Big Mac awoke very early the next morning with a loud yawn. He was so used to getting up before the crack of dawn at boot camp it was now a habit. He decided to walk outside and think about the previous night. He could not stop thinking about Luna, he didn't know why but he just couldn't stop thinking about her. After about an hour and a half, he heard a yawn coming from inside his home. He saw that Applejack had awoken and was making breakfast.

"Big Mac! Why are you up so early? Ah nevermind that! How was last night?" Applejack eagerly asked.

"It was nice, Princess Luna is a very nice and pretty pony." Big Mac said.

"Wait, did you just say 'pretty'?" Applejack asked causing Macintosh to blush deeply. Luckily his coat was red so it wasn't easily noticeable.

"Um... eeyup." Macintosh finally admitted. He knew his stubborn sister would not have dropped the subject until he confessed.

"Well thats nothin to be ashamed of big brother." Applejack said as she finished making breakfast and took out three plates. "APPLEBLOOM! TIME TO GET UP!"

"Oh five more minutes?" The filly asked tired.

"Now Applebloom!" Applejack ordered.

"Okay okay, ah'm comin!" Applebloom said as she stumbled downstairs. Big Mac had a bit of dejavu remembering how Skullcrusher used to yell if he wasnt up in time. The apple family sat at the table and began to eat.

"Hey Big Mac can you take Applebloom to school today? I have to help Rainbow with sumthin." Applejack asked.

"Eeyup." Big Mac said as he gulped down his cup of applejuice. "Ready Applebloom?"

"Yup!" Applebloom said as she put on her backpack. Macintosh was still in his uniform and he didn't have time to change if he wanted to get Applebloom to school on time.

"So how was Princess Luna last night?" Applebloom asked.

"She was nice." Big Mac said remembering not to say 'pretty' because he knew Applebloom would never drop it.

"Do you think she was pretty?" Applebloom asked.

"Dagnabbit!" Macintosh thought to himself. "Well ah don't think she's not pretty."

"So you do think she's pretty?" Applebloom asked.

"Well ah guess um..." He said.

"You like her doncha?" The filly asked practically in his face.

"As a friend eeyup." Big Mac said. "Oh looks like we're here." He said thankful the conversation would now end.

"See ya later Big Mac!" Applebloom called as she went met her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"Hey look it's Big Mac!" The fillies and colts all yelled as they ran up to him. Big Mac was a celebrity among Ponyville for some reason now.

"Hey Big Mac, how was training?" Two colts named Snips and Snails asked.

"It was pretty tough but ah'm ready fer anything now." Macintosh said.

"Wow, I wanna join when I'm old enough!" Snips said excitedly.

"Me too!" Snails said. The ponies all shuddered at the thought of Snips and Snails holding lethal weapons but the thought was set aside when Big Mac decided it was time to leave.

"Sorry y'all but ah gotta go." Big Mac said. The foals all groaned in disapproval but said goodbye anyway.

"Bye Big Mac." They all said but before Big Mac could leave a pegasi corporal flew up to him heavily out of breath.

"What is it?" Macintosh asked when he noticed an arrow sticking out of the pegasi's hoof.

"G-griffons, ten miles from Ponyville!" The pegasi said.

"WHAT!" Big Mac screamed.

"Now hear this. Griffon forces have been spotted ten miles south of Ponyville. We are calling up all troops stationed here, be ready to mobilize in five minutes." A voice said over a PA. Citizens began screaming in stark terror as Macintosh went up to Applebloom.

"Applebloom ah have to go beat up some bad guys ok? Ah'll be back in time to pick you up from school." Big Mac said trying to calm his sister who was having a panic attack along with the other foals. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had begun crying.

"THEY'RE GONNA KILL US!" Applebloom shouted.

"That's why ah'm gonna go beat em up, ah love you." Big Mac said as he kissed his sister on the forehead. Applebloom was too scared to understand that Big Mac was going into battle but she kissed him back before she and the other foals were brought inside by Cheerilee into the schoolhouse.

"Miss Cheerilee, I'm scared!" Sweetie Belle whimpered.

"Me too!" Scootaloo cried.

"It's okay, our troops will protect us." Cheerilee said as he went to barricade the doors and windows on the school house in case the unthinkable happened.

"Ah'm so scared Big Mac will get hurt!" Applebloom cried thinking about her brother.

"He'll be okay Applebloom, he is a tough and brave stallion." Cheerilee said as she tried to comfort her crying student.

"MOVE IT! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" A unicorn commander said as hundreds of troops began marching in formation to receive weapons and armor. Macintosh got in line and received armor similar to the royal guards only with more armor and a spear. He had knives attached to his front and back hooves.

"COME ON! LET'S GO KICK SOME GRIFFON BUTT!" An eager earth pony yelled over the commotion.

"BIG MAC!" A voice called. Macintosh looked over to see Applejack running for him.

"AJ?" He said as he went to go see her before being stopped by a Sgt.

