HailStorm

Runedust glared at dragon mountain,for a moment he felt uneasy about launching his assault against the Republic stronghold nestled there.He could feel a dark presence looming over the mountain but couldn't put a hoof on why,his soldiers finishing the preparations snapped him back to reality unicorn soldier: "Sir! All batteries are fully loaded and at the ready,our strategists say we can lay heavy siege for a max of five minutes before exhausting our current munition stock...seven maybe if we rotate between the three stations with a steady launch rate,your orders sir?" Runedust "hmm? What is it now?....oh yes,proceed with the attack.Rotate vollies fired from our installments to keep them guessing after the fourth rotation all batteries should be trained onto their designated targets and are to bombard the mountain until the stockpiles run dry.after that pull our forces deeper into the wood and regroup.If anything unusual or interesting shows itself alert me immediately.Something is not right about that base this day" *what secrets do you hold for me hidden behind such thick walls* unicorn soldier: "ai! sir,I shall deliver your orders to the other field captains,we shall throw the first stone to topple the mighty Republics precious fort and the rest will follow.Glory to the unicorn way" The soldier trots off to the main grouping of catapults,giving the new orders then vanishing into the woods to finish his task ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swift grew impatient waiting for the pony or ponies who was to prison break Rainbow dash out,That and she grew weary of sitting on a possible dead give away that she was a Elite solarian guard in motion to snag Rainbow dash out from under the Republics oppressive hooves. Kicking apart the clouds that formed the hint of her placement before anypony could possibly notice the abnormal clouds and darted along the tree tops to dragon mountain,she couldn't wait any around any longer,what if Rainbow dash was being tortured to death slowly? or the ponies she were to meet with were already in,or worse captured.Swift knew it was up to her to infiltrate the base on her own,save Rainbow dash from her captors,and maybe even take control of dragon mountain single hooved becoming the most amazing pegasi ever. Her spirits and moral in overdrive she felt nothing could stop her now Landing on the opposite side of the mountain from which Runedusts war contraptions were most likely to be hiding during the day light hours,Swift starts up from lower down the mountain,scavenging bits of Lunar armor that had been discarded in the previous battles until she worn a full set *got the looks,check. Attitude "snuff out the sun so eternal darkness shall reign....blah blah blah" check! just need a name and a back story I can remember to get me around until i find dash and get her out "hello...hmm...AH ha! greetings,private ebony skydancer reporting from scouting the surrounding wood...My credentials? they were lost in the raid against appleloosa -spits- Filthy solarians killed my entire squad...I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE SOLARIAN SCUM...I Fight for...do they call her? luna? nightmare moon? grrr crap!!!...the princess of the moon...that sounds convincing enough i hope..lets hear a solarian say that without chocking on their over inflated pride....I was um hmm stationed here until my credentials were found and refinalized so I can return to active duty on the front lines...meh,that will work as my new Lunarian identity I guess" now with her new Identity as Ebony skydancer,yet another forgettable low ranking officer whom none of the higher ups would hear about in their lives she decided to travel along the main trails leading up the mountain,If any patrols were to stop her she would answer their questions just as she rehearsed until she came to the entrance to the base where she blended in with a passing group,acting as the lowly recruit at the rear of the pack *Oh my gosh that actually worked!? to bad more solarians can't just act to praise luna...guess its good thing they don't! Now to find Rainbow...without looking like an idiot,fun* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hail had taken the job from Dusk with little question of what was inside the heavy create he now carried.Hidden in a seemingly normal cloud so that he would not be discovered until he was over one of the larger encampments of the NLR that intel had labeled "unicorn collective". Dropping the crate with falsified Republic logos into the central portion to optimize collateral damage within the camp. Hail was curious of what was in the box meant to sabotage this particular camp just as they had done to clouds dale but remembered that he was to get out of there within thirty seconds of dropping it As he turned tail he pulled a letter from his saddle bag "to the pony who is given this task,stay up wind of the crates dz...Its a mixture of ingredients one of which is poison joke powder,the other is a powder mixed in that makes unicorns magic highly volatile and unstable to cast,usually resulting in an explosion at point blank range.The poison joke is to cause random effects upon all in its containment range as the other only targets unicorns directly side note: joke is only a distraction and of minor disruption of units.DO NOT let this note fall into enemy hooves,the discovery of our lacing with the poison joke can result in the enemy gaining this weapon or finding a fix to the magical discharges Burn this immediately! stage 1:fireworks launch to draw attention to celebrate or to stop them before giving away location stage 2 :poison joke/magicide powder released via fireworks detonation,full scale contamination.caution of wind" hail shook his head,stashing the note back into his bags as he heard the boom of fireworks,each laced with the powder which spread from the explosions of bright lights and drifted down invisibly over any pony within a three mile radius, contaminating water food and structures alike.Hail made sure to stay upwind to prevent accidental contamination as he made his escape through the clouds *eye for an eye,hoof for a hoof this is only going to get worse if we provoke them like this*

