Soldiers, their mockup weaponry upon their shoulders, marched past James and Luna as the preparation for the field exercise neared their completion. A few, Royal Guards, wore armor; most just wore the blue they'd worn during the war.

"Do you think this once field exercise will be effective?" Luna asked, turning an eye to James. "We - I - doubt this one mock battle will permanently improve the Equestrian military."

"I do not... if it's just kept to one such exercise over the coming years, decades, and centuries. If it's just the first in a string of regular tests, on the other hand, it may prove effective indeed."

"We suppose that makes sense. But still, warfare changes; indeed, the recent war has seen greater changes from previous centuries than We could have anticipated. From spears and the occasional bow and arrow to widespread use of firearms and mechanical monsters..."

"Yeah, that kind of radical change is fast even for my world. Not even a full year and this is the kind of change that has been wrought."

Luna sighed. "Perhaps it has gone by much too fast. The new Griffon Confederacy is still in turmoil from the rapidity of the changes brought about. Radicals, monarchists, imperialists, and other factions seem to be at one another's' throats within the new nation. We wonder if republics are meant to survive."

"I believe they are. The right of the people to elect their leaders and hold them accountable for any breach of law and of their election promises is vital to a free people and world."

Luna turned her head fully toward him, now looking at him with both eyes. "But is the chaos worth it? Is it worth splitting societies into blocks of factions that strive against one another? What of the common good of the nation? Surely an autocrat would be able to streamline the effectiveness of the state and..." She trailed off. "Hmm."

"Given we've fought two autocrats, both of whom in their own ways tried to 'streamline the effectiveness of the state,' as you put it, and were tyrants of the worst kind - at least in worldly terms - I don't see unlimited autocracy as a good thing. I don't even see limited autocracy as a necessarily good thing. Yes, there may be good monarchs out there - you, your sister and Cadence being examples of that - but who will succeed them? Another good monarch, or an incompetent one, or a tyrant? That concerns me. And... as much as I don't want to make you remember it, even a good ruler can be turned to evil."

"No offense taken; it's something that needs to be remembered so that future alicorns may avoid the pitfalls We fell into. And We see your point." Luna sighed again. "Some griffons don't seem to recognize the war is over."

"Guerillas again? Wouldn't they know by now that the emperor is dethroned and that a treaty has been signed?"

"We aren't talking about the bandits that plagued us during the invasion of the Empire. We are speaking of a clan that has refused to make the reparation payments."

"Already?"

"Yes; the Blackwing Clan, already defiant towards us, refused to make a payment. We sent troops, and they responded with thrown spears and gunfire. We defeated this resistance easily enough, but the clan leader and much of his people took to the forests and have been assassinating the soldiers occupying his towns and villages. In fact, many of the villagers themselves take it upon themselves to put a knife in the back of any Equestrian soldier who has his or her back turned."

"Uh-oh."

"How foolish must one be to want more war?" Luna said loudly, as though repressing a scream. "And what can we do to contain these treacherous fools?"

James thought quickly. "Off the top of my head, the only way to stop the murders in the towns would be to send the population there to prison camps - not uncomfortable hellholes, mind you, but safe places for them to be kept until the Blackwing resistance is broken. And then send kill squads into the forests to hunt down the rebels while cleaning out the towns to find caches of weapons and ammunition they might have there. Your thestrals were invaluable during the war in night actions and tracking enemies; I suggest you use them again to hunt the insurgents. Meanwhile have the other clans close their borders with the Blackwings, letting no one in or out of their territory until the rebellion is crushed. I would also... lean on the Confederacy to send any willing troops to quell the insurrection."

"Admittedly a harsh stance."

"It's guerilla war; of course countermeasures are going to be, or will seem, harsh. I didn't say to work those in the camps to death; allowing them to maintain normal comforts and employment as much as possible while there will be vital in healing divisions once the fight is won. And I would suggest not destroying any more of the settlements in that land than is necessary in battle. But anyone caught with a weapon is fair game to be killed or captured as the situation requires."

Luna thought for a moment. "It seems like a winning strategy, though perhaps more costly than the payment we intended to receive from that backwoods clan."

"It's not about the money; it's about sending a message that Equestria isn't going to let its peaceful ways be mistaken for weakness. If you pull back your troops from the clan now, it will embolden them and nearby clans, perhaps encourage the entire griffon nation to pull off another war twenty years down the road. I'm all for making friends, but as the saying goes, it takes two to tango, and you can't force friendship and harmony upon an unwilling populace. Assuming the insurrection is crushed and its leaders punished, you will have sent a message that Equestria is willing to take necessary steps for its own security and discouraging another war. That means less bloodshed in the end."

