What Have You Done

by Commander Joe

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Cheerilee, Violence, Death, Alternate Universe, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 5966

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM. GREETINGS FROST LEAF...

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
ORDER TO REPORT FOR INDUCTUION

DATE OF MAILING: 4/5/1011

SELECTIVE SERVICE No.: 501555

Princess Celestia of Equestria

To

Frost Leaf

Greetings:

You are hereby ordered to report for induction into the EQUESTRIAN ARMED FORCES at Camp Falabellas on the FIFTH OF MAY for forwarding to an ARMED FORCES INDUCTION STATION. Failure to comply will result in a warrant for your arrest and the sizure of all owned assets.

Signed: Martial Law, Clerk of Local Board.

Created for the Equestria at War, 2020 contest.

Published 2020-04-04 16:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-04-04 16:50:01 UTC

Ground Zero

Author's Note

Hiya! I made this over the course of about two weeks (yea I know I'm slow) for a contest. If any of you don't know what Hearts of Iron 4 is go check it out! It has an MLP mod known as Equestria at War. Some of the best work I've seen from a mod in a looooong time.

Ground Zero

"What do you think of when you hear the word 'war'?"

That question still wouldn't leave Frost Leaf's mind, even a week after the actual interview.

It didn't surprise him much when he was asked to do an interview on life in the military, though he thought it odd that they had chosen him of all ponies. What was so interesting about a lowly earth pony without a drop of noble blood in him? Whatever the case he had done the best he could to answer all their questions and not act like a dead fish. But out of all the questions he was given that one had stood out the most. Probably because it was the only one that he hadn't expected. It didn't help that he was still so unsure about his answer.

"Well...I'm not sure. It might sound odd but we don't actually talk about that sort of thing very much, unless it's about Griffonia of course but it's not like that's news to anypony these days. For me I guess war is this vague concept that everyponies afraid of but can't really explain. No one here has any experience with it. I've heard that some Equestrians are volunteering to go overseas to fight but I've never met any of them."

After thinking about his answer all week long. The silver coated pony decided that he didn't really know what war was at all. That made him nervous.

Considering his squad was being moved to the Changeling-Equestrian border today, he figured he had a right to be.

He was on his way to Camp Falabellas' equipment office to pick up his issued gear, passing by rows of colored tents, each color with its own meaning. Drab green meant it was a soldiers tent, blue signified storage, yellow meant it was an officers tent and you stayed the hay away! And the one Frost was approaching now was dark grey, meaning distribution.

Lifting up the flap of the tent, Frost looked inside to see the rest of his squad was already in line. Darn, he'd been hoping to get a fresh rifle and mount. He'd likely end up with some hoof-me-down instead with the shortage they had.

"Ay Frost! Good to see ya finally made it!" The loud unicorn with a green coat as bright as her personality shouted at him. She was just ahead of him, waving her hoof like the maniac she was.

"Heya Storm, today's the big day. Recruits no longer. You ready?"

"Not a bit! And I told you to call me Lizzy!" She shouted and laughed.

"Right, sorry Lizzy...I don't suppose homes written back?" Frost asked. This was part of the code he and Storm came up with to get around one of the camps more stupid rules. Technically no pony was supposed to do any sort of business in the camp. If they got caught buying or selling so much as a bottle of water they would be docked pay for who knew how long.

"Nah fraid not bud I've got most of my letters stashed away right now cause of our little trip. "

"Yea, yea I guess you're right. No sense in having that stuff weigh you down."

"Will you two shut up? I do not wanna get in trouble today of all days!" A dark orange unicorn hissed angrily.

"Hehe, sorry Vivid. I guess we're all on edge today huh?"

"Ya think?"

After Frost had received his equipment he moved to the back of the tent to look it over. Compared to some of the stuff he'd heard about the griffons using it didn't seem all that special. A simple mount for his Lavender Model Two rifle, a couple days worth of rations, and two spell crystals. One with a spell that would reveal any changelings in it's blast radius in disguise, the other with a spell that would cause the crystal to explode. Not a whole lot, but Frost didn't mind too much. He may have been an earth pony but that didn't mean he LIKED carrying large amounts of anything across country!

