In wartime we identify ourselves with the nation, and its interests are the interests of our primal selves.

-George Herbert Mead

It has been three days since the invasion of Manehattan. Thousands of ponies fight on the front lines and they aren't even making a dent in the Griffin's Forces. Princess Celestia is working on a way to get Princess Twilight and the rest of the Elements of Harmony and bring them home from their peace conference. Major Saberwing was in charge of the Royal Army under Princess Celestia and was the leader of the Manehattan Campaign. He was the pony that was in charge in the forward attack. That is until a Griffin Brute came in and took the Major's head clean off. Afterward, Captain Thunder Rocker took command and all went to shit. Once he took control of the forces, he made very poor decisions that cost the lives of many ponies that depleted the vastness of our fighting force. It took all of the remaining ponies in the area to make a small garrison that aided in the evacuation, around 150 ponies were left in our 10,000 defending army. To the rest of us it was a lost cause. That's when we convinced him to evacuate the city.

"Hurry before the griffins attack again, mares and foals first, we need to evacuate the city!" said Corporal Velvet Skies

"Captain, we finished evacuating the south side and we are currently clearing the center of the city," said Private Sunset Apple

"Good work private keep up with the evacuation procedures," said Captain Rocker.

"Sir, an incoming transmission from HQ," I said as I barely missed a grenade explosion.

"Staff Sergeant, finish up here and keep these ponies safe," he said as he turned for the radio pony.

"Yes, sir."

As much as I hate the bastard, he's the only one who can lead us right now. The next in command is me and I am not qualified to lead this many ponies out of the city. In the squadron I lead now there's Corporal Velvet Skies, she was a baker before and I heard she made the best pastries in this city. She was a Unicorn mare and had a red velvet coat, a white frosting colored mane, with sky blue eyes. Must be hard to see it go down in flames. Then there's Sergeant Chrome Wing, he was a Pegasus with a silver coat, a black mane, with orange eyes. He enlisted from Cloudsdale into the Royal Army just a year before the war even started. He'd kill you rather than look at you. And finally there's Private Sunset Apple from Fillydelphia, the youngest pony of all of us. She had a yellow coat, a purplish-gray mane, dark purple eyes. She was a sales ponies daughter but was drafted into this mess and apparently she just got her cutie mark. Hopefully no pony has to tell her parents she's not coming home. Of course there's me, I'm Staff Sergeant Steel Charmer from Canterlot. Commanding Officer of the 307th Infantry, or what's left of it, after Captain Rocker took command. I have raspberry red coat, a chocolate brown mane, chocolate brown eyes. I was a drafted into this mess and all that's keeping me alive is my special somepony, Lightning Charger. Just as I started to think of her, Corporal Skies woke me of my day dream.

"Staff Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, we need your help quickly!"

"W-what is it Corporal, what's the matter?"

"It's Captain Rocker, he's-he's," she stuttered.

"Oh, Celestia please don't tell me." I said.

She said nothing, her inability to look me in the face only confirmed my suspicions. We both ran over to the Captain to see that a mortar shell blew up the radio pony and half of the Captain. Bits of the two ponies were everywhere, covering the poor young private that was in an alley next to this atrocity. The poor Corporal couldn't take the sight of it and relieved herself of this upsetting vision. As a pair of medics came by to pickup the remains, the Captain was breathing, still holding on. I went to him to get whatever he had to say off his chest and hopefully make him at peace.

"Steel...I..." he said in his dying breath.

"Hey, hey, how's it going sir," I said as calmly as possible for I've never seen a pony this mangled before. "Take it easy soldier."

"Here's the rendezvous point for these ponies to get to safety. Make sure you get them out of here." as he handed me the bloody coordinates with his final breath.

Well shit. That means all 7,836 civilians are under my protection, and all 150...scratch that, all 148 soldiers now take orders from me and we can't stay here for much longer or the griffins will surly catch up soon. So I had to make the hardest decision ever. This was not going to please them at all, but it had to be done in order to keep as many of them alive as possible. So I took my position on top of some rubble and started my speech.

"Excuse me everypony, I have something that I need to say," I said as all eyes turned to me. The lot of them went silent with the occasional filly or colt crying. The sounds of war still heard over the building tops making it hard to hear for some.

