Linkin Pony - Recharge: Revamped

by Kaciekk

Chapter 44

It was the third morning Heartfelt had spent in the camp, but only the second she had woken up in it. Rhythm had successfully convinced her to stay another night. Now, after a late breakfast, Heartfelt assured him that she was ready to go back to the city. Hyper had also requested to come with them to drop her off, despite him just being in the city as well.

As they made their way to the cab that was parked at the south end of the camp, Rhythm noticed a few ponies gathered around the gardening tent, conversing. Among them was Jet and Ash, who Rhythm swore had announced they were going to Los Pegasus just earlier. Rhythm approached them.

“What are you guys doing back? I thought you went to headquarters to pick up a mission,” Rhythm asked.

“Well, we were,” Jet began cautiously.

“But there’s a blockade of Hybrids in front of the north gateway to the city!” Ash finished frantically.

“Wait, what?” Rhythm blurted out.

“Yeah, the sentries there are doing all they can to stop them from getting in,” Jet reported.

“We could have got in another way, but we wanted to come back here to let you all know about this,” Ash added.

“Well fuck,” Rhythm muttered.

“But, you were going to take me home,” Heartfelt stated, concern in her eyes.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to take the long way,” Rhythm contemplated.

“No, Rhythm. This isn’t about going around them,” Ash said firmly. “This is about stopping them. We’ve got to do something to help.”

“I… you’re right,” Rhythm decided. “They’re gonna need all the ponies they can get to fight them off. I suppose we could go down there and try. Then I could take you home,” Rhythm addressed to Heartfelt.

“What about me? I can’t fight if I don’t have an EPD,” Heartfelt pointed out.

“You shouldn’t have to fight,” Rhythm assured her. “Just stay out of it until we’ve broken them up.”

“No,” Heartfelt countered sternly. “If I’m going, I may as well fight too. You know I can, I was trained just like anyone else.”

Rhythm took a long stare at his wife. Of course he knew she could fight, but he didn’t want to risk her getting hurt. She was competent enough to fend for herself. And he wouldn’t want to send the wrong message trying to protect her all the time.

“I’m just worried about you. I don’t think you’re mentally in a good spot to be fighting Hybrids,” Rhythm said.

“If I have to I will. I won’t let my mental state stop me,” Heartfelt spat.

“Of course. I know you are. It’s just… dangerous,” Rhythm responded, hesitant.

“Stop trying to look out for me. I’m not helpless!” Heartfelt echoed Rhythm’s thoughts.

“I- I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you anymore. If you want to fight too, you can,” Rhythm accepted.

“She can borrow someone’s EPD,” Hyper suggested, his head popping up a Rhythm’s side.

“I highly doubt anyone’s would fit her,” Rhythm argued, unsure.

“What about ThunderCharm’s?” Hyper said.

“Thunder is small…” Rhythm considered. He then looked at Heartfelt again. He could see a spark of determination in her eyes. “Okay, you can fight with us.”

“We’re coming with,” Ash announced with Jet by her side.

“And maybe we should bring some other ponies too,” Jet suggested.

“Spinning and Blazing,” Hyper told Rhythm.

Rhythm nodded. “Hmm. And Forest and Aggie. They’re our defense, so they could be good additions.”

“I’ll go get them!” Jet said and bounded into the air.

Rhythm swirled around to face both HyperBlitz and Heartfelt. “Alright. Let’s get ready.”

BlazingFlair, SpinningNote, ForestWind and AgileArrow all joined their party as they set off. HyperBlitz flew overhead as they drove through the desert.

Rhythm sat in back next to Heartfelt so he could have his undivided attention to planning. They weren’t sure just how many Hybrids they were dealing with. We’re they just meant to rush in there and start fighting? Or was there a way to drag the Hybrids away from the city?

A hoof poked Rhythm’s shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Rhythm, look,” Heartfelt stated.

She then extended her hoof to point out the window to the right. Rhythm stretched his neck to see what she was referring to. Sitting still on the tracks they had been following since the camp was a large engine and a car attached. It was not refined like a Resistance train they were used to. Instead it was worn down and heavily armored.

“The Hybrids brought a train…” Rhythm muttered aloud.

“That’s why there’s so many of them,” Blazing guessed.

“That train must have passed by our camp earlier. Maybe overnight,” Spinning suggested.

“It’s not like we would have known. We don’t notice the trains that pass by,” Rhythm sighed.

