//------------------------------// // April 10th (Raid of the Haters' Guild) // Story: Equestria Legends Online // by Shadowflame //------------------------------// Hey, Shadowflame here. It's been a while, so I'm going to do a bit of an update as to what has happened ever since Team Vortex arrived. Well, it's been only five days since Cordon arrived in Canterlot. But from what I recorded last time, you can probably guess that he's been nothing but a pain in the flank. Let's just say that Cordon has reached the limit of my temper, and even beyond that. I seriously don't know how Siren and Eclipse could deal with Cordon for this long. But transitioning to more important things, the Haters' Guild has been acting up more and more in the recent weeks. There have been ambushes from the guild all over the southwest corner of Equestria. This has led all of us in the Knights of Harmony to believe that their headquarters are somewhere in that vicinity. The Haters' Guild has become an ever growing threat to every player in ELO. Due to this, Jupiter has declared it as our top priority to find the Haters and stop them before they can kill anyone else. Until then, none of the Knights of Harmony have been sent anywhere to check for signs of the other elements. It's true that we can't search for the elements right now, but they can wait until later; The Haters' Guild, however, cannot. They've already killed over 50 players within the past month, bringing the total number of players in ELO down to 874. Once we find the Haters and lock them up, we'll be all clear to search for the other elements without anymore unwanted deaths. However, today was a bit of a surprise. It was early in the morning when Jupiter called a full assembly of the Knights of Harmony, and we were ordered to go to the castle immediately. I glanced behind me towards my team who followed me as we trotted up the road to the castle. Everyone was yawning as they walked, except for Lexus, who was accustomed to waking up this early. I tried my best to stifle a yawn of my own, with little success. It was 5:30 in the morning, and the sun was just barely beginning to shine some light behind the distant mountains around the city. Sky let out another yawn, "Ugh, why is Jupiter calling us now? You know I usually sleep until 11." I shrugged, "I don't know, but I bet it's something important." As we reached the castle, I saw that the other teams from our guild were gathering inside the ballroom. We proceeded to make our way inside and join everyone else. Once inside, I spotted Team Calvary and trotted over to Violet Runner, with the rest of my team following behind. I nodded to Violet, "Hey, morning. What's this assembly about anyways?" Violet yawned loudly, "I don't know. But I just hope I can go back to bed after this is over." Sky grunted, "Yeah, you're telling me." He glanced behind Violet, "But it looks like Dylan's got the right idea." All three of us turned around to see Dylan standing on all four hooves, his head hanging close to the floor and emitting some quiet snores. He had actually fallen asleep standing up. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Sky and Dylan's family were full of deep sleepers, who could fall to sleep at anytime they wanted. I guess it was some kind of gene that ran through the family. Of course, Sky wasn't part of that gene pool. He was an insomniac while his family was the polar opposite. All I can say is that their family is weird. I shrugged, "Oh, well. Let him sleep for now, but he needs to wake up when Jupiter starts this assembly." I felt a hoof tap on my shoulder, and I turned to see Cross (Along with Cloud, who was asleep on Cross' back.) Cross nodded over towards the doors of the castle, "Look who's here." I glanced over to see Team Vortex walking through the castle doors. From the look of things, I figured that they were the last to arrive. Cordon, Eclipse, and Siren all made their way over toward our group. Cordon led his team at the front as they joined us, and I glared at him coldly. I was in no mood to put up with his crap at the moment, and I wanted him to know that. But then, Jupiter appeared from one of the castle hallways and made his way to stand in front of our guild. Meanwhile, I heard Sky behind me shake Dylan awake. Once Jupiter stood before us, he cleared his throat to address everyone, "Good morning to you all. I should apologize for making all of you get up so early. However, this is a matter that can't wait any longer, for it is extremely crucial that we act right now." A few mumbles and whispers exchanged throughout the crowd, all full of confusion. Jupiter