From the General

Chapters

Ironside's Iron
Slim Hope
First on the Front
Raid of the Rangers
Freezing Fire
Situation at Sunrise
Camp Crisis Part One
Black Apples
Birds of a Feather
Rising Hopes
March of the Crusaders
Camp Crisis Part Two
The Eye of the Firestorm
Ghost Reconnaissance
Shaking The Snowglobe

Ironside's Iron

***If you paid money to read this, you've been ripped off***

General Ironside was feeling good. Six of his mortal enemies had been beaten within the hour, and all had seen the backside of his hand. His office window was huge, giving the officer a delightful view of the Arabian Desert and letting the sun shine through, warming the room to comfortable glow without glaring into his eyes. His uniform just came back from the tailors and it fit perfectly. He kicked back in his leather chair, ready to drown a cold drink and maybe light a cigar when he was rudely interrupted.

"Morning sir!" Harkess cheerfully saluted as he entered the office with multiple files filled with papers held up with one arm.

"Morning Sargent." Ironside returned the salute. "More paperwork?"

"Yessir!" he replied, setting the pile of folders onto the desk with a loud thud.

Ironside flipped through them with an uninterested look on his face. He grinned. He would pay good money to tell Congress that he made actually made a profit on his latest venture.

As he got lower into the pile, the files became dustier and dustier, until he was sure the papers in the bottom were requests to fund more money into the janitorial department.

But what really caught his eye was what looked like to be a scroll tied with a red ribbon and a gold seal sporting a horseshoe.

It was certainly an odd way to send a message. An anachronism at best. But with his high ranking, Top-Secret wasn't for him. As he unfurled the aged parchment, Ironside silently pleaded that it was written permission to unleash his arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Dear General Ironside,

My name is Princess Luna of Equestria. In the last few days, our country has been invaded and We do not have the means to repel them. We have seen what you are capable of, and are confident that should you decide to assist us, the war would be over very quickly. We are begging you, our country is on the brink of defeat, and have no other to fall back on. Please reply to this message by writing on the back, and rolling the scroll the other way.

For the first time in a long time, the general laughed. Honest to goodness laughed. Sometimes his subordinates would play a few minor pranks that got out a few chuckles, but this took the cake. Probably the best one yet. And he wondered where this "Equestria" country even existed? A few hours ago, he would've taken the initiative to invade the princess' country, but as he was in a good mood and decided to play along.

What do you need? Rolling the scroll so that Luna's writing could be seen, it disintegrated and disappeared the moment the final inch had been rolled.

He admitted to himself, weirdness aside, this was one hell of a prank.

***

"But Princess, I don’t we can trust this… human. What’s stopping him from taking over our country himself?” Twilight said with a doubtful voice as she looked over the general's accomplishments.

"Twilight Sparkle, if only the most wretched of criminals can assist us to victory, we have no choice." Luna sighed, shaking her head, "I do not wish to do this, but the consequences of fighting on our own are too much."

Twilight looked to her left. The rest of her friends were sleeping soundly around the fire that was still burning strong. Each had their own element either worn or stuffed in a bag. Behind them, the remnants of the pony population that hadn't been able to make it to the fortress that was Canterlot.

But oddly, after months of sleeping within the forest, the Everfree seemed to actively protect them from the enemy. A particularly thick canopy protected a particularly unlucky group from being detected. A scouting party was ambushed by the natural predators, and edible food seemed to grow wherever they went.

It appeared not even the forest liked the invaders.

***

His name was Tom.

True, not the most original of names, but when you're a dime a dozen a dozer, having any name meant that you belonged. And working under Ironside had more ups than downs. There was a reason that the general was currently undefeated. That and he got to build everything in the US arsenal from EMP Patriot missile batteries to Particle Cannons.

It was currently break time, and Tom felt exhausted after building countless buildings and defensive structures. Around him, the entirety of the base relaxed as soldiers returned for R&R. Sparks flew as a team of welders repaired a damaged Paladin tank while the open area next to the airfields was turned into a resting area for Pilots.

"Yo Tom!" the runner called out.

Tom turned around, holding a half-eaten sandwich. "Hey Roger!" he replied through a mouthful of bologna, "So, what'll it be? A palace or an outhouse?"

"Nah.” The runner shook his head.” No building. There's a crashed Helix chopper outside the walls. The captain wants you to drag it back."

Tom responded with an unamused face, "Couldn't we have one of the Chinooks do it?"

"I don't know man, just do it."

***

The forest was quiet, a cool wind sending shivers down the ponies' spines. A flash woke up the princess and the nearby ponies, who jumped up at the unexpected event. At first Luna though her sister had simply jolted the sun high into the sky until Celestia’s student yelled loud enough to wake a hibernating Ursa.

"Princess!" yelled Twilight, "He replied!" Sure enough, there was scroll with her writing on the outside. Luna quickly unrolled it and read the short but to the point reply. Around her, a crowd began to form, waiting for the final verdict.

Luna read his short reply and repeated it to the six ponies, and anypony else who had been woken from their sleep. Reactions ranged from hopeful, to indifferent, to outright doubt.

"Ah don’t know about this Princess, next minute he’s going to be asking whether we have enough money or not." Applejack said, doubt lacing her voice.

“But if we don’t… then everypony would…” Fluttershy mumbled, trying to finish the sentence.

“We will have to trust him. I have already gotten my sister to approve of this final measure. Now the only action we can take is to inform him of our needs.” Princess Luna took out a fresh scroll and quill. “So, what do we require?”

Twilight and the others thought for a moment.

"An army that can kick flank?" said Rainbow Dash, always eager to fight.

"Shouldn't we get enough food for everypony first?" asked Applejack.

"How about some tents or coats to get out of this dreadful weather, not to mention it's going to be winter soon" Rarity said, slightly shivering from the cold wind that blew across her muzzle.

"Oooh. I heard it's snowing in Canterlot. I hope Spike is keeping warm..." Twilight said in a worrying voice, "The last time he wrote, he said he was with my parents. But I guess I should be grateful that I know where they are…”

Luna nodded, "Back on topic, what else do we need?"

"We need Bits." Pinkie said suddenly. Everypony just stared at the pink mass of sugar, "What? War is expensive."

After getting out another scroll, the lunar princess wrote as requests resumed. Building supplies, a peacekeeping force, morale support...

***

The Sand Fortress was the name of a plateau in the middle of the Arabian Desert. It was once a GLA stronghold, but were driven out by various Chinese generals. Unfortunately, a few Anthrax Gamma booby traps completely decimated the garrisoned troops and the fortress was cleared by nuclear weapons. Cut to a few years later when the Americans decide to build their own base on this blackened plateau. The official reason was General Ironside decided that this was a good place to set up a stronghold where there was plenty of oil nearby. The unofficial reason was that he was bored and wanted to kick the collective asses of the local GLA generals and the rouge Chinese generals working with them to regain control of this area.

Skip to just a few days later. Wrecks of vehicles still littered the area, and among them were the occasional Scorpion tank and a few Overlords that had been disabled during the fight.

The Helix was smack in the middle of the graveyard. Grumbling, Tom drove his dozer towards it. Getting out, he could see that while the helicopter kept its general shape, its rotors and the tail were snapped off.

The radio on his belt suddenly broke the silence, "Tom ya there?"

"Yeah?" he replied while prying the rear door of the Helix open.

"Does the chopper have a construction dozer hooked up to it?"

"Yep. It's totalled though."

"Don't worry about it. By the way, the cap'n only wants the plans to the buildings. Not the chopper. Uh, and there should be a GLA worker in there too." Roger said.

"Do you think we're going to be riding on any Technicals?" Tom joked as he looked into the Helix.

"Hope not. Those things explode if you fart in the right direction."

"Heh. Right. See you in half."

"See ya."

Sure enough, the crashed helicopter was hauling a Chinese dozer that lay behind it. It seemed it had crashed due to the extra weight after getting one of its engines blown off. The red bulldozer was completely destroyed. However, after finding that the compartment containing the blueprints for the buildings was still intact, Tom salvaged the papers and stuffed them in his own pack.

Inside the chopper, he could feel nothing but pity for the worker. Forced to construct bases, gather supplies, and clear minefields, Tom silently thanked whatever great being decided that he would be on the American side. Poor bastard didn't even have shoes. After a quick moment of silence, he took out the singed plans for the GLA buildings from the worker's pack that would've hung from his shoulder.

As he sat back down in his dozer, he realized that this had only taken him five minutes. With plenty of time before his break was ended, he climbed out and relaxed on the roof of his dozer, a surprisingly comfortable location to take a nap. As he drifted off to sleep one thought went through his mind.

He was going to get one hell of a tan...

***

Ironside could only laugh as he read the reply. Whoever they decided to be the princess was getting serious! An idea popped into his head. They had a war on their hands and they needed forces… He looked outside his window.

Now, let's not think too far ahead. Talk to me after you've beaten the enemy. I've left equipment outside of my base that you can take.

It was actually a subtle message to whoever decided to prank him. Whoever was caught with the letter would be given cleanup duty. Perfect.

After drowning another beer (the good German stuff) he looked out of the window to view the sunset. As he watched, he could also see the wrecks that littered the ground like pepper on a twelve ounce steak. After the sun had fully set, he noticed that he could still make out the dead hulls.

***

"YES! An army!" Rainbow yelled as she flew around and looped a few times. After hearing how fast their planes went, all she could think about was racing one.

"He ain't sendin' an army RD, just their... what was it again Twi?" asked Applejack.

"Equipment." Twilight said while looking at the list of vehicles that would be sent, "Um... I think it's a mix of armored vehicles, and some toxin carriers for some reason."

"Toxins? You mean poison? Or venom?" whispered Fluttershy, "Oh, I hope nothing has to feel that. I saw a fawn that got bitten by a snake once. Poor thing was in so much pain..."

Princess Luna watched as her sister finally finished raising the sun. "Let us leave before the enemy wakes. The nearby field should fit our requirements." looking at the six mares she asked, "Is everypony ready to leave now?"

***

The destroyed vehicles took on an iridescent shine that grew brighter until the colors merged together into a blinding white. With a final flash, the entire field was cleared. Ironside spun around on his chair and rubbed his eyes. Only one thought went through his mind-

How much are they using on this prank?

***

He could see rainbows. Not double, not triple, just the seven colors over and over and over...

Tom made a mental note to stay away from gasoline fumes.

***

The six mares stood in a circle around the princess of the night. A rainbow colored orb hovered just above her horn and shone like a beacon on a foggy day. Around her each element sent a flowing aura the same color as their element towards the beacon. Struggling to even stay standing, Luna called the vehicles through the dimensions.

"Hey Twilight" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Not now." Twilight said through clenched teeth.

"But-"

"Please Rainbow."

Knowing the she would never get Twilight to listen to her, she released her thoughts bluntly.

"Did the princess tell the human we're actually ponies?"

Everypony's eyes shot open, and Luna could be heard saying a word she picked up at the local bar. Her sister would have her flank if she had heard.

"Fu-" The beacon went off, the sky went dark for a moment, and the vehicles started coming.

Needless to say, operator incompatibility was the least of their concerns.

Slim Hope

Twilight was not happy. She mentally hit herself for forgetting that ponies. Could. Not. Use. Human. EQUIPMENT.

Sighing, she looked up. And blanked out for a moment. The first thing she saw was how... BIG they were. A human was a little less than twice the size of a regular pony but still considered gargantuan by their standards, and there were some tanks that were twice the size of a human! There were enough to beat the enemy to their borders and past it.

But then she looked closer. They were all destroyed. Not one even looked vaguely usable. The worst was an unidentifiable lump of slag. The best was a 70 year old tank that might run.

"What in the hay is this?" Applejack said, still gawking at their sheer size.

"This... This is the "Help" they send us?" Rainbow Dash's spirits fell, "Some help..." she muttered as she flew away to see what else the human had sent them.

"We should be grateful that he even listened to us. At least-EEP!" Fluttershy squeaked as Princess Luna fell on her, too exhausted to stand.

After helping the guards getting the princess off of Fluttershy and into a tent, the six mares made their way through the empty hulls.

***

Tom blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Realizing that the sky was brighter than when he had gone to sleep, he concluded in panic that a whole night had passed. He shot up in fear of a severe reprimanding from his superiors.

Looking around, his eyes saw not sand and plateaus, but the most beautiful rolling hills in the background with the greenest forest he had ever laid his eyes upon to his left. Tom slowly stepped off of his dozer. He stared, his eyes blank as he tried to make sense of his current location.

Two magenta eyes followed the human as he surveyed his surroundings. The cyan blur silently flew above him, camouflaged against the similarly colored sky.

"HEY!"

Tom looked towards the source of the voice. The pegasus dived and stopped mere inches from his face.

"What's your problem huh? You promised us help! Not junk! You've got some nerve showing up here!"

He stared with confusion at the winged pony. She continued.

"Do you know that you just doomed our country? We have a war going on and you decide that it's a good idea to give us fake hope! Just how in the hay are you a general?"

"I'd like to be a general." Tom said.

Rainbow face showed surprise as she paused comically in an angered pose, "...You aren't a general?"

"Nope."

"You aren't the one who sent all of... this?" she motioned towards the scrapyard.

"No. But I do work for him."

"Oh... Heh, sorry." she sheepishly grinned and rubbed her foreleg unconsciously, "But then why are you here?"

"I must've gotten sucked in with whatever brought these wrecks here." Rainbow showed a look of disbelief, it was then his turn to rub his head in embarrassment, "And I may have napped on the job."

At this, she laughed, "It's okay, I do it all the time. Oh! By the way, name's Rainbow Dash. You know, fastest pegasus, Sonic Rainboom, all that." she said in a tone as if they were trivial.

"Tom. Dozer driver. Been around for a couple years, built a few bases during the war against the GLA, currently working under Ironside."

They bumped fists/hooves.

"You know, you're not half bad."

***

"I can't believe he would do such a thing! The princess won't be able to use this spell again for a while. Ooh, Princess Celestia's not going to be happy about this..." Twilight walked slowly past a still smoking Overlord, deep in her thoughts.

Pinkie had somehow gotten herself into a Marauder tank, and was currently messing around with the controls. She found what looked like to be a bent pipe coming from above. Looking inside, she discovered that a periscope hung from the ceiling. Waving to her friends through the scope, she yelled, "HEY EVERYPONY! TWILIGHT! I CAN SEE YOU! TWILIGHT? Applejack?" As she brought her hoof down in disappointment, she didn't notice the red lever being nudged.

BOOM

The five mares jumped. None of them had heard such a loud noise. Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom was the closest they had heard, and even then only from a distance. Fluttershy didn't move, stunned by the loud crack of the gun. Applejack slowly reached for her hat that had been blown off by the blast.

"Heh heh heh. Sorry everypony!" Pinkie said nervously as she emerged from the hatch. "Nopony hurt?"

Twilight suddenly let out a breath she had been unconsciously holding, "Pinkie. Do. Not. Do. That."

"Everypony okay?" called out Rainbow Dash as she glided down.

"We're all fine an' dandy Rainbow" Applejack assured while adjusting her hat, still a bit shaken, "Just a lil' bump in the road that's all."

"Oh good. By the way, there's a human... I think that's what he's called... here!" the pegasus said.

"A human...?" Twilight muttered, wondering if maybe..."You mean the general?"

"Naw, but he says he could still help us."

Twilight looked around, "So where is he?"

"Right there." Rainbow said, pointing her hoof towards a pile about two tanks high.

As they all stared, they could feel a slight rumbling in the ground. Then a loud grinding sound as the tank that rested upside down on the top of the pile rolled off and a grey and blue bulldozer emerged from the other side. As the dozer slowed to a halt, the door to the cab opened.

"Hey."

***

Luna stirred, blinking in the bright afternoon sun that shone through the flaps of the tent that had been hastily erected for her. She felt as if she had run a marathon while dragging the royal carriage with broken wheels while her sister sat inside. Celestia and her cakes...

"Is your Majesty feeling feeling well?" the guard quietly asked.

Coughing, she replied, "I am fine. What of the equipment sent to us?"

The guard was nervously silent, "Well..."

The princess looked out of the tent. Immediately outside was the other guard, his dark armor and bat wings indicating his place as a lunar guard. Past him was a campfire with the Elements and a human talking about his time under Ironside. Past them was something that resembled a scrap yard.

As she made her way out of the tent and towards the group, she could hear the new human telling stories of his world.

***

"Uh huh... And then?" Twilight was as usual, busy writing everything down about this new arrival.

"Well, then Ironside decided it was a good time to charge the enemy base." Tom said, reminiscing about an event a few years previously. "Man, you should've seen it! Bastards couldn't even rally their troops."

"Wait." Rainbow said suddenly, "If you drive a dozer, and you were back at the base, how did you see it happening?"

"Well I was done building, so I took a three hour lunch break and watched the live feed coming from the UAV." The ponies all looked confused at this.

"How can ya see something that's far away?" Applejack asked slowly.

"Hm... technology." Tom replied simply.

Applejack put on a unamused face, "That's yer answer for everything we ask huh?"

"And your answer is magic. We're even. Though it isn't the fact that I don't understand it, it's more of the fact that it'll probably take too much time to explain. I could show you all later." Tom said.

Luna walked slowly towards the group, "Hello everypony, I hope I did not miss much."

"Ah princess! Did you sleep well?" Twilight said as she walked towards the lunar princess in concern.

"Yes I did, thank you." Luna replied, "And I see that we have a guest." gesturing towards the only human present.

"Yup! Princess, this is Tom. Tom, this is Princess Luna, one of the rulers of Equestria." Twilight said as she introduced the two.

Tom nodded and saluted, "Princess."

As Luna sat down she asked in a more suspicious voice, "Why are there rusting war machines instead of the equipment we were promised?"

Tom shrugged, "I think Ironside took your request as a prank. These wrecks look very similar to the ones our boys were blowing up."

"A prank." The princess was looking veeeery similar to an IED he once found on the side of a road.

"Yep. We used to do some pretty elaborate pranks to him. Sure we might get a court martial or doody duty for a week, but usually he took it well." Tom joked. He resumed in a slightly quieter voice, "Seriously though, sorry if it cost you your country."

It suddenly turned quiet as his words soaked in. Luna calmed down, knowing that he wasn't to blame.

"So you're going to help us?" Twilight asked finally, breaking the silence.

Tom looked around, "Well I don't know... Do you see anyone else that can?"

She rolled her eyes, "Very funny. What can you do?"

"I can build military buildings. Barracks, War Factories, and if you have the money, super weapons."

"What do you mean, if we have money?" the princess asked, fearful that this strange creature, also their only hope, was no more than a mercenary.

"Do you see that thing?" Tom pointed to his dozer, "That thing runs on money. I'm not actually sure how it does that, or where the materials come from, but if you have the money you could have a base up in a week or so."

"Excuse me for a moment," Rarity cut in, "But don't we use different kinds of currency? I mean we use bits and you use... well whatever you use."

"Yeah..." Tom thought for a moment. Would it even work? His face lit up as he realized that it would work. "But it should work. I mean we have oil derricks that pump out pure cash instead of, you know, oil. None of our vehicles seem to use any fuel, and supply crates only have money in them. Not food, not even ammunition. Just cash. So if it's worth something, it should be good. Come to think of it, I don't think we ever ran out of ammunition while in a fight either..."

"Unfortunately, our treasury is dangerously close to empty. All available funds are used towards keeping the ponies alive, and we are barely managing that..." Luna said with a sigh, their last chance at fighting gone.

"Well I have enough stored for a barracks and some soldiers. But we need more if you want even a chance at fighting back."

"Very well. Let us return to camp. Leave your... dozer here. It is too wide for the forest." she stood up, defeated. The rest of the group followed, their heads down in disappointment.

As they walked back, Tom asked, "Can any... pony fill me in on this war?"

***

"The war started when a combined force of griffons and dragons attacked small towns on the northern borders. Vanhoover and Trottinghom were the first. In fact, we would not have even heard of this had a wounded pegasus escaped and spread the news. When each town was empty, the diamond dogs-"

"Hold on." Tom interrupted, "Diamond dogs? Seriously?"

Luna sighed, "Yes Tom, they dig for gems in elaborate underground tunnels. Now may I please continue?"

"Ah. Right. Sorry."

"-the diamond dogs moved in to keep them. By the time we had heard of this event, they had entrenched themselves into those towns. The Royal Guard was sent to retake what they have conquered, but the invaders proved to be too numerous and coordinated for a few dozen guards to defeat. A few days later they made a bold move into Stalliongrad. The constant bombardment of rocks and the dogs digging under the defenses eventually toppled the city walls. It was then that my sister issued an evacuation of all populated areas. They were to meet at Canterlot, our capital, or here in the Everfree Forest. Most made it to Canterlot. While this was going on, all of the major cites fell. The camp here is now home to a few hundred ponies. All are hungry and cold, and I don't know how much longer we can take."

"Ah. So I'm guessing that asking for our assistance was a last resort."

"Yes. But with the way that turned out..." Luna quietly muttered, "We meant no offense."

"It's all good." Tom assured her.

Luna smiled for the first time in a long time, "Thank you for helping us. Or at least promising to."

"Thank me when I actually accomplished something."

"Very well." she said. The group finally reached the camp, "And here, is our humble home."

The camp was fairly large mass of crudely erected tents and some lean-to's tied to trees. In fact, it looked like a hobo's family reunion hosted on the underside of an urban bridge. That said, it was actually very organized. Supplies go here, waste goes here, sleep here, etc. By the looks of the well beaten paths, this camp seemed to have existed for some time.

Tom's arrival did not go unnoticed. Ponies came out of their tents to have a peek at this new creature. Eventually a crowd formed around him. Then one colt broke the silence.

"Are you the hyooman that the princess was talking about?" He said in a quiet voice.

"Apparently I am." Tom replied.

Then the dam broke, and all of the ponies started talking.

"WE'RE SAVED!"
"What are you going to do?"
"Those dogs took...took my husband!"
"Has anypony seen my filly?"
"Did the dogs take her too?"
"Damn dogs..."

One orange stallion with a megaphone mark seemed to understand the flow of emotions. His words took the stage.

"Let's beat their flanks out of our country!"

At this the crowd roared. They had an ally, an objective, and the will to do it. What could stop them now?

The rallying continued into the night, and Tom sneaked out.

***

"Should we tell them now?"

"It would be too harsh."

"It's going to be worse if they find out they've been following a lost cause."

"What do we do... What do you think Tom?...Tom?"

Tom was staring off into space. When Rainbow Dash waved a hoof in front of his face, he slowly brought his head up and said only one word, "Astana."

Twilight asked in a confused tone, "What's Astana?"

"Before that, the dogs."

"What about them?"

"They dig mines and usually have gems in their possession right?"

"Yes..." Twilight replied, unsure of where this was going.

"Good... Good... Anyways Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. A few years ago the GLA started riots and mobs to try and raid the city to fund their war efforts."

"NO!" Twilight yelled, seeing where this had went, "We will not raid and pillage like... like... pirates! Princess please we can't-"

Luna held up a hoof to stop the mare, "We cannot do much else. And should we do so, Twilight you know this, it would be completely allowed under terms of war. And if anything, we can free the captured ponies that are most likely being worked to death."

Twilight stopped. She had forgotten about the prisoners in her haste to stop the raid, "Prisoners..."

Tom suddenly opened his pack. Inside were the plans both issued and salvaged, and a manual not only for his dozer, but for the buildings he could build. As Twilight took a look as she was immediately entranced by the various blueprints, instructions, and information that she had never seen before.

Minutes passed as Tom looked into a book that he had not opened for years. Rainbow Dash had grown bored within the first minute and was currently playing with a stick. Applejack was trying to sleep, and the rest were talking, trying to keep from being bored.

"I have good news, and I have bad news." Tom said suddenly looking up, "which one does everyone want first?"

"The bad news then." Luna sighed and braced herself for more disappointment.

"The bad news is we won't have enough soldiers."

"We know that. What's the good?" Rainbow said as she waved a stick around.

"The good news is that we can get equipment. Guns, rations, explosives, whatever. Turns out that most of the money goes towards the soldier's training and insurance. What that means for us is that equipment is cheap. We can get some soldiers to lead the ponies while we arm them!" Tom explained, satisfied with his logic.

"Well..." Luna pondered for a moment. Then she nodded and determination came to her eyes. "I shall contact Celestia about this plan." She suddenly yawned, "Time to rest everypony. We shall talk more in the morning."

After bidding their princess good night, the mares went towards their designated spot in the camp. Tom followed and waited until each had settled in. Finding an empty spot, he used his pack as a makeshift pillow.

He was asleep in an instant.

First on the Front

"I regret to be the bearer of bad news. The general thought of our request as a mere prank, and has given us useless vehicles. However there still is hope. A human named Tom has been accidentally sent over, and he has promised to do what he can. He can construct military buildings, so we may have a permanent base within the month. I cannot explain in detail, but he requires bits or objects with sufficient monetary value. Due to this, we have planned to raid a Diamond Dog mine which we will also free any prisoners if found. I would like to have your opinion on this matter."

"Has it finally come to this? I know that we're desperate, but a raid?"

"Sister, we can do nothing more. Tom can help us, but he cannot without resources. He claims to be able to raise an army in three months.”

"Very well. The last major war happened when we were just fillies, I guess we never got a taste of it. Do what you need to do. Anything else?"

"We need to find a good location for a base. Somewhere in a wide open space is preferable."

"How about the Appaloosan plains to the west?"

"I'll have to ask him about it."

"All right. I miss you Luna."

"I wish I could be with you."

"Me too... Me too..."

The lunar princess blinked the sleep out of her eyes. The sun was already above the horizon and all she wanted to do was lie there and warm up in her sister's sun. She hadn't talked to her in a good week or so, what with all of the dimensional affairs and all.

As she walked out of her tent, her guard offered her a steaming cup of tea. Not wanting to miss out, she accepted with a nod of thanks. She stood outside her tent, sipping tea, and taking deep breaths.

Things were about to get interesting...

***

"The dog mine we're planning to hit is here," Tom pointed to a location near a mountain range, "I mainly chose it because the six have already been in there, and have been able to give us a general idea of the layout." he paused to take a sip of his own cup of tea, "Now about our forces, we can clear out an area and build the barracks near here. We should have enough money for six Rangers and flash bangs."

"Flash... bangs?" Luna tilted her head.

"They're little cans that we throw that can shock and stun whoever happens to be in the area.” Tom held up a small black cylinder with a strip of metal held in place by a pin.

"Ah. Please continue."

"So we get ponies that are willing and we train them in the use of flash bangs, one of the only weapons that ponies without magic can use. Fortunately for us, the dogs are weak to both intense light and the loud shock. Since killing is a rather sensitive subject, I'm going to leave that to the Rangers. Now, after we get our ponies, they will be split up into three different teams. Each team will have a medic, a radiopony, two human soldiers, and the rest will carry flash bangs. The main priority of the teams will be to free any prisoners that we find while our second priority will be to find the gem stores. If any are found, they will then be carried out onto the surface."

Luna nodded. "How long will this raid take?"

Tom held up a map covered with notes, "If Rarity's description of the tunnels are correct, no more than two hours for the initial attack, no more than three to evacuate the prisoners, and no more than six to move out the gems."

"And how will the prisoners be transported?"

"Well, I'm going to assume that none of them are in any shape for a hike, so when we get enough money, I will obtain Chinooks," looking at Luna's confused face again he elaborated, "They're aerial transports."

"Of course..." Luna's head was still spinning from all of the new terms, "So when can we raid the mines?"

Tom scratched his head, "Next week should give us enough time."

The princess nodded, "Very well. And after you acquire the gems?"

"We will find a suitable area to build a base."

"My sister has recommended such an area. It is a wide open space in the desert to the west. Does that suit your needs?"

"The desert huh…? The heat would make it impossible for griffons to fly long-distance… The sand would prevent diamond dog surprise attacks… and we have Patriots for the dragons! Not to mention the laser turrets… Princess, we’re good to go."

Luna smiled, and stood up, "Well then good luck. I will be taking a walk if you need me. Begin construction on the barracks immediately.

"Of course."

***

Tom whistled as his dozer roared to life. It had taken two hours to maneuver the dozer though the dense forest, but finally it was in the clearing nearest to the camp. He looked at the plans of the barracks, even though he didn't need to. He had done this countless times in the past and this was just one more time. As he cleared brush and small trees surrounding the clearing, he took one last look around and begun building. As the ponies look in awe, scaffolds emerged from the ground and the whole barracks started to rise slowly, but surely. Twilight started to grind her teeth at this blatant disregard for the basic laws of reality, but Pinkie soothed her boiling head and told her to not think too hard about it.

*One hour later*

At long last, the building was done. The barracks was a small fenced off area with three buildings and a flagpole, the sleeping quarters that doubled as the medical bay, an armory, and the storage area for everything else. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash had disappeared into the sleeping quarters saying something about "soft beds" and sleep, Pinkie and Applejack were sampling the rations in storage and determining which ones would be the most palatable to ponies before distributing them, Twilight was also in the storage room but was instead messing around and being curious, and Tom was in the armory trying to figure out how to buy soldiers and equipment.

The armory had racks of standard issue assault rifles and portable missile launchers in the center while the Pathfinder's rifles were hiding behind a locked sliding steel door. In the corner was a simple matte black locker with the name Col. Burton painted on. Surrounding the locker were boxes of ammunition.

But what got Tom's attention was the large screen that was the size of window. It had the USA military insignia as the background with his current credits on the bottom and multiple boxes, all of them greyed out except for the one labeled "Infantry." He tapped on the square, and after a beep, the box grew until it split into four squares, each with a picture of an infantry unit and its cost. The two squares labeled "Ranger" and "Missile Defender" were bright, while the squares labeled "Pathfinder" and "Colonel Burton" were greyed out. Tom reached out and slowly tapped the "Ranger" square.

After a few seconds of silence, Fluttershy screamed.

***

*Roughly ten minutes ago*

"Oh how I've missed you, you wonderful, soft, fluffy, actual cloth, bed." Rarity purred as she snuggled into a bunk. Actually it was fairly hard and uncomfortable compared to her normal bed back in Ponyville, but after countless nights sleeping on tree roots it felt like a dream.

"I actually liked sleeping outside with all of my animal friends." Fluttershy said softly. "It was nice."

A loud snore tore through the air like a hoofball player through a banner. Rainbow Dash had somehow fashioned a hammock out of spare bedsheets and tied it to the rafters.

Rarity giggled. “It certainly is nice to see somepony is enjoying themselves.”

“Yes…” the shy pony whispered. “I just can’t wait to go home.”

The seamstress sighed, “As do I. Although I simply cannot fathom why the dragons joined forces with those barbaric diamond dogs. No matter how much I think, it just doesn’t make sense that they would actually invade our country.”

“…Maybe they’re hungry because it’s winter?” Fluttershy suggested. Rarity opened her mouth to argue how stupid that theory was, but stopped when she realized that the dogs would do exactly that.

“Well they are a simple bunch. Invading our country for gems would make sense for them to do.” She yawned, endless days of stress finally catching up to her. “Oh, I apologize Fluttershy, but I am simply exhausted! Shall we call it a day?”

The pegasus nodded, and they both sank into their beds. Rarity was asleep instantly, but Fluttershy sighed as she stared at the bottom of the top bunk. True, she hadn’t seen the… harsher side of war, nor was she in any hurry, but things would never be the same. The pegasus closed her eyes but couldn't get that weird feeling out of her stomach. Fluttershy suddenly froze when she felt like she was being slowly pushed out of bed. Turning her head, she came face to face with another human.

***

Speed. Speed was all that was needed. To feel the air around your feathers as you zoom across the sky, and you go faster, and faster, until the air almost hurts. And then... silence. As you break the one barrier that many have dreamed of breaking, but few have passed it. And now, you join the club as one of the fastest in the world. And you move up. And up. Until-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Huh. Whah?" Rainbow said groggily. When she realized who the screaming came from, her mind cleared instantly, thinking of only one pony. "FLUTTERSHY! Wha?” she stopped at the sight of the human, “Tom?"

She realized that whoever this human was, it wasn't Tom. Its hair was too short and he was a bit taller with more muscles on his person. The human scrambled out of Fluttershy's bed and quickly stretched out his limbs.

"Who are you?! And where did you come from?!" When the human started a brisk walk towards the exit, she decided that a physical barrier would work better, and went in his face, "HEY! I'M TALKING-
MHMHHMMHMHM!" Rainbow Dash yelled from behind the human’s hand. Completely blind and disoriented, she was easily pushed out of the way.

***

MRE

Cheese & Vegetable Omelet

Pinkie and Applejack eyed the suspicious brown bag that came from one of the supply boxes. With both of their professions about food, neither of them could imagine a meal worth eating that fit in such a small space. They glanced at each other and the farmer nervously opened the cardboard package. A number of brown packages, bags, and a plastic spoon fell out of the box. They both started to go through the small pile.

Applejack held up a pouch, “…Apples.” Her face brightened. “Well! Looks like somepony knows how ta’ eat!”

Pinkie copied her movements, “…Flameless Ration Heater.” She tilted her head in confusion. “And they say that they don’t use magic! The nerve!”

“…Peanut Butter.”

“M&Ms…?”

“Drink Mix.”

“Spoon.” Pinkie said as she held up just that.

“Crackers.”

“Cheese & Vegetable Omelet.”

They both took one last look at each other as Applejack reached over and pulled a paper plate from its wrapping and Pinkie ripped open the package. An odd, new smell reached their noses. She tilted the bag over the plate and yelped in surprise as a glistening solid yellow lump slid out with a squelch.

“I aint eatin’ that.” Applejack said, wrinkling her nose at the blob.

Pinkie nervously laughed. “Ha… ha ha… How bad could it be?”

She ripped open the bag containing the plastic spoon and pulled out the brown utensil. A bubble popped as she stared at the “omelet.” She gulped, and took a spoonful. Applejack slowly backed away as the vegetable omelet came closer and closer to Pinkie’s lips, until it finally disappeared into her mouth.

