Gold and silver armour glinted in the light of the full moon as, in a flurry of wings, twenty Lunar Guard and a full one-hundred Solar Guard touched down in the ancient castle’s courtyard. Spears and shimmering silver swords were drawn and ready to be used, before the two rulers of Equestria landed amongst their soldiers.
“Fan out, but be on your guard,” Luna commanded to the soldiers before looking towards Celestia. “Sister, are you okay? We need to focus in case an incursion of humans is at our door.”
Celestia didn’t answer at first, her face locked in a frown while she observed the numerous armoured pegasi and nocturnes scour the castle and the courtyard. There had been such haste in their departure, but she wasn’t even sure of what she was expecting to find.
“I would have expected them to be a tad more… loud,” she mumbled to herself as she slowly started to trot forwards towards the castle. Luna followed with a snort.
“Indeed, they were always a unsubtle race.”
“Perhaps,” Celestia half-agreed, her mind wandering back towards her conversation with the one named Dietrich. “But we must remember to no longer underestimate them if they do seek conflict, events of late have… unsettled things.”
She could feel Luna’s concerned gaze on her, but her sister didn’t press the matter. Silently, Celestia wondered if Luna was still thinking about the incident involving Twilight’s plan for the Nocturnes.
The thought was soon pushed to the back of her mind when they both came across a large black mark upon a scattered patch of grass. Two Nocturnes stood around it with wary stares, and upon getting closer Celestia could smell the burnt vegetation. Looking up, she spotted five more additional patches spread around, and then she noticed that they were all in a vague rectangular pattern.
“They landed with their craft here,” she observed out loud, glancing towards the group of guards that were examining a pile of supplies left by a smouldering campfire. “I can assume that the supplies the changelings were given are gone?”
“Yes Princess,” a sergeant confirmed with a nod. “Save for a tiny amount of the food.”
Celestia nodded back, before focusing on the night sky.
“What do you think, Sister?”
Glancing back towards Luna, Celestia returned her attention upwards soon after. “I think, Luna, that we may in fact have been blessed with a stroke of luck. The human and changelings appear to have left, and hopefully they will be content in honouring our shaky agreement.” She paused, brow still furrowed. “However, we must wait and see to insure that such a seemingly benign turn of events… does not instead morph into another disaster.”
Seraph winced at every slight bump she felt, and had noticed that her fellows shared equally unnerved expressions as they sat next to her in the ‘hold’ of the vessel they were travelling in. The soft rubbery material that covered the bench they were sitting on wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was more to do with the thought that they were currently soaring through the sky and up into the void beyond in a metal box propelled by fire.
She looked away from the nymph that was shifting worriedly in her lap and glanced towards Dietrich, the now-silent priest sitting at the far end of the bench next to Double. He had tried to calm them down with reassurances about ‘military-grad armour plating’ and ‘internal dampeners’ but it had just gone over their heads. Eventually he had given up, his mind seeming to wonder elsewhere.
Facing forwards again, Seraph tried to examine the new humans sitting on a similar bench opposite without making it seem obvious that she was watching them.
Bulkier than the fighter pilots yet still smaller than Dietrich, she couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast with their armour. Aside from the differing colouration between the black and the dark grey, the purpose of the protective suits seemed somewhat different to her. The angular and dull armour of the ‘marines’ lacked all of the icons and objects that adorned Dietrich, their reflective silver visors also toned down compared to the glowing helmet eyes.
Seraph turned her attention to their weapons, the stocky black objects similar to the ones that the fighter pilots were carrying. While they were as blunt as a club, she had no doubt that they were more than just a simple bludgeon. The thick holes at the narrow end and the way the pilots had raised them up to their shoulders indicated that they must have been a ranged weapon of some sort.
In addition, she couldn’t help but notice that the armoured fingers gripping the weapons tightened their hold whenever a silver visor was directed towards a changeling.
‘Guess they’re just as uncomfortable about this as well,’ she thought with a shiver, remembering Dietrich’s prior warnings about what they were expect.
She pondered over attempting to start some conversation, but dismissed it almost immediately. While the confined metal space was silent save for the occasional rumble, Seraph didn’t want to say anything that would sour relations with their new hosts.
So, instead she sat and waited it out. Her hoof would occasionally stroke the back of the nymph she was minding, but to be honest it seemed far calmer than she felt. Thankfully it was only a few more minutes before a voice crackled into life from somewhere above them.
“Lander Seventy-Six on approach to bay five, copy Control?”
The invisible male voice was answered by a soft feminine tone.
“Confirmed Lander Seventy-Six, I understand that you have unauthorised cargo aboard?”
“Affirmative Control, ten sapient lifeforms and one Mortism Priest.”
There was a pause.
“…Repeat that last line please, Seventy-Six.”
Seraph heard looked up as many of the marines, and Dietrich, chuckled softly to themselves.
“I have ten sapient lifeforms and one Priest aboard, Control.”
“Okay… please divert course to bay eleven and prepare for standard containment protocols, level nine. Deck control will guide you in.”
“Confirmed, changing course to bay eleven as ordered. Lander Seventy-Six out.”
There was a click before the same male voice spoke up again. “Okay everyone, we’re on approach and will be met with containment protocols. Marines and Priest, please ensure that your buddies back there behave when the security teams meet us. The last thing I want is to have ordinance flying up my ass from our own guys, copy?”
No-one answered the request, but a single marine turned their head towards them.
“You heard the pilot,” the female said. “Act just as well as you’ve done so far, and we’ll all be going our merry ways in as little time as possible. Sec teams tend to be pretty jumpy when the words ‘unauthorised lifeforms’ are mentioned, so move slow and don’t make any moves that could be seen as hostile.” She looked towards Dietrich. “Your Holiness, I trust that you’ll monitor your… guests.”
