Second Chance

Chapters

Matthew Harris
Finding a Purpose
The Proposal
The Refusal
Forming an Army
The Opening
The Price of War
Operation: Vengeance
The Middle Game
The Endgame
No Loose Ends
Epilogue: A Night Out

Matthew Harris

Late at night in the Everfree Forest, a gray coated unicorn carrying a brown saddlebag wandered aimlessly through. He had a thick black mane and dark blue eyes. On his flank he had a sword and a shield as a cutie mark. His name was Matthew Harris. Not many ponies in Equestria even knew who he was or had heard of him, but those who did knew hardly anything about him. All anyone really knew about him was that he was strong both physically and magically, and that he always had frown on his face. After walking through the forest for a few hours, Matthew finally saw what appeared to be a town in the distance.

“I suppose I can spend a night or two there to rest,” he thought out loud, his voice deep and smooth.

He continued onwards and headed into the town to search for a place to stay the night. Since the gray pony had no money, he decided to sleep in the park, where the ground would at least be easier to sleep on than in the Everfree Forest. Settling himself up against a large tree, Matthew quickly fell asleep, getting some much needed rest.
When Matthew woke up, he was greeted with the sun beating down on his face. It was a warm summer day and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Matthew slowly got up, his back sore from leaning up against a hard tree all throughout the night. Just as he stood up however, he heard a soft grumbling in his stomach. ‘Looks like I’m going to have to find some food around here,’ he thought. ‘Maybe they have an open market where I can hopefully swipe me a breakfast and not get caught.’

Matthew managed to navigate his way into the center of town where he found just what he was looking for. He swiped some apples while nopony was looking using his magic and put them in his saddlebag while he continued to walk past all of the other stands. Just as he made it through the market area, a pink pony started bouncing towards Matthew.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie!” the pony loudly introduced. “What’s your name?”

Matthew’s usual frown deepened significantly, showing his immediate annoyance with the pink pony. “Matthew Harris,” he bitterly replied, hoping his tone would encourage Pinkie to leave him alone.

“You must be new in town because I know I’ve never seen you before!” Pinkie said in her usual energetic voice. Matthew sighed realizing that she probably wasn’t going to leave him alone. “Are you moving in to Ponyville? Oh that would be so cool, and then we could be friends and tell stories about each other!”

“Listen twerp, I might be staying here for good, I might not be. And just to be perfectly clear with you, I will never be your friend,” Matthew hissed, his patience completely gone.

“Well I’m going to be your friend whether you like it or not,” Pinkie said confidently.

Now Matthew had finally had enough. He grabbed the party pony by the neck with both his hooves and pulled her face up to his. “Now listen, and listen good, because I don’t believe in repeating myself. You leave me alone. I don’t want anything to do with you,” he explained, his voice filled with rage and annoyance. “Do I make myself clear?”

The pony happily shook her head up and down before Matthew released her and continued on his way through town, back to the park he had slept in the night before. He sat down in the shade of a tree and started to eat the apples out of his saddlebag. Once he was finished eating, he shut his eyes and simply relaxed in the cool shade.

“Commander, you can’t die! This empire needs you!” a voice shouted.

“It’s too late, I’m afraid. I will not be making it back home, Raven,” Matthew said.

“Sir, don’t do this. We can still get you out of there!” Raven protested.

Matthew sighed, knowing that this was the end. “You’re a good man, Raven. I wish you the best of luck for the task ahead of you.” With those final words, a bright flash enveloped Matthew before everything turned dark.

Matthew’s eyes shot open only to see the same pink mare from earlier sitting right in front of him.

“What do you want now, twerp?” Matthew asked impatiently.

“I saw you were having a bad dream so I decided to come over and see if there was anything I could do for you!” Pinkie explained.

“It wasn’t a bad dream; it was just a memory of a life I once lived.”

After hearing what Matthew had just said, Pinkie started jumping up and down in excitement. “Oh, you mean you’ve lived more than one life? That sounds so super duper fun! What was it like? Did you have fun?”

Matthew immediately regretted saying anything about his dream to Pinkie. However, he knew just by looking at the mare that it would be pointless to attempt to withhold information from her. Information like his dream. “If I tell you will you promise to be quiet at least while I talk and not ask any questions?”

“Sure,” Pinkie replied quickly shaking her head up and down.

“I was once the commander of a very proud and powerful empire. Before I died, we were at war with a group of planets who called themselves the Federation of Separatist Planets,” Pinkie just silently listened to Matthew tell his story, showing genuine interest. “To make a long story short, I died trying to protect my empire and its people. Then I woke up here in this body. I don’t know how or why this happened, but I think some supreme being has given me another chance to live a life I couldn't have as the commander of my empire. I've been wandering this land ever since I woke up here, searching for a new purpose in life.” Matthew let out a heavy sigh. “That’s my story so far.”

“Do you have any idea what your new purpose is?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” Pinkie put a hoof under her chin as she tried to think of way to help Matthew find a purpose. “I know!” she shouted, jumping into the air. “I’ll take you to my friend Twilight! She’s super duper smart. I’m sure she could help you.”

“Fine,” the gray pony sighed.

Author's Note

What do you think? Good? Bad? Leave a comment and let me know whether or not I should continue this story.

Finding a Purpose

“Here we are!” Pinkie Pie said to Matthew once they reached Twlight’s home.

“The pony lives in a tree?” Matthew questioned rhetorically.

Pinkie led Matthew through the front door of the tree house. The two ponies were immediately greeted by a purple unicorn coming down the stairs. “Hey Pinkie, who’s this?” Twilight asked.

Before Pinkie could speak, Matthew introduced himself to the mare. “I’m Matthew Harris,” he said. “I take it you’re Twilight?”

“Yes, I’m the town librarian. It’s nice to meet a new friend of Pinkie’s,” she commented.

“I am not a friend of Pinkie’s,” Matthew quickly stated. “I’m here because Pinkie told me that you could help me with something important.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m not like all of you other ponies.” Matthew then explained to Twilight his story and where he came from. “I need you to help me find my purpose in life.”

Twilight scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “Well, I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but only you can figure out what your purpose in life is.”

Matthew simply frowned, half expecting to get an answer along those lines. “I was afraid of that,” he muttered. He turned around to leave but Twilight stopped him before he could reach the door.

“But I think I might be able to help you at least a little bit,” she told the gray stallion. “You said you were the commander of an empire right?”

“Yes.”

“So perhaps your purpose has something to do with protecting ponies,” Twilight suggested.

Matthew thought about what the purple mare had said for a few seconds. “I’m a warrior and a leader. Before I died, I had an entire military force at my command and I was unmatched in every type of combat.” He tried to think of something where his skills could be put to good use, when finally, a thought hit him. “How big of an army does this kingdom have?”

“Um, we have royal guards. However, I think there’s only a couple hundred of them,” Twilight admitted.

Matthew was completely taken back by what he was just told. Never in million years would he have expected to hear that not only did Equestria lack an army, they also lacked any type of reasonable defense against an attack. “Now that is a serious problem,” Matthew finally said. “This kingdom has no way to defend itself against a major threat. If I could, I’d see to it that the rulers of this kingdom invested their time and money in creating an army.”

“Twilight is the Princess’ student!” Pinkie blurted out. “What if she sent a message for you?”

As much as Matthew hated to admit it, it was a good idea. “Would you do that for me?” he asked Twilight hopefully.

“I could try, but I can’t promise you she’ll agree to meet with you,” Twilight said.

“Just tell her that I wish to speak with her and that it’s important,” Matthew suggested.

Twilight sighed. “Fine, I’ll send her a message tonight. You can come back tomorrow morning and I’ll let you know what Princess Celestia’s response is.”

“I appreciate your help,” Matthew said as he turned to leave once again.
Matthew woke up the next morning in a cold sweat. To his annoyance, he had dreamt of another memory of his former life as a commander. He was in the same park he was when he first found the town. “When will these damn dreams end?” Matthew wondered. He looked up to see that the sun was shining bright in the sky. “I suppose I should head over to Twilight’s and see if the Princess has responded to my request.”

When the black maned stallion reached Twilight’s home, he saw what he assumed was a royal chariot near the door. Matthew knocked on the door and patiently waited for somepony to answer.

“Oh, Matthew, I’m glad you’re here,” Twilight greeted, stepping aside to let him in.

When Matthew entered, the first thing he noticed was a large snow white pony standing in the room with two guards at her sides. “I take it your Princess Celestia,” Matthew assumed.

“That is correct,” the sun goddess replied. Her voice was calm yet at the same time firm. “Twilight has brought it my attention that you’re no ordinary pony.” Matthew nodded and waited for the princess to continue. “I’d very much like to talk with you back at the castle, I’m sure my sister would like to meet you as well.”

“When will we be leaving?” Matthew asked.

“We can leave right now if you’re ready.”

“Let’s go.”

Author's Note

Another chapter done! I'd love to know what you guys think of this story so far. Right now I'm just making this story up as I go along, so I don't really know when I'm going to get another chapter up.

The Proposal

Matthew was in the throne room where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were listening to his proposal of forming a legitimate army.

“With all due respect, I’m amazed that this kingdom is still standing today,” Matthew said. “Equestria is extremely vulnerable to an invasion by anyone who has a formidable army. I didn’t become commander of an empire because I relied solely on peace treaties. I had the most powerful army at my command to help enforce those treaties.”

“Mr. Harris, the fact of the matter is that an army is not needed for our kingdom,” Celestia explained. “Our kingdom has survived for well over a thousand years and it still stands strong today.”

“How about this; if you can tell me that your kingdom has never been attacked by a major threat, I will drop this proposal immediately and leave you to your other duties.” When he failed to receive a response from either of the rulers, he allowed a smirk to form on his lips.

