Ancient Equestria Arc 2: Starswirl's betrayal.

[Cloudchaser]

Updated character sheets!

Joe's Character:
Status: Alive.
Name: Night Vera
Race: Unicorn
Age: 26
Sex: Female
Cutie Mark (If Available):


Appearance:
Skills: Very skilled with small daggers and blades, sharp eyes.
Personality: A lot more talkative than before and has gained a stronger confidence in herself thanks to Inysa and hers relationship.
Unusual Traits: Usually notices stuff others may miss.


Combat: Uses her rogue like abilities to sneak around behind people and take them out silently or rush head long into the fray and slice and dice anyone that comes to close.
Weapon Skills: Swords, daggers and small blades.
Weapons available: Dual daggers given to her as a gift.


History: A bunch of raiders burned down her home town when she was a baby, Queen Faust found her amongst the burning ruins and raised Night Vera as one of her own daughters. Lived a peaceful life as the highest rank of noble without being a Princess until the age of 15 when she explored some dark magic and somehow accidentally teleported herself into the bandits hideout that had burned down her village 15 years ago and killed her parents.
Dressed in only a fine dress and no weapons to speak of she was cornered and was almost going to be raped when something inside her snapped and she drew the blade of one of the bandits and started cutting and slicing anyone who came close, eventually wiping out the entire hideout.
She was eventually found crying and sobbing with a dress torn in pieces by the very guild master of the Shadow Clan rogue guild who had been sent to find where Night Vera had ended up. He saw potential in her to become a skilled rogue and asked the Queen if he could personally train her which the Queen agreed too.
Night Vera eventually succeeded as the guild master of the Shadow Clan guild and became a living legend, now she's found some friends to care about and even found a lover in Inysa.


Allegiance: Queen Faust and her daughters Luna and Celestia, Shadow Clan rogue guild and her friends.

Allies: Shadow Clan rogue guild members and her friends she met during the mission to Dragost.

Relationship: In love with Inysa.

Status: Alive.
Name: Wind Catcher
Race: Pegasus.
Age: 28
Sex: Female
Cutie Mark (If Available): A cloud with wind blowing around it.


Appearance:
Skills: Swift thinker and an agile flyer.
Personality: Goofy and tends to not take things very seriously and has a tendency to snap and turn angry.
Unusual Traits: Can catch the wind and use it offensively in combat to turn the tides of a battle quickly, only usable when being overwhelmed and there's a strong enough wind to manipulate.  

Combat: She dual wields a pair of swords and is usually the first one to rush into combat.
Weapon Skills: Swords.
Weapons available: A pair of specially crafted swords.

History: Wind Catcher having been born a pegasus from her mother's side, she was sent off to flight camp when Night Vera was still a baby. When she heard the news that her home town had been raided she rushed as fast as the wind would carry her but arrived too late. Her home town had burnt down, corpses were lying everywhere and her parents corpses lay amongst the ruins of her house of birth. She swore she would get revenge on who ever had done the deed but was again too late as a few years down the line the news of the bandit raiders camp that had attacked Wind Catcher's home town had been found and everyone had been killed by a member that was presumed to be from Shadow Clan guild. Furious over not being able to get revenge on those that killed her family she enlisted in the same army that Eagle Blade was in.

Years passed and Wind Catcher is now a lieutenant of the Canterlot army, she leads a small group of specialised pegasi that excel in quick strike missions. During the battle at Dragost she caught a glimpse of the bearers of the elements of harmony and was awed at what their friendship could achieve and she wished she could've been part of it.

Now Wind Catcher is on a special mission, she is too investigate rumours of the sightings of a new creature in the everfree forest but things did not go exactly as planned for her and her unit.

Allegiance: Canterlot and Cloudsdale.
Allies: The 3 other members of her special unit.
Relationship: Sister to Night Vera.

---

Arualsti's character:
Status: Alive.
Name: Needlepoint
Race:Pegasus
Age: 20
Sex: F
Cutie Mark (If Available): Patch with a heart in it
Appearance:
Wears simple leather armour underneath a riding cloak. Half her cutie mark in scratched off on one side

Skills: Agile and nimble, a skilled flyer and proficient in many of the languages and cultures of Equestria and the neighbouring lands. Much more cautious than she once was.
Personality: Calm, quiet and dignified, but sometimes her rambunctious and excitable personality seeps through the lady-like facade she had in her upbringing.
Unusual Traits: Can drink most any pony under the table.


Combat: Very fast and agile, with quick reflexes.
Weapon Skills: Swords and small daggers. Also skilled in hoof to hoof combat
Weapons available: A long thin black sword that she took from a guard in Dragost. Does not stain with blood or dull.


History: Born to a lord of the Pegasus tribe, descendant of Commander Hurricane, nothing more was expected of Needlepoint than to be quiet and beautiful. Her only future was to marry another member of minor nobility and squeeze out colts and fillies. She studied the languages and cultures of the land, as any noble mare should, but in secret also learnt how to fight, watching her older brother’s spar. At the age of 15, her father announced she was to marry a young lord she had never met. They argued, and in the dead of night she stole a sword and never looked back. Life on the road was tough, and she quickly had to put everything she learnt into practice.
During the quest to Dragost Needlepoint faced her past and killed the stallion she was supposed to marry. She also found love in the hooves of Eagle Blade and learnt to excise caution in battle
Allegiance: Queen Faust and the Princesses Celestia and Luna
Allies: She still has a frosty relationship with her father, but she still counts her brothers as allies.
Relationship: None atm.

Name: Balm
Race: Crystal Earth Pony
Age:34
Sex: Male
Cutie Mark (If Available): Heart with a bandage wrapped around it.


Appearance: Amber coat with a sea blue mane in a variety of colours. His coat shimmers brightly when he is happy or feels love, and turns dull when he is scared or sad
Skills: Healer and potion maker.
Personality: Doesn’t like fighting or bloodshed, would rather use non violet ways to defeat his enemies (by knocking them out, escaping etc)
Unusual Traits: Short and thin by earth pony standards.


Combat: Uses a wide range of potions and poisons to defeat his enemies, ones that blow up, are full of sticky substance that glues them together, ones that create a smoke screen.
Weapon Skills: Almost none.
Weapons available: Aside from a wide range of potions, he also has a small blade used for cutting up ingredients.


History: Never knew his parents and was raised in an orphanage run by religious ponies who worshipped Celestia and Luna like deities. He was taught to respect all life and learnt there how to become a healer
Allegiance: Luna and Celestia, Crystal Empire.
Employment: Church of the Sun and Moon healers
Allies: Other church members

---

Jake's character:

Status: Alive.
Name: Eagle Blade
Race: Pegasi
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Cutie Mark (If Available):  



Appearance: Large white colored pegasus, with red and white hair: Wings have highlighted red feathers. Wears a red cape, adorned with wings and a spear going through it, along with white and red steel armor.
Skills: Spear fighting
Personality: Caring, calm, rational. The complete opposite of what he was before he was cured of his sickness
Unusual Traits: Ones of the calmest Military Ambassadors there are.


Combat: Spear
Weapon Skills: Blades, spears, axes
Weapons available: Serrated Sun Spear.

History: Originally a warrior for the Pegasi tribe, Eagle never saw the use in trying to stop the inevitable. The death of his companions came as no shock to him. At the age of 20, he left his home to become a soldier for Queen Faust, but was kicked out for his brutality and lack of emotion towards fellow soldiers. Instead, he became a blade for hire, killing anything and anything. But in reality, he was outcast from his own home, deemed a murderer and a traitor. After he stopped the dictatorship of his home cloud, he helped restore order, and put his ponies in good hooves. After he finished with that, he became ambassador of the military, answering only to the call of Queen Faust, and her two daughters, his personal friends.
Allegiance: Queen Faust and her daughters.
Employment: Pegasi Military Ambassador.
Allies: Equestrian Military.
Relationship: In love with Needlepoint.


Name: Steel
Race: Earthpony
Age:49
Sex: M
Cutie Mark (If Available): Steel Ingot


Appearance: Steel plated armor, toned with purple edges, with a full face masked helmet and tattered cape. Underneath is a light blue Earthpony, with a light blue tail, and purple eyes.
Skills: Defender.
Personality: Calm, quiet, and calculating.
Unusual Traits: Can carry massive amounts of equipment without being fatigued


Combat: Heavy blade combat. Slow moving, yet fairly quick fighting technique
Weapon Skills: Broadswords/ Claymores.
Weapons available: A Damascus Steel Zweihander Broadsword.

History: Once a guard for her majesty, Queen Faust, Steel was a highly trained expert in the art of intimidation. A strong leader, as well as a quiet one, Steel lead the forces of Queen Faust and her daughters to victory multiple times against the barbarians of the north, including but not limited to: Diamond Dogs, Minotaur Tribals, Earthpony brutes, among other things. After narrowly escaping death in the Battle of Welps Reach, Steel left the military for a much more quiet life as a bladesmith. After settling down and making a family, Steel was thrown back into the fray, when a Diamond Dog and Minotaur tribal raid happened in the town his family was in. His children were torn limb by limb in front of Steel's face. After the battle, Steel was informed that these monsters had been sent from Dragost, possessed by a great Evil. From there, Steel joined the Equestrian Military once more, ready to fight to the end to this enemy. While the military turned him away, due to his slight limp from his previous military expereince, they quickly pulled him back in after they saw his training with broadswords. He now serves as a frontline fighter for the Equestrian Military.
Allegiance: Queen Faust
Employment: Brute Fighter
Allies: Equestrian Military

---

Derpy's character:

Status: Alive
Name: Rhuno
Race: Minotaur
Age: 28
Sex: M

Appearance: Albino. Right horn cracked in half. Blue eyes. About 2.5 ponies in height.
Skills: Very strong. Can carry carts or wagons with ease. Can use two handed weapons and shields. Also can wear heavy armor.
Personality: Paragon. Goofy most of the time. Always wants to be the hero.
Unusual Traits: Can roar, causing enemies defense and armor to fall.

