"What conditions are those?" Celestia asked with steely tones, tense and wary. "You are not in a good position for negotiations on that front, but I will hear it."

"Only one." He held up a lone finger. "We ask that Equestria be the state we surrender to, that our fates be entirely in your ha--ooves."

Celestia's ears danced as she considered the condition. A surrender to her people? "We do not own puppet states. Your people would be reformed and rebuilt. Your council re-established with caring people, hopefully so this will never happen again." She began to relax just a little. "America should have little problem with that. They have done good with the Storm King's lands. This is hardly different."

"That is all I ask." He waved a hand towards some others that were standing there, witnessing the exchange with confused and alarmed faces. "Don't just stand there gawking! She is our ruler until she decides we are ready to stand on our own hooves."

"I will not be your 'ruler'." Celestia turned to the others. "Your people need you, not to fight, but to rebuild, not just buildings, but broken dreams and injured hearts. Great injuries have been inflicted on your nation, let us begin mending them. There is one matter I would ask..." She looked back to the new leader of the minotaurs. "Your last attack... It caused a great deal of damage, and mostly to those unable or unwilling to fight. I have learned the meaning of the word 'civilian', and the majority of those slain fall under the term."

She took a step towards him. "Why? I would know. It could not win you the war. As the Americans already announced, you did not even blunt their military ability, but you left vast fields of misery and anger. You created nothing but destruction, and I would know the why of it."

"In his last days..." He glanced towards the shriveled husk that was their former leader. "He became more withdrawn and did not confide in many the full meaning of his orders. It is a sobering reminder of why a council is required, so no one bull's thoughts can determine the fate of the rest of us."

Celestia raised a brow high. "Such a thing... surely required a great deal of coordination, and he did that without saying what he was doing? How?"

"Each was told what they needed to know." He turned a hand palm-side up as he turned to the side, his hooves striking the metal beneath them in a pacing. "The diamond dogs were paid to provide safe travel to the targets. Each commander was told which tunnel to use. We--" He gestured between himself and the others there. "were not involved once the armies left our country, and he spoke to the field officers privately. What he told them, we couldn't say."

Celestia felt a wing twitching. Part of her wanted to bludgeon the bull that held the answers, but would never share them, but striking a corpse would surely bring no good. "I see... What did you think you were doing?"

"Precise military strikes," he answered without hesitation. "Against strategically critical points that would cripple our enemies."

"You almost had one..." She remembered the reports. Had Canterlot fallen... "But most were not at the heart of our industry or fighting abilities. You attacked our people."

"Do you think our people have been spared?!" he suddenly shouted. He took a slow breath, straightening himself out. "Apologies. Let us simply agree that the world has suffered at his madness. Can we move past it?"

President Smith grabbed for his phone. Princess Celestia? "Hello?"

"President... Smith was it? Hello."

"That's me. Apologies for the musical presidents. It's not a habit we try for. How can I help you today, Princess?" He leaned back in his chair a little. A chat with a horse princess? He could use a little whimsy in his life.

"I carry important news. I have secured the surrender of the Council's remaining leadership. The nation of the minotaurs has been dissolved and is under Equestrian care until a new council can be appointed and their people restored."

Smith sat up only on the way to standing. "You what?!"

"Commander Force is dead. His subordinate assumed control long enough to surrender to me."

He put a hand to his head, a new headache swiftly forming. "Did you kill him?"

"I would never." She did not mention she had been planning that possibility. "He fell victim to the sickness of the bomb. I witnessed his end, and surrender came immediately afterwards. Your soldiers are inbound, aren't they?"

"Yes, a great number of them." Expecting a fight that may never come. "Why?"

"I will have need of them until Equestrians can be summoned, to keep the law, gently. This is an injured nation in need of compassion. Can your soldiers do that?"

A war effort turned into a relief mission? "I have a different idea. Commander Force may be dead, but those serving under him should still stand trial for their parts in things, and to learn what was happening during this. If they are willing, gather them up where we can take them into custody before an EFC panel of judges."

"I will attempt that. His subordinate seemed cooperative, but I am not that foolish. Kind things do not wait for him, I should imagine."

"I imagine not." He looked out the window of the White House and the sunny day outside. "But if we have no resistance reaching them and leaving, the war is over."

"The war is already over," retorted Celestia. "I stand outside their last remaining shred of governance. I have seen their eyes. The fight is fled. If your people will not help restore them, I would ask that they not take part at all. I will gather their leaders and take them myself. Where would you have me deliver them?"

Smith let out his breath in a slow hiss. "Right. Right right..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to abate the ache. "If you can do it, great. I'll toss it to congress to decide on relief efforts."