“Of course,” Dietrich answered with a nod. “But I assure you that they will follow every one of your commands.” He glanced down towards first Double and then her, Seraph getting the hint.
“Splendid,” the female marine replied with less enthusiasm than the word would indicate. “Just what I like to hear.”
There was another period of silence for about a minute, before a solid thump could be heard from beneath them.
“Landing complete,” the male voice from above announced. “Marines, we’re opening the ramp now.”
All of the soldiers stood up with weapons in hands, but only half moved to the front as the back of the craft opened once more. The rest stayed behind, and as she made to leave the bench Seraph was keenly aware of the stares upon her back.
“Come on,” she whispered to the nymph as she placed it down on the metal floor. “Stay by me now.”
The young changeling let out a chirp and tilted its head, before it looked back towards the bench. Seraph wasn’t sure what it was looking for as its fellow was up the front with Madeline and Sheen and the cherished bat-pony doll was firm on its back, but she dismissed it as the curiosity that was expected.
The ramp came down with a clang, and after a moment of hesitation the group before her began to move. Bringing up the rear of the changelings and aware of the human soldiers approaching behind her, she swallowed the lump in her throat before grasping one of the nymph’s forelegs with her own and trotting forwards.
Bright artificial light was the first thing she noticed. Stepping off the ramp and onto a similar smooth metal floor, Seraph had to blink her eyes before taking in the sheer size of the space that she found herself in.
It was a colossal cavern seemingly constructed out of metal, the size of the room almost rivalling the main cave of her old hive. Actually, it was rather like a massive cave save for a few details. For one, the massive walls were perfectly straight and free of impurities save for the ash-grey paint and continuous horizontal blue stripe that ran across them about half-way up.
Secondly, and arguably more pressingly, was the matter of the numerous grey-armoured humans surrounding the flying transport that she had just left.
Reflection froze when she noticed the amount of weaponry pointed at them, the force arrayed against them seeming like a huge overestimation.
There were ten humans to the left, all crouched behind a stack of metal containers. To the right were another ten, four humans holding large, black, rectangular shields that their fellows took shelter behind with weapons poking over the top.
The centre of the room drew the most attention, mainly because of the huge grey metal box that rumbling on its eight wheels. The closest thing that Reflection to liken it to was a metal wagon, except that this wagon was completely enclosed and seemed heavily armoured. The five humans taking cover behind it were far less of a threat in her eyes compared to the massive grey cannon jutting out of a smooth dome on the wagon’s top.
‘Why do they have to have such… big weapons?’ she wondered, shivering slightly as the barrel of the large cannon passed over her in a menacing sweep.
“Well,” Reflection heard Dietrich mumble from up front. “Good to see that they’re taking no chances.”
She was just about to ask if this was the standard greeting from where he was from, but didn’t get the chance before a loud voice rang out from the metal wagon.
“Line up side-by-side in a straight line, that includes the Priest.”
Seraph and the rest of the changelings glanced around at each other with worried looks, before they attempted to do as instructed. Dietrich remained where he was and acted as a guide, Seraph making sure that the nymph she was watching was standing beside her.
“Very good. Sergeant Holt, proceed with the check.”
The left group of humans moved forwards, two attaching their weapons to their sides before withdrawing a squat black metal device from identical holsters. A blue glow flickered from the tops of the objects, and Seraph watched with baited breath as a thin blue beam shot out of the fronts. Both Sheen and Madeline winced as the blue line passed over them, but there seemed to be no obvious detrimental effects.
“Clear.”
“Clear.” Both of the soldiers with the devices announced the same unknown conclusion, and Madeline and Sheen were quickly ushered away to the left of the room by an armoured soldier each. Seraph didn’t miss the fact that both humans kept their weapons pointed at the young changelings the whole time.
“Clear.”
“Clear.”
The next two changelings, Cion and Swift, followed suit with their own pair of guards.
Seraph steadied herself while the two reached her and the nymph, her foreleg tightly gripping the nymph’s own as the two beams passed over them.
“Clear.”
“Clear.”
Opening her eyes, Seraph blinked with confusion when she felt nothing out of the ordinary. Still, there was no time to ponder the purpose of the strange ritual that she had just been subjected to, as a pair of soldiers stepped up towards her.
“This way,” one ordered, Seraph obeying with the nymph still held tight. Their hooves clacked loudly on the metal floor, but it wasn’t long until she reached the previous four changelings. They were all sitting down with their guards keeping a close eye on them, so Seraph decided to join them. The nymph, thankfully seeming to sense that now was not the time to play, laid down next to her with a curious poke of the metal.
She didn’t say anything to the others, and they watched in silence while the rest of their party was ‘cleared’. Dietrich was the final one to be escorted over, but only after the Priest had given up a multitude of items including his mace.
“I’m sorry about this, Your Holiness,” a grey armoured human with two dark blue stripes on his shoulder said to Dietrich as they both approached. “Protocol and all.”
“Do not fret,” Dietrich waved off as he came to a halt. “It is not my first time going through such a procedure.” Seraph found his helmeted gaze going to her. “I am afraid that my companions cannot say the same, however.”
The other human looked over them before glancing back at Dietrich. “You know of course that we do this for many reasons.”
“I know, Sergeant. One cannot be too careful, after all.”
‘Just what did they expect us to do?’ Seraph couldn’t help but wonder.
“They look harmless enough,” the Sergeant commented. “And they were vouched for by you. I’m sure this will be one of the faster processing jobs given that.” He turned and gestured towards the big metal wagon. “I have to talk to the Lieutenant in the APC, and I’ll try to have you moving into the medical phase as quick as I can. Unfortunately, you have to go through an exam as well.”