Not long after the sergeant showed up and told the squad to report to the medical tent for final examinations before deployment. It didn't take all that long, just enough time that they were reasonably sure they wouldn't bring a virus to the other troops at the border.

After that they finally made it to the truck yard where everypony was loading up. They would've been on the truck a lot quicke if Minute hadn't forgotten her rifle somehow! The truck itself seemed rather new compared to the equipment Frost was wearing. Everything was clean save for the mud their hooves had tracked into the interior. Eventually they set off, and it didn't take long for somepony to get bored.

"So...anyone wanna play Eye Spy?" A pale grey pony asked.

"Seriously Ice Cap? Eye Spy? Don't little foals play that game?" The serious looking pony next to him raised an eyebrow at the question.

"I've seen plenty of grown ponies play games like that." The dark red pony Frost recognized as Cheerilee spoke up.

"Most grown ponies aren't about to go to war."

"Were not at war yet Wind Jet."

"Oh come on! Everypony knows it's gonna happen at this point!" Wind Jet threw his hooves up in exasperation.

"We can still hope though right?" A timid unicorn asked.

"Of course Peach! We have to have hope things will get better!" Cheerilee replied.

"Hope's all well and good but we should prepare for the worst. Just in case we can't beat the odds." The pegasus known as Ace Heart commented.

"Why are we even talking about this? Have all you been under a rock for the past three years?! Look at what the changelings did to the deer! Or the bears for that matter!" Jet fired back.

"Maybe the fact that Equestria is twice their size?" Ace replied.

"Not after Olenia! From what I've heard they might as well be honorary changelings with all the weapons they've been giving the bugs!"

"Wind Jet!" Cheerilee balked at the insult.

"Alright you lot can it! For Celestia's sake I can't hear myself think!" Sargent Castle yelled out in annoyance.

"Yes sir..." The squad replied.

All Frost Leaf could see in front of him was the dirt thrown all around him from the artillery strikes. It was like an ocean was sweeping him away in it's ruthless current, unyielding in its intensity. He wasn't sure how he was still alive.

Frost layed down on his side as far would allow him to go, hooves on his helmet, weapon laying uselessly somewhere he could no longer see. It might have been dust for all he knew. Shell after shell rained down from above, each one he was convinced would be his last, but that final strike never came. Eventually the artillery fire slowed enough for him to see the truck he had been trying to hide under. It was thirty hooves away now, crumpled into itself like a deflated beach ball. Frost decided it would be best to run, and find any of his squad still left alive. He refused to believe he was the only one who made it out of the truck alive, he didn't know what he'd do otherwise.

All of his training had told him to follow orders and stick with his squad. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't stay here, otherwise eventually one of those massive shells would get him. He couldn't just run in a random direction either. They were supposed to be miles from the border still. Had the changelings attacked and broken through? Weren't there over five hundred thousand troops on the border? Could they have really broken through them so quickly?

BANG! BANG! BABABABABA-!

Before he could speculate any further a hail of gunshots rang out, throwing yet more dirt at his hooves. Frost yelped and changed direction towards the forest about seven hundred hooves away. Bullets striking the ground or whizzing past his ears as he ran.

Suddenly he heard the loudest noise he'd ever heard, right by his ear.

CRACK!

Suddenly all sound was gone, but he didn't stop running until he made it past the tree line.

Frost didn't know how long he'd been running for, but eventually he had to stop or his heart would burst out of his chest from all the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He kept his breaths as controlled as possible but he couldn't help the shakiness it held. He could feel his breaths but there was still no sound, he could feel what he thought were shells hitting the ground somewhere outside the forest but there was no explosion, no sound as the shell traveled to it's intended destination. Somehow that was even worse then the sound itself.

He held a hoof to his right ear, where that last sound had been loudest.

He couldn't find it.

He moved his hoof all over his head trying to figure out why it was being so elusive. A moment later and he finally realized why when his hoof came back with blood all over, dripping down to the bright green spring grass, staining it red.

He couldn't move, shock and fear holding him as if a cockatrice had set its gaze on him. This was his blood...he couldn't hear anything...his blood...no ear...can't hear...his blood...no ear...his blood...no ear...

