//------------------------------//
// Ch10 Commanders Halo, Mist, and Mage 
// Story: The Third Commander 
// by Priceless911 
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                As soon as Cirrus opened his eyes, he felt confused as he found himself looking at a large formation of Royal guards as they marched towards him. Almost immediately Cirrus knew this was the past since all the guards’ armor was gold instead of dark grey. Backing away from the approaching formation, Cirrus turned around to see that not only where they marching in the middle of the street in Canterlot, but on the other side, marching towards them were another army of royal guards, only this army’s armor was navy blue. As Cirrus backed out of the street, he watched as a brown earth pony standing at the head of the blue army, drew his swords and pointed it towards his enemy, “ONWARD!!! TO BATTLE!!!”
With that order, the army with blue armor charged passed their leader as they rushed towards the gold army with their weapons drawn.
Seeing this the white stallion at the lead of the gold armor called as he drew his sword, “The princess will not fall to traitors! CHARGE!!!”

Like their enemy before them, the soldiers in gold charged forward as the two armies clashed in the street in a mix of sparks, blood, and carnage that Cirrus knew he had to get away from. Trying to find a way out, Cirrus flew into the air to get out of the street. However as he flew up he saw a cloud of arrows flying towards him from a high angle. With the cloud quickly approaching Cirrus quickly raised his altitude to fly over the falling arrows, only to be surprised by a large boulder as if flew right by him and collided with a tower in the city as the tower slowly began leaning before crashing into the street and destroying a number of building in the destruction. At first, Cirrus couldn’t believe the destruction he saw that took place, but when he looked at the rest of the city, his jaw dropped. Looking over Canterlot, Cirrus found that a majority of the city was either destroyed or burning. Everywhere he looked, Cirrus saw towers toppled over, buildings burning, Civilians fleeing through alleys, griffin dropping explosives that intensified the damage, large boulders crashing into the city from outside, and even a large gaping hole in the cities perimeter wall and all under the cloak of a red eclipse above.

Shocked at what he saw, Cirrus landed on a tall and stable building as he looked at the soldiers fighting in the streets, “This… this is horrible.”
A voice replied, “This is the face of war…”
Knowing who was talking, Cirrus turned around and looked at the cloaked stallion whose face was even more concealed due to the low light from the eclipse. As he looked at the cloaked stallion Cirrus asked, “What’s happening… is this some kind of war? When did this happen?”
The cloaked stallion replied as he trotted to the edge of the rooftop and looked into the street, “almost sixteen centuries ago. And not just that… but look down here.”
Curious, Cirrus trotted to the stallion’s side as he looked into the street. Down below, Cirrus saw Gem Stone as she fought through the carnage below, firing each arrow with perfect accuracy and dodging all enemy attacks without fail. Seeing this Cirrus was amazed, “That’s… Gem Stone?... so this is… the battle of Canterlot?

The stallion replied, “Yes, this battle is the very one that ended the war. And with it… her life.”
Cirrus asked, “This is why you’re showing me this isn’t it? You want me to see what Gem Stone went through.”
The stallion shook his head, “Not all of it… but I want you to know who you’re staying with. This is a pony who gave up on life until she found a reason to fight. And with it… she wasted it.”
Cirrus gave the stallion a confused look, “Wasted?... what did she waste?”
The stallion replied, “Her talent, her purpose. Her very life. She was nineteen when she died and she didn’t even get to experience the good things about life. All she saw… was war.”

Cirrus tried to look at the upside to it, “But… it’s that war that made her strong. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
The stallion shook his head, “Not if it kills you. But now… you have a chance. That is… when you make your choice.”
Cirrus gave the stallion an annoyed look, “oh… so we are on this again… So if I choose to help Ms. Stone, then I will be choosing the side of the rebellion right?”
The stallion turned away and looked at the Canterlot castle in the distance as he replied, “Irrelevant… your choice must be made for your reasons… I’m just giving you comparisons between your choices. After all… you are the third commander. Your decision will bring peace to the kingdom… or so they say.”
Cirrus got annoyed as he spoke, “Shut up about that third commander crap. Just tell me straight… what should I do?”

