I strode through the forest with Moonlight in my grasp, the hybrid mares close by my side. I kept my gaze forward as a large encampment slowly came into view. I held up my left hand and the mares stopped. I turn my head to the lead mare by my side.

“What's your name?” I ask.

“Huh?”

“I asked your name, I just noticed I didn't ask before.” I say turning my head back to the camp.

“I-It's Green Shimmer.” The mare replies.

“Green Shimmer, it's nice.” I turn my body to address the group. “Listen everypony, I am not going to ask you to fight but I know you were sent to help me. I'm not one for speeches or rousing lines but I won't lie to you, it will get rough and that is putting it lightly. This camp is the headquarters of the pony that is making the attacks against your hive, against your homes. This camp needs to be destroyed.” I look over the mares and I see some have already drawn their weapons. “I see the looks in your eyes and I see the anger but I say to you now fight with this..” I tap my head. “..and not your feelings, trust me I know how anger can change someone. I promise you all that you shall get your revenge this day, but first I have a plan and I'll need all of you to make it work.”

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom where all sitting on the large bed in the tent and they were all extremely bored.

“Well so much for this being exciting.” Scootaloo says with her head resting on her forelegs.

“Ah'm sorry girls for dragging ya out here like this, ah was sure this was gonna be fun.” Apple Bloom replies from her position of lying on her back with her head over the beds side.

“I just know Rarity is going to kill me when she finds out, but that's not what I'm afraid of.” Sweetie Belle states, her bottom lips was quivering as she wipes tears from her eyes.

Scootaloo lifts her head up. “What do you mean?”

“We lied to John, we said we wouldn't come in here. We lied to our new brother after he made us his family. He won't speak to us again, I know it.” Sweetie Belle breaks down and starts crying into her fore hooves.

Apple Bloom sits up and moves to comfort Sweetie Belle. “Hey John ain't like that, he will probably shout at us for being so stupid but he won't stop talking to us.”

“Apple Blooms right,” Scootaloo exclaims. “I gained Rainbow Dash as a sister and now I have a big brother too. John would do anything for us.”

Sweetie Belle sniffs as she looks up. “You mean it?”

“Of course, John said it himself, we are his family and he would do anything for us. We just got to keep our heads up and figure a way out of this.” Scootaloo looks around the tent but jumps as a voice carries over the camp.

“NIGHTSTAR! I'VE COME FOR YOUR HEAD!”

I keep low as I approach the edge of the camp, I had only two of the hybrid mares with me as the rest were circling around. I look through the bushes at the encampments defences and scoff at the pitiful work. I turn to my two escorts.

“Seems they rely on the forests natural cover.” The ponies nod. “Ok, Silver you got the stallion far left, Sabre, stallion far right.” Both mares nod again. I look to the tree line and notice the little green flashes from the other teams. “Good their all in position, good luck ladies.” I say getting up and walking out into the direct line of sight for the camp. I stand still as the stallions guarding this side of the encampment ready crossbows and spears. I raise up my right hand and Moonlight with it. In a clear tone of voice I shout. “NIGHTSTAR! I'VE COME FOR YOUR HEAD!”

Nightstar almost jumps out his skin. “No this isn't right! He isn't supposed to be back yet!”

“He sounds mad.” A stallion to his right states.

“Of course he's mad! He's probably found out the truth by now! Oh the empress is going to be mad with me.” Nightstar falls to the floor and covers his head.

“Uh sir, should we get the camp ready for a fight?”

Nightstar looks to the stallion at the entrance to his tent, standing up Nightstar coughs once and dusts off his armour.

“Yes, issue the alert, Commander Core must die!”

I stand waiting for a response, I yawn until I see more stallion running to the barricades.

“Seems like they want to fight. I'll give this to Nightstar, he's got balls.” I raise my hand into the air and fire a yellow blast of magic, several of the enemy soldiers look to one another only to find their companions suddenly struck down by crossbow bolts. “What the hell?” I look to the towers and spot the ponies manning them firing at their own men, as I look one tower guard nods to me and shimmers black and green. “Male hybrids!” I exclaim before tightening my grip on Moonlight and charging the barricades near me.

I leap one of the walls and crash down on two stallions hiding behind it. I stab one with my sword and blast the other with a quick raise of my hand. Guard bodies now littered the ground some with bolts and arrows through their heads, I look up from the corpses to see several black and green stallions fighting the normal soldiers.

I watch as the hybrid mares come out of their hiding spots and attack the soldiers, helping the hybrid stallions where they could.

“You just couldn't do the job could you!”

I spin around and spot Nightstar behind me dressed in armour that seemed too large for him.

“And you lied to me Nightstar, something I don't take lightly.” I calmly respond. “So? You going to surrender?” I ask.

“Surrender? Why would I do that? I will end you myself and the empress will reward me for it.”

I look around at my allies and see they have everything under control.

“Fine if you want to die that badly...” I grin, “...I can oblige!” I rush forward catching Nightstar off guard. I slam into him with my right shoulder and send him sprawling across the floor. I slowly make my way over to him and bend down. “Just give up Nightstar, you can't win this.”

Nightstar springs to his hooves giving me a kick to the chest, his hooves making a dull thunk on my armour. The manoeuvre sends me back a few steps.

