Equestria's Supreme Commander

The six of us stepped off the train in Ponyville-the order being Twilight's parents, Applejack and Rainbow, and finally Twilight and me- and the first thing I experienced in Ponyville was a punch in the jaw from a dragon. Yeah, you think it hurts bad, but it's worse than it sounds. Trust me. "Fuck," I exclaimed as I rubbed my jaw to make sure it wasn't dislocated. Thankfully, it wasn't.

"Spike!" Twilight yelled. "What was that for?!"

"What?" Spike replied. "The girls told me what you told them about the Empire. That was for making you strip!"

"So we could get Cadence out of there," Twilight said. She turned to face Pinkie and Fluttershy, the other members of the Elements who hadn't been kidnapped. "I thought you guys told him that."

"We did, Twilight," Fluttershy said, her voice barely audible. "But, well, Spike was mad."

"Eh, don't blame him," I said. "I'd probably react the same way."

"I know I nearly destroyed the living room when I heard about it," Night Light said.

"Hey, she could have proposed her own plan," I said in a defensive tone. "Blame me not that she went with mine when she could have made her own."

Twilight shrugged, and her reply got looks from each of us. "I don't see why it's a big deal. I liked it, anyways."

"Uh, what?" I asked, pretty sure I had just voided our collective thought. "Care to run that by us again?"

Twilight blushed as she replied. "Yeah," she said as she rubbed the back of her head. "You see, I'm actually a bit of a. . .well, a nudist." And parent confusion mixed with outrage, go.

"What?!" Night Light yelled. "When did his happen?!"

"There goes my right ear," I muttered.

"Honey, does it really matter?" Velvet asked her husband. "If Twily likes it, who are we to judge?"

"I'm not worried about that," Night said. "I'm worried about Spike!"

The dragon, who I just noticed was wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts, rolled his eyes. "Mom, dad-" noted, this version has Spike sees Twilight as a sister- "she's been like this since a few weeks after we first moved here due to the heat wave."

"Oh, I remember that one," Pinkie said cheerfully. "I was able to open a snow cone stand. I definitely got a lot of business that week."

"It still open?" I asked.

"Yeparoonie," Pinkie said.

"Anyway," Spike said, "I know I don't look it-" I forgot to mention he's about the height of a ten year old- "but I am seventeen. Dragons, when not on a greed rampage, just grow slower than ponies, and you forget-Twilight and I lived in the same castle as Blueblood. We agreed that as long as we don't get in each others way, we wouldn't tell the others."

"Tell them what?" I asked. "Because I think everyone knows you have a crush on Rarity, Spike. Before you ask and knock my jaw off, Rarity told me in the Empire before everything went to hell."

"Actually, I'm over that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then I will not inquire further," I said. "Now, can we get into a tantrum later?" I asked Night, getting a slight chuckle from Velvet. "I don't know about you guys, but I need some sleep. Been interrogating the prisoners all night with no sleep."

"Then I guess we'd better get to the castle," Twilight said with a hint of nervousness. "I guess we'll see you guys later, then."

"See ya, Twi," Rainbow said. "Don't anything let hang out, Kay?" A chuckle out of Pinkie, Fluttershy hiding in her hair, and a roll of the eyes from Applejack later, she added, "Seriously, though, Egghead, see ya later."

"Same," Applejack said. "Need ta get back ta the farm."

"And I need to go feed my animals," Fluttershy said, and, with that, the three of them left.

"You guys go on ahead to the castle," Twilight said. "I need to see if anypony's gone missing here."

"Right," Spike said. "So, castle first, or somewhere else."

"Castle," Night, Velvet, and I said at the same time.

"Then come on," Spike said, and we followed him.

On the way there, I got two message alerts. One from Twilight, and from you know who. I opened his first.

Displaced, or whatever you decided to go by, I require help. An ally of mine, who is not a merchant, needs something built, something I can not make. If you are willing to help, the blueprints are in the message. Until next time. Okay, then. So, I looked at the blueprint. Why does it look like a horseshoe crab? Meh, if someone wants it built and an ACU's needed, I guess it must be important.

ACU, construct new diagram, designate- I looked at the blueprint for the name- Liset. The order was received, and that name seems familiar, just can't place it. Oh well. The one from Twilight was, in short, her saying that none had been taken form Ponyville at the moment. Well, I guess that's one upside to everything right now.

You still with Pinkie? I asked Twilight over the link we had via the augments.

Yeah. Why?

Ask her if one of the flavors from her snow cone stand's blue raspberry, I said. Been a while since I've had one, and that's my favorite flavor.

I'll ask, then, she said.

Thanks.

No problem, Josh.

With that, it was only a few minutes until the four of us made it to the castle, Twilight arriving after we had gotten in, and her parents and I had chosen our rooms. Given the fact Twilight and I had just started our relationship, I went with the guest room next to hers on the right, Spike already having the room to the left.

I didn't have much luggage, none, really, so I just jumped onto the bed, and took a nap. One interrupted, according to my HUD's clock, about an hour after it began. There was a knock on my door, one to which I replied, "Come in." The door opened and, as I had my eyes closed, I didn't see who it was, but I did recognize the voice. Really wish Twilight had put some kind of spell on the castle now.

"Now, I can kill you, demon," Celestia said , causing me to open my eyes, and see her with a sword in hand and poised to strike.

Deceiver group one, transports! Destination, Ponyville!