I rush around my room as I try to find my last minute things to take with me, leaving it incomplete disarray. I've stuffed as much as I can into my satchel, but I can't help but think that I'm forgetting something. What am I forgetting!? Cloths, check. Papers, check. I need to be there in thirty minutes and I know I'm forgetting something!

"Missing something?" I pause my frantic search when my mother opens the door. I sigh in relief when I see her holding the thing I'm looking for. I latch my satchel and sling it on as I walk up to her. She smiles to me and ties the royal blue scarf around my neck.

"Thanks Mom," I tell her as I finish getting my uniform squared away. She helps fasten a few loose buckles and tightens my satchel. She steps in front of me and starts to straighten out my scarf.

"Did you pack your quills?" she asks me worriedly, fussing over my scarf.

"Yeah, and papers and envelops." I tell her as she starts to get frantic over my scarf some more. I grab her claws and hold them for a moment. She pulls them in and rubs them against her cheek, purring deeply.

"I thought there would be more time before you'd leave. It's bad enough that you twisted my wings to let you enlist. But now they're taking my little cub halfway around the world."

"I'm not a cub anymore Mom," I groan to her.

"Oh hush you! You'll always be my little cub!" I chuckle a bit at that. I am sad to be leaving her alone. I know she'll be okay. She works in the castle as a stewardess, so I'm not worried about her ability get food. But... we've always been together. Just the two of us.

"I'll start writing as soon as we shove off. I don't know how long it'll be until I can actually send any letters-"

"Adair, do not worry about me. I will be fine. You just focus on staying safe, you hear me?" She tells me as she pats down my scarf.

"I will Mom."

"But yes, write me." I chuckle at her and pull her in for a hug. She holds onto me tightly, and I return the affection. Who knows how long it will be until I'll see her again. I just pray it won't be too long.

"Okay! Okay!" She mutters as she pushes back on me. "You need to get going. Go! before I tear up anymore and you mock me-"

"I would never mock your crying face!" I tease, getting her laugh.

"How could I have ever raised such a monster of a son? What have I done to deserve this?" We laugh together as I start to head to the door. Mom follows me but rushes to the kitchen. She hurries back with gives me a small bundle of food. I go to protest but she stuffs it into my bag before any words can come out.

"Mom-"

"Go now!" she cries out as she re-latches my bag. "I love you, I love you and you-you need to g-go! An-And b-b-b-be good! I-I'm so prooooooud of you!!" She yells as she starts to lose it.

"I love you too Mom!" I tell her as I give one last hug before bolting. I slam the door as I hear her go into hysterics. I do feel bad leaving her like that, but it takes way too long to calm her when she gets like that.

I take a moment to look over my home as I take to the skies. Our modest stone apartment complex sits nestled between several larger buildings, almost hiding it from the rest of the city. It's pretty, but a fairly unassuming place to live really. Being on the upper level, there aren't any stairs. But that's rarely a problem for us anyway.

I take a deep breath and head north for the ports. Sea-Crows Cliffs is a decent size town. We have an aerodrome and seaport. And the railroad isn't too far off so we've have lots of travel coming through. It's my home town, born and raised. It's a place I love, even now.

The acid rains tore away many of the old buildings almost immediately. The historic town hall, the old ports, even parts of the castle couldn't stand against the onslaught of acidic rain. We saved what we could, but there's history that's been lost forever. No amount of bland food sludge can fix that.

I dip and weave my way over the various districts of town. The few lights of those saying goodbye guide me this new moon. Most of them are from other parts of the country. Filionce, Birdmandy, Perch, even as far as Eagles Cove! I can't say I really approve of the way they've been treating my home, but there's little to say or do about that. And in the end, we're all here for the same mission.

"Adair!" I hear a hushed voice call out to me. I look over and see my life long friend, Harden, pull up beside me. I slow down enough for him to catch up, but we keep moving. We can't afford to be late. "It's finally happening, huh?"

"You don't know that Harden." I tell him quickly. Truth be told, I've got my claws crossed hoping that it's just a drill. That this will all just be a readiness drill or a random inspection. Even though I know better. "Either way keep the chatter down. We can't let one of those golems catch wind of us."

"Catch wind of you maybe, I showered." He jokes before racing ahead of me. I sniff my pits and growl to myself. I knew I was forgetting something.

