The Strings Of Life

by MLPxMaestro

Chapter Thirty Nine- Firefight

The Strings Of Life:

Chapter 39- Firefight:

As Octavia and Harmony remain safe at the house after taking shelter, Maestro and the rest of Canterlot is at an all-out firefight with the enemy, both on ground and in air. It was crowded within the air, but not as bad as the ground and within the streets. Bolts of magic fired from Changeling drones zinged past Maestro as he galloped from cover to cover, trying to find a way to flank the enemy on one of the streets, and hopefully have a chance to secure the roads on the ground.

Some buildings and small businesses were on fire, luckily the residential districts have not been damaged yet, and they planned to keep it that way as long and as best as they could.

“Drone snipers, second floor!” yelled out one of the Unicorn gunners.

Maestro and Nimbus now had the clear to go into the building on the first floor and make their way up to take them by surprise.

“Stay sharp, get my back.” Said Maestro continuing to focus on the staircase in front of him, as he moved towards it closer and closer.

“I got your back dude, just keep moving.” Said Nimbus with a sword in his grip.

Continuing to move up, they encountered no resistance within the building; until Maestro slowly poked his head up to the floor the snipers were at. They had their backs turned to where Maestro and Nimbus were heading up.

“Okay, knifes out.” They drew out their combat knifes; ready to silently take them out.

“We mess this up, one of us could get pretty hurt you know.” Nimbus whispered.

“I know, we won’t mess up…now just follow my lead.”

The floorboards sounding squeaky, but the noises of magic being fired and yelling muffled their noise, as they both were now just a few feet behind the drone snipers.

Maestro then nodded his head, affirming they take them out now.

With a swift move of their knifes, they grab their heads with one hoof, covering their eyes, then slicing their throats with the other hoof with their knifes.

Both drones fell to the floor, killed instantly by the successful assassinations.
“Hah! I told you we would do-”

“Move!” Nimbus pushing him out of the way, but not fast enough.

A sniper then shot Maestro in the leg across the street on the third floor in another building.

“Maestro!”

“Ahhhh! Son of a bitch! Shit this hurts, ow, buck!” trying to put pressure on his wound as Nimbus got the both of them out of the way of the snipers line of sight.

He was bleeding pretty badly from his leg, as that shot could’ve been fatal were it not for Nimbus noticing the sniper directly across from them.

“Just hang on alright? Let me get you fixed up here, just stay calm.”

“Damn it Nimbus what makes you think I can keep calm on this? I just got bucking shot! Ahhh!” gripping his leg in pain once again. Nimbus then brought out his portable medical kit, dressings, morphine and all.

“Okay now, just take it easy okay?” Nimbus trying to stay focused on helping him could help but see him bleeding so badly, but yet why was he bleeding so badly from a shot to the leg? He looked carefully at the wound, and it barely missed an artery in his leg than Celestia.

“Damn it Nimbus do som-”

“I am dude, just stay the hell still okay?” Nimbus then stuck the morphine in his leg, causing Maestro’s head to fall back out of relaxation, not being able to feel the pain around the affected area. The dressings were then applied along with a pad inside of the wound to slow the bleeding.

“There you go dude…um…Maestro?”

“Mother of Celestia, that morphine stuff does the trick.” He chuckled feeling awfully relaxed now.

“Heh, yeah man it’s strong stuff. Come on, let’s get you back to the castle, I think the medical facility is somewhere in there.” Nimbus replied with a smile. Making their way down the stairs, a loud explosion within the streets then was heard, then total silence for a few moments.

“What in Tartarus was that?” he thought, continuing to carry Maestro beside him. Before he could leave the building, a huge rumble and shake in the ground was felt, like an earthquake or something. To their surprise, the building containing that sniper had collapsed, as clouds of thick dust came over both of them.

“ *cough* let’s *cough* find a way out of here.” Nimbus seeing a path of light then knew exactly where to go.

He came out of there, and to the sight of many Changelings apparently affected by the blast, they were all injured and were immediately then captured. The rest of the enemy forces fled from the sudden and violent blast.

“Damn, this building had to go down? I was wanting to try their coffee one day…oh well.” said Nimbus.

“I’m still bleeding here you know, Heh.” Maestro intervened.

“Oh right, let’s get moving then.”

A medic then ran up to him carrying his friend.

“What’s his condition sir?”

“Sniper wound to the leg, I got some of it patched up, but I truly don’t know the status of the wound yet though.” Nimbus replied to the medic.

“Of course sir, we’ll get him to the castle ASAP.” The medic gesturing another medic carrying a stretcher then placed Maestro on it, but he wasn’t too crazy about the idea.

“Come on now, I can still fight here!” he exclaimed as they ignored his statement, continuing to carry him off to the castle.

The hours continued to pass and it was now in the afternoon. Some of the ground fighting has been contained in several streets now. But high above the city was still an air battle that was still going strong.

