Walking past the barracks I look to the monument as we walk pass it on our way to the train station. Following the parade yesterday we made our way back to the castle and spent the rest of the day together. Ponyville has now been given the all clear after the guards helped to secure the town and surrounding area, Celestia is happy for the girls to return. As we make our way onto the platform I adjust my grip on the bags I'm carrying for Rarity, why she packed so much for one week away I'll have no idea.

"Are you sure you won't come back to Ponyville with us?" Pinkie asks.

Coming to a stop I place the bags on the floor on the main platform, "I still need to sort some things out. I lost my rifle back in the caves, unless they find it then I'm going to need a new one. Since they've got some in storage here along with manufacturing capabilities this will be the best place for me to develop new rifles. Besides you'll all see me in just over a week for the Grand Galloping Gala."

Rarity opens one of her bags and start to check through everything, "You still need to have some formal attire arranged, we can't have you attending such a prestigious event without looking your best."

Shrugging I scratch my neck, "I'm not one for formal occasions, I'll just wear my parade uniform."

"Out of the question. You need something new, darling, this isn't a military function after all."

"I'm pretty sure there will be other officers in military dress," Rarity looks to me with pleading eyes, I know she likes to design outfits but I can't have her making me a set for every occasion. Sighing I slowly nod my head, "Fine, you can make a suit for me... but nothing too flamboyant. Can you make a tuxedo?"

Looking me up and down Rarity moves around me, "I think a tuxedo will look wonderful on you, consider it done."

A distant whistle catches our attention, looking down the tracks I find the train approaching the platform. Stepping in front of all the girls I turn to look to them, "Before you all go I wanted to thank you for the last week. I know that you realised that it hasn't exactly been easy for me, but I wanted to thank you all for your support. I appreciate what you've done for me, I can't thank you enough."

As they all smile to me Pinkie jumps to me and wraps her hooves tightly around my waist, "We'll always look out for you, Johnny. You're our friend."

Smirking I ruffle her soft mane earning a small giggle from her, "I know, thank you," As the train's doors open Pinkie releases me and rejoins the others. I keep watch as the girls start to load their bags on board to head back home. Before she closes the door I call out to Twilight, "When you get to Ponyville ask Dawnstar to come here to help me with the rifle. If you could also ask Sunny for me I'd appreciate it, she helped with the ammunition and we're going to have to make improvements to it."

Looking back to me Twilight nods, "I'll ask for you. We'll see you at the Gala, John. Try and behave, I heard about the way you acted at the homecoming celebration once you were drunk."

Chuckling to myself I wave to her as she steps in the train cart and closes the door, "Don't worry, I can act sophisticated when I need to," Although I don't really care for these sorts of formal events it would make a nice change. As the train start to pull away from the station I remain at the platform and wave to the girls which they happily return. Once the train is out of view I leave the station and head for the Castle, I'm gonna wait until Dawnstar and Sunny arrive before I get to work.

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Leaning back against the headboard of my bed I reattach the slide of my Glock to the main body after a routine clean and weapon inspection, looking to my phone alongside me I press play to begin the next song which happens to be 'Do I Wanna Know'. Resting the pistol on the bed side table I get off the bed and make my way into the adjacent bathroom and run my hand over my chin. Picking up my razor I'm about to put on some shaving cream before a knock at the main door interrupts me, "Come in," Stepping back into the bedroom I watch as Sunny, Dawnstar and Luna all enter the room, "Luna? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were going to look into improving the Griffin rifle designs. I must admit I am curious, so I thought I'd come along."

Shrugging I step back into the bathroom, "The more the merrier. Just give me a few minutes to shave," Stepping back into the bathroom I apply the shaving cream and begin to remove the short stubble which it protruding along my jaw line.

"Your music is far more fascinating then what I'm usually made to listen to," Tilting my head I catch Luna's reflection in the mirror as she stands in the doorway.

Rinsing the razor I continue to shave, "Well we certainly have a wide variety back home. Whatever takes your fancy you can probably find it somewhere, from the last few times we've already figured out that you're a rocker."

