Sequel to Second Chance. Matthew Harris and the Equestrian Armed Forces have been searching for an unknown enemy who has been plotting to destroy Equestria. However, what started as a hunt, will soon turn into an all out war.
Sequel to Second Chance. I strongly recommend you read that story first before reading this. A year has passed since Equestria defeated King Forte, but he was not the only one plotting against the kingdom. There was another pony involved, and that pony will settle for nothing less than Equestria's total destruction. Cover art done by the wonderful The Maiah.
A year had passed since Prance had surrendered after their king's failed to invade Equestria. However, Matthew Harris, Commander of the Equestrian Armed Forces, knew that King Forte was only the beginning of something much worse. He had spent an entire year searching for this unknown enemy of the kingdom, but had come up with nothing. It wasn't until about three days ago that he had finally received some promising news. One of the scouting teams in the Crystal Mountains reported that they had found a very strange metallic structure hidden deep in the mountains, mostly covered by snow. Due to the adverse weather conditions in the mountain ranges though, communications between Canterlot and the scout team were taking a very long time.
Commander Matthew Harris was in his office just down the hall from the royal throne room. His dark gray coat hadn't changed a bit over the long and tiring year. However, his black mane and tail were starting to develop strands of gray hairs. The stress of trying to find an enemy they couldn't positively identify and near impossible to locate had been taking a clear toll on the stallion. He was reading the scouting reports he that had come in from late last night when Captain Spitfire entered his dimly lit office.
"Sir, we've just gotten a letter back from the scout team investigating the structure in the Crystal Mountains," the fiery maned mare informed as she handed him the letter.
Matthew took the note in his magical grasp and began reading the message aloud. "Commander Harris, we have investigated the metallic structure to the best of our ability and have come the conclusion that whatever this is, it is not pony-made. This structure has technologies that none of us have ever seen before. I strongly recommend that you and the princesses come see this for yourselves. Corporal Roaring Rapids." Matthew remained silent as he processed all of the information he had just been given. He brought his head up to look at the captain in front of him. "Thank you, Spitfire. I'll go inform the princesses of this immediately."
Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Princess Luna, were in the throne room when Matthew rushed in. It had been a long time since the gray commander had entered the throne room himself to inform the princesses of something, usually just sending Spitfire to keep the two up-to-date on recent events, meaning that whatever this was, it was very important.
"Your highnesses, our scout team in the Crystal Mountains have given their report on what they found," Harris informed the royal sisters.
"What did they say?" Princess Celestia asked him.
"From what I've been told, they found something that is not of this world. In other words, we found something alien. Corporal Roaring Rapids insists that the three of us go out there and take a look at it ourselves."
"Do you have any idea what it could be?" Luna questioned, hoping that Matthew's past knowledge of advanced technology could help shed some light on this matter.
"Right now I don't have enough information to come to an accurate conclusion," Matthew honestly answered. "But once I get a look at the thing with my own eyes, I think I'll be able to figure out what that alien structure is. I'm leaving immediately to see this for myself, so I'll see you both there."
"Wait," Luna said before Matthew turned to leave. "I'll come along with you. Tia still has a few things to wrap up but she doesn't need me for that. Besides, I'm very eager to see this 'alien' structure." Matthew simply nodded and left the room with Luna walking by his side.
It only took Matthew and Luna half a day to reach Corporal Rapids and his team that had set up a makeshift camp near the structure the two were going to investigate thanks to the recently calm weather. Harris didn't even bother talking to Rapids when he reached the site, his attention was all on the metallic structure before him that was at least half a mile long. Snow had covered most of the structure, which seemed to be heavily damaged, as if it had crashed to the ground at a high speed.
Luna walked up beside Matthew after she finished talking with Rapids. "This was a space cruiser," Matthew told her, who was staring at the wreckage in utter awe. The gray stallion walked into one of the holes in the hull and motioned for Luna to follow him. "Come on, I want to see what's in here."
Luna hesitantly complied and let Matthew lead her through the numerous rooms and corridors of the massive ship. The two of them had lit their horns upon entering the ship, owing to the fact that it was pitch black in metal structure. After minutes of wandering through the ship, the commander stopped abruptly when he saw something engraved on the wall of the room they had just entered. Above the door it read 'Challenger Cargo and Weapons Storage Bay.'
Matthew couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that this ship was the Challenger. "This is impossible."
"What?" Luna asked curiously.
"This is the Challenger. This ship belonged to my empire years ago. It was carrying state-of-the-art weaponry that would have greatly helped our war effort. The weapons the Challenger was carrying was the result of the CHECKMATE Program, which was dedicated to building the most deadly and efficient weapons in the universe. But on its way back to our home world, we lost all communications with it. When we tried searching for it, we couldn't find anything. It was like it had completely vanished," he explained. The room they were in was filled with metal crates, each about the size of Matthew. "If I'm right, these crates are filled with some of the most advanced weapons you've ever seen."
Luna was at a loss for words. She was still trying to process everything Matthew had just told her. Wasting no time, Matthew used his magic to open one of the crates and took a look inside. What he saw put a big smile on his face.
"Oh I feel like a colt in a candy shop," he said in a merry tone. "So many guns and ammunition, it's like it's my birthday!"
The night princess looked into the crate Matthew had just opened to see the strange looking objects he referred to as 'guns.'
