Tales of a Changeling Commander

by Grazy Polomare

Invasions and Reveals...

Humming his tune softly in his head, the Commander raced towards the changeling leader, his eyes riveted on the scene laid out before him. A green pegasus was running down the alleyway, her eyes avoiding his gaze as he called out. "Hey, I'm just a guard, stand your ground!"

With a spurt of her wings, she lifted off into the air, causing the Commander to sigh as he followed in close pursuit. In all reagards, he should have stopped by now, but the point was that he couldn't resist a good chase. Especially one that he could become a part of.

With another rush of speed, he raced forward, until he was near inches from the pegasus. The green mare was faster then she looked. But he was gaining speed on her, his wings beating at 100 beats per second. There was no way she could get rid of him now, no-

"What in the name of-!" The wooden pole came out of nowhere, causing the Commander to try and brake hard. However, as all things go, he was speeding and what happened next was inevitable. Oof! His face slammed straight into the rock-hard surface, causing his face to flatten abnormally and stars to engulf his mind.

"I...hate...trees..." was all he got to moan as his form slowly slid down the trunk of the maple to the ground, an array of stars forming the night sky as he slipped into unconsciousness.

--------------

Captain Rosemary stood over his desk, a bright pink bump jutting out of his head like some sort of tree stump. The night-shift guard had finally found him in the interrogation room, a puddle of fluid formed around him. So far, his assailant had high-tailed it out of the base without a trace. But the fact still remained that his secret couldn't be kept for long.

The sun was already rising over a skyline of trees ahead. "Another day," he muttered, "another creep to catch." He was looking over the files of every new pony that had arrived within the week. There was Sparkler, a cousin of one of the Elements of Harmony, who was an accomplished jewelry salespony. There was the green pegasus that had assaulted him, posing as the florist's friend. There was some sort of magician who went by the title of The Great and Powerful Trixie.

Rosemary scowled at his eyes scanned Trixie's file. He hated showmares as much as he hated Discord. The whole bunch of them were shallow, prideful, in-compassionate loud-mouths who were as animated as their files. And the ones who weren't in Hollyhoof, or in Las Pegasus, were deceiving thieves who followed their predecessor's principle to deceive and oversell the product.

Another pony had also arrived in the following weeks. However, these were moreover visitors, and so, their files were likely kept in the hometown of origin. Mirror Match, apparently a Daring Do look-alike. According to her file, the mare was friends with the Element of Kindness and Laughter. Since the Elements had fought the changelings first-hoof, he couldn't exactly suspect this particular mare of being a changeling. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try. After all, a shopkeeper had been complaining about her agressive and assertive behavior.

The next file was even more ambiguous then the first. Apparently, some sort of black mare who so far, he hadn't been able to get a name out of yet. After all, these files still had fresh ink on their pages. But from what he did know, the traveler was currently staying at the Element of Magic's house. Another dead end.

He sighed, throwing the parchment back in the bin. The fact that the Canterlot Guard had received all these files, and the fact that everypony was being closely monitored for changeling activity, made it seem as though catching these fiends would be easy. But every guard knew that changelings devoted their life to disguising themselves. That was when the creak of the door caused him to gaze up at two guards.

"Grimoire and Spell Tome reporting for duty sir," the guards made a salute as they entered his quarters.

"At ease," Captain Rosemary said as the guards stood stoically in front of him.

"As you may have known, we've been having a bit of a changeling infestation within the city. I need you two to go out and start looking for anypony who might be suspicious. At the moment, we have a few leads, but the moment any of them find out what we're up to, they'll make a run for it and be lost for another day or two until we can pinpoint their location again. Do you understand me?"

"Sir yes sir!" The guards turned to depart before Rosemary raised a hoof.

"Check the jail cell first, I heard there's a leadership caste imprisoned inside. Maybe he can help you."

"And if he doesn't?" Grimoire asked anxiously.

Captain Rosemary gave him a dark stare as if it was obvious what to do next. "Then force him." With another nod, the guards rushed down the corridor, leaving the captain to look through more files. The secret was out, and now he would have to prepare for the invasion. It was time to adress Princess Luna on the matter. And prepare the rest of Equestria for the storm that was about to arrive.

-------------

Light began to filter into the colt's eyes, causing him to slowly come into consciousness. His back was aching and he was sure he had sprained one of his hind hooves. He would need to visit Nurse Redheart to get a full diagnosis of the injuries sustained. A breeze was blowing through his snout and grime-filled fur. With a grunt, he stumbled to his hooves, his eyes surveying in utter shock what was before him.

He had been sleeping on a pile of rubble that had once formed the left wall of the lobby. Inside, an unconscious Mag Mane was spread out over a table, out cold. Trying to move his legs, he breathed a sigh in relief when they didn't give way. Slowly, he dragged his broken hoof across the dirt and into the building. Other then the gaping hole with broken stools strewn over the floor, the place was intact and untouched.

"They knew exactly what they were looking for," the colt grunted as he scanned the room for anything else out of place. And that was when he saw it. The cell door had been left ajar. Already expecting the worse, he uses his left side to push the door. As it slid open, he saw two empty cots and no trace of its occupant.

This shouldn't have been surprising. He knew that eventually, someone would come and rescue their leader. But he felt his heart give an involuntary spasm, the blood pausing for a second as if it sensed something was not right. And then it began to boil to the point where every vein and artery in his body was filled with hot gas.

"That lying son of a diamond dog!" he yelled out loud, pounding his hoof over a copy of Daring Do. He should have known it was all a ploy. That the changeling was just leeching on him, trying to gain his trust. The Commander was just like the rest of the changelings. Emotionless, cold, calculating, deceiving bug-brains that were just enlarged parasites. Yet, he had already known this. Why was it so painful to see the inevitable come true?

Because I trusted him. The colt bowed his head in depression. He had actually believed in the Commander, and had thought of him as a true friend. A true friend, maybe even the brother he never had. It didn't matter though, because if he ever sees another changeling within a 30-mile radius, he would squish them for the insects they are. With a sigh, he began to limp towards the entrance, when two guards in shining gold armor rushed in.

"What in the name of Celestia happened here?" Grimoire asked.

