A giant cloud of black blocked out the light of the moon as a fleet of roughly four hundred griffons flew in formation through the sky. The powerful beating of their wings filled the air with a resounding fury as they rocketed towards their destination. A small town began to come into view, the lights all on to compensate for the darkness of night. A large griffon at the front of the pride motioned for them to begin their descent and, as one; the griffons adjusted their flight to fall into a dive, aiming for the town as it slowly loomed closer.

Below, the ponies were moving about, going about their typical lives, unaware of the small force of griffons headed their way. Of them all, Cherry Jubilee, a cream colored earth pony with a cherry mane, stepped out of the sorting station on her cherry ranch. She hummed a cheerful tune, he mouth curved up in a smile, as she trotted down the road towards the main section of town. Her Cherry Hill Ranch was positioned just on the outskirts of Dodge Junction, a small town a little more than an hour’s trip by carriage from New Mareland.

Today was just another typical day for Cherry. Supervise the work in the various parts of her ranch to make sure things were going smoothly. Head into town to procure whatever groceries she would need for dinner. Meet up with some of her friends at the local tavern to talk about their week. All of these tasks were part of her typical routine. The earth pony looked up to the sky and her smile dropped slightly.

“I never knew that it was supposed to rain today. Oh well. I’ll just have to be quick with my shopping if I want to get…” She stopped and looked at the wall of clouds closer. “Those clouds are moving awfully fast. I don’t feel any wind so why would they be moving like that?”

The clouds continued to move in closer as Cherry sat in awe at their speed. Then, the clouds dove. She gasped in fright as what she thought were rain-filled storm clouds revealed themselves to be a unit of heavily armed griffons descending on Dodge Junction. “Those…. Those are certainly not clouds! Why do they all have weapons!?”

The pride swarmed over the town and soon the air was filled with the cries of fear and death from the unsuspecting ponies that were unfortunate enough to be outside. Cherry watched in horror while the griffons demolished the town, killing everything in sight. She was frozen to the spot, terror gripping her senses as the massacre played out before her. Screams of pain from every pony in town echoed through the night as not even the mares, foals or elderly were spared. The griffons were cold and precise, taking care not to miss any building lest they leave somebody to report their presence.

The cream mare began to shake, unable to control her body’s distress as she watched friends and neighbors being slaughtered. She continued to stand in that lone spot until a pair of eyes turned her way. One of the griffons had notice her in the darkness just outside the outskirts of town. Her eyes widened in terror as her mind and body raced, fighting to keep her alive. I have to escape and save myself! Somepony has to tell the Queen that the griffons are coming! I need to keep my family safe! Her mind stopped short as she processed her last words. Cherry Tart! I need to find Cherry Tart and run!

The griffon was rapidly closing the distance between it and the mare, its talons gripped around a scimitar poised to strike. Jubilee panted and pushed herself, rushing to reach the front door to her house before the griffon. She smiled at herself as she came upon the threshold and thanked herself for leaving the door open. In a swift movement, the cream mare jumped inside and bucked the door closed just as the griffon was preparing to attack. She locked the door and ran upstairs leaving the enraged predator to bang on the wood.

She raced down the halls, kicking open each door until she finally came upon a play room filled with various toys and games that lay scattered across the floor and two tables. A small red filly with a yellow mane jumped in surprise and turned around to see Jubilee, sweating and panting in the doorway. “Momma! You done shopping already? You’re usually in town much longer than this! So, what are we going to eat tonight?!” The mare sighed in relief and smiled warmly at the filly.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Tart. Now, don’t be scared, but I want you to gather up a few of your toys and put them in you school bags. We’re going to go on a -.” Her words were cut short as a lightning quick form barreled into her, forcing her to the ground. She heard the filly scream, but her mind was preoccupied with the powerful form above her. The griffon grinned sadistically and, in his eyes, she saw a carnal lust in those fierce organs. “What are you-?” She was interrupted again by the feeling of something hot on her stomach. Her eyes widened and, as her instincts for survival kicked in, she kicked with great ferocity at the hot area just above her thighs.

