"Sir." An envelope was slid onto his desk for review.

President Marshall reached for it, popping it open. There was more than one thing in there. The first, a medical and psychological exam of the former president. By every measure, he was still devoted to the country of his birth. Minus the negative point for recent contact with foreign powers, which he had admitted fully, they were ready to give him formal security clearance.

Marshall himself didn't have that. Most politicians didn't. You were voted in, and it just became assumed. The logistics of running them all through the process would be overwhelming, and many of them would fail.

His time as president was coming to a close, and he had a few choices. He could try to hold onto power, and go down in history poorly for it, or he could do it magnanimously, and be known as a faithful steward during trying times. One way led to a political future, the other...

He had to finish something before it became too late to do so...

Marshall looked to see what else was in the envelope. A transcript, translated. It was the entire meeting between the princess and the air force major. It included their actions, a full blow by blow of what exactly they did when.

There was one specific thing on it that was clear. The major had broken no policy. He had made no attempt to hide from being recorded, and had acted dutifully. Even in the unusual circumstance, he had procured credible intel while providing basically nothing to a potential enemy.

Part of him wanted to hurry off and finish Luna's interrogation, but he read the report fully. Knowing it could influence what he asked, he had determined, so he began to read thoroughly and carefully.

"We have all that the ponies will give." The she-cat turned, hand at her chin, a far-off look in her eyes, scowling at something in the distance. "We know what to look for. It's time to take things to the things that can fight back." She threw one hand out, only to bring it together with her other in a smart slap. "It was easy up to now, as if the ponies know how to fight. They don't even understand what it means."

An avian male clacked his beak. "What would you have us do then, oh high commander?"

"Don't bother calling me that unless you mean it, and I know you don't." She drew a pointer from a pocket and slapped it against a map. "Here is the rough map of their homeland. They defend their skies with a religious zeal. Marching on land? Prepare to be hurt."

A diamond dog grunted softly. "So how we attack?"

"Glad you asked, specifically." She grinned ferally at the dog, collapsing the pointer between her hands. "They don't tunnel, at least in any way that isn't slow. If we come from beneath them, we will have the element of surprise. If we can get in, strike hard, and get out without ever seeing the sun or moon, even better."

She slammed her right hand against the map. "This is where their airship came from. We hit it, take everything we can, get away. But we can't make it too obvious. Don't worry, I have a plan..."

"Novo!" A seapony swam towards her with a frantic look in her eyes. "Queen!"

Novo pivoted in place with a twist of her fins to face the incoming subject. "What is wrong? You look..."

"It's awful!" The pony came within a foot, her hoof-fins pressed together. "They caught us!"

"Slow down. Who caught who?" She raised a brow, looking over the frightened form of the sea mare. "Start from the start and work forward."

"We, um, we were just swimming." She swam in place a moment. "It was a nice day and everything, but suddenly, pow!" She slapped her fins together, bubbles streaming from her mouth. "We were in a big net!"

Novo grunted softly, her feathery ornaments seeming to stand taller. "Who put my people in nets?! You escaped, I see?"

"I was the only one," she whimpered. "The others are still caught. It was a vulpin and some dogs. Please, save them!" She made a pleading motion with her hooves, tears floating away from her eyes into the water, salt lost in salt.

"We became too complacent..." The arrival of the humans had lulled them into thinking they were safe. "None are to come near the surface!" she bellowed out in a shockwave of volume. "Save guards acting at my behest, or within a stone's throw of human lands."

The mare shrank back, cowed by the outburst. Novo set a fin gently on her subject. "Be at ease. We will rescue them."

A hopeful smile spread on her face. "Thank you, Queen Novo." She bowed so low she was basically bent in half. "Please... thank you..."

Twilight appeared with a shimmer of light. The rooftop was quite familiar to her. "Hello? (Hello?)" She turned about slowly, unsure how the humans saw her there, but knowing they did. "(I have news. It's very important.)"

The security guard that was posted by the cameras could see her, but not hear her. Having all the cameras broadcasting their audio at once would have been a confused jumble of nothing. "(The purple one returns.)" He reached to press the button to summon the audio on that camera.

"(--is vitally important. Can I speak to someone in charge, or who can get a message to someone who is? Please.)" She was looking around a little frantically, though what for wasn't immediately obvious. "(This door is locked, and I don't want to send the wrong message bypassing it.)"

She had not been so talkative last time, especially not with words they knew. He moved a finger to a new button. "(Hey.)"

Twilight smiled brightly, turning to face the speaker and rushing towards it at an eager trot. "(Hello! I am Twilight Sparkle, do you remember me?)"

"(It would be hard to forget you. You're really not supposed to come in from the roof. Can you come in through the front door?)"

Twilight wandered away from the speaker to peek over the side of the building. "(May I? I have no objection to doing that, but I was hoping to avoid... issues?)"