Matthew picked up one of the small black guns using his magic and put a glowing blue magazine into it. "What you're looking at here, Luna, will revolutionize the way our army fights its battles. This weapon here is called a submachine gun, or SMG for short." Using his magic, he fired the gun at the wall in front of him, causing Luna to jump at the loud noise. Matthew's smile grew even bigger seeing that the gun still worked. "Oh how I've missed that sound," he chuckled. "I'll make sure this crate of weapons gets back to Canterlot along with the blueprints to all these weapons if I can find them. The rest will stay here until I can find a safe place to store them."
"How are we going to explain what we found here to the kingdom and our allies?" Luna asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"We won't," Matthew bluntly replied. "The only ponies who will know of this will be me, you, your sister, and the scout team that found this. By the way, where is Celestia?"
"Tia should be here by now. She's probably waiting for us outside so she doesn't get lost searching for us in here," the night princess answered. "We should go back outside so we can show her what we've found."
Matthew nodded and led the way for Luna, still holding the black SMG in his magical grip. "I just hope she doesn't give me any grief when I tell her I want to keep all of this a secret."
Matthew was in his office, looking over the blueprints to the CHECKMATE weapons he had obtained from the Challenger. On his desk were three blueprints depicting an SMG, an assault rifle, and a sniper rifle. On the back wall of the office were several large filing cabinets and a heavy duty safe. Matthew used the cabinets to store all of the reports from the scouts to stay organized and used the safe to keep the blueprints protected while he wasn’t using them. Princess Celestia had begrudgingly agreed with the blue eyed commander to keep the discovery of the Challenger and the weapons inside a secret from the rest of the world for now. However, the princess insisted that the high ranking officers at least know about the discovery of the Challenger. Although the fact that Equestria now had more technologically advanced weapons than any other nation in the world, there was still the problem of modifying the weapons so that they could be effectively used by ponies, and training ponies to use said weapons. Not only that, but it appeared that they were still no closer to finding their enemy. That was until a certain fiery mare came running into the commander’s office.
"Sir, you're not going to believe this," Spitfire said as she ran up to Matthew's desk.
"What is it, captain?" Matthew calmly asked.
"Our Scouts have found the Changeling Hive. They're set up in a cave system about five miles away from the crash site of the Challenger. The scouts also report that the hive is low in numbers. They estimate no more than 1,000 Changelings are there."
"Have General Swift Strike mobilize 1st Army," he ordered. "And inform the general that he is not to engage unless I give him permission to do so or if he is attacked first."
"Yes sir," the mare replied.
"And be sure to inform the princesses of this new development." Spitfire nodded and left the room to do what the commander had ordered her to.
The rest of the day was uneventful for the gray commander. Captain Spitfire had briefed the princesses about the recent discovery and the steps he was taking. The sun had gone down hours ago and Matthew was in his bedroom looking out his window thinking about the Changeling discovery. What bothered him about this all was the fact that the scouts were not attacked or pursued by the Changeling Hive. If Queen Chrysalis was planning an attack against the kingdom, then it would make sense for her to do everything in her power to ensure her hive wasn't discovered. This either meant that Chrysalis wasn't planning an attack or she was just incredibly stupid. Regardless, Matthew had every intention on wiping them out once the 1st Army was in position. To him, it would be too dangerous to let the Changelings live even if they weren't planning an attack.
A sudden knock on the commander's door snapped him out of his thoughts. "It opens," he said, turning around to face the door.
Princess Luna opened the door and slowly walked over to Matthew. "We haven't seen you at all for the past few days, not even for dinner. Is everything all right?"
Matthew could see the genuine worry on her face. Over the past year the two of them had grown very friendly with each other. "I hope so," Matthew sighed. "This whole discovery of the Changeling Hive has just gotten me on edge. If the Changelings actually are planning on attacking us, we'll end this war before it escalates any further. If they aren't, we're in serious trouble."
"I'm sure everything will be ok," Luna reassured, putting her hoof on the stallion's shoulder.
Despite the gesture, it didn't do much help for Matthew. "I have worked too fucking hard to build and lead what will soon be the most powerful military force in the world. I'm not going to let anypony undo everything I've done."
"I'm curious. What will happen to the Changelings if they aren't behind this?" the princess of the night asked.
"Fuck 'em," he bitterly replied, shrugging off Luna's hoof. "We'll kill them all anyway. It'll be one less thing for me to worry about."
Luna frowned at this statement. She and her sister had made it abundantly clear that Matthew was not allowed to kill anypony he believed was a threat to the kingdom without solid proof. The fact that he was openly stating that he was ready to go against their order made Luna nearly lose it. "Do that and I’ll see to it that you’re banished for killing an entire species without just cause," she threatened as she gave the commander an equally threatening stare.
"You know, the point of a threat is to make it believable," Matthew said, unfazed by the princess.
"You think I won't?"
"I know you won't," he challenged with a small grin on his face. "You need me. I’m the only one who knows how to lead an army of this size and only I have the knowledge to train these ponies in how to use the CHECKMATE weapons." Luna didn’t respond, but her glare never faltered. By the now the two of them were just inches away from the other’s face, glaring daggers. "This conversation is over. Now get the hell out of my room."
Luna stormed out of Matthew's bedroom, slamming the door behind her as she left. Once he was sure Luna wasn't coming back, the stallion let out a heavy sigh. "Celestia is going to be pissed at me tomorrow."
Matthew awoke with a frown on his face, knowing that he was more than likely going to be nagged and lectured by Princess Celestia. He took his time taking a bath and making sure he looked presentable, hoping to kill as much time as he could before he would have to go to the dining room and see the royal sisters. Upon entering the dining room for breakfast, Matthew saw his two superiors had been waiting for him. Matthew took his seat on the side of table opposite from Celestia and Luna. Celestia stared at the gray pony with a judgmental stare while her younger sister just avoided eye contact with him. When neither of them said anything, Matthew decided to break the silence.