Combat: Tank. Go in headfirst as a damage sponge, allowing allies to flank. High health and armor, slow attack speed.
Weapon Skills: Two handed weapons and shields.
Weapons available: Two handed great axe and a metal buckler.

Story so far: After adventuring with the other characters, Rhuno spent his haitus in Canterlot with Night Vera. He picked up some stealth moves and sneaky skills whilst staying with her. But because he is a Minotaur, he will prolly never use them. Useless ability point HO!
Allies: Princesses, Night Vera, Inysa, Eagle Blade, Needlepoint.

Character mainly controlled by Joe until arc 2 ends:

Status: Alive.
Name: Inysa
Race: Unicorn
Age: 18
Sex: Female
Cutie Mark (If Available): A white star


Appearance: A grey pony with a red mane and a red tail.
Skills: A fierce battle mage
Personality: She has a cute personality, get's embarrassed easy and is extremely nice basically. This will be changing during arc 2.
Unusual Traits: None.


Combat: She has a wide range of spells she can use, but being a battle mage, she has use of any sword or blunt weapon.
Weapon Skills: She is a expert blade user. She can use blunt weapons but she prefers blades as they are quicker and kill faster.
Weapons available: Sword, Axe or Hammer.


History: Inysa's mother was a mage, her father was a great warrior. They raised their only daughter in the town of Haywater, teaching her everything they knew. An unfortunate day came when bandits raided their home and Inysa's mother and father were slain. Inysa however, being the age she was, was left alone crying in the corner.
After the death of her parents when she was 15, she was forced to work as a maid within the mansion at Haywater, she has been here since and has to wear a collar around her neck to stop her from being able to use her magic.
Allegiance: None.
Employment: Free spirit.
Allies: A few.

---

[King of batponies]

Inysa walked away from the group into the horizon. She didn’t look back at all for she had a place to be in a week. She was turning 18 in a weeks’ time and her promise… her promise to her parents to visit the shrine of the White Fang Mountains. It was there she would find a single pony, an old pony who would take her to the next step of her power. This was to be done alone so she could never look back.

A few hours had passed and Inysa found herself walking through a forest. The leaves danced with the breeze, the moonlight broke through the leaves occasionally to make a shimmering affect upon the air. It was soothing for her to walk through; she let her mind dance with the leaves as she walked. Continuing down the path she found a small cave which she decided was a good place to set up camp for the night. Settling down she cooked herself some food and then getting some rest. As she was falling asleep she thought about what the others were doing. Needle and Eagle were heading to the cloud, Rhuna and Vera to Canterlot and here she was sleeping in a cave. A few moments passed and she fell asleep and was soon dreaming of fighting creatures. Even as she slept she was training for next week’s events.

Morning arrived and Inysa packed her things and began walking. Six days remained of solid walking. Taking a second to look at the map she drew herself, she was walking in the wrong direction. This was intentional as she was heading to a portal, the only real way to get to the shrine. Due to the laws of practising… weird thing… the shrine is sealed away and even the royalty has no idea it exists. Exiting the forest she was in, she came across a massive plain. Stopping to take a look at the view, Inysa let off a small smile to herself and then continued walking. The plains went on for miles an before she realised it, night had fallen. The weather was nice so she decided that it would be best to sleep under the stars for tonight.

The morning of the third day and more walking, the plains kept on stretching out but Inysa knew that at the very centre of this land stood a lonely rock. This was the portal rock. She had to get there no matter what. Inysa became tired from walking on this day but carried on no matter what. The weather turned to rain which slowed her down. The loss of speed was enough to make her realise that she was going to have to sacrifice sleep so she cast a spell of awakening later on that night. The winds increased and the rain came pounding down but Inysa kept walking.

The fourth day arrived and Inysa was still walking. She had walked through the night and had not stopped to eat or to drink. She was feeling faint but her motivation to get to the shrine was more than enough. She kept walking like this until she reached the rock by the sixth day.

Too exhausted to go straight to the shrine, she was a day early after all, she thought it would be nice to have a nice long sleep so she laid down, closed her eyes and soon enough it was morning. The rock stall tall and proud in front of Inysa as the sun shone down upon her. She whispered a few words in an ancient language and a door appeared on the rock. She entered the door and inside was a hole big enough for a key. Inysa placed a hoof in her bag and pulled out a silver key to place inside the hole. Her vision faded and soon enough she was stood outside the shrine.

Walking towards the shrine triggered the small cones on the edge of the path to light on fire. This amazed Inysa; she had waited 18 years for this moment. This one day. Upon approaching the shrine a mystical voice called out to her.

“Place it on the table”

Inysa understood the request and took out the piece of metal she had been carrying around with her all this time and then placed it upon the table.

“Ah, let me analyse your progress…”

A short amount of time passes with no noise at all, not even the wind.

“Inysa, you have done well in your task. Well enough to have even gained the interest from a special someone. Let me introduce the ruler of the underworld”

Two ponies stood in front of Inysa, one old white stallion and an old black stallion. Both of them looked battle hardened and fierce despite being old.

“Hello Inysa” They both said in unison

“Hello master and leader of the underworld” She politely greeted them both

“I am glad to see that you completed the task sent to you, storing magic in this useless lump of metal but not only did you store light magic, there is dark magic here too. Which is why my friend is here today, we need to go through something with you… you are… let’s say, unique to us” The white stallion starts speaking “With the powers of both light and dark, the first of our candidates to achieve this, you have been able to store both in this piece of metal. Now you may wonder why you are unique so listen. This metal can create a sword capable of using dark and light magic simultaneously. This has never before been seen in the history of Equestria. Alright, close your eyes Inysa, I want to show you this sword” the stallion instructed Inysa

Inysa closed her eyes and saw the vision of a pure metal sword; it looked like a katana, but seemed pretty useless. Then she saw herself walk up to this sword and it begins glowing white as she charges it with light magic, giving it a light swing it emits a dangerous aura and then it happened. A strike of energy followed the swords movements practically changing it into a ranged weapon. Next she witnessed the power of the dark magic. A black flame engulfed the sword and Inysa saw herself swinging it, orange flames followed the mystical sword as she danced around with it. This form also had a special move, she span around twice and created a whirlwind of fire which went in a direction she aimed for a few meters. So as well as being a ranged weapon in light form, it was a close ranged fire storm in dark form.

Opening her eyes she saw that the two stallions had turned the metal which was on the table into this sword. Inysa’s eyes lit up at the sight, she was truly happy at what they had done for her.

“Go on, take it for a spin” The black stallion laughed

Inysa picked up the sword and let her body move freely, the sword felt like an extension to her body. It glided through the air. She used her light magic and it began to glow white. It was real, this sword was real. The ranged attack was real. She then charged it with dark magic and that too was real. The fire whirlwind was real. It was an effortless sword. It felt like she was the swords master, not the other way around. Inysa turned to the two stallions with tears rolling down her face.

“Thank you so much master” She said happily

“No problem Inysa, my greatest candidate. I must warn you though, if you use the dark magic too much you will find your mind will slowly become corrupted with power. You will kill all who stand before you, even if they are your friends or loved ones. Another thing which you probably noticed is the amount of mental strain using the swords special abilities actually do to you. You can happily use the light or dark magic but only use the special abilities when you really need them, which is what they are there for. If you use too much power in battle, you will find yourself passing out and that is the worst possible scenario” The white stallion spoke clearly to Inysa

“I see, I did feel a slight exhaustion after using the abilities, as long as I keep a balance between the dark and light blade I am sure my mind will not corrupt” Inysa smiled back

“I want you to spend the next week training against me, with your new sword. Once you can beat me in a one on one battle. Then you have successfully finished your training and your parent’s hard work will have finally paid off”

“I will train with you master, and I will beat you” Inysa had a glint in her eye when she said this.

The next few days were the same old thing for Inysa. Blocking with the sword, countering with the sword, attacking with the sword… it was only with this training could she beat her master and succeed. Another part of the training was mental stability, this involved sitting right on the mountain edge and just thinking. Mental stability is one of the most valuable forms of training for a sword wielder and even a mage. Without it, they can become power hungry due to how effortless killing actually is. The training was very in depth and tiring, but finally the end of the week had come.

After sitting down for their last meal, Inysa and the white stallion sat talking before the sun began to set. Sunset was their battle time, the moment Inysa had been waiting for all week. She was ready to beat her master. The first thing which happened was they both withdrew their swords. The white stallion then enchanted both swords so they could do no damage. Next, they both chose a single spell to use. This spell was also single use so if used early, it would be pointless. They both stood facing each other and as soon as the sun set, the battle started.