Runedust gave a bored sigh,tapping the conjured weapon against his flank plate as he awaited the moon to rise.Turning to one of his unicorn minions Runedust: "lets step up our operations...lay siege to dragon mountain from the wood,move our troops along the north eastern ridge overlooking the battlements and storm the supply station there...we will use their own supplies against them,have the other two installations aim for the communications,barracks,and any defenses while ours hammer down on the central buildings" soldiers: "yes sir!...proceed with the attack!" the unicorn quickly spread word of the plans,within hours the apple family farm was set ablaze and the siege of dragon mountain commenced with volley after volley of boulders and heavy logs to shatter the NLR's defensive hoof hold within the mountain -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swift grace knew she had no time to waste,Flapping her wings as hard as she possibly could manage until dragon mountain came into view,it was hard to tell if rune had already assaulted or not as she could not spot flying fireballs crashing down onto the mountain side " Twilight said she had others working on getting RD out.....I wonder who....and why our Military chain of command is so lose that we can't coordinate an effective strategy as one nation...gaaah! to many questions! Well first things first,locate this pony who is springing Dash out of that rock,maybe I will get an award or something for being a hero! but how will i find them?" Suddenly an idea pops into her head,dangerous and risky as it was,it was the only thing she could think of. Collecting clouds as she zipped through the air,leaving them in a pattern that would be easily noticed from the ground or high up. Once finished with her sky art,A giant Rainbow Dash cutie mark and her own made entirely of the clouds Swift Grace has strung along. Now she waited for any pony who would surely some how see this beacon and use one of their own to grab her attention so she could aid in the prison break

SwiftGrace turned her attention from the sky to twilight whom finally noticed her presence "good day twilight sparkle. I was under instructions from Dusk Everstill of the celestial Knight to ask you for any assistance to help with a wild pony chase of an operation...we are running a joint ops on dragon mountain tonight.RuneDust of the elite royal guard is laying siege and I am to find a way in during the confusion to see if there's anything of value to the solar kingdom...Dusk says its possible that rainbow dash could be there as well and if so i need to find a way to get her out before the siege ends...or brings down the mountain and kills every pony there...Any help would be greatly appreciated" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- snow decided to stop asking questions that might draw any suspension from her lack of current knowledge within the solar borders "That would be my guess....um...well you guys better get before you get busted by some other pony...or ponies.The NLR are all over these woods I'm sure so don't get caught.Oh and If any pony asks,you never seen me ok....Top secret mission and all" waving her hooves in a silly manner as she tries to sneak back into the underbrush before any more words are spoken ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RuneDust watched the sun,knowing that not to long from now he could set up and start his plan to bring dragon mountain and the highest ranked pony stationed there under his hoof just as he had with appleloosa and despite the loss of both rarity and fluttershy in one swoop,this time he had a good feeling that the ones who stopped him last time wouldn't be stopping him a second time.conjuring up a selection of magically manifested weapons ranging from short swords to massive halberds to decide how he wanted to crush the ponies who will stand on the receiving end of his wraith.settling for a crystallized hooked long sword,knowing just how much fear this simple design struck with its curved blade capable of hooking weapons,wings,and even unicorn horns with the idea to disarm or sever it completely *the ones who hold the power of harmony are running out of places to hide,We have appleloosa for the time being but even so they know i will just burn it and the occupants to the ground if the managed to retake it...that leaves this place and their main HQ as the last remaining safe havens for them to hide out...Its a fifty fifty chance I will parade into canterlot sporting such a prize to present to Celestia....after I get what I want from the poor soul that is* "tell me sentinel,have the forces provided by celestia get into place with the baits to try and draw our little friends out if they are here"? sentinel "Ay,sir they sent word,If your girls are in that base then we will smoke them out with what they love most" "splendid,send word to not mess this up.rarities prized jewel is worth more than they will ever be...and so is applejacks sweet apple acres and all of the little cuddly animals that frolic there" sentinel: "I see,that's your plan.Set blaze to miss applejacks home,which in turn harms the creatures there...so if they are there in that fort then they will run after you or the animals in fluttershy's case...and rarity will just die to get her hooves on such a beautiful emerald you borrowed from the vaults....?" "more or less so, that's my plan.It that doesn't work then they will be buried beneath the rubble of the mountain if they are there" sentinel "your one sick pony RuneDust sir,to even consider...." "are you questioning my methods soldier? If so,how would you're still living burning soon to be corpse be the first thing we fire from out catapults...If not then I advise you to chose the next words coming from your mouth very wisely....Or do as I COMMANDED YOU!" the pony gave a hasty salute and ran off

