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From the Journal of Solid Pink, Royal Advisor of the Sun Court, Personal Aide of Princess Celestia.

The date was the Fourth Day of the Seventh Month, Summer, One Hundred Twenty Eight AD (After Discord).

Equestria and its neighboring nation were invaded by yet another force of intruders. But unlike the Rattenfänger or the Dragons of the Rock Fire Clan, were these invaders trained soldiers with both tactics, weapons and numbers. Their fleets of balloon driven air ships blotted the skies like massive flocks of overfeed birds.

Officially were there only Ten Fleets invading our lands. But the truth of the matter was much more severe, for there were a number of unaccounted for fleets of griffin air pirates, mercenaries, merchants and nobles who were willing to take part of the invasion.

Their numbers were never properly counted. Even among their own records after the war we could never properly account for every air ship and soldier. But at least one million griffins, ten thousand air ships and one thousand dragon mercenaries had been sent out by King Craver the Craven, the Seventh recorded ruler of the Kingdom of Gryphon. Of these were only half of the ships and griffins part of the Royal Air Navy of Gryphon, the rest were not part of the official roster.

The invasion of Equestria and Horadrim went underway in a process of two days from the early sunset of the Third Day of the Seventh Month to the late morning of the Fourth Day of the Seventh Month. Fleets of airships and griffins had been hiding in clouds at very high altitudes, rendering almost all conventional security of our nation almost pointless.

Only the Horses with their Sky Ships and Floating Islands were able to see the invaders before they descended out of the cloud layers to invade, being on the same altitude themselves. And thus managed to repel the attacks on their floating islands with their sky ships.

The ground bound towns, villages and cities of Equestria were not properly equipped to detect such an invasion force. And with the Griffins utilizing magical artifacts to block the signals of the Comm Orbs, we were unable to be informed by the horses after they repelled the invading fleets upon their homes.

Our cities were left without warning. And when the Griffins came. We bleed, all of Equestria bleed.

Canterlot itself was invaded and pillaged by the Griffins, their greedy talons seeking to take not only our resources and supplies, but our foals as well. The city was in a massive state of panic, but one brave pony managed to sound the signal horn. If he had not sounded the Horn, we would have been lost.

We prayed that the sound had reached Celestia, or even the Horses, hoped that aid would come in time.

And it did.

But the aid that came, was not the one we were expecting. And we did not realize what the future conflict between us and the griffins would bring forth.

Nor would we realize the return of a foe we had been foalishly considered gone and defeated long ago. And even when we did, had it nearly been too late to stop the madness that followed.

The clouds were thick in the skies above Canterlot, from the early evening to the morning it was covered by white and gray fluffy cloud layers, covering the clear blue with a pale and murky hue. No pegasus could properly explain it, since the clouds did not seem to flow westwards, even though the wind was blowing in that direction.

But there were no real weather expert within the city with most of the pegasi having left for the Third Crusade as part of the Silver Army.

The ponies of Canterlot could only speculate that the still shifting weather patterns of the world were acting bonkers, and decided to put the issue on the shelf to focus on more serious matters. Like the lack of updates about the progress of the Third Crusade and the unknown reason the Comm Orbs were malfunctioning, thus causing the other issue.

For some reason had the orbs lost their link to the other orbs, only having their clear insides sparkling weakly once activated, not even making a sound or a glow to signal that they were functioning on their own. The Comm Orbs would have made a weak bell like sound should they not be able to connect to another orb, and yet they were silent. The mages of the academy were working non stop trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the orbs.

The civilians and town guards were blissfully unaware of the issues, spending the early morning hours preparing for the day. There was a uneasy feeling in the atmosphere however, it was like every pony in the city was feeling watched. Observed by eyes of ill intent. And it was making more then one pony look over their shoulders now and then.

Solid Pink was rubbing her head, trying to figure out what to do, absentmindedly blowing away a strand of slightly pale pink mane from her nose. It was a bad situation, she had been forced to send messengers to try and reach Princess Celestia and the closest settlements to try and figure out if the issue with the orbs were more wide spread then Canterlot. The signal horn did not have a signal for 'communication failure' something they would have to rectify. It was an obvious problem being unable to communicate with the Princess or the rest of Equestria for that matter.

"We have become too reliant on the Comm Orbs. There needs to be alternatives to communicating far distances." She muttered to herself as she held up the faulty orb in her office, giving it a cold stare, as if to force it to start working again.

And that's when she heard something from outside of the castle, she looked towards the painted glass window and blinked a bit in confusion. Before getting off her chair and walking over to the window and opening it. And she saw something she had never imagined in her entire life.

The insides of Canterlot, the city and the ponies within, were being attacked.

Large wood and metal ships with massive balloons of metal were floating over the city. And along with them were troops of winged hybrid creatures that looked like a combination of large cat and bird were dropping something down upon the city, causing explosions of fire to erupt.

And to make the situation even more dire were there ten dragons, dressed up in plated armour, flying over the city walls, breathing fire over the battlements, turrets, towers and siege engines.

Screams of panic, fear and pain was filling the city, even worse then the time the dragons invaded. Since this time they had not had the time to seek shelter or prepare their forces to repel the invaders.

Solid Pink stared for a few seconds, then she slammed the window shut and ran out of her office at rapid speed. And even as she ran down the halls was she mouthing words without making a sound, and dark figures hiding among the shadows began to move out to the city, intent on following their orders as they read the lips of the Royal Adviser.

The earth pony was greeted by guards and officers who were running down the halls a well. And she began to verbally give them orders as the group of ponies scrambled to defend their city. She was keeping her voice calm and clear, needlessly shouting would scramble the words because of the echoing in the castle walls. Panic would help no one. "Get the citizens into the Keep and the shelters. Have messengers sent to the closest settlements and after Princess Celestia to inform them of this invasion. Have the Mages of the Academy prepare the city's inner defences, we need to repel them before they do too much harm to our citizens and city."

She then lead the officers out of the main gate of the central keep and shouted out one final line, before she seemingly disappeared among the troops, as if melting into the troops like a shadow. "Ave Equestria!"

"Ave Equestria."

Sadly enough, unknown still to the citizens of Canterlot, were they not the only city being assaulted by the cat bird creatures and their strange balloon ships.

A sharpened two meter long rod of wood flew up with a whistle through the wind and rain. After a few seconds is pure wooden structure began to glow as arcane runes lit up across its surface.

With a sound like groaning timber the sharp stick began to expand in size, growing larger and larger, until it had become the size of a log the same height and thickness as the trunk of a century old tree. The sharpened end of the massive log like projectile streaked through the falling raindrops, as if piercing through the essence of rain itself.

And then its momentum was momentarily stopped, as it struck a metal bound wooden surface high up in the skies. But with its momentum and weight it pierced through it in a near instance, wooden shards and splinters erupted within the griffin air ship as the explosive giant bolt of a Mark III Equestrian Heavy Ballistas, of Fillydelphia make, pierced through the lower hull.

It pushed through the lower decks and its tip pierced out of the upper deck before its momentum was halted. And that's when the glowing runes covering its surface, ignited like a collection of flares. And with a loud resounding crack of breaking wood, followed by an ear shattering explosion, the entire log ruptured as if blown up from the inside.

Screams of pain and agony filled the air for a few seconds as wooden shrapnel and concussive force blew apart most of the griffins acting as the ship's crew. But some of the shrapnel struck the massive metal covered balloon above the ship, and with so many javelin sized wooden shards flying up, had a few managed to find weak points in the plating and pierced through just enough to poke holes into the balloon within.

Releasing the volatile gas within. And as it was released, was its blue wisps able to reach the burning sparks of the flames burning on the surface of the tattered ship, a remnant from the exploding bolt. And ignited into blue flames. A powerful rush of air, light and heat filled the skies as the air ship erupted, tearing itself apart into small burning fragments.

Fragments that burnt out into sparkling blue specks of dust before they could even reach the ground, bellow. Had the situation not been as it was, it bight have even been considered to be a beautiful sight. Alas, it was as it was.

Bloody and chaotic.

Airships of the Kingdom of Gryphon were streaking over the skies, firing lances of lightning at a much smaller fleet of Sky Ships of the Horadrim Kingdom. This was the trade fleet known as Hermes Fleet, the less militaristic of all of the Twelve Sky Fleets of the horses, they were the smallest of all the fleets and the lest armed.

The Hermes Fleet's vessels numbered only to a little above thirty large scale trading ships, lightly equipped for combat and made more for speed and cargo capacity. But even with their lack of armaments were they making valiant efforts to disrupt the tides of griffins and air ships from their current goal.

Captain Hermes, of which the fleet was named, was a tall auburn coloured horse with a brown mane and tail. His eyes were covered by a white blindfold of thick cloth, decorated with the symbol of a lidless eye upon the center. He was dressed in a set of robes with a set of chainmail, greaves, bracers and pauldrons to offer more protection. In his left hoof was a long iron bound staff held, engraved with runes and decorated with small wings of iron sticking out of the top, with two snakes intertwined around the top of the staff.

Even with his blindfold on the large horse pointed with his staff at one of the nearby ships. "Prepare to launch oil filled canisters at an intercepting angle ten meters to the left of the approaching enemy! They will try to turn towards us to hit us with their lightning cannon! Have the archers prepare fire arrows and tell them to ignite the oil on the ship ten seconds after the canisters have struck the hull!"

The crew moved without questioning the orders. They knew of the power of their Captain, as an Oracle he was gifted with a sight beyond sight by the slowly recovering Gods of the world, a gift he received by offering his mortal sight for it. This divine sight let him view past events and possible future events, limited to his location, and a time frame of 24 hours into the future and 24 years into the past. Further then that and he started having seizures.

But being an Oracle of the Spartan Faith was not just a cheap way to gain temporal vision. No, he was a bit more then a simple soothsayer and fortune teller.

Even as the canisters with oil were launched the blind Spartan priest moved over to the railing of the large Carrack sky ship. He looked at an empty space directly next to his ship, and he pointed his staff towards it. And he began to speak out a rhyming chant, as his staff began to glow with a bluish light. A light that was growing more bright as the chanting progressed.

There was a crackling of discharging energy as a blue lance like beam of light was fired out of Hermes' staff. It flew through the air, passing by several ships and griffins, before it reached a certain point and erupted into a runic array of five circles intertwined, shaping a curved pentagram between them.

The intertwined pentagram began to rotate, going faster and faster, and as its began to rotate so fast that its began to appear like a blur. A burst of wind emerged from the spinning disk of blue light and the light grew in size, now appearing as if a singular mass of light being molded by invisible hooves.

As the shape became larger, more detailed and less bright, it was twice the size of the griffin air ships, which were almost twice the size of the trade carracks that were the Sky Ships o the Hermes Fleet.

It was an eagle, a massive eagle, its wings spreading out far and wide, making it appear even larger. As the light faded it opened its massive beak, and let out a loud screech that made the unprepared griffins grip their heads as the screech of the massive creature seemingly began to rip into their ear drums.

With a massive flap of its wings the eagle slammed five air ships away as the powerful winds from the movement was enough to send them swirling through the air. The Sky Ships swayed in the wind, their sails rippling, but nothing except for a bad tear in two of the sails ever occurred.

The eagle looked around where it was and finally looked towards its summoner, who bowed his head in greeting to his summon and spoke out to the massive eagle. “Great and powerful and mighty Aethon. I am Hermes of the Horadrim, an Oracle of the Spartans. I ask for your aid in defending my fleet, the city bellow us and the ponies within, from the invaders.”

Aethon let out another loud screech, before suddenly flying upwards, the movement of its massive bulk tossing more air ships and griffins through the air like toys. It flew upwards, then suddenly spread its wings. It turned with the wind until it had turned 180 degrees. It flapped its wings, holding itself in place, while looking towards a group of air ships.

The massive avian spread out its wings once more, this time the feathers of the wings glowed with an almost blinding light. Which ended abruptly as Aethon flapped its wings, and as it did, it dove down with a sudden burst of speed, straight towards the group of air ships he had been looking upon.

The feline bird hybrids had barely time to scream out in horror as two massive claws grabbed hold of two of their ships by their metal plated blimps, and threw them like rag dolls into two other air ships, causing them to rupture in blue fire and crash onto the fields outside of the city.

As the massive eagle aided its summoner turned Hermes towards his fellows and pointed his staff towards another location. “Throw out canisters of tar in that direction at a fifty degree angle at full power within the next twenty seconds!”

There was still a war to fight, and he could not be careless. He had already lost five ships to the griffins' numbers. He could only hope that the citizens of Fillydelphia and the horses within were able to handle the griffins already down there.

Down bellow stood the city of Fillydelphia, parts of the city was burning with blue fire from crashed air ships. Dozens of houses and towers had been badly burnt or destroyed entirely by the blue flames from the wrecked ships.s And yet it was not as bad as what was occurring outside of the city.

Fields and trees outside of the city were burning in large parts as several dozens of wrecked ships had crashed outside of its walls. Even out by the coastline had several ships crashed, the blue fires burning even while beneath the waves, making parts of the coast glow with bluish green light.

Half of Fillydelphia was built on a high cliff, reaching at least thirty meters over the sea. And the rest were built beneath the base of the cliff, stretching out to the shoreline, a large hoof made harbour splitting the lower half of the city in two. There were two large staircases built into the cliff itself, leading from the upper city to the lower city. This difference in height has essentially made the city extremely separated in not only structural but social as well. Some ponies had never gone to the other half of the city before.

Except for two times now. Once, at the Draconic Incursion, when the ponies fled together into the castle of the city, Filly's Fort. And now, during the invasion of the griffins, had the citizens fled into the castle to hide. No social stature mattered in such times, and those who argued, were often isolated. Something no pony wished to experience.

Had it not been for the Hermes' Fleet approaching to engage in trade would the city have been unaware of the invasion. And thus they had been able to seek shelter and prepare their forces as the Hermes' Fleet tried to keep the bird cats away from Fillydelphia.

And the forces of Fillydelphia were not willing to let the griffins act as they wanted. And the sky had been filled with projectiles from siege engines and falling ships, mostly on fire, for almost the entire day.

Filly's Fort was standing tall upon the cliff where it had been built. It was a large box shaped castle with two sets of large walls around it and tall towers offering protection to the citizens of the city whilst its forces inside, and outside, kept the invaders at bay with their siege engines, pegasus troops and unicorn magic.

The griffins had thought the city easy prey, but that notion had been destroyed, along with most of their fleets. Among the first causalities of the ponies' siege engines had been the flagship, taking out the Admiral along with his entire staff of command. Now the invaders were just desperately trying to reach the city. Uncoordinated and reckless.

By the end of the day. Would the ponies and horses be the victors of this battle.

A bolt of lightning streaks down from the sky at a diagonal angle, its trajectory carries it towards a large stone structure, only for it to miss and fly past the structure before hitting a patch of woodland that erupted into fire as the orb exploded.

The structure was a castle, raised up on a hill in the middle of the forest known as the Woods of Blood. Built by the Order of the Golden Cross at the suggestion of Commander Rock Steady after the Draconic Incursion. He had gotten the idea when his wife had explained to him that the area was a hot spot not just for bandits but fanatical zealots and cultists of all manners of bad things.

It had two walls, one at the base of the hill and one at the flattened top of the hill. with a single large box shaped keep in the center. Each wall had four towers and one gatehouse, each located on opposite sides as to make it more difficult to invade the castle.

Its name was Castle Cure, and it was meant to be the place where the bloody wound that was the Woods of Blood would be healed. With the roads leading west and east through the forest acting as circulation for not only traders but soldiers a well.

But all of this was pretty pointless when a horde of flying griffins were attacking them from above while ten air ships were trying to hit the castle's towers with their cannons.

A griffin charged at a pegasus dressed in plate bronze armour. The pegasus lashed out with a rope she grabbed from the ground, the heavy rope warped around the surprised griffins' forelegs. She pulled the rope and swung the poleaxe's hammer head into the griffin's throat crushing windpipe. Tugging the whip once more the knight sent the corpse tumbling off the wall.

The knight lifted her visor, revealing the face of a pink pelted mare with a pale yellow mane by the name of Cute Justice, and looked at her troops as they fought against the griffins. She was one of the youngest Master ranked Knights in the Order, her cutie mark was a golden sword with three blue birds, two sitting on either side of its cross guard and one on the pommel. "Don't let them reach the towers or the keep! We cannot let them hurt the civilians!"

She suddenly had to jump back when several crossbow bolts came flying from above. Cute Justice flipped down her visor and glared up at the griffins soaring over the walls, shooting bolts at her and her troops. She spread her wings and with a jump took flight. With a wordless cry she soared upwards and hefted her poleaxe, lightning arcing from her wings, through her hooves and into her weapon. "Haaaaaaaaa!"

The pegasus swung her weapon and struck one of the griffins in the side, there was a bright flash and the metallic taste of ozone in the air as the electricity loaded into her weapon erupted. Over twenty griffins fell, their brains too shaken from the explosion of light and sound to properly maintain flight while others had to stumble and shift to retain their altitude and not fall as well.

Cute Justice smirked at them, only to stumble when something struck her helmet from behind. There was a loud clang and she barely managed to swing back her weapon, splitting open the stomach of the griffin that had just struck her helmet with the pommel of his great sword, before she started falling.

Her vision was blurry as she was falling and she had a hard time regaining her flight ability. She was certain she would impact the battlements of the inner castle wall. But then a large pair of forelegs reached out and caught her. She felt herself rolling across stone while held by a large body. As her head stopped hurting and her vision straightened itself, she heard a rough voice speak out from beneath her. "Phew. That was a close one. Are you okay there?"

"I-I think so... thank you... who areeeeep..." Cute Justice trailed of into a near non-existing meeping sound as she saw just who she was lying on top of. It was a horse, a stallion to be precise. One she had seen earlier that day when he arrived to her castle with his trade caravan.

He was a tall beige coloured horse with brown mane. Wearing the armour and equipment of a Spartan warrior bearing a bronze armour with a leather battle skirt and a set of greaves and bracers. Upon his back was a curved bow and upon his forelegs was he wielding a thick almost round shield shaped with a half circle cut out on the left and right side of the wooden shield, almost making it look like a double bladed axehead. his other hoof was empty, as he had to sheath his weapon, a rather long, one meter, leaf shaped gladius, before attempting to catch her.

(A/N: It is essentially the Myrmidon shield used by Achilles and his soldiers in the movie Troy.)His name was Spathatos, known as Sword Bearer by his pony name, a Spartan horse from Horadrim who was acting as a travelling caravan merchant along the roads of the east coast along with several ponies and horses. And Cute Justice had not been on the best terms with him when they first meet.

Calling him a gelded coward for fleeing for her castle from bandits rather not standing his ground and fight the bandits when he outnumbered them three to one. They had not been on the best of terms. So she was rather surprised when the grizzled merchant actually saved her from that fall.

"I know I am good looking and all but could you please get off me Cutie? We need to get back to the fight." His words broke her stupor and her pink cheeks grew red with fluster and embarrassment before her blue eyes glared at him and she slapped him on the cheek, only to strike his helmet. She stomped off his body and trotted away with her nose in the air, unwilling to give the brute the satisfaction of seeing her flustered face.
'
"Hehe ouch... worth it." Sparthatos muttered as he got up on his legs again and rubbed his head where the mare had struck him. He unsheathed his sword and spun around, slicing the throat of a diving griffin that sought to attack him from above.

Ignoring the blood spraying over the stonework he began to run across the battlement. Even as one of the pegasus knights fell, crossbow bolts filing their entire body, an explosion filled the air as one of the air ships was finally destroyed. Partly because of the brave pegasus' self sacrifice when they utilized weather magic to launch a lightning bolt at one of the ships' cannons.

"Once more back into the fray." He muttered before rushing over to a griffin trying to stab a downed horse in the head, with a single thrust of his gladius into the creature's neck and a brutal kick to the side he removed the threat to his fellow Spartan.

His fellow horse nodded and stood up, gripping his fallen spear that had been dropped next to him and rushed over to a group of pony archers, raising his shield above them to give them cover from a shower of crossbow bolts. Sparthatos ran with agile movements across the battlements and soon reached the entrance to one of the towers and quickly got inside and began to scale the spiraling staircase.

He heard thunder and lightning roar and flare once more as more shoots from the griffins' air ships came screaming down towards the castle once more. The entire structure shook and shivered as some of the shoots struck it, making it shiver and shake from the vibrations. Sparthatos could hear screams of pain, fear and despair fill the air and he knew that some of the soldiers had died or been heavily injured by the assault just now.

Gritting his teeth he quickly scaled the stairs and soon reached the open hatch reaching to the rooftop and as he emerged he saw the three siege engines on the tower being repaired as some of their parts had been damaged by the strikes from the air ships. He saw ponies tie long thick rope as bow strings for the heavy ballistae, pulling it into place with their teeth and physically dragging the heavy metal bound wooden bow frame back into position as a team so they could put the other hoop of the heavy bow string on the other end.

The other two siege engines were far worse off then the heavy ballistae. What the ponies called the Energy Rod, which the horses liked to call the Magic Cannon, had several of its smaller gemstones destroyed and it would take a few minutes to have them replaced with spares. Not to mention they needed to recharge the larger main orb before firing again.

And then there was the large manticore ballistae, its entire frame was burnt and cracked and the ponies had essentially given up on saving it and were focusing on the other two siege engines. And Sparthatos agreed, no way they could restore that siege engine in time to properly aid in the defences.

As the ponies bent back the wooden frame and put the hop of the bow string on the other end they cheered as the siege engine was ready to be loaded. Sparthatos walked over and grabbed one of the ballistae bolts and helped the engineers load the massive crossbow.

He looked up at the now eight remaining air ships and got curious, he pulled out a spyglass from his belt and unfolded it, and looked up towards the air ships. Up on the center ship of the attack force he could see several griffins in fancy clothes moving around, talking to one another while sending out messengers to the rest of the fleet. And he could see messengers return back and forth.

How could he tell they were messengers? They were constantly handing over or receiving rolled up parchments. He could also see the one he assumed was the leader of the attack force, mostly because he was wearing an extra thick plate mail with a fancy looking symbol on the breastplate. *Well, well, looks like I just found the mother load.*

Sparthatos grinned like a loon as he removed the spyglass and looked up at the ships. And almost let out a yelp when a hood tapped him on the back. He swirled around to see the helmeted head of Cute Justice, and he could practically feel her satisfaction of startling him. "What are you doing up here merchant? You should not bother the engineers."

Snorting the spartan gave her a flat stare before he handed her the spyglass and pointed towards the central ship of the attack force in the sky. And spoke to her as she looked up at it. "That ship in the center at the back of their formation is the command ship of this attack force. I can see messengers and officers, along with who I assume is in control of this attack force. If we can take out that ship..."

As he trailed off the young mare muttered out the next line of the sentence. "We will have weakened their coordination and morale. We might even break them if we are lucky."

"That's right, but we will have to take out the rest of their forces' air ships at the same time. When hunting hydras you do not cut off one head at a time. That will just give them time regrow their heads twice as powerful. No. You cauterize the wounds, preventing the regeneration. Or you attack with oil and fire to set the entire thing ablaze." He then pulled out a flask and took a deep drink from it, letting out a soft burp after swallowing. The knight made a grunt of discuss, then looked down as the horse offered her the flask.

"What is this?" The pegasus asked as she grasped the flask and sniffed the content, it smelt like fermented fruit. It smelt of both sweet and bitter grapes, with a hint of... pear and raspberries?

"Wine. Made from fermented grapes, its one of the more expensive ones from the vineyards of Póli ton Álogo. Kind of a tradition, to have a strong drink before, during or after a fight." He commented as he looked back at the air ships, and as he looked back he saw the mare, visor up, chugging down the content of the flask like a champ. Staring in complete shock for a few seconds he watched as she emptied the bottle of 100 bits worth of fine Spartan Wine.

"Oh my... that... that was delicious." She mumbled out as she emptied the bottle, and stared at it. Her eyes shining with a childish joy and delight, while her lower lip was trembling. As if in shock that it had tasted so good, or that she wanted more. Her entire body looked like it was shining.

"I am glad that you liked it... but that was strong stuff... you might want to... oooh dear." The horse's words trailed of in a voice of concern as he witnessed something... he had not been expecting. Cute Justice's once fierce and determined posture face and behaviour... had disappeared. Well to be more precise, it looked as if her shining joy had been hit by the 'bat of guilt' and had broken her down into a shy fearful mess, all in the span of a few moments. Her body posture was hunkering down and she was lowering her head. She was also mumbling out in a terrified voice that was so low he could barely hear it.

Heck he could see one of her yellow locks of mane cover her eyes like some kind of... what was that word from his creator's memories? ...Anime girl right. Some kind of aggressive yet shy anime girl.

"I am sorry... I did not mean to drink all of it... it was just so good... please don't be mad at me..." The sight would have been utterly adorable had the situation not been so dire.

He sighed, rubbed his head, before reaching out and gently warped his forelegs around the mare. Who let out an utterly adorable squeak when he hugged her. The knight practically melted into his neck, her drunken body limp like noodles. "It's okay Cutie. It's only wine, no need to feel bad. How about you go and lay down and I will keep you and your castle safe."

The mare quietly mumbled as she relaxed against the horse's warm body, her muzzle pressed into the side of his neck and she slowly began to fall asleep in the hug. Sparthatos was forcing himself from not blushing as the situation was very awkward, not to mention very dangerous as it was in the middle of a gods damned battle."Okay... mmm you smell nice.... zzzzz..."

"She is far too cute like this. It's practically a lethal weapon." The horse said as he gently lifted the sleeping knight on top of his back and carried her down the staircase to the room at the wall level of the tower. Soldiers and knights alike moved aside as he carried their sleeping commander down to safety. He put her by the central pillar of the tower, a masterfully made piece of masonry that stabilized the entire structure, he tuckered her down on a pile of hay and covered with a blanket before placing his shield over her body, as to keep her as safe as possible.

He then walked back up to the top of the tower, only to duck as a griffin warrior flew down from above and tried to decapitate him and four of the engineers. He quickly pulled out his gladius and stabbed the bird in the gut and then hefted up its corpse like an improvised shield and blocked the shower of crossbow bolts from above. As the bolts stopped pestering him he tossed aside the corpse and quickly galloped over to the heavy ballistae, which was being reloaded once again after having shoot at the air ships.

"Target the central ship at the rear of their formation! Their commanding officers are located on it, you can tell by the messengers flying back and forth from that ship along with the amount of decorated warriors located on their deck!" The ponies looked at him for a moment, but the spotter of them was quick to confirm his words and the engineers got to work.

They cranked the siege engine, shifted and aligned. While Sparthatos was given a new shield by one of his horse guards who had come, along with nine more of his guards, running from the wagons in the courtyard. They were all hoplites, base soldiers wielding spears, gladius and shield. And they were quick to form protective shields from the engineers as they repaired the siege engines.

He himself was a Myrmidon, an all around fighter with melee and ranged weapons. Though not as focused as the Gladiators with their brutal strength and versatile but brutal combat gear. Nor was he blessed with magic like the Oracles. Neither was he as swift, silent or precise as the Hetairoi. And no one could compare to the Semideus, the Demigods, of which their creator's body double Achilles was one, and none had been born, or made, yet.

But was content with his strength, he was versatile, adaptable and he was skilled with all manners of melee and ranged weapons. Including the bow. Which he was about to put to use.

Sparthatos pulled out his curved short bow and began to shoot at any griffin charging the tower or shooting with crossbows at them. Luckily had the griffins not learned that they could just shoot from higher up and were keeping to close space. He was not certain why they were not just dropping iron balls or other such dangerous things. Perhaps it was a cultural matter, as these griffins seemed to have some manner of cultural similarity to the Scotts and Irish of the British Isles.

