Egyes was always used to sleeping in uncomfortable surroundings, being a soldier out on the field before he started specializing as an Armsmaster. The gryphon could call a branch on a tree home, just as much as he would the average cot in a tent huddled with two dozen of his brethren. Though as far as sleeping arrangements go, the counter top in a workstation isn’t one of the highest on his list.

Rolling to one side as he stretched his wings out, the gryphon quickly met the forces of gravity as they took him from his resting spot, down to the ground. Landing flat on his back with a dull thud against the brick flooring. “…Ouch…” he grumbled out, propping up on his hind while he looked around the room.

Where ever he was, it looked to be specialized in the manufacture of armor. While judging by the random metal sheets thrown everywhere and anywhere, he had to guess that whoever worked in this cubical, they were either good at what they did, or were a major slacker.

“Ugh…” he heard a groan from underneath him, as he looked down and saw the unicorn by the name of Iron Knight laying on the floor that he thought he landed on. “Egyes, I just met you yesterday… I need at least a second date before we start sleeping together like this…”

“Whoops! Sorry,” Egyes hopped to his feet, and gave the pony a talon to help him up as well, “didn’t realize you were down there, or even that we were in here…” he looked around the room once more. Piecing together the night from before and what they all had gotten themselves in to.

After heading out to the local bar that the two colts knew of, the unicorn of the group bought the first round as he had planned. So began the night with a hearty shot of whiskey that warmed their system for the many drinks to follow. After about the eighth or ninth shot of various liquors, mixing their lights and darks to no end, and chasing them with hard cider and mead. The last few things that the gryphon could recall was watching Iron flirt with the mare that served them drinks, while Free took a swing at playing the guitar (which even in their drunken haze, astounded the other customers on his skill).

Iron though took a look around the room, and noticed that his armor laid off in the corner slumped up against the wall. Finally, it dawned on him what he was working on while in his drunken bliss. Picking up a screwdriver, the colt hurtled it over to the suit and struck the helmet straight on the muzzle.

“Free! Wake up in there!” he shouted.

The armor came to life as the Pegasus inside stumbled to his feet and took a fighting stance against whatever attacker stood before him, “Come on let me at ‘em!” Free shouted, huffing through the nose holes of the metal.

“Stand down boy,” Iron called back to him, as he took a seat on his stool, “You’re among friends, and very well protected, trust me…”

Free fell flat on his rump and peeled the helmet off, dropping it off to the side, “Whelp… That was a hell of a night…”

“Nothing compared to when I turned of age to drink,” Iron chuckled, recalling the fond memory. Though as he looked around the room in disarray and the various bumps and scratches on his suit, he couldn’t help wonder. “Did we run in to another intruder?”

“No…” Egyes started to recall what they did when they got back to the castle, “though you two did get in to a fight in here while wearing your respective armors…” he remembered the rather vivid scene between the two colts that waged war against the other.

Though there were no marks on their own bodies to prove it, Iron simply allowed the work he’s done on his armor to explain that bit. One thing though he didn’t understand, “how did you get in my suit?” he asked his cohort.

“I think…” Free tried to recall, “I wanted to see how well I could use some of the enchantments…”

“And apparently some of the weapons…” Egyes pointed out, literally by pointing to the large scorch mark on the wall where several of the bricks were shattered almost all the way through to the next workstation.

“Whelp,” Iron judged from the impact mark, “Rocket launcher works!”

“You mean I fired that thing inside!?” Free shouted out as he looked back and forth to the launchers on his shoulder, and the mark on the wall, “How did we survive that?”

Egyes looked around at what they had to work with, noting that several of the sheets of metal were scorched just the same as the suits, and the wall itself, “I believe we made a shield at one point… though clearly it didn’t last all that long.”

“Yea… sounds about right,” the colt acknowledged the deduction, as he used his magic to draw a death stick from his suit, and lit it with a single flare from his horn. “I told you my suit was sturdy.” He smirked at Free.

“How we’ve lived this long I will never know.”

“Because of our cunning wit, and quick reaction to bullshit?” Iron quirked.

“Ugh…” Free groaned as he facehooved himself, “why do I have the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?”

“Na… you’re too fun for me to kill.”

Egyes looked at the two colts that were more or less his overseers, as they bantered back and forth with one another. The little to no formality between them, the total lack of self-preservation that they had from what he’s heard on their little missions, and the complete disregard for manners of any kind while under the influence. All made him wonder how the kingdom had never been able to beat back this country ages ago.

“If you two are anything like the army is as a whole,” he started off, leaning against the counter, “then I’m at a loss for words of how my own kind couldn’t beat y’all…” Egyes started to chuckle at his light hearted comment.

“Whelp I can answer that simply,” Iron took another drag on his smoke, “fact of the matter is, we have our own doctrines and manuals for war when it comes around… it just so happens that…”

“…We have not a buck to give when following them, or even reading them for that matter,” Free picked up where his friend left off.

The door to the shop kicked open from the other side, while a soldier in full combat armor soon followed as he looked around the room, spotting the Pegasus he sought after, “Staff Sargent Freefall!” he called out over the short space, deafening the three present, “There’s a mounting attack on another town, the DDR have made a move this time!”

“I hear ya!” Free yelled back at him to override the ringing in his ears, “Are troops mobilizing to move out?”

“Already ready and waiting,” the soldier responded, “Princess Grace has requested your presence to lead one of the squads of Pegisy, she said air power would be needed.”

Free and Iron looked at one another, wondering what Grace may have found out that they were still in the dark too. Getting up to his hooves, Free dusted himself off as he addressed the soldier, “I’ll be ready in five… I’ll meet you all in the courtyard I presume?” waiting for a nod, when he got it Free waved the soldier off as he started to strip away the suit.

With help from his friend, Iron grabbed the pieces that made up Frees’ own armor and started to layer it on him. All the while charging up the gems as he went with his own magic, “I’m going to make the offer and ask if you want me there along with ya?”

Free looked at him with all traces of alcohol out of his system, “Not at all… there will be another chance for ya, don’t worry. Though who knows what they DDR have in store for us.”

“Then who will watch your back out there?”

