“Well, ah'll be!” Applejack exclaimed, slamming a hoof down on the crude table. “Ah never woulda guessed you came from Appleloosa.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Oh, I most certainly did.” Mahogany replied, before munching on a piece of dried apple, “It's a nice little old town, and I wonder how it's getting along sometimes.”

“Do ya know mah cousin Braeburn?” Applejack asked eagerly. She almost got out of her seat, causing her hat to fall over her face. “Uh, hehe, sorry.” She finished awkwardly, trying not to blush.

Mahogany nearly choked on her apple, her dark brown mane shaking in tune with her laughter. Applejack opened her mouth to diffuse the situation, but it wasn't long before she found herself laughed as well.

The darker pony put a hoof to her chest, forcing herself to calm down. “Uh, yep. I know Braeburn, although I never got to speak with him much.”

“Well, I reckon you're lucky you didn't. Once you get him talking, he hardly ever stops.” Applejack giggled, “It's like pushin' a train down a hill.”

Mahogany smirked, before breaking out into a loud yawn. She tried to stifle it, to no avail. “I'm sorry Applejack. It was really fun talking with you, but I think I could fall asleep on my hooves right now.”

The orange earth pony began to feel the weariness in her own body. “That sounds like a mighty fine idea. I could really use some shuteye.” Acting on her own accord, she got up from the table. “G'night.” She yawned before turning around, exiting the mess hall.

“Good night!” Mahogany called out, before turning around towards her respective barracks. As the slender brown pony walked towards the door, another equine trotted up next to her.

“Well, you were quite friendly there.”

“Oh shut up, Harping.”

-~-

Applejack awoke the next morning, her farmer pony mindset forcing her up at the crack of dawn. Even with her mind in a half conscious state, pure habit put her through her morning routine.

She made a beeline to the shower, rinsing herself in the freezing-cold water. She continued on by brushing her mane in a succession of a few, rapid strokes. She didn't care much to make it look perfect, but the thought of looking like an unkempt hooligan was not in her aspirations.

Most of the other ponies were still asleep in her barracks by the time she had started to put on her armor. Unsurprisingly, it took quite awhile to get into or out of the EU's combat armor. First was a tight-fitting Soldier Integrity Suit; it was a padded, black piece of clothing that covered from their hooves to their neck, the covered weak spots in their armor and also allowed their coats to “breathe” underneath all their metallic protection.

Then Applejack slipped into the true armored parts, both armored boots and a full-body, metal-plated suit that zipped up along her stomach. With a click, the heavy chest plate she placed fit over the zipper and completed the daily dressing ritual.

Grabbing her helmet, the earth pony walked out of the cold barracks. Her mane and tail buffeted in the wind as she was met with a ferocious, snow-carrying gust. Slamming the door behind her, she fought her way over to the mess hall through the blizzard.

Panting lightly, she finally entered the makeshift cafeteria. It's meager heaters barely rose the room above freezing, the snow that crusted her mane slowly began to melt. Looking around, she noticed not many ponies were in the room, save for the Battalion commander and his lieutenant, whom were always the first to awaken.

Placing her helmet down as a placeholder at an empty table. Walking over to a small table, she grabbed a mug nearby. Placing it under a dispenser, the faint hiss came as coffee was poured into her cup.

Taking a deep sniff of the liquid, she sighed in relief. The warm, wholesome feeling of drinking her favorite beverage was Applejack's favorite part of the day. As the morning wore on, the coffee being made tended to get worse and worse in quality. It was bad already, but she was glad that her farmer pony attitude got her the better crop of her beloved brew.

The table's bench creaked as she sat down, setting her mug next to her helmet. She took a drink, a new level of calmness flowing over her as the coffee warmed her body. She closed her eyes, thanking the goddesses for a simple pleasure that she could rely on. Steam from the hot liquid rolled over her face, dancing along her skin.

To her disappointment, her rejuvenating moment with her coffee interrupted as a tray clattered next to her. Applejack turned her head slowly, looking over. Colonel Zephyr, whose Battalion she was part of, was sitting next to her.

Stumbling to get out of the bench, she nearly tipped over her coffee as she stood to attention. “Greetings, sir.” She snapped off a quick salute, standing up straight.

