June 20, 2020
A week after the start of the war

WARNING: THE CONTENTS OF THIS FILE IS RESTRICTED TO PERSONNEL WITH TOP SECRET CLEARANCE OR ABOVE. ACCESS TO THIS FILE WITHOUT AUTHORISATION WILL BE GROUNDS FOR TERMINATION AND/OR PROSECUTION. ANY DISTRIBUTION OF THIS FILE WITHOUT AUTHORISATION FROM THE SECRET GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE (SGI) DIRECTOR WILL BE GROUNDS FOR TERMINATION AND/OR PROSECUTION.

THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPTION FROM A BUGGED VIP CARRIAGE OF THE FRIENDSHIP EXPRESS IN TRANSIT TO CANTERLOT CONTAINING SEVERAL LEADING MEMBERS EQUESTRIAN ALLIANCE.

DE: Dragonlord Ember
KT: King Thorax
PR: Prince Rutherford
QN: Queen Novo
CG: Chancellor Glida
PC: Princess Mi Amore Cadenza

DE: Thorax! About time you showed up! Thought we’d have to meet in Canterlot.

KT: Sorry about the delay, I was just having an important discussion with my brother.

PR: Speaking of, why we not meet in Canterlot? Why gather here? Much faster if all meet in pony capital!

QN: Shh! Not so loud. Princess Cadence, if you please?

PC: Of course.

(Magical casting is audible. Presumably a sound dampening spell within the carriage.)

CG: The yak has a point; why couldn’t we just meet up in Canterlot? It would have been a lot easier on all of us and could have saved us being dragged along in this train for three days.

PC: Because Chancellor Gilda, we still have something important to discuss before we arrive in the capital.

CG: Just Gilda please. I’m still not comfortable with this Chancellor title.

QN: If this is about joining Equestria’s war against Thera, I ain’t havin’ none of that. It's sour enough using my niece as leverage to discourage anymore volunteers from my kingdom to join the League of Nations. I'm not gonna sacrifice the lives of my subjects for Equestria’s war.

PR: Rutherford agrees. Pony war nothing to do with Yaks.

KT: With all due respect, Prince Rutherford, Queen Novo, this war involves all of us, whether we like it or not.

DE: And just how did you figure that out, Thorax? Did Celestia persuade you to be in on this? Is that why the Princess of Love called this meeting?

PC: I didn't call this meeting, nor my aunt. If anything, I’m on the fence about the war myself.

(Several moments of silence.)

DE: Explain.

PC: I have several converts of their biggest religion among my ponies, along with several human missionaries under my jurisdiction. I'd rather not hoof them over to Equestria Proper for their Conversion Bureau to deal with. Whatever is causing the genetic infertility in Equestria is not found among the Crystal Ponies, therefore my council is holding a referendum of whether or not we should even participate and take a more isolationist approach.

CG: I take it Celestia isn't big on the idea of you being on the fence about it?

PC: On the contrary, she seemed almost relieved when I said that The Crystal Empire is considering full neutrality; closed borders and all. Luna on the other hoof just looked disappointed and left the throne room to see the troops. If anything, it was Twilight who caught us off guard as she seemed like she was going to blow a hole in the throne room when she heard that. Even Shiny was surprised by her reaction.

QN: So wait, if you didn't call this meeting and you're considering neutrality, who gathered us here and why?

KT: I did. …. And I'll be blunt, I think it is in all our best interests if we get ourselves involved.

(Collective uproar of “What?!”)

DE: Who are you and what have you done to Thorax?

KT: Ember, it’s really me.

(Detection Spell audible.)

PC: Yeah, it’s him alright. No disguises or mind manipulation detected.

CG: Alright Bug, why in Tartarus do you think it’s a good idea to throw ourselves into a war that has nothing to do with us?! Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of Griffon Mercenary Companies who would love the chance for employment and I know the Dragons are just itching for a fight, but last time any of us got involved into a war, almost a quarter of each our populations were wiped-out, missing or worse. Heck, it’s one of the reasons why Griffonstone is the dumpster it is today!

PC: Wait, I thought Griffonstone was recovering.

CG: We were, until we had our goods cut off from Thera several months ago. Their businesses and Recruitment Offices set up shop in Griffonstone, remember? One minute, bits and goods are finally circulating all around. The next, everything was closed off and emptied cleaner than a cupcake in Ponyville. We are slowly picking up the pieces to start manufacturing our own stuff to make up for our losses but it’s draining our treasury and stockpiles quicker these last few months than it took to fill them up in the past four years.

Needless to say, we aren’t exactly in any condition to fight a war outside of mercenary companies and volunteers; most of which prefer Theran credits over Equestrian bits if you get my meaning.

PC: No surprise there. Equestria wasn't exactly in the market for mercenaries until recent events.

PR: Still waiting for answer why Changeling King think war a good idea.

KT: Prince Rutherford, don't get me wrong. I never said that fighting the Therans was a good idea. I just simply stated that it is in the best of our interests to be involved on the side of Equestria. Simply put, our neutrality may spell the end of our world as we know it.