continued, "You see, based from their recent attacks we know that the Haters' Guild is stationed somewhere within the Southwest corner of Equestria. We don't have a specific place as to where their headquarters could be. However, this is no longer the case, because we have found their headquarters." I suddenly felt all of my drowsiness instantly wash away as Jupiter said that last sentence. The whole of the guild was loudly conversing with each other, unsure what to make of this new information. But Jupiter quickly quieted down everyone by stomping his hoof against the ground, "It was a couple weeks ago that I ordered the towns in the south east to start looking for the Haters' Headquarters, but one of the scouting parties' that was sent found where they were hiding. It was a party from Ponyville and the Haters' Headquarters is inside the Everfree Forest." Before anyone could speak up, Jupiter hastily added, "And we are going to storm the Headquarters, today. We are taking the Haters as prisoners so they'll never harm another player again." The ballroom was suddenly filled with numerous voices, ranging in all kinds of emotions. I glanced towards Sky, "I guess you won't be able to go back to bed." Sky grinned towards me, "Naw, I don't need sleep for this. I could fight the Haters with my eyes shut." But then, Lexus stepped forward, "Wait a minute, Ponyville is a day's travel from here. If we leave now with the entire guild, we wouldn't reach Ponyville until late afternoon. And any scout from the Haters' Guild would be able to see us coming from a mile away." Jupiter nodded, "Yes, I'm glad you brought that up. But don't worry, I've come up with a solution to that problem." He quickly turned around, "Follow me." Jupiter then began to walk out of the ballroom and into the castle grounds, everyone else in the Knights of Harmony following behind him. I glance towards Lexus, "What do you think Jupiter's solution is?" Lexus simply shrugged. But then, as we all filed out of the castle and into the yard, we all saw Jupiter's solution, even in the dim light of the rising dawn. There were three of them, and they were all larger than a regular house. They all were made of one giant balloon each, painted with a deep purple, and they all had sails, tail fins, and propellers for navigating in the air. Cross let out a laugh, "Wow, airships. I didn't see that one coming." Soul frowned, "Hm, I didn't think that there were airships in this game. I guess I was wrong." Violet nodded, "Yeah, a player can either buy or make an airship for himself, but they're crazy expensive. You'd need at least 5 million bits worth of materials to even make a small one." I looked in awe at the giant airships, "I'm guessing that these aren't the small ones. Kind of makes you wonder how much Jupiter spent on all of these." As the whole guild looked at the spectacle of the airships, Jupiter quickly called us back to attention. But I noticed that he was now joined by three other players, all of them pegasi. Jupiter addressed the guild, "All right. Using these airships, we'll reach Ponyville in only a matter of hours. We'll attack the Haters' Headquarters from the sky when we reach the forest. Since we only have three airships, we'll be dividing the guild into three groups: Alpha, Beta, and Delta. Each group will be in their separate airships." "Teams Grover and Whiplash, you'll be in Group Beta. Teams Red, Mineturtle, and Victorious, you'll be in Group Delta. Teams Equitum, Calvary, and Vortex will be with me in Group Alpha." "Now that you're in your groups, find your pilot and board your airships. And remember, do not do anything until I give the order. Do you understand?" "Yes, sir!" We all replied in unison. With that, everyone began to move around to find their airship's pilot, which were the pegasi that I had seen standing by Jupiter when he was giving out group assignments. Soon, Group Alpha was assembled in front of Jupiter and our own airship pilot. Jupiter cleared his throat before he boarded our airships, "Group Alpha, I'd like you to meet your pilot. This is Swift Vapor, one of the best pilots in ELO." I looked at the pilot to see that he was a gray pegasus stallion. His mane was a light red color, streaked with lime green. His cutie mark was the Online Steam symbol. He wore a pair of goggles over his eyes and a pair of hoof claws strapped to his back. His player ID read: Swift Vapor Swift waved a hoof at us, "Hi, I can't believe that I'm actually meeting the Elements of Harmony. You see, I only joined the Knights of Harmony two days ago because Jupiter asked me to. Little did I know that I'd actually take part in something like this." Jupiter nodded, "Well, you can all chat later when we're airborne. But for now, everybody get on board. I'd rather not leave anyone behind, but we have a schedule to keep." With that, we all boarded our airship and prepared to take off. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Everyone sat near the railing or windows of the airship as Swift began finishing preparations to take off. I sat near the navigator's station as I watched Swift flip and turn several switches and dials. Jupiter stood nearby, talking into a small microphone to communicate with the other airship pilots, "Activate Burners!" "Activate burners." Swift echoed the command as he continued to flip a few more dials. I glanced at towards the other airships to see that the balloons of their ships seemed to expand more with hot air. Jupiter commanded again, "Release the landing gear in T-minus ten seconds. Ten... Nine..." Swift placed his hoof just above a single button as he prepared to release the landing gear. "Seven... Six..." Swift glanced towards me, "Hey, have you ever flown before?" Five... Four... I shook my head, "Not really, on account of the fact that unicorns can't really fly." Three... Two... Swift grinned, "Well, when you've got me as a pilot, you're in for the ride of your life." One... Release! Suddenly, a giant scraping noise resounded from the hull of the airship, sending a small tremor through the ship. But as soon as that happened, I peered over the edge to see that the ship was beginning to float off the ground, along with the other two airships. After a few seconds of ascending into the air, Jupiter ordered, "Activate propellers and turn port face." I watched as Swift then pulled a few levers and then turned the massive steering wheel to the left. Instantly, the whole airship began to turn in midair. Jupiter ordered again, "Power the propellers to full thrust. Fly in V-formation until we're above the Everfree Forest, Airship Alpha taking the lead." With everything set and the airships on route towards Ponyville, Jupiter stepped away from the microphone and turned towards Swift, "I'm going below deck to finish some work. Don't interrupt me until we're a mile away from Ponyville." At that time, I decided to get up and explore the ship. But then, I stopped just withing earshot of Swift and Jupiter to hear this: Swift nodded as he steered the helm of the airship, "Yes, Jupiter." The pilot then seemed to cringe a bit, "But... Are you sure that you won't reconsider my-" Jupiter quickly cut him off, "No, Swift. I'm sorry, but you need to stay here on board the airship. Going into the Haters' Headquarters in an emotionally compromised state is too dangerous. For your safety, as well as everyone else's, you're staying on board during the raid." Jupiter then turned around and left without another word, leaving an agitated Swift behind. I frowned to myself, What? That's weird. Does Swift have some kind of history with the Haters' Guild? I paused as I thought about it. But then, I shook the thought out of my head and I continued to explore the airship, the thought of raiding the Haters' Guild coming to my mind. _____________________________________________________________________________________ It only took about an hour, but I explored every corner of the airship. I have to say that the ship was massive, consisting of three floors, as well as the top deck. There was about fifty rooms in total throughout the whole ship. There were living quarters for players, a small mess hall, and a few storage rooms for items. All in all, the airship could house a fairly large group of players for weeks, while still staying airborne. Of course, it didn't really take me a full hour to search the whole ship. Half of that time I spent looking for the rest of my group. Sky and Dylan were up on deck, making final preparations for the raid. I guessed that they didn't want to take any chances during the actual fight. Lexus and Neon were in the ship's engine room, listening to Violet go on about the fantastic structure of the whole ship. Violet was basically in paradise when he trotted into the engine room. He loved machinery and technology, and I think he was starting to bore Neon and Lexus with his explanations of the structure of the engines. Cross, Cloud, Soul, and Eclipse were down in the mess hall, grubbing it up. I figured that they'd missed breakfast when Jupiter called the assembly earlier. Siren was up on deck as well, looking over the deck at the ground far below. We really were a ways up in the air, higher than any pegasus could fly for too long. That left Cordon, who