//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Mareginot Line // Story: Equestria's Struggle: Chronicles of the 20th ERAD // by ZatGeneral //------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Mareginot Line July 4th, 8th year of the Age of the Princesses Sergeant Chalkboard 20th Equestrian Royal Armored Division, C Battalion, Heavy Armor Platoon E1         It was a slow summer day. Music was playing over an old radio that Chalkboard had scavenged. Tanky was celebrating with Chalkboard and Smartmouth over their first assignment. They were ecstatic over their how new and shiny their tanks were. Chalkboard was placed in a Fjord Heavy Tank-6 and all its glory, Smartmouth was pleased to have been assigned a Porshoe M5-90 and Tanky couldn’t be happier with her Vladhoof Korporation Vehicle Heavy Tank-4. They were all eager to put these brand new tanks into action, however there was no good reason to waste the ammunition. The Kingdom of Equestria was enjoying a rare moment of peace that it was not seen for several years. Even at the Mareginot Line, a massive fortification stretching across Equestria’s Western fringes to the young nation of Petaria. Defending this fortification are several army groups and C Battalion of the 20th Equestrian Armored Division.         Tanky and her comrades were enjoying lunch. The sun was high in the air, wind was blowing through the green hills and plains and Tanky was digging into her second bowl of spaghetti. She could not imagine a better fourth of July, although the radio sitting behind Chalkboard kind of annoyed her. “How can you eat that stuff Tanky?” asked Smartmouth. “You do realize that stuff is just army noodles with ketchup.”  Interrupted Chalkboard. “Yeah but this is the best food those “chefs” here serve. Seriously you’d think that the army could find some ponies that have cooking related cutie marks...” “I’m surprised that the military doesn’t spend more money on better provisions. I mean basic army noodles made of rice? You’d think we’d have more flavor.” said Smartmouth as she stirred some noodles around her fork. Chalkboard swallowed hard after tasting how bland the army noodles were. She let out a disappointed sigh. “Well I assume this is all budget cuts. I mean how long ago was the Six Week War? Two something years?” “To be honest, I wouldn’t even call it a war Chalkboard. I’d say it was more of a skirmish that ended badly for us.” “Murr-fffmufff moff grrruuphhh.”                  “Swallow your food please Tanky!” yelled Chalkboard as she wiped some pieces of spaghetti off of her face.         Tanky swallowed her mouthful of noodles in one large gulp. “What do you mean ended badly? We sent those Noobs packing!”         Chalkboard wiped her face with a napkin. “That would depend on your definitions of “ended badly” girls.”         “I’m referring to the amount of territory we lost.” “Pfft. So we lost a few acres of land, Smartmouth. We SLAUGHTERED so many Noobs. Heck I don’t think that they’ll be able to attack us for another ten years.” “Have you forgot the damage the Noobians did to Manehatten?” “We fixed it.” Chalkboard giggled a bit at Tanky’s statement. “Yeah, Manehatten did see a rise in property value after the Six Week War huh?” “Still though, we lost Equestrian soil to the Noobians. I mean the only reason why the Noobians stopped attacking was because their nation decided to attack the Trekkies.” “Don’t forget the newest Call of Honor movie, Smartmouth.” “Eh. I like the Medal of Duty series better.” “Really? I always thought you were Call of Honor pony, Smartmouth.” “Nah, I like Call of Honor for its near comedic value. I mean it tries really hard to be a cool action movie, but it just ends up being funny.” “I think they’re both stupid.” interrupted Chalkboard. “I mean they both involve the “United States” which is such a mary sue nation. “ “How is the United States a mary sue nation?” “Well all the characters from that nation always seem to be the perfect soldier and uphold “virtuous values” that always gives them victory over that... what was the name of the make believe nation for those weird movies?” “Rus.... Russomethingsomethin. Whatever, they were the bad guys anyway.” “Speaking of bad guys, what did you girls think about Discord’s