After being assigned a similar room to that which Iron and Freefall resided in, Egyes realized this was probably only the fifth time he’s actually gotten to sleep in the bed that came with it, sense he turned sides in this war and started serving Seren. The gryphon had been running around helping so much around the castle, and going out to assist those that brought him in, to even have the chance to really enjoy a goodnights rest.

After being woken up by one of the medical staff, the mare had urged him to get some much needed rest, and with the soft batting of her eye lashes too him. The gryphon was hard pressed to tell such a pretty little thing “no”.

Laying softly in the bed, he had long kicked up the covers. For while the air around him might have a chill to it, Egyes was simply too involved in the personal affair he was having with his mattress to give a damn, and remained passed out amongst the few pillows, as he brought them closer to his chest. Dreaming as if they were the cute nurse that he had just run in to.

‘Ugh…’ he groaned in his dream, looking down at the mare passed out on his feathered breast, as she used it like a down pillow. It didn’t take long for him to realize that this wasn’t happening, and just his mind playing tricks on the stagnant male. But as with the covers, Egyes could simply care less, as he enjoyed his mind at peace for which it hasn’t known for so long…

One that wouldn’t last the five more minutes, before his alarm finally went off.

A hefty knock to the door shot the gryphon clear out of his bed, as he stood on all fours, with the pillow still tucked to his side with a wing. “Maybe another time…” he started to snicker, tossing the pillow on to the bed. Righting his feathers with a hefty shake to pat them down to his skin, the gryphon opened the door, only to find none other than Iron standing there.

In full combat armor.

“I’m still dreaming…”

“Not a snowballs chance in hell,” Iron replied with a hidden smirk under his visor.

“and I have five more minutes,” with those simple words leaving his beak. Egyes slammed the door in the colts’ face, as he retreated back to his bed for those precious moments that he had left.

Iron hadn’t exactly expected that sort of response, though now he realized how Grace must have felt when they first met those several months ago back at his home. ‘Wow… I’m a dick…’ the colt realized to himself for a few fleeting moments while he waited for the gryphon on the other side of the door to enjoy what he could of the peace.

Waiting there patiently for what time he had to spare, Irons’ smile perked when he heard the ringing of an alarm and the subsequent silencing of it from a claw. Tapping his hoof to the ground, the door once again opened as the two looked at one another again. “Feel better?” Iron asked casually, knowing full well he interrupted another’s sleep cycle.

“It’s the little things that count really.”

“Aint that the truth?” Iron responded, as he gestured to be let in.

Stepping off to the side, the colt passed by his avian friend and continued to stand there, not even bothering to sit down. “I’m sure you have a reason for this, Iron,” Egyes pried, as he went over to the side of the bed and pulled his sword out, “Though I can imagine what it might involve already.”

Chuckling underneath the vail of his lowered visor, the colt steadily raised it up to reveal the grin plastered across his face. “We have a job to do it seems…”

“We’re off to kill the DDR leader…”

Stopping his mindset in its tracks, Irons’ words failed him as he looked at the smug expression that traded faces from his own to the gryphon. Before the obvious finally came to him, “Grace already got to you, didn’t she?”

“Yep,” Egyes smirked at him, as he turned around and opened one of the closets.

There stood not only the suit of armor that he had worn while trying to protect the border town less than a week ago, but also a couple of the rifles and other side arms that the dogs had been carrying as they attacked. Iron walked closer, and viewed the small arsenal that the gryphon had managed to swipe from that assault. As he looked back to the soldier with a sly grin.

“Prepping for war I take it?” he asked modestly.

“Always ready for it…” Egyes admitted as he strung the armor on, and holstered his sword for a backup weapon. Before he took one of the rifles in his talons and placed it over his back. Grabbing a satchel, the gryphon reached down at the floor of the closet and started packing in as many of the ammunition clips that he could fit in to his bag. Before doing the same thing with the smaller pistol.

“Ready to go then?” Iron mused, watching the soldier go through the motions that have been burned in to his mind from training, “After all I had come up here originally to bring you down to the brief that Grace had prepped for us.”

“Cocked, locked, and ready to rock,” Egyes twirled the pistol on a single talon, as he watched the pony before him cringe slightly, wondering if it would go off. Putting his friend at ease, the gryphon expertly slid it in to a holster on his hind hip without even a second thought.

