Welcome to the Final part of Arc 2 on Christmas week Arc 3 will come out and we get to see the grand invasion begin. We'll also get to see the Pony's for the first time as well in Arc 3. Also, for Character Clarification Edward Bullard Thorax's buddy is 28 and stands at nearly 6-foot. Nurse Pauline stands at 5'6 tall and is 24. Thorax is the same age he was when he was a changeling 19 and is between 4'11 and 5'1 tall his height as a Changeling which makes him small by Human standards. Enjoy!

France/ Paris/ Le Cygne bar and hotel/ January 29th/ 1917

"And now I'd like to give it all to all those fellas still in the bloody trenches. 3. Hush here comes a Whizzbang, Hush here comes a Whizzbang. Now you soldiers get downstairs. Down in your dugs outs and say your prayers. Hush here comes a Whizzbang and it's making straight for you! And you'll see all the wonders of No man's Land when a Whizzbang hit's you!" Edward Song drunkenly with several other musicians and British soldiers. Only person not drunk on that stage was the piano man.

Thorax looked at the scene in brief amusement before he was snapped back into what he was doing.

"Left foot out now my Petit Thorax." Pauline said gently and amused snapping him back to attention as he clumsily moved his left Hoof or foot as the Bipeds called their oddly shaped hoofs forward. She was slowly guiding him through the process of the Biped dance called the Waltz.

His right hand squeezed against hers while he had his left wrapped across her waist as they slowly danced while Edward and the British soldiers sang. Thorax and she were wearing what would be considered their work attire. He was a soldier in the Biped army now, and he hadn't even changed out of his light blue uniform and was still wearing his Helmet for some reason. He felt as if he should have taken it off for this scenario.

Pauline on her part was still wearing her nurse uniform that still had some stains of Biped blood on it that hadn't been washed off. Biped blood always looked worse than his own species blood when it was stilled from wounds or the dead. He didn't know what about Biped blood it was, but it always made injuries look worse. Maybe it was because dark red was a scary color.

For several minutes he and Pauline feel into a rhythmic silence as they did nothing but dance gently. Her eyes hadn't changed since he'd last seen her. Still the very same bloodshot eyes. What he didn't like was the amused look she gave him as she stared down at him while they danced. Curse his size.

"So how has your day been Monsieur Thorax" she asked breaking the silence.

"Decent. I spent most of the day sleeping in the train before I got to this lovely city. After that I passed out drunk from drinking too much Champagne before disembarking." Thorax said. His earlier nervousness had largely vanished as he felt an odd sense of calm wash over him.

"I wouldn't expect you of all people to be someone who would get drunk." Paulien chuckled amused as the two continued their dance.

France/ Paris/ French High command center/ February 1st/ 1917

"So, what is our current situation on the Western Front." General Robert Neaville asked as he looked over at a map of Europe. The Frontlines had been circled in black pen. The invasion by bug hell spawn had never been on his list for things to happen in this war. Most of January had been occupied with pushing the bugs back over to where they came from. General Petain...Had done an expectational job in coordinating a response to those bugs.

Petain was now regarded as the hero of France and had gained fame at a level not seen since Verdun. In fact, it might have been greater considering he now had the international spotlight as the man who not only drove an invasion from another world (Or hell) back. He also might have saved humanity as a whole if not then just Germany and France.

Neavilles fame which he had held since his driving back of the Germans at Verdun had been forgotten. It irked him. He could toil about his loss of fame later he had a war to run. Now against Bug hell spawn things that also looked like unicorns for whatever reason. It was both a scary and weird situation at the same time.

"Uh sir." On of his staff members said before Neaville snapped out of his trance.

"Sorry, sorry. What is our current situation on the western front.

"Currently most fighting on the front is dying down instead of going up as it usually does with the coming of spring. Well on our sectors of the Front. On the British sector General Haege wants to launch a final offensive to break the deadlock on the western front before dealing with the otherworldly invasion." His staff member said.

