Forward and upward

by Solntsepek

Palace coup: 1 part

The day gradually and even leisurely went towards evening, making the guards of the second shift bored while waiting to go out on patrol of the city. Someone was busy with anything: someone was playing cards, fueling interest with small bets, someone was cleaning his cuirass or helmet to a perfect shine, and someone was just too lazy to get off his bunk, and only a wandering look with boredom in his eyes said that the guardsman was not sleeping. Against the background of all this, a light wave of cheerful music from the gramophone, which was presented along with a couple of records from human brothers, spread out.

"My Marusechka, everyone is dancing around." Blueberries sang along in a low voice, combing her golden mane in front of a small mirror. "My Marusechka, we'll dance together."

Song "My Marusechka"

But everything stops abruptly after hearing a loud clatter of hooves. Turning around, Blueberries notices the captain of the solar guard, White Tail, accompanied by two unicorns from an elite group of guards.

The captain calmly waits for the inhabitants of the barracks to form a line and stand at attention. No one expected this visit, but if it happened, then expect trouble. After waiting for complete silence, he began to proclaim with an extraordinary expression, as if he was now speaking not to a simple company of guards, but to Princess Celestia herself.

"Brothers and sisters, you and I have been through a difficult ordeal. The people we trusted infinitely exposed their true, diabolical nature! A couple of days ago, people's hidden plans for our holy land came from reliable sources. Hiding under false masks, they are secretly preparing an attack on all the cities from their garrisons and combat units. With a quick blow of their weapons and bloody ferocity, they will destroy everyone who can stand in their way. And after… Then they will enslave everyone else, turning the great and mighty Equestria into their colony. But all is not lost, brothers and sisters! We can still fix everything and drive these primates off our land! Today we will decapitate the hydra, which brings death and destruction. Today you will become heroes of your country, liberating heroes!" the inspiring speech echoed.

No matter what anyone said about the character of White Tail, he was a good speaker. And for the guards, weak to beautiful speeches, and bright emotions of a talker, it was quite easy to trust such an officer. But still, this news shocked everyone: The Red Army soldiers became older brothers in arms for the Royal Guards. So unusual in appearance and at the same time intelligible in mind; the boundaries between people and ponies gradually began to fade, as everyone dreamed of… Well, or almost everything.

There was confusion among the guards. Few people wanted to accept such a harsh but truthful reality. But still humility came, leaving only the willingness to follow the orders of the captain of the solar guard on the faces of the ponies.
Blueberry was no exception to all the others, but deep down something whispered the opposite: people could not do this, not these.

VaitTeil did not let the blue pegasus drip deeper, bringing it back to the real world in his own words.

"Now they are not ready to make their strike. They are accumulating strength, importing their weapons in whole trains into our world. But now, at this very moment, their regiments are not full-blooded, combat vehicles are not able to give full advantage and most importantly, they do not expect such a course of events. We are not animals, no! We will not kill even such vile creatures. We will force their generals to personally withdraw their troops and sit down at the negotiating table!" White Tail finished on an unambiguous note for everyone. "May Princess Celestia and Princess Luna be glorified in the rays of the Sun and the light of the Moon!"

"Glory!" echoed in chorus in response.

"At ease. Disperse."the captain announced in his usual tone. "Lieutenant, lieutenant and sub-lieutenant, to me."

Three people came out of the not yet collapsed formation: the orange unicorn mare immediately took the dominant position in the group when approaching the captain of the guard.

"Lieutenant Firestar. Commander of the third company of the first battalion of the Canterlot Life Guards Regiment. " the mare reported.

Vait Teil took several sheets out of his briefcase and telekinetically handed them to Firestar.

"Here are all the instructions that everyone in the company should know. The task of your company will be the arrest and disarmament of all people in the area of the "New City". Use weapons only to subdue particularly violent, without lethal and severe outcome of the latter. But if a person starts a fight first and kills someone, it is allowed to eliminate them in any way available to you. Understand?" the captain said and looked sternly at the company officers.

"That's right. Arrest and disarm all people in the area of the "New City"." repeated the lieutenant.

"That's it for me. Seven minutes later, that the whole company was already on the march to the "New City". We will keep in touch through Pegasus messengers. Get started!" White Theil ordered harshly, not accepting the wrangling.

