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Post by Red Charge on Apr 13, 2012 22:10:20 GMT -5
Team Moonbird was the last to be teleported. They were telported directly to the forest behind the pyramid, after the attack had already began. Now the Cult would not have the resources to intercept them on the way. Team Thunderbird and Phoenix would be halfway to the pyramid by now.
Calico, Whitehoof, Selenia and even Rainbow Dash were comprising this team.Two Unicorns an Earth Pony and a Pegasi. Whitehoof would definitely be the brute force of the group. The thick, burly pony had seen a lot of action in the Northern Barrens, and even had a chance to watch Field Marshal Starling in combat recently. Something that certainly drove him to improve himself. After all, Starling was a North Pony like himself.
And there they were, the middle of the swamp, hydra and quick sand country. And like team Phoenix, they were not allowed to fly or use magic at all. They couldn't allow themselves to alert the enemy to their location until the other teams were already attacking. So began a slow, harsh walk towards the enemy base.
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Post by Selenia on Apr 15, 2012 10:46:30 GMT -5
Selenia grimaced as she felt the teleportation field wash over her and the rest of her team. Even though it was extremely useful, and Selenia had taught herself limited teleportation skills, she always hated it. It felt like you had your insides ripped out and then stitched back together upside down and in the wrong order. She fought back the nausea and disorientation, those were distractions she couldn't afford to cope with right now.
The pinpoint teleport had landed them deep in the swamp. Everyone was ankle-deep in lukewarm muddy water, everything smelled musty and mosquitos were buzzing about freely. Selenia idly waved a few away from her ears while she took in the rest of her surroundings. It was barely light enough to see, the light filtering through the thick canopy was minimal, with small columns of light coming through the sparse gaps and hitting the swamp floor. I would have been much easier to see if they had been permitted the use of magic, but for the sake of the team staying outside of detection, magic was prohibited for the infiltration portion of their mission. Flying was out of the question, too, which must have weighed down heavily for Rainbow Dash.
Selenia looked back at their versatile team. It was a varied lot, including Equestria's most skilled young flyer, a massive earth pony from the north, a unicorn archer, and of course Selenia. Their group was very balanced. They had strength, speed, and range. Her thoughts were cut off at the muffled sounds of battle in the distance. The dull resounding thumps of magic blasts and the clashing of metal on metal resounded through the swamp.
Selenia placed a hoof on her Etherium pendant, the only item she wanted to bring, aside from the high-end armor that the Equestrian government provided. She turned to the other members of her strike team, "This is it... Isn't it."
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Post by calico on Apr 15, 2012 12:44:10 GMT -5
Calico Quiver inhaled deeply but silently, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. She was to infiltrate the acropolis in Froggy Bottom Bog and disrupt the cultists’ ritual, and to expect resistance, perhaps even from the cultists’ head mage. And she was to do this with three other ponies she’s never worked with before: one other unicorn, like herself, one earth pony, and one pegasus pony.
Calico knew little more about her companions than just their names. Well, she also knew the rainbow one, Rainbow Dash, was the only pony who could perform the legendary Sonic Rainboom. But this wasn’t a time for showing off – Calico doubted that the technique would be useful here, and hoped Rainbow Dash’s fighting skills were as good as her flying skills, for everyone’s sake.
Despite the gravity of the situation, and her usual typical discomfort around non-unicorn ponies, Calico felt calm. In fact, it was because of the severity of the consequences of this war that made Calico focused. In a way, it simplified things. When the stakes are so high, she knew she couldn’t hesitate, or it might end badly – for herself, for her companions, for Equestria. An instant of Princess Luna’s speech flashed through her mind – “wherever possible, capture and incapacitate”. It was a noble idea, but Calico secretly wished that the Princess got rid of it. Calico spent much of her time preparing for this war – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It wouldn’t do much good to doubt oneself when Equestria’s safety was at stake. But whatever – she had her mission, and all there was left was to do it.