Snow stared blankly never expecting to hear such words come from anyponies mouth,rainbow dash's capture the attack against NLR's appleloosa.Apparently a lot of things went down that she hadn't heard from the locals in the near by town,this was a bit concerning for her snow: "whow whow whow....wait...rainbow dash was captured? but how? shes like the fastest Pegasus around....and who was it to raid appleloosa? was it Solus? it would be his style to do something patriotic like that" having no clue solus was killed by strong hooves back at dragon mountain. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Runedust and his army had once again split,this time into three separate cells with the intent to surround dragon mountain and bombard it from every side to ensure no pony could escape unnoticed.Hiding his forces in the surrounding wood to prevent their presence from being known until night fall which would allow set up of his Ballistas,catapults and other siege devices in secret,giving him the advantage just as it had in appleloosa ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swift looked up at the sky,bored of her game with the pebble,figuring how much time she had before night fall.knowing Dusk that would be the time he brought fire down from above onto the ponies in the mountain

(ooc: feel free to join,just go and Put your character App in here http://mlpforums.com/topic/6845-ooc-equestrian-civil-war-part-2-flames-of-battle/ ) Snow cocked her head at the trio until she realized her count was off,knowing that the malnutrition from the lack of edible food in the area was to blame for this embarrassing moment.Just as her empty belly gave a loud growl she spoke louder to hide it "Ooh...I'm sorry,I didn't notice you behind them forgive me.I'm happy you all made it out together though...Wait what,Rainbow Dash in prison?what else has happened sence I De...Detached myself from the main outpost for an important job that was to close" ~stomach growls~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swift Grace sat by twilight patiently,remembering the questions that were to be asked to help the bizarre ops Dusk had them going on.Being based on a half baked theory from his gut,she began to understand somewhat of why RuneDust questioned Dusks leadership and wished to supplement it with his own. Scuffing her hoof in boredom,Swift unearthed a small pebble.Its perfect rounded shape gave her an idea of how to entertain herself until Twilight was aware of her presence.A Flick of the hoof and the stone was airborne,falling back to the ground with a soft clicky sound as it bounced from another stone.Swift gave it another flick,sending it higher this time and as it fell back down she would bat it back up into the air with any part of her body for as many hits as she could manage. Swift: "1...2...3...~drops it~ aww...1,2,3,4,5...." The longer it stayed in the air the more frantic her movements to keep it that way "15,16,17!...I should challenge rainbow to this,maybe bat it back at each other until one lets it hit the ground then they are the loser Needs steaks to make it interesting though...43 44 45 46! no no no!....awww geez now I need to start over" Glaring at the stone as it came to rest at her hooves,having been caught up in her new game that she forgot twilight was probably deep in thought or doing some magic mumbo jumbo swift had no idea about and should let finish before disturbing. swift "I should probably pick up some flowers or something before I go to dragon mountain,pay my respects to solus final resting place...that is if twilight can hurry up and answer my questions,I doubt Rune will wait for me...I bet hes on his way there right now...ugh!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Traveling to dragon mountain Runedust was in fact,in route to dragon mountain with His sizable army,siege weapons in tow.The battalion had shrunk as he passed around ponyville to hide his numbers by splitting his own troop from that which Celestia had granted Dusk and dodging the main roads which were sure to have enemy eyes watching for any solarians. *I refuse to ponysit her and listen to her schemes,sneaking in by using MY power as a mere decoy.Who does she take me for? I am the one who will bring nightmare moon to her knees before Celestia and set my place in stone within the equestrian state as the one who brought down the princess of darkness,There's no place in this fight for Dusk and his ideals of bringing "luna" to her senescence to have a peaceful resolve and restore harmony,destruction and chaos has already blanketed equestria...what a fool* Runedust: ~rally voice~"We draw near Dragon mountain,Keep eyes and ears open for those disgusting night crawling bigots.They want eternal darkness? we shall give it to them by locking them away so deep they will forget just how glorious the sun And the army that fights for it really are...that or we Kill them which i prefer.Dragon mountain will give way tonight,to the greatest general in all of equestria! ME!....Remember if any of the three girls on our list pops up,I want them alive enough to talk" The unicorn masses who marched under Runedusts banner gave a synced cheer as they raised their horns to the sky followed by the various arms that each carried "solus was nothing,his proud earth pony ways was but a drop left in my wake...The true might of the unicorn will bring down all that oppose it..And we shall be the one to give a perfect demonstration of that,now move my brethern Lets not keep our enemies waiting for their inevitable demise"! the Ponies gave a louder Rally cry as they moved faster through the plains.

