Next chapter.

The COLTS flew over Equestria to their missions location. None of them said a word the entire ride there for fear of what might transpire. They had been nervous for all their other missions before but this one seemed so much more dangerous. Big Mac had a bad feeling about this one. After flying for forty minutes they arrived at the insertion point. The COLTS jumped from three hundred feet and used their new built in gliders to fly to the ground. Once they landed they did a quick weapon and armor check before moving on.

"Command this Omega Leader, we are on the ground and heading for the rally point." Deadeye said through the suits built in radio.

"Copy that Omega Leader. Good luck." Blue River responded. The COLTS began making their way to one of the caves that led inside the mountain. In the war room where Blue River and Celestia watched the COLTS through their VISORCAM, Luna had entered after waking from her sleep.

"Sister, where is Big Macintosh?" Luna asked.

"Come here Luna. Let me explain what is happening." Celestia said as she filled in Luna about what was transpiring.

"WHAT!?" Luna yelled in shock. Celestia didn't know if her sister was more upset at the volcano that threatened Equestria or the fact that Big Mac left without saying goodbye.

"We are watching the COLTS actions through their VISORCAM. Would you like to watch as well?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, I would." Luna said as she sat down and looked at the five screens in front of her. She found Big Mac's on the lower right corner where it said 'Omega Two'. After watching for five minutes,the mane six and the CMC burst into the room.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried. "Deadeye's missing!"

"So is Blitzy!" Pinkie yelled.

"And Autumn!"

"And Shadow!

"And mah brother!"

"Girls. let me explain." Celestia said as she explained the whole fiasco to the mane six.

"You are welcome to watch their actions on their VISORCAM." Celestia said pointing to the five screens. Each pony found the COLT they were looking for as the supersoldiers made their way into hostile territory. The COLTS had arrived at the cave entrance where two griffon elites stood guard. The elites were not as formidable as the Steel Talons but they were a force to be reckoned with. Shadow and Blitz moved forward hiding behind brush as they moved towards the unsuspecting griffons. When Blitz and Shadow were behind their targets they put one hoof over the griffons mouth and used the other hoof to slice the griffon's throat open. Fluttershy and Pinkie looked away. They knew that the COLTS killed but they had never seen if first hand like that. The COLTS than made their way into the cave. Luna and Applejack could hear Big Mac's heavy nervous breathing as he descended into the dark, his crossbow at the ready. Deadeye suddenly held up his hoof as a large patrol of griffons walked by. The ponies could have easily taken the patrol but they needed to maintain stealth as long as possible. After the patrol left the COLTS walked for fifteen minutes before they came across what appeared to be a large cavern. They could see griffons digging canals into the walls and the COLTS figured this must be one of the canals the griffons were digging.

"Command we have visual of a large cavern where the grifs appear to be digging. We believe this to be one of the canals they were talking about. Permission to engage over?" Deadeye said.

"Permission granted." Blue River said as the COLTS moved forward. Suddenly, an alarm started sounding and the griffons in the cavern began evacuating. Autumn looked up and saw the cavern starting to collapse. He then looked to see a door leading out starting to close. He bolted full speed to the door and caught it before it could close.

"GUYS! OVER HERE!" Autumn yelled as the COLTS ran to the door as the wall of falling rocks advanced behind them.

"WOAH!" Blitz screamed as he barely dodged a boulder.

"HOLY SHIT!" Deadeye yelled as could feel the rocks falling on his tail. Autumn was struggling to hold up the door. The pressure being put on his was tremendous. He knew he couldn't hold it much longer.

"HURRY!" Autumn yelled as he fell to his knees from holding up the door. The COLTS eventually made it through the door and Autumn quickly let go and jumped to escape be was suddenly stopped.

"AH!" He yelled as the door slammed down on his lower body. Rarity covered Sweetie Belle's eyes as Autumn coughed up blood.

"Autumn!" Blitz screamed as he ran over from the other end and tried to lift the door but it was no use. The other COLTS were already at the other end of the hallway and had no idea what was happening and they weren't fast enough to sprint over there like Blitz did.

"Son of a-" Autumn said as he gritted his teeth in pain. The ponies looked at the ceiling and saw that the hallway was collapsing as well.

"JUST GO!" Autumn yelled. "I'LL BE FINE!"

"No! We are not leaving you here!" Blitz said.