The older pony smiled, “At ease.” He patted a hoof down on the bench, “Please, sit down.” He was wearing a gray overcoat, his black mane now graying. His natural amber coat stood out from underneath his pale trench coat, which was emblazoned with the Equestrian Union seal, a sun partly eclipsed by a crescent moon.

Applejack nodded nervously, sitting back down. She hadn't talked with the Colonel privately before, although she thought it couldn't be too bad. Zephyr was respected by most of the Batallion, perhaps even to go so far as loved. He had a reputation for being a thoughtful and efficient commander, although by no means hesitant. More importantly, he didn't have the same arrogant air of authority that most commanders did. He was down to earth, and understood many of the qualms the enlisted ponies had.

“Applejack, right?” He asked in a husky voice. He moved her mug of coffee back to her, which had been teetering on the edge of the table. She smiled, before taking the cup in her hooves and having a quick sip.

“That's right,” She responded, after placing down her cup.

“I thought so... Onto what I came here for. You and your squad performed brilliantly yesterday in holding the square.” Applejack wanted to thank him, but dared not interrupt him. To her surprise, he scratched his head embarrassedly, “Some uh, politics got in the way of sending the relief teams yesterday. To be honest, I thought you were long gone by the time I'd get there. I-I guess I was wrong to think so.”

Applejack dismissed the notion with a wave of her hoof. “Ah don' blame ya. We prolly only had a few more minutes left in us anyways.” She looked over as the mess hall door opened, Mahogany poking her head inside, “Besides, mah squad wun't the only one that did the work.”

Colonel Zephyr caught her drift, “Indeed so. I know you are probably still tired, and I understand that. But your squad's-um both your squads' experience with urban fighting will be crucial in the next phase of the plan.” He nodded as Mahogany sat down across from them.

She snapped a salute, before the Colonel addressed her to be at ease. “Continuing on, both of your teams will be asked to jump in behind the PAC lines and soften up their defenses along the series of roadblocks they have set up. With a little luck, we can bring our walkers and tanks through without difficulty. So, what do you make of it?”

Mahogany turned to Applejack, shrugging nonchalantly. “Ah think we can do it mighty fine.” Applejack answered.

“Good,” He got up from the table, “Two air-transports will be waiting for you in a few hours. I think that should be enough time to get your squads together, eh?”

Applejack nodded, standing up and saluting out of courtesy.

He was about to leave, but instead brought his face fractionally closer to her, “Oh, and if it gets too rough, don't be afraid to make a run out of there. Tanks and machines can be replaced, ponies cannot.”

-~-

“Sunbeam, quit yer whinin' and get on that gun.” Applejack said, irritated. The stallion had not given up on complaining about why he thought they shouldn't be doing this. Instead, he believe an extra day of rest was in order. “Command gave us a job t'do, and this one can save a lotta ponies. Ah do not intend on sittin' this one out.”

Sunbeam grunted in defeat, sitting himself behind one of the helicopter's operable miniguns. As much as she enjoyed being around him, he could always prove himself time and time again as the most stubborn member of the squad.

Applejack hopped up onto the helicopter, behind Sunbeam. She looked across, nodding to Heath who was positioned at the other gun. Looking back, she took note of Miller, Obsidian and Haybale, all of whom were readily in their drop pod seats.

Looking out one of the sides, she saw that all of Mahogany's team was ready to go in the helicopter adjacent to them. Sticking her head in the cockpit, she tapped the pilot on the shoulder and nodded.

The black, robust air transport began to hum as it's rotating blades starting spinning. Taking a seat on the spot closest to Heath, she looked out above him as they steadily rose into the air.

The snowy air flew past as the two airborne vehicles took off throughout the city. All she could see was the tops of buildings, the growing blizzard obscuring their view of the ground below. She wondered how they could even find their way to their enemy's defenses.

She placed on her helmet, air hissing as it latched onto it's connection ports with the armor. Her HUD booted to life, “Establishing Uplink” flashing in her view. The mini map appeared, then her vitals and followed up by her communications setup.