Within a second, her pink face took on a green hue. Holding in a wave of nausea, she scrunched her eyes and swallowed. Pinkie shuddered as it slid down her throat. The apple farmer smirked.

“That bad huh?” Pinkie nodded, still trying not to puke. “Well. Ah… guess it’s mah turn.”

Applejack was much more eager to try her signature food. But in her haste to sample the apples, she forgot that they did not come from Sweet Apple Acres, and that there were such things as bad apples.

She ripped open her own pouch to reveal several peach colored lumps that were soaked in a thick yellow liquid. It was her turn to gulp as she spooned out a slice. The liquid slowly dripped from the spoon as she stared.

A tear dropped from her eye as she chewed what was once a perfectly good fruit that grew peacefully on a tree. “This ain't no apple…”

“Join the club…” Pinkie groaned as another wave of nausea hit her.

Fortunately the rest of the MRE turned out to be somewhat more edible. Pinkie obviously took a liking to the small candied chocolates while Applejack chewed on some fresh pine needles from outside to get rid of the aftertaste.

On the other side of the room, Twilight Sparkle was reading a book. But this just wasn’t any book, this was the manual to the entire arsenal of the USA. Everything from the Cold Fusion Reactor to the Comanche gunships astounded her. This wasn’t just another field of study, this was an entirely new concept, and she relished absorbing new information. She flipped the page, revealing the section on the Ambulances.

They all stopped talking as they heard the door opening. Twilight was about to call out to her newest friend, but stopped when she realized that it wasn't him. He ignored the ponies as walked towards them. Twilight quickly moved aside to let the human through to whatever he was doing. He stopped and bent down at a medium sized trunk. As he opened it, Twilight could see that it was filled with bags packed with unknown objects. The human took out a pack and walked out.

"Hey are you-HEY!" Rainbow had flown in, but had been pushed again by the human. He stopped outside the storage building. Velcro strips ripping, he opened the bag. An assortment of hard cloth was revealed as he pulled them out one by one. The vest was the only object that they could identify. A few minutes later, he changed completely. A human covered in bulky armor that Rarity would faint at stood before them. As he secured the fasteners on his helmet, he walked quickly towards the armory.

***

Tom listened to the various yells and almost walked into the mysterious man. He deftly took a rifle from the rack and some ammunition. Inserting them in various pockets, he exited.

"Army's elite."

***

"So...” Rainbow hovered around the new human. “Who are you?"

"A Ranger." He replied.

Fluttershy found the courage to just barely ask, "Um, why were you in my bed?"

The Ranger thought for a moment, "I have no idea."

"And why didn't you stop and listen to me?" Rainbow Dash was close to yelling at this point.

"I had to get suited up. Sorry about the whole face thing." he apologized.

The pegasus rolled her eyes, "Fine... But aren't you freaked out that we're ponies and all? You know..."

The Ranger shook his head, "Nah."

"Oh hey I forget!" Pinkie said suddenly, "Do you like parties? Or cupcakes? Huh? Do ya? Do ya? Do ya?"

The Ranger stared, "What are cupcakes?"

***

After getting Pinkie to stop crying about how anypony can live and never taste the sweetness of a cupcake, Tom went back into the armory where he ordered five more Rangers to be trained. Even though each one had claimed their own rifle, the rack was full and it seemed that no one had taken anything. Just in case, Tom took one of his own and slung it across his shoulders.

Introducing the new humans to the ponies only caused the morale to go up. There was not one, not two, but seven humans on their side now. Two of the Rangers were currently playing with a group of foals, one was sleeping, and the rest sat around a campfire. Twilight was babbling on about the technology to any who would listen.

"Point Defense Lasers work by detecting a rocket, calculating where it will be, and shooting a laser that disables the rocket's engine."

"So could it take down a pegasus... like... like me?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously.

"I don't see why not. It is called a Personal defense Laser so as long as you stay out of range, you should be all right."

"Whew."

"Actually one of our Avengers might be able to get ya." one of the Rangers cut in.

"Avengers?"

"Yup. They use lasers just like the PDL but at a longer range."

At this she gulped, "You ah...You wouldn't use it on me...would you?"

He laughed, "Only if you piss us off." Rainbow noted never to cross a human. "If you really piss us off though, it's Particle Cannon time." he took out a charred stick from the fire and drew a random pattern on the ground. Black trails were left wherever the stick went. She stared. "It's pretty much a huge laser that can hit anywhere on the planet."

Twilight elaborated, "The Particle Uplink Cannon sends a beam of particles up into space where it is reflected by a satellite down onto the target. Due to the curvature of the Earth, multiple Particle Cannons are needed for total planetary-" she was cut off, but continued to speak.

"Woah..." Rainbow's jaw had found itself a place on the ground, as the Ranger continued to explain their arsenal.

"-was developed in response to counter urban threats in a precise manner where Scud missiles or Nuclear weapons would cause unacceptable collateral damage-"

"Then we have the supersonic Aurora-"

"Wait supersonic? You mean faster than sound?"

"Yep."

"-early test proved that no satellite could reflect the beam without melting, so the beam itself was calibrated to reflect off of the first surface it came into contact and then expend all of its energy on the second surface-"

"Chinooks aren't that fast. Heck, I could beat them." Rainbow pridefully boasted.

"I can't imagine you carrying 88 metric tons of cargo."

"Heh, I bet Applejack would like them. She'd probably cut holes on the sides like a vendor so she can land on the street and sell apples."

The Ranger looked at the sleeping orange pony with the hat. "Yeah... I can see that."

As they continued to talk, Tom spoke with Luna, who was flanked by her two personal guards.

"The Rangers seem to be doing well. Now all we need to worry about are the ponies who are going to be in this operation."

"What kinds of pony do you require?"

"Well, medics for the teams and the prisoners, heavy haulers for carrying the equipment, medium sized ponies for everything else."

The princess nodded, "Tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow."

Raid of the Rangers

A training area had been set up at the edge of the field. Some wrecks had been transformed into an obstacle course to teach the recruits on how to traverse uneven ground while others became targets for flash bangs.

A blue unicorn slowly walked forwards, trying to keep her balance on the gun barrels of an Overlord. With a final jump, she landed on the cab of a Technical.

“Good job.” The Ranger looked at his clipboard. “Alright Colgate, you’re with Beta Squad. Grab a vest and join your teammates.”

She cheerfully trotted towards the soldier who was working with Rarity to modify human armor into vests that could be used by ponies. The seamstress insisted that they be at least partially fashionable, but gave in to the drab black and green for functionality.

***

Alpha squad was on break, reluctantly eating rations. Beta squad practiced on the obstacle course to prepare for the cramped and uneven tunnels. Delta squad was on the firing line, practicing with the Flash Bangs and getting the ponies used to the loud cracks of the rifles.

Three mares stood side by side. Each one had a vest that held four dummy grenades, two on each shoulder. The grenades were in sleeves that held the grenade spoon in place should the pin be removed.

"Okay. Everyone listening?" the Ranger looked around, "Take the pin in your mouth and pull it. Twist and pull, twist and pull."

The mares did so, with the sea green unicorn having a little trouble, "Nothing's going to happen because the spoon, the handle thing, is still on. So take the grenade, bite it, and slide it out of the sleeve quickly and fling towards the target."

Results were mixed. While Berry Punch actually threw it quite far, Lyra's landed two feet away, and Carrot Top managed to throw it behind her. While the one Ranger had to endure this, the other was strapping a saddlebag with a radio in one half and equipment in the other to Big Mac, and then teaching Nurse Redheart how to use their medical equipment. The ponies each tried again.

"Ack!"

Everyone stopped whatever they were doing when Lyra somehow swallowed and started choking on a grenade.

There were many facepalms/hoofs that day.

***

A week had passed and inside the barracks, the bunks had been moved and a projector was set up. The teams stood anxiously, while all of the pegasi were being rounded up. Rainbow Dash waved to Tom, indicating that she was done. The murmurs quieted as the lights dimmed.

"Good evening all. In a few hours, we will begin Operation Gemstone, our first step in liberating Equestria.” He nodded to Twilight who was sitting behind the projector. She switched the slide to show a map of the caves. “Alpha and Beta squads will enter through the main entrance to the southeast while Delta enters through the back door to the north." Tom said as he pointed to the battle map. "The center should be where all of the captured ponies and the gems should be held. We take no prisoners.”

"Wait!" a unicorn called out, "Why? Shouldn’t we capture them instead of... you know...?"

Tom sighed, "Because we don’t have the time, resources, or manpower to take and keep prisoners. Maybe later in the war, but not now.” The whole room was silent. True, they hated the enemy as much as the next, but to know that there would be deaths within a few hours unnerved them.

He continued. "If you come across any prisoners, radio us and we'll send medics to get them. Don't worry about making noise. Diamond Dog ears are actually sub-par compared to ours, however the flash bangs should still wreak havoc. Rangers, your regular radios won't work on their own in the tunnels so your designated radioponies will act as repeaters. Medics, the usual. Most cases should be malnourishment but get ready to set some bones. When you find the main prison, wait for the other teams to arrive on the other side. Once all of the teams are in position, throw as many flash bangs as you can and hit em' hard. Send the all-clear after all dogs are down. Workers will arrive to first transport the prisoners, then the gems outside. While that's going on, the Rangers from Beta will join Delta to clear out the lower levels. Once that's done, all of the Rangers will set charges and blow that place to hell. Everyone here has trained for this all week. Don't mess up. Good luck."

The room was suddenly active with rangers calling their teams.

"Alpha on me!"

"Beta! Let's go!"

"Delta! Ready?"

Over the course of the week, each had gotten better at their professions, and Lyra had finally learned not to breathe while throwing. While the squad leaders were calling for their teammates, Tom called over the pegasi in the room.

"Now, as you may know, there's a second objective to this mission. Once the prisoners are evacuated, the gems will be brought up to the surface where it will be taken back here by Chinook. Before we can make the transports, we need more funds to make a Reactor and a Supply depot. That's where you come in. Each of you will grab a bagful of gems and bring them back here. Once we have enough, I will start building and make enough Chinooks to evacuate the prisoners. Understood?"

Nods of acknowledgment were seen throughout the flyers.

"Good luck to you all too."

***

Delta squad quietly rested. Hiking miles had been tiring for all of them, but after separating with the other two teams the seven man/pony team were finally at their destination.

They peeked out from behind a boulder. Three guards sat outside the entrance. One guard was trying to look awake while the other two were throwing small pebbles in a circle.

"Alpha and Beta are in position."

The Ranger spoke into his mike. "Delta is in position."

"Roger. Any guards?

"Alpha here, small group, nothing we can't handle."

"Delta here, only three guards, one's sleeping and two are playing some kind of game."

"Take them out quickly."

The Rangers looked at each other. "You take right, I take left, and we both take sleeping one. You good with that?"

The soldier nodded. "I'm good."

"All right. Go."

The two dogs never stood a chance. Each slumped over as the bullets hit their marks. The sleeping one jerked awake, the cracking of the rifles hurting his ears. He too was down in a heartbeat.

"They're down."

"They're down."

"Good. All teams, proceed with caution."

"Roger, Alpha and Beta are going in."

"Delta is going in."

***

"How... how do you do it?" Lyra asked, her voice full of fear after seeing the humans kill without emotion. The bullets completely disappeared into the dog's body, now corpse. They all looked like they were simply sleeping. She took a quick peek at them, only to feel nauseated.

One of the Rangers paused for a though, "You just... don't think about it. And tip to everyone, don't look at the bodies.

The other human suddenly stopped, "What the hell...?"

The entrance to the hole was less "hole" and more "actual mine." With the new laborers, the dogs were able to expand and dig for more jewels. Using equipment brought down from Stalliongrad, tracks were laid down and larger carts replaced the older ones. Lanterns hung from the walls of the tunnel Delta walked through. It was a regular sized tunnel, but it was still wide enough for two sets of tracks. Needless to say, the obstacle course was unnecessary.

"No way in hell did they dig this by hand..."

"I'm scared just thinking about how many ponies were forced to work in this place..." Carrot Top whispered, shuddering.

"Don't think about it." Berry quickly said.

"But you know... aren't you wondering who worked here?"

"No."

"I mean, my family was in Manehattan and-" one of the Rangers cut her off.

"Shh..." He motioned towards a stack of unused rails. Behind them were a few Diamond Dogs. "Carrot, throw one in front."

She nodded, and threw the grenade in a well-practiced manner. While the ponies all closed their eyes and covered their ears, the dogs screamed as the blast blinded them and almost blew out their eardrums. The two Rangers made quick work of the canines. After the shooting stopped, all of them listened for movement. When nothing seemed to notice them, the ponies followed the humans deeper.

***

Drops of water fell from the ceiling as Delta moved deeper in the mine. Berry kept hearing little clinking sounds. At first she assumed that she was hearing their equipment when they hit each other every time Big Mac took a step. She grew less convinced the farther they walked and when they turned a corner, she could clearly see the source of the mysterious sound.

About a dozen ponies were chained to carts filled with gems, apparently waiting for the order to start pulling. Their chains clinked as they swayed from a lack of sleep. The eight guards didn't seem to notice nor did they let them rest. When a final cart came from a small side tunnel, one of them cracked his whip. "Pull ponies!" The prisoners reluctantly started moving the carts.

"Alright, Lyra, you get the ones on the far left, Carrot and Berry, the big group in the middle."

Lyra levitated her grenade above the guards on the left. When she nodded, three quiet clinks echoed as they hit the ground. All eyes except for Delta’s were on the flash bang. Seconds later they exploded, sending a shockwave of sound and pyrotechnics flying. The Rangers ran out and flanked the large group, their bullets tearing through the armor of the guard dogs. They fell within seconds and the ponies were huddled together to try and protect themselves from these new creatures.

"Please calm down! We're here to help!" Lyra yelled. "Nurse! Could you?"

"Of course." Nurse Redheart walked forwards. At this the youngest of the prisoners, who was no more than a filly, started crying. "Oh you poor thing..."

As the nurse checked the captured ponies, one Ranger helped get the harnesses off as the other radioed command.

"Command this is Delta."

"Go ahead Delta."

"We managed to find a group of prisoners hauling gems. Do you think we can get the medics to come and get them out?"

Tom replied after a pause, "They'll be down in a bit. Rest easy til then."

"Will do."

***

"Medics, Delta has found prisoners. According to the other teams, it's just a straight road down."

"Roger."

Tom rubbed his eyes. It was high noon and this mission had been going on for three hours now. But with some gems found, he could finally start building. He called the pegasi who had the job of bringing back the loot. Rainbow Dash, bored with everything, had volunteered to lead. Not only would the gems be here shortly, but they could also get the medics to the prisoners quicker.

"Dash you hear me?" After a moment of silence she replied.

"I hear ya bossman. Get the doctors to em' and bring home the shinies. Got it."

"Be fast Dash!" At this she laughed.

"Ha! As if I'm not fast enough!"

***

The pegasi and the medics were also awed by the tunnels. Nopony had seen anything quite like it, and the fact that the makers were simple Diamond Dogs did not help. Within a minute the ponies reached the group. While the medics tended to the prisoners, Delta moved deeper and the pegasi started pushing the captured gems towards the exit. Once outside, they started filling their bags.

"Come on! They're counting on us to bring these gems back. Flitter, Cloudchaser, get the big gems! Derpy... that's Tom."

"What?" Derpy asked, confused.

"The rock Rarity thought was a diamond."

"Oh. Okay!"

***

"Command this is Beta! We ran into a large group of guards! Looks like they were expecting us!"

"Roger. All teams be on guard. The enemy knows you're here.

Delta walked further into the depth. When they turned around a corner, there were no words that could describe the pile of gems that stood in from of them. At three stories high, the smallest candle flame could've caused the whole pile to shine bright enough that it could blind any who were unlucky enough to be watching it. Countless gems of all sizes and shapes were piled into the center of a huge cavern. Roughly a dozen guards marched around the pile.

They peeked past the corner. "Command this is Delta."

"Go ahead Delta."

"Jackpot. We found the motherload."

"Good. Just deeper in the tunnel?"

"Affirmative."

"Alpha and Beta are already at the front entrance of the main prison block. Take out any guards and move to the rear of the prison."

"Roger, will do."

"Alright, Lyra, you're with me on the right, Berry and Carrot with him on the left. Just keep throwing grenades okay? Nurse and Mac follow them. We good?" The whole team nodded, "Alright, let's go-"

"No wait!" Carrot stopped them. She pointed at the guards. Either they got the message that there were intruders or it was a shift change. More guards started coming in. No matter the cause, it was a good time to strike. Everypony got their grenades ready.

More continued entering until their numbers reached roughly three dozen. The ponies threw their flash bangs and the group closest had their eardrums blown. They quickly surrendered to a hail of bullets. The line of dogs that were shielded from the initial blast started running towards Delta with spears but the flashes and the sharp bangs from the next volley caused them to trip into each other. They died as quick as the first. By the time their bodies had hit the floor, the rest of the dogs panicked and started to retreat back through the entrance all at once. Most joined their fellow soldiers on the floor and Delta finally made it to the main prison.

***

The first thing Delta saw when they walked out of the tunnel was how big and deep the mining pit was. About the same size as a football field and about four stories deep with a walkway overlooking the pit, countless holes could be seen where the gems were extracted. In the pit itself, numerous Diamond Dogs were readying to fight while their officers yelled orders. Hallways leading to the cells could be seen on all sides on the bottom floor.

"Command this is Delta, we've made it to the prison cells."

"Roger, do you see Alpha and Beta?"

The Ranger lifted up his binoculars and scanned the opposite side. When a flash of light appeared, he could make out a bipedal form and numerous quadruped forms.

"We see them."

"All teams are in position. Spread out your flash ponies and get ready to throw."

"Lyra, Berry, Carrot, spread out and get one ready!"

"Got it!"

"On my mark...Ready...Go!"

At once, the air filled with flash bangs, and for a moment there was nothing but the sound of grenades clinking on the floor. The dogs only had time to look before they exploded, blinding their sensitive cave eyes and letting them hear a high pitched tone. But lucky for them, it didn't last long. What happened in the pit was no less than a simple massacre. Time slowed as the six rangers fired and the dogs fell to the bullets by the dozen. The ponies froze up. They had seen death, but not on this level.

"Poor bastards didn't have a chance..."

The air cleared and the last of the dogs stopped moving.

"All right. Find a way down. Look around for stairs or something. Guys? Hey!" the Ranger waved his hand in front of the shocked ponies, "You still there?"

Carrot closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm...okay."

"Good."

"Hey! There's stairs on the side. Get ready to find some keys or kick open the cells."

***

A loud snap made everyone jump. The Ranger held up a broken key with an unamused face. The shaft had snapped off inside the keyhole, leaving the both the lock and the key useless.

“Mac, do it.”

The stallion nodded. He turned around while the ponies in the cell backed off. One heavy buck was all that was needed before the rusty lock succumbed. The Ranger raised a sledgehammer to completely remove the mechanism. With a clatter that echoed throughout the entire cell block, the cell door was free to open. Volunteer ponies helped their liberated friends out onto the surface where they would be airlifted by Chinook.

***

"Blades in motion."

Chinook number eight was finally on its way towards the mine. It was loaded with workers and would return with prisoners. Tom reached for his radio, "Alpha, how many more ponies need to be delivered over here?"

"Uh... No more than five loads. Four if we squeeze, but I think they had enough of that down there."

"Good. Any word from Delta?"

"Nothing. Should I call them?"

"Just make sure they're alive."

"Will do."

In the distance, another Chinook could be seen arriving with prisoners. The volunteers had taken advantage of this spare time to make accommodations for the new arrivals. Shelters, food, and water were plentiful that day. At the landing pad, Pinkie could be seen with a grin and a banner that read-

WELCOME TO CAMP
Enjoy your stay!

As the ponies stepped out they simply stood there and enjoyed the sunlight, a luxury they had been denied for too long. Some blinked, their eyes not used to this brightness. Eventually the smell of actual food reached their nostrils and not being able to resist, the food table was soon overcrowded.

***

"Delta, this is Alpha, you still alive down there?"

"Delta here. We're alive. What, did you miss us already?"

"Nah. Just needed to make sure you're still with us."

The Rangers from Beta had joined them while their ponies helped with the moving of prisoners. The mixed squad was moving down further into the mines. These areas had been carved out decades before and had fallen into disuse until the captured ponies arrived, in fact the tunnels here hadn't been carved smooth keeping the cave like appearance of the original Diamond Dog holes.

"What do you thinks down here?"

"Dangerous prisoners? I dunno. Why ask me?"

"Just tryin' to stay alive from boredom."

Old rusting riveted steel doors stood on the sides. All of them were unlocked, but took quite some strength to open due to all the rust. With the help of Big Mac who bucked the doors open, the rooms behind them were found to be empty, but what got everyone's attention was that the door at the end of the hallway was locked and not simply closed.

"Bah! Anyone find some keys?"

They all looked around only to see metal and stone. Carrot opened up an unlocked door to find what looked like a storage room. It was mostly empty, save for a few rusty buckets and shelves but what caught her eyes was the ring of keys hanging from a pin. "Ere we goh." she said with the keys in her mouth.

"Nice. Okay here we go hang tight."

The key fit in with minimal grinding, and with a click and a thunk, the lock yielded. The Rangers readied their rifles, and the ponies pulled the pins from their flash bangs. All braced for whatever monstrosity the dogs had locked away in such a depth. The door opened with a soul shuddering squeal.

The only thing in the cell was a frightened, shivering griffon. Feathers lined the floor and patches of new ones were visible on her, only a mere idea of what she had to endure during her time here. She was in the corner covering her eyes, waiting for whatever hell the dogs decided to bring. When a whole ten seconds passed the griffon, now confused, looked up. They all stared, not expecting each other. One of the Rangers shook himself out of his stupor.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

***

"No more supplies from this source."

The operation was finally over. All the gems except this one final load had arrived at base. The Rangers were hard at work setting the explosives while the pilot was in his Chinook bored out of his mind. Salvation came in the form of the Rangers coming out of the tunnels carrying what looked like a ball of feathers.

"Pilot let’s go!"

As they all got on, the Pilot started the helicopter and a Ranger got readied a remote detonator.

"Hey, where did we get explosives again?"

"I think they're from Burton's locker."

"Man, he's gonna be pissed."

Once the helicopter flew a safe distance away, the Ranger pushed the red button, and detonator was set off. The whole mine seemed to implode as the explosives went off. Plumes of dust multiple stories high blew into the air as what was once an impressive mine transformed into a giant hole.

The final Chinook returned to base, just in time for the sunset.

***

With a flash, a scroll appeared before Luna. For the past few days, she had been writing letters to Ironside, mostly about to the "reinforcements" he gave them. She opened the scroll.

"What is a... Pizza?"

"It's a flat bread based food with various toppings...Why?" Tom replied.

"The General's reply mentions Pizzas and I do not know what to make of it." the lunar princess said as she passed Ironside's reply to Tom.

Dear Princess,

I'd like to order a pizza, Pepper Jack cheese, half sausage, quarter pineapple, quarter more cheese. I'd also like to order several incompetent generals to yell at and beat. And if you could get it all by Friday it would be very nice.

"Princess, I think it’s clear that he thinks it’s all a joke." Tom said with a shrug, "Did you tell him that you were ponies?"

"Not directly, but do I think he picked it up by the eighth letter."

"Sorry, but now we can't convince him that we really do need help. Once that guy believes something, he's not going to let go."

Luna sighed, "Well, it would have been good to be backed by a full army. Was the raid productive though?"

"We have enough for a small army, but still an army. Enough for a base too."

She stood up and started pacing, "And what of the ponies here? It will be winter in the upcoming weeks. It is already getting cold and one of our pegasus scouts reported seeing snow to the north..."

"We can get shelters up with the base in the Appleloosan plains. At least until we can get a hold of one of the major cities. Canterlot is our priority and it's not too far, but the towns to the north still have ponies... How does Canterlot hold the majority of the population anyways?"

"The mountain Canterlot is built on is actually hollow. It is not the best place to live in, but it works in emergencies."

"That must be one hell of a mountain."

"Yes..." Luna sipped her tea, "Oh, has the griffon spoken yet?"

Tom shook his head, "Nope, I have Rainbow and Fluttershy talking to her."

Luna seemed puzzled, "I would understand Fluttershy, but why Rainbow Dash?"

"Apparently she had a friend that was a griffon. She thought it would help."

There was silence as the two thought of the future.

"So is there any chance that the war will end next week?"

"Not a chance in hell."

Freezing Fire

With enough funds to start a base, and the rescue of roughly three dozen prisoners, the operation was considered a success. Cider and music flowed that night as they all celebrated a small victory around a bonfire. While most of the ponies were in a large clearing designated the center of the camp, two pegasi were with a certain griffon in the Barracks.

***

"So. Are you going to talk? Or am I gonna make you?"

"Um, Rainbow Dash...? We aren't really-"

"Come on! What's the plan? Huh? Why are you here?"

The first minute was torture for the griffon. Rainbow Dash had somehow missed the note that said that the griffon was a former prisoner and was not to be yelled at. After a show of intimidation, the pegasus' target was left shaking under a blanket and any chance of her talking dropped pretty much to near zero. The griffon's face showed fear. Pure undiluted fear. But if one looked at her closer, there was also a hint of, of all things, nostalgia. Rainbow had disappeared shortly after while her friend took the more gentle approach.

Fluttershy shuffled around, hoping the griffon wouldn't explode from the rather rough methods used. Gilda would've gone ballistic long ago, but she mentally hit herself to remember that this was not Rainbow Dash's old friend. Still, the resemblance was there...

"So, um..." Fluttershy looked around for something, something that would help the feathered creature speak, even for a little bit. She spotted a cupcake that Pinkie had left on one of the chests that lined the wall. With a grin, and a hint of desperation, she held out the rainbow sprinkled creation.

The griffon stared at the colorful baked cake. Unknown to the pony, the former prisoner was being overloaded. After living in the equivalent of hell, everything from the wool blanket to the cupcake where she could smell the pure diabetes was too much to handle. She reached out and experimentally took a miniscule bite, no more than a few sprinkles and a bit of icing. The second it touched her tongue, a nuclear sugar bomb went off in her mouth and she started to violently gag on the intense sweetness. The tasteless gruel she lived on in the mines just did not compare.

Fluttershy quickly backed off, memories brought back up of that fateful day Gilda decided to visit her old friend. However years of experience working with animals soon took over, noticing that she was less pissed off bear and more rabbit trying new food (With Angel, she had a lot of practice in that field.)

"I'm sorry, was it too much?" More coughing, "Too sweet?" This time the griffon nodded. Fluttershy walked over to the fridge two bunks away. Walking back with a glass of water on her head, the griffon immediately gulped down the water to clear the taste.

"Was that nice?" Fluttershy asked as she put away the cup.

"...Ye... yeah..." A voice cracked from behind her.

The pegasus gasped, not expecting her to talk so soon.

"Thanks for the... water." The griffon stuttered. Still a bit scared for her life, she was under the blankets but was starting to ease up. They were both silent as each of them tried to figure out what to say next. Fluttershy broke the silence.

"Um... what's your name?"

"It's..." the griffon trailed off, trying to remember something as simple as her own name. But within a short while, memories soon rushed back to her. "My name is Grizelda."

***

After the after party, the ponies retreated to their designated sleeping areas in one of the three buildings, while the hardier ponies slept outside in the somewhat bitter cold. Tom was hooking up his dozer to a Chinook, ready to leave whenever while the Rangers and the Chinook pilots had been ordered to salvage what they could from the wrecks. A few Quad Cannons and Dragon Tanks were the only vehicles found that could be easily fixed at the future War Factory. Curiously, several disabled Sentry Drones were also found, most likely set to guard the area around the base against stealth units, then abandoned and forgotten after the attack.

***

Twilight was quietly reading one of the many manuals that she found in the cabinet. She was in the sorting section of the Supply Center, currently resting under a conveyor belt. Fluttershy had fallen asleep in the sleeping quarters next to Grizelda. Pinkie had disappeared, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity were curled up in cardboard boxes while Applejack was sleeping outside with her family.

Twilight watched as the lunar princess tossed and turned, trying to sleep.

"Can't sleep princess?" She whispered.

Luna sighed and looked from under her blanket, "Nay... I can usually sleep very easily, but this night..."

The unicorn closed her book, "What's wrong? Is there anything I can do?"

"I worry for the ponies outside. It is getting colder faster that I anticipated. Without the pegasi, the weather is slowly coming in from the north."

"Princess... ah.. Sorry, but I don't understand. I thought the pegasi only controlled weather, not resisted it."

Luna looked around the room to see if anypony was awake. After seeing that nopony was, she closed her eyes and whispered, "What I am about to tell you is somewhat of a secret. So I would appreciate it if you did not mention to anypony."

Twilight nodded, bringing her head low to hear the princess better.

The princess whispered, "Without the efforts of the weather pegasi and my dearest sister, the whole of Equestria and the surrounding lands would be frozen solid."

At this, the unicorn's eyes grew wide. Twilight was silent.

Luna continued, "Clouds thick enough to block the sun slowly drift in from the north. The cold air comes first, then it gets colder when the sun is blocked. The pegasi take these clouds to Cloudsdale, where the necessary facilities process them into more manageable forms. Remember the story from Hearth's Warming Eve? The three tribes resided north of here, and they got together in an uneasy peace..."

"Until a blizzard came..."

"But here is where the story changed over the years. You see, pegasi are naturally somewhat lazy, and once they decided to ask for payment in advance without moving the clouds, the food shortage began, and they moved south towards more forgiving lands."

"So the pegasi were the ones who... well... started everything. But wait! What about the Windigos?"

"The Windigos actually do not exist, rather they represented the cold, and after the skies were cleared, the sun raised, the crops tended, they prospered. But yes, Equestria did form because of the failure of the pegasi and peace has been maintained since, but if this became publicly known... We do not need anything else to disrupt the harmony."

Twilight crossed her heart and stuffed an imaginary cupcake in her eye, "Your secret is safe with me princess."

"Thank you Twilight Sparkle. But it still worries me..." Luna said as she slid under her blanket again.

"Princess, would it reassure you if I went along to help with the new base? I mean Applejack is the only one going because we're going to be really close to Appleloosa. The others are busy taking care of the ponies, and after Rainbow Dash threatened her with jumper cables, Fluttershy's the only one the griffon-I-I mean Grizelda will talk to. I mean, I know Rainbow didn't know that she wasn't our prisoner, but I hope she can forgive us." She paused and shook her head, "Anyways when I think about it, I'm the only one who doesn't have an actual job. I could send you regular updates on how we're doing."

Luna nodded, "Then go. The reports are not necessary, but tell me when the shelters are ready."

"Should I go tell Tom now?" Twilight asked.

"No, wait til morning."

"Alright then. Good night princess." she opened another book, this time on the supersonic Aurora bombers.

"Good night Twilight Sparkle."

***

As the transport helicopters got ready to leave, many ponies came to see them off and to take a peek at their cargo. While the ponies hugged one last time, promises were made with friends and family. The Chinooks whirred as their engines started up, and the massive rotors started spinning.

Applejack turned to her sister and her friends, "Now you three stay out of trouble ya hear?"

"Ah promise sis!" Applebloom said as she hugged her older sister. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle said similar words while Twilight was being taught a spell by Luna not unlike the enchanted fire Spike was able to create.

Tom walked out of a Chinook while shielding his eyes from the dust that was being blown around by the rotors, "Applejack! Twilight! Ready to go!?"

"WAIT!" Out of nowhere, a pink blur shot out with a trays of cupcakes decorated to look like the camouflage on the Ranger's armor.

What happened next, no one knew. Tom picked up, "Cupcakes," "Extract sugar," "Party"... Pinkie was going off like a machine gun and one of the pilots wondered if she could be weaponized, not knowing that it had already happened.

"And that's how Equestria was made!" By the time she finished, she had put on a hat not unlike Trixie's. (Unbeknownst to her that it actually was Trixie's. She was currently holding the entire Blu Team hostage due to the fact that they had stolen her hat in the past.) Pinkie removed the blue headgear and reached in as if she would pull out a rabbit. Visibly, she used no more strength that one would use to pull out a medium sized book. What came with her was a DJ (you know who) complete with equipment. The music started and the mood lifted.

They all shrugged, having gotten used to her antics. The pilots turned off the Chinooks and the Rangers got out to grab one of the sweets before they were taken... "Heavenly" was the only thing close to describing the intense flavor. Moist and delicious cupcakes~

***

Tom walked back towards his designated chopper when a voice called for him to stop. He turned around to see the princess of the night running towards him.

"Tom... I... well..." She said as she took deep breaths from running, "Thank you."

He stopped for a moment, but then remembered the promise between them.

Tom nodded, "So rescuing ponies was an accomplishment?"

Luna let out a short laugh, "Yes. Yes it is."

They exchanged no more words, only nodding in acknowledgment.

With the going-away party over, they climbed on and sat in the seats where they could all see each other through the open door. As the helicopter slowly took off from the camp, all of the ponies waved. The other transports soon followed and the convoy was off.

Grizelda watched as the massive whirling machines took off. Stared would've been more appropriate as she had never imagined that a... a... thing of that size would've ever left the ground. They flew away and after a few minutes, were no more than dots on the horizon. If this is what they were like on a budget, her comrades were screwed.

***

A while into the flight, and all on board were settled in. By now the helicopters crossed over in the plains, and smooth terrain could be seen for miles around only interrupted by plateaus and tumbleweed. Twilight and Tom were discussing base plans while Applejack was staring at a Ranger who was eating a not-so-vegan ration.

He was chewing on a brown lump that came out of a similarly colored bag. Her head told her to keep quiet about human diet, but her mouth betrayed her. "Is that..." she gulped, "meat?"

The Ranger picked up and read the packaging. Something about beef, corn syrup, salt, and a plethora of ingredients he nor others could understand.

"I hope so." He answered while chewing on a particularly tough piece.