The Aerodrome at the northern most part of town was built just before the rains came. It's an impressive building of concrete and iron standing intimidatingly tall. Because of its oval design, it seems to have withstood the weather well. Being just outside the town, the metal golems don't really have sight of this place. So it's a perfect meeting place. That's what the Kroth say at least.

I haven't met any of them yet myself, but I've heard stories about them. Stories of great feats of strength. Or of tremendous magical powers. If even half of what they say is true, then I'll be glad that they're on our side. I've heard other whispers that we're going to be teaming up with them for whatever journey we're doing. Being new to magic myself, I have to take advantage of this opportunity. I just hope I don't offend any of them.

I catch up with Harden and we land with a small crowd just before the slightly opened doors of the building. There are a few MP's checking people in, so it looks like slow going. But we should have plenty of time before they do roll call inside. As we take our place in the small mob I can hear the murmurs of the others. I look to Harden as we realize what's really going on.

"-brother just shipped out of Eagles Cove. Didn't even have time to say goodbye proper-"

"-my daddy it was nuthin. He still thinks imma come back an help 'im tomorrow-"

"-carrots. You gotta! I hear they'll lift tail for a carrot or two-"

"I swear I saw one a' those flyin' things go in there! Maybe even a whole battalion of them grey skins!"

"Captin' told me so when I saw him in the market the other day. That's why I packed a sweater and three pairs of mittens! Cold ain't gonna get me!"

"So... this is it?" Harden asks me as we share a concerned look. Before I could respond a low growling sound catches the crowds attention. Seemingly from out of nowhere several flying contraption comes barreling out from the hillsides. They look to be some sort of mobile cannon machine, with jets of fire instead of wheels. The four vehicles each carry squads of Kroth on top of them, but there are more marching in formation from behind. I try to do a quick count, but it has to be a whole brigade. At least.

The MPs start barking at us again, drawing most of our attention back to them. I try to get a good look at the Kroth again, but from where I'm at it's basically pointless. That armor they wear hides any secrets they might have anyway. They call for formation and we all scramble to get in line. It takes a few moments, but we eventually make our neat rows and stand at attention. The MPs that corralled us step away into the aerodrome, leaving us to wait.

"Adair?" Harden whispers from behind me. I do my best to keep still, but find it hard to stay stoic when he calls me again. "Adair!?"

"What?"

SHUSH

We both flinch back when someone quiets us. Of course they wait for me to respond. Just my luck, as usual. Before anyone else could even think to speak, a pair of officers come out and start to inspect our formation. I've never seen either of them before, but one is a second lieutenant while the other is a captain. After their short look they step back to have a quiet discussion with each other. I try to glance around to see what the others, but I can't really make any of them out.

The captain nods to the second lieutenant before flying away. The lieutenant goes before the formation to take the position of command.

"PLA-TOOOOON!" he yells out with a voice that demands respect. "SQUADS ONE AND FOUR ARE TO REMAIN AT ATTENTION. SQUADS TWO AND THREE, RIIIIIIGHT... FACE!" Being in squad three, I right face. I get a side glance at Harden and see the worry on his face. I begin to worry too. We're supposed to go together. It was part of the deal when we signed up. This can't be right. "MARCH!"

Without notice Harden jumps out of formation and steps in before me. Several others eye him oddly, but no one says anything. I keep quiet too, not wanting him to get in trouble. I try to glance back at the others, but I can't really tell what's going on. We're on the move, and that's that.

We march to the side of the building where there are stacks of crates piled up against the building. We're brought to a halt just before them. The lieutenant yells for us to mesh into one line, so we do.

"YOU WILL ALL GATHER YOUR ALLOTTED GEAR AND MOVE TO THE BACK OF THE AERODROME! FROM THERE YOU WILL MAKE A NEW FORMATION AND DO A QUALITY CHECK ON YOUR GEAR. IF ANYTHING IS BROKEN OR NONFUNCTIONAL, YOU WILL GET IN THE BACK OF THE LINE! MOVE!"

We start going through the stations for gear. One musket, a pouch of shots, a few air canisters, a couple grenades, short sword, and a packed meal. Being mostly trained for magic, I don't need as much as others. Depending on what you training badge says, you get sent to different stations where they pick up different materials. Harden is a gunner, and as such stops to pick up the main body of a Gatling gun. It's a extremely heavy piece of equipment. So it takes three to carry all the parts and ammo. But with him just joining in, it may throw off our numbers.

