We stand united 1x1 Maple Bat

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"Of course I think that. It's the truth. You have a knack for leading! You'd be the best leader in history... If only you could get rid of the 'I have to do it or it won't get done' mindset... I say this as a friend and as a guardian of you so... no offense." Evelyn grinned at him with a good amount of awkward in her careful voice. She didn't mean to offend but she said what had to be said

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Thanks, that means alot to me." Jack said with a smile.

"I will have to work on my mindset it seems, with time, i might actually be able to fix that."

----------------------------------------------------

It was about 30 minutes later that they arrived, but what Jack and Evelyn saw from above was a big army, many Terrans and Raukan armed with a varity of guns and some had their own modified melee weapons, from hatched to machete's.

A large group of Vernomians was flying above the army, most of them mounted by either a Raukan or Terran, few of them equipped with sniper rifles while the Vernomians themselves where plated with strong armour.

The Equestrian group itself was standing close to the army as well, Karthspire standing a bit more in the front as he was smoking a cigar.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Mickey Adaptus

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Festus saw the 2 come in and waved to them running over. He was followed by Maple as well.

When Festus got over to him he flew up to about his eye level. Festus was now wearing armor that fit him. His shield was gone now actually, in exchange, his sword was in a sheath which was at his hip something was odd about it though. "So the stuff I had was rental type stuff but this is my gear again. Also, the armor is new... as you could tell." The armor was well made too. It was definitely durable.

Maple approached but didn't wish to acknowledge Jack directly since she still kinda felt bad, nodded to Evelyn "Sorry about all that happened. I realized I wasn't thinking with Jack's intrests... only my own. I'm sorry I meesed it all up that bad."

"He's pretty over that now. You'll need to be more careful but trust me. You all seem like good friends given some time... And a little patience." Evelyn chuckled. "Ok... a lot of patience."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"It sure looks good! I can tell that armour has a pretty efficient design, it mimics the scales of the dragons a bit in terms of design but has a light material to it. A mix of light and heavy armour, the one who made this really knew what they were doing." Jack said with a smile as he was observing it from close, leaning a bit out of the saddle.

 

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Festus seemed excited "The armor's really nice! Wait until you see..." Festus drew the sword and it was... clear? "The blade is made out of a large number of diamonds... From my and Embers horde! I'm still amazed they managed to do this... The blade is balanced and it feels light too!"

"I'm... Sorry diamonds from home? How exactly?" Maple asked Festus in amazement at the blade itself, but confused how they could've got back that fast.

"We dragons can get stuff from our horde using something like Spike's teleport breath. Why do you think Ember always has access to so many weapons, She keeps a tone of them in her horde... Mine's a little... Well I mean for a dragon I just don't take much... Feels wrong ya know?" He smiled at Jack.

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Wow, that looks amazing! It really has this transparent but also flowing feeling with that diamond material, like an ocean flowing, I must say, this must be crafted by someone very experienced, the edges of this blade are refined in a smart manner." Jack said with amazement as he looked at the blade closely.

"Hold on, i actually know a spell that makes your blade have this glowing appearance, it makes the blade itself look a little brighter and have a surrounding glow that is the same colour as the blade part itself, it might look really good with that diamond material, do you want to see a showcase of it on your blade? I can remove it if you don't like it." Jack asked him with curiosity and interested.

"Come to think of it, how is everyone doing? Can't say i really have spoken to them yet." Jack asked him.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"Everyone else?" Maple said questioningly "They've been quite fine now. After realizing they can't really decide your fate for you they've been helping around... Planning... Helping train... Stuff like that. Celestia and I actually trained some more togehter as well. Needless to say, I'm kinda impressed... I feel like she's waiting for something. What? I've got no clues." She looked over at the others "Luna's been bust mostly with helping plan and organize squads. Celestia... Mostly training those who needed it but also did some tactics as well. Windphaser has been... Well A little of everything. And Woody... Emotional support. Everyone needs that from time to time." Maple said with a smile.

Festus looked happy still "Been busy? Oh, wait... I need to show you both this..." There was a leather loop that Festus put his arm through and pull the sword's sheath off his belt. He flicked his wrist and it expanded into a kite shield. "I'd never go anywhere with a shield." He said with a laugh.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Maple Bat

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

Jack laughed a bit at what Festus said, knowing it would be too unusual for him to not use a shield.

He did smile a bit at Maple's answer, but then his smile faltered a bit soon after.

"I see, good to hear everyone is doing alright. But as of now I can't help but feel I am feeling something that I shouldn't feel for what we might find there, I am not afraid, I am not scared, not sad, not angry, not happy, I don't feel anything, just... emptiness. Almost like am I having a foresight, *The light shall shine in the darkness, but struggles to show its true colours.*, for some reason those words I keep hearing my in head as of yet, something I don't really understand its meaning, it could be anything, but it holds value regardless." Jack said with concern.