“Open map,” she whispered, a much larger map of the city opened in her HUD, taking most of her view. The drop zone was a few blocks behind and north of the PAC roadblocks, so they'd have to fight their way to it. “Close map.”

“Are we there yet?” Sunbeam asked sarcastically. Applejack glared at him, her expression devoid of humor. “Aww, it's a joke, AJ. Don't they have those from the planet you come from?”

She rolled her eyes, sighing. She was about to get up and smack him on the head, before a jolt sent her sprawling to the ground. Whistles and beeps sounded from the cockpit, accompanying strobing red lights.

“What in the hay just happened?” Applejack asked herself, getting up and looking into the cockpit. She gasped as she saw the windshield broken, the pilot's remains slumped against the controls. Undoubtedly, an AA turret was to blame.

The helicopter shook a few more times, Applejack hanging on the cockpit wall to remain upright. Then it began spinning, descending rapidly. Her sight turned to a blurry vision of the whirling landscape through the cockpit, and she felt as the tail crashed into a building, ripping off and plunging the damaged helicopter into further chaos.

“Haybale! You, Obsidian an' Miller jump now! We'll see ya on the ground!” She ordered into her microphone, “E'rrypony else, hang on!”

Three rushes of air could be heard as the drop pods were released, leaving the remaining ponies on board to hold on for their lives. “Mayday! This is Assault Recon Echo, we are goin' down!” Applejack yelled into all the open radio channels, which connected to her squad, command, and the other squad in her mission.

The ground was rapidly approaching. “Mayday! May-” Her calls for help were cut short as the helicopter crashed into the ground. Metallic screams could be heard as it's rotors sheared off hitting the pavement, metal armor plates flying in every direction.

The huge, mangled piece of scrap skidded along the snowy ground, before finally coming to a stop. Black smoke rose into the air, adding a new level of bleak to the depressing city.

-~-

Applejack groaned as her eyes opened, her body circuiting with pain. Multiple windows flashed into her HUD, running diagnostics on her physical condition. Her left arm was free, and she tried to push herself up.

There was where she found her problem, she couldn't move. Something was pinning her to the ground across her back and right arm. She tried to wiggle out, but pain scorched up her spine as the object on top of her shifted and put even more weight against her body. She thought her chest was going to explode.

Finally, a single black window appeared in her HUD, giving her a detailed analysis of her bodily condition. Her hind legs were bruised and she suffered a minor concussion, but nothing more. There was also a warning of the growing pressure along her ribcage, it's origins she already knew about. Somepony would have to get her out soon, or she could be crushed to death.

The windows disappeared, leaving her with normal vision. Out of the blizzard veil, a few ponies appeared down the street. They were walking towards her, and her heart fluttered with hope that she'd soon be rescued.

Within instants, the ponies were marked as hostile on her HUD. The sense of dread slammed down on her harder than the object pinning her to the ground. PAC command did not believe in taking prisoners.

Applejack tried reaching her free arm around to her pistol, but to no avail. Whatever was crushing her was also preventing her reach from going past her shoulders. With a sigh, she accepted the inevitable and laid her head on the ground.

Two other green dots popped up on her HUD, nearby. Heath and Sunbeam were alive! Applejack looked up, keeping tabs on the approaching enemy. They were within twenty yards, and closing in. She could even hear the rough, consonant-heavy language they spoke.

Gunfire erupted from a side alley, cutting down two PAC ponies where they stood. Another single shot rang out, killing another as his helmet tore out from the back as a bullet passed through his skull. The remaining two ponies attempted to return fire, but were caught in the open. They hardly lasted long enough to fire a retaliatory shot.

More blue dots appeared on her screen, Applejack craning her neck to see who it was. However, her mobility was still limited, and her hind legs were turning numb from a lack of circulation. “Over here!” She cried out.

Two EU soldiers came into view, and they immediately saw her underneath the wreckage. Rushing over, one grunted to the other, “Come on, let's move this out of here.” They put away their firearms, grunting as they began to shift the heavy material off her.

She sighed in relief as she felt the pressure on her chest alleviate. Standing up, she was reminded that her hind legs were still bruised as she grimaced in pain. Looking to the side, she saw that a piece of the cockpit's wall was what had pinned her to the ground.

