//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Warframe: Rebirth // by REDMAMBA //------------------------------// Chapter 11 Now relieved of her burden of the doctor, Raven was now set free to act of her own accord. She didn't have many worries at the moment. She did not have to worry about going to the doctor for another six months or school for almost another eight either. With her mother off to do her duties and not much else to do, Raven couldn't help but screw with the Cadets of the Royal Guard every chance she got. Captain Bronze for his part enjoyed the company of the child and her antics. He said it kept the cadets sharp! At times, she would slip away and watch classes and, on occasion, attack with practice blades when some didn’t suspect it. She would set traps in the barracks too. Glitter bombs, water bowl traps above the door, short sheeting cadets to the bed while they slept. One of the best she did with Bronze was he made them go on a ten-mile run in full armor late at night, while the cadets were distracted, the pair of them nailed all the beds and any loose belongings to the ceiling. Many of the cadets slept in their armor that night. On the floor... Right now, though? The area was atop Canterhorn Mountain, the sun had yet to peek over the horizon, bathing the area in a shroud of darkness. All around the open field Cadets from three different branches of the military stood. The Royal Guard cadets stood in their famed golden armor, while their winged allies, the Wonderbolts, stood in their famed blue and yellow jumpsuits, their lighter chainmail armor hidden under their suits. Many had their goggles around their necks or atop their heads as they waited. Lastly, a group of earth ponies stood in their silver, steel armor. The backbone of the EUP, the Earth Pony Brigade -EPB- made up most of the Equestrian forces, the Royal Guard only protected the princess’. The elite of the elite, trained to handle every sort of situation. Finally, the Wonderbolts, Equestria's air force, although a military force, had become more of an exhibitionist group. Or so ponies thought. Only a small squad were dedicated to aerial shows. The rest of the Pegasus Guard were a dedicated scout force trusted as runners, border patrol, and aerial artillery. Only group that could go one on one with a Wonderbolt, was the Griffin Blood Fangs. Mostly because of the fact that they can fly. Bronze had encouraged Raven to participate in his training. Which she did more often than not and this time was no exception. Said stallion and younger child walked across the open field towards two tall ponies conversing. One was a bright orange pegasus mare with a darker orange mane and tail in her dress blues for the Wonderbolts, the other was a white earth pony stallion with a light grey mane and tail dressed in his steel armor. The mare turned her head as the pair approached. “Ah, Captain Bronze! Took you long enough!” the mare greeted with a bit of mirth. “Captain Stormy Flare,” Bronze greeted with a nod before turning to the stallion. “Captain Stronghoof. Good to see you both!” The stallion known as Stronghoof grunted his welcome. “Captain Bronze, late as always.” His deep voice could put the darkest of demons to shame. He could win battles by yelling alone! That, was how you struck fear into your enemies. There was a reason the stallion now watched over cadet training. Bronze rolled his eyes before he smirked his response. “Guards are never late. We’re always here, you just never see us when we don’t want it!” Perfect excuse for being late in all honesty. Stormy’s nose wrinkled at that. “Right. Is that what they call it these days?” she asked Strong. “Like I would know!” the stallion replied before turning his attention to Bronze. “Son, you need a mare in your life. When was the last time you had a good rut?” Captain Bronze just groaned. “Why does everything turn sexual around you two?” Off to the side, a light giggle grabbed the three-officer’s attention. Raven held a hand to her mouth as she giggled into it. Stormy and Strong stared at the snickering child, then to each other before finally to Bronze. “What is the princess doing here?” Strong asked, confused by the child's presence. “Shouldn't she be in school like the rest of the fillies her age?” Stormy added. Now it was time for Bronze to puff up. “Raven here wanted to join our little training session when the cadets mentioned it!” “Can she handle a blade?” Strong immediately asked. “Oh, ye of little faith,” Bronze doubted playfully. “I’ll let you find out. But that's not what I need to ask of you. Because the princess here is not a part of the Royal Cadets, could she join? She has been very enthusiastic about it!” Strong and Stormy shared a glance. “She can fight?” Stormy ventured. Bronze