“Perhaps this pony does have a point, sister,” Luna said. “Imagine where we’d be if it wasn’t for Twilight Sparkle and her friends.”

Celestia let out a heavy sigh, knowing her sister’s words were true. “Mr. Harris, for what your proposing, I simply don’t think our kingdom has the budget for it.”

“What about the…” Matthew paused for a second trying to think of the name of the racing pegasus ponies. “The Wonderbolts? From what I’ve heard, their talents could be put to excellent use defending the kingdom.”

Celestia and Luna thought about the idea for a few seconds before the elder of the two spoke. “Give us some time to consider this proposal of yours,” the white alicorn told him. “Where are you currently staying, so I know where to send a letter to you?”

“I’m staying at the park in Ponyville,” Matthew responded without hesitation.

“Why in Equestria would you stay in a park,” Luna questioned.

“First, I don’t have any money. Second, I don’t know anypony there.”

“I’ll see if Twilight or one of her friends can give you a place to stay. Besides, you might make some friends there while you wait to hear from us,” Celestia said.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down on that offer,” Matthew replied. “Friendship requires emotions. Emotions cloud your judgment. I cannot afford to have a clouded judgment.”

“If you refuse, then I will not accept your proposal.”

Matthew opened his mouth to protest, but decided against trying to fight Celestia. He was at her mercy right now and she was exploiting that weakness. “Fine,” the gray stallion sighed in defeat.
Twilight read the letter Matthew brought with him when he returned to her house after the meeting with the Princesses. It told the purple mare that Matthew was to stay with her or one her friends’ houses until told otherwise.

“Well, I guess you can stay with me if you’d like,” Twilight said after she finished reading the letter.

Matthew simply nodded, his face empty of expression. His thoughts had drifted back to his memories. As commander, he remembered always distancing himself from almost everyone he encountered. The only people he even considered to be his friends were some of his most trusted generals. But even then it was debatable if his relationship with them could be deemed as actual friendship. Maybe he could give this friendship thing a try. What did he have to lose?

“Matthew?”

“What?” Matthew asked, returning his attention to Twilight.

“I was wondering if you were hungry,” she told him. “And maybe we could learn a little more about each other if we’re going to be living together for a while.”

Once Twilight had finished preparing some sandwiches, she brought it out to Matthew and the two sat down at the kitchen table. Owing to the fact that he hadn’t had a decent meal in a long time, Matthew wasted no time devouring the sandwich Twilight made for him. Twilight and Matthew sat in silence for a few minutes until Twilight finally broke the silence.

“What was your life like before you ended up here?” Twilight asked, hoping to start a conversation.

Matthew let out a heavy sigh. “My life was dedicated to the sole purpose of protecting my empire and its people.”

“Did you have a family?”

“No. In order to be an effective leader, you cannot have emotions cloud your judgment. I had no desire to have a family. However, that was my old life. This is a very different society than what I came from. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to try and start a new lifestyle.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure a lot of ponies here would like to be your friend,” the purple mare said.

“Do know that if Celestia and Luna do accept my proposal, I won’t be staying here for very long,” Matthew pointed out.

“Well I’ve learned that you should never turn down an opportunity to make friends.”

“And I suppose you have a whole bunch of friends you can’t wait for me to meet,” Matthew replied, sounding only the slightest bit interested.

“As a matter of fact I do. But that can wait for tomorrow. It’s starting to get late, so let me show you to where you’ll be sleeping.” Matthew followed Twilight up a flight of stairs and led him to a guest room. The room was basic, consisting of a bed, a dresser, and a night stand. “Here’s your room. Hope you like it.” Twilight then closed the door and let Matthew have his privacy.

“If those two refuse my proposal, I’m going to have one hell of a time figuring out what to do with this life.”

Author's Note

Sorry for taking so long to post another chapter, but I've been having some serious writer's block lately with this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you're enjoying this story so far, leave a like and comment.

The Refusal

Three days passed since Matthew met with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Twilight had introduced him to Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Matthew was able to get along with all of them quite well, excluding Pinkie Pie. That night, Twilight received a letter from Princess Celestia.

“Hey Matthew,” Twilight said, earning Matthew’s attention. “This is a letter from Princess Celestia.” Twilight handed him the letter and Matthew quickly tore open the envelope. His eyes quickly read through the writing. When he finished reading, a frown formed on his face. “What does it say?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Read it yourself,” Matthew grumbled, throwing the letter to the ground before storming off to the guest room.

Using her magic, Twilight picked up the letter and began reading it.
Mr. Matthew Harris,
After thinking over your proposal to form an official army for Equestria, we have decided to decline the offer. If however, there does come a time when an army is deemed necessary by me and my sister, we will not hesitate to seek your help. I hope you are enjoying your stay at Ponyville and are making friends there. If you are interested, I could give you an officer position in the Royal Guard.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia

Twilight put down the letter and went upstairs to talk to Matthew. When the purple unicorn made it to the guest room, Twilight knocked on the door.

“What is it?” Matthew coldly demanded.

“Can I come in?” Twilight politely asked. When Matthew gave her permission, she walked into the room to the gray stallion looking out the only window in the room. She could see the disappointment in his eyes. “Matthew, I’m sorry that this didn’t go the way you hoped it would,” Twilight said, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

Matthew didn’t bother trying to shrug off the hoof. “All I can do now is hope that conflict erupts and the princess changes her mind.”

“Well you can always take that officer position,” Twilight reminded.

“As appealing as that sounds, I think that would cause more problems than it would solve. The Royal Guard simply protects Celestia and Luna and does little more. I’d rather go back into the Everfree Forest and fight all those Timberwolves. At least that wouldn’t be as boring as sitting around a castle all day doing absolutely nothing. Simply put, I live to fight and lead.” Matthew turned his head to face Twilight looking her in the eyes. “Now that I’ve gotten her response, I think it would be best if I leave.”

“Why in Equestria would you think that?”

“I have no reason to stay here any longer. Based on what I’ve read, it should only take me about a week to reach the Crystal Empire on hoof. Perhaps they can help me.”

“But what about all the ponies you’ve met here? What about giving friendship a chance?”

“They’ll move on and have their own friends to be with. I’ll take your advice on the whole friendship thing and see where that gets me down in the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight, although taken back by what Matthew had said, couldn’t help but somewhat admire his persistence. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. “What if you just wrote Princess Cadence a letter? She was my old foalsitter, so if she saw the letter was from my address, I’m sure she would read it right away.”

“Fine,” Matthew sighed, knowing it would be pointless to try and fight the mare. “Why are you helping me so much anyway? What’s in it for you?”

“Friends help one another when they need it,” Twilight stated. “And right now it looks like you could really use a friend.”

Matthew gave Twilight a weak smile. “Thank you. Perhaps now it would best for me to get some rest, and then figure out what I’ll do in the morning.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Twilight agreed. “I guess I should be getting to bed as well then.” With that, Twilight left the room. Matthew got into his bed and soon he was fast asleep.

“Who’s there?” Matthew demanded. He was in a dark forest and there was a shadowy figure was standing in front of him.

“Relax, Matthew, it’s just me,” a soothing voice said. The figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal it was Princess Luna. “I wanted to know how you’re doing.”

“What the hell are you doing in my dreams?”

“I’m the princess of the night. I have the ability to enter the dreams of any pony,” Luna calmly explained. “I’ve been quietly watching your dreams for quite a while now. I couldn’t help but notice how much they’ve been bothering you.”

“That’s because they’re memories of my other life, and I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of my head,” Matthew retorted, not the slightest bit happy at realizing this new information. “Now what do you want now?” he asked impatiently.

“I knew that when my sister sent the letter to you, you weren’t going to like the decision. I just wanted to know how you were taking the situation.”

“I’m already seeking other options and with any luck, I’ll be out of this kingdom within the next week. Seeing as there’s nothing here for me, I figure it would be best to find somepony who could use my help.”

“I don’t think that would be the best choice,” Luna said.

“And why not?”

“Despite what my sister may think, I believe there might be a conflict between our kingdom and the country of Prance,” the night goddess told the impatient unicorn. “Right now it’s just political, but if things don’t get better soon, I’m afraid it could get out of hoof.”

“Does Prance have an army?”

“Yes, they do.”

“Does Celestia have any sort of experience of leading soldiers into battle?”

“No.”

“That explains her stupidity then,” Matthew muttered, just loud enough for Luna to hear. “You need to find some way to convince her to listen to me. I know how to lead an army; it’s what I lived for. If you give me an army, I can protect your kingdom from not only Prance, but anypony else who tries to attack us.”

“It will not be easy to convince Tia, but given enough time I think she’ll agree with you. If the situation between Prance gets any worse in the next couple of days, I’ll do what I can to convince Tia to listen to you.”

Matthew couldn’t help but smile a little hearing this. “Thank you for that.”

“I just have one more question, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“What is it?”

Luna hesitated for a moment, still not sure if should ask. “I wanted to know how you died,” she finally said.

“You’ve seen my dreams, you know how I died,” Matthew answered bluntly.

“I’ve only seen bits and pieces of it though; I want to know what happened.”

Matthew sighed in defeat. “My empire had been attacked by a very powerful enemy. When we found out who organized the attack, we quickly realized that it would be near impossible to kill the son of a bitch if we sent in our entire army. By the time the army would get through the enemy forces, the target would be long gone. A task force and I set out to kill this bastard with aide of air support. In the end I managed to kill the leader of the rebellion group, but he left me fatally injured. I also found out that some of the high ranking officers of the rebels were in the complex we stormed. Knowing there was no way out alive, I ordered the complex to be bombed, killing everyone in the complex. My final words were to one of my most trusted generals. He was great man; he’ll take good care of my empire.”

“How were you to those you ruled?” Luna asked, one leader to another.

“I was a fair ruler. My soldiers admired me and my officers had great respect for me,” Matthew replied without hesitation.

