It has been a couple of weeks after the defense of Appleloosa and Dodge Junction. Forge has been readying his forces for a attack on Las Pegasus. It will be the first major battle for a city and Forge knows that to won't be as simple to take the city from the Caribou compared to Appleloosa and Dodge Junction where he caught them off guard. He has also been looking for the buffalo tribe who lived in the plains. The Caribou had managed to capture a few of them but most of them had kept themselves out of the Caribou hands and freed a few slaves of other species as well.

He as also been sending a few scout and strike teams into Caribou territory. Most of the scout teams are sent to Las Pegasus to get a better on the defenses of the city with a few going deeper into Caribou territory far as Ponyville and Baltimare. The rest of the scout teams were sent to the areas south of the city location Caribou held villages and towns not seen on the major maps, this is were the strike teams came into play. The Strike teams go after the Caribou taking them out and bringing the freed slaves to the UNSC Bases and refuge camps. Two fire bases had been set up in the area along with 3 refuge camps and another 2 refuge camps a few miles from Appleloosa and Dodge Junction. The refuge camps are 2 sq miles large and have 25 foot walls set up around the camp itself. The freed slaves are allowed to leave the camps and go to the bases in the area or the badlands. They had also been freeing a few non pony slaves like griffins and buffalo including a few female Caribou to his surprise. A number of male ponies had been captured and after some study they learned they are influenced by dark magic. It wasn't total mind control but more long the lines of reducing their morals and increasing there darker sides in terms of how they view females. They don't have anything on hand to deal with the new information for now but later on after getting more information they will try to remove it, and till then they are held in other camps.

Forge was in the CIC room looking over the latest reports from Las Pegasus. The Caribou has been reinforcing the city, They had put up a wall facing the south by using the Unicorn and Earth pony slaves to build it and placed several cannons on top of it. They had also sent a fleet of 30 Airships most of them are slope class airships but six of them are galleon class airships and 100,000 Caribou solders not counting the 25,000 solders stationed in the city and those that are likely to join in the fight to keep their slaves. However the wall as made in a hurry and the Caribou only took five days to build it leaving a few weak points at the base of the walls were the soil isn't packed as well as it should be and they left themselves open to the sea. Forge's plan is to have about 7,500 marine units attack the walls and keep the Caribou focused on them while 5000 ODST units with 300 Elite units are sent underwater and attack from the sea. Once the sea attack happens another 5,000 marine units are brought in by drop ships with Hornets and Vultures to deal with the Airships unless there are slaves on them then the marine units from the drop ships will board them.

The Elite units will be sent in first in the dead of the night before the day of the attack to join the scout teams which number 750 in the city. The scouts will had place explosives at several locations where the Caribou will be able to mount a effective defense and by luck a few slopes. Some of the Elite units will go for the Caribou commanders of the Caribou forces and take them out while the rest will keep them away from the slave pens or armories. Without their commanders they will lose morale and won't be able to effectively react to his forces.

Forge was finishing the reports when Princesses Luna and Twilight and Queen Chrysalis came into the room. "Hello what brings you three here?" He asks them as he sets the report to the side. He was about to pick up the next one when.

"We wish to help you in the fight against the Caribou." Twilight tells him. Causing Forge to look up at them. "Some of the ponies you freed want to as well." She continued.

"I see. How do you all wish to help?" He asks them.

"We want to fight along side your forces. Some of those who were slaves were apart of the Royal Guard just give us some weapons and time to train and we can fight, there is also the Resistance. We had fought the Caribou several times cut down there numbers and freed some slaves." Twilight told him.

Chrysalis spoke next. "You know what my people can do. While the ponies help on the front lines we can going behind them and not only give you better reports on enemy forces but we can set the caribou against each other or poison/destroy their supplies. We can also open the gates of the walls around the cities and let your forces in that way or guide them to secret pathways/entrances." She tells him her point. Forge thought about what they said. On one hand it will allow him to reduce the needed the production of units for his forces to fight on the front lines without being spread thin and with the Changelings make things worse for the Caribou and weaken them at the same time.

"Very well. I will allow this but they must going through the training I will have set up for them and if they can't pass it then they won't be able to join the fight, that will include the former guards and the Resistance members who join. They can help defend the camps but not fight in the front lines" He told them thinking of using simulations that are realistic to show them how bad the battlefield can get. "And Chrysalis? Have the your Changelings check the supplies and who they are for before poisoning or destroying them, we don't want to harm the slaves." He tells her. She give him a nod and the three left the room to spread the news.

A couple of days later:

Forge looks over the training course for the Ponies and Changelings to go through. They will have to run the course in groups of 20 and will be judge on how long it takes for them to complete it and how the deal with the course. A track with bars to jump over or crawl under, a set of three foot deep six feet long pits one without a set of ropes, monkey bars to cross, a 20 feet wall to climb and a two mile track to run to the finish for earth ponies, unicorns, and changelings who will fight on the ground. Pegasuses are to do the course as well without flying in the event they have to fight on the ground. 1,755 Ponies had decided to join and Forge knew there will be more from the other bases and the refuge camps.

Forge watched along with Twilight, Luna, and Chrysalis as each group went through the course. "Well most are easily getting through the course and the few who failed so far can still join after sometime improving themselves if they still wish to." Forge tells the other three as they watched. Soon all 1,755 had gone through the course and 1,152 of them passed it. Forge had them sent to another area of the base were he had several barracks built for them. He stepped up to them and spoke to them. "You had all passed the course but that doesn't mean you are done. You all will be trained for the next eight weeks to learn how to fight like a UNSC marine and use the weapons you will be given. Anyone who doesn't follow the orders of the trainers and doesn't have a good reason for it will be kicked out. Welcome to boot camp." He tells them. "Your training will start tomorrow, pick a bunk and get to know each other." He says before leaving them.