"We were attacked last night," the colt said solemnly, though his tone had a tint of fury in it.

The two guards began to inspect the lobby, as if the colt had missed a detail. When they found Mags, they heaved the mare and sat her upright.

"Nightmare's mane," Spell Tome uttered, "this place is a wreck."

He had had enough of these guards. Were they blind to his pain? Did they think he had any pain to begin with?

"What is wrong with you two?" he yelled.

The guards froze, blinking at him as if he had just insulted them at a party. He took in a deep breath before continuing, "I've been out colt since last night and nopony has even considered it their duty to help?"

"Well..."Grimoire began, "we-we didn't think that-"

"Didn't think?" the colt yelled, "well maybe you ought to consider what's at stake here. We could be at war for Celestia's sake."

"We're terribly sor-sorry," Spell Tome stuttered, "it-it won't happen again."

The colt instantly felt a tinge of regret for being so harsh to the two ponies. They were just as young as he was, probably even more. Giving them a confident look he said, "I'm sorry about that, just a little cranky from sleeping on top of those rocks."

The three gave a light chuckle before resuming their sullen expressions. "So," Grimoire began, "what do we do next?" He was already looking over at Mags, who still hadn't gone out of her critical condition.

"I'll take Mags," the colt said, "you two go and look for anything suspicious. Remember, the attackers were probably changelings and that means they might still be here."

With a nod, both guards turned to leave, heading for Twilight's library on the other side of town. Placing Mag's over his back, he felt a stinging pain in his rump and nearly tripped over. Gritting his teeth, he began the long trek to the Ponyville hospital.

-------------

Forge laid in the grass, too tired to carry all three of his mates on his shoulders. Thresh, Blend, and Cloak were still out cold, and they needed to be cured soon. As he stared at the sky, he began to think of the changeling he had captured and betrayed. He remembered leaving the hive at a young age, embarking for the glory that was the colonies.

But as it turned out, many of the generals were unfit to lead as governors and some believed in achieving more power then the rest. If it wasn't for the mysterious Matriarch, the whole system would have collapsed upon itself. However, it didn't mean that life got any better.

It was hard trying to make a living in the canyons near Appleloosa. It was even harder to impersonate a settler since there were so few left. He was sure he would have starved had it not been for Thresh. Thresh was a generation or two older then him, being an adult when he was just a foal. But the two had bonded together despite the gap in age. They hunted together, worked together, and lived together, battling the elements of hunger and survival.

He remembered the last mission they did for the Matriarch.

It had been his second one to complete. Thresh was tasked with bringing back a changeling escapee, and had entrusted Forge to befriend her. At first, he did his job perfectly, but then emotions got in the way. He felt the changeling's pain when she talked about her fake life, realizing that she was relating with reality. Then, when he had to turn her in, he swallowed his pity and watched the chase.

But he never once glanced in her direction when Thresh knocked her out cold and carried her back. He couldn't sleep after the ordeal, and found himself looking at the stars more then ever. Then one night, Thresh came to watch it with him.

"What's troubling you old partner?" the changeling said.

"Does it hurt the first time you betray someone?" Forge said blatantly, almost casually.

Thresh heaved a deep breath, his eyes locking with his friend's before he stated his answer. "It does hurt Forge. More then you can imagine. But it's something that you swallow in to protect yourself."

He sighed before continuing. "One time, I was told to hunt down a hatchling that had escaped the hive. Posing as a family friend, I gained her trust. And when I turned her in, all I could hear were her begs and pleas for me to rescue her, to stop what was going to happen. I was young and stupid back then. Chyrsalis knows that if I was older and wiser, I may have thought twice. But the fact remains, she's still gone and there's nothing I could do about it. I later realized she had a mutation and that she was probably killed. The poor thing, was just a hatchling when I found her for Queen Metamorphosis' sake! She didn't deserve to die. After that, I couldn't sleep for a month. In fact, I contemplated on killing myself, severing my ties with the swarm and all. Go on my own, forever in solitude. But as time went on, I realized I could never do it. Never sever my bond. So I left the swarm and ended up here, with the settlers. I quit my job and resumed to bounty hunting."

Forge hung on to every word his elder said. In all his time with him, this had been the only time Thresh ever talked about his past. The old changeling usually changed topics or threw a few hooves around if anyone was stupid enough to ask. Forge now knew why. The poor bounty hunter's first mission was to hunt down an innocent hatchling.

"Pardon my asking," Forge began, "but what do you think would have become of this hatchling? What would she have grown up to be?"

Thresh sighed and took out a foul-smelling bottle from his knapsack. Unlike other changelings, Thresh didn't live on love alone. Alcoholic cider ran deep in his veins, until his blood was so concentrated his liver should have perished. But for some reason or another, it was resilient, use to it, adapted so to speak. After taking in a deep gulp of the beverage, he answered his friend's question.

"In all honesty, she wouldn't have amounted to much. Certainly not a soldier or drone. Oh no, she wasn't the loyal type to get in with all that political hoopla and what not. She was a good egg. But she was a pony at heart. She had been raised and adopted by a unicorn family for so long, we couldn't revert her back. She believed she was one of them. But like all things, it had to come to an end. The hive couldn't risk a changeling living as a pony, even if her heart believed in it. It was too risky and would cause increased awareness should the hatchling accidentally reveal herself."

Forge merely looked down, unable to imagine how the swarm must have tried to "rehabilitate" her. It was a process used on synthetic changelings, but every now and then, "empathy-sick" subjects were brought in. He shivered at the thought of a hatchling being put through that. She would have lost her mind, become insane. And then what would they do? Probably the most merciful thing any changeling could do. Dispose of the weak. Natural selection benefited the swarm as a whole, but when it came to individuals, the mutants would be the first to go.

For a long time, the two just sat there until sunrise, contemplating on their lives and missions. On one side, there was the Matriarch who would do anything to keep quiet and on the other side was Queen Chrysalis, who would seize the country if she could. There was no correct path in their job description. They just had to swallow it in before it belched out and ate at them from the inside out.

