Chapter 10

Day four of the Siege of Manehattan

Noon, and the Stormbreakers were back on patrol. They took off just as the wonderbolts came back. They looked very tired, Swift noticed. They were all. For four days they had been on the alert almost continuously. It was a pain in the flank, but most of the refugees had already been evacuated by train, which was a great relief.
The repairs on the airship were now almost complete, only the situation of the Fillys and Foals that Rarity had brought with them had not improved, as the parents of the little ones could not be found.
And the reinforcement wasn't there either. On that day, too, the front had moved further in the direction of the train station.
"sergeant ..." it was Ruby's voice.
"yes specialist?" Swift asked, keeping his eyes on the ground looking for enemies.
"Do you think we can hold manehattan?" the question was asked rather hesitantly. Something Swift didn't even know about Ruby.
"I have doubts." Confessed Swift, "We're getting weaker every day."
Ruby nodded and fell back into formation.

It was quiet the first time the patrol started, and Swift decided to stop near the front. They flew to one of the tallest skyscrapers and set up a small camp there. Swift scanned the horizon with his binoculars while the others paused. He could go to rest in 15 minutes and Night would ...
What was that?
Swift quickly pointed his binoculars back at something he had seen.
"Contact. Enemy airships." he said, "They're getting closer ... quick, clear the camp."
The enemy airships flew in a large V formation, heading straight for the city.
That was ... unusual. Swift fired a red smoke grenade at the enemy in accordance with regulations, although that did reveal where his squadron was.

The alarm within the base went off when Electric was walking back to the ship with a basket full of candy. The ponies had been very generous.
But now chaos broke out and loudspeaker announcements announced: "Enemy airships approaching. All pegasy squadrons have orders to defend the area. This is no drill, I'll repeat, This is no drill!"
Electric almost dropped the basket as she ran towards the airship. The soldiers were already loosening the ropes, just in case.
One of the Sailors hold a gangway for Electric and waved her over.
"Thank you very much." she said while galloping past hin and up the gangway.
"Never mind." said the soldier, there was a loud bang on the horizon.
When Electric looked she could see a cloud of fire rising from the city, right there where the enemy airships could already be seen.

"What was that?" Swift asked as he returned to a stable flight. The force of the explosion had thrown him off course.
"That was a bomb!" Sharp said, shocked.
"pretty big bombs." added Arctic, pointing to the buildings that had just collapsed.
They would surely bury and kill allied soldiers who survived the explosion.
"Damn ..." said Swift and bit his lip, "They want to go to the train station! We have to stop them! Night, get Sharp, Lucky and Ruby, you four are flying ahead and trying to stop everything that escapes Arctic and me .. Arctic, we both go on airship hunting. I need you as a wing pony. We'll meet again at the Front or at the airship in an hour at the latest."
"Yes Sir!" it came out as one voice, and Swift's chest swelled with pride.
"Stormbreaker! Attack! FOR EQUESTRIA!"
"FOR EQUESTRIA!"

There was panic in the base when it became clear what the mission of the enemy airships was. The ponies panicked and tried to get to the last trains that were still in the depot. More would certainly not come. Some also tried to storm the military bases and get a place on the airships.
The soldiers had to fend off the civilians, which in turn meant that fewer soldiers could fight at the front.
And this just collapsed. First around the bomb attack, then spreading out from there until the entire front line was open and the enemy streamed in all directions.
Another explosion, closer to the train station, followed closely by another.
"The train is hit!" a soldier called out and rescue teams began to spread out to help survivors.
"But that wasn't an airship. It was sabotage!" Shining Armor said still on the airship, "get ready to take off!"

