Steel Rush never knew what it meant to point your rifle at another pony, let alone pull the trigger. Up until a few weeks ago, he was a simple welder with barely enough bits to fuel his truck.

But now, in the darkest night in millennia, he is caught between the gears of a war long in the making. The returning Nightmare Moon could give him a cause, could give him a purpose, could give him glory.

And yet, as days without dawn stretch further and further, the same gears of war might grind him into the finest powder. For if there's one thing war is good at, is turning tragedies into statistics...

Written for the Equestria at War 2021 Writeoff. Events in the story are based on my ironpony game as the Lunar Empire.
Cover by the amazing sinniepony.