The archer checked her gear. A dark, charcoal-colored hooded cloak – long enough to offer some amount of concealment, but not long enough to get stuck in the mud – draped around her head and back. A small satchel of emergency supplies and a sheathed knife hung tightly at her side. A set of light, leather bracers adorned her forelegs, and a much heavier leather cuirass protected her torso. Two quivers full of her own personal sets of enchanted arrows were strapped her hind legs – arrows that she began working on since she first received the mission, just for this occasion. The arrows in the left quiver were enchanted to fly faster and more silently than standard arrows. The arrows in the right quiver were enchanted to create a powerful, thundering sound on impact, which she hoped would help disrupt the ritual by sewing confusion or perhaps even temporarily deafening the cultists who were caught too close. Both types of arrows were sharp and deadly if aimed at the right spot, but she had more time to prepare the former than the latter kind. And of course, she had her bow – a dark, composite recurve.
Calico turned to the other unicorn when she spoke. ”Yep,” replied Calico. The calm before the storm. ”Anything we need to get out of the way before we see trouble?” she asked as she began carefully trekking in the direction of their target.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2012 1:44:02 GMT -5
Rainbow Dash shook her mane as she prepared herself to be teleported to Froggy Bottom Bog. She was part of Team Moonbird in the Final Battle against the cultists, to drive them out of Equestria for good. If they failed, it would cause the end of Equestria. But she wasn't scared. She's the great Rainbow Dash, the greatest flier in all of Equestria. She knew that this was going to be a piece of cake, or so she thought.
When Rainbow and the rest of her team were teleported into the bog, she immediately felt the sliminess of the swamp water. She was seriously ticked off that she couldn't fly, but knew that if she did she would jeopardize not only the mission but the whole of Equestria. Because of this, she folded her wings up tight, though she desperately wanted to just zoom past her team.
Rainbow Dash looked around at her team. There were to unicorns and an earth pony. Not another single other Pegasus. The two unicorns looked no where near strong enough to fight in a war. She desperately hoped that they could make up for that in magical ability. She looked at the Earth Pony though, Whitehoof his name was, and noticed how strong he looked. Though he was no Pegasus, he still looked like he could put up quite a fight.
Rainbow examined her armor, which she thought looked a lot cooler than anyone else's. She wore a sliver helmet with rainbow streaks on the side, that had a rainbow crest protruding out of it. Her body armor was made of the lightest plate-mail possible to still provide a good amount of protection. It seemed to be just silver, but when light is shone on it, it glowed rainbow. She had to admit, the armor was more to look awesome than for protection, because she knew that she didn't need it. Neither did she need the sword and shield that was strapped to either side of her, but she wore it because again, it made her look awesome. Being a Black belt in Karate, she intended to just use her own hooves to fight the cultists.
They started walking through the swamp, and Rainbow Dash looked around at her team again when Calico Quiver asked a question. "Nah, not really." She replied. "Just stick with me and we'll win this thing for sure!" She flexed her hoof quickly and wore a confident grin on her face.
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Post by Red Charge on Apr 21, 2012 18:58:54 GMT -5
And bam, they heard the unmistakeable sounds of the battle having started. With the Mages distracted and the Golem about to be attacked, they could now start to move deftly towards the pyramid itself. Flying to the top was out of the question, the magic walls surrounding the structure would only allow access through the stairs. A powerful bottleneck undoubtedly cast by Red Charge himself. It worked both ways though, as no projectile could come from the pyramid unless shooting from the very top and in the direction of the battle.
"Rainbow Dash is it? Stick close to the ground." Whitehoof requested, "If we're spotted I'll need you to quickly knock out the guards before they can alert others. Is that alright?" He looked around, "As for you guys, stay at the rear, make sure we're not being flanked!"
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Post by Selenia on Apr 22, 2012 22:40:45 GMT -5
'At the rear?' Selenia thought to herself. She'd have been happier with a more forward position, her keen eyes would have come in handy. But now wasn't the time for petty complaints. She was given a suggestion, no, an order, and she would follow it without question and without hesitation. If their team was caught with their pants down, it was all over.
