That Night, around 2000 Hours
Ponyville Plaza
====

As night settled down over Equestria, the town of Ponyville was brightly lit, a celebration in full swing. Pinkie Pie, who had been rescued from a slave convoy near Cloudsdale earlier in the day, had thrown a particularly big party for everyone in town, humans included as the guests of honor.

While a large group of soldiers still remained on guard to defend against any attacks that should come, and a few P47s and P51Ds flew overhead to watch against hostile airships, many of the troops were dining, drinking a rationed amount of Apple Family cider, and having a good time.

Off to the side, Badger Team and Lt. Redford were sitting in a large tent, watching the festivities. Each man had a large plate of food and two cups of cider, and they were laughing and swapping stories with each other.

"Not a bad party." Thom Jackson said, his normally quiet nature put aside for the moment. "Hard to believe we're still at war."

"Amen to that." Tim Drake added. "Speaking of, I thought the Generals would be here."

"They're working in the command center on our next move against the enemy." Redford said. "That's why our cider for tonight was either rationed or non-alcoholic. We can't be soldiers and drunk at the same time."

"Right." Wilson nodded as Bryan Cox downed a swig of cider. "So, Redford, I heard Cloudsdale is a city that literally floats in the sky on clouds. How are we going to fight if that's the case?"

"I reckon the Equestrians will have something to help with that." Redford replied. "I can see your point though."

Redford finished his glass of water and sighed.

"Alright men, let's call it a night. We've got a busy day tomorrow."

"Oorah." Drake nodded as the soldiers returned to their tents to unload their gear, before collapsing onto their sleeping bags.

====

In Canterlot, the once-proud and illuminated city was now darkened by the Caribou presence. A few buildings, many of which were slave houses or brothels, had lights on, but most other buildings did not.

Inside Canterlot Palace, King Dainn watched as his generals assembled for a War Council. They filed in quietly before taking their seats, Dainn snorting in boredom.

"What is there to report?" he spoke.

"The humans have managed to secure Ponyville and have derailed several of our slave caravans." General Riale, who commanded the troops in Baltimare, said gravely. "They are confined to the town and its surrounding lands, but there is no indication of how long that will last."

"How many are there?" Dainn huffed, slightly frustrated.

"We do not know, but our best estimates say more than 10,000." General Halran, in command at Manehattan, added. "Their war machines and weapons are far more powerful than our own. We have yet to capture any of them in order to find out how they work without magic."

"I expect to have that knowledge ready soon, Halran." Dainn replied. "What else?"

"We have reinforced the garrison at Cloudsdale with 1000 additional troops." General Sculas, who led the troops at the mentioned city, spoke. "I have also ensured that once they attack, they won't be able to fight for long amongst the surface of the city streets."

"Good." Dainn sighed. "I do expect more...tasteful news going forward, my friends. You are dismissed."

As the generals bowed and left, Dainn turned lazily towards the window. The Realm of Equestria belonged to him, and all it contained were his spoils. However, the human's arrival sundered many of his plans. The Equestrians fought hard to defend their home, but the Caribou's ferocity and sheer numbers won that battle..

But now it seemed that a new war had begun, and the Caribou were not favored to win as of this moment. The humans were growing bolder and more powerful with each day, and Dainn needed something to turn the tide long enough to gain the advantage or even take the offensive.

However, he had no such miracle at his disposal currently. Deciding now to retire with his favorite concubines, Celestia and Luna, he returned to his chambers to enjoy the rest of his night.

====

As the dawn came, General Eisenhower entered the command tent to see Twilight Sparkle waiting for him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, noting her expression.

"It seems the Caribou realized that our attack on Cloudsdale was coming soon." Twilight said. ''They've sent additional troops and have fortified the city. They also changed the structure of the clouds to keep your troops unable to stand on them."

"I see." Eisenhower replied. "That is a problem to solve, Princess. Though, I have an idea if you'd care to entertain it."

"Like what?" Twilight asked.

"If we can play our cards right, we won't need infantry to take Cloudsdale." Eisenhower said, looking at a map. "There's four landing stations near the city. We capture them, we'll cut off their supply of food and water, among other necessary provisions. A position like that is no good if you can't keep your men fed to defend it."

"So we'll starve them into surrendering." Twilight said, astonished. "Brutal, but effective, I suppose."

"Agreed, but we'll have to move fast." Eisenhower said. "They're going to be expecting us soon, and they'll have their defenses shored up as a result. And we're starting to feel the need for reinforcements ourselves.'

"So what's the plan?" Twilight asked. Eisenhower turned to the map once more and smiled.

"Once we get some additional troops, we'll give the Caribou their own version of Vicksburg." he spoke. "I'll alert the US that we need additional troops."

"And I'll see what I can do to make this battle go easier." Twilight said as they exited the tent. "And what happened at Vicksburg, General Eisenhower?"

"If our plan works, what happened to the Confederacy at Vicksburg will happen again to the Caribou." he smirked proudly. "Not pleasant in the slightest, but pleasantries won't win battles."

As they proceeded to Gateway field in a jeep to send the message of needed reinforcements, the soldiers began to prepare for battle.

Author's Notes:

A long awaited update!