"But I can't swallow it Thresh," Forge moaned from his lying position in the grass, the sun now filtering through the trees. "I can't be like you and swallow it in. I remember every changeling I've ever hunted down. I see them every time I go inside the nest to rest. I can't fight it anymore. I can't...do this anymore. When I saw what we did to that general, I realized that. And I'll die before I let another changeling come to harm because of my deeds."

With this thought in mind, he closed his eyes. That was when he heard a thump followed by the clopping of familiar hooves. Opening his eyelids, and struggling to his own hooves, he turned to see three changelings patrolling the area. One of them was wearing an armored helmet.

"What happened here?" the changeling asked sternly.

"Ambusssshhed," he slurred, his head ringing from a concussion he must have received earlier, "needzz hezzzlllpppp." And he plopped back down.

"We gotta get them to a doctor," one of the changelings said.

"But we don't know where the medics are!" the other answered.

"Wait!" the general raised his hoof to silence his subordinates, "I think I saw a place nearby, but it belongs to a zebra."

"Well that's great," the first changeling answered, "what's the next place we can visit, Ponyville Intensive Care?"

The general glared at his subordinate, "Zebras can be convinced since we didn't attack their country. Besides, its our best bet, we need to get moving. NOW!"

------------

From the window od the hut, Clyde could see a misty sunrise settling over the land. Last night, he had stayed with Rosemary's soldiers, never allowing sleep for one minute. He had been sleeping for way too long. As he stood there, he pondered on the thoughts of what had happened.

The Commander had seemed nice enough, and perhaps with some convincing, he could buy the changeling his freedom. Of course, he would need to see the Commander do more then just obey the rules.

With a yawn, one of the privates woke up, his eyes taking in the sunlight as well. Giving a small smile, Clyde went to the colt's bedside, checking his temperature."How ya feeling private?"

"Better then before," Private Broomberg said, his eyes riveted on Leafy, "guess we're lucky they weren't lethal shots."

Clyde nodded, and then went to check up on the others. When he was sure all of them were at their physical peak, he turned to Leafy, "let's get back to base early. I don't want to take up Zecora's time with all this changeling nonsense. As he said this, another yawn came from Leafy's mouth as he stumbled to his hooves.

Leaving behind a tip of around ten bits, the four departed for Ponyville, their nostrils taking in the unique smell of cherry blossoms and other native plants.

"Look out for that Poison Joke over there," Clyde motioned his hoof to where a patch of blue flowers laid undisturbed, "it'll put you back in Zecora's just for another day or two."

The guards were now scanning the forest, avoiding all contact with any blue flowers. Clyde couldn't help but smirk. The group was now trudging through the path, nearing the border of the forets. Ahead, they could see clouds shifting in the distance, the rumble of thunder as they approached far away cities and towns.

"Odd weather for summer," Clyde mused.

"You should have seen it when they attacked us," Leafy commented, "the fog was as thick as pea soup!"

Clyde froze, his ears twitching at the words he had just heard. "What did you say Private Leafy?"

"Thick as pea soup?" The private offered, backing away a little at the harshness of the warden's tone.

"No, earlier, what did you mean by 'they'?"

"Oh," Leafy said puzzled, "didn't you know? We were attacked by a gang of changelings. They were the ones who broke that prisoner out. Knocked me and my partner unconscious."

Clyde stood still now, his hooves tense with shear anger as he realized he had been played. "Your...captain told me that the prisoner escaped all on his own. No help from any changelings."

Broomberg gave a laugh, "What the buck? Captain Rosemary saw those changelings for himself. There were at least a dozen or so when I saw them."

"I think your Captain is hiding more things then it would seem," Clyde hissed, "we need to get to the mayor's office now and tell her what's happened." With that, his trot turned into a gallop as he raced against the clock.

"I don't get it," Broomberg yelled back, "why would Rosemary lie about a changeling incident?"

"He's trying to keep law and order," Clyde answered, "but he doesn't realize the extent of this invasion. We need to be ready now before it's too late!"

So the group raced towards Ponyville, never stopping to rest in their desperate efforts to warn the town of impending doom. Little did they know that it was already too late.

----------

Sunlight was pouring into the Commander's eyes as he shifted himself awake. According to the position of the sun, it was still early morning. Moaning as he got up, he realized he wasn't in his disguise. Quickly shifting in a flash of green, the Canterlot guard he had been portraying got to his hooves and began walking.

Okay, just gotta stay low for now. You can do this Commander. As he walked, he suddenly saw two guards rushing past him. Word must have spread that he was out on the loose, but it was still amazing to him how slowly it had taken them to search for him. He wondered what the colt who was his guard had done when he woke up to find a hole in the wall. Likely, he could forget ever trying to pay a return visit. It would most likely get him hoofcuffs instead of compassion. Which meant he had nowhere to turn. He was back at square one, trying to find his battalion before it was too late.

He continued at his pace when he heard a crash and gasp coming from what looked like a marketplace. Now, under normal circumstances, this would be the sign to run. But curiosity took hold of him, and the changeling figured it couldn't hurt to try and watch from the back.

Trotting his way there, he passed by groups of huddled shoppers, whose eyes were glued to the two guards he had seen earlier. Inching ever so closely, he saw the two gold-plated colts were hanging over two mares, one of which was arguing and defending the other.

Also, the Elements of Kindess and Laughter were present as well, apparently defending from a standpoint. The Commander had to laugh at the scene. Did this black mare and her brown friend steal some apples? Or did they argue with a tomato salespoines about inflation? Better yet, they were being accused of being changeling spies for some invasion that will take over the entire town. Oh that would be gold.

But highly unlikely the Commander thought with a grin. After all, no invasion could be started without his authorization. Even High-General Double needed a unanimous vote, coming from him of course, to start anything close to an offensive. The point being that the Commander in Chief was not as stressed as the High-General who worked 24/7. And so his/her mind would be able to plot out operations more clearly.

So then that meant that the guards were likely apprehending some sort of thief. This would be entertaining to watch. Suddenly, a flash of smoke covered his hoof. What laid inside was a box of popcorn.

Well that was weird the Commander though nervously before popping a few into his mouth. As he watched, the guards seemed to have a spear at the ready. The brown mare looked vaguely familiar, almost like she was...