He wanted to fall over into the soft grass and sob himself to sleep, but he was afraid if he did that it would be the last thing he would ever do. And so he ripped off a piece of his uniforms sleeve to bandage his head as best he could, which wasn't much. He was no unicorn. No horn on his head to make precise adjustments. After his makeshift bandage was secured he continued on, deeper into the forest.

The moon had just come up. Frost had been hiding in the forest for hours, afraid to leave and run into the bullet storms again. He hadn't started a fire, such comfort wasn't worth bringing an enemy right to him. Instead he climbed up a tree, ripped up more of his uniform to tie himself onto a few branches so he wouldn't fall off, and tried to sleep. It wouldn't come easy, no matter how tired he was. He couldn't help but think of his squadmates. Were they still alive? Had they been captured? Stuck inside one of those cocoons having all their love sucked out of them until they were nothing but an emotionless husk? Frost had yet to see a changeling up close, but he'd seen what they could do to a pony. He couldn't imagine what a life without any emotion was like and yet some had to live through that. It left him more terrified than ever. At this point he wouldn't even mind it if he had to do triple training sessions for the rest of his life. Anything was better than this. The silence that threatened to pounce on you any second. That fear which told him the the second he let his guard down, he would come face to face with the terror that kept him awake just thinking about it.

"Hello? Is anypony there?"

A voice brought Frost out of his fitful, nightmare filled sleep. Princess Luna likely hadn't had time to fight them off.

Wait...that was a voice! He could hear again! It was still off and sounded quieter then it should've been but it was there!

He rose from his perch and looked at the ground below. A purple unicorn was walking past his tree. She was in an Equestrian uniform, thank Celestia! Frost had never been so glad to see pale green in his life! He untied himself and shouted as he jumped down the tree.

"Hey! Hey wait a sec!"

The pony turned quickly and pointed her rifle at him, only to visibly relax and lower it again seeing who was calling to her.

"Oh, a pony...thank goodness." She spoke quietly.

"It's good to see a friend out here miss! Private Frost Leaf, Homeland division!"

"Lieutenant Shell String, also Homeland division, and agreed! What are you doing out of here?"

"I'm afraid I'm a bit lost ma'am. My was ambushed and...well I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who made it out…"

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that…" Shell glanced up over his snout.

"I guess that explains what happened to your head."

"I'd rather not talk about that if it's ok."

"Yea I get it. Come on. We should get out of here."

"I'd love to, Lieutenant. You know the way?"

"Sorry, but I'm just as lost as you. Hopefully we run into someboney on the way." Frost was surprised with how Shell seemed so nonchalant. Was she just good at hiding her emotions? Or was she really that fearless?

"By the way, what happened to your rifle?" She asked.

"It's in pieces out in a clearing somewhere probably. When my squad was ambushed our truck got destroyed. I barely made it out as it was, I didn't have time to grab anything from the truck before it went up."

"A shame, we'll have to get you something once we get back."

"I'd certainly feel a lot safer!"

And so they got to walking. At first in silence, but by the time they left the forest Frost was getting nervous again and started to make small talk to take his mind off it.

"So how did you end up out here anyway?"

"I was out on patrol when my camp was hit by the changelings. I ran off to get help but some of them found me. A few bullets later they're dead on the ground and I'm in the middle of the forest."

"Geez, I still haven't seen one up close. Weren't you scared?"

"Scared? Of changelings? Pffft please those guys don't scare me a bit!" Shell smirked.

"Oh..." Frost frowned. He figured everypony out here would be at least a little afraid. Was he wrong to think that? Did that make him a coward?

"Hey! You coming or what?!" Shell called out, already a fair distance ahead.

"Yea! Sorry!" Frost replied, his strong legs having little trouble closing the gap.

"So Frost. What's a pony like you doing in the army?" Shell asked.

"Uh. I was drafted? Just like everypony else." Frost felt rather confused by the question.

"What? Seriously? You'd rather be sitting at home while the changelings come storming in?"

"To be honest I never thought about it very much. I take it that means you signed up on your own?"