"DAMMIT BLITZ! I SAID GO!" Autumn yelled as he used the last of his strength to push Blitz away from a boulder that landed right in front of Autumn's face. Blitz just stood there as his friend was buried alive. He then turned and ran as fast he could to escape the collapsing hallway. Autumn used the last of his strength to activate his armor lock. His armor resealed and he was put into a state of suspended animation as he was completely buried alive. Autumn's VISORCAM turned to static as Rarity almost fainted from watching Autumn's demise.

"R-r-rarity?" Sweeite Belle sniffled.

"Yes?" Rarity responded in shock at what just happened.

"Is Autumn sleeping now?" Sweetie Belle asked. The innocence of Sweetie Belle's question was what broke Rarity.

"Yes darling, he's sleeping now." Rarity cried as she hugged her sister in a tearful embrace. Rarity began wailing when the realization finally hit her that Autumn was gone forever.

"AUTUMN! NO!" Rarity cried as she collapsed and her friends ran to comfort her. Blitz made it back to the others crying and out of breath.

"Blitz!" Big Mac said as he went to help his friend.

"Where is Autumn?" Shadow asked.

"He-he-he." Blitz said sniffling.

"Blitz calm down, where is Autumn?" Deadeye asked.

"H-h-he tried to get away but the door t-trapped him. I-I tried to help him but he pushed me out of the way a-a-and then he-" Blitz said as he put his head down. The news struck the team hard as Shadow and Big Mac hugged Blitz. The other COLTS were broken by Autumn's death but it must have been worse for Blitz since he had to watch Autumn die.

"Damn! They knew we were here! I LED US RIGHT INTO THAT BUCKING TRAP!" Deadeye said as he was about to punch the wall out of anger when he decided agaisnt it in fear that he might collapse the cavern they were in. He instead slammed his hoof agaisnt his face causing his VISORCAM to go out for a few seconds.

"Captain? Are you alright?" Shadow asked.

"Not even a half hour in and I already lost one of my bucking men!" Deadeye said as he slammed his face again with his hoof.

"Captain we need orders, what are your orders?" Blitz asked after calming down.

"Fall in on me, we still have a job to do and keep your eyes peeled for any more booby traps." Deadeye said as the COLTS mournfully moved forward.

"Command this Omega Leader, Autumn Leaf is KIA. I repeat, Autumn Leaf is KIA." Deadeye said.

"Sorry to hear that Omega Leader, continue on with your mission." Blue River said. The COLTS continued making their way through the caves when they found a map room. The COLTS quickly disposed of the griffons and went in to search for intel.

"Oooh twinkie!" Blitz said as he found the uneaten yellow treat. He was trying to up the mood with his goofiness but it just wasn't cutting it.

"Sir, come look at this." Big Mac said as he found a blueprint of the volcano.

"It looks like there is a main support column in this mountain, if we can take it out the whole thing will come down." Deadeye said. "That's way better than going to all the smaller ones one at a time."

"How far is it?" Shadow asked.

"Several klics from here." Deadeye said. "Check your ammo then move out." The COLTS exited the map room and headed to where they believed the main support column to be. They came across a narrow pathway with cliffs overhanging above.

"I don't trust this." Deadeye said.

"This is just an ambush waiting to happen! Isn't there another way?" Blitz asked.

"No, we have to take our chances." Deadeye said as the COLTS cautiosly moved in slowly. They stopped and hid everytime they heard the slightest noise for fear of an ambush. The ponies watching them from the war room could feel the adrenaline rush the COLTS were experiencing. Seein Autumn die reminded them that they were not immortal and they were much more nervous and less confident now. The ponies eventually made it through without seeing a single griffon.

"Woah, I could have bet my salary we would have gotten ambushed." Blitz said as an arrow deflected off of his armor and hit the ground behind him. He looked up to see twenty Steel Talons on the cliff.

