The Monster Below: Nightfall

by Greenback

Bonus Material: An Unwanted Ally (Original Version)

In the outline and original form of the chapter, "An Unwanted Ally," Silverspeak was to go with Beakbreaker to help find her parents. However, such an expedition at that point in the story felt like padding, and was ultimately rewritten to have Silverspeak stay on Genesis. This is the material that was cut out, which began after Silverspeak convinced Beakbreaker to let him join her in suiting up and flying down to help look for signs of a changeling invasion.

***

I can barely keep up as Beakbreaker dashes onto the colonel's personal airship, where we take our seats with thirty soldiers in black armor. Ours is gray, signaling that we're not combat troops.

The engines ignite, and the seating area jerks as the airship flies out of Genesis and starts down at what feels like a dangerously unsafe speed. The troops around us take it in stride; Beakbreaker and I are the only ones holding onto our restraining bars tighter than we should. I try to say something, but because it feels like I'm going to throw up, I keep my mouth closed. Beakbreaker looks much the same.

The ride lasts another few minutes before the clouds vanish and the airship slows to a stop, the cabin shaking again as it touches down. The loading hatch swings open, and a gust of warm air flows inside as the troops flip up their restraining bars and dash off, rifles at the ready. After steadying our hooves (and my stomach), Beakbreaker and I follow them onto the grass of the zebra savannah. For me, it's a big moment: I've never stepped into another kingdom before, much less one so far away from home. I didn't know what to expect at seeing the plains that Beakbreaker called home for so many years.

Whatever notions I had were far different than what's before me.

There's nothing around us. No greenery, no plants, no animals, and no signs of life. There's only ash, and the blackened husks of trees, all of it heated by the hot sun baking down on the dead ground.

Beakbreaker says nothing as she stares at the desolation before her.

Other airships land around us and unload their troops. The shocked troops line up into formation, and it isn't long before they start towards the large hill nearby.

“Come on,” I say. “We'd better stay close to the others.”

Almost on the verge of tears, Beakbreaker pulls herself away, and we jog to the colonel's platoon. The capital city of the zebra kingdom is smaller than I thought; most of the hill is covered with the remains of small huts. Atop the peak is a large hall that's just barely standing. For a capital, the city is small enough to fit inside Canterlot Castle.

The colonel surveys the hill. “Beakbreaker? I'd like you near the front in case we find anyone inside.”

Beakbreaker wordlessly joins him, and I stay close as we head to the tall fence encircling the hill. The gate swings on its hinges as a breeze goes through. The locking mechanism has been broken off.

No one speaks as we enter the city and head upwards. Sergeants direct their squads to search nearby huts. I try to see inside, and down narrow alleys, but there's no one in sight. The only sounds come from the wind blowing tattered tarps and broken doors.

I look for blood or bodies, but there are none to be found amidst the destruction.

We reach the hall. A squad heads to the door and listens, then opens the elegantly carved doors and slip inside. They return a moment later and indicate for us to enter.

The hall is simple and plain by Canterlot standards, but would have been quite beautiful in its prime. Now the smooth, wooden floors, once polished from countless hoofsteps, crack and disintegrate into ash beneath our hooves. The tall, thatched roof above us threatens to do the same.

“Nothing,” the colonel says. “Beakbreaker?”

Beakbreaker goes behind the broken throne and around on the wall before finally pushing a nearly-invisible door open. She peers inside and calls out in a language I don't understand. When no one answers, she raises her pistol and goes inside.

“Beakbre-”

She holds up a hoof for me to wait before disappearing. I force myself to do as she indicated, but I want to grab the soldiers around me and charge in after her.

Beakbreaker comes back out after a few minutes. “There's no one down there,” she says, “This city's a ghost town, now, colonel.”

“They were captured?”

Beakbreaker looks at the remains of a map hanging on the wall. “Possibly not." She goes over and points to a tiny, barely visible illustration in the center. “We're here. Now, beneath the capital are numerous tunnels that spread throughout the kingdom, allowing anyone inside to flee to the nearest settlement or hiding places.”

“Which means they're probably still out there,” I say.

“We'll send our companies to each of the locations on this map,” the colonel says. “If there's anyone out there, we'll find them. Is your hometown on this map, Beakbreaker?”

