Applebloom let out a slow breath as she settled herself in the commander's seat of her P-1 Armored Fighting Vehicle; being the highest seat in the tank, her driver, loader, and gunner had already squirmed their way inside, settling comfortably into their own seats. The Ministry of Aesthetics had made sure to make the P-1 as comfortable as possible to its tank-ponies, considering everything from their air needs, to the water packs stationed under each seat, to the emergency weapons settled at their sides. It made Applebloom smile softly when she thought about it. The MoA did care about the military, that much was certain. It took time, and money, and certainly resources, but their vehicles, weapons, and uniforms were second to none. Applebloom glanced down at herself at the thought; like all her tank-ponies, she was dressed in black silk, as to be able to breathe in the cramped conditions. As an Imperial Knight, her barrel was emblazoned with a Phoenix standing over a sword, while her lapels were lined with the double silver stars of a Colonel. Personally, Applebloom thought that, with her just turning thirty-five, she was too young to boast such a lofty rank. But the Empresses had been quite firm on it; apparently she just had to properly reward her Knights, or face a public backlash. Applebloom didn't entirely buy it, but... she wouldn't turn down a better paycheck.

"Start her up, Private," Applebloom ordered softly; there wasn't need to shout, not till the engines were going, "Need to get this show on the road."

"Aye, aye!" her driver, a Crystal Pony Unicorn by the name of Rose Quartz replied cheekily, grinning at the groans from her fellow tankers.

Rose was ex-Navy, an engineer who had transferred over to the Imperial Army two weeks after the announcement of the first fully Armored Divisions. She was damn good at her job, Applebloom certainly couldn't fault her for that. But the intentional use of Navy slang and commands could get old in a hurry. Thankfully, a glimmering golden tail snapped down from the compartment above Rose, flicking her ears firmly.

"Enough Rose, this is an important moment!" snapped Golden Sight, a Solar Pegasus, Rose's commanding officer by two degrees and, if Applebloom's love-sense was any indicator, Rose's lover.

With a shimmering, almost flame-like mane and tail, and glowing gold eyes, Golden Sight had been one of the Pegasi blessed after the Battle of the Crystal Siege by the Phoenix Heart. Applebloom's files said Golden had been one of the dive-bombers that had shredded Caribou gun positions, alongside the fabled Wonderbolts, and had won distinction for her part in directing ground artillery against a counter-attacking Caribou force that had nearly broken the Pony-held train station stronghold. Golden Sight had been Applebloom's first pick for gunner, out of a rather long list; her "indiscretions" with Rose Quartz aside, she was a model soldier, and was easily capable of handling the tank crew if Applebloom wasn't there.

"Yes ma'am," Rose replied, still a hint of mirth in her voice as her horn gleamed brightly, the engine roaring to life in seconds.

Applebloom closed her eyes tightly, ears perked as she listened for any inconsistencies with the engine noise; they were still fairly new technology, and untested on the battlefield. Command had tried to base the design on the fabled pre-Imperial P-50 Wolf, but had gone with a diesel engine and several inches of added, sloped frontal armor. A 7.5 cm cannon, a throwback to the original Wolf design, was the main armament of the P-1, backed up by a MG-1 in the gunner's compartment, and a top-mounted MG-1 for Applebloom to man when the tank wasn't buttoned up. Diamond-tipped AP rounds were nestled at Applebloom's and Golden Sight's sides, but neither were to use them unless they were thrown against Griffon or Minotaur armored vehicles- many had been used during the initial war against the Caribou, and the military had to be careful not to exhaust even Equestria's nearly inexhaustible gem stores. To take their place, enchanted flamelets surrounded the AP rounds; made of bronze, lead, and a little unicorn flame magic, the flamelets could still burn their way through most armor, and spelled death for ground troops, low-flying Griffons, or low-flying aerial vehicles. Applebloom had to admit, she was a little dubious about the magical weaponry, but she would not question the wisdom of the Empresses.

There was a soft crackle from the headset around her neck, and Applebloom started in surprise, drawing the headphones up around her ears, one hoof pressing down so she could hear over the rumble of the engine.

"-lonel Applebloom, come in. This is Command, Code Five emergency. Colonel Applebloom, respond at once!"

Applebloom's eyes widened ever so slightly. Code Five was officer code for enemy hostilities, as well as a firm order to return to base for further explanation.

"This is Applebloom, reporting as ordered, Command. What's going on?" she asked quickly, trying to put a bit of her own authority into her voice. Command was rarely this insistent, certainly not to her, or during a training exercise.

"Word has come down from the Crystal Palace. We're at war again, Colonel. And the Empress has declared a need for all her Knights, as soon as equinally possible."

The mood in the tank sobered at once, and Applebloom closed her eyes again. Of course. She knew this day would come; indeed, she had trained her ponies, all her tankponies, for this very moment. Twilight had made it perfectly clear that the Ash'ei would come for them. Them, or another of the races at the Conference in the Crystal City. Whomever had decided that the Empire was fair game as in for a rude surprise. Applebloom would be very sure of that.