"You know Blitz, i just might take you up on that bet." Deadeye said as the Steel Talons swooped down and began firing their weapons. The COLTS built in wings allowed them to fly up. This completely caught the griffons off guard and the COLTS killed half of them by surprise. Big Mac ran up to an ST and delivered a solid punch to the griffons jaw. The griffon responded by swinging it's blade down on Big Mac. Macintosh avoided the blow and delivered a roundhouse to the griffons stomach. As the griffons keeled over, Big Mac got on all fours and delivered the hardest buck he had ever done to the griffons skull. A sickening cracking sound was heard over the VISORCAM. Dozens more griffon soldiers poured in. Blitz pulled out his dual blades and began sprinting through the cluster of griffons, slicing them down as he ran past them. Shadow grabbed ahold of an overhead bar and pulled himself up. He used his dangling back legs to catch a griffon in the neck. He then twisted his legs to the side as the griffon's neck cracked. Shadow pulled out his harpoon gun and began sniping enemies from afar. Deadeye had just killed a Steel Talon and taken it's automatic crossbow. He pulled out his own crossbow and using the dual guns he unleashed a volle of arrows at the incoming griffons. Dozens of dead bodies began to pile up as the COLTS continues their onslaught. The ponies watching this scene unfold in the Canterlot War Room were horrified by what they saw, none of them had ever seen the COLTS in all their lethal glory like this before. The last griffon was finally killed as Shadow delivered a killing blow with his spear to a griffons chest.

"That was fer Autumn!" Big Mac yelled.

"Uh guys?" Blitz said scared.

"This outta scare em away frow a while." Deadeye said.

"G-guys?" Blitz said in pain as he fell down

"Blitz whats the matt-" Shadow said as he looked down to Blitz's stomach where he saw a large piece of shrapnel embedded in the blue ponies stomach. The ponies watching on VISORCAM gasped.

"BLITZY AHHH!" Pinkie shrieked as her mane went straight down.

"CAPTAIN! BIG MAC!" Shadow screamed as the other COLTS came running over.

"Oh buck!" Deadeye said as he saw the large piece of metal cut clean through Blitz's armor and skin.

"A-am I-I gonna die?" Blitz asked as blood came out his mouth.

"No your gonna be just fine, I'm gonna fix you." Shadow said calmly.

"Come on soldier suck it up!" Deadeye said as he grabbed one of Blitz's hooves while Big Mac grabbed the other.

"Oh it hurts!" Blitz squealed as Shadow tried to move the shrapnel. Deadeye and Big Mac looked to Shadow who was frantically trying to stop the bleeding.

"I don't know how to fix this! WHAT DO I DO!?" Shadow thought to himself as Blitz began to slip away.

"P-p-pinkie pie." Blitz said.

"Blitz save yer energy." Big Mac said.

"I-If I was g-going to m-marry." Blitz said as he started crying. "IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HER! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HER!"

"I l-love you too Blitzy!" Pinkie cried as she put her hoof on Blitz's VISORCAM. Deadeye suddenly remembered something that could save Blitz.

"Blitz, activate your armor lock." Deadeye said. If Blitz was put into suspended animation he would survive unless someone brought him back and left his wound untreated.

"O-o-okay, I'm sorry I couldn't have made it till the end." Blitz said craking a goofy smile as his armor pushed the shrapnel piece out and resealed itself. Blitz felt his heart beating slower and slower and darkness over took him as he entered a long slumber.

"Will he be okay?" Big Mac asked.

"I'm not sure, it might have already been too late. For all we know he was dead before his armor even locked." Deadeye said. "Even if he survived we can't take him with us and it could be years before anypony finds him again.

"Omega Leader, this Blue River. Is Solar Blitz a KIA?" Blue River asked.

"This is Omega Leader. Solar Blitz is to be considered KIA, we are not sure if he survived his armor lock." Deadeye responded.

"Roger that, we will send a team later to find the bodies." Blue River said. "Command out." Pinkie was crying into Twilight and Applejack who were trying their hardest to comfort her and Rarity.

"SIR LOOK!" Big Mac shouted. "IT'S VON GRIFFON!"

"WHERE!" Deadeye asked as he saw the leader of the griffon empire escaping with a platoon of guards. Luckily in the direction the main support column for the cavern was.

"Oh no you don't!" Shadow said as he ran forward but was stopped by a massive griffon who had just landed.

"Gore!" Deadeye spat as General Gore pulled out his sword.

"Big Mac, Shadow. I need you two to go after Von Griffon and take down the support columns. I'll take care of this bucker." Deadeye whispered.

"But sir!" Big Mac said to protest.

"Listen! I am ORDERING you to go after Von Griffon! I'm the only one who can hold this bucker off! NOW GO!" Deadeye said.