nodded. “Handle a blade?” Strong came next. Another nod. “Tactics?” “And ability to stay calm under pressure?” “Yes, and yes,” Bronze replied almost smugly. “She can handle her own just fine. I’ll get Cadet Armor up here if you don’t believe me!” Bronzes two allies glanced at each other yet again before Stormy shrugged. Strong had one more question though. “She being added to one of your squads I assume?” “Actually…” Bronze trailed off, glancing down at Raven. “She wanted to go rogue, as it were.” Bronze paused before clarifying further. “A squad of one against everypony else.” That had Strong's attention. The three commanders conversed quietly before the games started. Once they had decided, they quickly briefed the Cadets. The game was elimination, the cadets would separate into different squads across the mountain top with the goal of hunting down the opposing squads. But with a catch. The Wonderbolts were grounded, one stallion or mare had ‘injured’ their wing and the squad was not allowed the leave them. The Royal Cadets wore magic suppression rings to simulate dark or resistant magic. The EPB didn’t have to do anything, since the other two branches were essentially brought down to their level. With their orders set and some cocky words said all around, the squads were blindfolded and lead off in random directions. When Bronze returned to lead Raven off, she was already gone. Without a direction to go off of, he let her be. Not like he could do much, she was gone and he wasn't going to go and hunt her down and delay a game that could take all day. “Did she take a weapon?” Bronze asked no one in particular. He didn’t remember seeing her grab one, but perhaps she snuck off with one while he was gone. Shrugging it off, he waited for his other two friends to return. As soon as everything was in place, the trio boarded a hot air balloon to supervise the games. From high above, they could see most of the squads that populated the mountaintop, so they could make calls and observe tactics more accurately. “What do you think about the latest batch?” Strong asked. Stormy hovered nearby with her arms crossed. “I have my daughter…” That caused both stallions to raise their brows at the declaration. Both then shared a confused glance before they moved their attention back at their hovering friend. “And how’s that going?” Bronze inquired. Stormy rolled her head, and unamused if not frustrated look on her face. “She wanted it, even though I said I would not be playing favorites because she’s my daughter.” The mare sighed and closed her eyes briefly. “She’s strong, that’s for sure…” “That bad huh?” “Cried twice, threw up once, sprained a wing and went right back out,” she replied evenly, little emotion showing. “I had to go to the doctor before going to her… she said she was fine…” Stormy turned to look at the listening stallions in the balloon, tears in the corners of her eyes. “She questions her mother but listens to her commander…” She shook her head in frustration… or disbelief. Seeing the end if the conversation, nopony said anything as they moved their attention down to the ground. Bronze almost immediately spotted one of his squads through the trees, not too far away in a nearby field, a squad of Wonderbolts laid prone, hidden in the tall grass. Strong could see one of his squads bearing down on a group of their own. Stormy spotted her daughter with her squad way off in the trees opposite of the mountain. The teen was barking orders and pointing in various directions. Whoever the young mare pointed too, followed what they were told and spread out. “Anyone seen Raven?” Bronze asked, leaning over the lip of the balloon basket and searching the area all around the mountain top. His answers were a either a shake of a head or a murmur. Every once and awhile, he would catch a glimpse of gold, flash of silver, the ruffle of a wing. It was almost an hour before the fighting started. Once it did, the sounds of metal clashing, ponies grunting, and the sounds of those ‘injured’ by training blades. Those that could walk, headed for the same field at which they started, others were dragged off, their legs numb from strikes. The sun had risen and was just peaking up into the sky, illuminating the Canterhorn. Those who were defeated, sat and waited silently. By now several hours had passed and the cadets were tired, those in the field even more so. The death toll continued to rise over the time of the games. Cadet Armor led his squad through a field of tall grass that went up to their necks. The cadets moved silently, using their shields to push the grass and keep it out of their faces. “Keep your head on a swivel,” Cadet Armor order quietly, as to not be found. “We can’t see a thing in this blade grass.” “What are your orders once we’re