Inysa used her spell straight away for she had chosen a speed spell. It quickened her attacks and reflexes. She wanted to win quickly. She swung at the white stallion multiple times but he stood and effortlessly blocked every attack except the last which he made a counter attack. Noticing what he had done, Inysa quickly jumped into the air and swung her sword back into his. The stallion’s sword barely missed her right hind leg. Upon landing on her hoofs, she ran around the stallion multiple times to try and disorientate him, upon seeing him struggle to keep up she made a swift strike upon his rear leg. Contact was made. Inysa had won a point but it was best of three. The old stallion finally decided it was time to use his spell, duplicate. He was now holding two identical swords. The battle went on for another ten minutes before another contact was made, this time it was the white stallion upon Inysa’s back. She had let her guard down and the stallion did a twirling double cut. This unfairly scored him two points. Her eyes began to water from pain of her legs. Battles never usually lasted this long but she was certain she could win. The stallion had relaxed a little from previously so Inysa was easily able to break his guard and strike him once upon the chest. A single point was needed for each member. Inysa was thinking of throwing some ranged strikes with light magic but at this point she would collapse from exhaustion. It was worth a shot, she had to try something. Closing her eyes she channelled light magic into the sword, it began to glow white. Dancing around her master, she swung the sword lightly through the air, each strike firing a wave of energy at him. He blocked every single strike Inysa made against him. It was useless; she stopped channelling the magic and decided to fight normally. She had grown too tired to block attacks with the sword so she just side stepped every single one. The stallion was showing visual signs of exhaustion. Both of them made a final strike and each landed there hit on the other. Inysa fell to the floor and so did the white stallion.

Morning came before both of the ponies woke up on the shrine floor.

“We both made a final strike and we both landed them. I am really glad my friend over there came to join us as he can tell us who landed the strike first.” The white stallion cheerfully said to Inysa

Both of them walked over to the mysterious black stallion.

“Inysa, you did well. You landed the strike first” The black stallion stated

Inysa was overjoyed and began crying tears of joy; she fell to the floor and just sat in amazement. Her entire life had a purpose, she won the fight.

“I am glad for you Inysa; you are a very strong fighter. I have seen many a battle before but I have never had a one on one which lasted four hours. To be fair, if that was a real fight you would have won sooner as the strike to my leg would have been a critical location. I would not have been able to manoeuvre correctly. Anyway, your training is complete, I would like to see you achieve greatness in your life. Make me proud” The old stallion said proudly

“Thank you master. I do have a request though, can you teleport me to Canterlot?” Inysa Asked

“Yes, sure. Also, please don’t refer to me as master anymore, if anything, you are now the master”

Following that, the old white stallion teleported Inysa to Canterlot, upon arriving, Inysa went looking for Vera to tell her the good news and to show her new sword off to Vera and Rhuno.

[Arualsti]

Needlepoint awoke to a bustling and crashing from outside her room. She groggily turned over to look out the window at the source of the noise, but accidently put pressure on one of her many wounds and she flopped back to her original position, groaning in pain.

An old, withered looking pegasus mare hurried up to her with a bowl of water. She pressed the lips against Needle’s mouth, forcing her to drink the cold liquid.

“My Lady Needlepoint!” she snapped, her wings ruffling “You must rest yourself, Eagle Blade commanded me to make sure you were in fit and fighting condition as soon as possible. “

Needle scowled, but continued to drink without complaint. She even let the cantankerous old crone scrub her down with a wet cloth and feed her a lumpy and flavourless broth.

The routine continued for a while, the hours turned to days, the days into weeks, and Needle could feel her strength return to her. She would frequently stare at the door, waiting for a visit from Eagle, from anyone really, anyone other than the surly nurse. One day, 3 weeks after the events of Dragost, Needlepoint pulled herself out of bed whilst she was unattended. She placed her hooves on the ground, testing them, slowly putting weight on them. They shook, but did not give way. Slowly, and with some difficulty, she made her way to the mirror on one side of the room. As she stared at her reflection, she was shocked. She had lost a lot of weight and muscle during her time in bed, her ribs showing on her side. Her wing was fixed and flapped without pain, though it felt a little stiff. She had scars running down her back and sides, thin white ones, and, on one side, her cutie mark was gone. Not completely, but a good half had been obliterated under a mass of ugly scars. Needle had to choke back some tears. Part of who she was, was gone. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen, so Needle shrugged and made her way to the door, pushing it open. The stallion she was looking for had seen her naked anyway.

The cloud city was cold, then warm, then wet. Ponies soared above her, pushing clouds, arguing with each other about what weather system should be where. Needlepoint rolled her eyes and trotted on. She wasn’t the only pony naked, that was for sure, but it was only usually stallions or young fillies and colts that had the luxury of running around without clothes. A well developed mare with a steely look in her eyes was bound to turn heads. And it did. Stallions wolf whistled, mares turned their noses up, and the young ones giggled behind their hooves. She stopped abruptly in front of a weather pony who was taking a break from work.

“Excuse me sir, please would you tell me the way to the palace?” Needle said abruptly, yet courteously.

The stallion leaned back, leering at her, drinking in her body with his eyes.

“I don’t know about that, missy” He drawled, biting his lip and staring at her rump. “My memory is awfully bad, could use a little jogging. Maybe if you turn around and lift your tail, gimme a good look at that pussy of yours, I might just remember where you should go.”

Needlepoint grimaced then leapt on the stallion pinning him to the ground, one hoof pressed against his neck. She was weak and light enough for the stallion to through her off, if he wasn’t so surprised.

“Is this jogging your memory?” She shouted in his ear. “The palace. Now, please”

The stallion quivered his mouth opening and closing silently, as though he was trying to think of a response. Instead he lifted a shaking hoof and pointed out a direction.

“Thank you” Needlepoint said, jumping off him, lifting him to his hooves. She bowed her head slightly then trotted off.

In no time at all she came upon the palace, quite a bit separate from the rest of the cloud, across a thin cloud bridge with many holes and breaks. Ponies soared above it with ease, but none walked on it. Readying herself, Needlepoint leapt into the air, her wings beating furiously. To her surprise, she began to fly. After so long, it was wonderful to be in the air, to feel the wind swirl around her, and a sense of freedom that could be found nowhere else. She made her way toward the palace, swooping from side to side. She was definitely a lot stiffer on one side, her movements not as tight or clean as she was used to. It would take a lot of practice to get back to her old flying skills.

She landed, a little clumsily, at the front doors of the palace, guarded by two fat, old stallions. They lazily levelled their spears at her as she approached.

“Who goes there?” One snapped “You can’t just wander in off the cloud, especially all...naked...”

Needlepoint snorted indignantly “I am Needlepoint, I am a...” she trailed off, looking for the right word “...friend of Eagle Blade. Please let me in to see him, or at least let him know I am outside”

The fatter of the two was about to protest, when the doors swung open and out strode Eagle Blade, flocked by a group of ponies, shouting very angrily at a terrified looking stallion.

“...weather isn’t sorted out by tonight I’ll buck you into a thunder cloud. Understand?” he roared. The stallion nodded his head and took off as another pony pulled up to Eagle’s side to take a verbal beating. Just as Eagle was about open his mouth again, he walked straight into Needlepoint, knocking her flat on her back.

“Watch where you are going you stu-...oh, Needlepoint, what are you doing here?” He asked, suddenly a lot calmer, blushing slightly as he took in her angry, naked body.

“I felt better” she said shortly “I wondered where you had gotten to, you haven’t come to visit in weeks”

Eagle grinned sheepishly “I’ve been busy Needle, trying to get the Mothercloud back to a working state, it’s been...time consuming. I’ll come to you quarters tonight, for dinner”

With that he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and was on his way, followed by his entourage.

Needle returned to her room and waited. Her nurse was extremely angry at her disappearance, yet still insisted she looked her best for Eagle’s arrival. She brushed her mane and tried to force her to wear a violet gown, which Needle refused. They compromised on a simple earthy brown cloak, that covered most of her modesty. Needle waited again. The hours ticked on by, until late into the night. And yet Eagle still never showed. The next morning Needle woke to find a note addressed to her. It was from Eagle, apologising profusely for last night, promising the two would go flying together that afternoon. All the morning Needle practiced soaring and swooping. She didn’t want to appear too rusty in front of Eagle. And yet, as the sun began to set and bathe her room in an orange glow, Needle was sure he was not going to show.
This continued for the next week. Eagle showering her with empty promises of spending time together, and Needle stuck in a perpetual cycle of waiting for the stallion who’d never show. A full month after Dragost, Needle had had enough. She gathered all her possessions, some food and armour and left the cloud without a sound. She left a note on her dresser, addressed to Eagle, unsure when it would reach him, if at all. It read:

“Dear Eagle, I have waited and waited for you, but now I cannot wait any longer. I am sure when the day comes that you have time to spare you’ll be able to find me again and share in another adventure. But until then, goodbye”

With a heavy heart, Needle descended back toward the solid ground, to live her own life again.

10 months had passed since Needlepoint had left the Mothercloud. Eagle had never found her, and she sometimes wondered whether he had looked. Nowadays she barely thought of him, instead thinking about her daily life in Wisp.

Wisp was a tiny Pegasus community right on the fringe of Equestria, where golden sand stretched for miles in front of a rich, blue ocean. Thick palms with heavy fruit lined the back of the beach, and miles of emerald green grass stretched on behind that. The clouds of Wisp were thin and light, only able to support a small house a piece, with any large buildings built on the ground. As a result, Wisp was a simple community, not concerned with grandeur and riches, only concerned with growing old and happy as a community. Needlepoint had helped Wisp many months ago when a tropical storm had threatened to wipe the village out. Their weather ponies had no experience dealing with clouds of such size and ferocity, but Needle had managed the curb the wind and rain before anyone was hurt. As a result, Needle was promptly named head weather pony of Wisp, and she quickly found no reason to leave. The weather rarely needed tending to, it was mostly glorious on its own. Her duties mostly consisted of a weekly flight to find a rain cloud to water the crops, and to remove any threats of storms before they happened. The rest of the time she helped out around the village, teaching young fillies and colts how to fly, and helping builder ponies make stronger and more resilient home clouds. This was her home now. She felt like she belonged somewhere for the first time. Needle thought back to the night when she and Eagle made love, how content she felt with another pony beside her. Maybe this was the second time she felt like she belonged somewhere. That was until the letter came.

It was a beautiful, yet otherwise ordinary day in Wisp. Needlepoint was skimming the ocean, a trail of foals following her shakily.

