8 Years After the Wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor...

Green checked his front hoof, making sure that it had been strapped on tightly. The front of his hoof contained an iron covering, which had a button on the inside which could reveal a hidden blade. It had been hoof made by his father, and was originally going to be used by him until he was killed by the changelings two years ago. Green shook his head as he thought back to that day. When changelings came out of their disgusting caves and attacked Canterlot. Nopony had expected an attack, but they did. It was only a week after the Princess's wedding, and the effects lasted for years. Changelings had attacked again, this time killing innocent ponies and injuring several noble ponies before taking over the city. Fortunately, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had escaped, and fled to the mountains. But the attacks didn't stop there. Queen Chrysalis led a charge into five major cities, capturing two, destroying one, and leaving the final two devastated. Equestria decided that action had to be taken, and a full scale military was called to service for the first time in over two thousand years. The military consisted of five branches, "The Army", which led the charge into battle, "The Seadogs", the navy, "Air Force", exclusive to Pegasi, "The Marines", heavily equipped front line fighters, and his branch, "The Garrison". The Garrison was the branch of all special ops divisions, and had cutting edge technology. They were the first called in when a mission proved to be too hazardous for regular forces.

"Step in." He heard. Green turned his head, seeing the door open. Inside was a large stallion, with a brown mane, and a tan coat. On his body was a camo outfit, complete with trousers and boots. On his right torso were three stars, each lined with a golden spark. This was the rank of a Lieutenant General. The stallion placed his hoof on the doorway, inviting him in. Green nodded and stood from his sitting position. As he walked past the general, he saw a cold stiffness in his eyes. There was no emotion, no evidence of care, and no warmth. Most likely, he was a former royal guard. Most officers and leaders were. Inside the room was an enormous round table, which broke off into several other much smaller segments. At each break off was a group of stallions and mares that observed him, trying to size him up. In the center of the table was a large screen, which, if it was anything like his previous unit, was used to display battle plans, or in this case, bring up dossiers for new additions to a particular spec ops unit. The one he was joining, the Special Ground Tactics Division, or SGTD, was exclusive to only Earth Ponies, although he didn't know why. The walls were lined with maps of various cities, each depicting hotspots for changeling activity, or, if the town was under Equestrian control, key defense positions throughout the city. These maps played crucial roles in determining strategies, and was usually a necessity in meetings. The general walked past Green and stared at him coldly, to which Green returned the favor. Despite being only a Sergeant, and only three years of experience, Green knew how to keep his emotions under wraps. The general sat down in one of the small sections, and extended his hoof to the seat next to him.

"It's good to meet you Sergeant Evergreen. Please, take a seat." He said. Green nodded and walked slowly over to the seat. On his way, one of the soldiers whispered the word "pixie" at him. This was an insulting way to address new additions, and was almost always used on first timers. Green glared at the soldier who said it, a blue stallion with a black mane, and a smart aleck smile on his face. The stallion had a helmet in front of him, and rested his foreleg on it. The helmet was a camo color, although instead of woodland, it was decorated in a series of white and light blue, to blend in with snowy environments. The stallion

"I think you missed the exit. It's that way." The stallion said as he pointed towards a door marked with an exit sign. Green growled and stepped closer threateningly, to which the stallion brought out a knife to his throat.

"Lieutenant Case, that's enough. Stand down." The general said with authority in his voice. Case laughed, and dragged the knife swiftly across the fur on Green's face, cutting of a few strands. Green glared at him a few seconds, then moved to the seat next to the general. The general pressed a button on the table, and the screen flashed with a photo of Green. He had a brown mane, and a dark green coat. His eyes were red, and his face contained an emotionless frown, while his eye brows cured, making him appear to be angry. The picture decreased in size, and made way for a cluster of information on him. His full name, Evergreen, his age, 23, as well as much more descriptive information.

"Sergeant Evergreen, former member of the QGR team operating in Neigh York, serving under one Master Sergeant Evergreen for your first year until your unit was ambushed and he was killed in action. Since then, you operated under his right hand stallion SFC. Graphite, who took over as the leader of the team. Is this correct?" The general asked as he looked over to the Sergeant. Green nodded. Before this, he was a member of his father's Quick Ground Response team, and kept Neigh York and surrounding cities safe from sudden changeling attacks. His transfer was requested by a stallion who was a field commander in this unit, and approved after Graphite had discussed it with him. He had yet to meet the officer who had requested him, but wasn't in a rush. He left behind all of his friends, and his brothers. Not his real brothers of course, but fighting alongside those men for three years had strengthened their bonds, and Green had been taken away.

"Yes sir." He answered the general turned his head back to the screen as a mare hit a button issuing a small beep. This was used to show that you had something to say, which could be ignored if desired. However, in this case, the general allowed the mare her say, and turned to face her. The mare had a light blue mane and a yellow coat, and was wearing a camo cap on her head. Her eyes had a mix of a blue and purple color, and her body was covered in a suit designed to keep out poisonous gasses.

