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// Two Armies That Fight Each Other Is Like One Large Army That Commits Suicide 
// Story: If You Want Peace, Prepare For War 
// by tranhdxrbntd 
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Astoundingly, Pinkie Pie had brought ammunition for the humans. They quickly covered themselves in spare ammunition but obviously, she didn't have spare ammunition for their new weapons. Luckily, she did have the almost omniscient sense to have 9mm ammunition for Gilda and Tran's submachine guns and Blueblood's carbine. Tran carried the bazooka on his back while holding his sniper rifle in his hands. Spitfire, Soarin, Gilda, and Rainbow Dash was alongside him. Tran had given Spitfire his remaining rockets to carry, a total of a eight of them (not counting the one loaded in the bazooka). Spitfire looked at the heavy load that she was given, a whole extra 15 kilograms. "Are these fireworks?" she asked, taking a look at one that she exposed from its protected carrier. 

Tran nodded. "In a sense."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "You gotta see that thing in action. Its awesome!" she said. 

Gilda nodded with a smirk. "If we see another dragon, maybe."

The three new ponies had questions to what Gilda mentioned but didn't push the topic. Soarin did have an important unrelated question. He noticed all of Tran's injuries. His wounds were barely treated and he was still quite pale from blood loss. "What are you planning to do? You're more broken than I am!" 

Tran pulled back the bolt on his rifle, making sure that it was loaded. "Our Group is providing overwatch and scouting. Eric will be directing artillery and troops." Fluttershy and Eric, they planned to not involve themselves in battle. They were going to deal with the wounded as best as they could once they touched down. 

"Okaaaay," Soarin replied. "What's overwatch?" To be fair, he was originally a Wonderbolt and after his career ending injury, he played only administrative roles afterwards.

"You'll adjust," Tran replied.

Soarin smiled. "I'm liking you more and more."

-X-X-X-

Fillydelphia had been a major griffon holding since the early onset of the war. Most of the citizens had naturally fled from the city as refugees but there were a few unlucky or stubborn citizens who stayed in the city. Originally, it was one of Equestria's industrial cities, one that had developed really quickly, as evident from the many, many large buildings or skycrapers that used to make up the city. However, after a few years of war, most of the large buildings had been reduced to rubble.

The griffons had an extensive network of outposts and small bases that made up their primary holdings in Fillydelphia. They varied greatly and were buried deep in the city's ruins making it impossible to target with artillery fire. As for the ponies, they held the outskirts of the city in buried-in fortifications. Between the two sides were a grand network of trench lines. The land in between the two sides was no-man's-land and attempting to cross it was a death sentence.

The rest of the humans went to worth doing what was needed. Wilson gathered the wounded, griffons included, and had them offloaded to the closest battlefield hospital. As previously done, lots of threats and positions of authority was used. Even then, the wounded griffons were under close guard. 

Logan and his crew (him, the sapper, Applejack, and the Quartermaster) went to 'requisition' supplies.

Eric and his crew (him, Blueblood, Pinkie, and Rarity), went to meet with the artillery direction command. Way in the back of all of the pony defenses, were the big guns, the primary siege artillery. Lines and lines of the giant howitzers were proudly pointed in the area, ready to release their deadly payload. In an underground bunker nestled in the middle of all of the guns, ponies busily went in and out like a nest of ants. Eric and crew entered, finding themselves standing in a very obvious command room. There were maps of the surrounding area and a table in the center of the bunker that held a 3d model of Fillydelphia along with many models that denoted various military resources. The bunker held a myriad of ponies of all uniforms and types all around. Most of the eyes were immediately on them. There were looks of confusion and lots of questions to be had. 

"Who holds seniority?" Eric immediately demanded. Eyes turned away from Eric and to one earth pony mare in the room that sported the standard REA uniform, albeit one that sported a lot of gold decorations, medals, and almost no dirt on it. 

The mare snarled lightly. "I've heard of your kinds' exploits. That doesn't mean you can waltz in here like you own the place and take over!" she shouted. 

