Capter 3: Rescue and Destroy

Held in chains, in a dark room deep in the base of the enemy territory the two ponies were now captive and held prisoner in the base. Rainbow Dash was unconscious for a while until she heard her name being called out to her.

“Rainbow…Rainbow…Rainbow Dash are you okay?” Rotor shouted. Rainbow groans and opened her eyes, revealing Rotor and her tied up to the celling in a room.

“Huh…where are we Rotor?” Rainbow asked.

“We’re in the Thief’s dungeon!” Rotor said.

“What now?” Rainbow asked.

“The Thief’s…They’re a group of thug like griffons that steal, cut and burn anything in their path. Their gang was supposed to be eradicated for ten years, but now we have proof,” Rotor said. Rainbow looked at him and saw he was different. Not different bad, but different weird.
"Hey where is your suit?" Rainbow asked.
"Dang griffons striped me of my armor...didn't't want us to escape easily, " Rotor said. Rainbow then saw something that caught her eye. She noticed that Rotor's wing was leaking something and she was concerned about something.

“Hey Rotor buddy…what’s wrong with your wing?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s nothing to worry about…right now we need to get out of here, or we will die here like old bones,” Rotor said.

“Well, we’re not going anywhere now so I think it’s the best time explain what happened to you…and who are your friends are,” Rainbow said. Rotor looked around and saw there was no one coming, so he sighed and moved his chained arms to a comfortable spot.

“…Okay; Axious, Kit, and I are part of an elite group of stallions, trained to fight or to take any mission or war that is not common for anypony to be in. We’re known as Ark’s,” Rotor announfed. Rainbow’s face made a perplexing look.

“Who are you?” Rainbow asked again.

“Arks...It stands for Assault Ranger Knights. The best of the best in Equestria, though Celestia had banned the training, due to losses of so many knights that exaughsted themselves form the training. But we’re not just any Ark’s…we’re Nightmane Arks for Princess Luna,” Rotor said.

“Wait…I thought Luna had royal guards,” Rainbow said.

“She did…but she saw something in them that didn’t quiet show something. So she had us; handpicked stallions form across Equestria that were worthy of such honor,” Rotor said. Rainbow chuckled.

“Special…? We’re tied up in chains and being held in a cell, and you’re supposed to be the best of the best?” Rainbow teased.

“Hey, listen miss Rainbow Dash! If it wasn’t for me you would be dead,” Rotor said.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“These Griffons aren’t just any Thief’s…they’re the kind that tear apart their victims piece by piece…I negotiated that if we were held ransom for a price, they would pay. So they decide to give it a shot and do the pricing on us,” Rotor said.

“Well, that’s good news,” Rainbow said. Rotor looked left and right. He saw no guards were coming and decide to break out.

“Well, while they’re doing business, I’m breaking out,” Rotor said as he was straining on the chains with his wings.

“Ha, good luck with that! The way I see it, these things around us are what I read in a Daring Doo series. These are eight point pressure cuffs, the more you move, the tighter they’ll-!” Before Rainbow had anything to say, Rotor’s wing broke two of the chains and was free. Rainbow’s mouth drop as she saw Rotor flexing his wings.

“Well, how about you then?” He asked. He then got his left wing and formed it into a blow tourch and began to slice Rainbow’s chains off of her. Meanwhile in the courtyard, Axious, Kit and Spike were sneaking in the shadows of the heavily fortified Griffon base.

“What can you see Spike?” Axious asked. Spike used his dragon eyes and scanned the area. He saw seven figures; two on the top, three on the bottom, and the other two patrolling the road way to the dungeons.

“There’s seven targets…big, tall, strong; their Griffons,” Spike said. Axious fell on his back besides a rock.

“Griffons…it had to be Griffons,” Axious alleged. Kit took a look through his binoculars and bit his lip. He then turned to Axious.

“Thief Griffons…very vicious, you go first,” Kit said to Axious and he looked at him with a perplexed look.

