Princess Celestia looked around the table at 4 untouched plates, one of which was hers. Since lunch had ended she had been pouring over every report that she had marked as important, and thinking over the words of generals and soldiers. All of the information had to be weighed, and weighed carefully, for the decision that she would make based on it would most likely be the most important one since she sent her student away to Ponyville. That time, the choice that she made was the right one, and she was fairly sure that it would be. But there was a clear choice, and here there was not, and though there were no good options on the table, the difference between the best and the worst would be measured in lives. The burden of the consequences that these choices would have had sapped her appetite, as it had of the others at the table.

She suppressed a sigh, for doing so would not be becoming of her position. She above all others had to be a lighthouse to guide the country by. That didn’t stop her from feeling the fatigue that nearly caused the sigh in the first place. A few short years ago, and she would have been making this decision on her own. But now, as there were four ruling princesses as opposed to one, important decisions had to be made as a group. And while it did broaden the views looking at and the mental energy focused on a problem she did admit that it did take longer to reach consensus on issues than when she was able to rule by proclamation. Worse though, she was now afraid of being outvoted, and having to condone a course of action that she felt was wrong. She knew that this way was better, but she was afraid of the consequences of the wrong course of action on a matter as grave as this.

She looked down, not at her plate, but at the document next to it. Delivered from the mayor of vanhoover to them by the first available means of communication, and delivered to him by the ranking general of the Unicornian military with express permission of their Emperor, was a treaty of terms of peace, hardly a few paragraphs long. Its demands were simple, and it was the simplicity that concerned her. In summary, all that it said was that on signing the treaty the war would be over, all prisoners would be repatriated to both sides, and the borders would return to prewar locations. What was left unsaid concerned her more than the contents of the page, but within the week they had to make a decision or the treaty would be rescinded.

They had to decide if they were going to accept this treaty, and if they could afford not to.

She looked to the others, luna at her right, Cadence at her left, and twilight sitting across the table from her. All were lost in thought, or in twilight’s case bound reports. In their own ways they were avoiding talking about it, and she realized that she was too. It was time.

“Fellow princesses, I believe that in this situation it would be best to do a preliminary vote on if this treaty is to be ratified, and then we can deliberate if necessary before a final and binding vote. So, who here would vote to ratify?” she tentatively raised a hoof as she said this, hoping that the others wouldn’t see the unease that she had about doing so. Cadence’s hoof shot up with far more vigor than hers, but apart from that none stirred. The vote was two to two. Deadlock.

“The floor is now open for discussion, and if anypony wishes to express their position first they can request to do so.” Cadences hoof shot up again, but Luna patiently raised hers as well. Celestia looked at her sister. Luna's face could have been etched in stone, the seriousness that her sister wore being all the argument that she needed to choose her first. “Luna, you have the floor.”

“Thank you sister.” Luna said as she put her hoof down. she faced Celestia squarely. “I fear that if we sign this peace treaty as is, we will only serve to delay war. I took it upon myself to visit the dreams of the Unicornian’s last night to see if a peace with them was possible.”

“You can do that?” Cadence asked.

“They are ponies like us.”

“And you haven’t been doing this before?”

“There are spells that they have erected to keep me from doing so, and our citizens have needed my intervention more. It took great effort to do this, and even then my success in entering their dreams was limited.”

“But if you did this earlier perhaps we could have influenced them! Maybe we could have convinced them that this war was wrong!”

“I don’t believe that I could have.” Luna said sadly.

“Why not?”

Luna looked at Celestia, “Sister, In the dreams that I was able to enter last night I saw horrible visions. There were dreams of us invading their cities, and slaughtering them on a horrible scale. I saw visions of Equestrians and Griffons gathering up defenseless ponies and shooting them where they stood, and more than a few were like this. I saw Equestrians kill remorselessly, but I saw Unicornian’s killing with anger. There were dreams of rage. When I tried to intercede and calm them, and when they realized that it was me who was trying to help, they either woke in panic before I could reach them, or they directed their energy into trying to attack me. Even in dreams where there was peace, when I appeared to them they almost always fled or fought. In all that I saw last night, there were only a few dozen times where I was able to speak with them. Sister, from what I could see, they are scared of us, and they hate us. And if we do not remove the source of these feelings, they will not change.”