"Yes sir, good luck sir." Shadow said as he and Big Mac chased after Von Griffon.

"Oh no you don't!" Gore said as he was about to take off when Deadeye landed in front of him with his crossbow aimed at the griffon.

"Where do you think you're going?" Deadeye asked.

"Big Mac, Shadow. Please don't let Von Griffon get away." Deadeye thought to himself as Gore charged at him. Deadeye fired his entire clip of arrows at the incoming griffon. Gore used his wings to shield himself from the arrows. Gore jumped at Deadeye and smashed his crossbow to pieces. Deadeye delivered a punch to the griffons and than jumped over Gore and bucked the griffon in the back.

"Damn you little pony!" Gore said as he brought his sword down on Deadeye. Deadeye used his fronthooves to catch the blade before it struck him. Gore pushed with all his strength to bring the blade into Deadeye's skull but Deadeye's strength proved to be greater when he pushed Gore off and pulled out his own sword. Gore began swinging his blade at Deadeye who blocked all of Gore's strikes. Gore kicked Deadeye in the stomach and knocked the pony to the ground. Gore flew into the air and flew down with the intent of smashing Deadeye's skull into the ground with his foot. Deadeye somersaulted out of the way and drop kicked the griffon once he landed.

"Is he crazy!" Twilight cried as Deadeye took on Gore one on one.

"Don't worry Twilight Sparkle. Deadeye is a good soldier." Blue River said as they watched the battle on Deadeye's VISORCAM. Astro came flying in suddenly covered in blood.

"General, the 300 crystal ponies defeated the 200,000 griffons!" Astro proclaimed as he noticed the VISORCAMs. "Is that-?"

"Yes Deadeye is engaging Gore and Big Mac and Shadow are in pursuit of Von Griffon." Blue River said.

"Well I'll be." Astro said. "COME ON COLTS GIVE EM HELL!" Meanwhile, Big Mac and Shadow were persuing Von Griffon.

"Shadow can you snipe while running?" Big Mac asked.

"Yeah I might be able to why?" Shadow asked.

"Shoot down some of those guards and try to get Von Griffon!" Big Mac said. Shadow nodded as he took out his crossbow sniper and began picking off the griffon guards as they ran. Shadow''s lethal aim quickly deterred the morale of the griffons as they fell one by one.

"Yay Shadow!" Fluttershy said. She wasn't rooting on his killing spree but was rooting on thier pursuit of Von Griffon. The COLTS eventually killed all the griffon guards and cornered Von Griffon in a corner.

"By the order of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! You are under arrest for warmongering and crimes agaisnt ponydom!" Big Mac said as he and Shadow moved into restrain him.

"Haha! You ponies really think if you capture ME this will be over?" Von Griffon said. "No there is a far more darker threat coming soon!"

"And what would that be?" Shadow asked.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Von Griffon laughed as he used his claws to slice his own throat open. Big Mac and Shadow ran over but Von Griffon was already dead. This didn't stop both Big Mac and Shadow from delivering a few kicks to his dead body.

"Command this Omega Two, Claws Von Griffon is dead." Big Mac said. He could hear cheering on the other side of the radio.

"Roger that Omega Two. Head for the main support colum and bring it down!" Blue River ordered. Big Mac and Shadow kicked Von Griffon's body once last time before heading for the main support column. The two ponies were running along the ledge next to what had to be a several hundred foot drop into a dark abyss. As Big Mac and Shadow were running, a cannonball struck the ledge they were on and the two ponies began falling, a piece of shrapnel had lodged into the ponies gliders disabling it and preventing them from flying. Big Mac grabbed ahold of the ledge with his hoof and and caught the falling Shadow with his other hoof. Griffons began pouring into the area and were firing at the two ponies out of rage for killing their leader.

"Hang on Shadow!" Big Mac said as he tried to pull them up but another cannonball struck the area almost causing Big Mac to lose his grip.

"Big Mac you have let me go!" Shadow yelled.

"Are you crazy? Not even we can survive a fall like that!" Big Mac retorted.

"Listen!" Shadow said. "If you stay here any longer both of us will die!"

"N-no!" Big Mac said tearing up. "Ah wont let you die!"

"Please Big Mac it's time to let go." Shadow said in a small gentle voice. Shadow took out his knife and sliced into his armor causing his blood to spray on Big Mac's hooves causing Big Mac to lose his grip.

