We stand united 1x1 Maple Bat

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"I can't use telepathy via my own magic but... I know a way which doesn't require magic..." Jack said quickly.

He then stabbed the infected he had been fighting straight in the head.

'Evelyn, we are in trouble, a group of infected had started attacking me and Maple, we are surrounded, I can't say for sure whether they had spotted us and send these infected to us or if they just happened to be around here during the sandstorm.  If you could come help us or send help, please hurry!' He thought to her with big desperation.

As he was done thinking, he didn't have much time to react as an infected was about to attack him from behind again.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to turn around and react fast enough, he headbutted the infected with the back of his own head and then taking the opportunity to finish the infected off while it staggered.

The wound on his shoulder was giving off a burning pain, the colour of the wound itself had gotten a dark yellow and light orange mixed colour, which didn't look good, but Jack decided to bite through the pain and carry on regardless.

'Geez, I better hope that the colour is not what I think it is..' he thought.

"I contacted Evelyn, I figured this was the right call as me and her's thoughts are connected, and we can locate each other's life forces, by extension each other's location, so I presume she will either will try to get help, which will take longer, or ends up coming to help us, either way, they know what is going on!" Jack said to her as he walked closer and then shot a magical blast to one of the approaching infected.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Evelyn heard Jack 'This sandstorm is going to slow me down... I'll get there as soon as I can just sit tight'

Maple sliced another of the infested "I've got an Idea... But It's crazy ready an explosion-esq spell... Just something that will harm all of them at once!" Maples wings opened and the jets activated "And... Just trust me on this..." *Maple flew quickly a started slicing infected dragging them all to a center point they, however, were damaging her as she dragged them. It was going to take her a while to group all of them up... At least not with out help.

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Got it!" He said to Maple and started to look closely at what she was doing.

After a few moments, he realised what she was doing to do for the most part, and knew it would take long to group them all up by just herself.

Using this moment when they were not attacking him, he started small spells of magic that were meant to force someone back, he didn't have to use alot of magic in these as the sandstorm was giving the necessary boost that he needed.

He managed to blow back atleast 2 of the infected with his spell.

"Alright, whenever you have rounded them up, I will fire my spell!" He told her.

Jack clenching both of his fists as he started gathering magic in them, for a moment he was focusing, but then the sharp burning of the wound on his shoulder forced him out of his focus.

But he was not going to give up, focusing his body to his very limits, he focused on the spell while the pain was still going on.

"Please hurry! I can't hold this for long!" He called out to Maple, as he knew he would lose his focus after 12 seconds.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

After gathering enough of them Maple overclocked her Jets and spun around the group slicing several of them and creating a very small tornado. After all the infected  the air she looked at Jack "Now's your chance! Do it." As she said that she dashed through the infested creating a large amount of pressure to knock them to the ground where Jack would hit them. She landed and dashed away before Jack could fire his magic.

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

When Maple had knocked them on the ground, he fired his spell, a strong magical blast impacted straight into the pile of infected, incinerating all of them, which was very effective it seemed.

He stood there panting, no longer keeping focus on his surroundings.

"That takes care of that... We still have to watch out, I can't say for sure if they have all spotted us or if these happened to just wander by..." Jack said a bit absently.

He looked at his wound, it was still giving off a dark yellow vibe, which didn't look good.

Jack gave a deep sigh and covered it with his hand, but suddenly his ear twitched, and he heard something in the distance, which made him tense up, he did not know what it was, but at this point he was just not able to identify it with the sandstorm going on, which he was already busy with not being blown off his feet by the wind again.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

After the dust cleared Maple noticed Jack struggling She landed near him and shielded him with her wings and that's when she saw the wound giving off what seemed to be a glow. "J... Jack... That doesn't... Look... G... Good." Maples tone was all over the place she was scared because she feared the worst and she'd been through the nightmare herself. "Please... We... We have to... WE need to make sure your ok..."

Evelyn ran up to the two and saw the pile of dead infected "Well it would seem I'm late to the party."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

Jack looked at Maple a bit confused.