But they felt more well dressed barbarians with how they seemed to lust for combat. Not to mention he had seen some of them tearing out flesh from dead ponies. Some even grabbed dead, even alive, foals and carried them off, for some unspeakable reason. It felt too much like the dragons of the Draconic Incursion. Far too much.

His trail of thought was broken when there was a loud twang as the heavy ballistae fired its payload. The enchanted projectile flew through the air, piercing through several griffins along the way, their bodies even when skewered on its length were not slowing it down. And then it expanded, tearing off the bodies on its shape, and when it reached the size of a large red wood tree, it struck the bow of the large airship. And detonated.

There was a rain of wooden shrapnel and blood as the massive bolt hit its target. And then a loud explosion followed, as the ship it struck detonated into blue fire and flames. And then there was another, and another, and another... and another. A total of four more of the griffins' ships had explode. And, not because of the first ship exploding. Instead it was the shrapnel of the massive bolt having struck out at the crews of the ships. This had caused some of the ships to lose control, and slam into each other.

And thus their volatile balloons slammed into each other with loud clangs as their metal covered gas contained broke, and exploded.

As the ponies cheered at the sight of the exploding air ships Sparthatos pulled back another arrow and shoot a griffin charging with a mad screech. Which ended when his arrow pierced its skull. He glanced up, even as he pulled back another arrow, and smirked a little, as he saw the three remaining ships lose all coordination, one of them even turning around to flee outright, only to be shoot down by the other ships.

"Looks like things are going well." He muttered as he released another arrow, shooting down another griffin. Carefully looking at the two remaining ships to see how they were acting.

*They have lost coordination. Perfect. Now we just need to keep killing the troops and all wi-* His trail of thoughts ended when he was struck in the head with something heavy, and blacked out.

A black swarm of bat winged horses and massive twisted wyverns were streaking over the western woodlands of Equestria. On top of the largest wyvern stood a certain alicorn. He was currently examining the satellite view he had over Canterlot, were he could see at least a hundred air ships flying over the city, with fires, blue and red burning everywhere. And his heart twitched with cold unease and fear.

Dismissing the Interface Screen he reached out a pouch and pulled out one of his Black Beacons, and forged a connection with the one being held by one of his more important creations.

The beacon shifted and twisted, a black smog swirling around it whilst white light began to swirl around within its structure. And as the light became a single sphere Maleficus spoke towards the beacon. "Cursed Blessing! Are you there!? Can you hear me!?"

There was a few seconds but soon the white sphere shifted and took on the shape of Cursed Blessing's head, a he picked up the beacon on the other end of the connection. The old looking horse looked pale and had bags beneath his eyes. "Ah! Yes! Creator! Thank the gods you finally contacted us! We are currently experiencing a vast disaster!"

"I know. Someone is invading Equestria again, I heard the Horn of Canterlot, signalling that enemy forces had breached the city walls." He said, his jaws clenching in anger at the thought of yet another danger to not just the city but the special ponies within it.

The elderly horse noted his creator's temper and decided to inform him of what they knew thus far. "Aye sir. We have managed to get information. The invaders are striking all over the nation and have attacked nearly all of our Floating Islands, but those fleets have all been repelled or destroyed by now. They are griffins. Keep calling themselves the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Gryphon, ruled by some ruler named King Craver. They are apparently located on the north western region of the eastern continent where the Dragon Lands are located. And from what we have gathered are they here to raid Equestria of its valuable resources, although from what some of our prisoners have said, has their King some rather sick tastes."

"What do you mean? Is it anything like how Talos was, and his clan used to be?" The alicorn did not like the option that there was a third army of flesh eating creatures raiding this nation again. It was seriously sickening him to even think of it as a regular thing.

"Well.. yes sir. But a bit sicker then that. Whilst Talos enjoyed eating ponies indiscriminately, is this griffin apparently a bit more sick in the head. Apparently has King Craver developed a liking to eating young animals since a very young age, he apparently butchered a kitten given to him as a child and had it roasted and served with lemon." The disturbing description, along with the disgust in Cursed Blessing's voice made it difficult for Maleficus to not empty his gut right then and there.

But it was not over yet.

"This 'King' has a mindset that the meat is more tender and tasty, if comes from a young creature, the younger the better. Thus he has a very sick fascination for eggs. Griffin eggs specifically. He has an harem of griffin hens he uses to... 'cultivate' eggs for... his 'palate' and 'cuisine'. But not only that, he demands, 'tribute samples' from most house holds in his kingdom, even the nobles, if he don't like them. And he apparently has ordered his troops to... gather samples from Equestria's... 'animal stocks' to 'develop his palate'" Maleficus could practically feel his guts twitch and cramp at what he had just been told. And he had to close his eyes and take some calming breaths before he talked again.

"So not only a murdering opportunist looking for some easy money. But he is also a cannibal who delights in eating not just the unborn, and born, children of griffins and ponies alike. He, also, eats, his, own, fucking, unborn, children?" Maleficus grit his teeth so hard that blood came out of his gums, his horn was twitching and bending back and forth restlessly, almost like an agitated centipede.

"Yes creator. That's sadly what our prisoners have confirmed. Apparently he has made it a standing order that any of his soldiers who brings in young targets for his 'cuisine' will be spared from bringing him 'tribute'. So it's little wonder most of these griffins are fighting like madmen. Most of them are probably desperate parents, siblings or even grand parents trying to save their future young from this sick griffin's feasts." There was an eerie silence, even as the swarm of thestrals and wyverns flew through the winds, as Maelficus felt sick to his core. His horn was sparking with crimson energy while his eyes began to glow slightly.

"Fucking hell this is worse then Talos, hell this is worse then the Rattenfänger fucks. Okay... what are their weaknesses? how do they fight? Anything I should take particular note of?" He held back his voice and did not just scream out at the elderly horse to tell everything about his foes. It would not do to lose his temper right now, he was still too far away from Canterlot for it to be of any use.

Cursed Blessing responded after a few moments, it was obvious that he was reading of a set of written reports. As he had to pause no and then to make sure he was not making any kind of mistake." Each of the Griffins' fleets have a troop of ten dragons, mercenaries from the looks of it. They are relatively easy to target and die rather quickly from barrages of siege weapons or projectiles. They have some manner of metal that is as strong as iron but a bit more sturdy, we cannot figure out what it is however, to few sample and not enough time has passed for us to make any tests. Most of their unit are equipped with claymores, crossbows, axes, shields and chain mail, officers have plate."

Maleficus closed his eyes and tried his best to see through the black beacon in Cursed Blessing's possession, looking down upon the report in the horse's hooves. Where he could see a few crude drawings of the air ships and the troops of the griffins. Not very detailed but it was just the initial reports of a sudden escalating conflict that had been going on for a few hours.

He was impressed they had obtained anything so quickly. "They also have some kind of air ship, it makes up their entire fleet and has no differences in size or style. Shaped like some kind of frigate with an eagle head galleon figure with a lightning cannon sticking out from the gullet. These ships are kept in the air with metal plated balloons filled with some kind of volatile blue gas that seems to be produced by some kind of lightning emitting stone held inside a reinforced glass dome on the top of the ship. This gas, when ignited, explodes into liquid blue fires, that I think is some manner of plasma as it burns like acid and doesn't stop burning even when submerged under water."

Maleficus could only imagine the disaster of the plasma touching the wooden rooftops and buildings of the city. It would be a disaster. "It take around two hours for the plasma to stop burning but there are no traces except for burnt or melted remains. These flames spread very quickly if touching wood, grass or other flammable objects, and is impossible to handle. It doesn't even react to water and keeps burning even when submerged in it. At least from what we know thus far."

"So it is a lot like the Everfree Fire that comes from the Everfree forest's wood or my own body? Only blue and not as corrosive since you did not mention it can corrode metal. And it doesn't explode when connected with water. Well that's good at least." Maleficus stated as he began to think of a plan on how to handle the air ships.

"Indeed Creator the blue flames are like a less volatile version of the Everfree Fire. We do not know its properties or how it is connected to the lightning emitting stone. But I have guessed that the reason for why the stone is kept inside of the glass dome is because it probably burns when coming in contact with oxygen, whilst the gas itself only erupts when ignited. They also seem to be charging their lightning cannons with this gas, or possibly with the stone itself through magnetic metals or something similar?" At those words Maleficus tapped his chin, thought for a moment.

The alicorn thought and tried to remember something he had learned a long time ago. His ears then twitched as he heard the wyvern he was standing on let out a rumbling growl, and it hit him. Opening his eyes he looked up at the sky for a few moments. And then he got a very evil grin on his lips, before raising the beacon to his face and spoke to it. "Say Cursed Blessing. What do you think would happen if... we were to... arrange some refreshing weather for our guests? Some 'shockingly refreshing' weather?"

There was a momentary pause after his words had been transmitted through the beacon before he heard Cursed Blessing's voice respond. "I see where you are going with his creator. And I whole hardheartedly agree. It would make a most excellent gift for these newcomers."

Laughing Maleficus spoke into the beacon, whilst magical energies began to gather around him as he pulled out his Interface Screen and began to quickly work on it during the conversation. "Then let's not disappoint our guests. You and the ponies can handle the weather department. I will handle the 'clean up' service."

With a sweep of his foreleg he dismissed the screen and released the magical energy he had gathered at the same time. The smirk on his lips grew as he watched how upon the top of the wyverns within the swarm, brilliant beams of lights streaked down from the heavens and upon the wyverns. Black metallic mass began to grow and mold into shape on top of the wyverns as the Interface reacted to the commands and instructions he had given it. Utilizing his magical energy and the iron deposit on the moon to create the throne like saddles for the wyverns.

Though as he stood there, watching as the wyverns were being equipped with saddles, the beacon rang out as his creation's voice spoke out once more. "You know you don't sound as cool as you think you do when trying to sound vague and mysterious, right Creator? Plus you don't exactly have an audience, no need to be so dramatic about it."

Maleficus closed his eyes and let out a suffering sigh. "Shut up and let me have my moment."

He could practically feel Cursed Blessing rolling his eyes, with an amused grin on his muzzle, as he spoke back in an amused tone. "As you wish Creator, I shall inform the rest of the Kingdom of the plan, as well as the ponies, Cursed blessing out."

The conversation over Maleficus looked at the finished saddles and nodded. He then clapped his foreleg hooves together, focused his magic, before pulling them apart. And between his hooves, molded out of the almost fluid mass of black iron, began a long shaft to take shape. Even as the shaft was being shaped, its surface was being rotated, creating an spiral like shape along the entire length.

Maleficus focused his eyes upon the weapon he was preparing and narrowed them as he came to realize that he would have to speed up the process. And nine more blobs of iron appeared in the air in front of him, and began to mimic the crafting process of the polearm directly in front of him. "I better finish these quickly before we reach the city."

The Temple of Law was a beacon of hope and protection in the current dark hour of Canterlot. Quite literally as the Shield Cone that was built on top of the temple aroudn two decades ago was now active and covering the temple and most of the city block where the temple stood. Many ponies had gathered beneath the protective forcefield to evade the invaders.

Up on the rooftop was a young recruit looking on at the five unicorns fuelling the Shield Cone, their heads lowered and their horns constantly firing beams of magical energy at the artifact. The energies creating a powerful glowing purple field of energy that glowed brightly.

"How long do you think they can keep this up?" She asked the large pegasus knight standing next to her, her superior officer and temporary leader of the temple. Master Knight Proud Warrior.

The veteran Knight looked at her as she stated the question and after a moment smiled at her. "For a week. Ever since the Draconic Incursion have the unicorns of our Order focused on building up their magical stamina to be able to endure the drain of powering the shield."

Sighing the older knight looked out over the city, frowning as he saw knights and guards fighting in units against the swarming griffins. They could not get to safety as the energy field was not malleable enough to let selective beings through. It had only been lowered twice to let in large numbers of citizens. But each time they had to eave more knights behind to hold back the invaders. "Had we had more of them we might have been able to protect more ground of the city. Sadly though are there only thirty or so unicorn knights active in the temple at this moment. So this is all we can cover for now."

The recruit then looked up as she heard something in the distance. It sounded like drums... and intense sharp... strings? "...Do you also hear that sir?"

Her teacher nodded, looking towards the city gates were the sound was coming from. "You noticed it as well Private Dining Bell?"

She nodded, walking over to the edge of the roof, trying to see through the purple energy field to spot what was happening at the city gates. "Yes sir. It sounds like some kind of music. But I've never heard anything like it..."

Proud Warrior walked over and patted her on the back, gently as to not make her stumble. And explained what it was they were hearing. "I have. It's a form Heart Song Music that often times is heard during large battles or intense fights. Most youngsters call it 'The Thunder Song' as the combination of drums and those strange intense piercing string sounds makes many think of storms."

Their conversation was broken as the doorway to the roof was opened, and the elderly High Priestess of the Old Religion walked out onto the surface of the roof. Her eyes closed, and her lips moving in strange eerie chants as she walks towards the Shield Cone.

"W-wait!" Private Dining Bell tried to warn the elderly High Priestess of what she was approaching.

But the Priestess was either not able to hear her or ignoring her as she kept walking until she stood before the Shield Cone. The elderly mare knelt down before the artifact, the unicorns unable to focus their attention on her as they were busy fueling the artifact.

That's when she clasped her hooves in prayed and began to pray. An eerie feeling began to fill the air as a beam of sunlight found its way over the rooftop, its bright golden light not even discolored by the force field. The light grew in intensity and then, slowly, the Priestess reached out, and put a hoof against the artifact.

All five unicorns suddenly let out yelps as there was a sudden rush of power and they were tossed away from the Shield Cone. Their stumbling and dizzy shapes laying around on the roof, trying to figure out what the buck just happened.

Both Proud Warrior and Dining Bell stared in shock as they witnessed the elderly priestess fuel the Shield Cone. With the power of a miracle of the gods.

Dining Bell slowly looked towards Proud warrior, murmuring in a slightly shaken voice. "Did... did she just?"

The Master Knight nodded and stated his honest opinion about the Priestess. "Yup. That High Priestess is a real nutter."

Dining Bell turned her gaze back at the Priestess, seeing the bright sunlight and the power flowing through the frail looking old mare and into the artifact. "But... it's working isn't it?"

Proud nodded again and rubbed his chin. "Yeah but it's still crazy to do something like that and not expect to die from it. Seeing how she is not a unicorn, and not even trained in how to use magic like the horses. It's not a bad thing to put your faith with the gods, but putting your life on the line in doing so is another thing entirely."

"Oh..." Dining Bell muttered as she kept looking at the elderly mare. Wondering for a bit if that's what her mother meant about 'faith and belief has a power of its own', she did not think it was meant to be so literal.

The large gatehouse of Canterlot was being besieged from all angles. Ever since the soldiers stationed at the gates had managed to sound of the distress signal had the griffins focused a major part of their forces to break the gates.

Thus the situation was very dire for the defenders as they had to bunker down in the gatehouse to the best of their abilities.

One of the town guards grunted as a group of griffin warriors tackled the door while he and his fellow guard pushed against it. They and eight others were the only ones in the gatehouse and they were desperately keeping the doors and hatches down. They had even blocked the arrow slits to prevent the griffins from shooting in from the outside.

"Bucking hell these invaders sure are persistent." The pony muttered as he pressed his back against the door as the group of feline bird warriors slammed against it again.

"You can say that again Generic Guard." The pony next to him said as the door was yet again slammed against by the griffins.

"How long until reinforcements arrive?" Another town guard asked as he absentmindedly slammed the pommel of his sword into a talon trying to reach for his throat through a crack in the doorway made by a particularly heavy blow from an axe. There was s heavy crack as the talon's fingers were smashed to bits and a pained screech came out from behind the doorway as the limb retreated.

The town guard with the Captain rank on his armour's pads shrugged as he stabbed his sword through a gap in the door, and was rewarded with a loud scream of pain. "No clue. The armies left yesterday and we managed to give the signal at late morning, near lunch time, so I'd give it at least a day for them to get back. And that's being generous."

"Damn that's not good. What about the Knightly Orders or the Horses? They should be able to give aid right?" Another town guard, this one a mare ,asked whilst she stabbed her spear out through another crack of the door and quickly jerked her weapon back as she felt something try to grab it.

"The Order of the Golden Cross are spread out over the various towns and cities to replace the soldiers taken by the Military for the Crusade. There are still a force of about two hundred knights and a lot of trainees in the city but they are probably protecting the citizens in the Temple of Law." Generic Guard stated with a frown as he felt the griffins strike the doorway with axes again. Apparently not willing to tackle the doorway anymore after having been stabbed by them.

The Sergeant snorted as he walked over to a barrel of water and began to push it up against the doorway to block it further. "Whilst the Sun Knights are busy guarding the castle and the Princess with the Armies, are the Equestrian Order of Chivalry no help. They are about as useful as a parade of peacocks wearing pots and wielding spoons. Most of them apparently bucked off into that 'Temple of Chivalry' of theirs before the invaders had even reached the city."

Generic Guard let out a loud sigh, even as the mare spoke further. Whilst swiftly stabbing and pulling her spear in and out of the various holes of the door. "And the horses no doubt got their hooves full with these invaders. Doubt they'd have invade unless they could handle the Horadrim Kingdom's air forces."

The Sergeant nodded while he moved over to a wounded pony and began to give the unconscious guard some first aid. "No doubt about that. The Equestrian Armies are the closest so they should be the ones to return faster. But it will most likely take around a day or two."

Generic Guard sighed again, before letting out a yelp as a talon slammed out of one of the holes and tried to grab for his face. He instinctively opened his mouth and bit down on the sharp claws. Two off of the talon's bony claws got crushed beneath his molars, and then broke off when his powerful jaw muscles closed down. Blood poured out of the severed appendages, filling his mouth and covering his face as the griffin it belonged to pull it back in a loud screech of pain.

Spitting out the two claws Generic Guard rubbed off the blood from his face while the ponies around him gave him raised eyebrows and he just glared at them. "Oh go buck yourselves! I'd like to see how you'd react when a sharp claw reaches for your muzzle whilst your hooves are occupied!"

There was a short awkward silence, before the ponies started snickering, before laughter filled the gatehouse. The utter absurdity of the situation had made them break out into loud laughter.

"Did they just stop?" The Sergeant asked as he noticed there were no longer any attacks being made against the doors or the roof hatch. Which was odd, he could still hear the griffins talking and moving outside though.

"Yeah, that's quite strange." The mare stated as she carefully looked out through one of the holes and saw the griffins looking around nervously at each other.

Then a rumbling crackle was heard, before a crackling boom of lightning erupted over them. Causing the ponies to hunker down and clutch their ears as a green flash of light erupted outside, sending toxic green light through the cracks and holes in the wooden defences of the gatehouse. Followed by a loud explosion of something detonating.

"What the buck was that!?" Generic Guard asked as he looked at the others in utter horror.

"No fucking idea but it certainly wasn't any of ours, no energy rod makes such a loud boom. Possibly one of the horses sky ships but I doubt it. They do not have any magical lightning farting energy rods that shoot green lightning. And the griffins' shoot blue so it's not theirs." The Sergeant commented as he looked out through the holes alongside the mare, both of them taking note of the panicked expressions on the griffins.

They then heard a strange music fill the air, echoing from a distance away from the gatehouse. And that's when the beating of wings could be heard and the mare and Sergeant both stared with wide eyes and black shapes flew over the walls, and tore the griffins apart by flying by then and tearing chunks out of their bodies. It lasted but a few moments, as more and more black shapes flew over the walls.

"Help has come colts and fillies... Not just sure if it is the kind of help we wanted." The Sergeant commented as he unhatched the door and stepped outside, carefully stepping over the torn off head of a griffin. and looked around along with the other ponies as they walked out of the gatehouse. And they looked towards the city and stared in horrified wonder, as the music playing along painted the carnage and mayhem into a symphony of war.

"...Well shit." Generic Guard muttered absentmindedly as he watched the savage brutality carried out by these newcomers.

"What the pluck is wrong with these ponies!?" A griffin warrior screeched out in anger and bafflement, clutching his bleeding talon, as laughter had broken out from behind the doorway after he had attempted to claw at the defenders. Only to have one of them BITE OFF TWO OF HIS CLAWS! And now those equines were laughing their butts off!?

"I have no freaking clue private. This invasion has not progressed as intended and Admiral Thalon is not in the best mood, since he has failed to breach any of the ponies' military strongholds." A plate mail dressed officer stated as he leaned against the pommel of his large long handled sword whilst watching the progress of his troops trying to breach the gatehouse.

The griffins on the city walls were desperately trying to open up the gatehouse, heck they were trying to break down all of the towers and bastions of the city. But the thick doors and stone walls made it very difficult. Their invasion had been progressing excellently for the first two hours of their attack. The ponies had been fled for the various defences of the city, and the griffins had broken down the majority of their defences, breaking over half of their siege engines at the first wave of attacks.

They had managed to capture about three hundred young looking ponies, of which fifty were foals, during the initial assault, of which around two hundred had been put on airships. But when the ponies hunkered down it became more difficult to get to them then a griffin chick trying to open a five pound clam.

The place called Temple of Law was surrounded by a powerful magical barrier that made it impossible for any of the griffins or their air ships to breach. And the powerful magic wielding unicorns defending the magical academy and the central keep of the city were no joke either. Not to mention the crazy weapons of the main factory of the ponies were either extremely deadly and volatile or down right crazy and humiliating.

Getting killed by a cannon firing acid like fire was one thing. But getting killed by a rapid fire conjuration weapon that fired fifty pound pies and cakes? Now that's a completely different thing entirely.

From what they knew had the troops of their invasion force not even managed to grab any more young looking ponies. The ponies were very protective of their young. Something many of the griffins respected, but it would mean less safety for their own chicks and eggs. So the situation was not one any of the griffin warriors were enjoying, and desperation was building up.

One of the griffin reared back his axe for another swing at the door when a spear burst out of one of the holes and pierced through his throat, the griffin fell limp, clutching at the spear had piercing his neck, before falling limp to the ground as the spear was jerked out of his body and back behind the door.

"They're fiercer then I'd imagined" The Captain muttered as he stood there, absentmindedly kicking aside one of the corpses of the pony defenders they had killed on the walls.

"Captain! I see a strange black cloud approaching from the west!" A griffin, standing on top of the gatehouse, shouted out whilst pointing behind him with his right foreleg. And the griffins momentarily stopped their assault on the doorway

"What's so strange about it?" The Captain asked as he stretched his wings before flying up onto the roof of the gatehouse next to the warrior. Pulling out his spyglass as he landed before looking towards the black smog like cloud he could see in the far distance.

"It's moving against the wind. And it doesn't have a proper thickness for anything more then a thin mist. Which is unreasonable for a moving cloud on such heights." The warrior stated whilst nervously looking at this Captain whilst taking side glances towards the eerie black cloud. It was making him feel uneasy.

The captain moved the spyglass up to his eye, just as a bright green flash of lightning arched out of the cloud. And he muttered to himself. "What the-"

A loud crackling boom erupted as a flash of green lightning flew out and struck one of the air ships above the city, causing it to explode. But this was a new kind of explosion. It was not blue, no it was a mixture of green and blue. The ship fell with a loud crash against the grassy fields outside of the city, collapsing into a burning husk of blackened ash and green fire.

The captain barely had time to blink as he saw that the 'cloud' had somehow closed the distance between it and the city by an almost impossible speed. And as he looked through his spyglass he quickly pulled out his talisman, a square shaped mirror attached to a thick silver chain hanging around his neck, and spoke into it. The words he spoke caused his voice to deepen, echo and vibrate, as if he was speaking something he should not be able to, or should not do, period. "Etlay Ymay Oicevay Aveltray Oughthray"

The mirror shone as its surface became a quivering surface, almost like liquid silver or silver painted water. An angry male voice spoke out of the mirror, causing its surface to ripple as as the words were carried out through its surface. "This is Admiral Thalon speaking. I hope this is important, because I have just managed to breach the palace of the city and I am not to be disturbed whilst I make them surrender."

"Admiral! This is Captain Geo of the Twelfth Skyblade Unit! We have incomAAAurguhhhrghl..." His words turned into a gargle as a sharpened hoof slammed into his face and tore off the lower half of his beak and his entire throat. He clutched at his face with his free talon as blood began to spray out over the stone. Before a massive claw lashed out at him, and tore his body to shreds. Leaving the chunks on the roof of the gatehouse.

This scene repeated itself all over the city wall as the swarm of black creatures tore through the griffins with claws, hooves, teeth and tail. Leaving their bodies as bloody chunks on the stonework.

Even as the swarm flew over the city walls was the sparkling mirror still clutched in the severed talon of Geo. And the Admiral's voice was furiously shouting through it. "Captain! Answer! What is going on out there! Captain Geo! Answer! Plucking hell! Get words out to the other units and the airships! I want a report of what is going on immediately!"

There was a few seconds before the voice spoke out again, this time even more angry. "What do you mean my talisman cannot contact the fleet!? Why would Captain Geo's talisman have to be turned off for mine to be able to make another connection!? Why can't I turn off mine to end the connection!? Who came up with this stupid design!?"

Maleficus frowned as they approached Canterlot. He could see the city walls covered with flocks of griffin warriors trying to tear down the defences of the city. Up in the sky he could see the close to a hundred strong airships flying over the city, some shooting lightning at defences. Whilst others were dropping jars of some kind of flammable substance at locations through out the city.

He looked towards his latest creation. Upon a large throne shaped saddle of black iron sad a horse, not a Thestral, armed with plate armour, head covered by an ominous looking helm. The armour was decorated with a tabard bearing Maleficus' cutie mark on the front and back. Along with a mantle stretching over his shoulder pas, over the horse's back. In his left hoof he was holding the reigns of the Wyvern. In his right he was holding the weapon Maleficus had come to call the 'Crescent Moon Spear' it was based upon the design of the chinese polearm Qinglong Ji.

The Qinglong Ji is a Song dynasty spear with a crescent blade on the side. Think a sickle blade attached to the base of a spear head by two small metal rods. With the sickle blade having the outward curved edge not being the sharp end but the inward edge being the sharpened one instead.

What was it that made these ones different? The spear head was much longer, making it about half a meter long, with the crescent blade attached directly to the base of the spear and being around three fourths a meter in length, accounting for its curve. The spearhead and crescent blade were both made out of Moon Glass, and attached to a socket in the three meter long spiral/drill shaped shaft of the weapon.

This made it a dangerous weapon for many reasons other then the fact that moon glass was not just hard and dense but sharp as obsidian as well. No. What made the weapon dangerous was one particular aspect.

Moon Glass made for excellent magical conduits and Maleficus had attached, at the pommel of the weapons, a single sphere of moon glass containing the same toxic green fire he was so ominously famous for. And with a magic wielding pony or horse wielding this weapon, the results were rather impressive.

Sensing their creator's dramatic moment began several horses, riding on platforms on wyverns, to pull out instruments, and began to play music. Maleficus was not sure why it had become a thing but he was certain he was being influenced by the musical nature of the ponies. Not that he minded, the music was great. He pointed a hoof at the Dark Rider, as he had come to call them, and gave the order. "Fire at the closest air ship! It's time to-"

His words were interrupted as the Dark Rider flew forward, aimed his polearm at the closest air ship. and channeled his magic through the weapon, green lightning arced from the gem of moon glass in the pommel and up to the blades at the tip. The once dull white moon glass began to glow green and sparks of green lightning began to travel across its length. Some sparks were even arcing between the tip and sharpened edges of the crescent blade. And then with a thrust forward, a bright toxic green lighting bolt flew forth and slammed into an air ship just outside of the city.