Eric waltzed up towards the pony and noticed the star insignia on her uniform's lapels, indicating a general. Ponies silently moved out of the way as Eric got up beside the general next to the table map. "All I've done so far is asked for who's in charge," Eric calmly said. 

The mare still had her frown. "Brigadier General Daring Charge, leading officer of all ground forces in this sector," she finally growled out. 

Blueblood stepped in between the Eric and the general to separate the two. "We are here, merely to observe and assist where ever we can." 

The general looked up and down at the stallion and her eyes rapidly blinked twice upon recognizing the pony. "Prince Blueblood?" 

Blueblood nodded. "Major Blueblood, correct," he said while attempting to dust himself off. "We heard the rumors of a griffon launching an offensive in Fillydelphia?" 

The general looked from Blueblood to Eric, still with the frown on her face and then turned back to the table map. "Their navy managed to get through the blockade and drop in more supplies and more importantly, more soldiers. Yesterday, they started launching night raids and they managed to take over one of the major outposts." The mare picked up a stick and pointed to a tiny pile of sandbags arranged in a circle on the table map. In the center of the little sandbag model was a unspent singular rifle cartridge. There were additional tiny piles of sandbags arranged in small circles all around the city, each one with an object on the models similar to the model the general pointed to. Examples of objects on them were spent rifle cartridges, bandage rolls, and a flower. 

Eric looked at the map more closely. "Where are we?" he asked. The mare pointed at a tiny sandbag circle that had a bunch of sticks stuck into it. 

The general pointed back at the model that denoted the outpost that the griffons had taken over. "The outpost they took over was the primary ammo dump for the Fillydelphia defensive lines but just for small arms." The outpost in question was conveniently right next to the outpost they were in, to make things worse.  

"Uh oh," Pinkie Pie commented. 

"Once the evening standto happens, we expect an attack from that outpost and their line, a pincer attack. If not, they'll slowly whittle us down until we're out of ammo."

"Double Uh Oh!" Pinkie Pie said. 

Eric shoved Pinkie Pie away from them. "I'm assuming you have something planned?" he asked. 

The general paused, not sure whether she should answer or not. Rarity stepped up to the general and pulled out some paperwork, showing it to her. "We're personally working with Princess Twilight Sparkle. If you're implying we're untrustworthy?" 

The general furled her brow. "We're planning a combined arms attack to take back the stockpile."

Eric raised and eyebrow. "The day after they've taken it, you want to take it back?" Eric asked. 

The general looked back at Eric with an angry look. "And what are you implying?"

Eric scoffed. "Even the dead would be expecting that move."

The general stomped one of her hooves. "If we don't take it back, we'll run out of ammo in five days for the troops! The lives we throw away are worth that risk!"

Rarity magically picked up the cartridge case from the model that represented the outpost that was taken by the griffons. "Standard attack tactic? Bombard them with the big guns, hoping it weakens them enough for troops, hoping they succeed?" 

The general took the casing from Rarity's magic and placed it back on the model. "WHEN they succeed, we can send in more troops to attack their line when they try to fall back."

Eric picked up the casing and threw it away. "IF they succeed, how do you expect them to react?"

The general's frown deepened. "Are you new to this? They'll do the standard griffon counterattack! Just like us, they'll fire their big guns and then attack, only with just air cavalry!"

Eric took a mental double take, his eyes clearly showing it as he rapidly started blinking to register what the general had just said. "Here's a novel idea." 

But before Eric could speak, the general stood up on her hind hooves so she could look at him eye to eye. "I fucking told you that you aren't taking over!" the general yelled into Eric's face.

Before Eric could respond, everyone in the bunker froze up as it suddenly felt like the room temperature dropped a few degrees. A split second later, the stench of death filled the room. "A-hem," Tran spoke out. The sniper in question was standing at the only entrance to the bunker. He had a very imposing look and had a very frightening and petrifying aura surrounding him. It didn't help that he was covered in enough blood to paint a barn, enough wounds to make him look like a thrice-dead corpse, and was covered in the viscera of his previous victims from the battle he just came from, which was likely where the smell came from. "Do we have a problem here?"

The general swallow the lump in her throat. "I-I said that you counterfeit minotaurs couldn't waltz in here and take charge," she said, dropped back to four hooves. 

