Chapter 31:
Breakout

Getting Cypher into a medical tent had been astonishingly hard, the pony soldiers I had run into had initially opened fire at me. It took me surrendering as a griffon defector for them to let me take Cypher to a sick bay, a couple of ponies remaining with him as guards while they locked me into a room. The door clicked as they had left me cooking for a bit, and a familiar pony stepped in.

“Is it normal that you and your ponies get into trouble?” Soarin chuckled as he stepped in, hiking his head. His smile turned serious again after a second. “I saw your soldier. Did you know?”

“I specifically asked for a changeling, yes,” I replied. “Equestria has established working relations with his hive, if we can avoid him dying that would be appreciated.”

Soarin nodded in understanding. “He came by a few minutes ago, and tried drawing the energy out of a pony the moment he did.”

“Fuck,” I cursed. “Is the pony okay?”

“Your changeling got a handle on himself pretty quick. The pony in question will need some coffee and a good bit of sleep but he’ll live,” Soarin replied, becoming for me to follow him. Neither of us was going to be wasting time. After he got me back my gear we headed over to the isolated room where they had been holding Cypher more securely.

“Hey boss,” he croaked, sounding and looking like shit. “Sorry about earlier, that field really did a number on my reserves.”

“How magic deprived are you still?” I asked, wanting to know how he was and if I could still use him.

“Very,” Cypher replied, “I stopped myself in time.”

“Yeah. Will that happen again?” I asked bordering on a demand to know. Cypher opened his mouth to reply but thought a moment longer before he did.

“Most likely,” he admitted. “I need magic or a hibernation cocoon... Can’t get the latter, need the Queen for that.”

“Can we provide magic to you in any way?” Soarin asked, clearly concerned for his ponies.

“Don’t bother, unless you want to sacrifice a couple of your people...” Cypher strained to sit up straight, grimacing in pain. “I’m just a drain on your resources now, and a danger that can snap at any moment.”

“There must be a way your hive deals with situations like this?” Soarin asked, frowning as the changeling reached for the IV bag that was hooked up to him.

“We do. We cut out the weak link.” Cypher pulled out the IV and made to roll out of the bed. That’s where I stopped him. “Captain, please-”

“Soldier shut the fuck up,” I growled. “I’m getting you that magic.”

“I can’t let you use my ponies like that,” Soarin warned, taking a step back. I shook my head as that wasn’t what I was intending anyway.

“And I wouldn’t take them,” Cypher stated defiantly.

“And I wouldn’t let them,” I responded. “You are going to drain some of my magic.

Cypher just fell silent as he stared at me, Looking at me as if I’d gone mad.

“No.”

We entered a staring contest, our wills clashed as we both tried to get our way. “You need the magic.”

“So do you,” Cypher countered.

“I really don’t, ” I shot back. “I’ve got plenty of reserves.”

“But not enough for this.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No, not really.”

Our eyes were still locked, both of us straining ad we argued but I could sense cracks forming in the changeling’s armour.

“How about just a taste?” I proposed, seeing Cypher’s tongue slither out for a moment.

“No!” He strained. “Just end me, damn it! I’ve become the weak link!”

“I know you want to have a taste, just a little bite,” I continued, the changeling cringed as he broke eye contact and tried to move. He couldn’t as I pinned him down.

“Captain,” Soarin said warningly as he stepped towards me. “You soldier is right, we need you-”

“Stay out of this!” I growled, turning back to Cypher. “I didn’t train you to be a God damned quitter, did I?”

“No sir,” Cypher replied, strained.

“Now when I say I will be fine, do you trust me?” I asked. Cypher looked at me a moment longer and nodded, opening his mouth and letting himself go. I felt his magic grab mine and pull, the effect immediately visible on the changeling as his carapace became more vibrant. The holes in his legs even seemed to shrink somewhat. Cypher hadn’t lied either, I felt a little dizzy at the chunk of magic he’d taken but as I’d said myself, I wasn’t out for the count. Letting go of the changeling, he jumped out of the bed, puking out glowing yellow goop next to him. When he was done throwing up his guts, he looked over at me in awe and fear.

