“Arrow!” Marble Falls called.

“CAPTAIN!” Arrow bounced over to her with her usual energy. “I had heard you were back but hadn’t seen you! Did you hear!”

“Yes, congratulation!”

“Still waiting on Lightning to give me their schedule so we can actually set a date. They are still up north dealing with that shit. Or so she said. Last time we talked. Two weeks ago.”

“Whatever she is doing, it is important,” Marble Falls assured her. “She will get here as soon as her duty allows.”

“You probably are right. I just hate having to wait for her to call me!”

Marble Falls laughed.

“Arrow, you are down one in your squad right?”

“Mhm,” Arrow nodded. “Why?”

“Lieutenant Olive Pit may need to do practicums and some other work away from his Unit. Unit 0 needs to see an officer, not a fellow trainee.”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Arrow shrugged. “I need another officer in my Unit. We can do that while paying attention to which one we want to nab. A good way to train for another and watch the others.”

“Olive Pit, Arrow was in the same ACS Unit as Filly Fooler and Cardinal Spitfire.”

“You heard from him?” Arrow asked.

Olive Pit looked at Marble Falls, pleading with his eyes for her to give a better answer.

Marble Falls gave in with a sigh. “Major Winters Breath was removed and a Lieutenant was placed in his spot. A few months later, He is now MIA with the team, with at least one KIA.

“I am sure at least one of those was preventable if procedure had actually been followed. Its a big scandal right now in the Wonderbolts. They were stationed were officially are.”

Arrow had no energy left in her body and her head hung low. “Bastards. But it’s him. He beat being iced out, he can make it being MIA. I am sure they will pop up somewhere, knocking to get in.”

“I doubt it,” Cardinal Spitfire said walking up.

“You are supposed to be.”

“Stuff it,” Cardinal Spitfire said cutting Marble Falls off. “Yeah, the IV drip helped. But its almost lunch and I can’t afford to waste away over something that I have no control over. He is my other half. He isn’t dead yet and he will come back. I will know it if he dies.

“The problem with the Recon team is complex. I thought this out a lot on the flight. If they pop up at the gate where they launched from, they won’t be let in. If, by chance, they buy it and let them in, the questions they will ask will back the team into a corner.

“When their officer switched, they were pinned below. They got set up somehow. They have to figure out what moves were made to put them in check before they can counter it and make it back. They are playing chess, blind.

“And their tech specialist must have gone down or else they would have gotten a message to somepony, even the general public, after my warning. That would have been their check mate, but they lost their queen.”

Fountain came jogging up.

“Falls, we killed half of them. They already gave up. Before lunch. They are in serious trouble.”

“I hate to play this card so early,” Marble Falls groaned.

“I don’t mind,” Olive Pit spat. “If they don’t get up and pass, they are going to be retired. No if and or buts, retired.”

“Not yet,” Marble Falls cautioned. “We have two more cards before that. The new team Razzleberry is training is one. Just stand there and look confident.”

Fountain led them back to the group. Arrow hopped along with them, some of her energy had returned. Fourteen were on their feet in parade rest when they saw them approach.

“Fourteen? Is that it?” Marble Falls said. “I have ten of you who are so lazy you can’t go on?”

“Jeez,” Arrow said rolling her eyes and head. “And I thought Unit 34 was bad in our ACS.”

“Yes, thank you Lieutenant,” Marble Falls said holding off a laugh. “If you are done for today, you are done. Fine. Go back to your rooms and sort yourself out. After all, ACS doesn’t officially start until the day after tomorrow. If you can stay, then lets get back to it.”

Willow moaned in pain on the ground. “Lieutenant. I am too old for this.”

“It just all in your noggin!” Arrow said bouncing again. “I mean duh. You would not be expected to do this if you couldn’t.”

The corner of Olive Pit’s mouth curled up into a half smile. Arrow was good. It was hard to take her seriously with the bouncing and her voice, but she spoke the truth and you couldn’t deny that.