"Send a telegraph to Haege to stop what he's doing. We all do not want a repeat of the Somme. Also, Interdimensional invaders should be number 1 priority over defeating the Germans." Neaville said sighing. He didn't want Haege to mess up like he did at the Somme. Haege and the British army simply didn't have enough of wants needed to launch a true war winning offensive. Unlike him of course.

"Understood sir." His staff member said as he walked over to the telegram box to send a Telegraph over to the British.

"So... How are we going to exactly carry out a war against these creatures." Neaville asked calmly with a hint of uncertainty. There were to many unknown variables in this situation. It would be a mess planning an offensive.

"First we should get the British onboard. The Italians are already mustering a force to assist us already after the news got to them about this invasion from another world on our soil." General Ferdinan Focke said as he circled the British sector of Front in red and drew an arrow of the reinforcing Italian soldiers in light Green.

"If I may add something gentlemen there is only one way in an out of the creature's world currently and that is this gateway. It appears to be made of some unknown material which while it looks like marble, we cannot discount the possibility of it being anything but that. It clearly has some unknown properties. If we cross over, we might as well be entering a kill zone the creatures have set up. They are intelligent enough to have some sort of army structure if the information we extracted from those we took prisoner is correct..." General Baut said as he stroked his moustache. He then pulled out several photos of the Gate taken my military photographers and the journalists in the area. This was to show his compatriots what they were dealing with when it came to the gate way.

(For some historical Context Baut was chief of staff in the French army)

"They are most likely like a hive mind considering their insect like appearance. They also seem to actively try to kidnap and cocoon as many of our soldiers as possible. They must have a king or queen of sorts. A Queen most likely." General Focke said calmly.

"Onto your concern about us crossing into a kill zone. The Bugs have been bloodied badly. We will simply plow through any kill zone across the gateway. To further my point the new Shneider A1 tanks did well against the bug hell spawn creatures. While they did break down, they did what they were supposed to do and punched a hole in their defenses. We simply need to ramp up production in Tanks and also either make sure the Shneider A1 doesn't have as many mechanical issues or get ourselves and the army a new tank model." Robert Neaville said confidently.

"Back to the bugs they seem to be as suspectable to bullets as us humans." General Focke said as he held in his hand several pictures of the slain creatures. He carefully placed them on the table with the map as the other Generals took a close look at the dead creatures. Neaville could see their faces contort with disgust.

"They look rather hideous." General Maunoury of the Lorrian sector of the western front said with obvious disgust.

"Of course they would. They are but spawns of the devil if not related to him in some manner or way." General Duval said. (Duval was head of the French air force during the first world war)

"Whether they are or not spawns of the Devil doesn't currently matter now. Now our main objective is to determine how we will carry out our future offensive. Our government is already considering sending out peace feeders to the Germans. If peace is achieved that makes things more complicated as we will have to coordinate an offensive with our former enemies." Robert Neaville said as he circled Germany on the map with a black crayon.

"While such matters do raise some concern sir, I doubt they will be if much issue on the higher levels of command. We are to treat the Germans as gentlemen. Even if they are the pigs that took...THE ALAASACE LORRIANE form us." General Focke said with his voice rising in disgust at the last part.

"Calm yourself Focke. As disgusting as the sausage eaters might be. They may be useful allies in this upcoming war. We cannot let such...anger... control us for now. We will have our vengeance for the Franco Prussian war. Just not yet. For all we know this invasion might have just been a scouting force to prob us. A large force of potentially millions could be arriving. We must stand as one in these uncertain times or die as one. What did American president Lincoln once say... Ah yes "A house divided cannot stand"" General Maunoury said as he lit his cigarette and began to smoke it in the room.

"Now Supreme commander Neaville... Why did you see it fit to put Petain in charge of the invasion." Maunoury continue with a certain toxicity in his voice.