"Shut her down and clean her up, girls," Applebloom ordered quietly, already unlatching the top to the tank, "I've got a war to help plan."

"Aye, aye, Colonel!"

"ROSE!"

**********************

"Concentrate as you move. We're battlemages, fillies. We don't have the luxury of time to think up the perfect spell in tranquility. We have to think we have to act, and we have to improvise to the best of our ability! Do the form again, and take down the target!"

Despite Dinky Doo's harsh tone, she was actually quite pleased with her class. She, and twenty ponies of the Imperial Magic Corps, were training in a large white room, though it had begun to be sparsely blackened from fire and lightning spells, and more than one section of the wall was completely frozen over. Above the, an observation deck had been installed, allowing personnel from all over the base watch the class and comment. Thanks to a few handy spells, Dinky was quite aware of anything said in said deck. Usually it gave her a few new ideas, or a place that could use improvement that she herself had not noticed. Right now, however, it was rather pissing her off.

"Why on Equus do we even need these battlemages?" A haughty-sounding voice was saying rather loudly, her accent that of the Canterlotian Survivors, which was a strange mix of Canterlot and Ponyville all rolled up in one, "They're a dreadful waste of resources. All that enchanted stone and wood, not to mention the time that goes into their armor. Pah."

"Oh indeed, Countess," a smoother voice replied, this one male and somewhat deeper, "I completely agree. The 'House' that took over my family's estate, those cretins, built a shipyard on our grounds, and I heard from a faithful gardener that they're making a whole fleet of flying ships for the Magic Corps!"

Dinky scowled faintly, tail swishing in agitation as she mentally logged this little tidbit for Imperial Intelligence. This leak was too close to home for her tastes.

"Lady Purity will not be happy about this at all," The "Countess" continued on blithely, "Especially not after that charlatan Vinyl Scratch refused her claim to the Black Mountain mines."

"The Ladies Scratch are a blight on the aristocracy!" The male snapped heatedly, "They train... train batponies of all things, the mongrel beasts, and took in the Lunar-touched like they were long lost brethren. They don't even act like nobles, going around and throwing parties, spending their wealth on the poor... did you hear that their lands hold more 'communal farms' than they do tax collection agencies? It's absurd!"

"Don't worry, my dear Count Argent... Lady Purity will have her due... as will the rest of us. Now come, come, we'd best be going before one of these obsolete fools blows up half of the castle."

Their voices had scarcely faded before Dinky was out of the training room, leaving one of the senior apprentices in charge as she stormed towards the Intelligence wing of the castle. Vague threats were nothing new to Dinky, or her Magic Corps. But whenever Purity was involved in something, it was undoubtedly trouble to watch for. The young former leader of the Canterlotion Survivors, Purity had plotted to trick Empress Cadence into killing Empress Twilight Sparkle during the battle of the Crystal Siege. It had only been the timely arrival of Princess Celestia that Cadence had been able to see the truth and reconcile with her sister-in-law. After the battle, Purity had gone underground, but Imperial Intelligence and the Magic Corps had been tracking the sneaky witch for years. Riots, assassination attempts on new noble families, sabotage of Imperial construction... they believed she was behind it all. Dinky was quite certain Purity's rejection by Celestia had driven the mare mad.

The Intelligence Wing of Canterlot Castle was spartan in its design, walls painted a bright white, with harsh lights above. Dinky would have summoned a bit of magic to shield her eyes, but she knew from experience that magical draining wards and dampeners were embedded in the stone, making any kind of spell work beyond very simple levitation at best impossible, and at worst, potentially deadly. A small white Earth Pony mare sat at the desk, nodding once to Dinky Doo as she flashed her Imperial Knight's badge; deeper into the wing, more and more white-pelted, white-maned mares and stallions in black business suits went about their business, chatting in low voices. All were identical, their voices matching a dull monotone, and it nearly made Dinky mad just watching them move and interact. Twilight had been very thorough with her enhancements and enchantments on her Intelligence agents. Nopony would remember them if they wished it, nor see them, nor be able to do a thing if they so wished. And if they were cleared to do it. The checks and balances on Intelligence were quite... firm, in that regard.

"Well hello there, darling Dinky."

Rarity looked perfectly at home in the sterile environment, her brilliant purple mane the only deviation in the otherwise enforced blandness. She gave a warm smile to the somewhat shaken Knight, who smiled in turn. Despite the reputation building among the Empire, Dinky knew that, with Rarity at the head, they were truly in good hooves. She bowed low to the Duchess, giggling a bit as Rarity nudged her up.

"Oh enough with that now," Rarity admonished teasingly, "Come, talk to me, Dinky. You rarely come here unless you have news. What's this about?"

Her good mood in the presence of Rarity forgotten, Dinky merely sighed, her eyes filled with a small flicker of hate and a larger nimbus of righteous anger, "It's about Purity. I think she's going to strike at Trotsylvania."

Author's Notes:

Purity doesn't like to stay down.