Equestria's Supreme Commander

So, like I said, I'd pick my story back up where it's relevant and actually moves the story forward, and that's what I'm going to do.

It's been a week since I arrived, and both my Cybran and Aeon, desert and arctic, respectively, with both being built in a similar fashion, which is to say compartmentalized by tech levels. I had discovered that magic of any kind triggered the radar systems about three days prior to this, when a single unicorn explorer was at the edge of the range of a tech one system. And I had tech three radar. I had also detected some changeling magic, albeit at extreme tech three range, so I knew that each magic had a new signature, in terms of species. I had also rarely left my ACU, it having systems to keep the pilot as healthy as possible, but I did get out a little to stretch, which is when I found out I was fully Cybran, as I still had my ACU HUD in my sight. I guess that could help later on.

Anyway, I was out on a light run in the tech one area of the base when an alert came on over the HUD. Unknown magic signature detected near Fort Ramses- I am atheist, so I went with the closest figure I could from the bible, but was also real; hence, Ramses the Great- Course of action recommended.

Joy. Good thing I have a Spy Plane there. So I sent it in from a high altitude in the direction of said signature, as well as one over the Crystal Empire, the latter arriving first.

Okay, so, it looks like their's a shield over it, so probably hostile. Not changelings- wait what's that? Image enhance, focus on the city. The image from the spy plane did so, and I did not like what I saw, even if it was barely at good resolution due to distance. Still I could easily tell what it was. Which simply made the second Spy Plane's images worse. The images from the second Plane, the first one I had ordered to move off the patrol path, showed me an army a few miles away from the Empire, attempting to use stealth spells to approach my base- Nope.- and said army was the Caribou. Okay, how should I get a message to Celestia- I know. "Access build cue for land and air factory one. Construct tech one Hunter and tech one transport, with Hunter having message in pony magic signature saying 'Princess Celestia, I am sure you have heard of me, but right now, the Caribou have taken the Crystal Empire, corrupting the Crystal Heart and using mind control on its citizens. Whether or not you like me, if you wish to ensure the Caribou do not fully take Equestria over, you will not send forces North, as I already have a base there.' End Message. Once construction of once is completed, Hunter will board transport, which will drop off in Canterlot Gardens, then self destruct after returning one quarter a mile to base."

"Orders received."

"Spy Plane Three, hover over Fort Ramses. Camera, switch to view of Spy Plane Three."

"Understood," the AI system said before the camera view, in the upper left part of my sight, changed to an arctic one, all of Ramses in view as I made my way to my ACU. One interesting thing was that there was a ladder I could use to get back to the control center. Once in, I strapped myself in, and directed my secret weapons to hold a few miles away from the Empire, should they be needed. At max speed, it would take about thirty minutes for the Hunter to reach Canterlot, and double that for the Caribou to reach Ramases, so I had some time- what the fuck am I seeing? What I was seeing was a large crystal. . . thing shaped like a colossus, almost as large as the Galactic colossus. Damn it. "Czars One and Two, reposition over Ramses, and deploy all Gunships and bombers. Take hostile construct designate 'Colossus' out."

The orders were received, and I decided to get involved personally. Curse the long charge time on the teleporter. Only reason it was quick the first time was, if i had to guess, the ambient magic from Tirek, which was not here. Fortunately, my base was meant to hold, with point defenses, shields, artillery, auto aiming tactical missiles, would have been handy in the original and FA, that's for sure, which meant I could select a moving target, and it would actually track like those from SupCom 2.

Well, I'll let Twilight cover for now, because now, it was just me waiting.

Twilight-1st

Right. So, I was with Princess Celestia and Luna in Canterlot, working on negotiations with the Griffons. Cadence, with what she told us at the time, wasn't able to come because of last minute stuff. Which, when you look at it from a certain point of view, she was being honest. Any way, the three of us were taking a break during the negotiation intermission when Josh's Hunter arrived in the Gardens. Literally everypony but Luna and Celestia freaked out, and we, along with the Guards in the castle, made our way there, magical shields up to protect from its fire, which, really, wasn't needed, as it was idling. Somehow, it knew when we came out, and that's when it transmitted his message.