“Understandable,” Dietrich nodded, before looking around at the group. “But Sergeant, before you go, could I please request that your troops lower their weapons for now? I swear upon the Book that my friends will seek to cause no trouble.”
The other human nodded and flicked his hand in a downwards gesture, and Seraph watched while the guards surrounding them relaxed slightly. Then the Sergeant was already off and heading towards the ‘APC’, Dietrich sitting down on a spot next to her.
“You appear to be rather shaken, Seraph. Would you like to talk?”
Dietrich watched his charges with a furrowed brow while he waited for Seraph to answer. The ten changelings were all huddled up in a group surrounded by guards, their wide blue eyes darting from one armed soldier to the next. He could understand how they were feeling, and his heart was saddened that they had been met with such a terrifying situation.
“I’m alright, really,” she replied with a low voice. Dietrich however could tell she was lying, but he didn’t call her out on it. “I’m just a little worried, that’s all. But I mean, who wouldn’t be.” She glanced around quickly, her eyes dancing over guns and reflective helmets as she lowered her voice to a whisper. “These other humans are scary, I know that you look different under your armour but…”
He smiled at her words, and reached out with a hand to pat her on the shoulder.
“Fear not, young Seraph. I’m certain that once we have completed this matter of protocol you’ll find a more friendly reception.”
“I guess.”
Both of them glanced to the left when another changeling shuffled closer to Seraph, under the watchful gaze of a nearby guard.
“I think our meeting with the Princesses went smoother,” Chitter commented with a whisper, prompting a smile from Seraph. “At least there we didn’t have a huge metal wagon pointing a cannon at us.”
“Ah, the armoured personnel carrier,” Dietrich nodded. “Yes, I must admit that may have been a bit of an excessive reaction.”
He looked up at a nearby guard when a barely-audible scoff was heard, but the reflective silver face-plate that hid the helmet’s cameras betrayed nothing.
“Armoured… personal carrier?” Chitter repeated.
“A vehicle that is used to transport squads of soldiers while providing fire-support in combat areas,” Dietrich explained with a hint of nostalgia. “On large ships such as the one we are on, they are often used by the ship’s marines to respond quickly to boarding attempts in areas like this hanger.” He smiled underneath his helmet. “Or, alternatively they are used to ensure that no changeling nor Mortism priest can run amok and cause havoc.”
The latter part earned a small laugh from Seraph and a smile from Chitter. Without looking around, Dietrich could also see that the other changelings were all listening and likewise appeared to relax at his quip.
He smiled to himself at the realisation, but it was tempered somewhat by another thought. For starters, there was little doubt that his friends would merely be satisfied with one answer, and given the wealth of new things that they had yet to experience…
“Oh,” Chitter nodded. “So Dietrich, what about those things that glowed blue before?”
It took him a moment to figure out what Chitter was asking about. “Oh, the devices that my comrades used on us? They are simple scanning tools, no doubt to ensure that we had no toxins, chemicals, or weapons on our persons or inside of us.”
Seraph tilted her head. “Inside?”
“You would be surprised at what lengths some would go to,” Dietrich said. “There is a reason for such precautions, after all.”
“Ah. But what about our horns?”
“And teeth?” Double added from the centre of the group.
“Fairly unthreatening, especially when compared to some of the non-human species that make up our Empire.” He made a point of glancing at a marine. “And besides…”
“Fair point,” admitted Chitter.
There was a brief pause in the questions while they sat, everyone digesting what they had just heard. A nymph trotted over and sat down beside his right side, Dietrich giving the young changeling a light scratch behind the ear with an armoured finger.
“I have another question.”
“Yes, Seraph?”
“This medical exam, what is meant by that?”
Dietrich looked over towards the apc, the sergeant from before beginning to make his way back.
“It will likely consist of more checks, as well as some tests to see if you will require any special treatment during your time aboard the ship.” The clang of metal footsteps indicated that his time for explanations was quickly running out. “Well, it looks like you are to soon find out.”
Everyone turned as the sergeant returned, the marine pausing to nod back towards the apc. All attention the turned to the closest wall behind them, as with a series of clangs and a hum, a heavy door set into the wall opened up. More soldiers stepped out from the opening, a long corridor visible through the opened barrier.
“I have been informed that you all speak UIP Standard. Single, you will each be escorted to a medical area and processed. Two of you will also be permitted to take one of the smaller creatures each for control purposes. After the exams, you will placed into a containment cell until you are deemed to be eligible for release. That will include you as well, Priest, due to your prolonged absence.”
“Understandable,” Dietrich acknowledged.
A black foreleg went up slowly, the focus turning on a hesitant Double. After a pause, the sergeant pointed towards the unofficial leader of the changelings. “Yes?”
“How long will it be until we’re ‘eligible for release’, and what happens then?”
“As long as it takes,” was all the reply was for the first question. “After that, whatever happens is up to the higher-ups. You have to remember that you’re the ones that arrived unannounced with little warning.” He turned and turned towards two of the guards. “Escort the Priest to area seven-b. Then begin escorting the others to the containment area. I have to have some more words with the Lieutenant in private.”
With that, the sergeant was gone again, leaving them with their guards and their orders.
“You heard him,” a female marine said with a nod of her head towards the door. “Come on, Your Holiness, you’re first.”
Dietrich gave the nymph next to him a final light pat before he got to his feet, his armour significantly lighter without all of his holy implements. A marine flanked him on each side as he began to move away from his group of friends, but not before he turned to give them one final wave of encouragement.
Reaching the doorway and the additional waiting soldiers, he lowered his voice.
