The sunlight poured into his eyes, flooding him with a painful, but somewhat soft glow.

"What the Chrysalis happened last night?" a dark, equine-like animal groaned as he got up on his sickly, hole-covered legs. His curvy horn jutted out of a sapphire blue helmet that enhanced his sky-blue eyes. A matching chest-plate adorned his body.

But so was such armor bestowed on the Changeling Commander. For it was his duty to serve the Queen. At least, that's what the job description said. In reality, he hated the bossy Queen.

Do this Commander.

Stop messing up Commander.

Why didn't I give my job to the last changeling Commander?

It was simply because of his lack of skill when it came to shape-shifting. He could always do it, and he did it just like any other, but the problem was he couldn't sell it. He would mess up, be discovered, and had to fight his way out of sticky situations. Since the Commander usually was appointed in times of conflict, the day of the invasion turned out to be his big promotion.

"I am raising you to the Commander caste. You shall command the hordes according to my lead. Any faltering or neglect of loyalty and you shall find yourself suffering a fate worse then death."

However, he never heard those last words as he jumped up and down prancing in joy.

Now that he came to think of it, he pondered if it was simply the Queen's way of getting one rotten egg out of the clutch. It had been in the conquest of Equestria. He was leading a battalion to guard what the Queen called the Elements of Harmony.

"No offense your Highness, but don't you think this is a bit stupid?" He had asked when she was going over the plan in the Hive-Mind Chat.

"Maybe Commander, you would like to be the one acting as a giddy bride in the heart of enemy territory. The plan is simple. Assemble a lance, I don't care how big, and make sure no pony, griffin, or zebra gets in."

She had made the idea seemed so obviously clear and simple, that afterwards he felt childish for questioning. In fact, he always felt childish for questioning the Queen.

Maybe the plan will be successful. He had thought earlier.

Oh how wrong he was. He had indeed set up an impressive blockade-well at least impressive to him-to guard the Elements when six multi-colored ponies dashed up the steps. At first, he had had it in the horn. Assuming various forms of the six ponies, they fought the adversaries, only to be humiliated as they were tossed into the air like rag-dolls.

He himself remembered running to the battle, after losing his disguise, and being shot in the face by the pink one who had somehow procured a cannon that fired confetti projectiles that sent him flying strait into a wall.

I mean, who does that?

Then, shortly afterwards, there was a large bang as a purple bubble of energy expanded from the castle to fling him and whatever was left of his unit, high into the Equestrian sky.

...which brings us back to where we started.

The Commander looked at his current situation. He had landed softly on a tree, so by a miracle nothing was broken. His stomach growled at the thought of love. He would need to find a settlement...or maybe live his life as a chipmunk baby to be nurtured by its mother, though he would save that for last resort. What would the Swarm do?

THE SWARM!

His mind was blank of the chatter that had been imbedded in his noggin since the dawn of his hatching. Why...this could only mean one of two possible things: either the whole Swarm is dead, which he would highly doubt, or the Queen is weakened.

"Well look at that Queen," he shouted in his adopted Trottingham accent," looks like I have the advantage in this current situation. Woo-HOOOOO!"

And the Commander began doing an odd dance of sorts, one that had been creatively concocted in his own head. After around two minutes of dancing, and screaming, he stopped to stare at what appeared to be a blinking light ahead.

"Perhaps I shall find sustenance. And afterwards...the dancing shall commence again!"

As he trotted towards the now-forming town in the distance, he began to think of his own battalion. The Swarm wasn't who he hated. In fact, he actually favored some of them. Maybe if he found sustenance, he would be able to search for them. Likely, some of them were as fortunate as he was, and had found niches to hide themselves in.

The town ahead seemed to emanate love from it. There were lovely colleges, a tree-house library, and a gingerbread bakery. The Commander sniffed the aroma with a soft hum musing through its lips.

"Well here I go!" And with those words of confidence, he dashed down the road.