As we try to gather our stuff the supply officers start yelling at us to hurry up. Everyone is being rushed through, so no one questions who takes what. When we make it through the supply line we rush around the building to start formation. But we both pause when we see the ship before us.

Four goblin made air frigates are docked just beneath the cliffs. These ships are massive! Each one has four decks, each having ports for cannons. The main bodies are held aloft with massive armored ballasts that are all around larger than the ships themselves. The main decks are dotted with Kroth and goblins that are getting the ships ready for takeoff.

Below the frigates is the flagship for this operation though. It's a vessel that dwarfs all the other crafts, one that I can easily identify. The battle carrier U.C.S.S. Indomitable. Six decks lined with the largest most advanced weapons in the world. The ballasts are segmented and armored to withstand dragons. The bottom of this behemoth opens to let smaller aircraft drop out, giving it an arsenal of weapons that could take on entire armies. This is the flagship of the Griffin Colonies. If we're going with this, then I have little doubt about what our target will be.

The U.C.S.S. is made for large scale attacks. And we're only a company. Where are the rest of us then? That thing is made for an entire field army! With the Kroth we're still only at a large battalion! This doesn't make sense.

"You there!" I jump out of my daze when the second lieutenant calls out Harden. "Who are you?" We share a quick uneasy look before snapping to attention and saluting.

"Sir! Private Harden Olive-Talon of the S.E.U., first battalion, Alpha company-"

"You're not supposed to be here." He cuts him off, eyeing his equipment. "I know our gunners and you're not one of mine. Where did you come from?"

"Sir!" I cut in, unsure of what to do. "Harden and I were enlisted under the PALS program but were almost separated. Uh... W-we were going to ask permission for Private Harden to be reassigned with us!"

He eyes the two of us for a long moment as I can feel myself start to sweat. There's noway he's going to let us go together. Why would he? He sizes up Harden again and keeps a stoic face. Weighing the options in his head.

"Is your gunner crew good?" he asks Harden.

"We placed second in our training squads sir!" Harden tells him proudly. "But our engineer if the best around too! P.F.C. Tolker has even studied some Kroth gear sir!"

"Is that so?" he asks, genuinely intrigued.

"Yes sir! Says he has a family hiding out at his old homestead! And our loader is a devil with a hammer sir! Saw him crush steel as if it was a watermelon!" The second lieutenant scratches his chin in thought before nodding to him.

"Here's the deal Private. Go get your squad and bring them here. If someone tries to stop you, tell them to take it up with Captain Iron-Heart. But, if you're not back before we takeoff, then that's it. We're not waiting for you, no matter how special you think you are. understood?"

"Yes sir!" Harden yells with a salute. He hesitates for a moment before taking off. I hesitate as well, unsure how to act. The lieutenant motions for me to move on, so I salute and rush towards the formation. That was too close, even for Hardens standards!

I try to ignore the thought as I start to check over my rifle. I pull back the hammer and test the tension in the spring. It's nice and taught. I pull the ramrod and clear the barrel. Nothing inside, so I tuck the rod back in. Next I check the cylinder catch, making sure the grooves are clean and rust free. It air trap is new and shiny too. The flaps pushing in with total ease.

As I check over my weapon I notice the ferries of different craft taking Kroth to the various ships down below. It seems like they've done something to the ships. Because as their ships come near the frigates and battle carrier, strange pieces of Kroth tech reach out and bring in the small craft. I wonder how much more of their tech is down there.

What feels like forever drags on as the line of griffins slowly but surely makes it through inventory. Once everyone's here, we then wait even longer for the next part to happen. It gets to the point where we all start to sit and lay about. The commanders don't say anything though. We've got nothing better to do than wait. I lay down and just keep myself busy with cleaning my rifle.

"Adair!" I perk up when I hear Harden. He has he whole squad with him, which seems like more than what they were asking for. I wave him over and start to pack up my cleaning oils. "Made it with time to spare apparently!"

"You can say that again!" I laugh with him as I nod to the others. He trained with most of them when he became a gunner. I was always in a support role, so I didn't need to learn as much as him. "You missed the show. Those Kroth guys were loading up some serious equipment."

