//------------------------------//
// Sound the Trumpets of Revolution! 
// Story: Rebirth of Magic: Royal Approval 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

Obviously, it rather goes without saying I am not combat trained myself. I, back in the old world, did not have any particular skill with weapons, and was hardly the sort of person who could tell weapons apart from just looking at them. To me, a gun was a gun and nothing more, and the minutia between different models was of utter irrelevance to me.

Good thing I had lots of ponies who did it for me. But a revolution was not something I expected to live through, to be honest. And yet the uprising was raging all around me.

Throughout the palace and the plateau I could hear gunfire running through the corridors as the revolution continued to fight back. We turned a corridor and saw a tense gun battle raging in the corridors near the art gallery. I hope they didn't shoot any of the paintings, as some of them are priceless!

We continued on, soon seeing that other forces loyal to us had joined the fight with whatever weapons they could get their hooves on. One mechanic was throwing spanners at advancing enemy forces, and a cook was supporting her by using cutlery as javelins. I have no idea how effective it was, but the thought counted.

We rounded another corridor, and saw a tennis ball launcher (which was normally used in the Royal Tennis Court) was being used to hold a corridor. Advancing through all of that would be quite tough considering how fast a tennis ball can fly.

It wasn't long until we were outside once more, and I saw the sun for the first time in what I thought was weeks. The city beyond echoed to the sounds of weapons as fighting swept through its streets, and the screens continously broadcast one single message.

HAVEN LIVES.

So Opwinden was right! If saying my name was enough to inspire a counter revolution, it therefore stood to reason that there was a lot of base affection to appeal to. He truly had achieved a miracle.

It wasn't just ground forces. Fighter jets duelled in the skies, and choppers roared overhead. One flew in and demolished an anti tank battery with heavy rocket fire, chewing them up with explosions.

And even the parade ground wasn't immune. The roar of engines suddenly attracted our attention, and an entire formation from the Household Cavalry rumbled past, their tanks gleaming in the morning light.

"VIVAT REGINA HAVEN!" one tank commander bellowed over the loud hailer. They rattled into battle to intercept a group of tanks loyal to Gulfstream and his idiots, firing off their cannons at the heavily equipped tanks. I recognised them as the new model I had seen in the factory a while ago. Gulfstream had clearly been planning this for a long time if he was able to re-equip units loyal to him with the most advanced combat units.

We tore round the side as we saw an artillery battery move into position, but our priority target was the helipad around the back of the palace. Several choppers were sitting in position and waiting to be refuelled, and a single technician was looking at the controls.

"Haven lives!" he called. "Sorry for the delay, but we haven't finished refuelling the chopper yet."

The Colonel looked rather annoyed at that. No real surprise there, given we were in the middle of conducting a revolution. "Well can you hurry it up? We're on a rather right schedule."

"I'll try sir, but-"

There was a bang, and the technician was no more. Instinctively we all dived into cover, as somebody had shot him and would probably shoot us if given the chance.

"AMBUSH!" Zoom shouted. "Somepony bring that sniper down!"

I had no time to react before Opwinden pushed me into cover, shielding my body with his own. We landed, and I suddenly realised Zipp was nowhere to be seen. "Zipp?" I asked.

It was then I spotted Zipp operating the refuelling equipment for the helicopter. I suppose it did work similarly to a petrol pump just with more cables (as a helicopter's fuel tank is presumably bigger), but I looked around, concerned the enemy would make her a priority target.

Suddenly besieging forces closed in. Our defensive line had to hold. One of our soldiers went down in a hail of fire, and an enemy soldier seemed to round the barricade. "Target spo-"

In the moment, I didn't think, I acted. I grabbed the gun from the dead soldier, pointed it in the vague direction of the enemy, and pulled the trigger. He went down in a blast of bullets.

As I said earlier I didn't know the first thing about firearms. So how had I known how to do that?

