With Ponyville wiped off the map, There was no more resistance along the way to Canterlot. And the noose grew tighter around the ancient mountain city.

The attack would come from the east, and from the south, that much was apparent. And there would certainly be an air assault, as the path leading up to the city formed a choke point for ground infantry.

And so, air raid drills were run, and huge concrete Flak Towers were constructed in major areas.

But still, the noose tightened.

A week before Attack, Ponyville-Canterlot rail line, 100 miles from Canterlot, Equestria.

Conrad removed a bayonet from a Pony's neck, and wiped off the blood. The closer they came to the capital, the more anti-griffon partisan groups attacked the armor column. They were never large enough to do more than cause a nuisance, and never armed with more than old muskets and pitchforks, but they were still annoying to deal with, and could cause a large delay with a well-placed spell or firework. And the 16th Canterlot guard was doing everything it could to delay the trains the infantry were riding on by destroying tracks and placing obstacles. Of course, it was quickly fixed by engineers, but it still delayed supplies and men to the front. As Conrad kicked the corpse off his tank, he took a minute to contemplate the fact that neither of the ruling sisters had come to stop them yet. "Hope I haven't jinxed it.

Conrad pounded on the side of the tank, and the driver once again started driving. If they were gonna make it to the holy city in a week, they had to drive through the mountains, so better to get the easy distance over fast.

This passage is based off an Equestria News Network [ENN] interview with one Sgt. Xavier Plumpicker.

ENN Headquarters, thirty years after the war, Equestria.

The ENN reporter entered the room and sat down with Xavier. "Mr Plumpicker,-"

Xavier interrupted. "Please, call me Xavier."

"Alright, then. Xavier. You said that you saw the Griffons gun down civilians during the battle?"

Xavier shook his head. "They were technically resistance members, but yes, I suppose."

"And what were the circumstances that caused them to do so?"

Xavier shifted in his seat. "Well, It was one of the small villages along the way, and we were laying down Anti tank mines, when a tank platoon rolled up. Before we could run away, the tanks were upon us. You following?" The reporter nodded that, yes he followed. Xavier continued.

"So, a shell crashed into a house right next to me, and so now I'm on the ground, hooves over my head, thinking that I'm gonna die. And then, the most amazing this happened."

At this point, Xavier stopped to drink some water, and the ENN reporter seemed impatient. "What happened?"

Xavier put down the water bottle. "They stopped." He picked the bottle back up and continued drinking. "And why was that?" Asked the ENN reporter, now visibly agitated.

"I'll tell you why. I looked up, and the griffons were all just starin' at some people. At first, all I could hear was a ringing in my ears, but after a minute, I could hear. They were singing 'Lean on me.'" Xavier stopped so that the reporter could take this in. "I'm sorry, what now?" Asked the reporter.

"I told you, lean on me. Y'know, 'Lean on me, when you're not strong, And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on.'" Said Xavier, quickly.

"And why did they do this?"

"I dunno. Something about the 'Power of friendship' or some [Bleeped out] like that."

"I see. And what did the Griffons do next?"

Xavier crossed, then uncrossed his legs. "Well, they listened quietly, and after a while, the whole village was singin', and it was actually kind of beautiful."

"But what did the griffons do next-"

Xavier snapped back at the reporter. "I'm gettin' to that! So, after repeating the song once, The Grif's got bored, and by the second chorus, they had-"

"Sir, 'Grif' is a racial slur."

"Is it? Is it really? I've heard others say it on your TV station, so you clearly don't think it's a slur-"

"Okay, okay, Nevermind. Continue."

So Xavier did. "By the second chorus, they had gotten back into the tanks, and I saw a tank commander load a machine gun. I tried to warn the villagers, but it was too late, and they started getting gunned down. So it goes, hmm?" Xavier stopped here and crossed his forelegs, like this was a normal thing that happened in every war. The reporter was horrified.

"Why the [Bleeped out] would they do that?"

Xavier shrugged. "I've come to terms with the fact that they were resistance, and so the Grif's had the full right to shoot them-"

At this point the reporter stands up. "You do know that the killing of civilians is ABHORRED, and is singled out by the Gehoofna conventions as the WORST THING you can do in wartime."

Xavier shrugs. "Everybody was technically resistance, and resistance were technically spies, and furthermore, I DON'T GIVE A [Bleeped out] ABOUT IT, and NEITHER did the Grif's.

And here the interview ends.

Author's Note

In case you've never heard Lean on me, by Bill Withers, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL4ei-RE3Nc

Never try to stop tanks by singing.

And if you do, combine it with a dance, eh?