"What of punishment of individuals who, passively or actively, take part in this rebellion?"

"A minimum of six months labor - with more depending upon what a particular individual did - on projects to help the griffon economy recover; rebuilding roads, towns, various infrastructure, and other things damaged or destroyed in the war."

"And if they refuse to work?"

"Then keep them imprisoned, and only have their sentence begin once they capitulate. If they refuse to ever work, then they are jailed indefinitely unless or until they finally do work. Again, no refusal of necessary food rations or abuse, but make it clear that they aren't going to be free, or have access to luxuries, again until they'd worked off their sentence."

"We will look into those proposals. Thank you, James. And We wish you good fortune in the 'war' we are about to wage." Luna offer a hoof to him.

He took and shook it. "And the same to you as well. God bless, and may both of us do our best.."

Having been transported to the place where the defending army was to begin the exercise, James looked at the map, doing his best to listen to the judges assigned to his side as they continued talking.

"All participants are to remember that this is a war game, not the real thing. No trying to kill the other side for real. That means those of you with shoes, don't use them to physically bash the other side's soldiers; don't break body parts or cause real bleeding."

As the judges continued, James continued to think of attack. He'd tried to dismiss it - his side was supposed to defend - but he couldn't help but think of battles and situations in history where a smaller attack force had managed to surprise an enemy force. Not all of them resulted in victory, of course. But they had often had caused chaos and inflicted losses on the larger enemy.

There's no guarantee it won't end up like the Rebels at Shiloh, or Lyon at Wilson's Creek. Not even Napoleon won all his battles; just look at Leipzig or Waterloo.

On the other hand, risk was an inherent part of warfare. There was always a chance that whatever you did wouldn't work. Remaining on the defensive carried its own risks, namely, that of being outflanked out of each defensive position, which was something he was afraid of. He had no intention of having to play as Johnston vs. Sherman in 1864.

Naturally, being one of the two commanders in charge, he'd need Shining's help in anything he proposed. The latter was technically in charge, having become a Field Marshall, and James still a Major General. However, remembering how they had cooperated in the recent war, James knew that Shining Armor wasn't going to do anything without consulting him about it, and he'd take James' suggestions onboard.

"That's all, fillies and gentlecolts," the judge said, finishing his speech. "The field exercise will begin in ten minutes. Everypony to their units; for your sakes you'd better be where you need to be when the clock strikes 9."

Shining walked over. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to hold-"

"BBBFF! James!"

A purple pony that James easily recognized as Twilight Sparkle galloped up to and hugged Shining.

"Sis! It's great to see you!" the large stallion said happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," the violet unicorn began, "since Princess Celestia wants to make sure Equestria and its ponies are safe, my friends and I are taking part in this mock war too!"

"Even Fluttershy?" James asked, nocking an eyebrow.

"...except Fluttershy." Twilight said, looking embarrassed and holding a hoof to her face. "She's going to sit this one out as an observer."

"Alright, who is on what team?"

"Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack will be fighting on the Princess' side. Rarity and I will be on your side."

"What are you going to be doing?"

"Well, Rarity will be among the common soldiers; I've been sent to be a commander on your side."

"Not sure how that'll work, sis," Shining said. "We only have two brigades to command between me and James."

"Princess Celestia didn't say I had to be in command of a unit, just in the command structure. If I am to be her student, I need to learn how to defend Equestria."

"That seems a bit out of place for a student. You're more scientist and bookworm than a fighter, Twilight," James noted.

"True," the lavender unicorn replied, nodding. "But the Princess said she wanted me to be part of this anyway. I feel like it's part of something she's... preparing me for, though I don't know just what yet."

James looked at Shining, who shrugged and gave a grunt that sounded like, "uhduhno."

"Whatever the reason, it's my responsibility to my teacher and mentor to give my all to this endeavor."

"Even if it means you shoot a paintball at her?"

Twilight gave a slight shiver, but replied calmly enough, "Yes, I could. And she did say she wouldn't blame me for it."

"Okay, then." James looked at Shining. "I think we remain in charge of our respective brigades, but give Twilight a voice on the decision making."

Shining put a hoof to his chin as he looked at the clouds. Finally, he said, "I have to agree. Sorry if you were looking for something more interactive, sis, but our side is outnumbered two to one, and we're going to have to reach into our bag of experience to come through this victorious."

"That's alright. I'm here to learn, not usurp you guys. And if this works out, there'll be other battles like this where I can have a command."

"Well, then, that's settled. Let's go to the map before this all kicks off."

They all walked over to the map James had been studying before.