"If you say so," Luna quickly glances to the main bedroom before turning back to me, "Why do you always insist on shaving? I reckon you'd look quite strapping with some facial hair, maybe a well trimmed beard?"

Cocking a brow I look to Luna, "Prefer men with a rugged look?"

Smirking Luna shakes her head, "I'm just saying."

"Right... sure you are," Focusing again on the mirror I finish shaving and wash my face before stepping past Luna, "Maybe when it get's colder I'll grow one, until then I have to keep up traditions. We can't have facial hair in the army, I can have a moustache since I'm an officer but I don't exactly want to have one."

Luna chuckles softly as she steps to the main door, "It's hard to picture you with a moustache."

"I think he'd look weird with one," Sunny points out.

Picking up my pistol I place it back in my bag, "Wow, thank you both so much for the morale support."

Sunny shrugs, "It's what I do."

Reaching the main door I hold it open for everyone, "Shall we get going to the barracks then?" As everyone leaves the room we make our way towards the main castle gate to head to the barracks where myself and Dawnstar worked on our armour design. As we walk I look to her, "Once we get there I'd like you to take a look at the gunpowder I developed and see if you can try to improve it, the powder did the job but it didn't help my rifle in the long run."

Nodding Dawnstar glances to me, "I can take a look, I'm sure I can come up with a few compounds with similar properties."

"That would be great WISWO"

Sighing her expression deadpans, "Is that title really going to stick?"

Patting her head she swats my hand away, "Yup, every ATO needs their own WISWO."

"So why did you need me?" Sunny inquires, "If Dawnstar is looking to improving the gunpowder then what do you need me for?"

"You know the process we took to make the bullets and the casing, I want to make a bigger calibre then the 5.56mm my SA-80 used," Pausing from my train of though I look to Dawnstar, "Speaking of Valkyrie, did you find any traces of her?"

"Valkyrie? You mean your rifle?" I nod, "A search team tried to find it within the chasm and further down where the water leaves the cave network to join a stream within the Everfree forest. All they found was this," Opening her saddle bag with her magic she levitates a piece of my rifle wrapped in a white cloth.

Taking hold of it I remove the cloth to find the top part of the rifles hand guard, the olive green casing has a large crack down the centre along with the clip being broken leaving a part missing. Moving it in my hand I pass it back to Dawnstar, "Fat lot of good it is to me now. They didn't find anything else?"

Taking the hand guard back she places it back within her saddle bag, "Nothing else was found, just this part of your rifle."

"Shouldn't you keep hold of it?" Luna asks, "Surely it will come in handy."

Scoffing I turn to her, "It's only a piece of the hand guard, the only function it had was to allow you to wield the rifle without burning your hands on the barrel as it fired. It's nothing important."

"I think you should keep it... as a memento at least," Stopping on the spot I look to Luna as she also comes to a halt. Sighing I hold my hand back out allowing Dawnstar to pass it back to me, "At least it will make a nice ornament for your office."

Leaving the castle we don't talk as we approach the barracks, passing the monument I look to it and am happy to see that all the poppies have been left in their positions and undisturbed. Travelling through the main gate Sunny looks to me, "You said you wanted a bigger calibre, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Looking out over the training guards I respond, "Basically calibres are measured by the diameter of the internal barrel and the bullet itself, in simplified terms it's the thickness of the bullet. I was thinking of going back to the classic British .303 calibre round so the bullet would have a diameter of 0.303 inches which is roughly 7.7mm, if my maths is correct. If I remember correctly the casing for the round of this calibre is about 56mm in length, give or take."

"So we just need a bigger bullet to give it more power?"

Opening the door we begin to descend towards the testing facility we had used previously, "Bigger bullet doesn't necessarily mean more power, after all my pistol uses 9mm compared to my rifles 5.56mm yet the rifle had more penetration making it more effective. Other factors such as the powder and the length of the barrel can also have an effect, the longer the barrel the more explosive energy is forced behind the bullet propelling it instead of being disbursed into the air. Bare in mind I'm just simplifying this all for you, we'll get more technical when the time comes."

