This was wrong. I'm a fool to believe Cattani a second time around! Using such an unpredictable species as humans... Queen Chrysalis paced around her throne overlooking the immense hive constructed within a natural subterranean cavern. Many drones were asleep in their honeycomb quarters along the walls, but others were still hard at work building more of the evergrowing hive.

"We should progress with the original plan." said Cattani as he approached the queen. He was accompanied by six other high-ranking changelings: Tempest, the chief director of strategic operations; Gripen, commander of assault forces; Gloster Grebe, second-in-command of assault forces; Lancer, primary squad-leader of assault forces; Albatros, assistant operations advisor; and finally, Breda, the chief armorer and combat specialist.

"And completely dismiss Twenty-Nine's warning?" Tempest barked. "Cattani, this time you've really gotten us into a big one!"

One major simplicity of Changeling recognition was the most recent method of using numbered designations for drones and soldiers as nomenclature, instead of their actual names. Not only did it make operations easier, but also served as a perfect cover callsign should anyone intercept any form of their communication with the hive. An operative's cover would be compromised, but the secrecy between individuals of the hive itself would remain.

"How was I to know? Of the documentation Operative Sixty-Eight managed to smuggle out of the Star Swirl the Bearded wing of the palace, 'Observer's Report Number Five' on humans was the most accurate report of all. It mentioned absolutely nothing about weapons, but it did describe their psyche. Clever and advanced, but vague as to exactly how advanced."

"Sixty-Eight fowled up." Tempest informed with a sigh. "Operative Thirteen already infiltrated the wing prior to Sixty-Eight, reporting a number of more recent observer's reports written by someone else. Someone must've been stashing them there for safekeeping until they were relocated to an appropriate secure location. The featherbrain Sixty-Eight missed all of them and went down the wrong section."

Albatross thought for a moment. "Alright, who do we have inside the palace right now?"

"No one." said Cattani. "I mean, we have Operatives Seven, Fifty-Nine, Forty-One, and Forty-Three down in Canterlot, but I can't pull them from their locations.

Albatross grumbled. "Okay, any other agents local to the Canterlot area?"

"Just Seventy-Six, but I can't pull him out either. He's in deep cover as a gate guardsman."

Tempest made a rude noise and chimed in. "Cattani, what happened to those agents you sent on patrol on the Everfree outskirts? How deep under cover are they in right now?"

"Seven and Fifty-Two? We haven't heard from them at all in the past forty-eight hours. I think they've been compromised."

"Anyway," Albatross stepped in. "I think we should get someone back inside and retrieve the correct documentation. I suggest Sixty-Eight again. What resources do we have for another infiltration?"

Tempest was already shaking his head in disagreement. "No, we don't have time. Nor do we have the resources for another infiltration."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"We do as Twenty-Nine suggested. Evacuate the hive and fall back before contact with the invaders."

Chrysalis stomped a hoof on the ground "Run away, yes?! With our tails between our legs?!"

"My queen, we're in way over our heads this time. We can't possibly-..."

"Us Changelings have never run away from a fight. We will not run away from this one!"

"The circumstances have changed! We are simply not ready for this kind of opposition."

Chrysalis took a breath to speak, but nothing logical would come forth. Instead she immersed herself within her thoughts again, allowing the others to converse on their own.We've been defeated once, but not exterminated. Now there is a lingering possibility we will succumb to both. What is a vast army of Changelings to do? Then it finally hit her. To hunt a dragon, become one! "We use the human."

The voices in the room stopped dead silent, all eyes now on the queen.

"We assign him as an operational advisor. We follow his species' tactics to fight them off."

Cattani snorted. "He would never accept such an offer."

"It's not an offer, Cattani. We're going to use him, regardless of his opinion."

"My queen-..."

"Enough! That is my final decision on the matter. Bring him to me immediately."

...

...

...

Correction, this was the closest Ray had ever been to a rogue faction. There his enemy was, sitting right across the room from him, conscious of each others' presence, and in crisp communication. And he was still living and breathing to experience it.

