Silvertongue walked his way patiently around the fortress that he had come to know after working with Bronze. Silently leaving himself to his thoughts, as he pondered what the next day would bring when both sides came marching towards one another. The blood that would be spilled, and the likelihood that Seren would crumble away entirely still painted a terrible picture in the drakes’ mind.

One that made him regret making a deal with the devil.

“No…” he shook his head, causing a few of those that passed by him to pay him some heed as they turned their heads over a shoulder for but a moment, before carrying on their way, “this will all work out in the end… Seren may fall to dust, but it will allow the other nations to pick back up. Those that are displaced will still have the ability to make a life, without the fear of more war in the future,” he thought for but a moment.

The Gryphons may have had their disagreements with Seren in the past, but most of the fights had been with the DDR in the first place. With them out of the picture after a rather nasty beating to their moral. Silver assured himself that the Gryphons would at least show leniency towards those that were under Grace, and allow them to live as such in their own homes.

“Come to think of it,” Silver wondered, “if Seren and the Kingdom had just joined forces, they could have wiped the DDR off the map, and there would have been more than enough goods to go around…” he realized and threw the idea around in the back of his head. ‘Perhaps now with the DDR cut down to pups, Grace would stand to have another negotiation?’ the drake started to try and do the math of how much trade would be cut away from the Republic and sent to the Kingdom instead, wondering if it would be enough to satisfy them.

Though with a shake beneath the arch of his claws from the whole castle moving, any other thought was banished as the drake immediately looked out the window to see if he could tell what the cause was. The dead giveaway being the large cloud of debris that filled the air over part of the city off in the distance, and started to litter the surrounding area in scrap metal and building fragments.

Picking up his pace tenfold, Silver darted through the halls until he came across a few soldiers preparing to head out, “What had happened out there?”

“Not sure really,” one answered him as they slipped a helmet on and cocked a rifle back, “seems that perhaps one of the trains at the station had an issue or collided with something, we’re just heading out to see if everything’s alright.” He threw his head forward, gesturing to the automatons with him to follow, as they mindlessly did what they were told.

Taking the explanation with a grain of salt, Silver calmly made his way through more of the fortress, as he soon rounded upon a large pair of heavy wooden doors. With a stern knock against the frame, the attuned ears of the drake picked up quite a bit of scuffling on the inside and the squeaking of a bed, as the footsteps started to get closer. Finally, the door opened, revealing Bronze standing there with Rhorkin a few steps back from her.

“Yes Silver? What seems to be the problem?” Bronze asked, all without letting any of her guard slip, “Was it that sound off in city?”

“Precisely, some of the soldiers are already going to check that out,” Silver answered her first, “they seem to think that a train had a malfunction or crashed… possibly,” he raised a brow, sure to show off his distrust that this was all that’s going on here.

“Hmm… I see,” she nodded in a silent agreement, “keep me posted as you know more, I’ll see to it that our… package, is safe in a bit.”

With that the drake nodded and went to go about the business of checking and rechecking with the surrounding patrols that everything was alright. Meanwhile, Bronze turned herself back in the room and looked away from the one present for some time as she thought.

“Is everything alright?” Rhorkin asked concerned, having heard some of the conversation.

“Not a chance…” she mused for but a moment, before looking back up to him, “Grab the gear I gave you and get ready for a fight.”

“You think something’s more at play here than just a train going up…”

“Unquestionably,” Bronze said confidently, having already done the math in her mind, “Chief Reinhart was killed by a small force that had made their way in to his fortress… it would stand to reason that those running Seren may think to try the same thing, even if they have a much larger force on the way.”

“So I guess I’m…” Rhorkin thought about it more, “Bait?”

“In a sense, yes,” Bronze watched as some of his feathers ruffled from being called something as low as that, “Don’t worry… if you perform like you did moments ago, you’ll be just fine,” she winked at him before tucking herself out the door, the mare galloped down the halls as she muttered under her breath, “I know you’re out there…” the mare started to fume. Having had enough of the one that was likely to blame for this.