Hearing the cracking of a neck, the two colts looked over to the side and saw Egyes cracking his claws one by one, “That job will fall to me…”

“You’re serious?” Free asked him, “you just got out of the fray with that little stunt back at the factory, and you want to go back in?”

“You had the same stunt going for ya there also,” the gryphon pointed out. Ruffling through one of the bins that held finished pieces of armor, Egyes started to strap on what he could to cover his frame, “besides, I been waiting to pummel some mutts lately.”

Iron looked at the gryphon and nodded a simple thanks to him, “Whelp, I trust him… you two get going.” He slid Frees’ blade back in to the holster. As he picked one out from a weapons stand to fit the gryphons size, and tossed it to him. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

With that, the two heading in to the thick of it looked at one another, and without a word were on their way to take the fight back to the DDR. Along with whatever they decided to bring in on this little attack.

Roughbreak peeled out of the sky as he dove upon several groups of dogs that made an attempt to ransack the town below them. Dropping from their own airships above, the DDR had been deploying several groups of soldiers to take the fight to the ground, while their own vessels did their work on those that soared through the air.

The drake landed amongst the group, instantly whipping his tail around and smashing in to the skulls and torsos of those in his mist. Even through the rough cut iron armor that the dogs wore, they were little match for the hardened scales of a dragon that has seen war for generations.

Though that didn’t mean his comrades were any better off.

A dog lifted up his rifle and started firing off in to the group of Seren soldiers that sought to bring them down, as his rounds cut through their plate armor and sliced in to their flesh. Dropping many of them before he even had to reload. Like his brothers though, the dog may be larger than any of them, save for the dragon, by at least a head or two. But they’re slow when it comes to fighting, relying on brute force more often than not.

A lone zebra skipped between the falling bodies of those he charged with, expertly holding a spear in hoof as he galloped. He may be smaller, and not nearly as strong as the other ponies that once surrounded him. Though his kind was always known for their agility and skill while fighting on less than four hooves.

Sliding between the legs of the dog to avoid a swipe from his paw, the stripped equine in one move slid a dagger out of its sheath and in to the tendons of the dog. Quickly dropping him to the ground as the tissue gave out. Whirling back without giving the dog a chance to recover, the spear head was plunged between the plates on his neck, driving through his throat and pinning him to the ground where he once stood.

Pulling the spear clear of the wound, a small amount of spatter glistened across his black and white face from the spray, acting as war paint while the zebra marched towards the drake that had landed to give aid.

“Much appreciated there, my friend,” the pony cousin nodded to his comrade as he looked across Roughbreaks’ body to see if there were any wounds that needed tending, “though how have you not met your end?” he asked.

The drake simply grinned at his work, pushing the bodies of those he slayed out of his way while he checked his corners for any more that might be coming, “these new toys that the DDR have come across work well against flesh, Tankor,” he started to chuckle at the dark realization, “though scales seem to be far too tough for their liking…”

With a thunderous crack, a shot rang out amongst them, as the building nearby exploded in a shower of wood and bricks. Extending his wings, the drake covered both himself and the zebra with one move. Before he looked back up at the airship that made the attack, and the long barrel that stuck out of it, one of many.

“Though that might give your hide a run for its money!” he heard the familiar voice shout out, as the gryphon that it belonged to flew low to the ground.

Sidewinder rolled and tucked his wings in as needed to avoid the oncoming small arms fire that dotted the landscape from the zeppelins above. Moving in and out of the narrow streets and alleyways that made up the town, with the skill that would have made even the Equestrian Wonderbolts slacked jawed in shock. He had not a clue what the DDR had up there, but whatever it might be, it sure fired faster than anything the foot soldiers were using

Whipping around, the dragon took a mighty breath as he filled his lungs and flame bladder to the brim. Unleashing hell on the those above as the flames reached higher and higher in to the air. He knew that the full force wouldn’t reach the war ship, but he didn’t need it too… all he needed was the flame to set it ablaze.

The hydrogen on the inside would do the rest.

As the smoke began to clear up though, the dragons’ own jaw nearly met the ground. For even with small parts of the ship on fire, which were being put out by those inside. The raging inferno that he was expecting to dodge never came, only the sight of the barrels turning upon him met his own slit eyes.

As they narrowed even more.

Plucking both the gryphon out of the air, and zebra from the ground up in his claws, the drake beat wind. Avoiding the incoming shells with ease from his nimble, skilled wings. While the DDR may have gotten new war machines that turned the tides faster than even the moon was capable. Those machines still had their own weaknesses… like not being fast enough.

Freefalls wings burned as he beat furiously to lead the war party behind him. At first the going was tough, all of them in their armor had taken a toll on his winged brothers. Though once they saw what they were up against, a mixture of adrenaline and pure anger swept over them from what they were witnessing. Surging through their systems, the pain meant little as they met their enemy on their own turf.

Out in the distance, he could see the various spells being cast amongst the unicorns on the ground, and the enchantments bounced harmlessly off the canvas skin of the zeppelins above. The only ones that seemed to give the war machines any sort of flack were the various dragons that pierced the sky, either burning the outside of the blimps temporarily, or for the Glacier dragons of the north, freezing some of the guns in place.

“It won’t work…” he heard muttered next to him against the wind.

Looking over his shoulder, Egyes flapped his wings to catch up to the equine, an easy feat for the large gryphon. “Those spells and flames will do nothing against the machines that the DDR are using…”

Before Free had time to ask what he knew of them, the attention of a few ships were turned to them. Within a few moments, bullets started to fly amongst his own troops. Several were cut down without even knowing what hit them. Though having dealt with this sort of tech before, Free immediately tumbled to the ground to avoid the incoming fire, just as his squadron did the same and followed his lead.

Using their speed to their advantage, the group shot through the air while remaining close to the ground. Using the few trees and hills to force not only their own moves, but throw those that were trying to get a bead on them off. Though that didn’t stop the gunners from giving it a go at them still.

Cutting up the terrain, patches of dirt littered the air close to them as it was kicked up from the impacts of the bullets and shells. A few unluckier Pegisy and gryphons that followed quickly met their end either by a stray bullet, or a piece of shrapnel from the large shells that were lobbed their way. Though finally with the town in sight, Free urged those that followed him to press on, with the hope of getting in to what little cover they would have.

