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Post by King Tidal Wave on Feb 23, 2015 16:45:24 GMT -5
As the Equestrian army progressed forwards to intercept Warlord Sharp’s hoard of diamond dogs, a small team of four ponies split off from Colonel Bitter’s forces. The four ponies made up Team Hydra, a task force given the vital mission of guarding the army’s flank from anything that might appear from the Everfree forest. The four needed to expect anything, from stray wargs and terragons to a legion of core hounds, to emerge from the enchanted woods. They needed to prove that Hydra was made of the best ponies Equestria could afford. Their success or failure could sway the outcome of the battle.
Included on the team was Javelin Razorwing, a Pegasus soldier of the renowned Razorwing clan. If anything, she would have the skill and fortitude of her own bloodline playing into her favor.
Next to the pegasus was Selenia, the unicorn apprentice of Princess Luna’s own royal advisor, Red Charge. She was perhaps the most experienced of the three, having survived dangerous expeditions, numerous battles, and a hauntingly close brush with death. Her esteemed position as Red Charge’s apprentice was nothing to scoff at either.
Retort, an alchemist, had trained under Watermark, the skilled elemental mage currently tasked with protecting Hoofington. Starting his career as little more than a bumbling pony mixing together fruitless concoctions, Retort’s skills had improved significantly under Watermark’s tutelage. Hopefully it would pay off.
And lastly there was Blink, an Equestrian soldier with a raw talent for short-range teleportation. Now would be the time for the unicorn to prove herself, and perhaps when Equestria would need her most.
The team had their instructions: stop ANYTHING from flanking the main Equestrian forces from Everfree. Anything that got through would significantly distract and weaken Equestria’s main fighting force, which could end up costing Equestria this critical battle. The team had Colonel Bitter’s men to rely on as emergency backup, but the Colonel’s soldiers would be important to Equestria’s main force as well. Calling upon them would indeed have a negative impact on the main army’s ability to fight Sharp’s warriors.
The edges of the Everfree forest were now in sight, the dark shadows created by its trees looming menacingly in sight of the ponies. For now they had to put Warlord Sharp’s approaching army out of their minds. Whatever came out of this forest was their only priority.
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Post by Mortar Retort on Feb 25, 2015 1:00:31 GMT -5
”The Everfree, use to gather materials from here.” Said the alchemist unicorn as he mused towards the forest line they were before. He paused and teased the ground with a forehoof, as if testing the soil. ”Clear, so far, no creature has trampled this soil yet.” He suggested, hopeful that they were not late in their arrival to this place, as he adjusted his fez.
The pony walked, like a pack-mule, laden down with large saddle-bags, each step muddled with the swish and sway of filled, sloshing, glass which clanked against glass. With their moment of respite, he used his magic to bring forth a few vials, levitating them within the grasp of the three others. ”A fortification potion, either turn you to outright stone or make your muscles as strong as griffon steel.” He explained, swishing the yellowish mixture with his magic. ”Whichever, least these dog’s claws won’t pierce you so easily.” With that reassurance, he popped the cork from his own vial, lifted it to his muzzle and drank, then tossed the glass aside. ”Ahh; whatever comes out of the forest, keep me breathing and I’ll do my best to keep you the same.” He nudged his back, knocking his concoctions together in a percussion chorus.
With a scratch of his chin, Retort mused a thought, ”You know, I have some oils that could easily set this entire tree-line ablaze. We could just burn them out – probably be back in Canterlot in time for tea.” He suggested with a shrug, ”Just a thought.”
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Post by Selenia on Feb 28, 2015 10:38:17 GMT -5
Selenia sighed explosively, she was getting bad memories. The inevitable battle was turning out to be much like the assault on the Cult's headquarters in Froggy Bottom Bog; the remaining equestrian military forces had moved to Fillydelphia as instructed, but small teams of specialists were assembled to hold lines or engage very particular and crucial strategic positions. Like last time, she was being put on one of these teams. Unlike last time, her job was to keep an army at bay instead of commit to a surgical strike into the heart of the enemy command structure. She wasn't alone though, she was accompanied by three other ponies of exceptional ability and skill. If they worked as a team to complement their own strengths and weaknesses, there was no doubt they would succeed.