Swift and Arctic tried repeatedly to attack the airships, but the defensive fire was unusually strong. It was almost impossible and the two were more occupied with dodging than attacking.
"Sir, I don't think that's what will." said Arctic, dived under a real wall of spears.
"I know, specialist, the chances are against us." Swift said, "one more try and we'll fly back."
Swift quickly turned sideways and on his own axis. dived and aimed his nose precisely at the enemy airship that was closest. Then he tore his wings and felt spears bounce off.
He wouldn't turn away.
He had to give the base enough time for his airship to take off with Electric on board.
Swift closed his eyes. It grew quiet around her. He heard the wind around him, he felt spears crash into his wings, but they did little more damage than dents and cracks. Then, when he opened his eyes, he was almost on the deck of the enemy ship. He spread his wings wide, crashing with them into a couple of the guards on board.
he became the priority target.
That gave Artic enough time to cut with a spear cord and ropes and so make the lollipop half fall. It swung around, everyone on board who was not tied up, could fly or was otherwise unsecured, fleeing a certain death.
Even more, the momentum was enough to let the airship crash into the neighboring airship and cause degenerate damage there.
Swift was about to take over the third airship and was approaching the middle one, the one with the bombs, when a spell in the air caught and stopped him.

Electric watched two of the enemy airships crash from their position and cheered with the other soldiers and sailors. In the meantime the airship was taking off, but loaded to almost the maximum. And there were still civilians and soldiers on the ground, who now had to flee on hoof. The first enemy soldiers were also seen, and fighting broke out between the soldiers of Equestria and the Crystal Empire.
The Wonderbolts had just started again and began to fly CAS missions, throwing their spears, flying close to the airship, picking up new spears and repeating the process as often as possible.
Twilight appeared next to Electric and looked at the battle with terrified eyes.
"We're losing ..." she said breathlessly, "We're losing Manehattan! It's so terrible!"
"Yes, that's right. But we held out long enough to save many ponies." Electric replied, her voice low and a little uncertain.

Swift fought the magic that was holding him, tried to free himself, but the grip was too strong. And suddenly he was thrown onto the deck of the enemy airship in the middle, hit so hard there that it pushed the air out of his lungs.
"Look at you. An earth pony with wings. Is the sun princess that desperate yet?" a female voice asked condescendingly.
Swift turned back and held his chest with his front legs, looking up weakly at a catwalk where a unicorn mare was walking. Her uniform was midnight black, her badges of rank shiny silver, a few gold ones.
Her man was relatively long for an officer, and fiery red, which was in stark contrast to the cool ice blue of her coat. And her eyes ... Acid green they kept Swift in view as she stepped down the stairs. "I have to admit, the first time I heard reports about pegasy with metal wings, I didn't believe them. Now I see one thing in front of me and still don't quite believe it." She walked leisurely around Swift, inspected him, kicked his wings, "That must be quite a weight."
"Enough to kill soldiers ..." Swift gasped, trying to get up, only to get the blunt end of a spear that was struck in the head.
The officer of the Crystal Empire raised her hoof to stop it.
"Please, let him get up." she said, even helped him up with the help of her magic, "after all, we're not barbarians."
"Yes, you are only the enemy who burns down our cities and enslaves us." Swift said and looked around. There were many guards here and he was in their midst. Spears were aimed at him and horns glowed ready to burn him.
"I am not a slave." said the officer, "I went to my king voluntarily and worked my way up. By the way, I'm Amber Gem. Commander of our king's seventh attack fleet."
"is noted." said Swift.
Amber Gem waited a moment, then cleared her throat: "It would only be polite to give your name as well."
"Yes it would be." Swift said but remained silent.
"Ah ... I see ..." Amber looked down at him, her horn starting to glow and her magic gripping Swift, starting to squeeze him tight like a boa.

