"And so, that's everything. I know it may sound strange, or even absurd…" Twilight paused. "But it's the truth. We came here to help. And I pray that you'll let us. This is Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, signing off."

Twilight handed the mic to Rick Valassi, who spoke further. She sighed, as their broadcast to Manhattan had taken two hours to complete.

"Yep, there you have it, Manhattan. They're friends. And since they're standing right next to me, I can vouch personally to their friendship. I just want to be the first to say...Princess Twilight and company, welcome to Manhattan. This is Rick Valassi, signing off for Wouldn't You Know It."

Valassi powered off the radio, and smiled.

"You need any facts on Manhattan, come to me." Rick said. "I'll be upstairs."

As Valassi left, Lau, plus Nick and his team walked in.

"We've got a problem on our hands." Lau said. "Here, at Madison Square Garden. CERA was using the site as a Field Hospital, but armed Rioters swarmed in and took over. They've got the Med Staff there as hostages, including Dr. Jessica Kandel, a virologist we need. We need them all back here to get our Medical wing functional. Agent Sykes's team is heading over there with a JTF squad, but they need backup."

"And you figured we'd be up to the task." Twilight said. "We're not soldiers, Miss Lau."

"We know that." Lau replied. "SHD Command says that if you can help in any way, they'd appreciate it greatly, but here's the catch. Squad Sierra-Kilo is now responsible for your safety. And since they have head over to Madison, you're going with them. There's Kevlar Vests downstairs. Put them on, and get going."

Twilight could understand there was no room for disagreement. Spike hopped up onto Twilight's back as they followed Nick and his team to the door. Finding six Ballistic Vests marked with "JTF", the ponies put them on. They were bulky and ill-fitting, but Twilight used her magic to adjust more to their equine body shape.

"Lock and load." Nick said, cocking his P416. "JTF, on me!"

====

It was a quick hike to Madison Square Garden, where two JTF soldiers were placing explosives on the doors. Nick motioned for the ponies to stay where they were, and the four agents were handed a detonator.

"Breach and clear!" Nick said as he hit the button.The doors blew open, and the squad entered the Garden, with the ponies not too far behind. They had barely reached the main concourse, which was filled with medical equipment and debris before two Rioters noticed them and opened fire.

"Engage!" Nick said, diving behind a Food Cart. Lyle forced the Rioters into cover with a burst from his MAG-50, while Harper and Logan moved on the flanks.

"Rushers, incoming!" Logan yelled. Twilight peeked her head up to see three hooded men wielding baseball bats begin to charge.

"Shock out!" Nick said, hurling a canister of some kind, which landed near the Rioters. It crackled to life, spewing three large bolts of lightning. It stopped the Rioters cold and caused them to spasm violently from shock.

"Focus!" Harper said as the JTF shot the stunned Rioters. "Move up!"

The agents moved up the unmoving escalator and eliminated three more Rioters, who had come to investigate the gunfire.

"Okay, Agent." Lau said as they all entered a room full of computer monitors. "Patch me into the security system. I'll see if I can locate Dr. Kandel."

Nick typed a command code into the keyboard, and the screens flickered blue before changing through the various camera feeds.

"Alright, it looks like Kandel and her staff are treating their wounded, at the upstairs Koby's restaurant. That's the only reason they're all still alive. Get moving, Agent."

"Roger." Nick said. "JTF, spread out into teams of three. Search the area. We'll handle getting the Med Staff."

"Yessir!" the JTF Sergeant said.

"And you seven are with us." Logan added. "Let's go!"

The squad, and the ponies, headed up a freight causeway towards a large medical wing in the middle of a Basketball court.

"There's a lot of hostile activity in there." Lau said. "But if you use cover, you can eliminate them quickly."

"Stack up." Nick said. The ponies hid behind a large container, and Nick's team advanced to cover. The Rioters, around ten of them, didn't notice.

