Twilight awoke with a start after the train had stopped and someone knocked on the door and announced. "Everyone gather your gear and meet Lieutenant Turner outside for transport to the front." Twilight climbed down from her bunk, nearly knocking over Sunshine in the process.

"Hey! Watch it!" Sunshine exclaimed, after Twilight nearly hit her in the side of the head with her boots. "Sorry.." Twilight apologized before grabbing her duffel and marching out of her room, followed by Wafer, Wiretap, and Sunshine. As Twilight left the train, she looked around and started looking at the buildings around her. To say they were damaged was an understatement. Nearly every building she saw was damaged in some way, some only had bullet holes in the wall, all the way to being utterly demolished and filling the nearby streets with rubble. As Twilight kept looking around she finally noticed Turner, standing next to a trio of SdKfz's. Another Trooper stepped in front of Twilight and her companions. He was a Black Stallion with a bright orange mane and orange eyes. He looked them over before asking, "You three for Delta company?" Twilight noticed the Corporal chevrons on his arm, and she nodded "Yes sir. We were told to report to Lieutenant Turner for deployment."

The Corporal smiled, "Well, let's get a move on then! Name's Burner. Welcome to Haliflanks!" Twilight, Wafer, Wiretap, and Sunshine followed Burner to the lead SdKfz and climbed in. Twilight looked back as more recruits climbed into the other two halftracks. Turner jumped in and called to the drivers "Let's get a move on gents, we got a war to fight!" The halftracks started moving through the city streets, passing barricades, and other units setting up defensive emplacements or moving supplies to where they were needed. As they passed through Turner started to brief them, "Alright, here's the situation, Delta is holding one of the many main routes deeper into the city. We have been able to push the Rebels all the way to the edge of town, but they are damn persistent. We are currently holding position in a square, keeping the Rebels out of the central sections of the city and the rest of the division. Once we get the order from command, we'll launch a counter attack and kick the Rebels out of Haliflanks once and for all. Now, questions?" Wafer raised his hand. "Yes Private?"

Wafer gulped before asking "Am I the only one who hears a whistling noise?" Turner's and Burner's eyes opened in shock "KATYUSHAS! GET US MOVING FASTER N-" Turners words were drowned out by multiple explosions around the little convoy. Everyone ducked their heads down as debris started flying over the halftrack and bouncing off it's armor. Twilight looked back just In time to see the halftrack directly behind them explode in a massive fireball. The rear halftrack pushed through the wreckage of it's fallen brother as the rocket strike died down. Everyone was breathing heavily before Turner called out, "Roll call! Who'd we lose?"

The driver looked back and replied "We lost Sergeant Hard Tack's truck and Corporal Dusty is reporting two casualties, wounded only, no deaths." "Fuck, we needed all the soldiers we need, Tack was a good trooper. Burner you'll take over Tack's squad... Burner?" Twilight looked up at Burner and noticed a piece of wood piercing his right eye, his body slumped over. Wafer lost his lunch over the side of the halftrack as the others looked in shock. One minute he was welcoming them to his company and helping Turner with his briefing, now he had a piece of wood jutting out of his eye, blood and pus seeping out of the wound. Twilight barely knew him. What did he like and dislike? Did he have a family? What did he do before the war broke out? Twilight would never know as the stallion with all the answers was dead in front of her.

Turner sighed as he closed Burner's remaining eye and took off his dog tags, quietly whispering "It never gets easier.." He looked back over the four new recruits in his care. "Alright, Twilight and Wafer, you respond to Sergeant Brass Badge of my platoon, Wiretap you report directly to Captain Blueblood for assignment. Sunshine, you'll report to Lance Corporal Blazer in 3rd platoon."

