Chapter 10:

'Honour before Duty'

Blitz Bolt laughed like a maniac. "Good job Cloud Hunter! She almost had me there!"

"I'll take her back to the castle and exchange her safety for the others escape." Cloud Hunter replied as he held the unconscious Rainbow Dash in his forelegs.

"Uhh..." Blitz Bolt scratched the back of his head. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if something goes wrong?"

Cloud Hunter shrugged. "I don't know...I can only hope that I'll be able to fool them successfully. If not, well, then, you'll have to tell lord Metal Wing that we're currently rotting in Canterlot's dungeon."

Blitz Bolt chuckled. "Hey relax Cloud Hunter. I've got a back-up plan."

"No. My own plan should work, there's no need for a back-up plan." Cloud Hunter said as he turned to fly away.

"Just like your plan to steal the Elements?" Blitz Bolt replied.

Cloud Hunter said nothing and flew back towards the castle.

Blitz Bolt merely smirked. "Well...just in case your plan doesn't work Cloud Hunter..." He turned and set his sights on Ponyville. "My plan will be ready." Without another word, he flew towards the small town.

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Cloud Hunter swore he saw a brief silver flash in the distance at the corner of his eye. He knew without a doubt that it must have been Blitz Bolt using his special skill to quickly get back to the castle, but why now? Had he stayed in that one spot for that long? He could only assume the silver Pegasus stayed to try and think of a back-up plan in case something went wrong with his own and finally gave up.

His plan couldn't go wrong though, here he stood on the castle walls, with an unconscious Rainbow Dash under his hoof. Despite all of the archers aiming their bows at him, he knew they wouldn't dare fire, the risk of hitting Rainbow Dash was too high and they knew it.

On the ground level of the courtyard, was a large crowd of guards, and in the middle, was Kickback, Air Break and Vanisher, the latter who was currently trapped in a barrier conjured up by Celestia and Luna.

By the Princesses sides, was the four other Element wielders, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, along with Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard.

Blocking the castle gates was a group of black armoured guards, in front of them, was Magister Black Lance.

A long silence filled the air, and Cloud Hunter knew without a doubt that the Princesses were trying to think of a way to save Rainbow Dash while ensuring he and the others couldn't escape.

"I won't ask again Princesses...tell your guards to stand down immediately, or watch me crush Rainbow Dash's head." Cloud Hunter said as he pressed his hoof down a little more on the cyan Pegasus's head.

"NO DON'T! PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T HURT HER!" Pinkie Pie yelled.

Kickback smirked. "I think I see where this is going." He said with a chuckle.

After exchanging a look with Luna, Celestia turned back to Cloud Hunter and said, "You won't."

Cloud Hunter raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

Celestia's eyes softened as she continued. "You won't do it. While you say that you will, you could never bring yourself to take the life of a defenceless Pony."

Doing his best to hide the shocked look on his face, Cloud Hunter slowly pressed his hoof down even more and said, "Don't test me Celestia! Just let them leave right now and I will let your precious Element wielder live."

No reply came, instead, Princess Celestia took a step forward.

Cloud Hunter lifted his hoof up. "I MEAN IT!"

Unfurling her wings, Celestia slowly began to take flight.

"I WILL DO IT CELESTIA!" Cloud Hunter shouted.

Celestia continued to slowly fly towards him, almost as if she hadn't heard his words. Cloud Hunter clenched his teeth, he was starting to panic but he did a good job at not showing it. 'She's got me. She can see right through my bluff!'

Celestia landed on the castle wall right in front of Cloud Hunter. At this distance she was able to make out his height better. His head was just up to the lower part of her neck.

The two stared into each others eyes for a long moment, almost as if they were having a staring contest. Finally, Cloud Hunter lost.

With a low growl, Cloud Hunter pulled his hoof back and stepped away from Rainbow Dash. "Dammit." He muttered under his breath, looking at the ground in anger.

Kickback and Air Break just stared in shock. "And...there goes THAT escape plan." Kickback whispered to his large partner.

Luna charged up her horn and teleported the unconscious Rainbow Dash right next to the other Element wielders. "RAINBOW! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Fluttershy cried as she held her unconscious friend in her forelegs.

Celestia turned to her Pegasus archers in the sky and motioned for them to lower their bows. After they did so, she faced Cloud Hunter again.

The blue Pegasus stood there as still as a statue, his eyes still looking down at the ground in frustration, frustration that his plan failed yet again. After a long moment of silence went by, Celestia smiled slightly at him. "You're better than that. That's how I knew you wouldn't do it."

