Once the compound was fully secured one of the guards flew back to the airship to get them to fly to our location in order to collect all of the supplies we were seizing. As the rest of the Rangers and Gabrielle's unit went about loading up the cargo I took it upon myself to guard the prisoners. Sunny continued to remain with Crimson as everyone went about their work.

Whilst we remained in Holbeak I kept my injured arm close to my chest, Slicer was able to clean the cut along with bandaging it until we returned to MoD Fulwood for me to be seen by a doctor. Well... I lost the bet, who knows what Luna will have in store for me. To be honest I would have rather won, I had considered plenty of things that I could have gotten her to do. Alas it will never be. Well... until we have another bet, one that I'm guaranteed to win.

Overall we were able to take a large stockpile of explosives, weapons and chemicals from the control of the Children of the Motherland. Within the town we were also able to locate key intelligence showing other storage locations, along with key operatives who provide them with intelligence from within the military and provisional government. With this new intelligence we will be able to disrupt their operations significantly, their capabilities to engage with us will be severely reduced.

This small victory came at the cost of one of my men, Comet. I wish I knew him on a more personal level but he was still a good soldier, someone who the others could rely on. Crimson has already taken his death hard, I'm worried for her. When I first came here I let my anger following the death of Williams get to me, it made me make rash and idiotic decisions. Without learning to control her anger she could put others and herself at risk. My anger in Beakmund resulted in the deaths of Blitz and Sky Mist, I have to live with that. I'm worried that Crimson may make a mistake like I did, who knows how she'd cope with something like that on her conscience.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All done," The doctor announces as he rests the needle on the table. Glancing back to my arm I find the long cut to be sutured. Grabbing a fresh roll of dressing he begins to wrap it over my arm, "You'll need to rest up for the next few days. Doing any heavy lifting or combat with this arm will only make things worse."

"Thanks, doc. Any idea how long it will be until Crimson's assessment is complete?

He pauses momentarily before finishing, "That isn't my area of expertise. You'll have to speak to the psychiatrist once he's finished, he'll be able to give you a full report. For now though you should get some sleep, you look exhausted." As the doctor moves away to return to his other jobs I release a yawn to reinforce his point. We didn't return to Fulwood until noon, after staying up for over twenty-fours hours and engaging in combat twice it was safe to say that I was knackered.

Getting up from the hospital bed I run a hand over my face as I slowly pace through the medical bay, my eyes momentarily lock onto the Griffin who got caught in the the trap as I pass by. Wanting to get my head down as soon as I can I decide to make my way to our barracks to have a nap, I would rather sleep until tomorrow but that would only make a mess of my sleeping pattern.

Walking through the base I look to the remains of the snow, with the last few days getting warmer it has allowed the snow to finally melt away. No snow means I can finally ditch this winter uniform and adopt my classic black and purple. I'd rather get out of this blood soaked uniform, my white winter coat is still heavily stained with my own blood along my arm as well as Comet's on my chest.

"John, wait up." I look back over my shoulder as Gabrielle jogs to catch up to me. Her eyes focus on my bandaged arm which is clearly visible due to me sleeve being rolled up, "How's the arm?"

"Sore, but I'll live. I'm surprised you haven't gone to sleep yet."

"I've still got plenty of work to do, someone has to ensure all of the intelligence is reviewed. No doubt we'll have some more work to do over the next few days. How's Crimson?"

Sighing I come to a stop as I look back towards the medical centre, "I don't know. She's still being accessed by the psychiatrist and that'll take some time."

"What are you going to do with her?"

"I have no idea, I'd like to keep her here but she's a liability."

Gabrielle tilts her head as she starts to walk towards our barracks, "A liability? Surely you could use her anger to make her a more effective soldier."

"No... I can't. Her anger will just make her do something stupid, I know from experience. We're still a conventional army and she fired on those who surrendered, I can't overlook that. But losing her will likely weaken my team though."

"I don't envy your choice. If it was up to me I'd keep her, though she would need to be closely watched."

Once we reach the barracks I stop to look back to Gabrielle, "I'll figure something out. I need to look out for everyone in my team, even if they made a mistake." Opening the door I enter the warm barracks and head straight for my room, as I look over the others I find them all to be asleep following the previous nights operations. Reaching my room I rest my armour and weapons over the top of my foot locker before throwing my bloodied kit into the corner to sort out when I wake up. Stripping down to my boxers and t-shirt I let out a final yawn before climbing into bed, to ensure I don't sleep for too long I set the alarm on my phone to go off in five hours.