Faust leaned forward to speak. "You see, Ray, the faction was quite different when Tolwin's father was in charge. I knew him well. He was a very respectable man." Faust took a cigarrette out of his front pocket and put it between his lips. He then reached into another pocket and pulled out a lighter, lighting it up. "He took no shit from no one that apposed what he believed in, but he wasn't a savage man." He closed the lighter and put it back in his pocket.

Faust paused for a moment, then yanked the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and offered one to Ray. He declined with the shake of his head. Faust put the pack back in his pocket and continued. "Oh, savage he definitely was not. He had a kind heart, but he knew who his enemy was. And who his friends were. His cause was liberation, never extermination. His son, unfortunately, didn't understand. He only saw the enemy as the villain of a great fantasy story, and the faction as the hero army. The enemy, through his eyes as time went by, was the world itself. The world that resided outside the faction. They showed hostility... they were opposition.

"His father was a terrible loss among the 'family.' But by then Taggard had been of the appropriate age to take command. He was a bright young man, but I knew he didn't understand the foundation his father was trying to lay with the faction before him. Before we knew it, we were raiding communities for weapons and equipment. Forcefully recruiting or executing oppositions. The more we conquered, the stronger we became as a force in power." Faust took a pause then let out a deep exhale of smoke. "This wasn't at all what his father wanted. But no one had the heart to tell him. Me and a few others are all that's left of the older generation. We're surrounded by young recruits that only know of Taggard's twisted ways."

Ray swallowed hard. His intentions completely dissipated now that he had another perspective to listen to.

Faust grinned slightly. "We were the saviors of a word trapped in despair. Now we've become the very enemy we've been fighting for so many years."

Ray took a breath to speak, but nothing would come out. He was speechless.

Faust looked down at the ground. "And I let myself become a part of it."

Junkers and Agusta also looked at the ground, with almost shameful expressions.

Faust looked back up at Ray with a smile again. "I'm sorry, where's my manners? I don't believe I know your name."

"Ray"

"Ah. You know, you've become a legend within the faction since your daring escape back in the desert. 'The Driver' they call you. The only man alive who has ever escaped the devastating firepower of Tolwin's aircraft."

"Then what got me in the ravine?"

"A 'Snooty gun.' It's what we call some of our mobile artillery. Damn lucky shot too." Faust snickered.

Ray coughed up dust as he tried to laugh along.

"Sort of anyway."

"What kind of car were you driving?" Junkers asked.

"A 1970 Chevrolet El Camino with custom desert mods. When I bartered for it it had mounts for high-cal. weapons on the hood, but I removed them since I couldn't find any."

"Couldn't find any?" Agusta snickered. "Kind of hard to believe, my friend."

"In the desert I taught myself to run from engagements. Any force in power that outnumbered myself. So, I never took anything from anyone. Except... for things I find abandoned along the road. And should I meet any drifters, I suppose that's a good source for things, though it requires a trade. And it's a risk I don't like taking, unless it's vital for my survival. Water and food, mostly."

Faust let out another deep and smoky exhale. "Well, my friend, I respect your convictions, but it's kind of sad in my opinion. On the road of war you need a friend. Maybe then you'll find your street of dreams"

"Yes, but trust is a hard thing to come by on the road of war. Don't you think?"

Faust thought for a moment, then looked at the ground with a shrug.

"How did you get caught?"

"Well, we were a small patrol squad in charge of setting up a transponder, a kind of triangulator device for our GPS."

"That thing in the woods..."

"Yeah. That thing in the woods that Junk trashed with the M202."

Junkers rolled his eyes. "Please stop bringing that up."

"Anyway, I went out into the forest, alone, so I could put out a fire Junk started. Then these Changeling things came out of nowhere, capturing me and dragging me off to the hive. Like demons of your darkest nightmares, I swear. According to Agusta and Junkers, all kinds of hell broke loose after that. Huge waves of them from all directions. Eventually we were the only survivors that saw imprisonment. We were interrogated for information, then thrown in here.

Did the queen happen to tell you what she plans to do?"

