Celstia's POV

Everything hurt. I was screaming but I couldn't hear it, it was like somepony had made me deaf. My eyes were scrunched shut in pain and my breathing was erratic. What had happened? Where was I? I remembered a green light and then screaming from my soldiers. After that it was all darkness and pain. I tried to open my eyes only for a bright white light to invade my vision. I hissed and quickly looked away seeing the outline of a pony. Was I safe? Had my soldiers carried me from the battlefield?

I slowly started to retain my hearing, yells and orders coming all around me. But even as they yelled it still sounded a bit muted, like there was a door between me and them. I tried to move only for a pain to flare up along my back and legs, making me scream. I felt hooves hold me down and I trashed against them, more pain flaring up in my body. I needed to see what had happened to me. Everything was pain, something was wrong. I tried to fight against the ponies holding me down but finally the pain won. I laid down and breathed hard, tears running down my eyes.

I screamed as pain once again flared up all over my back. It was like somepony had buried a knife in my flesh and was slowly dragging it from my shoulders to my flank. I tried to move my wings in an attempt to fight them off but it only resulted in more pain. Was I still wearing my armor? Why hadn't they removed my armor yet? The heavy piece of equipment wasn't meant to be worn like this. Not with its user so badly damaged.

I could smell blood and alcohol all around me. With my blurry vision I could make out a mare dressed in white robes holding a scalpel with her hooves. Just what had happened after Guto's flying ship attacked? All those buildings that fell. All those families that had been hiding inside. It had been a massacre for every side that day. How long ago had it even been since the battle? A couple of days? Weeks? I couldn't even make out who was working on me, so why did the day matter. All that mattered to me in that moment was the pain.

The mare in robes seemed skilled enough in her work, moving around just out of my line of sight and doing something. I was laying on a bed it seemed, but it was red from all the blood. I needed to know how bad it all was. If I would be met with a couple of scars and a cracked spine I'd be grateful. But the amount of pain coursing through my veins spoke differently. Something much worse had happened.

"..er back!" A mumbled voice said from my right, a voice I recognized.

"Star Swirl?" I whimpered out, my voice broken and my lips covered in dried blood.

"Sleep my dear student" He said, his form blurry and unclear.

"Where is Luna?.." I asked as I felt my mind drift away, sleep taking me.

Nathaniel's POV

Nathan coughed as more of the strong liquor flooded his throat. The human had been drinking for for a couple of hours g to already, trying to drone out the sounds of soldiers whispering and the griffin prisoners complaining. The man was trying to forget what had taken place the day before. He had just snapped. One second all he could see was red and the next he was starring at a corpse. The griffon had been unarmed and bound. The enemy captain hadn't been a threat to him at the time and had held important information. But it had just been so quick. With a sudden twist of the griffon's head he was dead.

Nate felt guilt, disgust and horror the second he realized what he'd done. But it was not for the death of the captain, even if it played a part in it. No, he felt those things because in the moment Nathaniel killed the griffon he'd felt satisfaction. Nathan had enjoyed killing the unarmed enemy. It had made him feel so unclean, like his hands were tainted. Why had he done it? For Luna? That surely played a part in it but it was not the sole reason. Deep down Nate knew why he had done it. He had wanted the captain dead. What a horrible truth to admit, to wanting someone dead. In that moment of anger had Nathaniel Sol disappeared, replaced with something else.

A soldier passed the human's small tent and quickly hurried past, worried their commander might snap again. Nathan simply chugged down more liquor and looked over the camp around him. Were they all afraid of him now? Had his act of killing that one griffon turned him into a monster in their eyes? Even Osiris looked at him differently after that act, like he had betrayed his trust or something. Fucking hell he needed more to drink.

Nate swallowed what was left in the bottle and threw it onto a pile with two other liquor bottles. The griffins had a tendency to get him drinking these days. Maybe the human was drinking even more due to the new guests that had been dragged to the forward camp. The prisoners had been put in wooden cages and were guarded by a couple of guards, all of which eyed the griffin soldiers with contempt. The cages were placed at Nathaniel's end of the large camp, built rather quickly by the few unicorns that were still left.

The prisoners were complaining and trying to break out of their cages, yet with a quick few spells or threatening gestures from the pony soldiers were the acts of rebellion silenced. It was funny to the human how quickly the seemingly large and prideful warriors just covered as they saw magic. Perhaps they feared it without their armor or they just didn't like the idea of being blasted with bolts of the mystical energy.

As Nathan got up and stumbled out from his tent were the prisoners once again trying to break out. But once the griffins saw the human glaring their way they all quieted down. One of the soldiers guarding the wooden cages gave Nate a thankful if cautious nod and continued on with her duty. Perhaps Nathaniel should've been guarding the prisoners as they seemed to fear him. But Osiris had forbidden him from touching the prisoners, or even get close to them for that matter.

His vision was slightly blurry as he stumbled towards the supply wagon, hoping to grab another bottle of liquor. The sounds of the camp were a bit quiet but mostly it seemed like the pony soldiers were in high spirits. Or at least they were until the human walked by, conversations quieting down and ponies looking uncertain how to act. Did they bow or turn away in disgust? Should they approve of the Lunar Guardian's actions or condemn him for killing an unarmed enemy? Nate just wanted them to simply stop thinking about it and give him some damn alcohol.

The three bottles of liquor had already taken their toll on the human, as his mind was a bit slower than usual. It seemed like sounds were muted at times or coming from illogical places. Nathan stumbled a bit as he walked and tried his best to not look hammered. They were expecting a Guardian, a warrior who could protect the princesses without breaking a sweat. They got a drunk sad teenager who desperately wished he could turn back time. Nate really needed more to drink and then some sleep.

