Chapter 12
"Breach!" Calypso yelled as she and Dribble leaned away from the door, followed by its door handle exploding.
They moved in expertly, their SWAT uniforms and gear making them stand out among all the raggedly dressed Bronies. Most of the Bronies wore nothing but a gun, but some had surplus gear on.
Jero, however, had nothing on but a vest that said 'PRESS' on it. He found it fitting, as he didn't plan to do any fighting and just follow them to Lance.
All around him was nothing but chaos, with Bronies running into the prison yards from all sides. They ran for windows and doors, using homemade explosives to blow them open.
He let a few more Bronies go in ahead of him before following after them, keeping his head down.
Gunfire and screams echoed down the halls as he followed the stream of Bronies, who all seemed a little too excited.
"Rip and tear, boys!" one older one screamed as he hauled ass past Jero and the others, running ahead with a shotgun on his side.
"Really?" Was the only thing Jero could say to that as he trotted along, flinching at the louder bangs.
The stream of Bronies lead him to a large cell block, with Bronies and guards fighting, and prisoners at their cell doors screaming their praises for the chaos before them.
It didn't take him long to spot the two SWAT members as they pushed forward, their movements and shooting smooth, showing their mastery of this kind of fighting. They were checking cells as they passed, looking for Lance.
Jero knew he needed to help, so he ran down the opposite side of the cell block, checking cells.
The three eventually met on the other end by doors that lead to another cell block.
"No luck," Jero announced, getting a grunt from Calypso as she slammed a small block of explosives on the door and took her position on one side of the door, waving Jero away.
As they blew the door, a hail of bullets flew through it, cutting down a few eager Bronies as they had already rushed the door.
Dribbled cursed as he and Calypso both threw flashbangs into the doorway. After two bangs, they immediately pushed in, their guns flashing as they worked their way through the defenders.
Jero felt sick as he started following behind them, stepping over the bodies that lined the hallway. When he caught up to the pair, he found them at a T in the hallway, a sign pointing to the right read 'Cell Blocks C-G' and the other pointing to the left read 'Cell Blocks H-K' and 'Prison Admin'.
The stream of Bronies didn't stop as they came to the T and seemed to pick a direction at random. Some heading for the right, and the rest heading to the left.
"Right!" Dribble said, seeming to already know what they needed to do. "Calypso, you go right. I'll head left."
"Dribble, no!" She called after him, but cursed. "Shadow Breeze, go with him and make sure he stays on mission. Do not go after Strawell."
"Uh, got it!" He said, feeling the need to salute as he ran after Dribble.
The hallway was filled with both dead Bronies and guards, making it hard to run.
Once he reached Cell Block H, he quickly ran his eyes quickly over the cells, not seeing Lance right away. What he didn't see was Dribble among the ponies fighting in the center of the room.
Suddenly, red lights along all the walls began to flash, and the cell doors opened. The prisoners didn't waste any time as they rushed out and quickly overwhelmed the few guards in the room.
"Looks like the Bronies have reached the control room," Calypso said over the radio.
"That'll complicate things," Dribble replied.
Jero didn't respond, just ran through the crowd and out into another hallway, which led him to another T. Admin on his left, and the Cell Blocks on the right.
He started to head to the right, but the sound of a grenade going off to his left drew his attention.
"Dribble?" He said into the radio, hoping he hadn't gone towards Admin.
Instead of Dribble responding, Calypso keyed up her mic. "It looks like reinforcements are starting to arrive. The Bronies outside are engaged, but we need to pick this up."
"I have Strawell in sight!" Dribble's voice came over the radio. "He's running across the yard towards the Cell Blocks."
"I said do not engage Strawell, we have to prioritize Lance!" Calypso yelled over the radio, but Dribble never responded. "Damn it!"
Jero decided against going towards Admin and instead ran for the Cell Blocks.