Cirrus looked at the Canterlot castle as he saw princess Celestia standing on the high balcony looking into the city with an unhappy expression as the stallion replied, “It isn’t my choice to make… it’s yours. Whatever you’re choice, just think about those around you. Your decision will affect their lives.”
Before Cirrus could reply, he heard a loud noise behind him as he turned to see a catapult boulder as it bounced across the rooftops destroying everything it touched as it rushed towards the them. Reacting out of reflex, Cirrus raised his hoof to protect his face. However as he did, he quickly found himself laying on a couch with his hoof raised to protect himself from nothing. Knowing that it was just another vision, Cirrus placed his hoof over his face as he mumbled, “Well that’s an interesting way to wake me up…”
With that Cirrus started looking around the cabin living room as he noticed that it was still the middle of the night. Looking around, he saw Zine sleeping on a nearby rug, as he mumbled to himself, “that’s right… she had only one bed and made us sleep in the Livingroom… at least I got the co…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Cirrus quickly laid back down when he heard the door to Gem Stone’s bedroom open as she stepped out. Curious, Cirrus pretended he was asleep as he listened to Gem Stone as she made her way across the house and to the front door. After a few seconds of silence which he assumed Gem Stone was looking around the room, Cirrus heard the front door open and shut as she left the house. Once she was outside, Cirrus sat up and looked out the window as he saw Gem Stone fly into the air and land on a tall tree as she looked into the distance with a worried expression. As Cirrus watcher her standing in the tree, he couldn’t help but feel concerned. Her usual expression of anger, carelessness or seriousness was gone. It was replaced with an expression that showed worry… or fear. Cirrus could only watch as she continued looking into the distance, then slowly the sun began rising from the exact distance she was looking in.

As the sun rose, Cirrus could only watch as the twilight of dawn started cascading over her as she continued watching, unfazed by the sudden change in light. At first Cirrus just though she wanted to watch the sunrise but then he saw something that caught his attention. On her cheek glistening in the twilight, Cirrus saw a tear rolling down her face. It seemed so subtle, yet that’s what it was. Cirrus could only watch in concern for a few more seconds as Gem Stone wiped away the tear and slowly glided back to the ground as the trotted towards the front door of the cabin. Knowing she was coming, Cirrus laid back down as he quickly pretended to sleep as Gem Stone entered the house and looked around to see that the room was still. With a hopeless sigh, Gem Stone trotted through the house towards her room, however as she passed the couch she spoke, “Three hours till your training begins… better rest up till then.”
Feeling a little embarrassed that he was found out, Cirrus raised his head up and watched Gem Stone as she trotted through her bedroom door and closed it behind her. Cirrus wanted to ask about what he saw outside, but since it seemed to be a matter that weighed heavily on her emotions, he decided to let it go as he laid back down and went back to sleep.

Later after the three had woken completely up, Cirrus, Gem Stone, and Zine went outside as they each started attending to their planed day. Zine sat over a boiling caldron, mixing some ingredients as Gem and Cirrus stood next to a table of weapons. As the two looked over the table of weapons, Gem Stone looked at Cirrus and spoke, “The first thing you need to learn is what type of weapon fits your skills… so have you ever used anything on this table before?”
Cirrus liked at the various weapons as he pointed to the sword, “well… I held one of those once.”
Gem gave him a skeptic look as she replied, “Once… okay… you know how to use it?”
Cirrus hesitated before replying, “Um… sorta.”
Gem Stone sighed as she replied, “In other words… you know nothing about it… right?”

Cirrus nodded his head, “yea… I held it once in a spar against Commander Mist. But I didn’t know anything about using it.”
Gem smiled at the mental image, “really… so how bad did he beat you?”
Zine was mixing his brew as he chuckled and replied for Cirrus, “He didn’t… Commander Halo won that fight… Game… Set… and match.”
Gem Stone gave Zine an annoyed look, “Zine… don’t butt in unless you decide to be serious… for once.”
Spike who was lying beside the cabin raised his head as he looked at Gem Stone and replied, “Actually… Zine’s right… none of us saw it… but the rumors say that the fight ended with Commander Mist on the ground and Cirrus standing on top.”