Snow was shocked that she was so easily recognized despite her face being hidden from view.Suddenly it hit her,she had forgotten to hide the true colors of her body and tail,even her cutie mark was in plain view.Removing the mask now that it no longer served its purpose. "I was how did you...haste? from the NLR prison?...I was lucky to meet an old friend who risked himself to get me out...how did you escape?....And I mean you no harm,I'm not a highway pony I promise...the mask was for um...well its not important" Snow figured it was best to not bring up her defection and possible "wanted" status in the solar kingdom but was still curious if they figured it was this particular nonepony who gave the NLR such an advantage over them.her urge to know why they were here in the forest still rattled in her head "um...are you two lost or something?" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canterlot Hailstorm and his Traveling pegasi companions had finally landed in canterlot,to his suprize the number of pegasi that shown up was hardly a hoof full. All of which were in a single file,facing with a salute to the pony adorned in strange royal guard armor.The voice of this strange pony was strong and fierce with loyalty,the same if not more so than that of the late solus.Watching this pony pace with uncertainty in front of his small troop Hail "who is that,I've never seen him around before...another elite guard"? cargo Pegasus "Im no expert so i cant say...but that armor suggests he has something to do with the royal defence so maybe" cargo pegasus2 "OH ho he looks tough..and mighty right upset,think he could take that strong hooves pony you talked about hail"? random pegasus: "you guys donno who that is? That's THE Dusk Everstill,possibly the best pony around.I heard from a friend hes something called a Celestial knight...maybe the last one,he commands those Elite guard ponies.I hear there's an opening for the pony who takes some insane suicide mission" cargo Pegasus: "yeeeeah no still don't know him...and don't let rainbow dash hear you say that,who knows what would happen Haha" Dusk looked back at hail and his two companions with a frown Dusk Everstill "you pegasi Have something vital to add to the cloudsdale crisis? If not shut it...you there!big blue,you look capable of handling heavy burdens...may i request a special errand from you?" Hail: "er...me right? I guess,why"? Dusk Everstill: "You seem fit for the task...All other pegasi report to the strip and ready to take supplies to cloudsdale and to provide air strength until the remainder of your downed brethren can hold their own once more...you,follow me.Dismissed!" The pegasi saluted once more and set off to the airstrip lined with the cargo for cloudsdale,leaving hail with Dusk to further discuss the so called errand in detail Dusk Everstill: "you already know who I am,and I you...lieutenant second class Hail Storm,fighter gone freight pony.I figured calling you Big blue would undoubtedly get your attention...Lets be on our way,follow.I think I know why Nightmare moon...Luna has done such a horrible thing,stripping the pegasi in cloudsdale of their precious wings.She knew that princess Celestia would have to react and use up even more of her already exhausted strength to get them back up and flying.I myself was hoping she wouldn't stoop that low as to indirectly attack the princess by targeting us in such a way that rid those with a gift. We already have a counter attack thanks to A R&D specialist under my command.we just need a strong bodied pegasi to get it to its target in one piece,of course as you heard from your friend its highly dangerous if the NLR got wind of our counterstrike with our little suprize but if you pull it off I myself will bring you into the guard as a way to say Thank you" Hailstorm listened closely to what was in store for The NLR's War crime,as dusk called it. Though complicated in every way Hail agreed to drop the Rightfully named "care package" on one of Luna's territorial control points as she had done to cloudsdale