"No," Celestia whispered. "The Caribou are extinct."

"Apparently not, sister," Luna said. "I agree that the Demon may be a threat to our subjects but the Caribou are even worse. Do you not remember the first time they invaded? We barely pushed them back."

"The Caribou invaded before," I asked, shocked. I had learned a little about them during my time as Celestia's student, and I knew what the Caribou stood for.

"Indeed they did," Celestia said. "But that's not important right now. What is, though, is this thing thinks it can fool us into thinking the Empire was captured without a fight, and that the Caribou are still alive. Twilight?"

"Yes, Princess," I said.

"Would you mind going to the Empire to prove it is lying. If he is, I'm sure Shining Armor and Cadence will be happy to see you."

"Of course," I said before I teleported away. Oh, I wish I hadn't said yes.

Josh-1st

This is where I come back in. Just before the charging was done, which is when the ACU, with me in it, would automatically teleport to where I had designated, just outside the Empire, I picked up something from Ramses' radar that indicated a teleport into the Empire. So this may have just turned into a rescue mission? I can go with that.

And, just like that, I was in the arctic, a few ACU feet away from the shield dome. Okay, time to analyze it. It's Shining's magic color. Overcharge should take it out, followed by rapid normal charge strikes.

With that, I pointed my main gun at the shield, and initiated Overcharge, firing off a single, super shot followed by a lot of smaller ones at high speed, which, when combined, were able to shatter the shield. Time to move in.

Target priorities: Dainn if he's here. If he isn't, probably leading his army to their death. Second is the Crystal Heart/cock, I wish I was making that up, and finally was who ever had teleported in.

Just as soon as I had passed the threshold into the grass area, I saw a speck of lavender in the sky, and magnified it. Okay, re-prioritize: Twilight rescue, destroy heart, kill Dainn. "Czar Three, deploy two Air superiority fighters to escort Princess Twilight Sparkle to my location."

She was being chased by more crystal constructs, pony sized, and I would say from Sombra's army before he was destroyed, or something Shining Armor added after, well, Dainn, and, from the magnification, I saw they were. . . well endowed and stood straight. I continued toward the Empire proper as I heard the sound Corana fire, the Aeon tech three ASF, and small explosions. As I walked, I turned the main camera towards where I saw Twilight, and, though I doubt she wanted to, she was following the two ASFs over to me. "Hello, Princess," I say as she nears the ACU, turning the speakers down. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I guess I should have known I'd find you here," Twilight said, and there were hints of anger in her voice, and landing on the ACU's left shoulder.

"I did say I would be here," I said. "So, did Princess Celestia send you here to stop me?"

"No, she sent me to prove you were lying about the Caribou."

"Was I," I asked as she landed on the ACU's left shoulder.

"No," Twilight said. "But you're probably still here to take it over."

"If I do, then that's a side effect of me killing every single Caribou and freeing the Empire. I have no ambition to rule. I simply wish to protect Equestria, something I can not do while you and the other royals are hounding me for my methods."

"You killed-" she started yelling, but I cut her off.

"Tirek, who could have easily engineered his escape, and could have done so again when one of the Elements was dead," I say. "You Equestrians have the worst moral system I know of. Sometimes, you must do terrible things for the greater good, as cliched as it sounds. I hate those with a clean moral jacket, so to speak. They see the world only by its surface, not what lies beneath. For example, what do you see me as, disregarding my actions?"

"A monster," she replied, confidence in her voice.

"Yes, but that is only from my look. You do not know me. Must I point out Zecora?" Ah, how I love using people's moral lessons against them, and showing them that the world is gray, not black and white. "You, and all in Ponyville, judged her by her look, nothing else. A child was braver than the Elements of Harmony then, and made an effort to actually know Zecora as a pony, zebra, you know what I mean. One should not judge until they know the personality of those being judged. A simple rule many ignore. In fact, there is an old saying: 'Do not judge someone until you walk a mile in their shoes.' Do not judge one until you who they, as an individual, are. I was certain the Princess of Friendship would know that basic rule." I then stopped the ACU, making Twilight, with a look of anger, shock, and something else on her face, nearly fall on her face. "This could be. . . problematic."

