Twilight followed Wafer towards the command tent, as they entered Twilight saw Wiretap fiddling with a damaged mortar, dropping duds into the mortar to see if they launch at a target set farther down their lines. Wiretap looked up and gave a friendly wave to Twilight that she returned. Twilight and Wafer entered the tent and Twilight immediately noticed that the tent was nearly packed with soldiers, she noticed Blueblood in the back with his shinier-than-the-sun badge and a fairly small and lanky lieutenant standing next to him. Twilight and wafer walked over to Brass Badge and Hardhat. Twi turned to Wafer and asked "What's with all the other squads in here?" Brass turned towards her. "All the Platoon commanders and their squads are here to be told the counter attack plan. The squads come along and hear the plan so that if the commander is killed or wounded their squad can pull off the mission."

Blueblood cleared his throat to gather the attention of the gathered squads. "Attention Delta! High Command has delivered me the orders to push this Rebel Division right out of Haliflanks! First Alpha Company of the 8th Armored are going to launch a blitz attack on the rear guard of the Rebels, taking out their Katyusha support and cutting of their retreat. They'll launch a flare to signal their success. Then all of 7th Division will launch a grand counter attack and crush what's left of the Rebels. Delta's duty is to capture the northern section of the city. We will encounter heavy resistance but it is our duty to the princesses to push these Rebels all the way back to Stalliongrad. 2nd and 3rd platoon will be the main spearhead while 1st and 4th platoons will provide support as necessary. Any questions?" The Lieutenant from 3rd platoon, a dark blue mare with blue and white streaks in her mane and blue eyes, raised her hand. "Do we get any Armor support? Those Machine guns will rip us to shreds regardless of Alpha's success in knocking out their Artillery support." Blueblood smiled at this. "Good news then! Panzer IV's from Alpha Company of the 8th will be attached to each company as shock and awe units. it's your job to make sure to clear any and all anti-tank and mortar positions to ensure their safe return. Any more questions?" No hands went up. "Good, now gather up your platoons and be ready for the signal.

As the soldiers started to leave the tent to go to their various positions, Twilight thought about Rainbow Dash. Had she seen combat yet? Was she okay? and where was she even posted too? Wafer patted Twilight on the back. "Hey Twilight, you looked spaced out for a second there, what's wrong?" "I was just thinking about a good friend of mine, before I shipped she told me that she was joining a tank division and I'm wondering if she's ok or not." Wafer gave Twilight a smile. "Don't worry I'm sure she's fine, besides what are the chances that she was deployed out here to Haliflanks anyway?"

"Hey Dash, wake up! Major's got new orders for us!" Dash slowly opened her eyes to look at the Gray mare in front of her. "Damnit, Gearshift, I told you to not wake me up when I'm napping." Dash started to get of the bunk she was napping on, stretching and smoothing out her uniform. "What did he want?" Gearshift sighed and started to explain. "Major wants our unit to flank a Rebel position to aid in a counter attack. Intel says that there is no armor in the vicinity besides a group of T-70s spotted heading into the city." Dash gave one last stretch before finally responding. "Alright, gather up Gunpowder, Two-Way and Thick, tell them to meet over be the rust bucket." Gearshift gave a mock salute before leaving to gather up her crewmates.

Dash searched around her little cabin for the last bit of her uniform, a soft light gray cap. She didn't have the more nicer looking Service caps seeing as she was just a junior officer and didn't have much experience. Plus the Field caps were a lot more comfortable. As she stepped out of the cabin, she looked around for her tank in the base she was posted in. Haliflanks had an old citadel looking over the harbor, now it was the center of the Royal army in Haliflanks. As Dash crossed the parade grounds she spotted her crew sitting on, and around their tank. Gearshift was sitting on the back, dangling her legs of the back, while Gunpowder was leaning against the side. Among them were Two-Way, the Radio operator and bow gunner, a tan unicorn mare with light brown hair and blue eyes, and Thick, the tank's gunner, a black stallion with a black mane and green eyes, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he was a damn good shot. Gunpowder looked over a snapped a salute, meanwhile the others started looking around. As Dash got closer she heard Gearshift murmur to Two-Way "I don't see an officer anywhere, I only see RD..." Dash looked over to Gunpowder before returning the salute, albeit half-assed, before laughing at Gunpowder. "You don't need to salute me Twitch, we're all friends here." Gunpowder smiled sheepishly and blushed. "Well, you ARE the tank commander, just showing respect is all." Rainbow smiled at this. "Gunpowder, I know I have your respect, no need to show it. On the field we're all equal."