"(Technically, you're not allowed up there.)"

Her wings popped out to either side. "(I didn't know!)" She took flight almost instantly, as if the ground were made of lava. "(Please don't see that as an attack.)"

"(Our laws are terribly behind on regulating people that can fly under their own power. I suppose you're technically allowed to fly just over the roof.)" He was smiling as he considered how that legal case would go. "(Anyway, I'm not saying you should be arrested, just that you should come down and walk in the front door.)"

"(If that won't cause an issue...)" She vanished from the camera, diving over the edge.

He watched as she passed from camera to camera, rapidly descending to the front door. People reacted with shock, but she was saying... something. He switched which audio he was hearing.

"(--in peace, I promise.)" She smiled in that uncannily human way. "(I will now go inside and talk to people.)" She landed gently on the sidewalk and started to trot for the door. "(Have a nice day.)"

She strode inside, the door opening with the glow of her magic as she approached it, but the glow faded away, the door seeming to open itself suddenly, swinging under its own power. "Curious..." She went past it and reached the security check.

People were in line, putting their things in a curious device before walking under another curious device. She moved to join them, figuring that was the proper way to do things. She peered at the bins that people filled with... things... unsure what was supposed to be a thing she put in a bin.

The guards noticed her. They would have had to be blind to not notice her. Everyone noticed the horse alien that was acting like it was normal for her to casually join the line. "(Please... put all metal objects in a bin,)" instructed one of them, pointing to the small plastic bins.

Oh! "(Alright.)" With a glowing horn, she began to empty her pockets of all things metal, filling a tray with a few baubles. "(Like that?)"

"(Perfect...)" The guard nudged the bin towards the X-ray machine. "(When it is your turn, walk through there slowly, then you can have your things back.)"

With a smile, she did just that, starting forward, but his hand cut her off. "Hmm?"

He pointed at her crown.

"Oh!" She magiced the crown off and set it in the bin. "(I forgot.)" With a little nervous giggle she made it through the metal detector. She had vital news to deliver.

Marshall set the paper down, drumming his fingers on the table beside it. "(Like a furry saint.)" She had requested nothing but peace. She hadn't even pressed about her sister. She was a walking natural disaster waiting to happen, and all she wanted was the end of the conflict.

And she was their leader.

His phone rang and he snatched it up. "(Hello?)"

"(Mr. President, an agent of the Equestrians has arrived at Anchorage's town hall,)" explained a male voice.

"(What are they doing?)" That was the important part, in his mind. "(Is everyone alright?)"

"(She's told everyone that looks like they're in charge that Equestria has formally ended the war. All soldiers are being demobilized and returned to their homes.)"

Just... like that? "(We need confirmation. Get me that, yesterday.)" He wasn't sure how to feel. Technically, that was great news. Their attacker had given up, and without conditions. Well, that went both ways. They had offered nothing, and requested nothing.

"(A sudden movement of soldiers should be easy to monitor.)"

"(On it, Sir. Anything else, Sir? Should we do anything about their agent?)"

"(If she is there to deliver a message, she isn't to be stopped... Keep eyes on her at all times. See if you can't get her to fill out a few papers. Diplomats have rules, and knowing who we're talking to would be good.)" He set a hand down on his desk, leaning on it with the phone crooked to his ear. "(If she refuses, let her go. We can insist on that later.)"

"(Yes, Sir.)"

Luna looked up as footsteps approached her cell. "Your people," called the president just before he came into view. "--have given up. The fight is over, they claim."

Luna's ears pricked up as she sat up. Was she abandoned? "Is it?"

"We are checking that." He tapped at one of the bars. "Would they lie about that?"

"It would be... difficult to imagine it... Will you be releasing me?"

"You are still a (criminal) ... person who did bad." He faced her directly, examining her as he spoke. "In modern (law), you would normally be (immune) to such things, but modern ... rules... also presume that heads of state do not... actually... lead their forces in (terrorist) attacks. You were not there to talk. Do you deny that?"

Luna rose to her hooves, chains rattling. "I was defending my people from an overwhelming menace. I will not admit 'guilt' to doing the right thing by my people."

"You were personally present when great damage was inflicted on us. Do you remember it? You saw it, right?"

"I did," she did not deny. "We put to death your metal dragons."

"Your people will pay."

Luna suddenly darted forward, chains going taught as she crashed into their most extended, growling at the man. "You threaten them, to my face?!"

"Not a threat, fact. Your people caused the damage, they will pay it back. We have caused almost no material damage in this conflict. This is... fair." He turned back the way he had come. "There are... consequences to your actions."

"You killed ten of ours for every one of yours we claimed," she howled, chains rattling as she thrashed and struggled. "Where is the justice in this?!"

Author's Notes:

Peace is here... maybe? Looks like the original Pres is on the way back.

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