The griffon howled in pain and fell off the mare, clutching itself as she scrabbled for purchase to escape. She was able to rise to her hooves, but not before he recovered. “Oh no! You’re not going anywhere after what you just did!” He raked a claw along her side eliciting a scream of pain from Jubilee followed by a cry of terror from the filly hiding in the play room. “As soon as I’m finished with you, the kid is next,” he hissed into her ear as he brought her backside closer to himself once more.

Jubilee’s eyes widened then shrunk into thin slits as anger tinged her face red. She shifted her body once again and, after gaining just enough distance between herself and the griffon, bucked with all of her might. The griffon shrieked in pain, an audible crunch resounding from his back as the force of the kick buckled his lower spine. The mare rushed up to him, fury burning in her eyes as she raised the front of her body and brought her hooves smashing down onto his head. “YOU… WILL NOT… TOUCH… MY DAUGHTER…!” She emphasized each set of words with another blow to the griffons head until, after the final exclamation left her lips, the thing lay dead with his head smashed into the floor.

She stopped and panted, looking down at her blood soaked hooves as the adrenaline faded. The dull throbbing in her side from the cuts the griffon’s claws had made exploded into a fiery pain as she took notice of just how deep the gashes were. Cherry Tart poked her head out of the door and rushed to her mother’s side, doting over the wound. Jubilee plastered a weak smile on her face before turning to the filly once more. “Don’t worry, Tart. Momma’s gonna be just fine. Now I want you to hop on my back. We have to get to the Queen’s castle right away.”

The filly complied and, with some help from her mother, positioned herself on the mare’s back. Jubilee turned back to her and smiled again before rushing past the griffon and down the stairs. She stopped at her back door and looked about, checking for any sign of any nearby griffons before bursting through the portal and sprinting off into the night.

A young pegasus soldier, a new recruit from the Cloudsdale Guard Training Facility, stood guard along the walls of The Night Castle, eyes alert for any sign of movement. He had just started his first shift after being released for duty and sent here for his temporary post before being assigned a position and permanent post. So far, everything was going perfectly. He hadn’t sighted any griffons in the sky nor had there been anything moving in the distance. Coming right for the entrance. Quickly.

He jumped up to attention and focused his sight on the figure in the distance, his eyes trying to make fact of what he was seeing. “Buck. Looks like I actually have to do something.” He sighed and took flight, his sword ready at his side just in case it was needed, and soared towards the oncoming form. He saw the form stagger and fall then right itself after picking something from the ground and replacing it on its back before continuing its race for the castle. He picked up his pace and swooped down towards the ground as he neared what he now could see as a cream mare running frantically towards the black fortress, her cherry hair streaming behind her.

The mare noticed him and stopped to wave him down. “Hey…! Come… down here…!” She fell to the ground, heaving for air while clutching the figure that had been resting on her back.

The guard flew in closer and alighted next to her and finally saw what she was holding. A young red filly of approximately ten winters was sobbing in the mare’s embrace, her tousled yellow mane a testament to the mare’s haste. “Ma’am, may I ask why you’re hastening towards the castle? We are high alert with the looming griffon threat and….” His eyes fell to the mare’s side where a deep, bloodied wound lay, slowly oozing. “You… You’re hurt! Hold on just a moment! I’ll go get some more help and We’ll rush you insi-.”

“No…. Please. Take my daughter… and tell… the Queen… the griffons attacked…. They killed… all of Dodge Junction…. It was… about noon….”

The filly wailed in despair and clutched onto her mother in desperation. “No! I don’t want to go! Please come too mommy!” The foal’s tears streamed off of her to soak the mare’s neck.

“Shhh…. Be calm Tart….”The mare caressed the filly’s head with a shaking hoof, her words gradually becoming weaker as the blood slipped from the gash. “I’m sorry… that I can’t come with you…. Just…. Just know… that Mommy will… always love you…. Now, please, Tart, go with the guard….”