“I will never surrender to you! The empress made a mistake trusting you to get the job done!”

I laugh. “Then before you die tell me, just who is the empress?”

Nightstar grins. “She is the perfect leader for our new Equestria, not those ageing nags you call princesses!”

I raise up a hand and use my magic to slam him into the nearby barricade, I then lift him into the air and pull him towards me.

“Wrong answer! I asked who is she!?” I grab Nightstar's throat and begin to squeeze.

“You...will...never...know...” Nightstar states, gasping for air.

I snarl into his face and throw him into the barricade again, his body lands in front of me and before he could get up I place my foot on his head and press down. Nightstar's screams fill the encampment as his head was slowly crushed, I hear the helmet he was wearing start to crack. I go to ask him for any last words but before I could a blast of magic hits me from behind and causes me to fly into a nearby tent. When I regain my vision I notice a pony flying above me ready to strike, I quickly roll to avoid another blast and I push myself to my feet.

I keep my gaze on the pony and that's when I notice the pony attacking me was Luna, but then I sense something was wrong, this pony wasn't her. I know it's not Luna by way of two things. One, her magic around her horn was green not blue. Two, her magic in my senses was all wrong, she didn't feel like Luna.

“You pathetic creature, why that pitiful princess choose you as her champion I will never know!” The fake Luna taunts. “I will destroy you and complete my rise to power that was so forcibly taken from me almost a year ago!” The fake Luna fires another blast but I roll again, though this time I wasn't fast enough and the magical blast grazes my shoulder. “So you are not so invincible that my followers claim you to be!”

“Oh fuck off!” I shout, raising to my full height. “I know you're not Luna so just drop the act and remove your disguise! Face me as yourself...changeling!”

The fake Luna starts to laugh as her body envelopes in a green aura, I know this pony is powerful as I feel the energy coming of her in waves. I grit my teeth as the changeling reveals herself. It was a changeling queen but not a normal one from what I could tell, her 'mane' was longer and a brighter green. I cast my eye's over her body for a second and noticed that too was larger and more muscled than the one I killed in the Crystal Empire.

“A queen, I should have known!” I say, pointing up at her, my hands glowing yellow.

“Oh I'm not just any queen! Or did my invasion fade from memory already?”

“I still remember the Crystal Empire attack!” I reply.

“Not that invasion you fool! That was merely a test to see if my wayward sister was ready to join me, I got my answer when you ran her through.” The changeling queen rubs a holed hoof on her chest. “I have set plans in motion and I don't think my sister will be joining them.”

“I will stop what ever plans you have begun by killing you here today!” I shout, activating my helmet and firing beams at the changeling. The changeling queen barrel rolls and dodges my first few attacks, coming around the changeling queen fires two quick blasts making me stagger. I growl and find the changeling queen had vanished, looking around I notice Nightstar has gone too a small blood pool where his body once layed.

“She's gone.”

I turn to see Green Shimmer walking with several of her mares, there was a few stallions mixed in aswell, all were covered in blood. Green Shimmer was holding a hoof to her right shoulder.

“Are you ok?” I ask, deactivating my helmet.

“Just a small cut sir, nothing my body can't handle.” Green Shimmer paused. “Are you ok, sir?”

“I'm fine.” I look over the camp. “What's the situation?”

“Enemy is routed sir, some ponies have surrendered and we are awaiting your orders.”

I look over the mares and a smile comes to my face.

“You have all done well today, Princess Luna would be proud of what you have all done here today. I salute you all.” I thump my breastplate with my fist, I smile as the mares all return it.

“Sir?” I turn my head and my face goes white, two mares where coming out of a tent with the C.M.C in tow. “We found these fillies inside, they were hiding under a bed.”

I quickly stride over and kneel down in front of my younger sisters.

“Girls! What are you doing here!?” I ask, the shock evident in my voice. “You promised me you would never come into this forest again! You promised!” I say the last two words louder than I should of. I get no response from the fillies so I frown and stand back up. “Green Shimmer, take my young sisters back to your hive and make sure they are ok, my marefriend will deal with them.” I watch as the fillies are lead away, tears flowing down their faces.

I turn back to the remains of Nightstar's camp and spot a tent that was larger than the others, I raise an eyebrow as I head towards it. Parting the tent doors my first reaction was it wasn't anything great, a few tables some scattered scrolls nothing that would scream I'm important.

I was about to turn and walk out when something catches the low twilight coming through the doors, I walk over and bend down picking up the object. The object was a gem and judging by it's shape and colour it almost seemed to be similar to the communication gems the royal guard elite use. I slowly twirl the gem in my fingers and purse my lips. A sound behind me makes me stand up.

“Sir, we have checked the camp, there's no more enemy here.”

I turn to see Silver Spark leaning in through the door, I nod. “We are taking the captives with us.” Silver nods and goes to leave, I stop her to ask something else. “Did we lose anypony?” Silver smiles and shakes her head. “Thank you Silver, I'll be out shortly.” Silver nods again and leaves. I turn my attention back to the gem and hold it up, the gem gleams softly in the light.

“And pray tell my little friend, what secrets do you hold?”

Author's Notes:

The empress has been revealed! I however have one little claim to make before any assumptions are made...she is not who you think she is!

Happy reading!

Next chapter - Returning home