Another Panzer IV rolled by, the commander poking his head out of the top of the tank. "Dash! Get your tank and crew in gear we are heading out!" Rainbow turned back to her crew. "You heard the stallion! Mount up!" Dash let the rest of her crew climb in before climbing into her commander position in the top of the turret. "Alright Gear, get behind Silver Bar's tank and let's get into the fight!" Dash's tank started with a jolt as it joined the line of Panzer IV's heading out of the citadel. Rainbow's radio crackled to life and she placed a pair of headphones to listen into the broadcast. "Alright 1st Battalion listen up. You all heard that the whole company is being sent out to flank the rebel position, however 3rd battalion is being divvied up to the rifle grunts to support their assault. 2nd Battalion is going to push closer to the city and cut off any retreating Rebels from the city itself. Our job is to hit the Katyusha group that's been hammering the grunts. Alright Fillies and Gentlecolts, let's push these bastards back!" After the commander cut the broadcast Dash's tank crossed past the threshold of the city limits, the tanks started to spread out, in a vaguely 'V' shaped formation. "Ok everypony, keep your eyes out, were getting closer to the Rebel side of the city, there might not be any tank sightings, but those damn Rebels have stolen some of our equipment in the past. Watch for Pak 40s and infantry with Panzerschrecks, I want us to come home in one piece."

The tank battalion got closer to their objective, but there was no action. They encountered no resistance the whole ride. Dash looked around at the nearby terrain, looking for any threat. "Alright Battalion, we're nearing our objective. The Katyushas should be in range now." Dash's tank turned past a small group of tress and spotted the rocket trucks... "Commander, our Intel was WAY off." Dash said into the radio while overlooking the trucks. "What do you mean by that?" "Well, there's about six T-34s guarding our objective and I don't like the odds with our nine Panzers that all of us are making it back." Dash heard a scoff over the radio. "These Rebels can't beat our superior armor and training! Come on we can take them!" There was a small chorus of cheering over the radio as about five tanks broke of the main force and started barreling towards the Rebel tanks.

"Damnit get back here! Dash take Fritter and Rubber and flank the enemy! Tread them if you can't hit their engine. I'm going in to reel in the survivors!" With that the commander broke off and charged towards the Rebels. Dash could hear the guns from both sides letting loose shells. "Fritter, Rubber we're going to set up along the other side of the clearing to flank them. Follow me!" Two 'Yes ma'am's' broke out, one mare with a slightly familiar country twang, the other a stallion's voice. The three tanks rolled along the edge of the clearing, Dash looked towards the center and saw how the battle was going. Two T-34s were burning and a single burning Panzer IV in the middle. Rainbow looked on as the Rebels tanks backed away from the Panzers who kept pushing towards a T-34. Dash looked behind the T-34s noticing the Katyushas retreating behind the cover of the tanks. "Commander, I got eyes on the Katyushas, they are retreating behind the T-34s. Permission to intercept?" "Permission granted Dash. Go get em!" Dash looked down to Gearshift. "Follow those trucks! Make sure they don't get away. Thick, try to hit the cabins of the trucks, Twitch load HE shells!" A chorus of 'Yes Ma'am's' rang through the tank as Dash relayed her orders to the tanks behind her. The three tanks quickly darted towards the trucks and caught up quickly.