I couldn't find anywhere on the ship. He must have flown off of the ship for a while, which I was fine with. He couldn't cause too much trouble when he wasn't on the ship. Before I knew it, I found myself back on deck. I glanced around to see that the airship was flying above the clouds, which I assumed served as a cover from any Haters' scouts on the ground below. Enough time had passed since we took off from Canterlot, and now the sun was high in the sky overhead. I looked behind the airship to see the other ships following us on either side, making a V-formation. Despite the distance between our ships, I could see the other guild members on deck, making last preparations for the raid. But then, I glanced up at Swift, who stood at the ship's wheel, a small frown across his face. I guessed that he was still a bit angry at Jupiter, but I still didn't know why. I shrugged to myself, Now would be a good time as ever to find out. Maybe I can help. I approached the helm and Swift say me come into view, "Oh, hey Shadow. How are you liking the ship?" I gave a small smile, "It's great. I'm enjoying myself." I paused for a moment, "But, um... I overheard you and Jupiter talking. You seemed a bit upset when Jupiter told you to wait up on the ship. I was wondering why you were upset." Swift shook his head, "It's nothing. It's a long story. You shouldn't worry about it." I shrugged, "I don't mind long stories. I was just wondering if I could help." Swift sighed, "It was about a month ago when it happened, back when the Haters' Guild's attacks began to be more frequent. I had a team up in Vanhoover. They were all my friends that I came into the game with. After Discord trapped everyone in the game, we stuck together, no matter what. We fought through the thick and thin, and we always managed to pull through." Swift stared out towards the path of the ship, a tone of sorrow coming into his voice, "But then, we were ambushed, just outside of town. "They came out of nowhere, picking each of us off one by one. Before any of us knew what was happening, there were only two of us left. And when the Haters came for us both, my friend sacrificed himself to let me escape. All of my friends died, all because of the Haters." The pegasus frowned as he clenched the wheel of the ship harder, "I was the only survivor, and I want revenge. The Haters who killed my team disappeared after they attacked, and no one saw them again. But I know that they're hiding in their headquarters." He turned towards me, "Now you see why Jupiter wants me to stay behind. He's afraid that I'll only be focused on finding one Hater in particular. Jupiter plans to arrest the Haters and throw them into the Canterlot dungeon, so that nobody dies. I disagree. They killed my friends, and they deserve to die." I was a bit surprised as Swift finished his tale. When I first met him an hour ago, Swift seemed like a cheery guy. But now he had become the complete opposite, cold and ruthless. I felt for him, but I didn't know how to help. I frowned, "Swift. I know how you feel, but killing the Haters to avenge your friends isn't the way to go. If they die, they die unpunished. We need to capture them and lock them away, so that when we leave this game, they can face the justice system in real life. Murder is a crime that can't be forgiven." Swift paused for a moment, but then sighed, "I know that.... But Shadow, will you do something for me?" I nodded, "Sure, what is it?" Another pause, "I want you to find the Hater who lead the ambush against my team. I want you to capture him before he tries to escape. His player ID says: Orange. He's an Orange earth pony with an Orange mane and tail. And his cutie mark-" "Let me guess, it's an orange?" "Nope, it's a banana." I rolled my eyes. Even the Haters were puns. I nodded, "You can count on me. If I find him, I won't stop until he's caught." Swift smiled, "Thanks. Don't let me down." With that, I turned around and walked back down below deck to make final preparations for the raid. _____________________________________________________________________________________ After I had finished making my final preparations for the raid, I found myself looking over the ship's rails, gazing at the scene before me. I glanced up at the bright blue sky above me, as several clouds rolled beneath the hull of the airship. If I didn't know any better, I would have mistaken myself to be on a regular ship, just sailing on a ocean of white water. The whole scene was breathtaking, serene and peaceful. It almost made me forget that we were on our way towards one of the biggest fights of our lives. But then, the