It’s an interesting feeling to be brought in to a ball of light where you once stood, only to be suddenly thrown miles away in a few seconds. Free had never gotten used to the idea of teleportation, and on the few times that Iron would offer, he always preferred to fly his way anywhere he would need.

Though with the skill of the unicorns by their side, the groups traveled miles upon miles at a time across the lands. Quickly entering enemy territory within a few minutes, and with a final warp. They found themselves a mile or so from their own destination.

With the other groups bound to be in position by now, Free found himself further in the kingdom than her particularly wanted to be. Landing amongst a small forest seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It looked to be his group would be taking the last factory by storm… something that left an uneasy feeling in his gut. He knew what to expect from the first one next to the dock.

Though this one, who knows what they had in store…

Free made sure his blade was tight against his side, as well as checking his armor to make sure that everything was in order for the fight that was bound to come at some point. With the wave on from their groups’ leader, himself and the others trotted their way between trees left and right as they headed to their target. While many of them were grateful for the cover it provided, none of the mostly air born group liked that the forest would hamper their escape aspect if they were unable to get above the tree line.

Though through the calm and quiet sounds of the forest, their ears started to pick up the steady pounding of progress off in the distance, “We’re getting closer…” Free said to himself, as he caught the ambient glow of the smoke stacks off in the distance and the fires beneath them.

With the sun starting to turn its head to the horizon, they picked a perfect time to attack in their books. Pegisy had an uncanny skill when it came to stealth attacks, easily using their wings to slightly hover as they took weight off their hooves and allowed for a more silent approach.

Using their training, each member of the group made their way to a way point that they had spied from distance. The transport means of the factory took the shape of several train tracks that lined through the forest, going every which way that the kingdom may need. Though this gave a clear avenue of attack for the group.

Closing in on the factory, two guards were posted at the entrance way of the trains, that all bottle necked in to one single path. Looking to his leader, Free got the word without even a word. Silently Free both thanked Iron for making his suit a little lighter, and giving him the camo enchantment. With a tap of his chest, the Pegasus went completely clear instantly, as he creeped in between the two guards.

Their conversation of favorite sweets was cut short, as Free made his move. Tapping the gem in his center with one hoof, the colt used his other to bring the blade up in to the base of one gryphons’ neck. If it had been any sharper, he might have just managed to sever the head entirely. Though the quick reaction by the other guard forced his hoof, as be brought the blade around to catch the one aiming at his wings.

Blocking the initial attack, with a leg hiked up, Free sent the armored bracer in to the gut of his opponent. Knocking the wind out of him with ease, just as the tip of his blade was sent in to the wind pipe of the gryphon.

Causing any chance to yell for help, to die with him.

With that the rest of the group quickly caught up to him, and looked at the efficiency of their fellow soldier. “When I heard you were a castle guard, I wondered why you had chosen to go on this mission with the army,” his captain said as he looked to the two bodies off to their sides, “Whelp… now I know. Interesting suit you got there.”

Free wiped his blade clean against the ground without a word at first, as they made their way further inside, “let’s just say I have a friend back in the capital who knows a thing or two about magic…”

“Well…” the captain paused against a corner, as he waited for his mark, “Would he be open to make some modifications on mine?” he asked, quickly grabbing a gryphon that walked past without checking his corners.

Slamming him in to the box car they used as cover, with a quick hoof to the throat, the captain silenced him as the gryphon gasped for a breath between the collapsed wind pipe. The name of their game was stealth, the more they were hidden, the more likely all of them would make it home in one piece.

With that doctrine, the group made their way further and further to the factory. Passing through the rest of the train yard without issue. They finally reached an access door to the base of the building. Holding the handle, one soldier counted out to his partner to three before he finally opened it up for him.

With a quick scan of the area the coast was clear, as one by one they filed inside. Finding themselves in what seemed to be a staging area for the shipments to be sent out. Putting his sword away, the captain called them all in to a small huddle, as a few of them kept an eye out for any other guards that might come their way.

“Alrighty, this place is larger than I expected… so needless to say, lets split up from here,” he pointed to the group as he started to separate them, to make the most of those he had. With them divided up evenly so that each group had a unicorn for protection, and a few gryphons for good measure. He reached in to the bag across his shoulder, and the officer dispersed the munitions he carried amongst them. “Each team take a different part of the factory, I personally don’t know what to expect or what we even really should be targeting… though if it looks big and important… probably a good idea to take it away from them, wouldn’t you say?”

