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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Feb 24, 2015 21:59:36 GMT -5
On board The Leviathan, a meeting of the commanding officers was well underway when, upon the striking of a clenched talon upon the planning table with all the force of an angry hen, came Stygg's interruption. “Explain to me, again, why my team isn’t on Salamander?” Stygg demanded as her cackles raised, “Scythe should be involved in this operation, we’re as useless as a dull blade back in Canterlot. My birds want to fight and that dragon will need more assistance than just a tiny escort.”
Tesla’s command were tense and taken back by the sudden interruption, Tesla himself appeared unphased, perhaps expectant of this, “There’s no ill feelings from myself or fleet but,-“
“Save your ‘buts’, why aren’t we on Salamander? As chair of the council, I do believe I’m owed an answer.” Stygg rebutted.
Tesla took a moment to compose himself as he patted his uniform down with a talon, “Because, the fate of Equestria – of Canterlot, should not rest in the talons of our Kingdom’s next-in-line. It is far too risky, my fleet can handle it – we discussed it already. If the tide of the battle turns, we will need you to be safe. Arrangements have already been made for you and the other royalty to be evacuated, Twilight Sparkle and Red Charge have made the arrangements, it is for the good of the Crown – ours and theirs.”
Stygg remained silent, staring down Tesla, she knew he was right – she knew all along they’d never let her fight again, not like this but, she had to make it known her stand on the matter. “Fine but, when we get back to Royal Rocks, you, the council, and I will be having a long chat about going forward. My father may have been content to sit back on his fat haunches while the fighting waged but, I am nothing like my father. I should lead, not be sidelined. In the meantime, I have work to do with the evacuation preparations – don’t fail us out there.” With that last statement, she singled her personal entourage and they begrudgingly departed the room.
Tesla’s command looked to him expectantly, before the continued with the strategy, summing up once more their plan. “As it stands, we’re well under 50% our operational capacity, as you all are aware. However, we have the dragon on our side, Sylvia. The plan goes as follows.” He motioned to the map on the table before them, figures indicating the Leviathan and the various air wings and ships still operating as well as the drakes and with one large figure representing the suspected leader. “The Leviathan will hold the line of battle, drawing the drakes towards us – she will make sure their attention is drawn. Ship groups A and B, comprised of the remaining corvette and gunboats centered each around a cruiser. Ship group C will provide heavy frigate support for the Leviathan. Once the drakes have fully engaged the fleet, we begin to encircle, drawing the drakes deeper into a net of weapon fire, leaving the rear of the net open. Air-wings will maintain the line, intercepting any drakes that attempt to break through while providing support to the ships – containment and defense is key at this phase. By this point, I’m banking the drake leader – Adversary, whomever, will make themselves known, that’s when the Leviathan signals and Strike Team Salamander: Sylvia along with a two gunboat escort will emerge, and circle around to the drakes’ rearguard, cutting a line through to the leader. At this point, our efforts are to keep the drakes suppressed and off Sylvia – I’m hoping that the sudden revelation we have a dragon on our side will throw them into some chaos, enough to break down their attack structure and giving us a moment to reorganize and go on the offensive.” Tesla demonstrated on the table, pushing the pieces as he indicated; the fleet line, the support, the airwings, all slowly half-encircling around the mass of drakes. Followed by Sylvia’s piece circling around to the rear and engaging the leader.
“She’s our best ticket to take out their leader, our ships aren’t maneuverable enough and the airwings would likely be slaughtered, with her, that scale tips – once their leader is down, I suspect the drakes will lose structure, forcing them to rout. At this point, we mop up the remains and make sure they are unable to rally back on us or provide any meaningful ground support. Once the drake problem is resolved, we regroup and provide any necessary ground assistance to the Equestrian army.”
The command hashes over any last minute details before Tesla dismisses them. They return to their respective ships with their orders. Within the hour, the 5th Fleet was moving, with Sylvia among them. Two of the gunboats; smaller, heavily armed airships, built for speed and firepower but lacked much armor, pulled alongside her as a griffon sublieutenant flew out to meet her face to face, he explained the plan’s details and offered his two ships services as she needed – she had command, with ship’s officers as advisory. Her actions with Fluttershy near Fillydelphia had paid off, the griffons and Equestria, trusted her instinct. Till then, they were to move off to a nearby location and wait for the fleet’s signal.