Overlooking their discussion over the rumor, Cirrus looked at Zine as he spoke, “What’s this commander Halo business?”
Zine smiled, “You are a commander now… and I think that Commander Cloud sounds like a dish soap. So Commander Halo sounds so much better don’t you think?”
Cirrus replied with an angry expression, “Stop calling me Commander!”
Gem Stone cleared her throat to get their attention, “um, excuse me?... can we return to the lesson?... Now whether you did beat Commander Mist or not doesn’t matter. The next time you face him it won’t be a simple spar it will be a fight to the death, so do you think you can face him with a sword?”
At that moment, Both Zine and Cirrus replied to the question at the same time, however their answers were different. Cirrus replied with, “Sure I guess…”
But Zine replied with, “Nope…”

Curious as to Zine’s answer, Both Cirrus and Gem Stone looked at Zine as Gem asked, “Really… and why would you say that?”
Zine replied, “Because, I will be the one to take care of Commander Mist… after all he is an important ingredient, so he must be handled… delicately.”
Cirrus asked in confusion, “Ingredient… for what?...”
Zine replied, “I’ll worry about that… For now, just focus on what’s important.”
Cirrus gave him a curious look, “and… what is that?”
Zine smiled, “whatever your teacher says… and not letting her kill you.” He looked at Gem Stone, “Ms. Stone?...”
Gem gave him an annoyed look as she replied, “Thanks Zine… Alright Cirrus, since you carried a sword before… even if it was a pointless few minutes. We can get started with that go ahead and take the sword from the table and let’s go… the place where I train is about a quarter mile from here.”

As Cirrus started trotting towards the table, Zine spoke as he poured the last ingredient into the brew, “and a hint… of… whatever this stuff is supposed to be. And done.” He looked at Spike, “Alright Spike, I think the potions is finished in case you want to test it out.”
Spike looked at Zine and spoke, “oh it’s done already?... I didn’t think the potion would be finished this soon.”
Zine smiled, “When it’s curses or forbidden spells, it takes time… but this harmless kiddie stuff is way too easy for me to take my time on.”
With that, Zine dipped a ladle unto the brew as he scooped out as much potion as it could hold before pouring it into a bowl and turning to Spike, “Well… here you go. Hopefully this is enough to work… and not horribly disfigure you for the rest of your life.”

As Spike took the bowl from Zine he gave him a concerned look, “Wait… Disfigure?... I thought this was supposed to be harmless?... and temporary.”
Zine nodded his head, “well yes… but the ingredients are touchy, and we all know that in large doses a spell can have alternate effects. But this should be fine… sorta…”
Spike gave Zine an annoyed look, “You’re just making this up as you go aren’t you?...”
Zine smiled, “See, that’s why we are such good friends Spike. We know each other so well.”
Spike sighed in hopelessness as he held up the potion and replied, “Well here goes nothing.”
With that the large purple dragon poured the potion into his mouth and swallowed what to him seemed to be barely a drop. After he swallowed the potion, Spike smiled as he looked at the tiny bowl in his claw, “hmm… it tastes sweet.”
Zine rolled his eyes, “yea… that’s the rose bush dew… yuck… I hate working with that stuff… makes me feel all girly like I’m baking a batch of cookies or something. I tell you before I die I will be the first to find a way to use that stuff to cast a curse. That’s my new life goal.”

Still within earshot, Gem and Cirrus were looking at the table of weapons as Gem smiled and spoke sarcastically, “If that’s your life goal, then you have more problems than even I could have guessed.”
Zine shrugged his shoulders, “well when you only follow fate, you have to find a hobby…” He looked at Cirrus and smiled, “Or two.”
After seeing the odd way he added the last part of his sentence, Cirrus felt somewhat nervous to what he meant, but before he could reply, a loud noise came from Spike’s belly as if it were growling in pain. As the noises came, Spike started holding himself as he moaned, “oh… I don’t feel so good… did… did you poison me Zine?”
Zine shook his head, “With Rose bush dew… impossible. That’s an ingredient that cures more than poisons. It’d be like trying to give you a cold with cold medicine.”

Feeling an aching pain in his gut, Spike held his stomach as he leaned against a tree trying to bear the pain, “ooooowww…”
Seeing his pain, Gem Stone asked, “Spike… are you o-”
Before she could finish her sentence, the sounds in Spike’s stomach stopped as a segment of scales on both side of his Spikes on his back began parting as Wings sprouted from the soft tissue under them. As the wings stretched up high they revealed themselves to be almost the width of his body as his pain riddle flinch caused them to flap with one powerful gust as Gem, Cirrus, Zine, the table of weapons and the caldron were tossed to the ground from the power of the wind. After that brief moment, the pain quickly ended as Spike realized what he did and looked at his massive wings, “I… I have wings… I can fly.”
as the ponies and their zebra friend picked themselves up, Zine replied, “true… although I would wait before attempting it. The effects are temporary and I would want you to be at a high altitude when your wings vanish. You are far too big for us to catch if you fall.”