She nods.

“I'll send a platoon there immediately.”

***

The platoon is quickly assembled, but I'm not sure the military's airships are the best way to go. While they are heavily armed and armored, they're not as fast as civilian models, being built to carry numerous troops while coated with armor, both of which slow the things down. I can take care of that, though, and after a quick phone call, Gusty flies down in the Raven. Once everyone is packed inside, the cloaking system is engaged and the ship takes off. The capital is soon a dot on the horizon as we cross the savanna; Beakbreaker and I remain the cockpit, Beakbreaker scanning the ground below.

“We going the right way?” Gusty asks.

Beakbreaker nods, too focused on trying to identify landmarks to reply. It can't be easy: the savannah below us has been burned away, leaving every tree, hill, and boulder blackened. If the changelings went after the capital, then they also went after the entire zebra kingdom. But why? That doesn't fit the changeling style. They want live beings to feed upon, not dead ones, and certainly not angry ones who don't have a home anymore.

“There! That hill!" Beakbreaker points to a large hill on the horizon. “Go there!”

Gusty adjusts course. There's no smoke on the other side of the hill; maybe whatever is on the other side managed to escape destruction.

The Raven flies over the hill, and Beakbreaker has to grab the wall to steady herself.

A small village lies at the base of the hill. Gusty slows the ship and floats overhead, allowing us to peer inside. In better times it would be a charming place with numerous gardens, trees, and areas for livestock to wander about. But like the capital, it's been ravaged. All the greenery is gone, and most of the huts are collapsed.

“Take us down,” I say. “Now.”

Gusty sets us down close to the gates; no sooner has the hatch touched the dead grass than Beakbreaker's running to the gates with her pistol drawn. I have to dash to keep up with her as the platoon and the lieutenant in charge follow us.

“Beakbreaker, wait!"

But she doesn't, kicking her way past the gates. Like the capital, they've been forced open. Dashing through, I enter the village. Unlike the capital, there are signs of a struggle here: pots have been shattered on the ground, fences knocked over, and common goods are strewn about on the grass. The lieutenant’s troops immediately begin a search, but I charge on ahead after Beakbreaker.

“Beakbreaker!”

I find her yanking at the door of a large hut at the back of the village. Though scorched, it's still standing.

“Mother! Father! It's me, Beakbreaker! Can you hear me?!”

I grab the handle and together we yank with all our might, but the door refuses to budge. It feels like it's been boarded up from the inside.

“We'll have to find another way in." I look up to the roof. “Here, I'll give you a boost.”

I only just prop myself against the wall when Beakbreaker scrambles onto my shoulders and leaps onto the roof. Smashing through the weakened thatch, she leaps down and I hear the barricade being cleared. Once it is, I raise my pistol, open the door, and enter Beakbreaker's home. The exterior hides a deceptively pleasant and well-stocked interior, only the furniture, vases, and cups lie broken and scattered on the rug. A painted tapestry has been ripped apart, the figures on it just barely recognizable, including a tiny zebra beside her parents.

Beakbreaker shoots into the next room, only to immediately come back out. “My parents! They're not here!”

Okay, we've got to stay calm. We can't panic. “Did your parents have a basement?”

Nodding, Beakbreaker shoves a cabinet aside and reveals a hidden trapdoor. She yanks it open and we dash down the stairs into a small room lined with smashed shelves. But there's no one here, either.

“They're not here,” Beakbreaker says. “They're not here, they're not here, they're not here!"

“They probably got out,” I say, but they couldn't have, not with the door barricaded from the inside.

“They're not here! They're not here!" Beakbreaker shouts it over and over again. “They're not here!”

“But we'll find them!" I grab Beakbreaker. “Beakbreaker, listen to me! We'll find them! We'll-" Wait, what was that? Was that a... breeze? It came from the direction of the wall, but that can't be... unless...

“Beakbreaker, wait here." I dash back up to the courtyard, where the lieutenant has gathered up his troops. From the looks of it, they didn't find anyone. I run to the closest Unicorn, a medic, judging by the red cross on her shoulder. “You, are you able to dispel enchantments?”

