Pony Tankers: Snow and Steel

Emerald shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The engine ran at a steady purr a few feet behind her, still plainly audible through the firewall, and the transmission grinding every time Cream Soda shifted gears was thankfully drowned out by the road noise. Once Sage had rejoined the crew, and all of the necessary supplies stowed away, Flax was eager to get the show on the road. Apple Blossom, the unit leader, felt the same. Emerald had been forced to let Cream crawl inside the tank first seeing as there was only one hatch on the hull, and for how much she hated having to be so close to somepony so irritating, the added warmth certainly wasn't a downside. The tank was at least somewhat warm on the inside, though the wind coming in through the two open viewports in front was putting a damper on that. Emerald had only now bothered to commit her tank's designation to memory, seeing as it was now her job to remember it - tank number 21. The rest of Flax's platoon were numbered 22 through 25, and they formed the second half of a convoy headed out from the HQ.

The front half was commanded by the first lieutenant, Apple Blossom, and they were tanks 11 through 15. Technically some of them had nicknames the crew had picked out, but it wasn't Emerald's job to remember them, so she didn't bother. Between the two platoons of tanks were the support vehicles, starting with the tail lights of the supply truck Emerald could see bouncing along the road a few dozen feet ahead of her. It was loaded down with ammunition and food for the future camp to use, and she knew there were several more trucks filled with supplies and enlisted ponies. Emerald had caught wind that their little parade was also being joined by a self-propelled anti-tank unit, but she'd yet to see any of them from her limited point of view. The radio was silent, and had been ever since Apple Blossom gave her briefing earlier. Now that she knew the plan in slightly more detail, Emerald liked it even less.

When Flax told her it was simply recon by fire, it sounded ludicrous. Sure, the plan was to pull back if things got too heated, but wouldn't the enemy anticipate such a move? Of course, her protests to Flax were met with dismissive remarks and insistence that she should trust the plan. Emerald eventually decided that no amount of arguing would sway her commander's mind, and even if it did, Flax was unlikely to be able to sway Apple Blossom. So she sat quietly, listening to the clickety-clack of their tank's metal treads rolling along and the cacophony of engines in front and behind.

The sun had fully crested the horizon by now, and with the convoy leaving the relative cover of the thinly populated forest around HQ for the open road visibility was improving. The cloud of loose snow tossed into the air by the lead tanks spoiled the view somewhat, but Emerald could see far better than she could before. Glancing far to the side with her limited field of view, she watched the occasional tree or lonely building on the side of the road. Cottages, barns, sheds, and sometimes even post office checkpoints, all scattered out in the vast, snowy loneliness of No Pony's Land. Emerald's mind was just beginning to wander when a voice cut through the white noise of the convoy, startling her enough that she nearly rammed her horn against the hatch above her.

"Driver, status report. How's the engine doin'?" Flax asked, her voice slightly garbled over the tank's intercom system. Glancing back over her shoulder, Emerald could see the blue-furred mare leaning back in her seat in the turret and looking down at Cream Soda. Cream seemed just as surprised as Emerald was, hastily glancing over her instrument panel before responding.

"Fine so far, ma'am! I think it just needed a bit of time to warm up," she said, referring to the bout of trouble they'd had when it was time to leave the motor pool back at HQ. Emerald recalled everypony being on edge when the thing failed to turn over three tries in a row, but eventually, the problem was solved when Sage volunteered to start the engine with the crank. Emerald knew these tanks were somewhat new, but the whispers she'd heard about the design had all been positive - talking about how reliable it was above anything else. Maybe those ponies, Emerald supposed, hadn't experienced the lackluster performance once it got cold.

"Maybe next time we'll tuck our tank in with a nice blanket," Emerald snarked. "Or light a campfire under the engine to keep it from freezing. I'd hate to have to jump out and start the engine by hoof if we were getting shot at." The comment earned a little snicker from Cream, barely audible on the intercom, though Flax clearly didn't find it as amusing. She issued a little bump to the back of Emerald's head with a hoof.

"If we gotta start her up that way, we'll just have our resident hornhead do it with her fancy magic from the safety of her seat. Maybe then she'll start earning her keep." Now it was Sage's turn to chuckle, echoed by Flax and Cream. Emerald just sighed and rolled her eyes. She could've tried explaining how telekinesis worked, but she knew better. Explaining magic to earth ponies was like explaining color to a blind pony; they just couldn't get it, and it'd be a waste of breath. Instead, Emerald just held her tongue and turned her attention back to the countryside rolling past her viewport.

