Next Chapter. The answer for the questions was the invasion of normandy and the flag raising at Iwo Jima

The COLTS finished raising the flag as Manehattan was finally retaken.

"Ugh disgusting!" Deadeye said as he kicked away a mutilated dead griffon.

"Hey Blitz that looks like your mom!" Autumn said. The COLTS began laughing at hearing this, even Deadeye cracked a slight chuckle.

"I'm gonna hit you really hard one of these days I swear!" Blitz said smiling.

XXXX

Despite the cheerfulness at Manehattan, it was very eerie in Ponyville. A fog had settled in as the garrison troops made final fortifications for the incoming assault. The ponies had their archers, catapults, and cannons at the ready. They weren't trying to win, just buy Canterlot some time for the crystal ponies to arrive. Soarin stood on the wall around the east of Ponyville where the griffons were coming from. Thunder clapped in the sky as rain began falling. The rainstorm had been made by the pegsus to clear away the fog. The ponies grew nervous as they heard the clanking and marching of the griffon war machine. Once the fog cleared, the had a clear view of the monstrosity known as the griffon army. It was so large that it completely covered the land over the horizon. They were chanting something in an ancient griffon language.

"Bra ahkta greb! Bra ahkta greb!" The griffon said which translated to 'Death to the equines.'

"ARTILLERY!" Soarin yelled. "Let's give them a warm welcome." The catapults and cannons were loaded and pointed at the incoming griffons.

"FIRE!" The artillery commander said as boulders and cannonballs were fired at the incoming army. Dozens of griffons fell down dead as they were killed by cannonfire and large rocks. Soarin estimated the artillery fire had killed at least a few hundred griffons but that was only a fraction of the half million troops headed their way.

"ARCHERS!" Soarin yelled as the archers loaded their bows and arrows. "FIRE!". Arrows fired along with artillery making a wall of death which no griffon walked through unscathed. On the griffon lines, Gore growled as the artillery slaughtered his troops.

"General! What do we do?" A griffon asked.

"Return fire you dolt!" Gore said.

"Yes sir, FIRE ARTILLERY!" .The griffons began firing their own artillery.

"GET DOWN!" Soarin yelled as a boulder flattened several ponies. A cannon blast blew a hole in the wall leaving the fortress vulnerable.

"Move forward, leave none alive." Gore said. The griffons pulled out their pikes and began to storm the wall.

"EVERYPONY TO THE BREACH!" Soarin ordered as the ponies ran to the breached wall. They set down their pikes and shields as the griffons entered through the breach. Ponies archers fired volly's of arrows at the incoming beasts and killed quite a bit of them. Ponies began falling down dead as airborne griffons with spears came flying in. Soarin and the other pegasi quickly took off to engage the aerial griffons. Unicorns used their magic to generate fire and ice to kill some griffons while the earth ponies used their strength to kill the griffons. They ponies fought bravely but the griffons soon overwhelmed them.

"PULL BACK! PULL BACK TO THE LIBRARY!" Soarin shouted. Twilight's home had been converted into a command center for the garrison and was the fallback rallying point. The artillery fired at the griffons so the ponies would have a chance to escape. Since Ponyville was evacuated and was devoid of civilians, the ponies could level the city if they had to. Soarin ran at an incoming griffon and stabbed in the throat. A cannonball flew right past him and into the library. The tree exploded sending pieces of wood flying into ponies and griffons. Many were killed from the wood shrapnel. Soarin was dazed from the explosion because he had been so close. He looked up and saw the town in flames, ponies and griffons lay dead everywhere. The artillery continued to fire at the griffons until Gore personally flew in to dispatch of them.

"IT'S GORE! KILL HIM!" The artillery ponies shouted. Even Gore would be hurt from a direct hit from a cannonball but his enhanced reflexes helped him to dodge them. He ran and killed the cannon crew and used the cannon to destroy the rest of the artillery. Upon seeing Gore arrive Soarin knew it was a losing battle, he estimated that only fifty ponies remained. They had to fall back.

"RETREAT! RETREAT!" Soarin said as he chucked a spear at an incoming griffon. The remaining unicorns used advanced magic to teleport ponies away from Ponyville to Canterlot. Soarin waited until everypony was gone before he teleported away with the last unicorn. He saw an incoming spear chucked at him but he teleported away as the spear struck the spot where he once stood. Ponyville lay in ruins, 967 ponies had been killed and nearly two thousand griffons were killed. The griffons moved in and ransacked the city. Gore looked at Canterlot in the distance.

"Nothing can stop us now." He said chuckling. Soarin fell to the ground with the unicorn who teleported him. Soarin looked around and saw he was in Canterlot. He looked and saw only thirty three ponies including him had survived. He looked out a window and saw a smoking Ponyville in the distance. He could also see the hundreds of thousands of griffons beginning their march to the capital of Equestria. He looked and saw the fear on the faces of the other ponies. He flew to the throne room where Celestia and Luna were with General Blue River. Blue River was now commander of the military after Silver Star's murder.

"Commander!" Blue River asked. "What happened?"

"Ponyville fell, the grifs outnumbered us, only a few others survived." Soarin said a little out of breath.

"How large was their force?" Celestia asked.

"Take a look." Soarin said as he pointed to a window. Celestia, Luna, and Blue River went to the window and saw the endless hordes of griffons and changelings converging on Canterlot.

"We can't beat THAT!" Blue River said.

"No." Luna said sulking.

"Get Captain Shining Armor, have him put up his protection spell immediately!" Celestia said to Soarin.

"Right away your highness!" Soarin said as he went to find the captain of the guard.

"Your majesties." Blue River said. "I estimate we can hold them off for no more than a day. Possibly three if Captain Armor's spell works."

"We must evacuate!" Luna cried.

"With all due respect your highness, there is no where to evacuate to. All of Equestria is under griffon control." Blue River said.

"Than may the heavens help us." Celestia said as the griffon army moved closer.

"Sister they could go north to the crystal kingdom." Luna said.

"It's too risky, they would still have to move through griffon territory." Celestia said.

"Can't they teleport?" Luna asked.

"The griffons can detect magic, they would converge on the teleporting ponies." Celestia said. "We would have to do it from inside the city but Shining Armor's spell prevents anypony from teleporting in or out."

"But couldn't we teleport them through?" Luna asked.

"Yes but we would destroy the barrier if we did." Celestia said. "Our only hope is that we can hold out long enough from the crystal ponies to arrive." Celestia said. "Still, get the civilians to safety somehow."

"Where would they go?" Blue River asked.

"There is a canyon in the mountain that Canterlot is built on, they could take refuge there if the city is overtaken. Luna and I will seal the path so the griffons and changelings can't follow them." Celestia said.

"Yes right away your highness." Blue River said. Across Canterlot, soldiers frantically ran to set up fortifications and weapons while others helped the civilians evacuate.

"The griffon army is converging on us! Take only what you need and follow the royal guards to the canyon!" A soldier said over a bullhorn as the civilians of Canterlot began to evacuate in a terror-stricken panic.

Short chapter but school is fucking me in the ass like none other! R&R

"COME AND GET THEM!"- King Leonidas of Sparta