Chapter 1
“Hey, wakey wakey, fucko!” Said a voice and The changeling on the floor was awakened with a swift kick to his gut.
“Oof!”
“Get the fuck up, shithead!” He cracked his glowing blue eyes open to see a copper colored pony with a red mane glaring down at him with angry hazel eyes. He reached down and grabbed the Changeling by the collar, dragging him off the ground. Over the pony’s shoulder he could see a diamond dog standing behind him and a griffon sitting in the background, the light of a cigarette visible as the smell of tobacco and mold filled his nose in the dingy cement room.
“Well lookie here, we got ourselves a fancy fuckin’ officer of the queen.”
He says upon spotting a tattoo on the changeling’s neck of his family crest and his rank.
“All hail to queen bitch, right?” The pony asked sarcastically and gave the changeling a hard jab in the jaw.
“Fuck you.” The changeling swung his rear legs at the pony, getting his front hooves on the wall, and kicking the equine off of him. The pony went tumbling backwards, tripping over his own hooves and falling to his haunches.
“Glad one of you pricks knows how to fight for once.” The pony sprung up to go at him again, only to be grabbed roughly by the shoulder by the diamond dog.
“Don’t be a fool, you heard what she said to us.” The pony glared at him. “Keep out of it, it’s not like you dogs are any better.”
“He at least had the honor not to attack someone who was out cold.” The changeling remarked.
“I’ll get to you later, you fucking mosquito.” The pony turned back to the diamond dog.
“If you’re government weren’t our allies I would have wanted to go to war with you too. Your leaders a fuckin’ psycho.”
The canine growled at him.
“You ponies are puny and cocky, we would wipe you out easily.”
“Bullshit!” The pony yelled and leaped at the diamond dog but he was caught around the neck and lifted with just one paw, being forced against the wall. The pony coughed as the wind was knocked out of him.
“I can crush your trachea right now.”
“Enough!” The griffon took a final drag on his cigarette before smothering the end against the wall behind him. He stood up, displaying his much larger size compared to the pony and changeling, however slightly smaller than the diamond dog.
“Naydenov, release him, now.”
He said with an air of authority and the dog snarled but complied and dropped the pony who held his throat and looked at the dog with a scowl. The griffon stepped forward into the light, revealing his emerald eyes that glared with ferocity and a scar that barely missed his right one.
“No one here is perfect, and very far from it.” He turned to the diamond dog.
“Your government offers equality, but they take away freedoms.” He went on the changeling.
“Your queen is a fucking tyrant whose only goal is world domination.” He went to his final target, the pony.
“And you all are over-privileged, have too much money, and are too cocky to realize your own vulnerability.”
The three individuals glared at each other silently.
“Now all of you are going to shut the fuck up because none of that shit matters anymore. We are in this together wether we like it or not.”
“Fine Lachlan, whatever you say.” The pony grumbled.
“Oh, pout away, Brass, like I give a shit.” The griffon replied. Both the pony and diamond dog gave each other a look of animosity before leaving to sit in opposite corners of the dark room.
“Now then…” The Griffon went on and sat in a chair in front of the changeling, grabbing another cigarette from his pack and trying to light it with a lighter.
“Do you smoke?” He asks and the changeling stares at him, frustrated and confused.
“Who are you and where am I?” He asks angrily.
“Pardon me, how rude of me. I’m Officer Lachlan of the Gryphus Air Force, the pony who just throttled you was Corporal Brass Knuckles of the Equestrian Military, and the dog is Sergeant Naydenov of Barkcelona’s Infantry and you are?“
“Officer Konstantin, and I think you know where my allegiance lies.” The changeling replied.
“Of course, of course, well welcome to our little group of hateful bastards. ” He extended his talon and the changeling shakes it hesitantly.
The changeling looks at the room.
“Where am I? What’s going on?”
Lachlan gave a half smirk.
“To be honest I barely know myself, apparently it’s an experiment of some kind. See if a group of people who really hate each other can survive.”
He finished his sentence with a long drag from his cigarette.
“Well what’s keeping us from killing each other?”
The changeling asked as he began to get up but stopped and gasped.
“Ow.” He said and grabbed his chest and stopped in his tracks, looking down at a little scar.
“That.” He says and opens up his own uniform to show him a scar of his own down his front.
“They set up a machine in our hearts that are linked together with some sort of spell or radio or something. If one of us dies it stops the valves in our hearts from opening and we die.” He says simply.
“Or some sort of bullshit like that, I’m just telling you what she said.”
“Quit playing the pronoun game and tell me who you’re talking about!” The changeling replies with fury.