"How can ya hope it's meat?" Applejack asked, "Isn't it... Ah dunno... supposed to be meat?

The Ranger smirked, "Best said by Dr. Thrax - Oh, what do you have against toxins eh? Have you seen what they put in food these days? Ugh."

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?"

After laughing hard and choking on a bite of the mystery meat, he explained the concept of processed food. Halfway through, Applejack was ready to buck open the door to empty her stomach. As they continued to "discuss" food, another human pony pair not far off were talking about base building.

Twilight continued to read the manual she had borrowed from the Barracks, "So we need to build several "Tech" buildings before we can have a complete base or build select units?"

Tom nodded, "That's how it's done."

"That's pretty confusing." she closed her eyes in thought, then raised her head, "Can we cheat with buildings from different factions?"

"What do you mean?" Tom sat up.

"Well, say I wanted to make a..." she looked at the various plans strewn around her, "...an Arms Dealer. We already have a Supply Center, so could I use an American building to make a GLA one?"

Tom was silent. Because really, what's the difference between a Nuclear Reactor and Cold Fusion Reactor?

"I... I dunno. I'll have to try it out." Tom laid down, "Or maybe not."

"Why?"

"We're on a freaking budget. At least until we get the Supply Drop Zones set up..."

Twilight quickly read the description on the Drop Zones. Massive power drain... support supplies... C-130... Wait what? She read it again until one phrase caught her attention.

...extra supplies flown in from other bases...

"Tom, I don't think the Drop Zone will work."

He shot up, "What."

Holding, rather levitating, the description up she explained, "Supply Drop Zones allow... skip that... skip that... here we go! ...Where supplies are flown in from outside bases." Twilight looked at Tom to see if he had understood. He had not, "If we built Drop Zones, there wouldn't be any money coming in because there aren't any other bases!"

Tom held his head in his hands and groaned, "How many innocent virgin pony souls would I collect for some Oil Derricks..."

***

The Rangers were arguing Scrabble words. Applejack bailed out of the conversation when one of the men spewed out a long word that she would probably never use nor hear again in her simple lifestyle. Twilight had joined out of pure boredom.

"Hey mom!" A Ranger called out to Tom. Not knowing he was being called he kept staring out the window.

The soldier grabbed an empty MRE box and threw it towards the dozer driver. It bounced off of his head with an empty *Thunk* and his attention turned to the Ranger.

"Whaaaat?" Tom groaned.

"Is limo as in limousine a word? Miss purple pony here-"

"It's LAVENDER!" Twilight said, irritated at the blatant misuse of color.

"Yeah whatever. Anyways, she says it's only a shortened version similar to slang words."

Tom sighed, "Yes. It's a word."

"But-But-But-But..." Twilight sputtered.

"It's a word because I said it was." He laid back down, only to remember what the Ranger had called him. "Ranger!"

The soldier stopped proclaiming victory long enough to answer, "Yeah?"

"Why the hell did you call me mom?"

He answered with a grin, "You kept us updated and called us a lot. So... Mom."

"The whole base better not be calling me that."

Chuckles went around as the Rangers resumed their discussion of word based board games. One of the men, deciding to be a bit snarky, interrupted the peace.

"And in a twisted sort of way, you kind of created us."

***

The rest of the flight passed with relative silence... Just kidding. The Rangers got bored and took potshots through the open door at anything they saw. It was a relief to all when the pilot announced that they were nearing their destination.

"Good afternoon ponies and gentlemen, we have arrived at our destination, middle of nowhere. The time here is I have no idea, and the temperature is hot as hell. Please check under the seat in front of you and in the overhead bins for luggage. All mobile phones and electronic devices are to be turned off until the chopper has come to a complete stop. Thank you for flying with F--K Yeah Airlines. Don't forget to write!"

The Chinooks blew up a cloud of dust as the transports touched down onto the unending smooth surface of the plains. Appaloosa was to the east, in the more uneven land dotted with mountains. As the Rangers got to work to unload the cargo, Tom and Twilight continued to talk.

"So Drop Zones are no good. What others are there?" She asked as various papers floated around the unicorn.

"Well, we could build Black Markets..."

Twilight suddenly stopped as she imagined a trio of heavily armed fillies for hire calling out-

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MERCENARIES!"

"Twilight?" Tom waved a hand in front of her. She shook her head to clear the rather frightening image.

"No. For the love of all that is good, no Black Markets."

"Fine. Hackers it is then." He looked around, the land here was only step one. He stopped when he remembered the most important thing.

They needed a name for this base!

Situation at Sunrise

A Sentry Drone whirred and beeped as it rolled across the sand west of the base. The night sky was clear as ever and the stars shone like diamonds, but the robot wasn't interested in trivial things like that. No, it had more important things to do.

As it drove over a dune, its thermal cameras detected a number of heat sources. While it had detected a few before, they were no more than a snake or two. These ones were massive, bigger than their own tanks, yet they were faint, only slightly warmer than the surrounding area. The drone took a picture. Now this was important.

***

A griffon stood at his post near a warehouse in Stalliongrad. The whole city had been occupied by the invaders, and ponies from the nearby towns had been moved in as well. The only way out of the city was by train, checkpoints, or coffins. All heavily guarded. Air patrols flew as fellow griffons were ordered to kill or capture anything that passed the borders.

He looked at the clock tower. It was noon, yet the clouds blocked the sun like a gigantic curtain. In fact the whole sky dimly glowed gray. It had been snowing for the last few days and this short respite was quickly ended with a flurry of more snow. All he had on was a thin cloak to cover his similarly thin feathers.

A fellow griffon brought out a mug of hot... something. It wasn't chocolate, nor was it coffee, but it was warm and that was all he cared about.

As he sipped the mystery drink, an ash grey mare walked in front of him. She, unlike the griffon, was fully clothed and prepared for the cold weather. Most civilians who lived this north had wardrobes full of winter clothes, something that the front line grunts weren't supplied with. She stood in front of an empty store where the bread lines would begin. More ponies began to show up as the griffon looked on.

***

"But didn't you see her...? I-I don't know if she's ever going to be okay near me..."

Pinkie smile and said cheerfully, "Silly Dashie! Grizzy doesn't hate you! So just go in there and apologize!"

Rainbow shook her head, "Pinkie, Grizzy-See now you've got me saying it! She doesn't hate me. She's scared of me. There's... a big difference."

"Now darling, I know you were a little... Ah... Um... forward with our guest, but I'm sure if you apologize she might give you a chance." Rarity said. Rainbow was silent.

"Weeeeeell?" Pinkie asked, leaning forwards.

"Fine... I'll go."

"Wee! Let's go!" Rarity stopped the hyperactive pony.

"Now remember you two, she's been through a lot, we need to be quiet. Is that understood?" Rarity said, looking more at Pinkie who gave her a cheerful answer.

"Yup!"

***

Fluttershy and Grizelda were having their daily talk to help loosen up and comfort the latter. It had been a frustrating experience even for the pegasus blessed with infinite patience, enough to scream and kick something Fluttershy style. But things were looking up when the griffon finally started talking in multiple word sentences and joining the discussion.

"I know Rainbow Dash scared you but isn't there any chance that you could-"

"No." Grizelda cut her off," Just... No."

"If she apologizes...?"

Grizelda was silent. While these ponies, save one, had shown her more hospitality that she had ever been back home, her mind kept telling her that she was going to be asked... questions. The rainbow maned pegasus was the one seemed to do so. Was Fluttershy the "good cop" or was she genuinely sorry? Those questions would soon be answered as the door to the sleeping quarters slowly opened.

Pinkie shot out the second the door was wide enough to let her through. She went up to the griffon's face and whispered loudly.

"Hi Grizelda! Are you feeling better?" She shrunk back under her blanket, "No? Okay!" Pinkie briefly paused, "How about now? Now-"

"Pinkie!" Rarity interrupted, she turned to the now hiding griffon, "Apologies about the uncalled for behavior. We-"

The pink mare gasped, and actually whispered, "I'm sooooo sorry!"

Rarity huffed at being interrupted, "Well yes. Anyways I believe one of us has to say the same." she said glancing at the rainbow maned pegasus.

Grizelda followed her gaze towards the pegasus she just noticed. As she shrunk deeper into the bed, Rainbow Dash was immediately discouraged.

"I-I'm..." she didn't know what to say, it's not like she'd ever been in this sort of situation before, the pegasus sighed, "...Sorry."

She looked at the griffon, hoping that her meager apology would help.

It didn't. Grizelda stayed under, and Rainbow lost hope.

"I'm just... gonna go." She slowly made her way outside and sat on a random log around a campfire.

The remaining ponies watched as one of their own slowly left. Rarity broke the rather depressing silence that followed.

"I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive her, but none of us will blame you if you don't." she sighed softly, and looked toward the door, "She's gone now."

Grizelda stopped quivering at this, but still stayed under. The ponies took this as a message that this was the end of their little visit. Nodding to Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie tiptoed out of the sleeping quarters.

***

As Rainbow sat, the only thing she could think about was... her. How they had met, how they lived their lives, how they separated before moving to Ponyville. She was long gone now, but the griffon currently sleeping in the Barracks was like Gilda in those few moments where she was just calm, not pissed about anything, or complaining about the losers dirtying up the nearby vicinity. But the similarities didn't stop there, for unlike ponies who are pretty much color coded and image-stamped, griffons only differ slightly in body shape and coloration. To Rainbow Dash, this griffon was a smaller Gilda. From the purple around her eyes to the subtle attitude changes only she could know about.

Just who was this griffon anyways?

***

Princess Celestia sat in one of the many safe rooms littered throughout the mountain fortress. Maintaining the shield for such a long period, although she was an all powerful being, had taken its toll on her. Relief came in the form of the captain and his loving wife who knew the princess of the sun already had a migraine and needed no more conversations. With only a nod they each took their place and for the slightest moment, the shield flickered as the source of power changed. Celestia walked to her personal quarters, guards at her flanks. The moment her head hit the pillows, she was asleep, not bothering to take off anything.

She rested enough to gather her senses and called for her sister in dreamland. Only a few moments passed before Luna answered.

"Good evening sister!"

"Luna!"

"I missed you!"

"Me too Luna, me too."

"Shall we get down to business?"

"Oh, sister, always so formal. But yes, down to business."

"The raid was productive enough, few dozen ponies rescued, and a new base is under construction. Step one is complete."

"What now?"

"We liberate Stalliongrad to free the ponies kept within, Cloudsdale to restart the weather facilities, the surrounding cities to cut off their supplies, then finally Canterlot to defeat the main body of the invaders. At least, that's the plan."

"How long should this take?"

"We do not know for sure. Tom estimates that under ideal circumstances with a full force, three months. Should everything go bad... two years."

"We are supplied for five if need be. But cabin fever has already begun to show in some ponies, and there has already been two coup attempts."

"Already?!"

"Yes. It may get worse, but I'll try my hardest to keep them calm."

"...Did you tell them of our "Help" we received?"

"No, not yet. I'm still debating on how to announce it to them. Only the council and a few other select ponies know, but the civilians don't know yet. "

"It might be a good idea to. It seems you are in need of morale. What would they think when mythological creatures riding war machines suddenly appeared on the horizon? And if you keep this from them, there might be an actual coup."

"I'll think of something. Til then-"

"Hold on. Somepony is trying to wake me. Shall we continue this tomorrow night?"

"Yes, best of luck sister."

"You too".

Luna woke from her sleep with one of her guards shaking her shoulder. Yawning, she opened her eyes and stretched her muscles. Through the material of the tent, she could see that the sun was starting to rise.

"Your Highness, one of the humans wishes to speak to you. He mentioned it was extremely important."

She nodded, "Send him in."

The Ranger's boots thudded as he walked inside the roomy interior. Luna stood up, even then only coming up to his shoulder. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just run a marathon.

"What is it?"

He took a few more breaths, then answered her, "Bad news princess. They know we're here."

"What?"

"Griffon scouts tried to fly above us using cloud cover. One of the weather pegasi spotted them. We're already training more men and I've already called the Appleoosan base. They're sending-"

"Sir!" another Ranger interrupted from behind.

"What?"

"Recon teams discovered a mass of griffons and dogs. They're planning to move in."

The room was silent as this last bit of information was processed.

"Princess you heard him, wake the ponies up and get em' ready to move!"

Luna nodded and walked outside with her guards following. The Royal Canterlot Voice soon woke up the sleeping ponies. The two Rangers ran back where the rest of the soldiers were being roused.

The camp soon erupted into chaos as ponies quickly packed up whatever they could bring and the Rangers dragged logs and shoveled dirt into whatever cover they could make.

Hopefully, there would be no dragons.

***

Twilight concentrated as the corrugated half circle shelter began to take shape. When she opened her eyes, it was complete but still empty. The Rangers behind her soon remedied that with bunks taken from the storage room of the Barracks. The night would end soon, so they choose to work before the sun came up and scorched the desert. She looked to her left. This wasn't the first, nor would it be the last. As she moved on to the next shelter, another Ranger got her attention from behind her.

She turned, "Yes?"

"Do you know where the General is?"

Twilight was confused. What general? She reached around in her mind to think of what he was talking about. Then it hit her.

"Do you mean Tom?"

"Yeah, him."

She pointed to a large tent in the center of the camp, currently their makeshift command center.

"Thanks much!" He said as he ran off towards the nerve center of their little base.

Twilight got back to making shelters. General Tom. That made her chuckle a little. She guessed it made sense.

***

"General!" The Ranger called. After being ignored he called again.

The soldier to the left of Tom tapped his shoulder, "Sir, I think he's calling you."

The dozer driver sighed, first mom, then sir, the general? Pick a name already... Tom swallowed his words and answered.

"What?"

The messenger brought out and opened a laptop, "One of our Sentry Drones took this picture last night. Its thermal signature is similar to a nuclear powered Overlord tank, roughly double the size. And this," He changed the picture, "was taken just two hours ago. It looks like they're moving in this general direction."

Tom silently cursed under his breath, "Damn. Get the Recon 1 team together, there's a Humvee ready. We need to know for sure." The Ranger nodded, "And take Twilight with you! She might be able to help!"

Once he was out of sight, Tom turned back to the image still displayed. He sighed, knowing that this was going to be their first large scale battle. The radio blared, interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir can you hear me? It's Delta back at the camp."

"I can hear you just fine. What's going on?"

"The enemy knows we're here. We discovered scouts flying above us."

Tom cursed even more, "Stay on guard. Train soldiers and set up positions. Once you have enough trained, go to the giant touchscreen inside each of the buildings and press the green $ button to sell em'. Hold your ground until the Chinooks arrive. Civvies first, then get on the last one while Quad Cannons provide cover."

"Will do."

Tom sighed and fiddled with one of the knobs on the radio until Recon 1 could be heard.

"Recon 1, do you copy?"

"This is Recon 1. We're just about to move out."

"Is Twilight with you?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. I need to talk to her."

After a shuffling as the radio was passed around, another voice, this time more feminine, spoke.

"Hello?"

"Hey Twilight."

"This is one of those 'radio' electronics right?"

"Yup."

Tom could hear giggling through the communication device.

"This is so fascinating! Imagine all of the-

"Sorry to cut you off, but I think you should know about this." He interrupted, "The camp has been discovered. We're beginning evacuations immediately."

"But... the shelters aren't done!"

"Better sandy than sliced."

"That's a pretty gruesome way of saying it."

"Well we're sending Chinooks and Quad Cannons, they're packing up over there. Just thought you should know. Anyways, the reason you're on a Humvee right now is that we're detecting heat signatures towards the west. Very big, hot, and coming our way. Any idea on what our mysterious objects might be?"

"...Dragons are the only things that come to mind."

"That's what I thought so too. Anyways, that's your job. To confirm."

"Got it."

"Good. I have to get going. CENTCOM, out."

"Bye."

***

As it turned out, yes. We could "cheat" with buildings as never had plans from multiple factions been possessed by one builder. With a Propaganda Center built, Hackers were being trained to "collect" funds. Fortunately the internet did exist, unfortunately the connection was unbelievably slow, resulting in a slowed income.

The Hacker sat in a shelter with five other fellow computer "enthusiasts." He yawned as his home page was finally loaded on the somewhat shaky connection. Then again, it was surprising that there was internet at all. He tapped a few keys to find out what this world had to offer.

Equine United

Pegasus Internal Mail Providers

Sweet Apple Acres

Unicorn Sapphire Synthesis Regulators

Griffon Landowner's Association

Choosing one at random, he cracked his knuckles and decided to start easy with a scam letter. Couldn't be too obvious, but then again ponies don't use the internet.

Greetings my good friend,

I am a Neighgerian prince, rightful heir to the throne, and I have a proposition for you...

***

"...And all Ah gotta do is send five thousand bits to this prince? Who in the hay would do that?" Applejack said as she read the letter that appeared in front of her. She was on her way to Appleoosa in a Humvee with two other Rangers. The vehicle rumbled as it blew up a plume of sand behind.

"Sounds like BS to me."

"Does it come with a sob story?"

Applejack reread the letter, "Yup. Comes with promises as shaky as a dead apple tree. Ooh, reminds' me. Hope cousin Braeburn's orchards are fine. They put too much work just to have it destroyed."

"They grow apples?"

"Yesiree! Our whole family grows the best apples in all of Equestria! "

"Whoo! Sounds like hard work!"

"Heh, yep. Everyday, just buckin' the apples off trees."

Their discussion continued as the Humvee made its way across the flat open desert. Towards the horizon, the silhouettes of the mountain peaks could be seen as the sun rose over Equestria. Appleoosa was just past those mountains now.

But the strangest event occurred, for behind the mountains a tower of smoke rose, blocking the sun. The team plus one pony didn't take this too well, and as they drove past the cover of the mountain, their fears were confirmed.

Appleoosa was burning.

Camp Crisis Part One

It was so very, very cold as he flew over the town. His chain mail only made it colder and weighed him down, and its effectiveness against the unknown enemies was... doubtful. Dead dogs were dug out with holes in their much heavier armor, something the griffons could never take into the air. There have been proposals to get rid of the armor entirely, but the higher ups would have none of that. Then again most of them were stuck up armchair generals who never got their claws unpolished...

Even though it only had been a few days since the attack on the mine, the rumors already circulated. Everything from ghost titans to ancient armies drawn from the depth of Tartarus were discussed over drinks. The seeds of fear that were being sown turned out to be a big enough problem that most officers tried their hardest to stop the whispers of an enemy so merciless and bloodthirsty. But as is the way with the majority, there were never enough officers.

The griffon next to him inched closer until they could communicate through whispers.

"Pony roller?" He asked. It was slang that originated during the initial invasion were the ponies were defeated without much trouble. He would've gotten his answer right away, but something in everyone's gut said otherwise.

"Let's hope."

"What do you thin-"

"Quiet!" the dragon captain in front of him growled. He was on the small side as dragons went, but was still bigger than the griffons, something that he knew and took advantage of immensely.

"Of course...sir..." The griffon spat as he flew back to his designated spot. As he flew over the town, he could see armored Diamond Dogs getting ready to move into the forest. These dogs wore much heavier armor than their guard counterparts who only needed to keep from getting kicked or bitten.

The captain made hand (Claw?) motions to rise above the clouds for cover. Below, dogs got ready in loose formations and began the march into the forest. As the terrain under him changed from quaint little town to overgrown forest, the griffon's mind wandered back to his days in basic training where a single phrase was hammered into him.

Fear is just as deadly as any weapon.

***

The camp was in chaos. Tents went down and were turned into packs where whatever meager belongings could be stored, those who had nothing simply opted to wear their tents as makeshift cloaks to keep warm. In less than half an hour, the camp had been dismantled and the only sign that this ever was a home to ponies were the pathways that had been beaten into the ground.

The Rangers and the new Missile Defenders were a short distance away, digging hastily made holes for whatever cover they could make. To say the soldiers were having a hard time would be a grave understatement. The Everfree Forest was one of the oldest in existence, and ancient trees dating back centuries still claimed this land as their home. Their roots were locked into place, unyielding to the hacking of the shovels. However, they were no match for modern weapons, somewhat resistant to the bullets, and completely yielding to the rockets.

An hour later, the positions were finished and they all braced for a fight. Nothing but silence filled the air. Not even the screeching of the airborne griffons, nor the growls of the dogs, and thankfully, no roars of the dragons. The ponies were similarly silent, their hearts beating and bodies shivering, due to more than the cold. A single crying foal was quickly silenced by his mother, and the Everfree returned to its tranquil state once more.

***

Fluttershy was tying a blanket around Grizelda who sat at the base of a tree, shivering from the cold. The human made buildings had been sold, leaving a large open area and some injured ponies out in the forest. The sky was grey with clouds, but thankfully it had stopped snowing in the early morning, leaving a light but still respectable amount of snow.

Once the griffon was deemed warm enough, the two resumed their sleep under a pine tree. Or at least, one of them did. Grizelda's mind was stuck on the bipedals. While Humans were fairly obscure in mythology, the minotaurs taught and learned about them almost to the point of worship. The griffins usually had no interest in stories, but their military intrigued them enough that they combined it and their own into a hybrid. It was as if-

Fluttershy unconsciously noticed her unease and shifted closer. Deciding that those thoughts would be best left for another day, Grizelda joined the pegasus in sleep. The Ranger next to them sighed as he cleaned his rifle. He didn't need to, not after disassembling it for the fourth time. Fellow soldiers stood ready with itchy trigger fingers for whatever assault would come. If it ever did.

"I know it's cliche, but really is too quiet."

"Yeah..."

It really was quiet. For hours the Rangers stood in their foxholes or on the many roots that weaved in and out of the ground like snakes. Hours of boredom later, and the crude holes had transformed into an elaborate trench system that connected everything.

It was a relief to all when the Chinooks could be heard in the distance, the ponies gathered their belongings, ready to fly to their next home. Many of the pegasi had already left, taking whatever they could to ease the load on the transports. The remaining ponies comforted each other, shivering in the snow. The medics lifted stretchers with the injured, ready to board the medical helicopter. Loose snow blew into the air as the helicopters touched down onto the clearing that was once the location of the Barracks. After the two transports lowered the newly repaired Quad Cannons, their engines rumbled back to life and they drove to specified clearings.

The only sounds that could be heard was the rumbling of the engines, the rustling of the branches, and the hooves hitting the metal floor. Then suddenly, a faint and muffled sound of rocks rolling and hitting one another could be heard. Everyone looked in confusion until a team of Rangers suddenly sank into the ground, the silence they had heard was finally explained.

"SAPPERS! THE DOGS ARE DIGGING UNDER!"

As the Rangers and the newly trained Missile Defenders all scrambled out of their holes, more teams were lost to the darkness below. Shots could be heard from inside the tunnels as the soldiers sprayed and prayed in panic. One Defender had a bright idea and jumped into the hole. A second and a blast later, the tunnel was down and blocked. Across the battlefield, similar events took place as Rangers killed dogs and missiles took down the tunnels.

Once the dust settled it was clear that about half of their force was underground. A Ranger was about to help out when a large spear the size of a small flagpole whistled as it flew out of the bushes...And straight through the human's leg. He yelled out in pain and stumbled into the hole with the Rangers that he was trying to help out.

"AGGGHHHMMMNNN! Leg! LEG!" He screamed in pain. One of the soldiers came to help.

"Cover me!" He yelled to the remaining two.

"Got it!"

***

The soldier stared, what was once a bush now was a bush that shot spears. The ground shook, and out of that bush came the biggest dog any of them had seen. It was easily a head taller than any of them, wearing a crude but thick armor on its chest and head, with its limbs protected by tough hide that could take a beating.

With his spear expended, he pulled out a thick bladed sword which he violently swung at the Ranger. The human started shooting at its helmet, where he hoped to hit one of the dog's eyes. The bullets pinged off of the armor, but a lucky bullet managed to hit the canine's chin, causing a sharp sting that distracted him for a moment. But a moment was all that was needed.

The Ranger ran, screamed at one of the Missile Defenders still above ground. "HIT HIM! HIT HIM! HIT HIM!"

The solder armed with the explosive rocket turned his head towards the source of the voice, seeing a Ranger running towards him...With a huge iron monster right behind. He pointed his launcher and took aim.

From dog to extra crispy in less than a second.

***

Back at camp, the final Chinook was ready to take off. The injured, the young, and the old were already on their way to the new base. The helicopters would be back to make a second trip back to pick up the rest of the ponies and the soldiers. A yellow pegasus and a shivering griffon walked into the waiting transport as the Ranger motioned for them to hurry.

Her head suddenly shot up as she heard three faint shrieks, the war cry of the griffons. Suddenly the whole area was bathed in golden sunlight as holes were opened in the clouds, and dozens of griffons dove towards the evacuating ponies. The Quad Cannons reacted, and the guns hammered as a reverse rain of lead flew towards the attackers. Most missed their targets as they were small, but an unlucky griffon got one large and powerful bullet straight to the chest, killing him instantly and making a hole big enough to reach through. He fell to the ground with a thud, and the rest of them panicked and broke formation.

The Chinook flew off, leaving the scene for more peaceful lands. The ponies who were left hunkered down under camouflage tarps, not wanting to be seen.

Among the mass of feathers and panic, a glint caught one Quad Cannon driver's eye. He shot in the general direction, not expecting much. But what he got was truly surprising, for what flew out was a dragon the size of a house. It roared as its highly polished ruby scales glinting along with his silver plate. He looked around in annoyance for the cause of the pinpricks. After hearing the roar, the rest of the anti air vehicles concentrated their fire on the easy target. While it was an easy target, and the bullets did go through, they did little damage.

Meanwhile the griffons caused havoc among the Rangers. The spears were easily dodged, and any who came near were shot, but the level of confusion was enough that some soldiers started to fall. The Quad Cannons backed closer until a circle was formed with the soldiers in the center and the Quads surrounding them.

The dragon flew towards the circle, ready to strafe with the signature attack of dragons. As he glided closer he opened his mouth to take in air. He let loose the stream of blue fire.

"INCOMING!"

A few Rangers and a Quad was caught in the inferno until a missile exploded inside of the dragon's mouth, stopping his attack. It stung, knocking out a tooth and blasting the skin inside his mouth off. His mind blurred from the pain and he pulled up. The Quads and Defenders kept firing at the officer in charge and little by little, they were gaining the upper hand. The dogs were kept at bay, there was little that the griffons could do except charge and hope, and the dragon officer shook his head to clear the haze.

The guns hammered, the rockets flew, the griffons screeched, and the dragon roared. But for now, they held firm.

Black Apples

Showtime.

As the solar princess walked onto the raised platform in front of the massive crowd, she let loose miniature suns to illuminate the spacious cave. Her heart tightened as the random chatting of ponies from all over quieted into a hush as they turned their attention onto the princess.

"My little ponies," she said in a raised voice that echoed through the cavern, "this morning, the camp in the Everfree Forest was attacked." A loud simultaneous gasp from the crowd only confirmed her predictions, already some ponies fell to their knees. Celestia continued, "But do not worry, the evacuation to the Appaloosan plains have already started. As of now, there have been no casualties, and the invaders are being held back."

An off-duty guard slowly raised his hoof, "But princess... that... that makes no sense! Most of the guards are defending the mountain here. How can such a small force be effective?"

There was silence as the ponies all looked towards the princess. Even the guards standing to her sides tried to take a glimpse of her reaction. To the surprise of all, she smiled.

"I never said it was a small force."

The crowd looked shocked. Immediately, questions began to bombard the alicorn. But one in particular-

Where had she found allies?

Princess Celestia raised a hoof to quieten the mass.

"I am sure that some of you have heard of an ancient species. One that did not rely on magic, rather they used technology. Technology that can, I admit, accomplish much more than just the power of ponies. I am talking about humans."

Another gasp echoed throughout the cavern. This time, some of excitement.

"I will take any questions now."

Again, hooves shot into the air and voices were drowned as they all tried to get her attention. Instead of picking on individuals, she listened for the question asked the most. Ah, here's one.

She calmed the crowd, "As to the question of when Canterlot will be relieved, while we currently have no estimate, it shouldn't take more than a year. Next question?"

More came in. Another one worth answering.

"The humans have been hired and brought from another dimension, where war is their sole existence. Do not be mistaken, they are reasonable unless provoked." she paused, "I will say again, they are not cold hearted mindless killers. If the situation was different, I'm sure that many of the humans would make very good friends."

More questions came her way. Celestia whispered to her assistant who stood to her left. She needed some coffee bad.

***

"Stop. Stopstopstopstopstop."

The Humvee slid on the loose sand and rocks littering the area.

"Back us up!"

The driver hit the lever and stomped on the pedal, sending the 1 1/2 ton vehicle flying backwards til it was in the cover of the mountain again. The humans and pony opened the doors and dismounted. Applejack slowly walked towards the home of her extended family.

"Holy...What the hell do we do now."

"Tell command. What else?" he turned to the pony, "Yo Applejack... You alright?"

The pony swayed, shocked at the sight, "Ah... Ah... don't... Braeb...," her brain registered the events that took place and she started to run, " ...Braeburn! BRAE-"

The Ranger caught her before the mare could run out of reach and held her mouth closed, "Shut up shut up shut up! They could still be around!"

While Applejack writhed in the Ranger's arms, he motioned for his partner to take a look at the burning town. Through the binoculars, he saw the town slowly disappearing with the flames eating at whatever they came across. What did disappear, were the inhabitants and the invaders. Not a single body lay dead in the streets but there were curious remains of thrown apple pies.

"Alright. Alright. Breathe. That's it. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Remember, we can't just go in guns blazing. I know you care about your family, but we need to take it slowly. You cool?"

"Ah... Ah don't..."

He patted her back, "Do you, wanna stay here? Cuz' you can stay here if-"

"NO! Ah-Ah mean..." she sighed," Let's go."

***

"WE LOST A QUAD! SEND MORE AA!" the Ranger screamed into his radio.

"I hear you Delta, reinforcements incoming." Tom switched to a different channel, "War Factory!"

Among the hammering and the buzzing of welders, a rough voice growled in response, "Yeh?"

"We need Avengers, how many can you put us up with?"

A short pause passed as the worker estimated with his fingers, "Ten, eleven tops. The Strategy Center took quite the chunk outta our wallets."

"Make four then send them to the Chinooks. Make it quick, I ordered well done chicken hours ago."

"Got it." The worker turned to an idle group looking for their next job, "Break's over, back to work!"

The team got out their tools and began cutting and welding in sync, one group handling the heavy metal while another dealt with the delicate electronics.

Tom chugged down a bottle of cranberry juice, a drink he had discovered a year previously. He was about to open another when the radio buzzed with the voice of a Ranger. Oh how he wished for good news.

But we all know that's not going to happen hm?

***

"Why here? Are they here for oil or something?"

"Doesn't look like it."

"Gold? Jewels?"

"Could be."

"...Apples?"

Applejack stomped the ground in frustration, "Well ah course not! They burnt the whole dang orchard down!"

"Yeah. I can see that." Indeed, the smell of burning apple trees released a calming and nostalgic scent of cooked apples and the charred smell of a campfire. If only this area wasn't a war zone.

The mare stopped and covered her face with her signature hat, "Sorry for the yellin'. It's just that-"

He held up his hand in an understanding manner, "It's alright. I know what's you're going through. And hey! I'm a grunt. I'm supposed to be yelled at!"

They all shared a short chuckle that ended suddenly as they walked through the ruined town. All was quiet save for the crackling of the flames still lit. Some of the buildings had completely burnt down into a pile of ashes, save for a few houses that had been spared the worst of the inferno. Pie tins littered the streets, the last struggle of a doomed population. The walk through the town ended quickly, the small outback settlement hadn't changed much from the last time the orange mare had visited.

To say the orchard to the east was a sorry sight would've been an understatement. Enough trees to rebuild the town ten times over had been reduced to charred remains and still glowing embers. Apples were scattered on the ground, their black husks crunching under hooves and boots. To Applejack, seeing the single reason she lived for destroyed and desecrated was too much. She ran past the smouldering trunks, desperately calling for her family.

"Appleblossom! Sheriff!? Cuz...?" Nothing. The world around her blurred, smoke clogging the usually pristine air into a smog thick enough that one could swim through. She started coughing, trying the take one breath to clear her lungs. Applejack took off her hat, trying to use it to filter out the dark soot and floating embers.

***

The Rangers slowly made their way through the darkened town. Around them, buildings continually surrendered to the flames, causing the humans to flinch every time a particularly large piece fell with a thump. They checked each intact building, discovering no more than the bare essentials a settler would use. Obviously utility came first in a self-sufficient town.

Large footprints the size of a couch were stamped into the ground. The lucky houses only got raided. The unlucky ones were no more than toothpicks and used matches. The pair swung their rifles as a barrel still dripping cider rolled from a half crushed bar. One of the Rangers slowly walked towards the open end and took a closer look while his partner kept an eye out.

"What do you think?"

He hissed and jerked his hand back, "I think it burnt my finger."

***

The world spun around Applejack as she tried to regain her sense of balance after hitting her head a bit too hard when she tripped. The mare looked around, searching for any sign of her family. Her heart stopped when she realized that the small town was out of sight, and the mountains behind the trees were unfamiliar. But that all took a back seat when a hollow tumbling came from before her.

A black figure creeped out from behind a pile of charcoal. The mare's head whipped towards the source of the sound. The dark wood was crunched into coal dust as the creature slowly walked towards the mare. She bent low into a fighting stance, ready to snap her rear legs forward to buck the enemy into next week.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, daring their opponent to make a move. Applejack unconsciously twitched. It was a small insignificant movement of her front left hoof, but its comrades off the the side took it as a sign of an attack.

Applejack winced as she was slammed into a tree, causing it to break with a loud crunch.

***

"That aint Applejack." the Ranger breathed to his partner as they hid behind a pile of wood. Down the street came two griffons with their feathers dyed black holding ornate spears decorated with intricate lines of highly polished gold and gems.

"No. Really?" the human sarcastically replied, "So, how do we get out of here?"

"We wait til they reach the intersection, if they go right, we sneak behind the buildings. If they go left, we shoot our way out."

