• Published 29th Jan 2016
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The Last Cutie Mark Crusader - Jatheus



Equestria is at war. The land is plagued by an unending horde of timberwolves that pour out of the Everfree Forest. Cities have fallen, and it seems everypony is powerless to end the slaughter. Scootaloo was one of the first to enlist...

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26 - Coup d'état, Part 1 of 9

Scootaloo sat silently in CIC. She had just entered the castle minutes before, and the sun would soon set. The moment the great glowing orb passed below the horizon, a foul plan was going to be in motion. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, there would be no stopping it. Should the conspirators hit the mark, the Equestria she knew wouldn’t survive the impact. Her nerves were raw as she prepared herself for this coming storm.

She held some measure of confidence in the plans that Sparklefly and her other friends had come up with only that morning. They were as solid as they could be under the circumstances. Each of them would be risking their lives in a deadly game this night. Scootaloo was quite aware that her role was likely the most dangerous: playing as part of the rebellion in order to derail it. The likelihood was growing in her mind that if one side didn't kill her, the other might. Caution and decisive effective action would be her only real defense. CIC had been emptied of anypony that was not involved in the conspiracy.

"The sun has just set," one of the scouts came in and reported.

"It is time, then," General Mane Crusher said solemnly, stroking his mustache. "Fall to your duties. Minimize casualties as much as you can. The less blood shed tonight, the better for all of us."

Officially, the plan was to capture Prince Shining Armor, Princess Flurry Heart, and all of the EUP officers that were not part of the conspiracy to force a surrender. Only about a thousand of Mane Crusher's force would be left in Ponyville. They were counted on as loyal to the general. Another three-thousand would be going to Cloudsdale to secure the prince. The rest, who were not part of the conspiracy, were being sent to reinforce battles that were not actually in progress all across Equestria. By the time they returned to Ponyville and realized what had happened, it would all be over.

"Move out," General Mane Crusher ordered.

The group went to their assignments quietly, causing a feeling of eeriness. Within and hour, all of the gears would be turning, and Scootaloo would be on her way to Cloudsdale.

"I would have had Sparklefly join us," Mane Crusher said, almost wistfully toward Scootaloo. "Her popularity among the troops would have made her a valuable asset.”

"Me too," was her simple reply.

There had been some debate over using part of their force to contain Sparklefly, but in the end Mane Crusher decided that she wouldn't be enough of a threat to worry about. If she tried to mount a resistance, her platoon would be hopelessly outnumbered. Scootaloo remained as silent as possible on the subject, only answering questions asked of her. The last thing she wanted to do was draw more attention to any of her friends.

Every detail had been meticulously planned. The only factor that couldn't be directly controlled was the zebras. There were two-thousand of them assigned to Ponyville. Yet, as if by a cruel trick of fate, they were out on maneuvers overnight in the Everfree Forest. Scootaloo wasn't sure what they might have accomplished even if they had stayed in Ponyville. For all she knew, they might side with the general as well.

"Go and get yourself prepared, Lieutenant," the general said to her. "We all wear armor tonight."

Scootaloo nodded, swallowing hard. She trotted quickly down to her new quarters to grab her gear. The hour that was spent preparing the bulk of their force to be scattered to the wind flew by quickly. Rumors were running back and forth about the fighting that was happening in Baltimare and Las Pegasus. It was all a ruse. Minor actions aside, the timberwolves and changelings had been quiet all day.

Scootaloo felt like she was going down a slide or a roller coaster and it was dropping too quickly. She had assembled with the general and their group just after all other regiments had disembarked. They had a mix of detachments totaling one-thousand five-hundred pegasi and a mixed thousand five-hundred earth ponies and unicorns. The final thousand was now set to begin their sweep to secure Ponyville.

With a nod from General Mane Crusher, everypony attached their harnesses in preparation for flight. Scootaloo herself would be carrying the general. It crossed her mind that she could drop him somewhere over Equestria, but she'd never get away with that. He wore a parachute, so somepony else would pick him up, and she'd probably get killed. She felt somewhat helpless.

Another nod from the general sent wings flapping, and the entire attack force lifted off and turned on a direct heading of north-northwest. It would be about an hour-and-a-half flight to Cloudsdale. Scootaloo found herself hoping for a headwind, but the sky was still. But for the flapping of wings, it was a quiet night as they headed into the darkness of a first-quarter moon.

...

Cloud Blazer had drifted into an uneasy half-sleep, which was interrupted by the door to his hospital room opening rather suddenly. Several ponies poured in and shut the door behind themselves. They were chattering quietly as he watched them. They were all hooded and cloaked. He was just about to push the button to call for the nurse when Apple Bloom threw off her hood and spoke.

"Please don't!" she begged.

"Okay," he replied. Confusion began filling the stallion. "What's going on?"

"Do y'all hear that?" Applejack asked.

The rest of them took down their hoods as they listened. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Sweetie Belle were with Applejack and Apple Bloom. Cloud Blazer could now hear sounds of soldiers outside. Fluttershy turned off the light as the group moved to the windows.

"They're mobilizing," Sweetie Belle said quietly.

"Looks like we got here right on time," Apple Bloom said.

Pinkie Pie was silent, which sparked a kind of ominous terror in Cloud Blazer more than anything that the others had said. 

"What's happening?" he asked again. "Are we under attack?"

Sweetie Belle came to the bed, "No, it's a rebellion."

Fear and disbelief flooded Cloud Blazer's mind.

"No, no way," he said in shock. “That’s impossible.”

"I'm afraid so," Applejack gravely confirmed.

Fluttershy started whimpering and quivering.

"Don't you worry about your animals," Pinkie Pie said, her voice devoid of her usual cheer. "They'll be fine," she embraced Fluttershy.

"That they will," Applejack agreed.

"A rebellion?" Cloud Blazer heard himself ask vacantly.

"General Mane Crusher is taking over," Apple Bloom began. "Scootaloo and Sparklefly warned us about it."

"They told us to hide Applejack tonight. They’re going to ‘secure’ the civil authorities," Sweetie Belle added.

"I just can't believe it," Cloud Blazer said.

"Believe it," Applejack said, "y'all see that there?"

The others crowded the window as Cloud Blazer pulled himself off of the bed. They made room as he approached, every injury screaming as he moved. His eyes convinced him that their words were true. About twenty soldiers had surrounded the city hall as others were moving through the city. Another squad pushed past the door at city hall and stormed the building. Blinking his eyes didn't change what he was seeing. Cloud Blazer hoped that he had finally begun dreaming again. He hadn't.

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