As soon as the captain disappeared from sight, the lieutenant took a deep breath of relief, but it didn't help much. Reluctantly, she ordered everyone to be ready on the parade ground in five minutes. But everyone was already wearing armor and arming themselves for possible battles without her urging. But if a real battle begins, then they can do little against people's firearms, except for an unexpected attack, forcing the Red Army to take a melee. Then it will become a massacre, where the guard will lose more than a third of its personnel.

Fastening the last strap on her cuirass, Blueberries began to withdraw from the real world into her thoughts again. She was haunted by how much people could be bloodthirsty invaders.

Yes, they are against the monarchy, against all the foundations and traditions of our world, but they are also no stranger to friendship and respect for ponies. the blue pegasus mused as she fastened a light crossbow to her side.

Behind all this, the mare did not notice how her friend approached her and put her hoof on her shoulder in a comforting, and at the same time doomed, gesture.
"Are you all right?" it sounded from the mouth of a black pegasus with piercing, scarlet eyes.

"Yes, Blackcloud, yes. I'm... fine, yes." Blueberries replied monotonously, examining the ponies from her platoon preparing for the operation.

All of them were previously involved in communicating with people, even if someone is less, and someone is more. Each of them talked at his leisure about new acquaintances or newfound friends from among the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army.

And now they all unconditionally believe in these false accusations? Yes, not even a single princess talked about it! mentally indignant Pegasus.

You can see some of the emotions reflected on her muzzle, which her friend certainly noticed.

"And here it is not! You clearly don't think this order of the captain is correct." Blackcloud said forcefully, and then added in a slightly saddened tone, "By the way, I am also against all this..."

"So you too?!" Blueberries almost shouted, but when she came to her senses, she lowered the volume of her voice to a whisper.

The friend nodded in the affirmative.

"It's a secret, but I like a young man. I can't believe that he and others would want to do this to us. I think that the aristocrats of Canterlot and their shady dealings are involved here. According to the castle guards, Princess Celestia has left on an urgent matter for the whole day, it is not known where. This is a great moment to capture people who have a rule in black and white not to harm any Equestria creature. Even if the pony is a criminal, if there is no order to help the police or the guard in the capture, they will not be able to do something." Blackcloud shared her conclusions.

"It's just not clear why the aristocrats are doing all this..." finished the thought of a friend of Blueberries.

"Exactly."

"Then we need to inform the human commanders immediately." the blue pegasus came to the general conclusion. "Only if our loss is noticed we will be stopped by all means."

"Well, for the rest of the company, we can introduce ourselves as messengers with an important message. It'll work for a while," Blackcloud suggested.

"Only when?" Blueberries asked the question of interest to both of them.

"I think it's necessary now. By the time they miss us, we'll be a few blocks away."

Fully dressed in armor, with light crossbows on the right and a short sword on the left side, the two friends set out on the path of betrayal. Having slipped unnoticed by the officers who were violently discussing what was happening, they flew up to the level of two-story mansions, keeping as close as possible to the roofs.

The sun standing in the sky reflected dimly from the gilded cuirasses, warming the already tense Pegasus. Flying at an average pace, they did not attract such strong attention from the rest of the guards, even if they were wasting precious time. But it's better to arrive later than not to get to people at all.

Blueberries' eyes ran over the ground, looking for any danger and an angry look from the guards and officers. But they also had their own affairs to see, except to chase and interrogate who they were and for what purpose they were flying towards the castle. Below, small groups or troika of guards were herding citizens into their homes for their own safety. Some followed the lonely Red Army soldiers. But even half of the soldiers of the people will not be typed with a formidable weapon — a rifle and a machine gun. There was no way to help them. Two pegasus will never be able to cope with an entire squad, and even more so a platoon consisting of all three pony races at once.

Here appeared the last houses of the rich ponies that lived nearby just outside the castle grounds.

Discord damn you! Just a little bit left Blueberries thought angrily and frowned, —three pegasuses were flying towards them.

The two defectors did not have any fully written report with them. And the lookouts will definitely lead Blueberries and Blackcloud to the officers — then there are no more guard units, all the forces of this group seem to be just preparing for an attack. The two Pegasi had about forty seconds left before contact with the sentries.

