Almost sixty guards sat on cushions lined in rows. Their various colours and armour types create a chaotic canvas of fur and steel. They held about them an air of confidence, but that confidence was slowly draining the longer they sat. All eyes were focused forward at the tall, metal biped that was standing before them. The Demon in Metal, as it was called, was giving them lessons on how to fight back. Many were confused by the terms he used, but there was a general understanding that ruffled more than a few feathers. The Demon was proving again and again that their previous tactics were now obsolete.

One particular mare grumbled as she crossed both hooves in front of her chest.

"Who does this guy think he is? The guards have had the same standards of training for the last four hundred years. Now he just wants us to forget it all. All the stuff we've dedicated our lives towards." She whispered to a pony beside her.

The stallion nodded in affirmation and frowned. The Demon was talking about how the light spears of the Elves worked, but they all already knew this information. It wasn't like they hadn't suffered at the expense of these weapons before. The stallion shook his head slightly as he remembered the hundreds of guards that had charged towards the enemy lines. He had been in the back, and was forced to watch as his brothers and sisters in arms were cut down like a scythe through wheat. A tear slowly appeared in his eye as the smell of charred fur and flesh seemed to waft through the air and into his nose.

The stallion blinked as the mare beside him nudged his side. He looked towards her and she gestured with her head towards the front. His blood ran cold and he began to sweat as he noticed the Demon was looking at him.

"You, what's your name?" The Demons voice carried over the group and easily reached his ears. The stallion gulped as more than a few sets of eyes settled on him.

"W-Wild ace, sir!" He called towards the biped. He saw it nod its head before motioning towards him with one of his arms.

"Wild, what is your rank?" Wild gulped and looked around once again. All eyes were on him, some with pity, some with amusement.

"Second Lieutenant, sir!" He called out after a pause. He saw the Demon nod his head. The brown fur atop his head waved gently in the wind and his face held its constant frown. Suddenly, he began slowly walking towards Wild's position.

"Second Lieutenant Wild, do you know why I am teaching you about the weaponry of the Dark Elves." Wild's mouth flapped open and closed for a second before an answer finally made it to the front of his mind.

"S-So that we can better understand what we are up against, sir?" Wild saw the Demon roll his broad shoulders slightly, causing the various pieces of equipment to move with him. His long, deliberate strides brought him closer to Wild's position, causing the pony to sweat nervously.

"A wise man once said: 'Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.' This man came from my world, and he was a master of war. In his forty years as a general, he never lost a single battle." The Demon stopped beside Wild and looked down at him with a stern glare. "The reason I am teaching you about Elven technology is so that you may know your enemy. If you know the tactics, power, and technological level of the enemy, then you can develop strategies to defeat them. By hiding, your kind has grown ignorant of the enemy's prowess. I'm here to remedy this issue." The Demon turned and quickly began walking back towards the massive white board.

"The Elves use an old but devastating tactic called a firing line...." Wild was paying much more attention now. He understood why the Demon was doing what he was doing now, and a quick glance to the side showed that the mare, along with all the other guards, did as well. The Demon had successfully acquired their attention.

Wild and the rest of the platoon watched as the Demon began showing the effect that the firing line had on a charging enemy. If they wanted to survive this conflict, then the guard would have to pay rapt attention.

*****

Dean talked for almost three hours straight. He had taken some time to go over the Elven firing line tactics and how to counter them, but he could tell that some of the guards weren't getting it. He would have to find a way to train them in these new tactics, but until then, there were more pressing matters to speak about. Dean moved onto some of the machinery the Dark Elves used. Upon mentioning the flying boat things, he saw a large portion of guards, mostly pegasi, pale at their mention. He hadn't seen them in action, but judging by the reaction of the guards before him, the Elves used these machines to devastating effect. Shining had provided him with a brief overview on the capabilities of each and every machine. To a human soldier, they would be relatively easy to deal with. But to the ponies, who utilised weapons made in the mediaeval era, they would seem unstoppable. Couple that with what seemed to be a Mk.IV tank hybrid of sorts, and the Elven war machine would seem impossible to defeat. Tomorrow, Dean would teach them how to properly build a hedgehog in order to counter these war machines. It was his hope to show the ponies they still had a chance, even if it seemed slim. He knew that the Dark Elves had the main bulk of their army off the continent, so they didn't see the resistance as a threat. Dean intended to punish them for this mistake.