"Yeah. Did she tell you?"

"Yep. The whole plan. Crazy, isn't it?"

Ray nodded. "Indeed."

A nearby doorway opened up, making way for two Changeling drones. Everyone climbed onto their feet and hooves in response.

"Ray!" one of the drones shouted. "Come. The queen wishes to see you."

Might as well comply. Ray followed the drones out of the cell, looking back at his friends as the door began closing behind him. He proceeded.

The two drones lead him through a dense network of tunnelways through the hive, dimly-lit and glistening with slimy material. Softer sections of the walls seemed to move, as if they were alive. It was like walking through a biomechanical being. A giant machine with living parts.

His sense of smell was back. To his surprise, it didn't stink in any way he'd expect such a place to. In fact, it smelled sweet like honey. Like being in the honeycomb within a bee's nest.

Ray finally arrived in the cavernous room overlooked by Queen Chrysalis in what appeared to be her throne. He stopped with a glare aimed towards her direction.

"Ray," she said, "just the human I wanted to see."

"What do you want, Chrysalis?"

"I need your help."

"With what."

She removed herself from her seat and approached him. "You say despite my grand army outnumbering the Raiders they are a mere 'nuisance' in contrast to their power. And not even our own magic would be enough to repel them?"

"I seriously doubt it."

"Hmm. Well, what if we were to say... update them? To transform my army into a few thousand strong in a reasonable technological match to the Raiders?"

No... I know what she wants. And she wants 'me' to do it! Ray smiled.

"What's so amusing?"

"You want me to help train your army and equip them for battle against the Raiders?"

Chrysalis shifted her eyes. "Yes, exactly. Can it be done?"

Ray snickered, fighting the urge to laugh even harder. "You're a lot crazier than I thought."

"Silence! I did not bring you here for your sarcastic tongue! I asked you a very simple question. Can it be done, dear Ray?"

He straightened up. "Overnight? Of course not. No army in the world can be trained overnight with these kind of tactics. To supply them with such an arsenal is an even bigger problem... where would you find the weapons? You see, these things take months to years to achieve."

"My army is much more disciplined than you think. What you teach us can be learnt as quickly as instructed. I can demonstrate, if necessary."

"Fine. I'm sure they are a respectable fighting force. Now, what about weapons? Again I ask, where will you get them?"

She shrugged. "Improvise."

Ray took an argumentive breath, then paused for a moment. Wait, she might be on to something. What if... yes, yes! Oh, but my manuals were in my car. Dammitt... Well, maybe she knows what happened to it. If we could improvise something from those manuals, we might just have a fighting chance against the Raiders. Magic and technology combined, at an almost equal force in power. Might as well try it, seeing as it may be my only way out of imprisonment with these things...

Chrysalis tilted her head at Ray. "What are you thinking about so hard?"

"Do you happen to know the whereabouts of my car?"

"Your 'car'... you mean, that broken machine in the woods?"

She knows! "Yes, you know of it?"

She grinned and gestured to her left.

Ray looked that direction and saw the pile of wreckage that was his El Camino, resting in a far corner of the room. So they were the ones that took it! Now everything is falling into place. Now was the time to also prove a developing theory. Ray turned back to the queen. "Do you have a crowbar?"

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "A what?"

"Nevermind, I think I have one in the back." Ray walked towards his car.

The two drones followed him to observe his actions.

Yes! Found it. Ray reached into the back of his car, emerging with a very large crowbar. He then lept into the rear bed area and began prying open a locked toolbox. Chrysalis and the drones stepped closer with curiosity.

He pried and pried until the lit popped open with a metallic "clang!" that echoed through the entire hive, waking up a good amount of drones from their sleep. He then threw the crowbar on the ground and held the box open, revealing its contents. There they are. This might just work after all!

"What are those?" asked Chrysalis.

"These, my queen, are old army field manuals."

"So we have documented tactics to learn from. Now, how does this solve our secondary concern you so stressed earlier?"

Ray turned to her with a sly grin. "You'll see."