As the sun continued to rise over the embattled city, the fighting raged in the northwest, northeast, and west. The noise could be heard everywhere, and the gunfire and screams, while somewhat muffled, were still audible.
James found himself on edge. The battle was continuing on the other fronts, even if it had stopped momentarily in the south. Unlike in the battles he'd fought elsewhere during this war against the griffons, he and his troops were in an actual city, and any door or window could hold a defender with a loaded weapon.
He wasn't the only one. Some of the soldiers with him were attempting to walk on their hind hooves only (and, given the number of times he heard them fall down, they were largely not successful) so that they could use their rifles as necessary. Others held spears and swords in on hoof while the other three continued to pound the ground as they walked.
The only ones not troubled were the mutinous griffons who had had their fill of their officers and their Emperor's oppression. They were, for the most part, calm, and some were grinning as others told jokes and shared stories of their time in the army. It was almost as if they didn't expect a hostile reaction.
To his surprise, they had reason to remain calm. About fifteen minutes after the allied forces had entered the city and the initial mutinies had fired, a few griffon residents had begun to look outside. Upon realizing that some of the troops in the streets were their own, some of them began whispering. Finally, a citizen of the town came out of his house. "Who are you boys?" he asked one of the rebel leaders.
"Oh, we're just a few lads 'o decided that we weren' 'avin' it no more," the ex-soldier replied loudly.
"What do ya mean?"
"I mean, we're goin' straight to the fancy palace, we're gonna take that jumped up loony on tha throne, and we're gonna 'ang him 'igher n' tha walls round tha city used ta be."
There was a second or two of silence... followed by a cheer that broke out almost spontaneously all along the street, from windows and doors and other places. The sound temporarily drowned out the sounds of battle that echoed around the city; more griffons came out of their hiding places, and their shouts joined those who had known the news before they did. Numerous languages came to the ear, and the
James wasn't all that happy himself. Yes, it was great for the city to be liberated and the inhabitants must have been joyful, but at the same time, this was delaying the advance and the noise could bring Imperial attention, costing more lives.
"All this is nice," he stated loudly, "but can we finish the job first and celebrate later? You see, I'd rather live through the celebrations rather than be shot through the head because I was too busy partying to fight the guy in black and red."
"Quite righ', gov'ner," the lead mutineer said, and raised his voice; "Oi! Everyone, get indoors and stay there 'til ya hear tha shootin' stop, got it?"
Somehow, he was able to make himself heard, and within five minutes the streets were largely clear. James still wasn't satisfied; that was five minutes his force had been sitting there doing nothing and advancing hardly at all.
"Come on! Just one more fight, and this war's over for everyone!" James shouted. "Forward to the palace!"
That got a cheer out of allied troops and mutineers alike, as well as a continued advance.
I hope it's enough...
"Crystal? Are you nearby?"
"Yes sir," the albino pegasus replied.
"Good." James got out a scrap of paper and wrote, "Celestia Luna and all; send all forces advance immediately all fronts." He didn't really care that it wasn't perfect English. "I need this delivered, at once, to the Princesses, and copied and sent to all army commanders as quickly as they can."
Crystal frowned. "Sir, that takes me out of this. I can't protect you-"
"You're not here primarily to protect me," James interrupted. "You're my aide; a friend, certainly, but an aide, and I am giving you an order. We're squeezing them, and we need to maximize the pressure, and now. And I'll commend you for it rather than questioning your courage if you do."
"I've been with you for much of this. I want to be there when it ends."
"So does everyone. If you're quick, you'll be back in time to see it. I'm sorry, my loyal friend, but I must give this order. This will help end it faster."
Crystal still didn't look happy, but three seconds later, he reluctantly nodded. He took the message in his right front hoof - the fact that it was sticking to a flat surface was still something that caught part of James' attention. "I'll do it sir."
"Thank you."
Crystal saluted, then spread his wings and lifted off.
James turned around, rifle in hand, and marched off. Sorry, buddy. I just hope this all goes over well. And the more of us get in there now, the sooner this all ends.
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The Emperor paced up and down his throne room. Fighting had begun in the south, and, from the sounds of battle drawing closer from that direction, the allies had made a concentrated attack there. Or at least, that was what had initially happened. The noise had, all of a sudden, lowered drastically. There was still gunfire, but not the continuous roar of a major attack.
So they've failed. Fools. I knew they'd run out of steam somewhere.
Abruptly, a loud noise again broke out in the south, much closer. What was rather puzzling was that it was not cannon or rifle fire...
It was the sound of cheering. Of applause.
What in blazes in going on?
An armored commander came in, thumping his chest and bowing in salute.
"Report! What is going on?"
"My Emperor..."
"WHAT, BOY!? DON'T WASTE MY TIME!"
"... Sire, the troops in the south have... revolted. It's mutiny!"
That took a moment to register. That hadn't happened before. Continuous retreat, yes, but...
"And the people are cheering the invaders. They march, and the people cheer for them and the traitors."
If the Emperor could have erupted like a volcano, he would have done so. As it was, he could only unleash the most unearthly scream a griffon was capable of.
"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!? ANSWER ME, BOY!"
"I... I don't know. All I know is, some of your dignitaries rounded up peasants to fight, and upon meeting them, some of our retreating troops shot their commanders, and most of the peasant conscripts joined them."
The Emperor's face showed red through his feathers. He walked over to a window facing the south and stood there, panting in rage and hatred.
It was true; griffon troops, many of which wore red and black, were marching into the city, and wherever they went, in addition to the other Allied troops, met with ecstatic joy from the subjects of the city... of the Empire...
"Burn them," he ordered.
"My lord?"
"There are trebuchets on the walls of the palace, with fire munitions. Order their crews to fire inflammable projectiles toward the enemy and the locations they've entered to the south."
"...Sire, that will destroy civilian homes-"
"So be it. I am their leader, I ALONE command the griffon nation. If they cheer for traitors and enemies, then they are traitors themselves and will pay for undermining my rule. Burn them. All of them."
"Sire." The commander thumped his chest and bowed again before leaving.
"If I cannot rule this Empire, and this city, no one shall."
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"Glad you've made this far, General!" Silver Shield called, as James and his unit came around a corner toward the crossroads just outside the market square.
"So far, they haven't killed me," James replied, shouting over the noise around them. "I reckon they just might not be able to bring it about."