"Forgive me for saying this general, but what has this... rookie done to get him in this division from a QGR team? That's one of the lowest ranking spec ops teams we have." She said with a questioning look. Green clenched his teeth and was about to speak, before another short beep was heard. This time it was a stallion with a tan mane and a dark red coat. Green fell back into his chair and glared angrily at the mare who had insulted his squad.

"If I may answer your question FS, This stallion has survived ten missions in which his squad was ambushed, and or outnumbered ten to one. Only a truly skilled operator can accomplish such a feat." The stallion said in a matter of fact tone. FS was a slang term for First Sergeant, so this mare must have been in service for quite a while. She nodded and looked back at the general, who waited to continue.

"Now, your dossier states that your unit has taken on several missions in which you have required nearly absolute silence, and the highest degree of stealthy operations. Now, according to what it says, these operations normally go without a hitch, and are successful. However, it also states that you have had instances in which you have blown your cover and rushed out to fight the enemy." The general shakes his head and looks over to Green, raising his eyebrow.

"Care to elaborate Sergeant?" The general said.

"Probably to dumb to think ahead." Case said insultingly, causing a few of the other ponies in the room to chuckle. Green grit his teeth and gave an annoyed growl. His pride was being bashed left and right in this room, and he wasn't enjoying it. The general told the officers and field operators to calm down, and gave the floor to Green.

"Well, in these cases, civilians were being attacked by changelings. I know the mission is supposed to come first, but our duty is to protect the innocent." He said.

"I appreciate your willingness to put your life on the line for them Sergeant, but you seem to have forgotten that it's not only your rear that's on the line out there. Your whole team is affected by the actions you make in the battle field. Your actions caused three soldiers to be injured to the point they could no longer serve, and countless injuries to others." The general says. Green hangs his head and looks down, facing the table.

"Just your average, everyday idiot pixie." Case said. A few more ponies laughed before the one that had come to his defense earlier told them to quiet down. The general moved on, brining up a list of accomplishments.

"Now, a couple of noticeable details in your career involve eliminating a group of eighty changelings with only you and about eight other operators. Something not every QGR agent can say. In addition, your unit participated in the rescue of Detrot when the Army requested back up. Amongst other feats." The general said. Green smiled, looking around the room to see several ponies nodding in approval. He heard a scoff, and turned to Case. He sat back, seeming unimpressed.

"Yeah whatever, even a butterfly can do a few remarkable things in it's life." He says as he lays his head on his hooves, which laid on the back of his chair. Green frowned again, shaking his head. This Case guy was a dirtbag, and surely be a thorn in his side. The general glared at the Lieutenant, and told him to get his act together. The Lieutenant gave a shrug, as if he didn't know what he did wrong. The general shook his head and moved the dossier along, which now showed his strengths and weaknesses.

"Now, you excel at hoof to hoof combat, and low Intel ops. You are able to adapt to situations, as is expected of a QGR unit, and you manage to handle more weapons than is expected of a soldier. However, your dossier also states that you tend to take the initiative when a situation changes, instead of waiting for orders. In addition, you have a tendency to take longer than usual on missions because you are side tracked with rescuing civilians." Green was about to defend himself, but the general held up his hoof.

"That last one isn't necessarily a bad thing, but be sure to watch when you head in to rescue them. You can't be leaving your team every ten seconds." He said. Green nodded, and looked around. The expressions of the ponies varied, from nods in acknowledgement of his strengths, while some seemed worried about his irrational initiative. The general pressed the button again, making the dossier vanish. He turned in his chair, observing each of the officers.

"Alright, you've seen his dossier, you know his accomplishments, and what he has yet to accomplish. We've already agreed that he's going to be joining, as Major Tiffon, has agreed to take him into his squad." The general pointed over to the red stallion who had defended him earlier. He smiled and nodded. Green saluted him, until allowed to be at ease. The general looked to him, stood from his chair.

"Now Major, you are to inform him of what kind of missions you are deployed to. As well as show him around, make him familiar with our compound. Introduce him to the rest of your squad, integrate him into the system. As for the rest of you, stick to your previous assignments." The general looked over the ponies, nodded, and told them to get going. The ponies began to stand from their chairs, and Green stood as well. Instantly he felt something slam into his back, sending a quick shock of pain into his back. He grunted in pain as he heard Case's voice laughing. He growled and stood. The major walked up to him and helped him up, apologizing for Case's behavior.

"That idiot's not a squad mate is he?" Green asked as he glared at the stallion walking out the door. The major shook his head.

"No, don't worry. He's in charge of his own team. We'll hardly ever see him." He said. Green sighed and looked over to the major. He smiled and held something in his hoof, and reached out. Green backed away slightly, but stopped when the major touched his shoulder, then pulled away. Looking to the spot, Green noticed a badge. On it was a sword, which was placed between two wheels, as well as surround by wheels to the left and right. Each had what looked like a cable connecting the wheels, and all came together at the sword. Crossing the sword from it's side was a banner reading Special Ground Tactics Division.

"I'm Major Joshua Tiffon. Welcome to the SGTD Sergeant Evergreen."

...

OCs in this Chapter:

Major Joshua Tiffon- CaptainCeaser