"Heck yea! No way I was gonna sit something like this out!" Shell's eyes gained a sort of invisible fire to them. The kind that Frost had been told about but never actually seen. She was determined, ready, willing to fight! To resist the changelings no matter what came her way! He hadn't seen anything like it in his squad. Did he have those eyes?

"Huh. That makes you the first pony I've met that's in this mess by choice."

"Well I hope I'm not the only one you meet! We need every pony we can get!"

"Yea…I guess we do."

Frost figured they had been walking for at least an hour now. It was mid-day and they were traveling along a dried up stream. The grass below them crunching, and he couldn't see many plants or trees around.

"I guess there hasn't been any pegasi here for a while." Frost spoke.

"Hmm? Yeah I guess you're right." Shell replied, seemingly focused on the horizon ahead of them.

"Isn't that kinda strange? The route to the front has to be pretty well traveled right? You'd think we'd have run into somepony by now..."

"Probably trying to stay out of sight. If we got ambushed I'll bet quite a few others did as well."

"Hmm...yea I guess so..."

As they walked Frost couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Something just seemed wrong. What was it? Looking around revealed nothing. Not a cloud in the sky. Nothing on the horizon.

"Whatcha lookin for?" Shell asked.

"..."

"Frost?" Shell looked worried now.

"We should turn back."

"What? Why?" Shell asked with an amused tone.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this place. Seriously we shouldn't be here." Frost frowned.

"Oh come on it's just a bunch of grassland!"

"I know that! But still…"

"Look it's just a little bit further and we'll be there ok!"

"I'm not going any...wait what? But didn't you say-"

Suddenly Shell was in front of him, hoof rushing toward his face. A shocked Frost didn't move and it struck him on the snout, sending him sideways but not off his hooves. Another hit finished the job and left him sprawling on the ground. Without missing a beat Shell was on top of him. Frost was pinned.

A green burst of flame surrounded the creature above him. In its wake Frost saw what he'd been dreading ever since being drafted.

She was a changeling. There was no mistaking that black armor like body. Her torn wings buzzed as freakish bug eyes glared at her prey below.

"I was hoping to do this the easy way! Guess you stupid ponies aren't all that stupid after all!"

Frost saw the changeling's horn flare. In a panic he attacked with the only limb not trapped. His head. He struck right between the horn and the snout, only barely managing to not impale himself. Fortunately his earth pony skull won out over changeling biology. She cried out, grip loosening enough to get a hoof free. With a growl Frost struck the tip of her horn. Her grip was now nonexistent and Frost shoved the changeling off with a desperate cry. With the tables turned Frost drove his fist into her face as hard as he could.

SNAP

...

...

"S-Shell?"

Slowly, Frost put his hoof on the changelings neck...

She was dead.

It was like everything around him faded away. All he could look at was the once living being that he KILLED. The image of the lifeless corpse that lay in front of him burned into his mind.

Frost screamed.

He screamed as loud and as long as his lungs would let him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO DAYS! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE! LOOK AT WHAT YOU LEFT ME WITH! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS?! I'M NOT BUILT FOR WAR! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I. CAN'T. DO. THIS!" Frost yelled at the body in front of him.

He didn't know how long he screamed for and he didn't care. He didn't care if he was found. He didn't care if he died right then and there. At least then this living nightmare would be over. At least then he wouldn't have to kill anymore...

Eventually Frost buried the changeling. And without another word he set off in the opposite direction he'd been going before.

It felt like hours before Frost finally came across a small town. Acornage according to the road sign. If Frost knew his geography that meant he was right on the border. The town itself didn't seem like anything special. The roads were paved though, not a lot of border towns could say the same. Most of the homes looked well maintained and the electricity grid was still running as made apparent by the street lights. But there were no carriages on the road, not all that many ponies either for that matter. Frost found himself surprised when the first townsponies he saw took stock of his disheveled state and offered to take him to a group of soldiers that had arrived in town the day before. Was talking to random strangers just a small town thing? Or was it just because he was a soldier? Either way Frost happily accepted and allowed himself to be led to a small camp set up in the town square.

"Frost? Holy Celestia you're alive!" A large unicorn cried out.