My eyes gradually open to find myself looking up at a white ceiling compared to the metal roof I fell asleep underneath, rolling my head to the side I look around to realise that I'm lying on top of my sofa in the lounge of my flat. I'm guessing Luna wants to speak again. Sitting up I run my hand along my chin, unlike the previous dream I still have my beard along with the clothing I wore to bed. When I lift my left arm the bandages from earlier still remain. Luna will notice that immediately and realise that she has won.

I wait on my sofa to her to turn up, after a minute the main door to my flat opens up as Luna steps in. Once she's inside she freezes as her eyes lock onto my arm, "What happened? Your report said that the operation was a success with no injuries."

Lightly grasping my injured arm I stand and slowly step up to Luna, "Well, when we sent that report it was true. We entered another engagement afterwards when we followed up on intelligence that we secured. We got into another fight where I got hit in the arm. Unfortunately though we lost Comet, he was killed."

"You lost one of your team? How?"

"He was caught in a trap, we assaulted a storage facility which was secluded within the woods. We've uncovered a large number of supplies including Chlorine gas."

Luna looks to me with concern as she steps past me, "Chlorine gas? Do you know what the target was?"

"No. It could be one of the candidates for the Prime Minister, the government itself of military bases, we don't know at the moment." Following Luna we both sit on the sofa as I keep hold of my arm. "The fact that they have chemical weapons concerns me, we haven't got any equipment to protect us if they use it."

"That's not strictly true, we may not have it for the use of the military but we have some protective equipment which is used in industry."

"What equipment have you got?" Luna closes her eyes as her horn illuminates, after a moment of focus some sort of gas mask and suit materialise on the sofa between us. Picking up the mask it appears to similar to an old S10 gas mask used by the army, a model I was familiar with during training.

"Is it similar to yours?" Luna asks, "I recall you wore a mask in one of your memories during your training."

"It's similar, a bit different but generally the same thing. Though due to the difference with the shape of our heads it would be completely useless for me." Resting the mask back down I move to the suit. Standing up I hold it out in front of me to examine it closely. It almost looks the same as any hazmat suit you'd expect to see on TV, the main suit is a sickly yellow with a bio-hazard symbol on the flanks. The helmet seems to be a separate unit which attaches to the suit, the clear visor allowing visibility for the wearer. From the rear of the helmet there is an air hose which connects to some sort of unit on the back of the wearer. I'd imagine that this provides air filtration with either activated charcoal or oxidised charcoal, however since this world has magic they could use an entirely different system for their filters.

Resting the kit down I look back to Luna, "Could you get some of these shipped out to us? The masks would be ideal so we could use them with our full equipment."

"Of course, I shall arrange for some to be shipped to you all. But what about you? These won't have any chance of fitting you, you'd have to have one manufactured specifically for yourself."

"I'll have to avoid gas entirely. If it gets deployed I would have to immediately evacuate from the area. It's not ideal but it's the only way to keep me safe from gas attacks."

With a flash of her horn, Luna removes the equipment from my view. "You said that you lost Comet. How are the others taking it?"

Sighing I lean back on my seat staring up at the ceiling, "Crimson took it really hard, those two were close friends. She's currently being assessed, once we secured the supply depot she continued to fire on those who surrendered. I had to tackle her to get her to stop, she even went as far to trying to kick me off her."

"She's unstable, John." Lifting my head again I look to Luna, "You can't keep somepony like that under your command, she's a liability."

"I know... but I can't just kick her out."

Luna's expression changes to one of confusion, "You'd keep someone who ignored an order from their superior and even assaulted them? If she remains she could act out again, potentially doing more damage to your unit then the enemy."

"So you're suggesting I discharge her based on one event? She just lost her best friend, most people would want to do the same thing she did. Hell, I was the same when Taylor was killed in front of me, the only difference was that there was nobody to take my anger out on."

"But you didn't act out... you kept your composure-"

"-Bollocks! I spent the next week mopping around and shouting my head off at anyone who so much as irritated me, I even nearly punched my best friend when he came to me." Getting up from the sofa I step towards a photo hanging on the wall showing my unit after our first tour in Afghanistan at the homecoming parade. "I got pissed off, just like Crimson did. I don't blame her for acting how she did, I understand it. We can't just kick her out of her military career based on one mistake."

"That mistake put you all at risk! Do you want somepony who's unstable armed with a rifle potentially aimed at your back? She will only cause more issues, her anger will control her getting more of your unit killed."