Finally reaching the room I push the door open and let the three girls enter before me, once I'm inside I find a grey Unicorn Stallion with a black coiffed mane with green highlights examining a number of the Griffin rifles. Once he see's the Princess he quickly bows to her before approaching, "I have brought you a number of rifles as requested, your majesty," Looking to me he steps forward, "Sergeant Onyx, Cantelot barracks quartermaster, sir."

Holding out my hand he quickly take hold and shakes it, "Captain John Davies, don't bother with the sir crap," Turning to Luna I step towards the rifles, "Did you also bring the plans for the original ammunition I produced?" Luna's horn glows causing a number of documents to materialise from thin air alongside me. Taking hold of them I pass them to Dawnstar, "See if you can get started on improving the powder on these plans."

As I pick up and examine the rifle the quartermaster steps alongside me, "Those plans certainly proved useful for developing the ammunition you used in the Griffin Empire, you certainly went through a fair bit."

"I take it you've got more here?" He nods and levitates a box to me which I quickly pass to Dawnstar, "You'll find the powder we produced in the cartridges." Picking up a screwdriver I rest the rifle back on the table top and begin to loosen the screws holding the body together, "Onyx you may wish to hold off on producing any more 5.56mm rounds, we won't be using them for a good while."

"And what do you expect me to do with those which are still in storage?"

"Keep them as surplus for the time being, I'm sure we'll develop weapons for that calibre at some point. For now I want something with a bit more... punch," Removing the screws I separate the body of the rifle revealing the internals, as I look over it both Sunny and Luna join alongside me, "Bloody hell this is old school, it's fairly primitive," Taking the barrel I raise it to the light and look inside to see it's completely smooth, "Smoothbore barrels?"

Luna take the barrel and examines it, "Is that a bad thing?"

"It certainly won't help with accuracy. We rifle our barrels which is essentially a spiral groove which causes the projectile to spin improving it's aerodynamic stability and overall accuracy. That explains why half of them couldn't hit a barn door when they fired at range," Pausing I look to Sunny when I remember I wanted her to help craft the new calibre rounds. Grabbing a piece of parchment I take a pencil and start to plot out some measurements for the size of the cartridge. Once I have the measurements figured out I pass the sheet to Sunny, "See if you can get a number of these prepared."

As she leaves the room I move back to examine the various internal parts of the rifle. Luna looks over the parts with me, "Could you make another rifle which operated like yours? As in operating more then once without reloading?"

Lowering the rifle I turn to her, "It's possible but won't be easy to do from scratch. I'm thinking of a magazine fed bolt action rifle."

"Bolt action? What does that mean?"

"A bolt action is a weapon where the firing bolt is operated manually by opening and closing the breech, they were widely used throughout the first and second world wars. By lifting a handle you can pull it to the rear allowing a round to be fed from the magazine then you push the bolt forward to the loaded position, the bolt is then lowered locking off the action and securing the cartridge where it is ready to be fired. One you have fired you repeat the process, except when you pull the bolt to the rear it ejects the old cartridge and replaces it with a new one once you move it forward," Running my hand through my hair I look to Onyx, "Have you got facilities for machinery work?"

Pausing he glances to Luna then back to me, "We have some, however they are very few and we have little staff who can operate them effectively. I'm afraid that mass production isn't exactly one of our strong suits, the Griffin Empire has always been the major industrial nation."

"So we won't be able to make a large majority of them," Pausing I turn to Luna, "I suppose we'll get to the issue of production later, first we need to know if I can make a rifle which operates," Taking the screwdriver once again I remove the trigger of the rifle and examine the mechanism, "I can at least develop from this rifle and use it as a base, that way I won't have to work from scratch."

Stepping back Luna looks to me, "I shall leave you to work, I'd like to see the end result once you've completed it."

With a deadpan expression I fold my arms, "You can't shoot me again."

"Just once?" I continue to look to her with an unamused glare, "You're no fun. Fine, I promise I won't test it on you."

