James spent much of his time either sleeping or trying to sleep. In the field hospital, there wasn't much else to do. He wanted to get up and do something. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable; far from it. But boredom was present, and while he didn't mind a few extra hours of sleep here and there, having nothing to do other than sleep was utterly... infuriating came close.

Unfortunately, with a hole in his side, he didn't have many options, and the medics, doctors, and medics weren't budging; he had to stay until it was sufficiently healed. No exceptions. His rank meant nothing here, and none of the Princesses had been willing to give him a reprieve.

Oh yes, there was one other thing the ponies, zebras, griffons, and Saddle Arabians could do; talk.

A pair of zebras were chatting eagerly in Swahili, while three SAs were discussing something in Arabic. James wasn't sure what they were talking about; other than "infidel," "inshallah," "Salaam," and a handful of military terms, he knew next to nothing of the language. His knowledge of Swahili was even worse; "Pengwini", or penguin, was about all he could remember, and since the word wasn't used, the only thing James could deduce from speech alone was that the discourse had little to nothing to do with flightless, Antarctic birds.

A couple of ponies were talking in excited English, though. He could understand them perfectly; "-got around them and gave them a volley that they won't ever forget... those that lived through it, anyway."

"Yeah," the other said, in a cockney accent that probably came - if James had any proper understanding of how things worked - from the lower classes in Trottingham. "They weren't gonna recovah from that, way you said it. Nevah let 'em get round ya sides, drilled tha inta us from day one, they did."

"For good reason. They ran as if a whole horde of manticores were chasin' them. Sadly, one of them must not have been so scared; turned right around and shot me through the left foreleg, and I was down, just like that. Went rolling head over hooves for a second or two; not surprised if it made it worse."

"Me, I was fightin' with Shinin' Armah an' 'is boys. Got hit by griffs at sunrise. We was almost overrun when'na rest o' the army started hittin' tha city. The griffs were gettin' pushed back when one o' 'em hit me wing wiv a sword."

"Ow."

"Was more 'n 'ow' fer me, right then."

"Will it recover?"

"Bah, them docs won' say yes n' they won' say no. Bloody well won' tell me anythin'."

"And there's a reason for that," a medic said, coming up to inspect him. "We simply don't know whether we'll have to cut it off or mend it. We're doing our best to make sure its the latter. As it is, we're hoping its in good enough condition for us to continue operating on it."

The cockney pegasus grimaced.

"Afternoon, General," a stallion doctor said. "Time to change your bandages again, and to check your wound."

James did what he could to keep his face straight. "Let's get to it, then."

He had to carefully take his shirt off, then the doctor had to unravel the bandages with painstaking slowness. The earth pony examined the injury for about a minute before coming to a decision. "Sir, I think your wound has healed just enough to allow you to get out of bed, though I'd advise doing so only as necessary at the moment. You'll still need bandages, though."

"Well, at least it's getting there," James replied, somewhat relieved. "I'll be able to get out of bed, and that's an improvement."

"Like I said, please do so only when necessary."

James nodded, but his thoughts were hardly in agreement with those of the doctor. He intended to get out of bed as soon as possible.

"Any word on my aide? Crystal Clear?"

"Hmm, I think I've heard of him..." The doctor thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, the white pegasus. I think he is in one of the patients in a commandeered house in the city."

"Yes, yes?" James said impatiently.

"He seems... well," the doctor said, rubbing the back of his head with a brown hoof. "I think he's been stabilized. However, he's still in critical condition. He requires constant monitoring, and the staff on hoof just managed to save him from dying twice as of now. Overall, it looks like he will make it, but I doubt he will heal entirely for at least a year, if not more, given the specific injury he took. He's fortunate to be alive."

"Thank... God," James breathed out slowly.

"As I said, he's still in critical condition. It's probably best not to get hopes up too soon."

It wasn't the best news James had gotten all day, at least regarding someone's condition, but it was better than nothing.

"Anyone know what else is going on?" he asked.

"We've basically crushed the little resistance that remained after the palace fell," another medic said, checking a patient's belly wound without looking up. "The little bands that were continuing the fight have either been forced to surrender or else deserted. We're looking over the city house by house for any military-grade weapons." He paused for a moment as he re-bandaged the injury. "The Princesses and the leaders of the coalition will be making a public appearance in the city square to announce the end of the war in two days. Assuming you're well enough by then, they would like for you to attend as well, General."

"I guess I can hardly refuse an offer like that," James chuckled. "But given the fact that there's been resistance in the city since the palace was captured, I'd postpone it or make the victory speech somewhere else."

"Why so? There is no enemy left. The treaty has been signed. In areas where there were Imperial units outside Gryphos, units have been turning their guns on their commanders or just surrendering and letting us deal with the crazies. Their cause is completely dead, no one's willing to fight to try and get the king back."