"Well, it does burn a bit, but I don't think its that bad, I mean, I have been stabbed, burned, shot, at one point my legs had been burned to the point where they had gotten paralyzed for a long time, surely this wound doesn't compare?" Jack said to her, not realising that for all they knew he could now be infected.

"I am glad you are here, but it isn't over yet, atleast I think, there could still come more, this was a bit small for what you would normally encounter." Jack said to Evelyn.

He then climbed from her tail straight onto her back and placed himself on the saddle.

Jack did put a strong grip on his arms on the saddle, and placed his legs tightly around it, in order to get a good grip on the wind.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Maple didn't want to worry Jack about it so she'd just head with him and Evelyn until she could get a Syringe from someone... But she did want to get or try to use one in this sandstorm but she wasn't going to forget about that wound not after what being infected did to her. She hoped it wasn't infected but that's all she could do since it was already there. She'd probably be crying if should could, just out of fear, confusion and a bit of self-hate for not keeping him safe.

After Jack was safe on the saddle Evelyn started to head to the rest of the group followed by Maple

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

It was after a while that they managed to regroup, especially with the sandstorm still going on.

The army itself was still moving together as they all remained close to each other, though it seemed Betamor was walking at the front of the large moving army, it seemed Karthspire had been scouting ahead alone.

Maple, Jack and Evelyn had been lucky as they had not further encountered any infected.

One of the soldiers suddenly called out "There they are! They have returned." he was saying this specifically to the Equestrian group.

"Boy am i glad that we found them, tough i have to say that  i rather walk through this sandstorm then to have another major enemy force spotting us." Jack admitted as he was looking a bit downwards with his eyes close, so it wouldn't get in his eyes.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Luna ran over to the trio "Is everyone ok?! I worried when you 2 disappeared... You had no idea..." She was clearly worried it was easy to read on her face that she was plus she looked like she was crying... Though the sand could've to dine that

"We're fine Luna," Evelyn said with a smile "As far as I know there are no injuries." She said completely oblivious to Jack's wound.

"Yea... We need to get out of this sandstorm before someone else gets blow away like that." Maple said not wishing to mention jacks wound.

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Well, i..." Jack was however interrupted in mid-sentence as someone suddenly called out, and it was a familiar voice.

"We need to MOVE everyone!! They are right on our heels and are trying to trap us by spreading out, they don't know with how many we are, just that someone is in the sandstorm, so we need to move now!!"  Karthspire shouted trough the sandstorm trough everyone when he had returned.

The mechanical howling of the Warmachine could even be heard throughout the already loud sound of the sandstorm, it was not that close yet but it was close enough to be heard.

"This isn't good..." Jack muttered, knowing how these situations end up all too well.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Maple looked around in the sandstorm she also was thank. "Wait? They saw us... It... It was because of the tornado, wasn't it... Of course they did I shifted the winds so much..." Maple lowered he head. "I'm sorry... It was my stupid move..."

Luna looked at Maple and sighed "Well if that was it you and Jack are safe and we can still get away from those things... Don't punish yourself too harshly for this Maple..." She moved her cooling spell onto Jack worried he was hot "Is everything alright? You seem... unwell..."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"It might not even have been your tornado Maple, for all we know they found us because they were capable of smelling my blood." Jack said.

he hesitated for a moment at Luna's answer, but he then shifted a bit in the saddle so she could see him better, and then showed her his left shoulder.

"I am not sure how deep this went, it does give this burning feeling, but i don't think it is that bad, is it?" Jack asked Luna.

The wound itself had started to get a bit worse, as the dark yellow colour had started to get a stronger outer glow, and had spread a bit more out of his shoulder.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Luna flinched "Is... That what I think it... is?" She stepped away from jack tears forming in her eye "No... Please... Not that..."