Leaving the room, the two headed down the barracks hallway and out the main door, chatting to themselves as they went about some of the smaller details of their mission. Stepping out in to the courtyard that had been set up for the small force that would be heading out to do the princesses bidding. Lined in ranks, shoulder to shoulder, stood a few dozen gryphons and Pegisy alike. Each one hardened and ready for combat, as their blades were sharpened, armor polished, and bags filled for the trip that would likely take a day or so in its own right.

Stepping up to the plate, so to speak. Iron filled in behind them all, as he and Egyes did their best not to draw attention to themselves from the others. After all, they had slightly different orders from the princess.

“My soldiers of different races, who give themselves to me…” Grace started off her little speech, “It has come that time that we no longer can wait for the next attack on our own citizens to take place, before trying to defend what we have to live for… so with that, our next move will be to strike out at their very heart.” She paused as two unicorns to her side projected a map of the Diamond Dog Republic behind her.

“The DDR will be the first to feel our own wrath, as they were the last ones to launch an attack. With that… here is your mission,” taking a pointer out of her wing. She laid it directly on the Dogs capital that resided in the epicenter of their nation, all roads lead to it… as well as rails. “The capital, Opal, is where you will find the Chiefs’ fortress… surrounding it are a few of those factories that have been making the weapons that he so loves to throw in our faces, along with their supplies. The Chief Reinhart is your primary target, ideally capture him.”

She waited another moment to take a breath so they could process it all, “but if needed, kill him without mercy…” the hushed whispers amongst the group, and the various nods of approval told her that if even one of her soldiers found him. Reinhart was going to have a fight on his paws. After all many of those she gathered here had family that was in the town that got attacked, or even siblings that were stationed there. They had a grudge match against the dogs… the exact reason Grace hoof picked them all. “If you are unable to reach the Chief, or he eludes you. Then your secondary targets are their warehouses, holding what goods they have… remove them, and they will fade.”

With that the entire gathered team started stomping their hooves in approval or clapping their talons together. It was a wonderful thing to see in the eyes of the princess, one that her enemy would come to dread. Though what caught her eye, was what she was hoping to see. The two standing at the back, neither taking part in the applause. As they stood there with a simple smirk on their faces, as she passed an easy nod to them. Raising up a hoof to calm the group, Grace continued.

“Know that they are strong, and what they possess we have seen the capabilities of… so don’t underestimate them,” Grace urged them all to consider, “Remain vigilant… and you shall return home.” With those last words of encouragement, the princess stepped down to allow one of her commanders to deliver the plan of how they would actually be getting in to the Republic.

Leaving her the time to go to the two she had been waiting for, “Well it seems you two dropped in right on time,” she said calmly as she approached both Iron and Egyes, “Sound speech, was it not?”

“Better than I’ve gotten in a while…” Iron smirked back at her, “Though don’t worry, if we can bring Reinhart in peacefully, we’ll be sure to do so…” he waited a moment or two to watch Graces’ face turn sour. Before he was unable to even hold the straight expression any longer, “I kid, I kid… I know what you told me before.”

“To which he relayed to me on our way here,” Egyes quickly followed up.

“Good, now let’s keep it that way,” she cleared her face of any doubt, smiling at the two. Before leaning in on hushed words, “Make sure that Reinhart is never able to lift a paw against Seren or its citizens, ever again…”

“It would be our pleasure, ma’am,” Iron tipped his helmet down to her out of simple admiration, “For Free.”

“I may have not known the colt long,” Egyes said as he took his helmet off, to respect the injured equine in the med ward, while he held it to his side with a wing, “but this one’s for him, from me, as well.”

“Good to know that Freefalls’ managed to pick such loyal friends,” Grace smirked at the two of them. Nodding her head in a showing of true gratitude, not for what they’ve done, but what they’re about to do.

Reinhart’s a tricky mutt, and would likely cut and run the moment the flack hits too close to home for him. Though with these two on his tail, the chief had little chance in Graces’ mind of making it out of his country alive, and threatening her own once more. ‘Soon, Rhorkin…’ she cursed the kings name, ‘soon you will know the same fear that your cohort is about to experience.’

The light applause from the rest of the group, signaled to the trio that the rest of the brief was over with, and they would soon be on their way. It mattered little to the two heading out that they missed how it was all going to go down, they had gotten their own briefing pack from Grace herself.

“It seems you two must be off…” the princess said with a slight tinge of worry, as she looked at but one in her mists.

“Tis the life of a soldier…” Egyes said casually.

