Shining Armor was beyond worried for his sister. There was no doubt from the tone of her voice what her intent was. He tried everything he could think of to get in that throne room but it was no use. No force short of an Alicorn could overcome the magic guarding it. The Colonel didn't have time to wait for Celestia. So he ordered one of his staff officers to guard the door and report to him if anything happens.

Colonel Armor spent the next couple hours setting his troops up for the assault. He took the liberty of recalling the AP guns and pegasi he dispatched towards Cloudsdale. He wanted to be extra sure to be ready for anything. You could never be too careful.

When the Royal Guard finally marched on town hall the rebels swarmed outside like a colony of multicolored ants. They took cover behind a hastily constructed fortification of random junk. It would be decent enough cover against small arms, but the artillery could make short work of it. That is once their shield is down. Shining Armor studied the magic field as it encased town hall. It was no where near as strong as his, but he knew it would withstand his bombers and cannon for a while. He will need to either pound it till it breaks or get a demo team inside it. Of course there is always the negotiation route.

Shining approached the barricade and called to them, "Republicans! You are surrounded and outnumbered. Surrender now and only your ring leaders will be punished."

Rainbow Dash shot into the air, " Fat chance Shiny! We'll gladly accept your surrender though."

"You cannot win. Princess Luna is dead and if you don't surrender now you will join her."

"Ha you think that will stop us. You got another thing coming. You may have killed Luna and you may kill us too, but I assure you more will rise in our place. They will rise and rise again until all of Equestria is free."

"You may never back down Rainbow, but what about your loyal followers? Are they willing to throw their lives away for a lost cause? All of you in there if you want to survive just lower then shield and give up Rainbow Dash and her co-conspirators immediately."

Shining smiled to himself when he heard heated voices behind the wall. He normally wasn't one for mind games, that was Twilight's cup of tea, but anything that reduces casualties was fine with him. His smug smile vanished when the voices changed to the worst thing he could have imagined, singing.

[Republicans]
Do you here the ponies sing?
Singing the songs of angry mares
It is the music of those who've had
So much more than they can bear
When the beating of your heart
echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
when tomorrow comes

Very well then. "Artillery! Fire at will." Colonel Armor went to the rear of his forces to command his troops.

The artillery kept pounding the shield for ten minutes straight. Miraculously it held. Applejack didn't think the unicorns had it in them to make another.

The veteran snipers up in the town hall began to pick off the artillery crew from afar. That had to be close to two hundred yards at least. AJ had to admit those ponies had some skill. Colonel Armor must have noticed the danger his guns were in because the infantry were starting to advance.

"All right! Now the real fight can begin," exclaimed Rainbow, "Alright guys hold your fire till you see the whites of their eyes." The Republicans below her readied their weapons. Muskets, long rifles, pistols, crossbows, and a party cannon bristled out of gun ports like angry porcupine spikes. Applejack herself took cover behind a barrel atop the barricade.

She kept an eye on Sweetie Bell hiding behind an overturned pool table with Scootaloo. The unicorn held a pistol in her magic. Several of Apple Bloom's gadgets were strapped to her body with a bandolier. Applejack made a mental note to never leave her out of sight.

The guard fired and advanced, sending volley after volley of magic and metal into the shield. Most of them were stopped, but a few ripped through and slammed into the barricade. "Hold it!" ordered Rainbow.

The guard broke into a charge with bayonets lowered. They slammed into the magic field. The sheer momentum pushing it back. "Unicorns on my mark raise the shield one and a half ponies high. When they come through open fire."

The shield strained against the mass of ponies. After a minute the magic started to buckle. "Now!" Rainbow yelled. The shield was lifted and everypony fired into the horde of guards.

Applejack quickly reloaded as the enemy tried to regain their footing. She managed to get another shot off before the guard returned fire and charged again. AJ swung out her lasso and roped one of the guard's muskets. She gave it a quick tug and the weapon flew up towards her. She jumped up and kicked the butt of the gun, driving the bayonet into its previous owner's chest.

Ponies all over the barricade were working to repel the attackers. Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo tossed various grenades into the crowd. Some simply exploded, some released some sort out gas that made everypony laugh uncontrollably, and some scattered caltrops on the ground. "Where did Apple Bloom get those things?" Applejack wondered.

Rainbow Dash was a mutli-colored streak of death. No matter how hard the guards tried they couldn't get a hold of her. Her strafing runs left dozens with a nasty gash from her rapier or a bullet in their eye. The other pegasi followed her lead, engaging on hit and run attacks and reinforcing any sectors being overrun. Gilda on the other hoof just dove right in the middle of the fight. Her giant claymore decapitated somepony with every swing. With out any sense of fear she waded into the enemy ranks.

