Andromalius was sitting on the bed in his room, shaking slightly as he drank some herbal tea. Inanna was by his side, hugging him closely, nuzzling him. The tip of his tail was twitching, his ears drooped, his eyes staring at the cup he was holding.

"It's alright," Inanna told him, patting him on the back with her tail. "Drink the tea, it'll make you feel better.

"Thanks." the hell stallion replied, accepting her comfort and taking a sip. A few moments later, he sighed deeply, his posture slightly relaxing.

"Better?" the succubus asked.

"Mh-hm," Andromalius replied, taking another sip. "Honestly, it was quite... scary."

"I can imagine." Inanna chuckled lightly. "Well, now you're definitely a worthy ruler. Only those who had real power and influence were assassinated."

"That's a weird way of saying "I'm glad you're alive," Inanna." the hell stallion commented with a chuckle of his own. "Well... now I need to be extra careful. They didn't manage to kill me this time but..." he paused. "You never know."

"If those crossbow bolts couldn't break through that —" she knocked on the natural exoskeleton of Andromalius "—then nothing can. You don't have a single scratch. Not even a scratch, Andro." she knocked a few more times, letting out a giggle. "Knock-knock!"

"I am the one who knocks!" Andromalius' tone shifted to seemingly serious. "I am the danger."

"You certainly are." Inanna nodded, agreeing, the reference going past her.

"However... All of us need to be extra careful." the hell stallion said, his tone becoming more serious, and then took yet another sip of the herbal tea. "While I can bring people back to life, it might not work someday. I cannot risk the lives of others." he looked into Inanna's eyes. "You will have to be cautious. We—"

He went silent as one of his ears turned to the door. He could hear the rising noise of clanking of armor and clop of hooves against the marble floor. Andromalius put the cup down and stood up from the bed, his eyes looking at the door. He tilted his head, pointing his horn in the same direction his eyes were looking.

"My lord!" knocking came from the door. "We have a situation!"

Andromalius turned to Inanna and whispered something to her. She nodded, soon disappearing into the flash of orange. The hell stallion trotted to the door and opened it, revealing four minotaur guards standing at the ready, their faces covered in sweat.

"What is it?" he asked, noticing the tension among the guards.

"We found a griffon, chased him, but he holds a pony captive." one of them said quickly. "He requested your presence, my lord."

"Lead me." Andromalius nodded without hesitation, and the group soon left the castle.

"Stand right there!" the griffon yelled. He was standing in the middle of the street, holding an earth pony tightly, a knife in his claws, pressed against the pony's neck. "Move closer, I kill her! Ignite your horn, I kill her!"

Many guards were on either side of the street, crossbow and bow-wielding ones were on the rooftops, all ready and prepared for action. The tension was in the air as some guards nervously tapped their weapons, awaiting the command of their ruler, their eyes fixated on the griffon.

Andromalius tried to control his rising anger. He knew he couldn't afford death of an innocent. Many, many things could go wrong and he knew it. However, such knowledge didn't help him much in containing his anger. He felt a blazing hellfire fire rising from inside him, and it begged to be released.

"What are your demands, griffon?" he asked, his voice cold, his burning eyes looking at the griffon, and if looks could kill, there would be nothing but ashes left in place of the griffon.

"Safe passage to Griffon Empire!" he replied, glaring at the Demon Lord. "The fastest non-magical way of travel!"

"If we give you what we want, will you let her go?" Andromalius asked with slight caution.

"She might have a chance to live her life." the griffon said, and then used a claw to point at something. "At the very least, those foals will not be left without a mother."

The hell stallion looked in that direction. There, two foals were hiding under a bench, tears in their eyes. Their bodies were shaking, and there was a bloody claw mark on the side of one of the foals.

Andromalius slowly turned back to the griffon. The searing fire, an inferno of anger, rage was boiling inside the hell stallion, begging to be released, to bring pain and death upon the vile criminal. He knew how easily young minds can be damaged, he knew the toll a trauma could take on an impressionable and fragile mind of a young one.
The griffon came to his lands to kill him. He demanded safe passage or else he would kill someone else. He came for violence, he came to take lives. If he were let go, he would return to finish what was started, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't kill anyone else. To protect the subjects of the Union, as well as the guests and refugees, Andromalius needed to act swiftly and yet thoughtfully. He had two choices, and he knew which one he had to make.

The hellfire, it burned within the hell stallion, and he directed its flow into the knife of the griffon, quickly heating it up. The griffon screamed in pain, throwing the knife away, and immediately the mare kicked him off, galloping behind the guards for safety. Swiftly, they rushed in and captured the griffon, easily preventing his desperate escape attempts, breaking one of his wings in the process.

"Throw him into the dungeon," Andromalius ordered through gritted teeth as he continued to glare at the griffon, fighting the urge to maul him to death there and then. Many ponies and demons alike were watching from behind the line of guards. The hell stallion made a few deep breaths, calming down, taking control of his mind completely, his body relaxing slightly. In a more relaxed and warm tone, he made another order: "Lead the mare and the foals to the hospital, treat them well. Report their state to me personally."

The mare looked at the Demon Lord, gratitude in her eyes. Her foals rushed to her, and she hugged them all before the three followed the guards. Andromalius watched them as they disappeared around the corner before he turned to the rest of the guards.

"Search every corner of the city," he ordered. "Do it thoroughly. We must make sure there are no more griffons. If there are any, capture them and bring them to the rest. If any accidents happen, notify me immediately."

"Will be done, my lord." the guards bowed and left.