"Daring Do!" he almost shouted, closing his mouth so as to not draw attention to himself. The fictional character of his dreams was actually here. Right in person. Why, he would need to get an autograph before the authorities dragged her off to the jail cell.

Unknown to him, however, the green pegasus mare that he had been chasing landed a few feet away from him, drawn to the scene. Glancing at the sun, she knew it was almost time to carry out the plan. Once the signal was given, she would have to obey it no matter what. Swallowing in the saliva that was threatening to flow out of her mouth, she counted the minutes.

Daring Do, as the Commander called her in his head, was now looking desperate. It was clear that she wasn't convincing the guards of her friend's innocence. The Commander was almost halfway through his popcorn, his stomach filled with the the excitement.

Suddenly, Daring Do's eyes glowed a bright green, their venomous stare riveted on the two officers. "I am Mirror, a changeling, and I will not let you harm another of my siblings!”

The Commander nearly spat his popcorn out. Mirror! What the buck is she doing here!And why was she revealing herself! Mirror was supposedly part of his battalion, a special student of the Queen herself. Why was she acting so foolish in front of the very forces that could imprison her for life!

Before anypony took notice to his shock, the brown pegasus leapt forward in attack. The crowd shuffled back, causing the Commander to lose his view of the scene. He struggled to get on his hind hooves, but nearly fell back as a result. Slumping down, he backed along with the group.

When the crowd finally settled in a more suitable position, the Commander saw that the other mare had disappeared, leaving Mirror alone to face the guard's wrath. He couldn't believe he hadn't sensed his fellow changeling earlier. Perhaps that fall from Canterlot had messed with his senses. Well, he wasn't going to allow another changeling to get arrested. He could break her out later and-

He gasped as the guard raised a spear. The bloody maniac was going to skewer her like a fish! Shoving aside shoppers, he tried to call out for them to stop, but either they couldn't hear him or didn't care. But before he reached her, there was a shout and a purple lavender unicorn popped out of nowhere. The guards stopped and stared at the newcomer, annoyance spread over their faces.

Upon closer inspection, the Commander realized it was Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic herself. The Commander didn't get it. Why were three different Elements protecting one of his own. Was it not clear to them that she had just assaulted a guard in broad daylight? Well, maybe this Element thought Mirror was still a pony.

Ok, crisis averted the Commander breathed with a sigh of relief. That sigh soon turned into a gasp as one of the guards casted an all too familiar spell. In an instant, he was pushed back by the crowd. There were angry murmurs and occasional shouts as the crowd glared at the changeling before them.

Well shoot! Now he needed to get Mirror out of this pickle. Once again pushing through the crowd of onlookers, he tried to make his way to the changeling before the market was turned into a temporary execution square.

Just then, there was another yelp and the Commander turned to see a pink pony riding the guard like he was bull! In fact, he knew the Element as Pinkie Pie. "What the buck is she doing?" he muttered, flabbergasted as to why anypony would attack a guard now of all times.

Eventually the guard managed to toss the pink creature into the crowd, his hate now steaming out of his ears. “Defending a changeling and attacking a member of the Canterlot Guard? You are all traitors to Equestria and by law, you are under arrest!” And with that, the crowd did another gasp that nearly caused the Commander to be propelled back once more.

He was only reaching the middle of the crowd when the guards fired two blasts of magical energy. But before it could reach the group, a purple barrier shot out and the blasts went off like failed fireworks. Why are they helping her? The Commander shook his head in bewilderment. The very ponies who had given him away to the authorities were now protecting a changeling! The next thing he'll know will be that the diamond dogs are setting up a charity.

"Traitor!"

"Monster!"

"Changeling spies!"

The insults that once assaulted him were now being flung at his subordinate. That was when his eyes flashed red. He was use to being belittled and insulted by many towns and in many languages, but Mirror wasn't the type of changeling to handle insults. Why, the very nerve of the crowd to utter such obscenities made his blood boil. He would punish them for what they did. No pony gets away with badgering his battalion.

He was literally plowing through the shoppers when Mirror, Pinkie, and the one he remembered as Fluttershy dashed down for the Everfree Forest, leaving Twilight to handle the angry mod that had formed. Struggling to break free and get to his soldier, the Commander felt like a worm trapped in sticky dirt. The current was pushing him along for the ride, and he could do nothing to stop its pull.

The guards were still firing barrage after barrage of magical fire. "Can you just let me out!" He was pleading upon deaf ears. The crowd was in a frenzy and their thirst for vengeance had made them mindless beasts thirsting for blood. "For Celestia's sake, just let me out of here!"

“That…is…ENOUGH!”

A wave of solid energy hit the Commander square in the back as he flew with several other members of the mob. Landing face first in mud, he slowly got up to inspect the damage. The unicorn was more powerful then he had thought. And clearly she was past her breaking point. As the shield dissipated, she took in a deep breath before continuing.

“Everypony, just listen to me! For goodness’ sake, you’re acting like foals having a tantrum!” Twilight yelled, “Now, I am going to say what I’ve been trying to say for the past ten minutes and you are all going to be quiet and listen! Is that understood?!”

The crowd was nodding in unison, embarrassed looks plastered over their faces. The Commander himself had found another box of popcorn to munch on as the unicorn began her speech.

“Everypony, we are all in grave danger!” Twilight said. The crowd began to break into confused and frightened muttering again, the Commander now hanging on to every word she said. “There is going to be an invasion, right here in Ponyville!"

The Commander spat his popcorn out, much to the irritation of a brown stallion. The stallion began to scold the changeling, but it was all in vain. The Commander was too take aback to comprehend his surroundings.

An invasion! he shouted in his mind that's impossible. I'm the Commander and no soldier moves without my command! There can't be an invasion! That unicorn must have lost her head! It's impossible! Twilight was still talking as he dropped his popcorn.

"There are a number of changelings among us, disguised as normal ponies, and while this will alert them to having been discovered, it is imperative that the ponies here are made aware of this threat so that we aren’t-”

Suddenly a beam of emerald energy rammed itself into the unicorn, cutting off her sentence as she flew into a cherry stand. Turning around, the Commander scanned for the source of the blast, when he came face to face with an armored changeling that he knew to be all to familiar.

