Hmm, you have caught my interest... Again...

Well that explains why the guards are all alike. But I wonder how Celestia will feel with a Element of Harmony complaining?

7535960 Glad to hear.
7536086 Sounds like you are going to have to read on to find out!

A rooster crow - A rooster crowed

*****

It's off to a sad start. I'm eager to read more and learn about what is going on and why.

7536086 Try "a fellow Princess complaining."

Definitely an interesting take on the armour of the guards. Truly altering the shape instead of being an illusion. I look forward to part two.

7536178 Yeah I can see Applejack going to Twilight. I can also see Luna looking at the roster and going "Oh I'm keeping this one!"

He fumbled in his mind for what Cheerilee had told him, about 'old factory' senses being the strongest.

Either you're going for Mac's take on what she said or it should be 'Olfactory'?
img02.deviantart.net/7693/i/2014/242/8/d/flying_royal_pegasus_guard_by_chainchomp2-d6774jq.png
7536847 img1.derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/8/29/413739__safe_shipping_princess+luna_comic_big+macintosh_kissing_hug_idw_spoiler-colon-comic_t-dash-shirt.png

7536986 Yes, it is a play on 'olfactory'.

7537005 Just checking. wasn't sure.

7537021 Heh, first time I heard that joke was reading Anne McCaffrey... dang, now there was a writer.

7536847 Hahaha absolutely. "Oh my, we're definitely stealing that one, Sister!"

7538219 Thanks for the feedback. Yes, this TF was a little rushed, the main event is coming, what more changes will happen? Well, I guess you will have to tune in for the next chapter.

7538234 I did. And I will offer a little spoil... there will be two TF/TGs happen

Oh, and update schedule on this story is presently "Saturdays", so not too long to wait.

7538255 I have it in the spoiled tags in the description.

Well, this is an interesting story so far, I like the idea that Equestria has a mandatory military service for all stallion, and would explain in part who they can maintain peace in their borders against major threats and that all ponies can be call to defend their country at a moment notice and would explain why we see so few stallions in the show most are doing their military service. For the story itself as it has been said the ending had been rushed and ruined the mood denial and resignation that you had set up at the first haft of the story. I think that the actual transformation should have been done when big mac reached booth camp where he would had had a physical examination at least to see if he could undergo the transformation or not and be monitored thought out the whole process, and swear allegiances to the crown. If he had to do thought a transformation before reaching booth camp, is he had to go to the doctor and be given special medication to prepare for the firsts stages of the transformation over a period of a few weeks.

what I would wander is if the transformation could be permanent or not.

I hope the next chapter will be even better.

Interesting idea. One thing I hate about this is the fact that you're spelling his name "McIntosh"

So, this is conscription and the enchantment on the armor aren't just cosmetic or illusions?

I wonder if it's permanent.

7541217 I spell it that way for the same reason the show does, a McIntosh is an apple, a Macintosh is a computer.

7541289
It just annoys me. Because his nick is Big Mac, his full name should be Big Macintosh.

Seeing "McIntosh" frustrates me.

Also, you can't trust everything on wikia.

7541859 Right, but "macintosh' is not a breed of apples. I could see his name possibly being MacIntosh at a stretch, but "Mac" as a shortening of "McDonald" or other such last names is not uncommon, here at least. Question is, why would he be not named after an apple?

7541885
Like I said, it just annoys me. Looking at it, it annoys me. To me, it looks wrong, like a typo.

Anyway; more!

7541908 Heh, I grew up in an area populated by a lot of very traditional UK named families. O'Brians, McDonalds, and a whole lot more. McIntosh is pretty standard fare.

Also note, "Mac" is actually a nickname for the McIntosh apple.

7541914
Yeah; I goggled it.

Mandatory military service is not great....But it's not like you were sent a letter saying you were drafted/conscripted into military service for life (quite literal during time of war).

This must be an American thing...
I don't really see a problem with mandatory service.
Where I grew up, military service was mandatory five years equivalent to what you would call National Guard.
I liked it well enough to actually enlist early on... Granted, this was pre-9/11 and I had the misfortune of being shipped out to a shit-hole desert full of angry sand-people, but I can't complain too much.
Still, I don't find mandatory service to be strange.

7633377 Not just an American thing. Australian here and we don't have such either.