A lava dragon launched himself in the air, eyeing a group of dogs that seemed to be using some sort of canvas to gently glide down to the fray below from their ship. An easy target he saw it, as his eye narrowed. Extending out his claws, with the precision of a surgeon, he cut in to the fabric and only heard the screams of those that started to fall uncontrollably to the ground.

Snapping his head to the next target, he eyed one of the airships that to his surprise, wasn’t firing at those in the town. Looking off in the distance, he could make out the royal armor of those that would bring them back up from the Saving Grace herself. Trying to give them any aid he could, the drake closed in on the ship, if only to draw its fire.

Drawing close to what seemed like the pilot house of the ship, the dragon didn’t even attempt to attack it. Whatever the dogs had done, the ship was fully protected from any sort of fire on the outside. Even the glass that lined the pilots, didn’t change a shade of color as the flames withered away from previous attempts.

“But what of the inside?” he asked himself, watching as one of the massive cannons let off another barrage against those that would lend them aid.

Making up his mind, even if he wouldn’t live to tell it, the drake flew in close as the small arms fire bounced harmlessly off his hide. With another round fired from a nearby cannon, the drake closed in. Using his massive claws to latch on to the barrel, with one deep breath, he wrapped his lips around the metal tube. Holding it nearly half way down his gullet, the dragon let all he could give out in one go.

Fire spewed from his very soul, racing down the barrel and in to the housing inside. If it weren’t for the sounds of explosions around him, and the many shots that rang out through their once peaceful town. The drake swore he could’ve heard the screams that trickled from the inside of the war zeppelin. Smoke started to bellow out of the shell, around the edges of the barrel at its base, while the flames on the other side from where his eyes could see did their terrible work on the crew.

Another shot rang out like white noise in the back of his ears. While many of his brethren were able to dodge the incoming cannon fire with ease, so long as they stayed on their toes (or claws in his case). The drake made a fatal error, and stood still for too long… just the time another airship needed, to get him in their sights.

The shell tore through his back plates, bursting out his chest just as fast while it took a twisted string of entrails along for the ride. It may have not exploded on contact like many of the others, but it was still enough to nearly rip his own torso in half. The drake fell from where he once held himself aloft, letting the last breath escape him. Happy to leave with the knowledge that at least he did his part and took some of those bastards out with him…

Far more than he realized in his final moments.

With the flames on the inside doing their work, it didn’t take much longer for the airship to succumb. A final groan later of the oxygen being sucked out of the hull from the ensuing explosion, and the whole ship went up in smoke… flames erupted from its shell in a spectacular fireball that would have lit up the sky like a second sun had it been night time.

Over all the other chaos around the battle, the various rounds being cooked off on the inside and the screeches of agony that came from the crew echoed in the ears of all those that fought. With one final collapse of a bladder succumbing to the flames, the ship fell from the sky like a star, crashing in to the ground below just outside the town limits.

Laying as a burning husk of its old, once proud, self.

Roughbreak watched the airship fall from the sky, as it crashed in to the ground like a falling star he himself was hoping to cause. For but a moment, all those around him remained silent as they watched the display before them. Proving that while the DDRs’ new tech might be advanced in ways they could only dream of, that didn’t make it invincible.

Sidewinder locked his claws with the paws of another dog, taking him on as the soldier tried to reload his weapon. With the strength of the mutt breaking his own quickly, the gryphon drew back a talon and dug it in to the soft tissue that was the dogs muzzle.

Crimson mist encompassed the two as the dog reeled back from having its nose nearly torn off in a single swipe. Giving the gryphon the opening he needed to plunge his other talon in through his eye sockets and in to the vital flesh that was the soldiers brain cavity. Feeling the body go limp around his claws, Sidewinder withdrew his talon and wiped it clean on his own coat. All the while, he looked around at the other two that accompanied him, amongst the others that remained from the base.

“So those things can be killed? Aye?” he reckoned, watching as the drake nearby nodded slowly.

“It would seem that be the case,” Rough answered as he watched another wave of dogs coming in from the sky.

The group landed with their gear no more than a few streets over, and while the airships above may have been peppering the area with shells upon shells. The soldiers there still had a job to do, as the dragon looked at the several soldiers that remained with him alive and standing.

“Those ships we may not be able to stop any time soon, until we wear them down that is,” he noted, while all the others payed attention to his words. Rough may have not been the highest ranking one there, though there were few that would go against the word of a beast his size, “for now, we need to ensure the safety of those that aren’t fighting… protect the civilians.” With that, the drake led the charge of soldiers down the streets to where they hoped to find the dogs waiting for them.

A group of DDR soldiers herded together civilians that tried to hide amongst some of the ruins of buildings that once stood tall across the relatively flat landscape. Poking and prodding them in to a narrow group, the common folk cried and pleaded with the dogs for their lives. Though with a long in waiting fight finally upon them, the dogs would hear nothing of it.

“Begging will get you nothing!” a dog growled as he hiked up the butt of his rifle and brought it down on a shopkeepers’ head. Cracking the bone without any effort, the pony dropped to the ground in seconds. Pointing the end of his weapon to the rest of the group, all of them cowered away, hoping that the smile growing across the mutts’ face was one of mercy.

Though if it was, it didn’t show.

“Take aim boys!” the dog shouted, as the others followed suit and readied their weapons, “Drop ‘em!”

In a few seconds, the trained paws of the dogs did their work, cutting down the ranks of helpless civilians without effort. With each round that was fired, seconds later, another left the chamber just as fast. Fire, lock, load, fire… the pattern had been burned in to their minds ever sense they got their paws on the new toys they used this day.

A pattern that they were all too willing to practice.

“Oi!” the leader heard shouted out from over the shots that rang in his ears, turning his head, he had just enough time to catch the smirk that a Pegasus flashed him before the two collided.

Freefall barreled in to the dog, using his speed and the weight of his armor to topple the grunt on to his back. Rearing up his hooves, the bone crushing stomp was delivered to the trachea of the dog, and silenced him swiftly. Looking around him, Free watched as those that followed him took the same approach and leveled the playing field, quite literally.