“What in Tartarus are you?”

“Something the creatures of this world should have let rest,” I replied to him. “Now come, we lost enough time, General Stonehoof cannot be far off.

“He is not,” Soarin confirmed, still trying to get his head around what he’d just witnessed. “We’re preparing to abandon positions and break out imminently. ”

“Then we have no time to spare,” I said, let’s find the others.

Rainbow had collected the rest of the squad and gotten them to the staging area where the main mass of ponies had retreated to prepare for the breakout. The perimeter was still being held but with Stonehoof’s attack being imminent they would soon retreat too.

“You good, Lovebug?” Gilda asked as she saw us approach, giving me a nod before looking back over to Cypher in his disguised form.

“Was a bit close, but Cap pulled me through,” Cypher admitted, “I’ll tell the details later.”

“Good to hear, it would’ve sucked to see you go like that, brother,” Midnight stated, punching him on his shoulder.

“Yeah, don’t leave me alone with these dweebs dude. Not cool,” Gilda smirked, as she got some playfully offended cries from the two batponies.

“Alright, settle down all of you. What happened after I left you guys up there?” I said.

“The griffons and changelings probably took you telling the anti-magic field to go buck itself to mean they could attack... Bunch of them learned the hard way that wasn’t a good idea,” Rainbow replied. “How did you do that anyway? ”

“Remember that thing I got to know from Zecora?” I asked, her eyes widened as she understood. “The sword gives me more control.”

“Sounds like an interesting story for later,” Gilda stated as she hauled her backpack onto her back. “But I’d like to get out of this shithole first.”

“Agreed,” Datura stated, the batpony having a cut on her cheek that hadn’t been there before.

I nodded and pulled out a map of Manehattan, pointing at our current location. “We are here and in about an hour general Stonehoof is going to send up flares to signal his assault on the griffon positions. Simultaneously the forces in the pocket will make a push towards friendly forces, putting as much pressure as possible on the griffon lines. The attack from our side will have its centre going down the three main streets heading west, each of these axis’ will be supported by a team of us. Our primary task will be to weaken strong points that hold up the infantry from a distance.”

I allowed my people to take in the map a moment before continuing. “Datura, Midnight, I want you two on the southern street. I and Cypher have the centre, and Dash and Gilda take the north. Once we reach the border of the city we’ll try to meet up with one another but if we cannot find each other we continue the retreat and reorganise later.”

“What if we get in trouble?” Gilda asked. “We can’t exactly support one another separated like that.”

“Indeed. You’ll be relying on the ponies of the three-hundredth-twelve below for support if things go wrong.”

“So don’t fuck up. Got it,” Datura simply said. “We’ve got this.”

“That we do. Go in light, leave any equipment you don’t immediately need, and get to your lane to find the officers in charge of each axis’ assault to let them know you are there.” I told them before letting them do their thing, seeing them drop the few bits of gear we hadn’t left before entering the city. Before Dash and Gilda left for their street the pegasus placed a quick peck on my cheek, breaking our rule of keeping work and personal separated for a moment.

“See you on the other side.”

“I’ll beat you there,” I smirked, making Dash laugh.

“So long as you’re in one piece, hotshot,” Rainbow shot back before leaving with Gilda. Cypher stepped up next to me as they walked away.

“Delicious.”

“Soldier.”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, Sir,” Cypher snickered and sat down against a cart that stood abandoned in the street. “Hey, Cap?” I looked over to Cypher, away from Rainbow. “Thanks again for saving my plot.”

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” I sighed as I turned to look through the street ahead where ponies were lined up and anticipating the coming assault. There were some weary eyes coming our way but it seemed word of our presence had at least gone around enough for them to leave us alone, but just to be sure I’d tied a cloth band with the Equestrian flag around my arm. For the next hour, the two of us waited patiently for the coming action, listening to the sound of small bouts of gunfire a couple of blocks away occasionally.