As the two pegasi picked up the scattered weapons, Gem gave Zine an annoyed look, “we?... you would make me and Cirrus do it.”
Zine shrugged his shoulders, “We, you, what’s the difference?”
Spike reached up and grabbed one of his wings to take a closer look as he spoke, “The likeness is incredible. It looks as if I was actually born with them. How did you do this?”
Zine shrugged his shoulders, “Magic… how else. Besides, you never know when a flying dragon will come in handy. But as I said, this is only a test. Once we find out how long it lasts we can start using it to our advantage. Then, whenever we truly need it we can fully put it to use. Unless the pain was too much to handle.”
Spike shook his head, “oh um… no it was just unexpected. I think I can bear it next time.”
Gem Stone placed the last weapon on the table as she spoke, “Well now that the show is over, we can get back to the lesson.” She picked up a sword and started to give Cirrus another one, “Cirrus let’s start training… as for Zine…” She gave him a sinister smile, “He will be cleaning up the potion he spilled on my lawn. Before my grass decides to sprout wings and fly away.”

Realizing what he was told, Zine looked at the toppled over caldron as he saw the mess made from the gallons of potion that spilled onto the grass, “Great… I knew I would regret making a permitted potion… why do they always have to be made in large quantities?”
Everypony in the area gave him a funny look as Zine noticed this and sighed, “Permitted… the opposite of forbidden… Geez read a book every now and then.”
Gem sighed, “Whatever, I'll expect this potion to be cleaned up quickly so if you want you can find us in the forest training when you’re done.”
With that, Cirrus took the sword from Gem’s hoof as she led the way to her own personal training grounds. After the two were gone, Zine trotted to the potion and looked at the mess he had to clean up. As he looked up at Spike, he could see Spike looking through the thin membrane of his dragon wings as Zine sighed, “Careful, you keep that up and you’re likely to go blind.”

Far off in Canterlot, Thundaga was sitting in her throne room as Commander Mist, a small team of royal guard’s, and a chained group of ponies entered the room as Commander Mist spoke, “Your majesty! We have good news. These ponies were caught stealing supplies from an armory in Trottingham.” He approached one of the prisoners and motioned towards him, “And I have reason to believe, that this pony here… is the Descendent of Kindness.”
Thundaga stood from her throne as she started to approach the prisoner, “Colonel Camera Shy… am I correct?”
The chained pegasus nodded his head, “Yes… you are.”
Thundaga sighed, “I see… your ancestor Fluttershy was a dear friend of mine. She would be ashamed to see her family trying to start war in the kingdom.”

Colonel Shy replied, “And let you continue?... Look at the state of the kingdom! The Citizens are afraid to talk in fear of being executed for treason, the poor stay poor, the unhappy stay unhappy and for WHAT!?! So you can force peace on the entire world and favor your armies and ego over everything else in the kingdom? Yea… my ancestor would be ashamed alright… but not for me. She’d be ashamed of seeing the great commander’s daughter becoming some-thing as cruel as you.”
Angered by his words, Commander Mist drew his sword as he approached the Prisoner, “why you disrespectful-”
“Stand down commander…” Commander Mist sheathed his sword as Thundaga looked at the prisoner and continued, “His words are imperiling… and yet, they remain as only words. So… if he likes to talk then perhaps… he can answer a question for me.”

Thundaga placed her hoof on the hilt of her sword as she stood in front of the prisoner, “Now… I understand that the rebellion has a new general leading them… so I'll ask, who is your new general?”
The colonel didn’t reply, so knowing that he was hiding it, Thundaga drew her sword as she swung it at the colonel. Luckily, she judged her distance accurately, as the blade’s tip flew by leaving a small cut on the colonels muzzle deep enough to immediately begin bleeding, but far enough to be harmless to anything vital. As the blood started running from his cut, the prisoner placed his hoof on his wound as Thundaga spoke, “Silence, will not be your ally. I would suggest you answer my question. Who, is the next Rebellion General?...”
Again, the stallion answered with silence as Thundaga sighed in disappointment, “Very well… Commander?... Give him better incentive.”
Commander Mist trotted to one of the other prisoners as he grabbed the prisoner by his mane, drew his sword, and placed the tip of the blade against his throat, “This one?...”
Thundaga nodded her head, “Sure… he seems worthless enough… Kill him.”