"Petain has become untouchable. We can for now no longer scheme against him however if he fails in his command and is sent back running across the Gate when our invasion occurs, we have as much excuse to fire him from command. Then we can run the war as we wish without him and his small ring of supporters and the populaces disagreement. Never has there been a keener opportunity to put the old lion in his place." Neaville said as he grinned.

"A fine plan Supreme commander." Maunaray said smirking as the other Generals nodded.

The door to the room opened as the General turned their heads to see who had arrived uninvited. A Certain blond mustache, gray haired, and older looking man entered.

"Speak of the Devil..." General Baut said silently.

"Sorry for arriving late to the meeting. I had to deal with the still very celebratory mood and people of our beautiful capital Paris. Now what have I missed." Petain said as he entered slowly.

Back 1 day earlier with Thorax

Thorax took a large gulp of Champagne before coughing and wheezing a bit.

"Excuse my manners, I'm sorry." Thorax said to Pauline who was sitting next to him and drinking wine long side him. They'd stopped their mostly silent dance around 30 minutes ago. What they did talk about during the dance was their general thoughts on the whole invasion by his species. She thought a counter invasion was inevitable and that when it happened it would end up being uglier than what had happened already.

Thorax on his part choose the more creative route in the conversation theorizing what the other side of the Gate looked like. He already knew of course however he still wanted to keep his alibi up. He spent most of that talk telling half-truths. He pretended to speculate that it would be maybe a wasteland of sorts or maybe some large hivemind based on his species bug like appearance.

She on her part had largely been kind to him and assisting him as they went in their dance and talk. He would have to thank her for teaching him how to properly Dance. He never knew how to. Changelings considered dancing too Pony like if one might say. The Bipeds he had noticed were more introverted than the Pony's. They were way more comradery however they never tried to actively butt into someone's private life unless allowed.

This was one quality Thorax was thankful for. Pauline especially was taking her time with him and not rushing him or getting impatient at his lack of...Well social skills. It didn't help that Thorax was not having the peaceful nights he used to have. Maybe that's the price of switching to the Biped species. He was most nights waking up an absolute mess. He could still remember the fear on the faces of his own sibling he killed in cold blood in this body. He always wanted to curse himself. He killed his own flesh and blood for another species... Life isn't fair. He also remembered his Bipeds Friends death. Jaques, Louis.

He only had Edward and Pauline now. On Edward he was passed out drunk on stage. He decided to open up a bit.

"It takes me a while to get back to normal if you know what I mean. Usually when I start to drift off, I'll start... shaking. About the time I truly have drifted off I'll stop. But then I start hearing explosions... The voices of my dead friends. They're calling out to me you know. Asking me to join them." Thorax said huskily as he let out a few tears.

"May I stay for that." She asked gently in rough English as she look at him sympathetically.

"You...won't like it." He responded in an almost whispering tone.

"I've dealt with plenty with Shell shock Monsieur Thorax. I have also delt in the less than sanitary operating tables. The wounds the men suffered from the creature's acid did more to their bodies than a bullet would. I wish many of those who don't take this threat seriously could see what the things did to our soldiers. Poor things melted, burned, blistered, with often half melted faces or other body parts." She said her usually kind and soft voice. However, it cracked at the last part containing with it burning hatred and anger directed at his species. She then contained herself and continued talking to him.

"You are to kind and innocent for your own good sometimes Thorax. Your eagerness to help people is something people will take advantage of. Also, sorry if this is prodding to far but it's not your fault you fled Boucanville as it was falling. I'm concerned for you. I don't want you to become a mess like the plenty of others that suffer from shell shock. Those men are sent back to the front and in most cases never return."

"Please do not waste your concern over me. I am sorry." He said softly. He didn't want her to deal with all the things he had to.

"Your life is no business of mine." He continued.

She leaned over to him before softly saying.

"You can make it your business."

She then softly planted a kiss on him as he felt his heart begin to race rapidly.