"Maybe, but you can't be certain."

"We'll have plenty of troops in the city; we're actually going to parade the coalition's best regiments down the main streets to the city square. Once there, Princess Celestia will give a speech to signify the end of the war and the return of peace."

"That sounds... bold. And I'm not sure it will be appreciated by the defeated party."

"Doesn't really matter what they think," the medic answered. "They have to do whatever we tell them. They've lost."

James shook his head. "People back home thought - and think - like that a lot. Sometimes, for the loser, the war is never over."

"If they make trouble, we'll crush them, and force them to pay more," the medic said, shrugging. "They can't stop this, and they won't."

"For your sake and for all of us, I hope you're right, but I have my doubts regardless."

--------------------------------------------------------------

A day later, James was finally out of bed and back in uniform, weapons, cap, and all. He fidgeted a little; his side was still fairly painful when he moved too fast in the wrong way, and he was consistently running a hand to the injury whenever it flared up.

Beats being stuck in a bed, he kept thinking to himself. It worked... most of the time... when his side wasn't practically screaming in pain.

He was once again gazing at Gryphos. The Griffon capital had sustained a lot of damage during the siege and final battle. Most of the outer wall, from the south to northwest, had been virtually obliterated. Along the routes where Allied soldiers had marched, many houses were damage or lay in ruins, with the worst such damage coming from the sector where Barrel and his tanks had penetrated the city. Along those streets, houses weren't simply battered; they had been utterly destroyed by the tanks' guns. The wall around the palace had taken a severe beating, and the palace itself had big chunks missing from it in addition to the top tower, which had formerly housed the prisons and superweapons the king had meant for Celestia and Luna to be trapped in. Trenches had fallen into disrepair, and mud as well as water filled at least part of many sections of it. Shattered gun carriages and ruined artillery pieces lay, silent at last. Here and there, destroyed, burned out husks that had once been working tanks stood, blackened and blasted; some, though not many, were blocking parts of the streets where Barrel had advanced. Many houses to the south, though still standing, had been burned by the king's final, hate-filled act of defiance and could no longer safely house anyone. The people living there had been evacuated for their own safety.

Most of the bodies, or so he'd been told, had been gathered up and prepared for burial. Needless to say, there were a lot of them. The casualty count for the Allies had been less than he'd feared, but they were still bad; 3,101 had died, 8,504 had been wounded. The griffons had lost much more; early estimates of their losses, including civilians and militia who had taken up arms as the army entered the city, had been calculated at around 37,500 total. That didn't even count the defections; most of the soldiers not directly killed had either deserted and hid, or had joined the Allies. About seven thousand had turned their guns on their own officers and fellow soldiers. Most of those officers were now dead; if they hadn't been killed by their own commands, they'd died vain attempting to stem the Allied advance.

Estimates of the war's total casualties were not yet ready, but he'd glanced at a few early counts; 35,000 ponies, 5,000 Zebras, and 10,000 Saddle Arabians had fallen in the east, and the wounded were believed to be 100,000. In the west, between 5,000-7,500 ponies had died, with thousand more injured in the line of duty. Losses among civilians (mostly due to the former emperor's cruelty in putting down rebellions and dissent) and the Griffon council's forces were still in dispute, but it was believed to be within the tens of thousands. Changeling losses were extremely difficult to estimate, given that Chrysalis had forced other hives to work under her, and it was hard to say which changeling body had belong to which hive and side. A flat 50,000 had been written on a piece of paper by some experts, but James believed the total number to be something closer to 75,000, accounting for all changeling hives on all fronts for both sides. Chrysalis and ex-king Raneiro had much to answer for.

"So much death. And for what purpose?" he asked under his breath to no one in particular.

He sat down on a rock nearby and rubbed his forehead with his right hand. The war had been fought to protect Equestria from the two powers menacing it. It hadn't had to come to war. If either dictator had chosen differently... But they hadn't. The loss of life had been small compared to some major wars on Earth, but for nations used to relative peace, it had been shocking. He sighed, glancing down at the ground.

He noticed something growing out of the crack between the bottom of the rock and the ground. Bending down further, he recognized the plant to be some sort of flower; lovely white petals were beginning to form, and, though small, the flower would clearly mature given enough rainfall and sunlight.

Life... growing where there was death before.

He was tempted to pick it up, but ultimately withdrew his hand; it would be a shame to cut off the plant from its growth just as its life was beginning. Feeling slightly reassured, he knelt down for a moment and offered a silent prayer before standing and heading for the city.