"Thick, FIRE AT WILL!" A boom echoed through the tank as a shell whistled towards the lead truck and struck, causing a might explosion which caused the other two trucks to veer off the road. One got stuck In a ditch and was strafed by machine gun fire from Fritter's tank, killing the two troopers inside the cabin, while Rubber's main gun struck the last truck. "Commander, we have successfully destroyed all three trucks. Orders?" Nothing but static answered her. "Commander Hard Track?" Silence. "Silver Bar? Algae? Rotor? Anypony?" Silence. "I don't like this, we lost contact with everypony else... Two-Way, call command and see if they can get the rest of the Battalion on the horn." Two-Way fiddled with the radio set next to her station. "Command can't get them either, Major wants us to go and check up on their last location." Dash rubbed her face and let out a fairly loud sigh. "Fritter, Rubber, we lost contact with Hard Tack, we're heading back to the clearing to see if we can get a visual on the rest of the Battalion." The three tanks started rolling down the main road again, towards the clearing where they left their battalion to fight the Rebel T-34s.

"Ah don't get it..." Dash heard Fritters voice say over the radio. "How did five Panzer IVs get defeated by four T-34s? Last we saw them they were damaged and retreating while our boys sent em packing." "I don't like it either." Rubber responded. "Even if they were on the edge of defeat SOMEPONY would warn us and tell us to retreat." Dash grabbed her headset again, taking control of the situation. "Cut the chatter you two, we are almost into the clearing again. We will find out what happened to... Oh my Celestia..."

The clearing held nothing but bad omens for the three tank crews. All six Panzer IVs lay burning or smoking in the clearing. Here and there were the bodies of crew members who jumped out of their tanks only to die from being engulfed in flames or gunned down by machine guns. As a small consolation, all six T-34s lay burning as well as one tank that Rainbow didn't notice when she first saw the armored group. "That's a KV-1... There was no way they would've survived this fight, even with our help!" Rubber scoffed. "It's one tank, let's assume we lost two more panzers to the T-34s, three would be more than enough to take out a KV." Dash popped open the hatch on her tank and pulled out a pair of binoculars, looking at the edge of the field that the KV-1 was facing away from. "Sure they could fight a single KV.. But they couldn't survive three at once..."

Three lines of tread marks were gouged Into the dirt and mud across the wrecked heavy tank. Two turning away into the forest... "Oh no...." Dash quickly closed the hatch to her tank and grabbed the radio, yelling into it. "EVERYPONY, TURN YOUR TANKS AROUND THEY'RE BEHIND US!" A pair of shells whistled by the trio of tanks as the other commanders started to panic. "Oh mah goddess, where are they?" "THERE! In the trees!" Dash looked down at her radio operator and driver. "Gearshift get us out of here! Two-Way, call command and inform 2nd battalion that there are fucking KV-1s out here!" She turned back to her radio as the tank jerked backwards and started heading towards the far side of the clearing. "Fritter, Rubber, we are getting the hell out of here!" "Roger that ma'am!" "Alright we're mov-" Rubber was cut off as his tank erupted suddenly into a rain of shrapnel and fire. The remains of his tank falling around his former squadmates. "THEYGOT RUBBER! MOVE DAMNIT MOVE!" The last two tanks started heading full speed to the relative safety of the far edge. The KV-1s started to follow the two frightened commanders, occasionally firing a shot off trying to score a hit.

"Twitch, load HE. Thick, aim for the treads. Make sure those bastards can't follow us!" Dash turned the turret around, directing her gunner towards the enemy tanks. "Fire in the hole!" A round flew out the tanks barrel and struck one KV right in the left tread. The tank stopped abruptly and rainbow noticed a few of the crew climbing out to repair the damage. "Oh no you don't.." Dash thumbed the trigger on the coaxial machine gun. The MG42 quickly making the enemy tankers duck down as Dash got a lucky shot right in the chest of one of them.

