Autumn was the first to land a kill once the drawbridges on the towers fell, slashing in both directions with her hoof mounted blades, ripping out the throat of some unsuspecting troop, sending him collapsing to the ground as he choked in his own blood, things very quickly devolved from that point on into a killing frenzy on both sides as myself and my fellow wrakjon fought simply to stay alive, many details quickly being forgotten in the adrenalin rush. Truth be told myself and Tarn probably only remained alive because the troops wouldn’t have been used to dealing with people of our builds before, giving us just enough of an upper hand to get in a killing blow, that and liberal use of our powers helped.

Fyrefly, Surprise, and Lesovikk meanwhile were a sight to behold, during the brief moments I was able to get a look they were effortlessly holding the Hiemut troops at bay, with Surprise making effective use of a comically large war hammer.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed this!” Fyrefly called above the din of battle, for once she wasn’t her usual grumpy demeanor, instead replaced with a gleeful grin, which when coupled the fact she was bludgeoning her way through soldier after soldier kind of made me question her stability. Meanwhile I was starting to struggle with how hectic things were getting, consequently I paid for my inexperience why I ended up on my arse with a Unicorn stood over me, sword hovering above him ready to plunge into my throat, just as the blade was about to fall and I was ready to accept my fate Octavia hurled herself on top of the unicorn and grappled around his midsection, before rearing back until the unicorn was lifted clear off the ground

“Have some of this, ya gobshite!” she bellowed, years of self imposed refinement bleeding away in an instant to reveal a thick cockney accent as she proceeded to effortlessly fling him off the wall. She then turned to regard me “You can thank me later, now get off your arse and get fighting” I felt a strong sense of vertigo as I found myself stood up once more, my plane of gravity having been shifted for just a moment, it seemed our particular section of the wall had earned a brief respite, though other sections both ways up from us were still in the thick of it

“I don’t know how much longer we can go on like this” I said, leaning against a section of wall to catch my breath

“Welcome to siege warfare, lad” Fyrefly said, scanning the skies, suddenly her ears pricked up, she’d spotted something “eyes up, folks, we’ve got airborne crafts inbound” she then took off into a hover and turned to us “Onælan, Autumn, Surprise, I need you with me”

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

“Now would be the time to stick some of your loud music on, human” she said, a smirk creeping into her face “we’re gonna go wreck some shit” I couldn’t help but also smirk.

“Gladly. Tarn, you’re with me, I’m gonna need an extra set of eyes out there” I said.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” the Kobald said, looking more than a little concerned.

“You’ll be fine, I went and fitted handholds on my back for this reason” I said, turning around and gesturing with a thumb to my back, where a series of ring-like handles were fitted in strategic locations. “Just make sure to hold on extra tight, I’m gonna be pulling Gs that’ll put Chuck Yeager to shame”

“I don’t care if you’re the founder of the wonderbolts” Fyrefly said “just get your flank up here and help us fight” I crouched down allowing Tarn to clamber on before standing straight and stowing my shield and sword away for later, with that done I retrieved my phone and a small but powerful wireless speaker from respective storage locations on my armour and passed them behind my back to Tarn.

“You should find latches to hold them in place” I said “you’ll know what to do from then on” I could feel her fiddling with the clips, before finally she called out.

“Done!” she said.

“Alright, then” I said, getting into a stance ready to take off, as the rest of the group were already beginning to fly ahead, I then quickly added with a cheeky smirk “Clench up, lizard-tits” I could practically hear the confusion in her face.

“Wut...?” she asked, just as I poured as much power as I dared into the crystals embedded in my boots and gloves, causing her to let out a cry of surprise from the acceleration, said cry turning into a panicked scream as we climbed higher and higher, I could feel her pulling herself tighter to my back. "Cachau Sanctaidd! Ti'n Goc Oen!” eventually we leveled off, flying alongside Fyrefly, Autumn and Surprise high over the enemy troops, with the sound of cannon fire growing cleared, but its source obscured from me by clouds.

“Well someone’s clearly not a fan of flying” Fyrefly remarked, looking rather amused at a clearly uncomfortable Tarn.

“Feck off, bird” came Tarn’s eloquent response, before I felt her relax considerably and lean back into something approaching a sitting position “and as for you, mister. Lizardtits!?” I felt a clip around the back of my head.

“Keep in mind Im the one keeping us suspended some 10,000 feet in the air, before you go beating me” I said, Autumn snorted.

“Lizardtits?” she asked “I’m so remembering that for later”

“Listen here, you bird brained oaf!” Tarn said, out of the corner of my eye I could see her shaking a finger at Autumn “I’m not a fucking lizard!” Surprise’ face became a mixture of amused and confused, and she let out a snorting laugh.