Looking around, she saw as other ponies helped her other squadmates out of the wreckage. “Foxtrot squad, right?” Applejack asked one of the ponies.

“Affirmative.” he replied, before going off to help the others. Applejack craned her neck, trying to find a particular pony. She delicately trotted along the wreckage, careful not to overwork her legs. Then she found the pony, walking up behind and tapping the EU soldier on the shoulder.

“Mahogany, wut are ya doin' here? Ya should have gone on an' completed the job!” Applejack said, a little surprised that she found her voice raising.

Mahogany turned around, shrugging. “You know that if the same thing happened to my squad, you'd jump to the ground and try to rescue us.” She looked around, “Now, quit complaining.”

Applejack nickered in a surprised manner. Of all the things she had been called, a complainer was never one of them.

“If my math is right, there are three ponies still missing. Who knows if they're in the same danger as you were? We can't waste time on debating until we know everypony is safe.”

The rugged farm pony facehooved, realizing she was right. Miller, Obsidian and Haybale were out there somewhere, and possibly in danger. Sunbeam and Heath walked up next to her. “We're good to go, AJ,” Sunbeam said.

“Okay, that's all fine an' dandy, but where in Equestria are they?! They could be stranded blocks away from 'ere!” She pointed out.

Shots rang out in the distance. “There you go.” Mahogany said, before trotting out from the direction the gunfire was coming from. Applejack shook her head rapidly, trying to get ready for the ensuing firefight.

“Okay, let's get formin' up behind the other squad.” Applejack told the remnants of her squad, “Safeties off. If one of 'em is hurt, ah'm makin' the packies pay for it.” The other two ponies nodded eagerly, vying to get at the ponies threating their friends.

Applejack's submachine ripped bullets down a PAC soldier, screaming as he withered in pain. They were fighting after flanking the enemies that was attacking the rest of her squad. There had been many more than expected, perhaps a little under a dozen.

After losing a few to the initial onslaught, the enemy retreated behind a few destroyed cars and walls. They constantly dipped and ran between cover, trying to confuse the EU ponies. Apparently one had made a mistake, Applejack's bullets embedded in his body the result.

Chucking a grenade in their direction, she crept along her cover, a support column for the building above her. The explosion was greeted with a wail, giving her just the cover she needed. Dashing out she charged for a nearby kiosk, a burnt out shell of its former self.

She skidded behind it, breathing heavily. From here, the assaulting ponies could hit three sides of the now-outmatched PAC soldiers. With this new advantage, the remaining enemies fell like flies. As some tried to turn around to fire upon her they were shot by the stranded portion of her squad, and vice versa.

Applejack sprinted out into the open, the threat now removed. The others followed suit, although she noticed Haybale was limping and tried not to put weight on his left foreleg. She saw the fresh blood drying on his armor.

“Haybale, what happened to ya?” She asked. He turned his head to her, hobbling over on three legs. He almost slipped on the snow beneath, but fought back to regain his posture.

“I got hit as soon as we noticed the packies found us. Thank god Miller was with us, she gave me a shot of Nerofoalin as soon as we hunkered up in that house yonder.” He nodded at the building they were previously in. “Good thing you guys got here when ya did, because we were starting to run low on ammo too.”

“Dun mention it.” Applejack said, “You jus' stick to the back of the squad and try to keep safe until that Neruhfoalin is done, okay sugarcube?” He nodded, hobbling off. Opening her map, she assessed her location compared to her target.

From where they were, they could make an approach from the north, down through a triad of apartment complexes. From there, they'd be in a perfect position to ambush their defenses.

She walked up next Mahogany, who seemed to be looking at her own map. Although, due to their full-face helmets and interactive HUD, she didn't really know. “Uhh, Mahogany.” She broke in.

Shaking her head back to reality, Mahogany turned to her. “Yes, Applejack?”

“Ah think we should be goin' south and hit em from the apartment complexes. It seems like the most sensible option we got.”

“I was just figuring the same thing, looking at our maps. Hopefully the packies aren't already holed up and waiting for us, because they had more than enough time be warned by the ones we just took out.”