"On my home planet, these machines are called tanks. The ones seen in this photo," he pointed to a black and white photo, "move slowly and have a terrible turn radius. Make no mistake though, these things pack enormous firepower should they get a shot off. I've been informed that they are usually used to target artillery, while the infantry fights smaller ground targets. I am going to show you how effective infantry can truly be against these metal behemoths tomorrow morning in person, but right now, I will go over the general idea."

Dean saw a hoof raise and paused in his lecture. He noticed that the sun was beginning to set, meaning his time was almost up. He pointed to the mare who had her hand raised, signalling her to speak.

"Sorry for the interruption, sir, but I thought I should point out that the Elves regularly use magic. Their 'tanks' can have anything from thicker armour to literal shielding. How do we compensate for that?" The mare sat down as Dean pondered the question. Magic was an unknown variable for him, so he would need a unicorn's advice. He could go to Twilight, but he doubted she would know much about it. His best bet was, once again, Shining Armour. Maybe they could develop new types of artillery designed to destroy magic? Or would EMP devices work? Dean knew he could create EMP grenades, but he had no idea what their effect on magic would be. His mind briefly wandered back to his encounter with the Bloody Baron and how he was able to stop supersonic bullets mid-flight. If the Dark Elves could do that to his most effective piece of weaponry, then what could they do against everything else? He was probably overthinking this, but the amount of variables were overwhelming. After a few seconds' pause, Dean decided to do a test on the morrow.

"I will be performing a few... tests tomorrow after your training. There are certain technologies I have that might be effective against magic of that degree, but until then, we will continue on with what I am teaching you tomorrow morning at six o'clock sharp. Dismissed." The sounds of sixty plus equines getting up reached his sensitive ears, causing him to flinch lightly. He watched as they all trotted out of the lecture area and towards the barracks. Only six ponies remained behind, and each of them quickly trotted up to him and saluted.

"Reporting as ordered, squad leader!" Midnight spoke as the voice of the squad. Dean nodded in approval and quickly saluted back. He dropped his salute and the others quickly followed.

"You are all probably wondering why I have kept you here, and the answer is simple: Something important is coming up, and we will be taking part in it. Dean walked up to the board and quickly wheeled it around, revealing a blank surface. He whipped out his black dry-erase marker and began scribbling upon the surface.

"General Blight has informed us of a concentration camp near Stalliongrad, located between cloudsdale and the remnants of a place called the Crystal Empire. It is also confirmed that this particular camp is understaffed and rarely inspected according to a few spies in the area. What I am more interested in is the fact that a high ranking official in the Dark Elven government, General Atlas, will be visiting this facility on Friday, four days from now." He paused to gauge the looks on everyone's faces. Instead of confusion or fear, he saw determination. However, behind said determination, he also saw their looks of admiration towards him, and their keen listening as he outlined their mission. They believed in him, and his ability to lead them to victory. He smiled subtly before continuing on with the briefing.

"We will perform a stealth operation at approximately oh-three-hundred hours and kill any guards in the area. Once that section of the mission is done, we move onto section-B. The rescued civilians will be moved somewhere safe until the General's train arrives at the camp. Once there, we will kill the conductors as well as any soldier's accompanying the General. Atlas is deemed a priority target, but should he be caught in the crossfire, then that works as well." Dean saw Swift raise a hoof. Dean nodded to him as everyone's eyes focused on the smaller pegasus.