"General Buckin' Carbon," he hissed, "has everyone in the swarm lost their minds?" The general was by far his most hated subordinate to work with. He loathed this general almost as much as he hated his Queen, but at least he could make his general's life a living nightmare without getting socked in the gut for it.

“I believe you were going to say ‘caught off guard’?”

The general was smirking like he had been promoted to High-General. But what didn't make sense was why he was addressing the crowd. The Commander could guess only one reason: an invasion. The general was going against protocol to jump-start an invasion without his authorization! And if Twilight had been correct, he had been planning this for some time. Why, the slimy leech didn't even bother to rescue him.

And why was every changeling mistaking him for the general? Was it because of the used armor? But then again, you should still be able to tell a changeling regardless of their uniform. No, he needed to know what was going on and why.

However, questions could wait until the Commander finished beating the living snot out of this smug resin-secreted wasp. Racing forward, his vocal cords were just about to shout the traitor's full name when a hoof shot up and the ponies around him were engulfed in green flames. Before he realized what was happening, half the crowd was composed of changeling warriors.

Pandemonium spread like wild fire, and the Commander was trampled as ponies fled from their attackers. Managing to get up, he limped his way to a nearby stall to take cover. Already, beams were being exchanged here and there as changelings took to the skies.

The stand above him had a tomato posted above, with a price of about two bits. Despite the chaos running around him, the Commander couldn't help but scowl at the price. "Two bits? I could buy a sweet roll for that much-"

Suddenly the sign was blasted into a million fiery splinters, causing the changeling to resume taking cover. He needed to get out of here and fast. Looking towards the alleyway ahead, he made a quick dash for it, dodging blasts here and there as he proceeded.

-----

Once he reached the safety of a building's wall, he continued to snake out, casting off his form due to how useless it was at the moment. As he reached another street corner, he could a see a cyan rainbow race past him, sending a few buzzing changelings to the ground below.

"Okay Commander," he said, taking in deep breaths, "you can do this. You just have to go and tell the swarm that this invasion has not been authorized. Then, afterwards, you're going to beat the apples pie outta that back-stabbing general. Okay, Operation Save the Day is a go!"

Taking in a confident stride the Commander walked across the dirt road. Suddenly, there was a cry and a changeling plummeted head first in front of him. The blast sent him back to where he began. Shaking dust out of his fur, he stared wide-eyed at the crater that had just formed in front of him.

"Okay then, Operation Save the Day is post-poned. Operation Save my Donkey is now initiated."

-------

The general had managed to carry Thresh and Forge on his back, his subordinates taking one changeling each as they trekked across the woods. According to the general, they were nearing the hut and would soon be able to care for themselves.

"I'll be glad to once this invasion is over with," one of the subordinates muttered, "I mean attacking changelings on the road is just low."

"You know we would do the same," the general replied, "we're just as prone to use guerrilla tactics as they are."

The hut came into view, the shadows of several ponies already inside. A wave of anxiety spread over their faces. If there were ponies inside, they would need to hide for the time being, waiting it out until whoever was inside left. And they would need to do this soon.

Crouching under the window, the changelings sneaked through towards the front, careful to avoid any Poison Joke that laid idly by. From what the muffled vibrations of the wall were giving, there was some sort of argument. Sighing to himself, the general motioned for his lieutenants to cross the entrance in order to reach a vantage point in the trees. Crossing the door, the two privates climbed up the trees, steadying themselves to keep the changelings on their backs from falling.

Then the general began to crawl his way when the door suddnely flew open, nearly freeing itself of its hinges. The general jerked back, eyes wide in surprise. "What the bucking dragon of a diamond loving dog!"

Two equines flew out one clinging to the other as a brown pony grabbed and armored changeling and thrusted him into a tree. Her eyes filled with rage, she shouted, “You’ve ruined everything!”

Then the older changeling, which the general realized was Carbon, fired a blast of energy that sent the mare into a tree, shredding the disguise to reveal a small female changeling with a stump where her horn should have been. "What in Chrysalis' s name is going on here?"

Carbon now had his hooves pinned onto the other changeling's wings. Having enough nonsense the general decided to sneak through the back, ignoring the outcries and dialogue between the two forces. From what he could tell, there was the mention of empathy sickness and why it was good. He was already in view of the tree when a name stood up that caused him to stand upright. "High-General Double?" he whispered.

"High-General Double has had empathy sickness ever since she was a hatchling!” Carbon hissed.

The general shook his head in disbelief. The High-General having empathy sickness? She wouldn't have survived two seconds in the hive let alone become second-in-command. His ear now focusing in, he listened to what Carbon had to say next.

"Queen Chrysalis preferred it to be kept a secret, but it’s not hard to figure it out.” Carbon said, “A freak teleporting accident as a hatchling lead to the High-General getting amnesia and being taken in by a pony family in Canterlot, where she bonded with a unicorn filly. When Queen Chrysalis came to retrieve her and wiped the family’s memories of her, poor Double went mad trying to convince the Queen to return them to the little unicorn. The only reason she even became High-General in the first place was to gain the Queen’s favor.”

That was impossible! The High-General was a great tactician, and even in the darkest hours, she would always find a way to put a smile on their faces. He remembered coming back from a failed offense in Fillydelphia. Unable to confront the queen, he went to Double and the High-General smiled and showed him her famous toy which was Mr. Smartypants.

Even he had to laugh at that. On top of cheering him up, she spoke on his behalf for the queen. High-General Double wasn't just a commanding officer. She was his friend and he knew that most of the generals would agree. At least, he hoped they would.

Many have voiced their opinions more then once as to the sanity of the second-in-command, worrying about how she'll be able to handle the work if she was always in her room playing with dolls. The solution was formed in the Commander in Chief, second second-in-command who would act as a sort of Discord's advocate. This would of course, require the Commander to be the complete opposite of the High-General. Meaning that the Commander chosen would have to be a jerk, and one to come up with daring plans that involved direct combat instead of plans that worked slowly, but with caution and a high rate of success. In fact, this meant that the Commander in Chief usually died well before the High-General did, usually towards the end of the war. Or if the idiot survived, they wouldn't last very long in the hive afterwards.