“Alright Awry,” Willow said getting up. “If you can bounce around like that all day, every day, then I can keep going. Even at my age, I will go.”

Willow crumbled. They couldn’t catch her.

“Well, she gave it her best go,” Arrow shrugged.

Those still standing stayed where they were. They would move when called. Olive Pit was by Willow’s side. She was out cold.

“Pulse is present,” Olive Pit said. “Heart rate elevated. Breathing is shallow, but not blocked. She is running a fever. We need to get her to the clinic and an IV in her immediately. Has she vomited?”

“No Sir?” Raspberry Lemonade replied.

“What did she eat for breakfast?”

Nopony answered.

“Did any of you see her eating? Or in the mess hall?”

‘No Sir’ was all Olive Pit got.

“Winter, Bright, get her to the Clinic and personally treat her for Heat Stroke.”

They rushed to her side and began to move Willow.

“Heat Stroke? In this cold?” Arrow asked.

“It can strike anywhere,” Olive Pit stated. “It is about body temperature, not the atmosphere. Although the warmer it is, the more likely you are to fall prey to it."

Olive Pit looked at Marble Falls and shrugged. “New plan. On your hooves. We are going to do a quick trot back to the Squad Barracks. You on the ground, will be heading to the clinic to get IVs. You can eat some light food there. Your day is done.”

“The rest of you will get lunch and make sure to drink water. Don’t eat too fast. You will be getting 15 minutes of IV fluid before heading back out.”

“Sir,” Flawless Topaz gasped. “If this is about the wager.”

“This is not about some stupid wager. No. This is about getting you into shape. For your basic health. I will lose that fucking wager if it means I can get all of you to a healthy, functional level that passes the Enclave’s basic PT requirements.

“Master Sergeant, take charge of your Unit!” Olive Pit ordered.

Sunset Fury got them all up and moving. Slower than what Olive Pit wanted, but that was not Sunset Fury’s fault. Sunset Fury set a good pace back to the Squad Barracks. He followed through with them, making sure the others got to the clinic and personally worked on starting IVs before he got his own food.

Olive Pit entered the Clinic and spoke to the First Sergeant in charge.

“By 2000 I need them through one 0.45 Hypotonic and three Isotonic bags.”

“That is a fast push,” The First Sergeant warned.

“Yes, it is. On top of that, I want them to spend the night. Light sleep medication so they can be up and moving in the morning. They have a lot to do.”

“PT isn’t a good idea,” The First Sergeant warned again.

“I know,” Olive Pit nodded. “But they are not even at the PT level yet. I have to reverse this or we will have more problems.”

“Understood,” The First Sergeant saluted. “But if you could please write out detailed orders.”

“Of course,” Olive Pit smiled. “This is on my head, not yours. Plus I can’t expect you to remember all of that and the next shift needs to know. Do not be afraid to call me. The red phone there is hooked up to my office and bedroom. I can take a call at any time.”

“Oh, and 14 will be coming in for a 15 minute boost off of regular Iso fluids. But I will set that up.”

Pony Patrol should have left the clinic to make sure it didn’t get crowded, but Olive Pit needed them to see this side of Unit 0. To get a better feel for it. To get a better feel for him. He personally placed all 14 IV lines. Each one was placed in one painless go.

“Damn, I taught you well,” Sunset Fury laughed.

Olive Pit just chuckled in response.

After the time was up, Raspberry Lemonade had them moving again. She was relentless, pushing them as hard as before. The 14 of them had been ready to continue before the booster.

“That is a side I never saw,” Cardinal Spitfire said to Olive Pit. “You blasted your way through Basic Training, but this. Hard ass with a heart.”

“I am not totally evil,” Olive Pit smiled.

“I never saw it coming either,” Marble Falls chuckled. “You were strong, but soft minded.”

“Well, lets get back to the hard ass Lieutenant,” Olive Pit said. “I need to watch them, medically. We probably will be doing boosters like this for several days. Help keep their body where their heart really is.”