With the slight chuckle from a few of his troops, one asked the ever important question, “Sir, how much time is on these bombs?”

“The timer on them are set to go off twenty minutes after arming, so depending what you place it next to. It would be a good idea to leave once it’s set…”

“And where’s the rendezvous place when it all is said and done?” Free posed.

“Out in the woods where we came in,” the captain answered as he looked to each of them and nodded, before dispersing them all.

With the element of surprise still under their wings, so to speak, Free and the group he traveled with headed deeper in to the factory. Following the steady mechanical white noise radiating from the inner walls, they get closer and closer to the production floor. Calming the pounding in his chest to a slow and steady rhythm, the Pegasus slowed his trot in to a tip toe as the others quickly did the same. Stepping out amongst the pile of boxes, the group watched as they found the heart of the factory there were here to destroy.

While the kingdom may have not had the amount of resources that Seren had, the gryphons have always been good at making do with what they could get their talons on. And from what Free could see, in their capable grasp, these new weapons required little to bring to life.

Row after row of arms laid being mass produced on a scale that Graces’ own nation could have only dreamed of. With the little materials that were needed for them, whoever brought this tech to light, must be making a fortune off of their efforts. “Iron would be drooling at this point,” Free noted, as he watched from a distance the same rockets that almost took himself and his friend out, being put together one by one, with a series of machines to match the product.

The last time the guard had been in the kingdom, as diplomatic protection detail, he saw gryphons making weapons in the same style. Though at each step, was a new artisan doing his own part to create a final product. This amount of automation though left those days of old in the dust, and paved a way for a new age of modernization to the kingdom. How they haven’t gone on the full attack yet, Free didn’t know. For if each of their soldiers were armed with the gear that he and Iron saw…

Seren would have stood little chance.

“What would you say there, Locknut?” the parties’ leader asked another under him, knowing that Locknut was a blacksmith under his armor, “Where would you target if you wanted to sabotage your own forge?”

Looking around, the mechanical mind of the soldier started to turn as he looked at the larger version of his forge from back at home. Off on one end of the factory, he could see the flames from one of the smelters bellowing out of the top of its shell, as it melted the raw ore down to something the gryphons could use.

Pointing with a hoof, the soldier made his point, “There, that would put a real damper on their spirits…”

“Good choice,” the leader looked at the target, and simply nodded in approval, before moving the group down to get there.

Covering a factory from its warehouse, where boxes and carts were stacked for easy cover, was one thing. Having to cross over an open ground of moving parts and machines that would more than clip a wing or crush a hoof with a single false move, all the while avoiding any prying eyes, was a completely different ball game.

Though even with their best efforts, some things just don’t last forever.

With the scope dialed in to the range of the production floor, perched up in a catwalk, a soldier took aim. Getting one of the ponies in his sights, all it took was a gentle squeeze of the trigger to drop his mark.

The shot rang out in their ears, as it reverberated over the inner walls of the factory, barely being drowned out by the noise of the machinery at work. All around them, the group scattered, taking cover behind what cover they could, as they tried to zero in on the attacker.

“I don’t see him,” Locknut muttered to Free beside him, as their party leader laid in the middle of the floor, with half his skull blown out from the well placed round.

“What kind of magic was that?” a gryphon asked, as he tried to look for any contrails of the enchantment being cast.

“That wasn’t magic,” Free said calmly, as both of them looked at the mostly silent guard, “it’s their new tech… and it is deadly…” looking up over his shoulder. The Pegasus eyed a little prize for them. One of the long rifles stuck over the side of the conveyor belt that they chose as cover, just within reach of his hooves.

Pulling it off, Free handed it over to the gryphon, as the confused bird looked at him wondering what to do, “these weapons were made for creatures with more dexterous appendages,” he pointed to the talons on him, before going over the basic parts of the weapon, “pull this to fire, use the sights here to aim… I’ll draw him out, you take the shot when you can.”

Tapping the diamond, a small shield spell cast itself on the one side of the pony. Holding it in the same direction as the entry wound of their pack leader, Free waited for the shooter to take the bait… and that he did.