“Some cunt scientist who was talking to us early on the speaker system of this place. I don’t know who the cunt is I just know that she wants us to go through this and if we don’t we all die.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Sit in this room until someone unlocks the door?”
“As far as we have been told on the intercom, that’s what we’re doing.”
“How is this even an accurate experiment? The three of you are allies, I’m your one enemy here.”
“The term “allies” doesn’t necessarily mean friends, doesn’t even mean we like each other. We could loathe each other and still be on the same side of a fight. In fact we do. Besides, I don’t think she cares. Bottom line, that’s all the information we have about all this. Feel free to socialize, or don’t, to be frank I don’t give a shit, just gotta say one thing.” Lachlan says and takes another puff of his cigarette.
“Don’t die.”
Chapter 2
The four individuals sat in their own corners. Lachlan sat in his, filled with the scent of tobacco as he continued to smoke his cigarettes in brooding silence. Brass played with his lighter, clearly bored. Naydenov was sitting with his arms crossed, seemingly asleep, meanwhile Konstantin couldn’t help but preen his uniform, an old habit of his to keep it ready for inspection, shining his medals with a small rag he had found. Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life, bringing their attention to it as the familiar voice of the Scientist came on.
“Ah, lovely, you four haven’t killed each other yet. Much further than I thought this experiment would go.” Brass stood up, anxious and annoyed.
“Hey Miss Cunt? You going to let us out now or leave us to die of boredom?” He said angrily.
“Any more attitude and I may just consider neutralizing this batch of subjects and bring in my next one.” She replied spitefully. Brass sat back down with a scowl.
“Now, contrary to what you may believe, locking a bunch of people who hate each other into a room together is not the only part of this experiment. I’m going to let you out, but you will now not only have to avoid killing each other, but you must protect each other. There is a metal box hidden outside of the building, find it and take its contents. The door has been unlocked. Good luck.”
The intercom went silent. Lachlan stood up slowly, followed by Naydenov who stands up from his wooden chair swiftly. Konstantin immediately snapped to his hooves followed by Brass, getting up lazily.
Lachlan took a drag from his cigarette before putting it out against the cement wall.
“Seems easy enough. A little treasure hunt, to test cooperation and then we get to move on. Might as well get this over with, any oppositions?” Lachlan asked, to be met with silence.
“Good, onwards then ye hateful bastards!” He says, opening the door to a dark hallway, two bright blue lights suddenly appeared in the darkness and moved forward, revealing themselves to be attached to the head of a metal figure in the shape of a changeling, a quiet whirring noise met their ears as it lurched forward and leaped for Lachlan. A mechanical garble of noise shrieked out of it as the vague words were heard.
“KILL! KILL! KILL!”
“CHRIST!” Lachlan yelled and moved out of the way as the robot leaped into the room. Brass, startled leapt back. “WHAT THE FUCK!” He cried out as it reached for a gun in its holster right before a wooden chair impacted with its head. A blur of gray fur rushed forward to tackle it to the ground, a paw clamped over the machine’s throat. The machine tried to reach for its gun again but was suddenly stopped by a keratin hoof, trying to pin it down as Naydenov squeezed on its throat, ripping into the metal that held it together and swiftly pulled out the wires and the metal endoskeleton’s neck set ion with it, ripping the head off the robot in the process as the metal body went as the whirring stopped, the eyes on the machine powered down, leaving the bulbs gray.
The four of them sat there panting for what felt like hours after it died before Brass finally spoke up.
“IS NO ONE GOING TO ASK WHAT THE FUCK THAT WAS?!” He yells out.
“A series of lights and clock work with an artificial intelligence and a design that mimics a standard changeling infantry soldier.” Konstantin says as he looks at the uniform.
“A very weak foot soldier.” Naydenov says as he stands up, lifting it up off the ground and turns it around, examining it.
Lachlan stood up, dusting himself off. “Good thing we at least know what to look out for.” He says and takes a look at it, looking for a weak point.
Konstantin reached for the gun in the holster and looked at it curiously. It appeared to be a Mauser C96 but it strangely had a little red light on the body of the gun.
“I’m probably the one best equipped to use this.” He states when Brass steps up.
“Now wait a minute…” Lachlan gives Brass a glare which makes him shut up. Brass thinks it over and realizes Konstantin would be best with it as much as he hates to admit it.
“Never mind….”
Suddenly the intercom crackled on again and the scientist’s voice came on again.