----------------------------------------------------------------

James had to admit, the four Equestrian regiments about to march to the city square were impressive. The Fifth Brigade of Trottingham fame was decked out in their blue uniforms, weapons on one shoulder and in their rows. It was one of the best units of the entire war in James' opinion; it's combat record was just about as good as it could get in a war lasting a little over ten months. It had earned numerous unit medals as well as personal medals, which shone on the uniforms of those who had earned them. Naturally, the unit had suffered losses; 35% of the unit had been killed, wounded, captured, or missing during the conflict out of the original 4,000 soldiers. Insofar as anyone deserved anything, the Fifth deserved to parade down the streets of the former enemy capital.

It would not be alone in the march.; some of the more prestigious units of the Griffon council, along with the Allan Rifles from Saddle Arabia and the so-called Hoofguards (at least, such was the translation from Swahili) of the Zebras, which were heavy, elite melee units that were the best fighters of their respective tribes and were commonly employed as chiefs' bodyguards. A changeling detachment was also present, entirely undisguised. The Allies would be presenting their previous enemies of the full evidence of their might, and the city's inhabitants would be able to know the determination and discipline of the victors. Hopefully, it would leave the right impression.

Crystal Clear was still in the commandeered house, and wouldn't be out for a while yet. The aide was, at least, showing signs of recovery, though he had yet to awake. Generals Barrel, Shining Armor, and Queen Metamorphosis and her head commanders would be present. Chief Jelani and Abd al-Malik would be here as well.

It wasn't as if they were the only ones. Pegasi would be flying in slow, straight ranks over the streets. Their role wasn't strictly for show; they had orders to watch for any suspicious activity, and a few out in front would be trying to keep both streets and skies clear.

The city's residents weren't required to come out and see, but James had no doubt that at least some of the griffons would be curious. In a city of hundreds of thousands, it was likely that at least a few thousand would come out and see what the Princesses and their allies had to say.

James was leading the Fifth, with Shining Armor to his right and Rolling Barrel to his left. The Saddle Arabians and Zebras (who had nearly come to blows over the issue of who went first) would be following behind them, with the griffon council and their best troops following. The changelings would cover the rear. Each unit was led by their respective commanding officers.

A lot of things might go wrong from here on out, but even so, the Princesses had learned. Each unit had their weapons and ammunition, and the Fifth hauled a couple batteries of breech-loading cannons with them. Two Gallop tanks split each of the Fifth's four regiments, and would be driving between them.

Despite the firepower and numbers, James still felt uneasy. Many reports of the griffon populace's hostility had come through over the four days he'd been out of action; insults and mud had been hurled at the victorious armies. Of course, not all were hostile; about two thirds of the griffon people in the city were just relieved that it was all over and they could rebuild. But that left another disgruntled third. They no doubt considered themselves nationalists and patriots. Those claims might be true. It was also true, however, that they might cause trouble of some sort. He didn't know exactly what they might do. And, naturally, a few diehard royalists might still be among their numbers, hiding and waiting, fanatical.

James would have preferred that the whole thing take place within Equestria, where the security would have been tighter than it ever could be in a city with a high number of hostile citizens. Make no mistake, he thought to himself. While the Royal Guard may be ensconced within the griffon palace, many of the people aren't in a mood for them to stay. It was a good thing that Equestria wasn't going to be here long; if this had been a conquest, and not a liberation, this war would not have ended, but would have merely shifted into a different phase, and James wasn't sure he had the means to wage a successful counter-insurgency campaign. Guerrillas were, by nature, difficult to find, cut off, and destroy. It was easier to fight as a guerrilla among a supportive populace than it would be for a foreign army in a hostile country.

It won't come to that, he reminded himself. Equestria is, by and large, leaving after this parade, with the exception of the inspectors to make sure the griffons hold up their end of the bargain.

For now, the parade would go on.

A pony nearby blew on a whistle. That was the signal for the parade to begin. Everyone, from all the nations present, started marching into the city from the ruined south gate.

James kept an eye on the windows and alleyways as the cavalcade made its way into the city. Any spot could be a place of ambush. The ones he could see were closed, per orders of the occupying powers, but it didn't decrease his unease.

As might be expected, griffons were on the streets. Some tried to pretend that nothing was going on. They turned their backs to the armies and attempted to continue whatever they were doing. When that something was a conversation, it was particularly difficult; the sound of hooves, some of them shod with nailed-on horseshoes, as well as griffon claws, was hard to ignore entirely.

Refreshingly, some actually waved, especially when they saw fellow griffons in the procession. A large number of these bore injuries and looked to have been starving recently. these, then, must have been those who had opposed the emperor's rule, and they had paid the price for it. They naturally welcomed anyone other than a tyrant into their city. He suspected that the council would have no trouble from these, or their offspring. James found his fears easing somewhat. A considerable number of the populace wanted peace, and might help to not only rebuild, but to heal the deeper scars left by the war.