Arrow left to rifle through personnel files to better watch for the officer Unit 17 wanted.

Raspberry Lemonade worked them up until dinner. She happily let them go. They had impressed her, enough.

“Tomorrow, your turn,” Raspberry Lemonade said to Lemon Lime. “I am worn out. It isn’t as easy as it looks.”

“Fine,” Lemon Lime grinned. “I will take that challenge.”

Unit 17 tracked down Olive Pit in his office after dinner.

“I just brought the rest of the others around to meet our temp officer.”

“A pleasure,” Olive Pit greeted them. “I am grateful that this has been arranged. I am sure you heard I have a lot to do logistically with my Unit, but I will be with you every spare moment I can. Which should open up the further in we get.”

Olive Pit didn’t find sleep easily. There was too much going on inside his head. He had no idea how he we going to actually get them to meet the physical standards required for Aerial Combat in the two weeks that they had. And they all needed that win. If they could pass it, then they could pass the rest of the school.

0800 had Olive Pit standing alone in front of his assembling Unit at the flight deck.

“I hope last night your accommodations we good. For those who spent the night in the clinic, all Unit 0 members are set up in Units. The number and approved items is listed on your door.”

Olive Pit took a deep breath. “Yesterday did not go smoothly. It certainly did not go as planned. You put the effort in and we will get you to pass the physical requirements. I am sure we can do at least that. We will be using IV boosters. I am going to allow you to cheat a tad bit in that way and in that way alone.”

They all chuckled nervously.

“Cheat or no cheat, you are going to work hard. You are going to get yourselves back up to military standards for physical fitness. And there is no better team to do it than Wonderbolt Unit 12. I would know, being friends with their leaders.

“Last thing. I still have to pass. I will be around, but we have to keep me physically in shape and then able to compete and pass on my own. I will be training and doing the exercises with Unit 17, who not only needs a sixth member, but also needs a second officer. They will get a permanent member after the school is done, but for now, they have to put up with me.

“Now, go show them what Unit 0 means. That at all times you can be ready to fly, ready to fight, ready to care for them, on and off the field, and that you respect authority better than they do. Set that bar high for the rest of the ACS trainees to have to strive for.”

Olive Pit walked away without looking back. Lemon Lime took over. Olive Pit was going to work with Fountain for a bit.

She was not easy, but his four hours of PT a day that he had set up for his Unit was paying off.

“Damn it!” Fountain swore through pants. “You are running me ragged. Which, I guess is good because it means you are ready.”

“Ready and best are not the same,” Olive Pit gasped.

“Yeah, but you are giving a Wonderbolt a good whipping.”

A trainee dashed up to them.

“Are you Lieutenant Olive Pit, the medic?”

“Yes?” Olive Pit said perking up.

“We had an accident.”

“Sprint!” Olive Pit ordered.

He dashed after him. Should they go to the medics in the clinic, yes. But it was also his duty to render aid and they knew he could. They trusted him first.

Olive Pit slowed down, gasping for air as he got to them.

“Training,” Astral Sunrise said. “The wing weight exercise. He went down, the weight hit his head, she tried to help him recover and took the blow to the wing.”

“Go to the clinic and get them,” Olive Pit ordered as he knelt beside her.

Her groans turned to screams as Olive Pit touched her wing. It was definitively fractured in three places.

“Fracture,” Olive Pit said. “And this is going to hurt, Get a towel in her mouth so she doesn’t break a tooth or bite her tongue.”

As soon as it was done, Olive Pit pulled the wing back into alignment. He had to keep pulling on it until the medics got there with a split. They arrived, but without any sufficient equipment to brace the wings. The had to go and get a wing splint.

Olive Pit swore under his breath. They were nurses, not combat medics. Trained to work in the emergency rooms, but it was different than the field. Olive Pit kept the wing in alignment as they frantically tried to set the splint. They failed.