"Very good." He could hear her smile. "We should have a meeting, of the EFC. We will have to stand trial if nothing else, as you said."

"Yes, of course. I presume there will be no objections to sending investigative forces and cleanup teams? That bomb site can't just be ignored."

"I have no objection to that."

John, who was really a changeling, flew to the one meeting place he knew, wearing the form of his original changeling body. Pushing the door open revealed darkness and musty air. Nocreature had been there in a while.

He frowned as he looked around, poking around piles of bottles and cans, looking for clues.

There. A single stone, but it was not a normal stone. He picked it up carefully and set it down in the middle of the room. With a little changeling trick, he spurred it to life.

Chrysalis appeared, humming a little song as water rained over her floating head. She was taking a shower, apparently.

Rason raised a brow at the sight. "My Queen?" Not his queen, but there were appearances to uphold.

"What?" Chrysalis turned towards him suddenly. "You! Come slinking back after you made a mess of everything?"

"Yes, My Queen." He dipped his head low before her image. "They have cast me out. Where should I go?"

Her eyes rolled wide. "Ugh. You are beyond worthless... Come here. I can at least learn what you've seen, and you can pay for your failure." Her hoof raised into view, touching the bottom of her chin. "On second thought, stay there. I'll send others to pick you up."

As if it would be that simple, that she would give an address and he wouldn't have to actually be in the same room as her. "I will wait here."

"You better." Her image faded away.

The faintest noise reached his ear. If the place hadn't been entirely abandoned, he was sure he would have missed it. He perked an ear towards it and began wandering in the direction. Like something rolling over, bumping? He wasn't sure...

He came to a closet door and grabbed its knob in his magic, pulling it open. An emaciated man almost fell on him. John squealed in a girlishly high tone. Perhaps he could be forgiven, for the man that fell on him was... him... "John Rason?! She just left you here?!"

The actual John mumbled something, still gagged and looking barely conscious.

"It's alright. It's alright... You can hear me, I found John Rason, the original... I'm going to get him some water and put him back in this closet. Come get him, yesterday!" How long had they left him there? John the changeling rushed to fetch a glass of water and brought it to the abused human, plucking free the gag. "Help is coming. Just bare with it a little longer."

John, the original, took the water and drank what little he could. "Oh... god..." It was only then that he noticed who was helping him. "Christ, you're with her."

"For now." He nudged the man he had replaced back into the closet. "Stay there, help is coming, I promise. Your wife misses you. Let's get you two back together."

With the door closed, John turned away, a fresh wave of guilt washing over him. He had done things to that woman that the man in the closet had every right to hate him for. Considering the false measures he was working under, the woman also deserved to hate him, completely. He had done great evil upon them both.

He took a slow breath as he paced towards the center of the living area. "Focus..." He had a job to do, and he would see it to the end. Then he could be gotten rid of whenever that was convenient, and that would be that. He wouldn't run away from his crimes.

With the power of radio technology, word of the sudden change of plans spread through both the military and civilians lines. News of the council's dissolving was not to be a secret, and almost instantly, everyone knew.

The TSDI was dissolved, minus a few tiny countries foolish enough to think they could stand with the bulls, who had just been defeated, by the ponies, or so the rumors went.

Hoku laughed. It was that or cry, though he was perfectly capable of doing both at once and may very well have been. "Again... Again the ponies come and take the glory."

Lucky slapped him on the back. "What are you talking about? What was the first time?"

"I wanted punch Storm King in ugly face." He balled his right fist and made a swing at the air. "I young and stupid. I not know how fight back then." He shrugged softly. "Now they take bulls from me. Where is justice?"

"I hear that." Lucky kept on patting him. What was it with humans and wanting to pat anything that had fur? "They deployed us just to do nothing? Tell me that isn't a bit messed up. I have friends and family that wanted me to pop a few of them. I was supposed to shout their names as I did it. Kinda... stupid looking back on it, but I was ready to do it."

Hawkeye sat down beside them on a bench. "That is pretty stupid," he agreed with a shrug. "Look, we won. Let's remember that. Whether it was with bullets or something else, they lost, we won. That's the way it should be, and the way it is. Now we get to pick up the pieces and get this world back in order."

Hoku peered at Hawkeye a quiet moment. "You... are very wise," he decided with a slow smile forming. "I so glad to have you both." He swept a paw violently towards the north. "We won, and we're alive. That good. When my time up, I go to Lutrai, help them."

Author's Notes:

Nuremberg trials, take 2. In their benefit, they have no gross local travesties like the camps to answer for, and most of the people most directly involved with the terrorist strike are dead, but not all of them.

John Rason, the changeling, faces his sins.

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