to start kicking the hornet's nest, then we need to make sure we have all paws on deck."
"You got it. Give me thirty to forty minutes, and it'll be done." He bows to me before leaving the room to me and my locust, who have now turned their attention my way.
"Okay everyone, massive changes are coming, the most important of which is combat operations. Now that Krogg is missing we need to be even stronger to make up for it, so be ready for orders and report to the main hall in twenty minutes as I address the new subjects of the hollow."
They salute and roar in agreement, and I can already tell that they're just itching to go back to killing. That is a locust's whole life after all. "Verus, I need you to check on the ponies since I won't have the time. Make sure they have what they need, and tell them to be there for the address," He fidgets for a moment on my orders, but eventually nods. There's no telling how long I'll be here for now, so I need them to get more used to interacting with them. "I'm counting on you General." Ah, just as I suspected. The use of his new title makes him perk right up.
"Okay, you have your orders. Move out!" They salute once more as I make my way out. With that finished, I can start working on my speech. I've never done a state of the union address before, but I'm sure it'll be easy right? Aw crap, I think I just jinxed myself.
Chorsus and the others watched the door slam shut after the king’s departure, and another bout of silence fell upon them. He looked to Verus with uncertainty and was met with a very similar expression. “I told you he would not be so easily fooled. He knew the moment you told him of Krogg’s ‘death’.” The newly promoted General scoffed as he walked back to the table housing his equipment.
Chorsus shook his head in disbelief and mouthed out the words ‘Missing In Action’ to himself. He didn’t know what to expect when the king heard the news, but it certainly wasn’t that. “He used the holy proclamation as well. He will not rest until Krogg is found,” He chuckled as he realized just how screwed he truly was.
“Why would you… think that such a flimsy lie would work?” Verus asked while reassembling the tough parts of his torque bow, and as Roc and the wretches made their exit from the room.
Chorsus thought back to the gentle sensation of the king's mind invading his own. It was so unlike him, so calming. He just figured that… maybe something was off? Maybe he could get away with it, and if he did it would prove that… “I merely underestimated him. Something I never thought I would do, and something I will never do again.”
He watched Verus silently reassemble and re-equip his weapons, and felt the overwhelming need to say something. It was definitely strange, but it compelled him regardless. "Thank you,” he neay gagged after saying it, the word being as commonly used to him as the word mercy.
Verus looked up at him in surprise, then shook his head while spitting on the ground. “Thank nothing. I do not know what happened at the cave. Your thanks are as worthless as your life.” Chorsus nodded in agreement, thankful that Verus hadn't made the situation weirder by doing something as ludicrous as accepting the gratitude. In actuality, he had no idea why he even said it, but it was best to just move on and pretend it never happened.
Perhaps he felt the need to say something due to the unbelievable nature of the situation? The moment he learned of Chorsus’ new promotion to general, he was ready for the pig-headed Theron to get right to abusing his power, so the last thing he expected was for him to lie on his behalf to the king himself. Sure it was a lie of omission, but it was a lie nonetheless.
“Even if the king did not know the truth-which I am certain he does-everything will be learned one way or another. When Krogg is found-”
“When Krogg is found I will end him,” Chorsus interrupted as he went back to his previous seat and threw on his helmet. “He is dead. So it is better that he stays dead a kantus, than be found as a blasphemer.”
“So you seek to defy the holy proclamation of our Lord?” Chorsus' heart stopped as he saw Verus stepping forward aggressively while clutching his onyx knife in his hand. They shared a long and scathing look as they both contemplated the next action the other would take. Chorsus rested a hand on his pistol, his heart racing as he thought of any way he could overpower the Black Theron.
He was only holding his knife, but even just that was enough to strike primal terror in Chorsus' gut. He was masterful at hiding it, but it was a sickening feeling second only to the trial of becoming a Spotter. There was a reason the King finally chose him to be general, it was inevitable really, so of course, he was struggling to think of any scenario where he’d win a fight. To his surprise though, Verus merely sheathed his knife and walked towards the door.
“Once I leave, I can no longer help you. If I learn of anything having to do with Krogg’s actions… or the ones you will soon take, the king will hear of it.” He was stunned into silence, as the general once again turned a blind eye to his actions and intent. It was unreal, and made him question if he was even awake at this point. Verus opened the door to leave, but Chorsus suddenly snapped out of his shock to stop him.
“Wait, it is best I speak to the ponies. I can explain what they want to know before they come to you with… questions.” Verus chuckled and turned back to him.
“Very well, I’m sure your disdain for them will make it… interesting,” Chorsus growled, knowing full well that Verus found them as repulsive as he did, but in the end, he held his tongue. Verus was already doing more than enough to help him, so it was best not to bite the hand that fed. “Good luck, brother,” Verus mumbled before finally exiting, leaving Chorsus all on his own.
He let out a long sigh as he ruminated on his actions, and sat down for a moment to clear his head in the silence. He contemplated going to the king and explaining everything he omitted. Maybe if he did so he would be spared his life at the least, but the thought of doing that made his stomach churn. The thought of having everything Krogg had done be torn away for his mistake, no matter how heinous it was, was comparable to the worst form of torture imaginable.
He knew Verus felt the same, but he was the General now and had a duty to the king above all else. Him doing this much was already too far. And Roc... well he'd always been the definition of neutral. So long as he gets to snipe things, he couldn't care less about what happens around him.
Chorsus laughed at his raging thoughts and shook his head in disbelief. He had always been too sentimental when it came to matters of locust he had grown close to. But in the end, that was why the king had chosen him. Granted it was for the express purpose of grinding all of that out of him through constant exposure to the king's wrath, but after the communion the night prior, he was having doubts. It wasn’t just about that though, he was suddenly having doubts about… a lot of things. It was strange.
Chorsus shook those thoughts out of his head and focused. Time was running out before the address, so he needed to move quickly. Even if he despised those creatures, he had an obligation not only to the king to protect them but also to Krogg to keep them quiet about what he’d done. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was something he had to do.
And when the time would come, he would make sure to kill Krogg before anyone else could find the truth. It was the least he could do.