“Looks like a dozen more on the top,” Spike said.

“This is great…We need to hurry, Twilight and her friends should have the train up and running by now,” Axious said.

“Oh yeah, and how can we get pass the court yard without attracting any attention to ourselves?” Spike asked. Axious observed the walls, and the gates. It was pretty barged tight, except for a small cauldron at the base of the gates where the water supply ran through.

“You see that small cauldron at the base of the wall?” Axious asked. The two looked and saw the hole.

“What about it?” Spike asked.

“Here’s what we’ll do…Kit, you go up on the two towers, get rid of the guards patrolling the gates; I’ll set a charge on the gap there by the water so we can make our exit; Spike, you got the most important mission of all. Down in the basement is probably where Rotor and Rainbow are being held. You’ll go down there, eliminate any all hostels that get in your way, and free them. I’ll make a distraction for you guy’s as soon as the charges are set. But we need to time it all right. Once we secured our friends, link up here at O700 hrs. Before the timer sets off; then we break for the train and go home free. Here, use t these coms; link them into your ears and keep in distance communication,” Axious said. As the three of them patch their commlinks in; they were ready.

“Sound s good…you ready Spike?” Kit asked. Spike took a deep breath in.

“I’ll see what I can do…let’s do this,” Spike said. Axious got up and saw there was a blind spot between the two towers. He ran up and headed off for the gap at the gate. Kit did his part and went left, climbing up the ladder into one of the towers. Spike over looked the area, giving Axious cover. AS soon as Axious had the charges set, he waved to Spike and he knew it was his turn. Axious got up and headed into the spot light.

“Hey look, it’s a unicorn!” He shouted. The griffons snarled and turned to him with their weapons and claws ready.

“Where did this one come from?” One asked.

“Here’s the agreement; we’ll play a game. I’ll run, and you try to catch me!” Axious said and started to run to the supply lines that lead to the back of the base. As soon as Axious made a break for it, the griffons left their post and charged ta the running unicorn. Spike then got up and charged at the lower levels to find Rainbow Dahs and Rotor. One of the griffon towers had a radio signal and was about to alert the base, but Kit came behind him and snapped his neck. He then took the griffons bow, took an arrow and slayed the other one across the yard. He smiled and kept a look out on the base, but inconspicuously. As Spike made his way down to the lower floor, he silently crept his way to the dungeons.

“Rainbow…Rotor…Are you guys here?” Spike whispered. Suddenly a griffon came out of the shadows and slammed a chair on Spike’s back. Spike fell on the floor, and stumbled into a barrel.

“You my good dragon are receiving a beating!” The griffon said. But being a dragon has its ways. Spike then grabbed the griffon’s fist and glared at him in the eye with his dragon like eye pupils.

“That was a bad choice!” Spike yelled as he picked him up and threw him into a pile of boxes. Not too far, Rotor and Rainbow heard the echo of the crash.

“Whoa, what was that?” Rainbow asked.

“I don’t know…Hold still…I’m almost-there, you’re free!” Rotor ordered and finished cutting through Rainbow’s chains.

“Sweet, how do we get out though, the door’s locked,” Rainbow said. Rotor then whistled at her and formed his wing into a lock pick. Rainbow’s mouth was silent after that.

“What or who are you?” Rainbow asked.

“My name is Rotor…Rotor Wing; former Ace Captain of the Wonder Bolts, and Ark guard to Princess Luna,” He announced and began to unlock the pick. Back at the yard, Axious was running like mad. He encountered some resistance, but there isn’t anything a little unicorn magic that can do to save him. He fired some shots and slammed his hoofs into a couple of griffons. He came to some close calls, like one part where he almost got his head severed by a stray javelin that came from behind, or the part where he almost got slammed in the face by a boulder.

“Come on, that’s the best you can do?” Axious asked. The griffons were now getting furious at his taunts and decide to stop playing games.