“Did you find something?” the lieutenant asks.

“Maybe." I lead the Unicorn and the lieutenant to the basement of Beakbreaker's house. Once we're in position I ask the Unicorn, “Can you see if there are any fake walls in here?”

Beakbreaker's snapped out of her panicked stupor. “Fake walls? My parents never-”

The Unicorn casts a spell. The wall opposite us flickers and vanishes, revealing a dark, gaping hole.

The lieutenant casts her own spell and shoots a ball of light into the tunnel. It goes on for a good ten seconds before vanishing.

“Get the radio running,” she tells the Unicorn. “I think we found out what happened to the villagers.”

***

With the tunnel found, messages are dispatched back to headquarters and orders relayed back. Permission is given to enter the tunnel in pursuit of the changelings, and while the soldiers outfit themselves it's up to me to keep Beakbreaker from running in without all of us. But at last, the lieutenant calls for her troops to move out.

Beakbreaker bolts to the the house, and the rest of us follow. A bloodhound takes a sniff of a scarf Beakbreaker found, and it immediately picks up a trail heading into the tunnel. We let her lead the way, our lights revealing rough walls that have been hastily carved. If the soldiers are afraid, they don't show it. They're spending most of their time politely but firmly stopping Beakbreaker as she tries to charge ahead. I wish I shared their courage.

“Hey, you okay?” the lieutenant asks.

“Last time I went underground, it didn't end well,” I say.

“What happened?”

I shake my head. “I'm just glad I'm not alone... and that we have guns.”

We follow the tunnel for almost ten minutes before it emerges into another tunnel, this one so big that the top is barely visible even with our lights pointed up. This is probably a major passage for the changelings, the main road that all others lead to. We follow this tunnel, and we'll eventually reach the nest.

“Lieutenant,” I ask, “Have any of the tunnels we've found been this big?”

The lieutenant shakes her head. “Let's keep moving. Stay alert.”

We proceed down the tunnel, trying to keep our hoofsteps quiet. I study the walls; something about this place makes me uneasy. Yes, we're in a passage that could be flooded with changelings at any moment, but there's another factor I can't determine that makes me nervous. Maybe it's the...

Wait. The walls. Unlike the tunnel in Beakbreaker's basement, the walls here are rough and jagged. I hadn't given it any thought, but now I realize this isn't a tunnel carved by the harsh forces of nature.

“Lieutenant?”

“What?”

“Look at the walls.”

“What about them?”

“Those jagged holes? Those are claw marks.”

The platoon stops, and a dozen lights dance over the gouges.

“I don't think changelings made this tunnel.”

The lieutenant's gone pale. “Fleethoof?”

A soldier runs over. “Yes, sir?”

“Get back to the surface and radio this to HQ, ASAP.”

Fleethoof nods and takes off back the way we came, casting an invisibility spell around herself as she goes.

The lieutenant touches the closest gouge. “Maybe it's old. Maybe the changelings found this tunnel and have adapted it for their own use." She studies the rock. “Can't tell how old it is... we got any geology fans here?”

Nobody answers.

“Guess we won't find out." She rubs her face. “All right, let's keep moving, and for Celestia's sake, stay alert. You see or hear something, let us know. I don't fancy meeting whatever did this.”

The others nod as they continue on. I glance backwards as we march, shining a light into the darkness, but nothing's following us.

The bloodhound takes another sniff of the scarf and almost yanks the leash from her handler as it heads fearlessly down the tunnel. Beakbreaker's right beside it as we follow, all hoping this tunnel is as deserted as it looks. The sound of an excited dog will carry far and reveal our presence.

We descend deeper into the earth, the air growing stale. It's still breathable, but if we go any deeper we may need to retreat and come back with air masks.

The bloodhound stops, sniffs the ground, then veers left into a small side passage. We line up single file and follow it inside, taking our time to navigate the curves and twists so as to avoid falling into one of the many chasms and seemingly bottomless pits around us.

I take a moment to glance down. Hopefully these pits aren't really bottomless, or that there's something down there in the dark, waiting for the unwary to fall-

I bump into the rump of the soldier in front of me, and someone promptly hits me from behind. I peer around to see what caused the holdu-

Oh no.