Ignoring the awesome blue and green explosion Maleficus glared at the Dark Rider who was totally not snickering beneath his awesome looking helmet. "Could you not interrupt me when I am talking? It's very rude."

"Sorry Creator but if you had kept talking they would no longer have been caught off guard. Kind of wasting time and opportunity there." Was the totally not snarky response from his creation.

Sighing the alicorn just shook his head before pointing his hoof towards the city. And shouted out. "Start the attack! Clear out the griffins and remove those ships from the city before they can hurt anyone! other then that! Rip them to apart!"

A his forces howled out in glee they let out a burst of speed that made them beeline towards the city. And Maleficus crossed his forelegs and stood there on top of the black wyvern's back as his forces reached the city walls.

The music resounded over the city. Its powerful beat and speed making the very air and ground vibrate. The clouds above the city began to darken and twist, as if fueled by the dark beings streaking over the city walls and into the city itself.

And as they crossed over the large market square right above the statue of Golden Cross, the flying horde split up like swarm of locusts. And they struck out at the griffins like a torrent of murder. Their voices singing out as a choir as they began their assault.

The first strike came at a nearby shelter, where griffins were slamming a support beam as an improvised battering ram against the solid wood doors. A few ponies who had been taken capture at the initial attack of the city were tied up in groups nearby, several griffins keeping watch them.

One of the ponies, a pegasus mare, looked up as the music resounded across the city. And her eyes widened at the sight of snarling bat winged horses flying down like demons out of Tartarus. Their voices singing out like a sick crescendo of promising murder as they flew down from the darkening skies.

She screamed. And the griffins barely had time to look up as the Thestrals struck.

The leader of the pack slammed down like a wild beast upon the griffins wielding the battering ram, its massive bulk and plated armour making it especially dangerous to the feline birds. His forelegs slammed into the battering ram, pushing the griffins holding it on the opposite side to the ground, as he pushed down his entire weight onto the wooden beam down on top of them. There was a set of loud sickening crunches and screams of pain as the griffins beneath the wooden beam had several of their bones broken.

One thestral screamed out a vermin like screech as it tackled down two griffins, its hooves crushing their heads. It then leaped off its kills and opened its jaws and made a lunging bite attack at another griffin. Its powerful jaws and sharp fangs pierced the griffin's chain mail and with a toss of its powerful neck muscles the thestral tore off the griffin's left foreleg. It then slammed the limb in its jaws into the griffin's head, talons first, knocking it down on the ground before it began to viciously beat the griffin's head in with its own limb.

A group of six thestrals flew at the griffins guarding the pony prisoners. They flailed out with their teeth and hooves at the frantically defending griffins. One griffin had his head torn of when a powerful hoof spammed into his helmet covered face, tearing the skull off the neck in a geyser of blood. Two griffins were brutally tackled to the ground the thestrals biting down on their throats before savagely ripping out heir jugulars. The ten remaining griffins were brutally tramped to death as the thestrals slammed down on them from above and reared their fronts up int the air before slamming down on the griffins, crushing their bodies with their hooves.

The thestrals moved over to the terrified ponies, and used their sharp teeth to bite off the ropes tying them, before letting out screeches before flying away. Leaving the terrified and confused ponies behind.

A lone unicorn filly was running through the street, having been found hiding in an attic, she had been unable to reach a shelter in time. So a group of five griffins were chasing her through the streets. She was getting tired and the griffins were not slowing down. She was cornered in an alley and the five griffins were moving to catch her when suddenly a large black shape slammed down on the griffins from above, crushing one of them.

It then moved its entire body sideways, tackling two of the griffins against a stone wall, using its large bulk to crush them against it, blood erupting from their beaks as their bodies were crushed by the large creature's weight and strength. And it then lashed out with its left hind leg, and brutally slammed its hoof against the griffins' heads, there were two loud resounding cracks as their heads were bent at an unnatural angle.

As the carnage ended the being stood up from the dead bird creatures and looked at the filly, who could now see what it was. The filly could only stare in shock as the large bat winged black furred horse dressed in dark iron plate who had saved her gave her a wink before flying out of the alley. A once clear grey, almost white, cobblestone pavement now painted red with the dead griffins' blood.

"Get away from here! Report to the Admiral! Hurry!" A griffin captain screamed as a swarm of bat winged horses suddenly swarmed his ship and began to tear apart his crew like wild beasts. Said captain was holding back one of the large ferocious creatures with his saber, gritting his beak as the creature's teeth were strong enough to hold against his sharp saber. The griffin he was speaking to was the only crew member left who wasn't fighting.

The choir of the demon like equines echoed through out the skies as the lone griffin fled the ship, watching in horror as around him he could see griffin warriors being torn apart by the Thestrals. He saw two thestrals slam into a griffin from opposite sides, crushing his head between their forelegs. Two griffins wielding crossbows shoot at one of the thestrals, their bolts piercing its skull. But even at death's doors it still managed to tackle them both and held onto them even once its life was gone, making them fall hundreds of meters down towards the city.

He could see a massive black dragon, without any forelegs, only wings and hind legs, grab onto the balloons of one of the air ships, and physically drag it out of the city proper before piercing the balloon and letting go. The ship plummeted to the ground as the gas within left quicker then it was being filled. And an explosion of blue fire erupted against the mountain side. Thestrals were swarming most of the ships, slaughtering the crews, their black shapes looking like massive demon bats whilst they were tearing and crushing the opposing griffins.

Another dragon, this one smaller, swung its tail and pierced through one of the ships, tearing out the bottom, causing wood and stone that acted as counter weights to fall, and the ship began to rise upwards rapidly towards the upper atmosphere. He saw one of his fellow warriors being torn into pieces by a ground of thestrals tearing at his flesh with their teeth, literally eating him alive int he middle of the air. The young griffin had to bite down as to not throw up at the sight of the griffin having his entrails dragged out by the fanged horses to be feasted upon.

It was utter carnage and savagery, unlike anything he had ever seen. And yet he witnessed these demon horses take captured ponies out of the air ships and fly down with them towards the city. What was their angle, they were clearly not part of the horses and yet they were helping the ponies?

His trail of thoughts ended when a massive jaw appeared in front of him. The young griffin barely had time to scream as a torrent of toxic acid gushed out of the wyvern's mouth and melted him into goo before his remains could even splattered across the pavement.

A group of griffins were scrambling through the city streets, trying to regroup after their unit had been scattered by the rain of griffin corpses. The bat winged ponies were chasing them like the hounds of hell, their snapping teeth and trampling hooves trailing after them through the streets. They saw another group of griffins approaching from another street, and their hopes got raised as they would be a bigger unit soon and could properly repel these attackers.

Their hopes were crushed, like their bodies, when a pair of massive three toed claws slammed down on them and the other unit as they reached the center of the crossroad. The weight, mass and momentum crushing their bodies and gear into paste against the pavement. Blood gushed out from beneath and between the large claws, before the wyvern that had just crushed the unit flew away. Its large claws trailing and dripping blood and gore all over the roofs and streets beneath it.

A lone town guard was looking out from one of the arrow slits in the top floor of one of the city's bastions. It was a young mare barely past her teenage years, a new recruit to the town guards. Most of the other guards were either up on the roof trying to repair the broken siege engines with the griffins now distracted. Or down comforting the distraught citizens. But not her. She was looking to witness the savagery of these newcomers, as they gleefully ripped apart the being who had been attacking her home.

She watched as a massive bat winged horse stallion flew through the air, his massive frame and wings tackling against a group of five griffins who were trying to take down the beast like equine with a wedge like charge. The larger creature's sheer mass and speed broke their formation and bodies, scattering them to the winds as it slammed through their formation. All five of the griffins could do nothing but scream in fear and pain before they crashed down into the square outside of the bastion, each of their broken bodies painting a red splatter pattern across the pavement.

She saw one of the air ships being overrun by the bat winged equines. Through her slip of sight she could see what could only be pieces and bodies of griffins were thrown off the ship in the conflict. She saw as some of them landed upon some of the metal fences and spires across the city, getting skewered upon them. The air ship itself would soon lose altitude and descend outside of the city, and once it was out of site past the houses and the city walls, the swarm that had been tearing apart the crew would fly up and return to the fray against the griffins.

One of the bat winged beings suddenly flew down and tackled a griffin fleeing on the street. She looked as the creature screeched at the toppled griffin, making it scream out in utter terror, before silencing by crushing its head with its powerful jaws. The creature glanced at her, still chewing its mouthful of brain and bone matter. Before it turned away and began to run into the streets, off to seek another prey.

She closed her eyes and shuddered, though the sight was disturbing and terrifying. Could she not help but feel both a sense of gratitude and comfort. Knowing that the things that had attacked her home and nearly taken her little sister and her recently born nephew, were gone.

Meanwhile up in the skies were a group of griffin air ships firing their cannons at some of the wyverns. Bursts of lightning flew at the large draconian beings, before suddenly the horses riding them pointed their strange weapons forward. and the lightning suddenly jerked into the polearms, getting absorbed by the crescent shaped blades of the strange weapons.

The griffin crews stared in horror as the wycern riders managed to absorb the attacks of their greatest weapons. But then one of them saw something that made him pale, green lightning was arcing across the tips of the strange polearms. And from what he could see, they were aiming at the ships. Thus he screamed out at his fellow griffins. "Abandon ship! They are going to -"

But his words ended as green lightning struck the ship and an explosion of green and blue fire erased the griffins from existence. The wrecks of the burning air ships began to tumble downwards towards the city. When suddenly the dark riders flew straight at the falling wrecks of green fire. The massive wyverns grabbed hold of the burning wrecks, their flesh sizzling from the flames. Before starting to drag them out of the city.

And as they did , something strange happened with the burning wrecks. The green flames began to swirl and rise like a reversed maelstrom. Getting sucked into the glass like bladed end of the riders' polearms. Steadily absorbing the dangerous fire, until all of the wrecks were only smoldering husks no longer burning. The wyverns then let go of the wrecks and let them tumble down the mountain side, scattering into fragments against the rock and stone.

Thestrals were running through the streets like black reapers, chasing down any griffins upon the ground like packs of bloodhounds. From above they would look like swarms of black vermin. They trampled down the streets, crushing griffins beneath the hooves, tearing and ripping into the broken bodies. Essentially painting the cobblestone red with the blood and innards of the griffins. They moved like a black wave towards the inner parts of the city.

In the skies the griffins were scrambling to fight off the Thestrals. but their swarming tactics and brutal savagery was nothing like they had ever faced. As the thestrals would streak through their ranks their hooves would break bones whilst their jaws would tear out flesh or even grab hold and grab one of the griffins to tear apart. Bodies of griffins were raining down over the city, most splattering across roof or road, but some would get impaled upon many of the spires, flagpoles and fences across the city.

A griffin was screaming as his gut was being ripped open by a group of five thestrals, their jaws tearing and ripping through his innards whilst holding his still living body down on the ground with their hooves. High above in the skies was another griffin trying to shoot down a thestral, only for another to tackle him from behind, its hooves shattering his lower spine. Before the one eh was about to shoot slammed its hooves into his head, crushing his skull. Afterwards was his corpse being dangled in the air as the pair of thestrals tore into his broken head and began to eat out his inner parts from the neck down like a pair of ravenous wolves.

One of the wyverns streaked down through the air, dark grey streams of sludge like acidic poison spewing out from its jaws over one of the air ships. Even as the crew screamed out in agony whilst their bodies began to melt, the wyvern lashed out with its tail and warped it around the rudder of the air ship. It dragged the slowly melting structure after it, using its powerful wings and tail to drag the slowly collapsing vehicle towards the city walls. As the metal plates of the balloon ruptured, the wyvern made a turn and let go of the ship. The ship soared out past the city walls before crashing, the volatile gas erupting into blue flames as it impacted the ground.

A griffin squad scattered as a wyvern flew through them. One of them tried to fly over the head but was impaled upon the polearm of the beast's rider. The sharp moon glass spear tip piercing through the griffin's neck and out the lower spine. But the black rider just raised his polearm and the corpse hanging on the spear blade was sliced open as it was jerked upwards through the corpse. The wyvern opened its jaws and let out a cloud of dark bluish and green gas, a few griffins were unable to evade the toxic vapors and fell downwards as their bodies went into powerful seizures whilst green foam like sludge filled their throats.

A single griffin looked over his shoulder as he tried to fly away from a particularly nasty thestral that was chasing him. He was too focused on evading it however and was thus unable to dodge as his neck impacted a swung hoof from another thestral. The neck of the griffin was broken and the thestral gripped the corpses, before slamming its free hoof into the stomach and tore out its intestines and stomach, taking a bite out of the bloody mess of organs. Before throwing the corpse away, letting it plummet down before its inevitable impact on the city streets.

The swarm of wyverns and thestrals suddenly flew to the left and right, as if parting aside for something. They spread out and left griffins and air ships in a state of utter confusion as the beasts they had been fighting just up and left them. One of the captains raised a spy glass to try and spot what had caused the behavior. and what he saw made his blacks feathers become almost light gray.

Through his spyglass he saw a massive wyvern, the largest of the lot. And upon it stood a tall horse sized winged equine. Dressed in black armour, with black mane, black pelt and black tail. Wings like a crow. Eyes of red. and a horn that looked like it belonged to a scorpion. It was a pony, or horse probably from the size, like the infamous Princess of Equestria. The griffins had not considered the information about a second alicorn possible, their artificers even before the coup doubting such a possibility. They had thought the Princess the last of her kind, a specific type of pony born of a specific bloodline, now gone and dead with her as the last.

But this new arrival proved those theories wrong. And it made the griffin feel extremely uneasy, as he came to realize that if there were two alicorns active. There was no reason to dismiss the possibility that there could be more. He turned towards his crew and screamed out to them. "Alicorn! We have an Alicorn incoming! Move up into the clouds and prepare to retreat! Send words to all officers! Several messengers needs to be sent to Admiral Thalon! We need to get out of here! We are not prepared!"

Then the alicorn, started singing.

Spreading his forelegs wide as he stood upright on his hind legs Maleficus sang out to the city of Equestria, as the clouds above the city was rumbling with thunder whilst small sparks of green lightning could be seen arcing over their dark grey surfaces. The massive wyvern flew forward at a casual speed, not even caring about the griffins aiming their lightning cannons towards it whilst they began to gain altitude.

Maleficus just kept singing. The black clouds resounding with his voice. His black mane and tail were swaying an being blow around by the powerful winds which were starting to build up. Crimson sparks of mana could be see arcing over his horn and through out his entire body now as he was getting closer. And as his wyvern flew forward he was soon straight below the fleet of fifty or something airships and their troops.

He suddenly reared back and shouted out this part of the song, before slamming his hooves together with incredible force. There was a loud resounding clang, something one might hear from a bell of a temple. And as the sound resounded across Canterlot, the colouds rumbling grew louder and loud and green lightning was now arcing across them constantly. Making the griffins who had been trying to fly up through them wonder if they hadn't made a grave mistake.

Waving his right foreleg upwards he held his left against his side, his head lowered, as he sang. As if trying to grip the skies themselves with his bare hoof alone. And frighteningly enough, the skies answered his gesture, green lightning gathering in several focal points above the air ships. Creating spheres of volatile looking toxic green lightning.

With a downward gesture he brought his hoof down, as if to throw something to the ground. And a loud crackling boom erupted from the skies, and the griffins had just the barest of moments to either scream, pray or close their eyes. Before a torrent of lightning burst down upon them and their ships. The explosions that followed coloured the now blackened skies with green and blue fire as more then two thirds of the griffins' remaining air ships and forces were destroyed.

Thestrals swarmed outside of the cascade of lightning and fire. Their voices singing out like a choir to the destruction that their creator had wrought. And as they flew around the falling debris and destruction, was the already fast moving winds picking up and the clouds above seemed to be spiraling, into a twister like formation. Maleficus pointed his right foreleg upwards and spun it around, and then he brought it down. And a powerful gale filled the skies, griffins, ponies and thestrals alike had to descend rapidly or be flung around like toys.

A massive tornado bellowed down from the black clouds and the burning wrecks an several hundreds of alive or dead griffins were sucked into its mass, causing the entire thing to burst out into green fire. Maleficus raised his hoof and the tornado was sucked upwards into the clouds. He brought the hoof up to his face and tensed his muscles, and up in the blackened skies a bright green light erupted, followed by a muffled boom. There was no more lightning, instead, rain began to fall down. Rain, thick as tar, and blackish red.

Maleficus rode his wyvern over the city as the griffins and ponies alike shuddered at his presence. His voice rang out across the rooftops. But there were those among both ponies and griffins, who could not find a better opportunity, to take down the alicorn.

A single air ship manned by a crew of thirty flew bravely out of the thestral swarm and evade the wyverns. Its captain pointed a sword at the massive wyvern whilst shouting out commands. "Aim for that freak on the dragon's neck! That pony must be exhausted from such a powerful spell! He is wide open! As long as we take him out we are victorious!"

The crew cheered but their cheer grew dim as the voice of Maleficus rang out. But even as they turned around and looked towards the figure on the large strange dragon, they were holding onto the hope that the alicorn did not have the power to call forth magic. That piece of hope was shredded when Maleficus conjured a blue sphere into the air and launched it at them.

There was a bright blue flash of light, and a crumbling of thick ice rubbing against another layer of thick ice. As the massive air ship was engulfed by a five meter thick layer of ice and frost. The entire thing then started to plummet towards the ground and with a loud crack struck the pavement of the central square of the city. Fissures and cracks had taken shape in the cobblestone, but the ice covering the ship had not even been chipped.

A group of pegasus warriors flew upwards and tried to bull rush the alicorn. But a powerful gale of wind pushed them down and made them struggle to fly upwards. They only ended up exhausted and were forced to watch as the alicorn just rode by on his wyvern. Even as projectiles of wood, metal or magic from the remaining siege engines in the city flew up at his mount, only for powerful winds or blasts of magic to deflect them harmlessly.

Thirty griffins flew over the alicorn and shoot crossbows at him, trying to kill him from a safe distance. Malefcisu raised his left foreleg and a spiral appeared in the surface of clouds above the griffins, emitting a powerful suction force like a vaccum. The brave but foolish warriors were sucked up into the clouds, clutching their throats a the air around them became too thin to breath. A few seconds later they fell out of the cloud, their corpses breaking upon the stairs before the Temple of Law.

Griffins and ponies alike tried to bring him down. Solo, groups, siege engines, and magic. All attempts were made. The griffins bodies would rain down, slamming into streets, roofs or stairs. Or getting impaled upon fences, spires, flag poles or lamp posts. Whilst the ponies were only held at bay, never getting as much as a bruise from the gentle repose of the alicorn's magical deflection of their attacks. Whilst to the griffins he was down right ruthless.

Maleficus began to walk forward. His mount flew lower, its nose aimed downwards. And as he reached the forehead he mage five rapid steps until he reached the nostril. Before leaping off the wyvern with a flip. Falling with his hindlegs first towards the circle shaped oil painted glass window of the royal palace's central keep. Outside of the keep one could see an air ship that had landed in the courtyard, with troops fighting on the ground and on the walls and towers.

A large crowd of ponies gathered within the central keep were worried. Or rather, down right terrified. The central keep had been taken by the griffins. And even though most of the ponies had gotten into the secure spots beneath the keep had many been left in the throne room. But the griffins had somehow managed to breach the defences of the keep and were now trying to force the few nobles in the crowd to surrender the city to them.

Or they had intended to do so, but then a strange and sinister message was heard from a medallion and everything had just turned into a tense state of inactivity. The apparent leader of the Griffins was a large white feathered and golden pelted griffin bearing plate mail. He was currently sitting on the throne of Celestia. He was arguing with his other officers about the situation outside.

"I don't care if the battle is still not over with! I want someone to get me another talisman so we can contact the other fleets! The ponies will not risk these hostages, their Princess is unwilling to risk civilian lives and will thus not attempt anything to us as long as we control this castle!" But the ponies in the room knew that while Celestia was a kind ruler and one who would not risk the safety of her people at times of crisis. Were they certain she would be a far too bad mood to let the griffins just send out troops of the keep to obtain magical items to use against her nation.

That's when one of the griffins came running in from the main hallway, gasping for breath as he was limping, his left hind leg clearly broken from the bone one could see sticking out from the lower part. The griffin stopped in front of the admiral, gasping loudly as he gave his report, clutching his breast whilst doing so. "Admiral! Ah! An alicorn has arrived! Ugh... It's not Princess Celestia! Huuee. It's someone else. They've brought an army of pony like beasts and strange dragons and are currently tearing apart our forces! Huuu..."

"What!? There were no words about Equstria having a second alicorn! Who are they!? Where did they come from!?" The Admiral's voice rang out through the throne room and the ponies all looked at each other with nervous and pale faces. If it was the alicorn they thought it was, then the situation had gone from bad to worse.

The Admiral glared at his hostages and stood up from the throne and was about to scream at the murmuring crowd of ponies to be quiet. When the oil painted glass window of a sun exploded into a shower of colourful shards as the black shape of Maleficus flew through the window. He landed with a loud clang, his body bent forward in a kneeling pose, in the middle of the startled crowd of ponies. And his voice rang out across the room as the music from outside filled the throne room.

He stood up from his landing, the ponies all scattered from him. Some screaming in fear. He calmly strode forward, whilst from the window above emerged the black shapes of his thestrals. Their large black armoured and pelted shapes were crawling through the large window and over the walls and ceiling like swarm of giant rats and bats.

As he walked forward he pulled out his flail and let the heavy metal head of the chain weapon impact the ground of the throne room, the marble cracking from the impact. The griffin admiral glared at the so called 'alicorn' who was jeopardizing not just his take over of the Equestrian Capital but also the entire war effort! It was crucial to claim Canterlot and hold it against the ponies to keep the raids efficient! he would not have this fake alicorn mess up his highness' plans! He pointed a talon at the invader and cried out to his nervous troops of fifty strong. "Kill that intruder! It's obvious he is just a pegasus wearing a fake horn! Either that or he is some kind of mutated freak like those things following him! Take him out and they will scatter!"

Maleficus gave a side way glance towards the terrified ponies and just gave them a small smile, though none of them took that as a positive thing. He kept singing as he began to walk towards the nervous soldiers, dragging his flail on the floor. The sound of the heavy and sharp metal implement of death scraping against the smooth marble floor made everyone within the room shiver.None of the griffins dared to make the first move, the tide of monster crawling over the ceiling and walls making them less then eager to confront the so called 'fake' alicorn.

Maleficus walked to the front steps that lead up to the throne where the griffins were gathering. Most of them had been on the alcoves and balconies on the walls of the throne room. But they were unwilling to contest the thestrals' claim on the high vantage points and thus regrouped with their admiral, who looked more and more furious with them all as things progressed. He shouts out orders whilst pointing at Maleficus, who was standing just a bit more then ten meters away from them. "Just shoot him already you cowards!"

The griffins drew their crossbows, and formed up into a firing line of five groups of ten crossbow armed griffins. The first line were kneeling. While the second line were standing on all four, using those knelt forward as support for their crossbows. And the third line were all standing up right, aiming over the other two lines. Whilst the remaining two lines were acting as reserves and support, ready to receive unloaded crossbows, give loaded ones to the front lines, reload those they had been given, wait for the next set of unloaded crossbows, and then repeat the process. It was formation the griffins had developed to use not only on the ground but in air a well. But they felt less then secure as they took aim at the alicorn as he kept singing. With the thestrals being him singing out in the background, waving their heads side to side in tact with the music.

The horrifying choir of the thestrals singing out in the background was not helping the griffins, nor the ponies , to keep calm. Several ponies scrambled away to try and keep away from the horrifying creatures. More then a few griffins were shaking and shivering as they clutched their weapons. Some of the ponies were moving slightly aside, unwilling to stand directly behind Maleficus as griffins armed with crossbows were getting ready to shoot at him. Not to mention some of them felt a bit awkward as some spots on the white marble floor and received some gross yellow stains

Maleficus stepped up the first step, his voice ringing out. A wicked grin spreading across his muzzle as he got closer and closer to the griffins, now only eight meters away. The griffins were all shaking and shivering, as is a chilling cold was racking across their spines. Some of them were close to collapsing, almost breaking down into a hysterical panic as the alicorn got even closer.

"Fire already! Or do you want to risk the King's wrath upon you!? For I am more then willing to report you all for this if you do not do you duty!" At those words the griffins just closed their eyes and pulled the triggers. Had anyone been looking they might have noticed how Maleficus' smirk twist into a snarl for an instance. Said alicorn spread his wings wide and there was a loud sound of several strings being pulled and projectiles flying through the air. The griffins opened their eyes and almost fell over in shock a Maleficus stood before them, his wings, throat, head and neck skewered by more then thirty bolts. The rest scattered across the floor as they failed to penetrate his armory or get past his large bulk.

Admiral Thalon smirked and was about to speak out of his victory. When the standing 'corpse', started laughing. Whilst the bolts penetrating its flesh were pushed out bit by bit until there was only blood covered crossbow bolts on the floor marking that the alicorn had been injured in the first place.

Suddenly it felt as if time itself began to slow down. And Maleficus' voice ran out through the room. As he in slow motion reared up his flail, and swung it towards the panicking griffin soldiers.

The metal head of the chain weapon slammed into the left side of the first soldier on the first line, there was sickening crunch and crumble as the flail rendered his armour pointless as it shattered and pulverized his insides. The griffin's body bent in half, before being pushed into the rest of the first line of troops. all of them being swept off the stairs and slammed into a distance marble wall in one strike.

Maleficus swung around for a second strike, this time aiming for the first soldier on the second row of troops. The flail's heavy metal head slammed into the head of the first griffin. His head seemingly sagged into itself from the impact, before bursting apart like a rotten tomato. And then the flail head repeated this scene on all ten soldiers, their headless bodies were scattered across the floor from the force of the impacts.

Maleficus drew back the flail an slammed it forward, it slammed straight down the center lines of the griffin troops. Splitting apart the bodies of the unfortunate soldiers standing in the center of the formation. The fail embedded itself into the marble floor a few inches in front of the solar court throne, shattering the floor between the legs of a now nervous looking Admiral Thalon.

and then time resumed its original speed and Maleicus burst forward. The griffins had no time to escape as the large alicorn reached them in four rapid steps before his right hoof slammed into the side of the troop on the left side of the now cleaved center. The soldier's body flew like a rag doll into the other troops on the left side, the force of the corpse hitting them enough to send them flying into a stone pillar and crack its surface.

He reared back his left hind leg and kicked int the soldier behind him, the hoof burst through the center of the griffin's body and splattered blood all over the griffins behind him. Maleficus raised his leg and slammed own the corpse onto the marble floor, cracking the stone whilst splitting the corpse in two, to get his hoof free. Splattering even more blood over the gathered griffin troops.

Spreading his forelegs as if to present a master piece Maleficus then slammed his hooves together, crushing the heads of three griffin between them. By now the remaining griffins had broken formation and were all fleeing in terror, screaming and bird screeching whilst scrambling for the doors leading to the garden.

Maleficus, blood covering most of his legs, chest and head, turned to glare at the sole remaining griffin. Admiral Thalon drew his blade and pointed at the alicorn before shouting out a battle cry. "For Gryphon! For King Craver!"

The griffin charged, Maleficus ducked to the side. Thalon pulled out a strange glowing blue object of some kind and was about to chuck it at him, when Maleficus kicked him in the left rear leg. Breaking it.