"So are we going to talk or are you just going to give me the silent treatment?" Matthew questioned before taking a sip of his coffee.
"I thought I could trust you to honor the agreement we made after the death of King Forte," Celestia calmly spoke. "Clearly I was wrong. It seems that you are still willing to go against our orders simply because you don't agree with them."
Matthew rolled his eyes at the comment. "Listen, odds are the Changelings are behind this plot to attack our kingdom, so I don't see what the problem is."
"The problem is that you only care about the ponies of Equestria and nopony else," Celestia accused angrily.
"Because that's my job!" Matthew countered, raising his voice in anger. "My job is to protect the ponies of Equestria by any means necessary, even if that means others must die."
"Matthew, you will not attack the Changelings unless you have proof that they are an immediate threat to this kingdom," Celestia ordered. "If you defy these orders, I will have you fired and imprisoned. And just so we're clear, I am not bluffing."
Matthew was glaring intensely at the white princess. "I will have Swift Strike determine what the Changeling's intentions are," he said, his voice significantly calmer than it was just a few seconds ago. "In the meantime, I will continue to go over the blueprints for our newly acquired CHECKMATE weapons to make modifications." The stallion got up from his chair and was about to start walking out of the dining room, but Celestia spoke before he could leave.
"I'm not done talking with you, Matthew," she said. Matthew gave an annoyed sigh as he sat back done. "You've been increasingly distant with us for the past couple of days. Why is that?" the sun goddess asked.
"Let's just say that my responsibilities haven't been leaving me in a very sociable mood lately," he answered, his glare softening just slightly. "As much as I've enjoyed this discussion, I have a lot of work to do." Without saying another word, Matthew Harris got up to leave the dining room once again with his white mug of coffee in his magical grip.
Once Matthew was gone, Celestia let out a sigh. "Well that could have gone better," she said to her sister.
Luna lifted her head and turned it towards Celestia. "I'm worried about him, Tia. This search is really taking a toll on the poor stallion, both physically and mentally."
"I know," the older sister agreed. "He looks like he's five years older than he was just a year ago and his attitude has been getting a lot worse lately."
"I truly hope that the Changelings are behind the plot to destroy our kingdom so we can just be done with all this."
"I hope so too. Matthew could really use a break from all this stress."
It was late at night when Commander Harris finally left his office to get some much needed sleep. Two days had passed and the commander had just gotten word that the 1st Army was in position half a mile away from the Changeling Hive and awaiting further orders. Matthew was making progress in redesigning the CHECKMATE weapons, but he still had some more work that needed to be done. The blueprints to the guns were locked up in a small safe inside his office.
Just as he was about to get in bed, he heard a loud explosion come from outside. He ran to his window and saw that the entire army barracks were now reduced to flaming ruins. The barracks were over a mile long and housed about 5,000 soldiers.
"Sir, we're under attack!" Captain Spitfire shouted as she ran into the bedroom. "Our barracks and just about everypony in there are gone!"
"No!" Matthew shouted as he banged his hoof against the glass. "No! No!" The gray stallion turned around to face the fiery colored mare. "Go to Ponyville and get the Elements of Harmony. Take them to the Crystal Empire." Spitfire hesitated for a moment. "Now you idiot!" The mare nodded and ran out of the room to do what Matthew had ordered.
Matthew sprinted to his office after grabbing a saddlebag to get the CHECKMATE blueprints. If this was who he thought it was attacking, he couldn't let Star Swirl get those blueprints. Once he was in his office he opened his safe and put the blueprints along with one of the SMG's he got from the Challenger in his saddlebags. Just before he was about to leave, his horn lit up and set fire to the office, ensuring that Star Swirl wouldn't be able to use any other files he had in there.
Harris burst into the throne room in a full sprint before stopping just in front of the two thrones of the princesses. "Princesses, we need to leave now!" he shouted. However, the royal sisters' eyes were fixed on something behind him.
"Why in such a hurry?" a calm menacing voice from behind the commander asked.
Matthew spun around to see that Star Swirl the Bearded was right behind him. A light gray stallion with a white beard and mane was grinning evilly at the younger unicorn with golden eyes. He was wearing a magician's hat and cape with a matching night sky pattern decorated with empty gold bells.
"You!" Harris growled. He charged Star Swirl at full force, ready to rip his head off, but a golden blast from Star Swirl sent him flying back. Matthew collided with the wall on the opposite side of the room hard. Matthew pulled his SMG out from his saddlebag with his magic and began firing relentlessly at Star Swirl. The older stallion chuckled as he put up a shield around himself, deflecting the bullets being shot. Before Star Swirl could retaliate though, Princess Luna grabbed Matthew and they were enveloped in a bright light.
When the light faded and Matthew could see again, he saw the inside of the Challenger's cargo bay with Luna and Celestia on either side of him. "A bit of a warning next time?" Matthew commented, slightly disoriented from the teleport.
"I'll remember that," Luna replied. "So what now?"
Matthew glanced at Luna and Celestia before looking down at the metallic floor. "We'll stay here until the sun rises. Then we'll find 1st Army and head to the Crystal Empire. Since we don't know the magnitude of the attack, I think it would be best if we stay outside of Equestria."
"What about Twilight and the her friends?" Celestia asked him.
"I've sent Spitfire to get them out of Ponyville and to the Crystal Empire. If we're lucky, they'll get there before we do."