Selenia slowed her pace a little so she fell back a few feet behind the rest of the group. She kept her head on a swivel, ears perking up and eyes darting around to catch every little detail of the surroundings. Who knew what the Cult had in place. Traps, maybe? Selenia was counting on a few traps, and she was intent on bypassing them without incident. She pressed her etherium pendant to her chest with her hoof and uttered a small prayer to Luna and the Equestrian military. With luck they would make it out with minimal casualties. Selenia herself had no intention on becoming a statistic for the high school history textbooks.
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Post by calico on Apr 24, 2012 10:17:24 GMT -5
When the sounds of battle rang out through the bog, Calico's instincts told her to lift and ready her bow, but she resisted the urge. She couldn't afford to risk giving away their position with magic. On Whitehoof's order, Cali moved to the rear of the group, positioning herself between Selenia and the rest of the group.
It was a smart move. Without the use of her magic, it would take a moment to draw and ready her bow - a short moment, but in battle that moment could mean the different between life and death, so it would be unsafe if she was at the front. If she was in the rear, she would have more time to be ready to shoot if they were somehow spotted and attacked ahead.
Calico's powerful eyes scanned the swamp for movement. In the murkiness of the bog, her vision was hampered more than she liked. But hopefully her trained archer's eyes would catch any potential threats before they could do any harm to her or her comrades.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2012 20:08:55 GMT -5
"Yes sir!" Rainbow Dash said to Whitehoof. She hovered slightly above the ground and moved to the front of the group, keeping an eye out for any guards they might encounter. The battle has begun, she thought. Though she was confident, the very real possibility that she might die today dawned on her. No, that can't happen, I'm Rainbow Dash, THE Rainbow Dash, she reassured herself.
She made sure to keep herself alert to silence any guards she sees. She hadn't seen any yet, but they were soon to be in the thick of things. That's when things will get hairy.
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Post by Red Charge on Apr 27, 2012 7:33:52 GMT -5
They rounded the corner, but it appeared neither team has been successful in their task yet. There were too many guards around the stairs to the pyramid for them to tackle currently. They were forced to wait, just a bit more, in hopes one of the teams would be able to complete its mission, if only so that they could get rid of some of the guards before charging in.
"Drats." Whitehoof mumbled, "Looks like we're going to have to wait." He called Selenia and Calico to the front, "Keep an eye on the guards, if they spot us, blast them with everything you've got." He signaled to Rainbow Dash to follow him as he made to move around the other side of the pyramid. "We're going to try and flank them at the least, so when Selenia and Calico grab their attention, you and I charge in and attack them from behind."
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Post by calico on Apr 27, 2012 12:45:40 GMT -5
Calico frowned when she saw all the guards. It seemed like the other two teams hadn't finished their tasks yet. Brow furrowed in frustration, Calico cursed under her breath. She hated when things didn't go according to plan. But maybe there was still time. They had to disrupt the ritual as soon as possible, but if the other teams finished soon, then maybe Moonbird can go in and do their job.
A part of her worried that the other teams might have failed entirely - or worse, were killed. But then she reminded herself that they took up their assignments knowing the risks. There was no use in worrying about them right now. She just had to focus on how to get past all those guards.
If things went perfectly according to plan, then no cultists' lives would have to be taken, period. But, there have already been setbacks. Taking someone's life may become an inevitability. Calico hoped she wouldn't have to. After all, these cultists weren't necessarily evil, per se. In fact, she believed that very few folks could be truly considered 'evil'. For all she knew, the cultists could be thinking that they were doing what was truly best for everyone. But that didn't matter. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. Anyone could intend to do all the good in the world, but it hardly matters if it doesn't actually produce good consequences. And, considering the recent rise in monster attacks... well, whatever the cultists were trying to do, it obviously wasn't working. They had to be stopped, for the greater good. If that meant that she might have to kill someone, well, so be it - she wouldn't hesitate. She couldn't expect to save everyone. Not when things have already turned out like this.