"Lizzy! But...the truck…"

"When we got attacked the sergeant ordered us all to jump out! You were the only one who didn't make it out! We thought you were toast! Where have you been?!" Lister asked.

"I've been looking for...anypony really. After the ambush I ran into some forest and...I ran into a changeling."

"Oh...well considering you're still here…"

"Yea. It's dead."

"It?" Lister raised a brow.

"Those bugs see us as nothing but food. Why should I see them as ponies?" Frost replied. He couldn't look her in the eye after what he'd just said.

Lister didn't reply, choosing instead to lead Frost to the rest of the squad. Their reactions were similar to Listers. Lots of shock, lots of yelling. Cheerilee straight up glomped him in a tight embrace.

"We all thought you were gone!" She cried.

"I thought...the same thing...about you guys...Cheerilee...too tight!"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She let him go, only to notice the bandage on his head.

"Oh my goodness what happened!?" She yelled and started looking it over, snapping at Ice Cap to get her medical bags.

While the squad medic tended to him the Sergeant informed Frost that they would be staying put until they could get in contact with Equestrian command or they were forced out. It was starting to get late in the day and the squad started to get settled in for dinner. Not everypony had rations left however, so they pooled everything together and started to distribute it as evenly as they could. Only the townsfolk had other plans. Upon seeing the squads dinner plans several decided to bring them home cooked meals. Enough to feed at least twice their number. They would eat better that day then any since they had been deployed. Only before they could really dig in...

"Wait...do you hear that?" Cheerilee asked. The squad stopped for a moment to listen. Every once in a while a jarring BANG or CRASH could be heard. Steadily getting louder, closer...

"That sounds like-"

"Gunshots!" Wind Jet cried.

"Contact!" The sergeant announced.

Once again the world became chaos as bullets started raining down from the clouds. The civilians scattered as Frost galloped to the closest home, Ice Cap, Vivid, and Winter close behind. Frost tore through the door. Screaming could be heard upstairs before abruptly stopping.

"Ah shoot! We got ponies in here!" Ice shouted.

"We don't have time to worry about that right now! Watch the windows and keep an eye out for changelings!" Winter yelled.

The other two obeyed, Winter heading up the stairs and Ice staying down with Frost.

"You have any disruptors?" Ice asked, not taking his eyes off the streets outside.

"Afraid not, I lost of of my equipment in the ambush."

"Well that's just great..."

"You out too?"

"One left."

"Better use it wisely then."

"Thanks captain obvious. As if that wasn't clear already!" Ice yelled.

"Keep it down will you!" Frost hissed back.

"You keep it do-!"

"BABABABABABABAB!!!"

Bullets tore through the windows as the soldiers ducked down, Frost could hear the brick breaking apart as some of the bullets hit with enough force to shatter it. Realizing he was about to lose his cover Frost rolled away from the window as the sheer number of rounds hitting the brick caused the section of wall around the window to collapse, leaving a gaping hole in its place. Frost retreated to the kitchen area, which gave him line of sight on the entrance while still keeping solid cover.

"Ice! Ice you ok!" Frost shouted to the prone body still laying by the collapsed wall.

Then Frost noticed the blood pooling under him.

Ice Cap was dead.

"Ice..."

Frost suddenly felt like throwing up, but before he got a chance he saw a black form float down to the entrance. Without thinking Frost bit down on the trigger, the bullet sailing past the changeling harmlessly but causing it to dash away from the entrance to somewhere unseen. Frosts one ear picked up gunfire outside as well as above him. Winter was probably keeping them from getting inside for the most part. But if they all charged in at once it would be up to Frost to deal with the ones she missed.

"Here's hoping your a good shot winter..." Frost spoke to himself as he aimed his rifle at the entrance.

For a while, nothing happened. Gunfire was still going off above him but he couldn't see what it was directed at. Frost didn't dare leave his spot in case another changeling tried their luck. But he was also worried they might get inside some other way.

Movement caught Frost's eye. A changeling trying to get inside the house across the road! Frost hadn't tried to hit a target this far away before but at least he had some time to aim. Setting the crosshair on the changeling he tried to remember what he was told about how it worked.