“He’s a teacher,” She deadpanned.

“He’s also a rather skilled odd ball,” the gryphon responded, “that much I gathered already.”

“And he’s also standing right here,” Iron reminded them of his presence, “What am I invisible?”

“No… you haven’t activated your enchantment…” Grace teased him coyly, snickering at the colt while he did the same with her.

Though before he turned around to the leave, a simple raised brow from the mare caught the colts’ attention for the split second she needed to get him to stay. Leaning in to him, Grace planted a simple, but sweet, kiss to the side of Irons’ cheek. Looking up at him after the act was said and done with, she noticed that parts of his brain stopped working, while words seemed to utterly fail the colt… Almost.

“Umm…Ahh… well then,” was all Iron could muster. While he started to flush, turning his coat to that of Hearts warming eves’ colors, “For good luck I’m assuming?”

“Well… for that,” Grace giggled under her blond lock that blocked out half her face and eye, not even caring if her cheeks were going through the same motions that his were, “As well as good hunting out there… and please, be careful.”

Serens’ territory had long left the sights of those that would defend her by traveling in to the belly of the beast. The varied terrain of everything from forest to mountains, lakes and rivers to flat plains and tundra that the soldiers riding the train had come to know and love. Gave way after a few hours to the DDRs’ rocky, mountainous surroundings that made up the majority of their own nation.

The entry had been simple at that... While a large portion of rails passed through Seren herself, traveling from the Gryphons’ kingdom to the Diamond Dog Republic, those rails were shut down ever sense tensions between the nations started to spike. Now only the railways that ran from the Republic to the Kingdom were largely in operation, as the two nations traded goods between themselves to continue their fight against Grace.

It hadn’t taken much to travel outside the boarders of Seren to neutral territory, and board one of the train cars under the cover of the setting sun after their departure that morning. With the few Gryphons that were running the locomotive already having their pockets lined with bits for their troubles, they had little care who would control the supplies when the fighting was all said and done with.

No matter which side won, they’d still need rails to move goods.

Iron laid back against a sack of flour in the cargo hold of a car, resting his head while he looked through the open visor of his helmet at the passing terrain from the open door. It was a peaceful thing to watch, one that he remembered vividly from the few times he and Free would travel while they both were still serving with one another. Though unlike those times, where he could pass out after a few moments from the serenity of the setting, the colt found himself unable to drop his eye lids as his head buzzed with too many thoughts.

Whoever that mare was that he ran in to before, clearly had a hoof in all that the DDR and Gryphons were accomplishing. Her technology was magnificent in its own right, and made her a very talented foe to deal with. Though how could he turn it around, to help an injured friend? Something about her, quite literally, drove those limbs of hers. Something gave her the will to force the control of her own limbs, even where others had failed more often than not to accomplish the same thing.

“Though what was it?” Iron asked himself out loud, “What’s your drive?”

“Who are you talking to?” Egyes asked from his own flour pillow.

“Just pondering a few things to myself,” he said mechanically, not even thinking for a moment that he was talking to someone who might have dealt with her at one point or another, “the mare that you said brought these weapons to your old kingdom… have you met her personally?”

Egyes recalled the few times that he had run in to Bronze, never once really one on one with her, just during the meetings they would have with his once king. “Not really on a personal level, I was just another face in the crowd… why do you ask?”

“Because I hope to use some of her tech to get Free back in the air,” he stated simply, “her wings are magnificent, though I don’t know how they work.”

“And if I knew, I would share…” Egyes shook a little from the chill that he seemed to get every time the mare would get close to him. He couldn’t quite put his claw on it, but something about her was off to him… something she was hiding, “I just tried to avoid her as much as I could.”

“How come?”

“Because that mare’s nothing but trouble…” he spat out in response, having his chill replaced with disgust, “if she hadn’t been around then we might still be at a negotiation level with the kingdom, DDR probably not… but Rhorkin could be reasoned with… at one point.”

“Even after he’s waging a war against a nation you now serve, you still hold respect for him?” Iron questioned curiously.

“He was my king… it’s a gryphon thing, respecting power and authority above all,” Egyes mused with a twist and turn of his claw in the air, “Rhorkin was always good to his subjects, and cared greatly for our safety. He originally was the one who posed a treaty with Graces’ parents in the first place, even when he himself was just a prince learning the ropes of a monarchy.”