Zipp called to us over the chaos. "This might take a few minutes!"

"We don't have a few minutes!" Thunder bellowed, his eyes focused on the oncoming waves. No matter how much courage we had, we would eventually run out of bodies. And ammunition.

Fresh reinforcements arrived to hold the line as our lines were starting to fracture. I glanced around to see how many of us were still left, and quickly popped up to fire a few more shots the enemy's way. I can only imagine this was what fighting at Rorke's Drift was like, or Shildkroteburg to use another example.

Suddenly, a radio broadcast played over speakers. "LISTEN HERE, REBELS! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! KNOW THAT BY RESCUING THE QUEEN YOU HAVE COMMITTED HIGH TREASON! HAND HER OVER, AND YOUR LIVES WILL NOT BE FORFEIT!"

Negotiating now, eh? Well, considering what you've done it's a bit late for that.

And I had the perfect response lined up. "GO TO TARTARUS!"

They didn't take too kindly to that. "SLAUGHTER THEM! BUTCHER THEM LIKE THE PIGS THEY ARE! STICK THEIR HEADS ON SPIKES!"

Moments later, the fuelling unit beeped. "Fuelling complete!" Zipp shouted. I'd forgotten about the refuelling in the heat of battle.

With that, all turned into chaos. As Opwinden pulled me towards the helicopter, Zoom hopped into the cockpit and began to start the machine up. Another soldier was manning a side weapon to slow the enemy down.

We were all aboard when suddenly aircraft flew overhead and dropped some bombs. And these bombs burned very hot. They seemed to have some sort of sticky substance which burned.

"Napalm!" Opwinden shouted. "Cover your faces!"

I did as ordered, but as the chopper began to lift off, Zipp looked confused. "Where's Thunder?"

Before anypony could answer, a nearby chopper gun opened fire. The grounded helicopter had a working minigun, and as we looked closer Thunder was manning that, cutting down those chasing us.

"Thunder, what are you doing?" Zoom radioed.

"Get out of here! I'll hold them off!" Thunder replied. "I may be going to Tartarus, but I'll take as many of them with me as I can!"

As the helicopter pulled away, he kept on firing. A missile streaked through the skies and struck the helicopter he was in, blowing it apart. The smoke rose, and there was absolutely no sign of him as we flew away.

The enormity of what had happened hit me pretty quickly. Thunder had always come across as something of a goofball, not the brightest of sparks if you know what I mean. And yet he had just given his life to protect us.

Greater love hath no pony, I suppose. But Zoom was seemingly distraught. "THUNDER!"

I didn't blame her. From what I had observed of those two they were close friends, and seeing your friends falling around you would always be a difficult moment.

As we flew away through the air, Opwinden suddenly handed myself and Zipp some objects. I recognised them from news reports, as when reporters go to warzones they are often required to wear these. Helmets and flak jackets. No doubt to keep us safe.

On the topic of staying safe, we had to find the others and find out what they were up to. If Gulfstream had devoted such intense military power to getting us back behind bars, he was no doubt chasing the others too.

"Where were you needing to go?" the Colonel asked.

Zipp spoke before I could. "Bridlewood. That's where my friends are heading."

The Colonel, although surprised by the order, gave the command to set course for Bridlewood anyway. But as we flew over some mountains-

An exposion rocked the chopper. "Shit!" Thunder shouted.

"What's going on?" Opwinden demanded.

"We got hit! Some sort of SAM! I can't hold the chopper! We're going down!"

I looked about in a panic. I recalled from the papers I had found that Golden Skies had gone down in a similar helicopter crash, and now it seemed I would be joining him in the same fate.

I held Zipp close as I readied myself for what was certain death. At least I would be reunited with him in the afterlife.

"We're not gonna clear the mountains! BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

Seconds later, the helicopter slammed into the ground, and in that moment we were all thrown into each other. This was it. I closed my eyes, waiting for the cold embrace of death.