Soldiers: Skyfall

"Attention, this is an emergency broadcast to all of Manehatten. A massive wave is approaching the city, if you can hear this you must seek higher ground immediately! Anyone listening to this emergency broadcast has to seek higher ground as soon as possible due to a tilde wave heading for the city. This Emergency Broadcast is to warn everyone who can hear me to seek safety at higher ground before its too late!"
--Live broadcast over the Manehatten Emergency systems by unknown emergency response worker.

Date: August 9th 1666 CC
Time: 10:59
Name: Morning Rise
Location: Manehatten Streets

Morning Rise learned that Blue and Cog had recently moved in together as things were getting pretty serious between them and while Blue was a native of the city Cog moved their from Fillydelphia as she needed somewhere new to get out of a rut she had been in and the city of fashion and culture seemed like the place to be.

All this was learned before their talking got interrupted by the sound of tires squealing outside.

The three looked to the windows to see a pickup speed by with muzzle flashes of automatic weapons fire coming from the bed of the truck a moment before two other vehicles of a design Rise had never seen before followed in pursuit.

A moment later Broken burst from the kitchen pistol drawn looking for threats.

“It's okay!” Rise said standing up. “It's okay it was outside.” She said,

Broken slowly relaxed and with a nod returned her pistol to her bags. “Alright, think that's our que to start moving again.” She said going to collect supplies.

Rise nodded and went to help finding bottles behind the bar as Rise got food from the kitchen and returned to collect the water. Seeing Cog and Blue were also collecting supplies.

“We are coming with you.” Blue said and Broken simply nodded, going to stand by the door to wait for them.

Within minutes the group stepped out of the bar following Broken who scanned for threats before they started going. Blue still carrying the bat as more weapons could be useful if they run into more ponies like those previous ones.

Rise shivering remembering them but she pushed that down as there were more important things to worry about right now.

She instead focused on watching the surroundings for anything they could use or any enemies driven by her desire to be useful.

She could see more smoke rising in the distance and still hear the distant gunfire as the battle for the city was waged and the occasional explosion.

After a bit they stopped briefly for Broken to look at the device of hers and Rise spotted what looked to be the back end of a Keeper cruiser on the next street over. “Hey broken…..think that might be of use?” she said pointing.

Broken looked and after a moment nodded. “Worth a look.” She said as Rise smiled and the group started to make their way towards it. They were all keeping chatter to a minimum as they didn’t know who was around and didn't want to miss any sounds.

Rise was having trouble keeping her bit of excitement contained as they got closer to the cruiser at the thought of being useful and finding them help. Just before they got to it she broke away to run ahead.

“Rise, get back here!” Broken said just slightly raising her voice.

Rise didn't listen as she skidded around the corner and all the excitement and joy died.

The cruiser was half way onto the sidewalk, the entire passenger side caved in by a small truck and as she looked she saw the skid marks from when the cruiser had been t bone while speeding through the interventions by the fleeing truck the momentum of the vehicles caring them part way through the intersection to where they rested now.

The driver of the truck was half way out of the truck's windshield hanging lifeless down the front of it with blood pooling on the roof of the cruiser and she could just barely make out the body of the Keeper inside the cruiser.

Her eyes locked on the horrific scene and was only severed when Broken yanked her back around the corner to look at her sternly. “Don't you ever run off like that again. Understand?” She said firmly.

Slowly Rise nodded and Broken nodded before going around the corner and Rise sat on the sidewalk with Cog and Blue.

“You okay?” Blue asked.

“I…yeah just…being stupid…”She said.

Cog put an arm around her in a small hug to comfort her as Blue kept watch up the street.

After a few minutes Broken returned carrying a baton. “Pistol was fucked in the crash, but the baton still works and I got the ammo though the shotgun couldn't be released.” she said as she handed the baton to Cog.

“Anyways we need to keep moving.” She said,

“Did….do you think they suffered?” Rise asked, looking up at Broken the image burned into her memory.

Broken looked at her. “No, they were killed in the crash instantly. Best guess they didn't even see it coming.”

Rise let out a breath and got to her hooves feeling at least some relief and she nodded to Broken as they begian to head down the street the Keeper had come from.

After a bit, Broken stopped. “Get to high ground?” She said confused as the group stopped.

“What is it?” Cog asked.

Broken looked at them concerned. “We need to get to high ground, now!” Broken said.

“What why?” blue asked confused.

“It's the objective, come on!” She said as she ran for a small office block. Rise took off after her confused along with the other two but they followed her.

