[Conner]
<<GO! GO! GO!>> Yomega yelled as the Pack scattered.
I ran after our mares, keeping close to Fluttershy. I glanced back to encourage the Pack, but everyone else was already out of sight. I swallowed my nerves and raced to keep up with the pace the ponies had set.
I flinched as the first changeling smashed into the pavement. I risked a glance at the falling bugs and came to a decision. <<Joy, I'm about to jump onto your back.>>
"O-okay!"
I put on a burst of speed and jumped. Once I was on her back, I turned to face the direction that we had come from. With a brief moment of concentration, I fired my first Swift of the day.
It smashed into a changeling, breaking through its flaming shield and knocking it off course.
Okay, that works... I focused on another 'ling, and fired another Swift after it. As the stars burst against it, I re-targeted and fired again, then re-targeted and fired again. And again.
And again.
I targeted the ones that looked like they would come closest to our mares. The changelings that had trailed behind picked up on this, and did what they could to adjust their fiery trajectories. I could tell that most were now aiming to land on our street. I gave a vindictive smirk.
Pity for them that Swift never misses.
I kept up my bursts of stars, doing my best to stay on Fluttershy's back while she ran. I fired off a final Swift as our mares came to a sudden stop. I hopped down and watched as a massive swarm of changelings started to encircle us. I backed up and brushed my tail against Fluttershy's rear leg. Really wish Angel was here right now... I growled at the bugs at my mare's back.
"Looks like we're doing this the hard way!" I heard Rainbow psyching herself up. My fur rippled from the back draft of her forward charge.
Why aren't they swarming over us?
"Heh, 'swarming'... That's a good one."
Not now, Brain! I swiveled an ear towards a thump sound behind me.
"How did he-?!" Rainbow cut herself off as a wave of green fire washed over the 'lings. As it died down, I found myself surrounded by our mares. I felt a touch of vain disgust to find that I hadn't been copied.
"They're changelings, remember!" Twilight warned. I took a deep sniff as her words were parroted back at her with her own voice.
"What can you do to help?" Fluttershy whispered down at me.
<<I only have two attack moves, Swift and Dig.>> I admitted. <<Everything else is either support or won't work on this many.>>
"Which one keeps you safest?"
<<... Dig. But I->>
"Then Dig, please." I burrowed under the pavement as they charged.
I was starting to arc back to the surface when I realized how fast I had responded to her order. I locked onto a mix of vibrations and scents that wasn't a pony and erupted in a spray of dirt. The changeling I had hit dropped its disguise as I knocked it out.
I wasted no time in digging a new hole to escape the return fire. I curved back up and clocked another changeling on the chin. The fountain of dirt finished it off, and I blinded another with an unconventional, accidental Sand Attack as I burrowed back into the earth.
I kept my digging up, popping up and diving around my mare. I kept track of her through her unmistakable scent. Slowly, we managed to whittle them down. I popped up and landed beside my Joy, panting from the exertion. I concentrated and sent a wave of pink motes into Fluttershy before Twilight forced us to keep moving.
I sighed and dove back underground. This time, I thrust a paw at the tunnel's edge as I resurfaced, launching myself into a spin. While my back was to the ground, I fired a Swift, letting it strafe across the bugs flying after us.
I did this two or three more times before we got to the hall the Elements were stored in. Twilight pushed the door open, and her ears fell in dismay at the infestation of changelings blocking our path.
Fluttershy nudged me. "Go..."
<<But->>
"Go help your pack."
<<... I'll come back for you...>> I dove and started to tunnel away.
A vibration through the earth was my only warning before I was slammed against the tunnel walls. I had just enough energy to dig my way out of the collapsing tunnel, passing out once I reached the surface.
[Zann]
I looked back the way we had come. A line of fillies we had rescued galloped behind me, with Lulu behind them. I hope Leo'll be okay...
"I'm more worried about the 'ling's she's fighting,"
Yeah, she did look scary...
We turned another corner and ran into another small herd of foals."C'mon!" A colt behind me urged. "The summons are leading us to safety."
"Na-uh!" A filly with more jewelry than sense argued. She glared at me and my leg in disgust. "That hideous thing's with the bugs!" She lowered her head and pawed the ground.
"No he's not!" A third familiar voice cried out before the noble's daughter could charge. A pale magenta filly bulled her way to the front.
I almost didn't recognize her without her namesake. "Those are two of the dog creatures I told you about. They're from Ponyville. We'll be safe with them." Diamond glared the other filly down as she spoke to us. "Do you know where the University is?"
<<Yup!>> I barked, bouncing into line of site and pointing.
"Good, lead the way!" She ordered.
I nodded and raced forward. All the 'ling's I could see were blitzing back the way we had come and completely ignoring us on the ground. Pushing against my racing leg, I cornered the last turn hard and spotted a small group of changelings firing at the University doors. They were answered back by unicorn mana bolts and streams of water, ice and lightning.
I drew up my blazing mana and filled my fire sac with it. As I neared the back of the changeling position, I inhaled as much air as I could. <<By fire, be PURGED!>>
The exhale sent out a cleansing wave of flame. Changelings fled from the heat, many flailing to put out their burning carapaces. I stopped in the middle of the hole I created in their lines and swept the closest bugs to me with another Flamethrower to keep them away. I heard the telltale splashing of water as Lulu kept the rest of the bugs back.
"Get going!" Diamond barked, hurrying the rest of the foals between us. A group of guards rushed out to protect the foals and guided them into the building.
Lulu and I slowly backed towards the doors, blasting fire and water liberally over the areas we figured the changelings were hunkering down.
There was a brief cry of alarm from behind us. I glanced back to see a shield of psychic energy snapping into position.
An intense spike of pain from my knee drove me to the ground with a gasp of pain.
"What is it, Zann?"
I tried to answer her, but the ground dropped from below me. It must've missed me something fierce, because then it slammed up into me. I bounced into the air as a wave of energy crashed into Lulu and I, smashing us into the shield and knocking us out cold.