Celestia and Twilight reappeared in a flash, inside The Throne Room. As Celestia sat down, she sighed in exhaustion.

"You okay, Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"I am late raising the sun." Celestia replied. "It drains my strength."

"Then why's it rising?" Twilight asked, noting the bright glow on the horizon.

"Ah, yes. I forgot I asked Luna to cover for me when I left to board the Traveler. I guess I'm just tired, then." Celestia said.'

"You certainly seem to be."

Twilight and Celestia looked over at Princess Luna, who walked in.

"I've been looking for you, Sister." Luna said. "Where did you go off to?"

"Well, I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Celestia replied. "And it's quite the long story."

"I see. Does it have to do with the fleet of vessels that occupt Ponyville harbor, and are currently sending the citizenry into a frenzy?" Luna asked, pointing to the UN fleet.

"It does." Celestia said. "They're allies. Twilight and I met with the humans aboard those ships. Surely you recieved the reports from the battle?"

"I haven't gotten any reports..." Luna started, when a scroll appeared in front of her face. She read it, sighed, and put it away.

"Scratch that. I have gotten a report as of now." Luna replied.

"Well, first, we need to clam everypony down." Twilight said. "Then, we can ask Eisenhower to commence with his address."

"Right." Celestia replied. "How are we going to contact them?"

"Maybe we use this?" Spike said, holding up a military-issue radio.

"Where'd you ge that?" Twilight asked.

"Paige gave it to me before we left. Said if we needed it, we hit the switch, make the little marker move to 90, and we talk." Spike did so, and picked up the mic.

"Hey, anyone there?"

"I'm here, Spike." came Paige's voice. "How are things on your end? I notice you got that radio working, as it seems to me."

"Just now." Celestia said, taking the mic. "My citizens are in a panic. They apparently believe your fleet arriving was the end of the world."

"Sorry about that." Paige replied. "Eisenhower's ready to give the address once everything's good on your end."

"Sounds fine." Celestia said. "Any word on the Soviets you mentioned would come?"

"They just arrived, actually. A bit more south and what we wanted them to end up, but not too off-couse. Admiral Ashurkov radioed that he and his thirty ships would be arriving momentarily. Any word on the Caribou's status?"

"Nothing yet." Celestia replied.

"Well, no news is good news, so, clean things up on your end, we'll prepare on ours. See you soon."

"See you soon." Celestia replied. Spike shut off the radio and sighed.

"We'll have a riot when this gets out."

"Not on the watch of three alicorns, and soon to be four." Celestia said.

"Cadance and Shining are coming?" Twilight asked, instantly perked up.

"Yes. They are coming with Crystal Guard reinforcements. I daresay we'll have a fun time explaining our new allies." Luna said, looking outside.

"Speaking of..." Twilight said. "Why'd you ask for me and Spike to come alone?"

"Because I needed a pony who could keep this quiet until was no longer needed. The Elements of Harmony suddenly disappearing? That would cause quite a stir." Celestia said.

"I see. Well, let's go calm down the citizenry." Twilight said. As she and Celestia walked out towards the city, Luna looked at the report.

The Caribou were caught completely off-guard by the human attack. They fled in droves, with humans and strange war-machines pursuing. Caribou sages attemtped to possess them, but were unsucessful. The humans have also captured a Caribou General named Prias, who is being held at Forward Camp Eleven under heavy guard. Captured Caribou have dubbed the humans the "Iron Liberators". Scouts have also reported the Caribou have retreated to the Blue Cliff river....

Luna rolled the scroll up and looked out the window. As the new Minister of War, through her brief service, she had never known the Caribou to retreat under a Pony assault, preferring to fight until killed. But the humans forced them back and sent them running in a shambles so easily. Luna was impressed, but also scared.

"Iron Liberators...." she sighed. "What a fitting name."

She set the scroll away and walked towards the rooms where the Elements were staying.

=======================================

As Eisenhower and several Wolfpack soldiers boarded the C-47, along with Paige, he smiled.

"Sir?" Paige said. "We're ready to take off for the capital. Celestia just wired us the location of a temporary airstrip."

"Good. Let's get going when the Soviets arrive." Eisernhower said.

"Sir?" a soldier said. "The Soivets have boarded the Traveler and are ready to depart."

"Good. Bring them here." Eisenhower said. Soon, a large, burly man in Soviet General's attire boarded the plane and hastily but warmly shook hands with Eisenhower.

"I presume you are the Admiral Ashurkov?" Eisenhower asked.