Crashing in to the group to throw them off and unable to reload their gear in time, it wasn’t long before the new weapons were all but cast aside and instead the dogs turned to the paw of theirs that had helped them for generations. Swiping away with their hardened fists, the rock hard mitts brought many of those that tried to go one on one with them to the ground. Breaking bone on impact, denting armor, and even leaving a few coughing up their own blood as the shattered ribs punctured lungs underneath their skin.

Free trying to lend aid, saw Egyes locked with a dog in his grasp. Rearing up a fore hoof, the Pegasus tapped the gem on his bracer, and let loose a ray of energy that singed in to the very flesh of his target. Cooking the dog from the inside out as it eventually burned all the way through to the other side of him.

Egyes dropped the corpse off to the side, and passed a silent nod his way in appreciation. But not before he brought his own sword up in to the gut of another dog that got a little too close for comfort. Wrapping his tail around the legs of another, the gryphon brought the mutt down with one motion, and drove the blade through his spine.

Though that left him open for another to grasp hold of him.

While Egyes may have been strong for gryphon standards, having spent many hours in the gym honing his strength, they still paled in comparison to even the lowest rung DDR soldier. Feeling the very life being squeezed out of him through the armor, the gryphon tried to kick his back legs in to the soldiers’ gut to get him to be dropped. But to no avail, the breast plate went low enough to stop his attacks, and only left him dangling there while the air left his lungs more with every breath.

Until a single spear lodge itself through the ribcage of the dog.

Dropping to the ground, Egyes looked up to see others that were there to defend the town joining them in the fray. Amongst the group, were a few dragons that had been picked up along the way, as well as several zebras, and many of his own kind that fought alongside the ponies that dotted the battalion.

“Rather diverse fighting group you got there,” Egyes commented as he caught his breath.

“And by the looks of things, we’ll need all the help…” Sidewinders commented as well, when he caught sight of over two dozen dogs making a stand against them a hundred yards away.

Weapons were locked and loaded, ready to go in a moment’s notice. All they needed was to take aim at the exposed group that was already in many of their sights. While the dragons may have had nothing to fear from the small arms. Every other soldier would be cut down in a heartbeat should they not get to cover fast enough… and with the airships still going to work with their cannons, cover was few and far between.

“Any ideas…?” Free asked a single dragon next to him.

“A miracle would be nice,” Roughbreak said quietly, as be mentally prepared himself to take the full brunt of the attack, if only to keep a few of his fellow soldiers alive long enough to fight back.

“HI HO SILVER, AW-W-WAY!” a voice shouted from above, as a single dot started to fall from the sky.

Rolling past the airships above and avoiding any of their incoming fire, the figure grabbed the attention of all those below, while the dogs drew their weapons upon the falling star that had his own eyes dead set on them.

In a flash, several streaks of fire could be seen shooting out of the figure. Landing amongst the dogs with only chaos to bring. Fire scorched their coats, burning the skin beneath. While shrapnel ripped through their armor and in to their flesh, scattering many limbs every which way as blood started to run across the ground and amongst the bodies of those that fell. With another salvo at the ready, the figure peppered his target one last time for good measure, scattering remains to the wind as if they were just cremated in an incinerator.

“That’s a hell of a miracle…” a single unicorn mentioned as he kept his tail between his legs, still half way expecting to meet his demise.

Free though, peered closer and closer to the incoming figure, before a smirk drew itself across his face, “That’s no miracle.”

Iron Knight landed amongst them. Teleporting just in the nick of time before he would have had to be scrapped off the ground with a spade. Flashing amongst the group with a spell, his armor covered the colt head to hoof as he popped up the visor and looked around at the shocked faces of all those that surrounded him.

Except for two that is.

“Iron, glad for you to join us,” Egyes remarked as he stifled away a chuckle. “Grand entrance I must add.”

“Meh, I try…” Iron responded with a shrug of his shoulders, “Sorry I was late… had to reload the launcher, and get a few in me as well.”

Free walked up to him and sniffed his breath without a word, before his eyes shot open from his mind jolting awake, “How much have you had? I told you to stay back in the capital!”

“And when have I ever been good at listening to you?” Iron smiled at him egotistically, all while Free slammed an overdue hoof to his face, “as for how much I had? Enough to make me travel to another town using magic alone, witness the chaos around here when I reached the edge of the battle, then decide it was a good idea to land on top of an airship… before making my way down, in a rather spectacular fashion I might add…” the colt smirked through the essence of liquid courage, “your welcome by the way.”

“Much appreciated there soldier,” Roughbreak said proudly, seeing the light at the end of a tunnel.

“Though by the looks of things, you’re still in quite a pickle…” Iron looked up to the few airships that still soared above them, “seriously? How did you not take these out first…?”

“They’re a lot tougher than they look,” Egyes said, as he stepped up between Free and Iron, picking up where he was cut off some time ago when they first got here, “the mare that brought this tech to us was rather skilled as a mage. She probably had an enchantment put on the hull to protect it from direct attack, so the only way to really stop them is attacking the inside…”

“Well that much makes sense, after all that one dragon did light his flame through the barrels of their weapon,” Rough realized as it clicked in the back of his head, “probably cooked off some rounds before it went up as well.”

“I thought you didn’t know what they had in store for us?” Iron brought up, as the gryphon just deadpanned to him.

“I may not know all the tricks the dogs have brought to the table,” Egyes sighed, regretting his lack of espionage before switching sides, “but I am fast to learn how they work.”

Free looked up to the sky, they had only managed to take out one of them. Though six still remained airborne, and if they hoped to survive this at all. Than those blimps would need to become permanent residents of the ground. “So let’s go kill ‘em,” Free concluded as he fanned out his wings, “Gryphons and dragons with me, lets cause a stir amongst the other ships to keep their attention off the ground… anyone who can, land on them, and take ‘em out from the inside.”

“With pleasure,” Egyes smiled as he cracked his talons against one another.

“And what of me?” Iron looked to his friend and asked, as Free hovered there in place. Free simply smirked at him, knowing that Iron was going to have more fun with this than any sane colt possibly should.

“Iron… do what you do best,” his eyes glared at the colt, with a devilish smirk across his face, “Buck shit up.”

Leaving Iron to do his own devises, Free and those that followed took to the sky immediately. Hoping to take some of the fire off the ground so civilians would be safer, and the ground teams would be able to mop up any dogs that remained to terrorize the area.