Tran starred her down and stepped further into the bunker, finding a place beside Eric. A few seconds later, Spitfire, Soarin, Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and a white furred, yellowed maned pegasus trotted in. The instant Gilda entered the room, many of the ponies in the room started to reach for weapons but Tran had quick drawn his .500 magnum faster than one could blink and had it aimed at the pony who was closest to having their weapon up first. "She's with us," Tran calmly said. The REA soldiers in the room froze where ever and whatever they were doing. "Do not test me." No pony said or did anything in response so Tran cocked the hammer back on his hand cannon. "Do we have an understanding?" Eric put his hand on Tran's revolver so he pointed it in a safe direction and lowered the hammer before lowering it. He didn't holster it, he still kept it out.

Pinkie Pie looked at the new ponies that entered the room and tackled at the white furred, yellowed maned pegasus, enveloping her in a hug. "Surprise, its so good to see you!" 

The pegasus in question returned the hug. "Pinkie, its so good to see you!"

Rainbow looked at Pinkie. "You know Surprise?"

Pinkie turned to look at Rainbow Dash. "Yeah! She's my cousin!" Pinkie Pie responded.

Rainbow Dash had a deadpanned look on her face. "That explains so much," she said. 

Eric looked at Surprise. "Who's she?" he asked. 

Surprise broke away from the hug and saluted Eric. "Air Commodore Surprise Party, current commander of all air forces in this sector!" she replied. Eric quickly went to attention and returned a salute and the pegasus put her hoof down, followed by Eric putting his hand down. 

Tran tapped Eric on the side to grab his attention. "Plan?" he asked. 

Eric pointed to their location on the table map. "We're here at the moment. They want to do what they and the griffons have been doing this entire war, artillery and then charge with infantry."

The general got in between the two humans. "No we are not! This time, we attack with air infantry AND the ground infantry after the artillery stops!"

Eric turned back to look at the table map and pointed to the ammo depot model that signified the outpost the griffons had recently captured. "This idiot wants to take back an outpost that the griffons took over last night."

Tran rolled his eyes. "Like they won't see that coming," he commented.

Eric let out a laugh. "I know, right?"

"Plan?" Tran asked. 

Eric pointed to the main line where the griffons were, instead of the ammo outpost they had just captured. "Start an artillery bombardment on the outpost they just captured just like this idiot," Eric said while point back to the general. "-Was planning. While the guns are still firing, charge their main line."

Surprise got beside Eric and looked at the table map. "Why are we doing that?" she asked, tilting her head.

Eric put a hand on Surprise's back and pointed at the model of the outpost. "They'll probably start moving soldiers in the back to get ready to reinforce that area, expecting an attack there, only for us to attack their main line, hopefully with less soldiers than usual. You fliers should attack first all at once as fast as possible, hopefully taking it. There, you should hold until the ground forces can arrive and reinforce it for the counterattack they'll send to retake the area."

Surprise smiled. "Oh, I like that plan!" she complimented. 

The general got up on her hind legs and shoved Eric. "I said I'm in charge here and we're retaking the ammo outpost!" 

Eric looked at the general in anger. "No we are not."

The general snarled. "And how are you gonna take charge with your lack of authority and command of my forces?" she demanded. 

Surprise stood on her hindlegs to look at the general in the eyes. "I like his plan and your plan won't work without my fliers," Surprise said while crossing her arms. "And last I believe, we're on the same pay grade."

The general adopted a stupefied look on her face before readopting the previous angry look on her face while throwing her hooves into the air. "Fine, we'll go with your plan!" she finally relented.

Eric shoved the general back, knocking her down to four hooves, before looking back at the map. "Once we have a hold of a good spot, we can use that area to pincer attack and take back the ammo post they took over." 

Tran pointed to a seemingly random spot on the map that was within proximity of the ammo outpost and the section of the griffon main line they wanted to take. "I'll provide overwatch here. It's close enough to the attack location so I can provide overwatch but not too far from this outpost for runners to take too long."

Eric patted Tran on the back. "Take it easy, okay?"

"I'll try."