"Anything good?" Garth asks. He's the one who knows about Kroth tech. Or so he claims at least.

"Looked good, but I couldn't really tell you."

"I swear, this fight isn't going to last long." Jarel quips. He's the hawk with the huge hammer. "I don't care how good those Spartans claim to be! Look at our numbers! Look at these freaking huge guns! Adair, look at you! How can they stand against an army of griffins and kroth that all have magic! I'm telling you all, this fights only going to last a month. TWO maybe!"

They all share a laugh, but I keep quiet. I was at the invasion of our Capitol. That fight was... embarrassing. We did our best and we had the Kroth. But they still stole Ulfric from us. Conquered our capital! How did we let this happen?

As I think over that day the lieutenant shows up and starts calling for us to get ready to board.

This time will be different. We'll be the ones attacking. We'll be the ones setting the terms. We will be the ones reacting to what they have. And we're going to be the ones to break through. The only difference between me and my friends here is that I know how much it's going to cost us. And it's going to be a high price to pay. But we have to do it. We have to get our families out of here. I can't let my mother go any longer without being able to look up at the sky in peace. What kind of life is it if a griffin can't love the sky? Not one I want to live in, that's for sure.

Once the formation is ready we take to the sky and head for the U.C.S.S. Indomitable. A part of me is excited to know that I'll be living there for the next few months. Though I'm sure moving from ship to ship will occur frequently, given the numbers present. I just hope I don't get lost.

We're all brought onto the main deck and told to stand in another formation. You can always count on formation in the the United Griffin Colonies army. I take this time to take in the ship more closely. The smooth brass of the ship reflects the moonlight beautifully. The deck guns are all tied down currently but there are a few that are being inspected by some of the crew members. The main steering wheel is on the upper deck, flaked by two smaller wheels that I think control some of the smaller propellers. I can see a few officers and deck hands up there prepping for launch.

As I'm looking around Kroth start pouring out of the ladder-wells and stairways. They form a formation on our sides and behind us. It makes a few of us a bit nervous, but no one breaks file. Being this close to them, I can start to see the small differences about them.

They mostly seem to be group with some sort of color coordination. I see four groupings. Red and white, purple and gold, green and brown, and blue and green. Some are more obvious than others, like painted armor or sashes. But they all wear it with some sort of pride. A few of them even have their helmets off, giving me the closest look of their faces I've ever had. Their dark eyes are a bit off putting, but I try not to dwell on it. I'm sure they're thinking something similar towards us.

An older griffin in formal military attire steps forward as a petty officer yells for attention. The whole harbor goes silent as we look up to him. He pulls up a scroll and coughs before reading. His voice cuts through the silence and reaches every single person here, drawing our attention solely on him.

"Griffins! Kroth! Goblins! My name is General Knut Sail-Wing! We all stand here today with one goal in mind. One objective! To secure our future together! We few brave souls have answered the call to raise arms against tyranny and forge the path for our peoples! Ulfric Stormmind, the true god of gods, thanks you for your sacrifice. He thanks you for your bravery! He thanks you for the sacrifices that have yet to have been made. I have here the written words from the great sphinx himself! Written for each and every one of you! And I shall read them to you now!"

"To my sons and daughters. To those who will never grow old. To our dreams lost in the wind, I say to you... I am sorry.

I am sorry for the impossible tasks I will ask of you. I am sorry I was not able to fend off the threats against our kind. I am sorry we could not be better stewards or better friends. But the time has come for us to raise our arms for the procurement of our future. That we might endeavor for a better future. A time of self reliance and dignity, not of poverty and suffering.

So it is with a heavy heart that I call you brave few to embark upon great crusade that will define not only our generation. But all generations to come. With the world as our witness, we will take our destiny into our grasps and hold it tightly, till either our dying breath, or until we can pass the embers of freedom to the next willing person. And the next.

I pray for your peace of mind. For your safe return. And for the prosperity of our people. That we may dream our hope filled dreams yet again."

The ship engines blare to life as the tethers are cut and we begin to drift away over the sea. Plumes of steam are blown out the back as we slowly start to lurch out, shaking us steadily. I look to Harden and we both swallow. Any hope there was that this was just some drill or minor operation is gone now. It's clear what's next. What we've been training to do for some time now.

The invasion of Equestria has started.

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