Iron considered the thought for a moment, from all he was taught before. Rhorkin was a good king in every aspect, and one of the few that while he was of status of a prince, would go out and fight his own battles with his soldiers and not just watch on the side lines. That earned him more than enough respect from his followers, to the point they would die for him without even a second thought.

“So you think this mare’s been in his ear a bit too much I take it…”

“More than too much, ever sense she showed up, she’s had nothing but a vendetta against Seren it seemed,” Egyes recalled the words that they exchanged at one of the meetings a few months ago, “always pushed for a fight. Said that it would prevent future scuffles, if Seren would fall now.”

“Whelp… we’re about to do the same actually,” Iron pointed out, “prevent future fights, by killing the bastard that’s helping promote it.” Both he and the gryphon laughed a bit to themselves. All while the others that made the trip with them enjoyed the sleep that they could manage before they would reach their final destination. “Though I ask one more thing…”

“Yes?” the gryphon wondered, “what is it?”

“Do you know her name? Even an alias, anything she would call herself?”

Thinking back to all the times he had to deal with her speaking at the council meetings, or the times that he would catch both herself and the king walking beside one another in his own castle. That one fact eluded him just as much as it had the colt beside him, “Sadly… no, I only ever knew her by ‘that mare’.”

With that simple response, Iron decided that it was prime time to get some sleep as well. Nodding to his short known friend in thanks, the colt flipped the visor down to catch some shut eye as enough questions were answered at the moment to keep his head at bay. They’d be reaching the edges of the DDR Capital by the morning, and once they got there, there would be no time to take a break…

So for now, the colt had to enjoy it while he could.

A steady screech from the rails, announces the presences of the train pulling in to the station, as its wheels’ grind against the metal struggling to stop. Till after a few dozen feet, the entire locomotive and all its cars settled down to a halt amongst the rest of other cars there to help fuel the DDRs’ war efforts. The two countries had been trading supplies to help build their strength after being all but cut off by Grace.

Grains, fruits, meats, and vegetables. Along with simple raw materials such as wool, wood, and straw. Flowed along the iron blood lines of the nations, doing their best to support one another when they had the surplus kicked out from under their knees. Though even with the open trade between the Kingdom and the Republic, things weren’t going as smoothly as they could have hoped.

While the DDR had more than enough raw materials to power and create all these new and fantastic weapons of war. They lacked on crucial thing for an army… fertile soil. Something to grow what they would need to feed those soldiers that would actually be using the weapons. Any good commander, or even Ensign could tell you, ‘an army marched on its stomach’. The force that Iron and Egyes came with could take out weapon plant after weapon plant till the metaphorical cows came home. Though to really hit them where it counted…

They needed to spoil the DDRs’ dinner.

“Load the crates and sacks up on the conveyors!” one dog shouted out to those workers under him, wanting to get this last load in for the night before they could all turn in for some much needed shut eye.

Watching those do their part, the sides of the train car were opened with hefty pairs of paws, as they went to work lifting and hauling the goods to where they were needed on the unloading platform. All so they could be moved out to the waiting warehouses for storage before they could be used. Picking up one box marked ‘Flour’, a dog dropped it on to a belt that was already spinning, instantly carting the container off and away from him as he continued the motions over and over again without a care in the world…

The box zipped along the line, as its counterparts followed shortly behind it. The efficiency that the DDR had managed to get in the last several months would have astounded Grace had she gone out here and seen it for herself. Though right now, it’s only making a few stowaways sick to their stomach as they’re whipped around left and right on the belt moving at breakneck speed.

Using the oldest trick in the book, or one that would have made for a great B-rated spy film. The group had paid careful attention to remove their own weight in flour before stowing away in crates, so as not to give any indication that these boxes had suddenly gotten heavier. After all, those that would have been handling them, probably had done so hundreds of times, and would have likely known when something was up.

Feeling the wooden cage around them coming to a much needed stop, and the subsequent sound of paws leaving their presence. Egyes flashed his sword out from inside the box, as he punctured it through the already weakened edge, cracking it open so he and his companion could get out. Looking to his left and right, he saw several other boxes similarly brought up and set out just as his own was.

All had gone to plan so far, getting in similar boxes had put them all in some sort of storage room, while the group remained intact as a result. “Well then… that worked better than expected,” the gryphon remarked as he looked at the other swords and various blades being used to remove the occupants from their personal cargo hold.