"But is Luna really doing ok? Or is she trying to avoid me out of shame? I can't imagine how much my words must have hurt her." Jack admitted.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"She's ok. If you look she's actually still busy." Maple pointed to her and she was actually organizing a loose group to be another squad. "Want me to go get her for you? She'd be happy to talk to you again! To know you're ok."

Festus looked at Maple "Probably for the best." Wehn Maple left he drew his sword again "Ok I'd like to see that rune thing..." He admitted awkwardly.

Edited November 9, 2017 by Maple Bat

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

Jack looked at Maple with a confused look.

"Have you been ignoring what I was trying to tell you?" He gave a deep sigh. "Nevermind, it happens. But yes, it would be great if you could go get her." Jack replied with a smile.

He then looked at Festus.

"Sure, give me a moment." He told him as he cleared his mind a bit.

He then shot some sort of small magical ball straight at the diamond part of Festus his blade.

The diamond part started to get the same outline glow as its original color, and the blade itself started to brighten a bit, almost like the sun was directly shining upon the blade itself.

"I hope you like it, it doesn't make it any stronger but its there just for looks," Jack said to him with a smile.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"That does look nice actually," Festus told him as he sheathed the sword "I bet Maple heard your statement. She's worried about you... Being emotionless isn't a good thing. Also, I think I might know what you mean when you said the 'Light in the darkness' thing... I'm not gonna say it because I might be wrong but I'll tell you if I was right and I'll be honest." Festus looked around for a minute, he'd lost Ember and wanted to go find her. "Well... I'll see ya in a bit. Need to chat with Ember for a while."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Alright, see you in a bit." Jack said to Festus.

He layed down on his back on the saddle, as he started watching the sky, with his hands under his head.

As he was looking the sky, he didn't say anything, but instead held his right hand up in the air, and then started forming an electric mass in it.

He stared at it with a mixed feeling of curiosity and emptiness.

'Time and space are connected to each other, but at the same time are far removed from our understanding, only those who walk the path of the crimson king.' He thought.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"That was really deep you know..." Evelyn said since she indeed heard that thought

After a little while of Jack being alone with Evelyn Maple came back over with Luna. Jack was instantly lifted out of the saddle by Luna who embraced him "Jack! I'm sorry... I about what I said... About not giving you the important choice about you... about doubting you about Cryil.... Just... I'm sorry..."

Evelyn looked at Luna, Who was flying a bit above her now "Well... Talk about a change."

"I agree." Maple said with a laugh "I guess she realized how badly she could've messed up after all he could have just gone alone for all she knew."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"It is alright, you where atleast thinking about my safety like any mother should. I do apologize for the things I have said. I just can't really stay mad at you." Jack said as he hugged her back, but was careful to not hit her wings with his legs as he kept his legs close to her, they were in the air after all.

"Have we got any radio messages back from Equestria? As far as i know, i am not aware of any." Jack admitted

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"We got told they were hunting down the infected but nothing else from them. I'd like to get more info from them... after all I do fear the worst." Luna landed letting jack but his legs back on the ground. "I tend to always assume the worst... Like when you left angrily I thought I'd never get to see you again..."

Maple looked at her confused "Wait... Why would you think that? You're..." Maple then remembers the nightmare moon incident... "Right... I get what you mean now... But he's here and he's fine so... I'm glad you were wrong." Maple worried Luna had taken offense to that but she hadn't so Maple relaxed.

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Still, I cannot help but feel something will go wrong once we arrive at that conversion centre, everyone has been rather calm about the whole ordeal, don't any of you feel even the slightest sign of fear for this situation? If you feel scared, don't try to bottle it up, having no fear at all is rather disturbing if I have to admit. Having courage is fine and all but..." Jack said, still wondering why they never were really afraid of particular threats.

"Because let's be honest here, if Valtrek where to arrive on Equestria, would any of you really be capable of trying not to be afraid? Perhaps at the beginning, it is possible to resist, but he isn't just strong, he drives fear into the hearts of others by just standing there.. I don't know that is possible either, but my father was almost devoid of fear, yet Valtrek managed to break through his mental barriers and make him shake from terror." Jack said, regretting having to recount that memory.

"Maple, you had been captured once into a conversion centre, how did you respond to the situation? I perhaps do not understand the emotions of pony's as good as mine, but i really don't believe that any of you where capable of keeping a smile on your face for any of those moments, i really wan't to know what is up with that." Jack asked, he was wondering about this for quite a while, wanting to get rid of his earlier assumptions that his pony friends where devoid of such emotion.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Maple sighed "I... If Valtrek was to show up... on Equestria... WE'd die I know that..." He closed her eyes "I'm always afraid of that... But I... My whole life, I've strived to give others confidence... Even if that confidence I don't have myself. Elorn... He kept me safe and I did the same and you see what that cost me... When I was captured at first I was ok with it since I knew I could get out but as time moved on and I felt lost in the center... Seeing..." Maple stopped and shuttered badly "I... Don't wanna talk about it alright." She said pushing those thoughts out "I'd rather forget that..."