“Send out the Little Lucy’s!” One of the griffons shouted. The next thing Axious sees are three griffons loading up large cannons that could probably level a city.

“I don’t see how those things are called Little Lucy’s!” Axious grunted and began to run faster than ever.

“FIRE!” The commander shouted. Then a giant missile came out of one of the guns and blasted a pillar down, causing Axious to slip and fall.

“Whoa that was close call!” Axious said. He looked at his watch and was a bit furious.

“Yo, Axious; you got a party that’s cutting you off on your five!” Kit said.

“Where are you?” Axious asked as he dogged another round.

“In one of the command bunkers in the towers, I’m patching the radio link through your comm. It looks like almost half of the base is onto you,” He announced.

“Yeah I got their attention; what’s the twenty on Spike?” Axious asked.

“I’ll check, Spike do you come in?” Kit asked. Back at the dungeon, Spike was delivering punches and blows to the griffon that was foolishly fighting him. Spike then grabbed him by the neck and threw him into the wall, causing it to break and crumble on the griffons.

“Man, that was not too hard,” Spike said.

“Spike do you come in, Spike?” Kit asked. Spike jolted up and reached down in his scales.

‘What the…what’s this?” Spike asked.

“It’s a radio link. What’s the report?” Kit asked.

“I’m heading to the dungeons now. I encountered a hostile if you were wondering,” Spike said.

“Hurry up and find them; Axious is getting pumbled by mortars above,” Kit said. And as soon as he said that the ground began to shake and the roof under Spike began to crumble.

“Uh…right, what the hay was step two again after I find them?” Spike asked as he ran as fast as he can. Rotor had just finished picking the lock and smirked. Rainbow didn’t know wither to be impressed or freaked out…His wing; is robotic!?

“Right, let’s go, come on!” Rotor alleged. Rainbow nodded and followed him. Rotor and Rainbow flew their way through the halls and saw that the way was pretty empty.

“Where are all the guards?” Rainbow asked as ten another mortar had gone off and rocked the earth.

“What the hay was that?” Rotor asked. Soon spike ran into them and sighed.

“There you guys are,” Spike said. Rainbow flew up to him.

“Spike, what are you doing here?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m here to get you guys out of here. Kit, I found them, repeat I found them,” Spike announced.

“Gotcha, Axious; Spike has found them; get your plot out of there and head for the cauldron,” Kit ordered.

“In a second; I’m doing something. These batteries can level the entire base…heh. Kit, you; Spike, Rainbow and Rotor get out of here,” Axious said.

“What about you?” Kit asked.

“I’m going to clean up the trash; with a bang,” He said and began to doge and place charges onto the battery guns and the supply crates. Kit removed the radio link form his wrist and slid down the ladder. He saw Spike and the others coming out of the entrance.

“We need to move now,” Kit said,

‘Where’s Axious?” Rotor asked

“He’s going to finish the job. Come on,” Kit ordered. He then activated the timer and blew up the gates gap making a giant hole big enough for them to escape from. Axious heard the explosion; he knew that his teammates were sea. He stopped at his tracks for he had come to a dead end at a dock and a lake. He then faced the griffon army that had him surrounded.

“You guys don’t know when to quit huh” Axious asked.

“Give, up, you’re surrounded,” One of the griffons said. Axious smiled “I don’t think so. He then used his horn to activate the detonators and fell backwards into the deep lake that was under him. The griffons saw the beeping bomb and tried to make a break for it. But it was too late; the bombs had exploded before even one griffon could make it to the boats. The others saw the explosion and began to run like mad.

“Come on, the longer we wait here, we’ll be part of the wreck edged,” Kit announced. As they ran to the train station, Twilight and the others saw the explosion and wondered what had happened.

“What happened to them?” Twilight asked.

“Start the train! Start the train now Twilight!” Rainbow shouted.