“Now that we’re here though,” another gryphon looked to his counterpart for guidance, “what do we do? We could chase after the Chieftain, though we just got handed their supplies to mess with on a silver platter…” he remarks to the various storage containers holding the raw materials that the DDR had been using to fuel their own soldiers.

‘Primary target was Reinhart…’ Egyes pondered for a second as he considered it. Though the temptation all around of their goods did make for a compelling argument, “then again theirs no harm in screwing with their food while we can too…” the gryphon started to look around.

Scanning the various crates and barrels that held their supplies, those with him eyed the gryphon curiously, “And to what is it that you’re looking for exactly?” one colt asked from over his shoulder.

“Straw, wood… ideally grains and flour…” he answered flatly, piecing together how this would all work, “get enough particles in the air, and you can set it ablaze… though I’ll need some explosives…” Egyes started to look around for the one colt who could help more in that field than any other here. Though as he really started to take account for everyone, he noticed that said colt…

Was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Iron?”

Looking around them, the others there finally took notice to the colts’ disappearance, “Who did he get in a box with?” one gryphon asked.

“I don’t think he got in with anyone,” another brought up, “he took one of the smaller boxes, though it was still flour… shouldn’t he have come here?”

The posed question did raise other inquiries regarding the stallions’ whereabouts. Though with little time to do what they came for, before they would likely be found out, Egyes pressed on his search. “Iron’s a talented colt, he can take care of himself for now…” he left off with, while the others took their place behind him, “we need to get down to business here, before going out to search for the colt… assuming he hasn’t gotten in to any trouble that is already.”

“He’s only one stallion,” a younger guard popped in, shrugging his shoulders at the gryphon that stood taller than he, “how much trouble could he get in?"

‘I just screwed the pooch with this one…’ Iron thought as he peered through a pin hole that he had made on the side of the box. From his position, the teacher has watched as the other boxes and crates containing his back up were off loaded on to belts and sent out for storage. Not the best plan, though after being thought of in the span of about five minutes, a pretty solid one at best.

Though what he didn’t count for was where his box may have ended up…

The colt never got loaded on to the belt. Instead he was carted off by another dog as he headed through the few streets of the small city that made up the capital of Opal. Largely being dotted with several plants and warehouses that powered their war engine, only a few smaller businesses made up the rest of the city, apart from the occasional apartment complexes that likely housed those workers that made up the back bone of the DDRs’ production.

Pressing his luck, Iron remained quiet to see where the wind would take him. The wind being a dog who hadn’t a clue as to what he was hauling around, as he brought the concealed colt closer and closer to the structure off in the distance.

“It can’t be that easy…” Iron asked himself out loud, watching as the DDRs’ fortress was finally brought in to view.

Massive towers set out in a hexagon outlined the forts walls, as ramparts were lined with the patrolling troops of the chieftain himself, all armed to the teeth with their new toys. Though while the castle like stronghold wasn’t much taller than the rest of the buildings that made up the town. The educated colt knew that, for diamond dogs at least, the largest parts of the place were likely underground.

The dogs had a knack for that sort of thing after all.

Approaching the gate, the cart he was placed in sat with several others along with it as Iron stayed perfectly still. Even going to the extent of holding his breath to negate any and all sounds that could betray his position, as he listened in to the two dogs conversing mere feet from him.

“…Yep, fresh off the train,” the mutt that catered him around said as he lightly patted a paw on the same crate Iron had hid in.

“Good, Chief Reinhart will be happy to know of that…” another voice said, likely a guard doing his duty as he checked over the boxes, “just bring them inside and put them up in the kitchens, we’ll have need of them soon, Reinhart would like to celebrate a bit. Plus, she’s eager to hear how it played out.”

“You mean she’s here?”

“Not that I know of… Chief would just like to send word to her later on of how well it went,” the dog rolled off of his tongue with disgust that only Iron could taste on his own, “after that little scuffle with Seren recently, she’s eager to hear about how those playthings of hers functioned, and if there was any way to improve them.”

“Probably make them fire proof…” he heard the chuckle of the one pulling the crate.

“Yeah, it would seem that even with the enchantments, you get a fire going inside of one and it all goes up like a tinder pile,” the guard mulled over for but a moment, “though there was something she left for the chief here, don’t really know what they are… only that they’re really too quiet for my liking.”

With nothing more said, Iron felt the wheels on the cart take hold to the ground once more, and he continued deeper in to the fortress. Only one She could be mentioned around here as far as he was concerned, and it was a mare that Iron was starting to get sick of either running in to or having to deal with her own creations.

