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                 And So The Rebels Marched                 
                      -by Steambirds-                      
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                       First Strike                        
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First Strike
The day was flawless. Not a cloud was in the sky, the grass was green and the birds were chirping. Or they would be, hadn't an entire tank battalion been undergoing inspection by Princess Luna. She paced in front of the rows of heavy tanks, the long 122 mm guns resembling a forest of steel. The night princess was busy examining every tank, right down to the rifling in the main gun.
Sargent Greentide stood in front of his KV-1S tank, sweat rolling down his forehead in the 102 degree weather. It was a perfect day, and he didn't want to waste it inside of the steel coffin he had been assigned to. The crew he was in charge of commanding consisted of Private Pearl River, Private Steel Wing, Private Thimble, and Private Blueblood. Working with them was absolute hell, but they got together long enough to stay in the game. However, there was one pony he could not deal with at all. Prince Blueblood.
Greentide's loathing for Prince Blueblood was nigh infinite, but that rich oaf was who he was assigned with, and no amount of pleading, tears, or menial labor could convince the princesses otherwise. He'd just have to deal with that stuck-up prissy brat until he got himself killed. He was not fit to handle a seventy ton machine of war.
"Sargent Greentide, your optics appear to be ill-fitted," Luna observed, pulling her face away from the tank's periscope. The somewhat greasy metal left a dark ellipse over one of her eyes, giving Luna a comical appearance.
"I apologize ma'am, but Private Blueblood here is our gunner and spotter. All of the optics maintenance belongs to him, ma'am," Greentide reported, not even smiling at Luna's silly looking face. The same could not be said for the other tank crews. Luna gave Private Pearl River a glare that could melt through the rows of tanks behind him.
"The optics were fine as of this morning, Princess," Blueblood replied in his snobbish, usual manner.
"We are to be addressed as 'ma'am', Private Blueblood," Luna scolded. "However, you are to make sure optics are clear at all times."
"My coat would have gotten dirty! Do you know how difficult it is to be in there and stay clean?" Blueblood argued, whining like a child.
"Silence!" Luna barked, her temper flaring up. "Get in your vehicles, we are going to be practicing shooting!"
The ponies scrambled to their vehicles, opening the hatches and climbing in. As soon as Greentide entered the tank, he began sweating even more profusely than he had previously been. If there were hell, he was sure this is what it was. Another tank group, made up entirely of mares, sat in their KV-2. Their crew consisted of Sargent Knight, Private Fluttershy, Private Roseluck, Private Bell Ringer, Private Harpy, Private Ditzy "Derpy Hooves" Do, and Private First Class Gemstone.
The six mares sat in the massive tank designed to destroy bunkers, idly chatting.
"Do you know what all the tanks are for, Knight?" Derpy asked, laying a hoof across the massive 152 mm gun. They had all initially doubted allowing Derpy to be the tank's gunner, but she had a knack for it.
"No, I don't," Knight replied. "Roseluck and Fluttershy, load a shell."
"Yes ma'am," they replied in unison, and hefted a shell into the gun's breech.