Two minutes in, however, his hooves came to a halt.

"Shoot, I can't go like this..."

He examined his body. With buggy, withered wings and piercing blue eyes, his arrival would only spell doom for him. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Memories of the various equines he met in the invasion flashed back before him like wisps of wind.

A green mare.

A brown stallion.

A white unicorn with a monocle over his eye.

Fancy the Commander thought eagerly. With a flash of green light, he felt his remaining energy course through him.

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Rarity was dragging her saddle bag, a rainbow colored assortment of fabrics sticking out like party flyers. After the royal wedding, the business had been receiving countless orders for dresses. Now, with her hooves, tied, Rarity didn't have any time to catch up with current events.

As she rushed to her boutique, she crashed head first into somepony.

"Oh excuse me," she began as she looked up and stared blankly at a white unicorn with a blue mane and a monocle over his eye.

"Why...FancyPants, I thought you were still in Canterlot. With all the chaos that happened there, shouldn't you..."

But the look on his face was quizzical.
"Who are you?"

"Why...my name is Rarity. Surely you remember me from Twilight's party that was not over a month ago?"

"Doesn't ring a bell, say...you look like a nice mare. Can you show me where I can get a smoothie, cake, or something to eat here?"

Rarity felt her heart split in two. How dare Fancypants forget about her and demand her to show him the nearest bakery. Sure she had been untruthful to him at the beginning of their unprecedented meeting, but he had forgiven her had he not? Or was this really him forgetting about a unicorn he had seemed to be so mesmerized with. Her thoughts painted pictures of him accompanied by a different unicorn, who had wonderful talents as great as hers. Rarity shook her head and exhaled. She needed to get to work, and this unicorn would have to wait to get his taste on the food here. Besides, it was much more lower-caste then the ordurves they served at Canterlot.

She was about to stride off when she suddenly her blood went cold at the realization that Fancypants never talked like that...ever. Why the mere fact of him going for such low-quality food and not addressing her properly, was completely out of question.

"Let me show you" she said in as polite a voice as she could manage. "Fancypants" merely gave a shrug as he followed casually behind. They passed windows whose lights were being shut off and stores whose signs were being flipped to close. There were the occasional couple out for a nighttime stroll. Soon enough, the silhouette of an imposing tree rose over the path.

"What kind of place is this?" the Commander asked, puzzled.

"Oh," Rarity mused, "its just one of those places where us ponies come to hang out."

As the door opened, the Commander suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The lavender unicorn standing before him was the leader of that small squad of flank-kicking ponies!

"Why Twilight," Rarity said sweetly, " would you mind if me and our "guest" stayed here to "hang out"?"

"Why Rarity," Twiligjht said jubilantly, "this is Fancypants. Do you remember me Fancypants, hows it going?"

The Commander had to think quickly, less he should be discovered, " errrrr...Hello?"

Twilight glanced back at Rarity, then at the Commander. Her eyes squinted in suspicion and after a second glance at the white unicorn she grinned.

"Well come inside now, its getting late." And with that the trio sat down in the center of a converted library, hot chocolate bubbling over their cups.

"So Rarity, where did you find this good friend of yours?"

"He actually bumped into me on my way to boutique. Had quite a mess back there, Fancypants."

But the stallion paid no heed to this comment, as he was gulping down the warm beverage like it was mana from above. The fact that no Canterlot unicorn would ever drink this absurdly made both unicorns nod their head in agreement.

The Commander was amazed at how food so simple could make one feel so filled. Soon enough, the hunger for love began to dissolve like it was being dosed in a lukewarm waterfall. Why, it was as if the chocolate was love itself.

"I gotta say..." the Commander began before two bolts of light, a blue and magenta one, collided with him directly in the chest as he went flying towards a towering stack of books.

His head dizzy, the Commander looked to see his hole-filled hooves over a copy of a History of Equestra II.

And four eyes shooting him cold stares.

"Ummmm...check please?"