‘Where are you, my mystery mare?’ Iron pondered after hearing the words discussed between the two. Ignoring the motions of his disguise, while wondering where the mare could have gone. ‘Probably chatting with King Rhorkin to set up another attack…’ he spat out the thought, ‘it would seem you’ve been rather busy… what do you have in store for me this time?’ thought the colt. While at the same time wondering what it would feel like to wrap his hooves around her neck and crush her wind pipe.

Whoever she was, she was the cause of all this in his mind. All the senseless killing, all the slaughter, all the bolstering by the kingdom and the DDR. Without her tech, nothing that they had done would have been possible. She had brought it to them, and helped create it every step of the way.

If by some miracle they were never able to get to the King or Chief, then this mare would be the next best thing to the stallion. As this turned in to a game of not so much cutting off the head of the snake, but the heads of a hydra. Yet, Iron didn’t even know what this she went by… though whether the mare was here or not. The colt could answer that question later.

He still had a job to do.

Feeling the rolling of the cart stopped, Iron braced himself as he caught his breath from the box being lifted off of it and carried over in to what he could make out to be a kitchen worthy of feeding an army. Even through the little hole, the setup of several dozen ovens and stove tops, along with boilers, and countless cutlery to match hanging off the walls. Gave him all the sign he would need that his trip had come to an end.

Feeling a heavy paw grab on to the top of the crate, Iron braced himself for what was to come next…

Egyes cracked open a crate, far back in one of the many warehouses that had been erected to house the supplies needed to keep the DDRs’ soldiers functioning. Cotton, mostly used for their blankets and tents to create canvas, was just one of the few ingredients that started to turn the gears of destruction in the Gryphons’ mind. He had flour to work with, given enough particles in the air, it would set itself ablaze. While on top of that he had straw, used for cushions in whatever they may have been creating in some of the other factories nearby.

Laying out the bundles of cotton and straw all around the storage room floor, Egyes made sure that enough of the other wooden crates were covered so that once it was set alight, there would be little that the dogs could do to put it all out. Satisfied with his work, the gryphon nodded at his success to making a rather large mess under the noses of his enemy, as he calmly stepped out the door to a side corridor that ran in this section of the warehouse.

Waiting patiently there for him, was the rest of the team that had been sent in. “Are you ready to light your cake?” another Gryphon asked him.

“Not just yet…” he mused, “I’d like to get something a little more volatile in there…”

“Well my Ex is nowhere in sight, so what’d you have in mind?”

Looking around, he had skimmed over that bit while trying to get the tinder pile built. What he had gathered would burn rather nicely, though to really get things going, required a more explosive touch…

“I… Might have an idea actually…” the gryphon answered, as he took a stroll down the hall.

Careful not to alert any passerby of their presence, thankfully the patrols were light. The DDR were never expecting their enemy to be right under their noses after all. Especially not in their own capital. Though as one gryphon looked around for the parts to make a crude bomb, the rest followed close behind him. Keeping their own weapons close to hoof and talon should they be needed.

The trudging sound of armor filled Egyes’ ear as he leaned closer to the wall, waiting for the soldier to get close enough to get the drop on him. Seeing the muzzle of a pony passing my, the gryphon held himself for a moment at the near attack of one that was likely a friend in their cause.

“What the hell?” he asked aloud, watching as the armored colt continued to walk by without even the slightest care in the world that he was marching around in enemy territory.

“Is that one of ours?” a Pegasus asked.

“I don’t think so…” a gryphon peered over the shoulder of Egyes, both of them staring the colt down, “did the DDR start taking new recruits?”

“Doubtfully…” Egyes responded flatly.

While he may know that the DDR would trade with ponies on a regular basis. At the heart of the dogs, they despised the equines with all their might. Those of the republic were a very violent group of individuals, while ponies were more or less the complete opposite. Suffice it to say, they never saw eye to eye that often… there was a reason they never really traded with the Equestrians.

Taking a chance, the gryphon tip toed closer and closer to the mysterious colt. Watching as he stood there silently, over watching this portion of the hallway that lead to much of the storage area. “Hey buddy…” that simple tap on the shoulder warranted a quick response.

Whipping around on his hooves, the colt flashed out a blade from his side with expert skill. Only a quick beating of his wings from pure reflex saved Egyes’ neck, as he swore he could feel the feathers take a close trim job. Though the assault didn’t stop there. Immediately after failing to attack the gryphon, the colt lunged at him with the blade. Tacking the full grown male down to the ground with the added weight of his armor.