“Now, you have to be able to change height and speed quickly, but only slightly when navigating waves, otherwise you’ll end up underwater” Needle shouted back at them.

As if on cue, a wave swelled underneath them and the group dropped into the hollow. As they sped forward and the wave rolled toward them, Needle adjusted her wings slightly and rose above the wave, barely an inch from the water. The group followed, some pulling up too sharply and darting into the air, others too little, and getting a face full of salt water. Needle turned round and helped those who landed in the water back out, gave each pony some individual pointers, then repeated the lesson. After the sixth wave had been navigated, and most of the students perfecting their technique, Needle spotted a dark speck on the horizon, growing closer and closer. It was the wrong shape for a bird, and too small for a dragon, which could only mean it was a pony. Needle quickly gathered the foals and took them back to shore. Strange ponies from foreign lands where not always bad news, Needle was a shining example of that, but even the most isolated of communities knew of the war-like ferocity the pegsus tribes of Equestria possessed, and Wisp was always wary of scout ponies looking for small communities to quash and plunder. Needlepoint hurried the foals back to their parents, then hurried toward the village leader’s cloud.

The village leader, Flotsam, was a genial, old pony who had cared for the community since its earliest days. He had a very jovial exterior, but Needle knew he could be a strong and fearless leader, rivalling any other pegasus lord she had encountered. She knocked quickly on his door and his son, Jetsam opened it. He was a good looking pony with messy blue hair and a silver-grey coat. He smiled as he saw her.

“Needle!” he exclaimed, gesturing her in “A pleasure, as always to see you” he gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek “Here to see my father, or...errr” he leaned in close, keeping his voice quiet “did you give some more thought to what I asked the other day?”

Needle blushed and pulled away “Just to see your father, it’s an emergency”

Jetsam looked and the floor, his hoof scratching it absent mindedly “You know where his office is. Just knock and go in”

Needle tried to give a cheery look to Jetsam, but he could clearly tell it wasn’t sincere, and quickly left her. She made her way up to Flotsam’s office, and knocked. His voice quietly came through from behind the door. “Come in, come in my friend”

Needle pushed open the door and stepped through. The walls were decked from top to bottom with bookshelves, his office also doubling as the villages surprisingly comprehensive library. He was sat behind a dark palm wood desk, which was neat and mostly empty. “Needle my dear friend, how nice to see you, is something troubling you?” he said, smiling softly and kindly.

Needle sat opposite him “Sir, there is a pony approaching from the east, I estimate he will be here within the hour. I volunteer to fly out and meet him before he can cause any trouble”

Flotsam’s smile faltered a touch. “Be friendly Needle, chances are he is just a traveller, like you were, I don’t want you causing trouble where none should exist. If he wishes to visit our community, please bring him straight back here so I may meet him, otherwise do escort him onward.

Needle nodded, and quickly left the house.

She set off toward the speck on the horizon, gaining on it quickly. Within 15 minutes she could see him clearly. He was a white stallion in gleaming gold armour. For a second Needle felt her heart skip. Was it Eagle? It only took her a few minutes to realise it wasn’t. It was a different stallion. Being in armour was a bad sign, it meant he could be expecting a fight. By now, he had noticed her and was flying straight toward her. They met in the sky, about 100 metres apart.

“Hello there!” Needle shouted, waving “What is your business in these parts. A pony is a rare enough sight in these skies, let alone such a heavily armoured one.”

The pony saluted her then uttered sharply “My business is with the one called Needlepoint, I have a message for her”

“From whom?” Needle asked sceptically.

“My business is with the one they call Needlepoint” He repeated.

Needle flapped indignantly “You shall not pass into this village unless you tell me who has sent the message.”

The stallion was silent for a short time before he said “My message has come from Princess Celestia”

Needle breathed a sigh of relief, then caught herself. Why was Celestia writing to her? It couldn’t be for a friendly catch-up, or it would have happened months ago. No. This was something important. Important and bad.

“I am Needlepoint” she said finally. The stallion swooped up to her, handed her a letter, then flew away.

Needle rushed back to her home, as fast as her wings could carry her. He once injured wing began to protest and sting and she pushed herself, but before long she was in her house, holding the small thin letter. She tore it open, and out fell a small card with a short message.

‘Come to Canterlot at once. Come prepared’

Needle held it, hardly daring to breathe. Prepared for what? A medal giving ceremony? Hardly. Most likely a battle of some sorts. She was about to rip the letter up in frustration. She was happy here. Truely, wonderfully happy. The only thing that would come out of going on another quest for Celestia would be getting captured, beaten and possibly raped. But then again, she thought of her friends, of Eagle. She thought of the friend ship between them, deeper and stronger than any connection she had felt since. She had to go. Even if it only was just to see them.

She packed quickly, all her possessions fitting snugly into her bags. She left her armour off. It was too hot to wear it for now. She sped back to Flotsam’s house, quickly explaining her situation. He knew all about her past and he thought she was mad for going, but he gave her his blessing anyway and wished she would return soon. As she burst out of his door, she stumbled over Jetsam, who had his ear pressed against it. He quickly stumbled to his feet.

“Y-you can’t leave!” He sputtered “You just can’t”

“I have to” Needlepoint replied quietly “There is so much out there I need to do”

She turned to leave, but Jetsam grabbed her and spun her round, planting a firm and passionate kiss on her lips.

“Needle” he whispered “I love you”

“I know, Jet” breathed Needlepoint, pulling herself from his grasp and returning home.

News travels fast in a small community and Needle wasn’t surprised when half the village turned out to say goodbye. The foals gathered around her, crying, and the adults were much the same, begging her to return back to them soon. Eventually she had to pull away and take off.

The journey to Canterlot was long and arduous, taking many days to travel the staggering size of Equestria, even on wing. Needle barely stopped to rest, revelling in the tiring strain of endless travelling. After a full 2 weeks, Needle could see the massive city looming out of the mountainside. She grinned, she could feel the adventure brewing in her heart.

[Princess Blueblood]

"What is your take on this whole thing, Eagle?"

"It is rediculous to go to war with the zebras just because they have stripes, Blue Water. That is like going to war with the Unicorns because they have horns instead of wings."

Eagle sat in his seat next to the young king of Mothercloud. His steely eyes stared down at the court, the moonlight reflecting upon all his colleagues, as well as glinting off of his armor. As both the Military leader of Mothercloud, and the unified Pegasi republic, Eagle Blade had the final say in what wars went forward, and which didn't. So far, none had.

Blue Water recoiled in distaste, angry that Eagle Blade, a pony with a long line of military history, had denied her funds to start a campaign to cleanse the Zebra lands. She had to save face.

"You're scared, aren't you!" Blue Water shouted, sticking a hoof at Eagle Blade. "You're scared of being demoted if you fail, because then Celestia will demote you!"

Eagle just chuckled, standing up from his chair. Everypony in the room recoiled away from the Military commander, excluding the young king and the guards, who saw Eagle as a just and kind ruler, yet steely and powerful.

"Do you remember who you're talking to, my dear?" Eagle asked Blue Water, as he walked down the side of the court table, his metal hoofsguards clicking on the floor.

He finally stopped next to Blue Water, who nodded her head in defiance.

"I AM THE EAGLE BLADE!" Boomed Eagle, slamming his hoof on the table, cracking it. Blue Water recoiled, as he continued. "I fought through hordes at Dragost! I liberated your cloud from evil! If it were not for me, your head would be on a spear outside of Hawk's palace!" Shouted Eagle, snarling.

"I will NOT tolerate racism in my court! Do you understand?" Asked Eagle sternly, staring down at Blue Water with steely red eyes. Blue Water did not reply, scared witless.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Shouted Eagle, bringing his hoof down once more, cracking the table again. Blue Water nodded, fearing for her life.

"Good. Dismissed."

The diplomats quickly scurried out, glancing back at Eagle Blade, who went another direction, walking to his private quarters to retire for the night.

Eagle had grown to be a sturdy and strong ruler, ruling with an iron hoof. He cracked down upon any diplomats trying to lead the young king, Sparrow Wing, awry, and made sure the King knew that he should lead for the good of the people, not for himself.

Even though a great leader in the eyes of the people, the stresses of running a young city was wearing on Eagle Blade. His once fiery red mane and feathers were growing dark, strands of grey slowly appearing in his mane. But there was another reason that he was so troubled.

Early on in his career, he had lost the one he had loved the most to his desire to keep his home running. Now, she had disappeared, leaving behind a single note. Eagle did not look for her, as he knew she would be happy by now, probably a new love blooming.

Eagle had gone the opposite direction. Hardening his emotional center so he would not falter in his strong ruling. He needed to make sure that other ponies knew that he was not a pushover. Even now, no pony threatened his word. What he said was law, with the consent of the people.

As he finally entered his room, Eagle saw a small letter on his bed, a red seal of wax on the front.

Royalty

Eagle quickly opened the letter up, his eyes widening with each line he read. Knowing how quickly, illegibly the letter was written, he knew it was urgent. Not only was it a request from the highest point in Canterlot, it was also his duty as Pegasi War Ambassador to report when called. Eagle quickly grabbed his prepacked saddlebags (Packed for such an occasion) wrote a quick letter to the King, telling him to be wary of the diplomats, and promptly took off towards Canterlot, his weapons and armor in tow.

[Cloudchaser]

After the events of Dragost Night Vera returned to Canterlot together with Rhuno was going to stay with her and Inysa once she came back from her quest she had left on back at Dragost.

Upon returning to Canterlot, Night Vera quickly went back in her usual business of training new recruits but she also had Rhuno along with her to show some more of the sword and board techniques that Vera couldn't teach the recruits. In their off time Night Vera took the liberty to show Rhuno around Canterlot and the nearby settlements that were starting to bloom.