“Its okay, take a deep breath,” Olive Pit coached them. “Just relax and place it on there. You can do this. Just breath and ignore her screams. Focus on the injury.”

They failed two more times. Their eyes wanted him to do it, but he shook his head.

“You have this. You can do this. Just take it slowly, step by step.”

As they pulled the splint tight she screamed in pain louder than before. When it was on, Olive Pit slowly removed pressure, letting the splint keep everything aligned.

“Good job,” Olive Pit smiled to them.

Olive Pit scooted over to her head and firmly grabbed it so she could look him in the eye. Watery eyes.

“Good job!” He praised. “You made it. You fucking made it. The worst pain is over. You will make it through this.”

They pulled out the cloth.

“I don’t like that send off,” She sobbed.

“Eh,” Olive Pit shrugged. “Its something I learned to do in CMS. Assure the patient that it will be fine. Because it will be. Because you are going to a place with better care. Yeah, recovery is going to suck. But you are a Wonderbolt.”

“Come on,” Olive Pit smiled as they put her on the stretcher. “Tell me who you are?”

“A Wonderbolt,” She cried.

“A what?”

“A Wonderbolt Sir.”

“That doesn’t sound like a Wonderbolt to me. You have no confidence.”

She chocked back the tears and gathered her strength. “I AM A WONDERBOLT!” She declared.

“Yes you are!” Olive Pit fired back. “And Wonderbolts never quit! They do not know that word!”

“Yes Sir!”

Olive Pit grabbed one of the nurses. “Don’t give her meds. The Doctor needs to see it without meds. He has more options available. And again, great job.”

Olive Pit let out a huge sigh of relief as they left.

“Shit, head wound!” He groaned.

“I just took a good knock.”

Olive Pit ignored him and bent down to examine him.

“Yeah, you did. Concussion only, it seems. You are not in combat, head in to the clinic and let them treat you overnight. Better safe than sorry. We need you back on your hooves for training these new recruits. Take care of yourself so you can take care of them.”

“Yes Sir,” He nodded.

Both of them were First Lieutenants. It was odd to hear them call him Sir and talk to him as if he was their superior. Medically, he was, but it was the first time treating real patients, in real pain, real injuries and in the field.

Yesterday was routine. They learned how to do that in CMS because they had to do it to themselves all the time. Somepegasus was always falling out and getting an IV. And stitches were a common thing to have to do in CMS. The medics worked with a lot of sharp tools and accidents happened as they learned to calm down and stay in control during the chaos.

“Thank you,” Astral Sunrise said shaking his hoof. “I know you are in training-”

“In training, but always on duty,” Olive Pit said cutting her off. “That is part of what being a Combat Medic means. We are supposed to be by your side, fighting with you. Until one of you gets shot and then we have to ignore our pain, our heavy breathing and get you to calm down and patched up. That is what I am working on getting my Unit to be able to do again. Silver Wings or not, you guys will have a Unit to support all of your actions.”

“We trust you,” A Wonderbolt said. “All of you. We believe you can.”

“Maybe you could write that on the wager board for them to see,” Olive Pit smiled. “They really could use the moral booster.”

“Consider it done,” He smiled back.

“I better go make sure my Unit hasn’t fallen out,” Olive Pit chuckled as he bid them farewell.

“Wait!” Astral Sunrise called. “Can you give us a diagnosis on our teammate?”

Olive Pit sighed. He had tried to avoid that. He didn’t turn around.

“I don’t like doing it because I have like 20 seconds to make my deduction and act. But what I saw, a fractured wing in at least three places. Action, I had to put the bones back into alignment before the splint was put on and keep them there until it could hold them in place. Good chance it is going to require rods and screw. She will be out for a while.”

“Wings are delicate, but they can spring back. She is at the top of her physical fitness game. That is a very big advantage for her. I do believe that she will be able to recover and confidently join you in the sky again. But it isn’t going to be easy and she is going to need a lot of support. Together, you can make it happen.”