"Okay, what's our strategy?" Shining asked. "I'm in overall command, but you've had quite a bit of experience, James. I want to know what you think."

James pint at the crossroads. "We should take this, before they can get to it. If we quick march, we should be able to take it before they can unite their forces. Then we'll have the chance to take on one force before it can unite with the other."

"Wow, aggressive right out of the gate, huh? I always took you for a defensive kind of guy."

"You're right. But the war taught me that expecting the enemy to just impale himself on your defenses is foolish. Plus, many military thinkers in my world promote aggressive action. The crossroads is a perfect chance to split them."

"But we'd need to split our own force, to either guard the crossroads or to guard the path we're not attacking on, to at least slow them down."

"I know; that was my thought, too. One force ambushes the other as it comes down the crossroads, keeping them busy while the other makes its assault on the second enemy force."

"Why not just try to defend the hills behind the crossroads?" Twilight asked, a curious though confused look on her face.

"Because there's no foliage to camouflage our position. The enemy would know right where we are just by sending pegasi to scout us. They could outflank us at will, or attack us in a weak spot and break through. They have the numbers to do that; in the short term, they might be willing to take higher casualties if it means we get destroyed or forced to withdraw with losses of our own. Furthermore, just about everywhere after those hills is open land where they could just outflank us again. So we should do the unexpected and take the fight to them. If we fight passively, I believe we will lose. We need to be pro-active and gain an advantageous position before the enemy can."

"What about just pulling back and fortifying the depot? Like, fortifying in a circle around it?"

"That would give up any mobility we had. In fact, they could just besiege us with the majority of their force while sending a detachment to take the city that would have been our fallback position. In that case, they'd essentially have a victory, as the judges aren't going to look kindly on such an outcome."

"I was thinking we should meet up before the hills, then skirmish until we're near the depot," Shining said. "Then we would make a big fight out of it, giving ground gradually. We could offer up a small unit as bait and try to ambush them that way."

"I agree that that plan has some merit, especially on the latter point. However, where exactly would we do that? Our objective is to hold the depot first, so we would have to fight between there and the crossroads. And like I said, we won't have coverage from above. The enemy could sight us pretty easily."

"We can send pegasi as aerial pickets, or as screening forces to keep their scouts away."

"Yeah, we could. But their very presence would reveal we were relatively close."

"We can have them do their screening from way out in front. That would make them think we're closer than we are."

"I admit that has merit. Deception in war is key. But I still think we should try and make a fight prior to their reaching the fork in the road."

"What exactly do you plan on doing?"

"I intend to use my brigade to hit them while they're eating breakfast; a surprise attack at sunrise."

"That would cause a lot of 'casualties' initially, but what about when they regroup?"

"My objective wouldn't be to win outright, but to inflict losses and then withdraw before they can respond with force. And before Luna can send forces to reinforce her sister."

"So you're planning on striking Princess Celestia first? Why her?"

"I think she's the least experienced fighter between the two. And I think the need for a wake up call regarding national security is called for; you can't ward off everyone by using the Elements of harmony or with rainbow lasers. While it would be nice if every villain or threat could be redeemed, it would be a happy day for the world, to put it likely. But that's not going to happen. And Celestia needs to learn that the enemy isn't always going to play nice. Sometimes you'll get the baddie who is all too willing to impale himself on your spear, but much more likely he's going to skewer you when you aren't looking and when you're least prepared. That lesson has to be learned, especially with the ongoing insurgency in the Blackwing Clan, where the rebels aren't standing out in the open like our armies did, but are using hit and run tactics."

"I had enough of the latter when you were out east. I hated facing it. I see your point, but I'd like it if we stayed with what we were instructed to do; to defend our objectives."

"Well, look at it this way; we're defending the objective by doing damage to them. If its a surprise attack and we can inflict much more damage than we suffer ourselves, then we help our later defense when it comes to holding the depot."

"They'll know enough to have sentries and other ways of detecting you coming."

"True, but if we hit first, and hit hard, we can do some damage before they can really muster. And again, this action is meant to whittle down numbers on their side, not win outright. I intend to withdraw before they can hit back in any appreciable way."

"But what if they can hit you back before you can withdraw?" Shining asked, looking concerned. "I'd hate to lose this campaign at the very beginning."

"Hmm." James thought for a moment. "That's a possibility, but I don't think it'll happen. For one thing, nothing beats experience; for all the Princesses have read and been instructed on modern war, that's not going to prepare them enough for a real fight. I think the risk is well worth the gamble we take on it."

