The citizens of Pegasopolis were in dire straights.

Indeed, the Commander who I had last spoken with hadn't been lying.

They had resorted to cannibalism.

Roughly a third of the total population had starved to death, and had been subsequently eaten.

Several of my Pegasi had taken me up in one of their chariots. I wasn't able to leave said chariot, but what I saw was enough.

The streets were dirty and uncared for. Grime had accumulated in the nooks and crannies of the admittingly impressive structures. But the worse part was the bones that you'd occasionally see in the dark corners of the city.

Not only could you see the marks of Pony teeth, but they had been boiled clean to make soup.

I shuddered to think how many times you had to boil bones to make them utterly clean.

It had gotten so bad, the only reason Pegasopolis had surrendered in the first place was because the citizens and the common soldiers had revolted against their own congress and officers.

Those were the Pegasi that were having their feathers torn out and then thrown over the edge.

The only reason they weren't thrown into a pot themselves was because the calls to surrender had been so common and loud, that the admiralty had enforced a strict curfew. The citizens could only leave their homes at noon for their rations of watery soup.

The plan was to execute the officers and politicians and immediately surrender.

But I had interrupted that plan when I shot my ray upwards and drew all of their attention. As such, we now had nearly a dozen officers and former members of their congress as prisoner, who hadn't been thrown over the edge yet.

I didn't hesitate to allow the starving Ponies access to our stores.

The prisoners I had already taken had been appalled by the state their comrades were in. While they had been well fed, and even provided decent living quarters after the first time I had talked to them, the Pegasi fresh from Pegasopolis had their ribs showing and a haggard, haunted look in their eyes.

Needless to say, it didn't take much goading to secure their loyalty after seeing their fellows.

After that, the feast I had initially ordered to force their surrender quickly grew into a victory festival.

With Pegasopolis emptied of its inhabitants, the long sealed storerooms and stowed wagons and carts were once more brought to the surface, providing makeshift stages for musicians and amateur actors to perform. The tables that had been made were even brought up, letting the Ponies feast around honest campfires to the open evening sky for the first time in nearly a month.

I didn't even bother controlling the flow of alcohol.

Let them celebrate. Stars knew I wanted to. Maybe not with ale or dance, maybe a small celebration with my closest confidants instead. But I sat in my quarters throughout the whole event. Pouring over a map I had been provided of the city of Unicornia and scheming.

After the slow crawl of the siege with Pegasopolis I knew my soldiers needed to relax, but I couldn't. My task was not yet completed.

After Casúrdomhain and Pegasopolis, I was confident that I could sack Unicornia. But I didn't want to get complacent.

Somepony at my door knocked as I was placing pebbles around the map I had been given. I had gathered a sizable collection of pebbles to act as pieces for me to plan with. Currently, I had a sort of dark grey collection gathered in and around Unicornia, and three different pebbles along the edge. Brown for Earth Ponies, white for Pegasi, and light grey for Unicorns.

"Come in." I called out, glancing over the map and all the pebbles I had placed.

The door creaked open as Captain Comet poked his head in.

"General?" he asked. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Come in and take a seat." I nodded.

The stallion tentatively entered, allow the door to close behind him. I carefully slid the Unicornia map off to the side, not disturbing my pebbles and looked up at the stallion as he sat down.

"So... What's this all about?" he asked.

"A few things I want to bring up with you actually." I started. "In your opinion, how's the state of Pegasopolis? Both the city and the Ponies."

"Oh... Uh." he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's hard seeing the city like that. It was always so well kept and tidy when I was a colt..."

"How about the structure itself? How damaged is it?"

"Oh that held up pretty well all things considered. But I wouldn't rely on using the city if that's what you're planning there."

"How do you mean?"

"Well... Ok, brief history lesson." he started to explain. "Pegasopolis was founded by the Alicorns, before the Flight. So it was made with their magic. Magic we Pegasi have since forgotten."

"Hm." I hummed in thought.

"We can maintain and fix it, but anything that is destroyed is lost forever. That's why Pegasopolis isn't risked as much as you'd think."