“My deepest apologies, it seems I didn’t give you all the specifics” The female voice seemingly came from all around, possibly distant large speakers. “You are being hunted. All drones, whether they are from your nation or not, will be your enemies. Do be careful.” At this Brass Knuckles lost it.
“So none of us get a break? This is bullshit! Do you hear me?! Absolute fucking bullshit!” The changeling jumped on the pony and took him down, covering his muzzle with a hoof.
“Shut up you fucking idiot!” Konstantin whispered angrily. “I don’t want to die, do you want to die?!”
“I don’t fucking care! I want out of this experiment!” Brass yelled. Konstantin slapped him across the face.
“Do you want to live? Do you want to fucking live?!” Konstantin shook him roughly. “If you gave a single shit about your life you would shut up!” Brass glared at him and shoved him off.
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do.” He growled. Lachlan chimed in.
“Alright, now if you two lovebirds have ended your quarrel, we should start looking for that metal box, quick. And then we need to get the fuck out of here, the place could be swarming with drones any minute, Drones can pick up sound from a fairly large distance can’t they Konstantin?”
Konstantin nodded.
“Kinda surprised they haven’t shown up already. So I suppose there may not be nearby, but I would recommend keeping on your guard. “
Lachlan nodded. “Noted, now everyone split up and search. Stay in groups of two, and do not leave anyone behind. Brass, with me. Konstantin, go with Naydenov.” Konstantin nodded in response. Brass grumbled under his breath but was happy to go with Lachlan rather than Konstantin to search the building. Suddenly Naydenov bent down and began to utilize his canine sense of smell, trying to pick up on any metallic materials or grease from gun oil.
Brass walked with Lachlan gliding over him down the hallway and into a dingy old warehouse, the glass was broken with light pouring through the windows. Konstantin and Naydenov followed behind as Lachlan landed on the rafters to get a better view. Brass went about searching along the ground, below Lachlan, checking for any place a large box could be stored.
In much the same manner, Konstantin and Naydenov searched around in another room of the warehouse before suddenly Naydenov stopped moving and took a deep sniff, before rushing over to under an old rotted away desk, having smelt something.
“What did you find?” Konstantin asks and lands beside Naydenov. The dog said nothing and merely looked at the ground below the desk at a few tiles that seemed out of place before he suddenly ripped them out furiously and quickly.
“Found it.” He muttered. There in the ground was an old guitar case that seemed to have been sitting there for a century.
“Naydenov, I don’t think that’s…..” Konstantin begins before Naydenov suddenly slams a fist down on it and cracks it open, before ripping the top off, revealing the hidden guns.
“What the….” Konstantin said. The dog and the changeling gave each other looks of confusion before looking back at the guns
Lachlan landed down by them followed shortly by Brass.
“You guys find it?” Brass asks as he trots in before raising a brow at the sight of the guns. “What the fuck?”
The contents inside showed to be a M1911, an MP 40, a TT-30, and a Sten gun. However, they looked off, some of the components appearing to be different materials. All of which had parts that were bright neon yellow
“The fuck are these? Toys? ” Brass picks up the 1911. “It looks like half the thing is made of plastic.”
“Let me see.” Lachlan held out his talon and Brass gave him the gun.
Upon taking a close look he found that the gun was mostly made with its usual metal components, however some of the other parts were carbon fiber, especially around where the firing mechanics took place, the carbon fiber parts being the bright yellow sections seen before.
Suddenly the voice of the scientist cut in from seemingly nowhere this time.
“You have been given weapons specialized for the combat you’ll be facing. The ammunition is electronically charged to deal more damage to the drones, along with the guns being modified to use them.”
“So you’re telling us we have EMP bullets?” Brass asks
“No, not even close, but whatever you want to call them I don’t care. Point is they can kill those bots quick.” At that point the source of the voice shut off again.
“Alright, so we have guns modified for special bullets. Other than that, nothing we haven’t used before.” Lachlan says.
“We have four guns, each one is from our own country. I suggest we take our native ones.” He gave the 1911 back to Brass and took the Sten gun. Naydenov took the TT-30 and Konstantin took the MP 40. They grabbed the ammunition for their respective guns and loaded them. The sun was beginning to set, bringing the warehouse into darkness, only lightened by the moon and stars.
“Alright, let’s travel throughout the night to move as much as we can before the sun rises. Once it does we’ll find a spot to rest. Besides, at night we’re most likely better able to spot out any drones that might search for us? Any opposed raise your front appendage.” Lachlan said, not a single one of them doing so.
“Good, let’s move out of this dingy fucking warehouse then.” He states and walks out into the forest, being followed by a pony, a bug, and a dog.
