"Glad to have you with us," said a cloaked stallion. "Your skill set is very intriguing, I must say."

The addressed stallion, Shadow Steel, nodded to his new Captain. "Thank you sir. When do I meet the others?"

The cloaked stallion chuckled lightly and turned around, prompting the new recruit to follow. "Soon, Steel. Soon."

"The chariot is waiting outside, sir," a light orange unicorn with a grey mane saluted. He too wore a scarf and hood to keep his identity secret, but his name wasn't meant to be.

The hidden stallion nodded to his personal bodyguard, Heavy Shield. "Thank you Shield. Come along Steel, you'll have your wish sooner than expected," he grinned beneath the black scarf.

Steel nodded and stepped onto the chariot with the two operatives. Another two pegasus ponies were waiting for the all clear, and once their CO was on board they took off. The night sky would keep the dark grey chariot from view, so long as no pony looked directly at it. The airborne carriage soared over Ponyville, and straight towards the Everfree Forest. Instead of going over it, the chariot dropped so that it was level with the high branches of the trees.

The various sounds of the twisted forest often kept any wanderers away. However, these ponies were not that sort of ponies. They were highly trained, ruthless, and cold-hearted killers to the bone. Survival be damned, they'd fight their way out if necessary.

The mocking faces of the trees vanished as the chariot flew into a small clearing. Coming to a short stop, the pegasi unlatched themselves and went ahead of the three passengers. They walked towards the base of the cliff they had stopped in front of and knocked twice on a piece of rock sticking out. The enchanted stone pushed itself into place and turned ninety degrees. A series of loud cracks followed soon after, and them by a rumbling of moving stone. A slab of the bottom of the cliff began to slowly move up until it slammed into place.

The three stallions trotted inside, the two pegasi remaining to close the entrance and hide the carriage. Shield lit a flash spell around his horn to illuminate the dark cavern. They were in an old and humid tunnel that looked carved out. The un-named stallion took the lead while his bodyguard followed close behind. The recruit walked at the back, curious as to where they were headed. They walked for another few minutes before a faint light signaled the end of their travel.

"Shadow Steel, welcome," the cloaked stallion began. "To the DOUE."

The light was actually an underground base. Hundreds of bat ponies and normal ponies were walking alongside griffons as they went through drills and trained with their respective weapons. They all stopped what they were doing to stomp, turn, and salute to the cloaked stallion.

Shadow Steel looked over to the far side of the base and read the banner hanging from the main building.

DOUE, Direct Operations Unbecoming Equestria

"The real, DOUE."

I got back onto my hooves for the first time in three weeks. The medical staff gave me a bunch of different tests before letting me go back to my unit. I asked the Captain why Princess Luna couldn't just heal me up like she did after interrogation training. Of course he told me I shouldn't worry too much, so I was left in bed for weeks. Midnight was at the hell-house now while Rock waited with Stalker, Crawler, and Glider outside med bay.

"Look here, now down here."

"I'm fine ma'am," I said in a regular tone.

She glared a second at me, then pushed my head to the side to inspect the wound again. "Make sure you don't take another blow to the head and you will be," she sternly said. "You're good to go."

I nodded then left the medical building to meet up with my unit. "Glad to see you back on your hooves Corporal," Stalker smirked. "See to it you don't end up six feet under, ya hear?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," I nodded. Glider and Crawler sneered at me, then walked ahead with Stalker. "How've things been since I was gone?"

Rock shrugged and chuckled. "Not much I'll say. Glider and Crawler got a temporary placement in Echo but they came back alright," he said. "And by the way, Stone wanted a word with you in private."

I sighed and pushed open the door to the barracks to get to the sleeping quarters. "Well, must be something important if he wants to speak in private," I grunted as I pulled the straps under my belly to tighten them.

"I guess. We gave our report last week on the mission, and Stone seemed a bit upset when we told him you and Midnight stayed behind," Rock grinned.

I placed the helmet on my head, then tapped the gem on the front of it. The enchantment changed my body, making me shiver from the feel. "Damn. Forgot how that felt," I shuddered.

"Want me to wait for you? Archery's in thirty. Plenty of time for a talk between you two," he offered. That was the thing I liked about Rock. He was strong as all Tartarus, but still a good friend.

Even for a merc.

"It's fine. I'm sure I can handle the Captain by myself," I grinned. My teeth began to sharpen a bit as the fangs grew out. "The first time I did this I thought I'd bite my tongue off."

Rock laughed and patter my back. "Then keep your mouth shut and your tongue still."

"See ya Rock," I waved him off.

Now that I was back on my hooves, we could start hunting down these terrorist bastards. I could still remember what that pony in the MBO said to me. I still needed to tell Stone about that incident, and the fact that there might be a traitor in the EUOD.

Still, maybe I could hold off on that part. I still didn't know what he looked like under that hood and scarf. He wasn't a unicorn, but he might have been a pegasus or an Earth pony. He was pretty strong, so I was really going for Earth pony. But I still got bothered by him saying,"Just like I was trained."