“I would greatly appreciate it if you fine troops eased up on them a little. They are very good of heart, here because of me, and are understandably rather worried by all of this, so all I can ask is that you endeavour to show some them small kindness.”
He stepped through the door, another two marines taking up their positions while the previous two halted.
“We’ll try,” was all the female soldier responded with, before she and her fellow began the trip back to the huddled group.
‘I suppose that it’s better than nothing,’ Dietrich thought with a sigh, before he turned and allowed his new escorts to show him where to go.
“Open your mouth wide, and stay like that until I say otherwise.”
Seraph did as the human female instructed, her jaws opening up as far as they could comfortably go.
At least she thought it was a human, as like the others so far it possessed a less than revealing suit and helm. This one’s attire was unlikely to be designed for combat however, the soft and sealed white suit with two metal cylinders on the back along with the helmet seemingly made from all-encompassing black glass appeared far too bulky for that role.
“Hmm, a single row of smaller, sharp teeth with two large frontal fangs on each jaw.” Seraph supressed a wince when a finger covered with a hard yet flexible black material prodded the tip of a fang. “No sign of any venom outlets, so the same as the others.” The finger was withdrawn. “I am now going to extract a sample of your saliva, please remain still.”
Seraph focused on the rows of lights above her, the glowing lines filling the medical room with a soft yet illuminating yellow glow. The stark white walls and ceiling revealed little, save for the numerous vents and nozzles whose purpose escaped her. She shifted her rump upon the dull grey table she was sitting on, but the discomfort of the cold metal was soon forgotten when a long and thin metal tube was softly placed behind her bottom lip. There was a beep and the sensation of a soft suction, before the tube was thankfully withdrawn.
“Okay, you may close your mouth now.”
She did as asked, the doctor turning away to place a sealed container down a slot in the wall.
Seraph took the time to check on the nymph that she had been assigned to watch. It was currently sitting by the bench that she was on, bat-pony doll clutched in its hooves. Wide blue eyes followed everything that the human doctor was doing, with the occasional curious glance towards the soldier standing at the ready by the exit.
“Now I need to ask some information for our records,” the doctor continued when she turned back, a glowing rectangle in hand. “Name?”
“Seraph.”
The doctor tapped the fingers of her free hand on the pad that she was holding.
“Species?”
“Changeling.”
“Age?”
Seraph frowned. “Ah… unknown?”
“I can at least assume that you are an adult like the others before you?”
She didn’t know whether to take offense at the question. “I am.”
“Sex is female, carbon-based lifeform, diet is omnivore mixed with emotional syphoning,” the doctor looked up. “Insectoid appearance but with mammalian and marsupial-like qualities, warm-blooded with an odd green colouration likely due to diet, standard immune system, apparently naturally capable of magic-”
“Not very well,” Seraph interrupted. The doctor gave what Seraph guessed was a stare before returning to the notes.
“Wings, curious holes in the limbs that apparently serve as identification amongst the species, no internal organ differences of note, and is capable of naturally speaking UIP Standard.” The doctor looked up at her. “I take it that these notes are correct?”
“Yes,” Reflection confirmed.
“Good.” Turning around briefly, replaced the thing she was typing on with a device that looked rather menacing. Seraph watched while the human took a see-through vial of translucent liquid from a small white case on the bench and inserted it into the handle of the tool. The device was then turned towards her, the doctor leaning in close. “This will sting a bit, but it is of the upmost importance.”
Seraph nearly jumped when the cold metal tip of the tool was placed against the side of her hind leg. She did however jolt in shock when a short and sharp burst of pain exploded from the spot where the device was.
“Ah!”
The doctor withdrew the tool and immediately set it down upon a metal tray. A short sliver of what seemed to be a soft white cloth was dabbed at the sore spot, before it was taken away. Seraph didn’t miss the spot of green blood on it, nor did she miss the fact that it was quickly deposited into a secure see-through cylinder. The last part was by far the least concerning, a sticky white film of material being carefully pressed over the hole.
“There,” the doctor said. “Apologies for the needle-gun, but we can’t risk any nasty diseases or infections, can we?”
“But I don’t have any diseases.”
“Correct,” the human slipped a new vial of liquid into the ‘needle-gun’. “In fact your checks came back very well. According to what we can gather, medically you and the other changelings so far are very healthy.” The needle-gun was placed back down on the tray. “They’ll no doubt want to pass you over to the xenobiologists for further tests when we make a stop in port next, but that will be merely for information and not treatment.”
Seraph tilted her head. “But if we’re healthy, why the risk of disease?”
The human doctor seemed to pause for a moment, before she let out a small chuckle. It was surprising for Seraph, but she was slightly relieved at the evidence that another human aside from Dietrich was capable of laughter.
“This ship is filled with about two-thousand personnel, contains a few different species amongst those personnel, and you’ve never stepped foot off of your planet before. The injection isn’t for our protection, it’s for your protection. We keep a clean ship, but we also all have the advantage of artificially-boosted immune systems and some of the most advanced bioscience in known science. The last thing we want is for new species like you to just drop dead because you catch a cold in a completely new environment.”
Suddenly the injection didn’t seem as painful as it had been.
“Oh…” Seraph replied. “Uh, thanks then.”
“No problem,” the doctor answered. “For the record, you all seem pretty nice anyway. It’s a refreshing break from having to constantly keep the marines healthy, you won’t believe how much of a sook a trained soldier can be about a tiny injection.” Without giving Seraph a chance to reply, the doctor gestured down to the watching nymph. “Anyway, back to what I was doing. Please step down and put the little one up, I’ll try and keep it as short as possible.”