Sidewinder grabbed one of the DDR’s fallen weapons. Bringing up the peculiar item to his side, it nestled itself in his grasp, almost as if it was made for it. He knew not what it was, or how it even really worked. All he knew was that it was effective against his own, so it should prove just as effective against the dogs.

Rolling past some of the burnt out remains of the town. The small battalion of troops that made up what was left of the resident base, and those reinforcements that Grace sent, moved through the area. Seeking out any and all traces of the DDR that still infected their nation.

A rocket flew out of the barrel of a launcher, and streaked towards the small group. With the screech puncturing each of their ears, the ensuing blast that followed only broke many of those hearing while they tried to clamp their claws, hooves, and talons around them to protect what little hearing they were going to have left by the end of this. Landing several yards from the center of the group, the rocket took out what remained of what seemed to be a quilt shop, as what held up the structure scattered itself across the team.

Roughbreak instinctively threw up a wing, blocking any of the debris from hitting his team mates, already seeing a pattern in being the groups shield starting to develop. Immediately after the bricks and mortar settled. Their attention was drawn to where the round had come from. Several dogs stood, with fingers already on the trigger, and rounds already coming down range as Serens’ soldiers quickly took cover behind whatever they could.

Another drake amongst them had grown tired of how things were starting to turn south for her nation. Sucking in all the smoke and death around her of the town that she had called home. The anger in her sucked out all the warmth in her flame that would never come, and instead replaced with a chill that would only be seen in the enemy after she was done with their corpse. Releasing her torrent, the ice shards danced across the ground in front of her, trailing their way to the dogs.

While lava dragons’ fire may be hot enough to ignite the air that they breath. Glacier dragons freeze the water in anything that gets in the path of their own ‘flame’. Chunks of ice shot up from the ground, protruding their sharp ends like a devilish snow flake towards the enemy as they got closer and closer. Encasing any of those that were too close to get out of the way in ice, while the frost quickly froze the inside of their bodies, turning it all to one solid mass.

The other dogs that managed to get out of the attack, paid little attention to their frozen brothers. After all, with many of them gone in one go, if they managed to kill the ones that did this. That just meant a promotion was likely in their future. Lining up a shot with the launcher, several of the dogs took aim at the wintry female while she recovered from her attack.

With the barrels primed and ready, not only did they set themselves up for a promotion, but also made the perfect powder keg for another drake.

Engulfing those with weapons drawn in his own flame, Roughbreak kept the press on, allowing his breath to dance across their bodies. The heat alone was enough to melt solid rock and turn it in to the molten earth that his kind was named for. Although to melt metal and whatever else was holding it… that’s foals play.

The rounds inside cooked off in seconds, while the combined blast was enough to shatter not only any and all those caught in the flame, but those trapped in the ice as well. Cracks ran along the bodies of the frozen, drawing no blood as it remained in their veins as solid as the rest of them. Breaking apart from the seams, the solid glacier in the town crumbled down to nothing but a small field of ice.

Roughbreak looked to his left, and eyed the drake that solidified half the group. “Well played there my dear,” he nodded in approval, “though I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, and we're kinda hard to miss.”

“Just transferred here this morning, good thing too,” she answered him, standing up on her hind legs once her lungs had their fill of air, “Names Perma… Permafrost.”

“Well, Perma,” Rough looked at the cubes along the ground, “Keep up with that work and we’ll be done here by dinner… drinks on me.” He left off with a wink, before the two went back to work.

While taking on an airship at first thought like a semi-feasible idea, Free quickly learned that his judgement skills were far worse than Irons’ while he was three bottles of liquor in for the night. Most of the time the colt found himself banking and trying to dodge the oncoming fire from the zeppelins themselves, and while a majority of those with him were able to keep up the game of cat and mouse with the gunners.

There wasn’t much else accomplished besides being target practice.

Egyes meanwhile had been going through the same ordeal, silently kicking himself for not picking up one of the DDR’s weapons when he had the chance. ‘At least then it would have been a somewhat matched fight…’ he scolded in hindsight, all the while rolling to avoid the incoming shell from one of the cannons.

Though with all the eyes on them, the ground teams had been able to keep up their game rather well against the dogs. As Free took notice from the ensuing explosion beneath him that shattered what looked to be a building sized block of ice. “We have to hold up our end of the bargain!” Egyes shouted out to Free from across the small span between them as they flew in tandem.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” he asked, all the while the hawk like eyes of the gryphon looked over the ships for a weak spot.

One talon extends outwards, as he sights just what he was hoping for, “There!” Frees’ eyes narrowed in on the sight.

The shells that were being fired from the cannons aren’t being stored in side of the ships, after every round is fired, the spent casing was ejected out from underneath. It’s not the most ideal way to get in, but given the size of the shells that were being lobbed towards them left and right. It might be the only way they got.

Nodding to one another in approval, each of them targeted their own ship respectively, while a few of the other more gutsy gryphons followed their lead and seek out a target for the days kill. Free latched himself underneath one of the guns, and after nearly having his ears blown out from the shot, waited for his go. The trap door opened up, and before the dog inside knows what hit him, the shell in his paws was charged up with electricity from the gem on Frees’ suit. Frying him in seconds as he dropped to his knees and nosedived right past the guard on his way to the ground.

Taking the opportunity, Free leapt inside the compartment, staring down the occupants that resided in the cannons chambers. “Ahh… hey guys!” he shouted with an awkward smirk.

Grabbing their side arm, one dog barely was able to get the gun up to his side, before Free swiped it with a hoof. Only to have the round go off next to his head, just another deafening experience to add to the many that day. Grabbing the dog by the paw, he slammed it in to the breach of the cannon, and whipped around to close the door. Crushing the paw in the process as it hung on by a few tendons.

Not allowing the other dog to get the drop on him. The guard tapped the ruby, as sparks surged in to the metal deck, lighting up the DDR soldier and stunning him. Fighting back the pain though, a single paw swiped down and struck Free to the floor. Feeling his mind rock back and forth in its skull, he hiked his back hooves up and leapt in to the chest of the dog, slamming him in to the wall.