Snow watched the large dragon and pony making their way through the forest,unsure of what side these strangers took she decided to follow them just a bit longer to find out.Staying in the woods alone for so long gave her the home field advantage,knowing the layout of the forest like the back of her hoof and how to move without being heard or seen.Each step was carefully placed as not to accedentally step on a twig or something to give her away snow crept closer and closer in hopes of finding any evidence of their alligance. *your a bit off from the battle field...are you travelers? mercs? Lunarian? Maybe solarians hunting me down for my betrail...only one way to find out...might even get a bit or two if im lucky* Slipping the face mask that she managed to swipe from town just days ago finaly became of use as it hid all but her eyes,ears and horn. Leaping out from under her hiding spot in a display of swirling leaves that drifted to the ground onto the path behind the two. "greetings travelers! you are a bit far from home.What brings you to this neck of the woods,surely not the battle I hope..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ somewhere far north of canterlot Hearing the emergency broadcast that requested all available pegasi to return to canterlot,HailStorm and a few other supply running pegasi in his little crew quickly dropped off their cargo and took flight heading south through the mountains. Though dangerous as it was for a pegasus due to violent up and down drafts which could at any moment throw them to the cliffs or the ground below,It was also the fastest most direct without slipping into enemy lines. cargo pegasus "I Wonder why they are calling us back to canterlot,did they say?" Hailstorm: "no,only that it's of dire immportance that any available pegasus report back" cargoPegasus#2 "What if canterlot was taken over? I mean its been some time sence we got orders from them,we could be flying right into a trap ya'know...,just say'en...call'm in and BOOM" Hailstorm: "doubt it,canterlot is the most fortified and well armed place in equestria...plus a good number of highly skilled warriors are there,on top of that there's celestias elite guard stationed in towns all around canterlot." cargo pegasus "I have to agree with him on this hail,I have been catching wind of some scary stuff from down there...bad enough that the solarian elite guard you speak of had been pulled back out of the surrounding countryside for reasons no one seems to know" Finding himself lost for words,Hail just gave a nod as he took the lead,the other two broke formation and trailed close behind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Swift had just about to give up the search for twilight when finaly she managed to find her.Preforming a quick aerial loopdeloop of joy SwiftGrace swooped in beside twilight,careful not to collide or kick up dirt which might make twilight mad at her for being reckless. "There you are twi-...oh,sorry I will wait" landing,she waited for twilight to aknowlage her presence Organizing the questions In her head so that the rammbling and the excitement of finaly catching up with such an illusive pony would be minimal,hopefully

Dusk Everstill sat in the communications and intelligence room nessled within the safty of canterlots walls,sipping gingerly on a cup of tea as he examined the maps and recon reports provided by scouts,spies,and other reports in the field,hoping that his assumptions were right about Rainbowdash being at at dragon mountain.Being the most fortified position held by the enemy harrassing ponyville constantly and providing much more than a challange to the solarian forces who tried to take it before seemed perfect for a glory hound like her would want to try and take it for the bragging rights,that was if she wasn't captured or worse. *even if my gut is wrong about dash being there,an attack might buy ponyville a short bit of time to recover and come up with a chance to rebuild its defences....or even plan its own counter attack* Dusk sighed as he felt lost in thought Just as he finished his beverage and set the cup down the radios crackled to life and many of the poinies started to scramble about the room,Watching and listining to everything that was going on Radio operator "MR. Noise Sir! Incoming S.O.S transmission from...Cloudsdale!" Dusk watched as a sharp dressed earth pony ran from one side of the other to where the operator had sounded out. It was clear that he was none other than White noise,the chief of the solarian communications department.Before the war he was a simple pony whos voice could be heard on any radio,now he was the one responcable for handling all of the solar empires communicational needs and verifying the reports that came through from and to the field. White Noise "put it on the loud speaker,NOW!" a burst of static followed by the sounds of shouting drowned out the ponies voices within the room "HQ! HQ! Please respond this is skybox six,cloudsdale has just been hit I repeat cloudsdale has just been hit...~screams in the back ground~ Lunar forces ~static~ ALMOST OUR ENTIRE BASED AIR FORCE HAS BEEN CRIPPLED!...The NLR dropped some kind of powdery substance and now every pegasi here has lost their wings...LITERALY! Our cloud walking is uneffected but some who were in flight may have fell from the skies...Casualties are unknown...we are sitting ponies up here!requesting emergency evac from any available pegasi who still flies our skies,over" white noise "thats a negatory SkyBox Six,we cant spare any air support or evacs at this time.Hold your grou...cloud We must not allow the lunar forces to occupy cloudsdale,Defend the air fields,weather factory,and solarian intel at all cost. do you copy over"? S.B.S "Copy that HQ but we wont last long up here if they decide to come back..~more shouting ~...not without any support,over" White Noise "Rodger that Skybox Six...I will radio the wonderbolts and spare supply runners to see if they can provide support for cloudsdale HQ out" turning his attention to his staff "Find the wonderbolts and what spare pegasi uneffected by this powder and have them report to cloudsdale immidiately,take caution as what ever was used may have contaminated the entire area...I need to report this to celestia immidiately"! White noise bolted from the room in the direction of the Princesses main chamber followed by Dust everstill --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elsewhere in the castle Swift grace walked up and down the halls of the castle in search of twilight who might know more of what to do to shed light on where rainbow dash might be and if she could possibly give some much needed advice about Dusks orders to raid dragon mountain