Slipping in to an unlocked shed, the pair from Seren held their ground as they listened to the commotion from outside of what they caused. All the while, Egyes still looked over himself to ensure that nothing was left out to dry in the crash, or the ensuing explosion.

“I don’t know how you did it, but you did…” the gryphon pondered, as he found all his feathers and hairs still attached to him.

“I’m a unicorn,” Iron muttered flatly, stating the obvious, “I teleported us before the train hit, really not that hard.”

“No not that,” Egyes corrected as they creaked open the door to make sure the coast was clear for their way through the city, “what I meant was, how the hell was somepony of your caliber and destructive mindset ever deemed sane enough to serve under your crown,” he said, while they broke from the main streets and went through an ally way, “let alone get a job teaching the youth of your nation.”

“Hey for all you know I could be perfectly normal,” he mused for a moment while turning the tables around, “maybe everyone else is just plain crazy.”

Freezing where he stood for a second, the gryphon pondered the thought for about half that time and started walking once more, ignoring the colts’ words as he spat them out. Holding his rifle to his side, Egyes brought it up to his shoulder as he peered around a corner and saw a few enemies coming their way.

Only a few of them, nothing that him and Iron couldn’t take care of. Not after seeing how the colt could hold his own before. His sights were locked in on the furthest gryphon, while his targets moved closer to the train station to see what had happened. ‘Easy pickins,’ the gryphon muttered in the back of his head as he placed a claw on the trigger. Though with a hoof lowered on the end of his barrel, the gryphon looked to the colt curiously.

“What?” he said in hushed tones as the patrol passed by the ally, “Trying to stay subtle now?”

Iron shrugged his shoulders as he watched them pass by, before moving on, “That plan with the train went off flawlessly…” he paused for a moment to think about the previous shoot out, “sorta… either way, I don’t see them searching around for intruders all that much? They think it was just an accident.”

The colt calmly waded his way through the streets and narrow channels that cut through the city, already seeing the high walls and towers of the fortress off several blocks from them, “besides, I can go invisible… you not so much.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Egyes had to admit. At least the colt knew when to keep a level head, and when to level a building. “So stay stealthy till we reach our target?”

“That’s the plan,” Iron piped up, soon seeing what stood between them in those few blocks and their destination.

A couple production compounds, turning out various goods and machines for the Kingdom, resided in the properties that the two found themselves having to travers. With smoke stacks piled high sending pillars of thick black soot in to the air from the furnaces below. If the DDR was hard pressed to get food for their troops because of their nations terrain, Iron had a pretty good idea what they were trading with the gryphons to get a cup of sugar out of the deal.

The blanket of smog above showed that any and all resources that the DDR had shipped the kingdom over the last several months was being put to good use, as not only were the factories turning out nonstop. But there had been several new additions to the gryphons’ fortress sense Iron had last saw it, when he still officially served.

“Well that’s new,” he motioned his head over to the hangers that resided inside the forts’ walls, yet still managed to peak over the fortifications, “I’m assuming that’s where their Zeppelins are?”

“That would be correct,” the gryphon said as he and the colt made their way up to one of the plants, “though there might be a slight problem for the rest of Seren… you know, should we die or something.”

“What might that be?”

“There weren’t that many hangers when I was last here…”

Both the colt and the gryphon looked at one another from the ever amounting threat that the gryphons were starting to build seemingly overnight. With a hard swallow of the lump in his throat. Iron placed a hoof on the outside of a door, and used the gem in his limbs to force it open, bending it at the seams. Gaining them entry to one of the plants.

Going around might have been easier, but there was little to no cover for the pair outside. At least in here they were sure they could find some sort of machinery to hide behind as cover should the going get a little tough.

Hunting around on the inside, the pair took their time in their approach on the Gryphons that worked the grounds. Each of them had a job to do, and were self-absorbed in whatever task they had been given as part of the kingdoms plans. So much so to not even pass an eye to the pony or gryphon, that quietly made their way around the factory floor.

