Entry Six: Griffember 10th, 1000 Mid-Morning

Since our departure from Ponyville four days ago, we’ve trekked across quite a bit more ground than our initial march to the town, but we are still much too far behind for me to be celebrating. The soldiers are much more motivated now than they were before, my display of power and waning patience paving the road for their obedience, but Tyra seems to have been right. We’ve had another deserter. I cannot recall which pony it was, I’ve lost the list with each of their names and cutie marks, but the extra bedroll left in the dirt this morning was evidence enough of the pony’s departure. We are now down to forty-six and I fear that number will dwindle to nothing by the time we even reach Equestrian borders.

Despite the trickling loss of ponies, things have been surprisingly quiet since we left the castle. Neither head, nor feather have been seen of any griffons. I suppose that’s a blessing as it means our storm-covered start kept us from being discovered, but it leaves me wondering just how long we have until a scouting party finally notices us. Griffonia has already proven themselves as experts in aerial reconnaissance. I’ve kept several of our pegasi sky-bound daily as a mixed relief from cart carrying and as our eyes above, but none of them have been able to spot anything outside of the wild clouds that have been forming and breaking due to the severely weakened Pegasus Weather Facilities. It’s worrisome, but I’ve made certain to keep the soldiers on their toes despite their growing laxness.

On a more personal note, my stomach cramps and nausea have been pretty steady these past few days, even drawing out into the day as we march, making it somewhat difficult to eat and maintain a steady pace without losing my meals. Tyra has been distant since we left Ponyville and... I can’t say I blame her. I’ll give her some more time before I talk to her. Just in case. I’m very thankful that she’s along for the ride even if we don’t interact as much as we used to, though.

Moon Beam, however, has been.... Moon Beam, I guess. She cannot keep still despite how much Tyra struggles to keep her hyperactivity reigned in. She at least does a good job of keeping her away from the soldiers, however funny it is to see her trip up the occasional pony.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Nine: Griffember 17th, 1000 Early Morning

The biting chill of Winter crept upon us without warning last night, dropping the temperature almost twenty degrees. Without the pegasi to consistently and diligently monitor Equestria's weather patterns, the drastic change in seasons came a month early. Luckily, due to our preparations for the oncoming shift, we are adequately equipped for the weather and freezing cold, but it certainly did not help to keep the soldiers moving at their old pace.

The soldiers, despite how much they pretend to follow my orders, have already begun broaching the topics of desertion amongst their peers again. They quickly quiet when I make my presence known, but they can't keep every conversation hidden from me. I guess it should have been expected.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Ten: Griffember 19th, 1000 After noon

This morning started off rather quickly. The soldiers were up and packing before even I had awoken, something that I'd thought to be impossible until today, and we were moving long before the moon began its shift into the dawn cycle. I didn't have enough time to prowl the campsite as I had hoped, but it would seem that, from the few hushed whispers I could glean over the heavy hooffall, Tyra woke up early and throttled a pair of earth ponies preparing to... escape.

I'm glad that she still cares enough to try and cover my failings as a leader, but it makes me feel guilty for having unwillingly thrust the duty onto her like that. Especially with how I treated her back in Ponyville and how I've been avoiding anything more than light conversation to pass the time. She's helped me since Valtaura and all I've done is pushed more burdens onto her. I'm going to have to talk with her soon.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Twelve: Griffember 22nd, 1000 Late Night

Something seems off with the camp tonight, as if the soldiers know something that I have not caught onto yet. I can't help the anxiety and tension I feel because of it. Moon Beam has opted to spend the night with Tyra, saying that the girl was going to show her some 'cool tricks' before bed, and I begrudgingly let her. It's not that I feel wary about how much she's likely bothering the poor girl, but, because I still can't ignore the fear I have of the other ponies, I can't stop worrying about my safety tonight. It's selfish, I know, but I still vividly remember those stallions' lecherous grins -and their-

Regardless, I'm going to be keeping a ward around my tent tonight. I'm exhausted from all of the walking and my chronic sickness (Side note: When we reach Trotsdale, inquire about possible reasoning for whatever ailment I've befallen), but I think extra protection would be worth the effort.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Thirteen: Griffember 23rd, 1000 Early Morning

It seems that nothing happened during the night aside from my inability to sleep; the added enchantment could do nothing to alleviate my anxiety and my mind fed off that to plague me with old night terrors. I'm even more exhausted than before, but the soldiers are going to be up soon and I'll have to put on my best face if I want to maintain what little hold I have left over them. Maybe....