The admiral grit his beak but did not falter, instead he held up the object and a bright blue flare of light filled the throne room, all ponies within the room felt as if their had suddenly grown weaker, some of them even fainting. A triumphant look appeared on his face as he managed to activate the artifact, only for his triumphant look to falter when an iron coloured hoof reached forth and gripped hold of the talon holding the artifact. "Impossible! You should not be able to resist the Tears of Sorrow! What are you!?"

There was a loud crack and the blue light disappeared as the artifact, as well as the talon holding it. Were crushed into a single mangled mass of flesh and what looked like crystal. Admiral Thalon did not cry out and just tried stab the alicorn again.

Maleficus dodged. and he slammed his right foreleg's hoof into the handle of the admiral's saber. The weapon was sent flying onto the floor with a loud clatter.

The alicorn then punched the griffin leader's gut. Making him bend over.

He then slammed an iron covered foreleg into his face, making his head bend upwards. A loud resounding crack erupte across the room and shards of what had once been a beak flew across the chamber.

A powerful hoof reach up and grabbed hold of him by the throat and lifted him up above the ground. The admiral was barely conscious, blood gurgling out of the hole where his beak had once been located.

Maleficus then slammed him onto the floor, once, twice. and then he reared the limp body back, intend on throwing him.

And with a final crash the unconscious form of Admiral Thalon struck the sun throne, making it fall over onto the floor. The admiral's unconscious body tumbled like a broken doll, twisted limbs, broken beak, bruised flesh, all of it displayed out on the floor behind the toppled over furniture.

Maleficus then ran forward. He ran straight through the coloured glass window decorating the walls behind the throne, he spread his wings and glided down over the garden of the city. He landed on top of a statue, before kicking off it and was grabbed out of the air by the large wyvern that had carried him into the city.

All over Canterlot the thestrals had finished tearing apart the griffins and as the music began to dwindle. They began to take off, flying after their creator. It was like a swarm of locusts were flying out of the city as a massive cloud, flying up and past the mountain, before disappearing into the black clouds. And once the final thestral and wyvern were out of sight. The clouds began to return to their white colouration, and the music finally played its final note.

High above the cloud layer Maleficus climbed up onto the back of the wyvern and laid down. Mentally exhausted from the last couple of days. He was not tired physically or magically, but he felt drained in soul and mind, having been doing so much without rest was not healthy. Even for an alicorn.

He limply laid down on his back, wings spread out as to keep himself from rolling off his mount. The stallion closed his eyes and just let a deep sigh, resting a hoof over his tired eyes. Ignoring the sensation of blood smearing across his face, even though a low shiver ran down his spine at the sensation. "I really need a proper vacation. One that doesn't involve wars or years of moon based isolation."

Princess Celestia stared in shock at the state of her city. Fires were burning all over the place. The streets were painted red with blood and gore. Several bodies of dead ponies lay scattered across the city, brave defenders who had died doing their duty.

"Get all supportive troops into the city! Spread them out! They need to aid the citizens and soldiers! Gather and treat the wounded! Put out the fires! And somepony get Us somepony who can tell Us what hath happened!" At her words the support forces of the armies moved. The Golden Army moving first as their supportive duties made them ideal for handling the disaster that had struck the capital of Equestria. So the majority of troops moving into the city to aid the disarrayed and wounded would be the Army of Gold.

Celestia stood outside of the city by the remaining troops who were setting up basic camps. Or rather setting up their old camps they had left just a few days ago, most of the basic supplies and marks from their old campsites remained so it was easy to put up their campsite.

A shadow shifted behind a barrel and a pony dressed in black leather armour with blood stained greaves and daggers emerged out of the shadows with a salute. Celestia turned to look at the newcomer, whom she already knew who it was. "Solid Pink reporting Princess Celestia."

Celestia smiled in relief at the words from her friend and adviser and nodded at her. "Thank the gods thou are alright Solid Pink, please tell Us what has happened here?"

Solid Pink gave a stiff nod before she began to recount the incidents that had happened the city only a few hours ago. "A force of one hundred balloon driven air ships, with a force of around one thousand, commanded by a species of eagle and cat hybrids calling themselves Griffins invaded us from above the cloud layers."

"We at first considered them to be agents of the Clucking Church of Chaos, but these creatures do not bear the chaotic taint of Discord's magic. They are another species we have yet to meet before, or at least, we may have once known of them but the information may have been lost in the past." Indeed, much knowledge had been lost in the age of Chaos. So there was little wonder no one knew of the Griffins, since they had barely even known anything about the dragons.

"They appear to have something that lets them disrupt the link between our Communication Orbs. They used this to attack us at our weakest. Taking out defences and attacking our facilities with lightning cannons and some manner of explosives we have yet to decipher. They came here to steal from us, but also, for some no doubt sinister purpose, sought to take all of our foals and young looking ponies prisoner." Celestia winced at that last part but did not interrupt. She needed to hear more.

Solid Pink gingerly took a moment to gather her bearings. As if trying to remember everything properly, before speaking up once more. "After a few hours into the invasion was I and several officers and nobles working together to fight back when the invaders managed to break into the Royal Palace and attempted to force the nobles and civilians within to tell the rest of the city to surrender the city to them."

At that she unwillingly interrupted her adviser with a quivering and slightly strained voice whilst looking towards a burning wreck lying by the moat of the city. "D-did anypony?"

But Solid Pink was quick to put her worries to rest with a shake of her head and a verbal response. "No, no one even considered it an option. "

The relief on Celestia's face was clear as she visibly relaxed and a small smile grew on her lips before she looked towards the city. "Ahhh. Good. Continue please."

"Just as the griffins had taken the royal castle came a force of strange dragons and bat like horses being lead by Maleficus. They tore apart the invaders, even going so far as to take back all the kidnapped foals and ponies to the city, before tearing apart their ships. Maleficus himself shattered more then half of their fleet alone with a massive spell of wind and fire that devoured the ships into nothing." Celestia felt dizzy as her mind tried to figure out why her hated foe would save her ponies. It could not be that he actually mean- She winced as a powerful headache filled he skull and she had to return her focus to Solid Pink's words before it became apparent that she had lost focus.

Thank fully had her adviser taken a moment to catch her breath, which made Celestia realize that her old friend was covered with dirt, ash and blood. She would give her a lot of time to rest after she finished her report. "He then broke into the castle and tore apart the invaders holding the castle hostage. He also near crippled the Admiral of the fleet before leaving the city with his forces. And then you arrived a few hours later."

The report was to the point, blunt and clear. But Celestia noticed something, her adviser was slightly looking to the left, making a slight less then noticeable eye contact with her. And she frowned, Solid Pink was not telling her everything. "Solid. You're hiding something are thou not?"

"..." Solid Pink just remained silent, obviously not comfortable with telling Celestia what she was keeping from her.

Celestia walked to her old friend and pleadingly looked her in the eyes and spoke out in a commanding, if slightly pleading, voice. Whatever horror it would be, she had to know, she was Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria, she could not be kept ignorant of what had occurred this day. "Please Solid. What. Did. He. Do?"

Solid Pink let out a soft sigh before she looked towards the center of the city. "I would not want you to see this Princess. Since I no doubt feel like it will dig up old wounds. But if you truly want to know, then go to the central square and fly up and take a look over the roof tops. But I advise you to not do this, you will regret it."

Before she could even finish her sentence had the Princess taken off flying. She flew over the streets and watched the destruction as she passed by. Puddles of acid, blood painted streets, twisted scenes of gore, broken bodies scattered the ground and burning buildings. And yet all of that paled as she finally reached the central square of the city and flew up to take a look.

She froze at what she saw. And she looked around, as if trying to see if what she was seeing was an illusion, a twisted memory brought to life. But it was real. The white alicorn staggered, clutching her eyes in the air and pressed her front hooves against her face and took rapid calming breaths.

After a few minutes of slowly calming breaths Princess Celestia opened her eyes again and looked at the horrifyingly familiar scene in front of ger. She gently landed on a roof top and looked around, her eyes blank and lifeless, as she relieved painful memories from over a century ago.

"...Thy truly are a monster... Maleficus Victoria... even here... even here... you break corpses and decorate my home with them... even here... Why do you torment Us like this... why... why... whyhyhuhuhuuu..." And Princess Celestia broke down crying on the rooftop, as the skewered and impaled corpses of griffins were displayed across her entire city. Reminding her what happened back at her old home when the Green Star first fell.

Of the hundreds of broken pony corpses, impaled like mocking decorations upon her and her sister's home.

In the chaos of the soldiers moving through the capital. Was a lone pony walking through the throne room, over to the spot where Maleficus had brutally slaughtered the griffins within the room. There, among a clattering mess of crossbow bolts, the lone pony knelt down, and began to use their magic to scrape up the blood on the floor and on the arrows.

With a wicked glint in their eyes the unicorn watched as the blood of Maleficus Victoria flowed off the floor and the crossbow bolts. And pulled out five vials to seal the red liquid within.

The flowing liquid was gathered into the vials, and after they were sealed and tucked away the pony let a small smirk grow on their muzzle. They then turned and walked away, seemingly unnoticed in the active room, it was as if they were somehow masking their presence. *Blood of the Alicorn of War, obtained. Wasn't as difficult as we thought it would have been. The Lord will be pleased with us as we offer this to him.*

On the other side of the Celestial Sea, on the northern hemisphere of the planet, there was a jagged mountain range called the Jaws of the Earth by the natives. Upon the western most region of this mountainous terrain stood a particularly weird looking mountain.

Or rather, fortress.

It had at one point been a large cone like mountain, but years of harsh rains, mining and carving by the griffins had altered its structure so that it looked like a massive chalice. Along the rocky walls of the massive structure were several towers constructed, with each tower having a gate connected to a hangar filled with soldiers and workers working on the proud air ships of the Royal Navy.

At the base of the mountain sized fortress laid a large city, Eggstone was its name. Its name comes from the buildings filling the vast space within its tall walls. Buildings built from wood, stone and clay, shaped like eggs. There also tall gnarly trees with buildings shaped like large eggs standing on platforms in the shape of baskets or nests. These buildings were built onto the thickest branches or upon the center of the trees' crowns. Down among the streets and alleys were griffins walking about, doing what they did all day.

But there is a deep tension over the city. And the citizens always have wary, tired or sorrowful looks in their eyes. And the reason for that lies upon the top of the large mountain standing over the city of Eggstone.

Up on the top of the chalice shaped fortress was a large natural forest of massive trees, each tree having large houses and platforms holding gardens and training grounds. This was the mountain fortress known Stonenest. And upon the tallest of the massive trees within its chalice like shape stood the castle of Griffonstone, the ancestral home of the royal family.

"What do you mean 'the invasion of Canterlot failed'!?" Said royal family was currently in a crisis. As in the large throne room of the Gryphon Kingdom stood a tall and, almost sickly, thin griffin with a blue metal grown bearing five egg shaped jewels. His feathers were golden in colour and his cat pelt was white, whilst his claws and paws were dark brown.

This was King Craver, the Seventh King of Gryphon.

"It's the truth sire. We received the news a few hours ago from our agents." A robed griffin stated whilst kneeling before the King, never looking up. Showing their submission to the ruler.

"How!? We planned for every possibility! We even had the artificers work day and night to produce enough Tears of Sorrows for all the admirals! which should not only give them the edge to combat Princess Celestia but to disrupt their Communication Orbs with their latent magic disruption fields!" In his rant the King threw a goblet filled with a red spiced liquid onto the ground before the robed griffin. If one could see the hooded griffin's eyes at that moment as the content split across the floor, they would have seen the revulsion in those amber eyes.

But even with the spiced blood of a recently plucked and roasted griffin chick on the floor the agent kept his cool and spoke out in a steady and calm voice to the king whilst keeping his head bowed as to not look him in the eyes. "It was the rumoured rouge alicorn Maleficus, it appears that he does indeed exist. And he is a far more brutal and unpredictable foe then Celestia. Apparently he destroyed our invasion force in Canterlot with powerful magic, along with a force of mutated horses and strange twisted looking dragons. He personally tore apart Admiral Thalon's personal guard before beating him into a near comatose state."

King Craver pressed a talon to his face and let out a strangled sound that was like a combination of a growl and a screech. "What about the Tears of Sorrow? Did it disable the alicorn's magical abilities?"

The agent kept his posture and gave his ruler the information he requested. "From what little information we managed to scry with our more powerful scrying artifacts can we assert that the Tears were effective against regular ponies. But it seemingly did not affect the alicorn at all. The alicorn was able to crush the artifact in an instance with a single hoof."

King Craver stood up from his throne with a loud screech and began to stomp around, his tail swaying agitate whilst his wings flapped and flexed. "Damn it! We need to prepare something better for these alicorns. Clearly the Tears of Sorrow were too small to affect them. We need to have a larger contraption to properly disable them. Or somehow make something far more potent!"

The agent let his king rant for a while, until he seemed to have calmed down. And spoke up in a most respectful, if emotionless voice. "May I suggest something your highness?"

"Yes what? Not too much talking, my dinner is getting cold." It was barely visible but one of the agent's talons flexed at the word dinner and almost dug his own talons into flesh by mistake.

"Yes. Well. If it is size and potency that is the issue, perhaps we just need to lure them into a place strong and large enough to contain them?" The King contemplated this suggestion for a while. He walked back to his throne, leaned back into its seat and thought for a while.

He then got a wicked glint in his eyes and started to mutter to himself, a new goblet of spiced blood offered to him by a hooded servant. The griffin gingerly took a sip of the red liquid before speaking up with a slight giggle in his voice. "Ahhh... a trap. Hmmm... well if this alicorn is similar in mind to that stupid Princess then we just need to prepare two such locations to trap either. Hehehehe yes. Have the artificers work on a contraption strong enough to disable the alicorns, both if needed."

"By your command your majesty." The agent stated and made an even deeper bow before moving out of the throne room, leaving the king to his feast. A spit roasted and apple and egg stuffed griffin coal glazed with a mixture of blood, honey and spices. The sound of someone retching was heard as soon the door was closed, the king unwittingly ignorant of his agent's disgusting act in the hallway.

The king savagely tore out a chunk of a tender loin before murmuring to himself whilst looking out over the throne room with glee. His eyes looking over stolen goods from dragons, griffins, ponies, and other species. Standing among his ancestors' statues and their own tribute to the kingdom. "Yesss... Soon all will be mine. You will see father, I will prove it to you. You may have bidden for peace with the ponies. Happy and content with the blessing from your precious Idol of Boreas. But just you watch. Watch all of you! Watch from your holes in the ground as I make our Kingdom prosper beyond what anyone of you foolish kings could ever achieve! Cheers father! Cheers Kings of Old! For the future of Gryphon! Hehehahahahahahaha!"

He then broke out into a near hysterical laughter as a deranged smile crooked across his cheeks from the edges of his beak. As he held up his blood filled chalice to one of the statues in the chamber. It was a statue of a large and muscular griffin in armour bearing maps, navigation tools, with a statue held in one of his talons. The name 'King Guto the First' engraved upon the base of the statue.

Lord Asclepius stood on one of the large towers of Grithenburg, the massive stronghold was currently floating over the eastern coastal regions of Equestria. He was standing there, watching the horizon. Waiting for something.

Just a few hours ago he had received an emergency call. The black beacon in his study had started smoking and sparking. He had tried to answer it but it had stopped smoking and sparking after a few seconds. And whilst he was uncertain why it had reacted like it did, was he having an uneasy feeling that something was going to happen.

So he was standing here on the top of one of the highest towers. Looking out over the horizon. And that's when he heard the door to the roof of the tower open and hoofsteps moving towards him. The one who was walking up to him stopped after a moment and spoke out to him in a steady but nervous voice, it was a mare, one of his fellow Horadrim Mages. "Lord Asclepius, we have managed to get a connection through the Black Beacon. Those on the other end are a race of beings calling themselves Thestrals, creations of Father, like us."

The elderly looking horse nodded. That was a relief as he had no idea how he'd react if it had been some kind of enemy force trying to misuse their creator's creations. "Good. Can you tell me what they wanted?"

There was momentary pause, as if the horse was trying to find the right words to say. Before she finally gathered her courage and bit the arrow. "It's about our Father sir. He's fallen ill and the Thestrals are using our beacon as a, well beacon, to get him help."

"What!?" Cursed Blessing swirled around with a shout, his eyes wide and the horse backed away from him a little at his sudden outrage.

"Yes sir. We have already had orders sent to our medical teams and the quartermasters have been given instructions to give us whatever we need. We have even cleared out one of the rooms in each of the larger towers and made them into functioning medical rooms. Just in case they end up at a tower that normally would not have medical rooms." Cursed Blessing let out a curse as he pressed a hoof to his foreleg, trying to think whilst his thoughts began to race at the implication of their creator falling ill.

Finally he let out a sigh before looking out towards the horizon once more. "How long until they arrive with him."

The horse responded rapidly, not willing to "They should be arriving within the hour sir. They told us when we contacted them that they were passing over the Forest of Blood an hour ago. They have been flying for over six hours we believe, and not taking any breaks. From Neighagra Falls."

Cursed Blessing blinked at that. And tried to calculate just how far a distance the swarm had, had to travel to reach their current location in less then eight hours. Not to mention the speed needed to be kept up, non stop, for that to even be possible. "...That got to be some kind of record. The fastest any pegasus has ever flown over those mountains is two days. And this is a group?"

"Yes sir. About a thousand of them as well as several hundreds of wyverns, all of them were created by Father three days ago at the dawn of the Third Crusade." Cursed Blessing choked on his tongue almost and had to cough a bit before calming down, rubbing his throat in discomfort as he looked at her with shocked eyes.

"I knew Father as powerful, but that's just insane! From what I remember he created us one by one or in groups of ten at most. But he created well over a thousand beings in just a day!? Has he grown stronger or has he become more proficient with his magic?" He looked at her, as if expecting an answer. Already knowing that she would no doubt be as ignorant as he was.

Before the mare to respond further was a horn blown in the distance and the two turned around to see a black mass of what looked like a cloud sized bat swarm. Which when coming closer, revealed itself to be an utterly massive swarm of wyvern and bat winged horses, all moving at a frantic rate towards the city.

"...I doubt I need to tell you this sir, but the thestrals and wyverns have arrived." The mare stated as she looked at the leader of her nation, who was rubbing his forehead again with a troubled look on his face.

"Yeah. Have everyone ready. Once they land we will need to scramble and act as quick as possible." The mare just nodded at his words, his instructions having already been prepare before hoof.

They watched the black swarm spread out over the fortress, black wyverns and bat winged horses flapping their leathery wings whilst flying around the towers, walls, turrets, keeps and other structures of the massive keep. A single large wyvern flew forward and grabbed hold of the edge of the large tower where Cursed Blessing and the mare were standing.

The massive creature lowered its neck, letting its head rest down onto the stone floor of the tower. Walking down from the wyvern was a group of six thestrals, carrying the bundled up shape of a certain black alicorn stallion. The strain on the six large bat winged horses was clear as they all had to carry him on their back and their legs were bent over from the sheer weight of his body. Cursed Blessing took one glance at the feverishly sweating unconscious form of his creator and began to instantly bark orders at the thestrals.

"Get him inside! We need to get him to a medical room at once! Do! Not! Drop! Him!" The elderly looking horse then turned around and began to gallop down the stairs leading into the interior of the tower. Swiftly following him was the mare, levitating a scroll and quill to write down anything he said.

The group of bat winged horses rushed down the stairs, using all of their strength to keep their creator over the ground. In front of them were various horses moving to clear the path as Cured Blessing ran ahead of them, shouting out orders whilst doing on. Doors were slammed open and a path was cleared.

Soon they reached a large circular shaped room with a single round stone slab in the center. The six hybrids gently lowered down the still shape of Maleficus Victoria onto a stone bed. But even with care and low speed was the alicorn's weight still enough to make the stone slab crack beneath him.

Cursed Blessing approached, dressed in a set of protective gear of leather and cloth, beak shaped leather mask included. The thestrals moved aside as he approached, a team of five more horses stood at the read behind the elderly looking horse as he began to examine the alicorn. Unfurling the cloth covering Maleficus' body he saw no clear indication of sickness. At least not until he reached the right foreleg and moving aside his right wing to get a better view, he was not prepared for what lay beneath the blue and red stained cloth as his eyes widened at what he saw.

Glowing blue tumor like growths were growing across every single centimeter of the right foreleg's flesh, it looked like a mass of glowing fungi. The bulbous meaty growths were pulsing and shifting, and Cursed Blessing could feel the magical energies within them. Whatever they were, they were pulsing with powerful magical energies.

"What has happened to him!? When did he get infected by these things!? When did they show up!?" He asked frantically while analyzing the strange growths whilst his creator laid there, eyes glazed over and blank, as if he wasn't even aware of what was going on.

"We do not know when or how it happened. But after we defeated the griffins laying siege to Canterlot he had us fly north to prepare for new plans. We laid camp in the mountains by the Neighagra Falls. He was muttering about feeling sleepy, dizzy and warm. He had a fever by then. But in the middle of the night he woke us up with screams of agony, clutching his right foreleg as these growths appeared. We wrapped up his leg with some alcohol soaked cloth, hoping that it would prevent them from growing. But our Creator was unconscious before we could even reach him. Thus we came here as we do not know how to handle this." The leader of the thestrals stated as she stood there, looking at her creator with concerning eyes. Still remembering those wordless howls of pain that had echoed out over their campsite a few hours ago as their creator fell ill.

"Alright let me think... These cannot be natural, or at least not anything natural from this world or reality." The horse levitated a scalpel of obsidian and scrapped it against the pulsing shape of one of the bulbs. The tip sliced open the bulb and Cursed Blessing had to jump back as a spray of blue liquid erupted out of the punctured bulb. It struck the floor and the elderly looking horse stared as he saw the blue liquid sink into the stone, and saw how cracks took shape, before a flower sprouted out of the solid stone floor. The glower then absorbed more of the blue liquid and suddenly twisted and shifted, growing larger, its blue petals growing teeth and eyes.

A quick fire ball from one of the nearby horses disintegrated the mutating plant.

"That is raw liquid magic... Shit! This is not good.These things are sucking up his magic. They are leeching off his body's nigh endless supply of magic. Thus negating all of his body's functions, the only reason he was light enough to carry is because they still have only grown up to his foreleg. If they were to cover his entire body there's no telling what could happen. At the beast option they all just explode, spraying raw mana for miles, the other possibilities are even worse." At those words the horses around looked at each other nervously. Whatever had caused this, it was not anything they wanted to encounter themselves.

Cursed Blessing then slammed his hoof against the charred floor and spoke out to the gathered groups. "We have to burn these things off before they grow any further! Father's body will recover once these things are no longer infecting him! His body will restore any damage received once these things are gone! Prepare a cauldron of molten rock! We will need intense heat to burn these away!"

Horses scrambled off, whilst the thestrals remained to keep watch. They all stood there, watching as Cursed Blessing carefully inspected Maleficus' foreleg. Looking over every part, even poking a few of the bulbs to gather the raw mana in a few glass vials for later inspection.

An hour later there was a loud of clattering hooves as a group of ten horses came into the room, four of them were dragging a large black stone cauldron, which was filled with glowing red molten lava. Cursed Blessing looked up from his work and nodded before pointing towards the bed. "Good! Now put it down by the bed we need to dip his foreleg into the cauldron and hopefully the lava will burn off the growths! Thestrals handle the limb, you are seemingly unaffected by his affliction so you are less of a health risk!"

The cauldron was carefully placed by the bed and the thestrals each grabbed the foreleg and with great physical effort they hefted it off the stone slab and lowered it down into the boiling mass of liquid stone. The chrome coloured hoof did not even react to the heat of the lava. But as the limb was dipped deeper and the fur and flesh began to smoke and burn, the boils began to twitch and pulse.

At the sight of the glowing fleshy bulbs moving Cursed Blessing cried out to the thestrals and the others in the room "Let go of the hoof and back away!"

There was a clattering of hooves as all equines backed away as the thestrals let go of the limb and let it drop into the lava. Maleficus' body twitched and spasm a little as the lava reached up to his upper joint. The boiling molten rock began to bubble and froth with glowing blue bubbles.

Cursed Blessing grit his teeth and raised a hoof, igniting a magical glow around his creators upper shoulder, and with great mental effort managed to push him up slightly to see how well the lava had handled the boils. To his relief was the first thing he saw ash covered bones, the flesh had been burnt clear off. Leaving only the bones.

"The boils are gone! Get his leg out of the lava!" At the elderly looking horse's command the thestrals reached out and with great effort slowly pulled out the limb out of the smoldering and churning cauldron. They could see the ashen flesh being forced back as veins began to grow out over the bones, flesh and tendons. All of it growing out over the bone like a red mass of flesh.

One of the thestrals heard a hissing sound and looked down at the cauldron on the floor. Their eyes widening as they saw that the once crimson lava had turned clear blue and the cauldron it lay within was glowing white hot. "Something is happening with the lava!"

Cured Blessing pointed towards the cloudy skies beyond the narrow window of the tower and cried out to them as they all could hear now a loud pitched squeal, like a kettle of water boiling. Only it was coming from the rock containing the lava, and small blue cracks could be seen emerging on the edges as the white hot rock began to quiver. "It's too dangerous to remain here! Throw it off the island!"

A lone thestral grabbed the handle of the cauldron with their mouth, ignoring the sizzling heat burning their mouth and tongue. The large bat winged equine scrambled out of the medical room and up the stairs where he spread his wings and flew off the tower.

As Cursed Blessing let out a sigh of relief his ears twitched as he heard the voice of his creator as he was waking up. "Uuuurr... I am gonna throw up..."

"Here's a bucket Creator." One of the Horadrims said, levitating a bucket in front of the alicorn. Who instantly grabbed it and started retching into the wooden container.

"It is great to see you are feeling bet-" Cursed Blessing's words got interrupted as a loud explosion outside of the tower sudden rocketed the structure and some horses fell over from the shockwave. A bright blue flaring light sheering through the arrow windows with great intense strength.

The elderly looking horse had fallen on his side from the sudden shock wave and could only blink as he laid there on the floor. Wondering what just happened.

He had no name. But he was one of the creator's loyal creations, and thus his safety was mandatory. The cauldron was risking the health of not just his fellow creations but the Creator himself as well. It had to be disposed of. He intended to head eastwards towards the open sea and drop the cauldron into the vast ocean.

But the cauldron had other plans. Just as he left the edge of the floating island the handle's metal hooks holding the stone cauldron melted. The bat winged horse could only stare at the now cracked and burning blue cauldron as it fell down with a loud whistling sound as its fell through the air.

It fell and fell, and the thestral saw how it would fall into the center of the Hayseed Marches. When suddenly there was a bright blue flare of light and he had to block their eyes. A sudden rush of heat struck out and the bat winged equine let out a cry as he found himself being flung upwards into the sky, as a powerful rush of wind pushed them. As at the same time, an earth shattering boom rocked the skies as a second sun, this one blue, filled the sky for a few seconds.

He stumbled through the wind for a few moments before his vision was blocked by a wall of wood. Before his vision went black as he slammed into the side of one of the sky ships, a trireme, following the floating island.

The unconscious thestral hung still, his body embedded into the hull of the ship, for a few moments,. Then there was a sound of flesh sliding against wood as the unconscious bat horse began to peel off. A pair of hooves grabbed the unconscious bad horse before he could fall down to a very messy end and dragged him up onto the deck.

"Well... That's not something you see every day." One of the horses muttered as they looked out of the window of the tower at the fading blue light of the explosion.