"What weapons will we be using? I'm not sure bows and arrows or spears and swords will work to our advantage here." Dean smiled and nodded; the ponies were paying attention to his lessons and realising they were at a disadvantage.

"A great question, Swift. I intend to designate you all with various weapons based on your strengths and weaknesses. However, I have yet to find a way for them to work with your biology. This mission is based on stealth, so any form of noise will end in a mission failure. Until I can come up with ways to incorporate my weapons with your physical attributes, you all will have to continue using melee weapons. That does not mean that I won't begin training you based on your roles on this squad." Dean eyed the group with an appraising eye. They all remained silent as they watched him move to the end of the line, right in front of Corporals Steel and Cobalt.

"You two, you will be my muscle on this coming mission. Tasks such as breaching rooms, moving debris, and setting up fortifications: you will be in charge." Dean slowly walked down the line. "Lieutenant Midnight, you will be my scout and stealth pony. You will remain completely invisible to the enemy, and you will be deadly while doing so." Dean saw the pitch black Pegasus nod firmly before moving onto the next pony in line. "Spitfire, you will take the lead. Your speed, mixed with your strength will keep yourself and the squad ready, let's not forget your leadership skills and ability to make quick decisions." He saw her nod as well, one which he returned. The next pony was Swift, and Dean smirked. "Swift, you will be staying back with a special crossbow designed for ponies. You will be the overwatch as well as the rear guard. If you see something that we don't, you either report it, or take it out from range. I will be giving a piece of technology called a radio to each of the squad members, but you will by far use it the most. You have to watch our backs." Dean saw Swift's ear twitch, but a quick nod was all Dean needed to keep moving down the line.

Then there was Stormfly

Dean paused as he thought of the role she would play. She was aggressive, fast, agile, and stubborn to the core. He smirked and crossed his arms.

"Stormfly, you will be my weapons expert. You will use your agility, speed, and aggressiveness to take down any Dark Elves in your way. In a battle, you will be the first line of defence and our main fighter. When you faced me down, I saw your fearlessness and courage." His eyes passed over everyone. "I saw all of you show strength. If you keep that mindset, we will win, I can guarantee that."

Dean sniffed and walked back to the board. His eyes passed over a lavender form sitting under a tree off to the side, her large eyes fixated on him and his squad. He smiled, but otherwise ignored her.

"After every training session for the next two days, we will meet and discuss the plan of attack in more detail. It may not seem like a lot of time, but time is not something we had much of anyway. The Elves are basically on your doorstep and getting closer every day. I say that we take the fight to them, instead of cowering in a corner and waiting to be slaughtered." Dean saw nods of approval. Tomorrow, they would get some new equipment like grenades, flashbangs, and walkie talkies. He would have to wait in order to create guns, but given enough time, Dean was sure it was doable. When that time came, the Dark Elves would be in for a rude awakening. Dean waved his hand and turned around. "Dismissed."

The ponies began filing away one by one, the last two to leave being Midnight and Spitfire. Dean noticed a black primary feather sitting behind Spitfire's ear; an orange primary sat behind Midnights. Dean shrugged and surmised it to be a cultural thing the ponies shared. It was none of his business anyway.

A gentle breeze blew through his hair, causing him to subconsciously run a hand through it. The sounds of ponies doing drills found his ears, and he smiled. He had given Shining an overview of what he wanted in terms of conditioning. From here on out, Dean would be teaching tactics and combat drills. He hadn't been lying when he said the Elves were basically on their doorstep, the only reason they hadn't found the resistance being because the main bulk of their army was in the Griffon Empire.

Gentle hoofsteps padded through the grass towards him, and Dean smiled. Twilight was his first friend in this world, and he would be damned if anything bad happened to her. The only dilemma he was facing was the fact that in the end, he would have to leave her, and everyone else behind. Mary and Jaxon were in British Columbia at the moment, a place where the Orith hadn't hit yet. When he had been sucked away, the Orithian advance had been stopped and was slowly being pushed out. If he was lucky, then the alien bastards would be long out of the U.S and fighting a defensive war. He would go and see his family first upon returning, but Captain Mason would likely redeploy him immediately. He hated that he would have to go, but duty calls, and there is no rest for the wicked.