“Well, I would like to continue this conversation, but I’m afraid it’s about time for you to wake up. Goodbye Matthew.”

“Goodbye Luna.”

Author's Note

And here's chapter four! I'm actually on vacation right now, but I managed to fit in some time on the plane to get this chapter finished. Leave a like and a comment, and I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP.

Forming an Army

Matthew and Twilight were at the train station waiting to board the train to Canterlot. They had received a letter from Princess Celestia saying that she wanted to see both of them at the castle.

“So why do you think the princess wants to see us both?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Hopefully, she wants to see me about my proposal for an army. Why she wants to see you is beyond me,” Matthew replied.

The purple unicorn gave Matthew a reassuring smile. “I’m sure it is. I can’t think of any other reason Celestia would want to see you.”

Matthew gave a soft chuckle, earning a raised eyebrow from Twilight. “I have a very vivid imagination. I can think of quite a few reasons she would want to see me other than to discuss my proposal.”

The train arrived at the station in Ponyville shortly after and the two ponies quickly boarded the locomotive. The train ride to Canterlot was silent, the gray and purple unicorns not saying a word to each other as they looked out the window, letting their minds wander. When the train arrived at Canterlot, Matthew and Twilight were greeted by two Royal Guards, who then escorted them to the castle. For the second time, Matthew entered the large castle and was shown to the throne room where Celestia and Luna waited for their arrival.

“Matthew, Twilight, it’s good to see you again,” the sun goddess politely greeted, a warm smile on her face.

“It’s nice to see you too, princess,” Twilight said, giving her a small bow.

“Not to sound rude, but I’d like to know why you summoned us here,” Matthew said.

“I wanted to talk to you about the formation of an army,” Celestia answered.

The gray stallion chuckled at the answer. “Have things really gotten that bad with Prance?” he asked.

“I’m afraid they have,” she replied. “I’m unsure of what they’ll do, but I don’t want to take any chances. For that reason, I’m putting you in charge of forming an army for Equestria. You will be given command of the army as well.”

“How much convincing did it take for you to finally give in?”

“I will admit, it did take Lulu quite a while to convince me,” the princess said, earning a glare from Luna for using her nickname.

“With all due respect princess, why do you need me here?” Twilight asked.

“Because Tia thinks that you could help Matthew out with the geography of our land. That way he can better protect the kingdom if we are attacked,” Luna quickly answered. The princess of the night then directed her attention to Matthew. “How soon will you be ready to start getting an army together?”

“I can start immediately,” Matthew happily told her. “But I would like to discuss my plans with the two of you first, that way you’ll know what to expect and there won’t be any surprises.”

“Well then, let’s hear what your plans for creating an army are,” Princess Celestia said.

“First off, the Wonderbolts are all going to be trained for combat. I will divide the armed forces into three divisions: the regular army, the royal guard, and the elites. The regular army will be our normal soldiers. The royal guard will have no changes to their responsibilities. And finally the elites will consist of our very best soldiers. I’d say it should take about a month or two to get these ponies properly trained. When this is all done, you’ll be looking at the Armed Forces of Equestria, and me as the commander of it all.”

“Is that all?” Celestia asked.

“Actually, there is one more thing. I’ll need officers to help me make the armed forces more effective. I had quite a few ponies in mind to be given those ranks.”

“Who are they?”

“I want the Elements of Harmony as my chief officers. They seem to be quite used to protecting Equestria from enemies, and their knowledge could prove to be beneficial. I want them here inside the next forty-eight hours for them to be trained by me in combat and teach them what they need to know. When you send them the letters, only say that you wish to see them, nothing more.”

“Very well, I’ll send them the letters right away. In the meantime, you can stay in one of the castle’s guest rooms while you’re here.”

Twilight and Matthew were given separate rooms to sleep in for the night. The room Matthew was staying in was very luxurious to say the least. The room could easily rival a penthouse suite in a five star hotel. Matthew was getting ready to go to sleep when he heard a knock on his door. When he opened it he saw Princess Luna standing in front of him.

“What can I do for you, Princess?” Matthew questioned.

“Can I come in?”

Matthew stepped aside to let the night goddess in and closed the door behind her. “I know you’re not here just to be social,” the unicorn stated.

Luna sighed. “Is really that obvious?” Matthew simply nodded and waited for her to continue talking. “Are you sure it’s a good idea getting the Elements of Harmony involved in all of this? I seriously doubt that they’re ready for something like this.”

“I am trying to do what I can to prepare this kingdom for war. When your people learn of what we’re doing, do you really think they’re going to want to hear that somepony like me is the sole pony in charge of the armed forces?” Luna remained silent as he continued. “By doing this we will be able to accomplish two things. First, giving ponies peace of mind knowing that the armed forces is in trustworthy hooves. Second, if anything should happen to me, there will be somepony to take my place.”

“What if they can’t handle this kind of responsibility?”

“Then we’ll have to see what the public thinks of me being in charge. And if anything does happen to me, you will have no pony to take my place,” Matthew replied. “Why have you been so concerned about this lately?”

“I’m worried that when we do go to war, you’ll die,” Luna admitted, her eyes focused on the floor.

“Since when did you start having feelings for me?” Matthew asked, half jokingly. When Luna failed to respond, Matthew finally spoke again. “I’m not going to die,” Matthew said, trying to reassure the princess. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m rather tired and I would like to get some sleep. If you want, we can continue talking when I fall asleep.”

Luna gave a small smile and Matthew walked her over to the door and opened it for her. After Luna left the room, Matthew got into bed and fell asleep in the next few minutes.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Do you think I should add some romance into this story? Leave me comment on what you think.

The Opening

Matthew, Luna, Celestia, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were seated around a circular table. Celestia’s letter made no mention as to why the other five bearers were there, as was Matthew’s request. They were all clearly anxious to figure out why the princess had summoned them, aside from Twilight, who was already aware of why her friends were there.

“Thank you all for coming out here on such short notice,” Matthew calmly began. “The princesses have given me permission to form an army for Equestria. I’m already getting ponies trained by the Royal Guard as we speak. Now I’m sure you’re all wondering what this has to do with you.” The gray pony got five slow nods in response. “You’re here because I want you to be my chief officers. We are nearing war with Prance. You’ve saved this kingdom countless times from evil and simply put, I believe that your experience could greatly help this army when we eventually go to war.”

The five ponies just looked at each other, unsure of what to say. After what seemed like an hour of silence, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Not that we don’t think your offer is cool and all, but I think we’re gonna have to turn down your offer.”

Matthew allowed a frown form on his muzzle. “And I don’t suppose there’s anything I can say to make any of you reconsider?”

“I’m afraid not, darling,” Rarity said as politely as she possibly could.

“Then by no means will I try and force you to do this. You’ve already given so much to protect this kingdom; I will not make you feel like you have to give any more.”

“Is that all you wanted to see us about then?” the white unicorn asked.

“That’s all,” Matthew sighed. “You’re free to leave now.”

The five element bearers got up, thanked the princesses for having them at the castle, then left out the door. For a minute no pony said anything. Luna was the first to break the silence. “Well so much for that part of the plan. I hope this isn’t too much of a problem for you.”

“It won’t be,” the stallion reassured. “However, now I’ll need to find somepony to be a chief officer. Other than that though, there should be no other problems.”
Two months passed and the Armed Forces of Equestria was officially formed. Additionally, Matthew was publicly given the rank of Commander of the Armed Forces. However, tensions between Prance and Equestria only continued to get worse. Now the two countries were on the very brink of total war and Matthew had no doubt in his mind that within a week, Prance would make the first move. In preparation, Matthew ordered a large amount of forces to be positioned near the border of Equestria and Prance.

Matthew was in his new office located inside the castle, directly across the hall from the throne room. Suddenly, Captain Spitfire rushed into the gray stallion’s office, a look of nervousness on her face. “What is it, Captain?” Matthew asked.

“Commander, Prance has attacked us,” Spitfire informed. “We didn’t even see it coming. They came down the Crystal Mountains and overwhelmed our soldiers stationed nearby.”

Matthew’s eyes widened, realizing that now Prance’s forces were only about a day away from the town of Ponyville. “I want two infantry divisions sent to Ponyville immediately,” he ordered. “Hopefully that will be enough to slow them down a bit so we can reorganize our forces and adjust our strategy.” Spitfire nodded her head and quickly left the office. After thinking over the recent information he had received, Matthew got up out of his chair and headed to the throne room to inform Celestia and Luna what was happening.

“Your highnesses, Prance has attacked us,” Matthew told them. “They managed to travel through the Crystal Mountains and overwhelmed our forces. I have sent two infantry divisions to Ponyville to hopefully defend it from an attack. However, I’m not sure if the divisions will be able to get there before the enemy.”

“And why not?” Celestia demanded, not at all happy to hear this.

“Our closest division is about a day and a half away. Based on the information I have, I’d say the Prench army is a day away at most,” Matthew explained. “I’m afraid we will most likely lose Ponyville. We need to get the Elements of Harmony out of there yesterday. Under no circumstances can you tell them what’s going on. If they find out their town is in danger, they will take it upon themselves to protect it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to figure out how to retaliate against these Prench bastards.”

“Wait!” Luna shouted just before Matthew reached the door. The gray unicorn turned around to face the night princess, waiting for her to explain herself. “I want to talk with you in private,” she requested, earning no more than a nod from Matthew and a raised eyebrow from her sister.

Luna got up from her throne and Matthew followed her out to her room. Once in said room, Luna closed the door behind them using her magic. Luna’s room consisted of a midnight colored bed and night themed decoration. Matthew noticed a chess set sitting on one of the nearby tables, all the pieces in their starting positions.

“So what is it you want?” Matthew impatiently questioned.

“I was wondering if you’d be up for a little friendly game of chess,” Luna replied, ignoring his tone.

