This chapter is shorter than usual, so I'm posting it early today.

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Chapter Three
Proxy

Captain Shining Armor smiled at how the work he had invested in Operation: Venom Sucker paid off as he watched the IMRT-96 smash through the earth itself and into the field of battle, blasting a DRAVM apart with the rail cannon mounted on the side of its turret.

IMRT-96 was easily the most expensive piece of war machinery ever produced, and rightfully so. IMRT-96 was an enormous battle tank armed and armored beyond any and all reason and logic, and the most powerful ground vehicle made by Equestrians.

The IMRT-96 was powered by five SCF engines and rolled about on twelve tread pods; pods in which individual treads were fed in and out of, making the vehicle much more maneuverable through unstable terrain like rocky rivers. The IMRT-96 was armored with 7 inches of the titanium alloy, and practically impenetrable by any conventional means.

Its armament was nothing to scoff at either.

With a main 125mm rifle-bore computer-assisted-targeting high-explosive cannon as its primary, a rail gun with over 200 magnetic coils in the barrel, five mounted machine guns, firing ports for personnel inside, and space to transport fifteen soldiers safely in a battlefield IMRT-96 was indeed a grave threat to all that faced its might. It was 50 feet in length, fifteen feet in height, and 180 tons of absolute HE-spewing divine intervention.*

And Shining Armor knew it still wouldn’t be enough.

“Lieutenant Spear, have the appropriate soldiers been issued the new guns we stole in Operation: Venom Sucker? And what is our overall current status?” Shining Armor asked his second-in-command in the control room of their main base, which was cleverly and effectively hidden in the jungles and marshlands of Vietmane, well over 3,000 miles from Canterlot and far beyond the borders of the Empire’s search routes.

“Yes, Captain, all soldiers scheduled to receive the new weapons have indeed gotten them, and the three vehicles we stole are also in tip-top operational shape, as I’m sure you very much know. Our current status is officially green, but I would more call it pea or an otherwise yellow-green” the Lieutenant explained.

“Why so?” Captain Armor inquired.

“After that last assault it is clear that the Princesses are not messing about, and intend to take very serious action against us. I suspect it is because of all the expensive toys we stole from them. Things are about to get very difficult for the Peace Fighters” Lieutenant Spear explained.

“So then we must change our tactics; what do you propose we do?” Shining said, looking for her opinion as a brilliant strategist. The Lieutenant looked over her clipboard before speaking.

“Well, I believe our best bet would be to contact ‘them’ and ask for military support” Spear stated.

“‘Them’?” Captain Armor asked, confused.

“Yes, Sir... Them.”

The Captain thought about it for a moment, perplexed by what she could possibly mean, and then it finally hit him. It hit him like a frying pan to his face. It hit him like the first bullet he had ever taken.

“No. Absolutely not, Lieutenant. We are NOT asking THEM for assistance” Shining Armor exclaimed, almost demoting Strong Spear on the spot for suggesting such a thing.

“Then what do you propose we do, Sir?!” Lieutenant Spear declared.

“...Proxy battles, Spear. We change our strategy to guerilla warfare and fight proxy battles against the Empire” the Captain told her.

“Where should we begin then, Captain?”

“I know just the place.”

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Captain’s Diary, Day 23 of the New Year Month 1, 1177 years after the Nightmare Moon Event.

It has been a long week for the Peace Fighters, and I am tired. Nevertheless, I promised Cadence and myself I would keep a log of this war, for if I were to die and my army to fail, this would be the only existing record of the truth.

I often wonder what the history books will say should we fail; will the seeds we have planted grow as they should, ensuring that all in the Equestrian Empire revolt against their tyrannical rulers? Or is the truth and indeed all ponykind doomed to fade away, never to see the light of day ever again?

I don’t know, but I am getting off topic.

As I previously said, today was a long day for the Peace Fighters, and we have both won and lost this week.

This morning, when the sun was rising above the horizon, 250 soldiers of the Equestrian Empire and a single airship fell into our trap, all perishing when Lieutenant Spear detonated a cache of antiquated gunpowder which then ignited a line of gasoline in the shape of the peace sign, thus leaving our mark once again.

The following day the Goddesses sent their army against our base in the desert, where IMRT-96 was stored. The only existing prototype of the tank performed flawlessly, and single-hoofedly destroyed the assaulting force.

I am sure the Princesses are very angry still.

Then, for the five days that followed, I assisted my army in fighting proxy battles against the Empire; hit-and-run, guerrilla warfare, and intense clashes at town borders. Our missions disabled three rail lines to key cities, a weapons manufacturing plant, and killed close to 300 Empire soldiers, in addition to the countless vehicles that were lost on their side.

We did not make it by unscathed though, but our losses were minimal thanks to our rapid strikes.

I would call these past seven days and their events a win for the Peace Fighters, and Lieutenant Spear is very excited at our successes. She has such drive, such tenacity, and is eager-to-please but tough. She is not without her flaws, of course, but she is an excellent Secondary Commander.

Thanks to the Lieutenant, we finally have our motto. “Lutamos pela paz.”

I will be honest; I had to translate what it means, and found that it’s Ponyguese for “we fight for peace.”

It fits pretty well, I’d say.

Now, back to business. Damn tangent times.**

Our work in proxy battles the past five days was not just a one time thing; I have facilitated the means for our proxy battles and rapid strikes to continue. Bullet by bullet we will beat the Equestrian Empire down until they are defeated.

Until such time, however, we will keep planning, and we’ll keep fighting!

End Captain’s Diary.

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Author's Note

*This is a reference to Sergeant Johnson’s line in Halo 2
**This is a reference to my favorite Youtuber, LeftyOX.

Legal note: Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. Strong Spear belongs to me.