"Da, my friend. I am Admiral Vosil Ashurkov. A pleasure, Supreme Commander." Ashurkov replied, booming with laughter.

"The pleasure is ours, Admiral. Shall we get going?"

"Let's!" Ashurkov replied as the two of them sat down. Paige soon boarded with a second Soviet General, and the two of them were in deep conversation. As the C-47 soared into the sky, Eisenhower glanced at the landscape.

"This world is beautiful.' Ashurkov said. "Pity it is at war with such a...barbaric species."

"It is a pity, admiral." Eisenhower replied. "Let's see they don't cause any more trouble for the Equestrians again when we are through with them."

Ashurkov nodded heartily. After an hour-long flight, they landed. Eisenhower, Ashurkov, General Kovelai, and Paige walked out of the plane to meet Celestia and Luna, who approaced them. As introductions proceeded, they were escorted to the main hall, where a makeshift press room had been set up.

"Now it seems it's your turn to face the press." Celestia joked, to which the humans laughed.

"It does seem that way. Let's get our seats." Eisenhower said. As the humans sat down, the reporters filed in, along with several nobles. Celestia cleared her throat, and spoke.

"Ponies...we have an ally in our fight. The humans of Earth have come to join our cause against the Caribou. They willingly sided with us, and made an assault on Caribou lines of their own accord, with such ferocity that the Caribou retreated sevearl miles to the Blue Cliff River."

There were murmurs of shock and awe.

"Human lives had joined our dead, and their "United Nations" has promised to continue the fight, no matter the cost. We started this war as the underdogs, when we fled from the Caribou onslaught. Now, we are rising up, and we will take back what we have lost, and more. For Equestria and for the future, we will fight for peace until peace is achieved."

There was a loud round of applause.

"Supreme Commander Eisenhower will speak now."

Eisenhower took the microphone.

"Equestrians, and to those who inhabit this world, I send my greetings. I am Allied Supreme Commander Dwight David Eisenhower, with my associates, General Ryan Paige, and representatives of the Soviet Union, Admiral Ashurkov and Kovelai. We arrived in this world to answer a strange message, one of pleading for help. When we arrived we found ourselves in a situation of nothing liek we had seen before. We had long believed that we were the only sentient life known. That changed quickly. During our negotiations with the Equestrian Diarchy, Caribou attempted to board our flagship. We detained them, and then sent them packing. Soon, we launched an assault on thea Caribou lines. Our tally stands that for every soldier we lost, three to five Caribou were taken with that soldier."

There were murmurs of shock and disbelief.

"Believe me, I know." Eisenhower said. "I've seen my fair share of warfare. Humanity as a whole has seen more than a fair share of warfare. But know this. We will fight until the war is won. I promise this to the Diarchy, to the Citizens of Equestria, and to the world. To the Caribou, I offer you this...."

"My God have mercy on your souls." Eisnehower finished. There was such uproarious applause that Celestia had to use magic to calm the crowd. Then, Eisenhower and Ashurkov both shook hands with Celestia, as reporters's cameras flashed. Paige adn Korelai watched this with determination.

"Think we'll see action soon?" Paige asked Korelai, who nodded gravely.

"I pray..." Korelai said. "That God feels merciful to these monsters and takes only their souls."

============================

Far away, in the Caribou capital, Dainn presided over a war council with his Generals regarding the recent human assault.

"Many of our warriors are dead." A general stated. "General Doruse reports that the Blue Cliff River is one of the last secure territories we hold in Equestria."

"What of the....humans?" Dainn spat with disgust.

"They are fortifying their lines and holding position at the Equestrian lines." a second General said. "Any attempts to get near to their lines have resulted in failure."

"What of the northern holdings?" Dainn asked, pointing to the Crystal Empire.

"The Generals there are holding firm, but without reinforcements, there will not be enough warriors left to mount an offensive."

"Then strike while we still have power." Dainn said. "Attack the Empire."

"Your highness, the Empire is a stone's throw away from the current Human lines!" A general protested. "Human forces could be there in an hour!"

"DO YOU RISE AGAINST YOUR KING?" Dainn bellowed. The General backed up, shaking.

"I want every available warrior in the northern territories ready on a minute's notice. The assault will begin at dusk." Dainn said.

The Generals bowed and left. As they exited, one General sighed.

"Do you think we'll be able to take the Empire?"

"No." General Revias said. "We will most certainly be crushed."

"And if we are crushed?"

"Then pray the Iron Liberators take only the spoils of war, and nothing more." Next Chapter: Chapter 5-Crystal War Estimated time remaining: 18 Minutes