"Good afternoon gents! Which one of you would be the father of a gryphon named Venna?" I ask with a frown and draw my sword.

They get into a pouncing stance and glare at us. One of them walks forward with a scowl. "That would be me," he says. He's about a foot taller than the others and has a scar across his left eye, which is closed. He's different from the others, he has black fur and grey feathers with black tips on his head, his beak is also black. "Where is my daughter," he demands.

"You're in no position to demand anything, but I will tell you she is alive and unharmed and I don't plan on harming her. I told her I'd bring you back alive for her... so surrender peacefully and you won't be killed," I tell him.

One of the other gryphons steps up beside the black one and laughs. "Oh? We out number you easily so what's stopping us from just killing you?" he asks with a grin. Huh... didn't know a beak could bend like that.

"I killed the other six that were with Venna in a matter of seconds as your barriers and shields are useless against me. I've disabled all of yours already," I reply.

He looks shocked and looks at the bracers on his arms. 'So, the bracers on their arms are the source of their barriers,' I think to myself.

"You're one of those humans!" he says. I guess they wouldn't recognise me since my armour is hidden beneath the bark.

"Not just any human," I reply and stand up straight. "I am Adrian Stormsword, King of Equestria, and you've killed our people in cold blood. I've come to spill yours," I tell him.

'Hold out your sword and I shall bestow you with your combat form's weapon,' Gaia tells me.

'Weapon?' I ask.

I hold my sword out to my right and the bark on my hand extends and covers the hilt. The hilt extends to a two handed grip size and the hand guard looks like a vine with a rose on each end. The blade is one long thorn with a surprisingly sharp looking edge. I can also see a sticky substance along the blade.

'This is your weapon. The blade is as strong as steel and secretes the same extract as the ivy that covers your sword. The roses contain a pollen that is released when picked. The pollen will cause anyone around you to fall asleep, but you cannot channel any elements into the sword while it is in this form,' she tells me.

'Nice,' I reply and lift it up. It weighs just a bit more than my sword.

I look back to the gryphons and point my sword at them. "Those who wish to die step forward. Those who wish to surrender, drop your bracers, armour, and put your... talons behind your heads. Those who wish to flee... you won't get very far," I tell them. Luna summons her scythe and spreads her shadowy wings wide to intimidate them.

I cast my air wings spell and those bark and leaf feather wings sprout out. The gryphons glare at me but Venna's father has his eyes closed.

"I surrender," he says.

"Hagriff! You're surrendering to this inferior creature!?" the gryphon next to him asks stunned.

The black gryphon sighs and turns to face the male that accused him. "I know when I'm outmatched. Should we fight, we will die... and I don't want to leave my daughter in their talons alone," he says and strips himself of his gear and places his talons on the back of his head.

"Fine, talon yourself over to them, but I won't let pathetic creatures like them take me!" the gryphon beside him says and pounces at me.

I channel elements for a teleport spell and teleport two metres above myself right before the gryphon lands where I was. I land on his back like I would riding a horse and swing my sword into the side of his head.

The top half of his head comes off with a spray of blood as he then drops to the floor lifeless.

I get off and slowly turn to the others. "That's one, who's next?" I ask them coldly.

One of the females takes off into the air and starts to fly away from us. Luna holds her left arm out and four black shadowy tendrils shoot out with great speed and wrap around the fleeing gryphon. She pulls her arm back and the tendrils go taut, cutting through her as body parts and organs fall to the ground with a splat.

"That's two," I tell them.

Two of the other males snarl at us before roaring out in anger and fly at us. I fire a lightning spray from my shield at the left one while Luna throws her scythe at the right. My spray hits and his wings lock up, making him face plant the dirt with a heavy thud and tumble harshly to a stop in front of me. Blood then begins to pool around his head.

Luna's scythe impales the other gryphon in his left shoulder, causing him to cry out and crash into the ground. The scythe digs deeper into him and the tip comes out his stomach. She then pulls the scythe out with her magic and it rips out of the gryphon's chest.