“What about the ones that you were able to reach?” Cadence enquired, “Were you able to change their minds?”

“Only a few, and too few to change anything. I told them not to tell anypony of this. I fear if they did, there would be horrible consequences.”

Celestia nodded her agreement. “So sister, you believe that if we were to ratify this treaty-“

“War would happen again. At some point they would stop being afraid of us, but the hate they have been taught would remain. And when that happens I fear that there would be another war.”

“Do you know that that would happen?” cadence asked.

“No,” Luna said.

“Then isn’t it worth the risk of a future war for a chance at peace? If we don’t ratify then war is certain, but if we do then maybe we can avoid it.”

“Cadence, this treaty may lead to lasting peace… but from what I saw, I think that it won’t last.”

“So you won’t even try?”

“I’m afraid I believe that further war with Unicornia is inevitable. The fear and hatred they feel against us was so widespread and intense that I can’t imagine another outcome.”

“So invading their homeland would make them fear and hate us less?”

“No, but removing their emperor and showing them that what they were told about us is wrong would. I believe that this is the best option that we have.” She looked back to Celestia one last time, “and I hope that what I have told you will change your mind.”

“Thank you, sister” Celestia said. She looked now to Cadence. “if you would like to elaborate on your position?”

“We have a chance to end the war, and we owe it to everypony to end it.” Cadence said to the table at large. “Invading them will only confirm their fears about us, but if we accept peace we can show them that we aren’t what they think. If we continue we lose sight of so much of what makes Equestria special. And we destroy the lives of thousands more families. This war has been so horrible to everypony that I can’t see how anyone could want it to continue.” She looked now pointedly at Luna “We have to try and resolve this without violence, and I can’t understand how anyone could oppose that.”

Across the room Luna's eyes narrowed, the edges of her lips turning down in either anger or disgust, subdued but quite noticeable. “Luna.” Celestia said, raising one eyebrow. Luna shot a glance at her sister that could stop a pony on a bit, but then blinked it away. Sometimes, Celestia thought that she could see the ghost of nightmare moon in her sister's eyes.

“I’m fine, sister,” She said with a restrained edge, one that only Celestia could truly discern. Celestia turned her attention across the table to Twilight. The newest princess looked nervous.

“Twilight, if you would like to elaborate, you can.”

“Thanks, Princess.” She said unsteadily, her eyes darting among the other ponies in the room. “I, um, Luna made most of my arguments already. Kinda took the wind from my sails, you know?” she smiled just too much to be believable. Celestia already knew what was wrong.

“Twilight, you may have been my student, but now all of us at this table are equals. You can say what you need to without worry. What are your concerns?”

“Princess Celestia, I have faced many threats to Equestria with my friends. I’ve even faced a few almost by myself. But I never gave up until they were beaten, and I always made sure that they truly were.”

Princess Celestia thought for a moment. It was a interesting position, and she could see how her former student would arrive at it. however, she could also see the faults in her logic from here. Perhaps once she explained her thoughts

Twilight could be swayed. She opened her mouth to speak, but Cadence cut her off

“Twilight, they truly are beaten. Every report that we have is of a shattered army, there isn’t a need to invade.”

“Cadence, I understand how you feel, but I want you to understand me. Do you remember what chrysalis did to all of us, and Canterlot?” the room fell silent. Chrysalis had come closer to victory than even the Unicornian’s, and had directly affected all of them. The memories of being beaten and imprisoned were bad for Celestia, but for cadence they were visibly impactful. She stared across the room, glassy eyed for a few horrid moments, before coming back to reality.

“Yes. I remember that well.”