Realizing that he had been standing up for way too long, the general slowly began to sneak towards the tree. Thankfully, the two battling bug-brains had taken the fight farther down into the forest. Climbing the tree, he was helped by his fellow officers, both of whom were grinning.

"Dude guess what?"

"What?" the general asked casually.

"Those two fighting idiots just got covered in Poison Joke!"

"What!" The general jostled his lieutenant back to see the battle from the tree. Sure enough, the two changelings had gotten themselves in the center of the paths of blue flowers. He could only guess what horrors awaited them in the next ten hours.

"Are you sure you still wanna go to this zebra's hut?" one of the officers asked him.

"Yes," the general said, "otherwise we climbed this tree for nothing-"

"Looks like Carbon just high-winged it," the other officer said, pointing to where Carbon had once been seen. Sure enough, Carbon had used a teleportation spell to flee the premises.

"Guess he figured the joke was on him." The general chuckled at his own comment.

There was an excited cry as two ponies ran towards the changeling. One was a bright pink pony while the other was a yellow pegasus. As they reached the changeling, the general expected to see their faces shocked or filled with malice. Instead, they began to casually check the changeling, making sure she hadn't sustained any wounds.

"What the buck," the general whispered, "ponies taking care of their own?"

"Maybe those are changelings as well," his lieutenant whispered.

"Highly unlikely," the general muttered, "I would have been able to tell."

"Really?"

The general sighed. In truth, he didn't know what to think. It wouldn't be the first time had failed to notice a changeling in the field. But then again, his senses had been honed since his last encounter with ponykind. "Let's just get these guys to Zecora's before I lose my mind to this nonsense."

"Who knows," one of his officers offered when they were climbing down, "maybe it isn't a war between changelings and ponies."

"Then what kind of war is it?" the other officer asked, his voice filled with irritation.

"Maybe it's a war between Double and Carbon."

-----------

Clyde woke with a start. He had been running towards the mayor's house when a flash of green light collided with him. He had been blinded for a couple of seconds before darkness overcame him.

He was in a room, a dim lamp shifting from left to right and the sounds of magical fire being exchanged ringing through his ears. Looking across, he saw a stallion standing over him.

"I suppose you want to kill me right now," Captain Rosemary said, his voice surprisingly calm.

"Yeah," Clyde said sarcastically, "I was wondering if you wanted some tea and cookies with that sir."

"Listen Clyde-"

Clyde shot a punch that sent the Captain into the opposite wall, his limp form rebounding off the surface as it fell. Looking up, he could now see several other troops around him. The three privates along with Stiffhoof were there. Stiffhoof probably knew about the invasion too, since he was the only other solider who had survived the attack. Clyde would talk to him later.

(Think about this song when reading the following excerpt.)

"What's going on?" he asked. The privates looked among each other, worry spread over their faces. One of them stood up, a young blue pegasus with a brown guitar for a cutie mark.

"Sir, most of the town has been destroyed. There is chaos in the streets. You were one of the first to get hit when the invasion started. I-I don't what to do sir."

Clyde locked eyes with the blue soldier, giving him a look of fierce confidence. "We protect Ponyville at all costs private. I don't care what happens or what that idiotic captain of yours has been telling you. If the changelings wanna fight, let's not disappoint."

"But sir," another soldier began, "we are out-horned and out-winged. We're outnumbered 20 to 1 at least! All our forces have been scattered to the four winds."

Clyde laughed at the colt's statement, causing an uproar from the group huddled over him. "Has anypony ever told you to never look at the odds before you start battling?"

"Sir?"

Clyde got up, his chest puffed and his eyes gleaming with the ferocity of a falcon. It had been a long time since he had ever commandeered a group of centurions before, possibly even a century or two, but now was his chance to re-live the dream of combat. To inspire the shy to becoming brave.

"When it seems like you aren't going to win, never let probability dictate the best course of action. Because you know what? It's all probability and in the end, it still stands a chance of being wrong."

The group was silent, their ears hanging onto to every word the warden was saying. The captain still laid unconscious by the floor.

"So while our odds don't look to promising, I say look at the other side. We still have a chance at winning this for our country and our fillies and foals. In our darkest hour, we must unite under one flag. You few who stand before me have the chance to become heros and what are you doing? You are hiding, acting like cowards when you can be out there, helping defend these innocent civilians!"

"But sir," another colt called out, "we've tried and failed!"

"Then try and fail again. In fact, keep trying and failing until you get it right son. You are the Princesse's chosen guard. Out of all the stallions and colts and mares and fillies, it's always been you who have protected our borders from evil."

He took in a sigh before continuing, "I was once part of a great war in the time before you guys were even born. I will tell you, it ain't a picnic. It's not what we want, but it's what we do. Sometimes, you just have to accept it and suck it up."

"Our fathers have protected this land and their fathers before them and their fathers before them, going right to our very forefathers and founders of this mighty country. When the three tribes founded Equestria, do you think they were frightened?"

Everypony in the room shook their heads in confusion. Clyde merely sighed as he gave them the answer. "The truth is that they were frightened down to the bone. They were scared like you, huddled in a cramp room with little hope of ever making it back. But on that Hearth's Warming Eve, they went against the odds of survival and became united as one!"

The last tone struck the group, emitting cries of joy as the armored soldiers rose up, one by one. In a matter of seconds, every stallions except Captain Rosemary was standing at attention.

"I'll follow you anywhere sir," Leafy shouted, "even if it means through Tartarus and back!"

Clyde nodded, "Mh-hm, then let's free this city and become the heroes our citizens need. For Ponyville. For the Princesses. For Equestria!"

A roar of hooves slamming against was followed by cries of courage and joy. In the next second, they cleared the room, running straight for the door, prepared to fight the enemy head on. As they pushed through the make-shift barricade, Clyde couldn't help but smirk.

"I still got it."

-----------

The Commander had made it past several blocks, his eyes scanning for trouble. So far, reasoning with the swarm had proved difficult at most. Anytime he tried to approach a group, they would get swatted out of the air and he would have to take cover as hooves clashed and magical energy was exchanged.