"Four," I say. There's two females, a male, and Hagriff left. "Anyone else want to throw their life away?" I ask them.

The two females look at each other and split up. One flies to our right and the other to our left as the male flies up and dives down at us. "Luna, stand next to me," I tell her.

"Okay," she replies and we stand back to back.

The gryphons are just about to hit us and I cast a shield barrier around us. They hit the barrier and it cracks heavily as they bounce off. The shield shatters and I stab one of the females in her spine while Luna crushes the male with her shadow abilities.

The second female gryphon gets back up and looks between her dead allies and us. She then looks back at the black gryphon with a pleading expression.

He just shakes his head at her.

She turns back to face me. "Will you surrender, or join the others?" I ask her.

She hangs her head and removes her gear.

I stand in front of the two gryphons. "Now then, as long as you comply, you shall not be harmed. You will be held in a cell and under watch until transport arrives to take us back to Canterlot where you'll be placed in the Dungeon for murdering the guards. You'll be treated fairly and fed well while there," I tell them.

"And how would you feed us? We don't eat plants like your kind," the female asks with malice.

"I can eat both vegetation and meat. I can bring you some fish that I catch back. I can also have meat imported as well so it won't be an issue," I reply. I then turn to Luna. "I'll keep an eye on them, you have a look around the camp for anything important," I tell her.

---

---

"Alright, we shalt not take long," I reply to him and start looking around the camp.

I grit my teeth in anger when I find a pile of bones behind a tent... there's twenty pony skulls and a human one. I guess I found the missing guards.

Two of the large tents only contains sleeping mats, but the third contains a letter on a desk written in the gryphons native language.

Hagirff, since the arrival of these new creatures in Equestria called humans and their weapons, we've had to change our plans. You and your group are to capture the pony town of Ponilulu marked on your map at night and when transport arrives in three weeks, load half of the ponies onto the boat to bring back for the Sphinx God. Only kill their warriors and not the weak prey.

After that, you'll begin the breeding program detailed below to breed the ponies as a stable livestock.

Also, if you can recover some of these new weapons, send them back to us along with the ponies when the boat arrives.

We hope you have great success in your task.

~Orphious~

I frown at the letter and crumble it in my grip. 'Tartarus damned buzzards! Ye shalt regret this,' I think to myself and keep looking around.

I find three rifles and two scatterguns in the corner with ammo pouches next to them. I pick them up and teleport them to Adrian's Condo. After a few more minutes of searching, I find nothing else of importance.

I leave the tent and walk over to Adrian. It would seem he has used some vines to tie both gryphons wings down and their fore and hind legs together, far enough to allow them enough space to walk. "We found a letter inside, a transport will be here soon to pick up half the town's population to bring back to their so called god as well as turn this town into nothing more than a place to breed ponies. They were also ordered to bring back some of our guns for study as well," I tell him.

"A transport?" he asks and turns to Hagriff. "When will this transport arrive?" he asks him.

Hagriff sighs. "In three days," he replies.

"And how many gryphons will be on board?" Adrian asks.

"Fifty at most," the gryphon says.

"Hmmmm, and what shore will they land on?" Adrian asks him next.

"Just further south from here there's a small shore where they will arrive at," Hagriff tells him.

Adrian hums in thought. "Alright then, start walking towards the town, and no sudden movements or I'll put you both down without a second thought," he tells them.

The gryphons nodded and started slowly walking towards town, we're about halfway there when Adrian asks a question devoid of emotion. "What did you do with the guards and the human mage here? The gryphons that attacked us in town mentioned they ate the human before I killed them," he asks the gryphons.

Hagriff sighs. "The others ate the human and your guards while my daughter and I ate the fish we catch near the river... contrary to what you may believe, not all of us eat the other races, though there are not many who think like us. I for one can't condone it, you'd think we would learn that by the dragons hunting us as well..." he replies. "but ever since the Sphinx God arrived, the dragons have not been able to hunt us anymore due to his magic... and our people have been getting more arrogant since they've had their first taste of dragon meat," he says. The gryphoness growls at Hagriff in disgust.