They stopped a few hundred yards before the blockade that was in front of them, down the hill. Staring out from the top, Rhythm overlooked the skyline of the city. The normal area where sentries let vehicles and passerby in was cluttered with Resistance personnel and Hybrids alike. They were mostly gathered towards the right, closer to the train tracks. To the left, Rhythm could see where the outer streets were clear of Hybrids in the distance. Even so, those streets were off limits due to rogues that claimed the area.

“So what’s the plan?” Hyper asked as he landed next to them.

“Uh… I don’t have one,” Rhythm admitted.

“You’re kidding,” Hyper groaned.

“What, are we just supposed to run in there and pick a fight?” Ash queried from behind.

“Well, I mean…” Rhythm trailed off.

“Alright,” Spinning spoke up, his voice clear. He circled around the group until he faced all of them, ahead. “We need to draw them away from the city. That will give the guards a chance to recoup. I say we do whatever we can to draw their attention away. Shout, shoot, whatever. Bring them up the hill.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Rhythm mumbled, half to himself.

The group of them began moving down the hill, beginning to shoot at any Hybrids they saw. Hyper and Forest shot down from above, the former calling out names to the Hybrids. A few of the cyborgs turned around to face the new wave of ponies. A scout Hybrid completely forgot it’s first opponent and climbed up the hill, seaking new prey.

Hyper swooped down and knocked his forehooves into the scout, sending it rolling down the hill. It crashed into another Hybrid, their metal clattering together. The second one regained it’s composure and glared up the steady slope. With a foreleg raised, it began firing.

Rhythm dashed down to the base of the hill, where the ground was more even. With quick energy blasts, he alerted a grey Hybrid who was in combat with a sentry. It spun around and sneered. Rhythm caught a quick glance from the sentry, gratefulness in his eyes. A different Hybrid had already been trying to get to the sentry. No way the sentry would win one on two.

A clawed leg began swiping at Rhythm. He took a brief hop backwards to avoid the first swipe. He kept his leg extended, still shooting. The Hybrid swung it’s foreleg again. This time it caught Rhythm’s leg between two metal claws. Rhythm tugged but couldn’t get his leg out of the grasp. He wasn’t even able to shoot since the Hybrid had caught it as it was facing downward.

“Let go! I just got this leg!” Rhythm snapped.

“I see you’ve done the hard work for us,” the Hybrid remarked, curiosity in one uncovered eye. “We can get you a new one easily.”

Rhythm cringed at the thought of obtaining a Hybrid leg. This time he tugged to the right with enough force to swing the Hybrid over on it’s side. It’s claws let go as it hit the ground with a grunt. A tight pain struck Rhythm’s shoulder as his leg released. Ignoring it, he began expending blue energy in the grey Hybrid’s face.

Over to the left, BlazingFlair was throwing flames onto the wings of a Pegasus Hybrid. It’s feathers burned, keeping it grounded. The cyborg shot red streaks from the gun on it’s foreleg. Blazing’s armor deflected most of the shots. A few shots singed his neck fur, and ate away at the top layer of skin.

Quickly, he raised his EPD to meet the Hybrid’s gun. Both hooves were locked, soles facing each other. Blazing charged up his energy then shot it into the gun’s barrel. A crackle sounded and smoke blasted out of cracks in the gun. The Hybrid frantically tried to shoot again, but its gun was busted. Blazing used this chance to finish the foe.

Above, the two Pegasi continued to shoot down. Hyper noticed a sentry struggling with a Hybrid. The cyborg had shoved the sentry to the ground, about to pummel her. Hyper flew downward until he could reach his forelegs around the Hybrid’s neck. His wings fluttered, pushing himself backwards. The Hybrid dragged along with him.

“Get off her, you fucker!”

Hyper was strong enough to make the Hybrid rear up and fall over on it’s back. Letting go, Hyper landed his front hooves just in front of the Hybrid. He used his back hooves to slam into the Hybrid’s exposed belly. He leapt forward to help the sentry up.

“Are you okay?” Hyper asked.

“I think so. Thank you,” the sentry replied with a huff.

SpinningNote was sparring with a scout. The bulky Earth Pony was making slow but heavy movements with its armored foreleg. One swing slammed into Spinning’s left foreleg. He yelped in pain but didn’t let it stop him. His horn illuminated, his magic snatching all four of the Hybrid’s legs. He released them, causing the Hybrid to fall to the ground. Just then, a yellow Unicorn sentry galloped towards him to help finish the Hybrid.