"How did we not see them?"

"They were... ah... looting?"

The Ranger rolled his eyes, "I'll take it."

Just another dozen steps and the griffons would be at the crossroads.

Three steps.

Two.

One.

"Which way?" he whispered.

The Ranger sighed in frustration, "Left."

The pair readied their weapons and got ready to shoot when a scream sounded from behind the griffons. They too, turned around to look for the source.

Behind them, an orange mare ran from three more griffons dyed black. Applejack's ponytail flailed behind her, her hat forgotten in the panic.

"You take left, I take right. Good with that?" the Ranger asked.

"I'm good." his partner acknowledged.

Sharp cracks echoed through the mountain as lead flew into the griffons standing between the humans and their pony companion. They fell over with a thud and the farmer ran past them.

"APPLEJACK LET'S GO!" the soldier yelled as he motioned for the mare to run faster. One Ranger fired shots towards the flyers. After seeing what happened to their comrades, the sound alone was enough to keep their heads down.

No words were exchanged until the last door of the Humvee slammed shut.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's-"

"INCOMING!"

Three shrieks indicated the arrival of the griffon airborne, who now darkened the sky like the smoke from the town. The engine roared to life and the tires kicked up sand and gravel as the vehicle started its return trip.

"Command this is Recon 2, we are under attack by a large group of griffons. They came out of nowhere!"

"Roger Recon 2. If you can hold for just a little longer we can send reinforcements."

The vehicle swerved to avoid a suicidal griffon, "We'll do what we can!"

"Roger."

The trio were out in the open, steadily making their way back to safer lands. The driver cursed as the other hammered away on the machine gun. As spears pinged off of the armor, the gunner gave a silent prayer of gratitude for whoever decided to give the Humvee a fully-closed turret.

More suicidal griffons dived from all directions. While the armor held up, visible dents could be seen from the inside when the spears had impacted. One managed to make it halfway through the windshield and into the front passenger seat which would've killed someone had they been sitting there.

More griffons came down and the driver made a sharp 180 degree turn to avoid the sudden wave of armed griffons. A burst of light flashed from above and exploded next to the escaping vehicle, causing it to go up on its two left tires, almost flipping it over.

"What the hell was that!?" the driver yelled.

The gunner peeked out from a small window mounted high on the turret. He swung around, trying to look for the cause of the explosion. Black blurs covered his view as the griffons tried to defeat the Humvee's tough armor.

By now the trio had ended up back in the mountains. The narrow passages protected their sides from attack, but made the vehicle's path predictable. Another ball of light, this time clearly identified as fire, exploded in the spot they had been a split second ago.

"Dragon on our tail!"

"God dammit... Command, this is Recon 2! We picked up a dragon! We need the firepower ASAP!"

"Reinforcements incoming. ETA, five minutes."

The driver turned to his partner, "They'll be here in five! We just gotta-"

Another blast knocked the gunner from his machine gun onto the seat where he landed on the orange mare who was currently in a fetal position while covering her ears in an attempt to block out the deafening noise and chaos.

"That's it. I'm goin' on the TOW." he lifted himself up off if the seat and back into the turret, "Applejack, need you on the MG."

"Wha? I-I can't-"

"You don't need to aim, just keep shooting. Here." he motioned for her to join him, "One hoof here, one hoof here, and push that down with your chin or something."

Abandoning all attempts to tell him that she was probably going to do no good, she did as she was told. Using her chin, she pushed down the trigger on the machine gun. When the hammering resumed, the griffons scattered, not wanting to get shot out of the air.

The gunner loaded the TOW missile from a hatch on the inside. Again, he silently thanked whoever designed the new turrets.

"Keep us steady!" he yelled to the driver. He looked around for long straightaway, enough for a shot, maybe two. He found it.

"Alright there's a stretch ahead, it'll give you... five seconds! Don't waste it!"

"I won't." the gunner whispered. He looked through the sights and spotted the red dragon who had caused so much trouble.

The vehicle entered the long straight valley.

"We're steady!"

Time slowed as the missile ignited, sending the metal tube into the air. Trailing the missile were thin, almost invisible wires that guided the TOW on its path of destruction. The small, lightweight griffons easily avoided the incoming missile but the dragon could only wish for such maneuverability. It exploded on his right foreleg, causing painful bruising but not penetrating the thick scales. It faltered for a moment as it rubbed the point of impact. The Ranger cursed as he pushed away the empty missile tube and pulled out a new one.

While the vehicle swerved around bends and turns, Applejack pointed her machine gun in the biggest cluster. Most bullets passed in between the griffons, but one managed to find its mark and blasted through an unlucky flyer's wing which sent it tumbling down onto the rocky ground.

"I... I got one! I got one!" she yelled.

"Good shot!" the human replied, deciding not to mention that it was mostly luck.

After expending all of their spears, the griffons turned to their own claws and got in close, looking for the chink in the armor. While none was found, they turned their attention to the cracked windscreen. One tried to pull out the spear that was lodged into the front seat, but slid off when the vehicle made a sharp turn. The driver cursed as more and more griffons blocked his view of the route ahead. The dragon opened his mouth to ready another shot.

The Ranger kicked the driver.

"WHAT?"

"GO LEFT! YOU"RE GONNA HIT A MOUNTAIN!"

Eyes widened, he made a panicked turn, causing the Humvee to go on two wheels again. It missed the mountain, but before the vehicle went down on all four tires, the dragon fired another shot. The fireball missed by a hair, instead landing beneath the half-toppled Humvee, sending it and its crew tumbling until it came to a rest on its side at the base of a cliff.

***

The Ranger tried to focus through the haze. To his right, he could hear something that sounded like a chant. He briefly wondered if he was half dead until his ears slowly cleared up.

"Am gon de. Am gon de. Am gon die. Am gon die. I'm gon die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die."

Applejack was shaking in a fetal position while covering her head as if it could protect her from the griffons. He slowly patted her head and said reassuringly, "You're not gonna die. You're not-"

He stopped when he noticed through the window that the dragon was still there, readying another shot. The griffons surrounded the immobile vehicle, yelling orders to come out. The Ranger got out his sidearm. He wasn't going out, not without a fight. Not on the scale or grandeur of the Alamo or Thermopylae, but no less important. He got ready to jump out and shoot.

He was interrupted by an apple pie that smashed into the nearest griffon's head. Apparently when dropped from a height, they were effective non-lethal projectiles.

More pies flew from the top of the cliff as faint orders of "FIRE" could be heard off in the distance. The inhabitants of Appaloosa had caught the invaders in a deadly, yet tasty trap.

The griffons screeched as they flew to deal with the new threat, dodging pies and rocks launched by earth ponies. The dragon spread its wings, the humans forgotten.

Sensing a small chance, the Ranger got back into the turret. He readied one more shot of defiance as the flying dragon came into view.

Now.

The TOW missile flew from the tube, whistling through the air. In a lucky shot through hazy and blurry eyes, it hit the dragon's throat, this time causing more damage in the form of a backfire that ignited the inside of the its mouth.

Narrowed eyes did little to convey the amount of anger that radiating from the flying reptile. Opening his jaws, red blood dripped from wounds as it poured more and more flammable gas into its throat. It ignited into a ball of fire.

And that's when missiles flew from the left and exploded in his face.

***

Rotors propelled the Chinooks and their Comanche escorts towards their destination. The radio in the lead helicopter blared to life as they steadily made their way to Appaloosa.

"Command, we are fueled and armed."

"Roger. Raptor 1, Raptor 2, you are cleared for takeoff."

"Acknowledged."

"Ey boys!" the pilot yelled, "They're in the air! Can you see em'?"

The crew of the Avengers and the Ambulance looked out the back. It was no more than a minute before two King Raptors rocketed past them, a bit close for comfort. Seconds later, a series of explosions indicated that the planes had hit their target.

The helicopters slowly descended behind a mountain, "Okay boys, get the bastards!"

Cables were unhooked as the crew got into their respective vehicles. Engines rumbled and electronics beeped to life. This would be just another turkey shoot.

***

The two jet fighters reached the battle within a few seconds.

"Command, we see the dragon, looks like there's already a fight going on."

Raptor 2's pilot came on the line, "I can't get a lock on him! No thermal, no radar."

Even through the radio Tom sounded exasperated, "You're telling me you can't get a radar lock on something the size of tree?"

The dragon ignited the gas in his mouth. A long bleep indicated that the plane's computer painted a bulls eye on the dragon's head.

"Yes si-" Raptor 1 interrupted him.

"I've got tone!"

"So do I!"

"Then Raptors 1 and 2, you are cleared to engage."

"Raptor 1, Fox 2!"

"Raptor 2, Fox 2!"

Missiles flew from under the fighter's wings. Within a split second, they impacted with a force many times stronger than the TOW. The dragon was blown away by the blast along with a few unlucky griffons who got caught in the shock wave. Sandwiched between pies and jets, the griffons all dived down low to avoid the onslaught.

The human sat inside, tapping images of griffons on his screen, designating targets to shoot at.

He nodded to the driver, "Ready?"

"Only if they are."

As if they were all in sync, the second Avenger asked the same question. They got the same answer.

The griffons flew in a tight circle, stuck in the middle. Some turned their heads towards an unfamiliar rumbling sound around a corner. Two familiar, yet new vehicles rolled out of the cover of the mountain. In a blink of an eye, the banks of capacitors charged and discharged, sending a beam of burning light towards the hapless griffons. They fell like flies, unmoving after the lasers killed with almost surgical precision.

That was the proverbial nail in the coffin.

"CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE!"

A small piece of white cloth fluttered from the end of a stick. The jets circled around, and the Avenger's lasers dared the griffons to make a move.

***

He assessed the toppled Humvee, "Hand me the jaws will you?"

As his partner lugged out a pair of hydraulic cutters, medics got their bandages and pain relievers ready. A long grueling minute passed before the top of the turret was mangled opened. A weary face peeked from inside, "Well... Took ya long enough."

They all chuckled, but the head medic reminded them of their job, "Come on, let's get you out."

"Wait," he moved aside to reveal the still shaking Applejack, "Get her out first."

The medics nodded, and moved inside. As the Ranger assisted in any way he could, a screeching sound came from the direction of the driver. The door was flung open and more medics evacuated the unconscious driver. Finally, it was his turn to be rescued.

When he insisted that he walk and take his own seat in the Chinook, the medics insisted more, and he was strapped onto a stretcher complete with neck brace.

Next to him was a griffon, also strapped on a stretcher with injuries from falling.

"So," the Ranger said in an attempt to start a conversation, "how was your day?"

Birds of a Feather

Our base (Lovingly called "Home" by all who resided there.) had grown into a budding town. Right next to the Supply Center were the shelters, made from corrugated steel covering a skeleton of plywood built into a semicircle. Half of them still lay on the ground in pieces, but ponies not five minutes off of the Chinooks had volunteered to help with the construction.

She couldn't take it. All the... the staring. Whispering behind her back thinking she couldn't hear them. How she was the enemy. How they should just abandon her in the middle of the desert. Make her into one of those non-vegan MREs. That she was weak.

...No, that last one was her drill sergeant yelling at her.

She immediately shrunk smaller under the blanket.

Grizelda remembered the day when her name was called. The first time she had held a spear. The dummy that she missed. The rings she had to fly through. Oh, she could fly. Just not as well. She placed 42nd in her class of 43, and that was only because number 43 was missing a wing...

Oh gods... she could still hear the laughing as she tumbled down the rocky mountainside. Didn't even make it past the first course... Wait. Who's really laughing?

Right outside, a large group of foals playing their own little game of war. Little bases with sand for walls eventually turned into a complex system of trenches and barricades. Cardboard boxes were turned into tanks while some pegasi painted blue and black stripes on their wings to imitate the King Raptors. They played, they smiled, the laughed...

Even with her ears covered while inside the closet, Grizelda could still hear the sound of laughter. Not directed at her, but...

A hoof knocked on the door softly, "Oh won't you please come out?"

Outside, Grizelda could hear the bustling of medics tending to the injured. Nevertheless, it would draw too much attention to her.

"N-No... I'd rather stay here." she whispered, rivaling Fluttershy's voice in volume.

"But I talked with everypony... and human... and they promised not to stare or... or whisper... or..." she trailed off, trying to think of more reasons. But the griffon was adamant.

"I'll go out when they're all sleeping. I just want to be alone..." she paused for a response, and when there was none she murmured, "It doesn't matter what you do."

If the entire Barracks was dead silent, one might've barely heard the softest sigh comparable to the flap of a butterfly wing. The pegasus listened around. It was less than a second before Grizelda was proven right.

"Why isn't she in the Detention Center with the others?"

When the pony didn't answer, Grizelda shrunk smaller under the one of the many blankets inside the closet. Then the doorknob rattled, and light from the florescent lamps shone through the material like the light one sees when dying. She closed her eyes. This was it. She was going to be shredded up into-

There was a small thunk as Fluttershy joined the groffin under the itchy blanket and closed the door. The air was hot and humid, not helped by the climate of their current location.

A click of a button, and a flashlight illuminated the pair. The shadows cast on their faces made them look older than they actually were. Fluttershy awkwardly grinned as she tried to restart the conversation.

"I just want to be alone..." said Grizelda, quiet enough that even the shy pegasus had trouble hearing.

"Why?" the pegasus asked. Fluttershy already knew the answer, but had to hear it from the griffon herself.

"I'm not shy, if that's what you're wondering. It's just that wherever I go nothing ever changes. They hated me at basic and they hated me on patrols. Even when I got a desk job they still hated me." She shrunk even smaller. "I never asked for this..."

"What do you mean?"

The griffon paused until a spark ignited all of the emotions that had piled up inside. "They literally came down one night and dragged me out of my house when I didn't go outside after my name was called. Me and a few dozen others were forced to fly to the capital. It was nothing like I'd ever seen. Hundreds of THOUSANDS of griffons were being conscripted into the First Army of the Griffon Kingdom. The King made a speech. He went on and on about how we were going to fight for glory or some other BS that nobody really cared about. But when the dragons showed up," Grizelda shuddered at the memory, "he spoke like they were gods. They would train us into the most capable and strongest army the world has ever seen." She huffed in amusement. "Like that made any difference. First day. Trottingham. Small village. Small number of guards. Do you know what they did?"

"Um..." Grizelda interrupted before Fluttershy could answer.

"They sent US. Not the dragons. Not even the diamond dogs for a distraction. You know what our dragon CO did? He picked his nose, then pointed towards the town! That's it. We lost thirty, THIRTY, griffons against no more than eight stinkin' guards. Oh we won. No argument there. Same story for Vanhoover. Only this time we lost a dozen more. I'd like to think that they heard and prepared for us, but it's more likely that we got even more bad luck. Then Stalliongrad. Oh gods Stalliongrad..." Grizelda closed her eyes and rubbed her arms to comfort herself from the cold memory, "We lost a grand total of four hundred and eighty seven. I was on grave duty. I counted."

Fluttershy sadly closed her eyes. Ironically, out of all of her friends, it was she who had seen the most death. She accepted that death was inevitable long ago, but the thought still sent spikes of loss and pain through her heart.

"Then I was "demoted" to a logistics officer because the last idiot messed up a shipment. As a griffon, positions that supported an army were often considered inferior. Not that I cared. And for a while I could actually take it. But I guess that was just the beginning of an even bigger curse. Without griffons farming and the war with our number one supplier made food hard to come by. Even after we raided the towns we didn't have much to eat. And dragons eat a lot." She paused. "I was scared. There wasn't any difference between the live griffons and the dead ones. Laying on the ground covered with snow and their ribs stickin' out... Ooh." Grizelda shivered. "I tried to help them. I sent more food. More coverings. But the dragons got pissed when less went to them. I was one of the first to Bone Meal Mine."

"Bone Meal Mine?" Fluttershy asked, shocked at the grisly name. The griffon nodded.

"That's what it was called. Work so hard that your bones grind up in your body. But it was no different. The ponies there hated me. According to a guard, I was to be worked harder than the ponies. And I was. But after about a few days of working nonstop without any sleep, the ponies didn't see an unlucky griffon. They saw me being punished and they didn't care what happened to me. Because to them, I was just another griffon that decided one day I wanted a larger slice of the pie. I don't blame them. I admit, if a dragon was being worked to death, I would probably be the one holding the whip."

"But-But you're not... They wouldn't..." Fluttershy squeaked, not knowing what to say. Her eyes grew moist. For the first time, she realized the effects of war.

"Hatred does a lot of things. I don't want to hate, but sometimes, "Grizelda raised her arms and stared at her sharp talons, "I think of taking my claws and just shreddin' their heads into-" She stopped when she noticed the pegasus tearing up. "Sorry bout' that..."

"No." The griffon's head shot up. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry that you had to go through all of this."

The only noise inside the closet was the sound of a pegasus quietly sniffling. The initial energy that fueled Grizelda's rant had run out, making her one tired griffon next to one sad pony. She put her arm around said pony and pulled her closer into a hug.

"...Thanks."

The pegasus looked up. "For?"

Grizelda smiled and whispered, "Listening. I needed that."

Fluttershy nodded and wiped away the tears. She herself had a smile on her face.

***

The same sun that was the source of all life also roasted the trio as they hid in the Humvee for a shred of cover. They had been here since early morning, from the beginning of Celestia's day to the raging inferno of now. One of the Rangers was in the back, snoring the day away while the other sat hunched over a laptop skillfully manipulating a joystick that controlled a UAV a mile away. Usually, the Sentry Drone would send out GPS coordinates, but the lack of any satellites forced Central Command to manually search for targets.

"Please. Please. Pleeeeeeeease." The Ranger rolled his eyes. This had been going on ever since he had brought out the UAV.

"Pleeeeeeeeeas." A pair of puppy dog eyes and a grin big enough for an Overlord to come out of was on the face of the ~~purple~~ lavender unicorn sitting in the seat next to him. He just barely resisted her charms.

"Pleeeeease." He wrenched his eyes away from the mare, but his stomach betrayed the soldier. Growling for sustenance, lunchtime arrived, and the Ranger gave up.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine..." Twilight raised her hooves and cheered, "But only while we have lunch.”

The Ranger switched on the autopilot, sending the drone into a straight line ensuring that it wouldn't crash into anything. He walked to the back, his legs tingling from sitting for so long and pulled out an MRE from the box.

Twilight took the joystick, a surprising feat for a creature with hooves. She had read and memorized the manual for all three types of mobile drones in her spare time. It was simple enough. No high-speed maneuvers, no dodging missiles, just a simple flyover.

The unicorn sniffed the air as the smell of reheated beef stew joined the dry air. The other human yawned and woke up.

"Aww man... Wha...? Zit ardy lunch?" He raised his arms and stretched his body. "Imma go take a piss..." he mumbled as he stumbled out of the Humvee.

Twilight giggled and the soldier having lunch only shook his head in amusement, "So. See anything?" he said through a mouthful of stew.

The unicorn's eyes darted from one end of the screen to the other. "Nope. I can't see anything. Except a burrow... some desert coyote tracks... But it's so fascinating that I can actually see something so far away! What other human technology can you tell me about? Or-Oh! Can you tell me about the other factions?" She asked excitedly.

"Heh. Well... I'll tell you what I know if you tell me about..." He thought of something that might be fun to know, "Ah, I dunno... the creatures that live on this planet?"

"Hmm..." Twilight thought for a second, "Deal."

"Right then. China loves two things. Numbers and tanks. Heaven help you if you're going up against both at the same time. They're no-nonsense, to-the-point, if they hate you, you'll know. Their only weakness is the fact that their units are slow compared to others. But once they get going, they. Are. Unstoppable."

The unicorn smiled. "That sounds like my friend Applejack."

"Yeah, I'd guess so. But their crush-anything mentality means that they still use flame and nuclear weapons. I tell ya, it's painful to be burned alive."

"Wait." Twilight said, confused. "How could you know about being burned alive? Aren't you sitting in front of me... Alive?"

"What? Do you think that I just magically appeared one day and knew how to shoot a rifle and drive a Humvee?"

"Um... Yes?" she answered nervously.

"Well the reason I can is because I did. Every time a battle ends or we die, we disappear. Poof." He made the matching hand gesture. "But when we are called out of the barracks again, we still have all of the knowledge. That's why I know how to drive anything. That's why I remember being burned, shot, run over... If you can name it, I've probably been killed by it. It's the same for everybody else."

Twilight gulped. True, she had not had the time to read into this, but she never imagined it to be this... horrifying.

"And the only reason we try to stay alive is so we can complete our objective." The Ranger slurped the remaining stew and crumpled up the empty bag into a ball. Without looking behind him, he tossed the ball into the Humvee, where it landed in the designated trash box.

"Anyways, enough about me. Let's talk about our Middle Eastern friends shall we?" he said sarcastically. "The GLA, short for Global Liberation Army. They have no single commander, we have no idea who funds the entire operation, and we have no idea what the hell they want. Don't even try to negotiate with them. Their leaders change faster than a subject in a conversation with your pink friend. Another thing that's fast about them is their vehicles. They're weak, but they're perfect for rapid strikes. And for some reason we've lost 21st century vehicles to old Soviet equipment that should've been rusting in army dumps... We were even on the losing side once!"

The unicorn stared. "...Really?" she asked, not believing him.

"Oh yeah. They even reached our western coast to steal toxins. That scared everybody."

"Toxins?" Twilight asked, somewhat scared to hear the answer.

"Oh yeah. The GLA loved anthrax. Toxin Tractors were a favorite. They also put it inside tank shells, Scuds missiles, one guy even armed his soldiers with the stuff. Let's just say that death by anthrax is painful and leave it there shall we?" Twilight nodded, and he continued. "Another thing the GLA loves is stealth. We have no idea how they keep managing to infiltrate our bases, but whatever they're doing, it works."

By this time the second soldier returned and had sat down with his own lunch. The smell of pork sausage with gravy replaced the smell of beef.

The unicorn looked at him and spoke up, "So you wouldn't be surprised if a tank appeared out of nowhere?"

"Hell. I think that happened before and-" the Ranger pointed towards the screen, "Twilight, Twilight eyes on the drone. EYES ON THE DRONE."

She gasped. The unicorn immediately knew that she was flying much too low and dropping fast. But her beginner's luck had run out, and a second later the screen only showed static.

"SORRY! Sorry! Um. I-I can fix it! Can we drive to-"

The Ranger lifted a hand to reassure her. "Don't worry too much about it. We have plenty." He turned to his partner. "Hey! Pass me another scout drone will ya?"

He gently put down his food and pulled out a large black case from the storage in the Humvee.

"Thanks man." He opened the case. "Ay yai yai... Alright, while I'm putting this together, tell me about all of the things that crawl and fly in your world. You good with that?"

Twilight nodded, still feeling a little guilty.

"Well there are the ponies, earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Earth ponies have unmatched strength and endurance, pegasi have the power of flight, and unicorns can use advanced magic. That's the basics, but I'm sure you don't want to hear the long version."

"Well, we got some time left. Why don't you tell us about our enemies?"

"Okay well... Diamond Dogs. They usually stick together in packs. Gems are their favorite but they can eat many things. I'm not sure exactly why they decided to work with the enemy, but it's almost a guarantee that they were promised gems or slaves. Next are... Griffons. They live in a kingdom to the north of Equestria. I've only seen pictures, but their cities were absolutely beautiful. We would usually leave each other alone, but a few months ago we lost all contact. Princess Celestia sent ambassadors but they were turned away. Nopony really has any idea what's going on in the Griffon Kingdom."

The Ranger nodded, then held up the assembled drone and looked towards the unicorn, laptop at the ready. "You wanna fly again? Or do you want to quit?"

"I think I had enough for one day." she said as she stretched her legs.

"Here," the second Ranger said. He quickly swallowed the last bit of sausage and took the computer from Twilight. He nodded towards his partner.

The Ranger threw the small white plane, his technique well practiced from countless drone throws. The screen lit up and they had a clear image again.

He sat back down in the Humvee. "So what else are we up against?"

"Dragons. They're tough, they're dangerous, and coordinated, they can tear through anything. Luckily, they're pretty rare."

"Dragons..." the Ranger mumbled, "Flying, fire-breathing, scaly reptiles that can eat anything. That pretty much covers it?"

"For the most part yes. But depending on where you go, you might find some other types. Few ponies have seen a dragon up close. Fortunately I happen to have a dragon assistant."

The human's eyes bugged out. "Assistant? How in the hell does he fit in your house?"

Twilight giggled, "He's only a baby. About as high as your knee. And I live in a library, not a house."

"So a fire breathing reptile that eats anything. Oh! And it flies. Sounds like a fire hazard to me..."

"He's... trained." she growled with her teeth clenched. "Ugh. Sorry, but I hate it when ponies-I mean people talk about Spike like he's my pet or something."

The Ranger laughed nervously, "Eh, sorry about that."

"It's fine. Oh! And Spike doesn't fly. He doesn't have any wings."

"So is it some kind of birth defect or..." he said slowly, afraid of angering her again.

Twilight shook her head. "That's what I thought at first, but after he went on a journey to find his past, I took some time to do some of my own research. For some reason he never got along with other dragons. But a book written by a researcher named Dragon Scale had a lot of answers. Dragons are very territorial, and if you're not related to them in some form, you get rejected. The priority goes from family to types to color to species. So a family member will be a higher priority than a dragon of the same type. But dragons regardless of their differences will always stick together when against an enemy of a totally different species. Both of the times Spike met a dragon, he was rejected because he wasn't in the family or even the same type. The most common type of dragons is the aptly named Common Dragon. Winged, fire-breathing, reptiles. But Spike is actually a rarer type called an Iron Dragon. Even Dragon Scale only saw two families on her expedition. They never fly, but they are the toughest out of all of the creatures that ever lived. They're, I guess you can call them, the "earth pony" of dragons."

The Ranger stared at the sky after the overload of information. "Okay... Anything else we should be worried about?"

The unicorn hummed in thought, "Well... Just in case. I'll tell you about the changelings." She dug through her memories about that one faithful day at the royal wedding...

"Changlings are black, insect-like creatures that can take the form of ponies, replacing them so that they can- AH!" she screamed when the Ranger pulled out his sidearm and had it pointed towards her head in less than a second.

"How do I know that you're not a changeling?" he breathed from behind the pistol.

Twilight was shaking, and drops of sweat dripped down her face, "Wh-Why would a ch-changeling tell you about itself?"

There was a long silence as the soldier's finger inched towards the trigger-

And put the gun back into his holster. "Point. Sorry." he admitted. "But the second you turn black, your head's coming off."

"Okay... Okay..." Twilight took several deep breaths to calm herself down. When her heartbeat slowed to her normal levels, she continued, "Changelings feed on love. To get love, they find a target and modify themselves so that they look exactly like the target pony. There is very little information on changelings, and all we know is that they number in the millions on any good day."

"Sounds like we have one hell of a war to fight-"

The Ranger who was operating the UAV suddenly spoke up. "Hey! I got something!" He turned the screen so the pony and the human in the front could see what the drone could see.

Eighteen massive lumbering objects slowly made their way east towards the base. Each pulled large covered wagons the size of a four car garage. None of the dragons had wings.

"Speak of the devil..."

"Iron Dragons."

The Ranger turned around and pulled the hand-held microphone from its holder on the radio.

"Command, this is Recon 1. We have confirmation on the dragons. Eighteen. Bad news, they're Iron Dragons."

"Good job, but please explain."

The soldier handed the microphone to Twilight, "Iron Dragons are tougher versions of regular dragons. They can't fly, but they're able to take lots of damage."

"Sit tight, we're sending Comanches over."

"Sir, if they're anything like Twilight said, helicopters might not be enough."

"We won't know for sure. If anything, they'll keep them at bay until we can get some tanks up."

“Acknowledged Command... Acknowledged”

Rising Hopes

Spike sighed as he bit into another one of Joe's prize doughnuts. He had only expected his "Royal Canterlot Business" to last, at the very most, a week. Unfortunately fate said otherwise, and he had been stuck inside the capital for too long. What was a regular trip to his favorite doughnut joint soon turned into his most memorable.

And not in the good way.

***

"-anything for an old friend!" the pony said as he passed two more of his creations to the ravenous dragon. They soon disappeared out of existence in a flurry of crumbs and chocolate flakes.

"Wow..." Spike said with a mouth full of doughnuts, "are these the new chocolate caramel doughnuts?"

Joe laughed pridefully, "Sure are bud! Took me years to gettin' em' right. Nuthin' gonna stop me from getting that first prize!"

When the baker wasn't making doughnuts in his shop, he entered as many competitions as he could for recognition. In fact, he was with fried rings of dough as Rarity was with her clothes. Usually, he would get within the top ten, if not five, but this year, his ace-in-the-hole, his magnum opus, his secret weapon, his-

A loud siren calling all to the center of the city interrupted his thoughts. Throughout the city, heads shot up and eyes popped open at the familiar yet new sound and for a second, the entirety of Canterlot was silent enough to hear a pin dropped on a thick carpet. Joe, Spike, and the patrons currently eating looked around confused, then reluctantly stood up and exited out the door. The dragon carried his half-eaten doughnut, not wanting to give up such a treat.

Eventually, ponies of all kinds stepped out of their homes and businesses and slowly made their way towards the center of the city in a slow stream of confusion. True, there were all sorts of drills annually, but centuries of peace made it into an unofficial get-outside-for-once-you-lazy-bastards ceremony. Even the guards would usually take it easy that day.

But the drill sirens had sounded only three months ago.

That thought stayed with all of them as they trotted towards the center. Fearful parents took advantage of the usual cheerful spirit and simply told their children that it was just another drill. Skipping and hopping, they worried no more.

Pegasi soared above the white marble city, leaving thin contrails from the tip of their wings. The Royal Messengers of Canterlot excelled in speed and endurance. In a time of crisis, there was no other substitute for spreading information.

And flying among the Messengers was the princess of the moon, ready to lead from the field.

There was already a mass of ponies converging at the large open area in front of the palace. More and more ponies arrived by the minute until the city square was completely filled. From above, individuals could not be distinguished from each other, blending into each other like a blurry picture. All talking stopped when a glowing aura slowly emerged from inside. Standing high above them was none other than Princess Celestia. Distraught and worry were easily seen on her face as the sun slowly set in front of the alicorn.

"Ponies of Equestria!" Her voice traveled far, ensuring that even the ones at the rear would hear her voice as if she was standing right next to them. The sigh that came next was also audible. "I come with grave news. Twenty eight hours ago, the towns of Vanhoover and Trottinghom were attacked..."

***

The dragon thought that the use of ancient black magic, a blood potion, and sacrifice rituals was the only reason the stallion had been able to keep the flavor of his original doughnuts while using only the heavily rationed food. They were that good.

The baker currently resided at the Sparkle residence along with a few of Twilight's old friends, his own doughnut shop currently in use as a soup kitchen for the ponies who had come from other parts of Equestria. Joe had originally volunteered to help with the cooking, but after somehow setting fire to a pot of broth, he left the soup to the actual cooks.

Joe looked at the clock slowly ticking away next to the door. Only a little bit more and his old childhood friend would be back. Ever since he had gotten the post as the captain they had grown apart more and more.

"Hey Spike, you ah... you alright?"

The dragon answered with a mumble, "Yeah. I'm fine."

The baker walked from his newest batch of doughnuts and placed a hoof on the dragon's shoulder, "I'm sure Twilight's doing just fine. She's a strong pony, not to mention she has her friends." he reassured. Spike was silent, and the pony desperately searched for more words, "The... the princess! She's with Princess Luna right?" The dragon said nothing. "...Right?"

"Yeah." he whispered.

"So don't worry. That's not-"

The door banged open to reveal an out-of-breath Captain. Shivering from the sweat dripping from his mane, he looked like he had run the entire length of Equestria and back.

"Well! If it isn't Shining Armor-" Joe stopped when he was interrupted.

"Joe, Spike..." he wheezed, "Get the girls, there's been stuff happening that I think you all need to hear about."

The baker turned off the stove, "You got it bro."

***

Within minutes, the group gathered in the living room. Moondancer walked in, soapy water dripping from her navy mane onto the carpet. She quickly spread out and sat on a bath towel mumbled about her interrupted shower. Orion and Midnight descended from their bedroom as their son looked around to confirm that they were all here.

"Shining, if I got out of the shower for you to tell me that they're going to ration water, I am going to take your baby pictures and-"

"No. It's nothing like that!"

The purple maned Amethyst softly spoke up, "Before you tell us, is it good news or bad?"

He took a deep breath, "Good." A few surprised faces matched his own when he himself had heard the news.

"Princess Celestia managed to find help. They already saved the ponies down in the Everfree and the ones that got captured in a diamond dog mine. I'm not sure what their plans are, even if I knew I probably couldn't tell you, but I can promise that it's going to be big."

Orion spoke up, "Son, you're telling me that the princess found allies that can beat dragons," he gestured outside where a massive sea of dragons, dogs, and griffons that besieged the capitol, their camp covered in a thick blanket of snow, "and everything else out there?" For the sake of keeping up the good mood, the captain nodded. "Where in Tatarus did she drag them in from..." he muttered under his breath.

"And how?" Amethyst quietly asked.

Shining turned towards her, "Ever heard of Project 42?."

She rolled his eyes, "Do I look like I have access to top secret government documents?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Moondancer raised her hoof, "I only have rumors but isn't that a spell where they bring help in from other dimensions?"

The captain sighed and muttered, "That was supposed to be labeled Top Secret..." he huffed in annoyance, "Anyways, yeah. Princess Luna cast the spell a few weeks ago. The allies were sent to this world and if I'm correct, they've been putting up quite a fight."

Shining paused and waited for the right moment as his father spoke out, "So what did Princess Luna bring to our world?"

He sighed, "Humans dad. Humans."

Various yells of disbelief sounded in the room, causing Spike to accidentally let loose a burst of fire. That was enough to silence the entire room. He sat back down with an embarrassed grin.

The captain continued, "The princess didn't release too much information, but I did get that they were used to all-out war."