Runedust made his way through the corridores with SwiftGrace in tow,her head held low as not to invoke more cruel words from the ill tempered unicorn whom she was now following. Swift Grace: "Runedust,I have to ask you something...that is if I may." Runedust: "I doubt if I say no you would listen to me rookie so make it quick,I have far more important things to do than play your little games." Swift grace rolled her eyes at Runedust "I was going to ask if you had any Idea how to go about this,because I think I Might have a plan that will cut just how much we need to work together" "you have my intrest now...go on" Runedust shot a somewhat curious look back to swift "ok,well I looked over your dossier and learned that seige warfar and commanding alone are your strong suits,Right? well what If you take the entire division and lay siege to their fortifications on dragon rock...not a full on assult but a ruse. With the one who burnt down appleloosa relentlessly knocking on their door they will focus on you for revenge,letting me to get in undetected and spring rainbow out and high tail it out before they realize what just went down" "hmm laying siege to a mountain base can be treturous for them so they wont just leave the fort to engage me,not with the mountain face becoming unstable from repetitive impact from my installations,which brings to question how will you get in and not be spoted?" "I will discuise myself,no pony would take the time to check me!not with you standing at their front gate yet again . they want your blood more than anything right now...it's perfect!" "It's far from that...but It will have to do,go find twilight and see if she has any intel to offer I need to go make a few ajustments to my launchers to better suit bombarding a mountain side not to mention the new prototype that should give us an edge if their air calvary or the shadowbolts stops in to ruin my fun... though I wonder just how much fun it will be to bag some pegasi with a net cannon...I borrowed pinkie pies concept of some party cannon and tweeked it a bit for a better use...snaring anything that flies...or to deture them from striking us as much" "uuum yeeeah,ok...I will go find twilight now" swift gave a worried smile as she turned and went back the way she came,parting ways with Runedust to prepair for the mission to rescue rainbow dash once and for all

Runedust came to a stop as he faced a pair of heavy doors adorned with polished bronze that spread across the doors glossy surface to form an elegant sun like design in the center of each. Just as he prepaired to enter the room the great doors concealed,the sounds of murmurs and indistinguishable chatter caught his attention,They were talking about him but what was said and by whom was unclear. Biting his lip to steady his still boiling rage And bringing up the hood of his cloak to hide what exspression he could,Runedust swung open the doors and trotted in. To his suprize the meeting haven't even started,two spots were still vacant everypony was there except The captain himself and the still empty possition of the once proud solus.Runedust grunted as he took his seat without speaking a single word to swiftgrace or the others who was sitting about the table swaping stories from their last tour of the warzone,none of which sounded very impressive to him Swiftgrace: " Yeah! I know,who would have guessed I could have kept up with that nightfury toothless in a full blown race...I could have won but he leaves a hard pocket of turbulence with every flap" her voice went from a roughty boasting to a whisper as Runedust sat next to her "You're not the last to arrive for once...I just lost fifteen bits" Runedust Glared at the smaller pegasus "Mind your place girl,I out rank you and have far more superior skills than you ever will possess pegasus...redeem what little respect i still have for you by telling me whats going on" swiftgrace: "...I-It was a...yes my appologies sir. The captain hasn't shown himself as of yet so everypony is passing time by chatting" Runedust "He's late to his own meeting...how very sad.That is all pegasus,return to your stories so you can feel less of a joke to those around you" Runedust hid his smirk from the now upset swiftgrace who now found it difficult to speak by turning his attebtion to the empty seat at the head of the table. Just as runedust did so the doors once again swung open and the room fell silent as an earth pony dressed in full solar knight attire and brandishing a massive claymore with an engraving of the celestial knights oath and prayer "Her wrath, we will act Upon thee,Our hearts will remain true To her,For the Ponies of Equestria,Our faith will see Us through,Celestia,guide and Protect us From those who fall To sin,Her wrath, we will act Upon thee,Our hearts will remain true,To her,Always." Runedust didn't seem to care much for the oath,even as the others recited it as the captain took his place Runedust remained silent,eyeing the captain with discust. C. Dusk Everstill: "you all are aware of why we gather here today...things are getting out of hand all over equestria,Princess luna is growning stronger and the the number of NLR supporters are sky rocketing as faith in celestia grows weaker.And now I hear that word of Rainbow dashs capture has started to spread like wild fire,the moral of our troops,especialy the pegasi if I'm not mistaken miss Swiftgrace,has been hit hard by this travisty. We can not let the other two fall into lunas hooves,with that being said I have Placed a request with celestia that I assign the most trusted and skilled of you to protect pinkie and Twilight with your lives and a select group to head up the search and rescue of rainbow dash." Runedust: " so we get to play fillysitter AND take the fight to those pathetic moon loving ponies...I have to admit you caught me off guard,I figured you the type to stay on definsive...you can thank me later for the use of the rail lines I took back in appleloosa." C. Dusk Everstill: "I'm not comfortable spreading us to far out from the princess during her time of need Runedust but its vital we get Rainbow dash back...once celestia grants my request of personal guards for the girls and some reserve soldiers for the rescue we will take the fight to them personaly...Swift,Rune i want you both to command the rescue effort.those of you on FILLYsitting duty know who you are the rest of you continue aiding ponyville ...Dismissed everypony. Oh yes! swift,Rune try and get up with twilight.She might know a good strategy or a way in." rune&swift: "yes sir" everypony left thier seats and headed for the door,leaving the captain to await word of his request.