"Black Cloud, we have guests. Quickly to the castle, while they are not far away." the azure pegasus has made a decision.
"Got it."

The calm flapping of the wings was replaced by gaining momentum and height. Quickly gained speed and a safe height from the shelling from the ground, they flew into the castle territory. Such actions on their part discouraged the three guards and for a couple of moments they were confused, not understanding what to do. But it's not for nothing that they eat their bread and two rushed in pursuit, while the last one dived to the ground with a report about deserters. The speed of the interceptors turned out to be higher, the distance began to shrink rapidly. Two defectors did not have the opportunity to fly through the entrance, and the solution to this problem came by itself. The large windows of the castle in the corridors were just right for another entrance.

Squeezing out the last of her strength, Blueberries pressed her wings to her body and exposed her hooves like a battering ram, entering a peak. For a couple of meters, she pressed her head as hard as possible to the cuirass, bringing the helmet forward from the fragments. Having lost visibility, Blueberries first heard a loud ringing of breaking glass, and then a sharp pain in the exposed areas of the body and wings. Overcoming the pain, she exhaled sharply and opened her wings in an attempt to slow down. Raising her head, she saw the corridor door rapidly approaching. Dropping another couple of tens of centimeters, the pegasus touched for now and ran forward by inertia, stopping only a couple of meters from the oak doors.

Every muscle was burning with fatigue, while the pain was drowned out by the adrenaline raging in the blood. Breathing quickly and unevenly, pony, through the noise of pulsating blood and beating heart, heard the landing of her friend. Turning in her direction, Blueberries saw that she was more fortunate than she, who took on the role of a battering ram. There was a broken window and a clear sky behind them—the Pegasi did not follow them into the castle.

I wonder why? the azure pony asked herself.

But after a couple of seconds, the questions disappeared by themselves: five people ran to them at once with machine guns at the ready. Ahead was a human commander with a pistol and a menacing look.

"Stop! Don't move!" there was a shout from the commander in the cap.

The ponies froze, trying to move as little as possible.

"Now it's clear why the patrollers didn't fly in after them." Blackcloud whispered softly to her friend.

The guards stopped a couple of meters from the pony and raised their weapons in the direction of the Pegasuses.

Only the commander came forward, now holding the revolver at his hip.

"Who are you and why did you break into the castle?" the man asked the question sternly.

"We are from the Guard… We have an urgent report to your commanders... the entire guard is now preparing to capture all the people!" Blueberries answered for two. "They were being chased and we couldn't get to you any other way."

It took the commander a little time to make a decision and quickly orienting himself, he ordered some of his group:

"Maximov, Pestsov, take the guests for a full interrogation to Comrade Major Bondarev. The rest will return to their posts."

The answer to him was a choral "Eat" and the execution of orders.

***

The square was noticeably empty after Princess Celestia's urgent trip. There were no aristocrats, hereditary nobles scurrying back and forth, and the number of guards sharply decreased several times. Perhaps this was due to the emergency situation in Mainhetten with the workers of some factories and all forces were sent there. Few people in Canterlot knew about this and, fortunately, Kopec was among them. Just before the departure of the head of state for an indefinite time, he and a group of commanders received a message from the princess's personal secretary. The pilot saw in this gesture great confidence in the senior commanders of the Red Army.

"Somehow everything is suspiciously quiet..." Kopec muttered thoughtfully standing at the open window in his quiet and cozy office.

"What are you talking about, Vanya?" a handsome young Chernykh-haired man with colonel's buttonholes and a hero's star on his chest asked casually.

Kopec turned to his friend, comrade and deputy in one person, who was reading the local newspaper "Life of Kantelot" at that time. It was none other than Sergey Alexandrovich Chernykh. Like his friend, Chernykh moved very quickly through ranks and positions, having gone from lieutenant's cubicles to colonel's sleepers in just three years of service. Kopec personally asked to put Chernykh as his deputy and, of course, achieved his goal. Maybe Chernykh did not have much experience in command, but his extraordinary courage and experience of the war in Spain could give a good result in this post.

"Oh, nothing, Seryozha. Just thoughts out loud," Kopec answered him reluctantly and sat down at his workplace.

But I didn't have to continue working — the front door opened abruptly and a panting NKVD major Bondarev stumbled into the office with a machine gun tightly clenched in his hand.

