//------------------------------// // Triumph in the West // Story: As Tartarus Breaks Loose // by Thranx //------------------------------// The city was now theirs. The fighting was over. The last pockets of resistance had surrendered three hours ago. The jewel on this side of Equestria was now the property of Queen Chrysalis. Cimex sat on a pile of rubble looking on the buzzing activity down in Main Street. Plumes of black smoke could be seen in the distance, acrid smell filled his nostrils and specks of ash fell on his uniform. Somehow the sky was still blue, a curious juxtaposition. He looked on as fleets of trucks drove down the streets, Panzers parked on the side, medic trucks heading to the nearby field hospital and changeling soldiers walking about on the pavements on each side of the street. Cimex sighed. He was tired, but happy. All the non-stop fighting for three straight months for nearly a thousand kilometers from the border to Las Pegasus had finally come to an end. No more mud, no more forests and now no more urban sprawls to battle in. It seems he was not the only one feeling this way. As he surveyed at the scene before of him, it was somewhat confusing to say the least. Some were singing and celebrating their hard-earned victory; some were helping the wounded with the medics; some were walking around exploring the battered city, some were putting out the fires, and others, like him, simply soaked in the atmosphere. So many things happening at once, it was chaotic. However, this kind of chaotic atmosphere was a lot different from the chaos three hours ago. Strangely enough, it was calming. He couldn't put his hoof as to why. Was it because he could not be shot in the head? Or was it because there is some semblance of organisation in the chaotic situation before him? Or perhaps, was it both? "Both perhaps," he muttered to himself and nodded. "Yes, both." He looked at his watch; it was half past one. His stomach rumbled, he sighed. He did not want to get up, however his stomach needs feeding and it was lunch anyway. "No time like the present, I suppose," he grumbled to himself. He stood up, straightening himself and walked to the nearest mess hall. After his lunch, he went about doing menial tasks assigned to him throughout the evening which mainly consisted of lugging crates upon crates filled with miscellaneous items. Some were medicine, some were ammunition and some were not even crates to begin with, fuel barrels were common, rubble was second. The metropolis had just gone through a battle pieces of ruins here and needs clearing after all. The Royal Engineers were hard at work fixing broken roads, readjusting railway lines, clearing debris at the Las Pegasus Naval Base, building new supply depots and repairing the captured ones. While the Logistics Corps would begin transferring supplies. The supply line must be maintained, after all. Without it, Army Group South could go nowhere. Cimex stood on one of the many overpasses stretching throughout the metropolis. He set his gaze on the outskirts of the great city and beyond. Since this was the highest overpass in the city. the only obstacles to his view was a few skyscrapers which was nothing more than nuisance. This was not Manehattan or Fillydelphia where skyscrapers were jutting everywhere. Las Pegasus was a place of entertainment, not a place where ponies would move to like the metropolises of the Eastern Seaboard. It was a place for creatures to have fun and promptly leave, be it in an intoxicated or a loaded manner. Whatever happens in Las Pegasus stays in Las Pegasus, as the saying goes. He chuckled at the irony of that statement. Upon the city's conquest by the Heer, it was sacked and looted. The Entertainment District were stripped clean of anything valuable. The once bustling city of hedonism and indulgence was reduced to smoldering ruins. All that's left were rubble, a ghost town, and the smell of burning buildings; and that will stay in Las Pegasus. But that did not matter, once again another city had fallen to the the Queen's onslaught. One step closer to toppling the wretched Equestrian Diarchy. One step closer to reverse the humiliation of Canterlot, one step closer to victory and finally one step closer to return home. Cimex smiled to himself, he was proud to be a part of this historic moment. One day, changeling nymphs back home will listen with awe at the journey he went through. They would constantly ask for details, looking for tales of glory and valor. He took out a picture from his chest pocket, it was a picture of a small changeling nymph, barely a year old. One day. One day, I'll tell you. He stared at it for a while and then put it back in his pocket. For now, he has a job to do. Someday he will, but that will not be today. He broke his gaze and watched his surroundings as a few armored columns passed by him, heading out of the city along with some changeling soldiers marching out. It was a vanguard force, he figured. All the changelings working stopped to see their comrades marching out of the city and once again into the fray. Many of them began to cheer for them, wishing them luck and glory. "Don't hog all the glory!" he heard some of them said jokingly, followed by a series of laughter. He smiled, it was these rare occasions that made him join the Heer in the first place, the camaraderie between strangers but were put in the same box. A journey they would go through together, even if many of them were of different units, they still work for a common goal. More than one million changelings all wearing a single pair shoes. A connection so large for a large group of strangers. A connection he valued second only to his family. He did not shout nor laugh, but he did wish them luck that went unheard by the rest. For him, that alone was enough. Minutes passed as the last of the convoy finally left his sight. He still stared at the now, dots of soldiers heading southwards before going back to his work as the cheers faded, the rest followed suit. It was mundane, really. Yet, it was peaceful. The chirps of the birds had returned after the battle in the city had subsided. Along with a few changelings talking, are the smell of trees from the local park became more prevalent as more of the burning buildings were put out, they invoked a sense of calmness. He decided, for now to enjoy the mundane tasks given to him, mundanity means peacefulness and he would enjoy it while he still could. For in two days, he would also march out southwards with his unit. Once more into the chaos. But he knew not of the new kind of chaos he would face soon. One that might turn the tide of the war.