moment was shattered as a certain gray alicorn burst out from beneath the clouds. Cordon flew right out of the clouds, right in front of me. I quickly recoiled back in shock as he flew through the air as nothing but a laughing gray blur. I quickly composed myself and watched as Cordon flew around the other airships, showing off with his flying skills. I only rolled my eyes in annoyance, "That ego maniac." "You know, he wasn't always like this." A voice suddenly added. I glanced around to see that Siren was standing next to me. I raised an eyebrow, "Wait, what?" "Cordon wasn't always like this, egotistical and short sighted. Back when Eclipse and I formed a team with him, he was actually a cool guy. He looked out for others, didn't care if he was better than anyone else, and he did what he could to help. He was one of the best team leaders you could ever find." Siren sighed, "But then, after Cordon woke up as an alicorn, his personality gradually began to change. He went from being caring to being selfish. I saw it happen day by day, a bit ignorant about what was happening to him, until I finally saw that he wasn't the same as he was before. Within a month, Cordon went from being the most awesome guy ever to being the pony he his today." I frowned at her, "Wait, so you're saying that Cordon's alicorn ability changed his personality?" The pegasus paused, "Almost, but not exactly. I don't think the alicorn ability itself changed Cordon, but rather the power that came with it. An alicorn has a lot of power, and I think being able to wield that kind of power got to Cordon's head. I guess you could say that the power consumed him, turning him into what he is now." I paused as I glanced at Cordon as he showed off to the other airships, "Why are you telling me this?" Siren frowned, "Well, you have been going hard on him. I think its good that somebody is drawing the lines for Cordon, but maybe you're going too hard on him? I just want you to give him a chance. Maybe if you gave Cordon the opportunity, he could change for the better." I sighed, "I don't know. Right now, I'm still wondering how you and Eclipse can even stand to be with him." "It's because Cordon is still our friend. But will you at least promise me that you'll try to give Cordon a chance?" I paused, "Fine. But if Cordon screws up again like he did during our first training session together, then I won't be keeping any promises." _____________________________________________________________________________________ The total trip had taken about two hours, but after that time, the small town of Ponyville came into sight. Jupiter had ordered everybody on deck, and now we were all looking at the small town in the distance. I smirked towards Sky, who stood next to me, "Ponyville. It's been a while since we left here. It's been about two months, right?" Sky nodded, "Yeah. When we found the Element of Courage, almost everybody left for other towns and cities. I wonder how many players stayed behind here." I shrugged, "I don't know. But I'd guess the town's been overrun by undercover Haters by now." Jupiter called us all to attention, speaking to us as well as the other airships through microphones, "All right, everybody. This is it. It's time to raid the Haters and bring them to justice." All three of the airships roared with cheers and battle cries. Jupiter continued, "The Haters' Headquarters is a large, abandoned castle in the middle of the thickest part of the forest. Here's the plan. "Each group will take a separate path while breaching the castle. Group Alpha will come in from above, Group Beta, from the East, and Group Delta, from the west. I've contacted Isaiah, the admin in Ponyville, and he's rounded up a force of players who are still in Ponyville. They'll be attacking the castle from the north on the ground. However, their path is blocked by a drawbridge, so we'll need to release the bridge before they can come in and help us. That will Team Mineturtle's job from Group Delta. "The pegasi from each group will be the ones to lead the charge. It's their job to take out any guards and clear the way for the airships to allow everyone else to storm the castle. Airship pilots, anchor the ships and guard the vessels with your lives. I don't want to end this raid to find that the Haters have taken one of our ships. "Everyone else, storm the castle and capture any Hater you find. I repeat, Do Not Kill! We do not want to become murderers. That's why the Haters are our enemies in the first place. Use whatever means you can provide to immobilize them, including paralysis, freezing, slowness, and unconsciousness. Once you've immobilized a Hater, bring them back to the airship for holding. Does everyone understand?" Everyone nodded, and Jupiter concluded, "Good. Watch each other's backs. The Haters are masters when it comes to ambushes. Who says that they won't do the same in their own territory." He glanced back towards Swift at the helm of the ship, "Take us in." Swift nodded and began pulling multiple levers and dials. Instantly, the airship began to descend out of the sky, racing fast towards the Everfree Forest below us. Soon, all three of our guild's airships were flying fifty feet above the treetops, flying on route towards the abandoned castle that the Haters called their headquarters. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Ezekiel raced through the interior of the Haters' Headquarters, a frown firmly apparent in his expression. Their scouts had just spotted three airships coming from Canterlot, and their were on route for the Haters' hideaway. Ezekiel, being one of the main officers in the guild, it was his job to inform the leader of the guild about the oncoming attack. Finally, Ezekiel found himself standing before the guild master's door. Slowly, he opened the door with a hoof and walked inside. The room inside was dimly lit, yet anybody could still see the massive size of the chamber. The entire room was empty, save for a single table. On the table was a chess board, untouched and set to start a new game. Behind the table sat the leader of the Haters' Guild. She was a light gray unicorn mare, her mane and tail a blank white color. Her cutie mark was a scattered assortment of black chess pieces, one of every type of piece, except for a queen. Off to her side laid a single tower shield, her only weapon. Her player ID read: Chess Queen. Ezekiel approached Chess Queen, "Queen, three airships left Canterlot and they're now on their way here. It must be Jupiter along with the Knights of Harmony. They must have found out where we've been hiding. We're about to be in the middle of a raid." Chess Queen didn't seem phased. She chuckled, "It seems that Jupiter has finally caught up to us." She glanced up at Ezekiel, "Go tell everyone to be ready for battle. We'll need to hold off their forces for as long as possible. But before then, I have a job for you, Ezekiel." "Yes, Queen?" "As I understand it, you and Shadowflame have a history in this game. His team was the only one that has ever survived any attack from you. You have never left any survivors, save for Team Equitum. With this fact, I believe Shadow will recognize you instantly out of everyone in here. "As soon as the Knights of Harmony breach our castle, I want you to find Shadowflame and lead him to me. You may bring along anyone else who chooses to follow, but I would like to speak to the Element of Courage before anything happens to him. And then, I'll let you kill the survivors that you missed." Ezekiel nodded, "Yes, Queen." He then turned around and galloped out of the room, leaving Chess Queen in the dim light. Chess Queen glanced down at the chess board before her, "Well, Jupiter. The game has begun. And for my first turn, I've sent my knight out to the front lines." As she spoke, she picked up her right knight and placed it in front of her pawns. "Your turn, Jupiter." _____________________________________________________________________________________ A/N: Hey everyone. Since this is a large fight scene, I'm giving you all the opportunity to make reading this next part even more epic by adding in background music. Remember, this is optional, and you don't have to use background music if it would distract you from reading. Thanks, -Shadowflame _____________________________________________________________________________________ Soon, the black towers of the Haters' castle came into view. The tension in the air was thick as everyone drew their weapons to prepare for the castle breach. I drew Inferno and my shield, and I glanced around at the rest of my group to see that they were ready to fight as well. Jupiter drew his own sword as we came nearer to the black towers, each of the airships splitting off to enter through their designated areas of the castle, "Pegasi! Charge!" Instantly, Lexus, Siren, and Cordon leaped over the edge of the airship, spreading their wings in flight as they dove down towards the courtyard of the castle. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Back in Chess Queen's room, the mare watched as one of the white pawns began to tremble slightly, but then moved forward two spaces. Queen smirked, "It seems that my enchanted chess board never lies. So, Jupiter, you've sent your pawns out first ahead of you. Wise decision. But now it's my turn to advance my pawns." She picked up one of her pawns and moved it two spaces forward, one space diagonal of the white pawn. "Let's see just what you're strategy is, Jupiter." _____________________________________________________________________________________ We all watched as Cordon, Lexus, and Siren dove down towards the courtyard of the castle. Down in the courtyard, I spotted two Haters, who had their weapons ready to meet our attack. However, Cordon reached the first of the two and quickly took him out by slamming the flat of his battleaxe against his enemy's head. The Hater fell unconscious as he was thrown through the air by the massive blow. The second Hater was taken out in a similar manner by Lexus and Siren. Soon, both of the Haters laid unconscious on the courtyard ground. Cordon, Lexus, and Siren all stood on the ground, keeping the area clear of any attackers. Meanwhile, Jupiter turned to Swift, "Take us down." The pegasus nodded, flipped a few levers and switches and the airship began to descend into the courtyard. Soon, the airship touched down onto the earth, and everyone began jumping down to the ground. Meanwhile, Swift released the ramp leading onto the airship, allowing players to board the ship again. Once on the ground, Lexus ran up to Jupiter, "Where do we keep these two?" He asked, pointing a hoof towards the two unconscious Haters. Jupiter glanced at Lexus, "Take them to the lower deck and bind them with some ropes." Lexus nodded and proceeded to do so. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Chess Queen watched as her pawn that she had moved forward suddenly get knocked away as the white pawn moved forward into its place. The black pawn then rolled off of the board and righted itself off to the side. Queen frowned. If her pawn had been killed, the piece would have disappeared into ash. This could only mean one thing. "So, Jupiter. You plan to capture all of us? Interesting technique. But now, its time to play for real." Gingerly, Queen picked up her next pawn and moved it forward as the game continued. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Suddenly, as our group stood in the middle of the courtyard, at least a dozen of Haters exited the castle, weapons drawn in attack. I yelled to my group, "Here they come!" We instantly formed our ranks to meet the oncoming force, and then, our two groups collided. I fought off every Hater that came too close to me or my team mates. I would give a few quick jabs with my sword at each of them, just barely bringing down their health bars. This wasn't lethal and it distracted them while my team mates used their own methods to paralyze or immobilize the Haters. In the midst of the fighting, I suddenly remembered the promise that I had made to Swift. I frowned, "I have to find Orange." I stepped away from the front line of attackers and began to glance around in search of Orange. But then, I spotted the Orange pegasus up in the air, flying as he fought one on one against Lexus. Now that I had found him, I just needed to knock him back down to the ground. I charged my horn with magic, a few stray flames beginning to flicker off of my forehead. And then, I released the spell, sending a giant whip of fire arching through the air above Orange. The orange pegasus, as well as Lexus, were shocked by the sudden appearance of this huge line of fire. But neither had a chance to react as I whip-lashed my neck downward, causing my whip of fire to crack down against Orange, sending him plummeting to the ground. I quickly galloped towards the spot where Orange had landed to see that he now laid in a crumpled heap, his health bar only down into the yellow zone. Upon seeing me, Orange tried to lash out with his weapon (Which apparently was a sword that was shaped like a banana). I quickly parried the sword and knocked it out of his hoof, bringing the tip of Inferno down about an inch from his throat. I glared at Orange, remembering the deaths that he had caused, "Hey, Orange. Swift Vapor sends his regards!" With that, I withdrew my sword and slammed my shield down against the orange pegasus' face, knocking him unconscious. With Orange unconscious, I picked the pegasus up with my magic (Which was fairly easy to do, seeing as they needed to be lightweight in order to fly). With Orange in my hold, I carried him up to the airship and up onto the deck of the ship. Swift, upon seeing me, let out a sudden gasp as he saw that I now carried Orange with me. I dropped the orange pegasus in front of Swift's hooves, "I'll leave him to you. I trust you enough