I'm going to talk to Tyra before we leave. I can't leave things how they are any longer and... I need the support she gave me before.

Entry Thirteen cont'd:

The talk with Tyra went much -better than- I had expected. It turns out that she had been keeping her distance so she wouldn't step on my hooves. I'm so relieved that she accepted my apology and chose to stay with me for the remainder of the journey. I feared that I'd never reach our destination if she had chosen to leave me and Moon Beam alone. I need to remember to be more open with myself, much like how I'm trying to influence Nightmare Moon to do the same. I guess I should try to learn from my own teachings.

With personal matters put aside, the camp has been packed up and everypony is waiting on me to finish for once. Things seem like they're going to get better from here, so I'll end tonight's log on this good note.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Fourteen: Griffember 30th, 1000 Midday

There has been little to report these last few nights, so, against my natural instinct to chronicle every detail as they happen, I'd postponed further entries until something important or exciting happened.

As it would seem, my earlier anxiety wasn't entirely unfounded, but it was definitely not focused on what it should have been. The griffons weren't as blind to our operation as we would have hoped and made that very clear through a surprise attack while we were sleeping. If it wasn't for my heightened nerves and protective enchantments, I'm very certain I wouldn't have lasted through the previous night with anything less than missing limbs. As it is now, I've got a racking headache and a deep cut on my foreleg.

With this most recent event, I've had to make more than a few adjustments to our routine, especially with the lessened horsepower. We're going to be marching for two days now and resting for one half with the soldiers taking turns resting in shifts, myself included. It will be strenuous, but necessary. We can't afford to waste any more time with our nightly stops, especially now that at least one squad of Griffonian troops knows where we are. Nightmare protect us under your moon's power, because I have a feeling we're going to need it.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Fifteen: Lucember 2nd, 1000 Midnight

I've been too tense to do much outside of ensuring that we minimize the chances any marauders would have to attack us, so I've been neglecting to jot down any notes during the breaks we have. Our forward scouts have reported sightings of griffon activity to the west, but not much more than that. It's disconcerting, but not as suspicious as the silence since the last attack. The squad that attacked us was easily large enough to have a nearby outpost to report to for reinforcements, but they haven't returned since their first assault.

Perhaps they recognized me and are sending messengers.

Regardless, I'm exhausted from all of this walking and this sickness is making my body ache even more. Not always in ways that I can handle, either. What's worse is that I can't stop thinking about running home and submitting myself to Nightmare..., or even any of the mares in the troop. It's frightening that I'd be experiencing estrus-like symptoms so far out of season, but Tyra has been exceptionally understanding and helpful. I'm certain that I'd have had to kill more than one stallion for making unbecoming advances if she wasn't around.

I am uncertain what is causing my sickness, especially one so long lived, but I will take some additional time when we arrive at Trotsdale to research it in hopes of curing myself before we continue. Knowing the volatile nature of where. We are headed, it would be best to be in tip-top shape and health whenever something goes awry.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Nineteen: Lucember 12th, 1000 Early Evening

We've reached the plains of southern Equestria today, but not without some losses. One of our supply wagons was destroyed in another Griffonian raid and we were only able to save about half of the food, the rest having been crushed and trampled under hoof in the skirmish. Several more soldiers died, seven in total, and three more went missing, setting our numbers back down to thirty-four plus Tyra, Moon Beam, and myself. I am regretting not bringing more ponies despite the temporary stealth advantage we had. They always say that hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Luckily, our unicorns and pegasi were able to finish killing the griffons when they attempted to flee after their attempted surprise attack. It will buy us time and a chance to get a head start, but not much. That group will certainly be missed and more griffons will be deployed in an attempt to route us, likely in a much larger force, but hopefully not before we reach Trotsdale.

Judging by our location and the position of Canis Minor in the sky, we're approximately six and one-half days northeast of Trotsdale by normal travel. With our group and necessities, we likely won't reach the town for another three weeks. I only hope that the griffons had a secondary task they needed to perform that would have delayed them a few days after their planned assault on us.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Twenty-One: Lucember 18th, 1000 Midnight

The air is heavy with fog tonight, an ill omen for any plans to continue marching. It rained recently, creating something of a mire out of the loosely packed earth and chilling the air even further. It's such a strange phenomenon, the plains turning into a grassy mud hole, but now I finally understand why they call this area 'The Equestrian Quagmire'. I wish I had the time and light to study the earth here and learn about its fascinating properties, but I am on guard duty tonight and I'll need some sleep afterwards if I want to avoid burdening anybody further.