The gryphons have been able to kill dragons? This doesn't sound good.

'Sounds to me like they're using human magic mixed with elven magic to create these enchantments... It also sounds like they've made some elemental based weapons if they're able to kill a dragon,' Umbra suddenly tells me.

Her sudden explanation makes me jump a bit. 'Should we tell Adrian and our sister this then?' I ask her.

'Not yet, I would wait until you read the gryphons memories before we tell them. This is only a theory after all,' she replies.

"If you don't condone it so much, why are you here turning one of our towns into a meat farm?" Adrian asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.

Hagriff frowns deeply. "I don't have a say in the matter. You do as you're told or face death, that is the law of the Sphinx God," he tells Adrian.

"When did this god of thee's first arrive?" I ask.

"Eight months ago as he descended from the heavens and wiped out any who opposed him. Including half of the council and replaced them with those of his choosing," he tells me.

The gryphoness growls at Hagriff again. "Will you keep your beak shut! You've told them too much as it is!" she tells him.

"And? We'll be killed even if we escape back to Gryphonia. We failed our task and you know how the Sphinx God deals with failure. I'm now looking out for my daughter and doing what is necessary to keep her safe and alive, I don't hold onto pointless pride like you and the featherheads back at the peaks. It's a fast way of getting yourself killed," he tells her coldly making her frown and look away.

After a few seconds of silence, Adrian speaks up. "If you had the choice to get away from this so called god safely... would you take it?" he asks Hagriff with curiosity.

The gryphon chuckles a bit. "Certainly. I sometimes wish I was one of the few lucky enough to be an Equestrian Citizen. Remember when I said there are few of us that can't condone eating intelligent races?" he asks Adrian, who nodded in reply. "Ninety percent of them live in Equestria. Which is no more than a hundred. There's only ten of us in Gryphonia that I know of who think as I do, Including my daughter," he tells him.

"What if we offered you citizenship for what you can tell us about Gryphonia and what you know of this Sphinx God. Of course you'll still serve time in the Dungeons for your part in the attack and murder of our guards," Adrian says. He's right, if we offer them a safe haven, they'll tell us what we wish to know. This will help us for when it is time to attack Aries Peak and their Council.

Hagriff looks at Adrian with wide eyes. "Do you mean that?" he asks surprised.

Adrian nodded at him. "Yes, but as I said, you will still serve time for what you have done, but during that time, you will be treated fairly and kindly," he replies.

The gryphon looks down in thought, I see him smile and look back at him. "I accept your offer. I'll tell you all I know if it means my daughter will be safe," he tells Adrian.

The gryphoness snarls and clumsily tackles Hagriff. "TRAITOR! I WILL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU CAN TELL THEM ANYTHING!" she yells and digs her talons into his neck, piercing his throat.

I use my magic to quickly levitate her off him with some effort, even without their new barriers they're still resistant to pony magic like a human is, and throw her into a nearby tree where she is knocked out. Adrian stands over Hagriff who is grasping his neck, choking as blood flows out. He quickly casts a healing beam at him and the wound in his throat closes as he gasps for air.

Adrian then turns to me. "Luna, can you hog-tie her and wake her up, I then want you to drag her along the ground all the way back to Ponilulu for attacking an Equestrian Citizen," he tells me.

I smile slightly. "Alright, our love," I reply and create some bindings and tie up the gryphoness tightly. I think his methods are starting to rub off on me... should I be worried about that?

---

---

Hagriff stands back up and frowns at the unconscious gryphon. "Thank you for healing me," he tells me.

"Sure, I still need you alive. And I meant what I said, you tell us what you know and you and your daughter will be Equestrian Citizens," I reply.