"Hey, Dean!" Twilight stopped beside him and bumped his leg with her side. Dean chuckled and leaned down, his fingers finding their way behind her ear for a brief time. The little Alicorn sighed and leaned into his hand, her wings ruffling at her sides.

"Hey Sparklebutt, how's it going?" He heard her eep' at the name, so he looked down. Her large, lavender eyes stared up into his, a mock pout dominating her face. A slight blush tinted her cheeks, and her tail swished back and forth none too subtly.

"Dean! You know that my proper title is Princess Twilight Sparkle. That also entitles you to bow down before me every time you grace my royal presence." Twilight stuck her nose in the air, her voice taking on a posh accent. Dean smirked and feigned shock.

"Oh... I am so sorry, your highness! Thank you for gracing me with your presence, I have no words!" Dean slowly bowed as low as he could go. Twilight remained silent as she looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. A hint of mirth danced in her eyes, and Dean's smirk grew.

His head snapped up, causing Twilight's eyes to widen. With a playful yell, Dean lunged forward and wrapped his armoured arms around the Alicorn, dragging her into a bear hug. Twilight squealed in surprise as her legs kicked through empty air. Her eyes went wide as she felt a falling sensation in her gut, thus causing her wings to snap out on reflex. A feather slapped Dean right in the face and tickled his nose. Nearly sneezing, the Human fell onto his back, the air flying from his lungs. He felt Twilight scrambling for some form of purchase and decided to give her the relief. Unwrapping his arms, she was able to flip onto her side before pushing up.

Dean raised his head and looked up, only to find the Alicorn menace sitting on his chest. A mischievous smirk decorated her face, causing Dean to groan.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen. It would seem that the lowly pony has finally beaten the great Demon in metal." She looked down at his arms in mock terror; Dean fell for it and glanced down, afraid that something was wrong on his new armour.

"GET HIM!" A familiar voice cried from behind him.

Dean had just enough time to brace before a colt, a filly, and a young dragon suddenly landed atop him and rightfully pinning his ligaments to the ground. They giggled and snorted as Dean's eyes widened in surprise. Looking up, he saw Twilight holding a hoof to her mouth as she fought to contain her own chuckles. Dean sighed and smiled.

"Woe is me, I have been caught by the pony menace!" Dean wiggled around, the foals atop him only giggling louder. "Whatever shall I do?" He smirked as he saw a familiar brown Unicorn look up at him. Brownie must have sensed something was going to happen and tried to warn his two friends, but his words quickly became a yelp of surprise when Dean lifted his arm. The poor unicorn was still attached as he hovered three feet in the air.

"He's loose!"

Dean suddenly found a vaguely familiar turquoise earth pony trying to wrestle his arm back to the ground. He let her pull the ligament down ever so slowly, so as to make her think she was gaining ground. But inches before it touched the grass, he suddenly twisted his arm and pinned both ponies to his chest. He kicked his one leg up as well, sending the purple dragon attached flying above Twilight's head before being caught in his free arm. Said arm brought the dragon in beside the two foals, completing the movement restricting hug. Twilight's laughter echoed through the clearing as she quickly hopped off Dean's chest. The three kids squealed and laughed as they found themselves nearly six feet in the air. He chuckled at their antics before turning to Twilight.

"I think it's about time those three got back to their houses." Dean nodded, but upon hearing the little ones go quiet, he looked down at them. What resulted was nearly a heart attack inducing wave of cuteness.

The two foals had their heads tilted towards him, their large, puppy-dog eyes staring into his very soul. Their lips quivered to the point of crying, and their eyes seemed to become watery. Spike was trying to replicate the look, but it wasn't nearly as effective. Dean smirked and thought for a moment. An idea came to his head and his smirk grew.