Arctic had seized the chance that had wreaked havoc and hid under the enemy flagship. down here he would not be seen so quickly and he could climb up on a loose rope, out of sight of the guards and the other ships. When he looked over the railing, he could see his sergeant lying on the floor panting, his teeth clenched so as not to scream.
"You just have to tell me your name." said an officer of the Crystal Empire, "It's very simple. Open your mouth, say your name and I'll stop doing this immediately." she pressed harder, Arctic could hear a creak. No matter what it was, it was bad enough that it made Swift scream.
"You don't have to suffer. Just say your name!" the officer grew impatient.
Another creak, another scream.
Arctic couldn't watch, but he couldn't do anything on his own. He needed a distraction.
And he found them in the form of bombs on board. There weren't many there anymore, but the hatch was still open wide enough for him to slip in. He quickly found the guard overlooking the bombay and killed him quickly and efficiently.
Now for the distraction.
And what better distraction than a fire?

"Tell me your name!" Amber snorted angrily, "I've never seen anything so stubborn!"
Swift was lying on the floor, panting, coughing blood. His lungs felt squeezed, at least two of his ribs were broken.
"M-my name ..." he gasped weakly, ready to give up.
The pressure stopped and Swift took a deep breath, and coughed, coughed some blood.
Amber came closer and put her ear upright, asked: "Yes?"
"M-my name ... is ..." Swift's vision slowly darkened.
"Yes?" Amber again, this time a little more impatient.
"S-sw-Swift ... Spe ..." just then there was a loud explosion and the airship overturned slightly.
Everypony was caught off guard and Amber tripped but did not fall. Swift, on the other hoof, slid across the deck, the weight of his wings enough to break through the railing.
It was difficult to stay conscious, but he managed to straighten himself, straighten the wings and even go into glidingmode.
"sergeant!" a familiar voice called out and it brought something back to Swift, "Sergeant, are you okay?" He could see Arctic flying under him, looking up at him.
"No ... no, I'm not fine ..." said Swift weakly, "please ... lead me to the ship. I can no longer ... I can no longer fly straight out alone. I want to Electric ... "
Artic flew a little closer so Swift's hoof touched his shoulder: "Don't worry, sir, I'll take you home. Just hold on."

Electric could see the Stormbreaker coming back.
one.
two.
three and four.
"Where's Artic and Swift?" she asked Sharp with great concern.
"They attacked the airships and were about to come back." said Sharp and also looked back at the battlefield. The fog, the smoke and in general the fire in the city made it difficult to see what was going on.
Night held up his binoculars to Electric and pointed out the formation of the enemy airships. "It would have to come from that direction. Just look up and down, maybe you decide to fly high or you have to fly in the cover of the building."
Electric nodded and looked.
What Electric noticed after a while was that the enemy flagship had caught fire.
Was that Swift's work?
She continued to look through the binoculars.
And then, indeed, she could make out two pegasi, and one of them had metal wings.
"There they are! They are coming back!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
The Wonderbolts also flew in from the direction and began to fly escorts for the two of them.
Then Electric saw something that made her heart heavy.
Two took Swift under his arms and helped him fly, his wings not flapping.
on closer approach it became clear that Swift had lost consciousness.
"No ..." said Electric worriedly, then called: "A paramedic! We need paramedics here immediately! And call for Fluttershy!"
one could hear her concern
And then the Wonderbolts landed with swift between them ...

After four days, the city of Manehattan fell. tens of thousands of civilians and thousands of soldiers died or were taken prisoner. The reinforcements that were to be dispatched to Manehattan were never dispatched.
They never got a message.
now there are dozens of civilians on hospital ships and the airship on which the elements of harmony are on.
They are one of the last to get out of town

Author's Note

Armament of airships:

The main armament of airships are crossbows, spears and the magic of unicorns. The latter are also divided up to defend the airship, as armor plates are seen as dead weight.
There were early attempts to use cannons from ships on airships, but the weight of a cannon, the gunpowder and the ammunition exceeded the carrying capacity of most airships, the reloading time and the crewing effort were enormous, which is why a decision was made in favor of spears and crossbows.
There are a few exceptions, and primarily small airships have cannons on board, which is usually easy to recognize by the additional floats which make them the first choice targets.
Bombs in the other hand are popular weapons for airship captains with pure combat ships, as they are both effective and spread terror among the enemy