Luna finishes tying the female gryphon up and starts slapping her face to wake her up. The gryphoness growls and tries to bite Luna, only to be slapped in the back of the head and faceplant the dirt. Luna's horn then glows as she pulls on the bindings and drags her across the ground face first. The gryphoness hisses in pain and struggles against her bonds.

"Alright then, let's keep moving, we have a boat to prepare for," I say and we continue back to Ponilulu.

---

We arrive in town where the population cheers at our return. I ask them where the guards Barracks are located and place the gryphons in separate cells, but I allow Hagriff to hug his daughter before placing her in a cell across from his. I ask ten ponies to keep an eye on them and to rotate shifts until new guards can arrive in a couple of days. I also gave them the guns we recovered and gave them a quick run down of how they worked so they could at least defend themselves in case the gryphons got out.

It's now late in the evening and the Town is throwing a party for us for its liberation. The Plaza has been cleared of stalls as tables of food and drinks are laid out for anyone who wants to partake in the festivities. A Large table with five chairs has been set up in the centre for my lovers and I.

Many of the townsfolk came up to our table and thanked us for helping them. I lost track of how many times I said 'You're welcome' to them.

It was a fun time as I danced with my wives, Cadence, and even Mavis in my arms. Stories were told and laughs were shared.

I asked Luna to retrieve what was left of the bull shark we caught earlier so I can give it to the gryphons to eat.

Once the party calmed down. I flew back to the camp and retrieved the remains of the guards Luna told me she found. I brought them back where they were given a proper burial. There was no way to tell who's bones belonged to who, so we did our best to make a memorial where we laid all the remains together in peace. Luna and Celestia levitated a large boulder into town and with their magic, carved it into the shape of two proud guards standing tall, one a stallion and the other a mare.

A plaque was embedded into the base of the memorial with all the names of the guards that were in the Barracks, including the human mage named Sarah Kallian. We recovered her staff which will be sent back to Terra and to her family.

Celestia and Luna both raise and lower the moon while I spend the next few hours scouting the south shore. It's a small beach, but big enough for a boat to anchor nearby. The right side leads to a steep hill while a reef is to the left, along with a path leading to a nearby forest or jungle. Behind me is an open area with the camp not too far away.

The river near the camp goes out a mile before reaching a mountain where a lake rests on top. It was quite the sight and I'll have to bring the others here as well as it looks like a nice place for a picnic.

I return to town and join the others before we head back to my Condo. "Well, today has been an eye opener," I say.

Celestia kisses me on the cheek. "Very. Hopefully, we'll learn something about this god of theirs and about the area in general to plan our attack. I'll also send out some letters asking our allies to aid us in the coming battle as per the agreement to our alliance," she tells me and heads up the stairs. "I'm going to have a bath and then head to bed," she tells us.

"Alright," I reply. I feel someone grab my arm and I see Cadence pull me towards the stairs. "Luna had her fun with you earlier, now I want a turn," she tells me... that reminds me, we're going to have to have our talk about the wanting sex whenever they feel like it thing tonight.

I chuckle and let her pull me along where I hear Luna and Shella giggle behind me as I'm dragged away. Cadence pulls me into our bedroom and instantly undresses as her horn glows, removing my clothes as well.

I roll my eyes and quickly scoop her up when she removes her last piece of clothing making her squeal and giggle playfully. I carefully place her on the bed and kiss her, she smiles up at me with half lidded eyes. "Show me a good time," she says seductively.

---

---

The last two days have been quiet. I've had my talk with my lovers and although disappointed that I won't have sex with them when I'm not in the mood, they agreed to my terms that they don't have to if they're not in the mood either.

The gryphons have been behaving well, except for the female named Olvera, she's tried her best to break out of her bonds, leaving claw marks along the floor and walls where she's tried to cut at them. Luna even had to force feed her when she refused to eat the fish I caught at the river for them. She said she'd only eat if someone put their hand in her beak... A punch to the gut from me and showing the wing remains of the gryphon I mutilated at the Café shut her up.