Peering through the sights, in the dimly lit surroundings, the sniper couldn’t catch the glimmer of the spell as it was cast. With a single shot that he was expecting to put between the ponies’ eyes, all he saw was the fragment of his bullet, rebounding off of the spell and imbedding itself harmlessly in to the floor.

While the confused gryphon looked over his long rifle to ensure his sights were in order, another of his own kind, aligned his own on target to where he saw the flash. For never having fired this sort of weapon, the gryphon did rather well. The single shot found its mark in the chest of the one above, and only down the barrel did he see the target slumping to the bottom of the cat walk without a sound.

“Interesting device…” the gryphon muttered, taking a closer look at it, “this is what they have now?”

“As far as we know that is,” Free admitted, as he walked over to their once leader and picked the satchel containing the charges off him, “who knows what else they might have in store for-”

With the few rounds that were fired only a minute a part, it gave the others protecting their factory more than enough time to find the culprits. Before they even knew what hit them, round after round poured in to their position. Those that hastily stood up after the sniper was killed, quickly were cut down themselves, as in a blink half of the party already was wiped out.

Free silently thanked Iron once more, as he drew up his shield to protect himself, and draw the fire away from those with him. “Well don’t just lie there!” he shouted at the others, “fire back!”

Nutting up, the unicorn in their party took a deep breath and with a crack of his horn, a spout of energy leeched off of it and in to the various ranks of those attacking. The weapons that the gryphons have come across may be powerful, but magic is just as much of a match to it. With the armor they wore shredded, the energy beam tore through the flesh and feathers of those that tried to stand against it, with no mercy shown to them.

Only the sounds of progress around them, muffled the screams of those that literally were set ablaze from the enchantment, if it didn’t kill them outright. Though the unicorn wasn’t the only one that could partake.

While many of the others with his group were Pegisy, the gryphons that were amongst them had one key advantage, they could fight fire with fire. Following the lesson learned by their brother in arms, each of the gryphons reached up and grabbed whatever weapon they could lay their talons on.

A few landed themselves a long weapon like they had just seen used, another wound up grabbing two smaller versions of its larger cousin, while the last one came out with some sort of tube weapon with a hopper on the side. Looking over the cumbersome contraption, he started to look down the barrel, before a shout quickly drew his attention.

“Don’t do that!” Free warned, as he dropped his spell so not to use the charge all in one go. Taking cover behind a large metal press, he allowed the gem to cool down after having Irons’ words pass through his ear, as he gave those with him a lesson of their own, “Aim just like you would with a cross bow, and pull the trigger!”

Taking the ponies advice, all those armed ignored the rounds coming in, for the sake of returning the favor. Aiming through the crude sights, with no knowledge of when these weapons would run out. The gryphons commenced giving their counterparts a taste of their own medicine. While they may have never used these weapons before, it didn’t take a mathematician to figure out how they worked…

Trigger is pulled, projectile leaves, and bad guys hit the floor…Over all, a simple enough concept.

Until you get the one soldier with a rocket launcher…

Bringing the large tube up on his shoulder, the gryphon took aim along the sights on the side as he aimed at a group of them off in the distance, with a single pull of the trigger. The tube almost left his grasp from the shock of the power he held, though even with the fumble on his part. The reaction from his action still was rather impressive, if not accidental.

Having jumped up from the firing, the round followed the same path and started to make its way up in to the ceiling of the factory. Hitting several support beams, the metal structure started to cave in and made its way to the floor with the force of gravity on its side. Getting hit with an explosive is one thing, though having half a ton of metal scrap land on top of you is a closed casket if anything.

Silence reigned in, from the rocket that was fired after some of the dust settled in the distance. Free looked up from the hole in the roof, down to the ground at the mangled twisted hulk of metal that made the tombstone for those attackers’ moments ago. “Unconventional, but efficient…” Free commented as he and the group that was with him left their cover to continue their job.

With the entire factory undoubtly on alert from their little scuffle, they all knew what they had to do, and they had to do it fast.

Hovering up and off the ground, several of the soldiers with them started placing the charges along the hinges of the smelters that allowed them to pour their contents. All the while, the rest of the group stood guard, the gryphons amongst them, holding their new found toys close to their chests.