Quickly reacting to her words, Colonel Shy spoke, “Wait!... What are yo-”
Thundaga interrupted, “if you won’t speak… then we will start executing your soldiers in front of you until you talk.”
The pegasus replied, “N-no you can’t!”
Thundaga smiled, “oh?... and why can’t I?... Everypony here is a prisoner for theft… and if they are with you… then their crime has been bumped up, from theft… to treason.”
Colonel Shy tried to defend them, “They aren’t even part of the rebellion! They are just a few hired hooves I asked to help me. They didn’t know anything about who I was or what my intentions with the weapons would be! They were just being paid to follow my instruction!”
The commander chuckles, “well, then they will be paid to die for it too.”
“NO YOU CAN’T!!!”

Just then right as Commander Mist started moving to kill the held prisoner, Thundaga used her magic to stop his hoof as she spoke, “I can, and I will. Unless… you give me a name… that’s all I ask. In fact… how about we make a deal. I'll overlook your accomplices if you only tell me his name. You will be the only one charges with treason and executed, while your accomplices… will be charged only with theft.”
Both Commander Mist and Colonel Shy were shocked as the pegasus replied, “What?... you’re… you’re showing them mercy? But you’ve ne-”
“That is my offer… take it now or leave it… all I need is a name… and they will live.”
Colonel Shy was suspicious, he knew he couldn’t let his comrades die, but this offer had never been made before to any rebellion members so it wasn’t unexpected that he hesitated as Thundaga sighed, “too bad, I guess treason is their cr-”
“Alright!!!... I… I agree to the offer and if you will spare them execution… then I'll gladly accept your offer. The name you need to know… is Dash.”

Thundaga smiled, “Oh… the Descendent of Loyalty… I should have guessed. Guards… put Colon… I mean… General Dash’s name at the top of the priority list. I understand he is in hiding, so we will double our search for him.”
With that, Thundaga sheathed her sword as she turned back to her throne. Seeing this Commander Mist asked, “Your majesty… what should we do with the prisoners.”
Thundaga replied as she reached and sat in her throne, “Take the colonel to Trottingham, have him charged with treason and give him anything he wants for his meal tonight. It will be his last.”
The commander asked, “And… the others?”
Thundaga gave him an unamused look, “they will be charged with theft and given fair trial for that crime. Take them to the dungeon to await trial.”
The commander was confused, “Y-your majesty?… you mean you were serious about changelings their crime?... I though you said that to get a name.”

Thundaga nodded “An agreement is an agreement. If I chose to go back on my word… then I'd only be proving the rebellion right. I will uphold my part of the agreement, just as he upheld his.”
Commander Mist objected, “But they are traitors! They are clearly working for the rebe-”
Thundaga interrupted, “If you are so concerned, then start an investigation! However, as of this moment, they will not be harmed for any reason. I will try to avoid orphaning any more foals.”
The commander felt suspicious, “Is this… because of the incident with Cirrus Cloud?”
Although Thundaga blushed slightly she replied in anger, “This is of my own will and reasoning! Do not assume that Cirrus had anything to do with my decision!”
He continued, “But y-”
“My decision is made and it will stand!!!”
Knowing he was pressing his luck Commander Mist decided to give up as he sighed, “yes your majesty… we will follow the order.”
With that the guard’s and Commander Mist turned the prisoners around as they all started leading them out of the throne room.

Seeing to the guard’s orders, Commander Mist tried to follow behind the prisoners until Thundaga stopped him, “oh… and Commander?… stay for a second, I need to have a word with you.”
Knowing that it wasn’t good, Commander Mist stopped and trotted back to Thundaga as she used her magic to hold up a scroll, “As commander of my armies… could you perhaps explain this to me?”
With that Thundaga used her magic to toss the scroll towards him as it rolled to his hooves. Seeing this, he picked it up, opened it, and read it to himself. After knowing what it was, Commander Mist gave Thundaga a nervous look as he replied, “um… w-what’s this?”
Thundaga gave him an annoyed look, “I would suspect that you would recognize the daily accountability report that I receive every day at dawn, informing me of how many soldiers I have total, how many are accounted for, and… how many are not… and yet do you see the number there in red?”
Commander Mist looked at the bottom of the form and replied, “y-yes… five?”

