//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 - ...Flagship of Freedom 
// Story: Loyalty in Brass 
// by Mr BHunt 
//------------------------------//

2 Hours till assault
Brass Centurion POV

I put my hands on the Wartable and look at the two leaders of the once called 'pests', now I know that they are called 'ponies'. I look between to two then point at a point on the Wartable, which had a large map of the battle area on it.

"The Brass Legate has sent for all soldiers in the Brass Inquisitors to assemble at it's stronghold, my forces can take out most of them but not all. Your Royal Guard can barely take down a single Brass Knight, I have doubts if your army can do anything." I state, unfortunately the smaller, dark blue princess wasn't in agreement. It slammed a hoof down and glared at me with a venomous look.

"Thou- You dare?! The Royal Guard has defended us and Canterlot for centuries! The fact you are here in our lands has me questioning who is the bigger threat." It says in a younger and feminine voice. "Our little ponies are more than ready to attack this stronghold!" She finishes and puts on a smirk, I merely stare at her.

"A single Brass Knight could kill everything in this camp in half an hour, I could do it it a quarter, the Brass Legate could do it in five minutes. I do not believe that your Royal Guard can stand for very long, you better hope that your 'Elements of Harmony' can do something princess, because if it doesn't. You will die." I state and the blue princess steps back in shock, but then a huge horn fills the air. I quickly push off the table and sprint outside the inner outpost and look up, a orange and white pillar of light was beaming into the sky. "BRASS ONSLAUGHT, MOVE OUT! THIS IS WHEN WE KNOCK ON HELL'S DOOR! PROTECT THE PONIES NEXT TO YOU, BUT DO NOT STOP THE ASSAULT UNTIL WE REACH THE THRONE ROOM! GUARD THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, THE ARE THE PRIORITY! MOVE OUT!" I roar and start jogging with the other Brass Knights and Brass Defenders, the ponies follow suit quickly. I look to my side and see that the six ponies, the Elements of Harmony, were surrounded by Brass Defenders. I look to my other side and see the pony captain, Swift Quiz, running with a squad of Brass Knights and ponies. Suddenly a blur of blue and white snap my gaze to the front, the two princesses were swooping over the waves of soldiers. I looked down and picked up speed with the other soldiers, soon we were thundering through the forest and towards the Brass Legate's stronghold.

The Beginning of the Assault
Enemy Brass Defender POV

I growl with my squad as the first wave of the pest ridden army charged the main gates, I shook my shield and slammed it onto the ground. But I started hearing the rumbling of Brass Inquisitor soldiers, I noted that my squad and the other squads did too. I peered over the top of my shield and scanned around the pest army to find the new soldiers, but then I saw that they were charging with the pests! I step back and then forward again as the pests slammed into our shield wall, I snarl as a pest flies over my head and stabs it's sword into my neck. I drop my shield and grab my neck, but it was too late as I felt myself fade.

Enemy Brass Knight POV

I roar and point at the incoming enemy, they managed to destroy the Brass Defender's shield wall. I sprinted forwards with my fellow soldiers and held my glaive towards the pests and traitors, who were also charging us with their own glaives out. But then I just saw a brass glaive stab into my chest as I looked down, then I felt myself get thrown head over heels as my existence faded.

Cpt. Swift Quiz POV

I grin as I slide under an enemy demon's glaive and thrust my sword into it's leg, it roared and collapsed. I quickly swung and cut deep into it's head, I watched it disappear into dust and then moved onto another demon. This one was holding a mare guard in the air, with it's glavie. I yell and slice through the demon's legs then head, the mare fell to the dusty ground and tried to get up. I merely just pusted her down and held her until she stopped, her blood covering my left hoof. I turn and notice that our allies were pushing the demons back to the huge gate. I stand and rush to the new front and past several dozen dead guards, I ignore them and continue forward.

