It was now three years since the Pony-Griffon War started, to the surprise of the Equestrians. Their home, beautiful, and kept in peace and love was untouched by war for a thousand years before the Griffons started a surprise attack, invading the southern provinces of Equestria. Shocked, the ponies of the south goes to the north, in the sanctuary of the northern provinces.
The Royal Guards and the Wonderbolts, comprised the police and military force of Equestria, tried their best to keep the Griffons out of the northern provinces. But because of thousand years of no warfare, they are outclassed, outgunned and outnumbered from the war-experienced Griffon Army. They were defeated, battle over battle, and started retreating towards the Celestial Line, stretching from the remains of the eastern coast to the western coast of Equestria. With their backs behind the northern provinces, all hope of stopping the Griffon juggernaut is lost, until, at one day, the ponies will have reinforcements.
>Battle of Great Plains, Day 1<
At the Great Plains, forty miles southwest of Ponyville, the Royal Guards 1st Vanguard Battalion is tasked on defending the Great Plains from the enemy Griffons. Commanding them, is Captain Boneyard Light, a brash and overconfident commander, thinking that those Griffons will not go through.
"So Bone, any commands yet?" Sergeant Tucker In asked the Captain.
"None yet Tucker, just keep a look out for those enemy Griffons." He replied, getting a salute and an 'aye sir' reply from the young Sergeant. It was just another typical day in the Celestial Line, just patrol duty and sometimes defending time from enemy Griffons. But it was nerve-racking for the ponies, as their backs is now the Everfree Forest, and no pony doesn't want to go in to that really scary and mostly dangerous forest of Equestria. Suddenly, out of nowhere, and to the surprise of the 1st Vanguard Battalion, scores of arrows were flying sky high, intending to hit them.
It was a message clear: the Griffons is now gonna attack the Great Plains. The arrows came into contact to the battalion's base, and two Royal Guards are put out of action. Out of nowhere, battle cries were heard from the distance, and when the ponies got to turn their heads, they could see a massive Griffon division charging with wings flapping almost to ground level and are now pushing towards their position. The Royal Guard archers are firing their arrows as well, but missing their target was their greatest horror. The Griffons are now closer and closer, and the battalion, including Captain Boneyard Light, is getting paranoid. Their minds are now flicking with questions, but the peculiar one is obvious: Will they die here?
Not anymore.
Suddenly, a loud bang noise, possibly an explosion, was heard with both sides were wondering still, Griffons advancing. Two more explosions were heard, this time, a column of dirt was in the air, but the Griffons were still charging. The ponies on the other hoof have no idea where did that explosions come from, but they got answer when 'beasts' suddenly came out of the hill in their northeast, and started charging towards the Griffons. They were colored gray, having a black cross on their 'heads', with a pipe sticking out of it. More of them charged down the hill, completely oblivious from the Griffon Army because of their loud battle cry. But the Griffons have no idea that their new enemy is almost impervious to their attack: the Panzer III.
The Panzer III is a German Tank, with an armor being 2 inches thick, and having a long-barreled 5 cm KwK 39 gun, making it a deadly foe, and one of their targets is the Griffons. The Panzer III's charged at the Griffons, with their noise now heard by the Griffons. When they turned their heads, and for the ponies shock and horror, the tanks fired at their enemy, intent on their complete and utter destruction, using their Bliztkrieg tactic. The Griffons diverted their attention from the ponies to the German tanks, one-hundred and nine of them, and started shooting arrows at the tanks, hoping that they will die.
But to their utter disbelief, their arrows were being shrugged off by the Panzer III's like it was nothing. Their arrows got contact with the Panzer's 2 inches of armor, but their arrows were being broken off. The Griffons even threw their spears at the Panzer III's to kill them, but again, it was simply shrugged off. The lead Panzer III stopped, and fired it's 50 mm Gun at the Griffons, mere inches away of killing several of them. The other Panzer III's were doing the same thing: just stop, shoot their main guns, and move again. The Griffons have no idea where did these tanks come from, including so the ponies, who were now just watching the carnage that is present to them by the Germans. The Panzers, undaunted by numerous arrow and spear attacks, charge at the now terrified Griffons, who were now desperately trying to kill them, but to no avail. The German tanks swarmed the ranks of the Griffon division, encircling them like hungry wolves.
The Griffons, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. A bundle of five Griffons, stuck per group, was being targeted and slaughtered by the massive guns of the Panzer III's. The Griffons armor have no use against the shells of the Panzers, while their shields are useless against them. The Panzers casually stops and fire at the group of Griffons tightly packed, and the Germans are now like wolf packs. The ponies are now trying to get their brains to function as to why it's now total chaos and destruction they are now facing with. Panzers are now circling the Griffons, killing them as much as they want to. A few Griffons did manage to escape the carnage, but comes at a high price. The division lost ninety-five percent of it's strength, and the Panzers have scored a victory in the Battle of Great Plains. With their victory, the Panzer III's go up in the hill, disappearing like ghosts from the ponies perspective.
But it's just the first victory for Equestria from the tanks, but one question remains: Where did these 'beasts' come from?