transformation to “good”?” “Oh come on, that was YEARS ago Smartmouth.” said Tanky as she reached for her third bowl of spaghetti. “Besides, the guy played a big role in making Twilight into the Princess we all know and love.” Chalkboard couldn’t help but snark at Tanky’s remark. “Pfft! And how was Discord... the King of Chaos... instrumental... in any way to Princess Twilight’s transformation into an Alicorn?” “Well Tanky has a valid point, Chalkboard. Remember some of the accounts written by Rainbow Dash? She had her wings taken away by Discord, so who’s to say that Discord can’t give wings to a pony?” Tanky threw her hooves in the air. “Woo! Score one for the not historian pony!” “Wait wait wait!” Interrupted Chalkboard as the radio switched songs. “Now we have no proof that ever happened.” “Even without proper evidence Chalkboard, the implications are all there.”  “Yeah, what Smartmouth said. Besides Chalky, why else would Celestia need Discord’s powers for good?” “Because Celestia... I got nothing... But as a proper historian, I won’t confirm or deny this possibility until I have the proper information.” “Sometimes hunches are right Chalky.” “It’s still a wonder why the Princesses need Discord at all. I mean he’s a criminal.” “I’ll tell you what’s a crime, Chalkboard.” Interrupted Smartmouth. “Stationing anypony here...” Tanky lifted her muzzle out of her bowl. “Muff-gggarrrb muff ophoras?” “TANKY! Swallow please!” shouted Chalkboard as she wiped bits of pasta off of her face. “You know you could move... right Chalkboard?” “But then I’d be out of the shade.” Tanky swallowed the mouthful of pasta. “Ah don’t worry, I gotta go for refills soon Chalky.”         Chalkboard raised one of her eyebrows. “They give out seconds?”         “Well it’s not THEM giving out more food... it more like me taking the stuff other ponies don’t want.”         “Well waste not, waste not...”         “Now that’s the idea Smartmouth.”         “Anyway, you were saying something when you sprayed pasta all over me, Tanky?”         “Oh yeah, I was just commenting how the Mareginot line doesn’t have enough tables for all the ponies manning the line. I mean, we’re eating on a half rotten wire spool with our flanks on the concrete.”         Smartmouth tried her best to keep a straight face as she spoke. “The only reason why we’re eating on this wooden wire spool is because everything else we found was too tall for you.” Smartmouth couldn’t help but snicker after her comment.         Tanky slowly lifted her head to stare at Smartmouth. Her gaze was as cold as the breeze blowing across the Mareginot Line. Her eyes were full of disapproval for Smartmouth’s joke.         Tanky stood up gathered her dirty bowls and stacked them. “I’m going for seconds. I’ll be back.” She flipped the bowls onto her back and trotted into the massive concrete fortification to her right.         Smartmouth’s case of the giggles have spread to Chalkboard who also couldn't control her snickering. “Ah, That never gets old.” Smartmouth’s laughter came to a slow stop as she caught her breath. There was a small moment of silence between the two before Smartmouth opened up with a question. “Lemme ask you something Chalkboard. Why does the Staff of Generals insist on keeping the Mareginot Line fully staffed?” Chalkboard thought for a bit as she placed her hoof on her chin. “Well... this is Equestria’s border with the Troll Territories.” “Yeah well one would think that the sight of the Mareginot Line would scare Trolls silly. Besides, the Mareginot Line doesn’t continue past Petaria and we all know that the Petters are having a hard time as it is.” “It’s not really fair to judge the Petters. Remember that Equestria was once like that as well.” “I know, I know, but what I’m saying is that Petaria is a serious liability to our country's security.” The radio station broadcasted several advertisements, one of the more notable ones was an ad for Consortium Ice Cream. The radio began playing music again. Chalkboard snarked a little at Smartmouth’s comment. “Honestly, when was the last time the Trolls attacked Petaria? They’ve been too distracted by us to see Petaria as it is, much less attack it.” “But what if they decide to... you know... walk around one of Equestria’s most formidable