"I'll tell you what, you guys can ride on my shoulders," he saw Spike's downtrodden expression and chuckled, "you as well Spike." The trio cheered as he loosened his grip and allowed them access to his upper half. Brownie climbed up to his left shoulder, and the filly to his right. Spike wrapped around the back of his head and swung his legs in the spaces left between each foal and Dean's head, essentially getting a piggyback. Dean made sure they were secure before plodding forward.

"Let's get going." Dean signalled for Twilight to lead the way, to which she happily obliged. Her hips swayed and she bounced with every step as they made their way to the city proper. Dean got more than a few looks, but upon seeing the young ones riding on top of him, many chose to go on their way. They walked in relative silence before the turquoise filly asked a question.

"Mr. Demon, I would like to give you my thanks." Her voice was soft and Dean could hear a tinge of nervousness creeping within. He reached up and found the pony's torso before slowly scratching away. Twilight seemed to really like his scratches, so he assumed the filly would too. His guess proved right as the little filly hummed in satisfaction.

"What for, kid? I recognize you, but can't quite remember where from?" Dean watched a squad of guards marched on by. The sun was beginning to set and the townsfolk were starting to head indoors.

"I-I'm the filly you saved back at my home, R-Ravenford." He heard her sniffle, but that went unheeded as he stopped in his tracks. Twilight stopped as well and looked back at him with concern.

The world suddenly grew blank, any noise, smell, or feeling was cancelled out. A dull ringing replaced the emptiness, followed by a waft of burnt fur and flesh. Someone was crying, a parent, as a little filly lay dying in the mud. Her eyes were squeezed tight as her heart slowed to a standstill. Her fur was matted with dirt and blood seeped from the un-cauterized sections of the wound. Dean then saw the little boy be eaten by the Orithian monster in the street, then the little girl as her head was blown to pieces by a terrorist. He couldn't save them, he wasn't fast enough. He had failed, failed as a soldier, a husband, a father.

Fast as a lightning strike, the world returned entirely. The noises of the city flew into his ears, and the smell of food and dirt reached his nose. He felt three distinct forms on his shoulders, and it took him a second to remember who it was. He glanced up to his right side, seeing the filly from his episode, alive and well. Looking back down, Dean noticed that Twilight had gotten closer, concern bleeding from her expression.

"Dean, are you okay?" Her eyes searched his as he gulped nervously.

"Y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes and it seemed Twilight noticed. Instead of pursuing the matter, her eyes flicked to the filly on his shoulder before she smiled brightly.

"That's good, we wouldn't want these three to be late!" Brownie and... Lucy was it? Brownie and Lucy giggled, and that was all Dean needed to keep moving forward. Twilight slowly slowed so that she was in stride with him before looking back up to his face.

"Would you be free for dinner tomorrow, Dean?" He felt Spike stifle a snort, but ignored it. He knew why she wanted to talk, the concern radiating off of her was obvious enough. He took a moment to think about it. His training with the squad would end around nine, so that would leave plenty of time to go with the Princess. Dean nodded and smiled.

"Sure thing, Twi." He saw her pleased expression and knew that whatever was on her mind would wait until tomorrow. He wasn't in the mood to speak about what had just happened.

"Awesome, I'm sure it'll be fun!" Twilight pointed with a hoof to a run down house off to the left. "This is Brownie's house."

*****

As Human and the Princess dropped the kids off, not once did they notice a certain unicorn mare following their every move. Soon enough, she would have her chance to strike, but not yet. Her drones needed to be in the perfect position, and it had to be with the element of surprise.

The pony chuckled mirthlessly as she melded into the shadows. A certain Captain of the guard was expecting a fuchsia coloured unicorn in his bed, and she would hate to be late.

With a final sneer, the changeling moulded into the night.