"Maybe, but we still have a few unfriendly neighbors to clear out."
"We'll get 'em. They haven't dug in-"
A large, flaming something flew overhead, above the roofs of the nearby houses.
"What was that?" Shield asked as James, now running, came closer.
"I don't know-"
There was a distant crash to the south, along with screams of fear and a sudden outburst of griffons suddenly flying from the location the projectile had struck.
"I don't that's good news," Shield said glumly.
"There's smoke," James agreed in a flush of frustration, pointing. "That ain't good."
"Incoming!"
James and Shield, along with most of their troops, ducked; another projectile like the first flew overhead, coming down not far from the first one. There was another crash, followed by more smoke.
"They're comin' from the palace!" a soldier pointed with a hoof, as another two burning objects flew.
"They're trying to burn us out," James said.
"they need to brush up on their accuracy," Shield noted. "Those didn't come close."
"To our present positions, anyway... but they came down not far from where we were about five to ten minutes ago..."
"Maybe it's a result of delay communications. Either way, we need to get going."
"Quite right." James raised his voice; "Come on boys, we need to get going or else five minutes from now we'll be fried chicken!"
The idea of being burned alive was enough to get the soldiers moving once more. No one wanted to experience being burned alive. Shield briefly thought back to the day they'd faced the dragon...
"Those things they're shooting at us are on fire, right?"
"Yeah," James said. "I could see the flames."
"Then they'll burn whatever they hit... and most of what they'll hit is-
"The city itself. I know. They're going to burn their own city rather than let us have it. The faster we go, the faster the anti-air guns can be neutralized and the sooner the pegasi can use their expertise with clouds to knock out the fires."
"That means an advance at the gallop. Something you can't keep up with. Hop on."
James didn't argue. He got on Shield's back at once.
"Okay, boys, you heard us; we need to win here and now or this city will burn down around our ears, and none of us want that; advance at the gallop!" Shield yelled back at both units before obeying his own order with a brief rear and making for the palace. By the number of hooves sounding against the ground, everyone had heard.
James brandished his rifle, to which he'd fixed a bayonet. "Keep the palace in sight, and keep going toward it," he shouted. "Beeline for there, and keep going!"
A pegasus flew low nearby. "My apologies if this is untoward, General," he said, "but do you mind if we fly? Just lower than the roofs, mind you, not above them."
"You can try that," James allowed. "But if you take flak, get back on the ground at the double!"
"Roger that! All flyers, pony and griffon, take flight, but keep below the roofs!"
"You think they'll be alright?" Shield asked.
"I think so. If we're able to establish some forward outposts, however makeshift, we'll be set up to take on the palace itself. And even if they don't, we'll be able to scout beyond where legs alone can carry us."
"You think they can take out the trebuchets?"
"I think those are on the palace walls; higher than the heights I've permitted them to fly. I'm hoping for them to go in too close for the trebs to fire accurately on them."
It sounded good. Shield hoped it would hold up.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Barrel watched the city begin to burn. He thumped a hoof against the turret. "I knew their emperor was a complete nut, but I never thought he'd burn his own city down!" he growled.
"Should we advance, sir?" the driver asked.
"Our orders were specific," he replied regrettably. "I can't go farther without-"
Without warning, a scroll popped out of midair in front of him and landed on the tank. Barrel picked it up without hesitation. "'Celestia Luna and all; send all forces advance immediately all fronts.'"
"That doesn't sound specific," the shield operator said.
"it's Jim," Barrel responded. "I recognize the handwriting. And I think that was pretty obvious." He raised his voice; "Alright boys, change of plans; go for the city! Direct orders from our commanders; go, go, go!"
"HURRAH!" the troops shouted as they rose from the captured breastworks and ran ahead.
Barrel gestured to the tanks nearby. Their commanders mostly had their heads outside their turrets, and so most of them got the idea pretty quickly. The rest would soon enough.
The enemy, of course, was still there; the Equestrians came under fire. Soldiers began to fall. However, the tanks quickly began to assert themselves again. Their cannons and Gatling guns were something the enemy could not defeat with a common soldier's weaponry, and as that fact became more and more obvious, they began to stop fighting and flee rather than hold out in vain against superior firepower and numbers. Guns fell from the claws of the defenders as wings spread and legs took on a mind of their own.
Not all of the enemy fled, though. Here and there, Imperial and nationalist diehards made the Equestrians pay the butcher's bill to kill them. Rifle fire poured from these locations, knocking down ponies and, rather often, fleeing griffons as well. When called upon to surrender, one of these strongpoints simply shot the soldier who made the demand. After that, the demands for surrender came less, and cannon rounds hit home more. The holdouts didn't have the strength to hold up the advance for long, and simply got themselves and a few of their enemies killed without changing the ultimate outcome.
Barrel said something fierce under his breath. If the enemy made a stand in the city itself, that could be a lot more problematic. Other than those detachments that had gone west in the Second Changeling Campaign, the army didn't have much experience fighting within cities, let alone one above ground. Although the enemy was being routed outside the city, they were still very much in existence, and, given the lengths that their tyrannical leaders had already gone through, it was highly likely that they would rally, if for no other reason than to save their own skins (for however short a time that might be) along with those of their families, who, for all Barrel knew, might be held hostage for the troops' own behavior. It was not a situation he was happy with.
It was the one he had, though. "Keep going," he ordered. "Watch out for the buildings! Keep every window under surveillance! Don't let anyone sneak up on you!"
A colonel from the regulars came up to the tank. "Sir, do you want some of our platoons to split off and keep the enemy from cutting us off from the outside once we get inside the walls?"
Barrel thought about it briefly, then nodded. "Do that with your two platoons in your first company. I expect you to keep them off us as we advance on the palace. We'll be moving fast, so I want some platoons to split off every time we hit an intersection. Send runners to each regimental commander, so that some of them can take over after you run out of troops to do that job. I also want at least one company per regiment to be assigned to check out the houses on each street, to make sure there aren't any fighters hiding in them. I want you to keep our armored units safe, so that we can break the palace defenses and allow our troops to get inside. I want you to keep our tails from being shot off by any griffons who might try to hide and hit us from the rear while we advance."
The colonel saluted. "Understood, sir. We'll do what we can."
"Make sure you do. Dismissed, and make sure your targets have actual weapons before shooting."
"Got it." The colonel trotted away.