Some occasional visits to Canterlot court as all the different military guild leaders gathered for meetings with the Princesses to discuss the state of the military at Canterlot and any threats from foreign nations. A lot of boring business that had to be taken care of and since Vera was practically a adoptive sister to the Princesses she always had the last say before the Princesses made any military decisions since they knew they could trust Vera's expertise and trust that she made the right judgements on issues that rose up.

Two weeks had passed and Night Vera had almost given up hope of seeing Inysa again and she was starting to slide back into her dark manners, shouting at recruits who that were making stupid mistakes instead of being calm and rational with them.

Night Vera was on her way to Canterlot for another boring and mundane meeting with the snobs who think they know it all about military tactics and what they should invest in when it comes to military equipment and training. Today was a day she was supposed to inspect the new equipment for recruits and make sure it was of good quality.

She arrived at Canterlot and the guards led her on to where the room that the generals of the Canterlot army had gathered to make sure the equipment that they had bought was up to the test. Night Vera slammed the doors open and the cheery mood got a lot darker as she strode in, the generals knew not to try and take her for a fool as she had slain dragons and saved Equestria from certain doom.

"Ah, Night Vera! Glad you could make it here, I'm sure you have your hooves full with training the recruits at your academy but the quality of the equipment our soldiers bare in battle surely takes precedence over that. Feel free to poke around on the armour but make sure to not damage it, we're not made of money." One of the generals said.

Night Vera nodded at him and then went around inspecting first by eye the armour and weapons that were set up in the room. The generals looked at her a bit nervously as they seemed to hide something that they hoped she would not catch. Suddenly she picked up a spear and gave it a tug and tested the weight before she turned around and threw it right at the weak point of the armour the generals were wearing but the spear barely scratched his armour and fell into two broken halves on the floor.

She sighed and took up a sword and stabbed one of the armours that were meant for the new recruits to wear and both sword and armour broke. She sighed again this time more heavily before she turned and started yelling at the generals.

"Whoever thought it was a good idea to cut down on the budget and quality of of recruits weapons and armour has 10 seconds to exit the room and hand in his resignation to the Princesses for his insolence and ineptitude to understand that we can't possibly except good results of our army if the have equipment that will break as soon as they enter live combat. You generals that were born into noble hood and gained your position via heritage instead of ponies like me who's seen more wars and battle than you ever will, you absolutely disgust me with your selfishness! I will make a new order of properly crafted weapons and armour from a local smith I am a good friend with, he may not be of noble birth but he damn well makes the best armour and weapons one can get for money and he could probably best any of you in combat, now BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT BEFORE I DECIDE TO EXECUTE YOU ALL, and don't dare to say I don't have the authority to do it because you all very well know I don't give a single shit about you so called "generals." " Night Vera barked out, the generals quickly fled the room one by one and when only the guards were left Vera ordered them to clean up the mess and dispose of the equipment and give to the smith who's going to make the new equipment for melting it down.

She proceeded to barge out of Canterlot muttering angrily for herself over the idiots that called themselves generals. When she turned a corner she suddenly bumped right into someone and not having had the best morning she started yelling at the pony before looking who it was, assuming it was some noble or kid that wasn't paying attention to where they were going.

"Watch where you're walking you moron!" She yelled and then she got a proper look at who she bumped into and her behaviour changed when she saw it was Inysa who sat on the ground and shook her head to get her bearings back after having bumped into Night Vera who was clad in her shining armour she had been given, it was magically enchanted to allow her to move with the same agility as if she was naked.

"Inysa? By the name of the Queen, I thought I'd never see you again, here let me help you up." Night Vera said and pulled Inysa back on her feet before Inysa jump hugged her. "Whoah there, this is not the place to start showing out affection for each other, if it's possible I'd rather not start rumours of me being a filly fooler amongst the nobles." She told Inysa.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy to see you." Inysa said and blushed a bit.

"It's alright, I've missed you too. I was on my way back to the academy where Rhuno is also teaching now, you can tell me all about your quest when we get there. For now I am happy merely being in your presence rather than the nobles that earned their military ranks via heritage rather than experience." Night Vera said and they then switched topic to talk about what had happened in Canterlot after Queen Faust lost her immortality at Dragost.

"... And so the Princesses started taking over more and more from their mother and now they rule in unison together, however they are way to busy to rule the land, Starswirl is still being an old took who's trying to catalogue every type of magic there is before he can't extend his life any more. "

They eventually arrived at the academy and Inysa was happy to meet Rhuno again as well, she asked what had happened with the others at which Night Vera gave some brief explanations as she was not very certain on what had become of the others and there they were now.

Night Vera asked if Inysa was still interested in the training she had promised her and she assured Night Vera that she still intended on following through with her training. Night Vera allowed Inysa to rest for a day before they started a long 11 month training spree, training from morning to night and only stopping for to rest for food four times a day.

11 months had passed and suddenly an emissary of the Princesses came and interrupted Night Vera and Inysa in the midst of their training, handing Vera a letter with the royal seal before leaving. All the letter said was to come to Canterlot as soon as possible because Princess Celestia had an important task for her and Inysa.

Night Vera and Inysa hurried off to see what was so urgent about the mission they had to gather so quickly and with almost no warning, the issue must be very important and of high risk if she was being summoned, Night Vera tried to think of what could possibly threaten Canterlot and it's rule over Equestria now that the Nightmare Queen of Dragost had returned to her old self after being possessed by an evil spirit but came short and decided to wait for the briefing before jumping to conclusions.

They arrived at the throne room shortly followed by Celestia, Eagle Blade and Needlepoint were there already, Rhuno had taken the day off to go visit some old friends in a nearby town but since the old gang was present save for Rhuno the issue must really be important..

[Guest]

Rhuno spent his time in Canterlot helping Night Vera train recruits in the canterlot military. Mainly strength and conditioning. He was given a tour of the city by Vera when they first arrived. They did not spend much time together after that, for their duties would keep them busy most of the day. Night Vera seemed to be getting more edgy as time passed and Inysa never arrived back from her quest. Rhuno would always try to cheer Vera up at the end of the day, but lately she had been too much to handle. So he took some time off from training the recruits and decided to visit a tavern in a nearby town, having heard a caravan had arrived that morning. He wished to see if he would know anyone who was working it. 

Rhuno arrived in the town around noon, and walked into the tavern. Low and behold, Dusty Trails was sitting at a table near the bar. They locked eyes, and a smile crept onto each of their faces. 

"Well if it isn't my old pal Dusty!"

"Oh look what the cat dragged in! The Minotaur hero of Dragost!"

They laughed, drank, and had a merry afternoon. But all good things must come to an end, and Dusty needed to be hitting the trail. 

They both stood at the front of the caravan Dusty was leading, saying their farewells. 

"You sure you don't wanna come along Rhuno? It would be just like old times."

"Sorry Dusty. My caravan days are done. I work for the princesses now. I am going to miss you man. I will make sure to visit whenever you come back to town. I promise you that. Ill keep a beer on tap for you buddy."

"And I will keep you in my prayers Rhuno. May the sun and moon shine on you and keep you in their bright embrace."

Dusty leaned in and whispered, "Still been having those sexu-al fant a sees about Princess Luna bucko?"

Rhuno leapt back in surprise and blushed, his face the color of a cherry. 

"HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT!?!?"

"Man Rhuno, after all those years with you, you never knew you talked in your sleep? Oh boy... you better watch who you keep company with when you close your eyes." 

Dusty grinned like a fool and gave Rhuno a hearty hoof beat to the chest. 

"You have a good one Rhuno. Ill catch you on the flip side."

"As with you you little devil!"

Rhuno and Dusty parted ways, Dusty heading down the road into the wilderness that was the equestrian plains, and Rhuno heading back toward the mountain that Canterlot rested upon. 

And uneventful hour passed while Rhuno walked down the road toward the mountain. Then out of nowhere, a chariot being pulled by 4 of the princesses elite landed right next to him, causing Rhuno to jump back in surprise. 

"The princesses have requested your presence Rhuno. We must make hast."

Rhuno was pulled the rest of the way to Canterlot, being dropped off at the front door to the palace. He burst into the throne room and saw Needle, Eagle, Vera, and Inysa were all there. 

Rhuno's face lit up like a hearthswarming tree.

"OH MY SWEET MERCIFUL JOY! THE GANG IS ALL HERE!"

Rhuno ran up, grabbed everypony present, and yanked them all into a giant bear hug. Rhuno squeezed, not being able to withold his glee. 

"The gang is back together and all is well, aww yea!"

Rhuno saw that the ponies in his grasp all had stern faces and the princesses were staring at him with the same expression. All was not well it seemed.

"Oh... ummm..." Rhuno set the ponies back down gently. "I guess not everything is all good..." Rhuno sighed.

[Princess Blueblood]

Eagle had arrived in Canterlot the day after he left, a full night of powerful flight. As a pegasi, he was used to such trips, but it was grating on the stallion anyways. He was greeted curtly by pegasus guards who escorted him in from about a kilometer out.

As soon as Eagle got to the castle, he knew something was wrong. On his multiple trips there in the past year, it seemed shiny and vibrant. No longer. The once vibrant capital of Equestria looked dank and tired, as if it had been under pressure for too long and was giving out.

As Eagle entered the palace, he was greeted by a close friend, the only one whom he had made in the past year of diplomacy.

"Well well well, if it isn't Steel? How have you been, my friend?" asked Eagle, walking up to the armor clad Earthpony.

"I have been good, Eagle. I am guessing you are here with the others?" Asked Steel, none of his fur visible under his Damascus steel armor. Eagle raised an eyebrow in question, not knowing there had been others.

