Celestia's sun rose over the horizon, Big Mac looked with contempt. This meant he had two more days before he had to leave for COLTS training, something he was not looking forward to. He had thought about his conversation with Soarin last night and he had taken a liking to the ex-wonderbolt. One thing still bothered Macintosh though. Before Redwood died he had told Macintosh that he thought Applejack was cute. Did he like her? Was he going to date her? These questions ate away at Big Mac, sad that his sister had possibly lost a lover. Meanwhile at Canterlot, a princess was about to get her lover back.

"HALT!" A guard yelled at Deadeye and his team who were carrying an injured Shining Armor.

"This unicorn needs medical attention." Deadeye said. The guard took notice and sent three ponies to pick Armor up.

"Who are you?" The guard asked but by the time he turned his head, Deadeye, Recoil, and Earthshocker were all gone.

"My wife, I need to see my wife." Armor said as doctors and nurses frantically tried to treat him.

"Hang on soldier, we all thought you were dead! Who were those guys?" A doctor asked.

"I dont know, they just said they were my 'rescuers'." Armor said.

"Send a note to Princess Cadence and the Sparkle family, Captain Shining Armor is alive." A lieutenant said.

"Aye aye sir!" The other soldier replied. The lieutenant couldn't believe it! Shining Armor was presumed KIA ten weeks ago and here he was alive! Who were those ponies who rescued him?

XXXXX

Applejack was heading to the marketplace to buy dinner for later when she was interrupted by a group of Marines running past chanting a song.

"ONE TWO THREE FOUR! EQUESTRIAN MARINE CORPS!" A hulking gray earth pony with a red mane yelled. Applejack assumed this was the instructor.

"ONE TWO THREE FOUR! EQUESTRIAN MARINE CORPS!" The Marines replied.

"YOUR CORPS!" The instructor yelled. Applejack found his voice to be extremely familiar.

"YOUR CORPS!" The Marines yelled.

"OUR CORPS!"

"OUR CORPS!"

"MARINE CORPS!"

"MARINE CORPS!" The Marines finally said.

"Marines, your PT session is over, you are dismissed." The instructor ordered.

"Yes sir!" The Marines said as they disbanded. Applejack was watching the whole time and was impressed with the ponies discipline.

"How'd you like the show?" The instructor pony asked as he noticed Applejack staring.

"Oh uh! Ah'm sorry! Ah didn't mean to look!" Applejack apologized.

"It's fine, it's fine. Say have we met? You look awfully familiar." The instructor pony asked. Applejack felt similar, where had she met this pony before? Thats when it hit her.

"Sgt Skullcrusher?" She asked.

"Hey your Macintosh's little sister aren't you?" Skullcrusher asked.

"Yes ah am" Applejack said.

"Well it's nice to run into you again. How's the private holdin up?" He asked refering to Big Mac.

"Not to good you see, he was a little shook up after his first battle." Applejack said.

"I heard! Thirty three griffons! Looks like I did my job well" Skullcrusher said proudly. Applejack gave him a dirty look which Skullcrusher took note of. "Sorry if I offended you Ms."

"It's okay ah guess" Applejack said. She wasn't going to lie, outside of his job Skullcrusher was actually really nice guy. A handsome one to. She suddenely shook that thought out of her head. Skullcrusher had to be atleast fifteen years older than her. But she decided there was no harm in asking.

"Pardon me askin but how old are you?" She asked

"I'm twenty years old" Skullcrusher said.

Twenty? He's only two and a half years older than me! Applejack thought to herself in disbelief. She was only a year younger than her brother and would turn eighteen in five months. "Ah'm no expert on military stuff but aren't you a little you know, young to be at a sgt? Isn't that a high rank?" She asked.

"Well at boot camp I graduated as a corporal because they said I had superb leadership skills. At my first battle I got severely wounded in my right eye." Skullcrusher said pointing to the three lethal looking scars going down his right eye. "I can barely see out of my right eye now and I also took a spear to the back leg which rendered me unable to go into combat anymore."(AN: So help me God if anypony makes an arrow to the knee joke) Skullcrusher explained.

"Ah'm sorry to hear that." Applejack said comfortingly.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, i was promoted to Sgt and since I couldn't fight no more I decided to train Marines myself and have been doin it ever since!" Skullcrusher said. Applejack was impressed with the Marines' story.

"Miss Applejack I was wondering, if you weren't doing anything. Would like to-you know um" Skullcrusher said putting his hoof behind his head as his cheeks ran red.