No sooner had the major reported the incident than the commanders who were sitting jumped up from their seats with faces full of anxiety and at the same time ready for anything.

"Ivan Ivanovich, Mikhail Petrovich is calling you urgently. We seem to be planning an uprising and a military coup. All the towers were broken, there is no connection with the rest of the parts." Bondarev reported after catching his breath a little.

"Damn it… That's what we needed right now," Kopec swore and took out a holster with a pistol from a drawer. "Sergey, quickly go to the airfield and raise everyone there, let them warn other garrisons and units nearby. The airfield to take up defense and conduct surveillance from the air. Do not engage in combat until the circumstances are clarified! Shugai, hit with butts, but don't let there be a single corpse on the pony's side, Seryozha!"

"That's right," Chernykh nodded in response and, putting on his cap, ran to the cars in the parking lot.

Kopets and Bondarev also ran, but in the other direction. NKVD soldiers stood everywhere with machine guns and rifles in full combat readiness. After skipping the entire corridor in a short time, they arrived at the doors painted in gold and silver, behind which the military council was located.

Opening the doors and going inside, Kopec put his hand to his cap and greeted all the sitting senior commanders. Ten people were sitting at an oval table. Nearby, two ponies from the guard, both Pegasus in appearance, were positioned against the wall.

"Comrade Kopets, Comrade Bondarev, I ask you to sit at the table." the man sitting at the head of the table invited the commanders.

After Chuikov's county, Brigade Commander Kirponos became his temporary duty officer. Mikhail Petrovich was a strong-willed and determined man, but his stubbornness and love of challenging everything made him out of touch with other commanders, for which he still wears the brigade commander's buttonholes. He was appreciated and respected by a few among the command staff, among whom was Chuikov, who did not notice Kirponos' weakness point-blank.
Kirponos looked at all those present with a serious and unshakable gaze.

"Today, after the urgent departure of Princess Celestia, we received information about the strange behavior of the royal guard and most of the nobles and aristocrats of Canterlot. The data was confirmed by two defectors from the guard..." on the last word, he looked at the two ponies sitting against the wall and beckoned to him with a glance.

The black and blue Pegasus appeared next to Kirponos in the blink of an eye. After a little hesitation, they told everyone present everything that happened today on their side of the barricades. Everyone with complete silence delved into every word, noticing some details for themselves and writing them down in sheets.

***

Chernykh and a fighter from the NKVD with him with a machine gun got into the car. Slamming the door, the pilot immediately shouted to the driver: "Let's go." Emka quickly turned to the road and rolled to the exit from the castle grounds. Somewhere in the distance, the occasional single rifle shots and short bursts of machine guns could be heard. At the exit, the speeding car was met by deserted streets. But this feeling turned out to be deceptive: after forty meters they were blocked by guards with clearly hostile muzzles. Five ponies stood up so that it was difficult to go around without passing them with wheels.

Damn... the pilot cursed mentally, trying to come up with a plan of action on the move.

Taking out his revolver, Chernykh put his hand on the driver's shoulder and ordered him to stop.

Brakes screeched and the car stopped a meter away from the pony.
"On my command, be ready to give gas and drive with all your might." the pilot whispered to him.

The sergeant sitting in the front seat prepared his machine gun for battle, but he was stopped by Chernykh who saw it.

"Don't shoot someone here, fighter. If something happens, then hit with the butt or shoo the queue nearby."

"That's right, Comrade Commander." The submachine gunner nodded understandingly.

Two people approached the black car — an earth pony and a unicorn, while the others stood in a semicircle chain. Chernykh lowered the window only halfway and looked sternly at the pony.

"What does it all mean? Immediately let me through, I am the deputy commander of the Red Army Air Force Brigade Commander Chernykh!" the pilot demanded an explanation for the sake of appearance with a dissatisfied look.

The Unicorn Guardsman responded to this human attack with his own demands:

"Sir Chernykh, please step out of the vehicle for inspection and document verification."

There he is, talking like that. Since the pony was born, they did not check the documents and did not conduct an inspection, especially from senior commanders, and here without explanations and with demands, thought Chernykh, realizing that there was an obvious coup d'etat with the capture of all the commanders of the Red Army.

"Okay, I'll get out." After a couple of seconds, the pilot replied and touched the driver's shoulder with his hand.