"Others? I presume the other ambassadors?" Asked Eagle, looking around.

"None of the other Ambassadors have come, sir. It seems like you were the only one. Along with a pegasus, you're the only visitor," Steel said, shrugging.

Eagle choked on his breath for a moment, his eyes going wide. Could it be possible that the elements were being brought back together? If that was the case, it obviously meant something was wrong. It would also mean he would have to face Needle again, after he abandoned her when she needed him most.

"Lead me to them, will you?" asked Eagle, getting a curt nod from Steel. He gestured toward the throne room, and both ponies trotted towards it.

Eagle and Steel walked into the throne room, where Needle Point had already arrived. Needle sat alone, nopony else inside the room. Eagle's heart shot into his chest, swallowing his pride. Whatever was going on here could not be interfered by a feud between elements.

"Good morning, Needle," Eagle said politely, but curtly, as he walked to a random chair. "I trust time has treated you well."

Steel stood guard by the entrance, eyes barely visible beneath his helmet. Needle simply nodded, not looking up at Eagle.

[Arualsti]

Needlepoint nodded, acknowledging Eagle's remark. She had wished for months to see him again, but all her heart felt was sadness and anger. After a few seconds silence she said quietly 'Time and a life far from here has treated me better than anything.'


Her words had an edge to them, a steely undertone that made her feelings quite clear.

'I hope returning the Mothercloud to it's former glory has brought you much joy' she smiled at him, hoping another friend would come through the doors and break the silence.

[Cloudchaser]

Night Vera walked in to the throne room together with Inysa and Celestia. "What's so urgent you've called us here?" Vera asked.

"You will know in due time my dear, I'm still waiting for Rhuno to arrive and then I will reveal everything." Celestia said

"I'm your most trusted military advisor, surely I should get to know what's so threatening that you.." Night Vera stopped mid sentence as she saw Eagle Blade and Needlepoint already in the room.

"Ah, Needlepoint and Eagle Blade, glad you could come on such short notice. I'm sure you two have your hooves full with the liberation of snow cloud and I appreciate you came here so quickly." Celestia said.

"Wha.. Wha.. What? Why? How? Needle? Eagle? What's going on here? Why's the elements of harmony gathered?" Vera questioned.

"I am waiting for Rhuno and then you will all know why we have gathered." Celestia repeated.

"Fine." Night Vera said.

Night Vera and Inysa went over and chatted a bit with Needle and Eagle, Needle remarked that Night Vera's new mane and tail style looked really pretty on her which Vera just shrugged off and said it was Inysa's idea. A few minutes passed before Rhuno barged into the room and saw them all gathered and rushed up to group hug them all.

Celestia looked mildly amused as she saw the big minotaur barge in and round the elements of harmony up into a big hug, "How long had it been since the events at Dragost? A few months? No, a year? Already?" Celestia thought to herself.

You all probably wonder why I have gathered you here today. There's both good and bad news for you being here. The bad news is that me and Luna have lost our connection to the elements of harmony, we've simply been too busy with ruling Equestria and the elements of harmony are very peculiar magical artifacts. They have chosen to sever mine and Luna's connection to them and they have probably bonded with the two new bearers but who those might be I do not know.

But the reason I have gathered you here today wasn't for that all alone, you might remember the Nightmare Force we defeated together at Dragost a year ago. There have been recent sightings of a dark mist riling up the creatures in the Everfree forest, most recently there have been numerous reports of timberwolf, parasprite and Ursa minor attacks on towns that lie nearby the Everfree forest. There have also been sightings of a young hydra living in the swamp, I sent a special unit there to investigate and find out if the Nightmare force somehow is behind all this even though they were defeated at Dragost but I haven't heard back from them in a few weeks time and I fear the worst. Vera you probably know of this special unit, it's led by Wind Catcher. " Celestia explained.

"I do, I haven't met her personally but she's got an impressive military record and I hear she's a very strong warrior and her special unit gets sent on some of the most dangerous missions there is, I don't quite understand what you want us to do though?" Night Vera questioned Celestia.

"I want you to take your friends and travel to the Everfree forest and find out what's happened to Wind Catcher and her unit and I also want you to investigate the rumours of this dark mist that's been seen at the ancient castle ruins." Celestia said.

"I see, well if the others are up to the task then so am I. What do you say, Inysa, Needle, Eagle and Rhuno? Up for some more adventure?" Night Vera turned and asked the others.

[Guest]

Rhuno did a goofy salute toward Vera and said with a deep voice, "You have my axe!"

He relaxed himself and added, "But in all seriousness, wherever you go, I go. Besides, you ponies need me to keep you safe. From all the evil big things, eh?"

[King of batponies]

Inysa smiled at Vera.

"Did you even need to ask me? Plus, I want to put my training and my new sword to the test"

She ran her hoof down her sword and laughed.

[Princess Blueblood]

Eagle pondered the idea of going on an adventure again carefully. He still had a city to run, much less have to run the pegasi army. While it would not be wise to go out as a group once more, Eagle realized that the group needed him. And he wasn't about to abandon them.

"I'll go," Eagle said shortly.

[Arualsti]

The silence was deafening as all eyes turned on Needlepoint. She shuffled nervously in her seat, taking the weight off her scarred cutie mark. She stared down at the table. She told herself she was needed in Wisp. She had friends there, and it was safe. But her friends were here too. And she was needed. They needed her love to tie them together, her element of harmony. She looked over at Eagle. Would he still want her love? He looked weary, the Mothercloud was his life now, not Needlepoint. She had to respect that, and not distract him from his duty. She would leave this adventure as she came, alone.

"I'll come " she said eventually.

[Cloudchaser]

"I guess that settles that then. Do we need to make haste or can we get a half a day to prepare ourselves?" Night Vera asked.

"Of course, I know you have your academy to make sure keeps running while you're gone and Eagle Blade might want to make sure his mother cloud knows he'll be gone for a while and the others can prepare themselves in whatever way they seem fit. I will make sure you all have access to the Canterlot armoury if you want to equip yourself with some of the finest armour and weapons available in Equestria. " Celestia said.

"Right, thank you, Princess. I'll be at my academy setting up things to run while me and Rhuno are gone, if anyone has to see me you will find me there." Night Vera said and trotted off to prepare her academy to keep running without her daily guidance.

Night Vera arrived at the academy an hour after the meeting with Celestia and her friends. She started to make sure she took everything into mind when it came to having the academy run itself without her. Usually she created a daily schedule per week on what she thought the recruits would need to practice on but for now she needed to promote some of her older recruits into trainers. One after one the recruits she had requested to meet in her office and they gained her blessing and a new set of uniform to wear to mark them as trainers of her academy. She also promoted one of the longest serving trainers she had into a senior trainer who would have the last say in things when she was gone, he was also responsible for creating a daily schedule for the recruits every week she was gone.

Eventually she had set up her academy to run on it's own and she returned to the Canterlot castle. Slightly lost in thought over the mission and what danger could have possibly made one of the best military special units loose contact for weeks. She rounded a corner and her armour clanged as she bumped into Luna who was on her way to raise the moon and the stars for the evening.

"offph, ouch. Watch out where you're going, eh? I'm in a little hurry, oh Luna. Sorry I thought it was one of the guards that bumped into me." Night Vera apologized

"Hmm? Oh, Night Vera. You'll have to excuse me if I don't stop for a chat but I have my duties of raising the night sky and Celestia can get a little angsty if I'm late. I wish you the best of luck on your mission but I really must be off to my tower to raise the night sky, good bye. " Princess Luna hastily explained and then hurried off to raise the night sky.

Night Vera didn't give it much thought and continued on into the throne room again where they had agreed to meet before they left, she was the first one to arrive. Even Celestia wasn't here, she was probably busy lowering the sun and would probably come along soon enough. Night Vera sat down at a table and poured herself some water from the water can on the table and waited for the others to turn up again.

[Arualsti]

The others began to shuffle off one by one, leaving Needlepoint alone. She grabbed her saddle bags and tipped them out onto the table. They were mostly empty, a lot of her supplies used up in the travel over. She pulled her leather armour out of the pile. It was the first thing she had gotten in Wisp, as a thank you for her saving them. The leather was tough and supple, the insignia of Wisp marked on the front. It fitted her snugly, the material clinging to the curves of her body. Wisp had no military and barely any ponies there were used to wearing armour or wielding weapons. In Needle�s time there, the only time she needed to don her armour and grab her sword was when a band of Diamond Dogs strayed too close to the settlements boundaries. She quickly dressed herself in it, the tight leather feeling oddly comforting.

Next, she drew the long black sword she had stolen from a Dragost guard. The black metal was cold and sharp. Needlepoint was certain the blade was enchanted, for it never dulled and it never stained. She fastened the scabbard around her waist and slid the sword into it. She cleaned out the rest of the contents of her bags, keeping what she needed, discarding the rest.

She made her way to the armoury next, gaping in awe as she pushed to door open and came across rows upon rows of weapons, all in perfect, gleaming condition. She hurried over to the knives and daggers, inspecting each one closely. Eventually she selected a hunting knife, short, with a curved tip and a serrated edge which she strapped to her leg. She also grabbed a long and thin stiletto knife and strapped that to her thigh.