Changelings falling to their deaths were heard in random locations splatting against the earth, but they weren’t the only ones of course. The ponies have lost lives too, but many of them shot out of the sky landed very hard onto the ground suffering serious injuries, and some even dying on impact.

Maestro kept looking up at the tall ceiling of the castle as he was brought into the now temporary medical room to be treated.

“I can still fight, we’re off to a street I know about!”

“No sir, you need to stay and rest here.” Replied one of the medics unwrapping the bloody dressings and removing the blood soaked pad inside of his wound. Applying fresh wrapping around his leg a little tighter since he was getting a bit frustrated with Maestro’s tone and hardheadedness.

“I need to get-”

“No means no private! You’ll stay here until further notice got it?!” the medic raised his voice back to him.

The hours had now carried on into the late afternoon now, but Celestia was now trying to keep the sun up for as long as she could, but she knew some of the soldiers would need to rest from the fighting, though that would give the Changelings a big advantage.

Celestia and Luna now taking a break within their heavily fortified and defended sleeping quarters within their tower. Celestia turned to her sister, seeing her face wide eyed with adrenaline.

“Luna?”

“I’m fine dear sister, I’m fine!” Turning around to her with her face like she had been through a nightmare. She had seen an awful lot of death right before her eyes across her lifetime, but today was just so much. Ponies left and right were dropping like flies within her vision. So many casualties, and yet knowing she could not do a thing about it.

“Sister of mine, your moon should be up within the next hour or so, but you know I have no other choice but to keep the sun up for the fighting to resume in our favor.”

“I understand that all too well, but do you not realize what shall happen to them if they do not rest? They will drop like flies all the more amidst the streets of Canterlot.” Luna replied, as she looked over the pillars of smoke and ruins that could be seen across Canterlot from the balcony.

“We both have important roles to play in their lives, for my role is just as important as your role, there is no doubt about that. But I must do this for the sake of Canterlot to hopefully sustain itself for a day, just one whole day is all I ask of you dear Luna.”

Luna looked back at Celestia’s slight smile of admiration within their quarters.

“You speak true my sister, and…I love you for being so considerate for your children of the land.” She then turned her head back outside to the city, then back to Celestia once more.

“Very well…one whole day of the sun, and then my moon must rise for the recovery of our fighters.” She stated.

“Of course Luna…thank you.”

Celestia’s horn then glowed once again, as she grabbed the sun and pulled it back up to midday, raising the sun to the middle of the sky and keeping it there for one whole day of sunlight. Though she knew she needed to keep it there longer, but Luna had made a good point for some of their fighting Stallions and Mares to take it easy and rest up for a period of time.

“Okay, I must get back to my guards Celestia, you can carry on in here as you wish, but I am not done with our enemy yet.” Luna retightening and making some final readjustments to her armor then swooped off to meet the enemy once again within the bright clear sky.

“Luna, please be careful.” Celestia said to herself out of concern to her sister she loved ever do dearly.

The day carried on, and more and more streets were being secured by the hour, but Octavia’s street had not been secured yet. Though where Harmony lived, her street was one of the first places to be hit, receiving some damage to her home. Maestro’s foster parents had not seen him in over a month and a half, and he wondered how they were dealing with this at the moment. He hoped they had atleast some kind of place to take shelter in, but he didn’t know for sure. He kept thinking of Octavia and his mother, wondering when that street would be secured. The Changelings weren’t so much on taking prisoners for conversion at this time, but they would consider to pleasing their queen in that manner who knows when?

He laid there on one of the beds, still wondering why he couldn’t get back out there to the action? He felt fine…atleast from what he knew anyways. Though the medic of his squad seemed to differ. A direct sniper shot to the leg was no laughing matter, and he would probably be walking with a limp for a while. Something was telling him in his gut though that Octavia would be in trouble when it happens.

“I got to get to her house, but it’s not going to be easy. Sure I’ll be walking with a limp and maybe the pain there will bother me a bit, but it’s worth it just to see her again…now get yourself up Maestro, and get over there to her.” he thought to himself, realizing his calling was to her. He needed to get there over to her before something bad might happen to her.

“Alrighty then- ow!” jerking a bit from the sudden pain after applying some pressure onto the leg. To his luck, three of the medics were not looking down to where he was, as he slowly and steadily took off limping, leaving his uniform behind, and a white bandage around his back left leg.

The medic was walking down Maestro’s row a few minutes afterward, checking on every patient as he passed him or her up. The medic then approached Maestro’s bed however, and he sounded off.
“We have a missing unit!” he yelled out to the other medics.

With that, they then scatter informing the military police of the situation as they guarded the entrance to the room.

“Of course corporal, we’ll let the officers know about this.” with that said, the military police gallop off to the command center safely nestled within the castles war room.

“General Orion sir!” the military police pony exclaimed.