"I see." I nodded. "So it would be a bad idea to use it in the fight against Unicornia?"

"A very bad idea." he replied. "I'm not even sure if the wound you yourself gave it can be fixed. The pieces of that arm may not work properly ever again."

"Shit." I swore.

I was still certain I could take Unicornia without Pegasopolis, but I'd have preferred to have it with me.

It would've been nice to be behind the lightning rather than in front of it for a change.

"So what would you recommend in regards to the city itself?" I continued.

"Well..." he breathed, his eyes looking away in thought. "I certainly wouldn't take it with us to Unicornia if that's what your thinking... But the weather workshops still work. If you send the Pegasopolis South to Everfree City, growing weather for the farms can be made to increase the harvest while the City is being repaired."

"That's certainly a possibility." I agreed. "How many Ponies would it take to crew the city? To take it South I mean."

"With any degree of speed? Around 200 minimum. You can get it going faster with more though."

"How long would it take with 200?" I asked.

"Two weeks? A month maybe? It depends on the wind."

"I see..." I trailed off in thought. "How about the inhabitants then? How are they?"

"They've been through a lot. I wouldn't put any strain on them if you can help it." he shook his head.

"I agree." I nod. "But that leads into my next question, where do you think their loyalties lie? If I were to put them back into Pegasopolis, along with enough food for the journey, would they take the city South without going rogue?"

"That's..." The stallion trailed off. "A bit harder to say. I could see most of them doing it no problem. Especially after we saved them from starvation. But there'll always be the few who like the old ways. Those ones might convince the rest to continue raiding."

"Yes. That's what I'm afraid of." I nodded.

"Ah." he responded.

"Here's my proposal;" I continued. "You, 200 Pegasi soldiers you trust, and the Master Weathersmiths, take Pegasopolis South. You then lead the garrison and keep Pegasopolis above Everfree City. Get some laborers from the populace and clean up the city. If you get it up and running quick enough, you can bring it back North to assist with Unicornia. Maybe not as a front line option, but as support."

The stallion's eyes were glazed over in thought.

"... Yeah. That could work."

"Excellent. Did you have anything else to add-"

Knock knock knock.

"Luna?" came the voice of Tia from behind the door. "Are you still working Lu?"

I couldn't help but sigh quietly.

"Come in Tia." I called out.

The door creaked open again as Tia's head appeared.

"Lu I- Oh! I didn't know you already had a visitor." she said, her ears pinning back in embarrassment.

"You're fine Tia. I think we were just finishing... You didn't have anything to add did you Comet?" I asked the stallion who looked between me and Tia.

"Uh... N-Nope! All good!" He awkwardly smiled.

What was his problem?

"Excellent. Then you have things to do and a feast to attend." I waved him away.

"Uh... R-right!" he jumped off the stool and brushed past Tia. "Pardon me Mayor Celestia." he nodded respectfully as he left out of the door Tia still partially held open.

"Come in Tia. You're always welcome here." I waved a hoof, gesturing that she could enter.

"That's... Partially why I'm here Lu." she said, not entering the room.

"Oh?" I asked, curious on what she meant.

"This party out here is yours as much as it is your army's. Why are you cooped up in here like a chicken?" she asked.

"I'm busy thinking over how I'm going to take Unicornia." I said simply. "I don't want to celebrate when my job is still unfinished."

"But Lu! Unicornia is weeks away on hoof! You'll have plenty of time to do that while on the road!" she protested.

"No I won't." I stated. "Everything that can go wrong will go wrong, and it'll fall to me to decide how to fix it."

"Lu you have Ponies to deal with that." Tia chided.

"Look Tia... Ugh." I rested my head on the crate I had made into a table and put my hooves over my head. "I- I'm sorry. But I can't allow myself to enjoy it until I'm totally done. And that won't be until after Unicornia."

Tia looked at me sadly.

"Lu... Are you sure? You don't have to stay the whole-"

"Tia." I interrupted, looking up. "Please."

"I- Alright Lu." she said sadly, backing up towards the door. "I'll... See if I can save you a plate."

"Thank you Tia. I appreciate it."

The door clicked shut.

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