"And if they're not there?"
"Then I'll move heaven and Equis to get them there," he replied, his gaze never leaving the ground. "My father once told me that every leader makes mistakes and I would be no exception. But that isn't what leaders are remembered for. He said that they are remembered for what they do to fix it." The black maned stallion gave a weak chuckle. "Guess I never really understood what he meant until now."
"What do mean?" the princess of the night asked.
"I mean that I will either be remembered as the one who lost the kingdom to our enemy, or as the one who saved it from the forces of evil."
"It'll be ok, I promise."
"I hope you're right. I really do."
Matthew and the princess left the cargo bay to go explain everything that happened to the soldiers guarding the Challenger. When he stepped outside, the commander notice how calm and peaceful it was. For the first time as Commander of the Armed Forces of Equestria, he had no idea what to do. Regrouping with 1st Army and meeting the Elements of Harmony in the Crystal Empire was a no-brainer, but then what? He had no idea how many soldiers Star Swirl had at his command, nor the extent of the attack. All Matthew had were the 5,000 soldiers in 1st Army. It was more than likely that Star Swirl had at least 5,000 soldiers attacking Canterlot alone, but if he could find a way to kill Star Swirl, his forces would fall apart without his leadership. Yet that just raised another problem: how would he kill Star Swirl?
Pushing those thoughts away for the moment, Matthew talked with the soldiers again to discuss sleeping arrangements, since there were only enough beds for each of the soldiers guarding the Challenger. Once that was done, he informed the princesses of the arrangements.
"The soldiers were kind enough to give their beds for the two of you tonight," Matthew told his superiors. "They sleep in shifts, so all of them will have a bed to sleep in when their shift is done," he added.
"What about you?" Celestia asked.
"I'll be sleeping in the Challenger. I'm pretty sure there are some personal quarters in the ship that I can sleep in."
"Why would you want to sleep in there? I'm sure there's enough room for you to sleep with the rest of us."
"I just need to be alone right now. I'll see you two in the morning." With that, Matthew entered the hull of the Challenger.
The following morning the three leaders left the Challenger to group up with the 1st Army. Since it was only the three of them traveling, it only took them about eight hours to reach Swift Strike. When they finally reached the general, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"Commander Harris?" Swift Strike said upon seeing the gray stallion. "What are you and the princesses doing here?"
"Canterlot has fallen and possibly more," Matthew regrettably informed. "We need to get to the Crystal Empire so we can begin planning for a counter attack."
"What the hell happened?"
"Star Swirl the Bearded happened," Harris bitterly replied. "That fucker blew up our entire barracks and everypony there."
"How many soldiers?" Swift Strike asked.
"About 5,000," the commander regrettably informed. "It's very likely that our other barracks across the kingdom have also been attacked. Once we get to the Crystal Empire I'll try to get as much information as I can in regards to this attack."
"What about the Changelings? We can't just leave them. We might never have a chance like this again."
"General, I don't give a damn about the Changelings right now. My first priority is dealing with Star Swirl. After I've dealt with him, then I'll worry about the Changelings."
"Very well sir. But what about the Elements of Harmony? Are they alright?" Strike asked.
"I don't know," Matthew admitted, his gaze falling just slightly. "But the sooner we get to the Crystal Empire, the better. Once we're there I'll be able to figure out the true extent of this attack."
"How are you holding up sir?" the general questioned, the concern clear in his voice.
Matthew let out a loud sigh. "I'll be fine. I'm just getting overwhelmed with all this shit. Now let's get moving, I'd like to get to the Crystal Empire as quickly as possible."
Matthew Harris and the royal sisters were in the throne room of the Crystal Palace, where Princess Cadence sat at her throne. Matthew was explaining what had happened to Canterlot and who was responsible for the attack. Unfortunately for him, Captain Spitfire and the Elements of Harmony were nowhere to be found. Celestia and Luna tried reassuring the commander that they were just taking more time to get to the empire. Harris however, did not share their optimism. All Matthew could do was simply wait until scouts throughout Equestria reported to him.
Just as Matthew finished explaining the situation to the pink princess, a familiar golden pegasus burst into the large room.
"Spitfire, did you get Twilight and her friends here?" Matthew immediately questioned.
"Yes sir, they're all here," Spitfire answered.
"What the hell took you so long?"
"The attack wasn't just on Canterlot, it was on all of Equestria," the fiery colored mare regrettably informed, keeping her voice down to a whisper. "I managed to get some information from our scouts on the way here."
"And they all reported similar attacks throughout the major cities," Matthew finished.
"Yes sir."
"Fuck," Matthew muttered. "What's the status of our forces stationed in the attacked cities?"
"All of them were annihilated. All we have is what we've got here, sir."
Matthew sighed. "Have General Strike meet me outside the castle gates immediately, I'm just about done here."
"Right away," Spitfire replied before leaving the room.
"Care to explain what Spitfire had to say, Matthew?" Princess Celestia inquired.
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Twilight Sparkle and her five friends have made here to the empire. The bad news is that we have lost all of Equestria to our enemy." Matthew's gaze fell along with everypony else's in the room. "All of our military forces across the kingdom were decimated by Star Swirl's attack."
Luna was the first to speak after having let the situation truly set in. "What's our next move?"
"We get the soldiers we have ready for what is likely to be a suicide mission to retake the kingdom."
General Swift Strike was smoking a cigar just outside the castle's main gate, waiting for his black and gray superior. Swift was one of the very few ponies that Matthew considered to be his friend and, consequently, the two of them knew each other very well. When he finally spotted Harris, he recognized his frown immediately. It was a look of defeat, one he had only seen once before.