The Leviathan and the rest of the fleet moved off to the engagement area, they made sure to make a display of it, firing off the occasional empty shot to attract attention. From the starboard fly-bridge of the Leviathan, Admiral Tesla watched the skies with two subordinates with collapsible scopes, scanning the horizon lines. They waited, and waited, till the unease begun to grow. Then, a call came from the focsle, “Possible Drake sighting, 5 degrees port bow!” Yelled a crewbird. Tesla and the subordinates rushed through the bridge to the other side and looked to the sky – there, in the distance was a single, solitary creature, silhouette of a drake. This caused Tesla to pause, a single drake seemed out of the ordinary, reports should suggest this was the main cluster around Canterlot had been last spotted, where were the others? He pondered this, but didn’t have to ponder for long as a member of the watch shouted.
“Massive movement from the ground – Starboard, 15-degrees!” Turning to where the crewbird had yelled, they saw a massive black wave shoot from what the ponies referred to as Ghastly Gorge, a narrow, winding river gorge adjacent to White Tail Woods. Tesla let out a curse, the first drake was just a distraction.
“General Quarters! Bring us broadside, maintain the line!” Tesla commanded, turning to the bridge as the crew spun the wheel, sending the Leviathan into a lumbering turn. Alarms blared while signal lamps flashed, sending commands to the other ship groups as the griffon airwings took flight and the first swivel guns opened fire into the coming swarm.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2015 18:50:04 GMT -5
When she had been asked to aid the ponies in the upcoming battle against the drakes and their leaders, Sylvia was unsure if she would be any help. She had a little combat experience with the strange draconic birds before, and she was still a young dragon, not fully in her prime quite yet. But after seeing the state of Fillydelphia and meeting so many kind ponies there, the dragon knew she couldn't just sit by and watch. She had to help out some way. Besides, wasn't this exactly the adventure she was looking for?
After the griffon leader had told her the plan, she grew nervous, but was determined to be a valuable asset to the warfleet. As she stood watch with the two ships at her side, she knew that it was only a matter of time before she would have to seek out the Drake leader. Her large heart pounded loudly in her chest as the lone drake made itself known. Just one...? The dragon's eyes narrowed. She knew that others had to be nearby.
And she was correct. As the wave of black rose from the gorge, she watched in fear, hoping that their plans wouldn't be offset by such an attack. However, the mighty fleet was ready to take on the onslaught, and she waited patiently for her signal.
As she watched the battle, Sylvia was fascinated with the airships the gryphons had. Though she had seen them flying through the air in her travels, seeing so many working as a team was astounding. The dragon wondered though, why did they need airships when they could fly?
Well, now her question was answered. The ships packed firepower that made her flames look like a fading torch. She watched the fleet worked like a pack of timberwolves, taking out and hopefully routing the drakes as the plan worked. Sylvia's wings rustled softly as she waited in anticipation for the proper signal. She wasn't sure what she would be facing...what the boss of the Drakes would look like. But she had to be ready for anything.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Mar 18, 2015 16:10:00 GMT -5
From where Sylvia and her two escorts were situated, they had a perfect view of the battle unfolding in the air just a short distance away. The drakes massed before the fleet like a swarm of angry hornets, blocking any clear view of the vessels contained within and eclipsing most of the fleet before it, with the exception of the Leviathan, which stood out like a shadow amongst the massive horde of drakes. Bright flashes exploded all around as fire and electricity lashed out into the massive ball of scales and talon, mixed with the dinning sound of rifle shot and the roars and screams from griffon and drake alike. Below the fight, black objects fell, which rained down to the countryside in a slurry of blood and bodies.
It wasn’t long before, the first of the fleet’s ships went down. A corvette, one of the smaller quicker vessels. It broke from the battle-line, flames and smoke billowing from the deck and aft, while a pack of drakes were latched onto its hull, pulling it down with them. Griffons that were able, scrambled from the ship, taking to the air and returning to the fight. The felled ship plummeted into the forest below and soon exploded which in-turn ignited a fire in the far corner of the forest.
In the next moment, a gunboat broke of the line followed by a tail of several drakes. The ship turned about as it tried to escape the attack, barrages of cannon shot, nets, and bolts fired from the aft as it darted and weaved away from the drakes’ assault. It was quickly closing the distance to Sylvia’s team, seemingly oblivious to their position. From the bridge of both of Sylvia’s escorts, griffons watched the approaching vessel, they tensely debated betwixt themselves whether to alert the other gunship to their presence, remain quiet or move out of the way. Whichever they chose, they were risking alerting the drakes to their plan, and so the debate waged between the officers as the ship got closer and closer, until in desperation the griffon at the helm of the vessel to Sylvia’s spun the wheel in an evasive maneuver. The sudden turn of the vessel threw two griffons to the deck, a third lost his grip on the swivel gun’s igniter, striking the weapon’s primer and sending a shot wild at the other ship barreling down on their position.