Briefing had given Selenia and her squadmates a quick and necessary introduction to each other since they were working together on such short notice. As such, she already had a few ideas on how to defend their line against an angry horde. Selenia lightly took the vial from the unicorn's magical grasp, thanking him with a nod. She'd save the potion for later, for when it would inevitably be a lynchpin. "It's Retort, isn't it? I get the feeling burning the entire forest down might be frowned upon, not to mention impossible; it's the Everfree after all," she shrugged soundlessly, considering their options. "What kind of harmful stuff can you mix up though? I'm thinking about mining the treeline and field. If you've got spare bottles and vials of nasty things, firepots, that oil you mentioned, noxious poison clouds, shrapnel, you name it, we can combine them with one of my kinetic bombs pointed towards the enemy for makeshift Fougasse. Sound good?" Depending on how reckless the dogs were, successful mining should keep them from advancing thoughtlessly. Mines were brutal and psychological. Setting even one off would slow their advance to a crawl if they decided to sweep. This was, however, going by the assumption that they would stay above ground.
She turned to Javelin, "You're the only one of us who can fly, so, figure you can let us know when and where the baddies are coming from when you get the chance? We're gonna need those wingblades of yours, no doubt, but you're still our only eyes in the sky unless we call on Bitter's reinforcements, which we don't want to have to do."
(I've put off coloring Selenia's dialogue for some time now and it's just gotten too inconveniencing to ignore anymore. I can't find a good color in the orange or red that I like or that doesn't make it hard to read, so her dialogue will just be gray from now on.)
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Post by Javelin Razorwing on Mar 4, 2015 2:08:35 GMT -5
The concert in Filly had been magnificent, from the Ponytones to the sonic rainboom. All of the performers had put their hearts into their work and made it the best that it could be. Even better, the whole thing had been put together specially for Javelin and her fellow soldiers. For a morale boosting show, it sure did its job. Javelin was still humming Starsong's final song as she marched.
When Strike Team Hydra split off from the main force, all joviality left Javelin. As they approached the Everfree forest, the young pegasus mentally prepared herself for the coming battle. She took deep breaths and focused on the task ahead of her. She needed to be strong and swift, fight hard and work with her team members. Okay, she thought after several moments, I can do this.
The alchemist offered her a vial containing a faintly glowing yellow substance. Javelin considered it for a moment. "Please don't turn to stone..." she muttered just before she downed the liquid. There were no immediate reactions, so Javelin put the potion out of her mind for the moment. She liked what Selenia was suggesting; by trapping the area between them and the forest's edge, anything that came overland would be greatly weakened by the time it finally reached them. Considering Diamond Dogs tended to burrow under the ground though, those efforts might bear little fruit. Besides, setting the forest alight could have unknowable consequences. The trees might not burn, whatever was lurking within might be immune to flame; it was true that it might get rid of the enemies' cover, but it also might not.
Javelin flexed her wings and gave her wing blades a few test swings. Confident that her equipment was secured properly and nothing was going to come loose or cause her discomfort, she listened intently to the black unicorn. "Sure thing," Javelin nodded. She took off, hovering for a moment to get a feel for the air. She ascended, a smile on her face as she felt the air move between her feathers. Up, up she flew to a height of about fifty five feet; she could see her squadmates below and the main army marching on a ways away. She looked at the airspace all about her, then she turned her eyes once more towards the ground, towards the forest. She glided on a breeze, exhilarated by the wind in her mane, the sunshine warm on her back, the feeling of weightlessness as she defied gravity. Javelin made several passes parallel to the forest's edge scanning for movement or strange shapes, anything that might hint at the presence of enemies lurking within.