Scowling I turn back to Luna, "Well what about me then? I let my anger out at Beakmund and got Blitz and Sky Mist both killed, my cock up cost both of them their lives. If we're making this decision based on one lapse in judgement then you'll also have to discharge me. We can't decide her fate based on one event."

Luna initially looks taken aback at my outburst, I guess she's used to having everyone groveling at her hooves that when someone actually talks back to her it surprises her. Letting out a weary sigh Luna rubs her hoof over her muzzle, "We can't just let this slide either. The Rangers are representing the Equestrian Guard and the Lunar Guard, I won't have somepony who serves me tarnishing my reputation. Something must be done, John. No matter what you say or what arguments you throw my way It won't change my mind. Either you act... or I will."

Stepping back from the pictures I turn my head out the window as I consider my options. If I discharge her on medical ground she won't be effected if she tries to return to the civilian workforce. If I keep her then there's the risk she can break down again, she may put us all at risk due to her anger. Getting rid of her will likely lower morale within the unit due to the lose of two of the team in a short period of time, not to mention I'd also have to actively recruit two new members.

"Well, John?" Luna calls from behind me, "What is your decision?"

Turning back to her I rest my hands on my hips, "I want to keep Crimson in, kicking her out will only cause more issues for her." I can tell that Luna isn't satisfied with this answer as she give me a menacing glare. "I can't keep her out here with us, but she still deserves a chance. I want to send her back to Canterlot to undergo professional assessment, once she's cleared I want her back at Ponyville with us."

Upon hearing this Luna's expression relaxes slightly, "...I will accept that. She will be suspended from active duty and return to Equestria. However we cannot keep waiting forever for her to potentially recover, if she isn't cleared by the end of March then I will have her medically discharged from the Lunar Guard."

Sighing I run my hand over my injured arm, "I understand. This is best for her, Luna, just kicking her out of the Guard will crush her."

Luna nods as she steps towards the door, her posture seeming more regal then how she normally acts around me. "See that it get's done. I will contact you tonight at midnight, I expect it to be done." Once she reaches the door Luna pauses as she looks back to me, "I'm being generous with this decision, I could quite easily have her court martialled for her actions. I'm willing to give her the chance to recover from this, but if she refuses what we have to offer I will have her court martialled."

After waking up I dived straight into the showers, although they were your typical army showers they still felt heavenly against my exhausted muscles. I had to fight to stay awake when I returned to my room to change into my guard uniform, the view of my warm bed just looked so inviting. Resisting the urge to jump back into bed I made my way straight to the medical centre, I woke up everyone else as I passed them to ensure that their sleeping patterns weren't entirely fucked.

Heading into the medical centre I stop at the reception and wait in front of one of the medical staff member as she finishes her report. Lifting her head to me she pauses momentarily in what seems to be a state of... shock? What's wrong with her? Finally she opens her mouth, "I-it's you... The 'Liberator of Griffonstone!' Lieutenant John Davies!"

Have I really got a fan girl? "Umm... yeah, it's me. Though it's Captain now-"

"-Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Captain. Please forgive me."

Alright this is just getting awkward now, it's like she's grovelling to me as if I was some crappy celebrity. "It's fine, really. I'm here to see the psychiatrist who assessed Private Crimson."

She gets up eagerly from her desk and steps around to me, "I can take you to him."

"Okay then, lead on." With a smile she begins to lead me down a number of corridors. As we walk she occasionally glance back to me.

"I can't believe I've finally been able to meet you. I heard that you were on base but to actually see you in the flesh-"

"-I'm not special, there's no need to kick up a fuss over me."

Her pace slows as she turns her head to me, "'Not special?' You were able to convince the Equestrian military to come to our aid, you infiltrated the defences of Wingstone, you lead the charge of Griffonstone and killed the General. You certainly are special, you've done a great service for us all."

I mentally cringe as she says all of my activities out loud, "I didn't lead the charge on Griffonstone, I was just in the first wave. There were plenty of other soldiers who fought alongside me, including the Captain of the Wonderbolts and the Solar Guard."

"True, but it was you who killed the General. You have no idea how much of an inspiration you were during the war, especially with your advanced futuristic looking armour and weapons, you looked like something you'd expect to find in a science fiction book. You were a living breathing icon everybody could look up to, the moral boost we all needed.

"I'm a soldier, I just did what was expected of me and that's it." We walk in silence the rest of the way until we come along a secluded room.