"Good," Smiling to me Luna leaves through the door and closes it behind her.

Onyx leans closer to me as he stares at the door, "Did the Princess really shoot you?" I nod, "Why?"

"Testing out a new armour design... it worked," Turning back to the rifle I let out a sigh, "Let's get to work then."

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The first process we undertook was the creation of the cartridge as we needed to know the exact measurements in order to create a barrel and internal system which would be able to house the cartridge, I didn't want to make a rifle only to find out the cartridge wouldn't fit correctly. It was fairly easy, based on the measurement I provided and our previous method of creating bullets we were able to manufacture fifty rounds with ease from this new calibre, true to my ambitions we were able to create a .303 calibre round.

As we manufacture it Dawnstar was able to produce a number of substitutions for our gunpowder, the last one was effective but it caused some fouling resulting in my SA-80 jamming on a number of occasions. Dawnstar was able to develop a compound which provided the same level of force but produced little to no smoke from the reaction, much like smokeless powder used in modern cartridges back home. With this new chemical compound we were able to fill the new .303 calibre rounds with the new powder to hopefully be more effective and help the rifle in the long run.

Before we went onto the main body of the rifle and all the internals I decided it would be best to figure out what length of barrel would be most effective for the calibre we had, a short barrel would be ineffective for longer ranged engagements and a long barrel would make it less manoeuvrable in close quarters situations. Deciding I wanted a rifle which would be suitable in both close quarters and long range engagements I went for a barrel with the length of twenty five inches similar to the Lee-Enfield S.M.L.E, I decided that this would be encased within the body of the rifle to balance the weapon and to keep the hot barrel out of contact to prevent burns.

With the barrel selected I next needed to work on the bolt mechanism itself which would consist of multiple parts including the cocking handle, bolt, bolt head, firing spring, firing pin and extractor, these parts would have to work in combination with the magazine to ensure the rounds were effectively fed into the mechanism and the trigger to ensure it functioned correctly. The action is locked off by the bolt due to a number of lugs which are machined into the bolt securing the round in position to be fired, once fired the bolt is pulled to the rear where a spring activated extractor pin automatically pushes against the empty casing ejecting it from the weapon.

With the parts fully functional all that was left was the development of the body, sights and the magazine. Initially I wanted to have the magazine on the left hand side of the bolt with a small hole facing the operator to allow them to view how many rounds were left in the magazine, kind of like the 'bastard gun' from Metro 2033. In reality it could cause issue if dirt was to enter the open slot which would potentially jam the magazine, on top of that having the magazine positioned so close to the body on the left hand side isn't the most comfortable position to load it compared to other positions. Keeping to the basics we constructed double stacked magazines which would house ten cartridges and would be fitted to the underside of the bolt mechanism.

Finally we had to create a body to house the internal parts, I must admit I had little knowledge on how to go about creating the body but thankfully I had the Griffin rifles to work from. Based on the wood used for the Griffin rifles they were constructed from walnut, I was assured that this material would be sturdy and lightweight meaning it could take some punishment but wouldn't weigh down those carrying it. A set of adjustable iron sights were added to the top, the front sight would be fixed to the body just above the end of the rifle where as the rear could be adjusted to assist soldiers by elevating their rifle for ranged targets, the rear sight would sit at the end of the bolt mechanism just before the half way point of the rifle body.

With a rifle fully constructed all that was left was to test it to ensure I was happy with the design, from earlier conversations with Luna I also needed to see if this was sufficient enough to be adopted by the Equestrian military. I needed to develop one which could be used sufficiently by Equestrian forces who weren't Unicorns. To compensate for them I designed another body which would allow an earth pony, for example, to operate it however it did require them to either go prone or to rise onto their hind legs to operate effectively. The trigger guard was enlarged to allow the end of their hoofs to reach the trigger, this was so it still prevented the trigger from accidentally being activated by the operator. Towards the end of the body a wooden vertical fore grip was also constructed which allowed them to easily handle the rifle.