“She’s still out there, somewhere. And I know that she’s planning and preparing to attack equestria again, and that keeps me up at night. I know that continuing this war won’t be easy, I know that the cost will be high, but I know that a peace where we always have to worry about the fate of our country isn’t a peace that I want. I agree with Princess Luna. If we could get in and remove their leader, one way or another, we can have a peace that will last and that we can trust. And I think that that is worth fighting for.

Celestia felt proud of her student, even though she disagreed with her. In that speech, she sounded royal.but she had to interject.

“Twilight, in many of those instances, you made sure that you had beaten these threats by turning those enemies into allies. You turned nightmare moon back to princess luna, and you and your friends are reforming discord even now.”

“Those cases are different, we reformed nightmare moon with magic, and we know that they won’t let us trot up to their emperor and use the elements of harmony on him. and discord… I knew that he was a threat, a danger to Equestria, but I never thought that he was evil. And when we used the Elements of Harmony on him, I didn’t think that he would ever come back!”

“Perhaps, but we were able to reform him. With friendship, and kindness. And a backup plan in case he tried to go back to his old ways. I believe that we can do the same with Unicornia. They have lost the advantage of surprise, and if they ever were to break the peace we would be ready for them, and we have proven that we can beat them readily. If they ever attacked again, we would beat them. But until they do I think that we should attempt to solve this diplomatically.”

“Princess Celestia…I want to be able to agree with you on this, I really do… but I just can’t. We should finish this now, while they’re disadvantaged.”

Princess Celestia could see the anguish in twilight’s eyes, but she could also see the resolve. Cadence was well dug into her position, as was Luna, but the two of them were unsure. The second vote would be a tie, but she had to ask.

“Will anypony change their position with regards to ratification of the treaty?” she hoped for a hoof to raise, but as she had feared none did. With her magic, she opened the main doors to the dining hall, and the guards outside the door remained immobile. “Bring Field Marshall Shining Armor here. We require his opinion.” One of the guards turned and trotted off, and she closed the doors.

The other princesses in the room looked to Celestia expectantly, but she did not give an explanation, not yet. She waited, her mind aflame with choices and consequences, but with the current gridlock she couldn’t see another alternative. As she was afraid of, she felt her control over what course the county would take wane, but she did feel some measure of confidence in what the ultimate result would be. The doors opened again, and Shining Armor strode into the room.

“Princess Celestia, you requested my opinion.”

“Yes. Field Marshall, we require your opinion on the ratification of the Unicornian Peace treaty. Currently the body is divided on if the treaty should be ratified, and in order to break the tie your vote will be the deciding one barring a change in position from one of us. As the leader of the equestrian military and as a member of royalty, I feel that you would have the greatest expertise on the matter.”

Shining remained stoic, but his clarifying question showed his feelings “Are you saying that I decide if the war ends?”

“In effect, yes.”

“Can I know how the princesses voted on this matter?”

“Cadence and I for ratification, Luna and twilight against.”

Shining took a deep breath. He had not expected this, and had certainly not been prepared for it. He had submitted the requisite reports and analysis, but he had expected the decision to be made without more input than that. he composed himself.

“Princess, if it were up to me-“

“-It is.” She said, hammering home the finality of the decision he was about to make. And it stayed his tongue. He paused for a second, then spoke.

“I would give an answer tomorrow after reviewing the information that we possess on this matter.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I understand, and approve. I think that we all may benefit from more time to think on this. We all will convene here tomorrow at noon. That will be all, Field Marshall.” He saluted her, and turned to leave, but she interrupted him. “And Shining Armor, It would be best if you were to sleep in the barracks tonight, you need to be able to make this decision without our inputs or pressure.” he glanced at the ponies at the table, and immediately understood why she wanted to impose this upon him. He was related to half of them.

“I understand.”

“You are dismissed Field Marshall. You have gotten us through the war this far, and I hope that the leadership and judgement that you have shown will see us through to the end, whenever it must be.”

“Thank you your majesty.” He said, bowing cordially. He turned, and left the room with all the authority that his position demanded. Only the guards next to him could see his white coat begin to glisten with sweat.