Thundaga replied with a tone to match her annoyed expression, “Yes… five… Five soldiers were unaccounted for at dawn this morning… and then… two of those five were recently found in Ponyville with effects that show they had a run-in with Zine… now that would mean only one thing. Zine fought both those soldiers in an effort to defend himself. Which would only leave me to assume the other three are in the same state somewhere in Equestria.”
Playing dumb Commander Mist asked, “Would you like me to track the three down your majesty?”
Thundaga shook her head, “I need nothing from you at this time… except an explanation. Why would Zine need to fight my guards, when I clearly recall telling you to leave him be?”
Knowing he was found out, Commander Mist replied, “Your majesty… I needed to find out where they were going. It’s crucial that we find the rebellion hideout a…”
“Silence…”
Hearing the enraged and quiet tone made Commander Mist feel nervous as Thundaga continued, “It appears that you aren’t in the proper state to follow orders correctly… very well. For the next week, you are striped of your title and relieved from duty without pay. You will go home, and if I see you in uniform, or hear any of my solders say that you have given them orders of any kind… then it will be you who is wearing the chains in front of me… understood?”

Commander Mist hung his head in shame as he replied, “I understand your majesty. But… may I make a request?”
Thundaga replied with an angry tone, “No… you may not.”
With that Commander Mist removed his helmet as he placed it on the ground in front of him before turning and trotting towards the throne room door. But before he got to it, Thundaga spoke up, “And one more thing… those three missing soldiers… just know that their lives are on you. So if I were you… I would pray that they are unharmed. Because Zine will not be held responsible for them… think about that.”
Commander Mist turned back to Thundaga and bowed in respect, however he didn’t reply to the comment, instead he merely rose from his bow and left the throne room.

An hour later, Back in the Forest surrounding Dragon Mountain, Zine and Spike were arriving on the training ground as Gem Stone and Cirrus were sparring with swords. When they arrived, Cirrus was picking himself up from the ground as he griped the sword in his hoof and charged towards Gem Stone. As he raised the sword to attack vertically, Gem Stone sighed in hopelessness as she casually parried the blade away and knocked Cirrus to the ground. Trying to keep himself going, Cirrus rolled over as he charged again, only to have here react the exact same way as she knocked him to the ground with what seemed to be no effort. Feeling annoyed and frustrated, Cirrus continued rolling back onto his hooves as he repeated the same action, only to have it end with the same result. Finally after the fifth attempt, Gem Stone had enough as she blocked his next strike, Grabbed his hoof, Turned around and used her wings to vault her opponent over her shoulder leaving Cirrus to fly almost seven feet before hitting the ground with enough force to stun him from getting back up.

Smiling at the fight, Zine spoke, “Keep it up commander… I think she’s getting worn out.”
Too stunned to pick himself back up, Cirrus continued laying on the ground as Gem Stone approached him, “Well… at least you have the same never say die attitude… but you’re far from any commander I know. You’re too slow and predictable…”
Worn out, Cirrus tried to speak, “I… I thought you were an archer… how are you so good?”
Gem Stone smiled, “Against you… I don’t have to be. But then I’ve also been practicing since I was resurrected so I’m a lot better than I was during the war. But I digress.”
With that Gem Stone spun the sword around and acted as if she was going to stab him. But instead she just stuck the sword in the ground next to his head as she spoke, “Let’s move to the next lesson... I’m thinking… Archery.”

Cirrus sighed in frustration as he rolled over and picked himself up from the ground. As he rubbed his head from the impact he felt, Cirrus looked at Gem Stone as she picked up a bow and quiver from a nearby tree. As he saw the quiver he had to ask, “That arrow holster thing… what’s those markings on it?”
Gem sighed, “It’s called a Quiver… and the markings… My cutie mark, and the emblem of the Nightmare Legion.”
Cirrus was confused, “The Nightmare Legion… but… aren’t they the bad guys? I thought Nightmare Moon wa…”
With an annoyed tone, Gem Stone interrupted him, “We fought for Commander Bolt… not Nightmare Moon.”

Seeing that the conversation was getting heated, Zine butted in, “Um, Ms. Stone? I see your still using the quiver I stole for you. I’m glad you like it.”
Cirrus gave Zine a curious look, “Stole?... from who?”
Zine shrugged his shoulders, “I took that along with a few other artifacts from the Nightmare Crusade Exhibit at the Canterlot Museum.”
Gem nodded her head as she added, “Well… technically he retrieved my quiver since it was a gift to me a long time ago. He only stole the other artifact.”
Cirrus asked, “Really? What other artifact did you take Zine?”
Zine smiled, “I took Ms. Stone Quiver for her, and Commander Mist’s spear.”
Cirrus was confused, “Commander Mist’s spear?... Why would you take that?”
Zine smiled, “I took it simply to agitate Commander Mist. I figured I insulted his security by taking the items, I decided to rub it in by taking something that belonged to his family.”