"What are you doing soldier? GET BACK IN FORMATION!"

"But!" Macintosh objected.

"No BUTS!"

"AH LOVE YOU BIG MAC!" Applejack cried out.

"AH LOVE YOU TOO SIS!" Big Mac cried out before he and the other soldiers ran through the crowds of terrified mares and foals who were trying to get as far away from the battlefield as possible. Air Defense Force Pegasi flew overhead as hundreds of earth ponies and unicorns charged to the frontline. There were about five hundred earth pony Marines, three hundred army unicorns, and two hundred pegasi.

"Alright listen up!" A colonel yelled. "We have the grifs outnumbered! But they are still on our land so what are we gonna do?"

"KILL THEM!" The ponies all yelled.

"Thats what I like to here!" The colonel said as the ponies arrived at the battlefield. They could see the incoming griffon attack force. All the elder soldiers showed no fear while the younger ones like Big Mac and Redwood Oak were very scared.

"Man this is scary." Redwood Oak said to his friend.

"Ah know, we might get killed here!" Big Mac said.

"Hey." Redwood said as he held out his hoof. "We fight to the end."

"Will do!" Big Mac said as he clanked his hoof with Redwoods and prepared for battle.

"By the way, in case I die, your sister's really cute." Redwood said jokingly

"Come on, you ain't gonna die and WHAT?" Big Mac asked before his voice was drowned out by his CO.

"ARCHERS! AIM!" The colonel shouted as the unicorns used their magic to load up bows and arrows. "FIRE!". The unicorns released their arrows which sped through the air and impaled numerous griffons who fell to the ground dead. The dying shrieks of griffons filled the air.

"YEAH!" The unicorns shouted.

"CALVARY! READY! CHARGE!" The colonel said as the ponies let out a deafening battle shout and charged towards the griffons. Macintosh could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as the griffons let out a fierce screech and charged towards the ponies. The pegasi intercepted the flying griffons and were engaging in dogfights. The first line of ponies and griffons had intercepted and begun battle. The griffons used their claws and beaks to slash through the ponies necks while the ponies used their strength to smash the griffons skulls. Big Mac ran into a griffon who attempted to claw at his neck but he dodged and impaled the griffon with his spear and killed the creature.

"Ah'm sorry." Macintosh said on the verge of tears. He had never killed before and he never wanted to kill but he had no choice. He saw another griffon coming up from behind so he wound up and bucked the griffon square in the face killing it. Blood splattered everywhere. He saw another one coming and he threw his spear and nailed the griffon right in the chest killing it.

"Hey Big Mac! I already got five!" Redwood Oak yelled as he took his knife out of a griffons chest. Big Mac moved out of the way as the dead body of a griffon and pegasi dropped from the air. Macintosh looked back at his friend and saw a griffon behind him.

"REDWOOD LOOK OUT!" Big Mac cried.

"Look out for wh-AHHHH!" Redwood screamed as a griffon stabbed the pony in the side with it's sword. The griffon was stabbed and killed by a nearby unicorn shortly after.

"REDWOOD!" Big Mac cried as ran to his friend who was seriously injured. It didn't look good, all of Redwoods organs had been slashed by the sword and he was bleeding profusely. "MEDIC! MEDIC!" Macintosh cried out.

"D-d-dont b-bother, I-Im a goner!" Redwood said weakly.

"Don't say that!" Big Mac cried.

"Oh I-I d-d-dont wanna die!" Redwood cried as blood came out his mouth. "M-mama-" He said before an arrow entered through his left eye and came out his other eye ending the dying ponies life. Big Mac was shocked. He refused to believe his friend had just gotten killed in front of him. He looked around and saw dead and mutilated ponies everywhere. He could feel the wick just burning itself out and knew he would soon snap. He let his anger and sorrow take over and for the first time in his life, he wanted to kill.

"A-a-AH KILL Y'ALL!" Big Mac screamed as he charged for a group of thirty griffons. Big Mac's raw power and blind rage overcame the group of griffons and he began beating and stabbing relentlessly until nothing remained but blood and feathers. Some of the griffons managed to get a strike on the crazed pony but he was too enraged to feel it. He soon killed the entire group, even after the griffons were dead he continued to hack away at their bodies.

"AHHHHHHH!" He screamed in bloodlust. Whatever innocence he once had was now gone. He wanted to slaughter every last griffon in Equestria.

"Calm down private!" A unicorn shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Big Mac yelled "I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF EM!". The battle was now over and the ponies had won with relatively small casualties while the entire group of six hundred griffons had been killed. Only sixty ponies were killed and one hundred were wounded. Big Mac's rage subsided and he went back to his normal self and began to cry. He saw crying not only over Redwood's death but also at how brutally he had killed the griffons. He shuddered at the thought of his sisters finding out what he had done. Up above on a cliff far from the battle, a white pony in a COLTS uniform looked with an approving smile on his face.

"Yes, definitely him." The COLT operative said before slipping away into a forest.