They arrived at the door intime to see Broke shoot the glass to break it so she could crash through it as an alarm started blaring but she ignored it running for the elevators.

She frantically pushed the buttons and in a moment the doors opened. “Come on, come on!” she said urgently.

Once the three were inside she hit the button for the highest floor and the elevator started going.

When the doors opened she dashed for the stairs with them all following confused but with growing panic as Rise had never seen Broken frantic before.

Soon they burst onto the rooftop and she looked around.

“Damnit not high enough…” She said and looked to Rise. “Rise, grab them fly as high as you can.” She said,

“What…why?” Rise asked, confusion and fear growing.

“Shut up and do it!”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine, just fucking do it now!”

Rise nodded and grabbed Cog and Blue before spreading her wings and taking to the air having to pump them hard due to the weight but she used her minor shapeshifting to make her wings larger so she could fly a bit better.

As she rose higher and higher with the two earth ponies cleaning to her in fear and confusion, she could see more of the war torn city and beyond it….a wall of water fast approaching the city.

Her eyes looked wide as she flew up and up and looked back to the roof to see no sign of Broken as she took the other two higher.

She soon had to level off as her wings couldn't take her much higher since she wasn't used to the weight.

She could only watch as a Navy carrier fell from the top of the wave and began to capsize as the wave curled some. The carrier was completely upside down as the front of it crashed through the docks and she watched as the tower was torn from the rest of the ship. Forced forward by the force of the wave as it plowed through building after building like a battering ram and the wave consumed everything else.

In moments it washed over the officer where she had left broken washing everything away in its path.

Then as fast as it had arrived it receded…washing out everything that floated within it back out to see, leaving only destruction in its wake.

With soar wings Rise flew down to what was left of the street and landed. The other two were shaken by the destruction and looking around somewhat dazed. “This…this can't be real….Manehatten does get waves like that…”Cog said.

Rise didn't have time to be dazed or in shock, she had to find Broken.

“BROKEN!” she called out. There was no way Broken wouldn't have found a way to survive this. “Broken where are you!” she called as she moved away from what was left of the office block. The other two scrambling to follow.

“Shouldn't we be quiet?” Blue asked.

“Look around, I don't think it matters.” Rise said. “Broken! Can you hear me!?” She called as she walked trying to calculate how far the mare could have gotten in such a short time.

As they passed by what remained of a small grocery store, Rose's ears flicked to a rhythmic beeping sound…it only took her a moment to recognize it as SOS as aunty Twilight had made sure they all knew basic morse code.

She rushed to the door, having to shove debris out of the way as she followed the sound towards the back of the dark and damp interior.

She soon found the entrance to the back and ran into the darkness not caring that she couldn't see.

Then as she stumbled through the darkness she caught sight of a familiar green light in the distance and she rushed towards it as the noise got louder.

She found broke, having tied herself to heavy pipes in the backroom of the store which seems to have prevented her from being washed away and wore some sort of mask on her face though she was limp only held up by the ropes.

Cog and Blue arrived a moment later and started to help Rise untie Broken, blue holding the unconscious mare up so the ropes were slack enough to do so.

Soon broke and untied, Rise ripped the mask off her face." Broken?” She said worried and tried shaking the mare firmly.

“Broken eyes shot open and she gasped gulping down air for a moment. :..note…note to self….modify prototype rebreathing device to switch to allow air in when water isn't present……just a minor set back ....”

Rise pulled her into a hug nearly in tears as she hugged her as tightly as she could. “You damn moron, do you have any idea how much you terrified us?” She said,

“Hey easy….still trying to get air.” Broken croaked.

Rise let her go. “Sorry.”

“I didn't exactly plan to run tests on that this early but…works more or less.” Broken said before she started messing with the device as she used her magic to put the mask back in her saddlebags.

She began, scanning radio frequencies. “Guess the station I was listening to switched to some automated thing when it was destroyed…” She said. “Switched to an emergency channel and some mare was broadcasting the evacuation order about the wave and reporting its location…i…..she must have been in the path of the wave as the signal cut out mid broadcast…”Broken said as she stood with Reese's help “We need to get going I'm not seeming to find–”

“This is KVCR, anyone else survive that wave?” A broadcast called. “We were up on the hills and the station avoided the wave. Anyone else out there? We've opened the air waves for anyone with a radio.”

After a few moments. “This is Sargent Buckshot, reading you loud and clear.”

”Names Helium, my group barely made it to high ground but we are here.”

“Battered and bruised but me and my crew are still in this shit.”

Slowly more and more voices joined in the call that they were alive, that the city wasn't dead, that the fight wasn't over yet.