Matthew smirked at the princess. “Alright, I think I have the time for a quick match.” The two sat down at the table, Matthew taking the black side while Luna took the white. “Celestia doesn’t come off as the type of pony who’s used accepting losses,” he commented as they started their game.

Luna giggled at the comment. “No, she’s not. But then again I think she’s just really concerned about Ponyville right now. Aren’t you?”

“No,” Matthew bluntly stated. “War is a lot like chess, there are three parts to it. You have an opening, where both sides move their forces into position and get ready to strategically attack one another. Then there’s the middle game. The opponents have formed their front lines and are now ready to begin fighting for keeps. This is the most important part, because every move you make could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Finally, you have the endgame. One side has a clear advantage over the other. The winning side goes in an all out offensive to take out their leadership, and consequently, win the game. Right now we’re only in the opening, once we have the Elements of Harmony, we’ll be ready to launch a retaliation to take back the land we’ve lost.”

“What do you need the elements for?”

“Blitzkrieg,” he said. “We will overwhelm our enemy with raw power. I believe that if those six are given the right push, they will help me end what Prance started.”

The two ponies continued to play their game of chess, which Matthew was currently winning. He had annihilated Luna’s Rooks and Knights, and taken numerous pawns. Within the next five minutes, Matthew had Luna in checkmate.

“That was a good game,” Matthew said as he got up from the table.

“I’m not sure I would call it a ‘good game’,” Luna replied, annoyed by the fact that she had been so easily defeated. At the end of the game, Matthew had taken almost every single one of her pieces, while Luna had only managed to take six of Matthew’s, which were mostly pawns.

“Relax, I’m the Commander of the Armed Forces because of my very keen tactical mind,” the gray stallion reminded. “Now I’m afraid I have to make sure that we haven’t lost too much more land from the Prench.” With that, Matthew left Luna’s room and headed straight to his office. When he sat down behind his desk, the dark colored unicorn let out a soft chuckle. “War never changes.”

Author's Note

I'm thinking I might have rushed the previous chapter, so I might go back and change a few things here and there. As always, if you like what you're reading, leave a like and comment!

The Price of War

It was about three o’clock in the morning when Matthew heard a loud knocking against his bedroom door. Without waiting for a response, a white guard pony entered the bedroom.

“Sir, we’ve lost contact with Ponyville,” the guard regrettably informed. “The two infantry divisions you sent are still on route.”

“The Elements of Harmony, did they get out of there in time?” Matthew nervously asked.

“Yes sir, they managed to leave on the last train to Canterlot before the Prench attacked. They’re sleeping in the guest rooms right now.”

The blue eyed unicorn let out a sigh of relief. With those five ponies safe and Twilight still staying in the castle, he could launch a more effective retaliation against the Prench. “Get the field corps here prepared for mobilization within the next twenty-four hours,” he ordered. The guard nodded in compliance and left the room, closing the door behind him. Matthew lay his head back down on his pillow, figuring he could get at least three or four more hours of sleep.

At seven o’clock, Matthew got up and headed to his office. The two guards standing outside the door to his office moved out of the way to allow the stallion to enter. After checking all the usual paperwork that was put on his desk overnight, Matthew went to the dining hall for his breakfast. When he entered, he saw that the five new guests were already eating with Twilight and the princesses.

“Good morning Matthew,” Princess Celestia greeted. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing well, now that I know these six are safe,” Matthew honestly replied. “Have you told them what’s happened yet?” The princess shook her head ‘no’ and earned six curious looks from the Elements of Harmony. Matthew sat down at the large dining table next to Luna.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked trying to keep herself from sounding too nervous.

“As of three o’clock this morning, we lost contact with Ponyville,” Matthew explained. “Our scouts have confirmed that the Prench have taken control of the town. I’m just glad we were able to get your friends out of there before it was too late.” Matthew calmly took a sip from his cup of coffee in front of him.

“And you just let them take the town over?” Rarity shouted. “You made us unknowingly leave all our friends and our families in the hands of the Prench!”

There were few things that Matthew couldn’t stand, and two of the biggest ones were being yelled at and being insulted. He immediately shot a powerful glare at the young designer. “Do you really think I willingly let those Prench sons of bitches take over your town?” Matthew retorted. “I tried to send in support but they were too far away to get there before the Prench. I got you five out of there so that you could help me take back the land that we’ve lost to our enemy.”

“Yeah let me guess,” Rainbow Dash said. “You sit back and have us and your so called soldiers do all of the fighting for you. Some leader you are; your army can’t even do what you said they would.”

It took every ounce of willpower for Matthew to stop himself from murdering the rainbow colored pegasus with extreme prejudice. However, his anger was at an all time high. “I’m trying to my best to protect this kingdom, but it’s exceptionally hard to do that when your army is composed of a bunch of morons who don’t have the slightest fucking clue as to what they’re doing!” he roared. “You’re pissed because I couldn’t save your cesspool of a town, but because of my army’s incompetence, I have to rely on you ungrateful bastards to once again save this damn kingdom!”

Everypony in the room was completely taken back by the normally calm stallion’s outburst. Rainbow Dash had completely cowered into her seat, terrified by the stallion’s unholy glare. Matthew’s expression went from raw anger to complete regret the moment he realized what he had just said. Before anypony could say anything, Matthew silently left the table and quickly walked out of the room.

“I’m going to go talk to him and make sure he’s okay,” Luna said, excusing herself from the table to chase after Matthew. She finally found him sitting in his office, regret still on his face. “Matthew,” Luna said quietly.

The unicorn kept his eyes fixed down on his desk. “I know, I shouldn’t have gone off on them like that,” Matthew said.

“You shouldn’t have,” Luna agreed. “But we all lose our temper every now and then. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately having to deal with this war all by yourself.”

“Do you have any idea what I’ve done?” Matthew questioned. “I just blew the one chance to have those six ponies help us in this war. Now that they know what happened to their town, they’re going to go back and try push the Prench out.”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted them to do?”

“Yes, but with the support of our army. Without support, those six ponies are marching to their graves.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’ll lead a field corps into Ponyville and take back what I can. I’ll have the two divisions outside of the town for additional support should I require it. This is going to be a very bloody battle.”

“You know, you’re really hard on yourself when you don’t have to be,” the midnight colored princess commented. “How about I convince them to help you?”

“If you were to do that, it would greatly reduce casualties on our side,” said Matthew. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do. I need to start setting up contingencies in case this operation goes south.” Luna gave him an understanding nod and quietly left the pony’s office. Matthew looked over the paperwork on his desk, mostly regarding the extensive background checks on all the Prench immigrants in the kingdom. Matthew made a mental note to form an intelligence agency when this was all over. Having the Royal Guard check over every Prench immigrant’s records wasn’t exactly effective.

Luna had returned to the dining room where Celestia and the mane six were having a serious discussion over the current state of Equestria.

“How is he, Lulu?” Celestia asked, turning her attention towards her sister.

“Not as well as he’s led us to believe,” Luna admitted. “He really is sorry for the outburst,” she told the mane six. “It’s just that he’s been under an immense amount of stress lately with this war going on.”

“What’s that pony doing right now that’s so important he couldn’t apologize to us himself?” Rainbow Dash demanded, clearly not taking in a single word Luna had just said.

“He is trying to get a group of soldiers together so that he can lead them into Ponyville,” Luna growled. “I don’t think you realize this, but Matthew will sacrifice his own life in order to protect this kingdom and its ponies.”

Rainbow Dash felt a pang of guilt as she finally realized what she had done. Before the blue pegasus could speak up, Matthew entered the room and headed straight towards the princesses.

“Your highnesses, the Prench have engaged the two infantry divisions to the north of Ponyville,” he informed.

“How are they doing?” Princess Celestia worriedly asked.

“Not well, I’m going to go down there with a field corps in order to prevent them from reaching Canterlot. I’m going to divert most of our forces back here, since it’s very clear where the Prench are trying to get to.”

“Is that all?”

“Actually there is one more thing. I want the Elements of Harmony in my office immediately; I have something they need to see,” Matthew said, leaving the room when he saw the six ponies get up to follow him.

When the seven of them entered the office, Matthew took his seat behind the black desk, numerous papers covering most of the surface.

“What did ya’ll want to show us?” Applejack curiously asked.

“This,” Matthew answered, holding a sheet of paper in his magic and giving it to Twilight.

The lavender mare took the paper and began reading it aloud. “Scouts have returned from their recon mission. The Prench seem to be using Ponyville as forward operating base. Our findings lead us to believe that the number of civilian causalities is over 1,000. Our scouts managed to find small groups of survivors in the nearby forest. I’m sending them to Canterlot via aerial transportation to ensure their safety. They should arrive by the end of the day. I strongly advise launching as strong of a retaliation we can manage before the Prench get too close to Canterlot. Signed, General Swift Strike.”

Matthew could see the fear in each of the ponies’ eyes, even more worried about their friends and family now that they knew the true extent of the attack. “That was sent about an hour before the Prench continued their assault past Ponyville. My field corps and I will be leaving tomorrow morning, and I’d greatly appreciate it if you six would assist us.”

Twilight looked over to her friends, who each gave her a small but firm nod. “Of course we’ll help you.”
The sun had set about an hour ago, and Luna’s moon was clearly visible in the dark night sky. The aerial transports, pulled by numerous pegasus ponies, had dropped off the ponies that managed to escape Ponyville. The Night Guards brought them into the castle and to the throne room where Celestia, Luna, Matthew, and the mane six waited for them. When all of the ponies were in the throne room, Matthew walked up to one of the guards.

“This is it?” Matthew asked quietly. Right now there about less than fifty ponies in the room.

“This is all of them, sir,” the guard confirmed.