A set of red flares shot up in the distance, their light casting the area around us into a red din. Squad leaders roused their ponies into readiness as the sounds of battle intensified in the city, horns sounding around us as the ponies were signalled to start their attack too. Whatever pegasi were left in the Manehattan force also took off, ready to face the griffon air threat as best they could.

They’re going to be slaughtered. I bitterly thought. Without automatic weapons to shoot the griffons down the areal forces usually still ended up in close combat where griffon claws gave them a significant advantage. This, paradoxically, made it that the nimble airborne ponies wore the heaviest armour of all forces.

“Time to give them Tartarus,” Cypher muttered as he got up, looking over at me as I did the same.

“That it is,” I agreed, the two of us turning and starting to run after the ponies advancing on the griffon lines keeping them in the city. It didn’t take long for gunfights to break out, Cypher and myself sticking to the cover of alleyways, shot up stores, and higher positions as we fired over our own troops to take out what looked like squad leaders and other higher-ranked griffons.

“Cap, I think I see another changeling!” Cypher shouted over some gunfire.

“Well, shoot the bastard!” I shouted back as I nailed another griffon that was holding back a few ponies.

“I think we can capture him!” my changeling shouted back as he swapped magazines. An earthpony in front of our cover got hit in the leg and toppled over, screaming loudly and clutching the bleed in his leg. Not hesitating, I shot forward, grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, and pulled him into our cover.

“Where and why?!” I asked as I saw a makeshift tourniquet on the pony’s vest and grabbed it, applying it to the affected leg while holding him down. Blood covered my talons as I saw the flow reduced from gushing to a mere trickle.

“Across the street at the We might be able to free a few griffons from its control!” Cypher called back as he helped with the pony, another few ponies joining our cover and taking over from us in helping him.

“Fuck. Alright.” I turned to two of the ponies and pointed at them. “You two! Give us some cover fire!”

The ponies did a double take for a moment as they saw us but complied, shooting over a barricade of sandbags the griffons had placed for their own protection. I rushed ahead of Cypher who followed close behind, shoulder-checking the door of the store the griffons were in. Cypher bolted past me as I headbutted the closest, surprised, griffon and sunk his fangs into one of the griffons near the back, green fire engulfing the raptor and changing him back to his undisguised form. The griffons’ heads snapped back as if hit by some sort of backlash as Cypher’s horn lit.

“What the...”

“Get down!” I ordered, pistol in hand in case the griffons would attack anyway. None of the three slightly confused griffons disobeyed, lowering themselves to show they yielded.

“Alright, Cypher, flag over ponies to take them prisoner!” I called out, making sure none of the griffons could reach their guns or did anything stupid. A squad of ponies relieved us, taking the griffons in custody, tying them together so they could get extracted with everypony else when linked back up with the pony force from the other end. With them now under guard I wanted some questions answered.

“Are they still under changeling influence?” I asked Cypher, the disguised changeling looking the three griffons in the eyes, his own glowing.

“Not anymore,” Cypher replied, stepping back from the trio. “The spell was mostly self sustaining by pulling on their reserves. I broke it.”

“You three, why where you fighting?” I demanded, knowing they weren't under influence anymore. Two of the griffons looked to the one between them to answer.

“I... Just felt mad. Weirdly so,” He rubbed his head. “It's all sort of a blur now... What did you do?”

“We killed the changeling that was maintaining a compulsion spell on you,” Cypher answered for me, pointing at the corpse laying a bit to the side. The three griffons looked at the bugs in disgust.

“Think they're all under influence like that?” I asked, Cypher shaking his head.

“No, that'd be energy inefficient. You only need to get so many along with leadership, when you reach a certain critical mass creatures just follow along with the rest. It's easier with ponies than with griffons, herd instinct and all,” Cypher casually explained as a horn blared outside.

“We've made contact! Retreat thought the gap!” A call went out through the street, a large amount of ponies starting to make their way through.

“Well, time to get the hell out of here,” Cypher muttered.

“Agreed, let's go.”

Author's Note

Ngl, I only occasionally feel like writing nowadays but I still dislike leaving things unfinished. I'll get there.

For those west-coasters, EFNW was great! Highly suggest going next year if you can!