Evelyn after hearing Luna freak out turned and saw it too her puplies shrank in fear "Jack I think-" Maple then interrupted her

"That confirms it... Jack we need to get you out of here and to a doctor ASAP! YOu've been infected and I can tell by looking it's BAD get off the saddle and I'll take you back to the city... Iknow this is your sister but you won't make it there... not in that condition... I'm sorry I should've made sure you didn't get hurt... " Maple didn't look up from the sand with her head but her monitor eyes flickered up to him. "And now you're going to meet the same fate as I did"

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

Jack looked at his wound with a mixture of fear and worry, but then deeply sight.

"I don't know how to respond to this, it... seems just so unlikely that it happened fast, but at the same time, i shouldn't be surprised..."

"Listen Maple, I know you want to help me but what you are saying about what we should do now just isn't going to work out. We are already far away from the city, and you are telling me to leave Evelyn and Luna like that, one who is my mother and the other is one of my best friends. After what happened, after i now just realized i got infected, i just don't want this thing to happen again. How is Evelyn capable of helping me if i am to far away? This time she wasn't able to arrive earlier due to the sandstorm."

"Hear me out, we should have a doctor in the army that is travelling with us, there is no reason that they shouldn't bring one with them. I am going to ask the doc for help because this wound is only recent, so the virus shouldn't have spread as of yet. But i want to ask of you, not as just an ally, but a GOOD friend, that you focus on getting my sister out of there if she dies and i was not there... I will never be the same again, how do you think Woody would have felt if you were gone for good and he wasn't there to see you go? It will devastate you for the rest of your life. "

Jack threw the artefact towards Maple, hoping she would catch it.

"If you need guidance, ask my mentor, you should be capable of talking to him if you connect your body with the artefact itself."

"Just please understand that... How much it hurts that every time, i am somewhere, there ends up being danger, and when Evelyn is to far away, i always tend to get hurt, and this case get infected. You are always the first one to jump into battle, so i want you to do this one thing for me, instead of worrying about me right now, get my sister out of there, at all cost, please..." Jack started to tear up a bit." If anybody is capable of doing it, it is you."

"I am getting tired of being constantly separated from Luna and Evelyn, they are my idols and it is one of the things that keeps me going in this wretched existance,  i don't expect you to understand on how i feel, after being imprisoned in that demon realm, being tortured and forced to fight in slave pits, only to later being slowly incorperated as a sleeper agent as his own will, only then will you realise how i truly feel, and why i feel this way.." Jack said as he started to choke a bit on his words.

"Please do it for me... I rather let myself get infected then letting my sister get transformed... Do i have to get infected entirely to get this point across...?  I just want to be happy, but how can i if i am constantly being forced away from the 2 that i feel to be safe and comfortable near, because it happened again, and it costed me this..." Jack said as he pointed at his wound.

"Do it for all of us. Because if she transforms we are all dead."

 

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Maple looked up and jack her expression was blank but that was her bodies fault "I... I understand that... Jack, I'll bring her back... I promise. I won't rest. I won't... I know now what you mean... I swear I'll do everything I can." Jack could tell there was determination in her "I'm just worried about you ya know... I don't want you to... well... Look like me... Not that there's a cure anyways... I'm sorry but Jack It's now my one goal to get your sister back." She nodded to him and ran over to karthspire "Excuse me... Can we go over the plan of attack once we arrive again. I wanna make sure that we cannot fail."

Luna watched her head off. "She did want to do what she thought best... Forgive her for those things she thinks with her heart, not with her head. Though is she sure that it's infection... When Maple was she didn't show that... I think it could be something else... Maybe to do with the weather?"

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

"Of course, I would be a lousy commander if I were to skip that, better to have a proper and long briefing rather then a fast and insufficient briefing that would only be told once. If you could inspire the newer recruits to pick up the pace, that would be appreciated, our officers are having their hands full already as it is. If we can get this pace going we can outrun them, which is a god sent in situations like this." Karthspire told her.