All the while, another pair of rear hooves was delivered to the jaw of the dog still caught in the breach. The force of the hit enough to knock him out cold in a quick one two buck. Dealing with the one currently at hoof though, Free slammed his hoof to the soldiers’ chest. Not expecting to do anything to the metal plate armor that the dog wore on his own, the dog simply started to laugh as he picked Free up and started to bear hug him.

Even through the metal plates across his body, Free could feel the ribs in his side failing as he was crushed under the might of a dog that spent his whole life digging in the dirt. Pushing the hoof against his chest once more, the mutt continued to grin.

“You think you’re just gonna push me away like that?” he snarled.

Though to his surprise, he got a rather toothy grin in return, “Not a chance…” the envious glow beneath their plates shined out the sides between them, and just as it was made to, the ray of energy shot through the metal like an arrow through wet paper.

Dropping to the ground, the dog didn’t even bleed as his wound was cauterized in place, and from having his lungs and heart torched in one go. He keeled over without so much of a peep escaping his breath.

Free looked around at the compartment, there seemed to be a single hatch that led to the rest of the ship. A gunners’ seat took up one side of the gun, while only what he could imagine was the loader stood opposite of him. Picking up the new rounds from the shoot and dropping the old ones out of the ship to the ground below.

“Well this would be a hell of a place to rig something up…” Free said out loud to himself while he looked at the pile of canisters ready and yearning to be used. ‘on second thought, scratch that,’ with his mind made up, the Pegasus made his way to the door. Slowly creaking it open, he looked down the hallway that went in either direction, likely to the other cannons that bristled the sides.

“Whelp… left or right?” he wondered. With a shrug of his shoulder, Free turned left and trotted along the path, wondering what he could find that would help this little predicament of destruction.

Iron’s suit has been worked on for countless years. Adding up to at least several dozen months spent on his own, or with friends, slaving over an open forge as he would pound away at the old piece of armor and make it new once again with every addition or perk. Many times he had been told by others that there was no reason to have the thing any more. After all he was a teacher, when would he even had needed it, other than for sentimental reason.

Though if he could, Iron would swipe each of those naysayers with a back hoof right now.

Given that many of the dogs were far stronger than any pony could’ve hoped to be. It didn’t take much to pick up even an armored colt, and hurtle him in to the side of a building. Cracking the brick behind him. The emerald colt shook off the attack as he thanked his lucky stars for spending so much time with his hobby, as it paid for those long hours with every hit that he took.

Feeling the strong paw rest on top of his shoulder, Iron broke from his trance as he grabbed the dog by the wrist. Sensing the emeralds in his joints lighting up as they’re being summoned to life, the spells had worked just as intended and super charged his joints with a strength that few would ever know. Iron twisted around and flipped the mutt up and over top of him without even a drop of sweat. Slamming him down in to the ground with back breaking force that vibrated his hooves even through the bracers. Judging by the eyes rolling in the back of his sockets, something very important broke on the soldier, that put him down for the count.

“Probably a vertebra or two…” Iron summarized, as he looked back to the group that he was with.

While the DDR weapons were effective at range, up close and personal, they did little against more agile foes. Some of the dogs were still lucky enough to get a few shots off here and there, though many of them resorted to swinging their rifles like clubs, or throwing them over their shoulder and going back to basics with their paws.

Sidewinder heard the worrying click coming from the gun he had picked up, with no bang on the other end, the gryphon whipped around and hurtled the weapon end over end towards the nearest dog. Smashing him right in the face as the soldier collapsed to one knee, right at eye level with the sharped spear tip of Tankor. Though another shot rang out, and before the striped cousin could with draw his weapon free, the round tore through his fore hoof.

Dropping his trusted spear by the handle, the zebra hit the ground as he looked up and saw the dog already reloading his weapon. The stone face of a soldier that has been taught nothing else other than to be a machine, plastered across his brow. With a heavy paw, the sights lined up against the breast of the stallion, and with an even heavier claw.

The sights left.

Ripping the weapon from the dogs’ grasp, Roughbreak bent and twisted the contraption with a clench of his fist. Before another claw wrapped around the neck of the dog, “You don’t hurt my friend!” he shouted in to the ears of the dog, as his grip tightened even more. With a small pop, the neck collapsed in on itself.

Dropping the headless body of the mutt to his side. Iron watched as the drake, the zebra, and the gryphon all headed back in to the fray, without a single care in the world what was going on around them. “An odd trio I must-” he started to say, before the whole ground started to shake and what looked like a supernova erupted from one of the airships above.

Ripping across the enchanted canvas like a snake slithering through the grass, flames started to consume one of the airships in a matter of minutes. Dropping the conflagration to the ground with roar like a falling star. Whatever the air team had learned about the zeppelins, it had worked, while even a few of those on the ground stopped to take in the sights for a few seconds before they turned their attention back to those that they had to deal with.

Iron looked back in front of him, catching a dog looking up at his countries’ ship as it fell to the ground. “One of your friends on there?” Iron asked to grab his attention, with an eerie chuckle in his tone.

Without so much as a glare or even a war cry, the dog lunged at him and laid a clean fist straight in to the covered muzzle of his suit. Whipping Irons’ head back, he felt several of his own neck bones crack in the process while stars started to dance along his vision. He was never much of a fighter while he served, and usually would wind up getting his ass kicked more often than not in a scuffle.

Though two things were always true about the colt. One, he knew how to take a hit, while making his armor more than capable to taking what he couldn’t. While two, the colt always managed to get right back up in the end, and dive in to the fight once more.

Shaking off the impact of his own skull against the back of the helmet. The second swing from the dog was much slower thankfully, and that allowed Iron the moment he needed to duck just in time. A different crack rang in his ears, this time from the dogs’ knuckles meeting the brick wall behind him. As he withdrew his crunched fist in agony, the colt grabbed at the opportunity.

Reaching along his side, he pulled off a familiar looking pipe, before tapping the end and shoved it straight in to the mouth of the screeching dog. Clamping his mouth shut around the odd intrusion, the dog glared down at the pony without even realizing what was going on. Though as he tried to remove the device that started to glow brighter and brighter. He felt a kick to his legs that buckled his knees backwards and dropped him to the ground.