Cloud Hunter sighed. "Honour before duty." He closed his eyes. "There is no honour in taking the life of one who can't defend themselves."

Celestia's smile widened a little. "And that's why I continue to believe." After watching him take a deep breath, she continued. "Please stop your resistance. I promise, your allies will not be harmed and their wounds will be treated."

Looking up from the ground, Cloud Hunter stared back at her. Red eyes locked with magenta coloured eyes, one pair filled with a defeated expression, the other filled with a sad but relieved one.

"I know you won't harm them..." Cloud Hunter said as he managed a slight smirk. "Because I know you're better than that, Celestia."

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle a little at his words, the very same words she used a moment ago. Cloud Hunter lowered his head a little. "Very well. You have us beat Celestia and as such, I shall accept defeat with honour."

With a nod, Celestia, with Cloud Hunter right behind her, flew back down into the courtyard where the others were waiting. Luna approached her sister. "They accept defeat?"

"Yes sister." Celestia replied.

Black Lance approached the two, catching their attention. "Let us execute them then." Those words made Kickback wince.

Celestia faced the black armoured Magister. "No. I promised they would not be harmed and I intend to keep that promise."

"You don't get it do you Celestia? These four are Metal Wing's officers, you'll be saving yourself a lot of trouble in the future if you just kill them right now." Black Lance said.

Luna was about to speak up, but Celestia stopped her. "I understand Magister Black Lance but killing them won't make things any better. I will be speaking with the four of them later, and hopefully we can persuade them to join our side and gain valuable information in the process. We cannot afford to pass up a chance like that."

Black Lance huffed and turned away. "Do as you like."

Applejack turned back to the four and only now noticed something. "Wait a minute...where's-"

Before she could finish, a bright silver flash appeared in the sky, and within the blink of an eye, it landed on the same wall that Cloud Hunter stood on earlier.

"What was that?!" Shining Armor said as he covered his eyes.

The flash died down and standing in its place, Blitz Bolt.

"Blitz Bolt! Please for the love of lord Metal Wing..." Kickback stopped and looked at Celestia for a moment before continuing. "Please tell me you've got an escape plan that WON'T fail!"

Blitz Bolt grinned at all of the archers who aimed their bows at him. "As a matter of fact I do..." He looked at Cloud Hunter and smirked. "Well Cloud Hunter, looks like your plan didn't work out as well as you thought it would, did it?"

Cloud Hunter narrowed his eyes at the silver Pegasus. 'What is he up to?'

After letting out a loud chuckle, Blitz Bolt faced Celestia. "You may have been able to find a loophole in Cloud Hunter's threat Celestia...but not mine."

An amused expression made its way onto Luna's face. "Oh? And pray tell Blitz Bolt...what exactly do YOU have that will force us to let your allies go?"

Blitz Bolt slowly turned and looked at the Element wielders. "Applejack, Rarity..."

Applejack and Rarity narrowed their eyes at him, they started to grow nervous when he smirked at them.

Suddenly, Applejack's eyes widened with horror when Blitz Bolt showed them what he was holding in his hoof. "Your little sisters and their friend really loved to play hide-and-seek, unfortunately, their hiding place just wasn't good enough." Blitz Bolt said as he showed them all a small pink bow.

"No..." Applejack shook her head.

Fluttershy stared nervously at her friend. "Umm...Applejack...that bow...isn't it Apple Bloom's?"

Applejack's eyes were filled with rage as she stepped forward. "WHAT HAVE YA DONE WITH MAH LITTLE SISTER?!"

Celestia and Luna couldn't believe what they were hearing. Blitz Bolt laughed as he threw the bow at Applejack. "Not just your sister...but Rarity's aswell. And the filly called Scootaloo. They gave me quite a bit of trouble when I first met them back in the Everfree Forest, so...I just decided to pay them a visit and asked them if they wanted to see our castle."

"C-Castle?" Fluttershy stuttered.

Blitz Bolt nodded. "That's right Fluttershy. So don't any of you worry, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are safe and sound...back in our castle in the north." He burst out in laughter.

"YOU CRUEL, HEARTLESS SAVAGE!" Luna shouted.

"HAHA! Cruel? Heartless? That hurts Luna, really it does." Blitz Bolt said, his grin then lowered into a frown. "Now here's MY offer. Let my allies leave, or you will never see the three little fillies again. In fact, I may just decide to kill them if you don't comply with my demand."

Celestia stepped forward. "You wouldn't dare!"

Cloud Hunter then spoke up. "You've taken things too far now Blitz Bolt!" Celestia turned to him, surprised that he was actually taking their side on this. "I told you to go back to the castle! How dare you resort to such an evil trick! This is low even for YOU!"