Free placed the last charge, just behind a hinge, as he scanned the surrounding area. Catching the glint off in the distance, the Pegasus tucked his wings in to his side as he dropped. Dodging the incoming fire within a hairs breath of his torso. Hitting the ground with a thud, the guard quickly got back up to his hooves, as he took cover with those around him.

Sadly, Free had been the lucky one. Another second passed, and with it, a few more of the soldiers with them met their end. Caught in the open from planting their explosives, they dropped to the ground like flies, long dead before they ever impacted.

Free looked over the corpses that laid around him. The bringer of this new found tech certainly made sure that they had the training to use them once they were outfitted. With the enemies sights dead accurate, there was little any of them could do from where they held up. Getting close in to use their blades wasn’t an option, and as the guard took stock of who he had left. He realized that the only ones still standing was the unicorn and the few gryphons that came with him.

“Blast it…” Free cursed to himself, knowing that getting out already was looking like a dim prospect.

Taping the emerald on his bracer, he held his hoof outright, while he used the entire limb to aim. Leeching forward from the gem, the trail of energy ray jumped in to the few targets that he could see at this distance through the smoke and haze of the forges around them. Even if he couldn’t fully make out a target, where ever he saw a flash from a round being fired, the guard delivered his own barrage.

Looking up from his cover, the lone unicorn of the group was awe struck at the sight of the enchanted armor that the Pegasus he never knew brought to the table. Finding what courage he had left in him, the soldier lit up his own horn, while he followed suit down the path that his winged brethren had laid.

Summoning up what spell he could, several shards of crystal left his horn at blazing speed and repetition. Dotting the surrounding area with their sharp edges as many of them imbedded themselves in to the walls, crates, and whatever else stood in the way between himself and those that fought against him. Those that found a harder target though, shattered like a glass vase hitting the ground, and peppered the gryphons with shards upon shards of glimmering stone.

For a moment there, the unicorn started to smirk a bit. Finally, the training that he had gone through back in basic training, and the subsequent combat spells that he learned were starting to pay off in the end. He might just have a good story to come home with and tell his folks about, other than the mundane drill work that he is used to.

A single round though, silenced any and all prospects of that dream.

Caught in the neck, the unicorn slumped down to the ground as he grasped what he could of his throat, as the warm red liquid from inside started to flow over top of his hoof. He never even saw who shot him, though he was sure that whoever it was, they were probably snickering just like he had been moments ago.

Free leaned back in to cover, just in time to see the last breath taken by his fallen brother, as a limp hoof hit the ground. The Pegasus doesn’t need to check him, he knows what neck wounds can do to a pony, and given what he has seen the gryphons’ tech do. Free knows all too well that there is nothing he could have done to save him.

Though just like the snipers’ round did to his spell, another does to a mechanical roller nearby. The sharp sting that Free felt from between his plates in his hip, is the only indication to him that he finally has gotten hit by a ricocheting round. Slumping down to his plot, the lone guard watched as the gryphons that fought with him, slowly start to fall.

For having to kill their own kind. He did have to give it to them that they will go till the last one is standing. Though with the better skill of the enemy apparent, it doesn’t take much for them to mop up the little mess that Free and his group had made on their home turf.

With the fall of the last gryphon, the lone Pegasus listened as the shots that once rang out, start to die with him. The steady clicking of talons against the floor grow louder with every passing step, as they approach his position. Thinking on his hooves, Free tapped the sapphire on his chest piece, and went clear. Just as a gryphon rounded the corner of the press he hid behind.

“That’s all of them,” the gryphon soldier informed the others, “here at least, fan out, and search the rest of the area!”

With a simple nod of agreement, the others with him spread out away from Free, as he sat motionless against the press. Holding his breath in until the last one left. Once the coast is clear, the Pegasus hobbled up on his hooves, and made his way slowly through the maze of corridors that made up the inner parts of the factory. Hoping to find anywhere he could hold up for the few minutes he had to patch himself up, before things around here got far too hot for comfort.

Limping his way down a dim hallway, Free allowed whatever soldier to pass by. He was in no shape to put up a fight against any more than maybe one or two of them, and that’s with using his suits new tricks heavily. Though the lone guard found solace in what appeared to be a storage room, tucked in the back of one of the hallways, far away from the blood shed that ended his little party.