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Post by Blink on Mar 4, 2015 5:04:15 GMT -5
Blink tried, she really did, to look like she wasn't nervous. Not that it was at all unreasonable to be nervous, she thought - they were going to face whatever horrors the Everfree could produce with exactly four ponies. Four. Ponies. And sure, some of them were pretty tough, Selenia was Red Charge's own apprentice, but a vanguard they were not. Still, none of the others seemed frightened. To her amazement, they all seemed focused and calm. That actually did a bit to steady her nerves as well. Still, she couldn't help but spin her chakrams nervously as they approached the treeline.
Retort's potion sounded like just the thing to perk up her spirits; Blink was a great believer in not dying. But just as it neared her lips in her telekinetic grip the unicorn hesitated. "Hey," she called to Retort, "how long does this last? I mean, should we down it now or hang on to it for when we really need it?" If this was a short-term thing it might be better as an ace in the hole. If they could expect it to last, on the other hoof, she would drink it down without another thought.
Meanwhile, she mulled over their preparations. If the dogs did come from the treeline then they were prepared, but if they tunneled up from underground they'd be caught completely off-guard. Considering Selenia hadn't cast a 'scan for tunnels' spell or something she could presume no such spell existed. But maybe a non-magical solution did... "One other thing," she added to Retort. "Do you have a spare vial of something non-volatile? I figure if we put it on the ground and watch it carefully we'll see if the liquid inside starts to tremble. Even the dogs can't tunnel without a little groundshaking."
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Mar 10, 2015 1:15:48 GMT -5
As the four ponies pondered plans and potions, the first of the fours' fiendish foes began to emerge from the edges of the enchanted Everfree. Diamond dogs; but perhaps not of the caliber Hydra had been expecting. These were runaways from Sharps' digger corps, what remained of those who had survived or fled a devastating encounter with the Yellow Flashes. The dogs appeared from the treeline a few at a time, and in small enough numbers to count were one of the four ponies to come under a sudden bout of arithmomania.
They weren't equipped like warriors, built like warriors, and, based upon their movements, trained or disciplined to be warriors. But something had to be said of their gusto. These dogs were here to fight; to avenge their brethren who had fallen to Equestria's yellow-clad mages. It seemed that the most immediate avenue of doing so was spilling the blood of the four ponies guarding the Everfree border.
The diamond dogs seemed intent on rushing the ground-based unicorns, leaving the out-of-reach pegasus ignored or unnoticed. Most were equipped with rudimentary weapons and armor, the lower quality stuff an army reserves for a unit not meant to see much action. But regardless, a sword was a sword was a sword, and having one run through your body would hurt regardless of its quality.
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Post by Mortar Retort on Mar 11, 2015 0:40:14 GMT -5
Retort snorted at such brutish tactics employed by these mongrels, more so curs, of Diamond Dogs. Slaves, perhaps, or deserters, either way, they were just more fodder for what he would reveal to be the flame of his mad concoctions. With flaring of his horn, summoning one spherical glass orbs from his left saddlebag and setting it before examined it, before casually flinging it between the two closest Diamond Dogs, aiming to splash them both. ”Catch…” The orbs, intended to shatter on the Diamond Dog’s nether regions and legs with an terribly sticky substance that would suddenly ignite in a mixture of oil, the pyrophoric, some water and whatever binding agent the alchemist had developed till it created a flaming tar against their fur, their ignition from the iron sulfide and potassium contained within the broken grenades he had thrown, bound to the fur by a gelling agent and the fuel. Air and water, all the pony needed to burn them down – and which was in abundant supply in the damp forest air surrounding them.
Retort stepped back as he watched his work unfold, the slowly spreading fire, exacerbated by any attempt to extinguish it, causing only the Dog’s paws to stick and spread the fire as they would try to pat it out. He stood stoically, watching the burn, eyes only darting to follow the reaction of the other two directly unaffected by his attack.
"So, about burning the entire forest down - I'm still game."