defenses?” “Are you implying that Trolls have the basic intelligence to think like that? Come on, even Tanky can outsmart a Troll.” Smartmouth lost it. She fell over on the floor in laughter. “HAhahahA! Oh Celestia you’re right!” Smartmouth looked around to see if Tanky had returned. “Good thing Tanky wasn’t around to hear that. Then again, you could just hold your hoof to her head as she flailed violently at you.” Chalkboard giggle a bit. “Tanky’s short stature aside, my point still stand that the Trolls attack in the most simple manner possible.” “Short, fast and really really angry with no strategy whatsoever?” Chalkboard gave a small nod. “Now what we really should be worried about Chalkboard, are the haters out east.” Chalkboard cocked her head to her left. She had a quizzical look on her face. “Haters? I don’t really know what a “Hater” is...” “Those cold blooded monsters that do nothing but complain and blame everypony for their troubles? The insensitive punks that riled up the Noobians into attacking us? The reason behind the Six Week War?” “OH! You mean the Gators! I haven’t heard anypony refer to them by that slang term. Is it relatively new?” “Really?  I heard it being used all the time back in the airborne.” “Oh by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask but I’ve always forgotten.”         Smartmouth tilted her head a little. “What is it, hmm?”         “Is there... something going on between you and Sergeant Steel Lance?” said Chalkboard as she smiled a bit.         Smartmouth’s expression turned sour. “Okay, seriously... What did you want to ask me?”         Chalkboard let out a small chuckle. “Damn it. I was really hoping to get something out of you with that. Okay... for real this time.”         “Again, what is it?” asked Smartmouth as another song began playing on the radio.         “Why did you end up joining the Armored Division anyway? I mean, didn’t you like it in the Airborne Infantry?”         “Well I found that I was really good at commanding from inside a tank during the Six Week War. But it’s mostly because... I just liked it better than being stuffed in the office as eye candy for some jerk of a Lieutenant.” “Wait... you didn’t jump out of planes in the Airborne Infantry?” “Oh heavens no... they stuck me in logistics.”  “And for all this time... I thought you jumped out of planes.” “I’m pretty sure I told you about my days in the 5th Airborne back in basic.” “Now that I think about it...  those stories you told me about faulty paperwork make sense now...” Smartmouth seemed a little shocked. “I thought all those stories would imply that I never participated in combat.” Chalkboard was stunned. If it was biologically possible, her jaw would have hit the floor. “Okay... you’ve got to be pulling my leg here Smartmouth... You never actually fired a gun?...” “Well... I did. Once...  you know. It was the same day that I commandeered that tank.” “Did you actually kill a Noob with it?” “Well....” Smartmouth thought about it for a little bit. “I killed maybe... five of them before getting into that tank.” “What gun did you use?” “The Brownie Semi-Auto.” “What in the world were you doing in a frontline command post anyway?” “Filing requisition order papers for General Sentry. It was as close as I could get to fighting in my position. I mean I wanted to help our ponies fight off the Noobs but I got stuck with a desk job...” “Looks like you got your wish when the Noobs rushed Seedlow Height huh.” Smartmouth chuckled a little bit. “The only thing I was wishing for was a rifle and armor. It’s a lot harder to fight with a pistol than everypony thinks.” “How did Noobs manage to attack the CP anyway? Didn’t General Sentry place defenses?” “Yes but a Troll artillery regiment surprised us with a bombardment. That’s why I made a run for the tank.” “It’s interesting that Applejack would stick you into an M5-90. Isn't that the same tank you hijacked?” “Commandeered, Chalkboard. There’s a difference.” “You took over the crew by force.” “By yelling at them! It’s not like I threatened them with my gun!” “Did you threaten to kill them WITH your gun?” “NO!” “Wow. No wonder why you got placed in the commander’s spot. Your persistence is stunning.” “Well everypony keeps saying I’m bossy” “How’s your