“Wait, that’s what you’re taking issue over?” she asked “not the “tits” remark, but the fact he called you lizard?” in response Tarn let out an irritated groan, and I felt both her hands leave the handholds

“I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say to people, but kobalds aren’t fecking lizards!” she said “we aren’t lizards, dragons, drakes, or anything even remotely reptilian. Last I checked lizards don’t have these things, which Onælan seems strangely fixated on of all things”

“I know full well you aren’t a lizard, I do have a basic grasp of biology” I said “but “protomamalian tits” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite so well. I assure you it was intended as a term of endearment”

“By the gods, we could die in the next five minutes, and this is the conversation you choose to have?” Fyrefly asked, looking incredulously at the two of us. Tarn leaned over to look me in the face, and we shared a look before turning back to look at Fyrefly then as one stating.

“Absolutely” Fyrefly snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Now I see why you pine after him so much” she snaked “clearly you’re both just as mad as each other”

“I do not pine!” Tarn exclaimed indignantly.

“Eyes up!” Autumn announced, cutting through the bickering, the three of us turned to see a mass of hulking gallion like airships exchanging canon fire some 500 feet out “It would appear Prance’s arial navy has already rolled out the welcome wagon”

“Right...navy” I muttered grimly, Fyrefly & Surprise on the other hand grinned manically, their level of glee making me question their sanity. “Has anyone told you two that you might be just a little bit nuts?”

“That’s part and parcel of being a Wrakjon, mate” Fyrefly said, before she shook her head, appearing to clear her thoughts then levelling a look at me “Now come on tall boy, music!”

“Uh, pick a song?” I said

“Something heavy, something loud” she supplied.

“You’ve described 90% of his music” Tarn said “be specific” at this Fyrefly pondered, tapping her chin with a hoof.

“I forget it’s name, but I think it goes something like old does not mean dead, new does not mean best?” she said “that one”

“I never pegged you as a fan of that sort of music” I said, before doing a double take “ and since when have you been listening to my music, I don’t recall playing that to you?” I asked.

“I can be very quiet when I want to” she said.

“Found it!” Tarn called, and immediately I heard the sound of music filtering through the air (0:07 - 3:09).

“Oooh, turn that shit up” I said, aiming for a nearby ship flying the colours of the Heimut navy
Autumn listened intently, a confused look on her face as wavering synth notes gave way to primal drumming and discordant guitars.

“What...what is this?” she asked. Fyrefly and I beamed.

“You’ll have to keep up to find out” I said, putting more energy into the crystals as I accelerated away, making a beeline for the nearest heimut ship and landing in sync with the music as Tarn jumped off of me, followed by Fyrefly, Surprise, and then Autumn.

There was a split second of silence as the crew of the ship regarded us with surprise, before the music kicked back in and I leapt into the fray ahead of everyone else, landing in the middle of a group I grabbed a pegasi by the tail with both hands and proceeded to swing them about, knocking multiple stunned crewmembers over with enough force to incapacitate them before releasing my grip of the pegasus’ tail and sending them sailing over the side of the ship. I then summoned forth my sword and allowed fire to engulf the blade as the rest of my allies joined the fray, allowing us to start making quick work of the heimut sailors.

“I have to admit” Autumn called out as she slashed into yet another overwhelmed crewpony “I’m starting to see the appeal of that noise you call music”

“Now you’re getting it!” I called back, unleashing a jet of fire which sent multiple ponies sailing over the edge. I turned expecting to round upon someone behind me, only to see Tarn getting backed into a corner by two crew ponies, a malicious glint in their eyes as she stood in a defensive stance, her dagger at the ready

“Not so big & tough now without your friends, lizard” this seemed to spark something inside Tarn as she proceeded to let out an animalistic shriek, which sounded closer to the noise a fox would make, and leapt into the air sailing over their heads before landing on the back of one and began tearing at them with claw, dagger, and tooth, slicing massive gashes all along their back and up their neck, before finally lunging for the pony’s throat, sinking her teeth into the jugular and pulling back, covering herself and the stunned heimut pegasus to the side in a spray of blood as the unicorn she was latched onto slumped to the deck, choking on his own blood.

Tarn let go of the unicorn and now, panting heavily, turned towards the pegasus, who was now practically white with fear, she then barked out something in welsh and jumped towards the pony, making them jump and stumble as they took off, flying towards a nearby Hiemut ship.

“Are you alright?” I asked, eyeing her bloodstained face and chest with no small amount of concern.

“Ayy, I’ll be fine, mwnci” she said, her hands resting on her knees as she panted, trying to catch her breath, after a moment she let out a dry laugh, the shuddering sending drops of blood falling from the tip of her snout to the deck “I must look like quite the savage to you” I simply shrugged noncommittally as I leant against the wall.

“Where on earth did you learn to fight like that?” Autumn asked, looking more than a little shocked. “Not even griffins on the southern continent were that ferocious!”

“In a land like Minotauria, you gotta learn to fight” she said “but let’s just say when the slavers got ahold of me I didn’t go down without a fight…” I took advantage of the now empty frigate to survey the battlefield below, but already I could see that things looked dire for our side, there had to be a good 20’000 troops with god knows how many tanks and artillery, sooner or later they would get through.