The mare delicately pried the screaming filly from her neck and passed her into the waiting hooves of the pegasus. He held the filly as she screamed and cried, struggling against his firm grasp in an attempt to return to her mother. “Your name, Ma’am….” He strained to keep composure; the heart-wrenching scene he was a part of threatened to break his calm demeanor. “So that I may tell the Queen who sacrificed herself to inform us of the attack.”

“Cherry Jubilee…. Please…. Find somepony to take care of my daughter….” She struggled to keep a smile for the filly, but as the warmth of her blood continued to leave her body, she found herself unable to keep her façade. Tears spilled down her cheeks after giving her daughter one final kiss on the forehead then watched the pegasus guard nod his head and take off into the sky.

Her eyes never left the retreating forms of her daughter and the guard as she slowly faded from life. She smiled slightly and blew a kiss towards Tart, an act she knew could not be seen, but one she felt needed to be done. “Be strong… for Mommy….”

The guard glided over the wall of the castle, firmly holding the struggling filly to his chest as he dove through an open window on the second floor of the castle. He cruised through the halls, the wailing Tart sounding as a siren in the usually quiet building, soaring over the stunned ponies as he made his way to the Chancellor’s room. With a soft clop, he landed before the door and readied a fore hoof to knock, using his wings for support while holding the filly in his other leg, but had to jump back swiftly as the door swung open. Fancy Pants stood in the doorway, a look of concern on his face as he looked upon the source of the noise.

He looked to the guard, a stern gaze fixed upon his face. “Why are you carrying a screaming child? Where are her parents?”

The pegasus looked down at the filly and carefully set her upon the floor. Her wails were slowly dying down, but the sobs and tears continued. “Chancellor, sir! I was keeping watch on the tower when I saw a figure moving in the distance. When I went to investigate, I found a mare with a fatal gash in her side carrying this filly. She said she had come from Dodge Junction and that griffons had completely wiped the town. She….” He took a deep breath, calming his emotions. “She told me to take her daughter and inform you and the Queen.” His composure broke as tears began streaming down his passive face. “She… had run for hours to get here…. She said it was noon when she left…. It is now approximately three after noon.”

Fancy Pants held back his emotions as he lifted the filly up with his magic and placed her on his back. “Thank you, soldier. I want you to find somepony to take your place on duty and have the rest of the day off. You did well in your service to the Queen and such deeds will be rewarded. For now, I will let this child rest in my room while I go to inform Her Majesty.” The pegasus saluted and turned on his hooves, doing his best to recompose himself before returning to the barracks. Fancy Pants closed the door to his room and levitated the foal onto the soft mattress in the corner of his room. “I want you to stay here and get some sleep. I’ll come back after I tell the Queen what happened. Don’t worry; your mother will be avenged.” His soothing words were broken by the fierce determination of his last sentence, but the filly still nodded weakly and passed out moments later, exhausted from the trip and the emotional turmoil.

The white unicorn exited his chambers and softly closed the door behind him. He moved at a brisk pace, hoping to catch the Queen before she retired for the day, as he moved through the corridors, rushing past the various servants flanking the halls. Nobody bothered to stop and watch whenever they noticed the ferocity in his gaze and, instead, opted to make way for him. His mind raced with thoughts of the griffons’ crimes as he trotted towards his destination. He had never wanted this war to happen, his heart set on keeping his fellow ponies safe, but this strike against his home country pushed him towards the only option left available.

We have to fight back.

He rounded the corner to the northern entrance to the courtyard and nearly plowed into the oncoming monarch who stopped and looked at him. She could see the grim look that he had donned and arched an eyebrow in curiosity. “What is it, Chancellor?”

Fancy Pants frowned. “The griffons have begun attacking.”

The Queen’s previous cheer faded completely at his announcement, but she kept her cool countenance and nodded. “I want the full report. We are not prepared for a full force attack and so I must know what we are currently dealing with.”