As Shining Armor looked though the reports in the fading twilight of the setting sun that trickled into his office, and thought about… everything, he began to have an understanding of what Princess Celestia had gone through for a millennium. No matter what he chose, it would be the wrong choice. And because it would be the wrong choice, he would feel regret. He knew that he didn’t trust the Unicornian’s, he felt that the treaty was an easy out, and his strong sense of justice wanted their leaders punished for their crimes. But he knew that to do that, it would require an immense sacrifice, which would not fall on his shoulders but on the shoulders of Unicornian and Equestrian families. He knew that their emperor counted on them not being willing to suffer the casualties of attempting to remove him, but he also knew that he had good reason to.

Shining Armor shook his head. He couldn’t continue the war. He wanted justice for the country, but the price would be too high. He knew how he would vote tomorrow, and he knew how painful it would be for him.

There was a rapid rapping on the door. “Come in.” Shining said, a hint of fatigue in his voice. He was tired, physically and spiritually. The door swung open with unprecedented vigor, and the griffon Field Marshall strode into the room with a great sense of purpose.

“Shining Armor, I apologize for intruding like this, but I need to speak with you urgently.” Shining moved to reply, but the griffon barreled on breathlessly. “I heard that the princesses may decide on ratification of the treaty as soon as today, have they?”

“Almost, they’ll decide at noon tomorrow.”

A look of relief spread over the griffons face, and his whole body relaxed. “I feared that it had already happened. Decisions do not get made quickly in the republic, they require discussion, vetting, compromise, between 200 griffons. It must be far quicker to run a country with only 4. But when I heard that they could ratify today I realized that I had underestimated how fast the Equestrian government can move.” Even though he had relaxed, there was still an element of concern in his actions.

“Ace, what do you need to talk with me about?”

The griffon carried with him a briefcase, which he put onto the table and began to unlock. “I received this message from the embassy a half hour ago, before the staff told me the decision may have already happened.” He opened the briefcase and passed a 1 sheet note to Shining armor, who levitated it before him.

To Field Marshal Guderia

Having received word of the Unicornian proposed peace treaty, and received details of its terms, I have come to the conclusion that these terms cannot be accepted by our Equestrian allies for the good of both our nation and theirs. To you I give the order to, by whatever means are required to achieve the result, convince the council of princesses to reject this treaty and continue the war until the removal of the enemy's government. I give you complete latitude and no restrictions in how this goal is to be accomplished, and any information that is needed regardless of secrecy may be requested and utilized. I will be arriving personally to address this matter tomorrow at 1600, but I believe that action needs to be taken immediately and that you are the most capable agent for the task. I do not say this lightly, but the fate of our nations rest on this treaty's rejection. Do all that is in your power to do.

King Godred IV

Shining looked up. “Why does the king want the war to continue?”

“Because of our country's mistakes Field Marshall. Most every griffon in the republic would continue the war, because we know the cost of not doing so. You studied the Griffon-Minotaur wars, correct?”

“Of course, it was required in the royal guard’s academy.”

“Then you should know why the war needs to continue.” The griffon said bluntly. “before I launch into any further effort on this, do you know how the princesses will vote?”

“Yes.”

“Are they voting to ratify?”

“They are split.”

“And how will they resolve this?”

“I will cast the deciding vote tomorrow.”

The griffon paused, contemplative. “That is a heavy burden, Field Marshall.” He paused again. “If there is a pony in your country who can decide this, it would be you. So how do you intend to vote?”

“Before you came in, I was going to vote for ratification.”

The griffon nodded. “So, it must be you that I have to convince.”

“Ace, I don’t think that I want to be.”

“No, you need to be.” Ace said, “Why would you vote for ratifying?”

“Why do you want us to continue the war?” Shining retorted.

“For a myriad of reasons, most that you know and some that you don’t, but I can’t change your mind without knowing your reasoning. So why would you vote for ratification?”