“It’s Rainbow, Spike and the Arks; get on girls, we’re heading out of here,” Twilight announced. The rest of them jump on the rain and started the engine that tooted its whistle. As the others jump on, they began to catch their breaths and relax. Spike ran up to Twilight who was tearing up that both her assistant and her friend were okay. As the train began to move on in the distance, they saw the base blow into the sky and light up the area bright.

“We’re all here,” Pinkie said and jump for joy. Twilight looked among the crowed and noticed something.

“Wait…where’s the other Ark?” Twilight asked. Kit and Rotor looked out of their window and sighed.

“…Axious Aiden is-!”

“Is still present,” He said. The group turned around and saw him standing in the hall of the train soaking wet and panting heavily.

"Axious, you’re alive!” Rotor said and jumps on him.

“Gah…okay, yeah…you can get off Rotor,” Axious announced. Rotor let’s go and Kit came up and gave his friend a hoof.

“Man, you almost gave us a heart attack,” Kit said.

“What happened to the base?” Twilight asked.

“Destroyed your highness, I found out that this train was rigged and was for your capture to keep you ransom. Luckily, I destroyed the base before they could negotiate the terms,” Axious said.

“Man, you’re all wet,” Rotor announced. Axious chuckled.

“Fell into a lake that leads to the water system. I followed the trail and hitch on the train before it took off,” Axious alleged.

“Well, I hope this time we’re heading over to the Crystal Empire,” Twilight alleged.

“Your Highness, don’t you worry, we’ll keep you safe,” Axious said and the three of the royal guards salted by placing one hoof on their chest and bowing before Twilight.

“…It’s okay, you don’t have to bow,” She said and gave each of them hugs. The three knights were confused at first but then Rotor fainted due to the fact he had just hugged has first princess. The group laughs and continues to ride the train to the Crystal Empire. As the train had made its final destination, the ponies walked out and Cadence, Armor Luna and Celestia came out and were a bit worried.

“Twili, what happened? You didn’t come at the time you were present and we got worried,” Armor said.

“Well, our train was high jacked and…How about I let them tell you,” Twilight said.

“Who tell us? The thieves that took you, I’ll tear them apart!” Armor growled.

“No Armor, no…It’s not the thieves,” Twilight stated.

“Then who is it?” Celestia asked.

“Axious, Kit, Rotor come out,” Twilight said. The group waited and soon three stallions in dark white armor with blades on their helmets came out of the train. The others were shocked to see three ponies wearing royal guard armor; yet none of them met. The Stallions walked up and bowed before the princes and princesses.

“Who are you then?” Cadence asked. Luna’s eyes shot wide open as she saw her guards.

“Madam, my name is Axious; these are my friends, Rotor Wing and Kit Tail,” Axious said. Armor’s eyes formed a perplexed look as he heard the names and swore he heard them before.

“Remove your helmets guards, so we can see and thank you face to face,” Celestia ordered. The three froze in fear.

"With all due respect your highness; it's of our best intreset that we keep our faces hidden," Axious said.

"Nonsese; you saved my sister-in-law...I sould look upon the faces of those who saved her and her friends," Cadence said. Hesitant but obideant, the guards remove their hoods and revealed their faces. Axious had a short back mane and light brown skin, Rotor was light black had a long spiky porcupine like hair, like Phoenix Wright, his left wing lost its camouflage skin so you could see the robotic wing attached to his body and Kit had small long thin glasses with a tall spiky hair, and brown skin. Among the guards Twilight soon recognized Axious as he showed his face.

“I know you! You’re that stallion that helped me when I was in trouble last time here,” Twilight stated.

“You mean during the hostile takeover?” Axious asked. Twilight nodded. Axious sighed. “It’s true; I was part of the assault team...well I am the assault team that succeeded in rescuing you,” Axious alleged.

“What unit are you with?” Celestia asked. The three kept silent for some time. Celestia grew impatient. “I said what unit are you with?” She asked once more. Axious was about to speak, but then Luna’s voice broke the silence.