Seraph did as asked, her hooves touching the metal floor before she picked up the nymph and placed it down on the bench. It looked at her and let out a curious chirp, bat-pony doll still in its forehooves.
“Open up,” the doctor asked with metal tube at the ready. The nymph eyed the human and let out a chirp, but complied after Reflection opened her own mouth to show it what to do. To the nymph’s credit, it didn’t flinch when the tube was gently put in, and it remained completely still until it was removed. “Very good. Is it yours?
The absentminded question caught Seraph off-guard, and she hesitated before answering.
“Oh, no. No it’s not. I’m just looking after it for now.”
“Ah.”
She was thankful that the doctor didn’t press the matter, and it wasn’t long until they had reached the time that Seraph had been dreading.
Injection time.
“Now, little one, this is going to hurt,” the doctor advised while placing the needle-gun against the nymph’s hind leg. “You need to be brave, okay?”
Seraph didn’t quite know how the nymph knew what was about to happen, but it let out a weak chirp and clamped its eyes shut. There was a small hiss and a shudder when the doctor pressed the trigger of the needle-gun, but the nymph didn’t utter a single peep as the vial of liquid was injected into it.
“See? Braver than most of the marines I’ve done the same to,” praised the doctor while she placed another white strip over the tiny puncture. “That’s the last changeling I need to check, and…” there was a hiss of air, before the doctor reached up with both hands and removed the helmet she was wearing.
Seraph stared at the first human female she had ever seen, the doctor’s short-cut blonde mane shaking from side to side as she shook her head. Her skin was a pinkish-white compared to Dietrich’s chocolate-coloured tone, and her small eyes were a deep and sparkling blue.
Underneath all of the armour that they wore, Seraph had to admit that they didn’t seem very monstrous at all.
“Ah, finally. I hate having to wear these things.” The helmet was placed down on the bench, the doctor holding out a gloved hand to Seraph. “I’m Doctor Hurst, I’ll be in charge of you changelings while you’re waiting in containment.”
Seraph looked at the hand, before reaching out her own foreleg so Hurst could clasp it.
“Seraph,” she introduced again. “How long will containment be?”
Hurst let go of her hoof. “Well, it really depends on how long the command staff decide you need, but from a medical standpoint I’m willing to wager it’ll be no more than a few days. You’re similar enough to us in a biological way that food and medical treatment shouldn’t be much of an issue, and you’re small enough in number to not be considered a major security threat.”
“That’s a relief.”
A cough drew their attention, Seraph and Hurst glancing towards the marine waiting at the exit. He shifted his head in a slight nod towards the closed metal door, and Hurst waved a hand at him.
“Well, we’ll have to talk more later,” the human shrugged. “I have to oversee the tests we need to do, and I might visit you all later on. For now, you’ll have to follow the good Corporal to the containment cell.” Hurst reached out and plucked the nymph from the bench, setting it down on the ground. Then, she placed the bat-pony toy carefully on the nymph’s back. “You two stay safe, okay? Just behave like you have been and I’m sure everything will work out fine.”
Seraph smiled back. The fact that the doctor had proved to be a nice human under the professional persona buoyed her hopes somewhat. It was certainly a nice change of pace to the earlier treatment they had received.
Almost as if she could sense her thoughts, Hurst pointed a finger towards the soldier standing at the door.
“And Patrick, be nice to these guys. If I hear about any typical marine bullying, I’ll ensure that your next physical will involve a manual prostate exam conducted by yours truly.” Hurst’s voice gained a menacing tone. “And trust me, I won’t be gentle.”
“Aye Aye,” the marine quickly replied with a salute.
“Good man,” Hurst nodded, before giving Seraph a final wave. “See you two later.”
“Bye,” Seraph farewelled while the nymph chirped, before they both trotted out with the marine following beside them.
The soldier didn’t say anything as he led them down the plain white corridor, the door shutting behind them with a hiss. The only other way out seemed to be at the opposite end with another door, and when they approached it too opened with an identical hiss of air.
Stepping inside, Seraph found herself in a dull room with grey-painted walls. Some lettering in white paint and large bold font was on the middle of the wall, but Seraph was unable to understand it.
The room was empty save for a large raised circle in the middle, the white structure filled with flickering buttons and flashes. All around the edges, floating seemingly in mid-air, was a number of see-though panels that appeared to have no substance at all. Lines of lettering and images of rooms filled the floating panels, but once again it was all too alien for her.
Four humans sat on thick black chairs inside the ‘hole’ of circle, each one armoured in the same grey armour as her escort. Two of them looked up from what she assumed was some kind of control console, one of the humans tilting their head.
“Last ones?”
“Yep,” her escort responded. “Although the doc wants it to be known that she likes ‘em, and if you give them flak she’ll be ticked off.”
That earned muffled chuckles from all of the soldiers inside of the circle, the one who had asked shaking his head.
“Ah, good old Hurst. Still, she doesn’t really need to threaten us, you know who came on board with them?”
“No.”
“A full-fledge Mortism High Confessor, mace and all.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep,” the apparent one in charge replied. “So don’t do anything stupid, or your soul just might burn.” That prompted another round of chuckles, except this time they were far more muted. “Anyway, head on through to the containment cell. They’re in the shared one, Cell D-One.” He pressed a button on the console, and a large door slid open to the left.
“Come on.”
Seraph followed as ordered, pulling the nymph along as well. She didn’t miss the stares that she got on the way past, but at least she got the feeling that they were more curious than watchful.
Stepping through the door, she was met with another two armoured humans and…
“Seraph!”
The room was relatively small compared to the others she had been in. About the size of a small pony house, it was the same plain white as the medical area had been. Taking up most of the space was a room that was sealed off with a heavy-looking metal door painted grey, and a huge see-through window. There also was a small area to the right that looked curtained off, most likely being some sort of restroom.