"Walk with me," Matthew ordered emotionlessly.
Swift complied and began walking alongside Harris. "Spit said you wanted to talk to me, so what do you need?"
"I need a platoon from 1st Army to collect the CHECKMATE weapons from the Challenger and bring them here to the Crystal Empire," the black maned stallion answered without hesitation.
"You want me to send five hundred of my soldiers to go get your little toys?"
"No, I'm telling you that you're going to have them do this," Matthew quickly retorted. "If we want any chance of winning this war, then those weapons are key. CHECKMATE has the potential to give us the advantage we need over Star Swirl to get Equestrian back."
Swift Strike let out a heavy sigh. "But even with these weapons, we still won't stand a chance against Star Swirl's forces. We need more soldiers."
"Believe me, Strike, that much is abundantly clear. But where would we even find more soldiers?"
"I know this is a long shot, but what if we got the help of the Changelings? Think about it, with them, we would be able to get behind enemy lines and be able to know Star Swirl's next move before he makes it."
Matthew stopped walking and remained silent for a few moments, giving the idea serious thought. "You make a good point, but the problem is that the Changelings live to deceive. I'll need more time to come to a decision. Besides, I want to see if any of our allies are capable of assisting us before I go signing a deal with the devil."
"Fair enough. I'll go and send 3rd Platoon to retrieve your precious weapons," Strike finished before walking away from his commander.
Matthew, Celestia and Luna were in the dining hall of the Crystal Palace. Although Matthew hated the mere notion of asking an enemy for help, he knew that it was his best option since Equestria's allies were incapable of providing adequate support for a counter attack.
"So what did you want to talk to us about, Matthew?" the white solar goddess asked.
"As I'm sure you're both aware, our allies are not prepared to help us, nor is it likely they will be willing to. That is why I think we require the help of the Changelings."
"Are you insane?" Celestia shouted. "They tried to kill us and you want to ask for their help?"
"Chrysalis's hive is dying. They'll be willing to do anything to survive, even if it means helping us," Matthew explained to the royal sisters. "We'll promise them whatever, then when we're done with Star Swirl and the Changelings are all in one place, we'll kill them."
"If we do seek the Changelings help, Matthew, we will not stoop to their level of deception," Luna said with a very visible frown.
"Fine," Harris grunted. "I'll make an honest deal with the bastards."
"How many soldiers will you be taking with you?" Celestia questioned.
A small grin formed on Matthew's face. "None. If we want to earn their trust, we need to show Chrysalis and her hive that we are willing to trust them. And before you ask, the answer is yes I'm sure about this. Besides, we need to keep what's left of our army together as much as we can until we're ready to retaliate. I should be back in two or three days after I leave. If I'm not back by then, send some soldiers to find me and kill the Changelings."
"What will you do if Chrysalis refuses to help us?" Luna curiously asked Matthew.
"Then I'll kill her like the bug she is," Matthew darkly answered. "However, it is clear that Chrysalis will do whatever it takes to save her subjects. Her actions in Canterlot is proof of that. I'm confident she'll be willing to help us if it means they won't starve to death."
Without saying another word, the gray and black commander left the room. When Matthew was out of the dining room, he saw that Swift Strike was standing right in front of him.
“How much did you hear?” Matthew asked with an annoyed sigh.
“Everything,” Strike answered without a moment’s hesitation. He gave his superior a stern look. “Going there alone is pure suicide.”
“If she values her life and that of her hive’s, she’ll cooperate. If I’m not back in three days, you are to kill every Changeling in that fucking hive.”
A soft grin formed on Strike’s muzzle. “As you wish.”
Matthew always hated the cold. The fact that he was hiking through a blizzard didn’t help either. When he saw the entrance to cave the Changelings were hiding in he let out a sigh of relief. He took his SMG out of his saddle bag using his magic, ready to shoot anything stupid enough to attack him.
“That bug better be here,” Matthew muttered as he entered the cave and used his horn to illuminate the darkness. As he continued exploring the elaborate cave system, the dark colored stallion started seeing piles of dead bodies. “Poor bastards starved to death.”
“So this is the intruder?” a feminine voice said. “Just one pony?”
Matthew turned around to see the Queen of the Changelings standing just a few feet away from him. “You know you should probably clean up all these bodies, the stench is terrible,” he commented in an uncaring tone.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you here and now,” Chrysalis growled, taking offence to Harris’s tone.
“Because we can help each other out,” he replied. “We’ve been watching you long enough to know that you’re all dying. What if I told you I could end your starvation forever?”
“Who are you?” the queen demanded.
“My name is Matthew Harris, Commander of the Armed Forces of Equestria. I’m here because Equestria has fallen to Star Swirl the Bearded. I need your help to stop him.”
“Give me one good reason why I should help the ponies that nearly killed me.”
“Because if you don’t, I will have you and all of your subjects skinned alive,” Matthew threatened, his patience starting to go thin. “I have five thousand soldiers sitting in the Crystal Empire at my command. It would take nothing to kill you.”
“What do we get if we do help you get your kingdom back?”
“You will all be given the food you require and a place to live.”
“How do I know you won’t stab me in the back when this is over?”
“The princesses made it clear that if I do betray you, there will be severe consequences.”
Chrysalis noticed the commander’s annoyed tone clear as day. “I take it you aren’t very fond of them,” she said suggestively.
