//------------------------------//
// 16 Assault on Stonebrad Part One 
// Story: The War in Equestria. 
// by BluesyTreble 
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  The formidable and proud army marched back into the Everfree forest toward the clearing, following the hoofprints left behind from their last disastrous visit. The Orcs had erected a crude raised platform as a watchtower, from which  Orc spotters pointed fingers at the approaching Pony Army and blew horns of alarm. The massive trapdoor flew open again. Lines of unprepared Orc warriors pushed and shoved amongst themselves, eager to engage their Pony and Human counterparts in battle. They stampeded out of the tunnel and threw themselves upon the raised blades of the Pony army. The Crossbow-ponies and magi ran toward the sides, preferring to rain death upon the enemy flanks than face the brutal warriors head on. Ralf followed the tide of moving soldiers and pushed toward the front of the missile unit lines. A punch landed on his shoulder, a gentle punch. Ralf turned to see Rainbow Dash clutching an arbalest in one hoof.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash gave Ralf a winning smile.

Ralf gave her a nod of acknowledgement and nocked an arrow. He watched Rainbow Dash hoof-span the big crossbow with ease and insert a quarrel into the groove. Ralf turned back and began to draw, his eyes concentrated on a particularly large Orc roaring and twirling a flail over his scarred and ugly head. He inched the bow a notch upwards, and loosed. He heard a chorus of 'thwacks' and saw the Orc lines diminish under the deadly hail of projectiles. On the left Orcish flank Magi horns sizzled and spat and released burning magical balls, cooking the Orcs alive, burning the flesh to the bone.In less than half an hour the Orc welcome committee had been decimated. The Ponies marched in toward the tunnel. Ralf flexed his arms and watched. He jumped up and surprise as several Stallions-at-arms staggered backward, some being thrown off their hooves. At a closer glance Ralf noticed the rocks clanging against their armour. A few words of command were heard, and the Stallions-at-arms withdrew. The missile units were instead sent forth. Ralf marched with his unit toward the entrance, nodding at Applejack, who had a large dent in her bronze tinted breastplate. Applejack tipped her ever-present hat at him. Ralf's unit then stopped just outside the tunnel, where a few more Stallions-at-arms still staggered out. They stumbled toward their respective units. 

"Go, go, go! Clear the tunnels with your missile weapons! In you go!" The missile units commander shouted at them. The Crossbow-ponies and Magi hesitated. Ralf looked back at the commander.

"I said go! So GO! Her Royal Highness ain't payin' us by the hour!" The commander screamed, shoving a few unfortunate nearby crossbow-ponies forward.

Ralf ran in.

Almost instantaneously, Orcs wielding slings launched rocks at Ralf, the primitive projectiles bouncing off his mail and tunic. He fell backward onto the crossbow-ponies behind.

"Gotcha." An arbalist pushed him back up. Ralf yelled a thanks and charged at the slingers, followed closely by the crossbow-ponies. He slung the bow, meanwhile unslinging his pollaxe in the swift motion. He jabbed with the spear point, causing an Orc to jump back or lose his gonnards. The crossbow-ponies drew broadswords and maces and daggers, joining in the fray. They overwhelmed the narrow tunnel, flooding the cavern with gleaming mail and weapons. An Orc, his face painted red with war-paint, swung an empty sling at Ralf. The piece of leather-weighted cloth wrapped itself around Ralf's pollaxe. The Orc pulled, sending the pollaxe spinning out of Ralf grasp. The greenskin caught the pollaxe in his hand and spun it around to point at Ralf. The archer kicked at the Orc, sending him back a few paces. Ralf advanced, but was stopped by a clumsy pollaxe swing to his hip. A few broken links of mail fell out from under his tunic and clinked on the cold stone floor. Ralf's left hand automatically went to his hip. To his relief, there was no fracture nor serious injury.The Orc swung again. This time Ralf had the mind to duck, causing the burly warrior to bury the pollaxe blade in a supporting timber. Ralf jumped at the opportunity, balling his right fist tight and punching the Orc in the face. Blood snaked down and out the Orc's nostrils, and the Orc went limp, knocked out cold by the frantic blow. Meanwhile all around Ralf the crossbow-ponies were waging their own battles fighting Orcs who jumped at them from all sides in a vain effort to hold the line. They pushed the Orcs back even deeper, allowing space for Terence to send in a few Stallions-at-arms. The tunnel ended in a junction, where cages of imps were piled high and weapons strewn about. Ralf picked up a dull shortsword and looked at the fork in the junction. The Ponies hesitated and stopped, wondering where to go, for the fork split into four different passages, all labelled with incomprehensible Orcish runic carvings.