The others, save for Dietrich, were all present in the sealed room. None looked hurt, and she could feel that they were relieved to see her and the last nymph. The floor they were sitting on was smooth metal, but a number of grey sheets had been spread out to cover most of it. There were a number of small pillows in the room also, and even though it was confinement it still seemed more comfortable than the cave that they had been hiding out in.
Seraph smiled when she spotted the changeling that had called out, Chitter looking out at her through the glass.
“Shutting outer door.” The voice of one of the marines from outside spoke down from the ceiling via some unknown means. Seraph glanced back just in time to see the heavy door slid down into place with a thud. “Opening cell door in three…”
She looked back towards the see-through room, the three human guards straightening with their weapons at the ready. There was a hiss of air, Seraph figuring that she’d have to get used to the sound given its regular occurrence, and the grey door opened by splitting into two with one half going into the ceiling while the other sunk into the floor.
“Please move into the…”
The human guard didn’t even have time to finish before the nymph galloped through the door and made a beeline for its fellow. Both of the young changelings exchanged happy chirps and chitters, the bat-pony doll soon changing hooves.
Seraph followed the nymph’s example and stepped into the cell, the guards watching all the while.
“Closing cell door.”
Both halves of the cell door merged back together, followed by a series of loud clunks from within it. Then there was a slight hum, and a soft flash of blue flared up over the door’s surface.
“Commencing purification sequence, marines stand by.”
Seraph watched for a few more moments as a thin white mist filled the room outside, before she turned back just in time to receive a hug from Chitter.
“Are you alright?” he asked, Seraph getting over her surprise and embracing him back with a smile.
“I’m fine, I actually think I ended up getting along well with the doctor,” she reassured. Looking around at them, she noticed the identical strips of white on their flanks. “I see that we all got the same injection then.”
“Yeah,” Haze winced. “They said it was important, but it still hurt.” She looked at the changeling sitting next to her when he coughed, Haze smiling at Swift. “The doctor did fix Swift up as well, look.”
Swift turned his rear so the side that had been stung by the scorpion was facing out. There were no bandages, but there was a cloudy hardened gel filling the hole in his chitin.
“The human said that it was healing well, and she sprayed this stuff into it,” Swift explained while poking the gel with the tip of his hoof. “It was cold at first, but now I can hardly feel it. She said that it would stop it from getting infected and it would speed up the healing while numbing the pain.”
“They’re quite confusing,” added Chitter. “First they treat us like criminals, then they give us injections so we won’t die from being around them, and then they lock us in this room.”
“They seem to just be a little… cautious,” Double replied with a wince. Seraph could tell that he was going to at first use the word ‘paranoid’. “But apparently they have their reasons for being so, and you have to remember that we came to them for help. They haven’t hurt us apart from the injections, even this cell is fairly nice as far as cells go.”
Seraph had to admit that Double had a point. They had been given bedding and weren’t in chains, and best of all there was no risk of getting converted.
“And it’s not like we’d have treated a bunch of humans this well back in the past.” Seraph looked to the speaker, Cion laying down on a pillow. “If they’d come to us after running from the Equestrians, we would have laughed at them and cocooned them.”
“Things have changed,” Double quickly stepped in to clarify. “The past is far gone, and it’s just us ten left. We don’t even have a Queen, so we’re just going to have to wait and see what the humans decide to do with us.”
“I suppose,” Seraph murmured, moving over to sit by the two nymphs.
“Hey,” she looked to her left as Chitter sat next to her and pushed up against her side. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. Dietrich’s probably explaining everything to whichever human is in charge right now.”
She looked back out of the see-through wall, the two armed guards still standing stock still on either side of the only doorway out.
“I hope you’re right, Chitter. I hope you’re right.”
“…and so I couldn’t help but extend compassion to them and allow them to accompany me back, what would you have had me do? They are good and kind creatures with no malice in their hearts, who have suffered terribly because of what their people did in the past, and they only wish for a new beginning. Personally I believe that they will make fine citizens, and I am willing to swear on the Lord over it.”
Dietrich removed his hand from the spot above his chest while he sat back in the padded black chair, and awaited an answer from the four higher-ups sitting across the wooden table.
His borrowed plain-grey uniform and black boots were a far cry from the regal-blue uniform of the Captain and the awe-inspiring holiness of his Archdeacon’s revered black plate. The ship’s Head Doctor was moderately dressed in a buttoned-up grey lab coat, so at least she was about as underdressed as he was. Still, Dietrich wished for his own blessed armour, but he knew that he would be denied access to it until the ship’s engineers had examined every nanometre of it.
The moderately-sized office they were sitting in fitted them all comfortably, the comfortable chairs and hand-carved wooden table a strange sight aboard the rather uniform vessel. The Captain had volunteered his personal meeting room for their discussion, so it was likely that the furniture was part of his personal belongings. The door had been shut on them an hour ago with no-one save for the four present to be admitted entry.
Dietrich couldn’t help but shake the feeling that they were attempting to keep things under wraps, but as to why he had no clue.
“An interesting tale indeed,” Captain Takei commented, before he took a sip from his glass of water. “I must admit that I have not had the chance to actually lay eyes upon our new arrivals.”
“They are most gentle beings,” Dietrich reassured. “All that I ask is that you refrain from judging them right away, their appearance has caused them many problems in the past.”
“I think they’re adorable,” Doctor Hurst said with a small smile. “Especially the four younger ones.” She gestured with her data-pad at him. “One of them even told me that you helped her decide on her own name, Madeline. A very pretty name, and she was such a polite young creature too.”