"Yeah. It was like a nuclear explosion, except, you know. Without the mushroom cloud or radiation." A mare thestral stated as she looked out through the same window at the spot where the falling cauldron had exploded.

"Well the mushroom cloud not being present doesn't matter. But we have no clue if that explosion contained whatever infected Father. Or if it contained something else." The horse stated as he levitated a spyglass over his left eye and tried to get a better look at the spot of the explosion. Trying to see if there was anything that might hint of some kind of fallout from the explosion.

"You mean the Creator? Huh... Father. It fits. But back on topic. I think we would need to investigate ground zero of the explosion with spells or specialized equipment. Which we would have to develop. Without such preparations would it be damn near impossible to even see if it there was any manner of residue." The thestral mare and horse stallion began a drawn out discussion of what could or would not work as a sort of sensor to spot radiation or energy signatures.

Cursed Blessing meanwhile had gotten up on his legs again and was standing by the bed where his creator, having finished throwing up, was resting his face in his hooves whilst sitting on the bed. The alicorn was fine physically but he was no doubt exhausted mentally. The elderly looking horse pressed a hoof to his creator's neck and checked his pulse whilst also making sure that there were no remaining boils on his body. "Creator. How do you feel?"

"Like I have been sick with fever, cramps, stomach flu and dehydration. All at the same time, and none of those being side effects. Whilst being struck in the chest and head by a jackhammer." The alicorn stated with a sigh as he rested his tired eyes into his hooves.

The first Horadrim nodded and gave one of his fellow mages a nodded, causing them to leave to retrieve some refreshments. "We will get you something to drink. But first, how was it that you got afflicted by those boil like tumors?"

Maleficus sighed and lowered his forelegs, looking down at the one which had been afflicted by the strange sickness. And spoke out whilst rubbing the recently restored limb. "I never got to see what you described, I was unconscious before I got a look. But I can only guess that it was either one of the griffins' weapons or that strange gas that caused it. Though I am leaning more towards it being that strange glowing artifact that I crushed, along with the talon of the one wielding it, with my hoof. It released a blue flash of light when I crushed it."

The elderly looking horse nodded, contemplating what he had just been told. Then he got worried as he realized something. "That may be the case... wait... Creator. Did you just say that you crushed the artifact barehoofed right?"

Maleficus looked up with a confused look on his face. "Yes?"

The old horse leaned forward, his eyes very much worried. "And you crushed it with your left hoof right? While someone else was holding it?"

Maleficus nodded, still a bit confused. But as he responded, he slowly began to realize just what Cursed Blessing was getting at. and an unease sensation began to fill his stomach. "Yes I did why do youuu... oh.... oh no..."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, as the entire room fell silent, as everyone began to realize just the seriousness of the situation. And then as one the alicorn and horse turned towards the gathered equines in the room an screamed out at them. "GET THE COMM ORB TO CANTERLOT!"

Princess Celestia leaned into her throne, rubbing her head. The throne room was a bloody mess but it had been cleaned up rather professionally in a short amount of time. Even the cracks in the marble had been repaired. But the mood of the room was tainted, the slaughter that had recently occurred within it was still fresh in the air.

It had only been a day since she had returned and the scars of the battle were clear. Buck, they were even more intense then when the Rattenfänger and the Dragons had invaded.

All of the nobles and commoners within the city had been in a state of shock and had needed to be treated gently as to not risk their health. Nopony of those who had been within the central keep could give a proper recounting of what had happened within the throne room. But from what little information her knights and mages could gather had Maleficus used his flail to break the griffin soldiers within the room before brutally beating up the admiral barehoofed.

There had apparently been a moment when all ponies within the throne room had blacked out, but some of them could remember witnessing Maleficus beating up the large griffin who had been holding the throne and them hostage. It was not much to go by.

But what her mages had found out was that whatever had been blocking the signals of her Comm Orbs had been either destroyed or disabled during that fight. As a all Comm Orbs in Canterlot had managed to send out signals once more. Few could respond however so whatever was causing it was no doubt something the griffins had spread out to better utilize against her nation's communication system.

It was both impressive and aggravating that her freshly made Communication Orb Network had been rendered null and void so quickly. But the fact that whatever the griffins used could be disabled or destroyed was good news. Although nopony knew just what that was. Since no one could remember or properly describe anything that could have caused it.

Sighing she looked down at the floor where she had seen the broken bodies of the griffins. It was no longer any blood around but she could still feel it. The sensation of lives being snuffed out filled the room. It was making her uneasy and uncomfortable.

The room had only been cleaned recently and her throne had been replaced with another one, a temporary replacement until a new one could be constructed. As her old throne had been taken hold of by the griffins had she come to the conclusion that would need a new seat of power, not willing to be reminded of her failure as a ruler that someone had attempted to take her city by taking the throne.

She leaned back a bit in her cushion covered wooden throne and looked up at the ceiling, wondering what options she had now with her failed crusade and the attacks of another nation on her head. This was her third attempt and it had ended with her losing. Sure she may have obtained a statistic victory but in the end had she lost to Maleficus' strategy and knowledge.

Her train of thought was broken by the clattering hooves of a messenger carrying a satchel that was containing something that was glowing through it. "Princess Celestia! One of the Communication Orbs are glowing! It is the one connected to Lord Cursed Blessing of the Horadrim Kingdom!"

She looked over and motioned for the messenger to give her the content of the satchel. "Give us the orb, it must be important for Lord Asclepius to contact us."

The messenger walked over and opened the bag, pulling out the pulsing Comm Orb. As he pulled it free from its container and held it out was it suddenly engulfed by a golden aura as Princess Celestia used her magic to telekinetically grab hold of the sphere and levitated over to her own hoof.

As she held the orb she activated it and spoke into as an image of the elderly leader of the Horadrim Kingdom began to appear within the crystal itself. "This is Princess Celestia, what doest thou wish to tell Us?"

The elderly horse let out a sigh of relief, as if afraid he would not have gotten connected. Which she could understand seeing how almost all of the nation's Comm Orbs were still being blocked by whatever the griffins had. "This is Asclepius speaking. I am glad you are alright Princess Celestia, we have received little words from much of the nation for the past two days. We have managed to fight off or decimate the invasion forces attempting to siege our lands and several of your homes. And we have obtained a lot of information about them. But first I am afraid I have grave news. We have the possibility of a dangerous epidemic on our hooves."

Dire news indeed. But it was news for her. There had been no reports of anyone being afflicted by any manner of lethal sickness. "What do you mean Lord Asclepius? We have received no words of any manner of dangerous sickness spreading."

The old horse sighed and pulled out a vial containing a glowing fluid of some kind. It was impossible to tell what it was or what it truly looked like through the sphere. "We have discovered that one of the griffin artifacts contains a dangerous substance. If exposed to any living tissue it creates glowing blue boil like tumors at a rapid rate. Those boils are filled with a liquid made up of the internal magic and life force of those afflicted by the substance. And they keep draining the magic until the body no longer can produce it. I do not need to tell you how dangerous such a sickness is."

Celestia sucked in air harshly through her teeth at what she had just heard. Such a sickness was the bane for any creature containing magic. Which was most of the living beings in the world from what she knew. "Aye. This... this is foul news."

Her heart clenched as the old horse gave her a sad smile before he continued. The news growing even worse. "But not only that. The liquid if allowed to touch anything, will mutate it wildly, it is raw magic and it act erratically. We do not know if the liquid is what spreads the disease but we know it is dangerous. And even then there is another great danger about this sickness."

She grit her teeth and closed her eyes. Trying to prepare herself to what more dangers this already lethal disease could have.

Sadly enough she still opened her eyes and stared in disbelief. As the elderly horse lord began to describe what could only be described as a horror story. "One of our warriors was afflicted by the sickness, boils were growing up along one of his leg. We had to have his leg amputated and then attempted to destroy it b dumping it into a cauldron of lava. The lava began to glow blue and began to intensify the heat of the lava. We had to throw it off the island as it soon grew far too dangerous. It exploded around five kilometers away from us and yet the force of that explosion was still enough to push aside the clouds, shift our sky ships about fifty meters and shake the entire fortress island of Grithenburg. That cauldron was about thirty galleons worth of lava."

There was a moment of tense silence filling the throne room as Celestia and those who were listening absorbed the information they had just been told. Chills were running down their spines.

And their worries were only growing more intense as the Horse Lord pulled out a scroll and began to open it whilst speaking to her. "We do not know what else this sickness may cause outside of this but it is extremely dangerous. You need to quarantine anyone who shows the following symptoms before it is too late. The symptoms are as following. Drowsiness, nausea, tiredness, fever, they will then go to sleep for a few hours, until finally a sudden intense pain wakes them up as these boils grow out of their flesh and this is followed by abrupt unconsciousness."

Some of the ponies in the room had to press a hoof against their mouths as to not throw up at what came next. "After that the boils will start spreading from the afflicted area to the rest of the body, they looks like glowing fleshy mushrooms. You need to cut off the afflicted area before the boils can spread and then dispose of it quickly, or at least put it inside an isolated contained to not risk it spreading. Do not try to use fire or heat to dispose of the boils. The mutated lifeforms created by the liquid inside the boils can be safely destroyed by fire however."

"Princess. Those symptoms." Celestia looked to her right, one of her Sun Knights who had been fighting the siege.

She gave him a nod as to confirm his words. "Indeed thou are correct Sir High Stance. Those symptoms are identical to what is afflicting our prisoner Admiral Thalon."

The alicorn turned her gaze towards the orb once more and gave her friend a respectful nod. "Thank you for your warning Lord Asclepius. We shalt do Our best to prevent this disease to spread."

The elderly horse gave her a nod and a few words before turning off his end of the Comm Orb. "I shall leave you to your work Princess. I will be sending words to you about what we have found out about the Griffinsm and if we find out anything else about this disease. But I will also be contacting you in then ear future about how we should handle these Griffins. This invasion cannot go unanswered, unlike the Draconic Incursion is this not a lone clan, but a foreign nation. It needs to be handled soon. I will see you soon, be safe."

As the orb stopped glowing and the image disappeared Celestia put it aside on the cushion on her makeshift throne and stood up. She pointed her hoof at the group of worried soldiers, nobles and servants and began to bark out orders to them."Send words to the medical wing! Isolate all prisoners and have the Admiral taken into a secluded room! Have a division of mages aid the medical personal to isolate any pony else who may be afflicted! And somepony get Us the Royal Doctor!"

"They have received the warning Creator." Cursed Blessing stated as he returned the Comm Orb to the messenger who had retrieved it for them.

Maleficus let out a shuddering breath as he slowly stood up from the bed , his bones creaking and groaning loudly as he did so. Though the sound grew less and less and his movements became more smooth and light. "Good. Hopefully I didn't cause another disaster this time."

"You could not know that these invaders were utilizing such dangerous artifacts Creator. If anything is the fact that you were the one afflicted by the disease a good thing. No one else on this planet would have been able to recover so quickly from it. And it allowed us to discover the cause of the sickness in a relatively short amount of time." Maleficus just snorted and shook his head at those words.

He then stood up on his hind legs and began to stretch his body. Raising his forelegs and moving them apart, pulling on his hind legs and spread out his wings before slowly moving them. He kept making slow and steady reaching movements with all of his limbs one by one or two at a time.

For some reason was his internal magic slower to regenerate then it had been before. And that worried him. A lot.

After a few moments of slow stretches the alicorn felt that his body could move properly again. A horse entered the room, carrying a tray with a tankard and some glasses, and he felt his dry throat remind itself and decided to rectify that.

He walked over to the horse with the tray and took the tankard from the tray with a grateful nod before downing the entire thing. Not bothering with a glass, instead he hefted the entire thing to his lips and raised it ups while raising his head. Cool refreshing water gushed down his mouth and throat. After gulping down the final drop of life giving liquid he put the tankard back on the tray the horse was holding.

The alicorn then began to walk out of the room. Speaking out to Cursed Blessing as he did so. "I am going away for a few days. I will be keeping my beacon with me so you can contact me if you need to. You will need to handle the Equestria and Griffin situation whilst I am away."

"What about us Creator?" One of the thestrals asked in a curious voice.

The alicorn just spoke back, not even looking back as he began to walk through the doorway. "I believe you and the wyverns need a home base of your own. The horses will help you with the planning. But the construction and location will be up to you. But do keep in mind that you need to keep the connection between yourselves, the horses and myself a secret. So try to keep the architecture, culture, government and armaments different from the horses."

All the horses and thestrals in the room looked at one another as their creator's words registered in their heads. By the time the awkward silence had filled the room was Maleficus out in the halls and moving in an unknown direction.

The silence lasted for a good while until Cursed Blessing coughed into his hoof and spoke out to the group of thestrals. "Well then. No meaning in standing around and staring at each other. Let us move to one of the dining halls and have a meal whilst we discuss what to do."

"Did you just say 'whilst'?" One of the thestrals asked with a raised eyebrow.

The elderly looking horse blushed and shook his head. "Sorry, Celestia's constant use of that pony based Olden English accent of hers has apparently affected me slightly."

Up on the roof of the tower Maleficus looked out over the lands beneath the clouds. He was leaning on top of one of the battlements whilst doing so. Thinking.

About how the hell he was meant to get back to Canterlot without risking exposing himself. "I cannot go there by sky ship t would take too long. I cannot fly so that's out. Any wyverns I take will no doubt be spotted before I even pass the mountains."

He thought and thought. Around him horses were moving around whilst the thestrals were laying down on any comfortable spots they could find to sleep and rest. Whilst along the inner walls of the massive fortress rested the wyverns. All of his latest creations were exhausted from their last endeavor and he would not disturb their sleep.

*If only I could find a way to teleport. I know no one who has even developed such a spell yet. And if there are any magical creatures with such abilities do I doubt they would be out in the open. The only thing I got that is slightly similar are the Black Beacons and the Comm Orbs. But those only transmit sound and/or images... Except...* He raised his head from where he was resting it, and a look of realization began to fill his face.

"It could work... I mean... I can transmit my mind and essence through them... Why not.... why not my body?" He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out his black beacon. Examining it closely he frowned a bit before pulling out his light screen, which was in its default shape of a white blob of gelatin like mass.

He walked over to a more empty spot on the tower and put down his beacon upon its surface. Then he spread out the solid light screen and left it hovering over the black beacon and spoke out a command to the magical device.

"Verbal Command. Initiate Interface Connection. Interface Command. Scan Object. Additional Interface Command. Planetary Trace of Scanned Object." The screen lit up with moving bars of blue symbols and numbers. While a white light shone over the black beacon. The interface screen hummed for about five minutes until there was a loud crackle from it. And then an image of the planet appeared on the screen.

The planet was glowing in a beating white light once every third second. After the seventh there was a sound of a bell from the screen and the image of the planet was zoomed out and over thirty black dots appeared upon the surface of the planet. And Maleficus got an excited smile on his face as he saw one of those black dots marked down near Canterlot.

But then he frowned, as when he pressed the black dot by Canterlot the message [Object Obscured] appeared on the screen. Tracing his hoof over the screen he tried to get a good look of the location, but it was deep within the mountain directly north of Canterlot. Possibly underground. "The Beacon must be buried beneath something that is interfering with the connection. Probably not safe to attempt to use it. Best try another one."

The second closest beacon was in the Everfree Forest. He pressed the symbol marked in the forest and smirked as an image appeared. It was an image of a large hill in the middle of a swampy looking location.In a deep put on top of the hill lay the black Beacon. Pressing his hoof against the image of the beacon his smirk grew as the message [Connected] appeared on the screen.

"Perfect. Now I just need to work out how to transport myself through the beacon. Not to mention I will need a proper disguise to not make Celestia unlike to suspect me." He grabbed hold of the beacon beneath the Interface Screen and held it up above it, focusing his magic through it. And looked on the screen, he saw the beating black dot marking that the beacon he was holding was active, it was marked on the southern east coast of Equestria.

*Good I can trace my intact beacons. Now let's see. I will need to get the beacon on the other end to activate. I should be able to do so through the Interface.* His thought were racing as he sent a command to the Black Beacon in the Everfree Forest. And his smirk kept its wideness as he saw the message [Object Activted] appear on the screen.

He closed his eyes and focused feeling the magic through the beacon and nodded with satisfaction as he felt the connection to the new beacon. It had a different sensation then the beacon Cursed Blessing was taking care of. It was difficult to put to words but if he could it would be like comparing the fur of a cat with the claw of a bird.

The beacon of Horadrim had a smooth sensation when connecting to it, but the sensation was rough when you left it. Like having your brain itching as you were disconnecting a straight and clear phone call. While the beacon of Everfree felt sharp and distinct, and yet had an uneven and curved presence, like you would have to move along a curve to reach it.

He traced the line and he reached the point and he could feel the connection to the beacon. The first thing he did was look through it, he could see the crater and the sky as well as the various trees and vegetation. It looked more like a jungle then a swamp.

Nodding to himself he had managed to connect through the beacon. now, he needed to figure out a way to move his body through the connection. He stood there for a long time, eyes closed, as he began to channel his magic through the beacon, trying to convey a functioning transport command through the Interface and the beacons.

After an hour he let out a huff of frustration as he made no progress. It was easier to transfer his senses and essence through the beacon then transporting his body. If he could only figure out a way to properly utilize the connection between the beacons he could transport his entire self, body and mind as one, to mimic a gateway system.

The problem was how to properly engage the connection to allow his body to move through safely. After all, the beacon was not the largest of objects so it might be that he needed to handle the size difference between his body and the beacon to properly transport himself through it.

*...Wait a moment... I already have a way to do that!* Realization filled him and he focused his magic over his body, and his physical shape seems to melt into a black miasma before melding into the floor as a shadow. The beacon lands on the stone with a clink and the shadowy shape of Maleficus swims towards the beacon before pushing itself against it.

*Okay. Let's do this!* An equine head took shape on the edge of the shadow, three open holes letting lights through marking three eyes. Each eye was narrowed and focused at the black pyramid before them.

The shadow rose up as black miasma rose and the floor began to vibrate as Maleficus focused his magic through his shadow shape and into the beacon. Within the core of the darkness there was a shining light of some kind and Maleficus let out a mental cry of triumph as his shadow form slipped past the moon glass and moved towards the light within the beacon.

It was like a swirling mass of black ichor being swallowed by a tiny dot of light. The light growing brighter the more of the shadowy miasma moved through it. And then as the final wisp of shadow slipped into the glowing light within the beacon, the beacon flashed brightly before the light disappeared. Leaving the beacon laying there on the stone floor of the tower.

The world around him was pure white, the only thing he knew was that he needed to move forward. After a few seconds he could see something approaching from the vast white void. A black dot, which began to grow larger as he approached. He could see a black circle, within it was a shivering image of a crater, a cloudy sky and murky plants seen on the upper edges.

Maleficus just kept moving, it felt like he was swimming, and yet there was nothing around him. As he reached the spot he thought he saw something in his left blind spot. But as he slowly turned around to look, his head touched the black sphere. And he was gone from the white void. Even as an almost incorporeal and incomprehensible shape floats between the two black dots that marked the beacons, looking with curious misshapen eyes at where the alicorn had moved.

Before turning away and floating off to somewhere else within the white void.

The Everfree Forest was the wildest and most dangerous of woods within the land. And yet it was serene and calm as well, its dangerous plants and animals are not enough to remove the beauty of nature that flows from this wood. But this serene calmness is broken, as within the murky and swampy area of the forest, within a deep crater upon a hill, a black pyramid starts to glow white.

A loud zapping sound is heard and the bright light flares up, brightening the entire area and even parts of the tree crowns. There is a loud thump as the light fades. And as it fades it reveals a certain alicorn stallion, lying on his back, both of his forelegs crossed in contemplating frustration, as his head is buried into the side of the crater.

*Why does this keep happening?* Maleficus thought to himself while standing up from the ground. His head moving out of the ground without any resistance, the entire area down to his neck covered with mud and muck. His horn flares with crimson light and he shakes his head as he snorts out dirt and snot out of his nostrils. Muck, mud and dirt flies all over the crater for a few instances, splattering upon the ground with loud wet smacks.

Dragging his hoof through his mane and over the crevices of his pelt, jaws and horn the black pelted alicorn made certain he had removed all of the wet dirt from his body. After rubbing his eyelids clean of dust he opened his eyes and looked around.

"No one around. Well that is to be expected. This is the Everfree Forest after all. Hmmm... better get my disguise in order." After muttering his thoughts out loud Maleficus pointed a hoof at the black beacon resting upon the ground. A runic circle appeared beneath and above the beacon, and a pulsing green light began to flow over it. It would be interesting to see how much magic he could grant a body using beacon as a catalyst in its creation.

"The horses have internal magic which they can utilize externally with practice, even if not as efficient as a unicorn or pegasus. But what if I created a body with the ability to channel magic externally to an even greater effect then a unicorn?" A strange smile grew across Maleficus lips as he mutters this. It looked slightly crooked, adding a slight sinister element that had not been there before. And as he thought about the possibilities had an almost absent look came into his eyes, as if he his mind wasn't all there.

A sudden gust of wind broke his deluded state and he blinked before shaking his head, still maintaining his magical power. After clearing his head he returned his attention to the glowing beacon and tried to remember where he was in the creation progress. "Where was I??"

After a few seconds he nodded to himself, as he finally remembered what he needed to do next.

Standing up on his hind legs he placed his left hoof up against his muzzle, bit his lips with his fang, and let some blood smear over his hoof. Holding out both his hooves over the beacon he focused, crimson light emitting from his eyes and horn.

A bright light hid the ritual and its catalyst, but as it kept glowing was a sickening sound emitting from it. A sound that was like the sound of tearing and ripping flesh and bone. Maleficus began to trace his bloodied hoof in a half circle, and began to focus on how he wanted the new body to look like.

*...Young... not yet adult... male... tall and slightly skinny for a horse foal of five years age... highly developed magical tissue... located within the cranial and bone matter... essentially making him a living wand... colouration of the pelt... grey... colouration of the mane an tail... white... colouration of the eyes... blue... red tribal marking upon the forehead... the Horadrim Symbol...* Through his mental focus he kept weaving and tracing his bloodied hoof over the glowing mass that was growing before him. And as he finally reached the final part he lowered his hooves and let the magic fade.

Before him stood the soulless body of a five years old horse colt. Gray pelt with white mane and tail. Sky blue eyes. A bit skinny but tall, slightly smaller then a young adult pony. The crimson symbol of the Horadrim painted upon his forehead.

After inspecting the body he nodded to himself. Nothing was out of place and he could not sense any deformations or mutations. Now he just needed to possess it.

Once more Maleficus shifted into a mass of darkness which at first engulfed the horse foal body, before seemingly being absorbed through the eyes, mouth and ears. There was a moment of silence, before the body suddenly convulsed and the eyes lit up with eyes, as Maleficus tried to breath in a body that hadn't had the opportunity to even breath yet.

"Ha! Ha! Gods! Ha! Forgot! Ha! To Develop! Ha! the muscles! Ha!" After a few moments of rapid breathing while using his magic to enforce and develop the muscles and organs to work on their own, Maleficus rested his young face in his hooves, trying to regain control over his breathing.

"Gods... it's so much easier creating a body by altering and shifting one based upon my original body. Why did I think it would be the same when creating a body clone from scratch?" After his small moment of self lecturing the small horse stood up from the ground and began to walk around a bit. Getting the feeling for his new legs. He then began to carefully climb up the side of the crater.

What lay beyond the edge of the deep crater was a large ruin covered by vegetation. There was the remains of a crumbled old wall and what looked like a collapsed large building, now overgrown by trees and bushes. To the left of the larger structure was another structure, this one not as overgrown. It was the remains of a foundation of a square building, toppled and decayed columns and pillars lay scattered across the ground and a partly overgrown staircase.

"What's this place? It looks... Roman? Greek? Similar in architectural design at least." The disguised alicorn muttered as he walked past what had once been a gatehouse of some kind. He looked left and right, taking all the sights of the ruined structures and walls trying to discern their purposes and why they were built here.

His hoof hit something, he looked down to see the upper half of a large equine head made out of some fine marble like stone, it was almost completely covered with moss and dirt. He followed the trail of fragments and saw a crumble stood in front of the staircase, looking down curiously down, down into the dark crevices he could spot among the roots and vines covering the underground entrance.

"Well at least I can tell it was made by ponies. That much is certain. But I am curious what lay down there. Sure looks like it was important if they even built a separate shrine for it." Raising a hoof the young horse body of Maleficus ignited a white aura from said hoof an tore off a good shunk of the vines from the cave entrance, warping some of the old and dry vines around a moist wooden stick.

*Huh the magic of this body is working great thus far. That felt almost as easy as when I am casting magic in my alicorn body.* He though to himself with a proud smile as he looked at the levitating torch. Before lighting said torch on fire by holding a floating candle sized flame in the air just above his hoof, before pushing the candle size flame against the plant matter of the torch. And watched as the improvised torch began to burn after a few moments.

Letting his newly made light source float above him he began to walk down the stairs and went past the remaining vines covering the entrance. He came into what looked like either a mausoleum or a shrine of some kind. There were several dozens of broken and intact pots around, as well as what looked like a big open sarcophagus, with its lid resting against its side.

He walked around the sarcophagus, even looks inside of it, noting that it was empty. Clearly something had laid in there a long time ago but it was long gone. Shaking his head he looked at the walls and the pots, trying to spot anything interesting.

"More then probable that tomb raiders cleaned out this place centuries ago. Doubt there's anything of value left here except for a few... trinkets..." His voice trailed off as he spotted something at the back of the room ,behind the sarcophagus. There was a big cave entrance, a natural cave entrance, that had no doubt been blocked by a door once. But which had rotted away ages ago.

He walked past the cave entrance and floated the torch into the chamber. There was a deep staircase carved out of the moist rock, leading fifteen meters down. Maleficus followed the stone steps deeper into the cavern. Until he reached a seemingly dry and empty chamber, where he could see a stone altar with an old bowl, probably a palce to place offerings. And on the walls behind the altar, he could see something painted upon the wall.

And so he raised the torch a bit, not bringing it too close as he did not want to risk damaging the cave paintings. And what he saw. Was not what he had been expecting.

"...What the actual fuck?" The light of the torch illuminated the large old cavern wall. And upon it, painted in a clearly old caveman, or cavepony in this case, art style, was the image of a running skeletal pegasus, covered in green flames. And if it was as old as Maleficus suspected, had ponies probably not even developed civilized societies when it was made.

Princess Celestia was standing outside of the Central Palace of Canterlot. The palace itself was kept locked while she had servants and healers make sure there were no residue of whatever had infected the admiral.

Next to her stood a white pelted mare with red mane and tail with the cutie mark of a red heart with a bandage roll, a small medical bottle and a jar of leeches next to it. This was the Royal Doctor, Health Care, who was her personal healer and one of the most experienced and knowledgeable healers in Canterlot.

They were both walking away from the palace, towards a carriage that would be taking Celestia and Health Care out of the city and towards a certain location. Her adviser Solid Pink would be handling the businesses and errands of the city and the Sun Court during her absence.

As they entered the carriage Celestia finally asked her doctor something she had been unable to until they were in private as they were now. "What have thou found our Lady Health Care?"

The young but brilliant healer smiled and brought out her notes and scrolls on what she had discovered about the ailment to her Princess. "It is fascinating our majesty. This sickness is unlike anything I have ever seen in my life or read about in any of our records."

Celestia already knew this but let her speak of it, as it was best to let the brilliant, if slightly weird, doctor to have her moment. "And how dangerous doest thou think it may be?"