)()()()()()()(

The rest of the trip to Riverpool was quiet, save for the occasional check-in over the radio. There was almost a hint of excitement when tank number 24 had some engine trouble, but it was resolved as quickly as it came up. 24 was ordered to fall to the back of the convoy, and 25 was tasked with keeping an eye on them in case any more problems arose. Trailing along just slightly slower than the rest of the convoy, a gap quickly formed, but thankfully the convoy reached their target before the opening became too severe. Emerald decided to take a mild risk and opened her hatch without asking, letting the two-piece door fold over itself and hang over the front of the hull. She rose up in her seat, standing on her hind legs and laying her fores on either side of the opening, and for the first time in her life, Emerald saw the town of Riverpool. It was somewhat small, with a prewar population of only a few hundred ponies, and it had been all but completely abandoned ever since the evacuation orders came four months ago. The frontline quickly moved past the little village, leaving it almost entirely untouched.

Houses stood exactly as their owners left them, some doors still wide open and letting freshly fallen snow pile up inside the opening. The two tallest buildings, the town hall and the clock tower, loomed over everything else from the center of the town. As the convoy rolled toward them, vehicles started to split off from the line and find places to roll to a stop. Apple Blossom and her platoon circled around and took up positions facing north, pointed down the wide central street that ran through town. The trucks turned and found their way into a large backyard across the street from the town hall, disappearing behind a brick wall where Emerald guessed their passengers were quick to start dismounting and unpacking. With the trucks out of the way, Emerald also finally got a look at those self-propelled anti-tank vehicles she'd heard about.

They were small, and she could tell they were based on a different hull than the tank she rode in now. They featured smaller and more numerous road wheels and a boxy hull shape, but the turret had been removed in favor of a large gun shield and a square superstructure made of thin metal. A massive gun barrel protruded forward, and she realized with a mix of amusement and sympathetic misery that the fighting compartment was wide open. One of the three vehicles at least had a canvas cover installed, but the other two were uncovered. Emerald could just barely pick out the helmeted heads of two ponies in the back of each vehicle, hunkered down and doing their best to stay out of the freezing wind. All of a sudden, being crammed into a tank with three mud ponies wasn't so bad. At least her vehicle was enclosed.

Emerald was still looking over the curious design of the anti-tank vehicles when her headset crackled to life, Apple Blossom's voice coming through once Emerald switched the receiver from intercom to radio. "Second platoon, follow Flax's lead and take up a position to watch our eastern flank. Use the houses for cover, and no more than one tank to a yard or street corner."

"You heard the mare," Flax cut in, as soon as the transmission was over. "Spread out and find somewhere to set up, try to pick a position with plenty of cover and a good sightline if you can. Afterward, I want every tank commander to meet me at the town hall." Emerald kept the line open while a string of affirmative answers came through, turning her attention back to her surroundings. The streets were mostly narrow roads only fit for wagon traffic, save for the large central avenue that the convoy had taken into town. Everything was piled high with snow, left to accumulate with nopony sticking around to keep on top of shoveling all of it, and the whole place had an eerie atmosphere. Stories of ghost towns came to Emerald's mind, but she quickly dismissed them. After all, it wasn't as if the town had been abandoned under any mysterious or supernatural circumstances; war was, unfortunately, a perfectly natural chain of events.

With tanks splitting off from Flax's unit and going in separate directions, Cream slowed down and allowed them to pass by with little issue. Switching back to the intercom, Emerald caught the tail end of her brief conversation with Flax.

"... you sure, ma'am? I'm not sure I can-"

"Yes, Cream, I'm sure. Take us behind that green house in front of us and we'll set up shop in the backyard. If we knock down the fence we'll have a clear line of sight down the eastern approach and be able to cover our buddy across the street."

Emerald braced herself, gripping the edge of her hatch with both forehooves and making sure her cap was firmly affixed to her head. She could hear the sounds of other tanks getting into position nearby, though with the turret of her own tank blocking her view behind, Emerald couldn't see much. The vehicle lurched forward as Cream shifted gears, then slowly trundled down the brick-paved street until it met the snowbank at the edge of the backyard of the house Flax had picked out. The tank stopped for a moment, but its tracks quickly found purchase and soon it was crawling over the obstacle. After crushing the sorry, frozen excuse for a fence on one side of the yard, the tank was parked in the middle of a decently open space. The house had clearly seen better days, perhaps in a state of disrepair even before being abandoned. It sagged on its foundation as if it was tired, and the layer of snow covering the roof told Emerald that there was no heating to be enjoyed.