“Well this is new…” Egyes pondered as he looked at exactly what they were creating, reading off the designs that designated the creation as a Tank.

A study metal hull resided on the hook of an assembly line, as with every station new parts and components were added to it. Though large enough to be a wagon, the gryphon hadn’t seen anything of this sort before.

A pair of tracks were added to the side, riveted in place along an axil frame. While another set of workers attacked a swiveling mount on the top of it once the chasse was placed on the ground and moved along. From there though, something Egyes was familiar with was fitted in place on the machine.

A single gun, or cannon as they were called, was lowered in place and fitted to the internal workings by those craftsmen on the line. Set right and ready for a fight, the finished product had one final component added in to it before the top plates were fastened in place with metal pegs. The power house, a small boiler, was finally lowered in to place and attached to all the inner workings. From start to finish from what they saw, it only took those working but ten minutes.

“We better get going,” Iron said, factoring in the amount of time it took to created one of these weapons of war, “at this rate they’ll have an entire armada at their disposal by the morning.”

“Assuming they don’t already…”

Continuing through the factory, both in the party were relived to finally see the other side that got them one step closer to the fortress in the distance. With these new toys, along with the amassing fleet of airships ready for take-off, plus the various weapons for their single troops on the ground that the kingdom had managed. There was little doubt in either Iron or Egyes’ mind that when the bullets started flying, in the end, Seren was going to be looking at a new order in their mists.

“Who are you two!” A shout from behind them quickly turned their blood cold as they froze in place.

“So much for stealth…” Egyes groaned as they heard the steady steps of their soon to be attacker approaching.

“You should notice a pattern here,” Iron rubbed an end of his hoof on his breast plate, waiting for the target to get closer, “we come in all quiet like, then low and behold, we’re found out…”

Turning around swiftly, with a single touch of his bracer. The gryphon that hoped to get an explanation out of the two, instead got a dart of ice embedded in his skull. As Iron sat there in his pose for a moment... before he chucked from the deepest part of his throat.

“Let me guess… there’s more of them…” Egyes facepalmed.

“Just a few…” Iron took a few steps back before he beat feet and ran, quickly followed by Egyes on his hooves as they darted to the exit.

“You either have the worst of luck, or the best!” Egyes shouted at him from over the sounds of a few rounds landing amongst them from the angered workers, “How are you still alive?!”

“Quick wit! And…” grabbing a hoof on the handle, the colt swung it open as himself and the gryphon piled outside and placed their backs against the door. Only to be staring as three of finished creations waiting for them on the other side. “…Sarcasm…”

The hatch on top of one of the creations creaked open, as a gryphon inside popped half his body out to meet the two. Staring them down behind a pair of goggles, with a steady talon and a smirk, he brought them up to rest on his helmet, “Odd predicament you got yourselves in chaps… wouldn’t ya say?”

“Not the worst…” Iron muttered under his breath, as he turned his attention to the male, “Well we seemed to have just lost our way gentlemen, could you point us towards the Fortress?”

“Or a tavern would be good right about now…” Egyes suggested for them.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” the tank commander asked.

“Not answering that!” with a quick charge sent, an entire pod on Irons’ back was drained of the rocket munitions as they closed the small gap and made short work of the metal hull.

Fracturing the boiler inside, the chassis split apart at the seams and littered the area with shredded metal while both other vehicles took aim at the two. Lining up their cannons on the pair, Egyes and Iron picked their targets and made like trees.

Taking off to avoid the shot, Egyes soared above them all as he watched the tank back up to get a better shot at him. While Iron teleported every which way to Sunday to avoid his own target. He didn’t know what these things were capable of, but they had a crew inside, just like the zeppelins. Which means they had to have a weakness.