“When I’m given an order I say ‘yes sir’ and I do my damnedest to carry it out.” The gray stallion let out a sigh before continuing. “But when of your superiors is a pacifist, it makes life a bit complicated. However, that is a story for another time. Are you going to help us?”
Chrysalis remained silent for a few moments, thinking over her options. “If I agree to help, I want a nation for all my children on top of what you’ve already promised.”
Matthew frowned. “That’s not going to happen. What I can do is give all of you citizenship. You will be guaranteed the rights of every Equestrian, but you will need to forfeit your title as queen.”
“To what? Princess?”
“You’ll have to take that up with Celestia and Luna, since that would be more their decision than mine,” Harris admitted. “Do we have a deal?”
“For now,” Chrysalis said. “But my children are in no shape to leave due to their starvation.”
“Well then you can figure something out with the princesses once we get to the Crystal Empire,” Matthew told the queen.
Matthew was standing next to the closed door leading to the throne room of the Crystal Palace. He had brought the Changeling Queen in the early morning. Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Chrysalis were on the other side discussing the terms of the queen’s help in retaking Equestria. Before the meeting began, Luna promised Matthew that Cadence would behave for the duration of her stay.
“I take it you didn’t get an invitation to their little party?” Swift Strike joked as he walked over to where Matthew was waiting.
“I decided it would be better to let the politicians handle the politics,” Matthew stated.
“Do you trust Chrysalis?”
“Not one bit,” Matthew bitterly replied. “I want eyes on her at all times and she is not to leave the castle unless I authorize it.”
“Very well. Since the rest of her hive isn’t here I’m going to guess that her subjects are in pretty bad shape.”
“We need to figure out how to give them the energy they need without moving them. Hopefully that oversized bug has an idea on how to do that.”
“My question is how you intend on feeding those things. They feed off of love. The public isn’t going to like the idea of giving love to those things,” Swift pointed out.
Before Matthew could respond, the doors to the throne room opened and Luna, Celestia and Chrysalis walked out.
“Is there a reason you’re here, Matthew?” Celestia asked.
“Actually there is,” Matthew said. “I need to know how we intend to give a sufficient amount of love to a thousand changelings in a reasonable timeframe.”
“If I can get enough love, I can distribute it to the rest of my hive,” Chrysalis informed.
“Well that certainly makes things easier,” Matthew commented. “But I hope at least one of you three has a plan on how Chrysalis is going to get enough love.”
“Well that certainly makes things easier,” Matthew commented. “But I hope at least one of you three has a plan on how Chrysalis is going to get enough love.”
“We have a few ideas, but they would all take too long,” Luna regrettably informed.
“Chrysalis, since you’re the expert here, what would be the fastest method?” Matthew asked.
“The fastest would be getting it from a couple. Obviously I would have to pretend to be one of them. Depending on how much in love they are, I’d say it would take about a week or two.”
“Then that’s what you’re going to do. Tomorrow you’re going to start looking for mares you could impersonate.”
“But how will we keep the mare I’m impersonating from being seen in public?”
“We’ll keep the real one here in the castle for a few days and then let her go once you’re done.”
“Matthew,” Celestia interrupted. “Can I talk to you in private?” Matthew nodded and the two of them walked away until Celestia was sure they wouldn’t be heard. “She cannot leave this castle, she’s too dangerous,” the white alicorn said in a hushed tone.
“I don’t like it either,” the grey commander admitted. “But we are out of options. I’ll have scouts keeping a constant eye on her to make sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.”
“Who’s to say that she won’t try and betray us when she gets strong enough?”
“If Chrysalis tries to do anything that I don’t like, I made it very clear to her that the Changelings would be an extinct species.”
“Do you even know what you’re going to do with the Changelings once their healthy?”
“I have a map in my quarters that should give me enough information to figure out what to do with them.”
“When you have a plan ready, tell me immediately,” Celestia instructed.
“As you wish.”
Matthew Harris spent the rest of the day looking over all the information he had received from his numerous scout teams. Based on that, it was clear that Canterlot was Star Swirl’s biggest priority. Over half of his forces were all in the capitol with other army groups occupying major cities like Manehattan and Detrot. It wasn’t until midnight that Matthew finally decided to get some much needed sleep.
After having breakfast the next morning, Matthew took Celestia and Luna to his room so he could explain his plan to them. Sitting on the desk near the center of the room was a map of Equestria with various markings on it.
“As you can see by this map, most of Star Swirl’s forces are in Canterlot,” Matthew began. “Our scouts estimate that there are around five thousand soldiers there. There’s also groups of around a thousand each in major cities like Manehattan, Las Pegasus and Detrot.”
“So what’s your plan?” Luna curiously asked, observing every little detail on the map.
“Four hundred Changelings will disguise themselves as soldiers and officers in Canterlot while the other six hundred are positioned in occupied cities from Canterlot to the Crystal Mountains,” the commander explained.
“Giving our army a straight path to Canterlot,” Celestia finished.
“Correct,” Matthew said with a grin. “When our army begins the attack, the Changelings will weaken their forces right before we get to each city. This will be an all-out blitzkrieg to Canterlot.”
“How do you expect us to get to Star Swirl with only six thousand soldiers?” the solar goddess questioned. “By the time our forces reach Canterlot, they’re going to have significant casualties.”
“I’m glad you asked. The three of us, Chrysalis and the Elements of Harmony will flank around the battlefields to Canterlot the minute the operation begins. The Changelings in Canterlot will help sneak us behind enemy lines and take us right to the castle.”
“How do you expect us to get just outside of Canterlot without getting noticed by the enemy?”