Barrel raised a hoof high and began to whirl it in the air, urging more troops forward. "Bring the artillery forward!" he called. A pegasus heard him, saluted, and flew away, though very low to the ground in order to avoid AA.
The artillery would be necessary later for the palace itself. Right now, though, the tanks and common soldiers needed to fight their way through the streets so the cannons could be used.
Of course, they might need the firepower even before getting there... He shook his head and hoped they wouldn't.
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Silver Lining and the other pegasi in the attack force flew as low as they could without crashing into rubble on the street. Silver carefully kept an eye on the palace ahead; it was hard to miss, even this low, having been built up so high. Hundreds of pegasi were in the air, some at differing heights. A few were actually flying above the limits that James had allowed, blatantly flying above the roofs of the city. They'd get it from the sergeants when the battle was over, of that Silver was certain, but they must have either not thought it out or thought it to be worth it.
More fireballs flew from the palace and struck the city. Most of them were aimed at the allied units that had broken in... but not all of them. Some of them were so wildly off target that it could hardly be termed "missing". It was an expression of anger that the griffons of the city were joyful that the emperor was being overthrown.
It was a clear message; the emperor wasn't going to take being dethroned lightly, and those who despised his rule would pay the price.
Biggest spoiled brat that I'll ever have the misfortune to lay eyes on, he thought viciously.
Of course, in order to see the emperor, the Allied armies would have to overcome the remaining resistance. Imperial soldiers were on the walls; some of them were crewing the trebuchets that were continuing to burn the city, but most were now coming up from where ever they had been garrisoned before to the walls, clutching rifles in their claws.
"Take cover!" someone yelled.
Silver didn't need telling twice. He ducked behind a building on his right and landed as bullets began to sweep the street.
"Urgh! Blast it, now we need tha artillery ta get us outta this," Silver said furiously. "Can they eva show up where they're needed?"
"Not likely," another pegasus replied, landing near him and taking up position behind a trash can. "Can't see any other way to get in there right now other than flying up on those walls, and I'm not up for gettin' myself killed just when this is all over."
Silver pumped out a couple shots at the defenders - not really out of the hope of hitting anyone, more out of a sense of frustration. "Not all tha excited ta die now eitha, but what else we got?"
"Something... hopefully."
"Let's jus' hope they don' try ta burn us with them stinkin'-"
A crash nearby, and the sound of flames taking hold, put an end to that sentence.
"Drat."
--------------------------------------------
James held on as Shield galloped ahead. The sound of heavy, unfeeling hooves striking the stone pavement resounded throughout the city streets as the forces from the south raced toward the palace, the end of the war finally in sight.
Unfortunately, not all resistance was gone. James could hear rifle fire behind them as Gryphos' inhabitants gradually realized that the city was being invaded. Many of the people here were glad that the emperor was going down, but others were understandably, though needlessly, concerned that the allied forces would annex their people, and they were beginning to make their opinion of the attack known. And a few would definitely be Imperial loyalists. This land had been under the rule of the royal family, after all, and pro-imperial propaganda need not necessarily await for the end of clan rule to arise.
"Sir, I suggest that we slow down and keep an eye out for any civy who thinks he knows how to play soldier," Shield suggested.
James thought about it for about fifteen seconds. Speed was essential, otherwise this would become a full blown urban battle, and the war would grind on, even if only for a few more days, and more would die. However, it was also necessary to not be ambushed, as this would also set back the advance. Having been hit with unexpected Gatling fire not long ago, James knew what an ambush could do, and even angry civilians armed with shotguns could do damage out of proportion to their numbers in an enclosed space, such as a city.
Of course, at the same time, there simply wasn't enough time to search each and every house on route to the palace...
He made his decision. "We can't stop, but we'll keep an eye out." James waved to a red unicorn.
"Yes, sir?" the pony said.
"Can you and your fellows make us a shield?"
"We'll give it our best, sir, if that is your order."
"Then do it!"
"I don't think that'll be enough if they hit the shield with the necessary firepower," Shield put in as the unicorn's horn began to glow.
"It'll buy us some time and prevent immediate casualties." James answered. "Besides, we need to keep going, or this will degenerate into an absolute mess. Then we'll have to really dig them out. You want that; you want to repeat the street fighting in the Changeling hives?"
Shield just grunted. He didn't disagree, then. Or not entirely.
A barrier arose around the column. However, It began to flicker almost immediately. It faded away after a few seconds.
"What the-?"
Shield slowed down and stopped, hooves scraping along the pavement and causing a few sparks as he did so. The rest of the force ground to a halt.
"What happened?" James asked, although this wasn't to anyone in particular.
"I think it's the shape and size the shield would have to be in order to protect us and simultaneously not damage the city," the unicorn he'd spoken to a few moments ago said. "It would be more complex than most unicorns would be capable of. Maybe General Armor would be able to do better, but we're twisting and turning through a city and it's blocks, and so a barrier would have to wind it's way through as well. Most shields are meant to be round and dome-like; it's not easy to make it do what you're asking."
"Well, then..." James felt his brain go blank for an answer. "Well then," he tried again a moment later, "we'll just have to do without it. Can you guys make a directional barrier, one directed toward our front? It would still have the same sort of shape, and I know that they're possible, since we used them at the start of the war."
"I think we can do that," the unicorn replied. "But I must point out that it would only provide protection from the front."
"Could you make multiple shields and simply point them in different directions? Wouldn't that work?"
The unicorn thought about it for a moment, head resting on a raised foreleg. "It could theoretically, but they'd be individually weaker than one shield supported by all the unicorns present. As in, the enemy could pierce them after a few shots, especially with one of those newfangled Gatlings. Also, if the shields came into contact with each other, and they could... I'm not sure I can describe it..."
"Short circuit?"
"Yeah, that'll work. And it's anybody's guess if that would hurt or even kill anypony, especially the ones involved in the shield-casting."
"Ugh..."
"Sir, we need a course of action," Shield reminded him.
"Alright. We'll go with the forward facing shield. But I want eyes on the windows. The instant you see a gun or anything suspicious, I want the unicorns to be ready to put up another shield in that direction. And I want eyes on every direction, including up. I especially want you to sing out if you see one of those fireballs coming our way."
He got nods and encouragement.
"Let's go; the pegasi are ahead of us trying to secure a foothold, and we can't let them down." Again, he added to himself. "Forward, double quick, now!"