"What," Twilight asked smugly. "Something you can't handle? She then saw what I saw. "Ah, buck."

"My thoughts exactly," I say. "Czar Three, deploy all gunships and bombers. Destroy the Crystal Constructs in front of me."

"You use actual ponies," Twilight asked.

"No," I said. "They are purely machines. I simply address them like that for designation purposes. I control every aspect of my forces."

"Why are you even helping," Twilight asked.

"Because it is part of my nature," I say. "Now, I would suggest you brace yourself with a shield and something to keep you in place. My air units are coming in fast and low."

"Won't they get taken down," Twilight asked, putting a shield around herself.

"Not at all," I say as the first units, three strategic bombers, arrived and dropped their pay load. "They're pretty damned tough. Now come on." I stopped. "Did I really just say that while your'e on the ACU shoulder?"

"If that's what this thing is, yeah," Twilight said. "And I can't teleport so soon after teleporting here, so I guess we're stuck with one another, huh?"

"I'm not really complaining right now," I said. "And if I was, it would not change anything." The ACU, me inside and Twilight on the shoulder, made its way into the city. "I was afraid of that," I said, shaking my head in the control cabin as i saw where the Heart should have been, but now a crystal dildo, I seriously wish I was kidding, was. "The Caribou are lucky that they are already in my second base's defense range," I said, "or I would nuke their asses."

"Are you sure a base can handle an entire army?"

"Princess, you know not what my technology can do to organics," I say. "Now, brace yourself, I have an artifact to destroy." With that, I pointed my main gun at the artifact, but a shield was in place that stopped my shot at the last second. "That's how it going to be? Alright, I can play hard to get. Czar three, target crystal artifact and use Ventral beam until it is destroyed."

"You want to destroy the Palace!?"

"No, but what used to be the heart must be destroyed to free the Empire," I told Twilight before deactivating external speakers. "Feed, give me a view of Ramses."

A window popped up, and a feed of my Arctic base popped up, with the defenses holding against the assault, even the Crystal Colossus. Always pays to defend, am I right? I then reactivated the external speakers just as the Czar came into the city air space. "That is huge," Twilight said as she looked at the ship, and yes, I am aware of how it sounds, which is why I did not comment.

"Twilight, where is your brother and Cadence?"

"How do you know of them," she asked, glaring at the ACU head.

"I have my sources," I replied. "Listen, they will die if they remain in the palace, or if they are with Dainn's forces. If yo uwish to give them even the slightest chance at survival, you will tell me where they are now."

"Ugh, fine," she grumbled. "I don't know where Shining Armor is, but I saw Cadence in the palace before the Caribou gaurds in there tried to rape me."

I have an idea. "Czar three, hold position over the palace, but do not fire." I then unstrapped myself from the chair, and began to climb up and out, opening the hatch. "Twilight, I have an idea for how to get her out."

She looked at me, dumbstruck. "You- you look like a pony."

"What, you thought I was this thing," I say, kicking the ACU head. "Nope. I just control it. "Now, if you want to save Cadence, hear me out. This will need your full cooperation."

"If it means saving Cadence," Twilight said, "but you'll have to answer Celestia when we're done."

Good luck. I have a link to every system in my army, ACU included. If needed, I could wage war on Canterlot if I was in the deepest, darkest cell they could throw me in. "Okay, here's the plan. . ." So, Twi, want to handle this part? I mean, yeah, I came up with it, but they probably want to know how hard it was for you.

Twilight-1st

I don't see why not. Besides, it makes for some fun roleplay during our nights together.

So, the plan was, and I did hate it at the time, and the concept still now, for him to pretend to be with the Caribou cause, simply acting how he was to gain my trust to knock me out. I would cast a spell to make it look like he had cut my horn off, which was risky, believe me, and I had to go nude to help sell that trick, but put up a bit of a fight. Only reason it worked was because the main army, which actually did have Shining in it but he was killed in the first few minutes there, wasn't able to get a message to the Palace. Well, that and the morons trusted Josh because he was a male who had, quote unquote, "proven just how stupid a cunt really is." And can I get some water, I still don't like having to repeat that line?

Here.