Luna put a hoof on Maple's head and looked her in the Robotic eyes "Was it really that bad?"

Maple simply nodded "I just... Don't want to see others worry about me so I just make it so they can trust me..."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"But you have always been loyal to those around you, and have done everything you could to protect others, that is what matters. You see how loyal you are to Luna? You are willing to go all alone to fight against an entire army, even if it may be considered reckless, it shows your undying loyalty, that is one heck of an honourable trait to have. You are an honourable warrior Maple, even if I was getting tired of hearing all those boast and accomplishments being thrown around, what made me see you so special is not what you had accomplished or what you have done, but who you are." Jack said with a smile.

"If anything... atleast you are aware of the true nature behind what is going on, something that many still don't know to this day, i could never stand when i tried to warn others, but they would just not take me seriously or not believe me, it was one of the things that drove me away from others in the first place." He admitted.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"To be honest... I wish I still didn't know how bad it was... What I saw... What happened to them... t... to... me..."  Maple shook her head "No... I have to focus... I have to stop it from happening to anyone else... I promise not to let my judgment get clouded by my emotions... At least... not when it matters in this war."

Luna frowned "Maybe you should take a while... reflect on what you saw and really think about if you want to go back... It's scary I'd know since I went in one... But you... You got taken into one... You were captured... It's not good for you mentality..."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"What you in those places is what could have happened to Equestria should things have gone bad, but it didn't. But Luna is also right here, you were converted and managed to tell the tale, in the end, it can still hold very bad memories, some who have experienced these things could have either gotten a trauma or even descended into madness from what they experienced."

"Yet, you managed to avoid both of those things, I have to admit, during my imprisonment, it did not always consist of torture sessions and occasional salve pit fights. Because of my curse back then, they would sometimes drag me out of my cell and put me in this place... So many test subjects, they were all going to be part of a new conversion process, I saw.. terrible things where some of the test subjects would be merged together with other infected or creatures to see what effect it would produce. My mother was behind most of that, she may be an assassin, but she is a crazed scientist at heart." Jack said.

"You know... You are really lucky Maple, really really lucky, despite you no longer having your real body, you escaped a fate that barely anyone has managed to escape from. Sometimes when I murder these infected, I seem to forget that they once used to be of my very same race, one of us, sentient and living beings, who also had families, daughters, sons and brothers, lovers...  Sometimes we must ask ourselves the question, is it really justified? Don't get me wrong, I hate our enemy with all my heart, but... I hate what I do, because every infected I kill, I am murdering someone off my own kind at the same time." He said with a now sad tone.

"I just wonder if others really feel this way as well, or if they use the murder of these infected to satisfy their own fighting nature, some feel the first way, others feel de the latter, while there are some others who feel both, i guess you would have to ask yourself the question, wich one of these do you see yourself to be? There is no wrong answer because none of these answers will make you look bad, because in these times, what are we really? Fighting is sometimes all we can do when we have nothing left, and some really don't have any other form of happiness left when they already had lost everything prior." Jack said, he was having one of his special talks about life and existance again, which was never really meant in an offence to anyone.

Edited November 9, 2017 by Mickey Adaptus

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"I just want to make everything better... for everyone... I know my methods are... strange... But my goal is unfaltering... to protect others" Maple said hopefully and then the lucky comment got to her and she lost that look "I know I'm lucky... But... After what I've done... How I've acted since... I don't know if I deserve it. I just... I wanted it because I wanted to help and then, well I got it and became a real jerk." She kicked a rock and sighed "You, however... You've gone up. Gotten stronger and more confident... I just... I've done the opposite."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Your goal is good, but the execution of your goal is perhaps the thing that needs some changing, we all have had moments where we had very good intentions but we started acting worse then we wanted to, I know I have walked that path many times." Jack said.

"It does sadden me that many don't realise that you can learn from others as well instead of depending on everything you know and can do, there is so much potential that can be unlocked in someone, but the question is how the person will attempt to unlock it, doing it all yourself is possible, but chances are big that you would miss out that things that you are not aware even exist, while with someone who teaches you to know and knows what he is doing, you could unlock things in yourself that you never knew you had."

"Remember how I was so excited about the knowledge we found in that temple, but none of you were really interested? I think that was the sign that made me realise something, do any of you really want to become stronger, or want to stay with the standards that you have all been accustomed to? I do know for a fact that Auxilliriay would never try to get stronger on her own, I think there is a reason why she was chosen to become a member of the circle, she was eager to learn, to explore what was beyond that which she knew." Jack said, giving a quick glance to Luna.

