//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19: War  
// Story: The Five: Into the Beyond 
// by lyra_lover777 
//------------------------------//

	"Wha-what?!" Roseluck sputtered, her eyes full of fear and confusion.
"Yes, and it will not be just us. I have recruited almost two thousand bulls and cows over the past decade, and I bet we'll be able to rally another thousand."
"And how many soldiers do they have?" Spike asked.
"Over ten thousand," he muttered, as if it were an afterthought.
"WHAT!?" the remaining four shouted.
"Um, yes..."
"I wasn't so up and tootin' for war out of the blue, but going up against an army with almost seven thousand more soldiers?! That is just crazy talk!" Rosleuck shouted, glaring at Debris.
"Hay, you want to go back out there? Die, go in prison, get dumped in The Melting Pot?!" Debris shouted.
Roseluck and the others cringed at his loud comments.
"Let us discuss this further," Roseluck said before she, Spike, Dinky, and Coco made their way down the hall, stopping a few feet away from the doors to the library.
"No," was all Rosleuck said. She eyed the others.
"I don't wan to, and I know  it's a big risk, but we have to, Rose. If we don't, we might lose out on the rest of our chances. Heck, the crowns, and in turn the pearls, could get destroyed!" Spike piped.
Roseluck nodded slowly. She understood, but she was stubborn, no matter how good the opposing side's views could be.
In turn, Coco and Dinky both agreed.
"Okay, but in case we don't get to the throne room, make him promise he'll give us the crowns as rewards or some other horseapples. We just can't tell him about the quest. He'll flip, and he'll probably put us back in prison if we did after he ascended to the throne." Roseluck said.
The quartet agreed, and made their way out of the corridor.
"We have reached a decision," Coco proclaimed.
"We have decided to join you in battle, but under one condition. We get the monarch's crowns as a prize for fighting in a war in a foreign country over politics that we haven't even heard of before." Roseluck said.
"Oh, and we have to be fighting together!" Dinky added.
Debris groaned, shifting from one massive foot to the other.
"Oh, all right. You better be some good fighters."
"We sure are!" Dinky piped.
They waited for a minute before they heard a light rapping on the door.
Knock knock knock knock. Knock knock!
Debris opened the door, and a soldier sprung inside.
It was the guard Crane, one of the four that had been with them while they watched Tuber's execution.
"The zebra villages have accepted our invitation for a little fun. They'll arrive, armed and ready to fight, within the hour," Crane reported.
"Good. Have half of them join me on the main invasion on the castle, a fourth go to the barracks, and the last fourth run rampant on the streets causing destruction."
"Yes sir!" Crane cried, saluting. He then rumbled away, his bronze armor clinking against his short sword.
Debris slammed the door shut, turning to the quartet.
"You'll be heading with me, to the palace, to invade. We need the best fighters there, and if you say you got here all the way from the fabled land of Equestria from calve's tales, then I think you're suited to fight against some bulky, leathery foes."
===
The zebra villagers had showed up earlier than expected.  Now they dashed through the streets, causing mayhem and making havoc of the homes and shops of the citizens.
Coco galloped in the front of their small group. Behind her was a zebra named Tenfold, and then Roseluck and Dinky ran next to each other. Spike sprinted at the back with a young elephant bull named Mudslinger.
Mudslinger spotted a swarm of soldiers, about five by five thick, charging a smaller group of elephant soldiers rushing in the same direction as they were; towards the barracks. Their purpose was to hold up the soldiers at their dormitories so that it would be easier to penetrate the main castle.
The six sped over to the small fight, which had caused the death of a female elephant.
Mudslinger, true to his name , had a piece of cloth he used as a slinger. But he used anything he could get her hooves on as ammo. Currently he was shuffling through his saddle bags. He settled on two rusty daggers and launched them into the fray, piercing on bull's hide in a spray of red.
The skirmish was soon tipped to their favor when another group all zebras, joined the fight. The guards were overwhelmed and either fought to their final death or scampered away in surrender.
Tenfold broke away from their group to join the horde of zebras, proudly brandishing his mace for all to see. He then struck it into the side of a building which one of his compatriots set on fire seconds later. The flame engulfed the home and then sped down the line. Soon the whole street was a light with flames, almost like a giant Hearth's Warming Tree.
Elephants screamed and raced from their homes only to become engulfed in crowds of rebels. The streets had become total anarchy, and the rest of the city, especially the palace, was soon to feel the blunt pain of the wrath.
The four and Mudslinger sped to the barracks where their post had been assigned. Elephant guards were shooting from the rooftops with mounted bows and crossbows while a good one hundred rebels repeatedly smashed the battering ram into the front doors of the dormitory.
The four and their elephant compatriot were at the back of the sprawling force attacking the soldier's homes. They were playing a vital piece; if they failed, all of Elephantopia's army would be unleashed and the rebels would surely fail in their mission.
The elephant rebels struck the front doors again with their solid iron battering ram. The doors exploded in a flurry of wood shards that joined the rain of arrows down upon the small army below. Rebels steadily streamed into the building, and the sounds of singing blades and screaming, dying elephants echoed into the exterior of the barrack complex.
After most of the army had filed into the barracks, the four and Mudslinger were let in to fight. The last two hundred were stationed outside to keep guard. As Coco entered, she saw the limp bodies of the archers from the roof rain down. The rebels must have already stormed the roof.
The inside was total chaos. Dead elephants were strewn across the floor, and arrows and weapons flew through the air.
It was almost entirely impossible to find out who was on which side. A rebel could easily kill one of his own kin, and the same could happen for the soldiers.
But at least the four were safe from possible rebel murder. Their pastel colors stood out from the rest of the mottled gray and brown bodies, making the rebels know that they were friends.
But it also made them targets.
The four screamed as they charged forward. They stood by each other, but Mudslinger darted off somewhere or another.
The four galloped into the fray, swinging the blades around as they fought for the elephant's freedom (and their own.)