Clamping a spell around the mutt quickly, Iron poured what magic he could in to the enchantment as the cries of the soldier died out just as his bomb went off. Slowing breaking the spell down, a puff of smoke escaped the shield. All the while the foul stench of death penetrated the colts’ nose, splattered across the ground in a painting of fur, bone, ash, and what once was blood.

Iron had been waiting for a moment like this to make some sort of witty remark, though as he took in a breath to humor no one but himself. He got cut off by another sound from above. It was the third airship to drop today, and just like the others, this one fell all the same. In a towering hell storm that looked like it was sent straight from an alicorns’ horn, consuming itself and its crew, as it gave them a wondrous chariot to carry them all to Tartarus.

He needed no comment to be made after that, simply a grin washed over his face as Iron saw the tables turning in their favor. Looking back to a few more in his group having minor scuffles with some of those dog that remained. Iron cracked his neck, and instantly regretted the sharp pain that he felt. But paid it no heed as he smiled at the dogs that were still spotty around the town, giving him the target rich environment that he so much enjoyed.

And the wonderful part about technically not being in Graces’ army, and just a ‘non-combatant worker’ as his pay check said… there were no rules of war for him.

Freefall galloped through the p-ways of the airship he had crawled in, landing in the proverbial hornets’ nest if there ever was one. Running through a hatch, the colt slammed the metal door shut and held it firm against the frame with his back, as he charged up one of the emeralds in his bracer.

Welding the frame to the door with the energy ray, the colt knew that it wouldn’t hold forever, not against the rather pissed off DDR soldiers that he managed to meet. The task had started out simple enough when he left the chambers of one of the guns. Keeping his head low, he managed to evade a few of the crew that were out in the area. Though when he walked in to a new chamber, he turned around to meet the eyes of an entire unit of soldiers getting ready to drop and give back up to those below.

To say that both parties were a little stumped for words at first, would be an understatement…

Though the outcome was inevitable, Free running for his life as stealth was thrown to the wind, as the colt beat hoof to lose those that noticed him. All the while, scanning for anything around him that would hamper the efforts of those that control this vessel of death.

Leaving the solid door alone, the colt looked around the new compartment he was in. Thankfully, whoever helped to design this thing had done in a similar way to some of the Equestrian airships, as well as their seagoing vessels, both of which he had toured during a few visits to the country. In every space there was a placard that had both the level and the frame of the ship. The smaller the frame got, the further forward he was, and vice-ver-sa.

“Finally, some common sense in a military…” Free scoffed, if they weren’t trying to kill him at the moment. The colt may have turned around and just shook the paws of some of the dogs for thinking of it. “Let’s see, Level 8, frame 40…”

Looking around the colt stood between two large bladders that took up nearly the entire space that he resided. Clear to him that these were what helped keep the entire contraption afloat, Frees’ own gears started turning in his head. Though this wouldn’t be the best place to try and sabotage it, not while he was in here at least.

‘Maybe if I head down I’ll find another gun chamber,’ he pondered to himself, keeping his sword close by in case the need should arise. Considering letting a spell lose in here was the last thing he needed.

Finding a single stairwell, the colt took his chances and started to make his way down. After all, the guns were along the sides of the ship. Though not really built in to the canvas frame above, as much as they were just an upper level of the command deck, that spanned further along the entire ship. So in theory, if he headed down, there should be yet another long corridor that would lead to several of the other guns.

Once he got there, it shouldn’t be hard for him to lug up one of the shells, and make a crude bomb out of it. Doing so in the gun chamber would have been too close for comfort, with little room to make a powder trail to give him time to get out. Though along the catwalks of the bladder room. That’s something that he just might be able to manage. Having already felt the shockwave and hearing the ensuing blasts off in the distance, Free can only guess that they managed to take out a few more of the ships that the DDR brought with them.

One more will just help their cause.

Reaching the base level of where the stairs lead. The colt eyed a lone hatch, and throwing every precaution to the wind for the sake of getting out of here as fast as possible. Free shrugged his shoulders, “buck it…” he muttered as he turned the latch and kicked the door in with a heavy hoof. Tucking his hooves in, the Pegasus rolled his nimble body in to the space as he held up a fore hoof with the opposite one primed and ready on the emerald. Though looking around, he didn’t find though the long passage way he was hoping for…

No, he found the bridge of the airship, with about a dozen other dogs looking back at him.

“…Damn it!” Free shouted at the top of his lungs, while he kicked himself, “this is the second time today!”

One dog rose up from his chair to look upon the intruder, as all the others took the silent nod from their captain to stay put. Turning around, the dog started to chuckle, after just seeing one pony stood before him. In a heavily decorated suit, while he pointed a gem stone at the captain himself.

Looking at the equine through his smoky eye, the dog spoke, “And what brings you to our humble vessel?” the dog said as he took a few steps forward, “looking to surrender? Or just get a better view of the fight below?”

“Ahh… I have come here to ask of your surrender!” Free shouted to him, trying to seem as intimidating as possible to one that stood several heads higher than him, “or destroy the ship, I’ll take either at this point.”

A hearty laugh started to erupt from the cabin, resonating all through the metal plates that made up the frame and even shook Frees’ plate armor where he stood. “You’ve come to challenge me?!” the mutt yelled back at him, cracking his knuckles within his own suit of armor that he wore. Draping and covering him from neck to paw, the dog didn’t seem to wear the helmet that sat on his command chair, and just left it there. “We have come from our own nation and shredded apart your forces! Yes, you have brought down a few of our ships, and even more of my fighters, but there are always more where they came from and with this new technology, nothing that you do will stop us in time!”

With every step, the dog drew closer and closer to Free, causing him even to take a step or two back to avoid being stepped on. Quickly feeling his confidence fade, the colt looked up to the dog before him. As the mutt in question leaned in further, “So…pony, what have you to say?”

Free clenched his breath at that last question, what could he say? He knew that the DDR had gotten a hell of a lot more powerful, and that was nothing to say of the Gryphons. The weapons they had would easily wipe Seren off the map if they had enough of them, and there was little that Grace or any of those in her nation could do to stop it…

Other than one thing.

“Fight,” Free said to his face, as he reached to his chest and tapped the gem stone on the breast plate.