The driver looked back. "Lieutenant Turner, we made it to Harbor square. Time to leave, we need this thing empty so we can evacuate the wounded." As everyone jumped out of the halftrack Twilight noticed a very familiar buck. His white coat shone beneath his uniform and his golden mane was hidden under his cap with a very shiny looking Captains badge. Perfect target for a sniper Twilight though as she noticed the badge glint in the sunlight. "Lieutenant Turner, care to explain why I let you take three halftracks to pick up reinforcements and you only return with two?" Turner looked down as Blueblood chewed him out. "Need I remind you that this army doesn't have the time or resources to replace so much at once. You better have a good damn reason to have lost that halftrack and all the reinforcements inside." Turner looked Blueblood right in his eyes and responded. "Sir, on the way, as I was briefing our new troopers we were hit by a sudden Katyusha strike, Sergeant Hard Tack's halftrack went down after a direct strike and Corporal Dusty reports two wounded, we also lost Corporal Burner." Blueblood was fuming. "HOW DARE YOU LET THE REBELS KILL SOME OF MY BEST MEN AND DAMAGE ROYAL ARMY EQUIPMENT!' He visibly calmed down after his rant. "You're lucky that you're a decent enough officer or I'll have you sent to an Osstrupen battalion." With that, he turned around and marched towards a tent in the centre of the square.

Turner sighed heavily before turning around to regard to Twilight and the other recruits. "You'll learn to hate that guy, he's a shit tactician and the only reason he has those captain bars is that he has friends in the higher ups. He literally bought his position at the head of this company and everyone has been paying for it in blood." He looked back up and motioned over to a large building near a side road. "3rd Platoon is holed up there, holding our left flank." Sunshine and couple others broke off and started marching towards the building he pointed to. He pointed to the tent that Blueblood entered. "If your looking for 1st or 4th platoon, there somewhere near the command tent, 4th just look for the mortars." Wiretap and a small amount of the recruits left for the command tent. Twilight, Wafer and three more troopers looked back over to Turner. "Rest of you follow me, we are right on the front so you'll probably see some action today." Twilight and Wafer exchanged a look, they both nodded. They wanted revenge for all the soldiers on that halftrack and for Burner. They followed Turner to the main road, it was filled with debris and sandbags to form a defensive line facing what Twilight assumed was the Rebel line.

Turner pointed out different squad positions for the others as Twilight and Wafer waited for Turner to point out their squad. He looked at the two and gestured them to follow him. They walked towards a group of soldiers next to an MG42 perched on a raised portion of debris acting as a stand. Immediately all the soldiers looked up and one mare with Sergeant chevrons on her arm called out to the rest "Lieutenant's back, attention!" All the soldiers stood at attention but kept smiles on their face at the sight of their commanding officer. Turner saluted back and gestured to the gathering of soldiers in front of them. "This is your new squad! Say hello to Sergeant Brass Badge," He gestured to the Sergeant who was an earth pony with a copper coat and shiny orange mane with orange eyes. "Lance Corporal Hardhat" A yellow earth pony buck with a brown mane and green eyes. "Private Windstorm" A blue Pegasus buck with a white mane and bright blue eyes. "and your HMG crew Corporal Belt Feed and Privates Cane and Brick" Belt Feed was a gray Unicorn mare with a dirty yellow mane and brown eyes, Cane was a white earth pony with a green and white striped mane and green eyes and Brick was a HUGE earth pony stallion with a red coat, red mane, and weirdly enough, mauve eyes like Rainbow Dash.

Looking over the gathering of soldiers in front of her, Twilight stepped forward and introduced herself. "My name is Private Twilight Sparkle and this is-" "I'm Private Chocolate Wafer! Ready to serve!" Twilight kept her smile on even if she was slightly ticked about being interrupted. "Where do we put our stuff?" Wafer asked. Hardhat gave a laugh and pointed towards some holes in the ground that Twilight assumed were craters. "Throw your stuff in a foxhole and get a tarp ready if it rains. When your done, come sit with us by the barricade, in case the Rebels show up." As Twilight and Wafer walked towards the collection of foxholes before Brass Badge piped up. "Oh yeah! Welcome to the Eastern Front!"

Author's Note

Chapter 4! Finally some interesting stuff happened and this chapter is the longest one yet! AND YOU ONLY HAD TO WAIT 4(ish) DAYS FOR ME TO FINISH IT! Aren't I kind? Anyways expect all future chapters to be about this long and as I said in the prologue, if you guys want your OC or have any character ideas to go in this, PM me and I'll happily accept all (*cough* no alicorns *cough*) OCs and put them in somewhere. WARNING: They'll likely bite the dust so if your ok with that send em in!

Thanks for reading! CanadianPony OUT!