With the sudden shot fired at them, the fleeing ship turned suddenly to avoid the projectile sent them barreling into a drake that had approached their side. It grabbed on and started clawing at the ship’s hull, sending it spiraling out of control towards Sylvia’s position, till being dragged down. Though avoiding any collision, the sudden shot from their position alerted the three drakes other drakes who were in pursuit – they turned their attention to Sylvia and two gunboats. Both gunboats scrambled, the crew running to their guns as the bells from both vessel’s bridge bells rang.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 21:38:00 GMT -5
"Blast." Sylvia hissed as she saw the chaos play before her. She had kept still throughout the whole fiasco, her body tensed to take off at a moment's notice to avoid collision with the falling airship. Fortunately it hadn't crashed upon her and the waiting airships, but itw wasn't long before the drakes were suddenly on them.
It seemed their plan wouldn't work as foolproof as they had hoped. "Keep low!" She shouted to the gunships, "And don't knock me out of the air! Aim steady and true! I'll take the one in the middle, try to keep the other two off of my flank!" She roared.
Muscles bunched beneath her scaly hide and she pushed herself from the earth, her massive wings spreading to take on the air as she darted towards the middle drake. She had taken these beasts on before, and though she would've liked to save her energy for the leader of these monsters, she knew she couldn't let them tear her escort apart.
Snarling in a challenge, the dragon darted above the drake's head before diving low to dig her claws into its wings, her hind claws aiming to catch hold of its spiny tail to avoid it slicing her up. Her fanged maw opened to clamp down on the back of the creature's neck, hoping her attacks would strike true, and hoping her team was on top of the other two.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Mar 22, 2015 3:02:09 GMT -5
Sylvia’s sudden attack surprised the drakes, they being focused on the gunships somehow failed to account for the large dragon that was no upon them. As such, the middle dragon was caught unaware as Sylvia pounced upon him and biting into the neck, eliciting a cry of pain from the beast as it struggled – in vain – to break free. That drake was as good as dead. The gunboats were not fairing as well.
One gunboat, though try as it might, was unable to get a clear shot from its deck weapons and, despite the best efforts of the crew, had to take evasive actions to avoid a direct hit. Meanwhile, the other gunboat had struck one of the drakes with a chain-shot, binding one its legs and likely breaking it. Though this failed to stop the creature, it did force it retreat – the one harassing the unsuccessful gunboat, having realized that the two of them were now overpowered by both Sylvia and the success of other vessel, retreated back towards the swarm.
Spelling trouble for the plan, both gunboats powered their engines to full and gave chase. Shots from the deck, including harpoons, nets, and cannon shot fired one after the other in any attempt to take them down before they were within sight of their main force, though Griffon ships were quick, they lacked the grace and speed a natural flier possessed and were quickly finding themselves trailing behind, unable to pursue and without a crew trained nor equipped to attempt to intercept the creatures in the air.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2015 23:03:48 GMT -5
She tasted the creature's blood as her fangs dug in and she spat as the beast fell dead to the ground below. Out of the corner of her golden eyes, she caught sight of the other drake fleeing the scene to head back to the others. She recalled how they were able to call reinforcements, and knew that if the other drakes knew of their plan, things would get a lot trickier.
She shot past the airships in a blur of yellow and red, her swift wings carrying her quickly through the air. She had practiced flying maneuvers back in Fillydelphia for times just as this, when she needed speed and skill to outmatch anything with wings. As she drew closer to the drake, she dove below it and quickly spun upside down. She allowed her tail to entangle its own to keep it from lashing it down and aimed to dig her thick claws into the beast's belly and shoulders to drag it down towards the earth with her, determined to keep the plan in motion.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Apr 5, 2015 14:21:29 GMT -5
Sylvia closed the gap between herself and the drake, and caught it by surprise as she dove below, her tail lashing out and catching the creature as both of them collided together. Sylvia's claws sank into the scales of the drake, but so did the drake's into Sylvia. The drake lashed with it's mouth snapped as it tried to sink its teeth into her neck. In their conjoined assault, they began to fall as they tumbled over and over in a flurry of wings, teeth and blood. In a few moments, they would both crash into the forest below, and even at the cost of its own life the drake was unrelenting as it tried to drag Sylvia down with it.