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Post by Selenia on Mar 13, 2015 8:47:38 GMT -5
Selenia's first thought when Javelin called out incoming dogs was of suspicion. Dogs. Visible dogs, on the surface. She focused on the shapes at the treeline. They weren't an army, not by a longshot, but they had a fire in their eyes that thirsted for blood. They would fight tooth and nail to get to the ponies, and where their swords failed they would resort to claws and teeth. On the plus side, an ill-equipped force intent on charging directly into the line of fire was simple to deal with in scattered, smaller numbers as they were now. Were there many more dogs of this disposition, the four ponies could easily be overwhelmed. If anything, Selenia and her friends could wipe this little troupe with relative ease, the amount of energy and supplies expended to do so wouldn't be unmanageable. But still, their directive was to hold the forest line from any enemy attack, massive or otherwise. If they could handle these preliminary dogs without spending what could possibly make or break them later, they should.
"They're not digging," she called out to her friends, "these dogs are poorly prepared, equipped, and coordinated, I wouldn't be surprised if they're being used to test our capability before the real push. Spare what energy and equipment you can, but don't let them near you regardless. We don't know how long this battle could last and we're far from any resupply or respite should things get tense." Paranoia, or smartly covering all her bases, dictated that she enumerate further, "Oh, and watch the ground. There's a chance these dogs are a distraction. If others are tunneling below us, we want to know before it's too late." She turned to Retort, who was gleefully immolating some dogs with a dark smile on his face, "Retort, I really could use some of those vials for mines or grenades while we can still push these chumps back," she focused for a second and launched a few kinetic bolts at some advancing dogs, aiming to keep them behind their attrition line, "If things get really rough, you have my word that we'll try to light this place up."
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Post by Javelin Razorwing on Mar 14, 2015 17:53:10 GMT -5
Javelin didn't have to wait long before Diamond dogs came running out of the Everfree Forest. She called out to her team below. "Diamond Dogs, coming out of the forest!" She was surprised at their small numbers, since she had been expecting a bigger force to take advantage of the relatively under defended flank of the Equestrian force. Then again, this may have been a larger force at first, and the Everfree just had a large attrition rate. That thought did not sit well with Javelin. Another possibility was that these were merely the vanguard of a much larger force on its way. Another discomforting thought. Speculation would do nothing to solve the current problem of dogs charging her earthbound comrades, however so she prepared to attack.
She spotted a group of dogs about halfway up the field and decided to target them. She swooped low, picking up speed as she descended. When she was low enough, she angled herself parallel to the ground and flew by, slashing at the rear most dog's back with her wingblade. Javelin pumped her wings and ascended again to about twenty feet above ground before she veered back towards the dogs intent on making another flying attack on whichever dog was currently in the rear of the pack.
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Post by Blink on Mar 15, 2015 6:52:15 GMT -5
Well, it looked like they wouldn't have a chance to try that bottle-on-the-ground idea just yet. Blink took a few cautious steps back as the dogs advanced to give herself some space. She preferred medium-range engagements and was perfectly happy to give some ground to keep them that way. At the same time, though, she picked up her chakrams from their sheaths and started spinning them; partly that was for show, but mostly it was because the spin not only helped them fly faster with less effort but also hit much harder, sawing through the enemy rather than just cutting them.
For a few moments the unicorn stared down the approaching dogs, waiting for her moment... then, when the first of them reached a certain point, she propelled one of the chakrams forward telekinetically in a vicious streak, aimed right at its throat, while the other flew at a second dog just as quickly. While Javelin picked off the stragglers at the back, she would pick off any who passed the perimiter Selenia was holding with her kinetic bolts. Retort seemed happy to take care of the rest. A simple tactic making use of their talents. Now to see if it actually worked.