"Engage!" Nick cried, firing and killing a Rioter Thug. The other agents opened fire, drawing the hostiles' attention. One wearing a backpack stuffed with firecrackers pulled something out and hurled it. Twilight, thinking the Agents most likely didn't want to be hit by whatever it was, used her magic to catch it and throw it back. The Molotov exploded in midair, setting a few Rioters on fire.

"Nice one!" Rarity cried, yanking a Rioter's baseball bat out of his hands, and proceeding to pummel him upside the head with it until he fled for cover.

"Keep pushing!" Kyle yelled. After a few more minutes of furious combat, the agents and ponies headed up towards an elevator.

"Restock and patch yourselves up." Nick said to his team, who began to check their ammo from a crate. "And you seven stay close."

Even though the ponies were smaller than the humans, it was quite cramped as the elevator went up. Rainbow even took flight to keep her personal space clear. Eventually, the Elevator stopped, and they exited. Twilight looked to her left, and saw a door marked with "QUARANTINE".

"To get to Koby's, you'll have to pass by contaminated areas." Lau said. "The people who were infected with the virus were treated there, at least until they got shot. So be careful."

"Roger that." Nick said, reloading his P416. "Let's go!"

The Agents headed into the upper concourse, where Twilight could see several of the medical staff hiding inside a kitchen.

"There they are." Harper said.

"Logan, you and I will draw their fire. Kyle, Harper, go for the med staff. The rest of you keep your heads down." Nick said. He and Logan moved towards a toppled piece of furniture, and the other two agents headed for the restaurant entrance.

"Go!" Nick whispered. Logan aimed and fired his M40, scoring a headshot. The Rioters immediately opened fire, leaving the med staff clear. The other agents moved up and bypassed the rioters, leaping into the kitchen.

"Move!" Nick yelled as he killed a Rusher. Twilight and the other ponies slowly moved through cover as the bullets flew all around them. Nick quickly dove to a second piece of cover and shot down a Rusher, who was charging wildly.

"We clear?" Nick yelled.

"Clear!" Logan replied. "Med staff are secure!"

Kyle helped move the staff towards the back of the restaurant, where the JTF could retrieve them. Nick slowly moved out of cover, towards the front.

"WARNING-ADDITIONAL HOSTILES DETECTED!" ISAC spoke. The Agents immediately shepherded the ponies to the back, and Kyle deployed his MAG-50's bipod.

"Keep your heads down!" Nick cautioned the medical staff and the ponies, just as the doors to another area burst open, and at least ten to thirteen rioters swarmed out, guns blazing.

"Take them out!" Kyle yelled, opening up. The agents boxed the rioters in, occasionally diving down to reload. After a few minutes, the last of the Rioters lay dead, and three JTF units appeared to escort the Medical staff.

"Agent, we've got a problem on the roof." Lau spoke. "They've got a machine gunner suppressing the JTF. Clear it out, or we won't be able to get the med staff safely across."

"Roger that." Nick said. "Move!"

As the eleven of them headed for the catwalk to the roof, Nick and his team were reloading when Twilight spotted an unopened container.

"What's that?" she asked Nick.

"Let's find out." he replied. Opening it, he found a loaded civilian-make R870 Shotgun.

"Catch!" he said to Twilight, who caught the weapon awkwardly.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"To protect you and your friends." Nick said. "Aim for the head."

The group of eleven climbed or flew up a ladder, and they found themselves on a rooftop balcony.

"JTF, report." Nick said.

"We're pinned down, Agent!" was the strained reply. "We won't make it across unless that gunner goes down!"

"Roger, get ready to move. Gunner will be down soon." Nick said, reloading his P416. As the ponies took up cover on the rear of the rooftop, Nick and his team advanced and opened fire. The Rioters engaged immediately, a few throwing Tear Gas Grenades or Molotov Cocktails.

"Grenadiers! Focus!" Logan said as he dropped a Thug.

"Roger!" Kyle replied, suppressing one just as he pulled the pin on a Tear Gas canister. The grenade detonated, spewing misty white gas onto the battlefield.