crew by the way, have you ran them into the ground yet?” “They’re fine...” Smartmouth’s expression turned sour at the thought of her gunner though. “All except Hoggish...” “He’s still upset about the ordeal with his name?” “More so than ever.” “Ung... how can your tank be expected to perform in combat?” “I have no idea... But I can tell you this, he’s going to get plenty of ponies killed because of his arrogance...” “How did he even get into the Royal Guard anyway?... Remember he wasn’t on the roster.” “Commander Applejack thought it was a fluke and added him. Honestly though, I think she knows that something’s up.” “Regardless, it’s not like one tank firing its guns will make too much of a difference. I mean, this is the Mareginot Line we’re defending.” “How much firepower can the Mareginot Line throw out, Chalkboard?” “Enough to repel an army of angry Trolls.” “Why did I not see that coming?...” “To answer your question though, it really depends on what part of the Mareginot Line the Trolls attack. At the weakest point, near the Petarian border, the Mareginot Line swings east for a bit and is protected by Fort Manehatten. In terms of actual firepower, there are more than twelve hundred heavy guns in the fort and the various blockhouses. The countless number of anti-air guns make it almost impossible for Troll planes to cross the border. We also have over five hundred large artillery pieces on and behind the Line.”                 The radio began playing a new song,  just as Smartmouth started to speak. “I seriously doubt it, even with all the firepower in the Mareginot Line, that we can stop a determined effort by the Trolls...” “Seriously, with all the blockhouses, gun emplacements and the forts along the Mareginot Line? How many Trolls do you think we can take out?” “Two thousand... at the most...” “Seriously?” “Hey, if Trolls were as stupid as everypony said they were, they’d be extinct... which they’re not. I’m not saying that the Mareginot Line was a useless burden on the economy, it’ll definitely hold the Trolls back for a few waves, but all in all it’ll just give us time to mobilize the army and push them out.” Tanky came stumbling out of the blockhouse with her hooves full of pasta. She dropped all eight of her bowls onto the wire spool. “Can you believe it!?!” exclaimed Tanky as she smiled widely. “Can you believe nopony wants to eat this stuff?” “I can certainly believe that...” “Aww come on Chalky! You know this is all we get to eat until dinner!” Tanky started digging into her new bowl of pasta. She reared her head up to talk but remembered to swallow when Chalkboard covered her face with her hooves.         “By the way, have you girls seen all the nifty little defenses around the blockhouse? I mean I know this is the border with the Trolls and all, but there are old Reignault turrets for our ponies in the trenches! How cool is that!?!”         “I thought they would have recycled them. Seems like they weren’t kidding around with the Mareginot Line.”         “Yeah! That’s twenty five millimeters of KA-POW and infantry death!”         “What I really like are those tank bunkers. If a tank wasn’t hard enough to kill as it is, then nothing can destroy one inside a tank bunker.”         “It’s a little awkward for my HT-6 though... I think those tank bunkers were only designed for Porshoe Tanks.”         “I dunno Chalky, My VKV fits just fine.”         “That’s because it’s already huge Tanky. Besides, it’s more of an artillery piece anyway.” “An artillery piece that can go toe to toe with other tanks Smartmouth! I mean come on! I pull the trigger and Ba-boom!” *Ba-boom* “I don’t know how you did it tanky but that second “boom” was really good, a little soft but good. You should really consider ventriloquism as a career.” “That wasn’t me though.” *Ba-boom* *Ba-boom* *Ba-boom* *Ba-boom* “Are the arty ponies practicing or something?” Smartmouth’s eyes widened a bit. She hasn't heard any Equestrian artillery make that sound before. The only time she ever heard a distinctive “Ba-Boom” was when General Sentry’s command post was attacked. She quickly realized what was going on and sprang into action. “Get inside! NOW!” Shouted Smartmouth as she grabbed Chalkboard. She almost grabbed Tanky before a shell exploded