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Shining Armor fired spell after spell into enemy soldiers, mercenaries and griffons both, as the fighting went on. After the flare from the Celestial sisters had gone up, the pressure had eased immensely, as the offensive spirit began to leak out of the attackers.
That did not make this fight particularly easier. On the contrary, the griffon soldiers on the other side were being pushed to their limits. their commanders continued to force them forward, and lines of stern-looking guards stood behind them, ready to shoot anyone who tried to run or surrender or otherwise leave the fight. They'd already killed several of their own people without so much as batting an eye. they were more than willing to do it again.
It had been a rough day. Even after the allied reinforcements had come, the Imperial forces were not inclined to give up their attack. It was sheer insanity, but they continued their offensive, even though it now had little if any chance of success.
As he blasted a griffon who was still on his feet, a minotaur came up, roaring with anger and swinging his axe. Shining was barely able to duck in time; as it was, the top of his horn scraped the steel of the axehead.
"Why are you still fighting?" the white unicorn prince exclaimed. "The war's over; you've lost, and your employers-" here he had to duck again "-can't pay you if they're dead or prisoners."
"You show ignorance, pony," the enemy warrior yelled. "Once a pact is signed, it will be carried out to completion, regardless of circumstances. That is the code. That is the law. That is our way. And we will not betray the contracts we've signed."
"Fool!"
Shining finally got a moment to prepare a spell. However, it was never needed; another soldier shot the minotaur through the head. The mercenary fell to the ground, finally still and silent.
"Thanks," he called to the soldier who'd fired the shot. Then he returned to the fight.
Shouts broke out on either side of the battle line. Shining raised his head; for that, he almost got a bullet to his own noggin. Fortunately, the bullet missed, but in the two seconds he'd had to see what was going on, it looked as though the Allied units that had, up til now, been merely occupying their trenches had risen out of them and were closing in on the enemy on both sides.
"Our friends are here, and they're surrounding them! Keep up the pressure!" he shouted, blazing away with another spell.
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Blackfeather watched from the eastern walls, distressed, as his offensive petered out and was surrounded on three sides by enemy troops. That wasn't supposed to happen, but now his army was being hit with bullets, arrows, and unicorn spells from numerous directions, not to mention that those in combat on the front line were being slowly overcome in melee. Not that he particularly cared for the soldiers per se, but seeing them melt away like this...
The situation was bad, and going steadily worse.
For another problem, the police he'd sent to compel conscripts into the fight hadn't returned yet, and the Allied forces were pounding the city's defenses on all sides. Reinforcements were unlikely.
He was so fixated on the battle going on, he was shocked out of his reverie only when an armored soldier fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground just behind him.
"What the-?" Blackfeather turned around.
The soldier was not a pretty sight. As he got up - sluggishly - blood poured from several wounds. It took a moment for Blackfeather to recognize him as one of the police he'd sent. "Sir... Reporting."
"Well, what happened!?"
"We... we tried, sir. To conscript people. But we got caught out... by an ambush. They were.. waiting for us. They shot n' hacked us to bits. I don't... know how many... made it out... sir."
That took a minute to fully hit Blackfeather. But then it did, with a vengeance. "You're telling me that our own people revolted against you!? Against us!?"
The griffon policeman didn't answer. Instead, he fell to the ground, dead. That was all the answer anyone needed.
"Uh, sir..."
"What!?!" Blackfeather screeched, turning furiously to his right.
"That." The other griffon pointed. Not at the battle going on, but down at the city. Some buildings were on fire to the south, but these did not draw the attention of the two griffons.
What did was a large number of peasant and middle-class peasants... most of them armed and clearly meaning business. And among them were soldiers wearing Imperial uniforms, occasionally with Imperial symbols hastily torn out.
"This cannot be," Blackfeather said, almost inaudibly. "This can't be happening!" he added, shouting this time.
"It is. General, if they catch you here-"
"If I go back to the Emperor, he'll hang me."
"If you don't, they'll hang you. Hang both of us," the aide replied, a claw going to his throat. "And that'll be if we're lucky. Someone must inform the Emperor."
Blackfeather stole a glance back at the battle that was going on outside the city - one that was deteriorating quickly - and then once more at the mob. "Then you go and tell him. I'm going onto the battlefield. Better to fall there than at the claws of a gang of traitors."
"I'll do so, sir. Good hunting." The aide saluted.
"Thank you. Go."
As the aide left, Blackfeather jumped down from the wall - using his wings to keep from becoming a splat on the ground, of course - and then, once he was safely on the ground, began to slowly march toward the battlefield.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ken and his father, Daryl, took up position in the upper floor of their house, along with Imperial soldiers who were about to use it as a stronghold. So far, the invaders had swept through the city without much resistance past the old walls, but that was about to change.
"They'll be here in a minute," a soldier said. "Yeah, I can hear their hooves even now."
"You know, old fluff," another put in, "you and your son could just hide in the basement; you didn't need to help us."
"Forget it," Ken's father replied. "This is my house, and those ponies aren't taking my wealth, and my nation, without paying in blood for it first."
"We did invade them first," a third soldier admitted.
'Dangerous to say that, boy," a fourth warned.
"And now they want to extinguish our independence and our nationality, now that they've been given the chance," Daryl went on. "My father built up his commercial empire with blood, sweat, and tears, and as I said, if they try to take it, we'll make them pay the butcher's bill."
A fifth soldier positioned one of the new guns in a window on the other side of the room. "You'll get your chance, bub," he called.
"Be quiet," the squad sergeant said. "They're coming."
Ken looked out the window himself and got a glimpse for himself. The invaders, led by their bipedal mercenary general, were now fast marching down the street, protected by a magical shield directed to their front.
That was all he was able to see before the sergeant yanked him back in the room. "Blast it, boy, don't do that again!" the sergeant hissed in Ken's face as he shook him. "Everyone else, keep still. We'll put an end to this invasion real fast."
Ken took up the old family crossbow and loaded it. His father was armed with a newer rifle, though he seemed unacquainted with it. "A bit more up to date than what we used to have," the old griffon remarked.
"Alright, to the windows, but don't show yer faces until I give the word. Then we spray them with all we've got."
Ken went to the window and took aim. He decided not to fire himself until the Gatling gun brought down the shield. His father took to one knee and waited...