Health Care's face turned serious and she pointed at some of the notes she had made while explaining. Just how deadly the disease was. "Deadly. If we hadn't cut off the admiral's leg he would have rapidly shriveled up as those boils drained all of his body's internal magic and body fluids. I can assume that these boils, when the victim is dead, will alter the magic fluid within them and erupt into a cloud of spores or mist that will spread the disease further."

"This be a hellish disease." Celestia stated with a frown as she thought about how she and Solid Pink along wit Health Care had rushed into the castle's medical wing to see the Admiral's entire talon transformed into a mass of tumors, spreading rapidly up towards the rest of his body. She had been forced to tell the healers to cut off the admiral's foreleg as to not risk his death.

The leg had then been placed within a glass container, which she had personally disposed off by filling the jar with conjured acid. Thinking that it would be a valid option as heat was not. That had proven a mistake as the acidic mass had transformed when coming in contact with the liquid magic and became an acidic slime monster.

At least five of her guards had nearly been grappled and devoured by the creature before she vaporized it with a blast of intense fire and plasma. Those guards were still quivering from that experience.

Her trail of thoughts were broken when Health Care spoke up again. "Indeed. It was a good thing you disposed of the leg before it had time to rot or the disease might have spread further then the amount afflicted thus far."

"Five servants, two healers, six guards and one of the sun knights. Along with a high ranking military prisoner of war. All beings We now hath to place in a quarantine prison." Princess Celestia murmured as she looked out of the window of the carriage. She could see where they were heading, even though it was a fair distance away. They were heading south east, towards the Valley of Dragons, where a large tower, isolated for miles, would be the future home for those who had been afflicted by the Magic Pox, as the ponies had begun to call it.

She intended for it to only be temporary, and once the ponies in question were determined to be clear and healthy, she would have them released. At least, that is if they are not bearing any risks in spreading the disease any longer.

A lone griffin was slowly creeping through the thick jungles north west of the Dragon Coast as the settling sun makes the already dangerous vegetation even more so. The griffin was clad in a plain travelers cloak with a sidebag strapped to their left side. They were not lost, no, they were heading a direct line towards a specific location. One they had already scouted out days ago.

They soon reached an open clearing next to a round, almost spherical, stone covered with moss. Pulling out a lantern from their side bag the griffin flew up to the top of the rock and lit the candle with some flint and steel. They then waved the lantern up in the air, swaying the light in the fading light of the approaching night.

The griffin just stands there, still holding up the lantern, waving it once every third minute. Before they freezes, as thy feel a sharp blade pressed against their lower spine. A dark, but feminine, voice speaks up from behind them. "Are you alone?"

Lowering the lantern the griffin responds, not turning their head to look at the person holding a blade against the spine. The voice is light but still clearly masculine, marking this griffin as a male. "Yes. Just as promised. I was the one requesting this after all, not much sense in breaking the terms I stated myself."

The blade is removed and a pony clad in a combination of leather, chain mail and plate armour with a solid bar visor helmet, steps out of the shadows. Sitting down on the boulder next to the nervous griffin the mare nods and speaks out in a no nonsense fashion. "Good. What do you have to report?"

Letting out a breath of relief the griffin blew out the candle of the lantern before pulling out a scroll. he hands it over to the pony who is quick to open it and read it. While the griffin explains what he has found out. "Things are bad in Gryphon. King Craver's artificers have begun constructing something by the Thunder Mountain. It is top secret and those who even dares to question about it are dragged of to join the army, work in the mines or just disappear all together. But at least he's not as active with his 'feasts' because of this project taking up his time."

The pony kept reading the report. But asked the griffin a question while reading through it. "What manner of project do you think it is?"

He just shook his head and rubbed a claw over his hood covered head. Brown feathers spotted beneath the dark brown hood. "It is big whatever it is. And from what I can tell, was it started by his most loyal servant, Lord Archos Ironbeak, son of Earl Cahal and next in line to rule the Ironbeak Clan and in turn control most of the Eagle Coast. He is a smart griffin who is famous for developing traps, plans and tactics for not only battles but political and emotional agendas as well. This griffin is the main reason why King Craver managed to topple his father."

Pulling out a sketched image of a regal griffin with a cold look in his eyes the pony nodded. Before resuming reading the report. "So whatever this project is it will have great significance for the King's ambition to loot Equestria."

Nodding the griffin looked up at the darkening skies, his talons nervously tapping against the rock beneath them. "Correct. I also fear that my position as messenger will not be enough to give you better information. They are already suspicious of me and have started giving me fewer missions."

At this the pony looked up rapidly, giving him an intense stare. "So quickly?"

Sighing the male griffin just nodded before explaining his suspicions. "Lord Archos is good at what he does. If it wasn't for him then I doubt the King would have even taken a seat on the throne. Even if I have only spied for a two days is it still enough for some of his agents to notice. I didn't get any new duties after lunch, which is not a good thing for a messenger in the Royal Palace."

The mare slowly stared at him before turning her eyes back to the report. Completing it, and pocketed it in a saddle bag. "Hmmm... Very well then. You have upheld your end of the bargain. And so shall we."

A hopeful look come into the griffin's eyes. "Then?"

Nodding the mare got off the rock and pointed at him. "Yes. You and your younger siblings will be given permission to settle within Bangcolt and kept safe from King Craver's court. Return here with your family and we will guide you to the colony."

"Thank you Lady Dragon Slayer." The sheer relief and joy in the griffin's voice and stance was clear as he bowed his head almost so low that his beak scrapped against the boulder he was sitting on.

The pony called Dragon Slayer just waved a hoof at him before motioning for him to get moing. "I am no lady, and there is no need to thank me Chull. It should be the other way around, as without you offering us this information, we would know far too little about what is going on within that kingdom of yours. Now get your siblings, we will be waiting."

It would be an hour later that a relieved Chull would come with three small griffin chicks, each only about three or two years old, sleeping in a claw woven basket of straw. He would be meet by the mare named Dragon Slayer and a dragon named Clash. Who would lead him to his family's new home. The Equestrian colony of Bangcolt. Narrowly evading being tortured and executed for treason, and having his siblings served as the king's next supper.

The morning sun rose up in the distant horizon, granting sun light once more to the surface of the nation Equestria. And a certain disguised alicorn was sitting on a rock outside of the ancient shrine he had discovered yesterday. Currently he was finishing writing some lines with a quill in a large tome with a cover made out of black cragadile leather and pages made out of transmutated swamp wood.

"Okay that should do it. I have sketched the cavern and the ruins. Now I just need to figure out where to go from here. This is jut insane. How could there be a depiction of myself from nine thousand years into the past? It doesn't make any bloody sense!" Growling a bit in frustration he slammed his small hoof again the cover of the large tome he had created. The book was the same size as his young body, making it a bit awkward to carry, if you're not a skilled magic user capable of levitation heavy objects or making them lighter.

After a few moments of intense frustration he just let dropped his face into his hooves and let out a long and dragged out sigh in frustration. It was so nerve-wracking to even consider the option that he had somehow time traveled, but the other option was that the ancient ponies had foreseen his arrival, and no one had bothered to record the warning properly.

There were so many possibilities that it made his head hurt just thinking of a third of them.

He then slammed his left front hoof against the ground, making an imprint, as he began to shout out in frustration. "Argh! Dammit! I can't let this distract me any further! I need to get to Canterlot and see them! This new discovery will just have to... have to..." His shouting trailed of as he got a contemplating look on his face. As he began to consider something he hadn't thought about.

Maleficus turned to look at his book and. He thought about what he had just considered and then he closed his eyes and began to mutter and began to figure out how his new idea could work in his favour. "If it is... well it would... yes... and now that I think about it... indeed... this could work better then my initial idea!"

A wide happy grin appeared on his face and quickly reached out and took his tome and strapped it to his back. He then looked around the swampy area for a bit before pointing eastwards. "Time for action!"

And then he began to gallop through the trees and bushes of the Everfree Forest. Running straight towards the east.

Princess Celestia was sitting in her carriage taking her back to Canterlot. The inspection of the tower had gone well, Health Care had decided to remain behind as to make certain that the tower would be ready for the patients. The young and genius healer would do her utmost to make the facilities of the tower top notch.

So Celestia had complete faith in her personal healer's abilities to handle the tower. So for now she was travelling alone in the carriage back towards Canterlot. She had to admit that it had been nice to not be part of the court for an late day. Although to sleep in the carriage had not been pleasant, as even if the cushions were soft and comfortable, was it often that she slipped off them when rolling around in her sleep. So even if it had not been the worst thing she had ever slept in was it not something she enjoyed.

But the true reason why she endured it was because of a set of features she had installed into the carriage.

The carriage's interior was rather large, with two large cushions as eats, each cushion big enough for four ponies. Or two alicorns. Between the cushions stood a small table, with enchanted cup ware and teapot. No matter how harsh the carriage would shake would the cup ware and teapot never spill or fall.

And there was also a single silver tray, which could be swiftly filled up with sweet cookies, pastries or other baked goods from two cupboards hidden in the walls of the carriage. From which Celestia was currently levitating several cupcakes, muffins and cookies with an eager grin.

After two hours of sipping tea and munching on various sweets she heard something. The tapping of a hoof against the carriage, the guard on the upper seat wanted to speak with her. She opened the left side doorway and spoke out loudly over the sound of the carriage's wheels rolling over the road, she had to put a little effort to be heard. "Yes?"

The voice of the Sun Knight protecting the carriage and its pullers cried out from above. "I have spotted somepony up ahead by the Y pathway of the road! They appear to be a single pony, a young pony, walking northwards from the southern road.!" Celestia blinked at that, that was not what she had been expecting. She hadn't even heard of any ponies travelling from the southern road before.

The Southern Road was often called the Ghost Road since nopony had walked along it since it was constructed. It was built along the eastern border of the Everfree Forest and ended just before the river that ran eastwards from the Everfree Forest and into the Foal Mountains and out to the sea. What lay past that river was the Unexplored South.

Nopony had come from there and nopony had traveled there. At most there was a singular outpost, a fort by the name of Plain Mane Fort, no other structures could be found in the south. Too many ponies fearing the Everfree Forest to even be willing to live close to it.

But something was bothering her. Even if the pony had come from the south. How could they have survived on their own? Were they truly a single pony? Or were there more ponies ahead or after them? "Art they truly alone?"

After a few moments the knight responded. "Yes your majesty. Not another soul to be seen for miles. I think they are lost, well either that or they only just recently found the road. Hard to tell."

She thought for a moment. This was a sensitive situation. It was a stranger on the road, it should be okay to help them. But she was the Princess and she would no doubt get scolded by some of her officers for taking risks by helping a stranger on the road. Especially when she was in a carriage with only a single guard and two pullers, no matter how powerful she was.

"We would like to see this stranger for ourselves before deciding anything. Just a moment." Closing her eyes she focused her magic and shifted into the shape of a pink pegasus with pink mane and the cutie mark of a sun over a rain cloud.

She got off her cushion and stepped over to the doorway and leaned her head out to look out. Again, she was not expecting what she would see.

The young pony walking along the road looked to be only ten at most. Easily a juvenile. So why were they alone out there on the road. Was this pony a refugee? An orphan? So many questions.

Finally she decided to find out herself. And now that she could see that here was no real danger, she did not feel like it was any issue in giving the young pony a ride in the carriage. She turned her head to the guard sitting on the front of the roof of the carriage and spoke out ti him. "Thou may offer the young foal a ride to Canterlot. It is fine if they decline, but We shalt have thee extend the offer in any case."

The knight nodded and Celestia stepped back before sitting down once more on her cushion. The door was left open and she closed her eyes and focused her magic through her eardrums, listening as her guard greeted the young traveler.

"Hey there young traveler." A bit informal but perhaps that was the best option, this wasn't an adult and if they were bothered by advanced etiquette they would no doubt had not bothered walking the road.

A young male voice answered the knight's question. Giving Celestia the knowledge that the strange young foal was a colt. "Hello there. Fancy carriage. And even fancier armour. Are you not worried about bandits with all that fancy stuff and so few guards? I mean you look like a big treasure chest being dragged around for kicks." And apparently a slightly rude if intellectual colt at that. Although she did find the description funny, if a bit childish.

"Few bandits in these parts, too close to Canterlot and the Everfree Forest for their lot's taste. And even then do I doubt they'd want to risk the ire of the one we're carrying." Now that was a bit too much information. The knight should have realized that she did not want her identify revealed or hinted at like that.

"Ah. Makes sense. So what do you want? Well not to be rude but I doubt you'd normally stop and talk with a complete stranger." Good. It was wise to be cautious. This young colt had a bright had. Even if he was being rather hypocritical about not being rude since he had been that since the conversation started.

"Want to offer you a ride to Canterlot. You look like you've been walking for a while and we're heading in the same direction. So I was told to offer you a ride to the city. You are free to deny it as it is an offer, not a demand." That was a decent explanation, if a bit oddly worded. They could at least have used one of the fake names she frequently used when walking out s a pink pegasus. But she could not fault them since she doubted many of her guards could keep track of her various alternate identities.

"Eh sure. You look too fancy, not to mention not clever enough, to be some kind of scumbag stealing travelers or children off the road to sell as slaves." There was a momentary pause as the words of the foal struck the knight and the ponies dragging the carriage.

A suffering sigh was release and the guard just muttered. "Get inside before I change my mind you rude little brat."

"Okay Stuffy Mcstuffington." The door opened and the young foal climbed into carriage. Celestia wondered if this was how she had been as a foal, and if so, she would apologies to her mother if she saw her in the future.

Her Sun Knight didn't appreciate the snark of the foal and retorted, only to be interrupted before he could even state his name. "My name is-"

"Don't care!" The foal just stated as he closed the door to the carriage behind himself. And turned and waved at the staring pegasus who looked like she was trying to figure out what had just occurred. "Sup lady! Thanks for the ride!"

He walked over to the free large cushion and sat down on his rear on it. Rather then laying down on it like most ponies did. The colt was humming a strange tune while opening his large tome onto his lap and pulled out a quill from inside his mane and began to write in the book.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the carriage began to move once more. Celestia sipped her tea and ate some cookies before she asked the young colt why he was alone on the road. "Why were thee doing out there on the road all alone young one?"

The foal didn't look up from his book and just responded while writing. "Oh I am going to see the Order of the Golden Cross at Canterlot."

Her ears perked at that, was this young pony seeking to join one of the biggest knightly orders in the land? It would be a good thing for him, as it might make him learn to not be so rude. "Oh? Doest thou seek to join them?"

The young colt surprised her by snorting and waving his left foreleg as if stating ''no way". What? Pffft! No! I am not going to join a knightly order! I am going to ask them permission to use their library for my research. I am also going to ask the Princess if I can use her library as well but I'd like to see the library of the Temple of Law first."

She blinked a few times before she started laughing at the sheer audacity of the young colt before her. It was so hilarious it made her crack into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Oh my! You art an ambitious little pony!"

With a confused look on his face the young colt stopped writing and stared at her before stating. "Pony? I am not a pony!"

Coughing a bit as she regained control over herself she took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Absentmindedly pulling back a lock of mane over her ear she looked at the colt, a bit confused as to why he said he wasn't a pony. And so she poured herself a new cup of tea to drink while asking. "Well then, what art thee then if not a pony?"

The young colt smiled, put away his quill into his mane, stood up on his hind legs on the cushion. With his book held to his side, and pointed a hoof towards the ceiling of the carriage. And proceeded to speak out as if he was proclaiming the next greatest thing since butter. "I am a horse of the Horadrim Clan! Sure I am only five but I am still a horse."

"Pffffft! Hurgh! Kaaa! Huuu! W-what!?" The pink pegasus spat out the mouthful of tea she had been drinking, coughed violently before staring in shock at the foal she had thought to be a ten years old pony foal.

Once again the young foal proclaimed proudly to the interior of the carriage. "I am a horse! A proud member of the Sages of the Horadrim Clan!"

Celestia stared for a bit before she tried to figure out what a horse foal was doing so far from home. From what she knew were the horses were caring and protective of their foals as their entire species were rather limited in numbers and not to mention having been extinct until three decades ago. "W-well. What is one so important as thyself doing so far away from home?"

The foal rolled his eyes and sat down onto the cushion, holding out his left hoof and levitated a cupcake into it with a crimson glow around his hoof. Making Celestia realize that this young foal, was rather talented as a mage, thus confirming his status as a member of the Horadrim Clan. "Oh gramps is always busy and doesn't let me do stuff on my own. He keeps doting on me like I am made of glass and won't let me leave the rest of the Clan. Ever."

Slowly she began to realize, just what this meant. "So thee..."

With a proud grin the colt looked at her, before nodding, confirming her suspicions. "Ran away? Yes. Not the first time even. Only the longest I've managed to keep away from that grumpy old goat."

Her brain froze for a bit before she asked, slightly stuttering, the foal a rather straight to the point question."B-but why!?"

With a determined look on his face the young foal stood up once more and pointed his hoof towards the heavens. Shouting out his ambitions to the world, or rather, the carriage. "Because I need to prove something to those useless old stumps who call themselves the wisest, smartest and all around better then those less then a century old!"

Celestia stared for a bit before coming up with a response to that."Aaaand what may that be?"

A grin grew on the foal's muzzle as he held up his book above his head and shouted out once more. "I am going to prove to them that knowledge, research and achievements are not exclusively to the adult and the old. And if what I am trying to prove is correct then it will affect all of Equestria!"

Chuckling a bit at that Celestia thought it adorable that a foal only half a decade old thought he would be able to prove the knowledge of those decades, if not centuries, older then himself wrong. "And what doest thy theory consist of?"

What he said next made her brain freeze and you could almost hear glass breaking in the background. "That the soul fragments of a greater entity is creating both heroes and villains across the world. And has for unknown ages."

Celestia stared at him. Long and hard. For about a minute, the foal just kept grinning and holding up his book. Before she finally stated. "...What?"

The foal sat down again, huggging his book to his barrel. Grinning childishly with glee as he resumed his dialogue. "I have discovered a pattern in the few notes and books about pony and horse history. There have always been a rise of villains and heroes. Evil rise, Good rise, then there are five outcomes. Good wins, Evil wins, Both lose, Both wins or Nothing happens. And many times it is a combination of the various outcomes. Like for example Evil win, then Evil lose, then neither wins. And so on."

Celestua was getting an awkward and uneasy feeling inside of her. And it wasn't gas. No. What this colt was saying. Was making her nervous, about just how authentic it might be. "...Aaaannd?"

"This has been occurring for such a long time that no one has bothered trying to figure out WHY this consistent pattern happen. But then I discovered something a year ago while sneaking away from my gramps' guards while near some creepy old." The foal grinned and opened his book and showed a drawing of an old ruin. In the ruin was a crude cave painting that gave Celestia chills as she saw what the cave painting was depicting. It was a crude wall painting of a pegasus skeleton covered in green flames.

The foal kept talking eagelry while pointing at the image of the cave. "I found an old ruin built around an old cave, and within it was an old cave painting. From what I was able to discern with my spells and lessons of archaeology could I determine that the wall painting was a least a thousand years old. And it depicts a skeletal pegasus, on fire, running through a forest. It had been made at least nine centuries before Maleficus Victoria first appeared!"

She stared, mouth open, before trying to speak up. Only to be interrupted."...Wha-"

The young horse kept going, not noticing that he was interrupting the pink pegasus mare as her mouth opened to speak outwards of shock. "This gave me my first realization! Maleficus has always been spoken off as a recent danger, a calamity that was wrought upon us recently through some sort of dark magic. But this disproves that! In fact, if what I was able to determine from the runes, hieroglyphs and mosaics within the ruins around the cave I was able to discover something,"

Celestia was having a hard time digesting all of this information and grabbed the left side of her forehead while muttering out in stutters. "W-what?"

"A set of mosiacs depicting a falling green star, which is shattered in the heavens above ancient pony and horse cities! But what was interesting is what comes next! The mosaic depicted the fragments of an equine skeleton reassembling itself, but it also depicted green shards that fell from the explosions. And how they landed upon ponies and horses."

Realization began to fill her and she stared at the foal. "Wait, thou cannot be seriously meaning to say-"

And yet again she was interrupted by the young foal as he stood up on his chair, held up his big book over his head and cried out with a grin. "Yes! If what I could translate is correct then the ancient ponies foresaw the arrival of Maleficus! Not only that! They also discerned that when Maleficus was broken against the surface of the world his SOUL was shattered as well! Spreading out across the world and landing upon several ponies and horses! And guess what the mosaic protracted those horses and ponies as later!?"

The truth dawned upon her and she stared with glazed eyes at the book. Muttering absentmindedly. "...Heroes and villains."

"Exactly!" He cried out with a wide grin and pointed his left hoof at the stunned disguised princess, almost booping her nose.

The young foal just went into a rant, hugging his book to his breast as he spin around on his cushion. "Maleficus impacted our world centuries before his second arrival! The ancient equines no doubt managed to banish him somehow, probably sending him into the heavens with some kind of spell or ritual! But that did not solve the anything! The ancient ponies only delayed the danger and he fell down here again as the Green Star! And this time he landed in OUR time period! Shattering a second time! Spreading his already fractured self even further!"

Still spinning around the young foal laughed in joy as if talking about one of the most terrifying and nerve wracking theories Celestia had ever heard about her old foe was a wonderful subject. But she began to see it more and more. This young foal, he was smart beyond his years. His theory, growing ever more outlandish, growing ever more insane. Made sense. "This might not even be the second time this has happened! It could have happened several times and we just don't know it! And each time has all equines species risen up and grown stronger through events of hardship! Maleficus is not only a source of strife, conflict and fear but also a source of development, courage and unity! He's like a living contradiction!"

Celestia just stared in silence at the utterly adorable scene of the young horse spinning around on his cushion, rambling out whilst pointing a hoof towards the ceiling. If the information he was telling wasn't so serious and not to mention dangerous, she would have been smiling and cooing at the sight. "So my theory is this! The tales of some of the strongest heroes of the ages and the vilest of villains can be traced back to Maleicus' shattered soul! They were all pieces of Maleficus' psyche brought to life as their own individuals! and after they die their soul rejoins Maleficus, making him more whole and thus stronger in every aspect! IF I can prove it, it will turn the head on the entire history of equine kind! I just need to find out all I can about Maleficus and all the heroes and villains his fragments soul may have manifested as! It might even be possible to trace his fragmented soul parts to the main soul and track him down!"

"Thou shalt have it." A cool and collected voice spoke out from his side.

"Gramps keeps telling me that my research is too raw and unrefined whilst the elders think it is folly to consider my theories a possibility. And I know my theory is wild and all bu- wait... what did you say?" The young horse's rambling trailed off slightly as his brain finally registered the words and he stopped spinning around on his cushion, and starred, staring in confusion at the pegasus mare in front of him. Hugging his book to his barrel as he looked with wide, big and confused eyes at the stern looking pink pegasus.

"We said, thou shalt have Our permission to visit all known libraries within Equestria, at thou leisure." Celestia said with a strong and clear tone. Her eyes sharp and her face in a serious expression that would intimidate even the most stoic of nobles.

He blinked. Slowly. And then slowly responded to the suddenly serious pegasus mare who had allowed him to ride in her carriage. "Uh... ookay... but... don't I need to ask the Princess for that to be... you know... legal?"

A smirk grew upon the pink pegasus' muzzle and a golden light engulfed her body. Reverting her to her true snow white pelted shape with the prismatic mane and tail. Crown and horn displayed with magnificent glamour. "We art Princess Celestia of Equestria, the Solar Monarch, and thou hath Our permission to enact your research young foal."

"Huh... you're a lot prettier then those painting I've seen." The young foal said with a childish grin as he looked at the revealed form of Princess Celestia.

There was a long and drawn out silence before Celestia's serious expression broke and she had to press a hoof against he muzzle to try and not break out laughing. But utterly failed. "....snrkk! Bwhahahahahaaa! Oh thou art a delight! Tell Us young Horse Lord, what be thou name?"

"Oh that? I am Ciaphas. But gramps only calls me that when he's angry at me so I generally go by my pony name. Decades' Gain. Nice to meet you Princess." The foal said with a sunny grin before reaching out with a hoof to shake.

Princess Celestia smiled at him and accepted the offered hoof and shook it. While outside the wagon moved over the drawbridge and past the gatehouse, into the busy streets of Canterlot. "Nice yo meet thee as well young Decades' Gain. Welcome to Canterlot."

Spathathos, also known as Sword Bearer, blinked with bleary eyes as he woke up. His head hurt. His entire body hurt. His vision was fuzzy and he was certain he couldn't see through his left eye. He tried to open his mouth and speak but his mouth and tongue were dry and his throat was raw, thus he let out a hacking cough instead of speaking out comprehensible sentences.

He heard a gasp from someone nearby and his pulsing head made it hard to hear what they were saying but he still managed to make out the words. "He's awake! Somepony call the healers!"

Groaning he tried to turn around, but he felt his body was restricted by something. Blinking slowly he soon managed to make out more of the room. And he noticed that his body was mostly covered with thick bandages and his lower left leg was in a splint and so was his left foreleg. He could only assume that what was covering his eye was also some manner of bandages or similar.

"Spathathos are you okay!?" The worried face of Cute Justice emerged out of a doorway, along with two ponies clad in white robes bearing medical supplies in pockets.

He opening his mouth and tried to ask for water. But even speaking a single word was hard, and he had to lick with his dry tongue over his lips to prevent them from cracking and bleeding. "Wh...whaa......whaaath......"

One of the healers took note of his request and shouted out towards the doorway were he could guess some minor healers or servants were located. "Get him some water! He is severely dehydrated!"

In just a few moments a large wooden bucket with fresh water was brought in, along with a mug. Cute Justice scooped up water from the bucket, the healer gently helped him lift his head. Before helping him drink the water. He let out a breath of relief through his nostrils as the cool sensation of water flowing down his mouth and into his sore throat. It was a cooling and comforting sensation was filling his body.

Coughing a bit he spat out a logie of blood and soot. Letting out a breath of relief he leaned back into his pillow and closed his eyes, slowing down his breathing. A wet and cool cloth was rubbed over his forehead and he felt his fatigue ease up a bit and as a side effect felt a bit more awake. "Oooh... that's better..."

The healer nodded, being satisfied with his apparent state and left the cool wet cloth on his forehead for a moment before removing it. Putting it back in a bowl of water to clean it. She then nodded to the worried looking Cute Justice before leaving for another patient. "He should be fine for now Captain. If you need anything just call for me or one of my colleagues."

Cute Justice nodded and sat down next to the heavily wounded horse. Taking the now clean wet cloth and washed his blood stained muzzle and removed some of the grime from his eyes. She looked at him and asked him how he felt as she washed his face. "How do you feel Spathathos?"

He let out a groan, smacking his lips as the wet cloth cleaned away the blood from them. And he opened his eyes slightly, but quickly closed them as he felt strained just opening them. "Like I have been kneaded and folded like a dough and left to bake in the sun for days... the water helped though... so how did the fight go?... I take it we won?"

The pegasus mare let out a chuckle as she brushed the wet cloth over his closed eyes. Carefully soothing his sore eyes while also cleaning his slightly dirty and dry eyes. "The Griffins tried to charge over us when their ships were lost. But we managed to hold them back long enough for them to lose conviction and either surrender or flee."

"Ah... good... what hit me by the way? I was shooting griffins when something struck the back of my head..." He could remember it, him standing on the tower by the siege engines. Shooting down charging griffins with his bow. Then a sudden impact struck his head and he blacked out.