The tunnel's expanded, but the walls are no longer carved from hard, cold rock. They're covered in dull resin that barely reflects our lights. The material is everywhere, smeared over the walls, the ceiling, and the floors.

Only one species produces resin like this.

Safeties are clicked off as the troops creep into the hive entrance.

“Stay tight, everyone,” the lieutenant whispers.

I check the safety on my pistol. It's off. Celestia, I hope I don't have to shoot this thing. The volume alone would cause hearing loss if it was fired in close quarters.

There's no sound as we follow the bloodhound, who's no longer eager to charge ahead. The tunnel tightens up, the walls scraping against our armor. Resin cracks beneath our hooves.

I sweat. This place... it reminds me of the tunnels beneath Saddle Lanka, those tight, confining-

“You okay?” the lieutenant asks.

I wipe the sweat from my brow and try to speak, but instead launch into a coughing fit. The air around us is uncomfortably warm and musty, making each breath harder to take than the last. And it only gets worse as we go deeper in, the air turning fouler and heavier as we break through crusty strands of dried resin, sweat drenching us like falling rain.

Beakbreaker, her eyes watering and turning red, presses onwards, shoving aside her discomfort. I follow her, as do the others.

An odor drifts through the air, horrid and pungent.

“What's that smell?” a soldier asks.

Breathing through my mouth, I follow the others out of the tunnel and into a cavern filled with even more tunnels. All eyes look to the bloodhound, miserable as the rest of us, but still dedicated to her task. She finally takes one of the larger passages. We stick close as she picks up the pace.

“Everyone stay ready,” the lieutenant says.

A moan.

We stop. Beakbreaker tries to rush ahead, but two soldiers catch her, indicating for her to be silent.

One soldier creeps ahead to investigate. He turns a corner and catches sight of something.

He tries not to throw up.

“Lieutenant!”

“Keep it down!” the lieutenant hisses.

“That's not necessary, sir."

My heart drops as the lieutenant goes to the corner. Beakbreaker finally tears away from the soldiers and dashes forward. And once she turns the corner, she too, stops. The lieutenant and the soldier are disgusted at what they've seen, but Beakbreaker... she almost looks like she's going to die.

I run forward and finally see what's ahead. Before us is a massive chamber packed with changeling cocoons, each one holding a zebra. There has to be hundreds of cocoons in here, but the stench I smelled earlier now overpowers me to the point where my throat is burning. It's easy to understand why: all the forms within the cocoons are limp.

“Cut them down,” the lieutenant calls out to the others. “Now!”

Beakbreaker grabs the closest cocoon and tears it from the wall, sending up a cloud of dust. Coughing, I yank one down, the resin cracking too easily for something normally so hard. I smash the cocoon open, freeing the ze... oh Celestia... the zebra inside is dead, his flesh already decomposing, and... oh Celestia, I don't want to know what that liquid is.

Someone throws up. Then a second as more of the cocoons are ripped open. The stench becomes unbearable; I want to run out and find clean air, but we can't. Beakbreaker's still smashing cocoons open; if there's a chance her parents are alive, we have to keep going.

“Are any of them alive?!” the lieutenant calls out.

A chorus of nos answers her. But that changes as another cocoon is smashed open.

“Here! This one's still alive!”

Beakbreaker knocks soldiers aside as she runs over, and as a shriveled and husk-like body is dragged out, she screams, unable to hold back the fear that's finally torn loose.

“Father!?”

The zebra gasps as his dry eyes eyes swivel to Beakbreaker.

“B... B... Beakbr...”

Beakbreaker can barely keep herself together as she cradles her father. “Yes, it's me... I'm here.”

The zebra eyes Beakbreaker, and the faintest trace of a smile crosses his face. He's weak, so much so that it takes everything he has to point towards the wall, and the last remaining cocoon. I grab hold, tear it down, and rip it open. Inside is a female zebra in as dire shape as Beakbreaker's father.

“Mother!" Beakbreaker grabs hold of her. “Mother?!”

Beakbreaker's exhausted, shriveled mother cracks her eyes open. Those eyes dart about in confusion and fear, but calm themselves when they find Beakbreaker.

The zebra smiles.

“My child...”