Despite their best efforts the guards were starting to overwhelm the battlements. Applejack barely dodged a unicorn who tried to blast her in the back while she was handling another pony. She gave her current opponent a whack with her blunderbuss then bucked that unicorn off the barricade. "Pinkie Pie! Git yer rear into gear and start them booby traps already," she called.

The party pony zoomed up with a bloody hacksaw in hoof, "Patience AJ. There is a trick to any good prank."

Applejack ducked under a bayonet and gave its owner a nasty uppercut. "Pinkie, I don't wanna kn-"

"TIMING!" Pinkie took out a remote big red button and pressed it. The barricade erupted into an orchestra of cartoon sound effects. Boxing gloves, boots, and fireworks sprang out of cupboards. Piles of junk fell upon the guards climbing up. soapy water poured out of sink faucets that shouldn't have been attached to water. To top it all off confetti popped into the air, giving the display a little Pinkie Pie touch.

The guard was definitely taken aback by Pinkie's prank, but they kept advancing. "What!? They still want more?," Pinkie Pie asked. Applejack wasn't sure who she was talking to exactly. "That's it! Time to break out the party cannon." She took out the cannon and fired wildly into the enemy.

One of her cannon balls just barely missed Gilda's head. The griffon roared and flew up to their place on the barricade. She yelled angrily, "Hey Pinkie Pie! Tone down the freaking firestorm already. Your nearly got me killed."

Pinkie gasped, "Tone it it down? Never! I have a party cannon you humorless bird! AHAHAHA!" The pink mare went right back her rapid fire destruction.

Gilda rolled her eyes, "Screw this! I've got imperials to kill." She flew off to the other end of the barricade.

Applejack returned her attention to the enemy. Suddenly she noticed something strange. A ways down the barricade there was a ring of unicorns deflecting incoming projectiles. They weren't advancing or attacking any pony. It seemed like they were protecting something. Applejack fought her way closer. Squinting her eyes she could make out a robed unicorn hiding in the middle of the ring. She seemed to be concentrating on some task.

The fur on the back of AJ's neck stood on end. A sinking feeling invaded her stomach. She called Rainbow Dash over. The pegasus dropped out of the sky, "Whats up?"

Applejack shot another guard and pointed out the spell caster. "They're up to someth'n," she said.

Rainbow's normal confident smile washed away. "You know I think your right." The pegasus shot into the air and surveyed the battlefield. The guards had taken five sections of the barricade equidistant from each other. in the center of each of these breaches was a unicorn magician. Rainbow was puzzled at first. Then it dawned on her. "Oh my gosh! They're gonna break the shield! Applejack, kill her. Kill her now." She zoomed towards one of the other unicorns with the same intent.

Applejack moved as fast as she could, weaving between the combatants, but it was too late. Five beams of energy shot into the sky. The shield shattered like glass. Shining Armor didn't waste a second. The thunder of his artillery soundeded all over Ponyville. "Every pony take cover," screamed Applejack.

The cannon fire smashed the barricade. Applejack managed to avoid the shrapnel by diving behind a cart. She caught her breath and analyzed the damage. She gasped when she saw Sweetie Bell was stuck on the barricade with Scootaloo. The young mares were unloading everything they had into the enemy. "Git outta there you two."

Sweetie Bell faced Applejack, "I can't. Scootaloo's hurt."

"Horse Apples," Applejack swore. She ran out of her cover and jumped up to them. Scootaloo's backside was riddled with splinters of wood, but she was still conscious. AJ pulled her onto her back. "Come on."

They jumped off just as another wave of cannon balls destroyed the barricade. The blast pushed them into a tumble. In an effort to protect her passenger, Applejack extended her legs to break their fall. Her back right hoof snapped under the weight. She grit her teeth through the pain and ran three legged through the doors with Sweetie Bell.

Applejack gingerly put Scootaloo down and gasped the sight. The little mare got another dose shrapnel on her back. A piece of wood the size of her head stuck out of her back. Her dead eyes stared at the farm pony. Sweetie Bell cried, "Scootaloo? No! Not you too!"

Applejack struggled to fight back the tears. She limped over to the door. What she saw outside was even worse. The barricade was in ruins. Without their cover the Republican's were fighting a losing battle. The guards formed a battleline and fired upon them. The ground was littered with bodies. In the sky, Rainbow and the other flyers barely held their own against the battle fresh pegasi of the empire. But the worst thing of all was the sun rising in the distance. Celestia has arrived.

Author's Note

Hooray for action. I hope you enjoyed this. Please like and comment. Only 3 or 4 chapters to go.