Blitz Bolt raised a brow. "Really Cloud Hunter? You're going to lecture ME about low? You should be thanking me that I decided to come over here and save your rears! Besides, I honestly don't see what the problem is, after all, we have taken our fair share of lives, have we not?"

Cloud Hunter nodded. "We have, but those were enemy troops, trained to fight, and it was because we were ordered to! We are soldiers of the Iron Empire! Not takers of innocent lives! You know that aswell as anypony else Blitz Bolt!"

Celestia and Luna were surprised by Cloud Hunter's noble words, even Shining Armor, who stared in awe at him. Fluttershy was the one who couldn't take her eyes off of him though. Cloud Hunter noticed this and looked at her, causing her to quickly look away, much to his confusion.

Narrowing his eyes at the blue Pegasus, Blitz Bolt said, "That was a long time ago." He said in a surprisingly hurt tone before turning away. "Nonetheless, Celestia, Luna, my offer stands, let them leave immediately, or you will have the blood of those three fillies on your hoofs!"

Applejack turned to Celestia. "Princess...ah know ya need them ta get information but...please...please don't let mah sister...don't let her..." She choked on her words as tears started to form in her eyes.

Rarity was no different as tears were already flowing down her face. "Oh Sweetie Belle...she must be so scared."

Pinkie Pie comforted her two friends. "Hey it's ok. We'll get them back, I know we will."

Seeing the two Element wielders cry, Celestia turned back to Blitz Bolt and said, "Blitz Bolt...do I have your word that no harm will come to the young ones if we allow your allies to leave?"

Blitz Bolt smirked. "You have my...word...Celestia. They will...not be harmed." He said before letting out a dark chuckle.

Luna faced her sister. "Celestia?"

"I will not risk endangering the lives of anypony Luna, especially three young fillies who have long lives ahead of them." Celestia said.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Luna nodded. The two Alicorn sisters turned to Vanisher and lowered the barrier around him.

Vanisher used his magic and teleported himself and the other three Iron Empire officers up to where Blitz Bolt stood.

Kickback put one of his forelegs around the silver Pegasus. "Blitz Bolt you genius! If you were a mare I'd kiss you!"

Blitz Bolt raised a brow. "Uh...even if I was a mare, I still wouldn't let you kiss me."

Air Break slowly fell down and growled. "Just...hurry up and get us out of here..." He said as he placed a hoof over his bleeding face.

Vanisher nodded and charged up his horn.

A large blue aura began to surround the five Ponies. Cloud Hunter looked back and locked eyes with Celestia. He then turned to Applejack and Rarity, who were shedding a lot of tears, Pinkie Pie was doing her best to comfort the two. He then locked eyes with Fluttershy, who was staring at him with a sad expression on her face. He couldn't help but notice a few tears flowing down her face aswell.

With a sigh, Cloud Hunter said, "Blitz Bolt...when we get back...you will take me to where the fillies are."

"Whatever." Blitz Bolt replied.

With that, the five Iron Empire officers disappeared in a blue flash.

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Hours following the escape of the Iron Empire officers, Celestia and Luna had sent a group of guards to Ponyville to ensure nopony was harmed when Blitz Bolt made his way in to capture the fillies. Thankfully, no blood was spilled and the guards confirmed that the fillies were indeed missing.

Shining Armor had already begun counting the dead, Rainbow Dash and all of the injured guards were moved into the medical quarters of the castle, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy chose to remain by the cyan Pegasus's side until she woke up. Princess Cadence went to the medical quarters to help speed up everyponies recovery with her healing magic, as there was no telling when or if the enemy would return.

Celestia and Luna returned to the throne room to meet up with Dusk, not only to inform him of the events that took place, but to demand an explanation as to why he hadn't assisted them.

"It wasn't my place." Dusk stated in his usual bored tone as he stood out on the balcony, the sunlight reflected off of his golden armour. "Besides, I didn't think you'd need any help." He added as he turned to step back inside.

Celestia narrowed her eyes at him. "That doesn't change the fact that you didn't step in to assist us Dusk."

Black Lance rolled his eyes behind his helmet.

At the moment, Celestia and Luna stood at the bottom of the podium where they usually always stood. The table and chairs they used for the council were still there but most of the chairs were taken away. Magister's Freed, Burning Mace and Snow Charm were the only ones who were seated down. Black Lance stood by the door, while Dusk remained near the exit to the balcony.

"If this alliance is going to happen, we expect you to do your part. Allies are supposed to assist each other, I'm sure I do not need to inform you of that." Luna said.