The Bronies and prisoners had basically taken over the Cell Blocks at this point, allowing Jero to run through them freely. He kept looking for Lance's unique face, but he had yet to see him, and now that the prisoners were roaming free he wasn't sure if he'd be able to spot him.
Then he had an idea and he grabbed a random prisoner and asked, "Hey! Do you know where a pony with red stripes is?!"
"Fuck off, man," the prisoners said as he ran off.
He tried again, asking a few more, but he was blown off by each of them. Until one finally stopped long enough to listen to him.
"You mean the freaky old man in K block?"
"Probably! Thank you!" Jero said as he shook hooves with the prisoners and then began to sprint through the remaining Cell Blocks.
"Lance is in K block!" he called into the radio, getting affirmatives from the other two.
As he neared the last two blocks, he heard intense fighting.
Cell Block J was a war zone. Bronies and prisoners died everywhere while a group of Enforcer's fired from a fortified position near the end of the hallway.
Jero wasn't sure what to do as he dived for cover behind a pillar. More Bronies ran into the room to join the firefight, but were outgunned and out-skilled by the Enforcer's.
"Calypso, there's Enforcer's in J block! The Bronies are not doing so well against them!" He yelled into his radio, hunkering down more as bullets flew all around him.
"I'm on my way, but I'm on the opposite side of the facility. Dribble? Location?" Calypso was clearly out of breath as she spoke.
"Moving that way, I'm engaged with Enforcer's in the courtyard." Gun fire could be heard over the mic, and a lot of yelling.
"Shadow Breeze, stay put till I get there," Calypso yelled as she breathed heavily, her galloping hooves clearly broadcasting through the radio.
The gunfire seemed to pick up as the stream of Bronies entering the Cell Block started to slow down.
"I'm pinned!" Calypso called over the radio. "The reinforcements have broken through and are inside the facility! I can't get to you, Shadow!"
Jero was fully lost on what he should do, as things were starting to fall apart.
"Get sum'!" The old brony from earlier, the one with the shotgun, yelled as he ran into the room and fired dual rocket launchers towards the Enforcer's.
The explosions broke the Enforcer's defenses and scattered them, allowing the Bronies to gain the upper hand as they swarmed over the barricades and entered into melee with the Enforcers.
"Uh, moving to K block!" Jero announced into his radio, but only received a response filled with gunfire, unable to hear what was being said.
He made his way over the barricade and followed the Bronies to the last Cell Block. Excitement building as he neared the end, knowing he'd finally find Lance.
As soon as he entered the Cell Block, he was horrified at what he saw. All the prisoners of that block were lined up, and dead.
He fell to his flank, stunned. The Bronies around him running forward and getting gunned down by the Enforcer's.
It took him a moment to collect himself, watching as the Bronies around him died. Somewhere behind him, he could hear even more fighting, meaning the reinforcements were closing in as well.
That's when he noticed a single prisoner still in their cell, a pony in black armor with golden trim standing in the doorway, watching the carnage around them.
He caught a glance of the prisoner, and his heart swelled. It was Lance.
Jero stood back up, determined.
Before he could move forward, the same old Brony appeared again, coming up beside him.
"Is that your man?" he asked, loading his shotgun.
Jero nodded in response.
"I got this, get your man!" the old Brony sprinted forward, seeming to dodge all gunfire directed at him. He jumped onto a table and then into the midst of the Enforcer's.
This amazed Jero, but he took the opportunity and ran straight towards Lance and the Enforcer in his cell door.
As he reached them he jumped forward and slammed his head into the head of the Enforcer, who's only reaction was to grab him and throw him into a pillar outside of the cell. He whizzed as he tried to stand, but the wind had been knocked out of him.
"Stay down," the Enforcer commanded. Behind him, Lance leaned to look out and stared blankly at Jero, not seeming to care he was there.
The fighting around them slowly died down as Jero slowly stood up, staring the Enforcer down.
He shot forward, flaring his wings as a distraction. But the Enforcer only head butted him, imitating his earlier attack. This caused Jero to collapse to the ground, his head spinning.