“not that this isn't fun and all, but unless we do something about the endless horde down below, our actions up here are going to be pretty meaningless” I said.

“Good luck with that, unless you plan to firebomb them or something” Fyrefly said, she caught my grin and deadpanned “No bucking way, absolutely not”

“Onælan, don’t even think about it” Autumn said, quickly catching my intentions “Assuming you somehow survive a drop from this height, do you have any idea how many troops you’ll take out, how bad it’ll make you look?”

“Since i’m not tied down to any nation anyways, I don’t much care” I said, tightening the straps on my shield to an almost uncomfortable degree “and if I do die, well...I figured I was on borrowed time any way”

“You’re...not backing down from this, are you?” Surprise asked.

“Not in the slightest” I said, walking to the edge of the ship and climbing up on the sidewall “some people think the best weapon is one you never have to fire, I respectfully disagree. I say it’s the weapon you only have to fire once. That’s how my species does it and I’d say it’s worked out pretty well for us so far” and with that I threw caution to the wind and let myself fall, ignoring Tarn’s panicked shout, as much as it hurt to do so. I felt a sickening sense of vertigo as I dropped, falling faster and faster. I clenched my sword tightly and began to call forth my power, by didn’t allow it to go anywhere, instead letting it build up inside, I felt a pressure, a tenseness, building higher and higher until I noticed that I was beginning to glow beneath my armour. As the ground raced up to meet me, scores of heimut troops stood waiting for the call the action, I allowed myself to succumb to the pure adrenaline rush.

“I am the man who grabs the sun!” I called, as the pressure reached a peak and the glowing turned to flames which licked out between my plates of armour, I noticed a number of troops look up in confusion at my cry, before their eyes seemed to comedically shrink to pinpricks “RIDING TO VALHALLA!!”

“Oh, Scheisse”

WHOMP-BOOOOOM!!!

Octavia leant against a remaining section of wall, panting in an attempt to catch her breath, for the moment their section of wall seemed to be getting something of a respite, and she found herself thanking the gods.

“These bastards don’t know when to quit!” Alee called, proceeding to buck a lingering heimut soldier back over the wall. Octavia was about to offer a response when a blinding flash prompted the both of them as well as any other individuals to cry out in surprise as they all ducked to cover their eyes.

“Sacré bleu!” came the exclamation of one Caracolean soldier. As the light began to fade Octavia turned to look out upon the battlefield and gasped.

Deep within the enemy ranks a massive churning fireball could be seen rising into the sky, obliterating everything beneath it, she also caught sight of a rolling shockwave mere seconds before it slammed into the wall, bringing with it a ear spitting boom which Octavia felt deep in her chest. When the ringing in her ears stopped Octavia heard a pained gasping and turned to see Vinyl lying on the ground clutching her eyes.

“Vinyl?” she asked, leaning down and placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder. Vinyl raised her head, revealing her eyes to now be bloodshot and red, staring unseeingly, the unicorn’s horn flickered falteringly into life.

“Octavia...the flash….I can’t see…” was all she offered before she returned to covering her eyes with a hoof. Octavia gingerly pulled her up into a standing position.

“It’s OK, I’ve got you” she said, before turning to look for one of her friends and eventually settling on the Kelpie. “Alee, I need you to hold things down out here” in response the kelpie turned and looked inquisitively.

“What’s up?” Alee asked.

“Whatever caused that just blinded Vinyl, I need to get her to sick bay” she said “there’s no way she can fight like this” Alee, to her credit, didn’t press any further or offer any form of protest, she simply nodded.

“Me thinks I’ll be taking a little trip out there” she said, casting her gaze towards the now scorched circle of ash about a mile out in the middle of the ranks of troops. “I have I pretty good idea as to who caused that, and I’ll be havin’ words with the idiot ape myself”

“Just make sure you don’t hurt Onælan too much” Octavia said, a dark expression on her face as she turned to lead Vinyl away “You leave that to me” and with that the pair gingerly walked off towards the nearest usable staircase, Midnight Quarry let out a huff when the pair disappeared.

“Well hasn’t this turned into a right royal shitshow” she deadpanned.

“Well it’s not over yet” Alee said, readying her swords as she planted a hoof on a section of the wall and looked out onto the ranks of troops below “Midnight, my large and imposing friend, we have a choice ahead of us. We can either make our way up the wall to assist the troops here, or we can go out there and do something really stupid” at this Lesovikk walked over to the pair of them, drove the tip of his blade into the stonework and leant on the handle.

“You do realise that’s got to be at least a Kio of tightly ranked soldiers between us and Onælan, right?” he asked, but didn’t make any moves to abandon abandon the two of them to their fates. Midnight regarded the troops below and appeared to weigh up the options, before giving something of a conceding shrug.

“Certainty of death...small chance of success” she said, before a grin split her mouth “what are we waiting for?”

Author's Note

Anyone: Proposes a batshit insane plan
Midnight Quarry:

I'm probably going to play into this trope on more than one occasion, which I suppose makes Midnight the berserker of the group?