"Let's see...it already accounts for the offset, each mark means...a hundred hooves?" A second later Frost decided this was the best his aim would get and took his shot.

The bullet struck the brick a few hooves away from the changeling, who whipped around firing his machine gun in Frost's general direction. He ducked back behind the wall, though none of the bullets came even close to hitting him. Frost heard another gunshot above him and the machine gun outside stopped.

"Oh geez...thanks Winter...at least one of us can shoot straight." Frost said to himself.

He looked back at what had once been Ice Cap, still laying in a pool of blood that left no doubt of his death. He'd been so eager to fight off the bugs invading his homeland. He may not have been good friends with him but that didn't mean he deserved to die!

And the longer he sat there the more time those bugs would have to kill more. And more. And more.

"I...I can't let that happen...I won't let that happen!"

Frost launched from his cover and went upstairs. He wasn't entirely sure what to do yet but he knew he'd need help. At the top of the stairs Winter was still focused on the street below. The height of the second floor allowing her to see almost everything going on in the area. Frost pulled up alongside winter and pointed his rifle at the street below.

"What are you doing up here Frost?! You and Ice are supposed to be covering my flank!" She snapped, barely glancing at him before turning back to the street.

"We can't just sit here Winter! Just the two of us can't hold them all back!"

"Two..." Winter's glazed over for a moment in realization. Only to refocus on the task of staying alive.

"Yea. We need to get to the rest of the squad! Any ideas?" Frost took a shot at a changeling trying to sneak through a building on the opposite end of the street. Another miss, luckily Winter wasn't so unlucky.

"How are you so good at this?!" Frost shouted in frustration.

"Targeting spell. Not sure how much I've got left in me though...it's not easy keeping it up. And I saw the others in there." Winter pointed to the house beside the one that the changeling had been in.

"I saw them too. But the second we try to cross we'll be dead!"

"I can try making a smoke screen. But I doubt I'll have anything left in me after that."

Being an earth pony Frost didn't know a whole lot about unicorn magic. But from what he'd been told using up all your magic was usually extremely painful.

"Will you be okay?"

"Yea. I've dealt with it before. I'll be fine."

"...If you say so. Let's get downstairs."

The second they left the window the gunshots outside seemed to increase in intensity. But neither of them could be sure it wasn't their imagination.

Getting back downstairs Winter saw what was left of Ice Cap. She didn't linger as long as Frost had though. The both of them stopped just inside of the hole that had been made.

"You sure you can do this?" Frost asked.

"I am."

"Alright. Whenever your-"

Aaaaauuuuugh!!

Before Frost could finish Winter started casting. She screamed out in pain as her body protested its master's actions. Still the spell succeeded and a layer of...well it was more mist then smoke but it still seemed to block out the west end of the street.

"Let's go!" Winter shouted, and the two galloped into the middle of the street. Frost felt that evermore familiar terror grip his soul once again. But he didn't stop moving. Frost was just behind him, painting, struggling to stay on her hooves.

She failed.

Frost felt his heart slam into his stomach. Winter was going to die...

"NO!"

Without a thought he turned back. Everything seemed to lose focus except for Winter. He couldn't think straight. The only thing in his mind repeating over and over.

"Can't let her die...can't let her die, can't let her die!"

He reached Winter and used his front hooves to scoop the unicorn onto his back. Thankfully he had no issues carrying her. The only thing constraining his movement was making sure she didn't fall.

Without wasting another moment Frost was off again. Just ahead he could see his squadmates shooting into the smoke. Doing their best to give their exposed comrades more time.

Only for an explosion to toss Frost aside.

For a moment Frost's mind went blank. Winter was unconscious now, and he wasn't far off. Craning his neck Frost looked down the street. And saw the mist evaporating rapidly. They hadn't been fast enough. Already he could see some sort of grey armored car in the middle of the street, bearing changeling markings. The top fully exposed allowing a machine gun to be mounted. A machine gun that was pointed right at them...

Frost let his head fall to the ground. His adrenaline fading and with it the last of his strength. If he was going to die he really didn't feel like watching it happen.

BOOM!!