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Post by King Tidal Wave on Mar 18, 2015 2:45:48 GMT -5
Javelin's first attack hit its target dead on the mark. The pegasus's wingblade cut right through the unsuspecting diamond dog's back, leaving him motionless, face-down on the earth. The dog in front of him seemed to have noticed the attack on his comrade, and managed to identify the airborne predator before her second swoop towards him. The dog managed to dive out of the way, Javelin's blade only nicking his upper back. The dogs were now onto the Razorwing's attacks, but would hopefully remain as vulnerable.
Despite the effectiveness of Retort's concoctions, the alchemist's aim in throwing the two orbs was terribly off. The two orbs landed to the left of the two dogs, completely missing the first and barely managing to ignite the second. The sticky substance did do its job, however, as the dog had soon gone from trying to pat out the flames, to frantically trying to stop their spread up his arms and to the rest of his body.
The other dog had seemingly abandoned his flaming fellow, and had his sights locked on Retort as he sprinted towards the blue unicorn. So focused on Retort was the hound, that he was completely unaware of the kinetic bolt headed right his way. Selenia's magic attack sent the dog flying, into the Everfree treeline for a painful landing. The rest of her bolts were equally effective, sending several dogs off their feet and out of commission.
Blink's chakram made short work of the approaching dog, spraying blood out of his throat as the dog fell to his knees, gurgling and grasping his neck. And as if someone had asked for an instant replay, the next dog up suffered an almost identical fate, falling over next to the other with blood splurting from his throat.
Hydra seemed to be besting the digger corps handily. But in the midst of the fight, Selenia could feel the earth beneath her feet being to move. And not a moment later, a pair of grabbed her back legs, pulling the unicorn halfway below ground before she had time to react. Selenia had been right; what the team had seen above ground was only a partial fighting force. The rest had been tunneling underneath, attempting to surprise the unsuspecting ponies. Already dogs were hopping up from their tunnels to face their foes from all sides. It wouldn't just be the treeline they needed to worry about. The dogs were all around them.
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Post by Mortar Retort on Mar 18, 2015 17:19:12 GMT -5
”Selenia!” Retort dove for the mare, hooves out stretched as he caught her forehoof. ”Hold… one moment.” With his telekinesis magic, Retort withdrew a hoof sized metal ball and two smaller ones, the size of small limes, the larger of which he lit with a spark of magic, shook, and dropped them into the hole below Selenia. A second later, the hole and ground below them made low rumble accompanied by a large burst of dirt and dust and followed with a puff of caustic black smoke billowing out from the hole, which would spread to any other connecting hole, blinding and chocking any remaining Diamond Dogs below, though less so on the surface. The small blast and smoke would distracted and burned the Dogs’ eyes and lungs. As the smoke rose out of the hole,. Retort used his magic and forehoof to help Selenia out of the hole.
”Light it, and toss.” Retort order, putting two of the larger grenade-like objects into Selenia’s hoof, along with a piece of steel and flint. With that, he jumped to his hooves and adjusted his fez and pulled out another of the metal orbs. ”Alright, mutts. Who wants shrapnel? Step right up.” He tossed the shrapnel grenade to his right at the dogs popping out of the ground there, a small blast but enough to severally injure any creature caught in its blast radius.
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Post by Selenia on Mar 22, 2015 12:25:23 GMT -5
Things seemed to be going well, Retort's throwing arm was a little bit off, but other than that their little troupe was cutting through the dogs with ease. Paranoid or not, Selenia still didn't like the whole situation. She kept switching back and forth from the advancing dogs to eyeballing the surrounding earth, intent to catch any movement or ambush before it could reach them. Unfortunately, she was right about the dogs, and even more unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to escape. Her ears twitched when she heard movement and she yelled out an alarm, "Behind us! Watch the ground! Watc-" before she could finish, a pair of grimy claws wrenched her halfway into the dirt. She yelped in surprise and immediately started struggling against her assailant, bracing her forehooves against the ground to prevent getting dragged in further, kicking and bucking blindly with her rear legs into the earth not unlike how one would tread water while sending a few concussive bolts at the dogs that were now closing in unimpeded. Flailing would only get her so far, especially if she managed a lucky hit, but she needed to get back on solid ground, and if possible, more solid ground like exposed stone or glacial erratics- something the dogs couldn't tunnel through.