Matthew slowly nodded his head. “Thank you, you can return to your post now.” With that said, the guard pony motioned to the other two guards and they quickly left the room. Matthew now realized that during his short conversation with the guard, the six element bearers had already searched the group for their friends and family. Taking time to look at everypony in the group he realized that Granny Smith, Scootaloo, and the Cake family were missing. For the first time since Matthew met Pinkie, he saw her completely break down crying when she heard that the Cake family was killed during the attack. Applejack cried on her brother’s shoulder when he told her the terrible news, and Rainbow Dash bolted out of the room when she couldn’t find Scootaloo, knowing exactly what it meant.

Walking up to Luna and Celestia, he saw their pained expressions clear as day. “Try not to dwell too much about this,” the gray stallion suggested, his own face filled with sadness. “You both can take comfort in the fact that neither of you are to blame for this.”

“Not to blame?” Celestia questioned. “These are our subjects; of course we’re to blame for this.”

“No,” Matthew challenged. “In case you forgot, I’m the pony in charge of this kingdom’s security. All this blood is on my hooves and mine alone. I couldn’t act fast enough, and they paid the price.” The tired commander let out a heavy sigh, letting silence fill the air around them. After a few minutes, the unicorn silently left the throne room to get some much needed sleep.

Rainbow Dash was sitting at the end of the hallway right outside the throne room with her head in her hooves, sobbing as tears flowed uncontrollably down her face. She heard somepony coming towards her and quickly tried to wipe the tears away, but to no avail. Matthew walked up to the mare and sat down next to her. He felt bad for Rainbow, knowing just how much the little orange filly meant to her.

“I never expected the Prench would have the will to go through the Crystal Mountains,” he sadly told the blue mare next to him. “By the time I found out that they had attacked us, I didn’t have enough time to get soldiers to Ponyville before the Prench.”

“She was just a filly,” Rainbow choked out, fighting to keep herself from bursting into tears.

“I know,” Matthew said. “You should go back in there and be with your friends.”

“No, I can’t let them see me like this,” the rainbow colored pegasus protested.

“Your friends will understand. Pinkie’s in there right now balling her eyes out because she just lost the closest thing she had to a family.” After a minute of silence, Matthew got up. “It’s been a long day for all of us, and right now I need to get some sleep while I can. I think you should too, you look exhausted.” All he got in response was a small nod from the mare. Wasting no more time, the gray stallion retired to his bedroom for the night.

Author's Note

Yet another chapter finished! Before I know it, I'm going to be done with the story. But don't worry, there's still quite a few chapters to go. If you have any suggestions or comments about the story be sure to leave a comment! Thanks to all you people who are taking the time to read this story!

Operation: Vengeance

Celestia, Luna, and Matthew were seated in the dining room enjoying their breakfast. The six element bearers had not yet come down, seeing as it was only eight in the morning and last night had taken a lot out of them. Matthew had been unusually quiet the whole morning, and Luna noticed that the dark colored stallion had barely touched his food.

“Is something bothering you, Matthew?” Luna asked with concern.

Matthew turned his head to face the night princess. “I didn’t quite sleep as well as I would have liked,” he said. “To answer your next question, it was a night filled with some unpleasant memories.”

Before Luna had a chance to further question him, the mane six entered the room. Matthew took immediate notice to the tear stains on Pinkie’s, Applejack’s, and Rainbow Dash’s face. He also noted that Pinkie’s usually poofy hair and tail was now straight.

“How are you all doing this morning?” Celestia asked in a motherly tone.

“To be honest with you, we’re not doing so well,” Twilight answered for herself and her friends. “Seeing how few ponies survived, some of them very close to us, has really hit us hard.”

The sun goddess nodded her head in understanding. Matthew closed his eyes, bitter memories beginning to plague his mind once again. Celestia saw this and asked Matthew a question, hoping to get his mind off of whatever was troubling him. “Matthew, when will everypony be ready to leave for the counter-attack on Ponyville?”

The stallion’s dark blue eyes opened and focused on Princess Celestia. “I and my field corps are ready to leave immediately. We’re just waiting on the Elements of Harmony. It’s been a long time since I got to feel the thrill of battle. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to give my army a final briefing.” He then got up and headed for the door. “These soldiers need a good boost in morale anyway,” he said, just loud enough for the ponies to hear him.

“Are you six sure you’re ready for this?” Celestia asked. “You know you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“We’re the only ones who are strong enough to help everypony,” Rainbow pointed out loudly. “I’m not going to sit on my flank while there are ponies out there getting hurt.”

The goddess could tell that Rainbow Dash wanted nothing short of vengeance for the death of her dear friend. She turned her attention over to the unnaturally quiet pink mare, seated at the very end of the table. Even Pinkie’s friends weren’t used to seeing her in such a depressed state. “What about you, Pinkie Pie?” she asked, an honest look of concern on her face.

“I’ll be ok,” Pinkie weakly replied.
Matthew Harris was outside the castle, the field corps standing at attention while the commander gave his speech.

“As you all know, we have lost Ponyville and civilian casualties are estimated at around a thousand,” Commander Harris started. “I know that right now it seems like we’re going into a losing battle, but I assure you, we will win. Not only do you have me to help guide you, but we have the Elements of Harmony on our side. It is in times of crisis that the strength of this kingdom is tested. We will show our enemies just how strong we are.” When he was finished giving a speech that he hoped would inspire the soldiers, he returned to the inside of the castle to get the Elements of Harmony. However, Luna stopped Matthew just as he was passing his office.

“Matthew, I’d like to talk to you,” Luna said.

The stallion let out an annoyed sigh. “Make it quick.”

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of everypony else, but I’ve been watching your dreams lately,” she admitted.

“What did you see?” he demanded, not even bothering to ask how she was able to do such a thing.

“Enough.”

Matthew had a deep frown on his face, displaying his obvious annoyance at the fact. “My past is my burden to bear, and mine alone. It would do you good to stay out of my head from now on.” Luna was about to further press the matter, but Matthew continued. “Listen, when this war is over, you can bother me all you want. Right now, I’ve got a war to win and a king to murder.” With that said, the dark colored commander walked away from Luna and continued down the hall.
As you can see, our forces are being attacked just south of the Everfree Forest,” Matthew explained to the mane six. They were in a train car heading for a small town near Ponyville. The rest of the field corps was occupying the remaining cars, on their way to a small town outside of Ponyville. They were to be dropped off by the train and then continue to the Everfree Forest on hoof. “Fluttershy, we’re going to need you to see if you can get some of the creatures in that forest on our side. When we get into battle, I’ll need you to guide them. Think you can handle that?”

“Yes, I think so,” the yellow mare quietly answered, hiding behind her mane.

“Good. Rainbow Dash, you’ll be in the air with the rest of our aerial forces maintaining air supremacy. The rest of you will be with me. We’ll be leading our forces into Ponyville from the Everfree Forest. We’ll then be able to surround the enemy and annihilate them easily. If all goes well, Operation: Vengeance will mark the turning point in this war.” Matthew continued going over the battle plan for the operation as they made their way to their destination.

When all of the ponies finally reached the Everfree Forest, Matthew wasted no time getting everypony into position. Fluttershy flew off to try and get the help of the inhabitants of the forest, as directed by Matthew.

“Keep your eyes open, the Prench are sure to have scouts patrolling the area,” Matthew warned his team.

When they finally were at the border between the Everfree and Ponyville, they were met by a large group of Prench soldiers. The Equestrian field corps burst into action, charging the enemy, clearly caught off guard. Matthew was in the front of the battle, fighting off the Prench using his magical and physical strength. Rainbow Dash took to the air along with the other pegasus ponies, where the Equestrians and Prench battled for the airspace. In less than a minute, it had turned into a complete warzone. Most of the Elements of Harmony stayed a respectable distance from most of the fighting, fear getting the better of them. Matthew continued his relentless attacks on the Prench soldiers, firing powerful bolts of raw magic at them and fighting hoof to hoof. The Equestrian army quickly pushed the Prench further and further into Ponyville, much to Matthew’s relief.

The Prench had set up multiple barracks, trenches, and other fixed fortifications throughout the entire town. Knowing that Eqeustria would launch a counter-attack, the Prench army had the fortifications set up as quickly as possible. In Matthew’s opinion, fixed fortifications were a testament to the stupidity of armies. The commander’s opinion was clearly proven as the Equestrian Armed Forces were currently charging through the defenses as if they weren’t even there. As Matthew and his army continued pushing forward, the lifeless bodies of countless soldiers littered the ground. Nothing made the dark commander feel more alive than the thrill of battle.

Matthew had made his way to the center of Ponyville, still fighting off the seemingly endless waves of Prench with his own soldiers by his side. “Keep pushing forward, don’t let any of these bastards out alive!” he roared. He had a few large cuts on his body due to all the fighting, but nothing too severe. Moments later, the gray commander saw a bright light heading straight towards him before everything went black.
Commander Harris slowly opened his eyes, a sharp pain running through his body. Once he had his eyes opened all the way, Matthew took in his surroundings. He was on a bed in a small room filled with various types of medical equipment. Turning his head, he saw a nurse walking in through the doorway.

“Thank Celestia you’re finally awake,” the nurse said.

“What happened?” Matthew demanded, his voice clearly revealing his weakened state.

“From what I’ve heard the doctor say, I believe you were hit by a very powerful burst of magic,” she replied. “By the way, my name’s Nurse Redheart.”

“What sort of injuries do I have?”

“Most of them were just some deep cuts that we had to stitch up. However that blast of magic really did some damage. You’re probably going to find it difficult to walk for at least a week.”

“To hell with that, I have a war to fight,” Matthew argued. Ignoring all of the pain, he managed to get himself out of the bed. He tried to take a step towards the door, but ended up collapsing from the overwhelming amount of pain. It felt like every muscle was on fire. Redheart was close enough to catch Matthew from landing on his face, and laid him back down on the bed.