“True.” Applejack then turned around, addressing the other ponies nearby, “Okay y'all, let's get movin' before the packies can get all comfy waitin' fer us.” The other soldiers turned around, and began to form up in two lines. It was standard positioning for advancing through urban areas, to cover each other from flanking movements.

“Obsidian, you take point.” Applejack ordered. The small pony nodded, advancing to the front of her squads line. He was naturally perceptive and always keen on finding hidden defenses.

The other team sided next to them, and with a nod, began to walk cautiously down the road. Guns were constantly pointed at the rooftops and alleyways nearby, always suspicious of the chance an unknown enemy could be hiding there.

Within minutes, the three apartment buildings came into view, in a row adjacent to each other. They rose well above eight stories, even in their damaged state. Hopping over the fence, the two teams came between the rightmost and center buildings, each pointpony at the lead.

It was here that Applejack first noticed a faint beeping sound. It was slow and methodical, not rising in tempo nor pitch. It was just... There.

They kept up their slow advance, some ponies raising their heads in curiosity as they noticed the beeping too. Still they pressed on, albeit at a slower pace. The beeping was sending off waves of anxiety from the other soldiers.

Something caught Applejack's eye. It was a black patch on the ground, all but caked in snow. It rose like a slight bump in the ground. She let her eyes wander, and began to find other black patches. They formed a line down one wall of an apartment complex, across the small street and up to the other. As she reached the end of the mysterious line, she saw one of the black objects blink in red light.

It all made sense, in a horrible, dreadful way.

“Obsidian, watch out!” Applejack called from the middle of the line.

Obsidian turned to her, “What?” Although her warning didn't slow him down, walking into an invisible tripwire. The beeping grew very quick and fast, as Obsidian realized something was wrong. The other ponies stopped, backing up in fear.

The small stallion looked over, and noticed the black patches along the ground. The more common term was an RDX charge, which could be triggered by a detonator or laser sensors. A single sound came from his mouth. “Uh-oh.”

The explosion literally forced Applejack to the ground, shaking the earth. Before she could get up, she heard the snapping of wires and shearing of metal as the apartment complex on her right began to tumble. The explosives had finally caved in the foundations of the once home for families of ponies.

A mixture of ash and snow flew past her as the building slammed into the ground. It's deafening boom rang throughout the city, reducing all hopes for their use of surprise.

“Come on, everypony, we got to get moving!” Mahogany ordered over the intercom. “There's another small street on the other side of this middle building, between another apartment.”

As much as she wanted to grieve for her dead companion, she decided it was the best option. Getting up, she shook herself and raced around the building. The other ponies tried to catch up, but she wanted to be the first to open fire on the PAC, trying to avenge her friend's death. Rage was building inside of her, and she was out for blood.

Clambering among some debris, it formed a crude ramp up to a second-story balcony on the still-standing apartment complex. “Zoom to ten times.” She whispered into her HUD, which focused her view like a pair of binoculars.

Peering over the wall, she instantly frowned. Four of the PAC's signature hovertanks were waiting for them, probably part of their defense detail. They were heavily armored, and their greater mobility made them superior to what the EU could muster in terms of armor.

Flipping back into normal view, she whipped around to stop the ponies following her. They were about to come right out into the open, where they would surely be slaughtered. “Hold up y'all!” She barked, before turning back to the enemy armor.

She tapped a button on her helmet, which caused a laser to beam from her helmet to wherever she looked. “Command, ah'm requestin' an orbital missile strike at these co-ordinates.” She said into the command radio channel, “We have four tanks waitin' for us if'n nothing happens- Oh horseapples!”

She ducked as the tank shell ripped the air above her, shredding through the apartment's walls. Dust and small rocks fell on her as she cowered on the ground. Apparently, one of them had seen her targeting beam.

“Request granted.” A robotic voice said back, “Orbital strike firing.” Unfortunately, the words didn't register with Applejack, her attention focused more on the sounds of the middle apartment complex beginning to fail too.

She hopped down the debris ramp as the artillery shells began falling, slamming on the ground like thunder. One shell missed it's mark, hitting the balcony she was just on. Stumbling to the ground, she raced forward a few paces before looking back.