Emerald heard the clang of metal on metal behind her, and she glanced up to see Flax standing out of her hatch in the turret. Their eyes met for a second before Flax turned her attention elsewhere, watching the rest of the tanks in her platoon getting into position. More fences were crushed and more snowbanks were flattened out, and soon enough the other four tanks were scattered around the village's eastern side in more or less defensive positions. The sun was beginning its descent in the west already, having peaked during the drive out to Riverpool. Emerald looked up for a moment, glancing at the few lonely, wispy clouds drifting across the sky, and for a moment she could pretend it was a comfortable, warm spring day. Of course, that daydream didn't last long before a gust of wind reminded her where she was. Emerald shivered, feeling her forehooves beginning to go numb, and a part of her wished she'd thought to grab a spare set of socks before the mission began.

As it was, Emerald was barely more protected than somepony wearing the summer uniform. A thick coat covered her uniform jacket, and her hind legs were protected by a pair of socks and a set of boots. She hadn't managed to scrounge anything up to protect her head and neck, and the black cap she'd been given along with her orders to transfer to the tank corps did next to nothing. Still, next to nothing was better than nothing. Emerald listened to the radio traffic bouncing back and forth between the tanks in Flax's unit, mostly just commanders announcing that they were in position and intended to stay there for the time being.

"Alright, Cream, shut her down. We need to be careful about how much fuel we're burning," Flax suddenly said, her voice cutting through the chatter. Cream obliged immediately, and Emerald heard the engine beginning to wind down a second later. "Now then, everypony out. Our work is just getting started."

"Yes, ma'am," Emerald and Cream answered in unison. Sage was silent, and Emerald wondered how the mare got away with acting the way she did so often. After pulling her radio headset off, Emerald climbed up and out of her hatch and jumped off the tank to plant her hooves into the snow. Cream followed shortly after through the same hatch, sliding down the front of the tank. Flax and Sage were next, dropping down in front of Emerald.

"Shall we go and start shoveling sidewalks for a few spare bits, ma'am? Or perhaps get together for some Hearth's Warming carols?" Emerald snarked, leaning on the side of their machine.

"Careful what you wish for, Aura," Flax warned, fixing Emerald with a harsh stare. Emerald relented, knowing better than to attract the genuine ire of her commander. After making her point clear, Flax continued. "I'm headin' to the town hall to meet with the first lieutenant and the other commanders. You three get dug in... actually, scratch that. Sage and Emerald, y'all worry about makin' this place homely. I want Cream to go find another crew and talk to their driver, maybe learn a thing or two before you tear up our transmission."

All three mares saluted, though Emerald noticed some hesitation on Cream's part. With a sly grin on her muzzle, she turned to Cream and put a forehoof on her shoulder once Flax was safely out of earshot. "Nervous?"

"Uh, yeah? How am I supposed to just walk up and start bothering another crew? Won't they have their own stuff to worry about?"

There was a pause while Emerald considered her words, and Sage opened her mouth to answer instead, but Emerald silenced her with a look. "They'll have their own problems, but don't worry about it. I know my way around the army, so let me come along with you and make the process a little easier."

"You think you're getting out of chores that easy, lass?" Sage finally interjected, raising an eyebrow above her good eye to give Emerald a skeptical look. Emerald suppressed a sigh, rolling her eyes where only Cream could see the gesture before turning around.

"I'm not avoiding work, patchy," she said, with a placating smile and her best attempt at a friendly voice. Sage did not look impressed. "I'm just helping our colleague. She's shy, and she needs some help if she's going to be the best driver she can be. You don't want her inexperience to cause us a problem in the field, do you?"

Sage glared at Emerald for a moment, then huffed. "Fine, go on your way. Just keep in mind, I can't - and won't - lie to Flax for ye. You'd best be back before she is, or she'll be pissed."

Emerald waved a hoof, turning away and putting that same hoof around Cream's shoulders to start leading her out of the yard. "Yes, yes, I'll be a good little filly. You don't have to go and tell on me to mother."