“Yes, what is it lieutenant?” causing may other commanders and generals to look at the officer.

“A soldier has left the medical room! He must have snuck out!”

“Thank you for this news lieutenant…you may return to your station.”

“Yes sir.” The door however remaining open to the war room.

“Corporal Rainbowdash!”

“Yes sir!” she zoomed in.

Rainbowdash was assigned to be a speedy message deliverer from the high command to the other officers of urgent news. A missing soldier to Orion was certainly urgent in his eyes.

“Inform the commanding officer of the squads who are in charge of seizing control of the streets immediately!”

“On it!”

“Not on it, I want a ye-”

He then looked and saw that Rainbowdash had already left the room in a flash.

“Ugh, damn it somepony teach that girl some manners! How the hell did she even get to corporal might I ask?”

“Um, she was promoted after she went out in combat General. She’s a good aerial fighter, potentially one of the best we have in the military in aerial combat.” Replied an advisor.

“Of course, Wonderbolt material and all that right?”

“Yes sir.” The advisor nodded.

“Hmph…figures…” Orion looked off.

Making it to the commanding officer of the squads in charge of controlling the streets, she shot back off and out of sight from the commander. The commander then gave a sergeant the medical chart of injured and killed in the squads in charge of the streets.

“Take off to the medical room in the castle and call out the names of the ones who are there. If you get no response after calling his name out three times, then we got our culprit.”

“Right away sir.” The sergeant then galloped off to the castle as fast as he could.

“Okay men, ready up! Emerald district is secure, time to hit the lowest districts!”

Unfortunately, Octavia and Maestro’s house was within the lowest district…the platinum district.

“Come on, Maestro…keep- ow! Keep moving.” Trying to keep a low profile as he moved towards his home with a limp of his injured leg. Thanks to the pressure applied to the wound, it had been now trying to clot up thanks to the new dressings snugly applied to his leg.

“Here it is…just right down here…don’t worry Octavia hang on, I’m on my way.” Adrenaline now pumping through his veins, he picked up the pace despite the pain of his wound growing more and more agitated, making it harder for him to move at a swift pace of somepony of his injured status.

He could now hear the noise and chatter of Changelings as some of them made their way overhead of the roofs of the homes, but luckily he managed to stay in the shadows of the buildings overshadowing him as he made his was in-between them. The buzzing of their wings would now be heard low in the streets, giving him the signal that they had now touched ground and would scatter throughout the street.

“Oh shit, shit, shit, shit!” he thought to himself, knowing they were much more swift and faster than he was. He was now limping as fast as he could to his home that was now just the next house down. Trying to hold in the pain of him moving so fast, it agitated the wounds ability to heal and his body to rest for him to recover.

He stayed in one of the shadows of one of the houses, as he took cover behind a large cardboard box.

“Hmm…what if…” when some of the Changelings passed him, he quickly brought the box over him, and punched out two holes for him to see through.

“Hah! Doing this as a kid and playing spy might pay off after all.” He smiled, confident with his ability to sneak to his home now.
Changelings were to be honest…not all that bright, though they were a curious kind, which would be a bit of a trade-off from the position they were in, as some of them continued watching a cardboard box move across the street, awestruck at the inanimate object moving on its own…or so they thought.

“Gosh, are they that dumb?” he thought to himself as he literally went right by a Changeling just a foot in front of him. He could hear the Changeling hiss in surprise at the object seeming to “live” on its own.

“Almost there…just a little…more…hah! Here we are, now I just need to get inside when the coast is clear.”

He then pokes a small peephole at the rear of the box to look behind him. Unfortunately the stupid things were still awestruck at the living object in their sights. Like turkeys continuing to keep their mouths open while looking up at a sky as it rains.

“Aw damn it, come on now you stupid things…look away.”

His prayers weren’t getting answered…yet.

After he said that, to his coincidence a loud voice, sounding much like his squad leader yelling down at the intersection caused all of the Changelings to then turn their attention to that location and take off in that direction in a hiss.

“About freaking time…goodness this wounds killing me.” now quickly taking off the box and moving through the front door as fast as he could, he was determined to be with her. He could now care less whether or not he would be dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders and technically going AWOL on his own accord. All of this, just to be with her another time was worth it to him.

“Octavia, It’s me!” he called out at the bottom of the stairs, before then making his way up, forgetting about the place under the house he told Octavia and his mother to take place in.

Comments

[MLPxMaestro]

Hey everyone, just wanted to thank all of you for enjoying the story i have been writing. The story is now approaching its end, as only a couple of chapters remain in it. But again, i appreciate all of your good feedback rather than rude comments as some online jerks do. If you have any questions about the story, feel free to PM me about it, thanks.

[MLPxMaestro]

Just letting all of you know, It might be a little while for the final chaoter to come out for this story, as i'm busy with life and all that jazz. If ANY of you see any issues that seem major or need editing, let me know.