Whitehoof just gave another order. It was a big risk, splitting up when there are still so many cultists around, leaving both groups more vulnerable to attack. She didn't like it. But since things have already deviated from the plan, they might just have to take bigger risks. It was all for the sake of accomplishing their mission. For the greater good. "Good luck," Cali said to the pegasus and earth pony. Calico took a position behind a nearby tree, giving her a good field of vision over the guards on this side of the pyramid. Grabbing the side of her cloak with her teeth, Calico pulled the garment tight around her, hoping it would help her stay concealed until the time was right.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2012 0:54:51 GMT -5
Rainbow Dash quickly followed Whitehoof to the other side of the pyramid. "Yes sir!" She whispered. Battle was getting ever closer, and she had to admit she was a little nervous. She had never been in a full sized battle before. Yeah, she had been in some big fights, between her and other pegasi, aswell as dragons and other dangerous creatures. But nothing like this. There was so many ponies at once and a very real chance of her not coming out of this alive. Sure, there was that chance in some other fights but still this was a full scale war, and that worried her. But again, she reassured herself that she will survive this as she got into position.
"So, have you ever been in a war before?" Rainbow asked Whitehoof. "I haven't. Sure, I've fought Changelings, and dragons, but nothing as large scale as this."
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Post by Selenia on Apr 29, 2012 7:47:37 GMT -5
The instant Whitehoof noticed the extra guards, Selenia flattened herself to the ground, hugging the contours of the bog floor. She would get muddy, but at least she wouldn't be seen. Her eyes focused on the expanded guard numbers while she listened intently to Whitehoof's plan. It was modified from the original because of unknowns. Selenia grimaced. Unknowns create improvisation, and improvisation is sloppy, and that's where you get caught. The extra guards also meant that the two other teams, as well as the entire Equestrian Military, were having trouble breaking the Cult's defenses. Their battle was still going strong, as far as she could tell, judging by the muffled thumps and clangs that still echoed through the swamp. At least that background noise could still work a little to their advantage if they, say, stepped on a stick or some dry leaves or something.
Selenia nodded to Whitehoof and Dash as Calico wished them luck. She slowly got up out of her little hidey-hole and moved over to where Calico was. "So. Now we wait." She shuffled around and found a more or less comfortable spot with a good view of the guards, where she could see if any left to go bolster the front lines and receive Whitehoof's signal in case he did attack earlier. She absentmindedly tugged at her armor, realigning the few plates and tightening straps. There was nothing to do but wait. Wait on the edge of an unavoidable battle. It was almost worse than the thought of having to partake in one in the first place.
Her focus shifted to the one object she had decided to bring with her; the Etherium pendant around her neck. It was the only one she had ever crafted, and it took all the Etherium powder she was able to find or buy, and even that nearly cleaned out her savings. She had also taught herself how to enchant it and imbue it with magic. When enchanted, Etherium would project a small protective field around itself, sensitive only to fast moving projectiles like arrows or magic. In essence, it could shield her from one or even two shots before it was a useless, but very pretty, rock again. It would offer no help in melee combat. The fact that it produced a shield also allowed Selenia to focus on more offensive actions or spells and not have to partition some of her concentration towards maintaining a shield. Everypony else on all the other teams brought basic items like weapons, first aid kits, and other gear for their items of choice, but Selenia figured that her pendant would be the most valuable asset she could bring with her.
She held it in her hoof and covered her horn with a bit of cloth to conceal the glow that it created. Selenia concentrated the magic energy deep inside the crystal, essentially deactivating the protective effects of the pendant. She wouldn't want a wayward blast of light magic to deplete her crystal when it could be saved for a much more important situation. She let the crystal go, dangling around her neck. As of right now, it was just a pretty necklace until she wanted to reactivate it. She stuffed it under the protection of her chest armor, making sure it would stay safe.
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Post by Red Charge on Apr 30, 2012 2:21:26 GMT -5
And then it happened, just as Whitehoof rounded the corner with Rainbow Dash, a detachment of the guards rushed off away from the pyramid, just passing by where Calico and Selenia were hiding without noticing and hurrying towards the area where not so long ago the mages were still firing their artillery. Team Thunderbird has succeeded in drawing them away it would seem.