Commotion roared all around Rhythm. He could hear the clattering of metal, the shouts of ponies, blasts of energy, crackles of fire. Although all the sounds seem to merge together, he was able to distinguish one voice. Rhythm peered behind him, up the hill/ There Heartfelt was firing at a Hybrid from a distance. It was quickly gaining on her. With panic, Rhythm attempted to reach her, but the pain in his shoulder returned. Luckily, AgileArrow had just come to aid Heartfelt. Both Unicorns were able to fend the Hybrid off.

Relief was short-lived. Rhythm realized that while they were battering the Hybrids, they weren’t very successful in slaying them. The Hybrids seemed to almost come back to life after they were struck down. The crowd of Hybrids were beginning to close them in. Rhythm saw Spinning and Blazing both backing away from the approaching Hybrids. The three teammates met each other in the middle.

“Uh, what do we do?” Blazing wondered aloud. He kept spitting fire on the ground in front of him. A masked Hybrid eyed him.

“Any quick ideas, Spin?” Rhythm requested, his muzzle to the side.

“Keep shooting!” Spinning blurted out.

“Oh yeah, great. That helps,” Rhythm muttered. He kept his foreleg outstretched to attack. The ache in his shoulder threatened to weigh his whole leg down.

“I don’t think we need any ideas!” Blazing announced. “Look!”

Just at that, Rhythm could hear a sentry crying out, “Backup’s here!”

He turned his gaze towards the city. Above them he could make out the shape of three Pegasi. He recognized the dark wings of Serenity immediately.

“C’mon,” Blazing commanded his friends.

He galloped forward, pushing through two of the Hybrids. There was just enough time for Spinning and Rhythm to dash through the gap of the two confused Hybrids. Rhythm trailed behind. The three of them made their way towards a group of sentries that gawked at the Pegasi incoming. There were three other sentries that were coming to meet them down the street. They must have been a part of the same team as the Pegasi.

Serenity hovered above them, two Pegasi following behind her. One was a lavender mare, the other an orange stallion. Serenity’s blue eyes locked onto Rhythm with surprise.

“Well isn’t that just great luck!” Rhythm shouted to her. “Good to see you! Again!”

“You know I work around here!” Serenity yelled back. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to help! But we’re having a hard time killing the Hybrids,” Rhythm announced to Serenity.

“We might not have to kill them,” she said and explained. “If we injure them enough they may retreat back to their train.”

Rhythm stared at her, baffled. “Would they really do that?” He had never seen Hybrids run from a fight before. Yet again, he had never seen this many Hybrids before.

“Just trust me on this,” Serenity assured.

“Less talking! More fighting!” Spinning quipped.

“Right,” Rhythm agreed with a nod. His gaze crossed Serenity one more time before her team took flight over the battle.

Rhythm followed his two friends back into the field away from the streets. A heavily armored Hybrid swung it’s head to face them. It’s metal hooves made thuds as it tread the dirt, crawling closer to the trio. A green Pegasus Hybrid quickly came to the aid of her larger ally. She started to fire quick blasts at the stallions.

Periwinkle magic surrounded them as Spinning formed a shield. The Hybrid’s energy shots deflected off the shield. The green Hybrid kept getting closer. She scowled at them. Metal covered half of her face, leaving only one enraged eye visible.

“Rhythm, can you get a shot on her?” Spinning queried.

Rhythm tried to aim his leg towards the smaller Hybrid, but throbbing in his shoulder forced him to keep his leg down.

“I- I don’t think I can,” he admitted.

“What? What do you mean you can’t?” Spinning questioned. “Fine, then you take the shield, I’ll shoot her.”

The translucent wall around them faded into cyan as Rhythm took over. The Pegasus Hybrid had reached the shield. She bared her unkempt teeth in a grimace. Spinning lifted up his EPD and charged his energy.

“Now!” Was all Spinning said.

Rhythm dissolved the shield. Just as the Hybrid took one more step, Spinning released his weapon’s blow. The blue energy scorched the Hybrid’s neck and face. She screamed as it began to bleed. Next to her, the heavy Hybrid crept forward.

“You guys get the big guy,” Spinning said to Rhythm and Blazing. “I’ll finish her!”