DE: Oh come on Thorax! Getting all of us involved in a war against an enemy that has space tech is already inviting them to blow up the planet. If Equestria wants to risk it for their population crisis then it's best if we remain out of the Therans’ attention. If they manage a win, good for them. If they lose, tough. They bit off more than they could chew.

KT: Ember, there is more to this war than just supplementing a dwindling population. Something else is happening underneath our very hooves and this war may well be just the start. And if Equestria falls, all of us are going down with her, neutral or not.

PC: How do you mean, Thorax?

KT: How many of you actually saw the Storm King’s invasion up close?

QN: I did. It ain't a pleasant sight if I might say so. If it weren’t for the Therans’ IUVA intervention, we would have all stayed as Seaponies for the remainder of his lengthened reign. Why?

KT: When the portal first opened between our two worlds we barely knew them for more than a month. And in that same month when the Storm King invaded Canterlot, the Therans not only managed to mobilise an entire army within a week, they decimated the whole invasion force and drove them out of the continent within the following two months.

PC: I fail to see what that has to do with anything, Thorax. All it does is paint a better picture of the capabilities of the Therans, which should further dissuade any notion of open hostilities against them.

KT: (Yelling) YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT CADENCE! They sent a standing army just waiting on the other side of the portal!

PR: (Yelling) King Thorax, no need yelling!

KT: (Deep breathing) I'm sorry, but my point stands; Thera was prepared for an invasion of their own. If that point and my earlier statement are not sinking in then consider this; how did they manage to drive out the Storm King’s army in less than two months?

(A short pause.)

KT: I talked to Pharynx about it and he agreed that it was too quick of a campaign for a foreign army. He told me that that level of speed and army manoeuvres across the continent could only be done from intimate knowledge of the land and terrain. Knowledge that should have taken years of observation and practice.

QN: Th-that's… That's crazy!

CG: Maybe it was a coincidence that their troops were at the ready? Perhaps their troops got lucky with getting rid of the Storm King’s dudes due to Equestria being mostly flat lands?

KT: That's what I thought at first, but Pharynx argued that there was no way they could have won that quickly without knowing about Equestria for years. No army, no matter how prepared or experienced, could be that competently fast or lucky, not without some foreknowledge of the land.

So, under advice from my brother, I sanctioned infiltrators to gather information from their governments.

DE: You did what?! Thorax, are you crazy?!

KT: I had to be sure, Ember. I had to know what we were dealing with. And what they found not only supported my fears, it exceeded them.

(Sounds of papers/documents placed on the table.)

KT: These are photographs of high classed documents from the few infiltrators who managed to return. They’re battle plans, logistics accounts, weapons research, survey reports, reconnaissance reports, colonisation plans, resource redistribution, and integration protocols. There are also transcripts of recorded meetings among their generals and rulers.

They knew about Equestria and Equus as a whole, for more than ten years. They knew about us even before the portal opened between our two worlds. Thera had planned an invasion of our world long before the Princesses planned their own. And from what the reports tell us, it is just the tip of the iceberg.

CG: You're kidding me, there's more?

KT: (Sighing) Yeah. In the documents and transcripts there were several mentions of Equestrias, plural. We only have pieces of what it could mean but the implications are just as clear as they are horrifying; we are not the only version of Equus they planned an invasion for. Something about parallel worlds and alternate realities being involved.

PR: Bah! No such thing as alternate reality! Changeling must have been tricked or got wrong information!

CG: I agree with the yak. This is too fantastical for my taste. I mean seriously, parallel worlds? Alternate realities? Portals to another dimension of hairless apes I can take, but other versions of our worlds? It's crazy.

PC: Not so, Gilda. From what I recall, Twilight has seen another version of Equestria through a mirror portal, so it is entirely possible this information is not so far fetched. That said, I find it absurd that the League of Nations would go through all this trouble to plan an invasion of this scale, especially with everything else they've had to deal with for the last thirty years.

CG: Exactly! It doesn’t make any sense! They’ve already had too much to worry about on their side of the portal, why would they even try to start another war?

QN: Not saying I’m agreeing with King Thorax here, but maybe it’s because they’ve been through a lot that they need to risk war with us? I mean, the Storm King did raid a whole lot of towns and cities whilst trying to invade the continent to fill up his supplies.

DE: That raises even more questions. What does Equestria have that could warrant a conquest? What’s one planet compared to… Oh.

PR: Dragonlord, what wrong?

DE: We are a whole new universe on the other side of the portal. Maybe they want a means of colonising a new reality without the oversight of their Galactic Council?

PC: If that were the case they would be wasting even more time and resources just to develop this planet into something that could achieve spaceflight and the Therans have a tendency to be prudent with their spending.

QN: Pftt, tell me about it. Their Recruitment Offices were built hiring a workforce of their own instead of hiring from my hippogriffs, yet they insisted on using local resources to build them. They practically paid their rent with my Kingdom’s stuff, yet employees running the offices won’t be able to pay us back through taxes due to not being my subjects. Sure, hippogriffs who want to join their ranks get paid, but so little of what they earn end up back in the Kingdom due to Tax exemptions and dual citizenship.