Cirrus gave Zine a hopeless look, “really… all that to rub it in?...”
Zine shrugged his shoulders, “What?... I thought it was funny. Plus I gave it back.”
Gem rolled her eyes, “And to think I share a life with this guy.” She looked at Cirrus as she spoke, “alright Cirrus let’s get started, Have you ever held a bow before?”
Cirrus shook his head, “no.”
Gem Stone sighed as she replied, “Of course you haven’t… well come with me and I'll show you how to draw it. Then we can go from there.”

With that, Gem Stone and Cirrus trotted to an area as she gave him a bow and started showing him about how to draw it and balance while doing so. As the two practiced, Spike looked down at Zine and whispered, “Why didn’t you say anything about Commander Bolt’s shield? Didn’t you steal that too?”
Zine nodded his head as he whispered back, “I did… but I’m not finished with it just yet. Once I’m done with it I'll return it as well and tell them. Till then, the Commander and Captain don’t need to know about it.”
Spike was confused, “Why?”
Zine smiled, “let’s just say, that another descendant of the Nightmare Legion has a task that needs to be done with it first. Till then… Neither the commander or the captain need to know about it.”

On the far end of Canterlot Commander Mist was trotting through the corridor of a hospital as the doctor trotted beside him, “He is making progress, now it’s actually possible to hold a conversation with him… however he is still suffering from paranoia.”
Commander Mist nodded his head, “good, do you think he will ever fully recover?”
The doctor nodded his head, “it is possible… but considering the rate of his recovery, it won’t be any time soon, one year at the very least.”
The commander sighed in disappointment, “Well… till then I’ll continue keeping the princess safe… even if she doesn’t seem to trust me anymore… Can I see him?”
The doctor nodded his head, “Of course commander, Just try not to excite him. It’s been weeks since his last episode, and we hope to keep it that way.”

As the two approached a door in the hallway, Commander Mist nodded his head, “I understand. Thanks Doctor.”
With that, the Doctor unlocked the door as Commander Mist slowly opened it to reveal a much older stallion who was lying in a bed reading a book. As the stallion looked up, he spoke, “Mist?...”
Commander Mist entered and waited for the doctor to close and lock the door behind him as he spoke, “Commander Mage, it’s good to see you, how are you feeling?”
The suspicious commander gave him a skeptic look as he replied, “I ain’t saying nothing to a fool hardy imposter like you unless you can prove that you’re the real Mist. Tell me something only he would know”

Commander Mist sighed, “You are a descendant of the Element of Honesty.”
“Bull… everypony knows that!”
“You became a commander right after the last commander, the Descendant of Magic passed away.”
“Anypony can find that out!”
“You had a crush on Thundaga and was the only royal guard with the courage to ask her out on a date… and she clocked you in the jaw for it.”
Commander Mage and Commander Mist stared each other down for a brief moment until Commander Mage broke the silence, “Fine!... I’m convinced!”
With that the stubborn commander closed the book and sat it down as he spoke, “it’s good to see that changelings never got to you. Hopefully they never got to the princess either.”
Commander Mist shook his head, “Commander, the princess and the rest of the kingdom is safe. The changelings are extinct. They have been for almost three hundred years.”
The older commander waved his hoof off as he replied, “Baaa… all folklore. See that’s what they want you to think. But really, the changeling are amongst us. Taking the place of ponies left and right. I wouldn’t rule out that they have already infiltrated the castle as a servant or Thundaga forbid, a guard.”

Commander Mist sighed, “Sir… I’m sure you’ve heard this numerous times before… but the changelings are extinct. What you saw last year was the results of a powerful spell casted by that zebra we saved in Zebrica.”
Commander Mage chuckled, “that kooky spell caster we spared in Zebrica? Come now, that zebra has neither the strength nor the power to summon the army of changelings that attacked me in the forest. If anything, he was the lucky one. We were just going to imprison him for suspicion but thanks to that army of changelings, he was captured and killed quick and painlessly. While the rest of us can only sit and wait for us to go down, one by one.”
Commander Mist shook his head, “Zine is still alive, and… under Thundaga’s good graces no less. I wish I could convince her that he isn’t what he seems.”
“I should say not. He’s a changelings in disguise. Just like that doc that says I’m crazy, the mail colt, and everypony in the rebellion. It’s just a matter of time before the princess finds out. Then, I'll be back out of this… place and in command of my armies once again.”