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"I am aware of how she is, and I don't blame her for how she sometimes handles things, I just wish she would have gotten help instead of trying rush in on her own like that, she is a strong and skilled fighter, but like you said she uses her heart rather than her head, it works good for herself but it goes wrong if she ends up having to protect me and herself at the same time, I don't care how skilled someone is, what matters to me is that everybody does something instead of everyone relying on her, hoping that she can get the job done alone, it happenend so many times where she was the only one who was doing something while everyone else is waiting to see how things play out."

"Why didn't you react? If Maple is capable of reacting so fast then you 2 are capable of doing it as well, Evelyn had no means to fight against the wind except by the use of forcing her way through it. Luna, you could have used teleportation or just used a spell to blow the wind out of the way, yet you didn't... I don't want to be criticizing here but it hurts, to be honest... Just please do something, I hate to talk like this but this just cannot go on, if a sniper decides to shoot me through the head then I am gone for good and there is no way to reverse it, which can happen at any moment.. Don't you care for me?" Jack said to Luna with tears, not being angry at her but instead sad and hurt, that she is doing nothing to help in stopping the danger.

"If something bad happens again can the 2 of you please respond right away? Just please don't stand around there, I almost died.. And I might suffer something even worse soon..." He said as he couldn't really hold his tears anymore, he didn't want to criticize them but he had no other choice, for he knows this couldn't go on any longer this way.

He had heard Luna's question about the wound itself but he didn't feel like talking about that right now.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Mickey Adaptus

[Maple Bat 3,568]

"Yes, sir." Maple said with a nod. She opened her wings and flew over to some of them who were moving slower "Hey. Are you all sick? No? Then why aren't you moving there's a giant war machine behind us that we need to get away from. Pick up the pace. Do it for your friends or your loves that are waiting back in the city for you. Do it for the planets yet to fall to the infection. Do it for anyone still left."

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"The problem with teleportation is I have to know where I'm going,..." Luna started to explain calmly to Jack her composure faltered, however. "I didn't know were you, not Maple where because of the storm... Which I knew was a potential danger of the sandstorm... I didn't try to find your jack... I was so worried about you... and Maple too. but I knew she'd be ok... Now because of my stupid actions, I'm going to lose you forever..." Despite all the sand flying in her face Jack could see tears start to form in her eyes.

Edited November 30, 2017 by Maple Bat

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

Jack looked her, it took a moment for him to answer as he felt very bad for Luna

"I won't be dying, not if I can help it, and if I do end dying i..." Jack then was a bit lost for words.

"Don't worry it is ok, just please stay alert alright? Even if I might not have gotten infected after all, it can still happen again, we need to be there for each other if we want to make it through this." Jack told her.

Suddenly gunshots could be heard from afar.

"They are taking potshots at us, we need to move!!" Jack said to the both of them.

 

 

The situation was becoming very tense, some soldiers almost running out of formation in the panic that ensued.

"They have found us,  Ewan, take your squad and cover our flanks, Omari, return fire to our enemies!  And all of you, with me! We are leaving out of this Sandstorm!" Karthspire called out to everyone.

After a 6 minute moment, most of them had emerged out of the sandstorm, and the sight they saw the left side of them was horrific, to say the least. The war machine towering above them like they were ants and the armies surrounding the war machine was massive, Soldiers with high tech rifles, drones, big strains of infected creatures, and soldiers with snipers, all of it were present.

The enemies were firing upon Karthspire's army from afar, not only that but the Warmachine started firing its payload upon them, chaos ensued,  its rocket where impacting like mortars, and screams of pain could be heard everywhere during the bombardment.

"We need to fall back into the hills, keep moving, we need to get distance!!" Karthspire ordered to everyone, and he was right because attacking their enemies in their current situation wouldn't work, getting close would be resulted in being shot down.

One of the rockets had impacted close to where Luna and the others were, while a other rocket had been close to where Ember was.

'We are going to die!!' Jack screamed in his thoughts, he was horrified with what situation they had to face now.

He clutched the saddle as he started shaking, not wanting to open his eyes.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Maple opened her wings, She was about to fight the war machine as she did any other threat but she stopped and closed her wings "I can't... I'm needed." She turned away from the giant "Let's move. We can still get away! Step it up!" She ordered nearby troop "And pull yourselves together if we scatter now we show Weakness!"