That brought a smile to his face, Dietrich glad that at least he had one likely ally in the room.
“Well Doctor,” Takei continued with a raised eye. “You’ve had the most contact with them, what do you have to report.” The Captain appeared to think for a second. “And please, Doctor, professional information only. I wish to know if these ‘changelings’ are worth the effort.”
The Doctor cleared her throat, Dietrich watching her hopefully while she used a delicate finger to browse her data-pad.
“Well Captain, it really depends on who you talk to. We have their DNA and gene information, anatomical scans, and general information that they have provided about their race. For the military there is little of note save for their ability to shapeshift, but a xeno-biologist would likely do anything to get a hold of one. They are an odd species, closer to mammals than anything else, and they have many features that are certainly different from the norm.”
Doctor Hurst lowered her voice. “Also, they have made claims of being able to use limited ‘magic’. There are a number of departments that would be most keen to see if those claims are true…”
Dietrich had to repress a shudder. The thought of his friends ending up as ‘guests’ of the more questionable branches of the UIP military was not a pleasant one.
Captain Takei appeared to share his thoughts, the hardened navy captain taking a large gulp of his water before wincing.
“Quite. Still, Doctor, you are of the belief that we have ample justification of allowing them shelter, at least until we reach the next controlled planet?”
Hurst nodded. “I do, Captain. I would also like to add a personal note that I have so far experienced nothing but total cooperation from them. In addition, they naturally speak UIP basic and are very few in number, which would help greatly with any attempt to integrate them.” She smiled. “And have I mentioned that they are very cute?”
Takei sighed, but Dietrich took notice of the slight smile that the old Captain had on his face.
“Yes, I believe you have.” His left eye raised up. “Did you happen to learn why they speak our language exactly? From what Dietrich has told us, they knew it before their encounter with our… unfortunate relatives.”
“No Captain, from what they told me it seems as if they refer to it as their native tongue and have spoken it since they can remember.”
“And there are no UIP records that state contact with such a species in the past?”
“None that I could find, but we cannot rule out possible influence from another universe. We have just found one former human race, after all.”
“Indeed,” the Captain nodded, before scoffing. “I still cannot believe that a post-atomic human civilisation got defeated by a race of fantasy horses.”
“To be completely fair,” Dietrich chimed in. “They are magical ponies. My friends told me of the vicious magical barrier that destroyed all that it touched, and the leaders of the ponies are said to be very powerful.”
“Bah!”
The three of them looked to the Archdeacon, the oldest person in the room staring at Dietrich with narrowed blue eyes.
“Magic is simply a cloak that the weak-willed use to hide themselves, those of righteous hearts have nothing to fear from such forces.”
Dietrich nodded, while his superior looked down his nose at him.
“That is right, Archdeacon. However, as shown in the verse of Saint-“
“Do not quote scripture to me, High Confessor. I am well-versed in the book, and am well aware of the warnings concerning the occult forces.” The Archdeacon leaned in across the table. “Those warnings are the main reason that I am very interested in your disappearance and resulting presence on this remote planet. So, Dietrich, can you explain to me just how your supposed ‘miracle’ occurred?”
“This is not the time for your church matters,” Captain Takei butted in with a wave of his hand. Dietrich couldn’t help but notice that, until the Archdeacon had started speaking, the Captain had so far been rather relaxed in demeanour. Now, there was a pronounced air of tension. “While the matter of the High Confessor’s arrival on the planet below us is certainly worth investigating, I am far more concerned about the alien creatures that I have in my containment area.”
“You forget your place, Captain,” the Archdeacon uttered with a low hiss. “You could not possibly understand the ramifications of this ‘church matter’. The fact that you waste your time on such trivial matters is testament to that.”
Takei’s eyes narrowed further, the Captain facing down the armoured holy man without a trace of fear.
“This is my ship, Archdeacon. Your religion, your god, holds no sway over me. What does hold sway is military protocol, and that protocol states that dealing with ten unauthorised aliens is more pressing than chasing myths and superstitions.” Turning away from the visibly fuming Archdeacon, the Captain looked back to Dietrich. “High Confessor, I must admit that I find your story’s beginning rather… unbelievable, but it is not a concern of mine. We are to make port in a system a week’s travel away, I suggest you reconsider your explanation during that time.”
Dietrich nodded. “And, Captain, what of my friends in containment?”
Takei waved a hand in dismissal, the Archdeacon still glaring at him while Hurst was visibly trying to suppress a growing smile.
“As soon as they are cleared by the Doctor I will be their judge. You will accompany them to the bridge when that time comes. Understand?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Good, you will be assigned a standard berth in the meantime.” Takei looked back towards the Archdeacon. “As for you…”
The Captain stopped speaking when the door to the meeting room opened without a knock, and a grey-armoured marine entered before hurrying over towards the senior officer.
“Captain.”
“Yes?” Takei replied while standing up, the marine whispering his message into the Captain’s ear. “I see. Ensure that it is properly contained, but keep it separate to the others. Dismissed.”
“Aye.”
With a snap salute the marine turned on his heels and left, Dietrich finding Takei’s eyes upon him.
“High Confessor, you said that you had made ten acquaintances, correct? The ones that are currently in a containment cell?”
Dietrich furrowed his brow, but nodded. “Yes, I have knowledge of only the ten changelings in my charge.”
“I see..”
Takei placed his hands down on the table and leaned forwards.
“Then could you, High Confessor, possibly explain to me just why the security team has found a green pony in the landing ship that you arrived in?”
“All ten unregistered lifeforms confirmed in containment. Security teams stand-down.”
Corporal Uzu relaxed with a sigh as the order came through the communication system in his helmet. His grip relaxed on his pulse carbine, and he glanced back towards the lander with a nod of his head.
