The peaceful serenity of Equestria’s wilderness was broken by an unfamiliar rumble. Little creatures scurry away as a massive object bursts through the tree line. It was a tank, the first of its kind in Equestria. It had taken a massive amount of time to design, build, and get the Princesses permission to do so. It was all worth it in the end; I couldn’t help but smile as the scenery passed by as I sat with my head out the commander’s hatch. It had allowed me to join the Equestrian Guard as more than a token member, functioning as an exploratory unit for the more dangerous and unexplored territories. 
The tank isn’t armed with the usual array of weaponry however, as it would have been hard to explain to the Princesses why I needed a large cannon on an exploratory vehicle. Instead, it has a ‘cannon’ that was inspired by a pony I ran into in Ponyville once. It can fire graffiti, batter, or whatever you can cram into the breach. It’s mainly used to entertain ponies we run into, for example we once painted a barn for some nice farm ponies with it. It worked fairly well, if a bit messy. 
As I sat out in the fresh air, happy that we had finally left the swamps, I felt a tap on my leg. As I duck back inside, Radar passes me a cheese sandwich and pulls out the maps. 
“Despite the hang up in the swamp, we’re still on schedule. We should reach the badlands by nightfall, and from there it’ll only be a few days before we reach the borders.”
Radar was a good lad, a bat pony and the youngest member of the crew he was also very sharp. He had been recommended by one of the Guard Captains and his expertise with maps and navigation has been invaluable. When not navigating he operated as the cannon’s loader. 
“That’s good to hear, just keep Orange on course. I’d rather not have a repeat of last time.”
“Hey! I can keep on course just fine! It wasn’t my fault the ground gave way.”
Our driver, Orange Surprise, was an earth pony and the only one of the crew that wasn’t a bat pony. She was a nice enough sort, if a bit rough at times. She had allowed me to build the tank in her barn, and requested to come along once it was finished. I’d gone along with it, mainly because she had tweaked the pedals so they were extremely stiff and were hard to operate. With her “farm raised muscles” as she put it, she was the only one who could drive for extended periods.
Before reminding Orange that it was indeed her fault, a tap to the top hatch redirects my attention. I open it up, and help in my last crew member. Midnight takes a swig from her canteen as she takes her seat at the gunner station. Though she was our gunner, we never had much need to fire it so she functioned as a scout, flying out and reporting bad ground or blocked paths. 
“We’ve got a clear run to the badlands, so if you don’t need me I’ll be taking a nap.”
I pass her a blanket as she tries to get comfy. Midnight had been working hard, especially trying to find us a good route out of that swamp and deserved a rest. It’s funny; we left a small shitty place in Hollow Shades and are now in an admittedly small shitty tank in the middle of nowhere. It’s not like it was going to be any other way, when she had learned of the tank and the mission along with it she insisted on going. Not really an issue though, as it was nice having a familiar face on such a long mission. 
“Orange, come to a stop over by that big rock. We’ll camp here tonight.”
The tank slows to a stop and we all disembark. I leave Midnight sleeping; I can always get her when the tent is up. I get to work on the fire, while Radar and Orange attempt to get the tents put up. I find myself wondering if we’ll run into any ponies out past the badlands. At the very least, I don’t want to come across anyone else like those diamond dogs a couple weeks back. After an hour or so everything is set up and the crew is soundly asleep. As I stare up at the stars, I still can’t believe my situation. Midnight kicks me in her sleep, through the tent somehow, and I chuckle. Despite how much things have changed, they’re still pretty much the same.