//------------------------------// // 26 - Coup d'état, Part 7 of 9 // Story: The Last Cutie Mark Crusader // by Jatheus //------------------------------// Duster's heart was pounding as they approached the castle. They had passed right by several platoons only moments ago, but there was no way to know how many more were inside. Two guards were visible as they came around to the entrance. "Halt! Who goes there?" one of the sentries asked. "Lightning Dasher commanding Sparklefly's platoon, reporting as ordered!" Lightning Dasher boldly proclaimed as the platoon halted. "We weren't told you were involved," the guard said. Duster was shaking, and his mouth went dry. The guard obviously didn't believe Lightning Dasher. "Look, they tell me report, I report," Lightning Dasher said in a condescending way. "I don't think so," the guard said firmly. "Return to your barracks at once!" Lightning Dasher sighed, "Fine; follow me, everypony.” "Open fire!" Sissy shouted. Six of the unicorns had an clear line of sight, they blasted the guards with magical energy that split the silence that had been growing in the night. The guards went down fast, and burn marks were left in the stones around them. Duster shivered with fear. "Inside, move!" Sissy shouted. Duster was quick to follow as the platoon charged forward to the gate. He could hear confusion and shouting erupting from all directions. As he reached the door, crossbow bolts and magical energy began impacting around him. "Push the gate!" LD shouted. The doors slammed shut. "Draw crossbow actions, don’t load until prepared to fire!" Lightning Dasher yelled. "Get a shield up. We can't have them blasting their way in," Sissy ordered. "We need to sweep the building. LD, your squad remains here to guard the door." "Yes, ma'am!" LD replied. Duster fumbled to set his crossbow as everypony else finished preparing theirs. The noise outside was growing louder. He finally managed to lock his crossbow open and draw the string back. "The rest of you with me; we have to get to the roof before they take it from outside!" Sissy cried out, and they all moved forward. Galloping up the stairs and into the castle, everypony was on edge. They went fast, Duster's squad still bringing up the rear. They came around a corner and Sissy ran into another group, sending herself and several others sprawling on the floor. Duster wasn't quite sure what happened next. There was shouting and then unicorn magic began blasting everywhere. Smoke and dust filled the air, as did the scent of charred flesh. Duster ducked behind a wall and loaded his crossbow. He came back around the corner to see that several others had also taken cover behind furniture, and there was a brawl in the middle of the room. Sissy was on the floor, and he saw an earth pony rearing back to drive his knife into her. Without hesitation, Duster raised his crossbow and fired, the bolt catching the earth pony in the back, piercing armor and flesh. Duster galloped into the brawl, tackling his sister's assailant. There was a flurry of hitting and sweat. The next thing Duster knew, it was over. Blood was everywhere, and the one he had attacked lay dead on the floor as he stood over, his knife dripping crimson. "Everypony okay?" Sissy called out. "I've got one down," Digger said. "We can't stop," Sissy said. "Let's move!" Duster was almost in a trance, barely hearing what she had said. He was somehow transfixed by the body that lay before him, suddenly rendered so helpless. He felt a thrill of some kind; he was somehow excited at what had just happened, and that made him feel something he didn't anticipate: shame. He was waiting for the body to transform back into a changeling, but it didn’t. The implications made Duster’s stomach turn. He had killed a pony. "Duster!" Locknload called out, hitting the back of his helmet. "Let's move!" Nodding, he followed his squad up the stairs, trying to swallow his feelings. On the go, Duster pulled back the action on his crossbow again to make it ready. The steps to the roof were narrow, and they could only fit two on the stairs at a time. "Okay, unicorns only! Get to the top, get us a shield around the building." Sissy ordered said. "Locknload, you and Jewel, and two of yours Lightning Dasher." "Move!" Lightning Dasher yelled. Four unicorns scrambled up the stairs as fast as they could run. "As for the rest of us," Sissy began. She was cut off by unicorn fire impacting into Lightning Dasher's squad. Several of them howled in pain as the magical energy burned through their armor and into flesh. "Contact right! Everypony down!" Sissy yelled out. "Return fire!" Duster dropped down, trying to see from where the unicorns were shooting. He put a bolt on his crossbow and moved forward as the platoon's remaining unicorns returned fire down the hallway. Bits of stone showered all around as the blasts of magic impacted into the wall. Duster got to where he could see one of them, aimed and fired. The bolt clattered harmlessly against the wall. Several others began loosing their crossbows as well, felling one of the unicorns that was shooting at them with a hit to the throat. "Digger!" Sissy called out. "Take your squad back down the stairs and see if you can outflank them. There's a landing on the other side." "Ready!" Digger called back. "Cover fire!" Sissy shouted, and the rest of the platoon loosed their crossbows in sequence with some unicorn fire. "Go! Go!" Sparklefly shouted. One of Digger's pegasi spun awkwardly as she took a direct hit to her head from an enemy unicorn blast. The rest made it down the stairs and out of the line of fire. The mare who was hit fell flat, dead. "Contact rear!" Digger began shouting. "Contact rear!" Duster turned to see a mixed group coming up the stairs, two pegasi were flying up. Digger's squad fired on them, bringing one of them down. Gunnysack jumped up and leapt from the stairs, landing on a pegasus. The two of them fell to the next floor and landed with a crash. Rolling Thunder leapt over the bannister and flew down to assist him. Duster reached for another bolt for his crossbow, but found his quiver to be empty. Shock overtook him for a moment; he knew he hadn't fired seven shots yet. Looking back, he saw where he had crawled across the floor when they had first taken fire, and four of his bolts lay there. They had fallen out in the confusion. Locknload burst down from the stairs with a battle cry that sent a chill down Duster's spine. He charged directly at the unicorns. They opened fire, and he teleported to the other side of the hallway. Then he returned fire. "Charge!" Sissy cried loudly. The platoon sprang up from what little cover they had found and thundered down the hallway. Locknload had used a magical shield on himself, and was taking heavy fire. An avalanche of punching and kicking erupted. Duster drew his knife again and joined with the rest of them, driving the blade through an armored flank. The unicorns were too few and some well-placed injuries brought the fight to a close. All in all, only about two full squads of rebels had been inside when Sparklefly's platoon taken the gate. ”Good work all," Sissy said. "Clyde, take your squad to see to the entrances and set up a patrol. We can't let them find a way in. Lightning Dasher and LD, see to the wounded and the prisoners. Locknload's squad will assist you. Digger, bring your squad and follow me." "Yes, ma'am!" several of them saluted together. Duster was on an adrenaline high, but the shame he'd felt earlier was coming back. He watched his sister and was genuinely impressed by how calm and cool she was during combat. There was a coldness about her that he'd never seen before. She adjusted her eye patch, and while she did this, Duster caught her taking a glance at him. It only lasted a moment, and Duster couldn't be sure, but he thought she had smiled. It looked like pride.