Tensions and faces lifted at the first piece of good news in a long time.

Shining Armor took a breath and stood up. "Listen, I have to get back. I'm actually not supposed to be here."

"Then why are you?" Amethyst asked.

"I thought it would be best if I told you myself. I'm not making the same mistake twice..."

They recalled the events of a few months ago at his wedding. His mother was the one who walked forwards and put a hoof on his shoulder.

"Shining..." He looked up. "To come here to tell us... That was stupid."

"Ha-What?"

The captain of the Royal Guard withered under the gaze that his mother gave him. He felt just like a little foal who got caught next to an open but empty cookie jar.

"We would've heard it eventually. You weren't yourself at the wedding. And right now, you need to be up there with Cadence. You two have a lot on your shoulders. Be there for her."

He nodded. After saying goodbye to his friends, he put his golden helmet back on and raced out of the door. The shield glowed a vivid pink as an alicorn poured magic to heat the barrier, melting the snow that had accumulated. For the first time in weeks, rays of sunlight and hope shone down onto the crowded city.

***

Grizelda walked through the Barracks with a new air of confidence. She was still scared and nervous on the inside, but Fluttershy had convinced the griffon that it didn't help if she kept hiding all of the time. The wide expanse and the many faces outside was a challenge she would overcome someday, but walking around helped with her mood tremendously.

Strange looks from people and ponies alike came from all directions, and continued to come. That was until their attention moved from the griffon to the three mares that chased a stretcher carrying an unconscious mare, blood seeping through the many bandages around her head and body.

"Come on Applejack! You-you can't die on us!" Rainbow Dash yelled desperately.

The medics pushed the distraught mares from around orange pony, new gauze and bandages in hand. The weathermare resisted, but a gentle hoof on her shoulder pulled her back.

"Please let them do their job." she said softly. Fluttershy nodded to the medic, who replied with the same gesture. From one medic to another, it was an unspoken word of thanks.

The rainbow pegasus growled, "How could this happen?! Their job was to keep her safe! Now she's dying! When they com-"

"Rainbow. Dash." Fluttershy said, her voice cutting through not with volume, but with assertiveness. One could compare it as a verbal form of the stare. "I know that you're worried, but blaming others won't help. And until they can tell their side of the story, you will not blame them for anything. Am I clear?" Rainbow Dash frowned with guilt but stayed silent. "Am. I. Clear?"

"...Crystal." she whispered.

"Good. Now-" she motioned towards the griffon who was sitting off to the side, trying to ignore the conversation, "go talk with Grizelda. Now's the best time."

Not wanting to argue with Fluttershy, she nodded. Her wings slowly propelled the cyan pegasus forwards until she was right next to the silent griffon. Grizelda froze and broke into a cold sweat. It had been some time since she had seen the pegasus. Fluttershy had repeatedly reminded her that Rainbow Dash was in just as much stress as her, and as she hovered closer, she believed the quiet mare more and more.

Maybe... one more time...

The pegasus snapped her wings shut and dropped to the ground. They sat in silence

"...Hey." she mumbled.

"...Hey." the griffon said just as quietly. Both of them sat in silence while the rest of the barracks bustled around with patients and medics. Outside, a Chinook unloaded yet another load of refugees and took off immediately.

The rainbow maned pegasus didn't know where to start. Or how. Or- She shook her head. This was so unlike her! Twilight was the kind of pony to think about how to do everything, not her. Not the pony who would do everything on-the-fly, sometimes literally. So she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"You remind me of somepony! Er... no, griffon. ...Yeah! You remind me of a friend! Or at least," she drew circles with her hoof, "she was my friend... Anyways, I've been a big jerk. I should've apologized sooner but..."

"But?" Grizelda asked, half curious, half suspicious.

"But when I say that you remind me of my friend, I really mean it! You even look like her! I knew how she was, and I may have thought you were the same..." Rainbow Dash was barely audible at this point.

The griffon only smiled in amusement. "Ya'know, if it was any other day, I would've told you to take your apology and shove it up- Well, you get the idea." At this the pony grinned, she was reminded of her younger self. "But weeks of being worked and beaten will change anything. I think I'm more philosophical. Or sappy. Or soft. I don't care. Heh, I'm alive." The griffon rubbed a scar hidden under her feathers that she had gotten on her first day.

After hearing Grizelda speak for the first time, the pegasus' eyes were wide with surprise.

"When did... this," She gestured to the griffon, "happen?"

"When did what happen?" Grizelda raised an eyebrow.

"When did you start speaking this much?"

The griffon laughed, surprising Rainbow Dash even more. "Me and Fluttershy had a long talk." She put a claw up to her chin in thought. "Actually, I did most of the talking."

"About?"

Grizelda's mood fell. "...It might be better if you ask her..."

"Oh... Sorry." Rainbow Dash nervously cleared her throat. "...We, um... We cool?" The pegasus held out a hoof. Grizelda looked for a second. Only a second.

"Yeah." the griffon whispered as she clenched her claws together and bumped it. "We cool." she whispered.

They talked. Not as enemies, or as a griffon to a pony, but as friends. Fluttershy smiled. A few months ago she would have never guessed that this was going to occur. She took one last look at the unconscious Applejack and followed the others out of the Barracks.

March of the Crusaders

Somewhere between the frozen forest that was the Everfree and the blazing Appaloosan Desert, a convoy of fully-loaded Chinooks was being escorted by Comanches. Inside the transports, soldiers and drivers braced for the oncoming fight as they slowly made their way towards the campsite. Avengers and spare Quad Cannons swung underneath connected to the helicopters by cables. Inside the lead gunship, the radio blared with orders from command.

"Hercules 15, we're being rerouted. You're on your own from here."

"Copy that. Thanks for the company."

The two heavily armed helicopters slowed, letting the faster transports fly ahead. They turned in place and set a course back towards the hot and sunny desert.

***

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Multiple workers waved and yelled for the ponies to move away from the front of the War Factory. Alarm lights flashed, and the heavy doors slid open. Inside was one of the most curious vehicles the ponies had ever seen. A boxy hull on top of what looked like to be a rolled-up road. The foals stared in awe at the sight of a shiny new Crusader Tank rumbled out. To a pony who barely came up to a human's knee, this seemed like an unstoppable fortress.

"Alright. How many Crusaders?"

The foreman flipped through a clipboard of papers, "We got enough for... eleven more tanks."

"But that's only enough for a single company!"

He shrugged. "We're broke. Again."

A short distance away, three pairs of ears shot up at the mentioning of their club's name. They looked around to see if they were wanted. When they heard the name again, they realized that the heavy metal monster had the same name as their club.

They decided they needed one. As their mascot.

***

On top of a plateau, Twilight peeked through a set of binoculars. There was something different about seeing the dragons on a screen, and seeing them with her own eyes. Every scale, eye, and scar had a slightly different shape and location up close. Or at least, as close as one can be without experiencing a painful death.

"This is Deadly 1 and 2, en route to engage. We're coming in from the west. ETA three minutes."

"We copy. You can't miss em'."

Indeed, there was little one could do to miss eighteen lumbering giants. Their bodies from head to tail were roughly twice the size in length as the massive Overlord Tank, while being just as tall. But one in particular was enormous, his full length from head to tail almost but not quite the same as two Nuke Cannons placed one behind another.

While their sides lacked the wings of their airborne cousins, they gained extra layers of scales, protecting their already invulnerable body even further. They moved at a steady pace, each step rattling the ground and slightly flattening the dunes around them. Connected to each dragon by thick chains was a large wagon, each with ten pairs of solid wood wheels cut straight from tree trunks. Even the bark was still on. But whatever they carried, their cargo was heavy enough that the wheels sank into the sand, carving deep trenches in the ground.

The terrain was rocky, boulders dotted the area in between hills of sand and gravel. Plateaus towered over the already massive dragons. The afternoon sun heated the already hot air even further, and just looking through the heat haze made everyone inexplicably tired. But the dragons marched on, their cold blood not so cold after a few days in the desert.

A faint snap came from the second dragon as a chain pulling its wagon broke. The convoy immediately came to a stop, and although the unicorn couldn't hear them, she was certain that they were angered by the interruption.

"Rockets armed, standing by."

The two helicopters sped through the sky. Coming over a cliff, the only thing the scaled giants made was a big fat target. The convoy had taken this opportunity to stop and rest. Harnesses came off and wagons were pushed aside as the giants relaxed. The dragon breathed fire gently on the broken ends, heating them until they were red hot. He rolled and pressed the links together, only a stopgap measure, but one that would be enough to last the journey.

The dragons turned their heads towards an unfamiliar sound, and two unfamiliar... things. They looked like fish, except for that weird circle thing above. That and they flew.

"Command, we see the dragons."

"Copy, dragons are confirmed as hostile. Cleared for engagement."

"WILCO. Rockets away!"

Of course the curious flying fish became curious no longer when a barrage of unguided rockets bombarded the stopped convoy. The group soon erupted into chaos as they all tried to scramble out of the way as each rocket exploded with a punch like nothing they had ever felt. A whole volley was enough to overwhelm the weaker dragons and cause the larger ones to panic, tripping over carts and getting caught in chains. The Comanches fired their guided missiles and opened fire with their guns, causing even more stinging pain to the already scattered convoy.

But when the dust settled, the weak were only groaning in pain.

"Command, we're only pissin' em' off!"

"Good enough. Keep doing it."

"WILCO." Deadly 1 said nervously.

Deadly 2 took on the job as bait and gained altitude, taking potshots at the dragons to keep their attention while his partner backed off until he was behind a particularly large hill, waiting for the rocket pods to reload.

The dragons scattering in all directions, leaving pockets of two or three dragons huddled together in fear. In the center was a dragon, roaring for the rest to get back up and fight. He shot a stream of fire roughly in the direction of the annoyance. It was easily avoided.

Deadly 2 slowly backed off while firing bursts, keeping its attention on the helicopter as it led the dragon closer and closer past the hill. The dragon stopped when he realized his position. A full volley of rockets, this time exclusively focused on him, exploded on the back of his head. Deadly 1 retreated with its rocket pods empty once more.

By now the other dragons had regained their confidence and had spread out in an attempt to destroy the metal gnats. From behind cliffs and over their heads, the two helicopters did their jobs to the best of their ability. But two Comanches against eighteen enemies that they could only anger was only a losing fight. Deadly 1's pilot wiped the sweat from his neck as he narrowly avoided yet another ball of blue flame.

***

Eleven US standard Crusader tanks stood side by side, their new paint still drying in the harsh sun of the desert. The crews ran one last check before closing and locking their hatches. Heads turned as the doors slowly split open with a metallic squeal, and the final tank rolled out of the War Factory and into the light where it joined the others who formed the first tank company in Equestria.

The commander in the lead tank took a breath and put on his grey helmet. "Command, Rhino Company is standing by, ready to mobilize!"

"Roger that. Your targets are eight klicks to the west. Recon 1's UAV will provide aerial reconnaissance. The dragons are heavily armored, just pretend that they're Overlords."

Rhino 1's commander started sweating. "That doesn't make us feel any better sir."

"It's not supposed to. Good luck. CENTCOM out.

He adjusted his microphone and pressed a few buttons on the radio so that his voice could be heard inside the other tanks.

"Alright, Rhinos once we get out into the open, Team 2 and Team 3 will split up and take our left and right flanks. Wedge formation. Stay within visual distance. Move out!" Various affirmatives sounded from the others as engines rumbled to life and one by one the Crusaders left the confines of the base, waving ponies and human alike seeing them off. Once they had plenty of space, the tanks increased the distance between themselves, and the mass eventually split into three groups, each four tanks strong.

Dust and sand were blown into the air from underneath the tracks, creating a clear trail of where they had come from. An impervious wall of steel and guns rumbled closer to the dragons. But in their minds they knew that if Command had compared the dragons to Overlords, there was no way that they could win. But orders were orders, and they continued on.

***

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE THING MADE OF?" Deadly 2 screamed into his mic.

The dragons were fully angered. After realizing that the attack helicopters could only cause pain, they retaliated in full, sending salvo after salvo of fire. The gunships shot more volleys of rockets towards them. One even got a face full of exploding metal tubes that made him stumble in pain.

But other than a few bruises, no actual damage was done.

Deadly 1 backed off, letting his rocket pods reload once more. By now the dragons had huddled back together into a single group, their wagons lay abandoned and overturned but still covered. Even though there were no casualties, there was no argument that the Comanches didn't have any effect.

Seeing the easy target the dragons made, the gunships fired in tandem, then backed down behind a hill. There they moved under the cover of the terrain, biding their time and waiting for the right moment. It was somewhat ironic that they used the same tactics that the GLA had executed to great effect.

But with all of their attention on the Comanches, the dragons didn't notice a large cloud of dust slowly creeping in from behind...

***

"You orders are engage and kill the enemy. Our aircraft are just returning from the camp so you'll be on your own for roughly fifteen minutes. Best of luck."

The commander peeked at his watch. It was already very late in the day, and the sun was beginning to color the sky a brilliant orange. The screen to his left showed a monochrome birds-eye-view of the battle that was currently raging. He took careful note of the terrain. A few meters could make the difference between completely vulnerable and being in safe cover.

"Alright listen up! We'll get the gunships to lead them in front of us in a killing field. We have surprise on our side, do not fire until the order is given. Team 1 follow me and hide in the rocky area directly in front of the field. Team 2 Rhinos, low spot to the south flank in a defilade position. Team 3, drive on the plateau, overwatch duty if we need it. Do not fire until we need you guys."

Various acknowledgements came through the radio and the tanks split up. The four tanks of Team 3 drove north where the dragons would be led and climbed onto a crumbled side of a plateau that made a convenient ramp to the flat top. High up, they could see the Comanches fighting to a stalemate, with no side having the advantage. Team 2 drove to the south where decades of wind had carved out a depression in the sand. Inching forwards so that their guns just cleared the ground, the tanks were no more than mere lumps in a desert filled with sand. Team 1 hid behind the massive boulders that dotted the area and they all waited for the command.

"Deadly 1! Deadly 2! Go ahead, lead them towards us."

"WILCO! Get ready!"

The two helicopters shot one more burst of rockets and slowly backed towards the waiting tanks. Suspicious, the dragons stayed immobile with some still shooting off fireballs in hopes that one would connect. Trailing smoke, one last barrage was shot towards them before the Comanches truly retreated so the pilots could rest.

Silence.

A rare sound on the battlefield. It could signal the end, beginning, or pause of a fight. The iron giants looked around, waiting for the familiar sound of the helicopters. Some of the more jittery ones started shooting fireballs to wherever they suspected the gunships would appear. But their shots only exploded against rocks and sand, blackening the area of impact.

***

"Team 2 is in position."

"Team 3 is in position."

"Hold until they're in range." the commander said into his radio as the screen showed the dragons huddled together.

The gunner whistled, impressed at their size. "Command was right, they are Overlords. Makes em' easy to target though."

"You better hit that or you're going back to basic."

"Yessir."

The Comanches rocketed past the tanks, weary and exhausted. A small blue dragon spotted the gunships from the corner of his eye and signaled their presence. It was like a bomb went off in the middle of a crowd. The giants ran towards them, confidence and morale rising while they chased after a retreating enemy. Even at such a distance, the crew could feel the rumbling of the ground as the dragons tried to finish off what they had been trying to kill.

"Hold..." The screen showed that the last dragon was only a few hundred meters past their optimal range.

Balls of fire flew over the tanks. With one final ray of light, the sun sank below the horizon and already they could feel the temperature starting to drop. Switching to their night vision cameras, the entire battlefield became an alien green. The ground became a bright green, still warm from the sun but cooling rapidly while the dragon's throats and the fire flying through the air glowed bright white.

"Choose your targets..."

The final dragon passed though the sights of Rhino 6 who was in the leftmost position.

"Fire."

***

He was probably the smartest of the bunch. Ironclaw might've had a common name like any other dragon, but the second the Comanches started to retreat, he knew that this was a trap. He and the others had heard the stories. Some new, unknown threat had appeared almost overnight. A messenger griffon, sopping wet, had caused quite a scene when he entered without opening the door. His ramblings were quickly silenced, but his words hung in the air like a thick fog.

Strange bipedal creatures loading gems and ponies onto flying green tubes.

The generals were furious when they found out that Bone Meal Mine had been reduced to a hole. They immediately put out orders so nothing like that would happen again.

And now, Ironclaw was limping towards cover, his leg in excruciating pain after a 120mm HEAT shell had ripped his muscle. It left a small pinprick of a hole in his lower limb and only a small amount of blood had been lost, but for all intents and purposes, Ironclaw was out of the game. He sighed as he rested behind a mountain that had also been cover for the Comanches.

His fellow dragons fared much worse. The smaller ones had fallen to lucky shots when their vital organs got hit. Others lost an eye or two but were still alive. A whopping seven dragons had already fell, their large corpses cooling rapidly. The biggest of them all, a gigantic red dragon, only flinched when he took a hit to his shoulder. He scanned the field, looking for a single enemy to focus on.

The dragon spotted a flash of light as another tank fired into his face. He growled for the remaining dragons to calm down and focus the attack on their right flank. They formed a line, this time facing the Team 2 who's drivers were getting ready to move on command. With a single roar, the dragons charged.

"All tanks fire at will! Team 2, start movin'!"

The flashes of light got larger and larger as they ran towards the line of tanks. By now, only seven dragons, six medium sized ones and one ridiculously large dragon were left. But the ones who had fallen were the smaller and weaker ones, leaving the stronger dragons to fight freely. Rhino 5's gunner adjusted his gun for one last shot. Through his sights, he could see one smaller dragon stop and open his mouth for a shot at him.

He stopped. If he could see his mouth clearly...

A burst of blue fire whooshed through the air as the dragon hoped for the best.

The gunner didn't have enough time to open his mouth and curse.

The fire melted right through the tank and exploded on the inside, sending the turret flying and creating a bonfire from the hull. Slag and sparks flew from the melted metal as the dragons roared with increasing vigor.

"We lost Rhino 5! These guys can kill with a single shot!"

"Team 2 MOVE!"

One by one, the remaining tanks backed down below the crest, with Rhino 7 not bothering to aim before shooting one last shell.

Above the battlefield on the plateau, the gunners of Team 3 all aimed carefully for weak spots. Behind the legs and the back of the knee if possible, considering that they were moving. Even with the advantage of computer guided systems, an object moving irregularly was hard to hit.

Rhino 10 fired first. The shell harmlessly exploded on the base of a tail. In fact, it seemed like the dragon hadn't even noticed. More shots came, but none seemed to have any effect.

"We can't get through these guys!"

"Team 2, circle back behind Team 1 and back into the field. Team 1, turn tanks around and start backing into the old killing field. Team 3, overwatch." He nervously wiped the sweat from his brows. "We're screwed...." He set his radio to contact the main base. "Command! We can't damage these guys! Where's our Raptors?!"

"Rhino 1, they're only a few seconds away. Get ready to designate targets. Out."

"We copy!" He switched to his radio for Team 3. "Recon 1! Designate target for airstrike! Choose a smaller one, we don't know how much damage they'll do!"

"We copy."

The remaining tanks of Team 2 hurried behind Team 1's position with the dragons not far behind. Their turrets were facing backwards, desperately hoping to get in a lucky shot to a vital area. They got it.

One fell as a shell went straight through his right eye and into his brain, sending him tumbling into the ground. The whole group was slowed by the corpse, as he was charging near the front. Some went around while the faster and more agile dragons simply jumped over their fallen comrade.

Back at Recon 1's position, Twilight was back on the UAV. Her eyes shot across the screen, trying to find the runt of the group as they all raced to see who was the faster of the two.

"There!" She pointed to the smallest one who was charging in the center of the formation. The Ranger pointed the tripod-mounted laser towards the dragon. Through night-vision cameras, a green line followed the runt's head.

"Roger, we see the target. Missiles away."

Twelve missiles rocketed from under the wings of two King Raptors. All eyes were glued on the small swarm as their engines glowed brightly in the night. Each explosion happened almost instantaneously, individual blasts were drowned out by others as the dragon went flying.

The Raptors circled around, trying to see the results. Both tank and dragon slowed to see the runt's fate.

"We're screwed."

The cloud of sand settled, but more was churned up by the dragon writhing in pain. They let out one victorious roar, knowing that they were truly invulnerable.

"Command! Raptors have no effect!"

"Keep them busy. We'll get stronger air assets up as fast as we can."

***

"Aurora Alpha. Now."

"Yes sir."

Tom held his head in his hands. There was a chance that even Aurora Alphas might not be able to damage the dragons. The only things that guaranteed a kill were superweapons, and sending up a satellite would take hours. Hours that they did not have...

General Alexander's supersonic bombers had better work. For the sake of an entire country...

***

"Alright. Rhinos, we have to keep them busy. Team 3, get down and flank them from the east. Team 1, circle around and flank the dragons from behind. Team 2, keep going til you reach the end of the rocky area, then circle around into the old killing field. Use the downed dragons for cover."

"Roger."

***

"Command, this is Airfield Tower."

"We copy. Go ahead Tower."

"The gunships are fueled and armed. We got other pilots and they're ready to return to the fight."

"Send them."

"Yes sir." The officer in charge nodded to the man sitting next to him. "Do it."

"Deadly 1, Deadly 2, you are cleared for liftoff, orders are to support Rhino company and assist with retreat if necessary."

***

In the battlefield, a few minutes felt like hours. But in a few minutes, much can happen. Only three dragons still stood. The smallest had fallen when another lucky shot ripped through his throat. The tanks of Team 1 were in the old killing field as Team 2 raced past Team 3, who was attempting to flank the dragons from the east.

"Rhino company! This is Deadly 1 and Deadly 2 comin' in to support. An Aurora Alpha is just behind us."

"We copy. Team 2, change of plans! Hold your ground near the ramp of the plateau. Deadly Flight, support Team 2 with stopping the dragons. We'll come up from behind them."

The remaining three tanks all scurried into the cover of the rocky ground. They all wiped the sweat from their faces. It was like a fly trying to stop a rhinoceros.

"How about those rocket pods?"

Rhino 6 responded. "Our guns are loaded. Team 2, Team 3, Deadly Flight, fire on my call."

"Roger."

The cool air of the desert finally reached an uncomfortably cold level.

"All fire."

A wall of shells and rockets slammed into the lead dragon, sending him tumbling head over feet into his teammates. With a resounding crash, the entire group skidded to a halt. The tanks of Team 1 quietly appeared behind them and aimed for the backs of their knees while Team 3 off to their side aimed for their sensitive eyes.

The dragons flailed around, completely disoriented and crying in pain. Another fell when his knee buckled under his weight. The leader roared in anger.

"Rhino company, Aurora bomber is in the air! Designate target!"

"Roger! Recon 1, laser another target!"

The Ranger looked at Twilight. "Which one?" He asked.

Her eyes looked at the four dragons. The smallest of the bunch was jumping around, trying to avoid being hit. The medium-small one was moving slowly, a hard target but easier to hit. The big red one was taking an insane amount of hits. Another tank shell exploded on his arm, but he barely flinched.

"Aim for the biggest one."

He looked through the scope and anyone with night-vision capabilities could see a green beam from the designator to the chest of the dragon.

"Roger, I see the target. Bomb away!"

A pair of doors opened on the underside of the delta-winged plane. A few click sounded as the latches unlocked the black cylinder from its mounting. Although it was designed to be totally silent when falling, a faint whistling could be heard as it fell towards it target. In contrast, the sonic boom echoed throughout the desert as the supersonic bomber soared above.

The red dragon yelled as the bomb impacted his chest with a dull thud. A millisecond later, a large cloud of fuel filled the air, choking the lungs of the targeted reptile.

Click.

Their ears were blown out by the blast. For a second, the entire scene flashed a bright orange. All the dragons were knocked back, some tumbling quite the distance away.

Time seemed to stop as the leader brushed off the sand from his scales. While he wasn't visibly bleeding, the shockwave from the blast had wreaked havoc on his internal organs, causing every movement to be painful as if he was bleeding an ocean. He slowly got to his feet, the others watching both in fear and respect.

A loud roar confirmed his willingness to continue fighting.

The Ranger of Recon 1 threw up his arms in annoyance. "Okay, now it's just getting ridiculous."

"I can't deny that I've been able to gather more data on Iron Dragons in a few hours than Dragon Scale did on her entire expedition, but..." Twilight sighed.

"Recon 1! Next time, aim for the smaller ones!"

"Roger."

High above, the Aurora soared, the majority of its fuel used up in the initial attack run. "Returning to base to rearm and refuel. Be back in a few."

***

This was bad.

Tom paced nervously around his desk. The entire camp seemed to be awake, unsurprising considering how loud afterburners were. All the ponies were milling around, unsure of what to do. Another Chinook departed from the base, more laser Avengers swinging from steel cables underneath.

The general tapped his head and thought hard. There was more than one way to get through armor...

He glanced towards the plans that lay on the table, held down by a rock paperweight. Orders to immobilize the remaining dragon came through the radio. Tom grinned.

Thank you General Tao...

***

The supersonic bomber skidded to a halt on the runway of the Airfield. Having heard the sonic boom a while ago, Rainbow Dash excitedly pointed to the triangle-shaped Aurora as a griffon sat next to her on the roof of the Airfield Tower. She had emerged from the Barracks with the pegasus to explore the base and to do a little flying. They had ended up at the Airfield when a sonic boom turned both of their heads.

Workers driving trucks filled with jet fuel and a cart carrying another fuel-air bomb emerged from inside the hanger.

"I wonder if that thing can do a Sonic Rainboom...?" the pegasus mused.

"A... Sonic... Rainboom?" Grizelda asked as she tilted her head.

"Yeah! It's when I go past the sound barrier and this ring of rainbows explode! It used to be a legend, but yours truly," She patted her chest in pride, "managed to do when she was just a filly."

"Wow... musta' been beautiful..." she mumbled.

"It is!" the pegasus yelled cheerfully. The engines of the Aurora let out a deafening roar as it sped faster and faster down the runway. It soared into the air, disappearing into the night.

"So eh..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her head, "Anything beautiful in your life?"

"...I wish."

***

The bomb released and ignited a cloud of fuel underneath the green dragon, sending it flying off into the distance.

"Good one! He's down!"

"Returning to base. Keep the last guy pinned!"

The leader was truly panicking. He flailed around, trying to hit his invisible enemies every time he was hit. He had his back to a particularly large boulder, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to escape. The Comanches let loose more rocket barrages, landing on him and the ground nearby. The dragon suddenly stopped and looked around. The most fragile-looking enemies were definitely the gunships that were attacking his rear flank.

He squeezed his eyes closed as another shell exploded on the side of his head. The sand around him felt cold. According to the overall frosty temperature, he should've been sleeping comfortably over a fire than dealing with... whatever in Tatarus these maggots were!

The dragon felt a hard lump in his left claw. Peeking out of his eyes, he noticed that it was a good-sized boulder that fit comfortably in his claws.

He felt the guns of the Comanches hammer a pattern into his back.

With a desperate roar, he flung the rock in the direction of the helicopters.

"Woah!" They swerved to avoid the incoming projectile. "That was too close!"

He took his chance. The dragon breathed in the cool air of the nighttime desert. Green, flammable fuel of his own poured from a special sac in his throat into his mouth. A microsecond later, he ignited the ball of flame.

They barely had any time before they were attacked again.

The pilot screamed into his microphone. Rhino company and Deadly 1 tried to figure out what he was screaming about.

"Deadly 2! What's the matte-"

"THE FLOOR IS MELTING!"

***

"Hey, Gunner." the Loader said as he pushed in another shell into the breech.

"Yeah?" he pushed the trigger, sending the football-sized projectile out of the barrel.

"Look at the dragon. That's a guy right?"

The Gunner looked closely through his scope. The dragon certainly looked like a male. Square, bulky features, large claws for fighting.

"Yeah. That's a guy." He turned to his partner. "So?"

"Aim for his nuts."

***

The dragon reared up onto his legs, roaring with the full might of a pissed-off iron dragon. More shots bounced off of him, leaving only the tiniest smudge of soot that indicated the impact.

He fired.

The shot traveled through the air in a blink, the end of the barrel lighting up the immediate area for a flash. The projectile whistled through the air until it exploded on his inner thigh, going right through the thin scales and sending blood spraying all over the sand.

The ground shook and rumbled as the tons of scales and muscle dropped to his side. More desperate shots of fire flew through the air, missing the tanks and the lone remaining Comanche.

The ball of fire melting the tail clean off and damaging the main body of Deadly 2. The rotors still spun, keeping the gunship from dropping like a rock, but sacrificing any control over the Comanche.

Recon 1 blew up a cloud of dust as the Humvee drove as fast as it could towards the downed gunship. The vehicle slid to a halt next to the melted wreck, some jagged edges still red-hot.

"Pilot you good?!" The Ranger yelled.

Groans came from the inside as the Pilot kicked open the door of the Comanche.

"I'm fine... We still winnin'?"

They both raised their heads at the sound of another fuel-air bomb going off. The painful roars of the dragon echoed soon after.

"I'd like to say so, but we're not getting anywhere."

***

He sighed as shell after shell bombarded the downed reptile. "Rhinos, cease fire."

The battlefield instantly went quiet. The only thing that any of them could hear was the faint whirr of the Comanche and the heavy breathing of the red dragon. His eyes shot from one side to the other, suspicious at what was occurring.

Rhino 1's commander switched on the loudspeakers. A short crackle sounded before his voice echoed throughout the desert.

"You have one chance to surrender! Stand down! The bomber will return in sixty seconds! Sixty!"

He roared. In his rage, his mind abandoned any trace of logic and ran on pure instinct. Gathering every ounce of strength, he slowly got up, bones creaking. Opening his mouth once more, he let loose a stream of fire.

***

The overseer squinted and tilted a manual. There were only a few letters in English but they were badly mistranslated to the point of gibberish. The majority of the text he didn't even attempt to read. But the pictures told enough.

The workers labored diligently, some yawning while they welded together plates of steel. Overhead, the crane whirred as the massive barrel was moved into place over the unfinished chassis. Men guided the operator as the metal tube slowly descended into its mount, seating it in place with a loud click. Air wrenches secured the bolts that held the barrel to the arms.

Workers hammered the pin into the track, combining the ends into one continuous loop. With a pull of a lever, the hydraulics hissed, sending the barrel into the air. The engine roared to life as another worker checked off the last box on the list.

It had taken them much longer than it would've taken their foreign counterpart, but finally, the doors slowly split open.

"Brighter than the sun."

***

"Bomb away."

For the tenth time this night, the Aurora Alpha released its payload. The dragon still continued attacking, flinging fire on whatever he could see. The battlefield was now littered with fires, both sparse plant life and red-hot boulders where the dragon's projectiles had landed.

Rhino 9 backed up behind a boulder in panic before another fireball whooshed past where it had been a moment ago. He might've been the enemy, but the entire company of tanks and Deadly 1 were all impressed at how much fight the dragon still had after hours of fighting. But the battle was taking quite the toll on his body. His rear left leg was completely useless, and his organs were injured but did not fail.

His ears perked up at the sound of a faint whistling. With a short grunt, he turned himself so that his back was towards the west, the same direction that the Aurora was attacking. He hunkered down and covered his ears. The dragon snarled in annoyance at the impact of the bomb, then winced when the cloud of fuel exploded.

But even with another round of tank guns shooting at the dragon, in all of their heads they knew that this battle had to end.

***

A distance away, an odd vehicle deployed its stabilizer legs from its body. It had been a very odd experience for the workers at the War Factory. While they did fix Chinese vehicles on occasion, building them was a completely new experience. Add that to the fact that they were on a tight schedule, and they cut quite a few corners and got a little unorthodox.

While it may have looked no different than its original in the darkness of the night, this particular Nuke Cannon was very different. A massive barrel laid on top of a mount, which itself sat on a pair of Crusader tank chassis crudely combined together. The cab was a Humvee with everything behind its normal dashboard completely gutted out and replaced with the control systems that they had managed to recreate from plans. All in all, it was quite the feat.

The hydraulics hissed as the two arms pushed the barrel into the air, ready to fire. While the driver relaxed, two technicians from the War Factory were struggling to figure out how to accurately fire the gargantuan weapon.

"I am actually sort of scared to shoot this thing." he said as he peeked through a pair of binoculars.

His partner fiddled with the touchscreen that was mounted on the inside of the cab. Range, direction, it was all vaguely familiar, but considering that the USA mostly relied on guided rockets, the Nuke Cannon was a completely new field. "So... we just wing it?"

The technician glared, "No. We are shooting a tactical nuclear weapon. We do not "wing it" like a mortar! If we miss, we might hit our own tanks! Or we might hit a city on the other end of the continent! We have no idea how to use this weapon, and we will use caution. Is that clear?"

"I got it. I got it." He opened the door and stepped outside. "I'll just get the range then."

"You do that."

He looked over the control screen. This option was obviously for entering the range. Or was it for tea temperature? It might've well been considering that it was all in Chinese.

The technician experimentally punched in a number, keeping his fingers away from the red button. No matter what the language, the red button meant business. Outside, his partner jumped as the cannon suddenly rose another foot.

He grinned. This could only end well.

***

"All tanks keep him pinned for just a little longer! Recon 1! Pull back as far as you can! We're going to be shooting off some nukes!"

"Come on," The Ranger shook the sleepy mare awake, "start packin'. We need to move."

Twilight rubbed her eyes, "Mn... what?"

"Do you want death by nuclear oven?"

Her brain was instantly awake. She shook her head.

"Then let's go."

There wasn't much to clean up, only an empty box where a scout drone once occupied and the laser designator stood outside the Humvee. The engine started with no problem and soon, the sleepy trio were off for the base.

"Command! This is Recon 1, RTB."

***

"And the big red button?" He pointed towards the push switch covered by a plastic shield.

"Guess."

"Command! This is Recon 1, RTB."

"Command! This is Deadly 1, RTB."

He turned to his partner, "Looks like this is it."

The technician nodded.