Feeling a comforting weight of weapon on her body, she trotted out to the training field to test out her weapons, and herself. It had been many months since she had last fought anything, and she had become stronger in body and wing than she had ever been before. She stood alone in an empty part of the field, drawing her sword, the hilt clenched in her mouth. She began to run through basic moves, slashing, stabbing and blocking imaginary enemies. These moves became more intense, Needle sidestepping and pirouetting, gracefully dancing across her space, the sword flashing in the dying sunlight. Her body contorted and span, her wings spread to help with balance and jumps. She moved quicker and quicker, the blade cutting down the enemies visible only to her, until suddenly...she stopped. Panting hard she wiped her brow with her hoof and sheathed her sword. Going by the sight of the sun dipping below the horizon and the crisp, white moon rising behind her, Needlepoint knew she had better hurry up. She spread she wings and launched herself into the air, flapping hard to gain speed. She tore into the castle, everything passing her in a blur. She rounded corners and navigated corridors swiftly, her wings never brushing the wall. She was about to round a tight corner, her wings tilting to turn her, when her injured wing suddenly twinged in pain. The spasm was enough to make her turn too wide and she clipped the wall, sending her spiralling out of control, crashing on the floor and skidding along the floor. Luckily, it was carpeted and she managed not to damage herself or her armour. Only her pride. She stretched her wing experimentally, it felt fine now, the pain gone from it. Grumbling to herself she made the rest of the way to the meeting room on hoof.

Pushing the door open she made her way in, nodding to Vera, the only other occupant. She grabbed the chair next to her and poured herself some water too.

[Princess Blueblood]

Eagle returned back to Mothercloud (by imperial chariot) To set things in order. He made his visit quick, and sharp. He ascended the new King to the highest power, Eagle sensing he was ready to run things without Eagle. He made sure that any diplomats trying to lead the King astray would feel the wrath of Eagle when he returned. Eagle also hired his finest assassins to... eliminate... other diplomats who were repeat offenders. Eagle had released his grasp as the leader of Mothercloud for the time being.

He returned as quickly as he came, going to the pegasi national armory. Unlike the unicorn and earthpony army's, the Pegasi were the only ones who could fly. So, naturally, they asked for special treatment. They got their own armory, but never used it, in spite of the fact it was absolutely filled with the finest armor, thanks to Night Vera.

But Eagle had a prized gem inside it. While it was home the the military, it was also home to the armor that the Equestrian Military had collected from Dragost. With the deepest pockets in the pegasus clouds, Eagle asked a armor smith to construct a barding using the same elements as the armor in Dragost, dubbed "Nightmare Armor". The outcome was a hooded robe, enhanced with Nightmare Armor plating. While it was recolored to fit Eagle's signature colors, it still had the same haunting look to it. It would help Eagle keep a low profile while out in the field, if any of his competitors tried to remove him from the political scene.

Eagle had also traded in his spear and blade for a dagger and thin blade, dubbed "The Eagle." It had not belonged to Eagle himself, but the blade's guard and hilt resembled that of an eagle in flight. It was perfectly crafted, and was sharp enough to cut through the thickest armors. While Eagle never had used it, he was pretty confident he would make ease of using it.

He returned to the throne room, donned in cloak and all. He sat away from the others, inviting Steel to sit with him. The massive earthpony sat down next to him quickly, knowing that Eagle was his superior.

"I want you to come with us, Steel. You'll be a good asset to have come time to fight enemies superior to us," Eagle said to the armor clad earthpony.

"Are you sure? What about the others?"

"The others will not mind. You are hard to dislike, and you're a one of a kind with that blade. Except for Rhuno of course. He knocked a Diamond Dog's head clean off, making the game of golf."

Eagle winked, getting a chuckle from Steel.

"Sure, I'll come along. Not like I have anything better to do."

[Guest]

After leaving the others, Rhuno first headed back to the mansion to make sure the place was in order, since Night Vera was off to help with getting the academy ready for her absence. He then headed to the armory, since he wanted to see what kind of goodies were stored within the castles walls.

On his way to the armory, Rhuno heard a thump, and peeked around a corner to see Needlepoint getting up from off the floor, gingerly holding one of her wings. She continued on toward the meeting room.

Something is not right with her... I hope she is okay...

Rhuno continued on to the armory. When he entered and saw the rows upon rows of weapons and armor, his face lit up with joy.

Oh god... so... many... cool... things...

Something caught his eye, quite a ways near the back end of the room. Rhuno made his way down and found himself eyeing a peculiar sight. A full set of heavy ebony metal plate armor. The odd thing though... was that it was shaped for a minotaur.

Now why would the ponies have something like this in here?

Rhuno saw a little letter sitting next to the armor. He grabbed it and read it over.

'For the white one. Strong of back and silly of mind.' Signed... L.

Rhuno grinned like a schoolboy after opening a birthday present.

Thaaaaaaaaank you!

Rhuno kissed the letter and adorned the armor. It fit perfectly. He pulled the helmet over his head, the faceplate only showing his eyes through a small slit.

"Now this is badass! Aww yea!"

Rhuno then noticed the table next to him had a matching ebony greataxe and shield. With another letter.

'Oh and these too. Cannot have one without the other. Signed... L.'

I will have to remember to repay her...

Rhuno, adorned with his new toys, made his way back to the meeting room. When he entered, he saw Night Vera and Needle sitting next to each other, and Eagle and some other pony a little ways away.

And as I thought. Those two are avoiding each other. Great. Hope this does not interfere with the mission...

Rhuno walked up to the girls and did a model twirl in his armor.

"Like it? Isn't it so pretty? Matches my eyes I think."

[King of batponies]

Inysa left the room where everyone had gathered in. She was happy enough just to take her new sword but there was one other item she wanted, no, she NEEDED it.

She made her way to her room and opened her wardrobe. There, hung up, was a black and white maid outfit. Inysa let out a large smile and quickly got dressed into it.

"Haha! Now I am complete!" Inysa laughed out loud.

She made her way back to the room to meet with the others afterwards.

[Cloudchaser]

When the group had sat down together again waiting for Celestia to return and officially send them off on their mission they suddenly heard a very old voice from outside the throne room.

"... For the last time, Celestia there is no such thing as magic in friendship and the elements of harmony are simply just stone imbued with powerful ancient magic, there is no way they get their power from friendship. Now scurry on off and tend to your Princess duties and leave me alone to my studying, I have way more important magic to study than your so called "magic of friendship". I gave up friendship long ago when all they did was get in the way of my studying of magic." The old pony who clearly was a powerful mage, said to Celestia before vanishing off mumbling.

A moment later the doors opened and Celestia stepped in, looking a bit disheartened and mumbling to herself.

"Why won't you listen, old friend?" She said to herself before lifting her head up and acknowledging the group sitting silently at the table.

"Ah, I see you have all prepared for your journey ahead. I wish I could send you off during the day but time is of the essence and I would hate to loose such a highly skilled unit, especially when it was me who sent them to investigate the attacks and rumours of sightings of a dark mist creeping around the old castle. You'll have to travel lightly and quickly and most important of all, be careful. Just because you are the bearers of the elements of harmony doesn't mean you're invincible and since me and Luna lost our connection there's no telling how the elements react." Celestia said.

Everyone nodded and raised up from their chairs and started heading towards the door, Night Vera stopped right beside Celestia before asking: "I have an odd feeling of familiarity with the name Wind Catcher, more than just having heard it.. It's like her and I have met but I can't remember meeting her ever, where's she from? "

"I do not know my dear. All I know is she lost her family when she was still in flight camp and that she enlisted in the pegasus army before she was promoted and hand picked by the former guild leader of your clan to serve as a special unit commander. Rumours say she still has a sister that is still alive and out there somewhere but her memories from her home town are very unclear and she can't remember much from before flight camp so there's no way of looking up in the population archives of who lived in her town and survived the raiding." Celestia answered.

"I see.. Well thanks anyway. Hopefully she's still alive when we arrive, Farewell for now Celestia." Night Vera said and rushed after her friends to catch up with them before they got too far ahead.

Celestia simply nodded and waved farewell before returning to her duties for the evening.

---

Meanwhile at the Everfree forest a few weeks back..

"Ugh, Wind? Why'd WE get sent on this lousy mission? Couldn't the Princesses just have sent some Canterlot guards to investigate.." Searing Wind asked.

"Because WE are a special unit under direct orders from the Princesses and if they deem that this mission's too dangerous to handle to the Canterlot guards then it probably IS a dangerous mission and that is WHY WE'RE sent INSTEAD of sending inexperienced guards, is everything more clear now, Searing?" Wind Catcher yelled at Searing Wind.

"Yes, ma'am." Searing Wind replied.

"Oh Wind, no need to be so mean to him, he was simply asking." Thunder Dash said and walked over and patted Searing Wind on the head. "There, there, auntie Thunder is here to make everything better." She teased Searing.

"Oh knock it off you two, you know Searing has a crush on you Thunder, no need to tease him." Maelstrom said.

"I DO NOT!" Searing Wind cried out.

"You don't love me, Searing?" Thunder Dash replied and faked a cry.

"Oh for the love of the Queen will you guys stop it? We're on an important mission here. I would rather not have a pack of Timberwolves ambush us because you two are too busy playing with each other to notice any potential danger." Wind Catcher yelled.

"Sorry." Searing and Thunder replied.

Maelstrom simply chuckled, he had been in this unit with Wind Catcher since the early days and he knew how to handle his superior commander. They had even shared an passionate evening together when they were younger but Wind Catcher wasn't really the mare who would run after stallions and had dismissed his attempts at courting her. Searing Wind and Thunder Dash had only been with them for a couple of years and even though Thunder liked to tease Searing a lot it was clear those two would eventually settle down together.

Suddenly a chill wind blew past them and both Maelstrom and Wind Catcher froze absolutely still, barely breathing. They motioned for Searing and Thunder to check the bushes around them. Wind Catcher had a bad feeling something was gonna go down..