One female griffon, clutching three baby griffons in her front claws, was unable to wave, but her children, though extremely young, did it for her.

Like the flower. new life, even in the aftermath of war. He took off his cap and briefly doffed it toward her and the infants before replacing it.

Unfortunately, not all either ignored or welcomed the victors. Quite a few were clearly unhappy. Some shouted catcalls and jeers; "Horses ain't welcome 'ere!" "You'll go out faster than you're comin' in, you will!" "Care to pull a wagon for me? Ha ha!"

The dissenters were no less antagonistic toward their own; though James wasn't able to look over his shoulder effectively, he could hear shouts of "Traitors!" from the disgruntled onlookers, as well as curses and calls for the griffon gods to damn the council and their soldiers. The vast majority, though, were content to just shout insults and cuss words; they knew that the Allies had firepower on their side, and could turn it against them if attacked.

That didn't stop a relative few; bottles flew from some of them, though none, thankfully, were filled with explosives or anything more harmful than drops of alcohol. Some threw mud. One or two went beyond even this and threw cobblestones and pieces of broken buildings at the parade.

The pegasi reacted at once to the throwers; large squads promptly arrested the tossers, and escorted them away, presumably out of the city. Other pegasi took the places of the ones who had taken the dissidents out of the picture.

Not all such encounters ended as fast or as painlessly. James could hear fights break out between members of the crowd and the griffon council's troops, who had had it with being called traitors and other non-endearments. Each time, though, the trouble was put right soon after it had started, with the brawlers on either side being arrested and taken away. The roars of angry sergeants soon squelched the complaints of the soldiers.

These events were certainly not something that made James feel any more relaxed. But by and large, after seeing the more violent onlookers being arrested, most of the crowd were content to either ignore, cheer, or taunt the soldiers in the parade. Fewer and fewer projectiles came from the watchers, and after a time, it almost stopped entirely. Apparently, even patriots didn't want to be jailed, and the fact that there were more griffons cheering the Allied forces than insulting them must have discouraged at least some from doing any more than they did.

Other than the occasional bottle thrower, James found some measure of encouragement. The ones trying to ignore the procession, though not friendly toward the Allies, at least weren't disrupting it, and the number of those cheering was greater by far than those attacking it, whether with words or with objects. The people of Gryphos largely wanted peace, food, home, and drink, and if the transfer of power went over well, all the various factions - well, except for the royalists - would get what they wanted.

As they began to enter the city square, James remembered the ambush coming from the two houses nearest the palace, as well as the fight for one of them. They both had large cloths with red crosses hanging from their roofs in prominent locations, and he could see various ponies, Saddle Arabians, and zebras coming from each of them; here and there in the windows, he could, if he squinted, see doctors and medics trying to help patients. He wished them well.

Lord Jesus, please speed their recovery.

Making the sign of the cross, he looked again toward the square. A big wooden platform had been constructed; it wasn't fancy or anything, and it could be deconstructed quickly. It obviously wasn't here to stay; the Allies wanted to make their closing remarks on the war, and then return home and rebuild.

The troops spread out; the Equestrian regiments each took up position at one corner of the platform, and the soldiers of the other species involved formed up between each of them. It formed a nice, basic checkerboard pattern, with the platform as the central square. Too bad we didn't bring a giant chess set, James thought as the troops set themselves up. A good game might help defuse the remaining tensions.

At this point, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence flew over the square in a rough triangle; Celestia in the center, slightly ahead of the others, with Luna to her right and Cadence to her left. They looped up and over, stopped completely, then landed, directly in the middle of the platform.

Shining Armor walked up to the platform and walked up the small steps set up for that purpose. James followed, with Rolling Barrel just behind him. Chief Jelani and Al-Malik came after barrel, with Queen Metamorphosis and a couple of changelings that James couldn't identify walking up as well. Graywing and several members of the Noble Council came up last, taking up their places on the platform.

James realized just how big the square was; even with the thousands of soldiers in their places, it was still big enough for a large crowd of griffons to gather around; their numbers were easy over a thousand, and probably many more.

Celestia lit her horn. In a second, a podium appeared right before her. She walked up to it, coughed slightly, then looked toward the crowd in front of her. "Greetings, citizens of the Griffon lands," she said in loud, ringing tones. "I am Princess Celestia, Diarch of Equestria. Joining me today are my sister, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence of the restored Crystal Empire along with her husband, Shining Armor. In addition, the advisor to the Equestrian military, James Lavigne; General Barrel, of our Tank Corps; Abd al-Malik, of th Saddle Arabian army and Chief Jelani of the Zebra Tribes; Queen Metamorphosis, today representing the combined changeling hives; and last but not least, members of the Council of Nobles, to include Graywing the Wise."