“Thank you Lieutenant,” Astral Sunrise said chocking back tears.

“Please, all of you, just call me Olive Pit.”

Olive Pit walked away to find where Unit 0 had gotten to.

“News travels fast,” Marble Falls greeted him. “And a medical chariot flying overhead helps.”

“Captain Astral Sunrise has two members down. The dangerous wing weight thing. Concussion and the one who tried to pull him out of his fall has a multiple fractured wing.

“Not an easy thing to recover from. Good thing I was right there to be available. The ones at the clinics are nurses and she needed combat medicine. I believe She will heal and make it back into the sky.”

“You had better get used to the wing weights,” Marble Falls warned. “It is a tried and true method to strengthen wings. You will spend your fair share with them. They never give us a problem. I have never heard more than a sprained wing or two from that exercise.”

“Well,” Olive Pit shrugged. “All I know is I need to tell them what I just did. That way they can get a better mindset as to what they are dealing with.”

Olive Pit spared no detail. He reminded them of the pain she experience, sending shivers down their spines, especially Pony Patrol. He reminded them the fast changes they would have to deal with, putting others first in combat, even when taxed to their own limits. He let them know that the Wonderbolts knew they could do it. That they could prove that they could handle being Combat Medics for the ACUs.

Olive Pit was done training for the morning. Lunch time brought a bigger surprise. The wager board didn’t have a message on it. They had made a banner and spanned it above the food line.

The next morning he met with Unit 17.

“Yeah, so,” Arrow lingered. “You don’t really need much conditioning. We need to get you in the sky, building up wings and aerial skills. That will tax you enough and shape your conditioning.”

Arrow smirked. “You are going to hate us, but we are going to start with the best wing training exercise.”

“Those weights?” Olive Pit hesitated.

“Not anywhere near close of the actual weight they were using. You can’t handle that. You have to train up to that, and you probably will never need to go that high. They are Wonderbolts.”

Arrow pointed at the weights they had lined up. His set was obvious. 10 pounds on each wing. The others were at least three times his weight.

Olive Pit took a deep breath in. “Show me.”

Olive Pit never got to the halfway point. He knew Arrow was holding something back, hoping he would figure it out on his own. After two hours, Arrow halted the exercise and they circled up.

“Northern Lights,” Arrow said. “I want you to team up with Olive Pit. Chaser, you will team up with me. I want Square and Royal to stay together. With a new officer, it will force us to change up anyway. We will play through team formation flying until lunch. For now, Olive Pit, you are wing, not lead.”

“Of course,” Olive Pit nodded. “Units break down into these teams at times, when tactics call for it. First you master this, then you can master working together as a Unit. That becomes more complex in an ACU.”

Astral Sunrise walked up to them. “Olive Pit, how is your patient?”

“No idea,” Olive Pit shrugged. “She is no longer my patient. Combat Medics don’t have the luxury of keeping up with injured. Patch them up long enough ship them back to a hospital and then to the next injured. That is our job. Make sure they live long enough to get to a hospital. We can’t be laden down with what happens to each and every single Pegasus after. It is in the hooves of the doctors.”

Astral Sunrise nodded. “Makes sense. Since I have heard nothing, I will track it down. And by the way, you were looking good with those weights for a first timer.”

“Thank you,” Olive Pit smiled. “I hate them, and not for the reasons you all do. They work, but I do not trust them after yesterday. I will continue to use them because they are effective. My minor idiosyncrasy won’t stop me from using a highly effective training system.”

“Good,” Astral Sunrise said. The conversation was just over.

Northern Lights took Olive Pit out into the sky, working him through quite a few new moves. It was more fluid than what they learned in Basic Training. It was nearing lunch when the Yellow Flag was up. They could have gotten in another solid two more runs, but Nova beckoned for Olive Pit to join him.

“Lieutenant Olive Pit, I would like you to meet Sunny Rose, Master Sergeant Sunset Fury’s wife.”