The middle apartment building fell to it's side, although it's taller height allowed it to slump dangerously against the apartments on the far left. It left a small gap, big enough for two ponies to race through at once. It was their only shot at getting through to take out the enemy defenses.

“Stir yer rumps, everypony! We're not gonna have ta walk around this! Let's get through that gap pronto!” The other ponies followed her orders, racing up to gap between the ground and the damaged building. It whined in strain, almost as if warning the ponies not to enter.

The first two ponies to enter were Sunbeam and Heath, who loaded their weapons before charging through. The others followed suit, the sounds of gunfire telling Applejack that the fighting had commenced.

As more charged through the declining gap, the sound of a wire snapping cut through the air, and the building fell a few feet. It limited the size of the gap to one pony, and forced the attackers to advance single-file.

The left building groaned dangerously as the last of the ponies made it through, besides Mahogany and Applejack. It was tradition for the squad leaders to bring up the rear when attacking through close environments, an effort to maintain the chain of command in case of heavy fire and also make sure no one got left behind.

“Okay, here goes nothing.” Mahogany said pessimistically. She trotted carefully through the gap, before the building to their left gave out another groan and lurched forward. It too was going to fall, under the weight of the collapsed building.

“Oh no you don't!” Applejack cried, tore off her helmet and stuck her head towards Mahogany. Grabbing her dark brown tail in her mouth, she yanked back and whisked the other mare out of the gap in the wreckage.

Mahogany crashed along the ground, as Applejack fell backwards. She got up, ran over to her helmet and put it back on. The darker pony raced up to her, half poking, half punching her in the shoulder.

“What was that for?” She asked. More wires snapped as the middle complex fell completely to the ground, causing the lone standing building to fall aswell, blocking their only avenue back to their squads.

Applejack grunted, angling her head towards the destruction. Mahogany mumbled an apology, before Sunbeam's voice came over the intercom. “Applejack, are you okay!?” His voice was nervous and quick, oddly higher than it's normally deep tone. “I mean, we're okay, we just saw the last of the packies off but I don't know if you're okay after the building collapsed!” He did not wait for an reply, “Answer me!”

Applejack sighed, almost chuckling at his reaction. “Yeh, we're just dandy. You jus sit tight and we'll find a way to you. No 'buts' Sunbeam, that's an order.” She added the last part in, expecting the corporal to embark on a rescue operation.

“If there's a way to them.” Mahogany pointed out, observing the wall of debris that blocked them from their squad. Their mini map updated constantly, and its reading of the landscape around them showed no route open.

Applejack sighed. She was right. In a last-ditch attempt, she opened up the channel to command. “Command this is Master Sergeant Applejack, ah'm requesting a pick-up, over.”

“Negative.” A voice replied, but it wasn't the same pre-recorded, robotic voice as before. No, it was one of an older male, and familiar too. “This is Colonel Zephyr. We have all our transports in use, at the moment.”

Applejack's heart drooped. How could she get back now? The thought of being stranded behind enemy lines wasn't one she enjoyed.

“Although some people wouldn't like me disclosing this information, I believe it's our best option at the moment. There is a Lunar Sharpshooter a few blocks away, and she may be able to provide assistance until we can help. I'll be patching her through to you now.”

Applejack looked over at Mahogany, who seemed equally dumbfounded. Lunar Sharpshooters were ponies of legends, the most skilled snipers in all of Equestria. Aside from their sublime marksmanship, they were also trained extensively in survival techniques and operating in hostile environments. They were some of the best fighters the Equestrian Union had, and were respected on both sides of the field.

“Hello.” A cold, deadpan voice came through her intercom. “I hear you and your friend could use some help, Applejack.”

The mentioning of her name made Applejack's blood run cold. This pony knew her, and she couldn't even recognize the other's voice. Something was definitely off.

“I've uplinked my position to you two. If you want help, you're going to have to come to me, as I can't risk giving my position away. When you come up to the building, enter from the east entrance and do not take the first stairwell, unless you want to trip my mines.” The pony on the other end exhaled deeply, as if her next words would hurt.

“I think it's the least I can do. Fluttershy out.”