A chillingly evil laughter was heard just before a pack of timberwolves, mad with rage jumped out of the bushes, biting and slicing Thunder and Searing with they claws and teeth. Wind Catcher and Maelstrom swore to themselves before jumping into the fray to rescue their comrades from being eaten alive. After a bit of fighting they finally managed to pull Thunder and Searing who both were bleeding heavily out of the fray, they themselves received some injuries from all the razor sharp bark the wolves were made of.

They pulled Thunder and Searing onto their backs and flew off back to their base of operation in the Everfree forest, the old castle was said to be haunted but it was the safest place right now in the Everfree forest since the creatures rarely dared to go close to the once majestic castle that was still radiating some of it's magical protection.

"That was way too close for comfort, it's gonna take us a few days to get these two patched up and now we have no one to fly to a nearby town to report back to the Princesses.. Our best hope is they send some capable ponies to look for us." Wind Catcher said before starting to treat her comrades wounds.

"I could fly quickly and get help, I'd only be gone a day at most." Maelstrom suggested.

"Mael.. I trust you more than anyone on this world and I am sure you could get help in time but if someone doesn't stay here to take care of their wounds while one of us is out getting food then they might bleed to death or something." Wind Catcher replied.

"I suppose you're right.. Guess all we can do is wait.." Maelstrom said.

---

The group travelled onwards to the Everfree forest and set up camp outside it. They waited for the night to turn into day at which point Night Vera told everyone to split up in two teams of three each. Rhuno went with Eagle Blade and Inysa, Night Vera took Needlepoint and Steel Ingot and they ventured into the Everfree forest to search for any clues on what had happened to the special forces unit that had lost contact with Canterlot a few weeks ago.

[Princess Blueblood]

Steel Ingot walked behind Night Vera and Needle Point, his heavy breathing the only audible sound in the quiet forest. It gave an eerie feel to the already unnatural Everfree Forest. A forest that is quiet, is a forest that is sick.
It brought him back to the Battle of Welp's Reach, or "The Day The Sun Never Rose." The most bloody battle in Equestrian Military history, and Steel was at the heart of it.

"We must move with haste, friends. Something is stirring within the Everfree," Steel said, his voice slightly muffled by the armor he wore.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Night Vera said.

--------

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Said Frosty Skies, his voice shooting through the darkness of the north. "Once the sun rises, we will have the upper hand."

"Are you sure, Frosty? The barbarians are well prepared," Steel said, his voice still young. The snow was barely falling through the skies, the aurora borealis shooting across the evening atmosphere.

"We're the Equestrian Military, Steel. Do not worry about such things."

-----

Steel faltered for a moment, losing a bit of balance. It was a frequent flashback, one he had learned to handle. Nevertheless, the words struck him like a club against the head. He dropped to his knees, panting heavily. The others did not notice, and he strode to catch up with them.

"We will not be fine. There is obvious distraction within the forest," Steel said, looking around. Almost as if on cue, the growling of Timberwolves.

Steel turned to see a pack of them, large and angry, emerging from the woods. Their eyes, not their usual green, but purple, gave away their evil intentions. Steel drew his Zweihander, the blade gleaming in the sunlight, and set on his back hooves, his leg stabilizers keeping him upright.

As he made ready, one of the massive wolves jumped at him, teeth ready to rip into Steel's throat. It never made it that far, instead being sliced in half by the massive blade that Steel carried.

"Make ready, comrades! They are not here for food, but for a fight!" Shouted Steel, getting ready for another attack.

[Arualsti]

Needlepoint walked side by side with Vera, feeling more comfortable by her than by Steel. She was a friendly pony, but something about Steel unsettled her. Maybe it was the battle-hardened expression permanently etched on his face, maybe it was because he and Eagle had been stuck side by side since the group had left Canterlot, making it impossible for Needle to easily talk to Eagle alone.

As the trio trudged on through the dense forest, Steel finally spoke up, voicing concerns about the forest. Needle was not directly familiar with the forest. She could talk about the history of it, and all the other boring facts she was taught as a filly, but now seeing it up close, it struck her that there was probably always something stirring in there. The tightly packed trees and wild flora growth oozed untamed malevolence that was quiet unlike most forests in Equestria. It surprised Needle that Vera dismissed Steel’s concerns so flippantly, maybe she was just so used to the forest that she could tell when silence was just silence and when it was the calm before the storm. But something told Needlepoint that was not the case. Vera’s hunched shoulders, a faraway look in her eyes that showed something was ticking around in her mind other than the situation around her. Needle was about to lay a hoof on her shoulder and ask if she was alright when a growl emitted behind them.

A large group of Timberwolves slunk out from behind trees and bushes, their limbs creaking like boughs in the wind and a gravelly growl escaping their twigged maws. Needle drew her blade, holding steady against the approaching creatures. One lunged at her, and Needle swiped her sword in front of her, cutting the creatures lower jaw off. It scampered to the back of the group, and two more ferocious wolves took its place. One jumped and Needlepoint swung, jumping back herself. Her sword barely clipped its ear, but it was sufficient to throw its landing and it came to halt a few feet from Needle. It did, however, serve as an excellent distraction. The second wolf leapt forward, closing it’s mouth around Needle’s leg. She gasped in pain as the teeth squeezed her leather bound calf, failing to penetrate the armour. It lifted her up in it mouth and slammed her against the floor, shaking its head from side to side, trying to piece leather and flesh. Needle lay in it’s grip, dazed. Blood rushed out her nose and smeared against the leafy ground. She shook her head and brought the world back into focus. Flapping her wings she managed to lift herself up, rising higher than the wolf, who looked very surprised. She brought her sword down as hard as she could, slicing his head clean off. The pressure around her leg was immediately lifted, the head exploding into sticks and timber. The rest of the body tottered unstably, and then fell too. Needle climbed higher still, helping her comrades from above.

[Guest]

Rhuno, Eagle, and Inysa were walking through the forest, separate from their other comrades. Two parties would allow a greater distance to be covered in half the time.

They mostly kept to themselves, scanning the trees and listening to the dead silence the forest permeated. The Everfree forest... a place no pony would ever wish to find themselves alone.

Suddenly, the group heard a cry far off in the distance, the sound of Timberwolves howling. The other group had made contact with the wildlife. A another group of Timberwolves appeared from the trees around them, slowly circling the group.

"Well... looks like we finally found something. Well... actually... they found us... but that is not the point! Battle stances!"

The group formed a triangle in the center of the wolves, facing outward, determination in their eyes. A slight smile crept over Inysa's visage... finally being able to use her new blade. Eagle Blade looked from one wolf to another, planning out his attacks, thinking of his moves before he even enacted them. Rhuno... well...

"CHARRRRRGE!!!"

Rhuno ran straight up to the closest Timber Wolfe and brought his axe down upon its head, causing the Wolfe to explode in sticks and leaves.

[Cloudchaser]

Ever since that conversation with Celestia on who Wind Catcher is, Night Vera could just not shake off the feeling that they have met.. Steel Ingot had remarked it was too silent for being the Everfree forest which Vera dismissed and just explained that the Everfree forest is always silent because that is how the creatures in here hunt. They follow your every movement until you stop paying attention to your surroundings and that's when.. "AMBUSH!" Night Vera yelled just as a pack of Timber wolves jumped out from the bushes and charged at them.

Night Vera drew her daggers, she had no time to care for what's happening to Needle and Steel or else she'd loose focus and be overwhelmed and eaten alive. She jammed her daggers into the throat of a timber wolf and then pulled them apart and ripped the skull, if one could call it that, in half before moving onto the next assailant. Soon enough all the timber wolves that hadn't backed off already were dead in a pile of sticks. Night Vera let out a sigh and turned to ask Needle and Steel if they were okay before she noticed some odd dark red, almost black colour dots that started a small trail just outside the little battle field area. It didn't look like fresh blood from Needle's bleeding nose nor were there any creatures in here the bled normal red blood..

"Hmm.. There's some dried blood here, a few weeks old if the almost black colour is anything to go by.. There's no creature I know of that lives in here that bleeds red blood and the trail continues on into the forest like it was dripping from above us. Since there's no hoof prints, I'm assuming it can only be the blood of one of Wind Catcher's soldiers and they were most likely carried on the back of one of their comrades as they were flying in that direction. " Night Vera said and pointed to the north east.

"We need to catch up with the others, I'm assuming they've had their fair share of fun like we had. Needle? Could one of you fly slightly under the tree lines ahead of us and see if you can spot the others? I think I heard Rhuno uttering his battle cry from somewhere to the west of us. " Night Vera asked Needle.

[King of batponies]

Inysa was stood in a triangle formation with many Timber wolves stood in front. She smiled at the weak enemies and slowly withdrew her sword. The blade shone in the daylight and stood out clearly among the three of them. She didn't bother charging any magic into her sword because it was useless.

"Rhuno, I want to kill, kill them all, watch them die!" she started talking quietly and then began to increase her voice, she ended her words with a manic laugh and like that she ran towards the wolves slashing her sword. Bodies were flying in the air from her sword swings, a visibly wide smile was on her face.

She was doing what she wanted, she was happy.

[Arualsti]

Needlepoint flew just below the tree line, a corner of her cloak pressed to her nose to stem the bleeding. It didn’t take long to zero in on the second group, the roar of Rhuno and the growls of the wolves reverberating through the forest. She finally came upon the group just as the last few scampered away, and the three still stood, weapons raised, panting. Needle flew above them ‘same thing happened to us’ she remarked. The three turned up to her, sharply, weapons still drawn. Needle laughed as the lowered them, relieved ‘Vera reckons she knows where Wind Catcher’s group is. Follow me’

They followed her on the ground, as Needle flew above them. She frequently looked down at Eagle, wishing he would fly up at join her. In almost no time at all, they returned to Steel and Vera.

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