The hatch opened up, and out popped a gryphon manning the Gatling gun mounted on top. As he started to litter they sky with bullets. Soaring lower to the buildings to at least give himself cover. The two tanks started to separate themselves from each other as they hunted down their respective targets. Though with the rate of fire from the gun on top this monstrosity, Egyes had to wait for his opening and just try not to get killed in the process.

With that thought, the crewmen stopped to reload a new drum on the side. Whipping out his rifle, the trained gryphon practiced strafing runs against the tank, popping off round after round. Peppering the hull and the gryphon that tried to shoot him down. Though the crewmen didn’t handle it so well, the tank was another story. With every one that hit its mark, all he saw was the slight spark it gave off when it glanced off the metal.

‘Armor’s too thick…’ he thought, trying to look at a new angle. Explosives would work yeah, but the gryphon had a better plan after this was all said and done for it.

Seeing the small slit on the front, the soldier saw his opening. Landing swiftly atop the tank, he draped himself over the hull till his eyes met those inside through the visor, while the barrel of the cannon swung overhead. Before those inside could react, Egyes shoved the barrel of his pistol through the slit, and emptied the clip in record time as the machine went still.

Grabbing hold of lifeless body blocking the hatch, Egyes flung it aside and slithered in. Ignoring the bodies around him as he looked at the crude controls. He realized they really were built to allow even the simplest of creatures to pilot them. With a claw on either handle, the gryphon yanked back and brought the machine in to a full reverse, as he backed tracked to the original fight next to the factory.

There Iron still had his magic flowing, bouncing all and around the area to avoid the fire from both gunners. With the fire rate of the crank gun, and the explosive effect of the cannon, the crew inside flushed him out everywhere he tried to take a breather. Leaving the colt hard pressed to get a clear shot off from his other pod.

Dropped.

Locked.

Loaded.

Egyes looked through the sights of the periscope that showed him the outside along the barrel of the main gun. As he lowered it on the other tank in the streets. Just as the turret turned around to see him aiming at their boiler. With a squeeze of the trigger, the cannon blast rattled the inside of the tank almost as much as the shot did from detonating his opponent. Though with his ears still rattling, Egyes found himself in a daze as he swayed back and forth in the metal hull. Even as a familiar face came to greet him.

“You alright in there?” Iron asked as he peaked his head through the open hatch, only left to look at the inverted face of his friend staring at him in confusion.

“What?!” Egyes shouted while the ringing started to subside.

“I said, are you alright!” Iron bellowed at the top of his lungs.

“Oh! Yeah I’m good!” he still shouted as the colt climbed inside, after barely making out the words on his lips.

“Quite the nice toy you have hear,” Iron looked around the inside of the cabin. Various canisters for the main gun lay loaded up on the side, while smaller boxed undoubtedly fueled the gun on top. As various bags of coal gave the heat needed to keep the water boiling, and the thing moving.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” the colt asked, eyeing the various canisters for the cannon still laying unspent.

Having heard that much clearly, with the help of some lip reading. Egyes grabbed a full bag of coal and tossed it in to the loading port of the boilers’ burn box. “We’re gonna be running hot here… but this is a nice piece of tech they got.” He slid in to the drivers’ chair and grabbed hold of the handles, “What do you say we go knock on the fortress doors?”

Having read the simple instructions on the side placard for new crewmen, Iron loaded a new shell up in to the gun and steadied his aim for whatever might stand between them and their target. “Oh bring it on… I got one hell of a knocker…”

Several patrols hunted through the streets of the Gryphons capital, hot on the trail of whoever it was that came beating at their own door. They may have gotten the drop on a few of their comrades, but from what those searching for the raiding party heard, it was only a few of them to contend with. Something that should be easily mopped up in a few hours time, once they managed to find them that is.

Though from all those searching through the streets themselves, going nearly door to door to find the elusive pair. They never thought to search any of the vehicles that were part of the many patrols.

“Is this really working?” Iron asked as he looked through the scope on the gun.

