There was silence around the conference room aboard the Gerald R. Ford, a somber mood that never seemed to lift once the commanders of the human forces had been assembled. After the battle the night before, a meeting had quickly been called, and four hours later it assembled.

Captain Henderson looked over the two dozen men inside of the room. All of them, collectively and despite their many differences, were working together. It was possibly the most fragile alliance that had ever been made, but never had the need for it been greater. After four minutes of tolerating the hushed whispers around the room, he cleared his throat and stood up.

"Attention, gentlemen." All eyes were on him. "Last night, at around 0200 hours, a group of Equestrian guards managed to assault the front lines. They used several powers that we have not seen before, including invisibility, as well as several maintaining the small shields we saw on the ship. There are sixteen dead, and twenty-four were wounded. Those are the facts. However, what remains to be decided is how we will react to this, and future attacks. Suggestions?"

"I'll tell you what we're going to do." Colonel Degtyarev growled. "We're going to get back on our boats, get into the ocean, and threaten to kill the prisoners if-"

"And that is why you are not in charge, ." Volkov quipped, causing several chuckles to echo around the room. "Your plan is brash, impulsive, and frankly the last thing we need to do is abandon the rules of war, even if they do. I need say nothing more about that, but I do have a plan."

"Do you care to tell us your plan, Captain Volkov?" Henderson asked.

"Certainly." Volkov replied. "As you know, we cannot stay here forever. We currently have enough fuel and ammunition to last us for eight months of combat operations, and spare parts are in no shortage either. However, at some point, we will run out, and we need to secure an industrial base, as well as a supporting area, before we do.

"I propose that we go on the offensive: Strike and capture a major city, and then use it as an central location for the resources, labor, and support that we need."

"I doubt the ponies living there will take kindly to our invasion, Volkov." Major Thompson of the US army dryly noted. "They are, after all, living under the 'kind and benevolent' rule of someone they see as a living god."

"Which is why, once we have secured the city, we need to shift to, how did you Americans put it? 'Winning their hearts and minds'." Volkov said. "Added to that is the fact that, if we manage to accomplish this, we will be in a better position to negotiate with whatever nations may be on this world."

"I don't know, Captain Volkov..." Henderson said. "That plan has a hell of a lot of risks, and I didn't join the army to become a conqueror."

"Damn it all, I know." Volkov said, raising his voice. "All of us do. But let us face the facts of the situation: We are alone here, surrounded by enemies, and we will starve before we run out of ammunition. We're a sitting target, taking losses at a constant rate, and eventually we will run out of men to replace them."

Volkov paused for a moment, before saying in a low voice. "This is the only way."

A few moments passed before Captain Henderson could speak. "It is time to make our decision on his plan. All those in favor?"

Most of the hands in the room raised.

"Opposed?"

Only four rose.

"Then it is decided." Henderson noted glumly. "And may God forgive us all for what we are about to do."

Lieutenant Nathan Harris sighed as he arrived in a small room to conduct yet another questioning. He had been through half a dozen in the past two days alone, mostly conducted for the sake of clarifying information gained from the first two ponies that had been questioned.

While he would not normally have been put in such a role, his work so far in sorting out the system for the prisoners, as well as his experience as a Medical Doctor, had given him two sole qualifications for this: He often talked in a slow, calming voice, and he had experience with the ponies. That had been good enough to have him assigned to questioning them, as the fleet, for obvious reasons, lacked anybody else with experience in questioning formerly mythical creatures.

The clipboard he was holding contained a piece of paper with information about the pony he was scheduled to question. It listed it as a pegasus, female, recovered from the ship sunk two days previously with minor burns and bullet trauma. Apparently, the pony had already been questioned twice previously, once after being released from medical care and yet again earlier today.

The reason listed for frequent questioning - Nathan refused to refer to them as interrogations - mentioned that, after being patched up, some of the ponies would be much more open to questions. Current thoughts pointed towards possible gratitude from medical treatment, but the debate was still open. In any case, the female pegasus had been one of these cases, numbering ten in all.

Nathan sat down on his chair, going over the information on the clipboard once more. Many of his colleagues would have used a 'Net' unit, but he had never liked them to any extent. He also preferred that he could put forward his questions without being distracted by information flashing across a pair of glasses.

Several minutes later, the door at the other end of the prefabricated room opened, and a pony stepped inside, with a guard wielding an AK-12 rifle following right behind. The pony walked forward and sat down on a backless, low chair that had been designed - or simply cut apart - for that very purpose, while the guard turned and leaded against the wall by the door. The pony was as the file had said: a pegasus, presumably female, with a light indigo coat. He quickly looked at the name before turning his attention to his 'guest'.

"Hello Summer Wind, I am Doctor Nathan Harris. I presume that you know why you have been asked to come here?" Nathan said in a warm voice.

"... Yes." The pony said a full two seconds later.

Nathan nodded, glad that something was going correctly. "We're here to ask why an attack was ordered. As of two days ago, your ship was sunk. Three days ago, major ground strikes were launched. Were you given any information regarding the attack?"

"You mean you don't know?" The mare asked after a moment of clear hesitation. Surprise was evident on her face. Nathan was glad that somebody had outfitted the room with several cameras and recorders: It would help simplify reviewing the conversation afterwards.

"No, we do not." Nathan answered truthfully. "The multiple attacks we have been under have had no cause or justification, other than a demand for surrender. We dismissed it, and the first ground attack came shortly after."

"That's impossible!" The pegasus exclaimed, sitting up more despite her bandaged wing. "Princess Celestia herself told us that Princess Luna had been attacked by your kind, and declared you evil. You were also assumed to be one of Discord when the Elements of Harmony failed to purify you, and so the captain was ordered to set sail and destroy you."

"Can you describe this Discord for us?" Nathan asked. "We most certainly do not come from this Discord, but telling us whom it is would give us perspective."

"Discord is the enemy of Harmony, an evil spirit dedicated to strife and disorder." The pegasus explained, more calmly now. "He is imprisoned in stone for his crimes, but still influences the world around him. Almost a year ago, he broke out of his prison and rampaged across Equestria, bringing his random antics to the entire world and almost dooming us!"

The pegasus paused, looking at him. "But I don't think you're created by him, even if you seem evil."

"Evil is what we make it to be, pony." The guard by the door said, breaking his silence. "Good and evil depend on who is judging. We are protecting ourselves from an attack, so we think that we are good. You think that we are evil for doing the same."

"Moving on..." Nathan said. "Who is this Princess Celestia to you?"

"She's the Princess." The pegasus stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "She created everything, and raises the sun every day as proof. She's the perfect example of peace and harmony, and with her Sister, Princess Luna, at her side, they rule Equestria. She's my Princess, and I am her pony. What else needs explaining?"

"This 'Princess Celestia' raises the sun?"

"How else would it shine without her?"

"Would you always obey her if she told you to do something?"

"Why would she be wrong? She can't be wrong! It isn't possible."

Lieutenant Nathan Harris looked at the door behind the pegasus, lost in thought. After a moment, he turned to the mare and spoke up.

"Thank you, Summer Wind." Nathan said through a forced smile. "This has been a most... Enlightening conversation."

With that, the guard led the pony out. Nathan sighed, looking down at the floor, before gripping his clipboard and walking out into the sunlight.

"After all... At least I know that's natural."

Author's Note

The beginning part of the chapter got erased, so I had to rewrite it from memory. It's a bit less clear, but it's as close as I will get to the original.

I also got sick between this chapter and the last. In fact, I am still sick. It's hard to write when you're coughing every couple minutes, as well as having a massive, skull-bursting headache.