"Goodbye Big Mac! Don't let us down!" Shadow as he plunged into the darkness. The last thing he did before striking bottom was locking his armor.

"SHADOW! NOOOOOO!" Big Mac screamed as tears stained his eyes. He pulled himself over the ledge and ran into a small cave which would take him to the main support column. His world slowed down around him. His whole team was almost dead! Fluttershy watched Shadow's VISORCAM as he plunged to the ground.

"I love you Fluttershy." Shadow said before his VISORCAM went dark forever. Fluttershy world crumbled around her. She had lost Shadow again! She collapsed to the ground as Rainbow Dash went and hugged her. Celestia and Astro hugged each other as they watched Shadow die. Big Mac continued running when he was Gore and Deadeye still fighting. Their fight had brought them near the main support column. Big Mac knew he had to help his captain before he too died. Deadeye was beginning to push Gore back.

"This is for my father and all the other COLTS you son of a bitch!" Deadeye said as he brought his sword down for the killing blow. Gore moved out of the way just in time.

"It's funny that you call me a monster when you yourself are no different." Gore said.

"What do you mean? I'm nothing like you!" Deadeye said enraged that Gore would even suggest such a thing.

"You fool! Do you even realize how many griffons you killed?" Gore asked.

"I did what was necessary." Deadeye countered.

"Those griffons had families of their own, children who will never see their father again. You know all about that don't you?" Gore taunted.

"YOU SHUT UP!" Deadeye yelled as he fired his sword at Gore. Gore caught the blade and crushed it in his claw.

"Tell me, what words of comfort did your father give you before he turned his own son into a freak and sent him to die?" Gore asked. Deadeye pulled out his extra sword and charged at Gore. Deadeye swung his blade down on Gore but the griffon caught it. Gore twisted Deadeye's arm behind him and thrusted the sword clean through Deadeye's chest.

"AHHHHHH!" Deadeye screamed as he felt the sharp metal pierce his stomach.He could feel his stomach acids leaking out into his intestines. Twilight screamed when she saw the blade sticking out of Deadeye's chest.

"Rule number one captain, never let your gaurd down." Gore said as he pulled his sword out of Deadeye's body. Twilight watched in utter horror as Deadeye fell to the ground defeated.

"I guess the great captain Deadeye, the fearless leader of COLTS Omega was mortal after all." Gore said as he flew away. Big Mac ran in just as Gore left.

"CAPTAIN!" Big Mac yelled as he ran to his captains side.

"B-Big M-mac. W-w-where is Shadow?" Deadeye asked.

"H-he fell." Big Mac said recalling the painful memory.

"Damn it all to hell!" Deadeye said as he coughed up blood. "I'm sorry mother and father, I failed you. I failed everypony!"

"No you didn't! You were a great leader and soldier!" Big Mac said.

"Listen Mac." Deadeye said giving his sword to Macintosh. "You're the only one left who can defeat him now."

"But last time ah fought him ah-" Big Mac said.

"You what? Got a little beat up!" Deadeye suddenly yelled. "It is you Mac, it has always been you. You were the one who would end this war I knew it from day one!"

"Captain ah-" Big Mac said.

"You have to beat him, I-I know you c-can!" Deadeye said. He had a wave of pain everytime he tried to talk. "T-tell T-twilight that I-I love her."

"Ah will sir!" Big Mac said. Twilight's heart melted when she heard this as she put her hoof on Deadeye's VISORCAM and cried.

"I know you'll do us proud, Captain Macintosh." Deadeye said as he clanked hooves with the newly promoted captain Macintosh. Deadeye held onto Macintosh's hoof as he felt his heart beat slower and slower. Deadeye activated his armor lock as he went into suspended animation. Macintosh saluted his captain and had a fire burning in his heart. He stood up on his hind legs and flew up towards Gore who was getting ready to release the fires of Mt. Hooverst into Equestria.

"GORE! AH'M COMIN FER YOU!" Big Mac screamed as loud as he could.

Author's Notes:

I can only begin to imagine how much hate mail i'm gonna get for this chapter. Whose death was the saddest? R&R There will only be one chapter and and epilogue and the tale of COLTS will come to a temporary end.

"If everything around you is blowing up, it is probably us." - U.S Army Rangers