Dusk glared at her. "Those officers of the Iron Empire are beneath me, thus, they are not worth my time. I expected the two leaders of Equestria to be more than capable of dealing with them."

Knowing her sister was on the verge of unleashing her anger on him, Celestia put a hoof on Luna's shoulder. After waiting for the dark Alicorn to calm down, she turned back to Dusk and said, "What's done is done, we can't change that. I would however like to know more about these officers though Dusk. From what I saw, the five of them are exceptional opponents, Shining Armor says so himself."

Dusk made his way over to the table and sat down on one of the chairs. "What do you want to know exactly?"

"Who are they? What are they capable of?" Luna replied for her sister.

Facing the two Princesses, Dusk was about to reply until the throne room doors opened up. Entering was the five Element wielders themselves, Rainbow Dash included. "How are you Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked with a concerned tone.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "I'm...I'm fine Princess..." She looked up at the white Alicorn and her eyes narrowed a little. "Is it true about Scootaloo and the others? Did Blitz Bolt really foalnap them?"

Celestia merely nodded, to which Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof on the floor. "I can't believe this! If I had just caught him sooner, they wouldn't have gotten away!"

"It...it's not your fault Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy said, trying to comfort her friend.

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yeah! We all make mistakes! But that just teaches us never to make them a second time! Right?!"

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up Pinkie..." Rainbow said before looking at the floor again.

Celestia turned back to Dusk. "Please continue Dusk..."

"Very well..." Dusk took a deep breath before continuing. "As I'm sure you already know, the tall blue Pegasus is called Cloud Hunter. He's Metal Wing's commander and second in command, believe me when I say that you are lucky he didn't go all out earlier today, because if he did, Canterlot would be nothing but a pile of rubble."

"How so?" Luna asked in a curious tone.

Dusk faced her. "Just like all other Pegasi, Cloud Hunter can control the weather, but he can do more that. Like others, he can create tornadoes but the ones he creates are of a much larger magnitude. His speed however, is a whole different story. He flies and moves so fast, you would immediately think that he's teleporting, and with speed like that, he can create a powerful wind, and a powerful wind, means he can create a powerful storm. His abilities to create destructive weathers have always been a major factor on the battlefield for Metal Wing and is one of the main reasons the Iron Empire have always been victorious."

"And the others?" Celestia replied.

"Kickback...the short red Pony is the Iron Empire's Medical Officer...but don't let that rank alone fool you. From what I heard, he gave Captain Shining Armor a pretty tough fight." Dusk said. "Nonetheless, Kickback is skilled when he needs to be and he is one of the main reasons that the Iron Empire's troops have always recovered from a battle, his medical skills are far beyond the best doctors you could find in Equestria."

The golden armoured Prince used his magic to levitate a glass of water over to him and took a sip. "Then there's Air Break. Captain of the Iron Empire's forces, I'm sure you've already seen enough of him to know what he is like. I heard Shining Armor actually managed to hold him and Kickback off, and I admit, that's quite a surprise considering nopony has ever lasted in a one on one fight with Air Break."

Applejack spoke up. "He ain't so tough...ah kicked his tail once before and ah did a second time earlier today!"

Dusk faced her. "So I heard..."

Luna spoke up again. "Tell us about the silent one. The one named Vanisher."

Just as Dusk was about to reply, they heard the throne room doors open again, and they were all surprised to see who had entered.

"TWILIGHT!"

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In the mountains, North of the Crystal Empire...

Cloud Hunter, followed by Blitz Bolt, Kickback, Air Break and Vanisher, all entered through the old rusty doors and into the large dark throne room.

All guards that were lined up on both sides of the throne room faced them. Blitz Bolt looked on ahead and saw his leader standing on top of the podium at the very end of the hall, and the sight of the podium and his leader being covered by the shadows didn't do anything to help him feel better.

The five officers reached the bottom of the podium and then bowed. "Lord Metal Wing." They all said, except Vanisher.

Metal Wing slowly stepped forth from the shadows, revealing his armoured form in what light was shining in through the openings in the ceiling. "The Elements..."

Cloud Hunter took a deep breath and spoke up. "Lord Metal Wing...we return in shame, we could not retrieve the Elements of Harmony."

A long silence followed when those words echoed through the throne room, even a few guards were exchanging nervous glances with each other.

Finally, Metal Wing spoke, his words surprising them all. "I see..."

Cloud Hunter looked up at him. "My lord?"

Metal Wing slowly made his way down the podium towards the five. "Considering I heard that Blitz Bolt had brought a few fillies here not too long ago...I suspected something had...or was...about to go wrong."