Ramming the door in, Free held it shut with his frame as he looked around the barely lit room. Nothing more than extra materials to work with, a few rolls of paper, some canvas here and there, and a coat rack holding just a simple cloak on its hook. Taking stock of what he had to work with, the guard got to work patching himself up as best he could.

Unrolling some of the paper, he tore off a section as he began to fold it. It may not be gauze, but it would still help to absorb some of the blood leaking out of him for the time being. Doing the same to the canvas, with the makeshift bandage held firmly over the wound. Free started to wrap a strip of the material over top of the paper, tying it tight with a square knot to hold it in place, as he clenched his teeth to drowned out the pain of the round still in him.

“So… you’re the one they’re looking for,” Free snapped his head up, to see a single gryphon standing there in front of the door. He never even heard him come in, and now he blocked the only way out. “Causing so much trouble, with so little to back it up against what the kingdom has brought to the table…” the gryphon continued to speak, as he took a step closer and closer to Free.

There wasn’t much he could have done. With his hooves preoccupied on bandaging his leg up, and the wound giving him a clear weak spot, open to attack. Free just sat there, as he swallowed the lump in his throat, and watched as the gryphon got within a hair of his muzzle.

“Not a very smart move… was it?” the gryphon asked, as he gazed further in to the colts’ eyes, trying to judge something that Free couldn’t pick out.

“Well…” Free muttered, “Wouldn’t be the first one I made.”

“I figured as much,” the gryphon said, as he produced a blade from underneath his own armor, “and it won’t be the last.” He finished, cutting off the excess canvas that dangled over the wound.

Looking at the gryphon as he put the knife away, Free froze in place while he tried to piece together what just happened. All the while, the enemy soldier in front of him, backed away as he checked the door. Peeking his head out and looking all around, he quickly brought his head back in as he looked to the grounded Pegasus, “grab your gear, we have to head out soon…”

“Wait a second…” Free held up a hoof, “what kind of game are you playing?”

“The one that saves both of our arsis in the end,” he said with a wink, before helping the guard to his hooves, “I saw what you planted on the smelters… and I would guess we don’t have long to get out of here. Am I right?”

Free held his tongue at first, though at this point he didn’t have much to lose. After all, if the gryphon were to stab him in the back right now, he still wouldn’t be able to get to the charges and remove them safely before they went off.

“We have about…” he calculated, “six minutes…”

Watching as his eyes filled his sockets, the gryphon grabbed on to Frees’ sides with his talons. As he rested the Pegasus against him, “whelp then we better make this fast…” he said, kicking open the door as the two nearly jogged down the hallway as best they could, while supporting the pony.

“Why are you helping me?” Free questioned between huffs of breath as they went, trying to make their escape.

“I have my reasons… don’t worry, if we make it out of here in one piece,” he looked around for a moment to get his bearings, “I’ll tell ya.”

Crossing the hallways in leaps and bounds, it didn’t take long for the two to finally reach the main production area. Barreling through the open doors, the machines around them continued to keep working and fuel the kingdoms’ war efforts, as the smelters nearby continued to bellow out flames from their tops. Though along with the machines, stood a dozen gryphons that had come back from their little searching party.

Free looked around to each and every one of them, knowing full well that given his current condition, he stood a snowballs chance in hell against the group. ‘Bastard led me right to them on purpose,’ the colt thought to himself at first, before looking at the face of betrayal.

Though expecting to see a sly grin plastered across the gryphons’ face, Free instead got a face full of worry, as whoever this soldier was looked at his cohorts with the same wide eyed glare that he had just given them. Finally, as it dawned on all those present of who just walked in and what he brought, the leader amongst the group stepped forward with open talons.

“Well done there,” he clapped his pads together, “you found the twerp hiding in our mists… we already rounded up the bodies of the others that he had brought with him…” with every passing step that the soldier drew closer. The one that held Free up stood his ground, never flinching an inch.

“Let’s finish this then, shall we?” the gryphon said, producing a weapon from his side holster as he slid a mechanism back in a flash and took aim at the pony.

Free clenched his teeth, and waited for the round to paint the wall behind him, thankful that it would at least be a quick end. However, with a second to spare, the gryphon holding him up stepped in the way of the weapon. Clenching his own side arm in his talon, as he brought it up to meet their mutual adversary.

“What? What are you doing?” the gryphon that stood against them asked, as the others started to draw out their weapons.