Knowing there was no convincing him, Commander Mist sighed, “Sure sir. And when your back, we will welcome you with powerful bro-hooves.”
The joyful commander smiled, “Darn right you will… then I can whip that flab that my soldiers are gathering right off… speaking of which… where is your armor soldier?”
Too ashamed to admit his actions, Commander Mist replied, “The armor is tarnished sir… and I know how you are with appearances so… I knew it would be a death sentence if I trotted up to you in tarnished armor.”
Commander Mage nodded his head, “Ah… right then, I guess I would have you doing wing up if you came to me in tarnished armor. But the next time you come to see me… it will be spot free … or I'll have you doing laps around the castle until your wings fall off, you got that?”

Commander Mist nodded his head, “Understood sir.
Commander Mage could sense that something was bothering Commander Mist so he asked, “Mist… why would a new age commander come to see an old timer like me anyways… don’t you have something better to do?”
Commander Mist sighed, “Actually… I wanted to ask you for some advice.”
“Kay, shoot.”
“Thundaga has been… acting strange.”
Commander Mage slammed his hoof on the book, “SHE’S A CHANGELING!!!”
Calming him down Commander Mist waved his hoof, “no, no it’s not that… Recently she took in a pony who, we assume has awoken the Thunder Grounds with the Lightning Orb.”

Commander Mage was surprised, “The next commander?...”
Commander Mist gave an annoyed sigh, “no, far from it. But… I think, the princes has become too emotionally attached to him. For the few days he was in the castle, she was neglecting her royal duties, and fraternizing with him in a way that seemed… unsettling, if not unprofessional. I think she has fallen in love with him.”
Commander Mage smiled, “well there you go, problem solved. Bout time she decided to settle down with a stallion… even if it ain’t me.”
Mist gave him a grim look as he replied, “yea… but he is working for the rebellion.”
Commander Mage was shocked, “What?... are you sure?”
Commander Mist nodded, “yes… his parents were Black and Rain Cloud.”
Mage started thinking to himself as he replied, “so… that little sprout grew to take his parents place did he?... this is a problem.”

Commander Mist continued, “And it gets worse. Thundaga refuses to listen to reason when we try to convince her that he’s an enemy. Today she released five rebellion ponies with petty theft because of her own affection for that rebellion colt. It’s like she’s going soft on us. I’m worried… that she will drop her guard long enough for the rebellion to take advantage of her mercy.”
The older commander thought to himself as he replied, “Then… you as her commander must do his job. Look after her and make sure she doesn’t do anything that risks herself too much. If it were me… I would keep the colt locked away in the dungeon.”
Mist sighed, “Tried that… Thundaga won’t let me put him in.”
“Then keep a guard on him at all times. Should be easy for a commander to do right?”
“I would… but right now we have no idea where the colt is. Zine took him off for some special training so they could be anywhere in the kingdom.”

Commander Mage sighed, “Well… if that changelings took him off, then the problem is solved. He will be replaced with a changeling and the princess will see right through that creature’s disguise. Either way, keep your eyes and ears open. And remember to always trust Thundaga, and remember the royal guard motto.”
Commander Mist gave his old mentor a confused look, “Move fast and overcome?... how’s that supposed to help me?”
Commander Mage replied, “is that what it is?... I thought it was never question the princess… hm… no wonder the soldiers gave me a confused look when I told them that.”
Looking at a clock in the corner of the room, Commander Mist spoke “Well I guess I'll leave, I have plenty of duties to attend to.”

Commander Mage nodded his head, “Good, then go see to them. And for Thundaga’s sake, watch out for those shapeshifting insects out there. They’re crafty pests and when they get the chance, they’ll steal your identity and make off with the kingdom.”
Knowing that it wasn’t real, Commander Mist nodded his head as he turned to leave, “Sure sir, I will go beyond my best for the kingdom.”
Commander Mage smiled, “ah my old motto, you say it well, but it means more then to merely say it.”
Commander Mist nodded, “I know what you mean sir. Well, I'll be off sir. Don’t torment these doctors too much sir.”
Mage chuckled, “Those changelings? If they want to act like docs then I'll treat them like docs.”
With that Commander Mist smiled as the doctor opened the door allowing him to leave the room.