Satisfied that they did not have to use force, the unicorn and the earth pony slightly moved away from the car door. At that moment, the engine roared and the car took off. The sergeant deftly stuck the muzzle of the machine gun through the slightly lowered window and gave a short burst under the feet of the ponies surrounding the car. Bullets, striking sparks and the looming silhouette of a car gave its result. The guards rushed in different directions, clearing the way for crazy people with weapons, afraid of being killed or crushed.

"Drive, dear, drive away from here!" the pilot shouted, in a voice full of raging emotions.

Emka, picking up speed unusual for a trip through the streets of Kanterlot, zigzagged ahead with all the dope, through scattered groups of rebellious guards. Crossbow bolts flew after them, both from the ground and from the air. One of the bolts pierced the rear window and stuck into the front seat, miraculously not injuring the driver. Chernykh bent down sharply, fleeing from a hail of small fragments of broken glass. A few more broke through the roof and hood, but it was almost impossible to stop the people who broke through.

"The bastards are short. If I had my hands free, I would show you how a Soviet fighter pilot fights." He cursed the rebellious Chernykh ponies in a whisper, clenching his teeth with annoyance and anger. "But nothing, nothing… Soon your precious princess with the Sun on her rump will pour all of you on the first number, instead of us ..." the pilot continued to swear, imagining the hour when he would no longer have to run without taking a real fight.

The Pegasi were still on the tail, firing light crossbows at the car. Shots of Red Army soldiers who had not surrendered just like that still sounded on the streets. Occasionally there were broken and abandoned cars with cargo that for some reason were not touched by looters. Suddenly, a BT tank jumped out of a turn into a skid, not noticing the attempts of unicorns and pegasus to stop it.
Blackened from the constant bombardment of magic, with peeling paint, he raced straight to the castle. The emki driver, who noticed the tank late, sharply turned the steering wheel to the right, avoiding the fate of being crushed by the BT tracks. There was a sharp jolt and the pilot collapsed on the seat, strewn with fragments. Oblivious to the pain in his now bloody left arm, Chernykh got up and looked around. The car was driven back and forth, but the control was not completely lost. Emka continued her way through the central streets; even with the bumper smashed into trash, strewn with dents and holes from crossbow bolts, broken windows, but she continued to drive to the goal no matter what. There wasn't much left.

Rushing past all the armed groups, the car suddenly flew into an ambush platoon of unicorns, clearly ready to meet people rushing to the airfield. Magical clumps of energy of different colors flew into emka from all sides. Chernykh, the sergeant and the driver crouched as low as possible, hiding behind the thin and battered metal that still held back the shelling. Several particularly successful hits fell on the exhausted engine. Black smoke enveloped the entire cabin, reducing the view to a minimum.

"As soon as we slip through...… On my order, immediately jump out of the car on the move." shouted through the cough of the Chernykh.

The pilot reported twenty seconds, the approximate time for which they will drive a maximum of a faulty car and get the maximum head start from the pursuers. At the subsequent command of the pilot — "Jump out!", everyone tumbled to the ground.

After a soft landing, Chernykh, having lost his cap, looked after the burning car going by. At the same time, mentally thanking fate that nothing exploded and everyone remained alive. Standing up, he turned his attention to his fighters. They were already getting up and preparing to run or cover as soon as Chernykh ordered.

Getting up, Chernykh scanned the sky: the Pegasi were very close, but they were not diving in an attempt to attack yet. This was their chance. The airfield is quite a bit away, just a stone's throw away.
Rumpled and disheveled , Chernykh shouted:

"To the airfield... run... after me!"
Adrenaline was raging in my blood. There was no fear, only a strong desire to reach their own.

"And I will carry out this order, no matter what!" whispered the fleeing pilot with a revolver in his hand.

Author's Note:

The hard days of the session have come to an end (I really tried and didn't get a single three in the score) and I'm back in the ranks writers. I may not have finished all my studies yet, but I already devote a lot more time to creativity. So here's a chapter that I delayed too much already because of laziness and workload.
A small note: the ranks for the guard were taken from the table of ranks of 1722.
A small fact: The surname of Chernykh, if translated literally, will be Black

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[Tiber Septim II]

The Soviet conquest of Equestria is about to happen.