Well, this was unexpected. But also creative!

I was travelling along with my friends, and we'd assembled an army on the way. An unlikely alliance of soldiers and figures from across our lives were marching together. Of course there was me, and Hitch, and Sunny, and Sprout, and Misty, and Pipp, and Zipp, which was to be expected that seeing as we were the main crew travelling across this land in search for the mysterious objects that would save the world.

Ooh! I had a name for our friend group now! The Fellowship of the Bling! Cause, you know, the crystals are shiny and look like jewelry, which is how one of them was worn historically as part of a crown and... wait, I'm over explaining it? Oh. OK. I'll try to dial it back a bit from now on, but you get the idea for what I'm doing.

We needed a collective name instead of constantly using the same list of character names all the time, as that got pretty boring after a while. But hey, that was always part of the fun.

But it was soon really noisy in that place. Not just the noise those tanks were making, but also the fact that the unicorns were suddenly playing music as they marched along. Drums, brass, the lot. How were they doing it when they had no magic? I guess unicorns can casually bend reality. I know I can, which is quite a bit of fun.

We continued along the landscape we'd walked through only a few days ago, although we were moving a bit faster than before. For some reason they'd brought none of the tanks with doors to transport soldiers inside, so they had us riding on the backs of the tanks as stated earlier.

That was a fun challenge to stay balanced, but I think we managed it pretty well. I looked around, seeing we were making reasonable progress. "How fast are we going?" I asked.

"March speed," a soldier replied. "Keep up the pace!"

That didn't help me, and unfortunately I didn't have a speedometer on me. I quickly checked through my inventory and couldn't find one, which was a shame. Clearly I'd forgotten to put one in storage, although I didn't think I could become overencumbered on my journeys across Equestria.

Our advance continued, with the sun beating overhead. Some of the tank crews got annoyed by the constant playing of unicorn music and so started to blast something over the radio. Only it was going faster, so some of the unicorns got out of step.

Alphabittle looked over. "Will you turn that junk off?" he snapped. "We're struggling to keep time here!"

"Only playing the best pegasus marches," the tank officer replied, before saluting.

"Remember we're supposed to be working together," the Queen said suddenly.

"Of course, Your Majesty." The soldier then went and turned the volume down, which was nice for my ears. At least we were on the sides of the tanks instead of the back, or else we'd be inhaling exhaust fumes.

That moment did leave me worried. I knew my relationships with the others were strong and genuine, but the other groups here were already experiencing tensions with one another, based on that argument.

Hopefully we could hold this army together before we got to Zephyr Heights, as I wasn't looking forward to fighting a battle with my friends. I'd never thought I'd find myself on a battlefield when I arrived here.

At least I didn't have to walk all the way back. Given the lack of trains or cars ponies must stay very fit around here if they have to walk everywhere.

I just found myself wondering how everything had gone so utterly wacky and completely wrong. When I had arrived here I'd been under the impression we'd be going on a wacky adventure across diverse cultures to get some crystals and bring magic back to a land I loved.

But my life had turned out so different. Instead we found ourselves on the march into the unknown, alongside military units and heading into the fires of war.

This wasn't what I'd imagined at all, so to try and get my mind off it I began to reflect on the journey I had taken up to this point. Given it would have been so tempting to stay in Bridlewood, it took a considerable step of bravery to venture into the wild unknown of Equestria.

Then meeting Sunny before trekking to Zephyr Heights, where we met Zipp, Pipp, and Misty, and had some great fun there. The music of the vending machines still floated through my ears.

But it was after that, the coup, and our journey across the country where things had gone wrong. Apart from finding the leftovers of the war that tore Equestria apart, we met a threat I could never have imagined.

Chris Chan, yeah. I had vaguely heard of him, but didn't know much about what he'd done as safe to say I wasn't hugely interested in chasing lolcows. That was that, really, but to learn he wanted to destroy our world just because he was mad G4 had ended? Gee, that's a bit harsh.

So, we were now caught in two major battles. One to help the Queen regain her throne, and another to save the world from a lunatic who hated us for just existing.

Why do I keep getting myself into these crazy experiences?

I sat there, looking at the terrain as it rolled by, worried that threats could appear from anywhere. Equestria was a land rife with tension and trouble, characterized by distrust and silly rivalries. Silly rivalries that, it seemed, were backed up by the capability to blow the world up numerous times over.

The soldiers at least seemed to be relatively relaxed. I guess it was part of the training. They were used to situations like this, and as such took it in their stride that they may not come home.

Of course, that didn't end up being the case for me. Otherwise, how would I be telling you the story?