out?” Cadet Dawn asked. “Head for cover and scout the area,” he replied. As they trudged forward, the grass continued to bite at them. The bladed grass lived up to its name by cutting any area that was not protected by their armor. But like any good soldier, the cadets sucked it up and kept moving. By this point in the games only two squads remained. Cadet Armor and his crew of four and a group of four Wonderbolts. Neither of them knew of course. Once Cadet Armor and his team came out of the tall grass, they separated and spread out before making a beeline for the cover of the trees. Once there, they searched the area before moving forward. Not too far away, the squad of Wonderbolts moved through the thick brush of the forest. They did their best to stay silent by stepping over logs, and avoiding breaking sticks in the process. “Spits,” a young green mare asked her squad leader with a slight lisp. “What's the plan?” The bright orange mare known as Spits replied with, “We need to spot anypony nearby.” She turned to the young stallion in her group. “Soarin, get up high and try to spot anything!” Said sky blue stallion nodded before stowing his sword and taking flight. He took cover in the canopy of a tree, searching for both ally or foe. Standing on the edge of a large limb, Soarin held a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. When he spotted something, he looked down at his teammates and started to use sign language. To the north. How many? Spits signed back. Soarin looked back to the north for a second before back down at the mare. Two… at least! But that could mean more that couldn't be seen. Spits waved the stallion down, as he removed himself from his perch, the mare held up two fingers and pointed in the supposed direction the enemy could be. “Friend or foe?” Spits asked when Soarin landed, keeping her voice low as always. “Foe… definitely foe,” Soarin panted. “Gold armor. Royal Guard.” Spits groaned. She didn’t want to face the Royal Guard. Unlike the EPB, the Guard train against aerial enemies. With the ‘bolts being grounded, they are relying on tactics they rarely use. Then again, the Guard cannot rely on their power as mages. That might be a massive bonus... “Forward… stay silent!” Both squads were on a collision course, little did Spits know, that when Soarin took to the trees, he was spotted by the Royal Guard Cadets. There was a plan, an she was unknowingly falling right into place. They were ready… Nopony knew how long it had been, but Spits was sure they would have encountered the enemy by now. Perhaps they passed them? Spits held up a fist, stopping her squad. She didn’t like this. She had just enough time to jump back when a spear tip came crashing out of the bushed to her left. It was a trap! “Form up!” she frantically ordered. Soarin and the light green mare moved as quickly as they could in the thick forest. Their fourth member was struck in the side with a training spear. The young mare screamed out in agony before she fell backwards. She was done. They were like ghosts. Even in that bright golden armor, the Royal Cadets became the forest. Because it came alive! A handful of cadets poured out from cover, surrounding the three remaining Wonderbolts. Forced back to back, with nothing but short swords, Spits and her team had nowhere to go. “Soarin, Fleetfoot… get out of here!” Spits ordered quietly, so only her team could here. “Were not leaving you!” Fleetfoot snapped. All three would run if it were not for the wing restraint on Spits’ right wing. As much as Spits would have loved to just grab her friends and throw them into the air, she didn’t have the time. She threw her blade up haphazardly to block a spear attack before she countered with a strike of her own. Her blade clanged and harmlessly bounced off Cadet Dawn's shield. Cadet Armor and the rest of his team focused on Soarin and Fleetfoot. A stallion named Longbow, thrust his spear forward at Soarin. The up and coming Wonderbolt avoided the attack and wrapped his arm around the wooden shaft. With a defiant shout, he lifted his own sword and snapped the wooden shaft of the spear in half, tossing his end to the side. Longbow wasted no time dropping the rest of his broken weapon and drawing his own short sword reverse style. As the two stallions went at it, Cadet Armor and another mare bared down on Fleetfoot. Backed into a proverbial corner and no help on the horizon, Fleet was on her own. She scowled and flared her wings. Two bright reflections of the sun blinded Cadet Armor and Cadet Longbow, causing them to lift their shields to shield their eyes from the intense light. A massive gust of wind blew Longbow off his hooves and onto his back, Cadet Armor had just enough time to block the attack aimed for him with his shield. The two of