on the roof of the blockhouse, sending shards on concrete flying everywhere and knocking Smartmouth and her friends to the ground. Even more shells exploded around them. One shell landed where the radio was and turned the rotted wire spool into a hail of splinters. Chalkboard stumbled inside, completely shaken and battered. Smartmouth followed after her. They both looked around, sensing that there was one less pony with them. Smartmouth quickly looked outside. “Tanky! Tanky!” Smartmouth called out for Tanky desperately. She could see Tanky lying face first in the dirt and Tanky wasn’t responding. There were very rose red splatter around Tanky. “I’m going to go get her!” Yelled Chalkboard. “Wait!” Smartmouth pulled out one of the fire hoses and tied it around Chalkboard. “The less time you’re out there the better.” Chalkboard leaped out of the blockhouse, just like she did with the rope swing during training. She landed only a few meters from Tanky. Chalkboard’s heart could have burst from her chest at any moment, at least that’s what it felt like. She crawled for what seemed like a lifetime. Specks of heated dirt and concrete were raining on her as the horrid shrieks of Troll artillery and the Line’s sirens cut through the air. When Chalkboard finally reached Tanky, she saw plenty of blood around her and Tanky didn’t appear to respond. “Tanky? Come on girl, get up!” Nothing. Chalkboard grabbed Tanky around the waist. She was amazed how a pony that eats so much could weigh so little. At the moment that she picked Tanky up, Smartmouth used all her strength to quickly reel the firehose back in. Chalkboard was not expecting the sudden stop when the fire hose took her around the blockhouse’s steel door. She accidently let Tanky go, who’s limp body simply skid along the floor face down. “Oh Cadence save us... what’s wrong with her?” said Smartmouth as she rushed to Tanky. Chalkboard untied herself and scrambled to Tanky along with Smartmouth. “I don’t know, but she wasn't moving.” Smartmouth flipped Tanky over only to find that the “blood” was actually spaghetti sauce and Tanky had apparently gotten her face stuck in one of the bowls she was eating from. “Oh Celestia... help me get this off Chalkboard. I’ll pull, you hold her head down.” “UNG! This thing is stuck. on. TIGHT!” Smartmouth was using the power in her hind legs and her wings, but the bowl refused to budge. Even the earth-shaking Troll artillery didn’t help. It came as a complete surprise to Smartmouth that the bowl let go of Tanky’s face with a loud *POP*. Smartmouth flew up and back and into a wall. Tanky on the other hoof, sat up with such a force that she threw Chalkboard, who was holding her head really tightly, into the same wall as Smartmouth. Tanky let in a very loud GASP. She began hacking out bits of spaghetti and coughing violently. “Oh man!” exclaimed Tanky as she wiped the remains of her lunch off of her face and uniform. “If my epitaph said that I drowned in a bowl of pasta, I would have been one pissed ghost!” “Yeah well you can thank Smartmouth and I for saving you from that fate!” Tanky took a second to observe her surroundings. “You guys ran out there!?! You could have gotten killed!” “Now’s not the time to talk about this everypony! We have to get back to our tanks!” “Good luck girls, my tank is in blockhouse A-14.” Tanky and Smartmouth both nodded and dashed off to their tanks. Chalkboard dashed down the blockhouse corridor. She looked behind her to see if Tanky and Smartmouth were okay. She couldn't though, the lights in the block house flickered with every shell that landed. It was starting to become difficult for her to see as well. Several hot bullet casings landed on her as she ran by the machine gunners at their stations in the blockhouse. She knew that the Trolls were sending their infantry and tanks to assault the Mareginot Line. She could hear the grand 90mm guns on the second level firing out to the open field. At the time, she never realized how far she had ran. Chalkboard had run more than one hundred and fifty meters and she was still going. The terrifying bursts of artillery shells only helped to fuel Chalkboard’s adrenaline fueled marathon for life. She exited the blockhouse full sprint, barreling to the right to avoid