Hail groaned as his hooves finaly touched the soft grass,None stop supply drops through out the northern front lines had really exausted him to nearly collapsing mid flight.To tired to fly or walk,he decided to drag himself under a big oak and take time to enjoy the simple things he once took for granted and rest.As the cloud of war and survival drifted from his mind,he couldnt help but to wonder how things where going back in Canterlot and the surrounding areas as well as what has became of his sister and his friend stronghooves. *He has joined the NLR,he's my enemy but he is still my friend...what am I to do if we cross paths on the battlefield again? Snow would hate me if I killed him...He might try and kill me,could I bring myself to killing my best friend a second time just to save my own hide or because my princess instructs me to? Great! now I remember why I took up the supply chain here...I can't be left with my thoughts* Giving a heavy sigh now that his mind was flooded with doubts and worries,Hail tried to force his focus to keeping out of sight and awake just in case there where patrols or scouts nearby -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Runedust paced around the table in his temporary quarters,scowling as looked over the several maps and battle reports strewn about the room. " This Lunar Empire is starting to aggrovate me...Taking the prisoners right out from under my nose after my victory in appleloosa,and with only two Lunar officers and a spy! Once I discover just who and where these ponies are,I will RIP THEM LIMB FROM LIMB!!!...No pony makes a mockery of me!" With a hard buck the table flew across the room,splintering as it crashed into the wall in a flurry of partchment and broken wood. Runedust turned and headed for the door leading from his quarters to the courtyard where he was to meet with the other Elites like himself to discuss what might be the next phase of their efforts to stop Princess Lunas rapid advancements and the dissaperance of key figures. He hated the meetings as they always seemed to be the same,hender his plans and complain about the current efforts and actions to bring the war to an end. *why must my time be waisted at these meetings.I swear if our so called LEADER says anything about my efforts in appleloosa or praising Swiftgrace for something petty,I will knock his teeth down his throat...I should be the one giving the orders,after all I am the only one of us that seemes to be committed to putting that spoiled little filly of a princess back where she belongs* Random guard: "Sir,the others are awaiting your presence in the..." " I'M WELL AWARE..they will continue to do so until i get there,now move aside" The guard stepped aside as Runedust continued on his way to where the meeting was being held.

Soldier" RUNEDUST your greatness! The prisoners,they are gone...all of them." Runedust " zanthak must have been bait to keep me from stopping their rescue...I'm slightly impressed...did our traps catch anypony" Soldier" no sir,most were deactivated..." Runedust "deactivated?!...we may have a spy amongst our ranks,watch for any suspicious acting ponies..." Runedust decoy: "things were not a total loss,we took command of appleloosa,inturn the rail lines..." Runedust "appleloosa is just some second prize to me...how am I to show my face to celestia without any of the element bearers...I will be in my quarters and do not wish to be disturbed" Runedust stormed off

Swift was winded from the race.panting heavily as she looked over the smoking rubble that was appleloosa. Swift " dont underestimate us pegasi we are full of suprizes and THAT WAS SO AWESOO...oh dear celestia...we were to late. I guess you get to see just why I didnt want him chosen to lead the fight here...knowing him appleloosa is just a show of force to scare princess Luna and those following her ideals...there's still hope,maybe we can plead with celestia to pull him back to the castle."