them were locked in glorious battle! Soarin used the pommel of his sword to hit Long over the head, his helmet making a loud dong sound. With his ears ringing and his vision blurred, Longbow was disoriented. Soarin prepared for the jab. “Oof!” the stallion grunted as the wind was knocked from his lungs. He was thrown into the air before crashing with a single roll against the forest floor. Cadet Longbow stood where Soarin once was. Fleetfoot pushed Cadet Armor away before she screamed her teammates name. “Soarin!?” Cadet Armor quickly recovered and pushed his spear forward. Only to be met with a shield!? He gasped at the sight before him. His spear tip rested against a set of metallic feathers. Fleetfoot sat with one knee on the ground, her metallic feathers protecting her body. A Wing Fighter, there was always one. The green mare pushed her wings up with as much force as she could muster. Cadet Armor's spear was torn from his grip as his wrist bent backwards. Fleetfoot continued her assault with calculated attacks. With her extra appendages, she had more reach than Cadet Armor with his spear! Her metal primaries clanged and sparked against Cadet Armor’s shield. Finding a break in his defenses, she used her wings to grab Cadet Armor’s shield. She used her right wing to pull at the shield, extending Cadet Armor’s left arm. The stallion grunted painfully, but it was quickly replaced with a punch to his chest. As he laid on his back staring at the sky, as shadow loomed over him, a pair of metal feathers pointed at his exposed neck. “You're done,” Fleetfoot panted. “You will-” the mare was unable to finish… A hand grabbed her by the back of her armor, she was lifted off her hooves and over someponys back. Her metal feathers scraped the backplate of the armor she was being dragged across before she crashed down belly first... And screamed out in agony when a sword and a spear were jabbed into her lower back. Soarin laid not too far away, back to the action. He was done. Spits kicked Cadet Dawn in the gut, forcing not only the wind from her lungs, but her from the ground. Before she even hit the ground, Spits was bashed from the side from Cadet Armors shield. She landed face up in just as much pain as Cadet Longbow was feeling. Propping herself up on her elbows, she panted heavily. “I give…” Finally admitting defeat, Cadets Armor, Dawn, and Longbow pulled their spears and sword back. All of them sore and panting, they used the opportunity for a break. Dawn and Bow shared a high five while Cadet Armor bent over to lift Spits to her hooves. “You okay Spitfire?” The mare sheathed her blade and dusted herself off. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured before dusting her arms off. “That was a good fight. You guys know what you’re doing!” she complimented. Cadet Armor smirked at the praise. “Hey, when you protect the princess, you have to know how to fight!” Spitfire returned his smirk with one of her own before the two of them raised a hand and grabbed each other's wrists, a sign that they will always be brothers and sisters in arms. “Come on ‘Bolts,” she said, turning to her three grounded teammates, who were propping themselves with on hands and elbows. “Get up!” She went over and helped both Fleetfoot and Soarin to their hooves before she and Soarin picked up their fourth member and threw her over their shoulders and dragged her off. Once they were gone through the brush towards the staging area, the Royal Cadet’s turned to each other. As they were preparing their next move, a light humming caught their attention. All four cadets spun on their heels, forming into a phalanx formation, swords and spears pointed towards the threat. On a tree branch, about 10 feet off the ground, sat Raven, humming a little tune to herself as she doodled on a sheet of paper with a red marker. She had no care in the world as one leg dangled lazily in the air. “Raven!?” Cadet Armor shouted. He looked around the area for some sort of trap or catch, but found nothing. “Give up! We have you surrounded!” The girl lifted her head and smiled down at the stallion before she went back to her drawing. Cadet Armor was getting frustrated. “Dawn, Platinum, surround her, Bow with me!” he ordered. The two mares with the spears took up position at Ravens sides, Dawn to Raven’s right, Platinum to her left. Cadet Armor and Longbow were right in front of her. “We have you surrounded!” Raven stopped her drawing and gave Cadet Armor a bemused look. She held it for several seconds before she held up her right hand, marker still in her fingers, and slowly dragged her thumb across her neck… then went happily went back to her picture. Confused, Cadet Armor and Longbow shared a similar look before they went back to Raven, holding their shields up a little