Loyalty to Celestia and digging trenches. Yeah, in the times of inner struggle the people of New Mareland needed leader exerting both of those qualities. That was the reason why general Moonlight Poppy surrendered her position of Corp commander to the Candy Garden.
New commanding officer of the NMAC stands on the hill, just near staff car with a bored sergeant-major on driver’s seat. Her eyes were centered on the high towers of the Sunset in front of the hill. Moonlight Poppy sighed and raised her right hoof to the head.
“Long live the Princesses” she declared.
Candy Garden turned around.
“Long live the Princess” she answered with a light smile. “How are the street battles?”
Moonlight Poppy smirked.
“Communist fanatics are terrible warriors,” momentarily her face has changed to sorrow. “But they are sure good mass executioners. We will root out the inner demons of our nation… but I am afraid, the scars of a brief MARESOC revolution will remain.”
“I dismiss you, Moonlight Poppy,” commanding general said, turning to car. “You are free to go.”
“What are you going to do now, Candy?” Moonlight Poppy asked.
“It’s general Candy Garden to you, mam,” commanding officer has answered with an ill camouflaged irritation. “And it’s better for you to be with your staff elementary school teachers. Dismissed.”
Moonlight Poppy saluted to the commander, turned around and gone. Meanwhile, Candy Garden entered the car.
“Where should we go now, mam?” the driver has asked, starting the engine.
“Sunset main square,” Candy Garden has ordered, after she sat behind the driver.
While the view in the window has been changing, Candy Garden was wondering about the words of Moonlight Poppy. Sure, commanding officer was not supportive of worldview of her chief Psychology Corps officer: her loyalty was with the Mare of Night rather than with Her Highness, Princess Celestia. But she always took into account professionalism of the ex-commanding officer. And thus, her words about morale shaking were really bothering Candy.
The car has stopped, which returned general to his world. There was a post of military policeponies ahead. There was a long queue of ill-maintained civilian cars and wooden carts. On other side of the road the outraged civilians were heading out of city.
“Unbelievable!” Candy Garden had heard the voice of one of the civilians – an old stallion with a battered cart behind his back. “I want to return to my house in Sunset. The hay they don’t want to let me in?”
One of the gendarmes – unicorn with a scar on the neck – gave a sign to the General’s car. Sergeant-major drove it to the post, avoiding other vehicles on the road.
“Papers, please.” Earth pony with sublieutenant stripes has asked.
“In my right pocket.” Candy Garden answered. Sublieutenant turned to a unicorn with a petty-officer insignia. She closed her eyes and in the brief moment the document was opened on the left hoof of the officer.
“I must apologize for these measures of caution.” earth pony said. “we have reasons to believe, there are still MARESOC loyalists trying to infiltrate city and continue the fight for their terrifying cause.”
“Is this the only reason?” asked the mare just behind in the queue.
Sublieutenant turned to her and with the tone, saying something exactly the opposite, said:
“Yes, this is the only reason.”
Officer handed the documents back to the general, saluted and told soldiers to clear the way.
Car drove pass the two trucks, which were playing role of temporary barrier and entered the city. Once beautiful modern streets of Sunset were clearly turned into a sight of battle. Sometimes, on the otherwise empty roads Candy Garden saw carts with bodysacks or mares and stallions using their hooves to destroy the barricades and rubbles.
Car was moving around the sights of shellings and ran towards the Capitol of Commonwealth. Just before the marble entrance there was located another picket.
“Long live the Princess!” Nightlight Charm has declared.
“Which one?” Candy Garden has asked, but former radio host just laughed.
“The older one, obviously.” for a brief moment her cheerful has slide away and showed her endless tiredness. “We have destroyed the last pocket of resistance. Here, at the Capitol. There were thirteen of those fanatics. And….”
She laughed.
“You need to see the room where they were hiding. Let me show you.”
They’ve entered the Capitol building and moved through the opulent corridors and galleries to the basement. There Nightlight Charm has come to the only door with a mare on guard before it. Guard has saluted and stood aside.
“Behold!” Nightlight Charm has declared. “The Mirroring Lake.”
The room behind this door was a quite large one. MARESOC defenders of it were laying in their black uniforms just around the small pond. Candy Garden has entered the room, hearing her hoofsteps echoing in the room.
“I’ve never heard about this thing.”
“Me neither,” Nightlight Charm has answered in an inappropriately cheerful manner. “One of our soldier has make a wild guess, the MARESOC officials were going fully bananas and were trying to use some really terrifying magic.”
She stopped just in ten hoofs before the lake.
“We believe, they were trying to get into other reality. Where they’ve won.” Nightlight said with sorrow. “But we cannot pursue them.”
She shook her head.
“I just do not want to contact with this abomination. I will order a dynamite and will blow up this lake. Or add a ton of asbestos.”
“But what about other realities?” Candy Garden asked, looking at the lake. She stared at her own reflection and realized she started to smile.
“We live in this one reality, anyway. Candy Garden, mam, do not even think about it. It is better to leave some of this magic in the forbidden sections in the well-guarded libraries.”
The reflection has winked to the Candy Garden. Her lips were starting to move.
“And into her own reflection she stared, yearning for one reflection she shared.” Candy Garden started to say the words, she did not know before. “And solemnly swear not to be scared.”
She entered the pond and, in a moment, felt like her forelegs has been taken. General has closed the eyes as the water was closing to her.
And she was pulled off from the pond by that same force. Candy Garden has opened her eyes and saw… general Candy Garden.
“Grand!” another general has said. “I am glad that legend Lady Inquisitor told me, turned out to be true. Now, finally, I can command our forces in Equestria, and root out the filth here.”
Candy Garden looked at her counterpart. She was wearing the same NMAC uniform, but the Equestrian sun looked a little bit different.
“Finally.” local Candy Garden raised her hoof. “We can embark and took Manehattan from supporters of Nightmare Moon. In the name of our Empress!”
She laughed.
“And for the moderate price, I guess?” both Candies has heard the familiar voice.
Someone lighted the room. Candy Garden saw the bodies. Mares and stalions. Unicorns in the uniforms of NMAC, just like on the first Candy. Among them Moonlight Poppy was sitting tied up, her eyes were looking with a challenge.
“You are monster.” for the first time Candy Garden could spit it out. “We have destroyed the MARESOC not in order to turn into another abomination. If only princess Celestia would…”
“Princess Celestia has reformed.” the solarist general has answered. “And don’t you dare to call our great Empress by this outrageous name again!”
Solarist Candy Garden gave to the first one a small army knife.
“I know, how you hate those lunarists. Do it now, sister. For Order and Harmony!”
Candy Garden hesitantly took the knife. She moved to the captured ex-commanding officer, thinking. Surely, princess Celestia knows better – and as a loyal subject she needs to respond to the will of Her Highness. If she calls to execute her vision, the deed of Candy Garden should follow.
But still… should it be happening like that? She may be distrustful to the psychologist with a general strap, but she still was a great commanding officer.
Candy Garden walked behind the mare. Moonlight Poppy has sighed.
“Do your deed!” solarist general cried. “All the deserters do not deserve to bathe under the sun! In the name of Order and Harmony!”