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Description
Immediately following the development of the Thunderbuck armor, the Royal Guard formed a new branch, dedicated to supplying and coordinating Thunderbuck Troopers. This division came to be known as the Foundation Force, and quickly earned a reputation for fast, efficient tactical responses and effective application of the Thunderbuck's superior firepower. It seemed like nothing could stand in the way of Equestria's Thunderbuck Troopers, but that changed at the Battle of the Crystal Bridge.

A contingent of Thunderbuck Troopers had been deployed to the Bridge, supplemented by several main battle tanks. Their mission was to hold the bridge against the Tyranid invasion, and at first it seemed to go well. However, a surprise night raid by Tyranid stealth units took out all of the tanks, leaving the Thunderbuck Troopers vulnerable in front of an advancing wall of Tyranid forces. It was at this point that an Earthpony engineer named Black Bit managed to retrieve two of the wrecked tanks' main guns, and jerry rig them onto the armor of two Thunderbuck Troopers. With the power of a tank's main accelerator cannon combined with the Thunderbuck armor's mobility, the Equestrian forces were able to hold the Crystal Bridge long enough for the towns behind them to be evacuated completely.

After the Battle of the Crystal Bridge, the Foundation Force commissioned the "Firebase" variant. The modifications made to the base armor began with the helmet, which received a hardened redundant communications module, a long-range awareness/targeting package, and an enhanced armor interface. This helmet design was designated "LR-TARGETING". The chestplate, designated "PLATFORM", has a modified reactor ring and a substantially reinforced spine and hip connector to support the weight of the Firebase variant's integrated artillery. In addition, the "STABILIZER" leg and boot sections have reinforced load-bearing systems and static stabilizer plates that deal effectively with recoil while the operator is not moving. All these modifications were made to enable the use of the Firebase variant's main weapon: it's medium-range tactical artillery piece, "AMA/CANNON". This short-barrel accelerator cannon launches 0.66 kg magically-augmented smart bolts at upwards of 1200 meters per second, giving it a maximum effective range well over 2 km when combined with the helmet's targeting and bolt-guidance systems. The only disadvantage to this system is the fact that maximum accuracy can only be achieved while the operator is immobile.

Description
Immediately following the development of the Thunderbuck armor, the Royal Guard formed a new branch, dedicated to supplying and coordinating Thunderbuck Troopers. This division came to be known as the Foundation Force, and quickly earned a reputation for fast, efficient tactical responses and effective application of the Thunderbuck's superior firepower. It seemed like nothing could stand in the way of Equestria's Thunderbuck Troopers, but that changed at the Battle of the Crystal Bridge.

A contingent of Thunderbuck Troopers had been deployed to the Bridge, supplemented by several main battle tanks. Their mission was to hold the bridge against the Tyranid invasion, and at first it seemed to go well. However, a surprise night raid by Tyranid stealth units took out all of the tanks, leaving the Thunderbuck Troopers vulnerable in front of an advancing wall of Tyranid forces. It was at this point that an Earthpony engineer named Black Bit managed to retrieve two of the wrecked tanks' main guns, and jerry rig them onto the armor of two Thunderbuck Troopers. With the power of a tank's main accelerator cannon combined with the Thunderbuck armor's mobility, the Equestrian forces were able to hold the Crystal Bridge long enough for the towns behind them to be evacuated completely.

After the Battle of the Crystal Bridge, the Foundation Force commissioned the "Firebase" variant. The modifications made to the base armor began with the helmet, which received a hardened redundant communications module, a long-range awareness/targeting package, and an enhanced armor interface. This helmet design was designated "LR-TARGETING". The chestplate, designated "PLATFORM", has a modified reactor ring and a substantially reinforced spine and hip connector to support the weight of the Firebase variant's integrated artillery. In addition, the "STABILIZER" leg and boot sections have reinforced load-bearing systems and static stabilizer plates that deal effectively with recoil while the operator is not moving. All these modifications were made to enable the use of the Firebase variant's main weapon: it's medium-range tactical artillery piece, "AMA/CANNON". This short-barrel accelerator cannon launches 0.66 kg magically-augmented smart bolts at upwards of 1200 meters per second, giving it a maximum effective range well over 2 km when combined with the helmet's targeting and bolt-guidance systems. The only disadvantage to this system is the fact that maximum accuracy can only be achieved while the operator is immobile.