Time after time they drove by other gryphons in their own chariots of war or on foot, and time after time it played out the same way. Those searching them out, never paid the tank any heed, and just went on their merry way to hunt the two down.

“Well… they probably weren’t expecting to find us in one of their own creations,” Egyes responded as he worked the controls, and continued to drive them down towards the path on to the fortress.

Eyeing up and down the sturdy walls, Iron tried to look for any entry point they would be able to muster out of the cannon. “Any suggestions where to point this thing?”

“Give me a minute…” the gryphon replied as he continued to drive, eying the tall hangers even over the fortresses walls, “there’s got to be some sort of hanger door for those things to get out in the open sky…”

“Or they just go up,” the colt pointed out, “they are zeppelins.”

Nodding for a moment, the gryphon stopped the tank in its tracks as he looked through his own visor slit. A wooden door, big enough to fit the tank through, resided at the edge of the fortress walls. Undoubtedly used to dispatch the same creation he found himself piloting, Egyes looked back at his companion and nodded.

Taking the que, Iron lined up the easy shot, and with a magical squeeze of the small trigger. The cannon shot off, tearing the door off its very hinges and breaking it open wide and clear. “It won’t be long till they realize they’re looking in the wrong place…”

“I know,” Egyes muttered as he drove straight forward, through the remains of the door itself and in to an open court yard, “but with any luck, a vast majority of those inside have taken up the pursuit of us outside the walls…”

“And luck just seems to be on our side, now don’t it?” Iron smirked, as he loaded another shell in place and peered through the glass. Though as Egyes drove forward, they reached the edge of one of the hangers. With an open door to it, just begging to be explored by the pair.

Stopping where he was, Egyes locked in the breaks and grabbed his weapon from his feet, readying himself to head out, “This thing won’t do us much good in there…”

“Scared of scratching the paint?”

“No… just this thing’s armed with a cannon… and those things inside, are full of hydrogen,” he stated flatly as the colt quickly met with the same action and gathered himself for the trip outside.

Popping the hatch open, Iron looked around with an out stretched hoof, ready for the first sign of trouble. But trouble came in many forms, and in this case, it was one that would be seen in the days to follow.

“Whelp, they certainly expanded their arms…” Iron said in awe of what laid before him, as himself and the gryphon climbed out and took the sight in.

All the hangers in a row remained connected to one another, and with each new bay that was built in the several months that had passed. A zeppelin to match went along right with it, already fully stocked and ready to fight. The entire ground floor of the hangers were laden with tools of the war trade, and munitions to fuel the aerial assault that was sure to take place.

“Oh this aint good…” Egyes muttered in hushed breaths, “they let these things loose on the field tomorrow and its game over for Seren. Heck we saw what several could do, what do you think these will manage?” he asked, eyeing over a dozen airships ready to take off.

Mulling it over for no time at all, Iron didn’t even grace him with an answer. He just accepted Serens’ fate should they be allowed to fly. Though if the sheer scale of them didn’t surprise the colt, then the fact that not even a guard had come out to meet them did. Here they were, standing in the heart of the Gryphon Kingdom, at their capital none the less, and they didn’t see a soul around.

“They’re full of… Hydrogen, correct?” he waited for the gryphon to nod in response, before Iron even stepped forward off the tank.

The gears were already turning in the back of the colts’ mind, as he took in what he had to work with on his own body, and what the gryphons had so willingly provided him with at his hooves. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but whatever it turned out to be, would be sure to leave a hole in the Kingdoms’ ego.

“You’re really predictable; you know that right?”

Iron turned around to see Egyes tapping a claw against the ground as he waited for the colt. “Eh, I never said I wasn’t… though how about you say we level the playing field?” using his horn, Iron slid a single rocket out of the launcher and broke off the impact explosives on the front, leaving him with just the warhead, as he removed a grenade as well “let’s get to work.”

Bronze stood outside a single wooden door, collecting herself from her earlier tryst, as she waited for a moment to walk in. Just like clockwork, two gryphons ran up to her side as they were left panting from the excursion of having to run around the fortress trying to find her. If only to keep the mare up to date on the situation developing outside their walls.