Finally Gearshift got them out of range of the two KVs. Dash let out a long sigh of relief as Two-Way chimed up. "Dash, Major says to haul ass back to base and to make sure to not engage any enemy forces. He wants us back alive." Dash nodded and relayed the orders to Fritter. "Got it ma'am... I just can't believe everypony is gone... If it wasn't for Rotor charging off like that, we could have taken them by surprise! Not even lose a single tank to them. Knock em all out in one fell swoop... Now... We're all that's left..." Dash hung her head sadly at this. She didn't know her Battalion long. Which made it sting even more. "When we get back, drinks are on me..." Dash said sullenly as the two tanks started to enter the city limits and headed back to the citadel.

Twilight sat huddled behind the barrier between Royal army and rebel lines. Turner and Wafer were next to her, with Brass and Hardhat on one side and Windstorm on the other. The Panzer IV that was lent to them hummed idly behind the line, it's commander waiting for the signal to cover the advancing infantry to overwhelm the enemy line. Twilight saw a small red light flying of into the horizon as Turner turned to regard his platoon. "ALRIGHT EVERYPONY THIS IS IT!" He yelled to prep his troopers for battle "TODAY WE PUSH THOSE DAMN REBELS STRAIGHT OUT OF HALIFLANKS! FORWARD FOR EQUESTRIA AND THE PRINCESSES!" This was followed by a rousing cry of 'FOR EQUESTRIA' (that Twilight admitted to proudly join) and the Panzer chugging forward, spewing MG death towards the rebels as Belt Feed's MG42 added to the volume of lead being sent their way. Turner leapt over the barrier and ran for the closest piece of cover, the destroyed T-34 from earlier, and the rest of the platoon followed. The bass booms of the G34s mixed with the higher pitched rat-a-tat-tats of the MG42s caused Rebel soldiers to duck down behind cover or risk getting hit by the mass of firepower. A couple resounding cracks came from the Rebels, occasionally hitting a Royal army soldier but the overall morale of the attack was high.

The firefight lead to a tipping point as the Panzer IV burst through the barrier and strafed the soldiers behind cover, causing screams of pain and agony to whomever didn't get killed immediately by the tank's MG. Twilight ran up to the rubble wall and started firing her rifle at any Rebel soldier she saw, some shots connected while others just tore chips in the road or surrounding walls. Windstorm ran up to Twilight and pulled her behind the wall as a few rounds struck the place where she was standing. "Now, everypony loves a hero, but being a hero gets you killed out here." Windstorm gave her a smile. "World doesn't need dead heroes. It needs live soldiers to fight! Now let's keep pushing them back!" He popped up and fired a couple shots at a nearby building. "Couple of em are hiding in the third floor and I think they have SMGs. Come on let's flank the bastards!" Before Twilight could respond, Windstorm jumped over the wall and ran over to two other troopers, probably getting them to join him. He turned around and gestured for Twilight to come over.

Twilight ran towards Windstorm as bullets struck the road around her and slide into cover behind a destroyed truck. "Ok here's the plan.." Windstorm started. "Orange here will provide cover while Twilight, Anchor and I will clear the rebels in that building. Then we'll use the height advantage to suppress anypony that's still fighting. Questions?" The orange buck and dark gray mare shook their heads 'no'. "Good let's move!" Windstorm, Anchor and Twilight ran toward the Rebel held building as Orange held back and fired his rifle into the upper floors.

Twilight pushed herself close to the wall on one side of the door and Anchor took the other as Windstorm rushed up and charged into the door-shoulder first. Twilight and Anchor entered the building and pointed their rifles into side rooms, making sure they weren't walking into an ambush. "Clear." "Clear." Both said quietly to make sure the Rebels didn't hear them. Wind started to walk up a set of stairs checking that nopony was going to gun them down with a PPSh. The trio made their way towards the third floor, the second floor eerily clear of enemies. Wind grabbed a grenade from his belt. Priming it, he chucked into the third floor yelling "GRENADE!" Anchor and Twilight ducked down as they heard a muffled scream and a similarly muffle thump. Windstorm was the first one in and Anchor quickly followed. Twilight looked back at the stairs and noticed the upper floors had collapsed into the staircase to cut off access.