“If we continue the war, and we try and remove their government… a lot of good ponies are going to die. He hides behind a shield of ponies, his soldiers and citizens, and he thinks that we don’t want to pay the price to oust him, and he’s right. I hate him for it. I’m supposed to protect ponies. That’s my purpose. So when I know that he’s doing the opposite, he’s having ponies protect him, it makes my blood boil. But if we have peace… that will save more lives than attacking him.”

The griffon nodded. “This argument depends on him upholding the peace. Why would you trust him to do so? If he decides to attack in the future all you are doing is delaying bloodshed.”

“Ace, I don’t think that he would attack in the future. He watched his army get routed. The amount of material that we recovered that was simply left behind is enough to equip an entire corps. And we have the tanks. And we know to be ready. He has no advantages left.”

“Just remember that before you routed his army, he routed yours.” Shining Armor was unmoved, And Ace could tell. “You already thought of this, have you?”

“I’ve been going through every argument I could all afternoon. I don’t think that there is a way that you can change my mind on this.”

“You’ve thought of how your country would always have to be ready for war as long as their leader remains?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re willing to accept that?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what it's like to be constantly on alert, as a country, fearing war at a moment's notice?”

Shining snorted. “Is a griffon really about to tell me about the advantages of not having a prepared military?”

“No, but he is about to tell you about the advantages of not NEEDING a prepared military.”

Shining Armor shook his head. “Ace, before this, there was the changeling invasion. Before that and since, there have been more threats to this country than I’m comfortable with. being ready for those only makes sense to me, and that includes being ready for the Unicornians.”

The griffon sighed, and reached for his briefcase again. “I was hoping that we’d reach a agreement without me having to start spouting state secrets. But, if you will not be swayed without them…” he pulled a one page document from the case, and slid it to Shining. “Let’s see if this will change your mind.

Shining looked curiously at the paper. Atop it ran, in red block capitalized letters TOP SECRET. It was dated June 12, 1003, the date of the Second Battle of Canterlot. He read the contents.

To the Department of Ordinance,

The new Armored Fighting Vehicles are effective, and without a proper counter could upset the technological advantage of the Republic. To this end, I am issuing a Requirement for weapons capable of the following.

By 9/1/3

Prototypes for a thrown or manually attached weapon carryable by a single griffon capable of defeating 1 inch armor plate.

Prototypes for a weapon with range of 300 yards carryable by a single griffon capable of defeating 2 inches armor plate

Prototypes for a semi-stationary weapon with range in excess of 2000 yards capable of defeating 4 inches armor plate.

By 1/1/4

Prototypes for a thrown or manually attached weapon carryable by a single griffon capable of defeating 2 inches armor plate

Prototypes for a ranged weapon carryable by a single griffon capable of defeating 3 inches armor plate.

Prototypes for a semi-stationary weapon with range in excess of 2000 yards capable of defeating 6 inches armor plate.

If devices could be made ready before these dates they must be submitted for trials immediately, and plans should be made for rapid production for these devices with the intent of giving the soldiers of the republic a solution to the armored fighting vehicle within 6 to 9 months.

This war has shown how tenuous our technological advantage can be, and every effort must be made to regain our preeminence in all fields lest our rivals believe that their magical advantage can truly defeat our technological one.

Field Marshal Guderia.

Shining lowered the page, gingerly, slowly, back to the table. for a moment words wouldn’t come to describe his thoughts. That single page had dispassionately and coldly swept away one of his beliefs. He opened his mouth, but still needed a moment to marshal his thoughts. Finally, he spoke. “Ace, I thought that we were allies?”

“We are.” The griffon said.

“Then why do you need to be able to defeat our tanks?”

The griffon sighed. “read the page again, please.” Shining levitated the sheet, but even as he did so the griffon raised a talon to stop him. “Did you notice what you just did?”

“What?” asked Shining “I’m doing what you asked me to.”

“No Field Marshal, you are using magic.” Ace said. “and with that power you can do far more than lift a page. With that power, your country has seen off more than it’s fair share of enemies. Griffons don’t have that luxury. You recall how you turned back Nightmare Moon? How you defeated Discord, both times? Queen Chrysalis? Sombra? All with magic. How would a griffon respond to a threat like that without your species gifts?”