That last got the attention of the crowd; whispering intensified. Apparently, Graywing was respected among the griffon peoples, even those of opposing clans. Graywing had been the head of the griffon resistance to the king, and as such would have been slandered and vilified to no end. A lot of the words James could hear sounded positive, so it seemed like a good sign. If anyone could lead the Griffon Confederacy, assuming it was founded in the near future, it would be him. He couldn't see any other candidate that could lead the nation in the aftermath of the war.

Celestia backed away, and gestured with a hoof to Princess Luna, who accordingly walked up to the podium. "A little over a year ago, the land of Equestria was attacked, without provocation, by the empire ruled by the now former Queen Chrysalis. Shortly thereafter, as our land was battling this foe, we were stabbed in the back by the ex-king Raneiro, who sent his armies against us, dreaming to capture Our person and that of Our sister and use us to control out respective celestial bodies, and to use us as weapons. We did what any responsible leaders could; we resisted. In short, we repulsed the attack. After Raneiro refused to end the war short of our surrender, we initiated a counter-invasion, not to control, but to overthrow. He then, in order to further orchestrate the war against us and to usurp power, began a massive purge against you, his people, and against anyone who refused to acquiesce to this illegal and immoral act, and set himself up as an emperor. You have all experienced the results of his tyranny. Hundreds of thousands have died or been permanently scarred; none of them had to suffer this. The whole war was unnecessary. And if he had been satisfied with what he had been given, he would still reign and enjoy the fruits of a peaceful rule. The Council of Nobles was formed to resist this evil, and joined forces with us. The rest you know... unfortunately all too well."

Luna coughed. "Many of our ponies, especially those in locations occupied by the griffon armies and that suffered the most under their claw, as well as many of our soldiers, call for revenge. They desire nothing less than to turn the griffon kingdom into another province of Equestria and force the griffon people to taste what their armies have dished out, as well as reducing it so that it can never rise to threaten Equestria again."

There were different murmurings this time. James didn't like the sound of them. Before he had so much as five seconds to really think about it, Cadence stepped up, Luna having withdrawn. "But that is not who we are. That is not Equestria, nor is it the Crystal Empire that I have the honor of leading. Revenge has no place. While we have imposed minor demands upon the soon-to-be Griffon Confederacy, it is nothing compared to what we could have done. We desire peace, and a lasting peace at that. We forgive those who have wronged us. We are not naive; the process of forging a permanent peace and dousing the high level of negative emotions caused by the war will take time, and the mental and emotional scars will take years if not entire lifetimes to heal entirely, if ever."

Cadence paused, drawing breath. "But I believe that the dream of peace and future prosperity, of hearts and minds as well as of wealth, is possible. Stand with us as we rebuild our world. Together, we can make a future for ourselves and our children."

As she backed away, a few in the audience applauded. Not many. James glanced at the nearest faces. Most of them looked blank or uncertain. Not that unnatural, given the recent war and the destruction of much of the ancient city. Maybe they were in disbelief at what was being said. Also not unexpected, though disappointing if it was true.

So far, nothing had gone all that wrong. Oh, there had been the dissidents who had thrown objects at the marchers, but no one had been badly injured or killed.

Don't get over-confident. Someone could still be out there with hostile intentions. Still, it feels promising.

Celestia stepped forward again. "As of now, the war is over. Equestria's armies will withdraw into our sovereign borders. The Griffon Confederacy will be fully independent and recognized as a nation among nations. We will-"

BANG!

James instinctively ducked. The motion was useless; a bullet would have hit him long before he could have dodged it. Nonetheless, it felt like the right thing to do.

He looked back at Celestia, who was staring at a hole in the platform several feet to her right. But even as she looked, another shot slammed into her tiara, utterly shattering it.

This time, James had seen where the shot had come from; a window on the left side of the square. A griffon's head stuck through it, and he was already aiming for a third shot at Celestia's head.

"Get down!" James threw himself down so that he was lying prone, and fired on the assassin. Unfortunately, at this distance, the revolver was almost useless, but it was enough to make the enemy duck.

As if that shot had been a signal, more gunfire erupted from high-story windows around the square.

Chaos erupted. Griffon civilians flew in every direction as the Allied soldiers tried to aim at the incoming attackers and fire upon the windows where the gunfire was coming from. While most of the Allied forces hesitated to fire, given the mass panic and the fact that civilians were in their line of fire, the royalists had no compunctions about killing their own; several griffons, of both genders, fell simply trying to flee the scene.