“…There with me sister,” Luan spoke up, Celestia looked at her.

“These guards wear different armor from the others. What type are they?” Celestia asked. Luna looked down and her sister waited for an answer. Axious knew she couldn’t hold all the blame, so he went up and bowed before Celestia.

“I can tell you you’re highness,” Axious stated. Luna looked up and saw Axious standing up for her…No pony besides Twilight has ever done that.

“Then please…Tell me Sir Axious,” Celestia asked. Axious sighed and let three words.

“We are Arks,” Axious stated. Almost half of the group didn’t understand, all except for Celestia who turned to her sister in bitter tone.

“Luna, I forbid this to be so!” She said. Luna came up and stood in front of Celestia.

“But sister; these aren’t just ordinary stallions!” Luan objected.

“What’s who now?” CadencCelestia. Armor spoke out of the confused group.

“ They're Ark’s; supposed to be the elite race of the royal guards. Made by the founding father of the training; Admiral Lightning Rod. He wanted a team of warriors that would be able to do the impossible, to put the lives of others first above their own...But the training was so intense that many prosecutors ended up rebelling against the training due to almost half dead or exaughsted themselves to the training,” Armor said.

“How are these stallions different from any other?” Celestia asked.

“I had my guards picked them for this type of training. You know these three are the finest in all of Equestria,” Luna said. Armor took another glance at them and soon remembered where he saw them from.

“Now I remember…These three are the first! Kit Tail, at the age of eight he mastered over ten thousand dialect languages in Equestria and dropped out of Celestia’s school for being too smart, Rotor Wing, former ace combat flier of the Wounderbolts, it was said you could do the impossible in less than five seconds and that you retired after your incident, and finally Axious Aiden, you were only a small filly when your parents sent you to the academy to be a royal guard. They served their kingdom valiantly, and you always came back from your missions, but your squads didn’t,” Armor said. The three nodded.

“Now I remember seeing Kit Tail…The school district kicked him out, and that was the last we ever heard from him,” Twilight stated.

“And Rotor Wing said he was the former ace Captain of the Wounderbolts,” Rainbow Dash alleged.

“You see sister; these stallions are the type I’ve been wanting. Sure my other guards are loyal, but I need guards who could do the impossible, besides, they did bring back Twilight and her friends safe and sound,” Luan said. Celestia realized that Luna was right, these ponies are the best of the best, she hasn’t heard of them though, but she doesn’t need words or stories to see the honor in them. Celestia sighed and looked at her sister.

“If you think this is the right thing to do; then I guess we can make do with it,” Celestia said. The three guards smiled and sighed in relief.

“But we need to find out who took the train and high jacked it,” Armor said.

“We can answer that your highness. The train was taken control by a group of Griffons called THIEFS. We had proof of their base until I laid waste to the area,” Axious said. This was shocking news.

“Griffons never come down the mountains before. This is bad, I’ll have to inform all of our allies to be cautious, but until then lest get some rest. You look like you need it,” Armor said. The ponies all nodded their heads and headed off to the castle. Luna stood in front of her guards and smiled.

“You did well; you have thy respect,” Luan said and bowed. The soldiers smiled and bowed the same way. She then turned away and walked off to catch up with the others. Axious, Kit and Rotor were now left alone to head for the chambers.

“Man that was the most epic mission ever!” Rotor alleged.

“Yeah, hope we can do something like that again. But for now…*yawn*…I need the sleep,” Axious said.

“Me too, see ya tomorrow,” Rotor announced and went to his room.

“I’ll see you in the morning, boss,” Kit said. Axious smiled and went to his dorm while Kit walked into his, As Axious closed his door, he soon removed his armor, placed it on a manikin pony and fell on his bed letting sleep overcome him as he closed his eyes and said his final words.

“…Mission Complete,” He whispered and fell into a deep sleep.

END