“We’ll be going in via HALO drop.” The two princesses gave Matthew a confused look, earning a sigh from the commander. “HALO stands for High Altitude Low Opening. For those of us who can’t fly, we will be flown in by a pegasus-flown transport and parachute to the ground. Once we’re on the ground we’ll be met by a small group of Changelings that will lead us past enemy forces and directly to Star Swirl.”
“How high will we be?” Luna asked.
“About ten thousand feet. That will ensure we are not detected by the enemy.”
“What happens if we get caught before we reach Star Swirl?” Celestia asked.
“If we get caught, we will most certainly die,” Matthew grimly stated. “There are thousands of soldiers occupying Canterlot. We don’t stand a chance in a straight up fight with these fuckers.”
“This is quite the operation you’ve come up with,” Luna complimented.
“Thank you,” Matthew said with a small grin before his face became serious again. “I need to make one thing very clear to both of you. This will be a kill, no capture operation. Star Swirl cannot live.” Matthew was pleased when he saw the princesses give him slow yet steady nods of approval. "We should probably bring the Elements of Harmony up to speed. They have a lot of work ahead of them.:"
Matthew was having breakfast with the mane six and the three princesses. Chrysalis had already left the castle to start finding potential food sources. Unknown to the queen, Harris had two of his soldiers following her everywhere she went.
“So, Matthew,” Twilight began. “You never told us how bad the attack was.”
The gray and black stallion shrugged. “I thought the severity was implied by simply being here. Luckily, I have a plan to get it all back.”
“Which is?”
“Blitzkrieg and deception,” Matthew vaguely answered. “However, I am going to need the help of you six if the plan is going to work.”
“Do you need help throwing a huge victory party?” Pinkie Pie joyfully asked.
“No. You six are going to help me and the princesses kill Star Swirl.”
“Not trying to question your judgment, darling, but if you have the princesses with you, why would you need us?” Rarity hesitantly said.
“The power of the Elements of Harmony is second to none. If the princesses are not strong enough to kill this son of a bitch, you six will have to be the ones that kill Star Swirl.”
Just as Matthew finished speaking, Captain Spitfire burst into the room holding a sealed document.
“Sir, we just received the latest report from our scouts,” the yellow pegasus informed as she handed him the document.
Matthew took and opened the report with his magic. As he read it, his neutral expression changed to one of horror and disbelief.
“What does it say, Matthew?” Celestia demanded, knowing that she was about to hear terrible news.
“He’s killing all of them,” Matthew weakly said, his eyes never meeting those of the princess.
“Who, the soldiers?”
“Civilians. He’s publicly executing everypony he deems inferior for his new empire.”
Celestia put a hoof to her mouth in shock. “How many?”
Matthew finally lifted his head up and looked Celestia in the eyes, the pain clear in his own. “The death toll is estimated at over half a million and rising.”
For minutes nopony said a word as the severity of the situation sunk in. All of the mane six were silently sobbing while the princesses tried their best to hold back their own tears. Unable to contain his rage anymore, Matthew slammed his hoof on the plate in front of him as hard as he could, shattering it instantly. Matthew could always handle military casualties, it was the price of war after all. However, he believed that there was never a reason for innocent ponies to be killed.
“I… I’m so sorry,” Matthew softly said as he got up from his seat. “I’ll be in my quarters if anypony needs me.”
It was midnight and Matthew Harris was in his room looking over the blueprints to the CHECKMATE weapons. He was close to finishing the new designs, he just needed to make a few more minor modifications and he would be ready to start building the guns. He hadn’t left his room all day, not even for meals. Noticing the time, Harris decided that he might as well try to get some sleep. Getting into bed, it took the tired stallion only a matter of minutes before he fell asleep.
Matthew was sitting beside a large lake. The full moon shone brightly and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. He then noticed the night princess appear beside him.
“Leave me alone,” the black maned stallion ordered.
Luna ignored him and sat down next to him. “It’s not your fault, you know. There was nothing any of us could have done.”
Matthew sighed. “I am responsible for protecting our ponies during war and I failed. Those ponies are dead because of my inability to do my job.”
Luna placed her wing on Matthew. “Nopony could have predicted the magnitude of Star Swirl’s attack, let alone know how to prepare for it.”
“We should have already been prepared for anything. That was the whole fucking point of dispersing the army across the kingdom.”
“None of us are perfect, Matthew. We all make mistakes eventually.”
These words, as true as they were, served as little comfort to the dark colored stallion. “I will have vengeance. I will make Star Swirl pay for what he’s done.”
“Do you really think your plan will work?” Luna asked him, her voice sounding worried.
“I honestly don’t know,” Matthew admitted. “But I do know that it’s the only plan that has a good chance of succeeding.” He looked up at the moon overhead, thinking about something. “You know, I find it rather funny that even if I do save our kingdom, everypony will still hate me.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because they want to hate me. The aftermath of the war against Forte is proof of that.”
“Well then maybe you should start being friendlier towards them,” Luna suggested.
Matthew grunted in response. “I’ll deal with public opinion once we have a public to give an opinion again. For now, we just need to pray that the Changelings will be strong enough to carry out the operation.” He noticed how Luna immediately frowned at the mention of their former enemies.
“I just wish we weren’t putting the fate of our kingdom in the hooves of her. I still don’t believe she’s not up to anything.”
“Chrysalis is a very intelligent pony when her ego isn’t a factor. She has more to gain working with us than she does going against us. Besides, it’ll be nice to finally have a pony working with me that actually knows how to fight a war.”