one of the walls that protected the blockhouse’s entrance. She started running again, but her hooves stumbled over some shell casings and she fell into one of the 20mm anti-air positions. The 20mm cannon’s crew didn’t even realize Chalkboard was there. They were far too preoccupied with shooting down Troll Junker dive bombers. Chalkboard looked up and thought to herself; They’re throwing planes at us too? The hot ejected shell casings landing on her snapped Chalkboard back to her objective. She climbed out of the concrete emplacement only to be thrown a few meters by the explosion of a Junker’s bomb. Chalkboard looked back to inspect the damage even though her ears were ringing and her head was spinning, the adrenaline kept her going. The Junker’s bomb exploded on the wall that guarded the blockhouse entrance, spraying chunks of concrete at a 20mm AA gun’s crew. Their mangled and torn bodies still at their station while the other three guns kept firing. “Oh princesses save us...” Chalkboard looked over to the open field as she hopped into a trench. She saw what appeared to be a tsunami of tanks and Trolls rushing towards the Mareginot Line. Chalkboard darted for her tank’s bunker. She could see it at the end of the trench system she was running through. The cylindrical turret of her HT-6 was sticking out of the concrete casemate. She saw the Reignault turrets that Tanky had talked about earlier, she saw the damage that the 25mm high explosive grenades were doing to the Troll ranks. Each grenade must have killed at least six Trolls. The only problem with that was there were hundreds of them converging on the line. She could see that the 80mm auto loader on her HT-6 was already firing at the Trolls. With one huge leap, she threw herself into the tank bunker. “About time you showed up, commander!” shouted Trail Blazer as she reloaded her Mouser Rifle. “One, two, three, four five!” “Is everypony present?” “Everypony except for you, commander. What took you so long anyways?” “I got caught up rescuing one of my friends.” “Was it Tanky Ma’am?... Tanky is the little red Earth Pony right?” asked Trail Blazer as she hoofed over another Mouser rifle. “Here take this. It might not be loaded.” “Thank you, and yes, it was Tanky that I had to save.” Chalkboard opened the breach to her Mouser Car. 98k. The gun wasn’t loaded. “I need ammo, Trail!” Trail Blazer threw some stripper clips at Chalkboard. “If you need more, I got some in the tank.” “Speaking of the tank, is there any reason you want me to use a rifle than be inside of the tank?” “Well I seriously doubt you’ll last long shooting out of your cupola, exposed to all sorts of Troll fire-” Trail Blaze was interrupted by a Garbage Can’s shell impacting the bunker. “And second, I really don’t think that Far Shot needs any direction as to where to shoot.” Chalkboard pressed herself against the bunker’s wall with the firing slit right above her. “Fair enough.” She snuck a peek out of the firing slit, the Trolls were closing fast despite their losses, although their tank force was non existent at this point. She stood up, sighted her rifle down range, and picked off a Troll. “Not bad Chalky! Let’s see you beat this!” Trail Blazer snapped to her Mouser’s telescopic sight and killed two Trolls with one bullet. “This isn’t a game, Trail! Besides! It isn’t fair how you have a scope on your Car. 98k!” “You’re the one who insisted on not ordering an actual gun from the quartermasters. Besides, this is my rifle from my days in the Airborne Infantry.” Trail Blazer stood up from cover and dropped two more trolls. “HA! That’s another two notches for me!” boasted Trail Blazer as she ducked down. “How are you killing two Trolls with one bullet Trail?” “Armor piercing rounds. Yeah I know the armor piercing seven point seven-five by sixty rounds are meant for the MG thirty six, but hey, these are GREAT crowd control bullets!” Chalkboard stood up and shot her rifle. She ducked down before she could confirm her kill. She listened to the HT-6’s 80mm gun roar every time it sent a shell into the Troll horde. She stood up to fire again, but a Troll bullet slammed into her gun sights. It bounced off the rear sights and up into the roof of the bunker. Chalkboard fell over on her back, completely