--------------------------------------------------------------
The palace was finally directly ahead of them. James could see the trebuchets that were launching fire and destruction into the city, and if he looked hard, he could see the pegasi fighting to dislodge them, though by what little he could make out, they were currently not having any success. That was about to change.
The column of Allied troops entered a large square, one lined with numerous houses built in the baroque style. Probably where the rich live. Makes sense that they'd live so close to the palace. The streets were also paved with more decor here, with simple stones being replaced by tiles of carved and painted stone.
James waved the spear he'd captured. "Come on, boys, our guys are right ahead and they need help NOW!"
He was met with a cheer as the Allies surged forward.
It was almost the last thing he ever heard.
Without warning, a Gatling in the uppermost floor of a house ahead to the right opened fire, spraying the directed shield with bullets. Others joined in from a house on the left side of the street, about parallel to the house from which the ambush had started.
By now, ponies and griffons were scattering. A few got up on their hind legs and returned fire on the spot; most, however, sought cover. They proved that that was the better idea by far as the shield was abruptly broken.
A couple of bullets tugged at James' sleeve. Another scraped his arm. Yet another bounced off the blade of the spear, almost ripping it out of James' hands.
Shield threw himself sideways, almost unseating James as he did so, and leaped into an alley to the right. "I think your easy ride has come to an end," the Guard announced.
"Just remember that you were the one to offer," James replied as he dismounted. "And thanks for not getting me killed."
"Don't mention it." Shield had already taken up his own rifle, gotten up on his hind hooves, and had his back to the wall while trying to view beyond it. A burst of fire that chipped the bricks near his muzzle and ricocheted around the alley warned that their position was being watched.
"Well, charging those houses won't do it, so we'll have to outflank them. Not hard to do that in a city."
"We don't know our way around, though." Shield blind-fired around the corner.
"Not as much of a problem as you might think." Other soldiers, including a few griffons, were taking cover in the same alley as they were. James looked at one of the latter. "Excuse me, you in the armor!"
"Who, me?" the griffon in question asked, pointing at himself.
"Yeah. You know any way we can get around that house through these alleys?"
The griffon frowned - not the angry kind, more the type that people unknowingly show when they're thinking. "I haven't been in these parts of the city, gov'ner, so I can't say for sure what leads where, but I think I do have some idea of where to go. I'll do it, and hopefully these fools give up soon."
"I hope the same, now lets go. Shield, keep some guys here at the front while we lead some troops around them and try to get at that house from some other direction."
"I'll do what I can. Hurry, though; the faster that strong point is gone, the fewer boys we lose."
James gave him a nod. "Got it, See you once this is all over." Then, gesturing to the group of ex-soldiers, and to some ponies who had taken cover, he set to work.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jeb watched as the bullets from his Gatling sprayed the Equestrians and their allies, including griffons who had so treacherously taken the enemy's side. Several of them had fallen and were silent. Others cried loudly in terrible pain.
The griffon whose house it was let out an eagle screech. "That's another one down," he said.
"Keep shooting, we're melting the scum!" the sergeant yelled.
But they weren't, or not so much anymore; by this point, most of the survivors had taken cover. And the amount of fire striking the building was telling. All of a sudden, one of Jeb's comrades let out a half-cry and began to raise a claw to his face. The movement was never completed, and the soldier fell, hanging half in and half out of the house.
"Take this, you racist scumbags!" the father yelled again. "'Anypony,' my hindquarters!"
Almost as if in counter to this, unicorn spells began to strike the house, with more effect than regular bullets, as pieces of brick began to fly. One buzzed by Jeb's head.
The advantage remained, for the moment, with the defenders, who continued to rain bullets on the attacking forces. Allied soldiers continued to fall.
"What was that?" one of the griffon soldiers burst out, looking at the floor.
"What, boy?" the sergeant demanded.
"Thought I heard somethin' downstairs, sir. Some sort of distant crash."
"Could be some missed shots... but-"
Gunfire came from somewhere below. Shouts of pain arose from locations on lower floors where soldiers had been stationed.
"Right, then, we'll have to put a stop to them," the sergeant muttered angrily. "Jeb, keep shooting those fools, we'll go and sort them out."
"Aye," Jeb replied. He turned back to the enemy and continued to crank the gun. Bullets continued to fly down the street.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
James waited as an earth pony turned around and bucked the wooden back door of the house, breaking the door in half and sending part of it flying throughout the house. "I think that'll let us in," the pony said, picking up his gun. "And we didn't even need a key."
"Thanks," James said, pistol in his right hand and spear in the other. "Alright, let's go, boys," he added as he rushed into the house, "before they... notice."
He stopped; a group of griffon soldiers had been firing out of the windows on the ground floor, and now they turned to look at the new intruders.
"Uhhhh..."
A pony raised his gun and shot a griffon who was going for his gun. That gunshot brought James out of it.
One of the griffons was on a Gatling. He started to continue firing it down the street. He might have been brave, but his action was foolish; numerous bullets killed the griffon soldier, leaving his corpse fallen over his gun, having only fired for a second or so.
The others tried to put up a fight, but they were badly out of position to resist the ponies who had barged in the back door, and who were now smashing through the windows as well.
"Give up or die where you stand!" James yelled. He aimed at another enemy soldier who was trying to draw a bead on an Equestrian trooper and fired. The enemy fell, and his intended target did not.
More enemy soldiers emerged. A couple were shot as they tried to come through a doorway, while one stood behind it and shot from there. He was hit with a large beam of magic and he collapsed, his left side in melted ruin, but not before he had hit a pony, who cried out and fell.
James looked around, Every enemy in the room was either dead or wounded, and those who had survived now had rifles pointed their way.
"Come on! Upstairs!" James ran to the stairway in the next room and climbed up; the sound of hooves on the decorated floor said he was being followed.
-------------------------------------------------------
Ken shot his crossbow again; he wasn't sure whether or not he'd hit anyone. He did duck down as a storm of bullets came flying through the window.
Daryl fired once again. Then, with a loud cry, he dropped the rifle. "Oh those evil...!"
Ken turned around. His father was clutching his left arm, cursing vilely as he nursed it.
"Father!"
"Don't worry about me, son."
"Sergeant, they're coming upstairs!" a soldier shouted, coming from the stairway.
"Ken, listen to me; get somewhere safe," Daryl ordered his son.
"Those monsters just-"
"Just HIDE!"
There was an eruption of gunfire from the stairway. The griffons at the top who had been firing down crumpled, one silently, the other screaming in pain.