He reached the five officers, who remained on their knees. "Rise."

They did as they were told and got up. "So where are the Elements then?" He asked.

Cloud Hunter looked at Blitz Bolt for a moment before replying. "While we did not successfully retrieve them, they are scattered all around Canterlot, or the areas near Canterlot that is."

Metal Wing nodded. "Then it would appear that your assignment wasn't a total failure after all." He walked by them and smirked. "If the Elements of Harmony are scattered, then that only gives us a chance to retrieve them before Celestia and her precious subjects can."

Hearing a low growl behind him, Metal Wing turned and faced Air Break. "If any of you are injured, get moving and have your injuries treated, I have no use for those who can't fight."

"Yes...lord Metal Wing." Air Break muttered out before being limping away through a door at the side of the throne room.

Kickback patted his coat before turning to follow his partner. "I'll go and treat his injuries, as always. Then I'm cleaning myself up!" He took off to catch up with the blue Pony.

Metal Wing turned to Blitz Bolt. "Blitz Bolt...as of now...you are my lieutenant and Cloud Hunter will be taking back his position as commander."

"W-WHAT?! BUT WHY?! HE FAILED! IF IT WASN'T FOR ME THEN NONE OF THEM WOULD BE HERE RIGHT NOW!" Blitz Bolt argued.

Raising a brow, Metal Wing said, "It's not just because that failure Blitz Bolt..." He then narrowed his eyes at him, making the silver Pegasus step back in fear. "But I can't have a commander who is so foolish that he would let himself be outsmarted by a few mere fillies."

Blitz Bolt's eyes widened with horror. "How...how do you know about that?"

Metal Wing smirked. "Why...the three fillies you brought here told me of course."

"THOSE LITTLE..." Blitz Bolt turned around and stormed off.

Cloud Hunter watched Blitz Bolt leave before turning back to his leader. "Lord Metal Wing I-"

"Save it." Metal Wing cut in. "I only named him my temporary second in command because you were busy in Canterlot. Now that you're back Cloud Hunter, I expect much out of you."

Cloud Hunter nodded. "Yes...my lord."

"Also..." Metal Wing continued. "See to it that you get some rest, considering what you have all been through, you need it. And I need my troops at their very best."

As he was about to walk away, Cloud Hunter stopped and replied. "Lord Metal Wing...what about the fillies?"

Metal Wing looked up at the dark rusty ceiling. "What about them?"

"We...aren't going to kill them are we?" Cloud Hunter replied in a nervous tone.

"No..." Metal Wing faced his commander and said, "But we can't have the three of them wandering about either, if you're so worried about them Cloud Hunter, then you can have the responsibility of watching them."

Cloud Hunter nodded. "I...I understand." In all honesty though, he didn't really have a problem with it. Knowing Blitz Bolt would be looking for them, he took off to find them before the silver Pegasus did.

Metal Wing sighed. "Things are going to be a little more difficult this time Vanisher."

The blind and silent Unicorn, Vanisher, slowly turned and looked up at his leader. Metal Wing continued. "We have won many battles, many wars, and though we have defeated enemies like Grande, I don't doubt for a second that Celestia and Luna will put up the most difficult fight yet."

Vanisher remained silent as he stared blankly at his leader.

Metal Wing smirked. "I always did like a challenge though."

A dark chuckle caught their attention. Metal Wing and Vanisher turned to the source and saw something emerging from the shadows.

"You're quite confident Metal Wing. You're so sure that you will be victorious and conquer all of Equestria...that's what I like about you."

Metal Wing smirked a little. "Queen Chrysalis."

Chrysalis reached him and returned his smirk with one of her own. She looked up at him, he was only a couple of inches taller than her. "My Changelings are carrying out the tasks you had me give them, if the enemy even so much as makes a move, we will know immediately."

"Good." Metal Wing said as he slowly made his way back up to the top of the podium.

"Metal Wing, I am most curious, you said that you seek Celestia, what exactly did you mean by that?" Chrysalis asked, still smirking but her tone filled with curiosity.

Facing her, the Iron King said, "That will be discussed another time, for now, I merely wish to have some time to myself."

"Of course..." Chrysalis said before leaving.

Metal Wing waited until she was gone before speaking up again. "I will be Equestria's King." He said.

Vanisher looked up at his leader, his face still blank.

Metal Wing took in a deep breath. "And every King...needs a Queen. You Chrysalis, are not that Queen however. There is only one in all of Equestria...no...there is only one in all of the world, who deserves to be my Queen."

Vanisher fully faced his leader as he finished his words.

"I seek Celestia...to be my Queen."