It's difficult to ignore the biting cold, even through the thick wool cloaks we were provided, and the metal 'silk' does not help to keep me insulated. Despite its assumed protective qualities, I doubt the 'fabric' was made for colder climates. Honestly, I just hope that the silversilk is as strong as the metalworker ensured. It looked like Rarity didn't have any trouble shaping it into my battle dress (it feels so strange to refer to a dress as armor). Regardless of its actual protective attributes, it does not keep me warm and has been making this trip even more miserable. I am eagerly awaiting our arrival in Trotsdale; the warmth from the southern wastelands will be a great relief from the bitter chill of winter.

So far, everything’s been silent aside from the crackling of the campfires and I hope it stays that way.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Twenty-Six: Lucember 24th, 1000 Moondown

Again, things have gone increasingly well. We’ve made great progress, covering more ground than I’d have imagined possible, in the past week and our food supplies are still looking decent. I thank the stars for the magical advancement over the years that aided in the preservation of foodstuffs. There isn’t any way we’d have made it this far without have to resort to more desperate means of finding food for survival without those spells.

As we’ve moved further south, the air has begun to gradually warm, a sign that we are drawing closer to the Drakenrange and it’s wastelands. I am uncertain how long it will take us to maneuver the mountain passes, but it should only be a few more days before we finally reach Trotsdale and its famous hospitality. We may even be able to relax for once and enjoy the hot springs I’ve read so much about. Nightmare knows we need to clean up; we’re practically made of mud and grime now, despite the few instances of freezing rain.

The griffons haven’t caught up with us, which means that my hopes have likely come true. That party must have had a secondary or tertiary objective, something that also brings me another measure of relief. I cannot imagine what they had been ordered to do after disposing of us.

Either way, it’s definitely better for our sake that they haven’t come searching for us yet. My weakness has been growing worse these past few days, stemming from my lack of proper nutrition as I continue to lose my breakfast and lunch almost every day. I’ve been wondering if I may be pregnant, all of the symptoms seem to point towards the early signs of pregnancy as long as my memory of equine reproduction serves me correctly, but it seems preposterous since I’ve never mated with a male and I’m very much out of season. Still, it’s become quite a concern, especially around the male soldiers. They’re beginning to smell me and notice my waning strength, so Tyra has been taking extra caution and not leaving me alone for any extended period of time.

I wish I had taken the time to learn that sensor spell I read about a couple years back. It would have been very helpful during this journey.

T.S Lunar Ambassador

As an aside, I find myself longing to be back home at the castle, lying in Nightmare’s embrace by a warm fire as Hearth’s Warming Day slowly creeps upon us. I am unsure if Moon Beam knows what Hearth’s Warming Eve is, but I feel ashamed that I can’t provide her with at least one present come tomorrow morning. Don’t worry, Moonie, Nightmare.... I’ll make it up to you once this is all over.

Entry Twenty-Nine: Lucember 30th, 1000 Moonrise

The new year is upon us and not without good tidings. We’ve finally reached the outskirts of Trotsdalean land, I can see the silhouettes of the buildings just on the horizon from here, and we will finally be able to somewhat relax. I can tell that the journey so far has taken its toll on some of us, but it shouldn't be much longer before we've passed through the mountains and way to capital of

It's such a relief that we've made it all the way here without much hassle; I was expecting to lose all of my guard by the time we reached the dragons, an expectation, I am ashamed to admit, brought me a bit of relief as well, but everything seems to be pointing towards the opposite. Our rationed food is still high enough in quantity that we'd have lasted at least another week on normal meals and my sickness seems to have been waning over the past few days. I still feel ravenously hungry, of course, and my libido is still a chore to keep in check, but I'll survive.

Back to our mission, we'll be marching out within the hour and should arrive at Trotsdale by the evening. We'll replenish our supplies, perhaps convince one of the shop owners to store our winter gear while we explore the warmer climate, and then move out at the start of the new year.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

As an aside, I wonder if this will mark the beginning of a new age. The first fall of Nightmare Moon a millennium ago ended the Harmonic Age and began the Celestial Age.

Entry Thirty: Lucember 30th, 1000 Moondown

When we arrived at Trotsdale earlier this evening, our reception was less welcoming than I had expected. The war seems to have even affected small tourist towns like this, despite their close proximity to the Drakenrange Mountains. Considering a small, little-known town like Dodge Junction was wiped out early on, I shouldn’t be so surprised, but I guess I just wanted to hold out hope that some ponies could avoid the trouble.