“Something that should have been done long ago…” his eye flickered away from one target to another, as he eyed one of the devices that Free and his group had planted. Whipping the weapon around, with a calm breath, he squeezed the trigger.

Without any time to react, the round hit the explosives and set it off only a minute or so before it was set to do it on its own. Though even with that, it still had the desired effect. The smelter that held the molten metal broke off of its hinges and started to topple over on to its side, right where those that stood against Free and his ally remained.

Splashing across the surface of the ground, the searing hot liquid embodiment of armor oozed its way across and over to them. Scorching and splashing on those that weren’t fortunate enough to take flight in time. With their paws and talons burned off to the bone, only screams of agony filled the air, as those that were trapped in the metal fell in to the pool as it spilled over top of them. Tearing through their chest cavity and silencing them once and for all.

With several of their comrades burned and buried alive all in one go. Those few that fluttered off the ground took aim at the one that had caused them this trouble, as he stood just out of the reach of the cascading flow. Though whoever this gryphon was, had the same mindset.

Rolling Free in to cover, the gryphon at his side took aim with his own weapon, and took pot shots here and there at those that fired back. While he had his own cover, the others were caught in the open of the air. They couldn’t land, for the ground beneath them was quite literally lava, and with the sounds of other explosives going off behind them on the other smelters. The entire production floor was under almost a foot of pure metal spilling across the deck.

While his small arm skills may have not been the best, the gryphon still was able to find his mark at this range. He didn’t need to hit them in the chest, or even the head. Even a clipped wing was enough to send the other gryphons tumbling in to the pool of death below. Not wanting his savor to have all the fun, Free rolled over to his side, and hiked up a hoof on the edge.

“What are you looking to do?” the gryphon asked, as he seamlessly reloaded the clip and laid down more fire.

“You’ll see…” Free said, as he charged up the emerald. With a single pulse, and a hole left in the torso of his enemy, the gryphon that he got in his sights fell.

Silently nodding to him in approval of the tact, Free and the gryphon went shot for shot at those that still tried to fight back against them. But it was a fight, that they could only lose. One by one they fell in to the fiery crypt, and before long, only Free and himself remained standing.

“A shameful way to go…” Free looked back to those that remained in the fire, as the smell of burning flesh started to fill his nostrils to the brim.

“But one that just saved our skins…” the gryphon looked around for a moment to make sure the coast was clear, before standing up fully. “Your leg’s damaged… though what of your wings? Can you fly still?”

Smirking back at him, Free stretched them out to their fullest. The gryphon may have not been around many ponies lately, though in the end, he was impressed by what the Pegasus had brought to the table. “Damn straight I can…” with that, the two took to the sky, as Free lead him through the large open hole in the roof left by his fallen soldier, ‘thank you, my friend’ he thanked the parting gift that was left for him. As himself and the gryphon had ventured out of the factory and in to the open air of the sky above.

“We have to get out of here, fast…” the gryphon looked around on the ground below to see if any of his once brethren had been mobilizing against them yet, “the kingdom will not stand for traitors to the crown…”

“As if they have anything that could get us from up here…” Free started to snicker, knowing that the skies were owned by only those that had the power to take to them. Though as an eerie silence grew, he looked back at his companion, only to see a grim look on his face. “What aren’t you telling me? You bust in to a room without a sound, I expect you to kill me, but you let me live, then you go and expertly pick off some of your own comrades without a second thought…” he summarized, looking to see if there was any flicker of regret in the gryphons’ stoic expression, “what’s the deal?”

“Let’s just say that the kingdom, and the DDR, have both acquired far more weapons than you’ve probably seen today…” the gryphon said quietly.

“Well, you have a lot of explaining to do when we get back…” Free said as he spotted some of the others that he came in with, down in the woods. Though by the looks of things, with the few numbers down there that he could count out at this distance, the other parties didn’t fare much better than his own did, “… a lot of explaining.”

“And I will tell you all that I can,” he held a talon to his chest, “you have my word.”

“I have your word, yet I don’t even know who you are,” Free commented, hinting on what he was looking for.

“My name… my name is Egyes,” he answered truthfully, “and your princess will want to hear me out.”

Author's Notes:

To whom it may concern... This chapter along with the ones to follow might appear a little differently, using a new browser to upload them and it somewhat changed how they were loaded on.