"The doctor is in here with Private Crimson." As I put my hand on the door handle she clears her throat causing me to turn to look at her again, "If you ever feel like... getting a drink or something you know where to find me, I'd love to hear some stories from a famous war hero."

"...Um okay, we'll see." With a small smile she gives me a playful wink as she begins to walk away, as I watch her leave she puts a bit of exaggeration into the sway of her hips. Okay... now I've been hit on by a Griffin. That would be weird... with that beak it would be really awkward if she was to go down and... I shake my head to get that thought out of my head before pushing the door open.

Entering the medical room I find that the room is divided into two. The first section is the doctors main office where I find him sitting at his desk as he types up a report on the type writer, various medical journals reside on the main bookshelf alongside files of his patients. The back room is separated by a glass window and door, inside I can see Crimson sitting on the end of a psychiatrist chair as she stares at her own hooves.

The doctor pauses from his report and looks up to me, "Captain, I was wondering when I'd see you. I've just finished my assessment and I'm typing up my report for you."

Stepping up to the desk I sit in a free chair, "How is she doing?"

Lifting his talon he takes a pair of glasses off the end of his beak, "She's not responding to outside stimuli, most of my interactions have been in vain. She seems to have retreated into herself, refusing to acknowledge anything which is taking place around her. She needs to undergo multiple sessions before I'm happy for her to return to duty, so I'm hoping you're not here for the purpose of expecting her to fight."

"Well she has just seen her friend die."

"That may be, but I've seen many patients who have experienced the death of someone close to them. I don't know whether you'd have more luck getting through to her, she may respond more to someone she is more comfortable with."

Getting up from the chair I run a hand across my injured arm, "I can try, though I'm not exactly here to give her good news."

"Try not to cause any more stress for her."

I scoff as I step up to the door, "Easier said then done." Opening the door I make my way inside and slowly step up to Crimson. When I look back to the window I can see the doctor returning to his report as he occasionally glances to me. When I'm at the end of the chair I notice Crimson's eyes briefly flick to my feet before returning to her hooves. "Crimson? How are you feeling?"

She doesn't respond, instead she continues to look at her hooves as she rolls them slowly from side to side. Moving alongside her chair I sit on a section which she isn't occupying, "You can talk to me, Crimson. I want to help you."

"...Help me? I don't need your help," Crimson replies with a hoarse voice.

"You need to talk to someone, ideally somebody who knows what you're going through-"

"-I've just lost my best friend!" Crimson shouts as her head lifts up, her eyes glare directly into mine. "My best friend is dead! How can you know how that feels!"

"Are you being serious? I've been dragged away from my home, including everyone I care for and love. I've had people under my command die, both here and back in Afghanistan. And if you asked Sunny or Chaser you'd know that I know exactly how you're feeling when I tried to treat my friend who was killed in combat, killed by the very device I was supposed to be protecting him from. I know how you are feeling, Crimson. Things aren't going to be easy, but going through it alone will only make things worse."

Her head drops again as her eyes begin to tear up following her outburst, "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry." I rest a hand on her back to comfort her, she quickly moves towards me and wraps her forehooves around my chest as she presses her head against me. I just stay there with her as she cries, my hand slowly running over the fur on her back. "W-whats going to happen to me?"

Releasing her I stand and pace towards the window and look through into the office, "You are being returned to Equestria. You will stay in Canterlot to undergo assessment and treatment."

"I don't want to leave you all, you're all I have left."

Sighing I turn back to her, "I want you to stay with us... but it's out of my hands. Technically you committed murder by killing those who surrendered, most would be facing a court martial for that." Her expression instantly changes to one of horror and alarm at the realisation that she could go to prison for her actions. "I was able to talk to Princess Luna and I've been able to avoid that for you. You will have to go to Canterlot, you will need to be accessed and cleared for active service by the end of March. If you're not cleared by then, you will be medically discharged from the military."

"March? But tha-"

"-Too soon... I know. It was either that or being court martialled."

Crimson slowly lifts herself from the chair and steps up to me, "I haven't got a choice, have I?" She looks to me with pleading eyes as I shake my head. She stares at me for a moment before nodding, "I-I'll do it. It's not like the alternative is any better."

"I'm sorry, Crimson. We should get your stuff together and arrange for you to return to Canterlot." Opening the door for her we both step through into the office where the doctor hands me the completed report which is to be given to the medical staff back in Canterlot. With the report in hand all that's left to do is to help Crimson pack and to allow her to say farewell to the others.