Runedust and the dopplegangers scattered about the room,standing In for seperate spots as they cast a spell which activated the various markings inscribed into the floors walls and roof. It was a trap which was made to void the casting of spells of those trapped within. Runedusts" your fast,clever,and strong zanthak but your predictable...amuse me by telling me who your with,your not brave enough to attack me alone...guards...secure the grounds!...and you zanthak get to listen to the cries and pleas of Fluttershy as we extract the enformation I need...if you tell me where your friend is I will go easy on you spare you the long sleepless nights troubled by the sounds of such a sweet mares pain"

Runedust walked with three other unicorn.each armoured exactly like him. Clearly decoys but none the less effective,their strides matched as well as the way they carried themselves across the wreckage and smoldering ruins. Between them was Fluttershy,fully restrained. Soldier:"your greatness we readied the stronghold and the our holding cell for miss Fluttershy...the specialist is ready for our guest of honor,and the traps have yet to respond to any outsiders...except one of our own who damaged the engravings on his shoes...our trap triggered and he was incinerated...yes sir the trap was replaced...right away sir I will have the fires put out" The four nodded to one another and walked into a large building that still managed to stand. One stopped before he slipped in,looking back in a somewhat suspicious way before closing the door

Hail circled back,dropping stronghooves at the designated spot.giving a salute before retreating onto the dark leaving no trace of were he was heading. ------------------------------------------------ Runedusts plan worked,capturing those he knew were of use in some way he started back to camp. he flipped through the parchment ,issuing orders to a good portion of his pegasi units to hold appleloosa with him.repairing the defences as the rest heads back to deliver word of his victory and start sending supplies to start rebuilding appleloosa as celestian territory Runedust: " send rarity with the departing forces,keep Fluttershy with us until the first train Back...if anything happens we still have two of the three objectives...lay our traps in case some fool thinks they can just trot into my territory.I'm not expecting our ponies to be here for about a week" Soldier "understood! And might I add,congratulations on your victory here ...I'm sure celestia will throw a celebration in your name" The Pegasus soldier trotted off with the orders Runedust "I don't want some party...I want to take my place as celestias top general and keep the balance that she had set...pony supiriority...my superiority...I will die before I let some none pony think they are my equal.everything has a place and that's under celestia...and my own control." Soldier"my apologies sir...I will send word to start transport of the prisoners with the exception of Fluttershy"

"Works for me, next spot applelooooooosa!" Hail chuckled,getting back to his hooves.throwing open his wings,hail grabbed stronghooves and took flight in the direction pointed to him —--------—------------------------------------- Runedust approached where the reports Had placed rarity, Fluttershy,and the ponies which seemed to hault his plans. Runedust: "put the bait in danger...hang it over a fire or something, just draw Fluttershy out,and when she does ready to snare her before she flies off and blitz the stronghold....something says we need to step up this operation" Soldiers " yes your greatness"

(Ooc:I never thought about if swiftgrace was boy or girl ...um -flips coin-... coin landed female) Swiftgrace blinked, astonished when yet again toothless sped by. With a shake of her head,swift attempted another stunt,riding behind the dragon to decrease the wind resistance which slowed or threw swift around like a beanbag. Fuelled by adrenaline swift pushed harder to pass toothless despite the advantages he had,larger wings,heavy yet sturdy frame. Swift "woo yeah! now its getting interesting! But you haven't won yet,I still have a few tricks to put you in my dust!" --------------------------------- Runedust took in the sight and sounds of the battle,it was a shame that soon it would be over all to soon and without a single scuff on his beautiful white gold armor. Runedust: "sunrise will be in a few hours,tell me...have we successfuly liberated appleloosa and captured those traitorous girls...tell me we are just cleaning up and I will not be made a fool by being late" Soldier " um..well your greatness...we have recieved word that they have dug themselves in...your forces are finding it difficult to beat them into submission without causing harm to the targets." Runedust " so that's a no...you know I hate failure. How hard is it to make a couple of girls and some lackies give in exactly?" Soldier. "The so called lackies are presumably their body guards...well trained I might add" Runedust: "why am I not suprized...I guess if I want things done right I have to do it myself...ready the cages and follow me...oh and bring the bait,Fluttershy wont be able to sit by and let harm come to a poor defenceless critter. As for rarity...we take her when Fluttershy opens the way to rescue our bait" Soldier "clever plans as always your greatness..." Runedust headed into the wreckage of appleloosa followed by a number of troops who brought along everything they were instructed

Hail looked back at stronghooves not watching in front of him "Well I can carry you but you will have to leave your stuff behind your choice! Or if you have a better... What the hay!?" With zanthak sudden appearance,hail tried to swerve out of the way only to end up crashing,

"Ofcourse I can,I'm usually carrying cargo supplies or other heavy objects...now climb on and hold still so we can get going before its to late" Hail had coated himself with dirt to make his appearance darker in the night sky,the scrap plates fastened together to make a makeshift saddle for stronghooves to hold onto during flight.taking a running stance,hail aimed himself down a small trail and dug his hooves in for a powerful start. Once stronghooves was ready,hail extended his wings and took off.struggling to stabilize at first "Which way stronghooves? "