“Ma’am,” one said as he caught his breath, “there seems to be Seren soldiers in the city.”

“As expected… trains don’t just blow up,” she deadpanned without even meeting his own eyes, having known that an attack of any sort wouldn’t wait till the morning, “how many? How well are they armed? Is it a full attack?”

The second gryphon stepped forward with her answers, “from what was relayed to us it’s just a couple of them, not armed too heavily, but they’re still causing one hell of a ruckus in town.”

Finally turning her gaze to her, Bronze eyed the pair for but a moment, hoping that they would get her subtle message. “So search them out… they have to be coming for her majesty, find them before they get here!” she shouted, dispersing the two as they went about their own duties.

And she went about hers.

Turning the handle of the door, Bronze walked down the aisle of the various cells before reaching the one she was waiting for. Grace laid there, curled up with her wing draped over her frame for warmth against the cold ground. The princess was a light sleeper for the most part, but the recent events have left her nothing sort of drained as she simply let the events around her play out. There was little she could do from the confines of a cell after all. Still unaware of her presence, the mare simply started to chuckle, as everything had started to fold along the lines of her plan.

“I don’t know if you’re spiritual or anything,” she called out, causing the princess to stir in her slumber. While the metallic eyes soon met Graces’ tired ocean waves as they woke, “but if I were you, I’d start asking for some luck right about now…”

Rolling her eyes at the mare, Grace was humble enough to admit her position, so she just laid her head back down on the ground. “Why bother? I’m assuming you’re here to gloat about how my entire nation will fall come tomorrow,” she watched as an eye brow raised up curiously from the mare, “and you’ll lead the Gryphons on to their own reign of my citizens?”

Though the expected scoff as she called her plan out never came, the only thing Grace got in return was a simple smile, “Oh don’t think you have me figured all out… I’m a creature of much simpler things really,” she said as she brushed a metal talon against her breasts coat.

“So then why are you here?” Grace asked, if only for the sake of having some company to talk to.

“Oh because I still have plans for you, my darling,” Bronze batted her eyelashes at the mare coyly, mocking her position, “all in due time… besides, it’s unbecoming of a princess to look so down when this is all a move towards the future.”

“What kind of future are you living in?!” Grace shouted at her, rising up from her place and staring the mare down at an equal height, “the fighting will never end, don’t you get that? Even with your weapons and your power, those of Seren will not bow!” she watched through angered eyes at her counterpart, “Some may falter, but so long as their freedom is gone by the oppression you and the kingdom will bring. Then there will still be those willing to raise up arms and fight!”

The same cynical smile that she had come to know as the mare, once again graced her presence. Just as it was followed by a hollow chuckle from Bronzes’ throat, “if only it were that simple, I don’t wish to oppress your citizens…”

Stopping in her tracks, Grace paused, but held her ground against the mare, “so then what is it you hope to do?”

“Ah ah ah… that would ruin all the fun,” Bronze waved a claw back and forth before her, “besides, I would have you know that a few of those under you have taken it upon themselves to see to your rescue…” she watched as the princesses’ eyes shot open instantaneously, “so stop looking so glum now.”

“You mean…” the mare froze as her legs locked up. Having been read story books of a princess being rescued time and time again as a foal, Grace never thought for once she would be in the same position.

“Don’t worry there Gracie…” Bronze brought her back to the real world, “I’ll fetch you when I’m ready…” with that the mare departed. Leaving her counterpart stuck in the cell with something new to think about.

“Someone’s here to rescue me?” she thought once more on her own in the quiet of her cell. While she had expected it come the next morning, the princess never thought it would just be a few to take on the task. ‘Though who would be crazy enough to…’ at that last thought, all other words seemed to fail the young princess, even in her own head. As she realized who must be among their ranks to try such an imprudent thing.

“… oh that poor fool…”