Chief walked down the stone steps and into his armoury. The lights on the ceiling automatically turned on, illuminating the room filled with technology from the U.N.S.C. from the 26th century. Walking over to his pod he opened the door, looking inside his place of rest. Turning his head he saw three other pods with similar designs.

'Are you ever going to wake them up Marcus?' He heard Eris ask in his helmet.

"Maybe, when they are needed." Pulling the chip out of the back of his helmet, Chief placed it in a slot on the podium beside the pod.

The chip slid in and the small blue hologram of Eris appeared. "When exactly will they be needed?"

Climbing into his pod and closing the hatch he looked at Eris through the glass. "When Equestria needs us to stop another war." With that he activated cryosleep, leaving Eris to go over the data she acquired during his fight with the changelings by examining some of their blood that had got on Chief's armour.

"Well I might as well, have nothing better to do anyway." She brought up a terminal and began examining the data.

Celestia sat on her balcony, overlooking the rapid recovery of the city. As she watched her ponies work her mind wandered to Chief, she knew there was many more dangers that need to be dealt with, such as the remaining changelings, Diamond Dog factions, griffins and a very old enemy from after the great griffin war.

Looking up to the sky Celestia squinted her eyes, making out a faint object concealed by her magic centuries ago. Sighing she turned around and walked into her chambers. A knock at her door took her out of her thoughts and back to reality.

"Your highness, there is a visitor here to see you." One of her guards called in, waiting for an answer.

"Send them in." The door opened a stallion with a dark blue coat and short grey mane walked in, his mark was a small necklace with a sun medallion. "Oh, it's you again."

The pony smirked and his body was covered in a black liquid. He began to change shape, when his transformation was complete Symbol was standing there with a smile. "It's good to see you too Princess Solena."

Celestia frowned at the name. "Nopony has called me that in millennia, my name is Celestia."

Symbol folded his arms. "Interesting that you would take up the name of your grandmother, why did you choose to be called that?"

Celestia sighed and looked to the floor. "That's personal, extremely personal. I do not want you poking your nose in anymore history, I know you come from the void but keep your knowledge of my family hidden."

Symbol rolled his eyes. "I have already vowed that I will not interfere with you or your plans, I was just asking a question."

"Well then you asked the wrong question." Celestia glared at the displacer. "If you have no valid reason for being here then can you please leave?"

Symbol pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "No no, I have a reason I just wanted to start off with a friendly conversation."

"Well you failed at that."

"Don't remind me." Taking a calming breath of air Symbol looked at the alicorn. "I just came here to deliver a warning."

"A warning? A warning from you is never just a warning."

Symbol rolled his eyes and held out his hand, a magic screen appeared and expanded for Celestia to view. "Watch this closely." As the images played Celestia's eyes widened in horror at the sight.

"W-What are they?"

"They are a parasite, they exist to cause nothing but destruction and to spread their spores throughout the universe. Having just them here would have been manageable, but..."

"But what?"

Symbol growled at the next image. "... but they joined forces with another parasite." The image was of a creature made of a dark purple substance, almost like a small cloud of mist, that had two glowing yellow eyes.

"What is that?"

"Like I said, it's a parasite." Symbol closed the screen and walked towards the door. "I'll keep you updated and inform Marcus if anything goes wrong, with this I'm taking no chances so I'll be assisting when I can."

Celestia nodded and watched him transform back into a pony before walking out the door. Looking to her hooves she placed her head in them. "This is only going to end badly."

The wedding began a few hours later, after all of Canterlot was rebuilt with the aid of a few nearby settlements and cities that could be reached via train. Celestia stood at the front of the hall filled with ponies, with the mane six, minus Fluttershy who was floating above the door with her birds, standing on the steps in their respective dresses. The door suddenly opened and Chief walked in, with an assault rifle on his back. He walked to the left a bit and leaned against the wall at the back of the room with his arms folded.

Celestia smiled at him and he nodded back. Glad to see Chief out of his pod for more than a mission, Celestia temporarily forgot about the images she had seen earlier that day. As the wedding began and the Cutie Mark Crusaders came hopping down the isle tossing flower petals as they went, Chief watched everything with interest.

Cadence began walking down the isle in a dress comprised mainly of flowers like roses with some birds holding the back of the dress that was trailing behind the mare. As Celestia spoke her lines Chief was confused slightly, she wasn't saying things that would normally be said at a wedding, instead she was saying things specifically about the soon to be married couple. This gave it a more personal touch, making a nice difference.