"All tanks this is Command, Nuke 1 is armed and loaded, cease fire and retreat to a safe location."

The guns in the distance were immediately silenced. A minute passed, and through the radio came the signal that Rhino company had backed off a significant distance while keeping the dragon trapped between tanks and rocks.

"Nuke 1, you are cleared to fire."

"Roger Command," He turned to his partner and nodded. "Punch it."

"Firing!"

Camp Crisis Part Two

As the archmages of the Royal Unicorn Counsel stood around a pair of sitting ponies with their heads touching, they raised their horns up simultaneously, each glowing a different color and adding their share of magic to the shield. Little by little, the alicorn and the captain eased their magic output until they breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, one of the archmage's horns flickered, and she almost toppled over as a barrage of boulders smashed into the barrier. While any of them could maintain a shield, keeping it up while under constant attack caused the worst migraines possible. Every day, a random number of boulders would be launched, both to agitate the defenders and to search for any kinks in the armor. Fortunately, they could handle it with minimal problems.

The pair stumbled out of the reinforced safe room, weary but proud. They said nothing to each other, too exhausted to do anything else but walk. The long, empty hallway echoed as hooves hit the solid stone that had formed millions of years ago but was now carved into a fortress. Eventually, they reached the main living space of the refugees.

It was an enormous underground cavern, stretching from just underneath the peak of the mountain to far below the castle, illuminating to a dull glow by a countless number of torches and enchanted crystals. Used by Queen Chrysalis during the invasion of Canterlot, the caves had been refurbished into an emergency living space, probably the best move any of them had made.

At the highest levels were the pegasus nets that were stretched like a trampoline, each pocketed with hundreds of hammocks where the pegasi slept. The net was held in place by a number of thick ropes tied to massive screws that were secured deep inside the walls. Below them but still very high were the scaffolds where the unicorns and the braver earth ponies slept, also secured to the walls. They started off bare, the only thing separating individual spots were metal pipes, but personal touches soon emerged. The entire structure slightly swayed like a ship at sea, but after a few cases of motion sickness, they all settled in. Some even found the rocking comfortable. The passageway to the lower levels of the castle opened up in the middle levels of the scaffolds.

They emerged from a small tunnel, the hard rock giving way to wooden walkways that creaked every so often. Their spot was near the center, next to a small family of unicorns.

Shining Armor looked towards his wife. Their wedding seemed so long ago, yet it only could've been a few months at most. Dark bags hung under her eyes, and her mane was ragged and neglected enough that Rarity would be personally insulted if the pony in question went another second looking like that.

She caught his eye and smiled. He looked no better, but by now appearances had dropped all the way to the bottom of their list of priorities. He smiled back.

"Night' Cadence..." he whispered as the alicorn settled herself onto a mattress on the floor. She motioned for him to join her by scooting towards the side, but frowned when he shook his head.

"But why? You've done enough..." she pleaded.

"I need to check up on the guards outside. I'll be back. I promise." Shining assured her.

"Okay.." They nuzzled for a moment. "I love you."

"I love you too...."

***

A pegasus stallion clad in midnight blue armor silently observed the attackers through the navy blue shield. Various siege weapons were set up, a small mountain of boulders piled up next to them. Small fires dotted the large camp in the valley, the location of tents and supply dumps unknown due to the heavy blanket of snow.

"Guard. Report."

He sighed. He knew that the captain only went by the book, but there really was nothing to report. Especially not at this point.

"Nothing to report sir. They fired a small volley roughly an hour ago, but it's been quiet since."

"Good. As you were."

Captain Armor turned to check up on the other guards, but was interrupted.

"Sir, ah... Permission to speak?"

Shining stopped, turned, and nodded. "Granted"

The guard gulped nervously, "Sir, the other guards are getting anxious. Not about supplies or food, but some of us were supposed to go home months ago..."

"Ah..." the unicorn finished with a whisper. While a good number of the guard were bachelors, the married ones had left wives and children in various cities. The lucky ones made it to Canterlot, while the not-so-lucky ones had been stuck in the Everfree camp. There was silence as the captain tried to imagine not seeing his wife for months. He had it easy. Both of them lived in the same house as their boss, office, and barracks. "What about you?"

The guard's head shot up, "Sir?"

"Any family?"

"Well... I got wife and two fillies at the Everfree camp waiting to go home... If Manehattan's still there..." He stopped when the captain placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"If it's worth anything, I'm sorry."

The pegasus guard shook his head. "It's not your fault sir."

Shining Armor sighed, "That's what they all tell me..."

The guard turned returned to observing the camp as the unicorn slowly walked away towards the number eight watchtower. Try as he might, they all knew that their captain was going through too much for one pony to handle, and they were all on their last nerves.

This couldn't last much longer. Whether they break from the enemy or tear themselves apart, this would all end very soon one way or another.

Those humans had better get moving.

Because the weather wasn't the only thing that was cold.

***

It was cold.

The clouds constantly released a flurry of snow, but only a few ever reached the ground. The harsh wind had kept the sky from settling, the frosty air completely clogged. Both factors forced the griffons to abandon aerial superiority for a dirty, close quarters fight. Visibility was practically nonexistent. The dragon officer still circled around, undeterred by the harsh winds and protected from the cold by his internal flame.

The battle seemed to be slowing to a halt. No soldier had fired his weapons for the last half hour and the Quad Cannons were quiet, their large machine guns level with the ground, threatening to shred any who appeared before them. The many fires lit by the dragon created small, blurry orange dots in the distance. Silhouettes moved past the veil of snow, and none of them knew if it was griffon, dog, or tree. The Rangers were exceptionally jumpy. Too many had been ambushed by hidden diamond dogs or griffons hiding in the tree branches. In the distance, guns rattled as the cold wind whistled past.

A group of soldiers jumped as a large shadow leaped up from a previously unseen hole. The bullets only pinged off of the chest plate, the amused diamond dog only grunted in amusement. The soldiers aimed high for his face, but learning from earlier mistakes, he advanced with his head down and swung his heavy sword down onto an unfortunate Ranger. The dog pulled the sword from his limp corpse and looked up to choose his next target, only to get a face full of rocket.

The resulting explosion caught the attention of everyone in the quiet forest. The Rangers hastily retreated, knowing that the rocket had revealed their location.

***

Back at camp, the situation was looking worse. A few griffons and dogs had managed to sneak past the lines unknowingly, only to be detected by the Rangers sitting not two meters from the shivering ponies. Fortunately, the camp hadn't been seen by the dragon, whether by the snow or by the camouflage nets covering the refugees. But as their radios buzzed with static, the mood instantly lifted.

"Reinforcements have arrived, but the storm's too strong for us to get in any closer! Escort the refugees south, we'll find somewhere to land!"

The soldiers silently cheered. It was always good to have friends behind your back. Bonus points for friends in vehicles.

"Roger!" The Ranger switched his radio, "All Rangers, regroup at the campsite, we're to move the ponies south for evac!"

***

A rocket hit the tree branch, blasting the unfortunate griffon into the air. His partners screeched as he hit the ground with a dull thud. The Rangers all opened fire from the trench, peppering the tree with bullets.

"Hey." An out of breath soldier slid into the trench. He tapped the shoulders of the team leader who was still on the lookout. "We got orders to withdraw back to the camp ASAP."

"Got it. Thanks." He nodded, and the messenger ran off to find Alpha squad. Out of the corner of his eyes, a few dark spots skittered into a tree a short distance away. "Griffons! Tree next to that boulder!"

A Missile Defender hefted his signature weapon. "The one that's behind the burning bush or next to the pine?"

"Pine."

"Got it." He muttered as he estimated the range and compensated for other factors. The other soldiers held their head down into the trench as the propellant ignited. The rocket blasted the snow behind them up into a cloud as the air around the rocket rippled as it shot through the air like a dart, closing the distance within a second. The explosion appeared small at that distance, but it was enough to blast the tree in splinters. The sound reached their ears a millisecond later.

"Alright, we're done here. Rangers, watch our backs. Delta, move, move!"

The group slowly retreated, eyes darting where they thought the enemy was hiding. Only the wind whispered in their ears as they made their way back to the camp.

***

In a clearing miles from the Everfree Camp, the snow still fell, but only smaller flakes fluttered from the sky. The temperature was also chilly, but not freezing. Compared to the camp, it was like the Saddle Arabia.

As the co-pilot finished their transmitting their message to the Rangers, he looked around for an area large enough for eight Chinooks to land. His eyes wandered the area, trying to find where the snow wouldn't hamper their efforts.

"There! Hill!" A snow-covered hill stood in the middle of the forest with a conveniently placed flat top large enough for them to land.

The pilot took a quick look. "Good find. Radio the others."

As his partner spoke into the radio, the Chinooks softly descended until the wheels of their cargo touched the ground. Steel cables were released and the helicopters landed, drivers and crew members rushing to their vehicles. Engines rumbled, and the convoy rolled out, ready for their mission.

***

Beta team spotted another group of soldiers off to their left, considerably larger than their own. A few ponies could also be seen, having been gathered after the initial fighting sent many of them running in chaos.

A faint roar sounded from above. Heads rose and turned to find the source, but the flying snow reduced all visibility drastically.

"Down! Down!" a Ranger called from behind. The group scrambled for cover behind trees and boulders.

A dark silhouette whooshed above them as a jet of blue-hot flames lit up the entire area in front of them. A wave of heat washed over them, causing many of the ponies to wish for a quiet day where all they had to do was sit in front of a fireplace.

Lyra tightly hugged a human, shivering from fear and cold. She shut her eyes, trying to remember the sweet scent of chocolate that usually graced her and her friend's home. Bon Bon had already gone ahead due to the unicorn's insistence that she go first.

That was hours ago, and the whole forest was shrouded in darkness, not even a single ray of sunlight piercing the clouds.

The dragon surveyed the area, his eyes combing the forest. Satisfied, he turned his attention elsewhere.

A weary voice called out a minute later. "Alright. Who's not dead?"

The members who were still alive groaned an affirmative. There were dangerously low on Missile Defenders, and none of them knew how much longer it would take to reach the camp. They continued walking until they reached an area where the pine trees had sheltered the large area right underneath.

Cold and tired, the group decided to rest, if only for a minute.

The dirt rumbled.

Shots rang out as previously unseen diamond dogs collapsed tunnels around them, springing a trap they had created within five minutes. Panicked ponies tried to escape, only for the ground in front of them to sink into a trench too deep and wide for those who weren't a pegasus.

***

"This is Beta Team! We're surrounded by dogs! We have soldiers down! I say again, we have wounded!"

"Roger Beta, reinforcements comin-" He was interrupted by a Humvee crashing through the remains of a charred tree. "Right now actually!" Snow flew from under the tires as the vehicle sided to a halt.

"Which way?" the driver shouted through an open window.

The Ranger ran up and pointed towards the general direction. "Beta team's surrounded about half a klick to the west! It's good to see you guys!"

"Yeah, but we had to send two of our Avengers back. We got a handful of Quads, two more Avengers, and us. That's all they could send."

"We'll make it work."

The all-terrain vehicle did exactly as it was advertised, the rough and currently frozen ground of the Everfree easily traversed. Behind the Humvee were two laser Avengers, slightly slower but still keeping up with the new Quad Cannons that joined up with the ones that were on guard duty.

"Hey! Listen up!" The Ranger called to the shivering ponies hiding under tarps. "We need to start moving south! Our ride out can't get to us in this weather and the storm isn't letting up! Alright, I want groups of ten sticking together..."

***

"I SAY AGAIN, WHERE THE HELL ARE OUR REINFORCEMENTS?! WE HAVE WOUNDED CIVVIES! I SAY AGAIN, WOUNDED, CIVVIES!"

The Ranger's desperate screaming sounded from the radio, causing the driver to press the accelerator until it threatened to break under the pressure. The soldiers riding in the front, back, and turret all readied their weapons.

The Humvee smashed through dead brush, its single machine gun blazing a hot trail of lead into the attackers. The doors clicked open, and the Rangers all rushed out and joined the fight. Bits of dirt flew into the air as bullets hit the ground like miniature meteors.

***

"Beta! We broke through to your right! Move! Move!"

"Watch your backs! Protect the civvies!"

The soldiers got into motion like a well-oiled machine, several Rangers protecting the sides while two more took rear guard. They all jumped slightly when a Quad Cannon opened fire with its large machine guns. The sound was deafening to say the least. Eventually they reached the trench. A few Rangers from both sides jumped in without any regard for their safety and let loose bursts of automatic fire to clear out any remaining dogs. Down below were plenty of corpses, thankfully none of theirs, nor any that resembled equines.

Another Quad approached the trench, oddly, it was facing away. It slowly backed towards the group, and they all tilted their heads in confusion, until they realized it's intention.

It would've taken too much time to fill the trench with dirt or logs, as they were dreadfully short on cranes and bulldozers. The clearing was too small and too heavily covered to airlift them, not to mention that the weather restricted the use of any aircraft, helicopter or otherwise. The walls were too steep to climb, and ladders were also out of stock.

Incredibly, the rear half of the Quad Cannon was long enough that it could be used as a makeshift bridge.

"Go! Go! Go!" The machine guns elevated, giving the escaping ponies a little more rooms to run around it. Supported by the Humvee, the dogs pulled their heads back into the trench to avoid the little slugs of lead whizzing above, any spears they threw landed far from the group of refugees.

***

The walk back to the camp was quiet, even the most talkative were silent. The wind blew harder than it had before, sending chills down their spines as the cold bit into their skin.

"Beta team this is Hercules 5, you're running out of time! Delta and Alpha teams have just left! The storm's getting worse and there's still two Chinooks on the ground!" the lead Ranger's radio blared. The entire convoy stopped in shock.

"How much time do we have?"

"We're already pushing it, but you got ten minutes, max."

The Ranger cursed and sighed. "We copy." he whispered. "God dammit..."

"What's up?" another soldier camp up beside him. The ponies also unconsciously walked closer to the Ranger.

"...We won't be able to make it. Even if we loaded the slow and wounded onto the vehicles..."

An earth pony sat down in the freezing snow, defeated. The one action sent ripples through the crowd. All around, the ground was kicked and curses yelled into the sky. One even threw off his cloak and laid down on his back, ready to die.

"What do we do...?"

"...Warm tea, an-and fresh fruit cakes straight out of the oven..."

"I wanna go home!"

"Cold... so very cold..."

"We're bucked. Aren't we? WE'RE BUCKING BUCKED! YOU BUCKING CHICKENS! YOU BUCKING LIZARDS! WHY IN TARTARUS DON'T YOU STAY IN YOUR OWN CELESTIA-DAMNNED COUNTRIES! WHY DON'T... why don't..." she sobbed, the last of her energy expended on her short rage. She leaned her head on the shoulder of the pony closest to her, not caring who it was.

The Ranger, having made his decision, spoke into his radio again. "Hercules, this is Beta. We're not going to make it. Radio Command for support. We'll walk if we have to."

"Roger." came the reluctant reply.

***

The co-pilot shook his head. "I don't like it."

"...Yeah."

The two unfortunately empty Chinooks slowly ascended into the sky, blowing up a miniature snowstorm with their large rotors.

***

As Tom wiped a bead of sweat that rolled down his forehead, he concentrated on the small monochrome screen that showed tanks firing to little effect. He was sweating not from the heat, as the sun had set a while ago, but from frustration. The little goose chase near Appaloosa had cause him to divert two of his Avengers to support, not to mention build even more vehicles. Although he had orders the two King Raptors on a whim, he was glad that he did. Although the initial lack of a missile lock did worry him.

What was more interesting was the large crowd of earth ponies that appeared after Applejack had been airlifted. Tom was at a loss at the sight, but was soon told that they had plenty of food stockpiles and that didn't mind sleeping under the stars.

Afterburners screamed as the Raptors rocketed their way into the sky. After sending the jets, it was all out of his hands. He silently hoped Rhino 1 was a good field commander.

One of his assistants came up behind him. "Sir, we just got a call from Hercules 5. The storm over the Everfree caused the Chinooks to leave early. Bad news is Beta team is stuck there with a number of civilians."

He tapped his finger on the wooden table in thought. "Are the vehicles usable?"

"Two Quad Cannons were destroyed in the initial fighting, but to our knowledge all other vehicles are running. Oh, and just as a note sir, the Avengers are useless in the snowstorm. Apparently their ground attack capability is lacking compared to the Quads, and the air is too clogged with snow for the lasers to be effective."

"Damn..." He cursed his decision to send the pair of Avengers. Nevertheless, the battle in the Everfree was effectively over. Now their only problem was evacuating the stranded. Aircraft would be useless in such weather, so their only hope was in ground vehicles. He could send Humvees, but speed was vital, and nothing won in a race against Technicals. Of course building an Arms Dealer took money, dealing with them was even worse. But sometimes...

"What's the terrain between here and the camp?"

"...Sir?" came the confused reply.

"What is it? Mountains? Swamps? Mushroom Biome?"

"Oh ah..." he thumbed through a stack of papers that sat on a table next to him until a map of Equestria came up. "It appears to be generally flat grasslands with a small bog bordering the forest."

"Is the weather cold enough for it to be frozen?"

"Should be sir."

He stood up and motioned for the assistant to follow. "Go to the airfield and find a pilot. Have a Chinook ready."

"And what about you sir?"

They stopped in front of Tom's construction dozer. It had a fine layer of sand that covered the vehicle, something that wouldn't have happened if the former driver was not busy commanding an army.

"Let's just say the GLA are good at some things."

***

It was as if all of their hearts stopped beating at the same moment. For the first time in many of their lives, they felt despair. Their one hope was gone, and with it, any remaining will to survive. The months that they already spent living in the forest without guarantee of hope finally caught up with them.

Some of them broke.

"Get up." the Ranger ordered.

Only silence and sobs answered him.

"Get up!" he yelled, pulling up a pony, forcing her to stand.

"Why...?"

"Why?" he hissed, "Why?! Because we have a job to do, and we are going to do it! Do you want to know what that job is?!"

"..."

"It's to get you," he said through his teeth, "over there," He pointed southward. "alive."

"...We have been living in this forest for weeks! And just when we thought we would be saved, it turns out that we're, still, stuck, here!"

"So you're just going to roll over and die?"

She glanced towards the stallion who was doing just that. The pony was staring at the sky, his eyes empty of any emotion. He closed them and sighed.

The Ranger said nothing, although his face told them enough. He loaded a magazine into his rifle and coaxed out every metallic, gritty, do-as-I-say-or-you're-dead sound. That drew every eye and ear towards his direction. What he did next made his next words stick.

He pointed his weapon towards the ground and let loose. Bullets flung snow and dirt into the air, and ears twitched with every shot. The mare screamed and crawled away in a panic while the entire group flinched back to life.

The shots echoed, and the forest was silent once more.

The Ranger turned to the wide-eyed ponies. "...Move."

They moved. Vehicles rumbled as their engines started, and slowly made their way forward on the snowy road.

As they hastily got back on their hooves and feet, a Ranger whispered his disapproval from behind. Some agreed, others gritted their teeth as the whole team slowly split into two sides. Regardless, that one event would be stuck in their heads for a long time.

He sighed. "No one likes it kid." the soldier in question flinched as he realized that his superior had been listening in.

"...I thought we were the good guys..."

"Good? Yes. Nice?" He shook his head. "Not all the time."

They were silent after that.

***

"Yes, yes, I will work."

A reluctant GLA worker jogged out of the newly constructed Supply Stash, hastily recruited. He was shirtless and already heavily sunburnt, his only cover was a pair of tattered green pants. He held an old rusted shovel as if it was his livelihood, although it most likely was.

Still had no shoes though.

"...after we get a Chinook to send you as close as we can to the camp. Understood?"

"Of course..." he reluctantly replied. Tom nodded, and climbed into his dozer once more. He pulled out a tattered rolled-up piece of paper that detailed how the GLA built their buildings. His mind was blown. Nevermore would he underestimate the ingenuity of his enemies. To connect two remote places with nothing but holes...

"Why did I not think of this sooner...?"

The Worker ran towards the waiting Chinook, but not after being handed a pair of heavy boots and a full set of winter clothing from the supply manager from the Barracks. No one had seen a man so happy.

As the engines whirred to lift off, he wiggled his toes in the tough leather and felt the artificial fabric of his outer coat. With the sun below the horizon, the air was rapidly cooling to the point that it caused the Worker to shiver. He removed his old pants, and replaced them with the outfit that he received.

Tom's dozer made quick work of the ground, leaving a reinforced hole in the ground with a ramp that led downwards. A small armored turret with a machine gun guarded the entrance from above. Two paranoid RPG Troopers peeked out to survey the area. Tom left them to their own business and returned to his dozer.

He sighed. Personally he didn't want to deal with the Arms Dealer who by his very nature was a very slimy person. But with nowhere else to turn to, Tom reluctantly pulled out the plans for the sand-blasted garage and got to work.

***

"Command, this is Raptor 1. Missiles ineffective. Disengaging."

"We copy Raptor 1." The air traffic controller switched the radio until he was on the General's frequency, reserved for only the most dire of emergencies. "General, this is Airfield Tower."

"I hear you Airfield tower."

"Raptor 1 has reported in, missiles are ineffective against iron dragons."

"Aurora Alpha, now."

"Yes sir."

"And order the Raptors to provide overwatch for Beta team in the Everfree. The dragon is the priority target, no wasting missiles on anything else until it's dead."

"We copy sir."

***

"So eh, how is the job my friend?" asked a bearded, grizzled old man as Tom replaced the now silent radio back onto his belt. He was wearing tattered and darkened rags that were once a pure white, similar to the ones the Worker used to wear. He had on his head the most stereotypical turban you would expect on an Arab. He sat behind an old wooden counter that looked as if it had been ripped out of a bar. Scratches covered the top, most likely caused by the multitude of salvaged and stolen parts that were organized on the shelves behind him.

"Stressful." Tom curtly replied.

"Bah! You Americans are either always so serious or rock n' roll gung-ho cowboys! Choose one!"

The General stared into the dealer's brown eyes. "Don't try to get friendly with me. As soon as we get those vehicles, your depot is going to sink under the sand."

The heavily tanned man spread his arms wide in a welcoming manner, although there were hints of fear in his face. "General! General... I cannot procure so many with so little time. And it will cost you..."

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Don't push it."

"I," The dealer patted his chest, "have never worn a suit, nor have I ever taken a shower, but this," he said while motioning to the building that they both stood in, "is a business. and I," He patted his chest again, "am a business man."

He said nothing, only handing the man a heavy black suitcase. The Arab grinned, showing off his crooked teeth as he took the case. Two clicks later, his rough wrinkled hands were going through thousands of crisp US hundred dollar bills bound by currency straps.

He feigned disinterest, although the man had never seen so much money before. It was enough to buy out his small garage and his soul if he so wished. His hands shook as he picked up a bundle of money.

"It seems we have a deal."

***

"See anything?"

Raptor Two peeked out of his jet, eying the clouds for any movement that would paint a bulls eye on the dragon. The pair flew high, not wanting to risk the weather by flying under the cloud layer. The sun was low in the sky, but still shone from the west, however the storm raged underneath, unchecked by the mysterious forces of the Everfree Forest and the combined forces of the weather pegasi.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

As the jets soared above the clouds, the Worker, in his comfy winter outfit, shivered at the intense cold in a small hole miles away. The wind blew, but not as hard as it did in the forest which was only a small green line on the horizon. The ground here was covered in only a thin layer of snow, but the dirt itself was frozen so that when shoveled out, it could be easily mistaken for gravel.

Another shovelful landed in a steadily-growing pile in the middle of nowhere. The Chinook had left quite a while ago, and the Worker knew that the faster he finished his task, the faster he could return to the desert. He looked around. Noting that it was certainly deep enough, he wheezed as he pulled out the logs and heaved them over the hole, leaving a ramp of plain dirt that allowed vehicles or men to enter.

"Is it safe out there?" a voice whispered from inside.

"I hear there is a dragon-"

"Dragon?!" the RPG Trooper yelled, giving away his position, "No, too dangerous."

"Then go back through the tunnel. We will need to move many vehicles through."

***

"This is Hercules 9, I see the tunnel entrance." The group of Chinooks made it to their destination with time to spare. The Worker shielded his eyes from the flurry of snow that the rotors blew up. Slowly, they descended closer and closer to the frozen ground until the rubber wheels were touching the ice. "Cargo is down, releasing Technicals."

The heavy steel cables that held the beaten pickup trucks fell to the ground with a whoosh, whipping into the snow. The drivers quickly started their engines and the gunners hopped onto the back, loading their heavy machine guns. They reluctantly sputtered to life, a miracle since most GLA Technicals were junkers that American rednecks probably wouldn't drive.

The driver revved his ancient engine, signaling that he was getting impatient, a fact that his gunner also agreed with. A scratchy voice sounded through their radios.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Like the start of a drag race, tires threw dirt and ice crystals into the air as they attempted to find any sort of traction in the frozen ground. Gunners cheered and waved to the lone Worker, who was once again, alone.

"All Chinooks! The storm's moving faster than we thought! You have to get out of here!"

"Copy Command!"

***

Flecks of rust were blown off by the force of the wind as the Technicals tore through the ice and snow. A pickup screeched as it lost control for a moment, sending its neighbors into a panic, fortunately coming to a stop still upright.

"We are getting close to the bog! Slow down! Slow down!" The gunner in the lead Technical yelled through the wind.

Small frozen ponds spotted the area, thin tree stumps and dead grass made pathways where the ground was solid enough for a light vehicle to cross. The entire convoy slowed as they entered the wetland.

Faint, almost unnoticeable cracking came from under the tires as they advanced, hard ice breaking under the weight. The drivers' hearts pounded in fear of driving into an area where the ice was too thin and the depth too deep. Fortunately, the bog was wider than it was long, and soon enough the pedals were again pressed to the point of bending.

***

The wind blew even harder than before, piercing their coats and skin with shards of ice and causing the weak to sway as they tried to resist. The ones that had fallen and not gotten up from exhaustion were loaded onto the vehicles, in compartments, on top of laps, and anywhere they could fit. Another mare tripped and fell, and the two closest to her heaved her onto the back of an Avenger without speaking or showing any emotion. They continued walking.

A pair of ears pricked up as a machine gun rattled in the distance. The pony stopped, forcing the convoy to pause.

"What it is?" a Ranger asked.

"Something out there has guns like yours..."

They all listened in, and sure enough, yelling could be heard among the machine gun fire. More automatic weapons joined in.

"That's not English." He whispered.

"Then what language is it?"

The soldier was silent, until another came up.

"That's... That's Arabic sir! I recognize a few words!"

A bush exploded as a GLA Technical smashed through the brush and came to a screeching halt, almost running over an unfortunate Ranger and showering him with rust flakes. After a moment of awkward silence, the driver, a heavily bearded man, yelled.

"What are you waiting for?! Get in the back!"

A Ranger cautiously moved forward, "Where the hell did you come from!?"

"The American sent us. Now do you want to die or not?!" The gunner yelled as the rest of his team reappeared from behind.

"We ran into a group of Griffons! They'll know we're here! We need to move!" yelled a gunner through his face coverings.

A moment of tension followed, but soon broke. The group immediately went to work, moving the immobile ponies from their spots on the other vehicles and loading them in the backs of the Technicals, where they would be safer. Once all ponies, both unconscious and almost-unconscious, were loaded, the Rangers heaved themselves into the back, boots punching holes in the rusting sides.

The Technicals roared away as quickly as they had arrived. The slower Quad Cannons and Avengers followed, but with the storm creating the perfect cover, the Technicals had enough firepower to deal with anything they ran into.

After months in chilly, then freezing weather with nothing but their coats and tents, the sun was beginning to shine through.

Both metaphorically and literally.

"It's over... We're home free!"

***

Tom leaned back in his chair.

The Everfree Evacuation was a success in the number of ponies evacuated, but a Pyrrhic victory considering the number of soldiers that died in the fighting. True, they would respawn whenever, and better them than civvies, but their losses were a bit too high for comfort. Nevertheless, Beta Team made it safely back.

The fight against the iron dragons also went well. A good number of Crusader Tanks and a single Comanche was lost, but they made a breakthrough with the Not-Exactly-Chinese Nuke Cannon.

But Recon 2 in Appaloosa... That didn't end so well. Tom wondered what he was thinking when he sent out a single Humvee with nothing but it and its two Rangers protecting it. Applejack was laying in the Barracks covered in bloody bandages and had not woken up since. That was a mistake he could not afford to chance again. But they could probably get some information from their prisoners, some of whom, oddly enough, looked glad to surrender.

Tom turned his head up as a pair of jets screamed above. A few moments later, the Raptors' tires screeched on the runway, their pilots glad to be home. They had been patrolling for hours, trying to find any trace of the dragon officer but to no avail. Nevertheless, they had done their job in all fights well.

He turned off the radio with a click, silencing the chatter that still sounded from the speaker. Dragging himself to the point of stumbling, he retreated to his own shelter. Not bothering to take off his General's uniform that appeared from somewhere, he threw himself in bed and surrendered to Princess Luna.

The Eye of the Firestorm

Ironclaw blinked.

His Commanding Officer had completely disappeared in the bright flash. He might've had no love for the late dragon, but a shred of respect for him returned when he had finally fallen after a heroic battle against these new enemies. His scales itched, an instinctive feeling that occurred when the time to run had arrived for him. Unfortunately for him, humans could count to eighteen.

Beads of sweat wetted his forehead and rolled down his chin. Those small metal boxes were slowly closing in, determined to finish the job. Spotlights came on, blinding anything that the circle of light went over. Ironclaw nervously tapped the rocky ground he currently laid on.

The dragon peeked out of his cover. Immediately, a blinding light flashed in his grey eyes, causing his pupils to shrink. His head snapped back behind the mountain, a large green dot appearing in his vision from where the spotlight was particularly bright.

He sighed. As a dragon, it was extremely embarrassing and humiliating to surrender without a fight. If news of Pendragon's death reached the ears of the elders, he would've been honored with a solid-granite statue in the mountain halls. Ironclaw fought the urge to continue surviving, balling his claws and grinding his sharp teeth in an attempt to bring forth the rage from his heart. He stood up, chin in the air and his head held high, remembering the lessons taught by his late father, to fight with honor and pride. To bring victory to his country.

He sighed. Weeks ago, he would've rocketed out of his hiding spot and charged them with all of his might, if he had been hiding at all. But when the war started, things broke. And they weren't always material objects.

As his father's words started to blur and the speech of the griffon king forgotten, the Crusader Tanks reached his spot, having seen his face for a split second. The commander yelled in the microphone, his voice amplified and blasted outside from the external loudspeakers. Ironclaw didn't understand a word, but he understood their meanings. He accepted the fact that his decision would have him labeled as a coward if he ever returned to his home country. He didn't plan to. The dragon threw his his claws up and sat down.

It was the dragon equivalent of a white flag.

***

"Sister?"

...

"Sister?!"

"Luna!"

"Greetings Tia!"

"Oh! It feels like months since we last talked!"

"Yes, it has been too long. And before you ask, I am delighted to be the bearer of good news."

"Good news... It will be a nice change."

"The evacuation is complete, and we have a fortified foothold in the Appaloosan Plains, east of where the Appaloosa settlement used to stand."

"Ah! The Appaloosans! I'd completely forgotten about them! What happened?!"

"According to reports, the town was razed to the ground but we have managed to recover the settlers. I have yet to receive information on the number of casualties."

"That's a lot of mouths to feed. Are you well supplied?"

"Less than optimal, but none are starving."

"Good... good..."

...

"What happens now?

"Unless you have any objections, General Tom will make a move towards liberating Stalliongrad. They said that they were sending a sort of... reconnaissance automaton into enemy territory."

"Send my regards to him will you?"

"I will sister."

***

It was early morning, the very next day. Most ponies were still sleeping after being kept awake by the screaming afterburners late at night or having escaped the freezing temperatures in the Everfree. Soldiers and Pilots lounged around the Supply Depot, leaning on crates and playing a slow game of poker, not caring who won. The entire base was quiet, save for a lone Speaker Tower playing music. It was a day of rest for many.

Braeburn exited the Barracks with his cousin, his wild mane blowing in the wind. Applejack was still unconscious, and he had left his own hat on the table next to her bed for her to use.

"Will... Will Applejack be al'right?" asked a sad Apple Bloom, her eyes wet and her voice scratchy from crying for hours.

The Appaloosan huffed confidently, "Course' she will be cuz'. You just wait an' see. She'll wake up from her little nap and buck enough' apples to make a mountain so high, that you could' poke Nightmare Moon herself!"

The filly giggled at the mental image. "Braeburn! Nightmare Moon ain't on the moon anymore! Big sis and her friends took the elements and blasted her out of Princess Luna!"

Her cousin cheerfully smiled. "What?!" he yelled in mock surprise, "When did ya plan on tellin' me this?!"

"Braeburn!"

They laughed, the stress and fear of the last few days washing away. After waving to a few of his friends who were volunteering to cook actual food, he and his cousin made for the sea of tents currently housing a countless number of ponies from all over Equestria, and now refugees from Appleoosa.

The speaker tower suddenly cut off the music, much to the soldiers' dismay. "Attention," a bored sounding female voice sounded, "the following military personnel please report to the Command Center..." For the next twelve seconds, they all resisted the voice's ability to lull them into sleep. But finally, the longest twelve seconds ended. "We will begin debriefing in ten minutes. That is all." Papers shuffled as the announcer stood up. "Where's my coffee..."

A Pilot turned to a Ranger. "We have a Command Center?"

The soldier chugged down the rest of his drink. "We do now."

***

Grizelda entered the brightly-lit room, florescent lights hanging from the ceiling. The room was partially full, soldiers and a mix of ponies all sitting on rows of chairs with desks lined up neatly facing the front. She closed her eyes as a cool breeze appeared out of nowhere and fluttered her feathers.

"Oh my! Twilight my dear! Do you feel this?!" Rarity exclaimed as she walked in the room behind Grizelda, who had followed Fluttershy to the seats all the way to the rear of the room.