“You are talking about collective defense?”

“Yes. And collective defense has two components. One Is that as much of the griffon populace is armed and trained and ready to resist a threat as possible, so that these threats may be deterred.”

“Every griffon a sharpshooter?”

“Precisely. The other component is that we have the advantage of technology, always, and in every field. It is the only way that we can resist a magical threat. If that magical threat has the same level of advancement as we do, then our only advantage is desperation. But if that magical threat does not posses our technology, and does not know of it so that it cannot counter it, then the republic stands a chance.”

“So you consider us a threat?”

“We consider you a reliable ally… that has almost been defeated by its enemies 4 times in 4 years, and that if defeated and turned against us would be the gravest threat that we can imagine. So we must prepare.”

“And that’s why you are trying to defeat our tanks?”

The griffon cocked his head. “Your tanks?”

And with that, the griffons point hit Shining Armor like a bullet. He felt like a fool. Of course it wasn’t his tanks. “The Unicornians are making tanks?”

“We don’t know, a nation consisting only of unicorns makes griffon spies easy to root out. But you can bet that they are working on ways to defeat your tanks, after all, we want to be able to destroy your tanks within the year, and we didn’t have to fight them.”

“So within a year, you think that they’ll be able to beat the tanks.”

“No Field Marshall, within a year, if left to their own devices, they will be able to defeat your country. I’m afraid that you don’t realize how lucky you have been in this war.”

“Lucky!?” Shining nearly shouted in shock. “Lucky!?”

“Lucky. To our counts you have only suffered two real defeats. This first was when the Royal Guard fell at the Battle of the Unicorn Range, and the second was at the First Battle of Cloudsdale. Apart from that either your army was routed before even offering resistance and casualties were low, or what attacks you made were after meticulous planning and that planning was successful. If you had counterattacked at the First Battle of Canterlot, or if your army stood its ground and was driven back at the First Battle of the Galloping Gorge before collapsing. Or even if your artillery general wasn’t able to intervene at the First Battle of Cloudsdale, this war would have been far bloodier for you. The only reason that you won as easily as you have was because you were able to change the way that war is fought. And I don’t think that you will be able to do such a thing again. when the Unicornians attack again, what ground they take, they will keep, and they will be ready for the machines that have given you this victory. Liberating your country the second time will be far harder.”

Shining paused. With this new information, the griffon’s argument was far stronger, far more convincing. But still, there was an issue with his line of reasoning that kept Shining from agreeing with him. “My argument was based on the idea that the Unicornians wouldn’t attack again, but you assume that they will.”

“I can nearly guarantee it.”

“Can you? As you said, it’s not like you have spies in the country, and it's not like we do either.”

“We don’t need spies to know that they will attack again. we know this purely from experience.their army was defeated, but it wasn't broken. The emperor knows this, he knows that he has defeated you before, and he knows what he must to to defeat you again. and when he is motivated by reunification and raw material, the only way to get those things is through invasion, so that is what he will order.”

“But will the troops go along with it, after being defeated like they were?”

“Most will.” The griffon said factually.

“Even after they got chased out of the country with their tails between their legs?

“Yes.”

“What about the civilians, will they support it after being defeated so soundly?”

“In a year, absolutely.”

“Why? Why would they do that?”

The griffons body raised ever so slightly, then dropped. “Field Marshall, I forget the benefits of your nation sometimes, and your victories hide the fact that your nation is not adept at war. I envy that, in many ways. But, coming from a leader who has had experience with war, I can tell you that most of their army, and most of their citizens will support an invasion the moment they think that they can win because they don’t know the truth about war.”

“What is the truth?”

“You know. every creature who has warred knows. War is pain. War is suffering. War is an aberration that destroys and ruins all in contact with it. that is the truth about war. But the citizens of their country, most of the soldiers, and most of the citizens and soldiers of our countries only know the lie. War is glory, war is just. And the lie will make them fight.”