"Is it done?" My eyes suddenly shoot open to see Luna standing above me, acting like the true man I am I wildly fling my arms at her as I rapidly scoot back on my sofa.

Regaining some control I let out a deep breath as I rub my face, "Give a moment to get up in these dreams before you jump out at me."

"Sorry," Luna replies as she smiles sheepishly. Once I sit up on the sofa she remains on the spot as she looks to me expectantly. "Have you informed Crimson."

"I have, she's obviously not too thrilled with everything but she's happy that she isn't being court martialled."

"I can imagine, though she is lucky that I haven't gone straight for a court martial." Luna joins me on the sofa by sitting on the end, "If somepony did such a thing during my leadership of the military then they wouldn't be given a second chance. I expected everypony to uphold the values of the Guard, anypony who went against what the Guard stood for was disciplined."

Raising an eyebrow I sit up fully on the sofa, "You used to command the entire Guard?"

Luna nods, "I did, before my banishment. That is one power however which will not be given back to me, I'm lucky to even have control of my own Guard again." We both sit there silently for a moment as we look to each other, eventually Luna's eyes drift down to my bandaged arm. "So... I take it this means I won the bet?" Moving her hoof towards me she presses against my arm causing me to hiss in pain at the contact, "Sorry."

"Yes, Luna. You won the bet, which is a shame since I had plenty in mind for when I won."

Luna chuckles softly, "Maybe you should only make a bet when you have a chance at winning?"

Smirking I shake my head, "Where's the fun in that?"

"It's a shame, really. Here I was wondering what the strong war hero would have planned for me, a Princess to do with as he pleases," Luna utters in a sultry tone as she runs a hoof down the front of her own chest.

I eye her display with interest, "Well I guess it's not important, it's you who will have control for the day."

Luna gets up from the sofa and begins to move around behind it, "Hmm, a toy to play with all day. What ever shall I do?" Luna stops behind me and leans her head alongside mine, "Make you pamper me to my every whim? Satisfy my... desires?" The way she whispers that in my ear sends a shiver down my spine.

Turning my head to face her we remain only inches apart as I stare longingly into her eyes, "I'm pretty sure I can satisfy all of your desires."

"Is that so? I have no idea what a human is like when it comes to... pleasing another. Are you certain that you're up for the task?"

"Definitely," Pushing forwards I quickly lock lips with Luna who doesn't even attempt to pull back. She's quickly moaning into the kiss as I brush my hand across her cheek and bring her closer to me. As she remains focused on the kiss I move my hands underneath the top of her forelegs and quickly pull her over the sofa earning a surprised giggle as she lands on top of me.

As she lies on top of me the kiss intensifies, I occasionally pull away to kiss along her neck getting small moans from Luna as a reward. Luna begins to run her forehooves over my chest allowing her to get a good feel of my body. As her hooves run across my body I bring my hands to run across her back, slowly I make my way lower on her body as we continue to lock lips.

Finding my target I begin to massage the cutiemarks on her flanks, Luna lets out a pleasured gasp in response as she lifts her head to look back to my hands. "Your hands certainly have their uses," Luna whispers to me in a seductive tone.

Grinning I lightly spank her flank getting another moan, "They can do a lot more."

"Mmm... I bet they can," When I lock lips with her again she pulls away slowly and keeps her hoof on my chest to keep me down. "John, wait. I want this to be real"

Pausing I look to her in confusion as I bring my hands up to rest on her back, "What do you mean?"

"I don't want out first time to be in a dream. I want to feel you in the flesh, to experience and remember every moment."

Smirking I lean closer and give her a quick peck on the muzzle, "Of course, Luna. If that's what you want then I can wait."

With a blissful smile Luna looks down to me, "Make sure that you're free to be my personal escort for the state visit. We will be arriving on the tenth of February."

"I'm not going to miss it, Luna." Slowly I lift my head to close the distance between myself and Luna. As we close our eyes our lips lock once again...

...The sound of my phones alarm blaring causes me to instantly sit up in my bed, letting out a frustrated groan I grab my phone and switch the alarm off. As I sit in bed I can't help but have a goofy grin on my face as many thoughts of being Luna's 'personal escort' run through my head. No doubt we can get up to all sorts of mischief. Climbing out of bed I move over to collect my shower supplies in order to get ready for the day.

I never thought I'd be excited for a state visit.

Author's Notes:

With one team member gone and another potentially being removed in the long run, the Everfree Rangers will require more units.

Submit your character to me in a Private Message and they may be added in upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading and as always I hope you enjoyed this chapter