"Gunner's coming out!" Harper yelled as an armored Rioter, wielding a Classic RPK-74, stormed out and opened fire.

"Focus fire!" Nick said. The agents unloaded their weapons, and the Gunner scurried into cover. A few more Rioters approached and attacked, but a few bursts killed them. The Gunner hefted up his machine gun to suppress the Agents, but a well-timed headshot from Logan killed him.

"Move up!" Nick said, motioning towards the fleeing Rioters. As they fled, Nick confirmed the kill on the Gunner.

"JTF, report!" Logan said.

"We've got the medics across. Kandel and all staff accounted for, no casualties." said the reply. "We'll send scouts to mop up the remaining Rioters in the area."

"Roger that." Nick said. "Let's go, team. Hey, we're all clear!" he yelled, seeing as the ponies were still in cover. They approached, and Nick motioned to a window-washing cart on the side of the building.

"We'll zipline down." Nick said. "You take the cart."

Twilight grimaced, but the seven of them descended as Nick and his team fast-roped down. Two JTF soldiers greeted them as they landed.

"Nice work!" one said. "Kandel's already getting set up in the Medical Wing!"

"Roger that." Nick said. "Let's go, everyone."

Twilight and her friends followed the agents, however a robotic pair of eyes was watching them. A second drone, marked with the white deer-skull, surveyed them from a rooftop perch. After recording them, it buzzed off towards the Dark Zone Wall, and eastern Manhattan.

====

WARNING-INTERCEPTING PHONE TRANSMISSION.

"...So, they survived their first combat scenario. I'm impressed. These ponies seem rather resilient to the world around them."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Colonel. They're softies with no real experience, from what I heard on the radio. The only real problem ahead of us will be separating them from the Second Wave agents and taking them into custody."

"...I could send a few squads. They'd overwhelm their pathetic Base in a few minutes. We're geared light-years ahead of the JTF anywhere in Manhattan."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Bliss. That'll come later. For now, keep the drones up, and call if anything happens that's...concerning to my operations."

"If you insist. Cutting link."

====

Twilight and her friends headed into the now slightly-more organized Medical wing to see Doctor Kandel waiting for them.

"Hey, it's you guys!" she said with relief. "Thanks for getting me out of the Garden. I have been in some hostile work environments before, but Jesus...Of course, it's not like this place is getting anywhere, anytime soon. I mean, antique equipment, zero staff, countless patients, this is not going to cut it!"

"We understand, doctor." Lau said, coming in on crutches. "We're doing our best at the moment, and if you have any suggestions, I'm happy to hear them."

"I know, I know...beggars, choosers, all that crap…" Kandel sighed. "What matters is beating this, but I can't do that without knowing more about it."

"Well, here's a good place to start." Lau replied, drawing the ponies' attention. She dropped a folder marked with CERA onto the desk. "CERA's pretty sure a Doctor Gordon Amherst had something to do with the outbreak."

Twilight looked at the image of a rough-looking man with glasses with interest.

"Oh god, that asshole." Kandel swore.

"What's wrong with him?" Rarity asked.

"Well, I saw him present a paper at Columbia University. He nearly started a riot!' Kandel said. "If he's part of this, I'll need everything you can find. Notebooks, laptops, hard drives, anything you can get. And I'll need antibodies, live samples, yeah...you'll be busy."

"Where are you going?" Lau asked as Doctor Kandel headed into the lab.

"Fixing this, saving lives." Kandel replied through the door. "Now, I'll get to work. Excuse me…"

The ponies looked at Lau, who sighed.

"We should get to work as well." she said. "Head into the commons, see what needs done. I need to speak with my agents."

Twilight and the others headed into the main area as Nick and the others headed for the main table.

Author's Note

This took WAY TOO LONG to write.

Sorry about that.

Next time-Lincoln Tunnel Checkpoint and Subway Morgue.