“Relax, you’ll be out of here before you know it,” Redheart reassured.

Ten minutes passed as Matthew continued to wonder what had happened to the operation. The gray stallion was quickly brought out of his thoughts when he saw a pony enter the room.

“Luna, I was wondering how long it would be until you got here,” Matthew said to the princess. “What was the outcome of the operation?”

“It’s alright Matthew, we’ve taken back Ponyville and the Prench are losing ground,” Luna replied in a soft tone. “Captain Spitfire has been leading our army since you’ve been in the hospital.”

“Spitfire’s as clumsy as she is stupid. And I’m stuck in this fucking bed while every other pony gets to fight this war,” the stallion grumbled. “How are the Elements of Harmony doing?”

“Pinkie still seems to be depressed,” the night goddess informed. “I’m worried about her.”

Matthew’s expression clearly showed that he wasn’t the least bit concerned. “She’ll get over it eventually.”

“I want you to talk to her. You know what it feels like to loose somepony you care about better than any other pony.”

Matthew frowned, not liking the idea one bit. “If you’re so concerned about her, then send her to a psychiatrist, don’t make her my problem.”

“Matthew, Pinkie agreed to help fight for Ponyville even in her current emotional state. You are going to help her,” Luna said, glaring intensely at the gray stallion.

“Fine,” Matthew sighed, not wanting to argue with the mare any longer. “Have the nurse bring me some damn pain killers so I can actually walk out of this prison.”

Author's Note

Hope you liked this chapter. I'll get the next chapter up on the site as soon as I can.

The Middle Game

Matthew had left the military hospital in Ponyville and was walking around, taking a look at the damage the town had suffered from the battle. The commander had a slight limp in his walk as a result of his injuries. Luckily for him, the pain medicine he was given managed to keep most of the pain at bay. Matthew walked into the ruined Sugarcube Corner, which was still standing even after all the damage the structure had taken.

“I had a feeling you’d be here,” Matthew said as a pink mare sitting in the trashed lobby looked up at the source of voice.

“What do you want?” Pinkie Pie asked weakly.

Matthew could see the pain and depression on Pinkie’s face clear as day. “I’ve seen that look before. It was the same one I had when I lost my parents.” This earned a confused, but curious glance from Pinkie. “You see, my father was the commander of the empire before me and my mother might as well have been second in command. We were at war with another empire, and they made the first strike. They attacked us at our capital. I watched helplessly as my mother and father was killed before my very eyes.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel any better?” the sad mare quietly questioned.

“That’s for you to decide, not me,” he replied. “I was forced to take command of my father’s empire when I was only twenty-five years old. After I buried my parents, I made a terrible mistake. I went down a dark path and did things I’m not proud about. The difference between us is that you have friends who want to help you through this.”

“Does the pain every go away?”

Matthew sighed. “After a while you get used to it. It will never go away entirely, but it does get better. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check how things are going with the rest of the troops.”

Walking out of Sugarube Corner, Matthew was met by General Swift Strike. The general was a forty year old unicorn. He had a white coat and black mane. Strike had a neutral look on his face, meaning that bad news was unlikely.

“Sir, Princess Celestia has ordered that you return to Canterlot immediately,” he informed.

“Of course she has,” Matthew muttered. “Fine, I was going to head back with the Elements anyway.”

"I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Matthew,” Celestia said as the gray pony entered the throne room.

Matthew still had a slight limp in his walk as he approached Celestia. “I’ll be ‘well’ when I can get back into the fight,” he bitterly replied. “For now I’ll have to settle with just commanding our forces and wait until we get closer to their capital.”

“Wait for what?”

“To end what King Forte started,” Matthew replied darkly. “That’s why I brought the Elements back with me. When the time is right, we will slip into their capital and wipe out their chain of command.”

Celestia frowned, knowing that Matthew meant he would kill not only the Prench king, but every other pony that helped run their nation. “I want you to capture them alive,” she firmly stated. “You are not to kill King Forte or any other pony in the primary chain of command.”

“I’ll do my best, but no promises. One way or another, they will pay for the crimes they have committed against us. In the past I’ve always found execution to be the easiest and most effective method. Haven’t you ever executed a pony?”

“I have never killed a pony, and I’m not going to start now,” Celestia stated.

“Well I guess that explains your militaristic incompetence. But I assure you there will come a time when you will be forced to kill a pony to protect those you care about.” Having had enough of the conversation, Matthew turned to leave. “Fucking pacifist,” he muttered, making sure the princess didn’t hear his remark.

“One last thing Matthew,” Celestia called out, causing Matthew to lazily turn his head back. “You need to make a public address to the ponies about what’s been happening. They want to know who it is that’s leading their army.” Matthew simply nodded and left the room.

Captain Spitfire was waiting outside the throne room for her commander. “I take it the meeting didn’t go well.”

“Apparently I need to inform the public of what’s been going on lately,” Matthew said, a deep frown on his face.

Two weeks had passed since Matthew delivered his short address to the ponies of Equestria. Equestria had pushed all of Prance’s forces out of the kingdom and were quikcly taking land away from the Prench. Matthew knew that it was only a matter of time before King Forte realized that he and his nation was doomed.

Luna’s moon glowed in the night sky as the ponies staying in Canterlot Castle gathered for dinner. To the relief of everypony, Pinkie had finally returned to her usual spontaneous self after moving on with the death of the Cakes. During the meal, Matthew had a small grin on his face as he ate. For Celestia, it was just big enough for her to take notice.

“What’s got you in such a good mood tonight?” the sun goddess asked the commander.

“Thinking of what I’m going to do that son of a bitch Forte when I get my hooves on him,” Matthew chuckled. Celestia frowned, knowing that Matthew was dead set on killing Forte, whether she approved of it or not.

“What do you intend on doing to him?” Luna questioned.

“Give him what he deserves; a slow and agonizing death. The only problem we’re going to have is what to do with the rest of Prance once we kill Forte.” Just as Matthew finished his sentence, Captain Spitfire came up to him holding a sheet of paper with the day’s reports on it. As he quickly looked over the report, a frown formed on his muzzle.

“As you can see sir, our eastern corps is having trouble keeping up with the rest of the army,” Spitfire told him.

“Who’s in charge of that corps?”

“Lieutenant General Rolling Thunder.”

“Inform him he has three days to get his corps on schedule or I’ll have him thrown in the darkest dungeon I can find,” the gray unicorn calmly instructed. Spitfire silently nodded and left the room. When Matthew saw the shocked looks of the mane six, he spoke up. “Relax; I wouldn’t actually throw him into a dungeon. I’m just encouraging him to do a better job is all.”

“Well he doesn’t know that,” Twilight accused.

“Trust me; he’ll lose his fear of the Prench upon hearing that. I just hope he never loses his fear of me. Anyways, aside from the minor setback with our eastern corps, our army is making excellent progress pushing their way through Prance. I’d say that in a few more weeks, we’ll have Prance’s capital surrounded,” Matthew told her, grinning darkly.

“Well that’s good,” the lavender mare said. “Once this horrible war is over we’ll all be able to go back to our normal lives.”

It was in that moment that Matthew’s grin fell as bitter realization hit him. This war would not last forever. It would be another time of peace and all he would be able to do is just wait for another crisis to occur. In a time of war, the commander could keep a usually calm and rational mind set. But in a time of peace, paranoia tended to get the better of him, and as a result he would often get unpleasant. Matthew knew that Celestia was putting up with his whole ruthless attitude simply because she needed him right now. However, if he were to get out of line in a time of peace, he had no doubt that Celestia would get rid of him in a heartbeat.

“Are you alright Matthew?” Luna asked worriedly.

Quickly snapping out of his thoughts, Matthew turned his attention towards Luna. “I’m… fine. I just need to get some air.” Not even bothering for a response from any of the ponies, he quickly left the room. Unbeknownst to the gray unicorn though, Luna quietly followed him out.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked as she approached Matthew in his bedroom. After a minute of silence, the night princess tried again. “Come on, you know you can talk to me. What’s wrong?”

The gray pony looking out the window sighed. “All my life I’ve almost always had something to push against, an enemy to fight. But when this war ends, I’m afraid that there won’t be another enemy.” He spoke in a slow quiet tone, trying to figure out how to word this best. “The last time there was an extended period of peace, I nearly went insane. I got paranoid and nearly started a few wars because of it. If I were to do something like that here, your sister wouldn’t hesitate to fire me.”

“I promise I would never let something like that happen to you,” Luna tried to reassure, walking up to him.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Matthew replied. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and find a way to keep my sanity when this war is over.”

“I’m sure you will. There’s a lot more to life than just fighting you know. Who knows, maybe you could even find a mare.”

Matthew raised his eyebrow at Luna’s last comment. “I suppose that just about anything’s possible. If I was told a year ago that when I died I would wake up in the body of a pony, I would have called that person insane. Yet here I am.”

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom flew open and Captain Spitfire ran in. “Commander, we’ve just received a message from King Forte himself,” she informed as she handed the paper to Matthew.

Matthew quickly read through it as Luna patiently waited for him to tell her what the document said. When he finished reading the document, Matthew did something that shocked both the mares in the room: he started laughing. “Is this a joke?” he asked Spitfire.

“No sir, this is legitimate.”

“What does it say?” Luna demanded.

“It says that Forte wishes to surrender unconditionally to us,” Matthew answered, a wicked grin on his face. “I guess he realizes that there’s no way he can win this war.”

“So how will we accept his surrender?” the night princess asked the stallion.

“We won’t.”

“What?”

“That son of a bitch started this war, invaded Equestria, killed thousands of innocent ponies, and now that he’s losing he wants to surrender? Oh no, there is no way in hell I am letting him get off that easy.”

“You’re going to ignore his surrender just because you think he doesn’t deserve it?”