Thanks, Josh. So, I guess I'll resume where we were just outside the Throne room. We had gotten past the guard, having just a single crystal pony guard escorting us. Josh had tied my hands behind my back with my own shirt, and my wings closed with my jeans, saying to the guards he didn't want to risk causing a bleed out. Surprisingly enough, you could make a pegasus or alicorn bleed out if you pluck their wings under the right, so to speak, circumstances, but that's off topic. "King Dainn is inside," the guard said, and I swore I saw a small smile on Josh's face. Oh, guess I should describe that for you, huh?

Well, he had brown hair that went just past the point a horn would grow, green eyes, almost like olives, and a few freckles. Aside from that, nothing spectacular. he was wearing what seemed to be some kind of armor that had the same coloration as his ACU, the same, triangular symbol on the right side of the armor and the size of his palm.

Anyway, the doors opened, and, with me on my hands and knees to keep the illusion going that he had gotten me with a rope leash around my neck and me pulling away from it a little, which he pulled, again for the illusion. We stepped in, the doors closing behind us, and, where Cadence should have been sitting, was a muscular Caribou with oversized, well, everything. Antlers, muscle, he was even near as tall as Princess Celestia was. He had on a loincloth that was barely covering his stallionhood, for lack of a more appropriate term that still has some amount of decency. Next to the throne, which had Cadence's horn at the top, was a bright pink pillow, on which a similarly colored alicorn sat like a dog, including the nude. "Hello, your highness," Josh said with a bow. "I imagine you were looking for this little slut," he said, yanking the rope at the word "slut".

"Indeed I was," Dainn said, his voice sounding like honey. Good thing I hate honey on its own. "And my guards told me of what you did. I am not sure if I should commend you for going so far to capture a princes,s or arrest and switch you for the same when mares are so stupid."

"The way I see it, highness," Josh said, "is that the more confused a mare is, the easier it is to turn her into a fuck happy toy."

The Caribou king laughed. "I like this one," he said once he calmed down. "For bringing me one of the alicorns, I will give you one thing."

Josh didn't hesitate. He told me what it was. "I think a threesome with myself and the ex-princess will help tame this one," he said. "May even teach her a few tricks to please a master. The sooner, the better, if you allow."

"If it will help tame the mare," Dainn said before he motioned with his chin towards us for Cadence, who got on her hands and knees and crawled towards us as Josh and I made our way to the nearby wall. So far, so good.

A few seconds later, Cadence was at Josh's feet with me, though for entirely different reasons than me.

"I do, however have one thing to say, though, before this all starts," Josh said.

"And what's that," Dainn asked.

"ACU, BLAST THE THRONE ROOM WALLS DOWN! TIME FOR SOME REMODELING, INCLUDING DAINN'S BODY STRUCTURE!" This is where things slowed down. I lunged to grab Cadence so she wouldn't get away as the wall beside us was blown open perpendicular to Dainn, meaning the debris would hit him, hopefully kill him. Unfortunately, though, he was able avoid the larger fragments.

"Female Sympathizer!"

"See ya, bitch," Josh said before he pulled the skirt around my wings, letting them come out as I used a spell to, at least, give me some decency before we jumped out the hole, me holding Cadence, right onto the ACU's right arm. "Hold her," Josh said to me as he climbed up to the ACU's control cabin.

He got there quickly, and the ACU began to move away from the palace. "CZAR THREE, VAPORIZE DAINN'S ASS!" Once we were away from the palace, Josh's air unit unleashed a beam of energy from its center that enveloped the entire palace. "Damn," I heard him say. "All gunships and bombers, redirect fire on the artifact, now. Send it to hell!" Using my wings, I carried myself and a struggling Cadence to the ACU's shoulder to see the area where the Heart was envelope din an energy beam, and with Josh's air force firing on it. Then I remembered something. "Josh, if you destroy the heart, it'll release all the energy it has!"

"Aw, shit," Josh said just before said explosion happened, and I blacked out.