Selenia saw Retort running to her aid in her peripheral vision, she charged up a quick blink teleport to get her out of the hole and out of the dogs' grasp, if that didn't work then Retort would have to be her saving grace. Finally regaining some of her bearings, she managed to find her voice and yell over the din of battle, "They're digging, the dogs are below us! Keep your ears open and your heads on a swivel- you get dragged under and that's that." She looked around to see Blink and Javelin unmolested by the subterranean mutts. "Javelin! You're in the best position to see and deal with these ambushes. If they're dodging you, they're not attacking us. Blink, cut off some claws and limbs if you feel them on you. Everypony, get on solid stone if you can. Hold the line, but stay safe!" She moved to buck a dog behind her while firing off more bolts at those advancing from the treeline.
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Post by Javelin Razorwing on Mar 26, 2015 20:40:33 GMT -5
The skirmish was progressing well. The advancing dogs were being felled quite rapidly by her teammates. She scored a few kills and wounded several more during the brief exchange. However, Javelin's main focus for the moment was to harry the enemy troops who were dumb enough to hoof their way to the strike team instead of using the much more advantageous tunnel method. She knew she wouldn't be dealing out the most damage to the enemy, but she had the most mobility and so she would take advantage of it.
Javelin was gliding above the battlefield when she heard Selenia cry out. She spotted the mage being dragged into the ground. They were coming out of the ground! Retort ran to Selenia's aid. Several holes opened up and whole squads were emerging all around Hydra's position. Javelin flew in closer to her team. When Selenia was out of danger, she began calling out direction. Javelin saw one hole open up directly behind the group and decided to strike. She began her dive, angling low with her wings half extended to pick up speed. She hurtled towards the two dogs who had just climbed out and just as she was about to hit the ground, extended her wings. She glided between the two dogs and slashed at them with her wingblades.
Javelin saw Retort use some kind of bomb to blast the dogs out of a tunnel and was inspired. She landed next to the alchemist and said with a wicked grin on her muzzle "You can't reach as far as I can. Give me something to drop on them from above." When he showed her the bombs with the steel and flint, she pointed out "I'm not going to be able to light them and hold them at the same time while flying. Maybe the fire stuff?" Her intention was to take to the air again as soon as she had something to drop on the heads of the dogs as they came out of their holes or advanced up the field from the Everfree.
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Post by Blink on Mar 27, 2015 8:35:49 GMT -5
Swish! Slash! And just like that, two less diamond dogs in Equestria. They'd dropped like dominoes; Blink had to resist the urge to strike a pose. Time enough for that later. Fight now. But just as she was starting to think this might not go as badly as she'd feared, surprise, surprise, she got exactly what she'd feared: The dogs had been tunneling underneath, using these runts as a distraction. The unicorn only just managed to hop out of the way before a pair of paws reached up and grasped right where her legs had been a moment ago. She cut them off for good measure.
Selenia chose that moment to start taking charge and giving orders, which was fine by Blink. She even saw a nice, rocky outcrop, elevated and hard to climb but not so high it would be hard to aim from. The only problem was a diamond dog right between her and it, and it had seen her already. Her chakrams snapped to her sides and she lowered her horn, snorting and hoofing the ground. A clear challenge. As the dog readied its pick she charged forward... and teleported just a yard before reaching melee range.
Quick as her namesake, Blink was atop the outcrop, already unsheathing her weapons. Giving them a nice spin for extra cutting power, she sent the chakrams whirling toward the dog below her. She should now be out of reach of the smaller dogs unless they brought ranged weapons or started throwing rocks. As for bigger ones, well, she'd just have to cut them down first. In the meantime she was free to support her allies with suppressing fire and some opportunity strikes.
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