"I still think we should play this more defensively, being outnumbered by a third. But I think your plan has merit. I'll give it the go ahead, but I'll tell everypony whose idea it was to do this after the battle if it goes wrong."

"I suppose we'll see."

Luna looked up from viewing her map towards her two sub-commanders. "Our plan is that Our division shall take the road straight ahead. Before We arrive at the crossroads, We shall order a night sally by Our Lunar Guard. They shall scout ahead for Our force. If We find the enemy and the conditions are right, and should the scouts arrive back in time, We shall hit the defenders with a nighttime assault. We shall grind them down as much as possible before Our main force can awake and arrive at the crossroads by tomorrow morning, where we shall meet up with Our Sister's contingent and move toward the depot."

She put a hoof on the map as she finished. "Any objections?"

One of the commanders, a thestral stallion named Yellow Star, raised a hoof.

"Yes?"

"Your Highness, for the most part I support this plan. I mean no disrespect in what I am about to say."

"Then say it. We do not judge others for merely speaking their minds."

Yellow Star bowed. "Your Majesty, we may be forgetting that your sister will be forming her own plan, and that it might not align with yours. Furthermore, the enemy will be making his own plans, even outnumbered as he is, and we need to be on the alert in case he should do something like we're about to do."

Luna nodded. "Such council is not wasted; We have every intention of remaining prepared. We know Our opponents are skilled; else the recent war would not have gone so well for Us."

The other commander, a tall and brawny pegasus stallion appropriately named Big Cloud, spoke up. "Highness, I would advise waiting until we unite with the division under your sister. That way, we will outnumber them two to one and will be able to flank them out of every position they take. I don't like remaining divided from your sister's force any longer than we absolutely have to."

Luna nodded to him as well. "That thought has struck Us too. We doubt that James and Prince Armor will simply wait to be destroyed. We do not think a full-on assault likely, but We will be prepared should such an attack take place."

"What about communications with Princess Celestia? If we're going to make any plans, we should do them in concert with her," Yellow Star insisted.

"Indeed. We shall be sending correspondence throughout this exercise, via letters, fast-flying pegasi, and through these newfangled radio devices. Does that suit you?"

"Yes, Princess."

"Then to your brigades. Make ready to fulfill Our will."

"We will march as far as we safely can today and then, in the morning on the second day, link up with Luna's force coming from the North," Princess Celestia was saying. "Once that is achieved, we will have the numbers to face James and Shining Armor. We'll outflank them out of whatever positions they take, capture the depot, and move to the city. There, we'll fight the decisive battle to end the campaign." She paused. "Your thoughts?"

One of her own Royal Guard, a unicorn stallion named Rising Sun, spoke up. "I doubt it will be that easy, Your Majesty. Forgive my insolence, but I fought under James during the war. He's not a passive commander, at least not any more, and he'll do what he can to slow us down."

"I do expect we'll fight some skirmishes," Celestia admitted. "But they'll likely be nuisances, nothing that will really slow us down much."

"I must respectfully disagree, Your Highness," rasped the seal-lynx-colored earth pony to her right, a stallion named Husky. "With all due respect, the late war showed me never to discount what the enemy might do. Our defeat at Sugar Cane River was a result of negligence, and we can't allow our numbers advantage to fog our judgement."

"It's not even a numbers advantage, not until we meet up with Princess Luna," Rising Sun put in.

"Are you suggesting that James and Shining are that aggressive?" Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe not, Princess, but I'll feel safer when were a united force. Even if they aren't aggressive, they won't just wait to be destroyed."

"It would take most of a day to move from their starting location to the crossroads, and they'll likely be too exhausted for a night assault, if that's what you're thinking."

Rising Sun and Husky gave each other a glance.

"If James and Shining Armor use their full force to assault one wing of our army, the other wing can simply wrap around the crossroads and surround them. They'll have to know that possibility as well as we do," Celestia stated.

"True," Husky said. "True, but we won't know what they intend to do until contact is made. Then all plans are going to fly out the window."

"We can send pegasus scouts ahead to keep watch as our army moves forward. Will that suffice to calm your fears?"

"It would, if pegasi could see through tree leaves and branches from the air."

"Then we'll have ground scouts as well."

"Alright, but I'm still convinced that the other side is going to pull something unexpected."

"That's possible... for them and for us."

"Oh, this will be so much fun!" Pinkie Pie said, giggling as she fiddled with her gun. "There'll be paint everywhere! Even on us!"

"That's bad, Pinks," Applejack replied. "If ya get paint on ya, yer out."

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud. It'll be fun!"

"But this whole thing is fer a very important reason, Pinkie; the defense of Equestria. This is a test, not a party."