Cute Justice chuckled a little at that and removed the cloth, cleaning it up in the bowl of now slightly dirty water. "One of the ship's exploded and a large chunk of metal struck the castle and sent a rain of rocks and boulders into the air. You got hit in from above by one of the larger pieces and was nearly crushed beneath it."

"Ah... that explains it." He mutters as it dawns on him just how lucky he is to be alive. For if the boulder that struck him had managed to damage his body this much then he would more likely then not been dead. Especially considering it struck him on the head before slamming him down to the ground.

"...You nearly died. Your legs on your left side were broken and had to be set with splints. Your ribs were fractured, some broken ,your spine bruised and your skull was fractured. You have a heavy concussion and is lucky to not have brain damage or being in a coma." Her voice trailed off slightly after she spoke and he felt the wet cloth return, cleaning up parts of his jaw and chin and down his throat.

"Yeah... That's the risk with war and battles... We all risk our lives doing what we can to win and survive..." There was an awkward silence in the air and Spathathos wasn't sure just what it was about but he was feeling a bit... anxious? Yes anxious. But he couldn't figure out why.

"So why did you put me to sleep and put me away like a sack of hay?" She sounded cold and yet curious. And he was certain that she was giving him a dead and cold glare. Possibly thinking that he made her fall asleep on purpose.

He was quick to confess that he never intended to do that. "I never planned to do either of those things..."

"What do you mean?" Her voice was still cold but not as tense so he felt like he was moving the conversation in a safe direction.

"Well I tried to warn you that the wine was strong... but you had already downed it all... and you suddenly started speaking in a timid and adorable manner... before hugging me and falling asleep..." He wasn't sure why but he felt like the room was getting warmer for some untold reason.

"...And then?" Her voice was a bit low by now but he could have sworn it was slightly hitched. As if she was gasping slightly.

"And so I put you in a safe spot so you wouldn't be harmed... by the central stone column inside of the tower... with a pair of large shields covering your body..." Spathathos had actually had no idea where to put it. He had even considered ordering someone to take her to safety, but there had been no soldier free to do so. So he had to do with what he had available.

"So you didn't have your way with me then?" The way she spoke was almost like she sounded... disappointed!? Oh gods was she actually considering such acts to be normal!? Or was that just a fetish of hers!? What kind of childhood had she gone through!?

"No I did not... I am no scumbag who takes adv-mph!" His words were cut off by a pair of lips claiming his and he tried to widen his eyes, only for the wet cloth over his eyes to making that redundant. The sweet taste of apple fritters and strawberries filled his mouth as a tongue slide inside. And he slowly relaxed into the kiss and returned the attention.

The kiss ended with a loud wet sound of releasing lips and panting mouths as Cute Justice rubbed his head and spoke up in a husky voice."Mmmmmpah! You get better soon Ser Spathathos. For I am not going to let the future father of my foals be a lazy couch potatoe. No matter his injuries."

He gave no response, just laying there wide eyed and staring at the darkness of the cloth covering his eyes. Then the sound of a female voice humming a joyous tune was heard as Captain Cute Justice left the medical chamber.

After five minutes of silence the Myrmidon muttered out in a slightly baffled voice as he slowly reached up with a shaking right hoof and removed the cloth from his wide and dazed eyes. Staring at the ceiling with the most awkward boner he had ever had in his entire life. "What just happened?"

Grand Music and Happy Meal were both sitting on the third floor of their mother's newest Eatery. Grand Feast had decided to name if the Grand Apple Eatery, after her husband's family and her own. It was the day before the grand opening and they had all decided to have a family dinner together.

Their children, Cutie Pie, Twinkle Twinkle and Grand Symphony, were all at school working on their studies. The twins were already growing well into their studies and Cutie Pie wanted to work as a baker like her grand mother while Twinkle Twinkle was more interested in stories, melodies and folk lore. And Grand Symphony could always be seen reading books about various kinds, but most held some manner of connection to mechanics and clockworks.

Sure they were three little balls of overly energetic cutie mark seekers whenever they had free time ,or sometimes even when they didn't, but that made them just all the more precious. Grand Feast's younger children were all doing their own things as they had grown older.

The twins Sour Green and Sweet Red were both working to improve the standing of the Apple Clan and to improve their family recipes. Sour Green was interesting in making Apple based beverages while Sweet Red was more inclined towards food. Grand Harvest was making progress in making the clan less nomadic, having bought up, refurbished and organized several plots of lands to plant and farm apples of all kinds.

Pink Lady was actually engaged to a young unicorn by the name of Arcane Lore, the two enjoyed each other's company and were actually friends since their school days.

And finally Grand Meal had decided to join the Order of the Golden Cross and was already showing great promise. Having finished his training as a Recruit and just recently earned the title as a Knight Warden. His promotion party had been very loud and cheerful and the two clans had gathered together.

The Blue Grass Clan had officially become part of Lady Grand Feast's noble house, as subjects to her domain and will. With the clan concentrated upon the city of Canterlot they were able to progress and aid not just each other but also the city, the Apple Clan and the newcomers who came to the city. They had sort of become the unofficial greeters and guides of the city to newcomers as they had such good knowledge of the city and each other.

Thus at the moment were both the Apple Clan, the Bluegrass Clan and the Cross Clan, which also included the former holdings of the Grand Clan, rather wealthy and well connected through out Canterlot and Equestria.

Both Grand Music and Happy Meal had been given specific missions to handle during the Third Crusade, but when they had noticed the blocked signals of the Comm Orbs they had ordered a retreat towards the city. They only returned yesterday evening to discover what had occurred. Luckily had none of their close family been injured, taken captive or harmed. But several of their friends and distant relatives had either been wounded or kidnapped during the raid.

So things were tense. And so they were here in the restaurant which had been planned to be opened two days ago, to have a moment to relax.

"Do you ever wonder how things might have gone had Grandpa Maleficus never saved us all those years ago?" Grand Music asked Happy Meal as they sat by the table, putting out the plates and silverware onto the table cover.

Happy Meal just grinned at him and shook her head. "Nope. Not once."

Chuckling Grand Music just nodded while placing down the napkins. "Hehe. Indeed. You are not one to let what could have happened in the past bother you in the least."

"An' dont ye forget it mister!" She stated loudly while pressing her flank against his, grinding their cutie marks against each other. Grand Music blushes slightly but smiles at her and leans over to kiss her when there is a loud knocking from the lower floor by the entrance.

"We are not yet open fer business but ye may enter!" Grand Feast shouted out from the kitchen as she was putting a large tray with food and drinks onto her back. She walked out of the kitchen and looked towards the door to see Princess Celestia entering the eatery.

The Princess gave the mare a smile and a slight nod in greeting as she entered the eatery. "Hello Grand Feast. Art thee busy or may We take up a short moment of thy family's time?"

"Of course yer highness. Yer just in luck, we're gonna eat dinner and we have plenty to share." The not so young mare said with a smile to the princess. And then blinked a bit in surprise at the sight of a young foal trailing behind the princess, a big book strapped to their side.

She lead the duo to the floor where her two children were and Happy Meal and Grand Music both stood up to salute the Princess when they saw her come up the stairs. Only for their mother to give them a stern look. "None of that nonsense by the dinner table! Sit down!" The two knights quickly sat down, unable to deny their mother's command.

Celestia grinned at the sight, young Decades Gain smirking at the sight as well. The alicorn then stepped forward and spoke to the trio. "We won't stay for long, We only wish to convey our greetings as well as to hath thee meet somepony interesting."

Seeing this to be his que the young colt walked forward with a grin on his lips as Celestia presented him to the gathered family.

"Grand Music, Happy Meal and Grand Feast, we'd like to introduce thee to somepony whom seeks permission to use thy Order's Library. This is Decades Gain. Also named Ciaphas, he's a young horse colt of the Horadrim Clan." Celestia waved at the young colt carrying his book next to her.

The young foal grinned at them and waved. "Hello. This place is neat, smells good too."

Grand Music blinked slightly at the sight of the foal. "Greetings. I am-"

Only to be interrupted by the foal's gleefully stating his introduction for him. Grand Music, one of the adopted Grandfoal of Golden Cross, Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Cross, as well as its founder. Husband to Happy Meal, the second adopted grandfoal of Golden Cross, as well as the sole Enlightened Knight since the founding of the Order."

He then turned towards the older mare and spoke out with a smile. "And this pretty lady is Lady Grand Feast, Lady of the Grand Clan, the Cross Clan and the wife of the young Apple Clan chief Applejack. Adopted heir of Golden Cross."

Celestia chuckled at the incredulous stares of the three ponies. "We were just as surprised by this young colt's knowledge when We meet him. He wishes to utilize the libraries of thy Order to research a theory of his. We hath already given him permission to utilize the Royal Library and public libraries of the city and castle. And now We seek to ask for thou permission as well."

"Oh... Well... Sure I see no reason to deny you this request." Grand Music said, a bit confused as to why such a young foal knew so much about him and his family.

"Thank thee Grand Music. We shalt leave for the castle to continue Our work efforts in handling the griffins. Does thy wish to come with Us young Decades Gain or doest thee hath other plans?" She turned and asked the young foal who was sniffing the hot pie on the table.

"Nah I am good. I will remain here for a bit before I leave for the temple to read those books." He then reached over and grabbed a piece of pie and put it on a small plate given to him by Grand feast. And then began to eat the pie with an eager smile.

Celestia nodded and turned towards the others and gave them a small nod before leaving the eatery. "We wish thee all a fine day. Farewell."

There was a short awkward silence as the group ate. And after a few moments the young foal looked towards the door, making sure nopony was around. And swallowed his mouthful of pie before putting the plate on the table. And then spoke up in an older and very familiar voice, his eyes attaining a crimson glow ash e did so. "Well now that, that's out of the way. I hope you have been alright for the past couple of years. For I have missed you all greatly."

There was a long and stunned pause. Before it all clicked into their heads. Just whose voice it was coming out of the foal.

"Maleficus!?" All three ponies shouted out in shock at the glowing red eyes of the cloaked young horse in front of them.

"Hello there youngsters, it's been a while." The grinning shape of the disguised alicorn state as he waved at them, his voice making it almost comical in how unfitting it was for the young looking body he was currently possessing.

"Ye stupid pony!" An angry Grand Feast shouted out and marched towards him.

"Wait what? What did I do?" Maleficus was genuinely confused by all of this and let out a yelp of surprise when Grand Feast grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him up to give him a stern glare.

"Oh ye stupid self sacrificing dolt of a pony! Yer not escaping mah lecturing this time!" Maleficus wasn't sure why but those words made him feel like he was shrinking. Both physically and mentally.

"W-what do you mean?" He was not liking where this was going.

The glare seemed to grow even more intense as she sat down on a chair and put him over her lap and raised her free hoof. "Do not think Ah have forgotten how ye darn near turned into a lifeless husk the last time ye saved this city!"

"Oh you can't be- ACK! DID YOU JUST SPANK ME!?" Cried out the disguised alicorn in utter flabbergasted voice as he felt a sting he had not felt since he had been a very young human child.

The old mare glared back at him. Unwilling to listen to his nonsense and raised her hoof to smack his flank again. "Shut yer trap and take yer punishment like a grown pony!"

Maleficus rolled out of her lap and got up on his hind legs, rubbing his left flank with his right front hoof while pointing his left at her and shouting out in anger. His face red in humiliation. "I AM OVER THREE TIMES YOUR AGE WOMAN! I AM WELL PAST THE AGE FOR SPANKING! IF ANYTHING I SHOULD BE THE ONE DEALING OUT THE PUNISHMENT FOR DISRESPECTING YOUR ELDER!"

The mare just stepped forward to grab him again, only for him to duck aside like a slippery eel, moving beneath a table and appearing on the other side. And a stand off ensued as the two glared at each other from each side of the table. "I yer gonna act like a reckless colt ever time Ah see ye then Ahm gonna treat ye like one!"

Happy Meal and Grand Music looked at each other as they listened to their mother and grandfather arguing. They then, as one turned around and walked down the stairs to evade the craziness. *Buck this, we're out.*

They could come back later when things had cooled off.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" A griffin flew with a loud cry out of a tree, his large sword swinging down towards the head of an armoured horse. The blow missed the intended area and instead struck the dense and dry sand road next to the horse.

A powerful hoof slammed out and punched the griffin in the gut, making him fall clutching his stomach, trying not to retch. He tried to make another attack onto for the horse to send a kick to the side of his skull knocked him unconscious.

The horse was dressed in a light brown kimono, a straw hat placed over his head. On his sides were a pair of long katanasas well as a well made saddle bag. Pulling his strawhat back he revealed a beige and white coloured horse with a very youthful appearance, his fur smooth and shining, almost like that of a foal. He was also very lean and not as muscular as most horses.

"These baka sure don't realize that ambushes lose their purpose when you scream out before attacking." He stated with a snort as the griffin laid on the ground. Behind him he saw two ponies killing and defeating four other griffins with well placed strikes.

"Don't you mean bakas? I mean... I don't actually know much of your language yet but... doesn't baka mean idiot? So why do you say baka for idiots as well?" A young pony asked curiously as he walked up to the horse leading their little patrol.

"Baka is the word for both idiot and idiots. It is the context of the meanings and the common sense of the listener to understand the reference and meaning of the word. Plus it lets me call others baka without them realizing it." The horse gave the young horse a wink before looking towards the road they were heading down.

It was an old forest road with thick foliage covering the sides of and thick bushes and roots ruining much of the path. They were part of an independent expedition heading towards the unexplored region of the Hayseed Marshes. A mission given to them by the Order of the Golden Cross in return for a great monetary reward. Plus any griffin soldiers or bandits they captured or killed along the way would be given as bonus rewards to the group.

There were ten of them. Four horses, himself included, each a former member of the Horadrim Kingdom military, now working as mercenaries. Five ponies, two unicorns, two pegasi and one earth pony. And finally, their final member was bit different. And he had just spotted him on the road ahead, and shouted out to him. "Hey Natch! Anymore ambushes or are we clear for now?"

"None from what I can tell lad." Came a gruff voice as a griffin came walking down the road, bearing a chain mail armour without any military markings. His name was Natch and he was a deserter of the Griffins' Royal Navy, not wanting to become a chick killer for a mad king.

The mercenaries had been defending a small village from the invasion, when one of the griffins suddenly started attacking his own when they started grabbing foals. Crying out about cowardly chick killers and spineless cretins. After five hours of intense fighting they had managed to defeat the invaders. And Natch had offered to be made prisoner, surrendering peacefully.

But the mercenaries had him join their group instead, which was more logical as the village didn't have a proper jail and the tower nearby was nearly destroyed and had no proper holdings either. So Natch was allowed to be made a member of the mercenaries, in return that he would be on parole for a year. The Order of the Golden Cross would keep track of him and his group and if he would act up in any fashion he would be arrested.

That was tow days ago and the group had been offered this expedition mission by the representative of the Order in the village. As the marshes needed to be explored. Not to mention a large number of deserters of the Griffins were out in the wilderness acting as bandits or guerrilla fighters. This would keep Natch away from the nervous villagers and give the mercenaries a well paying job, if risky.

"Good. Now then. Let's see our progress. We have reached... about twenty miles southwards by now I believe." The horse stated as he pulled out a map from a iron cylinder from the pony following them. He looked around for any proper landmarks before nodding. And began to jot down marks upon the map, using some tools to make sure he wasn't measuring the distance incorrectly.

"Hey Yōhishi! I see a big building in the distance!" A voice from above cried out. A blue pelted and yellow maned/tailed pegasus dressed in leather and chain mail cried out from above the tree lines.

The horse, now recognized by the name Yōhishi, japanese for parchment, looked up curiously. "What does it look like!?"

"It is tall... overgrown... made out of... yellow rock... pointy... has a...what do you call the shape that has a square base and four triangular walls on all four sides that meet at a point at the end!?" The voice cried out again.

Yōhishi sighed and rubbed his forehead before speaking out. "A pyramid!"

"Yeah that! I see a yellow overgrown pyramid! It's bucking big and with several large staircase along its entire structure. It's about thirty miles south west of your location! It stands on a tall hill by a waterfall and a rough looking river that is running in a southeastern direction in a diagonal angle! The river comes in a curved way from the eastern side of the Foal Mountains!" Nodding Yōhishi noted the new markings

He would have his aerial scout finish the finer details themselves but for now it would work as a reminder. "Be sure to mark it down on your notes!"

After a moment he could practically imagine the pegasus trying to mark down the landmarks to the beast of their capacities. Not the best of artistic talent but enough to give him more materials to work with when he would be making the map properly. "Okay! Shall I tell Lucky Star to check it out!?"

He instantly shot down that idea. As it was not a very sensible one. "Let's leave it for now! Those kinds of building are normally very well defended by magic, traps, beasts or a combination of some or all of those!Tell the others to meet us by the clearing five miles south of our current location! We need to prepare camp!"

*Not to mention that is one of the Horadrim's secret research facilities for the Mana Engines and Project Skyheim. Better to send words to the Kingdom to warn them that we have found the facility. They will need to evacuate it and seal it up before the ponies go to investigate it.* Yōhishi thought to himself as he looked towards Kabuto, another horse, this one dressed in a thick samurai armour wielding a polearm. Kabuto adjusted his helmet a little, signalling him that he understood what he was trying to tell him.

Kabuto would be sending the warning to the Kingdom, since he was the one holding the Comm Orb given to them by their superiors. After all, the entire purpose of this Mercenary group was to act as one of the many ears and eyes of the Horadrim Kingdom in the name of their Father and Creator, Maleficus.

"Got it!" The voice cried out again and he heard the flapping of wings as the pegasus flew off.

Sighing the horse put away his map into the canister and turned towards the others, watching them having looted the griffins and leaving the alive ones tied by a tree. They would return in a day or two with a wagon to drag them with them, unless they got free. Or were killed by animals. But it was not like they had a lot of options since they were in the middle of the Hayseed Marshes. So safety was not a luxury many could afford. So they settled on looting the bandits and soldiers and leaving them either tied up dead, or alive, by the ancient road.

Hell they had been lucky so far that the road wasn't a wet mud bath considering how moist the air was. But he wasn't willing to risk it much longer. And they would need to make camp soon, hopefully before rain bogged them down with mud and water. "Let's get to our future camp site. I need to get to work on detailing the map better. And some rest is needed as well. These scattered groups of soldiers and bandits sure ain't giving us much time to rest."

There was a moment of cheer from the other mercs before the group continued their trek southwards. Noticing soon how the once dry road was growing wet and mucky after only half a mile. The air was filled with flies, rotting wood and the scent of swamp gas. And soon a few hours later, they would be busy making camp while rain fell upon their bodies.

Yet another day for the Adapting Mercenaries, one of the smaller but more successful mercenary and adventurer groups in the East Coast.

In the Library of the Order of the Golden Cross stood the High Priestess of the Old Religion, or the Old Faith as some ponies liked to call it. Which was mostly a joke on her as that was her name and she did not really appreciated it being used for such a crude joke. Currently She was looking at a sight she had never before witnessed upon her long life.

Sitting by a large table was a young colt, with a lot of books gathered around him. Now the sight of a foal reading lots of books was not that strange. But what was, were the subjects of books themselves and the speed of which the foal was reading them.

Historical records, mythical legends, heroic figures, unknown tales, unproven theories of the past, inventions, origins or various methods and items, so many subjects. Yet all related to some manner of historical or highly influencing moment in the history of ponies.

And the young colt was reading through each book at a rapid pace. It was like he was speed reading the book's content at the same speed as a squirrel was chewing a nut. Which one would not think of being that fast but squirrels could chew up a large sized nuts in less then five minutes. And when comparing that to a large sized book, you get that its a very rapid process.

The young colt frowned and put aside the book marked with the title 'Great Heroes of the Lost Kingdoms by Old Stories'. He began to write down upon a large tome he had brought into the temple on his own while muttering loudly. "Okay so there was a pegasus named Storm Warden who summoned a storm to defeat a rampaging phoenix. Notable for having overcome the normal limits of pegasi physiology to create a storm strong enough to destroy a mountain without any support. No proper dates of when it occurred but when compared to the tale of Stone Splinter the earth pony warrior it seems like they occurred about sixty years between each other based upon the historical events in the background."

Old Faith looked at the young foal in curious marvel. That such a young foal held such high intelligence. He was only five summers old from what she had heard, a horse foal of the Horadrim Kingdom. And he was very smart and perceptive for his age.

She wasn't exactly sure why she had stopped and looked upon the young foal for so long. But for some reason she felt like she was meant to meet this young foal. But she could not figure out why. She had been guided here for a reason, but she now needed to figure out what to do.

The foal had opened another book. This one marked with the title 'Possible Inventors of the Pre Chaos Age by Wild Theory'. Readong it the foal looked over one of his earlier notes and drew a line and began to note down years and occurences. "Okay... so water wheels were created to replace windmills after a hundred and fifteen solars, aka summers, of inefficient wind.... and apparently pegasi refusing to give wind for free... and the unicorns did not wish to do it because it felt like a laboring work... that's a possibility... hmmmm... How would that fit with the timeline of the arrival of the windmill? It was made before the Unification War and the Great Migration... it would fit... Could the water mill have been invented at the start of the Unification War?"

The old priestess opened her mouth and corrected the young cold before she knew what she was doing. "Watermills had been made a bit before the Unification Wars young one."

The colt turned around and looked at her in curiosity. And he then turned back to look at the timeline he had made and rubbed his head."Huh? Really? But the dates seem so close to it. And I haven't seen many watermills.... so it could have been lost during the war..."

"No silly colt. The watermills were never properly used because dah unicorns an' pegasi back then did not like them earth ponies not being reliant upon them magics. Thus they reduced elevation of all water ways through magic an' weather, casing dah floods to flow slower. Thus making dah water mills inert. It be one of the reason tension rose but it not be war just yet." She explained while pointing out to the young colts the lines in some of the books.

"Then that means that the story about Captain Jaw Breaker's patrol and the Commander Thunder Spear's squadron by the watermill farms never occurred! Without those and considering the lackluster records of their names in the Unification War it means they never existed! Perfect! now I can scratch out those two from the historical figures." The foal cried out triumphantly and quickly dragged his hoof over four pages worth of text, altering the notes he had made on the non existing figures and their fights with some manner of spell.

The elderly priestess helped the young colt through out the day. Helping him find the real historical figures among the fake and made up stories of the past. And the more they found out ,the more excited the foal became. And yet, the foal was also looking more and more anxious and nervous. The information he was discovering was both encouraging and yet for some reason, very disheartening for the foal.

Old Faith did not know what her aid to the young foal would cause in the future. Nor would she realize just how much of an impact she had upon not just the kingdom of Equestria and Horadrim with her little studying hour with the young colt. She would never find out any of these things.

But Maleficus Victoria, would carry her words and aid in his research for centuries. Until he would eventually find out the horrible, but actual truth of the past. But that is for a future chapter for another Tome.

A black talon scrapped over a surface of rock by the side of a soothing calm spring in a large glade. The talon belonged to a castle sized dragon with black claws, azure stomach scales and dark grey to murky blue scales on the rest of the body. With a row of purple and pink tinted fins lining the spine from the head to the tail.

Upon a long neck was a large serpentine head with a thin snout with a set of antlers resting upon the back of the skull. Two rows of almost sabertooth like tusks were jutting out from the inner side of the jaw to the tip of the chin. A massive pair of dark blue, light blue and turquoise coloured wings with feather like scales rather then elathery membrane finished the touches.

This was Fry, the Dragon Lord of the Stomfang Clan. And he was waiting for someone.

There was a loud thump behind him and the dragon lord finished scrapping his talon against the rock, leaving a carving that was more like a painting upon its dark gray surface. And he spoke out in a voice that was like rumbling thunder. "You took your time Pyre. You never get to our meetings in time."

A large four legged dragon without any wings strode into the glade. His body was covered with thick rectangular scales in dark brown colouration, upon his back from the forehead to the very tip of his tail were thick rounded bone like outgrowths that looked like weather worn mountains. These growths were covering the entirety of his upper body in a small evenly shaped mountain range.

The head was long and slightly on the thin side but had a good height, almost brick shaped, with a sharp angle down from the snout, over the front muzzle, and ended with an out jutting chin. Small jagged teeth filling the large mouth. Sharp jagged scales lining the lower jawline and the tip of the chin.

A pair of clear green eyes were set beneath a set of ridged eyebrows and the front half of the skull, past the forehead, were thick plate like scales. Along the stomach were rows of plate like scales that looked like a huge contradiction to his mountainous like back. The dragon had no wings, instead he had a long tail with a massive club like growth that was larger then his own head, and yet he weaved it around like it was as light as feather.

This was Pyre, the Dragon Lord of the Ironclaw Clan.

Snorting out smog and ash from his nostrils the wingless dragon shook his head. "Please. You know very well that I am not as fast as you flying types. But in return, none of you can properly fight me without risking your lives."

"Same old since we were hatchlings I see." Fry said with a smirk which the other dragon lord returned.

"Indeed old friend. Indeed. So." And Pyre's eyes turned serious as he looked upon the carving made on the rock. "This is them right? The 'Dragon Slayer' I have heard so much about these past couple of years?"

Fry nodded and motioned for the carving of a helmeted pony with a sword made out of dragon scales piercing the throat of a large dragon. "Indeed. This pony has gained quiet the infamy. Many dragons, include those of my own subjects, fear them more then they feared Talos."

"They are ruthless and efficient in their hunts. Doesn't even leave bodies for us to bury in the ancestral chambers. They never harm eggs but they are not unwilling to kill younglings if they are foolish enough to attack them." Pyre stated with another sort of smog and ash from his nostrils.

Fry sighed and looked at the image of the recent gossip of their kin. "Indeed. The new Lord of the Rockfire Clan, Clash, has declared the ponies to never be interfered with by his clan. I can understand this, seeing how his clan is at an all time low since their failed hunting expedition. And I believe he too fears this Dragon Slayer."

Pyre sighed also. He knew of the dangers of the ponies, he had been given words by his son Ember and he knew that the dragons as they were now could never hope to defeat them. But not every dragon were able to think before acting. "But neither Fang nor Scar consider the ponies to be of any threats. The Skyhorns or the Frostfires will no doubt assault the ponies if they keep interfering with the Dragon Lands. Their folly if anything. From what my son has told me are the ponies of equestria equipped with weapons meant for killing our kind."

Fry pulled out a barrel from a side by the rock, opened the cork, releasing a sweet scent into the air. He sniffed the beverage within the barrel before drinking half of the content with a happy smile. "Indeed. Yet another reason for this meeting. My daughter Skyfire and I have decided to have her travel to the ponies' village of Bangcolt to seek a non aggressive pact with them. In return for us trading various goods with each other we will also not attack each other. Nor will we take actions upon each other should the ponies be attack by other dragons or other dragons being attacked by ponies."

"Indeed. I have intended to offer the same thing with my son Flare as my emissary. But even if the Skyhorns and Frostfires keep to themselves do I doubt those pesky griffins will keep from causing trouble. Annnd what are you drinking?" The larger dragon asked curiously as the sweet scent filled the glade.

"A pony drink called apple juice. It is actually quite tasty. I brought several barrels for a large selection of metals and ores. Do you want one?" Fry asked while holding out an unopened barrel

Pyre accepted it and drank it. Smacked his lips before downing the entire barrel. "Mmmm! This is one of the best things I have ever tasted!"

"I know right? Fresh spring water is good and all but this is like drinking an entire tree's worth of apples!" And so the two dragon lords sat down in the glade, talking and laughing while drinking apple juice together.

Celestia was sitting by her desk a later afternoon when a knock was heard on the door. "Thou may enter."