“Yes,” Matthew bluntly said. “This war will not end until I have killed Forte and his castle lies in ruins.” He quickly turned his attention to Spitfire. “Captain, you are not to breath word of this message to anypony else, not even Celestia. Is that understood?” The yellow pegasus nodded her head and Matthew signaled for her to leave. Once Matthew and Luna were alone, the gray unicorn resumed his conversation. “We must present a very clear picture of force to not just Prance, but to any other nation that considers going to war with us. We make every nation who challenges us think twice before they decide to do what Forte did. But I can’t let Celestia know about this. If she found out, she would stop all military operations and I’d be sitting on my ass doing nothing for who knows how long.” Matthew looked Luna in her eyes, his expression filled with hope. “I need you to trust me to end this my way, I’m begging you.”

Luna sighed as she thought over her current options. Each decision had its own consequence, and neither of them was any better than the other. “I’m sorry Matthew, but I have to tell Tia about something this important. Besides, think of how many ponies would die if this war was to continue any longer than it has to.”

Matthew felt all of his hopes die right in front of him. His expression died into disappointment, seeing his hopes destroyed so easily. “Well then, you should let your sister know about this then,” he said gloomily, handing her Forte’s message.

“Aren’t you going to?”

“I have no desire to speak with her right now, or any other pony for that matter.” The gray commander started walking towards his bed. When he reached the bed, he gave a half hearted chuckle. “And I thought this war would fill that void inside me like it used to. Yet another war will come to an end and with it my usefulness to the kingdom.”

Luna felt sorry for the poor pony. After all, war was the only thing Matthew really knew. But regardless, Luna always put the ponies of Equestria first. She silently left the room to talk to Celestia.

Author's Note

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but I've been really busy with school lately. I'll try and get the next chapter up as quickly as I can. Let me know if there are any grammatical mistakes. I think there might be a few that I missed.

The Endgame

Over the next few days, Matthew Harris slowly started slipping into a depressed state. Celestia had told the commander that their soldiers were to stop their advance and hold the line until told otherwise. King Forte would be arriving at Canterlot in two more days to officially surrender to Equestria. Matthew increased the security around Canterlot in case Forte tried to pull anything. The stallion would never tell anypony, but he secretly hoped that Forte would try and attack them, just so he would have a reason to kill the bastard. The news went over well for most of the armed forces, but a few of the officers were not happy to hear that their recent efforts would be rendered meaningless. General Swift Strike was one of the ponies not happy with the news, which he made very clear in a letter to Harris.

With all due respect, these orders are a complete insult to not only me, but to my soldiers as well. I’m supposed to tell them that we can stop now that the Prench have agreed to play nice? If we’ve won, then why aren’t we in Prance’s capital? I do not agree with these orders, but since they do come from you, I suppose I have to obey. I beg of you, do not accept Forte’s surrender.
General Swift Strike

This letter was met with an immediate response back from the commander. Matthew decided that Strike deserved to know his own opinion towards the decision.

I understand your disappointment hearing these orders, but I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. I have been given orders by Celestia herself to stop our advance into Prance until directed otherwise. Believe me, I want nothing more than to completely conquer Prance and execute Forte, but the princess will not allow it when the matter can be solved diplomatically. It pains me to say this, general, but the war is over. I appreciate everything you’ve done for this kingdom, and I will make sure your exceptional leadership is noticed. If it helps, take comfort in the fact that peace doesn’t last forever. There will come another time when our kingdom will have to go to war.
Commander Matthew Harris

Deciding to get out of the office after spending four consecutive hours in the one room, Matthew left to walk around the castle. When he reached the gardens he saw six familiar ponies already there, enjoying the sun and warm weather.

“What the hell are you six still doing here?” Matthew asked as he approached them. “Surely you’re aware that Forte’s going to surrender in two more days.”

“We know, but we decided to stay just in case Forte tries to pull any tricks,” Twilight replied.

“Hate to disappoint you, but that coward isn’t going to be pulling any tricks,” he replied bitterly. “If I had it my way, I would kill him the moment he got here. But apparently that’s frowned upon in this society,” the stallion grumbled.

Pinkie Pie started jumping up and down. “We should have a big party for when he gets here! We could make cake, decorate the castle! It would be super duper fun!”

Matthew simply frowned at Pinkie’s comment, not even bothering to acknowledge her with any more than a facial expression. “What I’d give for the Changelings to try and invade Equestria again,” he muttered. “I need to find something to occupy my time now that there won’t be a war to fight. The war’s not even officially over and I’m already getting a bit restless.”

“Why not try your hoof at dating, darling?” Rarity suggested, overhearing the conversation.

“What is it with you ponies and romance?” he asked. “What makes relationships so damn good? I don’t see any one of you in a relationship.”

“That’s simply because we haven’t found the right pony yet,” the white unicorn quickly replied.

“Well did it ever occur to you that there simply isn’t anypony out there that interests me?”

“What about Princess Luna? From what I’ve seen, though I admit not much, you seem to have really taken a liking to her.”

Matthew silently thought about this, as no immediate response could come to his head. He and Luna got along quite well for the most part. She had stood by him through most of the war, until Forte said that he wished to surrender. The blacked maned commander wasn’t that familiar with love, but he wasn’t blind. He realized what Rarity saw between them. Finally figuring that he had more to gain than to lose, Matthew made his decision. “Fine, I’ll take your advice.”

“Really?” Rarity questioned, finding it hard to believe that the stallion had actually listened to her. “What in Equestria made that so easy?”

“The fact that when this war is officially over there will be little chance for another major conflict to occur. So it’s either try your idea, or go insane. I’d prefer to keep my sanity.”

“So when are you going to make a move?” Twilight asked him.

“After Forte surrenders,” he quickly answered. “As far as I’m concerned, Forte is still a threat to this kingdom until he has surrendered. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to take care of something.”
In Matthew’s office were two Pegasus ponies apart of the elite division of the armed forces. The commander was behind his desk as the two ponies waited patiently for an explanation as to why they were there.

“King Forte will be arriving here in two days to surrender to us,” Matthew started. “The princesses are fine with letting the bastard live, but I need him dead.”

“With all due respect sir, you’re asking us to commit treason,” one of the soldiers said.

“Bright Light, I am well aware of what I’m asking of you both, but this has to be done. Forte is too dangerous to this kingdom to be left alive. There is no telling what could happen if he is not killed. I need you two to ensure Forte does not make it back to Prance.”

The two ponies looked at each other for a moment, and then turned their heads back to their commander. “How can we be of service sir?”

“You will intercept Forte’s chariot once it is a good distance away from Canterlot and any other cities. Knock out the ponies flying the king’s chariot, causing it to crash with him still inside it. Do not leave any evidence that could trace back to either of you. If you are caught, I will do everything in my power to ensure the princesses do not find out about my involvement,” he warned darkly. “You two were held in high regards by your commanding officers for your raw talent. Don’t let me down.” Matthew motioned for the two ponies to leave his office. They nodded their heads and left without another word. Having finished going over his covert operation, Matthew decided to see what the princesses were up to.

Princess Celestia and Luna were in the throne room talking to each other over the recent events. The main subject was of Matthew’s recent depression. It worried not only Luna, but Celestia as well.

“I don’t know what to do sister,” Luna sighed. “I can’t think of a single thing that could brighten Matthew’s mood.”

“Don’t worry Lulu; I’m sure his mood will improve in time,” Celestia reassured. “He just needs to find something to get his mind off of Forte and war.”

“But what?” the younger princess groaned.

“How about the two of you go out for dinner?” she suggested. “It would do him some good to get out of the castle for a while.”

“Your highnesses,” Matthew greeted as he entered the throne room, causing Luna to jump slightly.

“Yes, Matthew?” Celestia calmly asked.

“I was curious as to why you’re letting the Elements of Harmony continue to stay here in the castle,” he told the sun goddess. “Shouldn’t we send them home to help rebuild their town?”

“He does have a point, sister,” Luna said. “I think they would be more useful if they were helping rebuild Ponyville.”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “Was there anything else you wanted?” she asked Matthew.

“I will be present for negotiating the terms of Forte’s surrender.”

“That is highly unorthodox,” Celestia pointed out.

“I am the sole reason he surrendered,” Matthew countered. “If it weren’t for me you two would be at his mercy. You both lack the ability to fight a war, and I seriously doubt either of you know how to end one.”

Celestia ignored the multiple insults and kept a neutral expression. “Very well, you can be present for his surrender, but we will decide on the terms of Forte’s surrender.”

“Fair enough." The gray and black pony left the room without another word, a dark grin on his face. If everything went according to plan, Forte would never make it back to Prance.

Author's Note

Things are going to get very interesting in the next chapter! I'll try and get it done as quickly as I can.

No Loose Ends

Today was the day King Forte would be arriving at Canterlot to discuss the terms of him and his country’s surrender. Matthew was waiting patiently outside the castle gates for the king’s arrival. When King Forte’s chariot finally arrived, Matthew felt the strong urge to kill him the moment he got out. The white and blue unicorn known as King Forte was wearing silver armor and a gold crown. Forte’s red eyes focused immediately on Harris.

“You’re the one who is responsible for my defeat?” the king asked mockingly the shorter commander, a good four inches taller. Matthew’s frown never left his face. He motioned for Forte to follow him into the castle and told his guards to stay outside. “I was expecting a pony of your reputation to be older.”

Harris stopped walking and turned to face Forte. “Listen here you son of a bitch,” he hissed. “The only reason you’re alive is because I am allowing it.”

“I’m alive because your princesses won’t let you kill me,” he retorted.

“Do you really think that I would let somepony like Celestia stop me from killing you if I really wanted to? I’m not going to kill you myself because you are nothing more than a coward who’s not even worth my effort.” Matthew and Forte were less than an inch away from each other’s faces, both of them glaring daggers. “I am going to make it my mission to take everything that gives your pathetic excuse for a life any meaning.”

