Equestria
12/18/19
Near the crystal Empire borders

We had been driving for 7 hours now and could finally see the crystal Empire off in the distance but I could see something in the way as well. Sombra must have gotten wind that we were coming because I could see changelings and what looked like shadow ponies in trenches and bunkers waiting for us to get closer. There was barbed wire and artificial craters all across the land in front of us and made it feel like WW1 again when the MK1 was introduced. I told everyone to stop and wait at a distance of 3/4 of a mile from them while I got closer and tried to see if they would attack. I didn’t have to worry about the tank getting destroyed since I was protected by more than 12 inches of depleted uranium and steel armor on all sides as well as the tank was equipped with a Heavy/ERA armor package and a TUSK V3 kit so if the tank started getting shot at with magic bolts, they would glance right off without even triggering the ERA bricks. I stopped just 30 feet away from their trenches and waited to see what they would do.

I saw some changelings further back operating what looked like an old 77MM field gun from WW1. The gun crew fired off a shot and hit my tank but the round bounced clean off. My ears were partially ringing from the ricochet and the troops in the trenches had taken to the opportunity to attack with what looked like rifles made for ponies since they had no trigger guard as well as much much larger triggers. They had their own versions of our machine guns which they opened fire with. I looked at the monitor that is connected to a camera next to the tanks main gun and target the field gun a ways back and fired off a 120MM HEAT round that blew the whole thing out of existence. I gave the signal for my friends to advance and attack. We made quick work of the trench system and proceeded onwards to the crystal empire itself. There were more and more trench systems that we had to clear before we reached the city.

Once we did reach the city, there was a huge ass wall in the way that was bigger than the wall that Donald Trump wanted to build. It had to be at least 4 feet thick all around. I knew that we would need something big to blow a hole in it and I knew exactly what. Celestia has taught me how to use that portal spell to pull anything I wanted into Equestria at any time that I couldn’t pull out of my weather guard.

I followed her instructions and summoned a Centurion MK5 AVRE tank. I summoned this specific one because it had a massive 165MM demolition charge projector mounted on it as it’s main armament and enough explosive filler to blow up the wall. I had Kendall get in my Abrams while I got in the centurion and got ready to blow down the wall. Once I got inside, I found out this one was just like the abrams’s that we had so I wouldn’t have to move between driver and gunner all the time. I finally started the engine and turned the turret and fired off a massive HESH round and watched it destroy part of the wall. The autoloader did its job and I fired again, taking out enough of the wall to allow us to get through.

We entered the city and were met with heavy resistance. There were shadow pony and changeling fighters everywhere and were trying to stop our tanks but weren’t very successful as we just drove right over them. Our machine guns kept firing as they pelted the tanks with bullets. I texted Celestia telling her that if she sends reinforcements to the Crystal Empire, she needs to send airships because these guys had guns just like we did. “We should have brought the fucking Huey!” I shouted into my headset because air support would have been nice to have. "Roadblock up ahead! We're gonna have to find a way around." I informed everyone else as I saw the massive pile of rubble blocking the roadway. We made a left onto a side street and saw crystal ponies hiding in their houses as the battle continued. We hit a dead end had to backtrack. We couldn't risk firing a 165MM round in an alleyway because of the risk of killing ourselves if we did. We backed out of the alleyway and were surrounded on all sides.

The machine guns kept pumping out hot lead as we continued to be approached by our attackers. They just kept coming and coming. How many fighters did Sombra have? We cleared a whole bunch of them out but there was a Whole crowd of them approaching us with those field guns leading the way. They stopped firing and stopped about 30 feet away from us. I ordered the trucks to get behind the tanks to avoid the field guns. The ponies in the front cleared a path and allowed a certain king that we had come to kill, to present himself in front of us.

"It is very admirable of you to try and fight me even when you are outnumbered and outgunned. Tell me, have you ever thought about changing sides and fighting for me?" He asked. We shut down our tanks, grabbed our guns, and got out to meet him. "What makes you think that we would fight for you? You're a tyrannical dictator of a king and you have wrongly enslaved the crystal ponies against their will." I replied. "Is that so? it seems that I won't be able to convince you so now, I must kill you. Any last words" He asked. I looked to my friends beside me and in the Denali and said 3 simple, controversial, and chilling words. "remeber why we're here". After that, we raised up our guns and began to dump lead into the crowd of changelings and shadow ponies as they all dropped rapidly. Sombra escaped to the castle but we weren't going to going to let him get away that easily. The field gun crews were wiped out before they could get rounds off on us. The sound of M240B machine guns and M4A1 assault rifles filled the air all throughout the empire as we kept advancing forward. I told Cody to leave the Denali here and watch over the tanks with Gerson while the rest of us took the F350 and advanced towards the castle where Sombra would be.

The resistance was intense, but we fought like hell. Sombra's troops didn't have the equipment that we did which had put them at a huge disadvantage. Im guessing that their most powerful rifles were just as strong as an accidentally double charged musket that was loaded with 4F powder which was still strong, but not strong enough to penetrate the armor that we were wearing. I could see something massive looming in the distance but I didn't know what since it was only a silhouette. I could also sense 2 strong and familiar presense's on that thing but they still felt so foreign. I didn't have time to worry about it right now since I was in the middle of an intense gun battle and I didn't want to get shot. The resistance around the castle was the most intense as the changelings and shadow ponies fought desperately to keep us out of the castle. I told Gerson to bring one of the tanks around because the entrance was blocked by a makeshift barricade and we couldn't get through it without destroying it in the process. About 5 minutes later, Gerson and Cody brought up the Denali and the centurion and blew up the barricade.