Solid Pink, guiding a slightly tired looking Decades Gain, entered the room. The young foal sat up on the chair and downed the cup of tea offered to him ,before blanching and sticking out his tongue. Not liking the taste of the bitter sunflower tea. "Gods this taste like old socks!"

Celestia snickered lightly but soon recovered and gently asked the young foal of his progress. "So young Gain, how doest thy research progress? We heard thy hath been a very studious and eager worker to prove thy theory."

He just sighed and pulled out a stack of papers, notes he had written. And placed them on Celestia's working desk. It was a stack of five pages. Each side of each page written upon. THAT was something Celestia had actually never seen before. She had never seen someone write on both sides of a page before.

While she looked over the strange writing style the foal spoke up and began to explain his progress. "So far I have managed to record at least twenty historical figures I believe are connected to Maleficus' shattered essence. Five inventors, six warriors and nine artists. Each of them have similar mindsets in their behavior and have similar levels of ingenuity that is very uncommon. I also managed to discern at least sixty made up or misinterpreted historical figures."

"That is... worrying." She stated, looking through the notes the colt had given her with a worrying look on her face. She knew several of these names from the stories her mother had once read her. Some of these figures had been alive long before recorded history. She had actually thought them to be made up. And here and now they had been determined to be real because of a few intact texts and a young foal who had managed to read through these barely coherent texts and discern the information for what was truth and lies.

"I will need to visit the locations mentioned in the record to prove their accuracy and truth. Cannot leave things for just words and books or we will got nowhere. I will be making a trip after I finish with my research to find the places and try and discern the truth of the documents." The young colt stated with a determined look on his face.

Celestia nodded and read through the notes. Making out at least five historical figures she had never actually heard of. And some that she had. On both listed as Fake or Plausible. It wasn't the truth or the proof of the colts theory but it was indeed a great progress. "Thou hath not recorded much information. But considering thy project We can more then likely assume that thy real proof will be physical and not theoretical in nature."

"Yeah. I have only made a little progress so far but that's mostly because of the incomplete information from during and before the Age of Chaos. It makes it very difficult in reading anything since many of the letters are either gone, misshapen or in six different languages at once. Much of what I've read is only fables and stories without any concrete records. And those few I find are sometimes contradicting if made by unicorns, earth ponies or pegasi. So I need to get physical proof that can be analyzed so that I can properly prove my theory." The foal shook his head, completely unsatisfied by his progress. But Celestia could tell that, the fact that he had made so much progress thus far was amazing. To discern which information was real or made up was not easy, and the fact that he had still come up with so much in such a short time was nothing short of genius.

There was a sudden knock on the doorway, "Thy may enter", Celestia said.

And then a group of guards and a messenger entered. Ever since the sabotage of the Comm Orbs had been discovered would messengers and comm orbs be on constant guard to keep things safe. Among the guards were five horses, each give by the Horadrim Kingdom to guard the most valuable of locations and beings of either Kingdom.

The messenger cleared his throat a bit before holding out the glowing orb for the Princess to receive. "Princess Celestia. Cursed Blessing of the Horadrim Kingdom wishes to speak with you."

Accepting the Orb Princess Celestia placed it upon the table and activated it. And the image of Cursed Blessign appeared upon the orb. "Greetigns Cursed Blessing. We art happy to talk to thee once more."

"Greetings Princess Celestia. I bring words about our current situation with the griffins. Their forces have been broken and scattered. Much of it retreating back over the ocean. And my War Lords have gathered much information about their nation, their traditions, gears and even their political situation. And I can safely say tat we cannot avoid war with these people." The elderly horse stated with a grim look on his face through the crystal orb. A look that Celestia mirrored as she felt uneasy of engaging another nation in war. She would need to see the information herself. But it was far more likely that war was her only option, and if so was she not going to do so halfheartedly.

"Oh great... it's gramps." Decades Gain muttered from his seat. And at those words the elderly horse blinked. Before the image turned around and he found himself staring into the face of Decade's Gain.

The old hors'es mouth opened. As if trying to say something. But he couldn't find the words. "....Wha...."

Luckily, or unluckily, the young colt was more then willing to have the first word. As he waved at him cheekily and leaned over to smirk at the orb from above. "Hey gramps! How are things with the other elderly and stuffy stumps and rocks at home?"

Celestia blinked. and then her eyes widened. As the fact that Decades Gain, was the grandfoal of Cursed Blessing. And she began to realize, that this situation might come to bite her in the flank if things went badly.

The leader of the Horadrim stared in shock at the sight of the young foal. And then he glared at him through the orb before he started shouting. "Deckard Ciaphas Cain! Where have you been for the past week!?"

Snorting the colt just held up his hoof as if to stay, talk to the hoof. "Oh stuff it gramps! I was in the Everfree Forest researching!"

Cursed Blessing went silent and stared for a while, then grew red in his face before he started ranting again. The crystal ball wobbling at the force of his voice as it exploded out of the sphere. "I told you to never go there again after the last incident!"

Once more Celestia stared wide eyed. So the foal had not only gone and ran away from home to complete his research. He had done so by entering the most deadly forest in the nation, A SECOND TIME APPARENTLY, to investigate a set of ruins. Most likely the same ruins he told her about in the carriage a few days ago.

"Well I did and so there's nothing you can do about it! Ptrrrrrrrrrrr!" The foal stuck out his tongue blew a raspberry at the crystal orb containing the image of his ranting grandfather.

"Deckar Ciaphas Cain! When I get my hooves on you, you are in for more then a grounding for this!" Once again the old horse started screaming out his outrage. The other ponies and horses in the room looked at each other awkwardly. Not really eager to be standing here while listening to the leader of the Horadrim Kingdom berating his less then well behaved grandfoal.

Celestia's curiosity finally made her step forward and cough a bit. Breaking the elderly horse's ranting. Before speaking up in a wondering voice. "Wait. If We may ask. Why doest young Decades Gain have... so many names in his horse name? And why doest thee call him by different names when doing so?"

"Oh that's just gramps who thinks he's being clever. He combined my pony and horse name by making my pony names into horse names. Or at least similar in sound, and combined them with my original horse name. And thus allowed himself the pleasure of shouting at me with a name longer then one or two words. I think he believes, or at least feels, it gives him some sort of righteousness over me for being able to call me by more all of my names when he wants to chastise me." The young foal said with a deadpan look at her while behind him the flustering, outrage and sputtering sound from the elderly horse were all very clear. The sight made Celestia mentally struggle to not break down giggling.

"Ahem. Lord Cursed Blessing, whilst young Decades Gain is a bit rash and rude. Has he truly proven himself in these last few days. He has proven that several historical figures has a deeper connection to the present then originally assumed. And he has also managed to disprove at least five dozens of historical figures as false through contradicting information and falsified records from a few centuries ago. Thus we would like to ask that thou let thy grandfoal remain with Us for a while and keep up his work in revealing the truth and lies of our recorded historical documents."

After a moment of silence Cured Blessing gave his 'grandson' a stare and spoke up in a calm voice. "...Your not gonna rush off into danger while doing this?"

"Why would I? I have two huge libraries to read through. Not even counting all the bookshops and public libraries in the city." Decades Gain stated with a grin to his grandfather's image. Who gave a long and drawn out sigh of suffering.

"Fine boy. You can stay and do your research. BUT! I want you to keep up your studies and I want reports on your progress in both your research and your studies. I will be sending over one of your favourite teachers to keep you from skipping classes." At that Decades Gain blanched and Celestia had to cover her mouth to not show her smirk as she tried to restrain a strong urge to giggle.

"You can't be serious! I am one of the best spell casters in the Clan! I can cast spells better then YOU, you old stump!" At this Cursed Blessing just rolled his eyes at the whining of his grandson.

He then gave out a sot sigh before he looked at Decades Gain and spoke up softly. "Power and talent means nothing without the knowledge and wisdom to use them properly. Do no forget that. And don't worry. It will only be once a week rather then every day. Since I know you will more then likely try to skip off your studies if you get bored with them."

"Alright fine! But I am still going to keep researching my remaining free time here until whatever buzzkill you send gets here." The colt stated with a snort before leaving the chamber, slamming the door shut behind him. Leaving the two monarchs to look at the door with raised eyebrows.

Celestia then giggled slightly before snorting as she recovered and spoke to the sighing head of Cursed Blessing. "He truly is a talented foal Lord Blessing."

He shook his head and looked at the door with a sad, if proud, smile on his face. "Aye. Much like his mother he holds great knowledge and a keen mind. And like his father he has a lot of power and talent when it comes to the matters of the arcane. But he is still young, not even a decade old and he's far too rash and acts out on his own far too much. Even with his high intellect and power is he still only a foal and needs to have his power and talent refined rather then just using them all willy nilly."

"True. But to rebuke and constrain his talent will sometimes only hinder or even cripple it. It may be for the best to let him be free to utilize said talent to his own desires. At least under proper supervision of course. But for now. We believe thou had a message for Us concerning the Gryphon Kingdom." She sat down on her seat once more and looked at the orb with a serious look on her face. While Solid Pink emerged out of a shadowy corner, bearing a scroll and quill, ready to record what was being said.

A grim look appeared on Cursed Blessing's muzzle and he began to report his findings to the Princess. "The griffins may have been beaten back but they still have large amounts of soldiers and even more air ships. They will be able to send off another invasion force within a few weeks unless we take the initiative. I am talking a full scale counter invasion of Gryphon."

Celestia was a bit taken aback by this declaration from the Elderly Horse. She had never considered him to be a warmonger, but she felt like this was not just a desire for war. But more like he felt like there was no other option. "Does thou truly think it to be necessary?"

Cursed Blessing just nodded and gave her a blunt and straight response. Delivering a disturbing blow to her calm as he spoke of what the ruler of the Griffins wanted. "Aye I do. From what I have heard have at least a thousand ponies, foals and young adults, been taken to cross the sea towards the Gryphon Kingdom. And from what I have found out. Is their King, going to eat them."

"...what?" Was all she could muster out of her lips as the words she had just been told made her brain freeze in shock. And she instantly began to recall the horrors she had witnessed and heard of during the Draconinc Incursion.

The elderly sage just kept going. And the verbal blows of reality made her almost puke as he began to describe the depravity of the twisted King. "King Craver of the Gryphon Empire is a cannibalistic tyrant who killed his own father to claim the throne, and has been using his power to expand the military to not only expand his nation but also to control his people by force. And he does so not do this to control them, it is more like a side effect. His real goal is to steal their children. Unhatched eggs, chicks or young adults. To be taken to his castle, where they are to be killed and cooked in his kitchens to then be served for him to eat. He has apparently decided to update his palate, by using his invasion to try and taste young pony flesh."

"Gods... what... what kind of monster art he!?" Celestia cried out, standing up from her seat, slamming her front left hoof onto the table. Her eyes burning with fury.

Cursed Blessing could only grimly look up at her from the orb and gave his honest opinion. "One of the worst kind of monster your majesty. A twisted and deranged sociopath with the position of a ruler over a nation."

Celestia is silent for a while. Then she turns towards her adviser and grits out orders to her with a barely controlled fury. "Solid Pink... prepare messengers and send words to all forces within Equestria a call to arms. Ask only for those willing to cross the sea to fight for the freedom of not only ponies and horses, but griffins as well. We art going to war. But We shalt not force anypony to join this war, unless they wish too."

"As you command Princess." Solid Pink bowed to her Princess and backed into a shadow, seemingly disappearing within it.

Celestia looked at the orb with the silent Lord Cursed Blessing and pulled out a stack of empty parchments and a quill. Not even noticing how her dialect slightly shifted as he focused her attention upon the orb. "Tell us all you know about the Griffins Lord Cursed Blessing."

And he did. And Celestia took notes about the discoveries about the griffins. And would be spending several hours writing it all down. All the while posters, messengers, heralds and Com Orbs were sending messages out across the lands of Equestria. Calling to arms to fight against the tyranny of a twisted King who would feast upon the flesh of the young and new born, even his own people.

The words would shake Equestria to new heights. And more then a few would join the call. Not to just protect themselves, but to free all beings in the world from the threat that was King Craver.

And once more Equestira began to prepare for war.

Within a deep underground chamber was a certain griffin Lord walking along the catwalks positioned through the large chamber. Ahead of him was an artificer, one of the few griffins who had studied and developed minor magical abilities. Including the priceless knowledge of creating magical items through forgotten runes and rare reagents.

"How goes the project Artificer?" Lord Archos asked the young griffin leading his way. Both the lord and the artificers were both dressed in a thick white painted protective leathery looking robe, a sort of protective gear.

The young artificer was quick to answer the noble. As one was not one to leave the unspoken ruler of Gryphon waiting. "It goes at a rapid pace milord Archos. We have managed to construct the base of the structure his majesty has asked of us. We have even managed to infuse it with the Tears of Sorrows. It is yet to be tested but our theories and initial assumptions shows promise. It will be at least a thousand times stronger the the handheld vial we had used for the hand held anti magic prototypes."

They walked down a set of stairs. Flight was forbidden in the chamber as it was too dangerous to allow flight within it. Lord Archos nodded at the artificer's comment and gave a rapt response. "Good. Let us see how well you have progressed."

They reached the bottom of the large chamber and blue light was shining upon a large contraption standing upon the center. Where several griffins dressed in protective gear were pouring glowing blue liquid into several open latches in the twisted and wicked looking structure.

As the artificer and Lord approached the griffins shouted out that the chambers had been filled and started moving away from the structure. Removing all ladders, ropes and buckets they had been using to prepare it.

It was shaped like a hexagon at the base, at least two meters in thickness. And jutting out from each of the six points of the hexagon platform were six meters long V shaped spikes. They were about a meter thick in radius at the base before becoming thinner until it reached the razor sharp tips.

Within the lower half of each V shaped claw were filled with the blue glowing mass the griffins had just been pouring into it.. Making the entire structure look like the underside of some manner of hexagon shaped crab with glowing legs.

The artificer presented the structure to the Lord in a flourish. "Here it is Lord Archos. The first artifact of the pair the King asked for."

Nodding Lord Archos looked at the artifact and from what he could tell was it very wicked and imposing in design. Very good. Now they would now just need to find out how effective it was. "Impressive. What do you call this... contraption?"

The artificer grinned at the question, obviously proud of the name they had given their project. "We call it the Tearful Talon. We are about to test the first prototype. We managed to get a pony prisoner from the raid to be used for our test."

"Ah good. Let us see how it goes." Lord Archon stated as two griffin soldiers came carrying a chained unicorn who was whimpering and shivering in tearful terror as the griffins dragged them towards the contraption.

"Here milord." The Artficier stated while holding out a transparent fishbowl shaped helmet to the noble, who gave him a raised eyebrow before putting it on.

As the crying pony was dragged to the contraption the artificer put on his own bowl helmet and as the griffins chained the pony in place they were quick to fly away. The artificer then pointed a talon at the artificer and shouted up towards the darkness shrouded ceiling of the chamber. "Activate the Tearful Talon!"

A blue humming sound began to fill the air and the claw like appendages of the artifact lit up, before moving. The two griffins looked on as the contraption began to do its work. And the pained screams of the young unicorn filled the chambers.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-!!!!!!" Yet neither of them reacted to it. And just kept looking upon the effects of the artifact upon the unicorn. Content in watching the wicked and cruel torment keep going. The vocals of the pony almost about to go out when it happened.

"-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-*SHLACK!!*" The cry of the young unicorn ends as their voice is replaced by a guttural sound of splattering of liquid. Like someone had punctured a highly pressured balloon of filled with near liquid mud and splattered the content all a solid surface.

A splatter of blue ooze was lying upon the glass orbs and robes of the two griffins. None of them bothered by the gruesome death of the prisoner. And the artificer called for a cleaning crew before he began to explain. "Cleaning crew to the Main chamber!"

"As you can see is it a bit overwhelming for the regular creature. If we were to put a griffin within it they would pop like a boil before they have a chance to scream. Griffins produces far less Tears of Sorrow when they pop then ponies do." The artificer commented as the blue liquid blocked his vision through the bowl helmet. Soon griffins armed with artifact water hoses quickly washed away the blue ooze from the two griffins as to make sure nothing of the liquid material remained. The mixture of blue water and glowing blue ooze was then sucked up by a manual water pump into a set of glass containers.

Pulling off his cleaned helmet Lord Archon nodded in satisfaction as the pair began to leave the chamber. "Impressive... if a bit messy. No doubt King Craver will love it."

The artificr nodded and as they came up the catwalk again he was given a set of papers by one of the cleaners and he held it out to the noble to read. "We still do not know if this will be as effective against an alicorn as it was against that young unicorn. But if not, can we attempt to make an even more powerful version of the Talons if so asked. It will take much longer to do so though."

Nodding Lord Archon handed back the report to the artificer who placed it in the talons of one of the assistants. The two left the chamber through a heavily guarded gate and as it closed behind the. The Lord commented to the artificer. "Ah most excellent. The King will be pleased by the result. Have these Talons ready for deployment when we need them."

But while the griffins were making their efforts to handle the two alicorns. Were things moving rapidly in Equestria.

The news of the Griffin threat and their crazed King had filled the kingdom. A call for volunteers for the invasion of Gryphon had been spread out over the regions of Equestria.

Over twenty thousand ponies volunteered to join the war effort. Almost all of them were members of the military already, most of them of the bronze or silver armies. As Celestia would not be officially using the Three Armies of Equestria for this invasion, was she only asking for volunteers. As the horses would be bringing forces as well for this conflict.

A total of ten thousand horses, all of them veterans and volunteers, would join as ground troops for the invasion. The horses had even brought out several dozens of new ships for the battle, ships they had been working on as new cargo ships, but would now be used for a militaristic purpose.

Maleficus kept using his disguise as Decades Gain and researched the past of the ponies. Trying to find a connection between the cave painting of himself and the ancient records. Of what remained at least. He was still hopeful that not everything had been lost during the Age of Chaos.

He spent time with Happy Meal, Grand Music, Grand Feast and their children. He took on the shape of a shaggy looking black earth pony, offering the name Hungry Shaggy. He was promoted to Uncle Shaggy within a few days of enjoying the company of the foals and the grown up children. It was hard to keep his truth a secret but he kept a straight face and kept making jokes whenever people asked him about his origin, and so far it was working.

But he knew it would not last. Nothing good ever did in this world. And so he kept his interference to a minimum, trying to keep himself from giving away too much while also acting like the weird and friendly uncle who would come to visit from time to time. Mostly focusing on his research into the ancient, forgotten or lost history of the ponies.

He knew that was coming. And he wasn't sure if he could do much to aid them. So he played around with his Interface connection to various Black Beacons across the planet. While around six were impossible to reach for one reason or another. Was he able to connect to one on the Eastern Continent.

And that's when he got an idea. One that had him chuckling and giggling childishly at the silly idea he just had. And so he began to work on it. Utilizing the beacon not a reagent but a medium, to create what he wanted on the other side. IT would be a wonderful surprise for both sides of the ensuing conflict.

Unaware that his creation would find a different use then the one he intended to in the near future.

But soon the time came, as the forces of Equestria and Canterlot gathered upon the grassy fields near the Dragon Bone Shore outside of the city of Baltimare. The location where the first wave of dragons had been slaughtered, and later pushed out of Equestria. Many of their bones still remaining beneath the watery waves.

The morning sun rises over the lands of Equestria once more. And yet even as the heavens were clear clouds, was the rising morning sun obscured by lines upon lines of gathered horses and ponies. Standing in a massive formation before the large coastline.

In front of them, revealed by the sunlight, sat the massive floating fortress of Grithenburg, floating upon the surface of the ocean just a few hundred meters off the beach. The massive shadow of the, not currently floating, castle blocking their point of view of the horizon.

Standing upon a large balcony stood Cursed Blessing with the Warlord Thunder Hammer and Princess Celestia with General Rough Stock. Celestia's horn was glowing golden as she raised the sun to shine upon the world once more. Above the skies floated a fleet of over a thousand sky ships. Of which fifty were of an entirely new design.

Cursed Blessing looked out over the rows of horses. And he walked to the front of the balcony.He stood up on his hind legs, his long white wooden staff resting against the rocky floor as he took a deep breath, before screaming out to the masses.

The horses raised their hooves and slammed them against their chests. Causing the sound of echoing clangs and thumps of flesh as they were wearing a wide variety of armour, and some none. Crying out to their leader's speech. "AOU! AOU!"

Again they slammed their hooves against their chests. And Clestia looked at the scene in marvel. She had never before witnessed such a synchronized cheer. It was... inspiring."AOU! AOU!"

The elderly horse kept screaming out his words to the army gathered before him. Their hooves pumping and their voices roaring to respond to their leader. "AOU! AOU!"

All horses now stood up on their hind legs, it was in perfect unison ,the sound of their weapons and armours moving echoing across field and land. And they stamped their hooves and punched their chests. And chanted out once more! "AOU! AOU!"

Once more they repeated it. And their voices rang out over the coast, even reaching to the city of Baltimare. Where over a thousand bystanders were staring in wonders from the walls and outskirts of the city. At the sight of the chanting soldiers and the speech of their leader. The ground rumbling with their stamping hooves. "AOU! AOU!"

And with a final cry the Horse Lord of the Horadrim slammed down the pommel of his staff upon the center of balcony. A flash of light emerged from the staff. And a powerful music began to fill the air as large flying ships the size of small forts began to float down from the fleet above. As the armies of the Horadrim Kingom, did not cry out again, but instead began to sing.

The horses stood tall, their hooves pressed against their breasts. And their voices began to ring out across the coast. High above in the Sky Fleet were twenty of the new, and massive, ships starting to descend.

They were massive. 110 meters long. 22 meters wide. 40 meters tall. With rows of enhanced oars. And the design similar to that of the trimere. But far more bulky and massive. A total of six watch towers placed in groups of two in the center on each end of the ship. These, were the Syracusia. And the voices of the horses were rumbling from beneath their cloud layers as they descended downwards, as if to greet them to the world.

Celestia stared in wonder. General Rough Stock also stood in awe of the massive war ships, their frames built as massive cargo ships capable of transporting a massive amounts of cargo and troops with their sheer bulking size. Each ship was easily large enough to house two thousand ponies and/or horses. Cursed Blessing, rubbing his sore throat, smiled at the sight of the newly constructed ships landing upon the grassy field with loud resounding thumps.

The rears of the ships were facing the singing armies of Horadrim. And as they sang were massive mechanical wenches rotated, and a large cargo door began to open from the top of the back of the ship, slowly being lowered down to a massive land bridge. The horses kept singing, standing with their hooves to their breasts, heads high, as the cargo doors finally slammed into the ground with loud booms.

And then they began to march forward. Without removing their hooves fro mtheir breasts they walked forward, their weapons held in salute in the other. And the ground shook and rumbled as knights, vikings, samurais and spartans alike stomped up the wooden cargo doors of the massive ships. One row of soldiers at a time, the music and voices still singing out loud and strong.

The gathered pony armies were stationed just south of the horses, awaiting their own transports. They too had been standing in rows and ready to move out. When twenty Syracusia ships flew down with loud booms and landed before them. Massive cargo doors opening in the same manner as for the horses. And the ponies, stood up on their hind legs, saluted in the same manner. and sang out with the horses' own song and began to march into the massive war ships.

Both armies marched onto the ships. Their rumbling hooves shaking the ground, leaving deep tracks as each soldier stomped over the grassy earth and onto the wooden land bridge. Leading deep hoof marks of the first unified army of the horses and the ponies. The first joint effort, to strike against their common foes. And as the final row of troops entered the holds, the cargo doors were lifted up to close the rear.

As the final door was slammed shut the ships' oars shimmer and crackled, before letting out rumbling thunder and lightning. Before slowly rising up from the soil of Equestria. And began to rise up towards the Sky Fleet. And as it did so, began an even louder rumble to occur.

And as the final notes of the song were being sung. Rose the floating fortress island of Grithenburg out of the waters of the Celestial Sea. Clouds of rumbling thunder emerging beneath its massive rocky shape as the island sized fortress rose up like a waking leviathan. And then, as the final notes began to ring out, the Sky Fleet, carrying over thirty thousand troops and one thousand sky ships. And one Fortress grade Sky Island. Began to float eastwards.

Towards the Gryphon Kingdom.

Deep within the foal mountains there was a large black pit. It was one of the sites were the horses had ripped out mountains to created their floating Sky Island homes. Leaving lakes of hardened obsidian and lava behind.

And upon the surface of this specifically lake of hardened magma there stood a large group of black figures. And they were carving a massive complex runic array upon the surface of the obsidian itself. Dark clouds were gathering above in the heavens as the summer rains began to fill the mountains.

Something that could flash flood this obsidian crater into a lake rather rapidly. And yet these dark figures did not care.

Then as the final line was carved into the surface the dozens upon dozens of figures moved into a circle at the center. And there they held out sharp hooves and began to focus their energies. And slowly a glow began to fill the air in the enter between these hooves. A light one might have considered to be bright, and yet it was dark and murky, like the thickest of swamp water.

And then, one of the lines in the array, began to be filled by a violet light. as if being filled by a glowing liquid. And then another. And another. More and more the lines these figures had carved began to be filled out by glowing violet light. Until it all gathered into a massive twisted diagram.

Then a figure walked out into the center of the formation, the figure was dressed in pitch black robes, white freckled feathers dropping down from beneath. As the figure reached the center they pulled out two vials. And a dark clucking chuckled emerged from the robed figure's cloak. Each vial containing a red liquid, that almost seemed to be glowing with power. "And so... it begins..."

A bright flash of lightning arched across the skies. And for a short moment it illuminated the face of the hooded figure. A white freckled and red combed chicken head looked with twisted purple eyes upon the vials, the left eye having two pupils, the right, having no pupils at all.

Author's Notes:

Staadnauthursil: That's another chapter down. I am... sorry for my lack of updates and reviews recently. But at the afternoon of the 7th of August, 2019, after struggling with a series of physical illnesses that had become more and more serious the past six months, my mother... died. Her Funeral was in the late of August. I have... had a difficult time finding motivation or inspiration to write. Or focusing on my life in general. My lack of proper economy is also a rising issue, not making things easier for me to handle. I have only just recently moved to a new place, and am working on getting some of the things in my mother's home in order, checking through many old memories as I do, and thus my muse is at an all time low.

Pinkie: That's so sad! *Cries*

Staadnauthursil: I... I also cannot help but feel... responsible for it. I knew she was ill, I often helped her out, almost daily. But I thought she would pull through. I should have gotten her to the hospital sooner, then things might not have gone so bad. Not to mention... this story. The prologue I wrote when I first made it, it was... it was not meant to become real... you know? I mean, I never thought back when I wrote it, that she would die so soon. I am thirty now. And according to the prologue I wrote two years go, she died when I would be thirty. I even wrote that it would be in the summer... and now I feel so guilty for even writing it.

Pinkie: Don't you dare blame yourself! Your story was not the cause for your mother's death! Nor did it influence it!

Staadnauthursil: I know... I know I should not blame myself. My siblings have told me as much, that I am not responsible for her death. That it had only been a matter of time. But I can't help but feel guilty. I can't really ignore it. She died too early, she was only sixty five. The coincidences are a bit too close for comfort too. But. In the end. I love writing. I loved, still love, my mother. And I know at least this much, she would not want me to abandon my work because of some coincidence. She was grateful for me taking care of her, for keeping her company, she told me this, often. So what kind of son would I be... if I... just stopped... It would not be right. So I will try to push on, I will keep writing. Ad hopefully... both my parents will be happy with me... wherever they are now. and I hope they are at peace, together.

Pinkie: You just get better Staady, and keep writing. You will make it through, just like the rest of your family.

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