Equestria's Supreme Commander

It's been only a few hours since Rarity was abducted, and myself, along with Luna, Twilight, Cadence, and Chrysalis were in the Throne room in Canterlot. "Why would Celestia abduct Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"Honest guess," I said. "Probably to get more magic to open a portal for the Seraphim to come through sooner."

"How would that happen?" Chrysalis said. "Unicorns, or even alicorns, can't channel their magic into another."

"Who said that was what Celestia was going for?" I asked in reply. "She may teach Rarity, and any other unicorns her Loyalists capture, the spell she was using. It's like with engineers and buildings: the more there are, the less time it will take, albeit with more resources being used up for it."

"So how do we stop it?" Luna asked.

"I don't think we can," Twilight said. "To do so would mean knowing exactly where they were going to strike, or be lucky enough to be nearby."

"So we can't do anything?" Cadence asked. "Now I'm even more useless to my subjects."

"Cadence, nopony thinks you're useless," Luna said. "And besides, your horn will grow back."

"No, it won't," Cadence said in a sad tone. "The damned Caribou put some kind of salve on the stump that prevents it from growing back."

"Well, I'm sure Twilight can find a way to counter it," Luna said before looking at Twilight. "Isn't that right, Twilight Sparkle?"

The lavender alicorn put her hand on her chin. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe, with enough time and a sample to analyze of that salve."

"I'm sure there's a few jars of that still in the Empire," Cadence said, sighing. "I'll see if I can get you one."

"Thanks, Cadence," Twilight said with a small smile.

"Well, now that that's taken care of," Chrysalis said, "that still leaves the question as to what we're going to do if we can't find and stop Celestia. With what Josh has told us, we'll barely be able to stop the Seraphim."

"We'll need evacuation plans," Luna said. "As well as air units capable of transporting civilians."

"I think I have that solution," I said. "But I'll need time to see if it'll work."

"How long do you think it'll take?" Chrysalis asked, to which I shrugged.

"At worst, a few weeks," I said. "At best, a week, max. Which reminds me, I need to put Seraphim into the simulations so that we're ready to face them if we can't stop Celestia."

"Too bad we can't predict where she's going to strike," Chrysalis said.

"And I can't think of any way to stop them from teleporting into a city, either," I said. "That would make it easier to stop them from abducting, at least." It was here I got an alert on my HUD.

"Uh, Josh," Twilight said, "did you just get an alert?"

"Yep," I replied. "Checking now." I opened the alert, and it showed an areal view of Canterlot, meaning it's the Spy Plane I had posted over us while this was going on.

"What is it?" Chrysalis asked.

"Magic spike, noble housing area," I replied. "Teleportation signature. Damn it."

"They're here?" Luna asked, shocked.

"Yep. I know it's them because I had Deceivers, mobile jammers as I'm using them right now, transported to where their range had the entire city," I said. "This means it's a teleportation from outside."

"No," we heard Twilight whisper, as she had access to the same feed. "That's my parents' home."

"Then we'd better get moving," I said. Then I activated the A.I. link I and the others with implants had, which allows for communications. "Ace, Shadow, get to Twilight's parents' house, now. Possible Loyalist incursion. Twilight and I are enroute now," I said as I made my way to the door, Twilight beside me.

"Already on our way," Shadow replied. "Got the alert same time as you two. Should be there in a few minutes."

"Right," I said. "Spook One, keep an eye on any ponies that exit that house hold."

"Do you need help?" Luna asked, making me and Twilight stop just before we left.

"The more the merrier," I said. "Come on, no telling how much time we got."

With that, the five of us made double time out of the castle and towards our destination, with Luna pausing to give orders to guards to seal every exit out of Canterlot.

"Josh," Shadow said over the link as we left the castle grounds, "we've got noise inside the house, probably a fight going on."

"Hey, Twilight," I said.

"Yeah?"

"Other than your brother, any members of your family in the guard?"

"Yeah," she replied as we turned a corner. "My dad was in it for a few years before he met my mom. Why?"

"There's a fight going on at your house," I said. "From what I can hear over Shadow and Ace's side of the link, it's a hell of a fight."

"Yeah, that sounds like my dad, alright," she said with a hint of a proud smile. "He always kept a sword hidden in the rooms in case of an intruder, and only he could get to them."