"What I need to do is talk to that General Carbon," the Commander thought despairingly. That would be as easy as finding a needle among needled mixed with haystacks. Normally, he could just uplink into the Hive Network and find the general's location, but at the moment, so much activity was buzzing through that he couldn't pinpoint the general's own commands.

It was chaos left and right. Ponies were attacking ponies and changelings were merely playing along with the mayhem. Here and there, guards struggled to keep changelings back from entering safe-houses. Colts and mares were lying still over piles of rubble, knocked out cold by the cross-fire.

As he neared another house, there was a sound of crying. Snaking over to the corner, he saw three changelings hovering over a grey pegasus and unicorn filly. There were another three that had been taken out previously, their limp forms laid over the home's lawn.

Clearly the grey pegasus was a mother, but her eyesight was unusual. It was as if she was permanently cross-eyed. Staring at the pegasus only made him laugh out loud.

"Oh my gosh, it isn't even a fair fight with one changeling," the Commander cackled.

That was when he heard a scuffle and shout. Turning back to view the house, he saw a white blur uppercut one changeling in the face, sending his partner in the ground. Before the Commander could count to five, all three were strewn over the lawn, knocked out beyond reasoning.

The attacker was a white pegasus with a yellow mane, who was now standing on her hind-hooves. "SURPRISE!” The pegasus shouted.

"Ahhhhhh," the Commander fell down with a loud thump, cowering back behind a trash can for safety. He hadn't expected the pegasus to shout, and the tramuatizing experience of seeing three of what were likely his finest soliders beaten to a pulp made him shudder.

Taking in a deep breath, the Commander dared another look. "Honestly the maniacs are the worst to fight. I mean they can be so unpredictable and-AHHHHHHHH!"

The Commander nearly gave a filly-like shriek as five or more changelings raced past him, oblivious to his position behind the trash cans. By now, the grey pegasus had already taken off with her filly, leaving that maniac of a pegasus behind.

One of the changelings went up to the pegasus, as if unsure what to do with her. All the rest were simply shocked. What was wrong with them? Didn't they see that this pegasus was a code 1 priority that needed to be taken care of stat!

"You’re on their side now, Mirror? You traitor!”

"Mirror?" The Commander said as he focused in on the white pegasus. Sure enough, the pegasus' eyes flashed a green.

"Traitor? I’m not a traitor! The Queen’s word is law, and this invasion goes completely against Queen Chrysalis’s orders to blend in and stay hidden. As a loyal soldier of the swarm, it is my duty to apprehend all changelings that disobey her orders. The changelings who follow General Carbon are the real traitors here!”

The Queen's orders? The Commander hadn't heard any chatter since Canterlot. In fact, he was already convinced Chrysalis had finally kicked the bucket. But perhaps the drone was nonsensical at the moment. A problem he would handle later.

Deciding not to stay a moment longer, he crept across the block, scanning for any loose fire. So far, the coast was clear. Making another block or two, he continued down the path, looking back and forth. His reflexes were already becoming accustomed to the stray blast and piece of debris that headed his way. It was almost like clockwork, only that he was constantly on edge every time an equine fell in front of him, or crashed through a door.

"Well it appears a moment of silence can now-"

"Freeze!" A voice called, catching the Commander off guard. Turning, he saw two very familiar changelings running down the street. "We've got you now General Carbon!"

"For the last bucking time," the Commander howled, "I'm not General Love-Sucking-Uncharismatic-Buckin' CARBON!"

But they were already firing their horns upon him, causing the changeling to shriek like a little filly once more as he ran down the street.

"Can you fools at least pay me one second to explain myself without getting blasted into a million pieces!?"

----------

Captain Rosemary slowly rose to his hooves. Looking around the room, he found empty cots and a door left ajar. He didn't need a strategist to tell him that the old warden probably high-tailed it with his platoon. Wincing at the pain in his shoulder, the captain limped across the barricades he had placed for defense. Nothing more then overthrown chairs and boxes at this point in time.

Slipping through the back door, he trotted out into a cold, brisk wind that blew high over the city, where plumes of smoke bellowed from all sides and the cries and shrieks of chaos punctured his ears. This was what he had tried to avoid, but now with no guard to protect it. No pony to bring order. It was over. Likely, the invasion's goal was to rescue the leader that was detained in Ponyville Jailhouse. Although everypony had almost completely forgotten about it, he still remembered the report given to him.

The changeling was described as snobby, over-confident, and a profound fear of spiders. Well, if this commander was who they wanted, then he would make sure they didn't get the spoils of their pitiful conquest. As he crossed another block, a black form whizzed by him.

"Oh sorry, excuse me, coming through," a voice shouted briskly. The tone was oddly familiar to those ponies on Trottingham. It was only when he noticed the shiny ebony helmet that his eyes narrowed.

"Time to finish what I should have done a few days ago."

---------

"Freeze changeling!" another voice called. This one was gruffer, more like that of a stallion then the echoing tone of a changeling.

Turning his head for a glance, he saw no other then a guard breaking speed to catch up, horn already firing beam after beam. "As if this day could get any worse."

"There you are!" another voice called. The Commander turned to see a familiar changeling with a top hat flying straight towards him.

"I had to ask." The Commander turned left into a smaller side-street, avoiding a group of five or so changelings harassing a party of colts. Then, climbing a pair of garbage cans, hopped over a fence and into the adjoining neighborhood. Meanwhile, Forge was following close behind, his wings giving a hum as he zipped through windows and balconies.

Captain Rosemary already saw the changeling's trick, and turned in the street before the side-street to catch up. However, in all this commotion, the two guards had lost track of the chase and had to backtrack to their intial position. Amazingly, that led them right into the same neighborhood as their prey.

In a matter of seconds, the captain was running down the north side of the road while the two guars ran on the opposite, towards the guard. As the two collided with each other, the Commander jumped over a fence and landed with a thump, followed by the landing of Forge right behind him.

Instantly, every horn was glowing in their respective colors, ready to fire upon each other. The captain suddenly noticed the two jet-black drones in his midst, and darted his horn towards them. In response, one of the guards aimed his aura at Rosemary.

"Move another inch-" Captain Rosemary barked.

"-and I'll blast you faster then you can say 'dash'!" the two changeling guards finished, blinking in bewilderment at the synchronization between the two opposite forces.