"Ooh! I do!" the scholar said, enjoying the chilled air.

"Not too cold, and not too warm." the seamstress sighed. "I could never get the Boutique to be just right. It was always too hot and stuffy..."

Twilight brought her leg around Rarity's neck and pulled her close.

"Just a little longer and we're going to go home... I promise."

The room started to get slightly darker as an assistant started to pull down the shades on the windows. In the back, the last of the summoned arrived. Rhino Company all entered, each celebrating the fact that the dragons had been held off and ultimately defeated. The ones that had died when their tanks were destroyed were somewhat disappointed that they hadn't been able to witness the end of the battle, but nonetheless, they were all relieved at the victory.

***

After a few introductions to break the ice, the debriefing was on.

"At roughly 0500 hours yesterday, the Everfree Camp was attacked by a combined force, the majority consisting of Griffon aerial infantry and Diamond Dog foot soldiers with a single Dragon officer leading the attack." General Tom motioned towards the overhead map currently projected on the screen. "First contact with the enemy was made towards the east, Diamond Dog sappers undermining foxholes in a surprise attack while the Griffons charged from above. The Chinooks took off from the camp at this time and returned erratically due to the weather." He turned his head towards his assistant, who was sitting towards the side. He nodded his confirmation. "At 1100 hours the storm intensified and the Chinooks en route with reinforcements were then forced to land at a secondary LZ. The remaining civilians and soldiers at the camp were then evacuated. However, during the battle, the storm caused a group of civilians and soldiers to become separated, requiring their retrieval. Reinforcements arrived at 1130 as escorts. Ground forces were acquired from a GLA Arms Dealer and were sent through a Tunnel Network to the target location. The final refugees were evacuated at 0100 the next day. Any remarks?"

The audience collectively shook their heads.

"Good. Then, we will continue onto the enemy's combat capabilities." he nodded towards a Quad Cannon operator, who picked up a clipboard.

"The griffons are small and hard to hit. The only reason we were able to gain some kills is because they attacked at once. A single shot can take one out, but they're too maneuverable for us to reliably hit. Fortunately they can't do much damage."

"Noted. Rangers, what's your take on the Griffons?"

"Hard targets, and their spears hurt if they hit you, but if they get close they can rip a soldier to bits with their claws."

"And... noted." Tom put down his pen. "Anything else we should know about them?"

A Missile Defender spoke up, "Do griffons ever fly out of formation?"

"Grizelda." The griffon shot up, not knowing why her name was called. "Confirm/deny?"

"Um- ah..." She stuttered as she thought back to formation flying class. "N-No." she finally answered, "Solo flying was frowned upon and... there was never really any instruction on what to do if we had to break formation." she finished quickly.

"Good. That's another point to us..." Tom mumbled as he wrote down this vital piece of information. He had heard of the griffon's reluctance to speak, but she had vital information, and time was running short. "Avengers?"

"We could aim at them if we could see them, but the storm was too thick for the lasers to cut through."

There were a few surprised people in the crowd. The idea that something that could cut through steel was rendered useless because of snow was unthinkable to them. Regardless, Tom noted the fact, and moved on.

"Alright, Rangers, what's your take on the dogs?"

The soldier closest to the door spoke up, "It depends on the dog. The ones with leather armor are easy to kill. So are the ones with iron armor, but the ones with the rivets in them are harder to kill, but if you can hit in the helmet where the eyes and parts of the face are exposed, they'll definitely feel it. But to kill one, you're going to need a Missile Defender."

"Noted. Quad Cannons?"

"They are all weak against our weapons, armor regardless."

"Good. Anything else?"

There was a general mumbling as teams all tried to remember anything that might help, when a Ranger called out.

"Where did the dogs go? Can't remember seeing them when the storm got worse."

The soldiers and drivers all mumbled their agreement, when Twilight, who had been quietly sitting in the rear made sense of the entire situation.

"Of course!" All eyes were on her within the second. "Diamond Dogs excel in quick skirmishes, but if a battle goes on for too long and they haven't won yet, they will generally abandon the fight. Attrition is something that they're not good at!" She looked around and blushed when she realized that she was the center of attention. "Well... when Shining joined the Guard, I hogged the Royal Guard Guide Book. I must've read it more than he did..."

"Remind me that we need to have a talk later. Okay, Dragon. Quad Cannons?"

The Quad Cannon driver shook his head, "We tickled him at best."

"Soldiers?"

"I was able to land a rocket in his mouth and it looked like it did minor damage."

"Noted." Tom scribbled more information on his paper. "Anything else? No? Next we move onto Recon 2 at the Appaloosan Mountains..."

The two Rangers sitting in the back nervously shuffled. While their primary mission had succeeded, the little cat-and-mouse chase that ended their day wasn't something they were particularly proud of. Applejack's injuries only intensified their guilt.

***

"At 0600 sunrise, Recon 2's mission was to establish contact with the inhabitants of Appaloosa and report back on their status. The town was attacked an estimated two days ago. After a thorough search, no civilians were found. The first engagement was with a small group of griffons. Ranger, you said that they looked different than the ones that were part of the force that attacked the Everfree Camp. Please elaborate."

"Well sir..." he croaked in nervousness, trying to ignore the many eyes on him. "The first griffons we saw were dyed black, and their spears were a lot fancier than the ones that were brought back from the forest."

The general hummed in thought, and then turned to the lone griffon in the room. She immediately saw his gaze and withered under it.

"Steel Talons..." she quickly whispered, drawing the eyes of everyone at her speech.

"Steel... Talons?"

Grizelda nodded. "They're... not the best, but they're one of the few forces that's filled with nothing but volunteers." The griffon unconsciously growled, "The King loves them. He says that they're real patriots, and that they should be an example to the rest of us." she ended her rant with a grim look on her face.

The entire room felt the rage under her feathers.

The debriefing continued.

***

As soon as they left the Command Center, sweat began to drop from their chins. Rarity tried her hardest to ignore the current state of her once pristine coat. They went their separate ways.

Quiet jazz echoed throughout the base, our resident DJ "borrowing" various electronics from the Arms Dealer to create a new rig. It had taken a little convincing, but she finally had permission to play her music on the Speaker Towers, provided that it didn't make any ears bleed.

And it was here under the blanket of smooth jazz that the captured griffons of the defeated Steel Talons peeked out of the chain link fence below the heavy steel wire nets that covered the top of the Detention Camp.

***

"Name? Rank?"

The griffon huffed, his black dye flaking off, "...Eighth Low-Altitude Squadron, First Air Corps, Steel Talons. Private Kiel." His voice was young, it sounded barely six months out of school, and yet instead of living his life, he was here. In Equestria. Fighting a war.

"What is your reason for joining the Steel Talons?" the interrogator asked in a gruff voice, somewhat annoyed at the griffons that came before him.

Kiel blinked in surprise. "I... wanted ta'." he finally answered, not knowing why he was being asked that question.

"Elaborate."

"Well... Pa told me' that if I ever' had ta' join up, go because I made the choice."

"You joined early?"

"Yeh. Before they starte'd draftin'."

"What happened then?"

"Well, my squad was stationed in Stalliongrad. Our job was to keep the' peace or somthin'."

"So why were you in Appaloosa?"

"I dunno. I'm just'a grunt. I ain't in the circle."

***

"Name? Rank?"

"First Aerial Superiority Squadron, Second Air Corps, Steel Talons. Sargent Rae."

"What is your reason for joining the Steel Talons?"

"A bigger paycheck."

***

"Name? Rank?"

"Not talking. Need booze."

"We got jet fuel."

"I dunno what that is, but I'll take it!"

***

"Name? Rank?"

"Jag'd Pannek'ur?"

"I'm not dealing with this."

***

"I tell's ya! I ain't know nothin'!" The griffon spat at the interrogator, who was looking more and more frustrated. He balled his fists, making slight movements that would probably end with the griffon having a black eye.

Tom pushed a button, "Easy, easy." He spoke into the microphone, the man on the screen closed his eyes and calmed himself, the griffon oblivious to his tiny earpiece receiving orders, "We may not be on Earth anymore, but just so we don't commit any war crimes, imagine that everything that was said in Geneva applies here too."

Princess Luna tensed. Compared to the interrogation methods used by her personal guard, the humans weren't brutal, but were more focused on attrition and having much, much more patience with the interrogated. But as was obvious, this particular interrogator just had enough.

Back on the screen, the griffon was sent away, and another was brought in.

The black dye had partially rubbed off, revealing disheveled, grey feathers. Her eyes drooped, even after a full eighteen hour sleep, stress still claimed her body. Behind her, it was as if a pillow had exploded, feathers and fluff trailing the defeated griffon.

She sat down into the chair, ready to die.

The interrogator cleared his throat, "Name? Rank?"

The griffon mumbled, her feathers rustled louder than her voice.

"Why were you in Appaloosa?"

"I... I had nothing better to do..."

"So it was your choice to go?"

She shook her head, another storm of feathers falling to the ground.

"Why did you join up?"

"...I was done..." Tears fell, and the only one who didn't notice was the griffon herself. "My family's dead or missing... My friends are gone.... I got so many black marks that I lost count six months ago..."

"Ah. So that's why you joined the Talons."

"Nah!" She started to laugh. It wasn't a happy laugh. It was a sound that could only be heard from those who had completely lost it.

"No?"

The griffon shook her head, in a weird mix of feathers, tears, and laughter.

"It wasn't called the Steel Talons then." She slumped in the chair as she remembered the days before. "No, it was... it was... Sp- Spearheads I think." The griffon let loose one more chain of delirious giggles as she dried her eyes. "Damn. That was a long time ago..."

"When did you join?"

"A few years ago. Don't ask for the date. It was before this whole mess with the dragons and the dogs... and you." she finished, pointing at the human.

"What happened?"

"King Hugo happened. The first thing he did was to weed out the guys who weren't loyal enough, or whatever that means." She paused. "Bunch'a guys just straight up disappeared..." The griffon took a deep breath. "I got lucky. My corps was broken up and turned into the Talons. I didn't join the Talons. The Talons joined me."

"Ah. So all you did was stay put."

She nodded.

"So why were you in Appaloosa?" the interrogator repeated, sensing victory.

"To secure various military strongholds and supplies." she stated, her voice clear and confident for a second. She couldn't hold it, and the giggling resumed.

"And can you list those objectives?"

"Slaves... oil... other stuff."

The interrogator flipped through a file, eventually pulling out a black and white photo. The griffon stared, her eyes instantly recognizing what they were.

"We took this picture yesterday, early morning. Care to tell us what's in those carts?"

"Stuff." The griffon looked around guiltily.

"To?"

"Build a base."

***

"Oh no." Princess Luna mumbled as the griffon listed off her objectives.

"What is it?" General Tom asked as he glanced towards her direction.

"We do not have any oil."

There was a silence, only the voices of the griffon and the interrogator sounding through the speakers.

"And I'm guessing your allies down south do?"

She nodded.

"June, 1941. Hitler invades Russia..."

***

"Whoo. You've been around!"

"Yep." she nodded. "If you believe me, I was the one who raised our flag on the Crystal Palace."

"You've been to the Badlands, the Coral Archipelago, and now you're telling me you've been to the Crystal Empire?"

"Yeah..." The griffon sighed, her eyes and mood dropping.

He noticed. "Is there anywhere you actually want to go?

At this, she had no answer.

"I know it sounds cheesy... but, home. I'd like to go home."

Everyone was silent. From the guards by the door to the leaders standing in front of a screen, they all agreed.

"Now," the interrogator started, "Can you answer my first question?"

"What was it?" she said in a much happier voice.

"Your name? Rank?"

The griffon was silent for a second, but finally looked up at the human in confidence.

"Second Aerial Superiority Squadron, First Air Corps, Steel Talons. Sergent Gilda."

Author's Note

Yeah. Let's do this.

Ghost Reconnaissance

Twilight Sparkle slowly walked up and down the length of the base. Her eyes were blank to her surroundings, while her mind was working double-shifts on holidays during lunch hour.

But seeing as this was Twilight Sparkle, this was more or less average.

They had gotten no answers from the griffons. Ironclaw couldn't provide any information. Not even the Captain they had managed to capture would answer the one, burning question in all of their heads.

Who was in charge?

Their purpose was obvious. Their mission was no secret. They were after the rich, juicy innards of the countries to their south. Oil and access to the Coral Archipelago was why they were occupying Saddle Arabia, the healthy land of Equestria would prove most useful in growing food, and the Badlands were an obvious stepping stone towards rendezvousing with their navy at the White Cliffs, a massive chalk and limestone formation that overlooked the Sapphire Sea. No further answers were given, but it was obvious that the higher-ups wanted to keep on, and eventually make a landing at Myanga, the westernmost point of the Savanna Continent.

Of course, that was assuming they hadn't already.

They had not gotten the answer they had wanted, but in the end, they were not at fault.

Even without Applejack, it was obvious that they didn't answer the number one question, because they couldn't.

Twilight stepped over a rock without a second thought.

They truly didn't know.

King Hugo of Griffonia wasn't a pawn. He was a knight. Not totally worthless or disposable as the common infantry, but not as valuable as the pieces that usually dominated the chessboard. He was important to the overall scheme, but was not at the center. He had his uses.

Alpha Prism of the North Diamond Dog Mines was a name most hadn't even heard of, but a quick relay of information to and from Princess Celestia resulted in many answers.

Prism was an Alpha who had gotten power and supporters through abandoning traditional gemstones and migrating to the north, where crystal gemstones were plentiful, all with permission from the Equestrian government, hence why her presence was well documented. A few years later, when the Crystal Empire reappeared, she had to suppress uprisings of her own in an attempt to stop the rather unhealthy obsession with invading the once-forgotten city. But with promises from the Alliance, they had managed to make dream into reality, overthrowing the Alpha that they called "cowardly" and "useless."

The mare stopped and turned, having reached the border of the base. Men lounging on crates ticked off another mark as she traveled back. Eighteen marks were gouged into the crate, each one counting her return.

Elder Gray was one name that managed to shock Princess Luna. Gray was apparently an old friend, one that she was meaning to visit sometime in the near future. But with the appearance of the mysterious mastermind, it had seemed that the once honor-bound dragon had turned on them. No one had seen the Princess of the Night for hours.

General Linch of Griffonia.

Commander Sharpwood. Forest Corps.

General Thorn. Experimental Weapons and Technologies.

Brigadier General Jet of the Green Division. Whatever that was.

Commander Pixel of the Griffon Defense Force.

Admiral Whitewater of the Navy.

Colonel Bash of the Lava Force.

But no name for their elusive Commander-in-Chief. Nor his base of operations.

Twilight gritted her teeth, and her mind wandered onto the thought of what happened to the ponies of the Crystal Empire. While the last resort plan was the result of a ten-month study, the Crystal Empire was not included. They were worse off than any of the ponies who had managed to meet at the rendezvous points within the borders of Equestria. No supplies, no promise of an evacuation, no plan for surviving, and the fact that their leaders were unable to return to the country helped nothing. There was little to no chance they would be seen again.

Sighing, she wiped away a few tears that seeped out. She needed to be strong. At least she could stand up straight.

But with further questioning, they had gotten more than just names.

Project: Mariposa was one such item of interest. Interestingly, the name had originated from a Sergeant in the Supply Corps. He had said that he and his team made multiple trips to Base Hills in the Badlands with carts filled with tightly sealed barrels. Through the labels and the paperwork both claimed that they were filled with water, he thought differently. While water was a necessity anywhere, the fact that a total of seventy "water" caravans made the trip to the Badlands within a month made many suspicious. Though another fact was almost a confirmation that something was brewing.

Brutus, like his name suggests, was the Sergeant's strongest griffon. A barrel filled with water was an easy load for him. But when he tried to pick one up on one of the many trips to Base Hills, he nearly broke his back doing so. At least four griffons were necessary to move one barrel of "water." Whatever lurked in those barrels was much heavier than simple water.

More information seeped up from various sources.

Operation: Boomerang was mentioned a few times, though it seemed like it was more of a political creation than an actual plan. It mentioned five thousand ships swarming the eastern shore of Equestria, taking ports and coastal cities by surprise. But to conduct an operation of that size would require an unthinkable amount of supplies and workers, resources that would be better used in the ground campaign. Either it was a bluff to throw off potential spies, or they had gravely misjudged the enemy's capability and supply chain.

Project: Spice was... odd, to say the least. It was a declassified test in which clouds of ground Griffonic Peppers would be released as an eye and skin irritant. The test was considered a failure, but the soldiers who participated apparently enjoyed all eleven tons of the remaining red powder.

And after all those months, they had gotten the name to their own invasion.

Operation: Granary

A two-pronged attack from the north would conquer the coastal cities and move towards the southern border, were the two armies would squeeze the remaining targets in a pincer movement. The entire invasion was planned to take eight weeks. And eight weeks later, their flags flew on conquered cities.

Twilight sat down in the sand, and organized her thoughts.

They had much, much more answers than before. But what got her thinking even more was the fact that the information was willingly given. All of the prisoners had claimed horrible living conditions, and brutal commanders. Some even compared them with slave drivers.

She wondered whether propaganda would work. If most griffons were willing to surrender, then maybe this war could be ended with one less casualty.

Before, they were in the dark, but now, they were prepared. They were ready.

But deep down inside, she knew that things would go wrong. They always did. She knew that experiments could be repeated, and its results reproduced. But with the flow of fate, the decision of millions, and the fact that this could only be done once, Twilight Sparkle knew that redundancy plans, weren't, and that one day, Plan C would be the only plan they could have left.

To a pony who once planned out her entire life, it was a heavy moment.

***

South of the Iron Mountains but north of the Neighagra Falls was the hardy, industrial center of Equestria. It was always cold, no matter the season. A few large mountains made the horizon to the east, their peaks covered with snow year-round. Small holes dotted the bases, the remains of countless ore mines, most decades, some centuries old. It was these mines that allowed a small blacksmith town to bloom into an industrial powerhouse. It was said that whoever had Stalliongrad under their control would dominate the world.

Mayberry Ironworks was the largest producer of metal products in all fields, from kitchenware to heavy industry. If one wanted quality, there was no other to turn to. Every item they manufactured was stamped or engraved with the letters "MBI" in fancy lettering, proudly displaying their heritage and history on every rail, bathtub, and fork that emerged from their factories.

The robot whirred as it emerged from the cover of a bush, pushing off a layer of snow that had accumulated on top. The camera slowly moved to the left as it took a panorama of the city.

Through the thick haze of falling snow and clouds, smokestacks stood straight and tall into the sky, while smoke adding to the already stuffy sky. It was almost impossible to see the individual buildings hidden in the snow, but a few silhouettes could be seen near the small fires that burned inside barrels on random street corners.

***

"Stalliongrad is our priority, but we have to be fast if we want to avoid any unnecessary collateral. Unfortunately, the weather means we cannot use aircraft for reconnaissance."

The Helix lumbered through the cold, frigid air. In the back sat a woman. Her usual outfit was hidden by the heavy coat and boots. There were no computers to hack, nor were there any vehicles to disable. However on this mission, her skills in information gathering would prove most useful. As the helicopter descended, Black Lotus closed her laptop with a quick snap.

"Our resident hacker has your complete mission order locked away safely. We can't risk it being intercepted. I know that this world doesn't have the necessary equipment to successfully decrypt secure channels, but that doesn't mean we're going to be lazy. Long-range radio transmissions are to be used only in an emergency. Short-ranged radio transmissions are to be used only when necessary."

A commando rappelled down a mountain, he and his winter camouflage invisible in the falling snow. As soon as he reached the bottom, he loaded a full magazine into his rifle in a well-practiced maneuver. Making sure that his other equipment hadn't fallen out, Colonel Burton reached the rendezvous point and covered his eyes from the snow blown up by the Helix.

"You are being sent deep into enemy territory, right where their first major offensive took place. Best of luck, and stay frosty."

A few rocks tumbled down the cliff. The sniper paused, and peeked down. Fortunately, while the snow covered his little mistake, it also reduced his vision. Cursing a few words in Arabic, Jarmen Kell slung his Dragunov behind his back and crawled towards the city.

"No pun intended."

***

For a second, the mountain echoed with the sound of thudding coaxial rotors as the heavy-duty Chinese helicopter landed on a ledge so small that only a suicidal pilot would attempt with such a large aircraft. But fortunately for the crew and passengers, it was enough. The Colonel shielded his eyes from the large cloud of snow blown up by the rotors.

"Hey! Looks like you made it." Burton said in his usual gruff voice, though there was a shadow of a grin on his face, happy to see an old friend again.

"And it appears that you didn't get lost." Lotus playfully returned as she gracefully hopped off. Along with her signature briefcase that held her laptop, she also carried a burlap sack with an unknown cargo.

They only laughed. It was just like old times.

The Helix's engines whirred louder, the pilot giving the two commandos a quick thumbs up before taking off, and eventually disappearing into the clouds.

"Where's Jarmen Kell?" the hacker asked, her voice now serious and no-nonsense.

"Doing his own thing. I'm not surprised if he's already in the city."

"Then I guess we should hurry."

Lotus checked her watch. The sun would set in an hour. Already, the sky was tinged orange with whatever light managed to pierce the clouds and snow.

"Yeah. Let's do this."

***

"Kell, you read?"

Jarmen Kell flinched in surprise. He silently cursed the American for having the worst timing to call. Under his perch, the two guards paused, squinting their eagle eyes in hopes of finding whatever made that sound.

He held his breath. Breaking all forms of logic, the griffons could not spot the sniper wearing loose, sand brown robes.

With one last suspicious look behind them, they walked off.

"You could have gotten me killed Burton!" Kell growled in his headset as he jumped from his spot and scurried towards the next vantage point.

"Sorry. But that's on you for not meeting us at the rendezvous point. Where are you?"

He didn't answer until he got to the top of the unusually tall tree. From the very nice position, Stalliongrad could be seen in all of its glory. Thick stone walls separated the city from the wilderness outside, with the only points of access into and out of the city were the two heavily guarded gates and the similarly guarded tunnel with a pair of rail tracks laid down.

The sniper checked his compass.

"I am to the south of the city, currently in position on top of a tree."

"Is it the tallest one?"

"Yes."

A pause. Kell returned to setting up his rifle and was about to calculate the distance between him and any potential targets when the Colonel returned on the radio.

"I see you. Hold on, we'll meet you up there."

According to the few crude sketches and measurements he made, the average griffon was a little more than half of a standing adult human. He peered through the scope. Kell adjusted his rifle with his experienced and precise hands, and picked out a guard.

A few moments later, he estimated the distance was a rough three hundred meters, well within his abilities to place shot after shot wherever he wanted.

***

After one boring minute, the trio was finally complete. Jarmen Kell and Colonel Burton silently glared at each other, their histories had brought each other to a gunfight time and time again. But for the sake of the mission, they promised not to stab each other in the back. The Colonel smirked. He was the one with the knife.

Black Lotus only rolled her eyes at the silent contest and read out their mission on her laptop.

MISSION PARAMETERS

1 - Do not engage the enemy unless in retaliation.

2 - No civilian casualties.

3 - Keep interaction with civilians to a minimum.

MISSION PRIORITIES

PRIORITY 1 - Provide detailed locations of enemy garrisons, fortified buildings, and supply dumps.

PRIORITY 2 - Identify officers, leaders, and potential defectors.

PRIORITY 3 - Relay information about the current political stance of Stalliongrad. Identify key members of the civilian population, and any possible rebellion movement.

Burton grinned. He twirled the trigger of his detonator that he had recovered from the Ranger. His demolition charges that were used in destroying Bone Meal Mine were also returned. With the comfortable weight of C4 back on his belt, he felt ready to take on the world.

***

The dog growled, his nose high in the air, sniffing at an unfamiliar scent. He gripped his spear tightly, ready to fight whatever he came across.

Below him, Colonel Burton held his breath as he clung tightly to the side of the wall, the cold threatening to numb and weaken his fingers. After what seemed like an eternity, the dog slowly continued on his watch.

"Clear."

Even with the sub-par sound quality of the toughened radios, Jarmen Kell's accent and rough voice could be easily identified. And though he had no love for his long-time nemesis, he silently admitted that it was nice to have a second pair of eyes.

With a soft grunt, Burton scrambled onto the raised walkway and silently sprinted to cover behind a pile of empty barrels, most likely containing alcohol at one point, and most likely brought up onto the wall against orders.

The Colonel frowned as another guard dog stopped in his tracks, his head snapping from side-to-side as he tried to locate the source of the foreign scent.

But lady luck intervened once again, and the mixture of wind, smoke, and snow allowed the commando a small window of opportunity to escape.

He sprinted towards the bastion, taking only seconds to travel the ten meters. In his mind, he berated himself for not checking whether the small tower had any inhabitants.

"Wha, dy'a lose a bet 'r somthin'?" an extremely slurred voice called out.

Around a table were four guards, cards in paws, money on table, and each an blood alcohol content that should've killed them hours ago. In the corner was another pile of barrels, some slowly dripping, others somewhat full, and two still unopened.

Colonel Burton tried hard not to laugh. He was trained to bring down alert, sober enemies while not being detected, but four drunks and their drinks were too easy. He silently brought out his combat knife and approached the group, his specially-made boots releasing no squeaks.

They went down within seconds, and for good measure, Burton knocked over their tankards, releasing the dull, musky smell of their alcohol. Anyone who would investigate would not see the difference between the blood seeping out of their necks, and the blood-red wine spilled all over the floor.

"All clear. I'm at the third guard tower from the left. Dropping rope in twelve."

Totally oblivious to the events above, a pair of dogs patrolled the base of the wall, only to stop and sniff the air. He growled, knowing that the officers had drunken themselves silly, like last week.

They passed, and as promised, a climbing rope dropped from above.

Climbing quickly to avoid detection, the two commandos raced to the top.

***

Jarmen Kell stared through his scope.

The wall was not the only barrier. Between the wall and the city was a buffer zone, one that would have to be traversed to gain access to the wall. Sharpshooters waited on standby in guard towers, silently watching the troops enter and exit the wall.

But there were bigger problems.

"What do you see?" Black Lotus whispered.

He stayed silent, but handed the hacker his rifle. The usual cool and calm attitude disappeared as she peered through the scope.

Multiple wooden cages lined the area between the guard towers, each filled to overflowing with-

"Ponies." she whispered.

"Hostages." Burton whispered back, peering through his own binoculars.

"So." Kell murmured in a sarcastic tone, "No American Shock and Awe this time?"

"No," the colonel huffed, "We just need to be smart."

The sniper nodded. There was a time and place for overwhelming firepower. Stealth would be mandatory on the main offensive planned in a few weeks, not to mention, right now.

***

Hours later, they had finally entered the city proper.

All around them, life went on just as it had been for years. Ponies walked to work, and they walked back. Iron ore was mined, devoured by furnaces, shaped into its basic forms, then used in manufactured products. Wheat was ground, baked, and eaten. There was nothing to show that yesterday, today, or tomorrow was, is, or would be any different.

Except for the giant radio tower. That was new.

"AND I SAY, WHY NOT-"

"Jesus! Christ! Lotus!" Burton whispered loudly, though not as loud as the voice on Black Lotus' civilian radio.

"Apologies." she said with her teeth clenched, her fingers furiously turning the volume knob until the small black box was silenced.

Jarmen Kell's eyes almost seemed to twitch as he scanned the immediate area for any possible hostiles who may have heard them.

The air was as still as ever. An overflowing dumpster, month-old newspapers, and bare brick walls surrounded them. The whole alleyway experience was complete when a meowing cat jumped from a broken window and onto the street.

Burton motioned for Lotus to check the interior of the building that the cat had exited. A quick sweep of the room revealed that it was a warehouse, now totally empty.

The trio entered like ghosts.

***

The entire warehouse was completely empty, both inhabitants and stored items were missing, not even the wiring was left intact. Stalactites of ice hung outside the broken windows, making for an awe-inspiring and beautiful display as they sparkled in the dim orange lights from the furnaces in the distance.

They had decided to take a short breather while they could. Lotus tuned her radio again, making sure to keep the volume low.

"-from the bottom of my heart, I swear to whatever you believe in, we are not here for your destruction! We are not here to liberate you from your tyrannical leaders! We are not here to replace magic with technology! No! Our goal is not something as petty as that! No! Our beings, our very souls are mere stepping stones in the larger of plans! We will not blame you if you do not trust us. You are forgiven! Do not worry! In time you will know, and hopefully, you will forgive us as well!"

Jarmen Kell tilted his head and let out a few words of Arabic, mostly muttering under his breath that at least the extremists back home had a clear objective.

"But as always, when the day has passed and night guards the sky, we have Commander Sharpwood of the Forest Corps, here with a few words of wisdom."

A few moments of silence were quickly swept away by the booming and friendly sounding voice of the Commander.

"Good evening friends!" His voice had an echo, as if he was speaking from the top of a stadium. "I'd comment of the weather, but we've been having the exact same snow and cold for a few months now, I can't really say anything about it!"

He laughed, as a grandfather would laugh in response to an innocent child's question.

"What? We got twelve minutes of sun yesterday? I think that's a record! Anyhow, back to business. We've had a few reports of theft and one attempted riot. Fortunately... eh, how shall I say this... Fortunately they have all been captured before major damage or death occurred. As always, cooperation is appreciated. I don't know how long we're going to be freeloading, but let's work together to make sure that nothing major happens..."

"Nothing major he says." Burton huffed, "An invasion of a country isn't major he says."

Commander Sharpwood continued, on, talking about the daily life in this city, though if one listened closely enough, it was as if he was talking with a knife to his throat.

"...And I said to him- I've heard you say some stupid things, but then why do you keep talking?!"

He laughed, his booming howls of amusement echoing through the studio, clearly audible through the handheld.

"And then-... What? Oh. Well folks, apparently I've gone five minutes past my time. I'll see you next week, when I will be talking about how my friend stuck his head in a barrel filled with Surströmming as a bet. Spoilers- He lost."

The radio clicked, and the regular announcer returned.

"And with that, we return to our normal broadcast."

Black Lotus switched the radio off without a second thought when the propaganda returned. The sound of the wind replaced the white noise, and the winter cold only chilled their spirits.

Twilight had told them of the story of the Windigoes. Whether they were confined to the limits of storytelling or not, the snow seemed to dampen their willingness to continue forwards.

Dampen, not destroyed.

***

Hours passed, and the night only got colder.

The ice that frosted the windows and cobblestones sparkled in the warm, orange glow of the smelting furnaces.

But they were not furnaces.

It was almost routine to them. Sneak past guards, copy some important top secret documents, take a few photos that could be used for blackmail, and then map out the entire town and any position of interest. It was a job that they had repeated countless times over their careers, and would do so in the future.

It was almost... boring.

But here, now, they laid back on the highest maintenance platform of the radio tower as they watched the city sleep below. Black Lotus had her notebook out, combining the information her pictures held into a single sketch. Although each piece of the puzzle only confused her when they had obtained it, the overall picture was even more so.

Like any occupied territory, a civilian resistance existed. They hoarded weapons, had a secret base, use codes, the whole nine yards. But unlike any civilian resistance, they openly existed. They rallied publicly, and their supporters wore cloaks of white, purple, and gold, to signify their allegiance. And unlike any occupying force, Commander Sharpwood had done nothing in response to their uprisings.

It was as if the resistance and the counter-resistance were in on the same joke, and the punchline had yet to be delivered.

Jarmen Kell silently observed the Iron Dragon he had shot earlier. On his belt was a small bag filled with "Special" ammunition for taking down the pilots or drivers of vehicles, and, as he demonstrated earlier, also proved effective against dragons if he could hit their brains through a weak spot through their eyes.

There were few underpaid conscripts that would risk the rage of waking a sleeping dragon, just to make sure he wasn't dead.

But there was plenty of information that would only be useful tonight. Information was like food. Fresh as possible, was preferable.

From up high, they stood above a sea of lava, the black and red deeply contrasting the pure white and light yellow glow of the sunset.

But what appeared to be lava was in fact a sea of torches, torches that were each held by griffons in one claw, and a spear in another.

The entire air was silent, save for the whistling of the wind.

And there was one griffon above all.

"At ease!"

The soldiers all assumed the stance, metal armor clanking as they moved as one. Though they had been ordered to ease, to trained military eyes it was obvious that the new position caused even more stress on the weary and cold soldiers.

His familiar voice boomed. Though the voice in the radio was scratched and white noise blurred the finer details of his speech, there was no doubt as to the griffon's identity. The sky blue and grey griffon took one last breath of the cold winter air, puffing up his chest in an intimidating manner. But his eyes told a different story.

Commander Sharpwood had the stage.

"As much as I want to be dramatic right now... The orders from up high are too important to be put off..." He sounded tired, unlike an athlete who just finished traversing an obstacle course, the commander sounded defeated, as if he was forced into his current position.

He sighed, and his voice boomed into the night.

"We have orders to mobilize!"

At this, even the most disciplined reacted visibly. Grimaces appeared, and their wings tensed. The least disciplined screeched in surprise, breaking their stance. Above them, Sharpwood only watched. And above him, the three commandos noted the turn of events.

Eventually, they stopped.

"Just a few hours ago, I received orders that the Third Striker, Fourth Striker, First Conscript, Eighth Conscript, Second Engineering, Thirteenth Supply, and the First Medical Battalions are to begin preparations for a long-term campaign! All commanders are to report to First Lieutenant Wells for supplies!"

The entire mass of soldiers were visibly rustled, some ground their talons into the frozen cobblestone, not feeling warm to the idea of fighting yet another campaign. They had gotten used to the quiet life of an occupational force.

Sharpwood sighed, he needed a little of his signature humor, and hoped his next words would raise morale, even slightly, "I'd be lying if I said that you've been all warm and cozy during your stay. But I'd like to announce that where we're going, it's going to be hotter than your wives."

Chuckles and grins broke through the icy mood. The Commander too, grinned.

The speech continued.