Job done.
Thankfully he’d been tasked with providing general security for the hanger during the unloading, and so he hadn’t had to interact with the new creatures at all. It wasn’t that he was a xenophobe (after all, he’d been on more than one drunken romp with his marine buddies on many a foreign world as was marine tradition) but rather the unwillingness to answer a thousand questions that the seemingly primitive creatures were likely to ask.
Thankfully they had proved to be a very quiet and restrained group, unlike the last group that he had escorted over a year ago.
“Finally.”
Uzu turned to his left, Corporal Heinz rubbing the side of his helmet with a hand. “The shift was going fine until those verdammt aliens and that High Confessor wanted to come aboard. I was sweating the entire time sitting across from him.”
Uzu smiled at his comrade, Heinz having been in the same squad for a few years.
“Have you not been going to church, eh Heinz?”
Even though Heinz’s face was hidden behind a silver-visor and camera-dotted metal, Uzu could see the unamused stare that was directed towards him.
“You know full well that I am not religious, mien treasured friend.”
“Then what freaked you out about him?”
Heinz was quiet for a few moments, the two of them observing the hanger while the rest of their squad and the remaining security teams began to filter out of the doors.
“I don’t quite know. He seemed rather… off, and he was far too casual with those aliens for my taste.”
“Pfft,” Uzu dismissed with a wave of his hand. “They seemed fine. Scared shitless, but nice and quiet. Besides, they’re not our problem anymore.” He scuffed the floor with his metal boot. “The green furry one was acting all weird though, far more skittish than the black ones.”
“Green furry one?”
Uzu rolled his eyes and adjusted his grip on his carbine. “Don’t play stupid, Heinz, the green one that looked like a small horse.” He got nothing but a silent stare from his comrade, prompting him to sigh. “Big green eyes, blue-ish hair and tail, had a straight horn. It was sitting opposite… opposite…”
Uzu’s brain was having problems remembering exactly where the green horse-alien had been sitting on the ride back up. He was certain that it had gone up the ramp and entered the ship, after all he could clearly remember himself scoffing at how weird it was compared to the other aliens…
And how it was trying to avoid them.
And how it was acting like it wasn’t supposed to be there.
‘All ten unregistered lifeforms confirmed in containment.’
‘Ten.’
‘Fuck.’
He bolted from the door while raising his carbine, the landing ship still sitting in the middle of the hanger. The remaining marines in the room and the two pilots standing by the craft all stared at him as he dashed towards the still-open rear ramp, but Uzu was too busy worrying about how his court martial would go to stop and explain it all.
“Close the doors of hanger eleven now!” He shouted over the communication system while he continued to run. “Security breach!”
Evidently, whoever was in charge back in the hanger section control room didn’t wish to take any chances.
Just as the word ‘breach’ left his tongue, a low droning alarm boomed out throughout the room from hidden speakers up above. All of the doors leading out of the hanger began to close, and from the other side of them loud thuds could be heard as the heavy bulkheads sealed the area off.
The few marines left in the hanger, numbering at fifteen not including him, only hesitated slightly before they dashed after Uzu with weapons at the ready. He could hear the boot steps of Heinz behind him, and even the two pilots unholstered their sidearms before following him towards the ramp.
Uzu stormed up the lowered ramp just in time to lay eyes on the green alien horse as it extracted itself from a gap underneath the left row of seating. Wide lime-coloured eyes snapped up to stare at him, like a thief caught red-handed.
Keenly aware of the reinforcements behind him, Corporal Uzu raised his carbine up and pointed the barrel right at the head of the shivering alien.
“Stop! Move and I’ll shoot!”
Greenleaf trembled once again as her ears picked up yet more heavy footfalls outside of the metal chariot she was hiding in.
‘So scary, so loud…’ she thought to herself while trying to stop her teeth from chattering.
‘So intriguing…’
Greenleaf winced. The monsters that she had shared the chariot with had left some time ago, but the monster in her head was still there. It almost scared her as much as the big two-leggers, it’s evil voice echoing inside of her mind without an sign of stopping. It had done nothing but whisper really mean things about the Princesses, about her, about weakness…
“Stop it,” she whimpered as she covered her head with her hooves. “Get out of my head.”
‘You’re in my head, invader! My head!’
“No!”
The dark was only making things worse, Greenleaf wincing again when a low droning sound came from outside.
‘My head!’
She was unable to take it anymore, she had to get away. Going for the gap she had wiggled in through, she crawled as fast as she could and made for the source of light. Fear proved to be an excellent lubricant, and with a soft pop her rump and tail cleared the hole with her tumbling out onto the cold metal floor of the chariot.
Greenleaf had escaped the dark, but she as she looked up she saw one of the two-leggers running towards her. Freezing up, she could only tremble as the evil voice cackled menacingly as more two-leggers approached.
‘Ha! Yes, no more running, no more hiding now!’
“Stop! Move and I’ll shoot!”
Eyes tearing up and ears folding down try and block out all of the shouts, Greenleaf sank down onto her knees and fell onto her side. Curling up into a ball, her limited newfoal mind tried to cope with her situation as something roughly grabbed at her.
‘I just want to go home. Where are you Princess Celestia? The monsters are going to get me.’
There was no answer from her beloved Princess and protector, but instead the monster in her head hissed a gleefully spiteful reply as the two leggers surrounded her.
‘And that is what you deserve, you pretender. But rest assured, there is nothing that they can do to you that will even compare to the torment that you’ll suffer when I am finally released from your hold. Mark my words.’
Overwhelmed by sheer terror, Greenleaf succumbed to the one escape that she had from the evil voice.
Unconsciousness.