CG: Huh, that never happened on our end. Sure they hired their own folks to run their joints in Griffonstone, but all their building material they used were from their own pockets when they set up shop. ‘Sides, most griffons who got back from “Volunteering” brought home serious bits. Then suddenly more Theran investors showed up to set up trade stations and mines for jobs and stuff. They hired locals for miners, we get paid, they sell goods, we buy goods, everygriff is happy.

(Table slam audible.)

PR: All getting out of topic! King Thorax, if humans want war and if plan war, why then not make war sooner?

(A long pause.)

KT: I don't know. Maybe they had second thoughts? Maybe they thought we weren't worth the trouble? Maybe they have bigger problems on their side of the portal? Maybe they thought it would be easier to conquer us through economics instead of force? Maybe they thought we are better off as trading partners rather than subjects?

Look, I won't pretend that I know the full picture of what the League of Nations plans for our world, but from what little we know of it is enough just cause to get involved. Especially with Equestria on the line.

DE: What’s that supposed to mean? What does it matter if Equestria loses or not?

KT: Equestria is the most powerful nation in our world, and for all their shortcomings they are still our best chance against internal and external threats. If Equestria falls, there will be nothing standing between us and everything that threatens the world. None of us combined have the industry, ponypower, infrastructure, economy, technology, and magic to stabilise the planet, much less control the sun and moon. If we sit back and watch Equestria defeated we might as well hoof over the entire planet to the League of Nations.

CG: Hmph. You make it sound like it's a bad thing.

KT: It is! Look at their history: They’ve spent tens of thousands of years killing each other and then somehow managed to conquer their own corner of their galaxy in the last thirty years. A species like that didn’t go from being trapped in their own planet to a Galactic Power without a lot of planning, scheming, and killing. They've already defeated five alien powers for crying out loud! They are dangerous!

CG: Oh that is big coming from a Changeling.

PC: Thorax, are you listening to yourself? I thought you of all creatures would never stoop so low as to be a racist!

KT: I am not being racist, Cadence, I'm being pragmatic! Believe me, I don't like talking like this! Heck, I've made friends with several other humans over these last five years. It's their governments that pose a threat to us all!

The way Pharynx and I figured, a war with the League of Nations was only a matter of when, not if. The Princesses probably figured this as well, but the way I see it, the longer they wait and prepare for war the more vulnerable they become. By the time they are truly ready for it, their population could be drastically smaller and our alliance could already be brought out by the Therans.

PC: You're implying then that my aunts started this war as a pre-emptive strike against the Therans?

KT: It's a possibility, although it still could be just for the Conversion Bureau's population solution. I don’t know why they would choose conversion as a cause to go to war, we can only speculate. That said, there may be more layers to this conflict than we realise.

QN: I'm more surprised that the alicorns didn't let you in on the loop, Princess Cadence.

PC: Celestia seemed adamant that the Crystal Empire remain out of it.

DE: Sounds to me like they want everypony else out of it.

KT: We cannot risk that. Losing Equestria might mean we're next.

CG: How can you be sure of that? Planning an invasion of our planet is one thing, that fact that they told Equestria to buzz off and close the portal says otherwise.

PR: While griffon has point, who can say humans won't change mind when war escalate?

KT: Exactly. And considering how far Equestria already pushed into the planet, a white peace is no longer an option.

QN: Alright, say we do throw our lot into this war, what exactly is the end goal? It doesn't sit right with me that we comply with Equestria's peace terms.

KT: I think we can safely say that none of us would agree to the conversion of half of Thera's population into ponies. It's unethical, and would lead to massive problems for Equus in the long run. It also doesn't make sense considering both Princess Celestia and Minister General Truman made a deal to cure the gene defect of infertility two years ago.

PC: Wait, come again?

KT: Oh right, I forgot to mention my infiltrators intercepted a communication between those two a while back.

DE: Anything else you forgot to mention that we should know?!

Train Conductor: Train approaching Canterlot! Approximately ten minutes!

PC: Perhaps it would be better if we table this discussion with the rest of the Equestrian Alliance.

QN: Agreed. Although, the information that King Thorax acquired should remain classified until we can properly decide what to do with it.

CG: That I can agree on.

DE: You can't be serious. You want us to keep this a secret from the rest of the alliance council?

QN: No, I want this information inside of a watertight safe and tossed into a trench until we know more. If we disclose this information in the alliance meeting we could have a panic on our hooves. Best we save it as a trump card until the opportunity presents itself.

PR: All in favour?

(Pause)

PR: All opposed?

The file containing the transcript was tossed on top of a desk. Minister General Riza Truman eyed it wearily before glancing up to the agent that presented the file. A gold coated unicorn with a fiery red mane glared at her with barely contained rage.

“You have some explaining to do, Minister General Truman,” growled Sunset Shimmer, Agent of the Secret Global Intelligence.

Author's Note

G'day all!
I have just finished this after work and am now half asleep. Please let me know how it is and if there are any inconsistencies or errors, do let me know and I'll fix them later.