“A pleasure,” Olive Pit smiled as he shook her hoof. “Your husband trained me and did an amazing job. I am honored that he took the invitation to join Unit 0. I hope the change is not a big strain.”

“We may never have gotten the chance to talk it over, but I trust he knew what he was doing and still does. A move isn’t bad for the foals either.”

Sunny Rose looked around. They were not beside her.

“Where did they go!” She said beginning to panic. “They know they are supposed to stay right by my side!”

“I am guess that is them watching the aerial teams,” Olive Pit pointed.

Two colts and a Filly were lined up along the runway, jaws open as they watched whichever team was overhead.

“Get back here!” Sunny Rose ordered. “You know the rule!”

They lingered a bit before coming back to her side.

“You have three,” Olive Pit smiled.

“Yes. We won that battle. Science was on our side. After the second, we had him snipped so we wouldn’t have to worry about that. 100% effective, or so we were told. It wasn’t out of responsibility, we didn’t want to go through the pain that so many others quietly have to go through.”

“But, two years later, we found out I was pregnant again. Sunset Fury stood in front of a judge, with medical records in his hoof and declared that if whatever higher power wanted us to have a third, we were going to have a third. Science or not. The judge ruled fully in our favor because we had gone the extra step most do not.”

“Hi!” The filly piped up. “I am Celestial Moon! Named for the two princesses who governed Equestria long ago. I only exist because somepegasus princess must be watching over us and wanted me born.”

Olive Pit smiled. “That is a pretty name. It is fitting for your story. I do believe you will go places.”

“Moon, you know you are not supposed to give that detailed of a history lesson,” Sunny Rose chastised.

“Things are changing,” Olive Pit smiled. “But it is dangerous. Hopefully soon that part of history will be viewed as history, and not a problem.”

Olive Pit turned to the colts. “And you two are?”

“I’m Black Sun and he is Winter Solstice. My twin is shy.”

Winter Solstice smiled a bit while looking down, but still able to see Olive Pit’s face.

Nova cleared his throat. “Yes, well I came to you because I am hoping you will have a better solution. Even Unit 0’s Unit is too small for a family. Ignoring your room. The Squad Barracks are not set up for it. Even if they were, we lack a school.”

“No Pegasus stationed here full time has a foal to care for. Those soldiers are deployed in a family friendly environment. We have a few commuters from headquarters where they do have a small school, but it is a lot of distance to travel each day and they often can’t go home.”

“You have a lot of married ponies coming in for ACS with families, don’t you?” Olive Pit replied shaking his head. “Or others still here, not released to go back to where their last station was.”

Nova’s just closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

Olive Pit ran what was immediately in his head. “The way I see it off the top of my head, you can do three things. First off, we can do the commute. But I also just realized that headquarters must not be capable of handling the intake of so many ACU families. This whole fort has limited support.”

“Second, the foals could go off to boarding school. And that still leave the spouse no where to go and requires some changes. If that is the case, ACUs should be open for family leave more often; while not effecting their standard leave rotation.”

“Third is to build up here, but have the foals boarded at Headquarters so they can come home on the weekends. As far as I can tell, that is the options. Somepegasus will have to commute.”

“Fourth idea!” Olive Pit interjecting himself. “Commute or board in New Heaven. Again, the ACUs would need more time to visit, but we could run a rotation of on and off. We do not get weekends off, so it would have to be three or four days every few weeks.”

“You are going to have a lot of ponies stationed here, contrary to the previous system of sending most out to secondary posts. I think the time could be afforded.”

“Ma’am?” Nova asked, deflecting a response.

Black Sun interject, bouncing up and down. “Could we have Flight School here?”

“Black Sun! Do not interrupt grown ups in a conversation,” Sunny Rose scolded.

“Actually, they are apart of this,” Nova stated. “This does reflect them and their voices should be heard. When asked and only when. Flight School here would be a new experience for us all. I will consider it. It would mean we would not be able to fully do our jobs during that time, but it does sound fun.”