I clear my throat before I speak, getting any last jitters out of me. "Ponies, as you already know Captain Thunder Rocker...is no longer with us. But before he died he gave me specific orders to get as many of you out of the city as possible...and to some of you, what I'm about to say will anger you, but it is in our best interests to leave now, and head to the rendezvous point that has been selected by our commanding officers --" The crowd instantly shows their disapproval of the plan by shouting and yelling. "Look, I understand that there's still ponies inside the city, but we have to leave now this maybe our only chance to leave now and survive the journey with out any ambushes. Truthfully I see this plan as a way to give the ones that we did rescued today a chance, a chance to fight against these damned monsters. If we stay here, we risk the option of being killed in the streets of this city."

"The Staff Sergeant is right, I'm from this city and even though it may seem hard to believe but we have to go it's what will keep the foals --"Corporal Skies was interrupted by an elite sniper and it seemed as if he was out of breath.

"The enemy is two kilometers out and they have something that will wipe us out if we don't move now sir." he said while painting.

With this bit of news the ponies start to run out of the city limits. I point at Private Apple to take a group of twenty ponies and escort the civilians out of town, and take them to safety. I told her that we would meet her at the mountain base. The rest of us knew what we got ourselves into and we dug ourselves in and waited for the right moment to strike.

Finally we saw them, the feathered bastards were in an armored vehicle of some sort but we weren't going to give up so easily, after all, we had the element of surprise on our side. As they past, some of the ponies put on explosives and waited for the right time to pull the trigger. Then suddenly, the armored vehicle blew up and we popped out and opened fire on them. The timing could've never been more perfect. There were ones flying and some that survived the explosion of the armored vehicle. After what felt like an eternity in Tartarus was actually about fifteen minutes in reality. They all dropped in pools of their own blood.

"Ok, search them and see if they have anything useful for us."

We all searched for anything useful radios, supplies, ammunition, even drinking water for the civilians. Two stallions went to the Armored thing we destroyed and one of them called me over. It appeared to be a survivor, by the looks of it he was a Staff Sergeant like me. I looked at him for a while and he did the same, I really contemplated if I should kill him or keep him alive. The griffin was in a bad condition he lost a wing and broke one of his front legs.

"What should we do with him sir?" asked the first stallion

"Should I kill him, it would be all to easy," said the second stallion as he cocked his weapon. "One shot to the head and he ain't gonna bother no pony no more."

"Please don't kill me, I have a family," he said as he looked at us in fear.

"Oh, ok, you have a family. Well that changes everything doesn't it," said the second stallion in a clam voice as he grabbed the griffin's face. "You see that filly she had a family, HAD A FAMILY! Then you fuck heads came in and ended her happiness. I'm not sure if you are aware of the situation here but--" He was interrupted by the first stallion. clearly angered with the Pegasus.

"Rain Dasher, are you fucking serious right now. Did you really have to say all of that," said the first stallion.

"Look, Silver Blade, its the only way for us to get even with these fucks. You would do the same," said Rain Dasher.

"No I wouldn't. Do even know if you remember what we're fighting for?" said Silver Blade.

Great that's all I need, for these two to start fighting. but this is neither time nor the place for this. I sent Corporal Velvet to take the rest of the troops to protect the civilians with Private Apple about three minutes ago. Now I guess I have to intervene and stop this before it gets to far. Oh how I hate being in command.

"Stop it, the both of you! Your beginning to sound like little colts! Now since we still have some time left we can go for the rendezvous point if you done bickering." I said with a snarled expression on my face.

The two soldiers stand at attention and wait for further command.

"Now we are going to take this griffin and--" I was interrupted by the griffin

"My name is Palaemon." said the badly injured griffin

"What was that?"

"My name is Palaemon." the griffin repeated. "Staff Sergeant Palaemon."

"Ok then, we're going to take Staff Sergeant Palaemon here, to the rendezvous point with us where we can interrogate him to see if he knows anything. And you two, since you are so fond of our little guess, are going to watch him all the way there. Understood."

The two gave a confirming salute but one Pegasus in particular seemed annoyed with the orders."

"Is there a problem with what I told you soldier?"

"Just one thing, what if he leads them to us?"

I sighed then answered the question, "If you see that he does you have my permission to break his other leg...permanently." The griffin looked surprised at my words so I knew that my point got across.

"Ok, blindfold him and make sure he can't see."

I watch as my orders were carried out. Rain Dasher put the blindfold on and Silver Blade tied his talons and hind legs together. Then they proceed to put him in a cart and wheel him out of here. As we walk out of the city, I look back to see not a city a war zone and what was the once regal city of Manehattan is now a pile of brick, mortar, dead ponies and now the fallen property of Equestria. We lost.

Author's Note

2 Kilometers = 1.24 Miles
For those who don't know