“As much as I enjoyed our time together here, I’m afraid you have to wake up now,” Luna said, giving Matthew a sincere smile.
The next morning during breakfast, the princesses suggested to Matthew that he make a public address. Although Matthew wasn’t fond of speeches, he understood that a speech would more than likely boost the morale of the soldiers. If he was lucky, it might even be enough to convince other nations to help their cause.
Harris was standing on a tall podium with a single microphone in front of him. He was giving his speech just outside of the Crystal Castle where hundreds of ponies were gathered to hear the commander’s speech, a good portion of the press in the front of the crowd.
“As you all know,” Matthew began, speaking into the microphone. “We were attacked by an army under the direct command of Star Swirl the Bearded. I want to assure the ponies of Equestria that the princesses and I are doing everything in our power to put a stop to this tyrant, but it will take time.”
“Commander Harris,” one of the ponies associated with the press interrupted. “Ponies are dying every day, they need help now, not later.”
“I am well aware of the situation, but we cannot rush an attack against Star Swirl,” Harris quickly retorted.
“And what do you plan to do with Star Swirl once you’ve captured him?” the same reporter asked.
“Star Swirl will be killed on sight when we attack. That pony is far too dangerous to be kept alive.”
“Do the princesses support this plan to kill him?”
“They understand just as well as I do that as long as Star Swirl is alive, imprisoned or not, will always be a threat to Equestria. His death is the only way we can ensure the ponies of Equestria that we will never have to deal with him again.”
“Are you afraid of what lies ahead for you and the Kingdom of Equestria?”
“I know why I am here. Why should I be afraid?”
Once Matthew was finished with his address, he met up with General Swift Strike to check up on the army. The CHECKMATE weapons were delivered by Strike’s soldiers as promised and now the soldiers were being trained on how to use the guns. The fact that the ponies didn’t have fingers meant that holding the gun alone was going to be a challenge, let alone aiming and firing it.
Outside in the training grounds for the Crystal Empire’s guard the 1st Army was set up performing various exercises, including gun training. Matthew approached Strike, who noticed the commander immediately and was quick to greet him.
“Commander, good to see you,” Swift Strike said as the two of them shook hooves briefly.
“How are the soldiers doing with our new weapons?” Matthew asked.
“Well, they’ve been making progress, but they still have a way to go.”
“I need these ponies ready to fight the moment the Changelings are fit for combat,” the gray commander reminded. “How would you feel about training the Elements of Harmony in basic combat training?”
Swift Strike let out a sigh. “Does it even matter how I feel about it?”
“Nope,” Matthew grinned.
“I’ll start giving them training in a few days; I’m busy enough right now managing the training for these new weapons.” Strike was grateful when he got an approving nod from his commander. Just before Matthew turned to leave the general spoke up. “I almost forgot, Chrysalis wants to talk with you. She said she’d be waiting in her room for you.”
“Why did she tell you and not somepony else?”
Strike simply shrugged. “Don’t know, but I’d guess it’s important.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you when I see you,” Matthew said as he turned around to leave.
Matthew entered Chrysalis’ room silently and saw that the Changeling was laying on the king size bed. The curtains were all closed, making the room very dark.
“You wanted to see me?” Matthew asked as he shut the door behind him.
“Yes, I did,” Chrysalis replied as she slowly got up off the bed and walked over towards him. “I want to know what exactly happens after we kill Star Swirl. I mean you don’t really expect all of his soldiers to roll over and die do you?”
“Once Star Swirl is dead and we have control of Canterlot, we will hunt down all remaining enemies with the forces we have.”
“Do you see the problem with that strategy?” Chrysalis questioned. “You’re going to risk thousands of lives when you don’t have to.”
“What would you suggest we do?”
“The same thing you were going to do to me,” the queen said, a wicked grin forming on her face. “Promise them whatever they want if they surrender, get them all in one place. Then we kill them.”
As much as Matthew loved the idea, there was still one nagging problem he couldn’t ignore. “But we’d still be outnumbered, and they’d be even harder to kill as one big army.”
“Then use those bombs you say you have on the Challenger.”
Matthew’s face remained neutral. “The bombs on the Challenger are deactivated. I would have to find a way to hack the ship’s mainframe, if it even works, in order to get those bombs activated.”
“Could you do it?”
“If the mainframe still works, I’d be able to activate the bombs. However, I can’t use them unless I am given permission from the princesses.” Matthew saw Chrysalis’ expression fall right at that statement. The queen knew just as well as Matthew that it would take an immense amount of convincing to get Princess Celestia to approve such a destructive attack. “For now, we’ll keep this plan to ourselves. I’ll suggest this option once we’re closer to beginning our attack on Star Swirl.”
“You do know that you’re asking your soldiers to do the near impossible with this operation,” Chrysalis told him. “You want them to attack the enemy nonstop until they reach Canterlot. Do you really expect them to fight that far and that long without stopping to rest?”
Matthew chuckled softly. “It’s not impossible for them and I’ve seen what General Strike is capable of when he puts his mind to something. Trust me, when they start attacking, they won’t want to stop.”
“And what makes you say that?”
“Because we’re fighting for our home. That son of a bitch took everything we had and we want it back. Not just that, but we want the blood of the ponies who took our kingdom from us.” Matthew’s grim expression mirrored his serious tone. Chrysalis could see the raw drive in the stallion’s eyes. She saw his willingness to sacrifice anything to get back everything. The Changeling Queen was glad that she would not be on the receiving end of Matthew’s vengeance.
