Outskirts of Ponyville, Imperial Forward Command Post

The major folded his arms across his chest. “What’s the situation like in the town?”

One of the officers spoke up. “Sir, reconnaissance reports that the eastern side of the town has been evacuated. However, the town’s watch is putting up quite a fight in the western part of the town, likely to cover what little of the civilian population is still evacuating . A few tanks are being sent to break their lines of defense. We’ll have the town cleared by midafternoon.”

Nodding, the stallion said, “Send a Type Twenty-Eight with a pair of Type Twenty-Sixes as escorts. And support them with mortars and light howitzers. That should be enough to dislodge them from their lines.”

“Yessir.”

************

Ponyville, Town Watch Ammunition Dump

Loading the ammunition for the Mosippa’s main cannon was time consuming work. Each shell weighed almost as much as four of the rifles that the Town Watch used, and only Wolfram and Isinglass were loading the tank. “Is, are you sure that there’s no one else who could help us with loading these shells?”

The mare replied, “I’m sure. But maybe someone will volunteer to help us out.”

“I hope so.”

“Hey, Wolf, Isinglass!”

Wolfram sighed, muttering under his breath, “Here we go…”

Isinglass smiled brightly and said, “Rainbow Dash!”

The pegasus gave a quick smile. “I brought you some help.”

“Oh? You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, well, you need the help, considering how heavy those shells are.”

Wolfram turned, and looked at the ponies that Dash had brought with her. Two unicorns and four earth ponies. “So…”

Dash pointed to the two unicorns. “These two are Rarity and Lyra Heartstrings.”

She then pointed to the four earth ponies. “These four are Applejack, Braeburn, Marble Pie, and Bon Bon.”

Wolfram gave a wave. Dash continued, “We’ll help you load the Mosippa and then Lyra, Bon Bon, Applejack, and I have to get back to the western square and assist with the defense.”

With a nod, Wolfram said, “Well, let’s get to work, then.”

***

It had taken the nine of them an hour to fully load all of the Mosippa’s main cannon ammunition into the tank, and then, true to her word, Dash and the other three Town Watch members headed off towards the western square. “So, what do we do now?”

Wolfram posed the question to the other four currently sitting on the Mosippa with him.

Isinglass spoke up, “We could always help the Town Watch.”

“Yeah, we could do that,” Braeburn added, “‘cause a tank like this is sure ta through them Imperials fer a loop.”

“Thing is though,” Wolfram said, “Is and I alone can’t run the Mosippa in combat by ourselves.”

“You don’t have to.”

Surprised, the other four ponies turned and looked at who spoke. Marble was staring down at the top of the engine deck, where the ragnite radiator array sat. Rarity spoke first, “What do you mean, darling?”

Marble turned and looked at Wolfram. “How many more ponies do you need to run the Mosippa at full combat efficiency?”

“Three.” Isinglass replied, “One to man the radio, one to aim and fire the cannon, and one to load the cannon. Why?”

Marble pointed to Rarity, Braeburn, and herself. “Us three aren’t part of the Town Watch, but Pinkie’s in the square holding off the Empire so the rest of the ponies here can evacuate. She loves this town, and the ponies here, so very much and I want to help her defend her home.”

“Double Jay loves this here town, and is riskin’ her life so that her fellow townsponies get out safe,” Braeburn said, “and Ah’ll admit, this town’s growing on me, so Ah’d like to aid the evacuation in anyway Ah can.”

“My sister and I grew up in Ponyville, and though a seamstress probably isn’t the ideal soldier, I can’t stand idly by while these uncouth Imperials run rampant through my home,” Rarity said.

“Alright,” Wolfram agreed with the three, “you all want to help, and to do so, you want to help crew the Mosippa?”

“Yes.”

“Eeyup.”

“Absolutely, darling.”

Isinglass and Wolfram shared a look and nodded. “So,” the stallion prompted, “which position do you each of you want?”

Marble spoke first, “I’ll man the radio. I took classes in radio maintenance and operation in university.”

Braeburn nodded and added, “Ah’ll be the loader. Mah farm experience should come in handy.”

Rarity’s eyes brightened at the offer to help and she replied, “I’ll take up being the gunner, as I have an eye for the finest of details.”

She paused and chuckled nervously. “And I’m sure that my accuracy will improve as I serve as gunner…”

“Then it’s settled,” Wolfram said. “We’ll head to the western square and assist the town watch in covering the evacuation!”

************

The battle was, in a way, in their favor. They hadn’t lost any civilians to the Imperials, but there was no telling when a more powerful push against their defenses would come. Everything was quiet at the moment, and so the defenders were taking this opportunity to prepare for the next attack.

Dash sat against the sandbags, loading extra clips for her rifle. She hadn’t needed to use her sidearm yet, so there wasn’t a need for extra magazines for it.

Upon finishing loading the last clip for her rifle, she tucked the clip into an ammo pouch and looked around.

“So, Rainbow, how are you holding up?”

It was Bon Bon. Dash smiled, and said, “Alright. Just finished reloadin’ the clips for my rifle. How far along is the evacuation?”

“We’re nearly done. Just a couple dozen trucks more.”

Dash nodded. “Cool. Cool. Make sure you’ve got enough ammo for the next fight.”

The other mare held up a bag. “Grabbed this before I came over here. A machine gun chews through ammo like Lyra chews through pastries.”

Dash chuckled at that statement. “So, she doin’ alright?”

Bon Bon nodded. “She went to Fluttershy to get a grazing wound bandaged. And here they come now.”

The two mares were crossing the square to the two ponies. Dash smiled, and greeted the two. “Hey, hey, you two. You doin’ alright ‘Shy?”

Fluttershy nodded and gave a smile. “Yep. Nopony’s died yet, which is good.”

“And your animal friends?”

“Oh, they’re heading off to their families to wait out the war.”

“That’s good,” Dash muttered, “I guess.”

She looked at Lyra, “You doin’ alright, Lyra?”

“Yeah,” she tapped the bandage on her arm, “it’ll take more than this to bring me down.”

With a nod, Dash asked, “Hey, ‘Shy, Pinks and AJ doing well?”

The yellow mare nodded. “Applejack’s armor keeping her unharmed, and Pinkie’s… well… she’s terrifying with a machine gun.”

Chuckling nervously, the four mares had seen the party mare’s handiwork with a machine gun during the last attack waves. It wasn't pretty.

Lyra held up her weapon, a Model 18 submachine gun, and said, “This thing might be old, but I’m really good with it.”

“Yeah,” Dash agreed, “everypony’s goin’ to be-”

“We’ve got another wave incoming!”

The shouted warning from one of the other watchponies sent the defenders into a state of slight panic as they scrambled to their positions. “Everypony, get ready!”

The captain’s command carried over the defense line, and the watchponies aimed their guns across the square. They knew exactly what to do once the Imperial troopers entered range.

Once the leading elements of the Imperial wave entered firing range, those watchponies equipped with rifles and machine guns opened fire.

Lyra sat with her Model 18 aimed toward the advancing wave and counted the seconds until the Imperials entered range. Bon Bon and Rainbow Dash were adding their firepower to the volleys of fire. Fluttershy sat in cover, having curled up into a ball to make herself as small a target as she could, whimpering in fear all the while.

“Cease fire!”

The command cut clear through the lines, and the fire stopped. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the captain opened his mouth to issue another order.

And then his position in the defense line exploded into flame, smoke, shrapnel and gore.

Author's Note

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