One of the gunboats broke away from the chase of the injured drake as Sylvia began to fall. It sharply diverted and went into a quick descent. The ship dipped its bow dramatically as the crew dug their talons on and into anything they could before they were sloughed free of the deck. The forward gunner placed his rearpaws on the railing as he leaned back and stood up against the plummeting vessel. His wings were thrust forward to cut the air around him as he took aim down his gun's sight. He counted as he watched the two tumble over each other as he timed his shot, a small single shell with an explosive charge. He breathed steady, exhaled and in the moment before he took another breath, fired.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2015 0:37:18 GMT -5
Sylvia snarled in pain as she tumbled head over heels, her wings struggling to keep her on top of the Drake to avoid being smashed to the ground, though she knew her time was limited. She lifted her lengthy neck and pressed her claw against the drake's own to keep its sharp beak and teeth away from her throat.
Everything around her was a blur, but she recognized a gunship heading her way. She realized that they were ready to fire at the drake and help her out, and she had very little time to react. Taking in a deep breath, she unleashed a small blast of flames into the Drake's eyes to force it to release its grip, pushing off against the creature to try and break free before the explosive round would hit. Her wings pumped quickly to carry her safely away, hoping her distraction was enough to loosen the monster's grip upon her.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Apr 13, 2015 0:10:16 GMT -5
Sylvia was fortunate, her fire breath disorientated the drake just enough to cause its grip to slack and it off her. The moment it cleared from her body, the explosive shot struck center of the drakes back, it shot forward, still alive, and clawed at Sylvia’s tail. Its talons sank into her scales as it tried to pull itself up, using her tail like a rope. It was weak, blood poured from the wounds sustained on its back and wings, but it tried desperately to cling to the dragon. The gunboat which assisted banked upwards sharply as it passed over Syliva and the drake, it begun to turn about, appearing to rejoin the other gunboat with assistance.
The gunboat chasing the weakening drake was now gaining some air on the beast, quick successions of shot and canisters explosions were slowing it down as a forward gunner was prepping for a harpoon shoot.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2015 6:22:46 GMT -5
Sylvia snarled in pain as she felt the drake's claws dig into her like a frightened cat. The red dragon growled angrily and began to swing her torso back and forth while keeping herself aloft. Her serpent-like tail lashed back and forth with whip-like motions to try and dislodge her unwanted passenger. Her hind claws kicked out, threatening to dig into the drake's face as she desperately tried to force the beast away. These things certainly didn't know when to give up!
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on May 12, 2015 0:39:25 GMT -5
((Going to try and give you more attention here, see how far we can get before my move transition.))
The drake begun it's dreadful climb up Sylvia's tail, one talon ripping through her scales, the second the same like onyx daggers into her hide, the third raised to plant itself in her backside - but the it never came; stunned by her kicks, unable to get a grip, it struggled to keep it's grip. Help arrived as well; two griffons had jumped from their gunboat and were not buzzing around the drake. Only armed with rudimentary weapons, mooring hooks and line knives. The griffon with the line knives, a young falcon, plowed into the drake - knocking both the drake and Sylvia about, buffeting them against the thermals. He stabbed in the drake, the blade not nearly as effective as he had hoped, but none the less he was relentless. The drake bucked, the griffon lost his grip and sloughed off, only be be caught by the drake's free talon as he fell and before he could recover. The young fledged was quickly dispatched, his limp body discarded and left to fall. However, in the drake's distraction, the older buzzard shot up from below, hooking the drakes' underside with the line-hook and dragged the hook up with him and pulled out just as he met with Sylvia. Eviscerated, the drakes guts loosely hanging in the wind, it's grip went slack, face still in shock and slipped off Sylvia. The griffon flew up to her, saluted and zipped back to his gunboat - albeit, one crewbird shy.
Meanwhile, the battle with the drakes had apparently reached a stalemate, the swarm of drakes had failed to knock any larger craft out of the sky, but they were gaining some headway against the smaller craft. The Aer-corps were holding up surprisingly well considering and Tesla's electrical weapons were keeping the drakes overwhelming numbers in check. So far, it appears the drakes were unaware of Sylvia's presence - as the fleeing drake had finally been brought down with lead-weighted nets and some well placed canister shot.
Despite the back and forth between the Fleet and the drakes, the drake leader has yet to appear and time was not on Equestria's side.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2015 0:00:21 GMT -5
Sylvia snarled in pain as the drake was climbing higher upon her form, threatening to take her down from the sky. She was lucky that the two gryphons boldly flew in to rescue her, one unfortunately losing his life as she tumbled through the skies, doing her best to right herself in the air once the elder took out the drake. As the beast fell from her form, she gave a bow of her head in thanks to the older griffon and turned her gaze upon the battle beyond.