James saw Cadence form a shield around her, and he was encouraging others, soldiers and griffon citizens alike, to take cover under it. Luna gave a wordless bellow that shook the square and shot straight at the griffon who had just tried to kill her sister. She dodged a bullet he fired at her and ran straight into him. Blue flashes of light came from the window, so great in intensity that James found it hard to look in that direction. He had his doubts that the griffon was going to survive.

By now, the pegasi among the Fifth had taken flight and we either shooting at or rushing the windows where the firing was coming from. James could understand the reasons of those taking the latter approach; their rulers were under threat, and that threat had to be put out of action before it succeeded in killing those rulers.

As for Celestia herself... the Solar Princess had also made a shield, but her face betrayed the great horror she felt. She had clearly never witnessed something like this.

James crawled until he was near the edge of the platform and rolled off, catching himself on the ground and standing back up. Feathers of various sizes and colors fell as the griffons tried desperately to escape. However, as he raised his pistol again, James noticed that not all of them were fleeing the attackers. These carried weapons as well, but they weren't aiming at the figures on the platform; they were fighting the insurrectionists. The members of the Griffon council had their weapons, and rather than taking cover, most either fired from their present positions or ran toward the buildings where the assassins lurked.

He grabbed a nearby pegasus by the coat. The soldier whirled, then stiffened. "Go bring word of what's happening to the main camp. Tell them to send reinforcements, now!"

The pegasus saluted, and then zipped away into the sky.

Despite the efforts of the Allied forces, there were many dead and wounded. The screams of the latter, from the various species present, resonated through the air.

That made James think about the field hospitals, which were right on the edge of the square... and were vulnerable. He glanced at a nearby captain among the Equestrian Royal Guard detachment that was part of the Fifth Brigade. "Captain!"

The soldier turned toward him. "Yes, general?" he shouted, trying to be heard above all the noise.

"Send your company to protect our field hospitals!" James replied, pointing to the two houses.

The Captain nodded, and began issuing orders. Armored pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies began to rush, such as they could through the chaos, toward the temporary hospitals.

A soldier nearby crumpled, dropping his rifle as he did so. James scurried over and grabbed the weapon; it was better at long range than his own. He took aim at one of the window where the firing was coming from and pulled the trigger. The gun bucked against his shoulder. A griffon dropped onto the window sill, sticking half in and half out of the window.

Already, the firing from the buildings was slackening. The reason was obvious in hindsight; there were so many soldiers firing at each window that it was practically inevitable that the killers would be hit. Meanwhile, zebras were rushing toward a house next to the one where the first shots had come from, and the regiments of the Fifth were breaking into houses where some of the enemy were still firing.

James reached toward the soldier from whom he had taken the rifle. The pony was still alive, but unconscious and clearly in need of medical attention. hating the necessity, he took the soldier's bayonet and ammunition, then waved toward a medic who was nearby. There were sadly only a few medics, and they were clearly overwhelmed given the number of injured.

I thought they might try to disrupt or kill someone, but I didn't think they'd do... this.

He ran toward a building to the south, one where there weren't as many attacking soldiers. Those Allied troops who were there were trying to break down the door, which was proving to be a surprisingly difficult task, given than three earth ponies and a couple Saddle Arabians were bucking it.

Just before he got there, a soldier smashed a first story window with a rifle and leaped inside. James scrambled through the new entry.

All at once, the reason for the delayed entry became clear. A ton of furniture had been piled up on the inside of the house, and numerous griffons, all in either Imperial or clan uniform, were trying to keep the barricade from being breached.

James and the pony with him raised their rifles. Two of the griffons fell before they were able to even try to grab their weapons, and the remainder were gun down as they reached for them. As they fell, so did the barricade they'd set up, and Equestrian and Saddle Arabian troops poured into the building.

James opened a closet to his left. Instead of insurgents, he found several griffon chicks hiding, terrified, along with a mother who was trying to silently comfort them. James waved the other troops away from the closet. "Keep a couple guys down here," he said to a sergeant. The sergeant nodded and pointed his hoof at two soldiers, who took up positions near the staircase at the far end of the house.

Followed by several Allied soldiers, James ran up the stairs to the second floor and kicked open a door of a room that faced toward the square. A couple of griffons, each in different uniforms, were huddled against the wall, taking cover from fire coming from the outside.

As the griffon in Imperial uniform poked his rifle outside, James raised his own.

"I wouldn't do that," came a voice from behind; it was one of the soldiers that had followed him.

Both griffons turned. They both stared for a moment.

Then, the one wearing a clan uniform dropped his gun. The Imperial tried to aim at James, but a couple of soldiers shot him; one shot hit the griffon in the leg, the other somewhere in the chest. The griffon fell backwards against the wall.

"Take them," James said, in a hoarse voice that surprised himself.