We entered the castle and had to split up and clear each room to ensure that Sombra could not escape. We had to hit him now before he was ready for a full blown war against equestria and any other nations that oppose him. The resistance in the castle was ferocious, but we fought harder and fought very aggressively. We would not take him prisoner even if he surrendered. We would shoot him on the spot where he stood and free the crystal ponies. We finally reached the throne room and prepared to breach. As we were about to burst in and end sombra, the doors exploded into nothing but splinters, Hitting every last one of us. I got back up and saw 4 giant crystal monster things all looking right at us and I also saw sombra as well.

"I told you that you would not be able to defeat me. My army is only growing and getting stronger. I will restate my offer again; Fight for me, and we can all rule the world together. You could have everything you ever wanted and all you would have to do, Is switch sides and fight for me." He offered once more. I looked back behind me and saw that Mr.Hesington and Kendall were nowhere to be seen. Looking back at sombra, I asked him one simple yet difficult question. "If we fight for you, Would you have the power to send us home to our own world afterwards? I miss my family and want to see them again. If you are able to send us back to our own world after that, would you do it." I asked him

"But of course I would. It would take some time to master the spell required to do so, but I would be more than happy to send you home." He replied I thought about it as the crystal monsters just stood there looking at me ready to strike. "I would like to but at the same time, these ponies deserve freedom. You will die" I replied. "So be it. It is your fate that you have choosen for yourselves." Sombra stated as the crystal things moved forward. I thought we were done right then and there but just at the same time, Kendall and Mr.Hesington came rushing back in and saved us. "Eat these rockets you giant fuckwads!" Kendall shouted. Both him and Mr.Hesington were holding M202 Flash rocket launchers which hadn't been used since the Vietnam war. 8 Rockets were fired off and blew the crystal giants into tiny shards. Sombra had escaped but we didn't have time to go after him. I could see an army of changelings and shadow ponies marching towards the empire in the distance. I guessed that we had about 15 minutes to get ready before they got here.

We rushed out of the castle and back towards the tanks and brought them towards the castle. There was still crystal ponies in the city, so we did the only thing we could and evacuated them towards the castle where they would be safest while we held out against the army that was approaching. There was a large shadow overhead now as I looked up and saw a group of airships and saw both Celestia and aqua in the largest one, both looking at me with concern in their eyes as I was getting back into the AVRE. I saw thousands of pegasi taking off from the airships and unicorns and earth ponies disembarking from one that had landed in the city and was moving towards the castle. I used the spell again that Celestia taught me and summoned 2 mortars on the top of the castle. "Kendall, Trevor! There is 2 120MM mortars on the top of the castle. I want you two to get up there and use them to provide artillery cover as these bastards move into the city. There is also MMG's up there as well if they start to target you guys. If it gets too hot and you can't stop them, then get the hell out of there." I told them.

I was moving into a defensive position at the northern side of the castle when Celestia and Aqua approached my tank. I got out and hugged them. "What happened here? Are you ok?" Celestia asked me. "I'm fine. There is an army of at least 15000 strong approaching on all sides. You two need to get to the castle. If those airships have weapons on them that can help us, I recommend moving them into defensive positions as this is going to be a difficult battle." I told both of them. They told me that there were essentially battleship cannons mounted on the ships. I ordered them to cover all sides of the city. There was an additional airship that we could use to evacuate the crystal ponies back to canterlot. The army was now less than 3 minutes away from the city. The airship carrying the crystal ponies had taken off and departed south back towards Equestria.

This is it. This is the moment that we had prepared for. The changelings and shadow ponies were now in the city and advancing on the castle. As soon as the first group approached the castle, I gave the order to attack. I fired the 165MM demolition gun and evaporated the group before me. The sound of mortars, tank guns, and machine guns filled the air as the battle heated up. Natalie, Gerson, Kevin, Mr.Hesington, and Manuel had made makeshift machine gun nests in some windows in the castle while the rest of us were in the tanks. Even though we were outnumbered, Our will to fight was unbreakable and we kept the advancing army back away from the castle. I knew that we were outnumbered 40:1 but we would not give up, we would free the crystal empire and defeat Sombra when we next saw him. The battle raged hard and gruesome. There were dead bodies littering the streets as our tanks continued to roll through the streets and hold them back while mortars continued firing and the airships rained death from above. We would not allow these bastards to gain a foothold here or anywhere. We would break their lines and destroy them. The battle continued for a full hour before the enemy forces gave up and retreated from the city.

I pulled back towards the castle after the battle had ended where Celestia and aqua were waiting for me. I made my way to the center and saw them waiting there. I shut down the centurion and got out and walked over to them. "How many casualties did we take?" I asked in a sort of hollow and exhausted voice. "10 dead and 400 injured. The injured are expected to pull through. He'll be back to retake the empire." Aqua replied to me. "alright then, get everypony ready to move out and head back to canterlot.” We were going to be leaving the crystal empire but we would leave a nasty surprise for Sombra's forces when they returned. When we were on one of the airships, We started dropping landmines all over the city. We dropped mostly AP mines over smaller side roads and a mix of AP and AT mines on the main roads. They were in for a nasty surprise. Once we got back to canterlot, we would begin preparing the populace for war by modernizing early warning systems.

Author's Note

I HATE POLLEN!!!!! other than that, tell me what you think and if Grammarly did a good job or not.