"Run, boy, hide!"
Ken flew behind a set of boxes as the invaders stomped up the stairs, terror building as the reality of the situation - that the enemy could hurt and even kill him as well as being hurt and killed themselves - fell upon him like a dark cloud on an already cold day.
-----------------------------------------------
James got to the top of the stairs first, running past the two griffons who had just been shot, and wheeled around as ponies and rebel griffons surged up behind him. Someone shot at him, but the bullet flew wide and hit the wall behind him. He threw himself on the floor, rolled over onto his right side, and began shooting into the room just to the south, where the defenders had first begun firing on the attack force. Rebel griffons began to fly over the railings and fire into the room.
James got to his feet and ran to the wall to the left of the doorway. He blind-fired into the room at the same time that a unicorn levitated his rifle into the room and began shooting, keeping himself safely out of the way. A pegasus who had not joined those who had gone ahead to the palace flew up to the right side of the doorway and fired into the room. Other soldiers simply fired from the stairs.
The Gatling that had been firing into the street fell silent quickly; the gunner was down, lying on his back silently. A rousing cheer came from outside as the gun ceased operation.
There was a surge as the firing coming from the room slackened. Allied troops burst into the room, James being the third person in. The surviving griffon soldiers had realized that they were outmatched and were surrendering. It wasn't surprising, given that the noncom giving them orders was down, bleeding from several wounds.
"Gather their weapons," James said. "And someone, get on that gun and turn it on the other house."
"You slime," came a voice from the corner.
James turned and saw a rather elderly griffon, a rifle lying nearby and cradling an injured arm.
"You haven't gotten my money, not without payin' for it with your lives, you haven't," the griffon went on, grinning in a sort of triumph.
"Sir, can I-" the pegasus from a moment ago began.
"No, do not blow his head off. Let him spout as much as he likes; he's lost. Bring the wounded, including the old guy, to the medics.
"We ought to steal the so-and-so's money and stuff, just for that stinking smile on his face," the pegasus muttered.
"No," James said again, before turning to the griffon. "Whatever you think, we aren't here to steal from you, and if you were resisting us, your wound is your own fault. You should have left this to the soldiers."
"Blasted merc. And pathetic, racist scumbag ponies. Always thinking you're better than anyone else."
"Shut up," a unicorn said, coming over and looking at his wounded arm. "You're fortunate to still be alive, let alone your fortune's safe. We're-"
"Hey, boss, we found another one!" an earth pony who had been walking on his hind hooves said, pointing behind a box. "A kid, hiding right here."
"Don't you bastards dare-" the old griffon started.
"Don't hurt the kid," James ordered. "Out of hiding, now."
The griffon who arose from behind the boxes was young. James wasn't sure why he was here, where the fighting had been taking place. He frowned. That likely meant that he had taken part in the fighting as well. James looked around the room, with his eyes stopping on an ornate crossbow. Every griffon who had been fighting had been using a more modern weapon. The crossbow confirmed his suspicions.
He clicked his tongue. Dealing with an underage prisoner of war and his apparent father or grandfather wasn't something he had wanted. It also brought up the question of what to do with them. Sending the old griffon to a prison camp was one thing, but throwing a 12 year old in with him...
"Bring our wounded in here. Turn it into a field hospital."
"You can't do that with my property! I won’t-"
"This is a hostile city under military occupation. Battlefield circumstances allow me to do it. We won't damage or destroy your property, but you are powerless to stop us from doing as necessity demands. Consider it punishment for you killing or wounding our own guys." James didn't like the tone he'd taken to say that, or the words themselves. He hated it, in fact. But sending all the wounded out of the city would be dangerous, as other pockets of soldiers and guerrillas were likely still fighting, and the wounded and those bringing them back would be under threat if he had to send them through the city. And it was likely that the wounded, without proper ambulances, would suffer badly on the way back to the main camp, all things considered. "And we'll turn the other house across the way into a hospital as well once it's captured."
"What about the boy?" a soldier asked.
"Let him and his father both stay here, under guard, along with the prisoners. We'll deal with the situation after the emperor is taken. A third of you will stay here and guard the place and hold it; the rest of you, follow me. We have an emperor to take down, you know."
The rebel griffons grinned in a predatory way. They were eager to bring down the very griffon who had made their lives a living hell for the past few months.
The Gatling opened fire again, this time with a pony crew firing it. The cheers in the street multiplied as bullets struck the other house that the enemy were using as a strong point.
Soon enough, that house would be captured, clearing the way... for now. But there was no guarantee that more houses in the city weren't being made into miniature forts of their own. The attackers had gotten as far as they had because the enemy had been stretched to the limit and some of their troops had mutinied. But as proven here, some griffons disliked the invaders more than their emperor. The city - and the palace in particular - would have to fall, and quickly.
------------------------------------------------
"Urgh, don't these guys ever give up?" a green pegasus demanded, firing from behind a porch.
"Evidently not," Silver replied. He drew a bead on a defender on the wall and fired. The enemy fell... all the way down the the street below.
"We'll gonna need cannons if we want to make 'em say uncle," the other pegasus said back, firing. "Why haven't we seen any by now? It's obvious-"
Both he and Silver took to the air; a trebuchet had targetted their position and unleashed a fireball. They barely got out before it struck; the porch they'd taken cover behind was now ruined and burning. The projectile itself continued to roll, still on fire and still lethal.
"Glad we didn't get our tickets punched right then and there."
"It's not over yet. Find more cover before tha gits start shootin' at us again!"
The other pegasus (whose name Silver didn't know) took a look southward as they headed for the ground. "I think my eyes are deceiving me," he said, "otherwise I'd be sure I just saw a line of tanks coming."
"What?" Silver said as they landed.
"I saw bunch of our tanks coming in from the south and west. They sure got here in a hurry."
"Barrel's no fool, or he wouldn' be leadin' our tanks in tha field." Silver reached down and put his cap back on. "Ya wanted cannons, now ya get them an' more."
"Boy, if that's the kind of fortune I get from one wish-"
A bullet passed over Silver's head, burying itself in a house nearby. "Save it for when this is over, won't ya?"
"Sure, boss. Let's get it done."
"And how."