Whitehoof looked at the sky, the moon could already be seen approaching the sun, the eclipse will begin soon. He gave a sharp whistle to signal Selenia and Calico and then he charged in. The stairs of the pyramid were now mostly unguarded, but for two ponies standing at the bottom, and more at the top. Whitehoof figured they could easily take the two earth ponies guarding the bottom before the guards at the top could join in.
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Post by calico on May 1, 2012 11:12:04 GMT -5
Calico figured that something must have started going their way, because not long after Rainbow Dash and Whitehoof left, some of the cultists ran off. Perhaps Thunderbird finally managed to do their job. But there was hardly any time to think about it or worry about what might have happened - the nearing eclipse and Whitehoof's whistle signaled that it was time for Calico to do hers.
A soft, indigo light emanated from her horn. In one swift, fluid, and automatic motion, Calico telekinetically drew her bow and lifted two arrows from her left quiver - the fast-flying, silent ones, perfect for long-range shooting - and quickly said to Selenia, "I'll take the ones on the far side of the stairs." She mentally marked two targets on the top of the staircase. Whitehoof and Rainbow Dash should be able to handle the two guards below, but Calico could help by disabling any potential reinforcements. Time for all those countless hours spent at the archery range to pay off.
As Calico nocked the arrow, she performed a spell, activating the enchantment on the arrow; without the trigger spell, the arrow would behave as if it was unenchanted. But the arrow emanated a soft cerulean light for a brief moment, indicating the spell worked and the enchantment had activated. Finally, Calico took aim at one of her marks's forelegs and fired. Nocking the second arrow and triggering the enchantment, she quickly aimed at the second mark's forelegs and fired again.
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Post by Selenia on May 1, 2012 20:33:38 GMT -5
Selenia took notice when a fair portion of the guards hustled off right past their location. Either the other teams were faring well, or Dash and Whitehoof had thrown some distraction. She figured it was the former, as there had been no signal from Whitehoof, either that or there was, and she didn't notice it. Oh hey and there was Whitehoof whistling unmistakably. Really clandestine there. So stealth must be a nonfactor now. He certainly was taking a big risk by doing a head on attack regardless of how many guards there were.
Selenia steeled her resolve and glanced over at Calico, who was already unsheathing her bow. Selenia eyeballed the second pair of guards at the top. Their patrol pairs were smart. An attacker would have to have considerable skill to remove both at the same time, lest them be defeating one and the other raising an alarm. She mentally crossed off the pair that Calico had sighted and focused on her own prey. Selenia focused her mental state and readied a simple destruction spell. When it hit, it would impact with a sufficient amount of force to knock the guards out and destroy bits and pieces of their armor, maybe even break a few bones. She took into account the uncertainty of what unknown protection they may have, and amped up the spell accordingly. She had no interest in killing them, as Selenia had a grave feeling that if the cultists took heavy casualties, they would seem like the wrongly oppressed, a small side movement obliterated mercilessly by the might of the princess.
She shook that thought out of her mind. She had to stay focused and razor sharp. One false step and it could spell disaster, especially on Team Moonbird. Selenia also had a feeling that she might not make it through the night, so she figured signing up for the most important and dangerous facet of the offensive would fit her well. If her fellow Equestrians in the military could, and would, sacrifice for the cause, she saw no reason why she shouldn't be able to if the situation was dire.
She looked over to Calico, who had nocked an arrow on her bow and gave her a nod. A spit second later both of them did a sharp turn around the trunk of the tree. Selenia's vision tunneled in on her two targets, and she released two bolts, points of orange light that formed at the tip of her horn and gently tore away, arcing toward their destinations with increasing speed and frightening precision. Selenia's ear twitched as she heard the subtle whoosh of Calico's first arrow releasing itself from the drawstring, and then just as quickly the second nigh-soundlessly flew past, tailing the first by mere inches. Calico's arrows were also aimed with the skill of a master, and all the both of them could do was wait out the eternity of the instant before their attacks hit home.
The board is set. The pieces are moving.
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