Then everything went quiet, with a few ponies yelling in protest, and a few gunshots followed.
"This was a waste of life," the Enforcer commented as he reached down and lifted up Jero, throwing him into the middle of the room where a few other Bronies were being hoof cuffed. He was surprised to see the old brony was still alive as well.
A pair of cuffs were placed on Jero's hooves as well, the Enforcer's around them rounding them up. Lance was also brought out and shoved down among the crowd, cuffs already on.
"Lance!" Jero yelled to him, trying to get up, but a swift kick to his back sent him down. He was dragged back up and gagged, now unable to speak to Lance.
A few minutes passed before a group of police officers brought more Bronies to the room, setting them down among the group.
He then saw two officers dragging in a wounded Calypso, who looked like she'd been near an explosion as her gear was covered in dust and metal bits. They dropped her and hoof cuffed her as she lay on her stomach.
She coughed as she turned her head and saw Jero, her swollen face barely showing any emotion.
"This all of them?" the Enforcer with golden trim asked, walking along the line of Bronies.
"Nope, fucker, missed one," Dribble said as he came in through the back hallway, gun trained on Strawell.
All guns focused on him, and Calypso looked towards him panicked, almost seeming to be asking 'what are you doing?!'.
The lead Enforcer held up his hoof, "Don't shoot him." He takes a few steps towards Dribble. "Sergeant Dribble."
"Strawell," Dribble said, his voice basically dripping with hate.
"What's your plan here, Sergeant?" Strawell asked, seeming unfazed with having a gun pointed at him. "If you wanted to shoot me you would have already done so."
Dribble squared up with him, twenty feet between them. "Shooting you is too good for you. I'm going to kill you with my bare hooves."
"I don't think that would be possible," Strawell said dryly.
"Are you scared, Strawell?" Dribble mocked. "Your father would fight me, stallion against stallion."
Strawell looked back at the crowd behind him and waved a hoof. "Guns down." As the Enforcer's and officers lowered their weapons, he turned to Dribble. "Alright, you want a melee? Then I'll just show you why that's a bad idea."
Jero looked between the two, remembering a conversation he had with Dribble, where Dribble spoke of his intensive hoof to hoof training, and the championships he'd won over the years. He didn't know much about Strawell, but he had high hopes of Dribble winning a fair fight like this.
"So you are a real stallion," Dribble said with a smirk as he removed his rifle and helmet, cracking his joints as he prepared to fight.
"Always have been," Strawell deadpanned as he raised his hoof and put a hole in Dribble's forehead, killing him instantly.
Calypso screamed, and Jero yelled into his gag, tears flowing down his face.
"Fool," Strawell remarked as he turned away from Dribble's body and walked back to the crowd. His cold eyes passing over the lined up Bronies. A few of them spit at him, and others threw curses.
"What to do with the rest of you?" He walked up to Jero and removed his gag. "Where's the other one, the green one?"
As soon as the gag was removed, Jero looked towards Lance and yelled, "Lance, it's me, Shadow Breeze! Your Shadow Breeze! Greg and I came to..."
Strawell slapped him and re-engaged him, glancing over to Lance, who's eyes were wide as he stared at Jero.
"Jero?!" Lance exclaimed, his gravely old voice cracking as he spoke.
"Oh great, he's talking again," Strawell said with a groan. He suddenly raised his pistol and killed the Brony next to Jero, spraying him in blood. "Well that settles it. The Queen will not be pleased to hear about any of this. Kill the Bronies, leave this one and the SWAT mare alive."
Everyone started screaming as an Enforcer began walking down the line, stopping only to shoot each Brony in the head.
A Unicorn Brony started crying and his horn flashed uselessly as the anti-magic field kept him from using his magic. As the Enforcer reached him and fired, the Brony disappeared.
This caused everyone to stop and look to where he had been.
"Magic's back on the menu, boys!" the old Brony suddenly yelled, his own horn flaring to life.
All hell broke loose.