--------------------------------------------------------
Barrel was glad that the fighting in the city hadn't taken a toll on his tanks. He'd faced fire from griffon civilians who had picked up whatever ranged weapon they could find and joined the fight, but a few shells into a house where local resistance was being offered was sometimes enough to bring about a surrender. The griffons may have prided themselves on being warriors, but from the looks of it, no citizen of this city had any real fighting experience, and frightened peasants often gave up after their resistance was so easily knocked down by machines that were virtually impenetrable to every weapon they had. Not that they hadn't given it a go; one of the braver ones had tried - and succeeded - in jamming a Gallop's treads before being riddled with bullets. Barrel regretted that that particular fighter wasn't on his side; for a former non-combatant, it was a display of courage that was deeply moving. Otherwise, that village some distance outside the city had offered more spirited, if more quickly defeated, resistance.
His armor hadn't stopped for a moment after the drive to the palace had begun. They'd shelled areas of resistance, from both guerrillas and soldiers alike, but they'd kept moving. He'd left it for the regulars to clean up any enemy positions that continued to exist after the shelling, not that there were many of those. Now that the Allied forces were actually in the city, it was clear to many that the fight could not be won. And some of the city's inhabitants were overjoyed that the emperor was about to be overthrown, especially when some of the liberators were griffons themselves.
Clang! A bullet bounced off the armor of the Gallop. Barrel sighed. Not everyone was getting the idea. One of the reasons for the fast, lightning advance was to keep civilian resistance from forming in time to stop or slow down the attack force. So far, the fighting hadn't been that bad inside the city, but Barrel knew what could happen, especially once the tanks' weaknesses were found. No doubt at least one griffon had seen the lad take on a tank by himself, and would probably spread the word around.
Now, though, he had a chance to stop this madness within the next few hours, before the self-declared patriots and nationalists could rally and properly form any working guerrilla action and the remaining Imperial troops could form a working defense. "Fire on those trebuchets," he commanded the gunner.
"Got it. Loading HE." There was the sound of the shell being lifted into the cannon, followed by the breach closing
"FIRE!"
The roar of the tank cannon was deafening. The shell flew into the wall and exploded, although the shell had fallen a bit low. It was probably to be expected; the tank was still moving.
Other explosions struck the wall as the rest of the column opened up; bricks and pieces of bricks went flying, as did any defenders unfortunate enough to be in a location where a shell exploded. A large section of the wall began to collapse; it didn't fall over, instead it just crumbled. Imperial soldiers fell; those whose wits remained were able to save themselves, while others... Barrel decided not to think of the others.
A Gatling tank opened fire on a section of the wall where defending griffons were still trying to resist. A few were knocked over, but most simply laid down or otherwise remained in cover, which severely reduced the amount of outgoing fire. A trebuchet was blown to fragments by a shell; it's ammunition was ignited, and smoke began arising from that location. A small explosion also took place as cans of whatever the flammable stuff was blew up. Barrel gave a whoop as enemy positions on the wall fell silent.
Pegasi began to take wing as the amount of hostile fire decreased; they had a chance now to take control of the walls, and they weren't going to waste it. The Gatling tank ceased fire, as did the other tanks, as the regulars advanced, still firing.
Barrel saw James passing by, advancing toward the palace. "Hey there!"
James stopped and turned. "Good to see you were able to join the party," the human said. He pointed to the palace. "Can you bring down those walls in their entirety?"
Barrel didn't take long to come up with an answer. "Eventually. But it will require some time. It would be faster to bring in artillery, but we can do it, just not very quickly."
Major Shield, balancing a bayoneted rifle on his right foreleg, stopped next to them. "We need to get in now; I doubt our artillery will be able to get in without some risk of being attacked. We have them on the run, but some of the people in this city are gonna wake up to the fact that we've invaded, and they'll respond."
"We'll still win even if they do," Barrel replied. "But you're right. We need to keep going. I guess we'll just have to find the main gates, which hopefully will be weaker than the walls we're facing."
"I don't think that's much of a difficulty," came the voice of Crystal Clear as the aide came flying down and landing beside them.
"Crystal! What are you doing here?"
"I followed your orders, sir. I went to the Royal Sister, got the message copied, and they sent the letters directly to the commanders involved. After that, I was of no further service there, so I returned to the city. I followed the sound of heaviest fighting, and so here I am."
"Here you are," James answered quietly. "And what's your plan? Have the pegasi carry us up there? They've already done plenty here, and they're still in the act of risking their lives."
"Well, yes, that was what I was going to say. We're soldiers here, sir, if you'll remember. We may not be as strong as earth ponies, but we're mostly strong enough to carry others up to the wall, and unicorns can help levitate others up there."
"How do we get the plan out in the middle of a battle? We're still shooting and being shot at, if you weren't aware," Barrel stated.
"Oh, I'm sure our boys will get the idea. It's pretty obvious. And as a pegasus, I think that the pegasi in the army won't be all that upset to lend a hoof, especially if it ends this war much faster."
James didn't look particularly happy. "And they'll be perfect targets for griffon snipers."
"It's a risk. We knew war is risk from the first battles." Crystal stomped a hoof against the pavement. "I think I know what's eating you. You remember the fighting just before we got to Ragna Fortress."
Barrel looked into James' eyes. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before; the memory of past disasters that veterans, and many officers, sometimes had. James had it now, and hard. Before he could comment on it, the human answered, "I sent the pegasi to their deaths before Ragna, and now I might have done it here too. I think I've put enough on their shoulders."
"Sir, both were good ideas," Crystal went on. "The first just didn't work, and that happens in war. But we have a chance to succeed here and now, and it would be a dereliction of duty to not use every available soldier at our disposal. Since we don't have ladders, we'll need to do some heavy lifting, and unicorns can help."
James turned his head down and to the side for a moment. "You're right, of course. Send the necessary orders." He lifted his head. "And Barrel, I want the main gates broken and your tanks to get inside."
"Consider it done, sir."
"And Crystal, I want some artillery up here. Send someone to fly back and tell them to lift in some artillery if it's possible, and especially if the enemy's anti-air cover is broken."
"Yes, sir. I'll see to it." He turned to a pegasus who wasn't yet taking flight. "Hey, get back to camp and tell our guys to lift in some artillery to smash the palace walls!"
"You got it!" the soldier said, saluting before flying away.
"Let's get going," Barrel said. "Let's get over that wall. I'll go and find the gates, sir, and we'll get through them. Our unicorns and pegasi will help get our boys on the walls and into the palace itself. Now, let's go!"