Normally this would have been a fight that Egyes would have won easily. Gryphons were naturally stronger than ponies, and this one was no different… or so he thought. Though once he had the colt on him, Egyes could feel the blade inching closer and closer to his neck line as his own talons started to give way to the sheer power behind the colts’ own hooves.

A thunderous crack was heard, taking the stallion off of him instantly from the impact of the Pegasus flying full force in to hit target. Gleaming down in to the empty glare of a visor, the Seren stallion beckoned some sort of response, “What is wrong with you?!” he kept his tones muffled while expressing the concern, “We’re trying to-”

With that the colt felt himself being lifted like a feather by the strange armored form, and before he even knew what hit him. He was dropped on to the awaiting armored bracer of a hoof. Cracking his spine in several places from the hit, the Pegasus crumbled off to the side, not even getting a word out as a blade was thrusted in to his chest to ensure the job was done.

Slowly turning his neck around to meet the rest of the intruders, the standing stallion never broke his stride as he withdrew his weapon from the fallen and began to gait towards the group like nothing could kill him…

No sense of fear.

No sense of self preservation.

And no sense of mercy in those hidden eyes.

Grabbing on to his side, Egyes lined up a shot from his rifle, already knowing full well that no matter how well the armor may have been made. Unless he had a shield ward going, the colt was as good as dead, and last he checked. The stallion didn’t have a horn.

Letting the sound of the shot fill the small space of the hallway between them all. Egyes put a round clean through the helmet, right where the left nostril would have been could he see the face of his attacker. The round burst through the front plating, leaving a clear hole and even ruffling the decorative mane that adorned the head dress. While with that, the soldier dropped for a second to his chest, not moving an inch, as the gryphon slung the weapon across his shoulder.

“Not so spry with a round through your skull, huh?”

Eerily though, to all of their surprise, that question earned itself a response…

One hoof rose up slowly, stumbling before it finally got its footing. Quickly being followed by the other three as the figure rose up once more, and continued his stride towards them with sword drawn, eyeing for the kill. As if the round that hit his helmet was cast at him with nothing more than a Childs’ slingshot.

Rearing back a hoof, the armored stallion took aim at not them this time, but instead a small red push button valve on the wall. Likely being fed by steam pressure, before the sound even got to any of their ears, they all knew the game had changed.

“Oh… Crap…” Egyes hear several of them mutter, as they all took off down the hallway, listening to the sounds of the alarm bells being rung in the building they occupied and several of those nearby.

All the while, behind all that sound going on, they still picked up the audible clunking of the soldier gaining on them with every stomp of his heavy hoof.

“What the frick is that thing?!” another Pegasus asked aloud, hoping that his companions knew something he didn’t.

“I’m not sure!” another pony answered, as he flapped his wings to gain a little more footing, lest he be grabbed by an armored bracer, “But whatever it may be, I just hope he doesn’t have friends!”

Egyes took up the middle of the group that ran through the passage way, silently cursing himself for not having a fall back plan. While at the same time wondering if his aim had gotten worse sense he last picked up one of the new guns. ‘Not possible,’ he concluded, ‘it went right through the head…’ he answered as they reached a very familiar looking door, and all took cover inside.

Looking around, the group had wound up right where they started off… in a storage room, surrounded by tinder, waiting to be lit a blaze.

“Horse apples…” another colt muttered.

“So now we’re trapped, in a room, with nothing but boxes and straw for cover…” yet another responded, “Why do I not see this playing out too well?”

“Whelp…” one gryphon answered, going over to some of the crates he lifted it with relative ease, as the stout male tossed it on to the floor in front of the door, “let’s work with what we have, eh?” Taking the hint, a few others started to grab what they could as they piled it, making any sort of blockade that they could managed. If only to keep those that would do them harm at bay.

A heavy pounding at the doors edge made note of a particular stallions’ arrival, while the sound of a blade glancing off the frame only gave them all more drive to build a defense. “Persistent fella, aint he?” the same gryphon that started the pile mentioned between them, turning his eye though to another, he took notice of Egyes scrummaging around the area, “now what are you thinking?”

“The dogs will be here shortly enough, right?” he watched as his companion nodded in response, “and with that some of their new gear… which includes…” Egyes tried to imply, as he watched the face of understanding slowly dawn on the fellow male.