Explains why they only took the third floor.. Twilight raised her rifle and moved into the room, seeing Windstorm aiming out the window and firing ever so often as Anchor poked the bodies of Rebels, confirming their deaths. Twilight walked up to a window and looked toward Orange. He was slumped over behind the truck, his rifle laying next to his body as blood pooled around his corpse. Twilight turned back to Anchor seeing one body shifted. Twilight tapped Anchor's shoulder and gestured towards the body on the floor. Anchor nodded and moved towards the body as Twilight aimed at in case he was holding a SMG or pistol.

As Anchor flipped the body over she revealed a young looking buck with a light yellow coat, and green eyes frozen in fear. He held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. His green army coat was ripped and torn opened by shrapnel from the grenade. Twilight kept her G43 trained on him as Anchor motioned for him to get up. As the buck stood up Anchor slung her G43 on her back to check if the buck had any guns or grenades on him. Twilight saw his face curl in a smile as he dropped his hands revealing a sharp looking combat knife. He gripped the handle of the knife and plunged it into Anchor's shoulder. Anchor yelled out in pain as Twilight shot the buck in the chest.

The buck fell over, Twilight shooting him twice more before Wind ran towards Anchor, still holding the knife in her shoulder. "Shit! Twilight, stay with Anchor and make sure she doesn't move that knife out of her shoulder, we don't have the expertise or the supplies to remove that thing without making things worse, unless you trained as a medic." Wind looked toward Twi and she shook her head 'no'. "Damn. Well stay here and make sure she stays awake. I'll be right back." Wind rushed out the door as Twilight knelt next to Anchor.

Anchor looked up at her. "I heard what he said, so the best way to keep me up is to talk about home. So ask any question you want." Twilight paused for a second to think. "Where are you from?" Anchor rested her head on the ground and replied. "I'm from a fairly large island off the northern coast of Equestria, a colony actually. Neighfoundland, ever heard of it?" Twilight pondered a moment. "Yeah, it's known as a fishing colony and probably the worst weather in all of Equestria, even with the pegasi." Anchor smiled. "Yeah it ain't pretty but it's home. Joined the navy when I was old enough and got folded into the marine corps. Served along the coast there, doing raids on pirate strongholds and such, then this civil war broke out and I got drafted into the infantry due to my marine training."

Twilight was going to ask more questions when Windstorm returned with a medic. Twilight recognised him as the same one who treated Sunshine. "Good job getting me Private," He knelt next to Anchor and started gathering his supplies. "I'll get that knife out and you'll go home with a purple heart, you lucky bastard." Anchor chuckled "Lucky? Me? I got a fucking knife poking out of my shoulder." Windstorm tapped Twilight on the shoulder directing her outside the building. "Turner wants us to rendezvous down by the panzer, come on, Anchor will be fine."

Windstorm and Twilight left the building, Twilight averting her eyes from the two troopers carrying Orange's body away. They walked across the street to see Turner and the rest of their squad standing around a small soldier with a large radio on their back. Twilight could hear Turner arguing angrily with someone on the other side of the line. "Sir, my platoon has taken quite a few casualties and 3rd platoon is already taken their objective. There is no need for our platoon to attack a enemy convoy no matter how easy it seems. Yes, I know that sir, you told me that multiple times." He sighed. "Yes sir, we're on our way." He turned to his squad. "Captain is telling us to intercept an enemy convoy that is attempt to leave the city." Wafer raised his hand. "Yes Wafer, I am fully aware that a tank battalion is supposed to do that job anyway. Captain wants us to take it on anyways." He looked over to Hardhat. "Gather up all able troopers, if they are even slightly wounded, they stay behind as a 'rear guard'. Everypony else is going to join in the attack." Turner looked over to Twilight. "Ready for your third battle Twilight?" Twilight though back to Orange and Anchor. "Yes Sir!" The rest of the platoon gathered around. "Alright Platoon! Let's move OUT!"

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait for this one. I have no excuse. Also introduction of RDs tank crew! Huzzah! please leave a comment below and, as much as I love seeing you comment, someone other than Comet comment, even if you don't like it, just say what you didn't like. Thank you and Good day!