"If these are former guards stallions," Chrysalis said, "they most likely brought their own weapons in case of engagement. How many teleported in?"

"That wasn't in the data," I said as we turned another corner, and we saw Shadow and Ace down the street. "Only one spike, which could mean one pony to a few, depending on the strength of the caster, and if any were helping them."

"So we're going in blind?" Twilight asked.

"Exactly," I said as we slowed down, to stop in front of Ace and Shadow. "Status?"

"Less noise, but still noise," Ace replied. "No idea as to who's losing."

"Well, if they want to leave, they'll need to come out one of the exits." Okay, let's see, there's me, Luna, Chrysalis, Twilight, Cadence, Ace, and Shadow. That's seven. "Twilight, how many exits are there?"

"There's two above ground, and a hidden one that leads to the sewer system," she replied.

"Right," I said. "Ace, Shadow, take the rear. I'll take the sewer one."

"But you don't know where it is," Twilight said.

"Care to show me, then?" I asked.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "Good thing the implants are water proof, because both of us will need a shower after this. Come on." She made her way to a nearby manhole cover, I don't care what the terminology is here, if I can, I'm calling everything how I'm used to it, and opened it.

"Geronimo," I said before jumping down the manhole and landing in ankle deep sewage. Twilight came down a few seconds later, using her wings to stay above the sewage.

"The exit should be here," she said, landing on the sewer equivalent of a sidewalk and feeling the wall. "Yeah, it's here," she said as her arm vanished behind a wall, making me jump back a bit. "Sure you want to handle this one alone, Josh?"

"You volunteering?"

She chuckled. "I may not be Rarity, but nopony likes to be in sewers if they can help it. Still, if it means you stand more of a chance, I'll stay. But I'm not getting in there. No telling how many diseases are in that."

"The armor's meant to keep the wearer healthy, Twilight," I said, stepping out of the sewage. "And you do have the armor on." Forgot to mention that. Twilight and the others had on Cybran ACU pilot suits of Gen one, mine resembling Ivan Brackman's from SupCom2. This meant that Twilight wore a black under suit that connected with the A.I. implants, and an over suit that was the color of steel and segmented to allow for maximum protection while sacrificing as little range of motion as possible, with Ace and Shadow just having bulkier oversuits.

"Force of habit, then," she said.

"Fair enough," I said before sitting down next to the hidden exit. I looked at my HUD. "Still got signal, so if need be, we can talk with Ace and Shadow if something happens."

"Fortunately," Twilight said, sitting on the other side of the exit. "So, Josh, mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Long as you respect if I say I won't answer," I said. "Shoot."

"How did you know of the Caribou? was her first question. "I mean, you seemed to know ho to go after, as well as what they were when only Luna and Celestia seemed to know."

"I can't say much," I replied. "For now, let's just say it's related to a scientific theory called the 'Multiple worlds' theory. Fair enough?"(1)

"Yeah, I guess," she said. "Next question: why did you run when you took down Tirek?"

All I did was look at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're asking me that when usual law is a slap on the wrist and I killed someone?"

"Fair point," Twilight said. "Three: why is it you decided to intervene and kill Tirek, anyway?"

I chuckled. "Simple: I had the ability to do something, and, though I can be greedy sometimes, as with any sentient being, I decided to use it to help. Besides, you guys were literally unable to do anything. Mind if I ask you a question, Twilight?"

"Not at all," she said.

"Why did you want the augments?" I asked. "You were the first to get them, so you had the most danger. Why?"

"Honestly?" she asked. "I just wanted to help protect my friends and family, and I thought by helping you, I'd be able to do that."

"I guess I'll have to live with that answer," I said. "So, any other questions?"

"Just one," she said. "Though I'll understand if you say no." Here, I thought I saw a small blush on her cheeks.

"Shoot," I said. "Remember, Twi, you can ask me anything."

"Well, I wondering, well, um, if you'd, I don't know, maybe-" she was cut off by Shadow coming over the link.

"Guys, there are ten hostiles inside, coming out the back, with Twilight's parents. Two unicorns, eight earth ponies. Ace, go get Princess Luna and the others, I'll hold them off!"

"Whatever the question is, Twi, it'll have to wait until after this," I said as I stood up. "Can you lift both of us up?"

With a blush still on her cheeks, the lavender alicorn stood up and said, "We could use this to get up," gesturing to the hidden entrance.