“Clever, devious… but clever…”

A dog quickly found his head shoved in to one of the ovens, as the door was brought on to his skull repeatedly, smashing it more and more with every blow. Caking his armor in the mist of red that he finds himself missing more and more of in his blood lust, Iron whipped back around and with a powered hoof drove it straight in to a chefs’ chest. Breaking sternum and puncturing something important underneath as he watched the mutt hit the ground in a moment, coughing up blood with every breath.

The split second that the educator had, gave him the drop he needed to take on the one that opened his little gift, killing the dog quickly with a short blade from his bracer to the neck. Iron crawled out of is box and in to the open kitchen, though the colt didn’t have a watch on him at the moment, and if anything it would have told him of one crucial fact…

It was dinner time.

Several of the other cooks that were present saw their fellow chef drop to the ground, and the stallion responsible emerge from his hiding place, right in their sights. Many of them were previous soldiers in their own time, all retired from the trade and with the will to still serve, chose to take up a simpler life cooking for the new generation. Though, that didn’t mean their killing skills have diminished with time.

Being picked up clear off the ground, Iron found his feet dangling in mid-air for a time as he was thrown across the room and on top of a burning stove. Feeling the heat rise up in his flank faster than he cared for, he quickly rolled off to the counter and grabbed the pot of boiling water in his magic, hurtling it at the one responsible for a flaming hide.

The concoction seared the flesh clean off of the mutt in seconds as he fell to his knees, as the pot was thrown right over his head once more and he got kicked in to a cabinet from an overcharged hoof. Taking him out of the fight, the stallion was left to glare over to the few of those that remained.

“Okay there gentlepups… It’s already been a long day, and I’m sore from a bumpy train ride,” Iron took his stance. Putting a hoof forward, while sliding one back where he stood, “Can we get this over with so I can head out of here?”

Not even needing to hear another word, the few dogs that remained grabbed on to what tools of the trade they could use. Knives, cleavers, large paddles, and even one grabbed a lid to act as a crude shield. Every one of them had trained in unconventional combat, and this was no different, as they darted towards the lone pony.

Sliding neatly to the side, Iron dodged the over taken swing from cleaver as it dug in to the ground. Turning back with a hoof, an energy pulse was sent in to the dogs’ head from his hoof, taking him out quickly. While he grabbed the crude sword from his fallen grasp and whipped it around in to the chest of another mongrel.

However, with his attention drawn on him. Iron missed the paddle swinging towards his head, taking the stallion clean off the ground, he flew towards the other pooch. Meeting another bash from a cover, that sent him on the ground in a daze. ‘Okay, not what I had planned,’ Iron groaned under the vale of his hood. Looking up through the slits, the glimmer of the pot top met his own blade as he held it with his might.

Summoning up what he had left in the emeralds on his joints, Iron could feel his body struggling to fill the energy of those enchantments the more he used them. Though as of now, they were really the only thing keeping him alive, other than his quick footing. Charging up a simple spell, the flash of light put the dog in his own daze that the colt had experienced a moment ago. Giving him the small opening he needed to fry the dog to oblivion with the static charge built up in his gems.

Getting to his hooves, Iron stared down the last dog remaining, as he gripped the paddle with his paws. “Ya ready there horsy?” the mutt mocked him, beckoning the colt to close the distance.

“…Eh… screw it,” Iron lifted up a hoof and let loose another energy ray, neatly cutting the metal paddle in half as it had the same effect on the canine.

Walking calmly by the enemy that had taken a knee, Iron placed a single hoof on his head, and tipped the corpse over on his side. “Well that was easy…” he mused, before a heavy hit delivered itself to his own side.

As of now, the unicorn was starting to feel what it was like to be a Pegasus, as he went through the air for the third time in less than ten minutes. Glancing behind him from where he got hit, all he saw was another chef standing there, one that had likely walked in at some point and he missed him. While in the dogs’ grasp, held the tenderizing hammer that acted like a golf driver, and Iron was the ball.

Crashing through the kitchen door, it swung back and forth on itself while Iron lost every chance to right himself. Face met table, and momentum from the impact didn’t slow him down, as he slid across the surface, scattering bits and pieces of food every which direction the more he went. Before finally coming to rest at the end, with a rather disgruntled foggy eye looking him over.

“Nice of you to fly in here… Pony.”

“Ahh…” Iron felt the ever growing headache getting larger with every passing second, “Mr. Reinhart I presume?”