Instead of a magazine release catch like the SA-80 I constructed one similar to an AK-47 which would require them to grip the magazine and flick the top away from their body to remove it, to prevent the magazine from accidentally being removed the bolt must be open and positioned fully to the rear in order for the magazine to be removed. At the end of the body on the right side of the barrel a small mount was fitted to allow a bayonet to be attached turning the rifle into a spear of sorts for close engagements.

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After a week of tinkering and development I was happy to test out the rifle as the final model. Waiting in the courtyard of the barracks myself and Sunny are filling a number of magazines as Onyx looks towards the crowd of guards and officers which caught wind of our weapon demonstration, "Are you sure we're ready?" He asks.

I wait until I've filled my fourth magazine before I answer, "As ready as we'll ever be. This is just a first test of the prototype, we can always improve on it."

Sitting alongside us he watches the rifle as I run my hand over the stock, "We need a name for this model of rifle, we can't just refer to them as rifles if we intend on making other variants."

Tilting my head back I look to the sky for a moment before a grin forms on my face, "Valkyrie Mk 1."

Sunny looks to me as she finishes filling her magazine, "You're naming the new rifle for the Equestrian military after the one you lost?"

Looking to Sunny I rest a hand on my heart, "It's what she would have wanted," Looking to the gate I watch as Luna and Shining Armour enter the barracks courtyard causing the guards in the crowd to all come to attention. Standing up I mutter to myself, "Show time."

When they both approach I bow to the Luna which she returns. Stepping up to me Luna smiles, "I understand that you have finished developing your rifle."

"We have, all that's left is to test it to see if you're happy to put them into production for the guards."

Stepping past me Luna smirks, "Begin when you're ready, John," She and Shining move alongside the crowd as myself and Sunny step in front of them.

Raising the rifle in front of me I look over everyone, "This is the newest edition to the Equestrian military, the Valkyrie Mk 1 .303 calibre rifle. It has a weight of 9.2lbs and a total length of 44.5 inches, it is magazine fed and holds ten rounds. Being a bolt action rifle it is best used at medium to long ranges, however for close encounters a bayonet can be fitted for defensive purposes," Removing my old bayonet I attach it to the mount, I had to adjust my bayonet in order to adapt it from the SA-80.

"To load the rifle take hold of the cocking handle and lift it, -as I go through the instructions myself and Sunny carry them out- "pull it to the rear. Once the bolt is fully to the rear the magazine can be inserted at the bottom of the rifle, with the magazine in place the bolt is then pushed fully forward and lowered locking the round in position and making the rifle ready to fire," Looking to Sunny we both step up to a set position.

"I will now demonstrate how the rifle operates on the bottles down range at fifty meters," Lifting the rifle I place the butt against my shoulder and line up the sights with the bottle furthest on the left. Inhaling I take a deep breath before I slowly exhale and squeeze the trigger.

PHAT

The rifle lets off a resounding bang as the powerful round is fired off instantly shattering the bottle and hitting the sand bag wall behind it. Grabbing the cocking handle I raise it and pull it fully to the rear causing the casing to be ejected to the right and clattering to the floor, pushing the bolt forward again a new round is taken from the magazine and locked into position.

PHAT

Again the target shatters, picking up the speed I load in the next round as quick as I can and fire off. I continue firing off rounds at the targets smashing all ten of them, once the first line is destroyed I pull the bolt fully to the rear and remove the magazine before inserting a new one and firing on the second line. With all twenty targets destroyed I lower my rifle and take a step back as I nod to Sunny.

To demonstrate that the rifle can be used by ponies Sunny rises onto her hind legs and brings the rifle against her shoulder before firing off and hitting her target, still standing on her hind legs she brings her right hoof to the cocking handle and loads another round in to repeat the process. Once her first row of targets are destroyed she loads in a new magazine and brings her body to a prone position on the floor and fires at the second row until they're all destroyed.

With our rifles clear we step back to our crowd, "As you can see the rifle can be operated by ponies, unlike the Griffin rifles which could only be operated by Unicorns. The rifle is highly accurate and can easily fire off its rounds with no blockages or jams, all it requires is routine cleaning and it will continue to function."