Brass Legate POV
I listen to the sounds of battle outside the fortress and decide to end it, I stand up off my throne and walk past the patrolling Storm Praetorians. They soon follow me as I grab my glaive, which was leaning on the door. I kick open the double doors and walk into the hall, I look to my left and see that it was full of Brass Knights behind Brass Defenders. I hear a moaning noise and see a bright flash at the front of the left hall defensive line, I spot a number of Brass Defenders fly over the line and fade to dust. I shake my head and turn to my right, three pests and two enemy Brass Knights were rushing towards me. I grunt and swing my glaive with blinding speed across the hall, cutting down the pests and soldiers. I notice that a pest that was cut in half was trying to crawl away, I pointed at it and watched as a tendril of lightning snaked towards it. The pest turned around and screamed as the lightning slammed into it's head, it turned black and fell to the floor. I hear another moan and walk down the hall, ordering half of my Storm Praetorians to hold the throne room and the rest to support the defending soldiers. I turn a corner and spot a Brass Centurion and a large group of Brass Knights walking towards me, the same one that I send to get the Brass Onslaught. I let steam burst from the narrow gaps in my armour and crouch slightly, the group stop and ready their weapons. I let my mask crack open and I let lose a line of orange lightning, aimed at the enemy soldiers. The beam destroys all of them and damages the Brass Centurion, I let the beam die and feel my mask clamp into place. I move slightly and sprint at the still standing soldier and ram it into the wall, it's armour cracking loudly. I step back and then slam my glaive through the Brass Centurion, I lift the soldier up on my glaive and hold it in the air. I raise my free hand and form a spear of lightning in it, my gaze still locked onto the Brass Centurion's visor. I pull back my free arm and the Brass Centurion holds it's arms out, ready to be destroyed. 

"Most unfortunate, this is how fate saw this. I am just acting on it." I say and thrust the bolt of lightning into the Brass Centurion, until my bolt was stopped by a golden shield. I snarl and spin around, throwing the soldier off my glaive and towards the throne room doors.

No POV

The Brass Legate spots the princess of the sun, who was standing with her horn glowing a golden hue. It roars and starts sprinting at her with it's glaive raised in aggression, but a sudden wall of dark blue energy slammed into it. The Brass Legate is thrown against the walls of the hallway, it looks to where the wall of energy was created and spots the princess of the night with a dark blue hue around her horn. It unleashes another wall of energy and the solar princess shoots a line of golden energy, both directed at the Brass Legate, who was only able to raise it's glaive in minimal defence. The two energies hit the Brass Legate and send it into a fit of rage, it releases a barrage of steam from it's armour and towards the smaller of the two pests, the hurricane of steam burn the princess and force her to dash back. But the other princess wasn't done, as it shoots an arching bolt of golden energy into the ceiling. This causes the ceiling above the Brass Legate to collapse on top of it, it roars and collapses with the weight of the rubble. The two princesses fly towards the fallen Brass Centurion and put it in a seated position against the wall, but they both quickly snap their gazes towards the defensive line of Brass Knights.

The remaining soldiers were running towards them, half with stone covering bits of their armour while others had lost their weapons. But a sudden moan and a ray of rainbow coloured energy slam into the retreating Brass Knights, causing them to quickly turn to stone and then crumble to dust. The dust flies up and covers the hallway, dark shapes are seen moving within the dust cloud. They were soon to be revealed to be the Elements of Harmony, who were in their *Harmony State. The two groups smile and look at the Brass Centurion, who was in horrible shape. It's left shoulder was completely gone and a ugly crack was covering most of it's chest, this was causing it to lean crookedly. It had lost it's shield with it's left arm, but a bent brass axe was still laying in the Brass Centurion's right hand. It had lost the left half of it's faceplate and it's crest was torn off, the soldier's helmet was also missing the lower part of it's left side. Finally the Brass Centurion's armour was releasing tendrils of steam constantly. The collected ponies gasp at it's condition and rush towards it, but stop when the Brass Centurion's helmet let out a loud creak as it turned to look at them. The ponies gasped again as they saw an orange cloud hovering inside the fallen soldier's hollow mask, but the Brass Centurion doesn't stop with a turn. It raises it's right arm and points the brass axe towards the ruined hallway, which contained the Brass Legate.

"Go...fin...finish...the...Br...Brass...Lega...Legate...forget...me...I...wa...was...alre...already...gone." It groans and let's it's arm fall limp, the orange cloud in the Brass Centurion's helm fades and it's ruined body slowly crumbled to dust. The rubble of the collapsed ceiling started shaking and exploded outwards, revealing the Brass Legate who was letting sparks of lightning run across it's armour. It roared at the ponies amd began to sprint at them, the ponies run into the throne room. The Storm Praetorians inside were already destroyed by the Royal Guard, lead by Captain Swift Quiz. The guards scattered inside the room quickly looked towards the open doors as the Elements of Harmony and the two Royal Sisters sprint inside, they heard the stomping of the Brass Legate before they saw it. But they knew it was the Brass Legate as a hulking brass soldier slid around at doorway and skidded to a stop, it's armour and glaive sparking with lightning. The collected ponies readied for battle as the Brass Legate opened it's faceplate and let a beam of orange lightning dash towards the ponies, who were running or flying at the Brass Legate.