Maybe he was discharged before the death penalty was in effect? Or did he go AWOL? Or what it he was just screwing with my head? I needed to find out as soon as possible, or else it would drive me up the wall.

I passed archery and the hell-house to get to Stone's building. The blinds were closed, and when I stepped in I saw a single candle lit with Stone sitting in his chair looking at the wall behind his seat. I walked in front of his desk and stood at attention. It took him some time before he turned around to speak to me. When he looked past me, I was tempted to turn around, but I didn't want to look disrespectful.

"As honorable as always, Corporal Silver." To the right of me Princess Luna walked out of the shadows. "I told my sister you'd make a fine addition to this division."

"Thank you ma'am," I nodded curtly. "Permission to speak?"

"This isn't the Royal Guard, Corporal," Stone reminded me.

"What did you need to speak about?" I asked. To my left, the elder Princess walked from out of the shadows and stood side by side with the night princess in front of me.

"We've come to speak about your last engagement," Celestia said. "Captain Stone delivered the report weeks ago, but we have a question for you. You and Seargant Midnight Blossom stayed behind to set off explosives and take down the target building. Were there any implications during your extended stay?"

That little slip up in her sentence. I felt it in my gut the moment she asked me, and those stern faces weren't fooling anybody. They knew more than they were letting on, and they needed me to confirm something.

But what?

"When Seargant Blossom went to her destination, I stayed in the upper level to give her time," I started calmly. "Two ponies were coming down the hall when one entered and pinned me against the wall. He seemed to know about the EUOD, and apparently he says he was part of it."

"He said he was a part of it?" Luna quickly asked. Now, I could have been seeing things, but I could have sworn I saw a hint of worry pass over each of the princesses faces.

"Not exactly. When I told him I knew nothing about our division, he said,'Just like I was trained.'" The Captain got up from his chair and stood beside Princess Luna.

"What did this pony look like?" Crap, this would be a problem.

I hesitated before willing myself to say it. "I'm not sure, Captain," I exhaled. "He wore a cloak and scarf to hide his body, along with some sort of skin tight suit to cover his coat. The most I could tell was that he isn't a unicorn. Given his strength I would assume he was an Earth pony, but I couldn't be sure."

There it was again, that small bit of worry from before. "Is there anything else you could tell us?" Celestia asked.

I shook my head softly. "He may have been their leader, but I still don't have enough intel to be sure," I sighed. "Is that all ma'am?"

Celestia smiled softly at my usual formal greeting to her. "Yes Corporal, that's all we need," she nodded. I saluted once again, even if Stone glared slightly at me. All the years with them formed respect that I have with or without my uniform.

"And Silver." I turned around and saw Stone coming towards me. "Have your unit in here in ten, I need to have another word with you all."

"Yes sir." I left the my three supervisors and started for the archery building.

I still needed some work with my crossbow skills, so I planned on visiting when I wasn't being ordered around. I went straight on to the back of the building and went into the training range. I heard three loud cracks, and three arrows lodged themselves in a tri-formation in the pony dummy's head. I could see his dumbass smiling from the other end of the range.

"Hey LT," he called from the other end. "Drop by to learn how to pull the trigger?"

I shook my head and waited for him to come over with his crossbow slung over his back. "Captain wants to see our squad. Midnight out of the hell-house?"

"Should be by now," Rock shrugged. "Crawler and Glider are probably in training, and I think Stalker's in the officer's quarters."

"Let's go round 'em up," I said. We got out of there right as the next round of archers came in.

Just as I passed one, he tripped and fell into me. "Sorry, guy," he said.

"Just be careful," I said as I helped him back up.

Me and Rock left the building, then went to go get Stalker out of a meeting of officer's. They were talking about adding some new course to training. Like hell they will. Glider and Crawler got pulled out of their training early, which was a relief to them both. While they washed up from the mud and some blood, Stalker had Rock accompany him to the Captain's office and me get Midnight. Figures he'd send me after the lady.

So while the two assholes showered, and Cap' and Rock met up with Stone, I headed to the bunks. Sometimes I think Midnight's name was mixed up with some other officer.

When I got to the door I heard something strange. It sounded like…

…like… crying.

I peeked inside and saw Midnight on her bunk facing the opposite way on her side. She was the only pony in the room, so it had to be her. To say the least, I was surprised. She acted so tough with the other agents and teased me so much, but here she was crying. Now - I can't believe I'm saying this - sometimes Midnight reminds me of my sister. She teases me a lot, and while she is a nuisance, she actually pretty cool. Quietly I came over to the bunk, got on my hindlegs, and nudged her side.

She shot up in her bed and looked at me incredulously. "LT! Uh, what're you doing here?!" she shouted at me. I could tell she was embarrased, even without that small hint of pink in her cheeks.