The white unicorn cleared his throat and calmed himself. “Minutes prior to the present, one of the soldiers came to me with a report of an attack staged against the town of Dodge Junction. He told me that a mare had run from the attack with her child in order to bring word of it to us. She told him that the entire town had been massacred without mercy. Had it not been for her, we would not have had any mention of the incident for several weeks.”

Nightmare Moon listened closely and one thing caught her attention. “Was there mention of the size of the invading force? Did she give any numbers or approximations?”

Fancy Pants shook his head. “Not that I was informed of.”

“Does…. Does this mean that we won’t have time to ready ourselves?” Twilight’s voice quivered with fear, but she kept her features as even as possible. “I don’t want another fight like when the Royal Guards attacked. We…. We lost everypony in that battle.”

Nightmare Moon sighed. “We will not be able to win this alone.” She looked to Fancy Pants and held his gaze. “Begin commissioning all available airships to start ferrying the drafted soldiers to the training facilities in Canterlot and Cloudsdale. Should anypony refuse to offer up their vessel then you have the right by my martial order to detain them and take the craft by force. Have messengers sent to Wintertrot and have them start increasing their shipments of metal and other resources to Hoofington and Manehattan to begin increased production of armor and weaponry for our soldiers. I also want every pony capable of training in the art of battle to be hired to begin training new recruits. I do not care if they are retired or just out of school themselves. They will comply or they will be punished.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have one other question.” The alicorn arched an eyebrow, but nodded for him to proceed. “The mare that gave us the report had a filly with her, as I explained, and is now currently in our care.”

“Why not return her to her mother? Speaking of the mare, where is she? I wish to reward her for her duty to her Queen and country.”

The white unicorn dropped his eyes causing Twilight to take in a sharp breath of air. “She’s…. She’s dead, isn’t she?” The Chancellor nodded as Twilight felt tears begin to well in her eyes. “My Queen…. Could we…. Could we take care of her? I don’t want to leave her alone. Not after having lost her mother….”

“We cannot. While I hate to leave a child to such a fate, I cannot keep an eye on her and lead this country against the griffons. Chancellor. Perhaps you could-.”

“I’ll watch her, Your Majesty.” All eyes spun to see who had spoken. Their gazes fell upon the orange body of Cloudy Horizons, her one good eye burning with determination. “I heard about the situation from the guard that found them when he came to ask for the night off. I’ll take care of the child in your place.”

Twilight smiled warmly and rushed up to the pegasus to pull her into a tight hug which was soon joined in by another enthusiastic unicorn. “Thank you, Cloudy. I’d hate to have to watch the poor filly be left on her own. If you need help, at any time, come ask me. I’ll be glad to assist when I can.”

“And I’ll come to play with her every day! I can’t wait to meet her!” Moon Beam grinned brightly as she clung onto the red tinged Commander who proceeded to brush them off in an attempt to retain her pride.

“Do not worry. I have wanted a child since before Celestia ruined my life. I will take good care of her.” She looked to Fancy Pants and nodded. “Where is she currently, Chancellor?”

“She’s sleeping in my room. Try to be gentle as she has been through much recently. I’d hate for something bad to befall the child.”

Cloudy saluted and left at a steady pace leaving the original four again. Nightmare Moon returned her gaze to Fancy Pants, her eyes showing a hardened resolve. “Chancellor. I wish you to prepare my royal carriage for a journey. I will be leaving to request the aid of one of our bordered countries.”

He nodded his assent once more. “I’ll have it prepared immediately, Your Majesty.”

Author’s Notes: Here ya go! Chapter 25 hot off the press (After some editing, of course)! Fun twists and much less Nightmare Moon/Twilight than any other chapter in history (For a good reason, though)! Also, yes. I will admit. This chapter pretty much makes me a plothole. I am quite ashamed of myself, but I do not regret it at all. ALL FOR THE PLOT! Have fun reading as I shall be gaming and reading comments when they arrive!

Editor's Note #1: Why*sob*Peppy, why?

Editor’s Note #2: I don’t have much to say; the chapter had to be done.