Fer a fuy who runs fearlessl into battle he aint so good around the ladies. Applejack thought to herself.

"Get some food?" He finally asked. Applejack froze for a moment. This was the same pony who had put her brother through so much pain and toil in training. But that was probably what saved Big Mac from death.

"Sure sugarcube." Applejack answered as she winked causing Skullcrusher to nearly faint from nervousness. She laughed the whole time that big, mean, tough Skullcrusher was really just a big softie once you got to know him.

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Celestia walked down to the dungeons of Canterlot. These dungeons contained high ranking griffon POW's and war criminals but Celestia was not here for them, she was here for a pony she once loved. She opened a doorway which led to the deepest cavern where a black alicorn was frozen in place.

"My my my Celestia, you've become quite a beautiful queen." The alicorn said darkly.

"Enough Astro." Celestia said.

"My name is NOT Astro, it's Black Soul!" The alicorn yelled back.

"Ok Black Soul, I have a proposition for you." Celestia said. "Recently my kingdom has gone to war with the griffons."

"SEE! I TOLD YOU THOSE GRIFFONS WERE NO GOOD! BUT NOOOOO YOUR IDIOT PARENTS THOUGHT OTHERWISE!" Black Soul yelled. Celestia snapped as she fired a spell at him which gave him a burning sensation.

"What you did was unforgivable and I hate you for it!" Celestia said with tears in her eyes recalling the painful memory. "But what I was saying was that we are at war. I know you have skills in combat and I will set you free IF and only if you swear to fight for Equestria!"

"I'm listening." Black Soul said.

"There is a special operations group called COLTS, they are the best of the best but candidates are coming up short. I'm sure you would pass training easily."

"Say I agree and I join this little group and murder all those worthless beak heads. What becomes of me when it is over?" Black Soul asked.

"If you fight with enough honor and distinction I will pardon your past crimes and you will be free but if you hurt ONE of my subjects you will come back here forever." Celestia said.

"I accept." Black Soul said as Celestia used her magic to set the evil alicorn free from his prison. He dropped to the ground and stood up, Celestia was intimidated by how massive he was as he walked towards her.

"My beautiful queen." Black Soul said as he attempted to rub his hoof through her mane.

"Don't touch me monster!" She yelled.

"Fiesty as ever." Black Soul said. "Where is this COLTS training grounds?"

"Deep in the Everfree Forest, you'll know when you find it." Celestia said. "One more thing."

"What is that?" Black Soul asked.

"Because your horn was cut off and the evil in your soul you are no longer immortal and you can be killed now."
Celestia said.

"I have no soul!" He said darkly as he walked out and took off towards the Everfree Forest in search for the COLTS training area.

"Oh Prince Astro, what happened to you?" Celestia asked as she felt tears roll down her eye.

XXXXX

Cadence was due for her two foals anyday now. Normally she would have been overjoyed at the thought of being a mother but her husband was not there to share the joy. She sadly looked at their wedding photo and wished her husband was still alive. She then heard a knocking at the door.

"Coming." She said as she ran to the door to see a two guards standing there. "Yes sirs?"

"Princess, he's alive." One of the guards said.

"Who?" She asked.

"Shining Armor, he is at the hospital right now." The guard said. Cadence was shocked. She thought they were playing a sick joke on her but than realized that no royal guard who ever do such a thing. Could Shining Armor really be alive?

"H-hes alive?" Cadence said. "MY HUSBANDS ALIVE!"

"Would you like to see him now?" The guard asked.

"YES! My sweetheart is alive! But how?" She asked.

"Three ponies rescued him from a POW camp, nopony knows who they were." The guard explained as Cadence sprinted to the hospital nearly knocking over numerous ponies in the process. She nearly busted the door down as she entered the hospital, she looked for her husband and saw him in the corner with three doctors tending to him.

"Honey?" She asked as she saw her husband beaten and bloodied in the hospital.

"Hey sweetheart." Armor said as he winced in pain from a drop of iodine into one of his wounds. Cadence gently touched Armor's face with her hooves in order to make sure that he was no illusion and that he was really there.

"MY POOR BABY!" Cadence yelled as she collapsed on top of her husband. "I THOUGHT I LOST YOU!"

"I would never leave you." Armor said, his pain all seemed to disappear now that his wife was here.

"I love you so much!" Cadence said as tears of joy rolled down her face.

"I love you too." Armor said as he out his hoof around her neck and hugged her for what seemed like an eternity. After holding each other tight, Armor looked up to see his parents standing outside the doorway.