Regardless of how they looked at us, I was able to convince them to rent out the inn to us. We’ll be sleeping on soft beds for a couple nights, something I still took for granted even after the first month under Nightmare’s control. The baths were exquisite even though I opted to wait until everypony else had finished before taking Moon Beam in and relaxing with Tyra. It took forever to clean the caked on mud out of my coat, even with Tyra’s help, but the end result was utter bliss and kind of awkward considering my current predicament. She was kind enough to ignore the issue, or was unaware of it, at least.

We’re finally going to be eating something other than apples and plain vegetables, actual meals with spices and side dishes. My stomach is already grumbling at the thought and, although I am rather fond of carrots, I’m not sure I’d like to eat apples for a while after this.

I’ve given the soldiers free reign to do as they please for the time being, but, from past experiences, I took the precautions of having the town leader, an elderly pony named Fleet, call a town meeting. I’ve made them all aware that I will not accept any unwanted acts against them and that, should something happen with any of my guard, they come to me. I hope it won’t be a problem, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Regardless of what happens tomorrow, we’re going to moving out early morning on the first and not stopping until we reach the foot of the mountain pass.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

Entry Thirty-One: Peguary 2nd, 1 Midnight

We’ve finally reached the foot of the mountain range and will begin passing through it come morning. For now, we’re resting and recuperating; the trek took longer than I had anticipated, but the heat from the volcanic wastelands helps to keep everypony in good moods and is helping them relax and sleep. There isn’t much else to report tonight, but I’m pretty certain I saw a couple of figures in the sky earlier. The pegasi I sent to check out my suspicions came back without any sightings of griffons, so it was likely just some clouds. True or not, I’m setting double watch tonight and will be personally overseeing the first shift.

T.S. Lunar Ambassador

“Wing Commander! We’ve found something over here!”

A short, burly griffon looked up from the bloodied corpse beneath his talons, taking a moment to wipe the crimson stain from his claws onto the stallion’s cloak, and turned to follow his subordinate. “What is it? We need to find where the rest of these ponies went and we can’t waste time on trash.” He glared at the larger griffoness, making the young wingling cringe, but followed her regardless.

“It’s a journal, Wing Commander. Silven read it and thinks it might be the alicorn’s pet’s writings.”

“The unicorn’s?” His piercing stare slipped, revealing a hint of desire in the older griffon’s eyes. “Perfect. That naive child must have left something important for us.” He drew closer to one of the many destroyed wagons littering the rocky pass, kicking aside the burnt corpses of his slain comrades and mutilated enemies. “Wingling, give me the journal.” The white-headed griffon jumped and shakily handed over the small booklet, avoiding eye contact with his superior as the grizzled veteran scanned the inked pages.

Page after page was flipped after a quick scan, adding to the scowl on the warrior’s face until he threw it into bloody, sending several of the pages into the air. “Useless! What are they doing in the Drakenrange!? This tells me nothing!”

“Uhm, sir! Permission to speak?” The Wing Commander shot Silven a piercing look, but nodded and returned to searching the featureless bodies of the surrounding ponies. “Well, s-sir. I think the ponies are heading to the Molten Palace.” The wingling took a deep breath, calming his nerves, and picked the sullied booklet out of the mud, wiping off a patch of deep purple fur from the cover. “The journal’s owner tried very hard to avoid stating their purpose, but towards the end she slipped up.” He flipped towards the middle of the book, poking at a section of large ink stains. “It’s heavily scratched out, but you can still read ‘capital’ in here. The only capital south of the Range is Drakontos.”

“It’s as I thought.” The elder griffon sighed, clicking his beak, and turned back to the scavenging wing. “Pick up your gear and let’s go! We have to get back to War Chief Steelfeather last week!”

“But sir! We can still catch up to them and-”

“Do you not see the charred bodies? The ponies were not alone when our war party found them. We would not survive a fight that they did not.”

The moment the Wing Commander turned his back, the griffoness punched her fellow soldier, smiling at him as he dropped the sodden booklet. “Good job, Silven, but try not to piss off the Wing Commander. I’m sure you’d prefer a better position in the wing over slave-duty.”

Author's Notes:

Author’s Notes: Hmm.... Seems it was another short story, but I figured I’d cut down on a lot of the pointlessness of that entire journey by making it shorter. Nopony cares about how much the ponies’ hooves hurt, right? Anyway, things will start picking back up story-wise and many things are planned for the next chapter, namely: WTF HAPPENED THERE!? Don’t worry. All of that is coming next chapter along with other non-Twilight happenings as well.

Obligatory ‘Sorry it took so long blah, blah, blah’. Keep an eye out for the next chapter and possibly other goodies. Peppy out~!