------------------------------------------------------------
James managed to mentally shake himself. He wasn't going to get anything done by freezing like he had. Now was the time for action.
He looked at the spear, a weapon he'd wanted for the entire war. It wasn't going to do him much good now, and a sword had served him well for most of the war. Trying to carry the spear in addition to the rifle, sword, and pistol would be cumbersome. With regret, he dropped it. It made a loud clang! as it struck the ground.
"Sir, if you're going in, you'll need a lift," Crystal said.
"You think you can...?"
"I can. If you'll just get on my back, I'll show you. I'm sorry you don't like heights, but either by pegasus wings or unicorn magic you'll just have to overcome that fear, and I'm sure you'd rather have something solid beneath you rather than magic, thin air, and not much else."
It was inescapable. He'd have to fly in. James let out a sigh of reluctance. "Alright, let's get this over with." He threw his right leg over Crystal's back and tried to brace himself.
"Not ready to fly just quite yet," Crystal told him. "I'll get us closer to the wall first, so they can't just shoot us out the air."
James looked up as Crystal began to run. The pegasi weren't doing all that bad now that the tanks had joined the fight. A few had been shot down, but most were landing on the wall without much fuss. there were still defenders on the walls who were fighting, but they weren't going to last very long.
There weren't any defenders on the ground before the wall, so Crystal was able to reach it easily; a single shot had come their way, and it had missed by a mile.
"Now you'll want to hold on," Crystal said as his wings spread. James leaned down and wrapped his arms around Crystal’s neck as the pegasus rose from the ground.
It was a hair-raising experience nonetheless. He was utterly aware the entire time that a single slip from Crystal’s back could end in his terrifying - if short-lived - fall to earth. It wasn’t like being in an enclosed space, so if he was jerked to one side or the other...
He closed his eyes tightly and held on, burying his face into Crystal’s mane. Lord, please don’t let me fall...
“Almost there, just a few seconds more.”
James didn’t reply. He continued to hold on.
Get a hold of yourself... you’re acting like a frightened child!
I know... but...
He almost fell off as Crystal’s hooves landed on the wall. “We’re here,” the pegasus said. “It’s...” He turned his head around.
James got up as quickly as he could and slid off Crystal’s back. He tried to say “thank you,” but the words wouldn’t come. He tried again; “Uh...” That wasn’t enough. “Well... we’re here,” he said, trying desperately to shake off the fear he’d felt and was still feeling.
“We are. Sorry I had to do that, sir, but it was necessary. Now, we can get on with the business of ending this war.”
James took his rifle off his shoulder. Somehow, it’s weight in his hands was comforting. It also got his mind on the fight and off the flight. “Right.”
The palace loomed before them, and everyone on the wall. It was ridiculously big, even for a city this large; it was easily as high as the Kremlin, if not bigger. Around them, on the walls, griffon soldiers were being overcome by numbers. Here and there, some ponies were already being levitated onto the wall. The allied armies needed just one more short push, and the war would be over.
James had barely sighted some stairs when a griffon soldier came running up them. Almost without thinking, James went to one knee and fired. The griffon fell without a sound. However, more were coming; some didn’t even bother to use the stairs.
Crystal picked up a rifle from the ground. Since his hoof couldn’t fit in the griffon-made trigger guard, he had picked up a piece of rubble, stuck it through the guard, and used it to pull the trigger. The gun fired, and an enemy fell from the sky.
The next thirty seconds was intense. The enemy were determined, no doubt about that. They continued to push forward in their counterattack. Some had rifles, and James was quick to target them and fire on them. But others were armed with claymore swords and spears. These would run or fly in; it wasn’t as if they had any other choice.
James ducked as one flew at him, attempting to slice at his head. The enemy sword missed, and James quickly turned around and shot the enemy soldier before immediately going back to shooting at the other foes.
A couple of them got within a few feet before he was able to shoot them. The same was true with Crystal, who barely managed to blaze down one griffon who was about to spear him in the face. Another threw his spear, but hit neither of them, and was sent sprawling by bullets.
James pulled the trigger yet again. This time, he was met with a click.
The griffon attacking him knew what that meant, and grinned for a split second. He came in, running hard, sword in claws.
James brought the butt of the rifle down on the griffon’s sword arm, then bayoneted him in the stomach. The enemy soldier fell with an outraged screech.
He surveyed the area, but no further enemies were making their way toward them. James took a magazine, ejected the one currently in the gun, and fed the fresh clip into the rifle before standing up straight and taking a second look around.
What happened next appeared to occur as if in slow motion. A bullet struck Crystal Clear in the right shoulder and exited just short of the left hindquarters. The white pegasus pony let out a half normal, half horse-like scream and spread his wings reactively as he fell on his side.
James saw where the gunshot had come from. Even as he cried, “NOOOOOO!” he had the rifle up and aimed at the final griffon still in the air, one they hadn’t noticed, and he fired immediately, as did several other soldiers who were nearby and had witnessed the shooting. The griffon dropped like a stone.
He dropped the rifle and knelt down by Crystal’s side. The aide was bleeding badly from both holes, and he was utterly still.
“MEDIC!” he yelled. “GET A MEDIC OVER HERE!”
“I’m here, sir, stand back,” a green unicorn with a red cross cutie mark said, holding a med kit in his magical grasp. He lowered his head to Crystal’s chest. “Barely breathing,” the medic stated flatly. He set his fetlock - the lowest place on his leg that was able to feel anything - on Crystal’s neck. “Got a pulse,” he added. “He went into shock immediately. I’ll have to act fast if I’m going to have any hope of stabilizing him before he bleeds out.”
“Do what you have to,” James said, in a voice that he barely recognized as his own.
“Oh, bloody...” He turned to see Silver Lining nearby; the silver pegasus had taken his cap off. “Sorry, sir. Ah know he was a good friend if eva there was one.”
“He’s not dead yet,” James replied.
“But morewill die, if we don’t get a movin’ righ’ now,” Silver went on. “We have ta keep goin’.”
“You’re right, of course,” James said after about forty seconds, blinking back tears. He picked up his rifle. As hard as it was, he’d have to go on.
I swear, Crystal; I won’t let you suffer in vain. This war will end today, and I’ll do my best to make sure as many of us come home as possible. He ran forward, down the stairs, rifle pointed forward, bayonet at the ready. It was time to bring an end to this battle.