Frost both heard and felt an explosion...but it felt more distant then it should have. Looking back at the armored car, it had a massive hole in the front now. The rest of it in flames. The street itself began to shake and a massive vehicle on treads rolled past. Frost's eyes widened. He recognized that vehicle.

A breezy! An Equestrian tank!

The hulking beast twice the size of the armored car charged fearlessly into the changeling infested street, machine guns blazing. Its 45 millimeter main gun blasting away at the houses, causing the changelings to flee from the collapsing buildings. Some tried to fire back. Only to have the bullets bounce off the hull harmlessly. They were cut down soon after.

A few moments later, all seemed still. Not a sound to be heard save a light wind blowing through what was left of the homes. Frost's mind went to the ponies he'd seen in the house he'd taken shelter in. Had the tank crew known there were ponies still inside those homes? How many had been killed? He couldn't imagine some hadn't lost their lives after all that he'd seen here today.

The hatch on the tank's turret opened up, allowing an earth pony blue as the sea to stick her head out.

"Take that bugs! And don't come back! You hear me!" She shouted at changelings at dead bodies strewn on the street. Then she turned and looked at Frost, her angry gaze softening a little.

"It's a good thing we got here when we did huh? And here I thought this would be a waste of time!" She spoke.

"What do you mean?" A new voice spoke up to Frost's right. It was sergeant Castle, the rest of the squad trailing behind. Cheerilee rushed over to Winter, pulling out her medical kit as she looked over the albino pony that lay beaten and bruised on the ground. Wind Jet had bandages on his left leg, it wasn't hard to see he was limping despite his trying to hide it. Vivid had a bruised chest and a black eye, but it didn't seem to bother her all that much. The rest only seemed to have minor cuts and dirty coats.

"Sorry to be the bringer of bad news sir, but we're officially in enemy territory right now! Command sent us out to find any survivors of the initial attack. I didn't think there would be any...Equestria is in pretty bad shape right now to be honest..."

"I see. I don't suppose we could hitch a ride with you?" The sergeant asked.

"That's what we're here for! Riding on a tank isn't the most comfortable, but it's a lot faster then walking! Is this everypony?"

"Wait! Where's Ice Cap!?" Lister shouted.

"Hey yea...he was here a little bit ago." Vivid noted.

"Fan out! We drag his sorry flank back here and then get out of this death trap!" The sergeant shouted.

"W-wait..." Frost croaked, everypony turning to him.

"What is it private! Speak up!"

Frost pointed to the house he and Winter had come out of. It was nothing more than rubble now.

"He...didn't make it..." Frost finished.

"No..." Peach whispered. Tears filling her eyes.

"sigh...shoot..." The sergeant mumbled.

"We don't have time to dig him out. We need to get out of here asap. Get your flanks up here and let's go!" The tank commander spoke.

"But...we can't just leave him! He needs a proper burial! He deserves that much!" Cheerilee cried, jostling Winter who was being carried on her back.

"If we stay here none of us are getting a proper burial! Load up ponies! We're leaving! The sergeant ordered.

No pony moved.

"Oi! Did none of you hear me! I said move it!"

Slowly the squad started toward the breezy. The tank crew helped hoist them all up. Once everypony was on board the tank lurched forward, beginning the long trek home.

"Why did this have to happen?" Frost asked.

"I wouldn't ask that question if I were you." The tank commander spoke, she hadn't felt the need to close the hatch.

"Why not? Seems perfectly reasonable to me." Vivid grumbled.

"None of this is reasonable lady. You start going into all the why's and how's and your just gonna drive yourself mad."

"It doesn't matter anyways...all that matters now is that we're gonna end it!" Wind Jet seethed.

"They killed our friend. He may have been a pain in the flank but he didn't deserve to die! I won't let that go..." he finished.

"None of us will private..." Sergeant Castle spoke up.

"We'll come back here, eventually, when this is all over. We'll give our friend a real funeral, and we'll knock those sorry bugs all the way back to Vesopolis!"

Frost looked around at his brothers and sisters in arms. None of them had signed up for this war, yet some of them, maybe even ALL OF THEM would die in it. Yet Frost saw something he hadn't before.

They had Shell's eyes.