not to kill him." Swift paused for a moment in awe, but then he nodded, "Alright. You better get back down there and help the others." I nodded and turned around, about to leap over the edge of the ship to join back into the fight. But before I could, another orange blur pierced through the air and landed right in my path. I looked up to see another orange pegasus, but this one had a red mane. My eyes widened as I recognized as I recognized this particular Hater, his sword and shield held in both hooves. I glared as I pointed my weapons towards him, "Ezekiel." Ezekiel smirked at me, "So, you remember me. I must say, it's been a while, Shadow." I lunged at Ezekiel with my sword, only for it to be parried away by the Hater. He quickly countered with a swipe of his sword but I brought up my shield to deflect the blow. But as Ezekiel's sword was deflected by my shield, he crashed into my shield with his own, causing me to stumble backwards. I cringed, He's using the same techniques as last time... But if that's true, then that means. I glance up just in time to see Ezekiel catch the bottom rim of my shield with the tip of his blade, sending it up above my head. I was ready for this and I brought Inferno down as Ezekiel tried to strike me with his sword. My quickly deflected the blow and I countered with a quick swipe towards Ezekiel's hind legs. The blow connected with the Hater's legs and Ezekiel quickly took a step back out of range, his hind legs scarred by a line of red code. Ezekiel glanced down at the small wound that I had produced, "Hm, it seems you've gotten stronger since the last time we've met. You Knights of Harmony only came here to arrest us and lock us away, but you've forgotten one key detail." The pegasus quickly stretched his wings, "You'll never catch me!" With that, I watched as Ezekiel quickly took to the sky and flew back inside the castle. I glared at Ezekiel as I galloped after him, "I can't let him escape. I need to catch him now, or else I'll never find him again." I leaped off of the airship and back to the ground. I then spotted Sky and Lexus as they fought off a few Haters. Seeing as it wasn't a smart decision to follow Ezekiel alone, I called out to them, "Sky, Lexus, follow me!" They glanced towards me and nodded. I turned and galloped into the castle, Sky and Lexus following me from behind. As we ran through the corridors, I could hear Ezekiel's voice echo through the halls, "You'll never catch me!" But that's not the only thing I heard. I could also hear the sounds of more fight coming from every end of the castle. It seemed that our guild was just as large as the Haters' Guild. It seemed that we were all equally matched. I shook the thought out of my mind, refocusing my efforts on trying to catch Ezekiel. But then, as Sky, Lexus, and I rounded a corner, we spotted Ezekiel as he opened a door and entered the room inside. I turned towards my team mates, "Keep your eyes open. For all we know, he could be leading us into a trap." Sky nodded, "Don't worry, I've got your back." Lexus nodded, "Let's go." I turned and all three of us galloped to the door that Ezekiel had entered through. I opened the door with my magic and walked in, Inferno pointed right in front of me. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Chess Queen moved her knight back a few spaces, retreating it back to stand beside her queen. As soon as she did, Ezekiel came running into the room. Ezekiel quickly ran up beside Queen, "He's on his way, along with two of his team mates." Queen said nothing as she watched as the white pieces on her board took their turn. Suddenly, the white knight began to tremble, but then it moved forward, closer to the black queen piece. Queen grinned as at that exact moment Shadow and his team entered the room. _____________________________________________________________________________________ As my team and I walked into the room, we saw that the lighting was extremely dim, but we could still make out every detail of the room. But then, we spotted Ezekiel standing in the middle of the room, just beside somebody else. She was a light gray unicorn, with a long white mane. Her player ID read: Chess Queen. She sat behind a table, and on the table sat a chess set. The mare chuckled lightly as she watched us enter the room, "So, this is Shadowflame, the Element of Courage. I've been anxious to meet you." I frowned at her, "Who are you?" She laughed, "Normally, I don't reveal my identity. But I'll make an exception for you and your team mates. I am Chess Queen, the leader of the Haters' Guild. I am their leader, their strategist, and their queen."