And at least I had Sunny by my side, both figuratively and literally. Sunny was on the same tank as me, stating her hooves were tired. Well, I don't blame her. We did a lot of walking today and previous days, so a good rest is always a nice thing for anypony to engage in.

As we rolled across terrain, I later got a clue as to what she was doing whilst we rolled along the great plains of Equestria towards our destination.

"All this pitching about is making reading rather difficult!"

I looked over. "What's going on, Sunny?"

Sunny glanced up at me. "I'm trying to get these notes read from my dad's journal, but I'm having trouble making sense of them. It doesn't help this thing is pitching about like a ship on rough seas! I can barely read this without my face going green!"

The tank commander seemingly overheard our conversation, and looked back. "Sorry, princess, but these vehicles weren't designed as luxury vehicles. They're intended to dominate the battlefield. So either put up or shut up."

"I'm not a princess!" Sunny said, looking annoyed.

"Whatever you say," the commander replied, before shutting the top hatch.

I looked at Sunny. "You know, I'm wondering something."

"What, precisely?" Sunny asked.

"Why have they brought none of the tanks with doors to transport soldiers inside?" I asked.

Sunny took a few moments to process these words. "You mean armored personnel carriers? Strictly speaking, those aren't tanks. A tank is usually defined as a heavy armored fighting vehicle carrying guns and moving on a continuous articulated metal track. Although armored personnel carriers do sometimes have turrets with armaments, their primary purpose is to move troops about the battlefield rather than engage targets, and they often have wheels instead of tracks."

"Didn't take you for a military nut, Sunny!" Zipp called from a nearby tank.

"It helps to know this stuff- after all, soldiers will correct you if you get it wrong," Sunny replied. "Of course, it gets more complicated when you encounter infantry fighting vehicles, which are similar in design to APCs but carry armament designed to fight infantry formations instead-"

"What's in the journal, Sunny?" I asked.

Sunny shook her head. "Oh. Sorry. I'll get onto that now. Not much that will help us, I suspect. Dad was mainly concerned with the civilian future, and he didn't leave many clues as to the military situation in the region. So, I think we may have to wing it as we go along."

"Yay, puns!" Pipp called. "I love puns!"

I looked forward again as our force continued to power forwards. At our current speed we may take a while to get to Zephyr Heights and reclaim the city as we rolled along.

It was weird being on the back of a tank in this world. I knew Cheese Sandwich had a party tank, but that was hardly a vehicle designed for sustained combat.

We made considerably faster progress than I expected. We soon arrived in the shadow of Zephyr Heights, the massive lights of the city continuing to glare down upon us as we looked up. It reminded me of the first time we laid eyes on the city, seeing it glow down for the first time. Of course, that was in much friendlier and happier times. The next time we stepped into that place it would be hostile, and its key strengths would be used against us.

As if to make things worse, it began to rain. The soldiers (we'd picked up some more on our way- apparently some guys Gulfstream had kicked out) began to pitch tents and make camp, as well as constructing a campfire around which they built a big tent.

I popped out all the tents for my friends, but then realised something. "Oh no!" I said.

"What's the problem?" Hitch said.

"I forgot to bring a tent for Sprout!" I said.

"I'm happy to share with somepony," Sprout said.

"We do happen to have a spare tent," said one soldier, as rain dripped off the brim of his helmet. "You can use that."

The biggest tent of all was one we were soon all ushered into, and soldiers took their seats at benches in front of long wooden tables. Plates of food were soon passed down- apparently this was a day's rations for an army on the move out here. The atmosphere became more relaxed as a group of musicians began to play popular and jaunty tunes, and we were all soon chatting and swapping stories casually.

Owing to social order, Pipp and Zipp were at the top table with the Queen and Prince (boy was that strange to say), as well as the senior officers. After a while, we were done eating, and the Colonel addressed us. The Colonel was seemingly an experienced soldier the Queen trusted.

"We all have a long, hard day tomorrow," he said. "So make sure you get plenty of rest. We meet for the briefing at 05:00, so prepare for sleep as soon as possible and ensure you're up for the bugle."

"Yes sir!" said the soldiers.

"That applies to you lot too," Alphabittle said, addressing the unicorns.

They also answered, though not too heartily I must admit. Once that was done, we left our tent and returned to our own tents before trying to sleep.

I tried my best to rest... but I have to admit I was scared. I had never imagined I would find myself in a war, but here I was, a long way from home and about to fight my first battle.

Soldiers of the Civil War in my old world called this experience 'seeing the elephant'.

I could only hope I would survive seeing the elephant. Or else I might never see my friends again.

I closed my eyes. It was time to rest for what was to come.

Author's Note

Yo! Phase Five of Rebirth of Magic via my side for it is underway as we return back to more of the lovely and crazy Izzy Moonbow! :3