***

"...the exact location isn't going to be announced. That would be stupid. But what I can tell you is that we're going to win. Our enemies are split amongst themselves. They think we can't do it. They think we're going to get stuck. Let's show them otherwise!"

Cheers erupted in a frenzy, but as the officers regrouped their units, Commander Sharpwood's grin soon drooped into an angry scowl.

Friends said their farewells, and comrades wished each other luck.

And eventually they dispersed, leaving three commandos with grim looks on their faces.

***

"This... does not bode well."

Even without her Royal Canterlot Voice, Princess Luna had the ability to weave a powerful speech, able to tug on emotions, and blow on the embers of patriotic fervor.

But now, even after their last-ditch plan succeeded in turning the tide, the months of uncertainty and worry finally caught up to her. Though her words were prim and proper, there was an audible quiver.

It wasn't hard to imagine her with her hair in tangles, trying to deal with the stress.

"We're right above Sharp's office. It's pretty nice. Guy has air ducts and a fireplace." Burton whispered, with a sarcastic nod of approval only men could understand. Black Lotus only concentrated on recording Commander Sharpwood's personal conversation with his captains with more James Bond-esque gadgets. Jarmen Kell had remained on the radio tower. A life out in the open deserts of the Middle East didn't make for a person who would willingly go into a claustrophobic space.

"What was that about air ducts?" The General spoke up.

"Well sir, I think he should be very glad he doesn't have asthma." the Colonel replied, trying not to sneeze.

"...You're in the air ducts. Aren't you?"

"That is correct sir."

Tom sighed.

A tractor that shot anthrax. A plane that shot nuclear missiles at other planes. A tank that shot microwaves towards an enemy severely lacking in popcorn.

He concluded that an action movie cliché was almost... normal.

Lotus hissed, getting the attention of the Colonel. He assumed his serious demeanor, and leaned over the small opening. The general and the princess were also silent, listening closely to the conversation that took place hundreds of miles away. Below them, Sharpwood briefed his subordinates.

"...been fine. We don't have any allies on the Savannah Continent, but they're confident we won't be able to launch a naval assault and secure a beachhead at Myanga."

One of the captains grinned. "They don't know about the Lav-"

Another griffon smacked his head, "We've been given strict orders from General Thorn not to speak of any prototypes or projects of any kind."

The others audibly gasped at the scene.

"You goofed up Helix." Major Sturmkin turned and growled, not liking being struck by a lesser officer. "I never liked you. But this is going-

"Yes, we know how much you don't like me. Now stop waving your prick around."

"What!?" the griffon exploded, not used to this level of disrespect. "You're willing to go this far? I'll have to report to General Thorn on the quality of his-"

"General Thorn isn't the kind of superior that confiscates dirty magazines. In fact," Helix turned and stared into the senior soldier's confused eyes, "he's the kind that passes them out."

Sturmkin gurgled and stepped back, not expecting the answer. "Thorn- he..."

Sharpwood sighed, and placed his face in his talons. Simply ordering them to shut up had not worked. Technically he was in command of them, but they each had their own loyalties. With Sturmkin in charge of the Stalliongrad branch of the Supply Corps, and Helix being the representative of Thorn's R&D division, Sharpwood had authority, but the two had influence. It was best to let them burn each other and continue over their ashes. Like the last four times they had fought over their respective ideals.

"He's the kind that makes sure his soldiers have more than enough water to drink. Unlike you. He's the kind that lets you go on leave when your wife gives birth. Unlike you. He's the kind that started his career as a private. Not at some fancy officer academy. While he did eventually enroll in one, he didn't need bribes to get in." Helix once more stared into the Major's eyes. "Unlike. You."

"Alright. This is getting stupid." A particularly buff griffon stepped forwards and into the two arguing officers, his muscled mass ramming both Helix and Sturmkin away from each other and into the floor. "Commander Sharpwood!" he called out, "What of the other factions?" The commander raised his head, but once he realized that the argument was over, he gratefully continued.

"Ah, thank you Barricade." The Corporal nodded in response. He returned to his post next to the door, where he kept guard. Sharpwood quickly tidied his stressed feathers, and composed his thoughts. "So only The Pride expects to see us there, and only because we're a challenge. I'm sure we all know how much the lions like fighting. The Zebra Union is operating as normal, though with Equestria conquered, they're a little worried. The giraffes are sticking their heads in their scrolls, as usual... and no word on the Antelopes."

"So we should have an easy go at them?" The same Corporal spoke up, not wanting let Helix or Sturmkin speak up again.

"With Thorn's new..." Helix silently dared the Commander to continue. Sharpwood smirked, "...tools, shall we say, it should be a little more difficult, but overall, we should be fine. If things go as planned, we may even finish ahead of schedule!"

"And what of the occupational force? The Battalions requested consist of almost eighty percent of the forces currently stationed in this city. If they were to leave at once-"

"That's part of the next order I got." Sharpwood interrupted.

"And...?"

The Commander sighed, "Over the next few days, we're going to empty this place."

Surprised looks and tilted heads of confusion was the response.

"The ponies of this city are to be shipped to Stronghold Sierra in the badlands. We're to receive empty cargo trains within the next few days, enough to move approximately one-fourth of the ponies in this city. Every train will contain some of our soldiers to reinforce Sierra and to guard the cargo."

"And this city?"

"Will be empty in less than a week."

Silence.

The officers squinted their eyes, trying to figure out what was happening.

"But... why?"

"Please don't ask. I'd answer if I could."

"So are we going to be re-assigned?"

Sharpwood nodded.

"Who'r we workin' with?" A griffon who looked like Barricade's twin brother asked.

"If I'm not mistaken..." the Commander hummed as he shuffled through his papers, "You're going to be with Brigadier General Jet, and his Green Division."

Grumbles of annoyance sounded.

"I don't like them." Sturmkin spoke up once again.

"I don't like you." Helix responded, "But I like them less."

"Agreed."

Commander Sharpwood took another deep, tired breath, but internally, he grinned. It brought him some sort of peace that both Sturmkin and Helix had come to an agreement. He lifted his head up one more time, and spoke.

"Alright comrades. We have four days. Let's not mess this up."

***

"Four days. We got four days..."

"That might be or might not be enough time to build the Particle Uplink Cannon Accelerator Complex itself, but I can't guarantee we will be able to get the satellite on-line within four days."

"Begin construction."

"Yes sir. Anything else?"

"I want everything on Stalliongrad. Maps, tourist brochures, and ponies who lived, visited, and were born in Stalliongrad. I want UAVs in the air, Sentry Drones surrounding the area, and Pathfinders in positions around the city. The works."

"Sir, Pathfinders are only available to Generals who have been promoted to a Three-Star level."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

"If you say so sir."

"And I say this is going to end. Call the Commandos back, and gather the crews. We've had enough waiting. It's time to move."

Author's Note

And now, how to estimate range by using a Stadiametric Rangefinder on a rifle scope.

The sight you see above is the PSO-1, mounted on Soviet precision rifles. Note the little curve on the bottom left side of the reticle. That is what's used to find the range by placing a target human between the bottom line and the top curve from head to feet, as seen in the bottom picture. The man is roughly four hundred meters away from the sniper, but also note the little 1,7 at the right of the bottom line. That indicates that the rangefinder is to be used for targets that are 1.7 meters in height. So there's a little error and guesswork involved, but it's a good point of reference.

Hrm. I may add a little tidbit of information at the end of each chapter. This might be fun.

Shaking The Snowglobe

"PULL OVER."

"You know, I don't think a train can-"

"PULL OVER."

The two diamond dogs stared at the strange, flying red thing that was yelling at them to pull over, something that was quite impossible to accomplish in a train.

"WE HAVE A FULL LOAD OF TANK HUNTERS AND MINIGUNNERS. WE HAVE A BATTLEMASTER PARKED ON THE TRACKS ONE KILOMETER AHEAD. THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING. PULL OVER.

The weaving tracks soon straightened and sure enough, one kilometer away a nuclear Battlemaster was parked sideways across the railroad tracks. Even from this distance, they could see the heat haze coming off of the engine deck. The Helix hovered above, daring them to try anything.

Through the binoculars, they saw the tank's gun flash, and not a second later, a shock wave smashed through their eardrums as a crater appeared next to the speeding locomotive. Both yelped in surprise, and peered back as they rapidly left the column of smoke behind.

The engineer nervously whispered as he stood back up, "We stop?"

His partner nodded, "We stop."

The wheels screeched as they slowed to a halt.

All was silent for a minute, until the twin rotors of a Chinook joined them, deafening whoever was on the train.

"GO GO GO!"

Ropes dropped from the sides, and an entire squad of Rangers crashed through every door and entrance.

It was nothing flashy or special, it was just a regular old Combat Drop.

The only thing that was flashy however, was the flash bang.

"Paws up."

And the paws went up.

***

A Ranger waved to the departing Technical, yelling an unheard thanks for the help.

A Minigunner sitting in the back waved back, the rusty pickup and the four other Chinese Soldiers stuffed in the back bouncing as they sped away in a cloud of sand.

Above, the Helix's heavy rotors thudded, leading the convoy to places unknown as the Chinese construction dozer swayed from the thick steel cables under. Behind them was the single Nuclear Battlemaster, an ambulance, the Technicals, and trailing the back was a handful of Quad Cannons.

And joining them were a few members of Princess Luna's personal guards to act as advisors.

Hammer Force's destination was not Stalliongrad.

Instead, their mission would involve a mad scientist, an underground maze, and monstrous creatures created by said mad scientist.

But that story is a story to tell another day.

***

Applejack flinched.

The somewhat earthly smell of cardboard calmed her, its earthly scent similar to her home, contrasting greatly with the metallic and dead cold steel that surrounded her, or the dry heat of the Appleoosan Desert that she could still feel on her back from the open door.

"Applejack?"

The voice called to her from behind, the elegant voice tainted with worry. There could only be one pony with that voice.

"Dear?"

The she stayed silent, wondering if she should do what she told her to do.

The pony entered, and placed something on the ground behind her.

"Apple Bloom is playing with Braeburn, but I have a sneaking suspition that it's you she wants to spend time with." Rarity whispered, keeping her voice soft.

"Also, I think Braeburn is not used to dealing with a younger sibling."

Applejack smiled. She liked the stallion, though he was a little too enthusiastic for her liking.

Rarity noticed the grin on her friend's lips and grinned herself.

"Here." she pushed the basket forwards, "They managed to save a few bushels from the orchard. It's not from your farm, but it's Apple Family apples."

She didn't move from the inside of her cardboard nest, but when the sweet scent of freshly picked apples reaching her nose, it caught her attention like a flower in the middle of a barren wasteland. It was an odd feeling, like reuniting with an old friend, but like meeting a new pony at the same time.

How odd.

Rarity kneeled down, waiting for the farmer to make a move.

Applejack sighed, and stood.

The seamstress smiled as her long time friend moved from her nest of cardboard and sat down across the basket.

"Thank you, Rarity." she whispered, her voice still raspy from the yelling.

"You're very much welcome, Applejack." She took a pair of apples and passed one to her. "Cheers."

"Cheers."

Two very wet crunches echoed through the room. In the most unladylike fashion, Rarity chewed with vigor, relishing the fresh sweetness of a genuine apple.

"So-" Rarity spoke with a mouthful of apple, "What..." she swallowed, "What do you want to do?"

Applejack finished her mouthful, "What do I want to do?"

The seamstress nodded, "Yes, you heard me correctly." she took another huge bit of the apple, "Whaght... you... wahnt to do." Rarity cleared her throat, "Rainbow Dash is currently occupied with Grizelda, Twilight is acting as Princess Luna's assistant, and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are busy keeping morale up. That leaves me. I have no clothes to fix, nor are there any gems to find. I am feeling a little useless at the moment, but I suppose there are worse feeling to feel."

Applejack stayed silent.

"How about a trip to the baths? We all need a few moments to relax, you especially."

"Alright. Sounds nice..."

"Good. And then after that we can spend a little time in the Command Center. I do love air conditioning. And maybe Twilight can explain what exactly is going on."

Applejack let loose a quiet, but rough laugh.

"If we ask her to explain anything, we're going to be there for the next two days."

They shared a giggle between them.

"Quite true."

***

Two Rangers stood in front of a destroyed metal door, grinning widely as they detonated Colonel Burton's explosives that they stole once again. Ghillie suits, long rifles, and spotter scopes were their prize, and, General's Points be dammed, they took their haul outside.

The air rang out with shots as the Rangers, now Pathfinders, shot bulls-eyes after bulls-eye at targets further than some of them could see. A few cheered as a particularly skilled soldier scored headshot after headshot on a cardboard target that was soon to be headless.

The General peered at the firing range, filled with metal barrels and other pieces of refuse all with more holes than a beehive. It brought him some sort of comfort that it had actually worked. Simply equipping the men with Pathfinder Rifles, and dressing them in Pathfinder Ghillie Suits, did not make them Pathfinders.

But it made them good enough.

The general silently frowned as he raised his binoculars towards a grey building. Scaffolds still covered the entirety of the structure, though they would soon be removed. For all intents and purposes, the signature weapon of the US Faction was complete and operational.

But there was still the pesky problem with the satellite.

A Particle Cannon required a Reflector Satellite to redirect the beam towards the intended target, unless their intended target was the moon. Usually the various generals with sufficient clearance would be allowed use of Reflector Satellites already in orbit, but here they would have to launch one of their own, and that was going to take time that they didn't have.

But something else bothered him more.

"Two days, and nothing." Luna growled in frustration.

The General sighed, "There is something down there, something that can take Hammer Force head on and, most likely, win."

"Can we not send additional forces?"

Tom chuckled, not exactly sure what to feel at the moment, "This close to the offensive? We're going to need every man we can get. The forces that we already sent were already pushing it. In fact, the Battlemaster was one of the Frankenstein hackjobs that the gearheads at the War Factory managed to put together. The Minigunners we stole from the Chinese barracks, and the Tank Hunters are just our Missile Defenders with a new uniform. We're going to have to wait until after Stalliongrad to move down south."

"I do not like it. Those of my own guards that had joined them are some of the best Equestria has to offer. While we cannot hope to match your forces in steel and fire, we still excel in certain areas."

"And you've heard nothing from them."

She nodded, "Usually a messenger should have arrived every twelve hours at the latest. The trains headed to the Badlands have been found, though their crew and cargo have disappeared into the wastes. The last tidbit of information we have received confirms that Hammer Force had establishing a small base. After that, my messengers have stopped arriving."

"And your guards are much quieter and faster than anything we have..." The General hummed in thought, "...If they can't get through, then it's probably safe to say that we won't be receiving any information unless we go looking for it."

"While the thought of abandoning anypony disgusts me... Yes, that is a reasonable statement."

They paused.

"Then I guess we should be preparing for the offensive tomorrow."

"Of course. Best of luck, general."

***

We are ready sister. Almost eight hundred soldiers stand at the ready. We dominate the skies and earth. Zero Hour approaches.

Hurry, Luna. I don't know how long we can survive.

I know. But what information our scouts have been able to deliver to us have shown unusual activity to the south. Something stirs in the Badlands sister, something monstrous. Two days have passed, and yet they do no respond. I pray to mother that the ponies aren't harmed.

Constant Vigilance, Luna.

It was I who said those very words, Celestia.

And those words were never so true. Good luck.

And to you, sister.

***

The quick bath had done some good. Her mane was still loose and she was still missing her hat, but the worst sign of her injuries was a faint scar running down her foreleg, and even that was only half a thumb in length.

She and her group of friends rested in the chilled briefing room of the Command Center, though not everyone was being briefed, nor was everyone actually awake. Twilight poked a certain snoring pegasus in the ribs.

"...Armor Company Rhino will then approach and secure the southern entrance. Now, there's good news, and bad news. The bad news is, you're going to be alone for about four hours with absolutely no support from air or ground forces. The good news is, we've managed to scrounge up just enough for four Emperor Overlord tanks. Gatlings and all..."

The tankers grinned. In their totally American hearts, they were jealous of the Chinese for having the ultimate armored vehicle in existence.

"Applejack?" Twilight whispered as the her friend shivered, "Is it too cold for you?"

"No I'm- A'm fine..." she stuttered, "I just have to know."

"Know?"

"That we're going to win..."

Twilight sighed, and hugged her, agreeing that this needed to end.

"...Air assets will be available, but only when the weather allows for it..."

"...Pack your jammies, men..."

"...Tomorrow, we go on the offensive. Good Luck..."

***

Workers slaved, sweat dripping off of their tan bodies as they connected the new holes to the already extensive network of tunnels. Around them, soldiers rested for one final time before boarding.

"You know what you have to do. If what the dogs say is true, then you as griffons should have no problems getting us into the city. Do what you need to do, and we'll uphold our end of the bargain."

The pair of griffons nodded, "Understood. We're not the best, but we'll try."

The Ranger hummed in response, and turned to the group of ponies behind him.

"So, we got some last minute passengers?"

"Yessir." An indigo unicorn answered in a cool voice, "My name is Amythist. We're here to reassure the remaining civilian population that you are on our side and to act as advisers."

"You from this city?"

She nodded, "Born and raised, though last year I moved to Baltimare."

"Good enough for me. They said that special knowledge is needed to find your way through the industrial complex. Ever been in one of the factories?"

"Worked and lived in one."

"Even better. We'll ask for the details on the ride over."

Amethyst nodded.

"Speaking of ride, Rangers! Load up!"

Varying yells of HOOAH echoed across the barren land as an innumerable wave of soldiers piled onto the once-empty train. Wooden planks creaked and one could swear that the ground itself caved in slightly under the weight. Boots thudded as the Rangers and the newly trained Pathfinders found their place in the gutted-out remains of what was once a passenger coach.

The train lurched as the griffons managed to get the locomotive moving.

Their Mission - To infiltrate and disable the rails and rolling stock to stop any enemy reinforcements from arriving by train or any enemy officers from leaving, then proceed to secure the industrial sector.

***

"There will be much suffering for the oppressors!"

Colonel Burton shushed an entire four squads of zealous GLA infantry cheering in agreement at the motivated individual, having holed up in the same warehouse that he had occupied what seemed to be yesterday.

Stealth Rebels made up the majority, but Saboteurs and Hijackers from Prince Kassad's forces were also present. The Pathfinders were also deployed, but only a scant few passed the hastily created test. They were already taking their positions near openings in the wall, rifles ready to fire.

Many of the men shivered, not used to this type of cold weather. But with a mutual hatred of oppressors, they hardened their hearts and persevered.

Their Mission - To destroy key supply dumps, secure the civilian sectors, and to act as immediate reinforcements for any group should the situation call for it.

***

"Rhino 1, this is Recon 4, we have visual of the city, two klicks ahead. The snow ahead is solid, but the river's frozen up, and there's snow on top of that. We marked the riverbed with flags."

"Roger that Recon 4, thanks for the advice. Rhino 1, out."

The snow that settled on the trees dripped and melted from the intense heat radiating from the engines, only to freeze again when they passed. The tanks of Rhino Company screamed through the winter forest, stealth and quiet out of their mind. The tracks left deep imprints in the ground, tossing up into the air what wasn't compressed. Just for this mission, they had been painted a spotted white and green camouflage.

And a few minutes later, the walls appeared.

The loaders were to load one HEAT shell, the drivers were to position their respective tank onto a preplanned space that had been scouted out the day before, and the gunners were to pre-aim on a particularly weak section of the wall. The Commander would give the order to fire, they would fire, blowing open an entrance to a location that the enemy would not have any defenses placed.

Thus ended Phase 1.

After shooting any blocks still large enough and were in the right place to be a hindrance, the Emperor Overlord tanks would enter, followed by Rhino Company. They would then split up into two groups and secure their respective sectors with assistance from Colonel Burton and the GLA stealth infantry.

Thus ended Phase 2.

Phase 1 started exactly as planned. Like clockwork, Rhino Company positioned themselves. The gunners all aimed, and the loaders rammed their ammunition into the gun.

And they waited for their commander to give the order. For a second, the muffled whistling of the wind was the only sound that reached their ears. And a few minutes later, their radios blared.

"MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY! THIS IS AURORA 1 GOING DOWN!"

That was not the order.

***

To a pilot flying high above the clouds, they seemed like a rolling mat of fluff slowly moving behind him. The winds and turbulence created swirls and patterns like a master painter's brush, following the contours and mountains with skill that could only be learned through years of practice.

His computer beeped, a little green dot slowly approaching.

While GPS satellites did not exist in this world, radio beacons were available through the Supply Center. They were not as accurate, but were more than useful for the mission at hand, and Colonel Burton always had a few handy.

His computer beeped again, the little green dot almost in visual range.

The pilot pulled out out a paper map. It had a cheery, somewhat festive border, as if the tourist pamphlet was urging him to join in the annual festivities. It had pictures of foals throwing snowballs and a couple, each drinking from a mug of steaming cocoa.

He shook his head. He didn't need any distractions.

His Mission - To destroy the fortified building that the officers were holed up in.

In thirty short seconds, he would be flying above Stalliongrad, and at supersonic speeds, a target the size of an office building would pass by in a split second.

The plane shuddered as it passed through a cloud.

"Easy girl." the pilot patted the console in front of him, "Just a few more seconds and we're done for the hour."

As if the aircraft heard him, it steadied.

The computer beeped, this time with a more urgent tone.

He slowed down to subsonic, opening the bay doors with absolutely no hesitation.

Even though the aircraft and his suit were rated to resist freezing tempratures, he could still feel the chill of the winter weather creeping inside.

The computer let loose a tone.

"Bomb away."

And the plane let loose a bomb.

Like a silent bird, the bomb glided on its course.

He did not see it strike the target, but he trusted the radio beacon. With his current altitude, speed of which the bomb would drop, and the blast radius of the bomb, it would most certainly hit the intended target.

"Comm, Aurora 1. Bomb has been dropped. Returning to base to rearm, resupply."

The acknowledgement sounded through the radio, the talker's voice scratched and muffled under the static.

The pilot sighed, and turned. It would be a smooth cruise back to the airfield, not that he would be complaining.

The plane shuddered.

"Easy, easy. Just a little more-"

He stopped, staring at the ice that had formed on the glass's edge. Little by little, the delicate crystals and tiny snowflakes disappeared back into water.

A distant, but familiar shape of a griffon disappeared into the clouds.

"What in the..."

The computer blared, the noise shooting into his ears and making the pilot jump in his seat.

A red warning appeared on his screen, and the plane started to drop like a dead bird. The intense heat radiating out from his burning engines completely melted the frost, droplets of water trailing backwards.

In his panic, he slapped at the controls, accidentally transmitting his final words to anyone who had a radio.

"MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY! THIS IS AURORA 1 GOING DOWN!"

Thick black smoke and flames trailed behind him as he and his plane were engulfed in a wintery cloud.

***

"What was that?"

Burton shushed the easily-scared Saboteur. Like the first time he had spent a few hours in the warehouse, he turned down the volume of his radio. The Hijackers and Saboteurs listened in as well, as the airwaves were soon filled with radio chatter.

"Damn..."

The colonel frowned, disappointed that the plan wouldn't go as planned. True, he was specifically trained to plan as he went along, but it would have been nice for things to work flawlessly for once.

They jumped as a banging shook the door.

"Please! You must let me in!" a voice whispered from outside.

The Stealth Troopers all grabbed their rifles, making sure that they were ready to fire. Burton stood off to the side of the door, ready to open the door and hoping that he would not get shot if there needed to be shooting.

"Baseball!" Colonel Burton stated clearly.

They all held their breaths.

"Minnesota!"

They all sighed in relief as he opened the door to the correct password.

There was an orange glow, as if someone had lit a cigarette. But instead of the acrid smell, it was as if someone had lit a campfire.

And the hijacker that they sent wasn't there.

Instead, there was a griffon, holding a slow match right above the touchhole of a cannon.

They then noticed the cannon, and that the wrong end was pointed towards them.

"Fire." the calm voice of a griffon pierced through the winter wind.

A blast and smoke filled the warehouse as a Saboteur blessed with luck blinked, a ten-pound cannonball smashing the wood beam next to his head into a flurry of timber needles.

"FIRE!" Burton's rough voice boomed throughout the warehouse, and the idea of stealth disappeared from their minds.

***

"...looks like they were expecting Burton. If possible, enter the city without alerting the enemy. But if a forcible entry is absolutely necessary, then skip disabling the track and trains, and go on to capturing some of the factories.

"Roger that. Stealth is preferable, but optional."

"That's about it. Command, out."

"Thanks for the tip. Alpha 3-1 out."

The Ranger switched off the radio with a click.

"What's up bossman?" More Soldiers gathered around him.

"Not exactly a change of plans, but we've got an additional order." He sat down, "If they notice that we're not supposed to be here, we're to skip disabling the trains and tracks and start capturing the factories."

"Why don't half of us go into the factories and the other half start with destroying their transportation?"

Amethyst spoke up.

"We can't do that. These aren't just any factories. They started out as mines, and somepony had the bright idea to build a furnace right above the mineshaft, and it just grew bigger from there. There are seventeen different factories, and each one has more than fifty miles of walkways and halls, and over two-hundred assembly lines, forges, and storage depots. We're going to need all of us if we're going to capture a single one."

A soldier whistled in awe.

"Capturing is one thing, but how are we going to keep it after?"

"There are heavy sealing doors that were built to contain an accident to one section, plus the smaller emergency locks on the regular doors. They can be closed by anypony, but can only be opened by a member of staff with the proper authorization."

"And you have the authorization?"

She nodded.

"So we go in, clear house, and lock the doors so they can't go back in?"

Amethyst nodded.

The soldiers murmured, some stretching their backs and others somewhat excited at the prospect at seeing some more action.

Then someone spoke up from the back with, quite frankly, a very good question.

"So why didn't we get briefed on this?"

Alpha 3-1 sighed and responded, "We took two days to organize and mobilize hundreds of men, vehicles, and aircraft before the last train carrying civilians leaves. If we did a proper briefing, then it would have taken us much, much longer. Command took ten minutes to brief us, and had us tell the plan on the way here. Time is a luxury right now."

"So... Why are we even taking the city?"

Murmurs of confusion seeped out.

"What?"

"Lemme explain. If it takes us that long to mobilize, then why do we have to attack a city if it's going to be empty? I mean, it's going to be ours one way or another. The way we're doing it, we're taking the city, but if we just leave it, then it's going to be ours because we can waltz right in."

"And allow more ponies to be loaded away into who knows where?" Amethyst growled.

"What? It's not like they're being eaten or anything right? Still, I guess faster is better."

They all nodded.

"Any other questions?"

Soldiers shook their heads.

"Good, if the travel brochure is correct, then we should be arriving in..." he glanced at his watch, "...a minute or so."

They all clamored by the windows. The walls of Stalliongrad slowly drew closer.

"Corporal!" someone screeched.

The soldier looked around for whoever called him.

One of the two griffons that they had hired smashed through the wooden ceiling and fell onto the floor with a huff.

"Corp! They've barricaded the gates!" he pointed a talon in the general direction of Stalliongrad.

And sure enough, barely visible in the distance was a hastily thrown together pile of wooden timbers thrown on the tracks that blocked the heavy doors of the city.

"Looks like they knew we were coming." he sighed. "Stealth preferable, but optional, eh?"

The Corporal faced his men.

"Soldiers, up! Now!"

The Rangers shot up, "Sir?"

"I want everyone firing everything they got at those gates! I don't care if you've got nothing but a paintball gun, I want you shooting at those gates. MD! Think you can pop off a shot from here?"

The Missile Defender in the back grinned, "I'll give it a go, sir."

Alpha 3-1 turned back to the griffon.

"Get back in the engine. Slow us down and buy us some time, once the rocket explodes, give her full throttle and get back in here while the loco rams through the barricades. Once we're through, get back and make sure we stop where we need to stop. I don't want to foot it from one end of the city to the other or crash into a mountain. After that, just do what we told you to do and drive the train back."

The griffon nodded, and flew back to the locomotive.

"We're going to ram the doors?"

The Corporal nodded.

"We could stop before we enter and try to bring down the blockage cleanly, but that takes time, and there's probably an ambush waiting for us. If we try to reverse, we not only have the same risks as stopping, but we're also going to be slower than General Towns before his morning coffee for the first half mile or so. Best thing we can do now is weaken the barricade as much as we can, and smash right on through."

"That sounds like something the A-Team would pull off."

The Corporal turned and grinned, "Then it's a good plan."

***

"Rhino 1, Comm. Change of plans, proceed with breaching the wall then make your way to the Warehouses in the Industrial Sector. Colonel Burton's men are reporting heavy fighting and are requesting assistance."

"Roger that Command. Break through and deal with enemy currently engaging with the Colonel's forces."

"Be advised, ground teams will be capturing the factories. Watch your fire. Command, out."

"We copy. Rhino 1, out."

The Tank Commander frowned. It was once in a blue moon that Colonel Burton asked for an airstrike against a particularly heavily armored target. But now, even with allies, he had asked for assistance.

He reached for the radio.

"All tanks! Change of plans! We're going to breach the wall, but instead of securing our sectors, we're going to advance towards Colonel Burton's warehouse to provide fire support."

Various voices of acknowledgement sounded through the crackling radio.

"Overlords take point! All tanks, fire on my mark!"

With relief, the gunners took aim, glad for something to happen. The Emperor Overlords rumbled forwards.

"Fire!"

The air flashed, as loose and fluffy snow blown up in a miniature snowstorm around them.

A short but powerful barrage shook the wall down to its foundations. Ancient stones that had held against siege, turmoil, and the traditional Stalliongrad weather finally broke, a low pitched grinding sound echoing throughout the city as the blocks that made up the wall slowly slid out of place.

A single stone fell out entirely, tiny bits of gravel and dust blowing out from in between the cracks. It shattered on the hard rocks that surrounded the wall.

And in one whistle-worthy moment, the wall crumbled. A cloud of dust rolled out, past the trees and the buildings right behind the wall.

But with harsh winter wind soon wiped the air clean, and their damage was clear.

"All tanks, advance!"

The monstrous Overlords rumbled forwards, small bits of gravel from the wall crunching under their tracks as they breached the city. The smaller, but more numerous Crusader Tanks followed.

With the whistling of the wind, only the rumbling of the powerful engines and the grinding of the stone underneath the tracks broke the silence.

Homes stood silent, their windows boarded over and their insides dark. The street was empty, the fresh snow that had fallen on the cobblestones undisturbed and smooth.

"Proceed until we reach the fourth intersection. Go right, and we should have a straight line towards the warehouses."

"We copy." the driver of the leading Overlord responded.

Thus ended Phase 1.

A pair of eyes blinked from behind a boarded window.

***

An Arabic war cry sounded, but was not heard. The rattling of the Kalashnikovs was only bounced back towards their ears by the metal walls of the small warehouse.

"If you're going to spray and pray, spray and pray with it on your shoulder!"

Colonel Burton rolled his eyes at the Stealth Fighters. Having no formal training, the best shouldered the gun sideways, as if they were gangsters from the shadier areas of the Bronx. There were many who were simply bad, but one held his rifle in one hand, managing to shoot some of his own bullets in the ground immediately in front of his feet.

But collectively, they managed to confirm yet another Hollywood myth, though this time it was the enemy that miraculously avoided the bullets.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of brown feathers as a particularly brave griffon landed onto an outside balcony.

The Colonel squeezed off a few shots, with the griffon laying limp before he was done shooting.

The warehouse rocked violently as another cannonball tore through a vital support beam. His trained eyes could predict what they were doing the second they started to do so.

The roof groaned under the newly created stress, and the corner started to sag under the weight.

Colonel Burton peeked outside, and for once in his life, he was not embarrassed at calling for fire support.

Like the blizzard that dominated the skies, countless griffons surrounded the warehouse, looking for a way past the wall of bullets.

Cannons appeared from the inside of gutted-out houses, their crews loading and firing the guns with no mistakes or hesitations.

It was as if they were waiting for them.

***

Everyone gave it everything they got.

All of the rifles were smoking hot, beads of sweat appearing on foreheads as the inside of the train filled with more and more toasty brass.

"Backblast area clear!?" The Missile Defender screamed, trying to force his voice past the strong winds that threatened to push him off of the roof of the train.

With his hands occupied with the rocket launcher, he swayed from side to side, trying to resist the frosty wind while aiming at a target that was quite literally the size of a barn.

"Clear!"

A deadening blast rattled the train's windows.

For a second and without ordering a cease fire, the Rangers lowered their weapons, crossing their fingers that the rapidly shrinking missile hit the target.

And hit it did.

It slammed into the barricade and exploded, sending heavy timbers flying into the air. The heavy doors shook and tilted, the iron hinges cracking and splitting by the force of the missile.

Though the doorway was still blocked, the white glow of the blizzard peeked from the other side.

"Get down!"

A pair of hands pulled the Missile Defender back into the carriage.

"Whoa! Got offa- Hey!"

Hands smacked his helmet and back as cheers from ecstatic soldiers filled the train.

"Nice shot!" The Corporal yelled from across the carriage.

"Thanks bossman!"

And as the destroyed barricades loomed closer and closer, the two griffons entered through the hole in the ceiling.

"Is this really going to work?" the taller one asked.

"Hell if I know." Alpha 3-1 shrugged, "That being said... Brace for impact!" he yelled.

Soldiers relayed the order and found something to hang onto.

They held their breaths as the train swerved into and passed the last curve before they would reach the gates.

"Ooh. This was a bad idea..." one of the griffons mumbled, wishing that he never left his bed that fateful day.

The gates grew closer, and the smell of charred wood reached their noses.

The gates exploded.

Timber and splinters rained down onto the wintery city, hissing as they landed in the fresh snow. The train shook, rumbling as if it would derail and end up on its side. The passengers all simultaneously gulped as the carriages swayed violently, a few shudders making their way from the wheels to the floorboards as small bits of debris crunched between the rails and the wheels.

But a minute later, the train screamed into Stalliongrad, and the two griffons clawed their way back into the locomotive.

A pair of eyes blinked from behind a boarded window.

Author's Note

*LOUD SIGH*

I guess it was high time was it?