Ponies and Saddle Arabians entered the room. The Imperial, Royalist griffon tried to physically struggle with the captors, but was overpowered and turned onto his belly as the victors tied his wrists together behind his back. The other griffon just let the Allies do the same, without trying any funny business.

"I say we just shoot them," an Equestrian corporal said. "They're terrorists. We're well in our rights to execute them."

"It may be so, but we need answers to our questions. Like who else is involved, and what are they up to? And we won't get those answers if we just kill them here and now."

"Fine. We make them tell us what we need to know, and them shoot 'em."

"No. No one is being executed without orders."

James turned back toward the griffon prisoners. And the war was - or should have been... over. Filled with anger and frustration, he shouted, "Why? Why do this, and with most of the dead being your own people of all things?"

"We aren't going to let you people rule us," the clan griffon said, though without much conviction. "We will not suffer any Equestrian ruler or official set over us."

"We are going to set our Emperor back in his rightful place," the Imperial gritted out; unlike the order, despite his injuries, he was fiercely defiant and determined. "We will set up the Empire to be a world power, and it begins with the death of the traitors and fools who oppose us!"

James snorted. The Imperials would never have gotten their wish, even if they succeeded today. And given the fact that the gunfire outside was slackening, that last was unlikely. He turned toward the other. "You realize that, if you succeed, that your independence would be forfeit? That this treachery undermines the treaty your leaders signed? After this, I think that you can expect worse than if you'd done nothing."

"That treaty was signed by traitors! It means nothing!" The Imperial cried out, while his companion replied, "We did not sign it, and we will not allow Equestria or anyone else to tell us what to do."

"I don't think you'll have any choice now," James answered him. "Now, is this assassination it, or is there more to it?"

"I will not answer my liege's enemies. I will not betray His Majesty!" the Royalist bitterly refused.

"I will tell my country's enemies anything," the other griffon said, but his words lacked strength.

"One way or another, we'll get our answers out of you, and any of your fellow criminals who survive this." James jerked his head. "Take them to the main camp. DO NOT execute them or allow anything 'unfortunate' to happen along the way; I'll come down on you hard if you do. Keep them chained up until someone in authority can question them."

Several soldiers moved forward and took the griffons into custody. The Royalist spat at his captors and struggled, even wounded as he was, to get away, but it was all in vain. The clan griffon went peaceably and without further struggle.

"There'll be a reckoning for this," an Equestrian soldier said, quiet fury in his eyes and menace in his voice.

"Perhaps, but in the meantime lets crush this insurrection and help all those people in the square."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

By the time James stepped outside, most of the firing had ceased. Most of the attackers were dead or otherwise incapacitated, and the few places where the rebels were still shooting from were being smashed by rifle fire. Within two minutes, the firing had stopped entirely.

The noise of fighting had given way to the sound of wounded ponies, zebras, Saddle Arabians, and griffons; screams of pain, moans, groans, and curses in various languages pierced the air.

From their vantage points, the shooters had almost surrounded the entire square. It had been all too easy to hit someone. Hundreds were down; quite a few were griffons who had come to see the ceremony. Husbands, mothers, and children were already crowding around the many casualties; here and there a loud cry announced that some unfortunate soul had found a loved one among the dead and dying.

The rest of the casualties were mostly soldiers. Spears, swords, rifles, bows and arrows, and rifled jezails littered the ground. James stepped carefully as he made his way toward the platform in the middle of the square.

As he slowly climbed the stairs, his eyes scanned the carnage. About half of the Griffon Council members who were present were down; some had died quickly, others were clutching at wounds, and more were crying out in pain.

James saw with some measure of relief that Celestia and Cadence seemed unscathed, though the latter was currently crouching over an injured pony. With a shock, he realized it was Shining Armor.

He ran over. Cadence saw him and looked alarmed, but relaxed quickly.

James looked his friend over. The white stallion was kneeling, his right leg out in front of him. James saw, with an inside lurch, that his leg had been shot through by one of the attackers' bullets.

"It came out of nowhere," Cadence said, as if trying to explain, but it sounded like she was talking to someone who wasn't present.

Shining opened his left eye, which was facing his wife and James. "Ugh," the stallion said. "Can you believe it? Through the whole thing, without a scratch, only for this..."

"This may not be the last of the murderers," James said. "There could be more out there, converging on the square even as we speak. We need to get you and all the wounded out of the city, now, before more violence can erupt."

Shining nodded, still in pain. "You didn't think I'd die now, did you?" he asked faintly.

James could appreciate the attempt at humor, but for now... "Get everyone who can be moved out of here," he said to a group of soldiers present. "Before the criminals can try again."

He looked around as those soldiers began moving. The Fifth Brigade was starting to reform; some dragged prisoners out of buildings, some of which appeared to have been very roughly handled. Most that emerged from the buildings, however, didn't carry prisoners. Either the enemy had fought to the death, or had been killed under that excuse.

