War.
It is a devastating but sometimes needed practice.
Long ago, Equestria was a serene and peaceful land. Ruled by intelligent equine beings, it also thrived with lifeforms of varying shapes and sizes. From the small Southern town of Appleoosa, to the freezing tundras of Yakyakistan. From the bustling city of Manehattan, to the royal city of Canterlot. Everything changed when the two alicorn sisters, Celestia and Luna, had drifted apart from each other. Their disputes turned into hatred and their hatred turned into warfare. Now they fight a battle that seems endless. Strife and confusion had torn society apart and in response to the discordance everypony had formed their own alliances. Those that bask in Luna's eternal moonlight had formed the mighty New Lunar Republic and those that kneel before Celestia and her daylight powers had christened the Solar Empire.
It was a new age for all of Equestria.
It's been three years and the war between the two sisters had still been raging. A small group of NLR soldiers trotted into a café in Fillydelphia after just completing a one week mission to the now decimated Las Pegasus. "I can't believe what we saw back there. There was nothing left." said Thunderstorm. He was a navy blue pegasus with electric blue hair. He was also the leader of his squadron. "We took out Celestia's troops. That's all that matters." said Firearm, the trigger-happy unicorn. She has an orange coat, a red mane and is the second-in-command of Thunderstorm's squadron. "I still don't understand why we're here. We should be returning back to the base. We can't afford to let our enemy spot us." said Spruce the timid earth pony. He served as technical expertise.
"General Dash told us to meet here at this café at this exact time. She obviously has something important to tell us." said Thunderstorm.
Firearm replied, "It doesn't make any sense. Why would she send us on a mission and then instruct us to go to this random place. It doesn't have any significance to anything!" She continued to rant on; questioning her leader.
"Are you questioning our leader?" asked Thunder in disbelief. "General Dash would never betray us." he assured.
Spruce agreed. "Thunderstorm is right. We've working in her division for years. Plus, she's one helluva good fighter."
"Firearm replied angrily, "What does that have to do with anything?!"
"Nothing I just thought I'd mention it." Spruce smiled and giggled slightly.
As everypony enjoyed their food and drinks, a new face had entered the café. She had a cyan coat, a multicolored mane, and a military uniform with a pair of sunglasses on her face. The pegasus with a metal name tag that read "General Dash", began to approach the soldiers. She was holding what looked like an important document in her left wing. The soldiers stood up and saluted her.
"At easy soldiers." the pegasus said.
"My guess is you didn't bring us to the middle of nowhere for a training exercise." said Firearm.
Flabbergasted, Thunderstorm replied to Firearm's comment. "Firearm! That's no way to talk to the general!" "Please forgive my second-in-command's immaturity general. However, we are wondering why you sent us out here."
The general hands the document to Thunderstorm. "This fillies and gentlecolts is secret to ending the war."
The squadron were shocked; reacting to what she had just said. The possibility that the war could come to an end? It had seemed unthinkable to them. The thought of what the world would look like if everypony didn't have to have a weapon concealed in their jacket. The thought of never seeing another tank on the streets. The answer to end all conflict on a rolled up piece of paper.
Thunder unrolled the document and scanned it through thoroughly. It was clearly the blueprints for a weaponized vehicle of some kind. Suddenly, it began to look very familiar to him.
"Um...General?" said Thunder baffled by what was on the blueprints. As it resembled a machine that the enemy utilized. "If you don't mind me saying General this looks like the plans for a TWI-class Enforcer tank."
The general chuckled, "While the designs may look somewhat similar, this is a different machine." she assured.
"If you say so." he replied.
The general then grabbed the blueprints with her wing and lead the troops outside the café.
"So how exactly will a modified Enforcer tank help us to..."
Thunder immediately stopped talking when he saw a squadron of imperial troops surrounding him and his comrades.
"The buck?! Where did they come from?!" said a baffled Firearm.
General Dash stood there calmly and started to point her hoof at the NLR soldiers. "Here they are!" She shouted at their enemy loudly. "These are the treacherous scoundrels that stole our blueprints. Arrest them and strip them of their weapons!"
Spruce came up to her. "General? Why are you doing this to us?" asked the timid soldier confused by what was going on.
Suddenly, Commander Twilight approach to them. "She is allied with us. The General Dash you've been working with has been deceiving you this whole time." said Twilight.
Thunderstorm was disappointed and brokenhearted by what twilight had said. He could not believe that all this time Dash had been working for the Empire.
"You can't do this! What about the cause? What about restoring harmony to Equestria?" asked Thunder.
Dash replied, "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. The only way Equestria can truly be one again is to ally itself with the Empire."
Thunder and the other soldiers surrendered themselves and the Imperial troops bound all four of their legs. Twilight then went over to Thunder.
"It's pathetic scum like you that will never learn." said Twilight. She put her hoof on Thunder's face slamming it into the ground and grinding into the pavement.
Dash then handed over the blueprints. "They're all yours now." She said just before flying away.
"Kill them." Twilight instructed.
The Imperial troops pointed their blaster rifles at the traitorous NLR soldiers and were about to fire.
Just before they were able to terminate them, a large blue light appeared where they were. As soon as the light disappeared the soldiers appear to have vanished from thin air. The troops looked at each other wondering where they had gone.
"Damn it." Twilight said angrily.
The three ponies looked around and realized where they were: the castle of Princess Luna. She then appeared in front of them.
"Princess Luna? How did you teleport us here?" asked Firearm.
"I've been studying up on my magic.", said Luna.
"We thank you for protecting us from them." Thunderstorm said, relieved that he and his friends were still alive.
"No problem. I'm dreadfully sorry that your general betrayed you, but you know in the world we live in today you really can't trust anypony." Luna said.
"What do we do now?", asked Timber.
"Trust in fate to guide you." Luna said before exiting and retreating back to her throne room.