“And you think they believe that?”

“Undoubtedly, they will not have been shown anything by their leaders to make them think differently. Only the ones who faced you machines, and who watched their lines break will be against it, and even then only a few of them. The others, the ones who have not been in combat, and the citizens behind them, they will cry for war once they have the chance.”

“Is there a way to… show them the truth?”

“Crush their army. invade their nation. Drive a column of tanks into every town and defeat those who resist. Cut down their flag from every courthouse and raise yours atop it. make them feel the pain of war, force them to confront the lies that they have been told. And make it clear that they cannot possibly win. Once they know the truth, once the war has been brought to their door and the suffering they have complacently inflicted upon their soldiers and upon your country has been made clear to them, then they will be beaten. Until then, they will support the war.”

Shining sighed. nothing about that answer was appealing, or easy. “Do you think that there is any other way?”

“To reach their ponies? No. their country is so isolated that no attempt to change the citizenry's minds will work.”

“If we do invade, we validate everything that they have said about us.”

“And?”

“And they’ll hate us.”

“But they will respect you.”

“Will they? If they hate us, and if we drive tanks into every town as a show of force and have our soldiers on their streets, who they have been told are evil, what stops them from fighting back?”

“The tanks?” the Griffon asked.

“Ace, how do I stop a insurgency from happening?”

“What the republic has found works is pulling every soldier out of the invaded country the moment a transitional government is installed. If there is no one to fight… they can't have a insurgency.”

Shining shook his head. “That just kicks the ball down the road. Maybe it would take some time, but if we just destroy their country and leave they will eventually want to attack again.”

The griffon nodded. “In that you are right. already we hear rumors that the minotaurs are thinking of a invasion while a portion of our military is tied up in this war.”

“Do you think they will?”

“I think if they did it would be the biggest mistake they have ever made. The republic is watching our southern border very carefully. But, your point about prolonging conflict is valid. Griffons have to live with it every day.” Ace leaned in “Shining, Griffons are proficient in war, however horrible that may be. Equestrians are Proficient in peace. You are on good terms with every nation but one. If anyone can solve how to win the peace after the war, it would be you.”

Shining nodded once. All that the griffon said made sense, and it pointed to a horrid conclusion.

“What am I gonna do?”

The griffon reached for his belt and produced a flask. “Griffons are poor at crafting potions. The zebras make what we concoct look like water. But, we do have one potion that we are quite fond of. He held the flask over to Shining Armor. “This potion is sometimes referred to as liquid courage. And you need courage for what you have to do.”

Shining took a drink, and almost immediately regretted it. the taste was bitter, but as it went down it burned his mouth and throat. He shuddered involuntarily. “Celestia, what is that stuff?”

“Griffon Bourbon.”

Shining shook his head again, but even as he did he felt… different. Slightly disconnected from himself, and tingly. Honestly, It felt pleasant. The griffon put the flask back.

“Field Marshall. You know what you have to do.”

“Ace, I’m afraid that I do.”

“How will you vote?”

Shining didn’t answer for a long time. Celestia. All the pain that this decision would cause. All the lives that would be torn asunder by his choice. the logic of it all made sense, bloodshed now would prevent worse bloodshed later. But still, the horrible cost.

“It is not an easy choice, but it is a simple one.”

Shining still didn’t answer. But he knew that delaying here was fruitless.

“Cadance wants this war to end more than anything. If I vote for it, it will break her heart.”

“She loves you?”

“So much.”

“Then she will be able to forgive you.”

Shining sighed again. it felt like the weight of the world was on his back, and in a way it was. The memory of the unpleasantness of the drink had subsided, but the agreeable aftereffects were still being felt.

“I need another drink.”

“No Field Marshall, you don’t. in moderation it provides courage, too much and it impairs judgement, and right now you need judgement.”

“Ace, I’m afraid you’re right.”

“So am I. I take it that that means-“

“Yes. Celestia forgive me, I’m going to vote to continue the war.”