higher. “Raven…” Cadet Armor said slowly, trying to sympathize with her. There was no way she was getting out of this. “We have you beaten, you’re surrounded, outnumbered, and out-bladed. There is no getting out of this!” Raven didn’t say anything or do anything for several seconds. The Cadets were getting nervous. Raven slowly lifted her head and stared down at the stallion. When their eyes locked, Cadet Armor felt a horrible chill run up his spine. She held this almost manic look in her eyes. Not breaking eye contact, Raven lifted her head, baring her neck and she slowly, very… slowly dragged the marker across her neck, leaving a long red line. When she reached the right side of her neck, she flicked the marker away quickly. A loud clang forced Cadet Armor’s head to his left. Cadet Dawn held her hands to her muzzle, the look of utter horror in her eyes. Worried, Cadet Armor needed to see what was wrong. “Dawn!? What’s happened to you!?” She removed a shaky hand from her muzzle and pointed it right at the bright white stallion. “Y-your neck!” Longbow dropped his blade and pointed at Dawn. “Dawn!? Your neck!” He turned around and stared down at Platinum. “Your neck!” All three of them wrapped their hands around their necks in utter horror. They were terrified beyond recognition! Dawn and Platinum were actively sobbing while Bow was shaking. Cadet Armor, with no ability to see his own neck and unable to tell what was going on, grabbed Longbow and pried his hands from his neck. And from left to right… Was a bright red line… Cadet Armor slowly released Longbow as realization slowly dawned on him. He turned, completely stunned, towards Raven, who continued to watch him with a neutral expression. “How?” She slit their throats and they didn’t even know… The right side of mouth curled upwards. She would never tell~ Placing both hands on the branch, she jumped from her perch, landing softly, she approached a still stunned Cadet Armor. Once she was close enough, she stood up on her tiptoes and leaned in close to his ear. “Nice try…” she whispered, slipping something in the front of his chest plate. Dropping back down, she smiled and patted the place where she placed the drawing before walking away, stretching her arms over her head as she walked. *** Cadet’s Armor, Dawn, Longbow, and Platinum sat in the dining hall of the school. Dawn, Longbow, and Platinum all sat with their heads in their hands, a thousand-yard stare focused at the table. Cadet Armor had the drawing unfolded in front of him. He didn’t get it… The drawing was a simple sketch of him and his squad wandering through that field earlier during the games. So, Raven had been watching them from at least there. She was obviously somewhere with a view. High in the trees? She could have followed them and watched as they disappeared into the grass? For a solo combatant, she could have done a number of things! “How?” Cadet Dawn asked. She was still dumbfounded from the attack. They hadn’t even washed off the red marker from their necks, that's how far this had gone. “How does a filly her age do that?” Longbow shook his head, no answer to give. “... I have no idea.” Cadet Armor was too lost in thought, still trying to figure out the answer via the picture. His eyes scanned the little figures of himself and his team behind him. He searched the trees in the background and he search the… “Grass…” Cadet Armor’s head snapped up in realization. “The grass!” he shouted, causing the other three at the table to look up at him. “She got us in the grass!” Everyone else furrowed their brows at the declaration. Seeing their confusion, Cadet Armor continued. “When we were wandering through the grass, she must have taken the opportunity to hit us with the marker!” “How?” Platinum asked, still confused by her friend’s rant of realization. Cadet Armor moved his attention to her and placed a finger onto of the drawing, tapping it several times. “Remember that neck high grass? How much it got in the way and how we couldn’t see anything?” She nodded, so he continued. “Remember how would brush up against us?” Another nod. “She must have used that to her advantage!” Now knocked from their daze, the other three shared the same look of confusion once again. “How so?” Platinum questioned again. “Her height, combined with the grass and our movement,” Cadet Armor explained. “While we grunted and groaned, she took the opportunity to hide in the grass and use the marker to make us think it was grass!” Cadet Armor threw his arms to the sky, finally able to figure it out. “It’s genius.” A whole new type of combat. Take down the enemy when they least expect it. A whole team could have taken Cadet Armor and his friends and they wouldn't have even known. Nice one girl… Raven 2… Cadet Armor 0. He’ll get her soon!