When the two ponies reached the throne room, the princesses could see the tension between them. Celestia was the first to speak up once Matthew was standing beside Luna’s throne.

“King Forte, I’m glad we can finally put an end to this war before any more lives are lost,” the sun princess began. “That is of course, if you agree to our terms for your surrender.”

“What are they?” Forte asked, keeping his voice level.

“Prance will fall under the control of Equestria until we install a government we deem fit. You will be striped of rank as king and will be tried in court for your numerous crimes against the kingdom,” Matthew told him in a professional manner. “I’d say you’re probably looking at life in a maximum security prison with no chance for parole.”

“And if I refuse to these terms?”

Celestia was about to speak, but Matthew spoke up faster. “Then I’ll just kill you here and now, and we’ll still take temporary control of Prance.”

Seeing no other options, Forte let out a heavy sigh. “Fine, I accept your terms.”

Princess Luna gave Forte a document for him to sign, making his surrender official. Once signed, Forte wasted no time leaving to return back to Prance to inform his nation. Luckily for Matthew, the ponies that would be intercepting Forte were already waiting for him just outside of Canterlot.

Two ponies hurried into Matthew’s office. They were the ones who were assigned with the task of killing King Forte before he made it back to Prance. When Matthew saw them enter, he wasted no time getting straight to business.

“Is he dead?” the gray stallion demanded.

“Yes sir, we knocked out the ponies flying his chariot and it crashed about a mile outside of Canterlot,” Bright Light informed.

“Good, I will inform the princesses of Forte’s accident immediately.”

“Sir?” Bright Light asked, wondering what the commander was thinking. “Wasn’t the point of this little operation to ensure the princesses didn’t find out?”

“The point of the operation was to ensure that they don’t find out that I had anything to do with his death. Withholding information of his death would certainly raise suspicion,” Matthew explained. “You two are free to leave.”

Matthew entered the throne room once again to see Celestia and Luna in a deep conversation about something. The conversation was cut short the moment they noticed the commander’s presence and waited for him to speak.

“Your highnesses, I regret to inform you that King Forte’s chariot crashed on his return to Prance. From the reports describing the wreckage, there are no survivors,” he said. “I will be leaving immediately to see the wreckage for myself.”

“I’ll be coming with you,” Celestia stated as she got up and walked towards Matthew. “I want to see this as well.”
King Forte’s chariot had crashed in an open field far away from any towns or cities. The chariot was now nothing more than a bunch of twisted metal and broken wood. There was a group of guards inspecting the wreckage in an attempt to figure out what happened. When Matthew and Celestia got to the site, the stallion immediately noticed that the bodies of Forte and the ponies flying the chariot had been moved. The two ponies flying the chariot were a bloody and disfigured mess. Numerous bones were sticking out and body parts were severely dislocated. Forte’s body was in worse shape the other two. Forte’s body had just as many protruding bones as the flyers, but his head was split open.

“Well this sure is one hell of a mess,” Matthew stated emotionlessly. “I don’t know how we’re even going to be able to determine what happened here.” He turned to one of the ponies in charge of the inspection team as Celestia walked over to the wreckage. “So what have you found so far?”

“Well sir, what you see is what you’ve got,” the bright orange mare replied. “Except for this,” she added, handing Matthew what he presumed to be a letter, covered in Forte’s blood. Matthew took a quick glance at Celestia and saw that she wasn’t paying any attention to him. He opened the letter and began silently reading it.

Our numbers are rising at an exceptional rate. Your army is to thank for this. I will contact you once we are ready to make our move.

Matthew handed the letter back to the mare. “When you get back, I want that on my desk. I want this kept between you and me, nopony else,” he quietly instructed, making sure Celestia didn’t hear him. The mare nodded and put the note away in one the bags she was carrying. The gray and black unicorn then made his way over to Celestia, who was searching through the wreckage of the chariot. “Looking for something?” Matthew asked.

“Did you have anything to do with this?” Celestia demanded, staring him dead in the eyes.

“No,” he replied. “I still have unanswered questions that only he could answer.” Letting out a sigh, Matthew looked around for a moment. “I don’t think there’s any reason for us to stay here any longer. These ponies will tell me everything they find at the end of the day.” Celestia gave Matthew an unconvinced look. Matthew knew at that moment that she knew what he’d done.

“What’s done is done,” Celestia said. “But if you do something like this ever again and defy a direct order, I will have you arrested and charged with treason,” she warned. “And don’t ever lie to me again.”

Matthew’s neutral expression never changed. “I don’t regret what I did, and I would do it again if I had to. Forte was only the beginning. He was working with another pony when he started this war. I want a list of every enemy Equestria has ever had when we get back to Canterlot.”

When Matthew and Celestia returned to Canterlot, the princess quickly composed a list and description of all the enemies Equestria had. Matthew went over the list multiple times, trying to figure out which of the numerous enemies could have been working with Forte and why. After hours of analyzing the list, Matthew was finally ready to speak with the princesses.

“Your highnesses,” Matthew said as he entered the throne room. “I have determined that this unknown enemy is one of two ponies. Our focus will be on Queen Chrysalis and Starswirl the Bearded. Since it’s impossible for me to tell which of the two it is, we’ll search for both of them.”

“Matthew, Chrysalis was defeated and Starswirl has been dead for over a thousand years,” Celestia pointed out.

“Chrysalis was defeated, but she was not killed. That means that since her defeat, she’s probably been working on a way to get revenge. And according to all known records, Starswirl disappeared before you could confront him about his actions against the kingdom. Don’t you think that he’s still alive, seeing that he was the pony who mastered time travelling spells?”

“Well how do you suggest we find them?” Celestia impatiently demanded.

“I’ll have scout teams start searching throughout the kingdom and surrounding areas. I’m going to bet that the Changelings are hiding out either in the Badlands or the Crystal Mountains. As for where Starswirl could be, I don’t have the slightest clue. I’ll keep you posted on our progress with this search.”

Both the princesses noticed Matthew’s troubled look on his face as he left. It was clear that it would be near impossible to find Starswirl if he was still alive and it was clearly bothering the hell out of the commander. Luckily, Luna had an idea to help Matthew.

Author's Note

One more chapter! I'm going to try and get the last chapter in as quickly as possible. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you haven't already, leave a like. It makes my day!

Epilogue: A Night Out

Matthew and Luna were having dinner in one of Canterlot’s finest restaurants, the Starlight. Throughout the dinner though, many ponies were shooting the commander dirty looks. Halfway through the meal, Matthew finally decided to ask Luna about it.

“Why exactly do these ponies appear to be pissed off at me?” he asked, quiet enough so nopony around them could hear.

“Let’s just say the press hasn’t been holding you in the highest regards lately,” Luna nervously replied. Matthew frowned at this, but allowed the princess to continue. “They’re trying to blame you for Forte’s death, even though they can’t prove it. When the Prench pushed all the way to Ponyville, the newspapers were doubtful of your abilities and I think some ponies still are.”

“Celestia made it very clear to the everpony that Forte’s death was unconfirmed, but the Equestrian military had nothing to do with it and that includes me. I’ve read what they’ve all said about me.” Matthew’s frown grew deeper as he remembered the numerous articles focused on making him look like a psychopath. “The publicity I have been getting, a good deal of which is untrue, and the rest of it ill considered, has done me more harm than good. You think they’d be more grateful considering I saved this kingdom from a fucking invasion.”

“Well you could always be more involved with the public and attend some of the celebrations that are coming up,” Luna suggested, hoping the stallion sitting across the table from her would agree. “That would certainly help how other ponies think about you.”

“I don’t care enough to go out of my way to make these ponies like me and even if I did, I’ve got more important problems to deal with.”

“Don’t worry about it so much,” Luna urged. “If the changelings are planning an attack, we’ll be ready for them.”

“It’s not the changelings that I’m worried about,” Matthew stated. “It’s the possibility that Starswirl could be the one getting ready for an attack.” For the first time Luna could see fear in the gray pony’s eyes. Though it was well disguised, Luna could see through his mask. “There would be absolutely no way for me to predict when or how he would attack us. That scares me.”

“The odds that Starswirl is still alive are about a million to one,” the night princess reassured. “For now you should just relax for a little and enjoy our victory.”

“Victory? Luna, this war is not over just yet. As long as there is still another player involved this war is still going. And make no mistake; we can still lose this war.”

The rest of the dinner went by quickly, the two ponies talking about nothing in particular the rest of the time. Luna made sure to avoid talking about anything related to work. After all, the whole point of this night out of the castle was to help Matthew relax and not worry too much about the recent events. Though Matthew would never admit it to anypony other than Luna, he had enjoyed having dinner with the young princess.

On the way back to the castle, Luna decided to bring up Matthew’s past. “You said that when we had beaten Prance you would talk to me about your past.”

As Luna had expected, Matthew’s soft smile immediately fell. “You've seen most of my dreams, you should know quite enough already.”

“I’ve only seen the memories that are plaguing you,” she clarified. “I want to know your whole story, which means not just the things you’re not proud of.”

The black maned stallion sighed. “It would be easier to just show you than to try and explain everything. How about I show you when you visit me in my dreams tonight?”

Luna smiled, happy that Matthew was finally willing to open up to her. “That sounds perfect.”

When the time came to show Luna his past, he would make sure he only showed what was necessary. There were some parts of Matthew’s past he didn’t want anypony to know about and he intended to keep it that way. Matthew let a smile return to his face. Finding the kingdom’s unknown enemy could wait until tomorrow. He was having a nice evening with the alicorn and he was more relaxed now than he had ever been in quite a long time.

Author's Note

Finally finished! Hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it! I will be making a sequel to this very soon, so keep an eye out for it. Any suggestions to make my future stories better would be appreciated. So long for now!