stunned by what happened. “You okay Ma’am!?!” “I am...” Chalkboard examined her rifle. She saw that the sights had been completely ruined though. “I have a perfectly good club now too.” Far Shot opened the driver’s hatch of the HT-6 looking as if it was the end of the world for him. “We’re out of ammo!” Those words stunned Chalkboard more than almost losing her head. “Really!?! uh... What about the coaxial?” “Out of ammo for that too Ma’am!” “But we were fully stocked! That’s more than forty shells and over a thousand bullets!” “Two thousand bullets Ma’am!” “What do you mean? Two thousand bullets?” “We took the bloody ammo from the hull MG! Emptied it all out onto those wankers!” “Get your guns then! We’re going to fight from the bunker!” “Yes Ma’am!” Far Shot grabbed his Type S3E2 Sub machine gun and told Carry All to grab his own gun and all the ammunition he could carry out. Carry All exited the tank with his Wind-Chaser M97 shotgun, suspended by his magic and five cases of ammunition. Chalkboard saw Carry All’s shotgun. “Well at least I’m not the only one with a useless gun in this situation...” “I have slugs, no offence Ma’am.” “Really? Am I the only pony here without a gun?” “You have your Mouser C96 don’t you commander?” “Yes, but.... oh fine...” Chalkboard pulled out her Mouser C96 and cocked the gun. She braced herself against the wall again and pondered how to use her pistol effectively. “Far Shot, how many meters away are the Trolls?” “I’d say about five hundred Ma’am, it doesn’t look like the blights are advancing though. They’ve lost momentum!” Chalkboard didn’t get up, instead she just pointed her pistol over the wall and fired out of the firing slit blindly until she ran out of ammo. “Hey nice shooting, Chalky! You got five Trolls with that clip!” “Thanks Trail.... I guess.” Carry All’s M97 created a whopping *THUD* when it fired. The massive lead slug tore through more trolls than anypony could count. Chalkboard peeked over her cover and  watched as the Trolls tried desperately to regain their momentum. A second wave began its charge across the field. The first wave of Trolls were less than five hundred meters and started to advance. Chalkboard felt a sense of hopelessness grow inside her. “I thought you said they were losing momentum Fat Shot!” “I’ve been bloody wrong before, Ma’am!” The sheer determination of the Trolls put all Equestrian soldiers at the Mareginot Line into a state of panic. They were told from the day the Mareginot Line was built, that the Trolls would never get close enough for hoof-to-hoof combat. Machine gunners desperately sprayed, tank gunners shot wherever they could, artillery no longer obeyed coordinates for firing and it seemed inevitable that the Trolls would reach the Mareginot Line. The first wave of Trolls were only two hundred meters away from the wall and their confidence was bolstered by their merge with the second wave. The Trolls knew that they had two more waves behind them, and the Equestrians defending the Mareginot Line knew that they had nopony coming to help them. The first Trolls to reach the Mareginot Line were met with mines and barbed wire. They tangled messes of Troll were strewn across the the fields. The Trolls breached the obstacles simply with the sheer mass of their attack. Barbed wire was crushed or pushed aside, all the mines buried in the fields detonated, taking many Trolls with them. The soldiers of the 3rd Grenadiers quickly abandoned their posts as soon as the Trolls broke through the first line of defense. Trenches were now filled with Trolls as the Grenadiers pulled back further into the concrete maze of the Mareginot Line. Chalkboard knew she had to act fast. The lives of her crew and the lives of fellow ponies in arms depended on it. “Get in the tank!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Far Shot looked at Chalkboard like her commands were a joke. “What? But it’s out of ammo!” “Well it’s not out of gas is it?” Chalkboard quickly climbed into her HT-6 though the driver’s hatch. It was a tighter squeeze than she was used to and crawling through the interior of the tank wasn’t pleasant either. She peer out of the portholes in the cupola only to see Trolls starting to enter the tank bunker. I hope the others are okay. .