Andromalius stood in the middle of the street for a few more moments. Griffon assassins were already in his country, his citizens were in danger, the refugees he took in under his wing were in danger, and he couldn't be sure something like this wouldn't happen again. However, he managed to prevent the worse from happening on that day. Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Being a ruler was becoming harder and harder with each day.

Former Griffon Empire knight Erich and his loyal page and a good friend Mark were in their tent when two soldiers of Lunar Army barged in, weapons unsheathed and ready for action. They ordered the griffons to follow them, and the latter had no choice but to obey. They were escorted to Princess Luna, who bore a deep frown on her face.

"It came to my attention that my son was almost assassinated today," she said without any formalities as the two griffons took seats before her. "By griffons, no less." she looked in the eyes of Erich. "I want to know... are there any griffon spies amidst us?"

"Very possibly, although such information is only for Empress' ears." Erich nodded. "I don't have any information on their whereabouts and the like, I'm afraid."

"...Very well, then." the alicorn nodded after a short pause, forcing a breath out of her nostrils. "However, it still complicates many things. I'm afraid that the terms of your travels must change in the light of the recent events." she paused, letting her words sink in. "From now, an additional member of Royal Guard will accompany you anywhere you go, sir Erich."

From the shadows of the tent, came out a unicorn mare. Her fur was dark-gold, her long mane dark-red, tied behind her head, and her eyes a piercing crimson. A necklace was locked around her neck, a round teal gem in the center of it. Her mark was obscured by the flowing clothes she was wearing.

"This is Lady Ornella." Luna introduced her. "Knight of the Pale Moon. She will accompany you, protect you, as well as control you in the necessary ways."

Silently, Ornella extended her hoof. According to the traditions of the griffon knights, Erich bowed slightly, took her hoof and pressed his beak against it for a moment before letting go and standing up, reassuming his position.

There was something in the eyes of the mare, something very foreign. Erich couldn't shake it off but he felt she wasn't just any pony. There was something else when he touched her but once again, he couldn't place what it really was. His interest was piqued, however, and he looked forward to what would happen next.

Arantir was standing high above the pit his troops were digging, observing them with caution. He was scribbling notes in his notebook, the quill floating in a green aura of magic as he wrote down his findings and thoughts.

Suddenly, he heard a loud thud echoing across the snowy plains. He closed the notebook and placed it aside, his eyes looking down at the excavation. There was a dark hole in the ice, his troops were standing, waiting for his command.
The High Lord glided down to the hole and looked inside. On the other side, he saw ponies. They were all unicorns, looking at him with fear, holding their weapons tightly. Their forms were malnourished, their furs pale and almost devoid of color, their eyes bleak and near-lifeless, their faces tired and dark.

The necromancer, tall and slim, entered the cave slowly, his eyes easily adjusting to the surrounding darkness. He could see simple houses, some dim lights scattered around, and narrows pathways. It would be a nightmare to capture with an army if it ever came to that. However, his goal wasn't to besiege the settlement or harm it in any way. This surprising development prompts the intervention of Equestria.

The ponies continued to stare at him in fear as he surveyed them.

"Do you understand me?" he finally spoke, making some of the ponies shudder from the power of his voice. And yet, nothing returned but confused whispers. Arantir, understanding what was happening, used magic to draw words in the air, and those words were of an old language he learned in Hornguard during his stay.

Surprised gasps were heard and ponies started saying something to him. In response, another message appeared and they went silent. Arantir drew yet another message, and hesitantly, they lowered the weapons. A few of them ran off into the depths of the cave.

The necromancer was waiting patiently, continuing to look at the ponies, studying them. They had thicker fur that almost covered and hid their thin, skinny bodies. Their ears were slightly smaller than those of common Equestrian ponies, but other features were practically identical.

After a few minutes of waiting, a pony with a crown atop her head came to the necromancer, her form as malnourished as of those around her. She stumbled and almost fell if not for the help of other ponies. She thanked them and continued walking until she was face to face with Arantir. Her horn glowed and a message appeared in the air. The necromancer nodded, and then he felt a presence in his mind.

"Who are you?" the ruler of those ponies asked, her message duplicated and spoken in another language.

"My name is Arantir." the High Lord introduced himself, omitting the title. "I come in peace." he paused and then noted: "I see that your ponies require assistance."

"That we do, Arantir." the unicorn nodded. "I am Queen Hashaleet, pleased to meet you. Now, why did you come here?"

"I was in search of something and this place caught my interest. I wasn't aware that there are living ponies here." the necromancer explained. "However, it is now apparent that I will not find what I am searching for here. But instead, perhaps I can help your kind survive."

"I am... thankful for your offer, truly!" Hashaleet's face brightened. "But... can you tell me something first?" Arantir nodded. "You come from the above... Still frozen, still ice and snow." she frowned. "You lead an army, and I can see they're not of living. Is it... so bad?"

"On the contrary, fortunately," Arantir assured her. "While there is a war happening, things are much better for you ponies. Your kind survived and made a home for themselves in the plentiful land now called Equestria. I believe they would provide you with everything necessary to live and thrive."

"Is there anything I can do in return?" the Queen asked warily.

"As of now, no." the necromancer shook his head. "However, in the future... there may be," he answered vaguely, looking her in the eyes. "For now, let me help you and you will remember what I did for you when the time comes to return the favor, Queen Hashaleet." he bowed. "I bid you farewell. Expect the help to arrive shortly, certainly within a few days."

"I'm grateful indeed, Arantir." the Queen bowed slightly as well. "May your journey be safe and successful."

Author's Notes:

The wheel of fate is spinning.