Rhythm nodded then glared ahead. He wasn’t sure what to do, he could only use his magic. At first he fired lasers at the armored enemy, but it didn’t faze it. Cyan magic swarmed all over the Hybrid’s body, keeping it standing in place. Rhythm struggled against the force of the massive Hybrid.

A shadow fell over them. Above, Serenity assessed the situation.

“Trailblazer!” She called out to the orange Pegasus. “We’ve got an easy target for you.”

A few moments later, a large burst of blue pounded against the Hybrid. It quickly collapsed to the ground and Rhythm released his magic. He twisted his neck around to get a look at the pony named Trailblazer. He was holding a large weapon strapped around his back. The glow of blue energy was just fading from inside the barrel.

“An energy canon?” Blazing gaped. “That’s fucking awesome!”

As Rhythm was distracted by the Pegasi above him, he was unaware of the Hybrid running towards him. Suddenly a powerful hoof rammed into his side. The blow forced Rhythm off his hooves, dropping to the ground. BlazingFlair stepped back in shock. With fury, he lept over Rhythm and attacked the Hybrid.

Rhythm blinked the haziness out of his eyes. He rolled over on his back as he heard a familiar voice come near him. Above him he stared into Heartfelt’s wide brown eyes. Heartfelt attempted to help him up, but Rhythm silently insisted he could get up on his own.

“What happened? I saw you fall over,” Heartfelt asked with concern.

“I got punched in the side,” Rhythm let out.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. It hurts though,” Rhythm grimaced and glanced down at his right side. He turned back to his wife. “I think I pulled my shoulder too.”

Heartfelt sighed. “You were so worried about me getting hurt when it ended up being you getting hurt.”

“Heh, yeah,” Rhythm said with a weak smile.

“Look!” A sentry shouted, drawing the Unicorns’ attention.

Rhythm noticed the Hybrids were dispersing. They lead in a crowd up the hill, to the west. They were retreating! Some of the Unicorns used their magic to drag along the bodies of their fallen allies. A few Hybrids still fired shots at the Resistance. Slowly, as a pack, they traveled to their armored train.

The sentries and the party Rhythm had brought began cheering. Only a few dead Hybrids remained on the ground. Rhythm took another look at all the ponies. It didn’t look like anyone was seriously injured. Serenity and Trailblazer fluttered down to the ground to meet up with the rest of the sentries. Rhythm gestured Heartfelt to follow him towards them.

“Good work everyone!” Serenity spoke over them. “And thank you to the recruits who came to aid us! We couldn’t have won this battle without you!”

“Ren, you don’t have to,” Rhythm began to protest against the praise.

“I mean it,” Serenity told him with a head dip.

“I guess you’ll want a reward from it huh?” One of the sentries said, irked.

“No, not at all. We wanted to help. How could we just stand there when Los Pegasus was under attack?” Rhythm justified.

“Captain.” A Unicorn approached Serenity. “I’ve counted for our unit. Magnolia is missing.”

“What?” Serenity snapped. She then gazed around the field with wide eyes. She burst up into the air with quick fluttering wings.

An Earth Pony wearing a captain’s uniform stepped up to the front of the group. “LittleStream from our unit is missing too.”

“No, no, no,” Serenity muttered as she landed. “The Hybrids must have taken them. We didn't notice with all the fighting.” She violently shook her head, her white curls waving rapidly.

“Ren…” Rhythm stepped forward, extending his left forehoof out.

Serenity stared at him, sorrow in her eyes. “I’ve lost a pony.”

Rhythm wasn’t quite sure what to say. He knew that she felt responsible. It was her job to look over her unit. Recruits were lost to Hybrids sometimes. It was the unfortunate truth.

With a start, Rhythm turned around, worried about the ponies he had brought. At first he was worried about Jet and Ash, since he had not seen them before the start of the fight. He spotted them huddled together, further up the hill. All of his ponies were counted for, yet the Resistance still lost two recruits.

“Thank you for everything, Rhythm,” Serenity said from behind him, her voice grave. “We better get going now. I’ve got to report this.”

Sadly, Rhythm watched his old friend fly off into the city with her unit following behind her. She was a brave, honorable mare. She didn’t deserve this loss or guilt. Even if the battle was a victory, there were some costs that triumph couldn’t overturn.

Rhythm’s heart was heavy with emotion. His friends gathered around him, Heartfelt at his side. He tilted his head down and rested his temple against hers.

“Let’s get you back home,” he said simply.