Getting up, the Commander pointed his horn towards Forge, who took an involuntary jolt backwards as he flew back out the way he came, over the sepia-tinted roof of a red-brick cottage. Turning back, he saw the guard and pointed his hoof towards him, before noticing another changeling to the side.

"Oh great," he wailed, "just perfect." He stood behind the dumpster, his eyes swiveling back and forth between changeling and stallion.

"It appears we've gotten ourselves into a bit of a standoff." One of the changeling guards hissed. "Shift, go back and scan the perimeter. We don't need any other loose spears to fall upon this scene."

With a nod, the guard known as Shift took his aim off Rosemary, flying ahead down the block to spot any incoming fights. With the three equines now alone, silence settled like a blanket, muting the crashes and explosions in the background.

------------

At the Ponyville Hospital, Nurse Redheart was working around the clock to get patients in. With the invasion ruckus, the whole town had been congregating to her doors, carrying wounded loved ones and soldiers. The few who had remained conscious were now in the lobby, spears at the ready for any changeling stupid enough to enter in.

The colt had healed his leg fairly well with a magical painkiller. Now standing with three other stallions, he watched the doors for any sign of movement. So far, the only activity present were a few stray ponies running here and there, closely followed by their pursuers.

As the seconds stretched into minutes, the colt counted two or three explosions. With each sickening crash, the guards that were with him lost another ounce of sanity. By this time, one of them was huddling in a corner while the other two conversed amongst themselves.

"It's game over man."

"Game over? It's way beyond that! We're all doomed!"

"There's no way we're going out there again! No sir! I wanna live!"

In the hallways, he could see mares cuddling their sobbing foals, and colts comforting their sisters. They weren't acting at all like it was the end of the world. They hadn't given up yet. But if these two troopers continued with their exaggerated proclamations of the apocalypse, then who knew how long the civilians would last. Giving an exasperated groan at the two delusional centurions, he stomped his hoof.

"For Luna's sake shut the buck up! Can't you see you're scaring every pony?"

The two stallions just stared at him quizzically, as if he had just asked a really dumb question. "I don't know if you've been keeping up with current events, but we just got our flanks kicked out there-"

"I don't care if Discord threw you a toga party! Suck it in, be quiet, and for Celestia's sake try to be role models of law and order. Because if you won't, nopony will."

The colts merely scowled and continued to talk with each other, as hysterical as ever. The jail guard merely sighed and leaned against a chair, his eyes focused on the lamp above, who was swinging merrily like a sea-saw. As he gazed at the light source, he felt a hoof over his shoulder and turned to see a weary-looking Nurse Redheart over him.

Her eyes had bags and her fur was smeared with sweat and dirt. but other then that, her uniform was was pristine and spotless as ever. Her eyes still gleaming like it was another day at the office.

"I heard you across the hall, and I want to say thank you for thinking about the fillies before yourself."

The guard merely blushed. "It was nothing ma'am. They were starting to annoy me too." The nurse gave a hearty laugh with which the colt grinned at. Then, her muscles grew limp and her smile creased into a frown.

"I also heard some shouts coming from the street. Come, take a look."

Following the nurse, the guard came up to the window to see what looked like a dozen or so guards fighting off hoards of changeling drones. His eyes darkened, knowing that it was losing battle the moment the stallions and mares stepped out there.

"How much time do we have?" he asked.

Redheart sighed, a tear flowing across her cheek. "Not enough that's for sure. Too many are in this hospital and many more are immobile at this point. Even if we could evacuate, we would still be an open target for any changeling within a 30-mile radius. No, this place is our last stand and I'd rather die then give it up to those things."

The colt looked back. It was clear they would need help. Taking in a deep breath, he walked back down the hall. The nurse rushed forward and planted a hoof on his shoulder once more.

"I know what you're doing and I just wanna say thank you if you don't make it back."

The colt smiled, "I'll get back, and you better be prepared for some new patients too!"

The nurse gave a chuckle. "You never did tell me your name when you brought that mare in the ER."

The colt looked down, reddening at the words. He had never told anypony his name before, not even Clyde. It was a name that only a few knew him as from Canterlot. But resuming his posture, he turned to her, "...Star Wing."

"Well Star Wing," she said, "you better take care of yourself then.

Star Wing merely nodded and once again began down the corridor. She only looked after the gold-plated pegasus before resuming her duties. As he passed the two troopers in the lobby, both of them turned their heads in shock.

"You're going out there?"

"You know you won't be coming back right?"

Star Wing shrugged and grabbed an old broomstick from the janitors closet. This summoned another outburst from the pair as he slid through the doors, and into the fight.

Comments

[Gerald Greytalon V]

nice

[Azarune]

Commander needs to save the day! My fanboyism demands it! Anyway, great work. Hope to see the next epic installment soon. Best wishes!

[Corona Blaze]

so...badass.....

[Grazy Polomare]

So we finally find out the name of the centurion who had guarded the Commander's chambers since the start of this story. Well it's about time right? But the real question remains as to what is the name of the changeling commander himself? Because clearly he had a name before his promotion in the ranks of the changeling command. Or do all of you think he was named because it was destiny that he would lead the swarms as the second-second-in-command to the Queen herself.

Anyhow, I appreciate your patience in waiting for the next update. Hopefully, the next one will be finished sooner then later as I have another busy week after this week. So now into the discussion.

SPOILER!

I would like to point out that this invasion has borrowed heavily from Smoke and Mirrors, due to the fact that almost all the characters are in the same scenario and universe. Also, I would like to give a special shout out to the Braggart and the Bug as well as the sequel, Back to the Swarm, and so I gave a little reference to them as well.

Alrighty then, thats it for now. Once again, thank you all for your patience and support and I hope you enjoyed the latest installment! And I do apologize for any grammatical errors.

[Razzy]

Mayhem! Chaos! Destruction!

It's fun to see many events from Smoke and Mirrors from different angles.

Cya
Raziel-chan

[erictheblue]

"They knew exactly what they were looking for,"

i remember that line from some old movie, but i can't place it...

"I don't care if Discord threw you a toga party!

[bennygrey]

This chapter reminds me of this song only in pony form.