 

Luna created a barrier around the trio it was a VERY strong barrier "Eveylen lets move quickly. This can only really take one shot from that thing and even then we'll still get hurt. Hurry."

Eveylen nodded "It's a plan then. Lets hurry to where it can't see us then we can take reprise, otherwise, we're done for."

Luna nodded "If nothing else I can teleport you two. But right now... Plan A. I promise we'll be fine."

 

When the shot impacted near ember she looked over at Festus who'd been closer to the explosion. "Festus!" She looked around for him as he'd get blown away by it.

After he landed on his back, Festus started to breathing heavily. He was charred a bit on his left side but that'd come off, He had just lost his breath. He wasn't going anywhere on his own. "E... Ember..." He managed to say.

Ember ran over and picked him up "Are you ok? That was really close to you!"

Festus managed a small, weak laugh "Yea..." 

Edited December 1, 2017 by Maple Bat

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

The battle was raging on, the soldiers who were fighting near Maple where trying to give it their all, bullets and explosion scattering all over the places, but they seemed to manage somewhat in holding the line, while most where falling back, a small group was instead of falling back, still holding the line, fighting to the very last man. "We shall never falter! We shall never tire! Only in death does our duty end!!" Came a warcry from that group, as it looked like they weren't going to fall back, but fight to the very end so the others could escape.

Jack looked up for a moment and saw to his horror that something had happened to his friend.

"Oh no, Festus!" Jack exclaimed, "We need to help Ember and Festus, they are in trouble!"

It looked like seeing Festus in that state made Jack come back to his battle senses.

"We need to do it fast, that war machine will fire soon again!"

And what Jack was saying was true, as the war machine itself seemed to be readjusting its aim, soon being ready to fire again.

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Maple saw the giant Machine now aiming at Ember and a now injured Festus, someone who she'd personally grown to like "No you don't!" She opened her wings, Spurred by the lines of the soldiers She put her jets into overdrive and rushed the machine at full speed "I won't let you hurt them! Not anymore!" She didn't have enough force alone to do anything though...

 

Luna saw Maple charging the machine. She stared at it and used her magic to boost Maple's speed and she also gave her a slight magic shell hoping that it would prevent her from bending her body too much on impact. "That'll save them. I know it." Luna said content that Maple's impact was going be timed just right.

 

Celestia saw Maple charge quickly too and saw Luna, and Jack in trouble she also saw Maple rushing the machine but she knew it wasn't going to be enough to knock it off balance alone. She fired a fast, powerful beam of sunlight at one of the legs the beam wasn't strong damage wise but it had a lot of force behind it.

 

Maple's impact on the machine was extremely strong it had enough force to blow back a lot of sand behind the machine from the shockwave and she with hit her shoulder, Luna's magic took most of it but it bent, not enough to sever any wire connections but enough to affect her movement until it was fixed. After the inital impact Maple didn't let up she was doing all she could to force the machine to fire and miss the army.

 Evelyn and Ember both ran a good distance, both with similar objectives, Luna following Evelyn keeping up the barrier shielding them. 'How did they find us? Do you think that we were sabotaged? You know... By the one who wants to take out Karthspire?' Evelyn thought to Jack.

Ember and Evelyn met up on a dune and Luna exanded the shield "Is everyone alright? Festus? Jack?"

Festus gave a thumbs up that he was alright

Edited December 1, 2017 by Maple Bat

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

The soldiers that had followed Maple where trying to draw enemy fire off her, but it became apparent that was not really going to work well, the enemy were with so many that they didn't need to focus all of their fire on specific targets, but rather could divide their attacks instead.

Snipers and normal soldiers were shooting at Maple, but the snipers were aiming at something specific, her Jet engines, 1 or 2 direct hits could cause some serious damage to them if they hit the fuel part.