"My son!" Armor's father called out as the two parents ran up to him and embraced him tightly.

"We're so proud of you." Armor's mother said through her tears. Deadeye had snuck around the building without being detected and was watching through a window. As much as the battle hardened soldier tried to fight it, a smile crawled across his face and a single tear rolled down his eye. He felt good to know how much of an impact he made by rescuing Armor. Having never known the joys of family or a wife, he slightly envied Armor but was happy for him nontheless.

"It's okay mom and dad, I'm here now." Armor said as he comforted his parents. He noticed Deadeye in the window and got up slowly to go see him. As soon as he saw this Deadeye disappeared out of sight.

"What were you looking at honey?" Cadence asked.

"I though I saw something." Armor said "Now where is that sister of mine?"

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Big Mac was walking through Ponyville when he saw a huge crowd gathering. He went to go see what was going on so he pushed his way through the crowd, since he was in uniform ponies made way for him.

"Come on let's have some fun with his grif!" A pony called out which was followed by grunts and screams.

"Someone help me!" A voice called. Macintosh made his way to the middle and what he saw horrified him. Three pegasi soldiers were beating a small griffon.

"Please! I'm not even in the army! I'm only thirteen!" The young griffon pleaded.

"Than why were you flying over our airspace beakhead?" One of the pegasi asked as he kicked the young griffon in the head. The pegasi began laughing at the griffon.

"I was looking for a medical plant for my mother! She's really sick!" The griffon cried.

"SOMEPONY STOP THEM!" Numerous voices called out. Although they were at war with the griffons, they all knew it was wrong to attack a defenseless civilian. But no pony had the courage to step up.

"Hey!" Big Mac yelled. "HEY!" This got the pegasi's attention as they let up on the young griffon. "What do you think yer doin?"

"This grif was caught flying over our airspace near the Everfree Forest! Claims he had to get medicine for his mommy." The pegasi said laughing. Big Mac noticed all the pegasi were privates so he outranked them.

"Is he a soldier?" Big Mac asked.

"Looks like he's a juvenile to us so no."

"According to military law it is illegal to harm or mistreat any non combatants! Stand down now!" Macintosh yelled.

"You've got to be kidding me! All these grifs deserve to be beaten like this!" A soldier yelled.

"Shut it private! Ah outrank you and ah am ordering you do stand down!" Big Mac said. This got the pegasi to stand down. "You otta be ashamed of yerselves! Everypony looks up to us and you are givin a pretty bad role model by beatin that non-combatant! LOOK THE WHOLE BUCKIN TOWN WAS WATCHIN Y'ALL!". The pegasi looked at the crowd of ponies that had noticeably many colts and fillies watching the whole fight.

"But they'd do the same thing to one of us!" The soldier moaned trying to justify his actions.

"Do you really wanna stoop down to their level?" Big Mac asked.

"Comin from the guy who killed thirty three grifs just the other day now you want to protect them? Whose side are you on?" One of the pegasi said but immediately regretted it.

"Get outta ma sight before ah buck yer faces in!". Big Mac yelled in utter rage, With that, the pegasus soldiers flew away leaving Big Mac and the young griffon.

"Thank you mister." The young griffon said.

"You understand that ah can't let you return home right little one?" Big Mac said helping the griffon up.

"But my mother! She-" The griffon protested.

"Ah'm sorry but even if yer tellin the truth and you aren't a spy ah'm not authorized to allow you to leave." Macintosh said with conflicting feelings. If this griffon was a spy he couldn't let him return back to the griffon army but would if he really had a sick mother at home? Big Mac didn't know what to do.

"Could you atleast make sure she somehow gets this?" The griffon said pulling out a bag with a healing herb in it. Macintosh's heart melted as he took the bag. A group of Marines came by than to take the griffon.

"Corporal we'll take it from here." A Marine said.

"We're you gonna take him?" Macintosh asked.

"We can't let him leave in case he knows anything but he's going to an internment camp where he will be treated properly." The Marine said.

"Whats yer name youngin?" Big Mac quietly asked.

"Goldbeak." The griffon responded.

"Ah promise ah'll get this to yer ma."

"Thanks mister!" Goldbeak said as the Marines took him to a camp. Macintosh than quickly took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a note that said 'Please give this to Goldbeak's mother'. Macintosh took the bag of herbs and the note and ran to a mailbox where he had it sent to the camp where Goldbeak was being held. Captured griffons were allowed to write their loved ones from time to time and the notes would be delivered via owl. Macintosh hoped the herb would make it too.