"Oh, come on, AJ!" Rainbow Dash replied, chomping on the last bite of a hay sandwich. "We'll have ourselves a great time. It's not like these guns can kill anypony. And I for one am eager to get huntin'!"

"Just hold on, Sugarcube. We're just soldiers, under officers and such that we gotta obey; the Princesses are in command here, ya can't just do what'cha want, when ya want."

"Whatever."

"Good thing Fluttershy isn't here," Pinkie said. "She's... well, she's... delicate."

"Yeah," Applejack agreed. "Can't say ah'd be happy ta have ta shoot at her."

A whistle went up. All at once, corporals and sergeants began shouting for the troops to form up.

"Welp, that's our cue, gals," Applejack said, lifting her rifle to her withers. "Ah guess we'd better git a goin'."

"Just wait," Rainbow said, beginning to boast. "I'll bag a ton of the enemy!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, but with a slight smile.

James again rode on a caisson as it was being towed forward. The defending army was in motion, and the exercise had truly begun.

Having selected the aggressive strategy, the army was moving as fast as it could towards the crossroads. It would be there by dusk, maybe before then if the road was good.

A sudden jolt nearly unseated him.

Scratch the hope for good roads.

He began to go over the plan for the day; scouts would be sent ahead of the army. Most were pegasi, but earth ponies and unicorns with considerable stamina were also out looking for the enemy. With good scouting, the army wouldn't be caught by surprise.

A troop of unicorns was trotting by. They were all Royal Guards, strong and well-armored, rifles on their withers.

His gaze was drawn to the horns on their heads, and he asked himself a question out loud that he hadn't thought much about;

"Why haven't unicorns used their horns to charge their enemies instead of spears?"

"There are reasons why," Shining's voice came from his other side, to which James turned. "Our horns are primarily the tools in which we use magic, so physically ramming it into somepony's chest or side would jeopardize that. Even when ancient unicorns armored their horns, they found that goring somepony else with it could still cause damage. Plus, it's just icky to have to clean the blood off your head, you know."

"I see, I suppose. I just thought it natural, given that a lowered head and a charge might be more obvious than crafting something else to do it for you."

"It is obvious in hindsight, but throughout most of history unicorns have used their horns in combat to cast spells, not to spear an enemy's belly." Shining shivered. "I've seen what happens when a unicorn horn suffers damage or gets broken. The unicorn in question generally either can't cast magic at all, or suffers massive problems when doing so. Even the levitation spell, which is easy and pretty much universal among unicorns, becomes tough or impossible to cast right and ends up with some kind of uncontrollable effect, like magical electricity burning the object targeted by the spell, or it ends up zapping nearby ponies, or even the unicorn in question."

"I hope they don't have to spend all their days in some asylum just because their magic's screwed up."

"No, no, no," Shining said, shaking one hoof as he continued walking. "But for their safety they usually have to wear a metal headband over their horn that prevents magic casting."

"Is there any way to regrow or replace a damaged or destroyed horn?"

"No. Sadly, most damage to the horn is permanent. I've seen more than a few cases when unicorns tried to cast battle magic in the war with their horn busted. You don't want to know what happened." He shivered again. "I wish I didn't know, for that matter."

"Well, to change the subject, I think we have a reliable army formed out of all four pony tribes."

"Including thestrals? Yes, I'd say so. Say what you will about Lunar Guards and how spooky they can look - especially with those fangs - but they're loyal to a fault and would gladly die for Princess Luna... which doesn't happen often, given how skilled they are and how seriously they take their job."

"Some of them are going to be... tested in that devotion, namely those on our side."

"Yes, but Princess Luna ordered them to treat her as an enemy for this exercise. Nothing else was required for them to obey."

"They really love her, don't they?"

"Love in the sense of seeing her as their goddess and savior, yes. She was one of the few ponies back before her banishment who appreciated them, and one of the even fewer today who still cares for them, besides Princess Celestia of course."

"History aside, what about the rest of the army?"

"I think they're ready and eager. At least it's not a real battle with real weapons."

"Yeah, but that's the point of this; to prepare for such a battle." James looked down the road. "And we've got a ways to go before we even begin."

The wagon - and the army - continued to march toward its fate.

Author's Note

Again, my apologies on how long it takes to produce a single chapter.

I end up procrastinating or playing too many video games and get caught up in those stories that I waste time. I also often fail to know just what to write, or how to begin. This episode was originally going to be a continuation of the previous one, of James and Steel Lobby looking into war machines and designs for them before cutting back to the trial verdict. However, eventually I accepted a long thought-of idea I had been contemplating for a future story, and began it here.