Josh-1st-A few hours later

Good thing ACUs can withstand nukes. I was the only one still awake after the explosion, so it had fallen to me to make sure the civilians were alright. I set my ACU and air units on patrol outside the city, the Czar in the center of the city so the air units could refuel when needed. Both Twilight and Cadence had been covered with blankets. All in all, the explosion hadn't done much damage itself, most ponies were unconscious. Though I did make it a point any mobile unit that was ground combat capable unit was to fire on any Caribou. Only a few ponies had awaken in the hours since the Heart was destroyed and Dainn was killed. Most, I could not tell their feelings toward me. I mean, I did free them, but at the same time, I pretty much destroyed their prized artifact.

Anyway, I was using my HUD to use the Spy Planes back at Alpha to see if there was anything of note when the only crystal pony who I knew her stance on me, a crystal mare with an emerald green coat with light brown hair and tail named Forest Glade, wearing the only clothes of hers that weren't destroyed, a simple white t-shirt with knee length workout pants. "Uh, Josh," she said.

"What is it, Forest," I asked.

"Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight are awake."

I sighed. I had decided to stay until they woke up, at least to see how Cadence would be, seeing as how, in FoE canon, she, and this puts real life sex stuff to shame, in my opinion, would drown mares in pools of semen simply for the hell of it. I wish I was kidding. My mind is not sick enough, and I mean no offense to the FoE writers, artists, or any involved with it, to come up with that.

Anyway, I nodded. "Lead the way," I said, and I followed her close to where the Heart used to be, to see both Cadence and Twilight looking where said artifact used to be. "Princesses," I say in a monotone, hands behind my back. I may have a fucking army at my beck and call, but it isn't worth shit if I'm killed before I can use it.

"Why," Cadence said in a tone I identified sorrow in. "Why did you destroy it?"

"I did not wish to," I said. "But it was the only way to free you, and all of the Empire, from the Caribou's control. It was either that, or let them keep it, and take over Equestria later on. If there was another way to be used then that was known, I would have taken it, but the Heart was already corrupted. There was no other action I could do."

"And how did you know about it," she asked, venom in her voice, as she turned to face me, the blanket being pulled around her body.

"You would not believe me if I said. But suffice to say, I am something. . .interesting. Compared to the whole, only a few of my particular kind exist," I reply. "And no, your highness, I did not want your throne before I came here, nor do I want it now. I do not wish to rule, simply be alone when possible, and help the other times." I was silent for a while before saying, "I will leave my forces on the edge of the city until any property damages are repaired." With that, I turned to leave.

"Wait," Twilight said, making me turn my head.

"What," I asked.

"I just wanted to say. . .thanks," Twilight said. "For at least saving who you could, I mean."

I smiled a little as I nodded. "It's what I do." What was said next surprised me a little, as it came from Cadence.

"You're the one Twilight said killed Tirek, right?"

"Yeah," I said, fully turning around. "Why?"

"It's just that, well," she said, "you don't seem that evil like we thought."

"Like I told Twilight, maybe you should get to know someone before deciding they're evil," I said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get out of here before Celestia decides to come and stone my ass. Literally." With that, I turned back around. "Oh, and you can call me Josh, not Demon," I added and went to leave, but not before Cadence said one last thing that surprised me.

"Josh, right? I know I shouldn't, but I need to repay you for helping us. If you need the Empire's support, we'll see what we can do."

"No need to, but thanks," I say, and with that, I made my way back to the ACU after cancelling its patrol route. "I'll see ya the next time Celestia can't or won't do anything."

Twilight-1st

"That was interesting," Cadence said once Josh had walked a certain distance away.

"Yeah, it was," I replied, clutching my blanket closer. "You know, Cadence, I've been thinking."

"About what, Twilight," Cadence asked me, curiosity on her face.

"Princess Celestia said that the Caribou being here wasn't important, but the fact Josh wanted to remove them to protect us shows that they were, in some way. She sent me here just to see if he was lying about a message about them," I said. "Not to mention she just brushed aside the fact they had invaded before."

"They did," Cadence asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and she and Princess Luna barely pushed them back. That's what's been getting at me since I first saw him, and why he killed Tirek, after I got some time to think on his reasons. Princess Celestia has said the only way to win a fight was with nonlethal ways, but him? He not only won a fight, but prevented ones in the future."

"What are talking about, Twilight?"

I looked at my old foalsitter, seriousness on my face. "What if Celestia's been lying to everypony since she banished Luna?"