In an instant, the dog went from staring at a pony that looked on the brink of turning to run, to a colt that spat in deaths’ face, then to nothing but the wall that he stood in front of. Rubbing his eyes to see if they betrayed him, the dog looked around the room and took notice that several of those that watched from their various control seats had the same expression that he did.

“Where did you go!” the captain shouted out.

Right then, a heavy hoof impacted in to his back plate, pushing him in to the wall. Turning around, he saw nothing for a moment, but then the equine appeared once more. With a wink, he was gone in a tap of his chest. As the dog looked around the room, all of those that weren’t needed to keep the ship in the air he summoned to stand and search.

While many of them didn’t know where to start looking, it didn’t take long for them to not even need to. In a jump, Free became visible once more, tapping his chest to conserve its power as he lunged at one of the dogs with his sword.

Without even having the chance to stop the colt, the blade slid neatly in to his chest cavity. Between the fourth and fifth rib, the fastest way to a dogs’ heart, and withdrew with just as much skill and precision that left a clean cut that spurted blood as the cork was pulled. All many of them saw was their comrade falling to the ground, few saw the colt, and only one saw the trick that he was pulling.

“… Invisibility…” the scarred dog looked at all those that followed him.

The enchantments were something that he was becoming more and more familiar with the more he worked with a certain mare. Thanks to that little insight, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before he had his own opening. So some of his soldiers may die in the process… he wasn’t lying with what he said earlier…

There was always more where that came from.

Another dog met his end at the tip of a blade to this throat, seeing the smirk on the Pegasus’s face for only a second as he swiped it across his jugular. One mutt stood behind him and saw the pony disappear in a flash, trying to lunge at him. He only managed to catch the dead body of his brother in arms, and as he dropped to the ground. The colt appeared once more, plunging the sword through the both of them.

Looking behind him at the roar of one of the hounds, Free whipped around and jumped off to the side. Using his wings to power himself around the room between bouts of hiding in plain sight, and cutting in to their ranks. Pegisy were always known for their agility, which came quite in handy during very early fights against a few Zebra nations to the far south. Though after Serens’ early occupants made peace with their striped cousins, many of the fighting styles that the agile zebras used, soon were incorporated in to the training routines for the Pegisy that would come to serve the crown.

Add in to the fray a Pegasus that has a cloaking enchantment… then you have a tornado of death that whips around as if it was hidden in the night.

Three more dogs fell, all to the same blade that one soldier embraced. As the captain of the ship watched the silent killer make his way around the room, before picking his prime moment to step in.

And the colt to step in to too much light.

Reaching out with his paw, the canine grasped the colt by the neck. Even while he may still be hidden, he knew that he’s got the pony right where he wanted him. Reaching out with the other paw, the captain tapped on to the gem in the center of the chest piece, and watched as the pony was reviled once more to his eyes.

“A clever trick you got there, colt,” the mongrel said with a slight chuckle, even after watching some of his bridge crew get slaughtered.

“Eh… I try…” Free managed to say between clenching his breath, and trying to hold in what he can. As he fights against the strong paws of the mutt holding him up.

“Though Invisibility doesn’t work that well when it’s still bright out…” he deadpanned, calling out the equine on his careless mistake.

Wrapping another paw on the back of the pony. The dog grasped on to the pair of wings that he sports, feeling as the feathers danced between his claws, and even slight tickle as they brushed against the pads of his paw. Though that’s a feeling that annoyed the dog to no end, and with a crunch and a twist, he snapped the wings along their very frame.

“AR-R-G-GH-h-a-a!” Free screeched out, before clenching his breath and biting down on his tongue. Trying to deny the enemy any feeling of pride from literally snapping about a dozen bones all in one go.

The dog looked back up at Free, holding him close to his face as he watched a stubborn tear start to roll down the side of the colts’ eyes. Though even with the obvious pain that he’s in stamped across his brow and screaming in the very core of his orbs. Free clenches back on any more show of weakness to him, as he stood tall once more, even if his feet were off the ground.

“Well you’re a fighter, aren’t you?” the dog asked the obvious, as he walked over to the windows that dotted the cabin and looked to the chaos below. “Here, let me show you how I made it all the way to becoming a chief…”

With a hefty draw, Reinhart pulled back his arm and swung the pony forward. Hurtling the crippled Pegasus out the window as the pane of glass cut deep in to the already damaged wings, dicing them to shreds and adding insult to injury all the same. Not even bothering to look at his kill, the chief turned around to those that were present before making his next call.

“Contact the other ships, tell them to head back now while we can…” the others didn’t question their chief in his words, and only did what they were said. While this battle may be a technical victory by Seren, in kill count it was a draw. The DDR had lost quite a few soldiers and three airships all together… though Seren lost who knows how many in the wake of what the Diamond dogs brought to the table.

Sitting calmly back in his chair, Reinhart leaned back as the word was passed. All the while he watched his ships drop a few more shells on Serens’ soldiers before changing course. Could they follow him and catch up to his airships? Of course, they weren’t known for speed after all… though would it be worth the trouble if they did?

Absolutely not, and he’d make sure of that.

Free felt the glass shred in to his wings and along the side of his muzzle. While the armor that he wore may have saved him from most of the injuries from the sharp shards. The wings had to be left free to move, in order to get any flight out of them…

Something that was completely lost to him right now.

Silently he cursed the chief that he had run in to, for keeping his flag ship higher than the others. It made for a much longer drop than Freefall would have hoped for, and right now, he just wanted the crunching in his wings to go away. While at the same time he cursed at himself, for not recognizing the dog that he was tangoing with. If he had known, then he never would have tried to go one on one with him.

Finally, the colt cursed at his parents for giving him the name they had…

“Seriously?!” he shouted out above the sounds of the wind rushing past his face, laughing eerily as a few tears parted from his eyes and raced him to the ground, “Freefall? And this is how I die?!”

He waited for a moment to hopefully catch the laugh of Iron that he would have expected from the sheer irony of his situation, but alas, he was alone up here. Taking a deep breath, the colt repented about all that he could think of off the top of his head, for the fall was quickly starting to come to an end, and forgave all those he may have wronged or been wronged by in the past. Free never believed in an afterlife, though if he was going to die.

The least he could hope is that those left behind, would finish what he tried.

With that last thought, he felt a hard crunch across his body, and then the whole world went black.