"If there was any reason why the Circle was starting to die out is that nobody was interested in learning from them any longer, which in turn drastically decreased the amount of stronger fighters that where around, there where some who where capable of becoming strong on their own via determination like, Maple, Evelyn Ember and more, but not everyone has that kind of mindset, and let me ask you guys this very question, do you think Equestria will be able to keep a strong foothold if we keep going at this rate?"

"Let me explain as this, because still to this point, Equestria has a military that still relies on its old ways to handle its enemies, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek etc, but will it really work on our current enemies? It might work to a degree, but there is a serious problem here because with swords and shields you will only get so far against enemies who are capable of space travel and produce soldiers at the expandable rate of paper, my point is, Soldiers, need to find another way to fight as of now, teach them how to use firearms, use more types of magic then just unicorn magic, and most all... don't limit them to just Equestrian teachings."

"They need to learn from other races as well, allow or send some of your soldiers on pilgrimages, or rather what is more accustomed to Equestrians, send them on travels to other planets or civilizations across the stars, Equestria will dawn into a new age of technology within a good amount of decades if it is done like this. Because I am going to tell you a straight fact here, Equestria is not capable of surviving against its currents odds if it stay's in its current state, I know from what I read that Equestria is a peaceful based society, which means that technology in warfare has never been developed further since there never was the need except for magical spells that weren't based on warfare or destruction, but rather to improve your way of living." Jack stated.

"I should have to say this long ago but now is the best time for it, what we need to do is unite all races, not just from Equestria, but *every race*, but if Equestria doesn't further their developments, it won't come to light and we will not win this war in the end."

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Luna nodded that she agreed but then she felt she had to say something "Well... Equestrians can't use guns... You have to pull that trigger to use it. Sure Unicorns can do it as some have demonstrated but what about pegasi and earth ponies? They just can't... About the magic thing, I think we can do that."

"I tried to... In the center. But hoofs are so limiting and if I used my wings then I'd have shot once and probably lost the gun, or gotten hurt." Maple rose a hoof and her electric claws "You think these would help me... But not really... I've probably hit the point where I can't get any better than I am... I hate that SO much..." Maple slammed the hoof she had elevated into the ground.

Luna looked at her confused "Calm down a bit there... Nothing to get mad at. Shows you have honest and true dedication Maple. I'm proud of you."

"It doesn't matter... no matter how good I am there will always be someone better... Usually, a bad guy who's better." Maple replied to her with a sigh "I'll just keep doing what I have been and hope it all works out."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"I think i have found the spot that might help you, you just said the very thing that I have been trying to explain, *no matter how good I am there will always be someone better... Usually, a bad guy who's better.*, You want to get better and stronger, but... you never ask others to teach you things, many of us can teach you things, and you could actually become even stronger and more skilled if you were to allow that."

"You want to know how some of our enemies are so strong? They realised that trying to get stronger all on your own will only get you so far, you try to improve in ways that you only know at that point, they knew this problem and so worked around it, most of them have been trained in the past before the whole... tragedy. But there are also others who use very old knowledge or enhancements at their disposal. Do you want to know how I know this? My father was a teacher himself and explained this to all his students and pupils, I don't make this up, I am merely quoting what he told me and others. But it's obvious that no one will listen to that advice, so there isn't really a point for me to try and say it any longer." Jack said.

"But at the same time, you are rushing things too fast Maple, you are trying to get as strong as some who have trained for decades, centuries, you are attempting to reach heights within a span of months or a few years, you can get so strong as well but that is really going to need a good amount of time. If you will follow both of this advice I can assure you that you will become alot stronger." Jack said, either her listening to this advice or just declining it, he didn't really care at this point, for it was her choice, not his.

"But before anyone is going throw another angered oppinion towards me again, know that this has been for many of us, to see it this way, but then again... I doubt anyone is really going to listen to any of us since none of you really are interested in our things. I mean, next time I bring something up it is also going to be nothing to any of you since it's from us right?" Jack said, getting a little agitated by remembering how it constantly went.

"Even when we found those things in that temple, none of you even cared..." He said as he walked away, getting tired of having to feel like that.

Edited November 10, 2017 by Mickey Adaptus

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"That... Makes sense... I just..." Maple paused thinking about how to say the next part seeing Jack away from her so she started to walk with him "I don't really know HOW to ask for help... I know I need it I can't get stronger without it... Windphaser is a good example of how much stronger you can get... I can't say I didn't want help but I can't say I did... The only real thing is I just... I feel like I'll be bothering someone... That or well... It shows weakness, not something you want to show as a leader." She was hopeing it would click that she's now asking for help... to learn how to ask for help.