Forge was headed to the CIC when Chrysalis came to him. "My people has sent reports of the Caribou setting up a weapon we hadn't seen before. It's like a cannon but with multiple barrels in a circle and a hand crank with a tall thin box in a slot. They counted eight of them and that's the ones they saw." She told Forge.

"Ah hell, that's going to make things harder for us to deal with." He said as he shook his head at the fact the Caribou has managed to make Gatling guns. When he saw Chrysalis looking worried he spoke to her. "It's not that much of a problem if dealt with correctly but those guns will have to be checked for or we will end up with a lot of losses with those who join us to fight the Caribou and my forces." I told her. She nodded and left as Forge continued to the CIC to get things ready for the attack.

Two days later.

Forge stood holding on to a handle as the pelicans and their escorts flew over the mountains as he listens to the reports from his forces. So far the marines facing the walls have been testing the wall not going for the weak points yet. The wall is holding but is slowly being worn down as it gets hit after hit. "ETA 2 minutes." One of the pilots called out.

A minute later. "Hold on! Incoming!" The Pilot called out as they heard booms. The drop ship started shaking as it dodged the cannon balls and a few exploded or hit the drop ship. Meanwhile the ODSTs came out of the ocean and the walls fell at several locations when the weak points on there foundations were hit and a the trapped slopes blew up in mid air along with a few armories. "Landing in 30 seconds!" The pilot called out. Forge pulled off his rifle as the door opened. Soon it landed and he and the marines got off. Forge fired at the Caribou as he ducked behind a stall noting they are in a market. He saw the door to the stall and opened it taking a look inside and saw no one in it and entered it taking cover behind the counter. He popped up and fired a couple of bursts before going back behind cover. He did it a couple of times before hopping over the counter and moving up.

A few minute of fighting ends with the market area under UNSC control as He regrouped with a few of the marines and they made there way deeper into the city. He got reports from units and changelings in the city as they hit Caribou trying to make choke points but failing to do so in time. They hadn't put any checkpoints in the city aside from making the city hall a fortress with walls. His group ran into several groups of Caribou running from the battlefield and killed or knocked them out. Soon they came upon a group of caribou with several slaves on the ground and muskets pointed to there heads. "Let us go or they will die!" One of the Caribou calls out as they saw him. Forge noticed a simmer in the air and grinned as the elites uncloaked between the muskets and the ponies. They grabbed the muskets and broke them before laying into the Caribou knocking them out and giving them a few broken bones.

Forge moved with his forces listening to the reports. The air units were having some trouble before they knocked out a half of the Galleons in the formation causing the caribou to try and focus on getting the rest out of the city as they lost more airships. They did lose a few Hornets and Falcons along with one Pelican by a lucky shot to a wing. UNSC ground forces had taken a few loses as well, a couple hundred at least. Soon the City hall was the only major holdout for the Caribou aside from a few groups still running around. Forge walked up to a Elite unit. "The Caribou has closed the gate and scans show at least 450 inside along with about 100 ponies being held inside." It reported.

"Do we have any units inside?" Forge asked.

"Two squads of elites. One is in the gate house. The other is moving to where the ponies are being held. The Caribou has placed them in a group of rooms in a dead end hallway. Once the guards are removed the gates will be opened." It told him. Forge nodded as he looked around. He saw a Grizzly nearby.

"Send in that Grizzly first. It will allow us to take out groups of Caribou. Plus they are likely to do volley fire at our units." He ordered.

"Yes sir!" It told him. The Grizzly was moved in front of the gate as Forge and a few marines were behind it to use it as cover. Several minutes pasted before the gates started opening. The Grizzly moved forward they followed it as it did. Suddenly it was hit with many rounds and it wasn't stopping till the Grizzly fired off a round. Forge looked over the armored track pod and saw the remains of two Gatling guns. Warthogs moved in after the Grizzly got out of the way with units moving in. Forge and the marines with him moved to a door and set a breaching charge on it. It when off and they moved in taking out Caribou. 15 minutes later had the last of the Caribou captured or killed.

Forge sat in the town hall as a medic bandaged a wound on his left arm. He read the reports of the battle and the results. His forces lost 13 Hornets, five Falcons, and one Pelican for air forces. Ground forces loses are 970 marines, 102 ODSTs, two elites, 21 Warthogs, a one Scorpion. 'A fair number of loses but not too bad.' Forge thought to himself. The Caribou lost most of their air fleet with only three Slopes getting away and almost of their ground forces dead or captured. Only a couple thousand managed to get away. Forge figured to would be a few months before the war with the Caribou is over as long as there is no surprises that will cause trouble.

At Canterlot two days later:

King Dainn looked on in anger as he heard the report of what happened to his forces at Las Pegasus. "Are you all a group of fools? The fact you didn't set any checkpoints to use as choke points to stop a much smaller enemy force is not something I want to hear. You had them out numbered at least 50 to 1 and still lost!" He raged at his generals. He left the war room dragging Celestia behind him. Celestia smiled slightly to herself at what she heard.

Author's Note

Slope class airships: Three deck airships with the top deck holding the cannons of the ships and a single pair of cannons on the front of the ship. They are used as scouts and fast attack ships for hit and runs.

Galleon class airships: Six deck airships with upper three of the middle decks holding the cannons of the ships and a two pairs of cannons the front of the ship. They are the heavy hitters of every air fleet.

Sorry for the wait. Was busy with other things. And for the loses, nothing can't be killed and while the UNSC has better tech so did the Covenant and they took loses. Plus Forge is the only true human in this fic.