She watched nervously, her flank bleeding, scales hanging off of her muscular flesh from the wounds that covered her. The dragon kept a sharp eye out for any signs of the leader, hissing to herself. Did it care that its own kind were being slaughtered before its eyes? Was it even around here?
Her hopes were dwindling. She was tempted to leap into the fray, but she knew she had to keep out of sight. The drakes were still unaware that she was a part of the group, though she was not in her top shape as she hoped she would be. Sylvia hovered in the air, doing her best to keep out of sight as she awaited her chance to prove herself, her golden eyes skimming the battlefield and the skies around it for any signs of the brute.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Jun 6, 2015 2:04:07 GMT -5
The two vessels came to a sudden stop as the drakes fell to their death, though they paused momentarily as the drakes fell to their death. The griffons aboard breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the drakes fell, from the bows of their ships a cry of cheer erupted. A minor victory in a war that had yet to be won.
"Miss Sylvia?" Said one of the warrant officers as he stood from the deck of his vessel. "Orders?"
In the distance, the griffons fleet was barely holding it own against the onslaught of the drakes. Ships were as cannon shot was aflame in the air, and pierced the air with rattling shot, cutting the sky with brilliant vibrato. Cannon and shot, the griffons continued their battle despite overwhelming odds, losses and failures, they would strike true till the bitter end, even in name of a Kingdom that was not theirs, so was griffon support - the faithfulest of all races. If Equestria fell, so would the fleet. For Equestria, for the Queen, Luna or the ancestors be praised.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2015 5:21:53 GMT -5
The young dragon looked out upon the scene, knowing that the gryphons would fight to the death if they had to...she didn't wish for things to come to that. But she knew in her heart that she couldn't watch these poor creatures give up their lives on a slight chance that they would drag this leader out.
"We hold for a few more minutes...if he does not show his face soon, I will join the fray. I will not allow thousands to be slaughtered because of a failed plan." She stated with determination. As she snorted, a puff of smoke billowed from her nostrils.
"Just a few minutes..." She repeated. Her eyes skimmed the skies and the earth below for any sign of the leader, wondering if he/she was aware of their plans...a low growl rumbled in her chest. She had to be patient, and have faith that the griffons would continue to fight on.
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Post by Stygg Whitefeather on Jun 24, 2015 2:59:35 GMT -5
The battle raged on in the distance, back and forth, a griffon ship for every fifty of their drakes – those lucky jumped the rails in time and continued the fight in any capacity they possessed, with makeshift weapons and all other manner of fighting device. They tossed wrenches, slammed into drakes with pipes and stabbed into their hides with line hooks. Their spirit was certainly being tested, but the pride and loyalty of griffons continued to shine true – Equestria’s fight was as much ponies as theirs.
Though the stalemate appeared it would continue indefinitely, something appeared in horizon as a plume of fire and smoke. Upon the horizon of the Dragon Mountain in the distance, came the sign best associated with the fury of an erupting volcano. A great resounding roar echoed through the Ponyville valley, causing the trees to quiver, knocking the dying leaves off their branches in a cascade of browns. The very ground rumbled, shifting the debris of many a fallen griffon ship, sending new plumes of smoke into the air like billowing bursts of caustic dust.
Following the great roar, came a brilliant spectacle, like a magnificent morning star, over the mountain range. A great beast by the profile, beatings its large, bright wings against the horizon as it descended upon the great conflict between the Fleet and drakes. Claxtons’ blared, ships dispersed, griffons routed from the conflicts as a great conflagration poured over the Griffon line. The Levitation held, along with its escort held true as they sent a broad side barrage against the new assailant.
“Firebird!” Screeched a Leading Able Bird from Sylvia’s escort gunboat, he turned and threw his spyglass to the deck as the darted into the bridge of the vessel. Now visible, the new assailant was truly the most impressive specimen Sylvia could image, far larger than her, it’s presence extruded an aura of command and power the likes Sylvia would have never faced before. Moments later, the same warrant officer that acquiesced command to Sylvia appeared on deck with bullhorn in talon, as he spoke, his voice quivered.
“Miss Sylvia, your orders!?” He cried, clearly distressed, his eyes turned to the plume of fire erupted, baking their feathers and Sylvia’s scales with their intense heats, while knocking a large chunk of the fleet from the sky. Ships, ablaze, begun to sink to the forest below. From the fly-bridge of the Leviathan, a semaphore-bird relayed visual orders to the fleet, the ship called for evasive maneuvers for the fleet – the orders were cut short as a stream of incinerating fire blasted across the fly bridge and cooked the griffon to the bone, leaving a charred statue as it passed - the fleet would soon to become burnt toast against the firebird without intervention.
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