As I look over the guards most of them seem fairly impressed with the rifles performance, that is until I look to Shining Armour. Standing up he moves up to me to view the rifle, "You expect us to arm all of our guards with this weapon? One which in untested in combat?"

Scowling I hook the sling over my shoulder, "This will allow you to engage safely at range."

"Yet we must rely on the small bayonet to defend us when the enemy inevitably gets close to us? Somehow I doubt it will be effective up close."

"It's not designed for close quarters, I've been over this."

Stepping back he looks to the Princess, "You can't expect us to adopt this weapon which will leave us exposed to attacks up close? It will cost guards their lives."

Stepping up to Shining I square off to him, "How about a series of war games?"

"War games?" Shining tries to match my look.

"When the Ponyville barracks is complete and I have a Company under my command we will engage in a mock battle. My Company will be armed with these new rifles where as your guards will only be equipped with Equestrian standard equipment."

Chuckling he takes a step back, "You think you can beat us with those wooden toys?"

"I know we can. Consider it a training exercise," Looking back to the Luna her expression don't change as she listens to our... debate, "I will show you what a modern fighting force can do."

"Very well, Captain. I accept your proposal, we shall arrange it for when your company is fully equipped."

Grinning I step back, "Great, you best get training, you're gonna need it," As he glares at me he steps to the small crowd and begins to disperse them. I'm gonna enjoy mopping the floor with you, jackass. Stepping up to Luna I hold out the rifle which she levitates in her magic, "So what do you think?"

"It's certainly impressive, I'm glad to see you've adapted it for use for the rest of the guards as well. Though I must ask, is it possible to provide these for all the guards?"

Looking back to Onyx I take hold of the rifle again, "Not for a number of years, according to your quartermaster, due to the industrial equipment you have for military development it would take years to manufacture enough rifles for the entire guard at this present time. He said that if he was to prioritise developing them along with ammunition then he could have two hundred produced by the end of the year."

Luna looks to the quarter master for a moment before she focuses once again on me, "Well then I guess the first lot shall be going directly to the Everfree Rangers and the Ponyville barracks?"

"They will?" She nods, "Why?"

"Seeing as you developed them it's only fitting that your unit is the first to receive them. Celestia also informed me of your intent on going to the Griffin Empire to seek out these Children of the Motherland, after speaking to the Minister of Intelligence I have authorised for you to lead a small team to assist the government in weakening the threat. I'm sure you will need these new weapons whilst you're there."

Smirking I examine my new rifle once again, "I'm sure I will."

Signalling for me to follow Luna turns to the gates and we both begin to stroll back towards the castle, "For now though I must help my sister with getting everything in order for the Gala tomorrow evening. I've also invited the rest of your unit to attend the event."

Bringing the sling over my shoulder I slide the rifle around to my back, "No offence but I don't some of them are... sensible enough for a formal event like the Gala."

Cocking an eyebrow Luna nudges me with her rump as we walk, "And you are? Last event you attended at the castle you got drunk and played a suggestive song out loud."

"To which you threw me across the room... thanks for that, by the way."

With a soft chuckle Luna looks ahead, "You're welcome. To be honest it's partially the reason why my sister and I invited them all."

"You invited them all because they may not behave appropriately? That makes no sense."

Stopping on the spot Luna looks to me, "Surely you've been to formal events in your world. You'll know how boring they can be, I'm sure they will provide some entertainment for the night."

Groaning I shake my head, "I suppose you're right there... it isn't a great idea in my opinion, but I suppose it will provide entertainment."

"I knew you'd see sense. Now come on, Celestia is expecting me shortly," As we continue to walk I take hold of my rifle again and examine it closely, my hand running over the butt of the rifle as I consider the possibility of arming all the guards with the rifle. It will take some time to get enough produced for everyone, but at the very least we can have a unit dedicated to ranged combat within the Equestrian Guard.

It's good to have Valkyrie back.