Hagriff and Venna have been allowed to spend time together for a couple of hours a day, they've also been given books to read and Venna asked for some art stuff, we've given her some paper and pencils to draw with. Turns out she's quite the artist, she has drawn what Aries Peak looks like and other locations at her father's request, even a portrait of this so called Sphinx God. He has the body of a large gryphon... but the face is closer to that of a Human, just covered in fur. Venna was also surprised to find out that she and Hagriff will be Equestrian Citizens after they've served some time in the Canterlot Dungeons.

Celestia sent a letter back to Canterlot on the night after we captured Hagriff with her magic to get a sloop airship with nearly a hundred pony guards and ten human mages to come and get ready for the gryphons transport ship.

Yesterday, Shella asked me to mate with her to which I agreed. She was a lot more submissive than usual during it though... not sure why, I'll have to ask her later. The ship with the guards also arrived and landed near the town. Out of sight from the shore where the gryphons will be arriving. The guards have set up watch around town and brought a newly developed crystal enchanted to detect nearby gryphons... Problem is, the crystal is HUGE and it only made a loud noise at best when a gryphon is detected. The cells containing our prisoners was shielded to prevent the crystal going off at their presence. It had to be placed in the centre of the market plaza as it is five times bigger than the life crystal I charged in Canterlot.

Right now, I'm relaxing in the couch pit in our Condo with Mavis in my lap, Shella to my left and Celestia to my right. I tickle my daughter and get squeals of laughter in return, making me smile.

"Just watching you playing with Mavis makes me want to have our foal soon... the waiting is almost unbearable," Celestia says.

I chuckle and look at her. "How long do alicorn pregnancies last?" I ask her.

"Just over six months. Our magic allows the foal to grow at a faster rate than a normal mare would carry," she tells me.

I raise my eyebrows up. "Wait... so you should be giving birth in a few weeks time?" I ask her.

She smiles and nodded. "Yes, in about three weeks roughly," she replies.

I place my right hand on her stomach and feel our son kick a little, I smile wider and look back at her. "I can't wait. I bet you're looking forward to finally being a mother," I tell her.

"Very, there have been no male alicorns since my father had to separate himself with my mother from Equus to protect us from a major threat millennia ago... and there are no other beings that contain magic within them or even be compatible enough to breed with us... I believe you were able to due to your magic and lineage... being the descendant of a powerful unicorn turned human may have left some pony DNA within you," she tells me.

I might have pony DNA in me? "Does that mean I could learn pony magic somehow?" I ask with interest, the thought of at least learning how to levitate things sounds intriguing.

"I don't know, we'll have to see when we return to Canterlot and run some tests on your blood," she tells me.

Even if I can't learn pony magic the thought of having some pony DNA in me makes me smile a little, I guess it makes me closer to the ponies of this world a bit more than I thought.

We spend another thirteen minutes or so just chatting and enjoying each others company. Mavis has finally called Shella 'Mama' which made her very happy. Luna is in the Kitchen making herself something to eat while Cadence is upstairs taking a nap.

A knock on the door gets our attention and Luna opens it. "Your Majesty!" a guard says with a salute. "A boat is approaching from the south shore ten miles out with gryphons flying beside it. What are your orders?" he tells her and asks.

"Get the guard and airship ready for battle and hide in the forest nearby the shore to ambush them. We'll enact the plan to capture one of them for information," she replies.

"At once, your Highness!" he says and flies back to town.

"So it's time?" I ask and hand Mavis back to Shella.

"Yes, and as planned, Tia, Shella, and Cadence will defend the town with thirty of the guards while we shall ambush the gryphons with the remainder of the Guards, human mages, and airship," Luna says.

I get up and stand beside her. Her horn glows and I'm in my gear. "Alright then, let's get there quickly so I and the other mages can set up defences," I say and we all head to town to get ready for the upcoming battle.

Next Chapter: Chapter 67: The Honeymoon Part 6 Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 39 Minutes