But at the same time soldiers where shooting at Celestia as well, although they didn't use snipers on her because they had no need to unlike against Maple who was a machine and only had specific parts in her body that could get damaged by bullets more easily compared to her overall plating that was resilient to bullets itself.

The war machine itself was having difficulty moving forwards because of Maple's and Celestia's efforts, its leg getting forced a bit back, which was an incredible feet to accomplish because of its sheer size and strength.

Though it did not have the full desired effect that they had hoped, with its aim getting interfered, it instead decided to aim more upwards, and fire its rocket into a higher mortar like a barrage, it was not early as accurate as its previous attacks, but it was better than not firing at all.

The missiles itself didn't hit alot, but mostly created a wide separation between the army, as they had to spread out, or where blown away from the forces of those missiles.

One of those missiles impacts pretty close to where Luna and the others where all the damage it did was put a good amount of pressure on Luna's barrier but was not nearly enough to break it.

 

"Yeah, I am fine as well I think, apart from... You know." Jack replied to Luna with a nod.

He then heard Evelyn's question and thought about it for a moment.

'I think you are right, we where definitely sabotaged, the way how we ran into that strike force was way too convenient, Karthspire wouldn't lead us into something like this but rather take a safer route rather then try and go past the enemies like that, which means that this *person* must have somehow attracted this strikeforce to our location. But i don't think that this *person* would even consider trying to aid our enemies, no way from how our enemies would just kill him as well, I think he planned this and did some things in order to dispose of us, or more importantly Karthspire, and make it seem like he would have died during battle instead of an assassination.' Jack thought to her.

He looked hung his head over Festus, leaning a bit out of his saddle and looked him in the eyes.

"Festus, are you sure you are ok? You where really close to that explosion." Jack asked him with worry, but then something happened, it was subtle, but for a moment his eyes turned that hated golden colour that every infected had, but just for an about 2 seconds before it faded again, but long enough for Festus to see.

 

Edited December 1, 2017 by Mickey Adaptus

[Maple Bat 3,568]

Festus looked at Jack "I'm fine it knicked the breath out of m-" He froze when he saw the golden part in his eyes and just started to sob hysterically "Why... Why did it have to be you?"

Ember flinched "Whoa... Are you alright?! Did you hurt your head? That was out of the blue!" Festus couldn't respond at all through the sobbing. Ember hadn't noticed the golden eye thing herself.

 

Maple dodged a few of the shots, one hit a wing but didn't rupture. She was hit with a second shot which did rupture one, It exploded and charred the wing badly she crashed into the ground after losing control of her flight. "... This... Is it for me... Huh? Hehe... to think..." It was then Celestia appeared and teleported herself and Maple over to the others "... T... Thank you, princess... I owe you everything now..."

[MickeyAdaptus 2,209]

Jack looked at him with a mixed expression of devastation and guilt.

"You... you saw it didn't you? This confirms it, after all these 7 years I had never gotten infected, but my luck was bound to run out sometime." Jack said with sadness.

He stood there for a while, looking at Festus, knowing to his great sadness that he eventually never see Festus again.

"I don't how to react to it, but... I can atleast try to slow the infection down, giving myself a few more weeks, but when it reaches the heart, it's all over. So I am going to make those last weeks count. But if I can get my sister out of there, and if she hasn't transformed already, then not everything is in vain, because atleast one pure person of my bloodline will then still remain." Jack said to everyone, giving them only a short glance when he saw Maple laying there, one of her wings badly damaged.

"You shouldn't attempt to fly for now Maple, that doesn't look good, atleast not until you get proper repairs. Though I really do admire what you did to hold off that machine when it was about to target Ember and Festus." Jack said to her eying her for  a moment before turning back to everyone, while he did admire what Maple did, he din't like that she once again tried to stop something so big all on her own like that until Celestia started helping.

"We should get moving soon. It is already dangerous waiting here." He reminded them.

 

Tough they were still at a safe spot, the war machine now rotating its head again, fixing for an aim, but the armies were already retreating at a fast rate, and wouldn't get so fast now that they where on the move.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Mickey Adaptus