As the couple kissed after being being wed, Rainbow Dash tossed her dress away and preformed her sonic rainboom. Chief and Eris watched it with amazement. 'Wow, so colourful.'

Chief waited for all of the ponies to exit the hall before walking out, he got a few odd looks, especially from the nobles, but that was to be expected. While he was walking through the castle he noticed a few parts of the building hadn't been fully repaired. As he looked at the small droplets of green blood slide down the wall he began thinking about when he first arrived.

Equestria: During the Griffin War

Marcus sat in the Castles kitchen with a small hatch on his helmet open around his mouth, allowing him to douse himself in the miracle cure that was alcohol. He sat and downed an entire bottle of hard apple cider, with the two Princesses watching with confused expressions on the opposite side of the table. Once he was done Marcus set the empty bottle on the table with his arms as he leaned on the piece of furniture. "So let me get this straight, you're saying I'm in a world populated by talking pastel coloured ponies that can have wings and horns, there are creatures of myth like griffins and Hyrdas, the ponies are at war with the griffins, you two control the sun and moon and ponies control the weather?"

The two sisters looked to each other then back to him. "Yes, that's what we're saying." Celestia replied.

Rubbing the side of his mask with his right hand Marcus picked up another bottle. "Well if that punch from earlier was any indication I'm not dreaming and all that stuff with Symbol actually happened." Taking a swing of the cider in his hand he shook his head and sighed. "He wasn't kidding when he said a new world." Pushing the bottles away he looked to the ponies. "Since this is really happening I'll ask you something, what is it you want be to do exactly?"

Celestia cleared her throat and passed the note from the pod over to him. "According to this letter, you are to assist us in our current conflict and any others that require a... specific set of skills."

"You mean killing people." Marcus said with ice in his voice. "I've done some messed up shit in my life but I've never killed anyone, and now that I know heaven and hell are real I don't think I wanna be the one that sends those griffins to an eternity of torture."

Celestia and Luna looked to each other with concern. "A... valid reason, but sometimes doing the right thing calls for actions such as that."

"You mean what you see as the right thing." The two sisters looked at him confused. "To the griffins what they are doing is the right thing and to you it is wrong, to you they are in the wrong and you are in the right. Unless these griffins are deliberately trying to be assholes and do this solely to to get a kick out of the thrill of war you can't immediately say that they are in the wrong."

"I know what you mean, but this is a battle of survival, if we don't fight back the griffins will take over and we will be subjected to slavery and abuse. Life as we know it would change for the worse and the balance of this world would be disrupted." Celestia explained as she put a hoof on Marcus' hand. "Please, help us. You don't have to do it right away, just when you're ready."

Marcus looked over his new body, conflicted and confused.

"If it makes you feel better, you'll be saving more lives than you'll be taking." Luna tried to encourage him, but it only worked slightly.

"But I don't even know how to fight let alone use a gun." Marcus placed his head in his hands before looking at the note. As he read he found out his pod was built with a VR training system. Picking up the note he began reading the details of the training, how it would train him in many different ways, with various weapons and combat techniques. "Hmmm..." He rubbed his helmet again and looked to the pleading eyes of the princesses. Looking from the note to the ponies several times before sighing he looked up at the sisters. "Alright, I'll help you with your war."

"Thank you Marcus, you have no idea how relieved we are to hear that." Luna stated, relief evident in her voice.

"It's not like I have much of a choice anyway, I might as well do this as it seems it's what I was brought here for." Getting up the trio made their way back to the pod where Marcus climbed in and attached a cable to the back of his helmet. The two alicorn a watched as the door to the pod closed and sealed Marcus inside, the VR training bringing him to a white void.

Shaking the thoughts away Chief continued walking through the castle. Passing a few guards he had saved he was met by multiple ponies saying thanks and complimenting his skills in combat. Giving mostly nods as responses Chief managed to get out of the small crowd and walked down the hallway towards the Canterlot Gardens where he would wait until the party later that night.

Meanwhile a being made of a dark purple mist with two glowing yellow eyes watched Chief carefully. It gave an evil echoed chuckle before fading into shadow.

Author's Notes:

Things are starting to get serious now. If anyone is concerned by the romance tag I can assure you that it will be a side plot only, with more of a deep mutual respect and care rather than a loving relationship.