Of Ponies and Princesses
The shrieks of Grimm mingle with the screams and moans of dying humans and faunus as the ravenous horde tears into the inhabitants of Kuroyuri; the walls and weapons not giving nearly enough protection against the black tide. Perhaps a few of the former leaders of the community have time remaining to curse their obstinacy in not pursuing the new tech offered by the distant lord of Atlas - the very technology they refused, fearing the unsaid, unstated price tag they were sure to find attached to the rather effective creation kit.
Still, it is too late for that, as the dark tide sweeps over the walls, swoops down from the skies, barely hindered by the few determined defenders - and even their courage falters when the unearthly howl of something echoes over the doomed village, the sound making even the other Grimm pause for a few heartbeats.
The boy uses the precious few seconds to run across the plaza and slide under the house where he saw the young girl shivering earlier. She is still there, looking at him with huge, frightened eyes, her small frame trembling like a leaf as he reaches out hesitantly, a small, tremulous smile on his face as she takes his hand, and his aura settles over the children like a warm, protective blanket, shutting out the horrors of the village's destruction, the sounds of the Grimm consuming their prey. The two kids cling to one another amidst the carnage, shielded from a fate worse than mere death by the diminishing aura of a determined, scared boy who saw his father's futile, heroic defiance barely minutes earlier.
The horde goes silent, and they hear it then; a slow, measured tapping coming closer and closer, hooves and bare feet hitting the pavement of the street, a cold dread spreading from every echoing step. The boy swallows, his focus wavering for a fraction of a second as he realizes this is the beast that probably killed his father - and now it's coming for them to finish the feast. A wet, hateful snuffling sound makes the children tremble, as the Grimm searches for them, as if it sensed their presence despite the concealing aura. The two kids cling closer together, sure that soon it would end amidst a shrieking, cackling swarm of ravenous Grimm, when a new sound cuts through the restarted cacophony of destruction - the distinct, closing whine of a straining turbofan engine.
Nevermores leap into the air with shrieks and a storm of flapping wings, and the eyes of the children open wide as the beasts are dropped from the sky by a roaring storm of gunfire. For a brief moment, they smile at one another, hoping against hope that they can still survive - and then scream in unison, as the Grimm in the plaza howls. The sound knifes into the hearts and souls of all humans still alive, planting despair and death in their minds, its power distorting the very air as it ripples outwards from the nameless beast - and the engine sound hitches, stutters, then the plane crashes into the ruins of the mayor's former residence, demolishing the broken remains of the vain tower. The erupting flames paint daemonic shadows across the plaza, and they can feel the dark satisfaction of the Grimm, as the beast howls anew, the sound full of triumph, hunger, and the promise of death for humans.
Something stirs within the rapidly-spreading flames, and two pairs of legs step into the limited view of the huddling kids, and their eyes go wide as they take in the sheer trunk-like size of the two metal-clad legs, next to which the other two, the ones clad in black boots are positively dainty. Silence descends on the plaza once again, and for a few heartbeats, only the crackle of flames is heard. Then the air distorts once again as the Grimm howls, the sound tearing at the ruined buildings around the plaza, and the chorus of Ursa, Beowolves and Nevermores answer, all converging on the two shapes.
A deep, rumbling voice asks a question, and they can't understand the voice. The answer is clear enough though, the cheerful voice of a young girl echoing over the dying village.
"Don't worry, Father - I am combat ready!"
The two children creep forward, to get a better view - and they are just in time to see the young redhead spreading her arms, a dozen swords raising in the air above her head and shoulders, all pointing at the nameless Grimm that looks like a nightmarish fusion of horse and rider, studded with the broken remains of weapons. Two abnormally long, thin yet nightmarishly strong arms shoot from the rider towards the girl, and she dances away from one and with a gesture, half dozen cuts blossom on the other as her blades bite into the dark matter of the beast.
The young redhead dances around the plodding Grimm horse, a smile of pure joy on her face as she evades the strikes of the monster with machinelike precision, her blades again and again opening gashes within the unnatural flesh of the creature, as the rest of the Grimm tide are torn apart by the oversized cannon and maul wielded by the armor-clad gigant.
The jaws of the two children drop as they witness something that few people of Remnant have lived to see - an Elder Grimm, its horde destroyed, turns and retreats, flees from the onslaught of blades and Dust.
A brief second of silence, then with the whine of straining servos, Perturabo marches over to the ruined building, holstering his weapons, kneels and opens his arms - and both Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie run into that embrace, neither of them seeing the bitter smile of the Lord of Dust or the quizzical head-tilt of Penny.