“Yes!” Black Sun exclaimed in victory.

“That is an incredibly difficult choice,” Sunny Rose stated, a bit down. “It isn’t just about us either, but every other family.”

“Colonel,” Olive Pit said. “Is this the first time the ACU program or it’s predecessor has been this size?”

“The philosophy has been around a while,” Nova replied. “But it was a century or so ago when the Enclave made fully designated battalion to that philosophy. A few more decades and Unit 0 was created. Not only is this the first time its been this large, but it is the first time we are keeping their primary station their actual post. That is because the Scouts and ACUs had been separate-ish until now.”

“How many are leaving?”

“Three to Nellie and six to Mareland. That is all.”

“That is going to number us close to four hundred Units here.”

“Yes,” Nova grinned.

“Then we need to expand here. As in here here. District off Fort Wind. Headquarters and Squad Barracks. That way they can not easily cross to the other side and interrupt their job training the new recruits.”

“You are talking a full sized town,” Nova replied. “In which jobs are needed. And then civilian contractors for the town.”

“No need for that,” Olive Pit stated. “All you need is enough to keep ponies active and happy. That is all. It would be more of a small village rather than a town. We have New Heaven close by. Any families at Headquarters would move there and the school would be relocated as well.”

“Thank you Lieutenant,” Nova nodded distracted. “Thank you all of you. I shall go draw up plans and inform General Red River. For now, Sunny Rose and the three will be in Unit 178.”

“178 has my B Squad in it,” Olive Pit reminded him.

“154?”

“A.”

“113?”

“C.”

“D?”

“172. 155 and 122 should be open. Those were the other two options we had. Worse case scenario, they could stay in the open wings in Unit 0.”

“I would rather not disturb that right now,” Nova replied. “We also could put them in the Squad Barracks since your old rooms are still vacant. But that would be a disruption. I am leaning towards 155.”

“Do you want me to make up a chart? To hang on your wall?”

“Please. I will get you the files as soon as I can.”

“DAD!” The Foals exclaimed.

Unit 0 was jogging in from a hard morning of conditioning. Sunset Fury dropped out of formation and swept up his kids.

“What are you doing here?” He asked beaming.

“We are moving here,” Black Sun announced.

“How? This is no place for foals? Especially now.”

“Mom brought us,” Celestial Moon said from Sunset Fury’s back.

Sunset Fury totted over to them. Olive Pit pointed to Nova with his head.

“Colonel?”

“I wasn’t thinking that far ahead,” Nova admitted. “I figured that since you were Unit 0, your wife joining you would be fine. I forgot you had foals.”

Sunset Fury wearily nodded his head.

Olive Pit caught Sunset Fury up. “We were trying to figure out how to balance a lot of new families coming in with foals.”

“I will leave you to it,” Sunset Fury said. “I need food and water. Lemon Lime is worse than Raspberry Lemonade. Much worse.”

Sunset Fury put Celestial Moon on the ground next to her brothers. “Dad has to go back to work now. It is great seeing you, but I need you to let me do my job. I will come to you when I can. Understood?”

“Yes,” The all sadly said.

Sunset Fury stole and unexpected kiss on the cheek from Sunny Rose and was off.

It was Winter Solstice who spoke up. “Sir, can we watch our Dad train?”

“No,” Olive Pit shook his head. “Sorry, but you would not only be bored, but you would not understand all of what is going on. Training like this is not for young Fillies and Colts like you to experience or watch. It isn’t nice.”

“Why do you do it then?”

“When you are older, maybe you will understand it better,” Olive Pit smiled. “We do it because it works. It makes us soldiers and then better soldiers. It is stressful and it can bring out the worst in some pegasi. But it does it’s job so we can do ours, protecting the Pegasus Race.”

“But,” Olive Pit said focusing on all of them. “I need to eat. I bid you farewell.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 73 - Consequences Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 4 Minutes