"Captain wants to speak to us," I said. Before she could get down I stopped her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she grumbled. She jumped down and started rummaging through the chest we share.

I leaned against the bed and gave her a few seconds to get ready. "Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't crying," she muttered. She took the dagger and sheathed it on her breast plate. "Stone wants to see us right?"

She went for the door, but I stopped her in front of it. "Midnight, what's bothering you, really?" I asked for the third time. "Cap' can wait. What's-"

"Can we just drop it?!" she screamed. "When I say nothing's wrong, nothing is wrong!"

I kept my calm and blocked her way again. "Then why were you crying?" I pressed. "Midnight you have to tell-"

That was all I got out before she socked me in the muzzle. She tripped me out from under my hooves and slammed me down. How dumb did I look, huh?

While I tried to ease the pain in my face, Midnight lowered her head to glare at me in the eyes. A few tears were trailing down her cheeks as she did so. "You killed him! It's all your fault!"

Midnight stomped away sniffling while I tried to get a hold of what just happened. She said, I'm the reason somepony's dead.

"What?"

Midnight's POV

It was all his fault. All his fucking fault. He had to be a damn hero and get everypony killed. That asshole should've waited for backup instead of killing them. I couldn't look at him anymore. If I did I would probably punch him again. I tried asking nicely, but I'm tired of him acting like an ass and just telling me to leave him alone. He's gonna tell me whether he wants to or not. I'll make sure of that.

I wiped whatever tears were still in my eyes and went to the Captain's office. Stalker and Rock were already there, so I stood next to the big guy and waited for everyone else. The two dumbasses came in next and stood to my right. Finally, LT came in and stood next to Crawler. Captain Stone spun in his chair and looked at the six of us.

"Good to see everypony alright," Stone chuckled. "What's up with your muzzle, Corporal?"

I glared at him, and he just peeked at me. "I… tripped sir. Landed face first," he said.

Stone chuckled and pulled out a file, then dropped it on the desk. "Best be careful, don't wanna end up in med bay again do you?" he chuckled.

LT shook his head and said,"No sir."

Captain opened the file and pushed a paper forward for Stalker to see. "Gamma, Oscar, Charlie, Zulu, and Nato squad took casualties over the past few weeks," Stone stated. "All from the same group, and no mission has been a success. Whoever these guys are, they know what they're doing. They're organized, they're informed, and they're trained. As of now, I'm declaring Protocol Eclipse."

Me and the boys, except for LT all caught our breaths when he said that. "But sir, this is just a terrorist group. We don't need-"

"What is Protocol Eclipse, sir?" LT asked.

Stone stood up and walked casually to our side of the desk. "Protocol Eclipse, was first made in the year 308, by the first council of Equestria. It was made to counter-act any and all high level threats that superceded the Lunar and Solar Guard"

"As of now, I'm authorizing the endangerment of civilians in order to take down this hostile group. All squads are being deployed in two days to seperate locations around the five nations. Squads A-E will be deployed in the five major cities of the Dragon Empire. F-L will be holding down the fort across Equestria, while M-R are keeping an eye on the Griffin Empire. S-V will watch over Saddle Arabia, and W-Z will be in Prance."

"So we're going to Saddle Arabia?" Stalker asked as he went through the file. "Which city will we be stationed in sir?"

"In Riyadh. I heard it gets real hot out there," he snickered.

"And what are we gonna be watching for sir?" I asked. Stone took a particular picture from the file and showed it to me. It was a cloaked and scarfed pony speaking with some other ponies.

"Based on recent intel, we believe this stallion may be somewhere in commanding rank within their group," he said. "The past few weeks have shown us he's been going to each and every pony and griffon inhabited country."

"So why go to the Dragon Empire?" Glider questioned. "Seems pretty useless if he's going after ponies and griffons."

"Actually," LT began. "Solar and Lunar regiments were sent two years ago after a group named the 'Silver Scales' tried to start a revolution. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had an entire battalion of each to go help control them. Ever since them Equestria and the Griffon Empire have some bases established, and a few villages were even allowed."

"Which means plenty for this guy to recruit," Stone said. "Remember, two days. We've got a MBO being prepared as we speak. It won't be much, but it'll keep you in the dark from the ponies."

"In the meantime, you'll have regular training while all the other squads are being informed. Keep your eyes peeled for any unusual activity, and watch your six at all times. We lost four agents in the past three weeks, so keep on your hooves and make sure you come back. Rika squad, dismissed."

Silver's POV

We each saluted and started for the door. Midnight came up beside me and once we were outside she stood in my way. "Tomorrow, me and you are gonna have a nice long chat, got it?" she growled.

"If it helps explain what I saw, sure," I nodded. She glared at me for another second, then went off back to the barracks.

Least I have something to expect tomorrow.

Author's Note

As the great Arnold Swarchenegger once said: I'M BACK! Yep, sorry for the delay! Mother of all Writer's Block hit me! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesomed day/night! Peaces!