"Oh. . .Right. Let's go." With that, the two of us, ran into the hidden entrance, which simply passed over us, and to a staircase that led up. I was the first to reach it, and went up two at a time, Twilight using her wings to keep up with me.

"Josh, slow down!"

"Only if I want to let Celestia abduct two more ponies," I shot back just as I saw a crack of light. Great, there's a door in the way. Time to improvise. I began to go one step at a time as I positioned myself to where my right shoulder was facing the door as I went up as fast as I could.

When I hit the door, I was lucky enough for the door to break from the kinetic energy of my impact, and the armor preventing my shoulder from breaking. I hit the floor, then rolled on the ground. "Remind me to not do that again," I said as I stood up.

"Right," Twilight said as she came up from the trap door.

"To the back yard," I said, and the two of us made our way to the back door, which, when we saw it, was broken off the top hinge, and a sword nearby, with another above the mantle, as there was a fireplace here. Living room, I guess. Makes sense. I went to the one above the fireplace, and took it off.

"You know how to use swords?" Twilight asked.

"Best way to learn is on the spot," I said. "So no."

"Then why are you getting it?"

"Because my armor stops me from cutting myself, and sword play is fun. Now, let's go." She rolled her eyes, but followed me outside, where the others were just barely holding the Loyalists from escaping, and I saw the eight Earth ponies protecting the two unicorns, who carried Twilight's parents. I didn't want to risk them teleporting out, so I kept the jammers on, but, fortunately, Luna and Cadence still had Earth pony strength, and Chrysalis kept changing forms, as that magic is not horn focused with changelings. Still, it was barely enough to keep them there.

Fortunately, the attention was not on me, which allowed me to walk up to them, and slice one's head off, and stab another in the chest, which got their attention. "What, no invitation?"

"Kill the demon!" an earth pony in golden armor yelled before charging at me. I rolled my eyes, sidestepped, and sliced at his back, hitting his spine by luck, which paralyzed him from the waist down. I finished the spin, and placed the sword behind my back, my left hand facing the Loyalists.

"Come at me, morons," I said, taunting them with my left hand by making a "come on" gesture.

"Ignore them," one of the two unicorns said. "We need to get out of here."

"Good luck with that," Luna said. "We were able to hold you before, and now you have lost three of your members, and the other two of our allies have arrived."

"Perhaps," the other one, this one carrying Twilight's father, said. "But we each know you won't risk harming innocents.

"And that is where you fucked up," I said. "Sprite Striker one, fire a warning shot."(2) I gave a cheeky grin as a small bolt of energy hit next to the group of ponies. "Next one will be through one of your heads at random." Not. As I was controlling the Sniper bot through my implant, I was essentially playing an FPS sniper game with it. And I was aiming right for the unicorn's head that was closest to me. Though the others did have looks of shock on their faces.

"So, what's it going to be? If you run, you'll get killed from a distance. If you fight, same. If you surrender, though, then you live. If you ask me, surrender is the best option here. After all, if you have family, don't you want to see them?"

"I. . . never did get a chance to say bye to my wife and foal," one of the earth ponies said. My god, I can't believe this worked. Anyway, eventually all but the two unicorns had surrendered. Seriously, my plan worked? I thought each of them would need to be killed or disabled.

"Traitors, the lot of you," the unicorn holding Twilight's mom snarled. "We'll kill you when Princess Celestia takes the throne back."

"I don't think so," I said as I walked up behind them, and sliced each in the legs, making them fall down, before I planted the sword in their chests. "After, can't do anything when you're dead."

"Josh, I'm not sure whether or not I should put you in the dungeons for today for putting Twilight Sparkle's parents in danger," Luna said, "or applaud you for the bravado of the move."

"Decide later," I said as I mentally deactivated the jammers. "We need to get them to the dungeons first. And you can use spells again, by the way. Oh, and with what Twilight and I saw inside, her parents may need a place to sleep."

"They can stay in my castle," Twilight said. "And besides, they'd be happy to see Spike. But there's still something I wanted to ask you, Josh."

"What?" I asked as Luna and Chrysalis used their magic to restrain the Loyalists. Or carry, in the case of the one I disabled.

"I was wondering," the lavender alicorn said, rubbing the back of her neck as she blushed, "if you'd go on a date with me?"