One good thing he could see was that a large flock of pegasi from the Allied camp was approaching, with unicorns and earth ponies coming on hoof into the city. Hopefully, the wounded could be evacuated.

He glimpsed something flying just to his left, and turned in time to see Princess Luna land on the platform next to him. Other than some singed fur, which he suspected was more a result of the spells she'd been throwing around, she didn't look worse for wear after her encounter with the assassin. She shook her head when he met her eyes. It was all he needed to see to know of the griffon's fate.

Celestia still had a golden shield cast around herself and several ponies and griffons. As he approached, he saw that her head was near the floor and her face was frozen in a state of shock; her eyes were wide open, her teeth ground together, and her ears pointed toward her back. Her horn was still lit and glowing gold, and her body seemed motionless. Those around her simply gazed outside the shield, not making much of an effort to escape.

James came close and raised his hand. Celestia didn't respond whatsoever. Worried, her moved to check her side; it was heaving somewhat, so she was still breathing, but other than that she was not moving. Meanwhile, some of those inside the shield were looking outward and pushing claws or hooves up against it, stunned and horrified by the devastation and death around them.

"Celestia, please lower the shield. We need to get all these people out of here."

The Solar Princess didn't respond.

Luna walked over. "Let me handle this," she said. She took a deep breath, then shouted, in the Royal Canterlot Voice,
"SISTER, SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Most of those present covered their ears; the shield dissipated as Celestia was rocked by the blast of sound coming her way. She raised her head, shook it, and looked around. "Ohhhh... Please, Luna tell me this is all just a nightmare."

"I only wish it was, so I could dispel it," the Lunar Princess replied sadly. "We must leave, before they get a second chance at us. If there are any more dastardly criminals in the shadows, we'll give them too great a chance of accomplishing our goal if we remain. The victory ceremony is over."

Celestia simply stood there for a moment, taking in the terrible sights before her.

"It was a gang of griffon Nationalists and Royalists," James said, hoping the explanation might do something. "Most of those attacking us are gone. We need to leave before any second assault can happen, and evac the wounded."

"General!"

James turned to see the Royal Guard Captain that he had sent to guard the houses. "What's going on?"

"Sir, they hit the hospitals. We did our best to stop them..." The Guard pulled his helmet off and stared at the ground. "But a few patients were... were..."

"Murdered," James finished for him.

The Captain nodded sadly.

James turned to the Princesses. "For the last time, everyone needs to leave while our soldiers settle the remaining rebels."

Celestia slowly nodded. "We'll leave," she said. "For now. But those who perpetrated this cowardly act will pay the price."

"Count on it," James said. "Now, with all do respect, can we please get going?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Curse the butchers," Graywing said in a furious voice. "The treaty goes right down the drain because of them." He uttered a word that should never be used in polite conversation.

"No," Luna said. "Not unless our investigation discovers a conspiracy among you. Otherwise, you have nothing to worry about." She rose into the air. "Well, what are you all standing around for?" she asked in a loud voice. "Gather the wounded and fallen, and bring them to the army's main camp. Now!"

"That goes for us, too," Graywing yelled. "Have our dead and injured brought to safety. The monsters who did this will pay for it, and dear, but for now, do as I and the Princess have commanded." He turned toward the detachment of warriors and soldiers who followed the Council. "Spread out; anyone ya find with a weapon or uniform that's not one o' ours, ya tie them up and bring em to the camp fer interrogation. Go!"

"Likewise for the third and fourth regiments of the Fifth," Luna added. "The first and second will transport the casualties of this atrocity." She seemed to burn with anger. "Find the perpetrators. Bring them to Us. We will pass sentence upon them."

As the various soldiers and members of the crowd began to move, James surveyed the carnage. Again, he was struck by how senseless the attack had been. Even had they succeeded, wouldn't have changed the result of the war; the Allies would still have won, and the rebels would be hunted down. They would only have brought more punishment for themselves and their fellow griffons.

"We'll clean them out," he said to himself.

At least some of the people in the crowd, as well as the Council, had fought back. That was a reason to... be slightly less unhappy. Most of the population wanted peace, not more war. That was reason enough for hope. If the griffon people had had any support for rebels, that support was now dead. Without a population to swim and hide in, the insurgents could be hunted down and defeated.

"The time has come for peace," he murmured. "And it will come no matter what these rebels do."

-------------------------------------------------------------

I'd been thinking of this scene for years, and it was based off of the attempt to assassinate President Lee in Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove. I apologize if anyone thought I was trying to make this resemble a recent tragedy, it was NOT intended that way. I doubt the Royalists and Nationalists would have given up without one last struggle.