When the human reached the supply wagon was it guarded by a couple of soldiers. They spotted him and gave each other worried glances but didn't outright run away in fear. Great, that meant they could give him some more liquor. What was even the alcohol called? It wasn't liquid courage but tasted damn similar. Maybe the same company had made it. But towards the end of the day it didn't matter what it was called, only that it would get him drunk. So when the man was suddenly stopped by one of the ponies in his path Nathan groaned in annoyance.

"Just let me take some more" The human said and tried to push away one of the stallion's in his path.

"No Guardian Sol. Senior Guardian Osiris have ordered us to keep you away from the liquor and we intend to do so" The soldier said, his other friends swallowing nervously.

"I killed one guy! For fucks sake I'm not a hydra or a timberwolf!" The man yelled at them with a growl, the ponies backing away in fear.

Nathaniel looked at them and sighed before backing away from the wagon. It seemed that his free storage of liquor had been cut off by the commanding officer. Maybe Osiris was justified in doing so, but it still stung. The teen thought about stumbling back towards his tent but deep down he didn't want to be alone. Blaze was out in the woods hunting for food and the wolf wouldn't be back for a couple of hours at least. So that only left Osiris and the other soldiers in the camp. Considering that the pony warriors didn't seem to be comfortable around him that meant Osiris was his only hope at not feeling like shit for a couple of minutes.

So with a clear goal in his head the drunken teenager headed towards the other end of the camp. Osiris' tent was filled with documents from the griffin camp when the human got there, the tent's owner looking through most of them for any important information. When the golden coated stallion spotted his drunk friend a sigh escaped from his lips, annoying the already distraught and moody teen. By what right could Osiris judge him? If it had been him standing by the captain he would have done the same thing!

"You're not getting any more liquor kid. I'm not gonna have you start a fight with somepony or stumble out into the woods" The stallion stated and the human growled.

"Please just let me.." The human slurred and the stallion shook his head.

"Go back to your tent and sober up Nathaniel. I need to look through all of this and write a report on yesterday's events" The Lunar Guardian responded with a downcast look.

Nathan closed his fists in anger and took a step towards the stallion, Osiris giving him a blank stare. With what self-control the man had left he simply stepped out of the tent, muttering swears and curses directed at the pony. He stumbled back towards his tent, seeing a few mares looking his way. They didn't look frightened or afraid. If anything were the group watching him with awe. Had they never seen him before? Nate lived in a tent right in the middle of the camp! For some reason the group parted as another mare broke through their ranks.

The pony had one of her legs in a cast with bandages wrapped around her torso and head. Nate knew he had seen her before but the teen didn't know from where or when. When she smiled his way and limped towards him the human felt uncomfortable. Why was she suddenly interested in him? Had the Guardian done her wrong as well? The smile seemed to indicate differently but the man could always be wrong. It didn't take the mare long to reach her superior officer and she embraced his midsection.

"You saved my life Lord Sol. Thank you" She said and it clicked for the human.

The mare currently hugging him had been the same soldier the Manticore had been chasing. It seemed Nathaniel's distraction the beast had worked and it had been chased away from the downed soldier. The mare gave him another smile and a bow before heading back to her friends, the ponies of the camp looking at him a bit differently. Maybe it wasn't too late to salvage his reputation and morals just yet.

With a newfound determination the man headed towards the other Lunar Guardian's tent once more. Nathaniel just wanted to talk, to smooth things over. Nate felt like shit after what had happened, maybe he was just like them. But the thought had been quickly dismissed from his mind. The teen just wanted to speak with Osiris and make him understand just how guilty the act had made the human feel. So with a deep breath the man stumbled back towards the tent and entered, hoping to lighten the burden weighing down on his shoulders.

Prince Tyr's POV

"Over twenty-thousand dead! Father that is not acceptable! That is not a sacrifice you're allowed to make!" I yelled at the older griffon, the king rolling his eyes.

My head still hurt since the attack. I remember the screaming, how the canons roared to life. The bandage around my head was no longer covered in blood, but it still hurt nonetheless. With how angry I was getting it would only be a matter of seconds before the headache came back. My father just seemed to be in a rather dark mood today, his eyes holding no light as I mentioned our dead soldiers.

"I am the only one capable of making that decision" He growled and turned to the large window behind him.

"Father you sacrificed so many! For what!? To kill two high ranking ponies!? Do you think the soldiers will just accept that!?" I screamed and was pushed back by an unseen force.

"To kill THE most high ranking ponies in their army along with their forces. I knew their hearts were to weak to leave their cities under my rule, predictable as always. Predictable just like your reaction son. The soldiers obey me no matter what, even if that means death awaits them. If they do find death on the battlefield then that is a good death" The griffon king mused and I growled.

"A good death? Cut down as blood and rock became one!? War is bad enough father but this is just evil!" I finally yelled and gave off a choked breath as my father's talon was suddenly around my throat.

"Do not test me child. You are to inherit my throne one day, so you better watch and learn how one acts in a war. That soft heart of yours will harden with time thankfully, you are made out of stronger stuff than our enemies" The mad king said as his eyes glowed a bright yellow, my vision becoming blurry and my lungs crying for oxygen.

"Father.." I choked out and beat my talon against his.

I kicked with my legs and tried to hit him with my wings but nothing work. The grip he held around my throat wouldn't let up no matter how much I tried to beat him away. The strength he showcased was unnatural, as my father was already dressed in his heavy golden plated armor. The weight of the armor alone should have made it hard to pick me up, yet he had done it without breaking a sweat. I felt the world slip away just as I was let go from his iron grip. I landed on the wooden floor and couched violently, looking up at terrified eyes of my father. The glow was gone, even if it was just for a second.

"Go to your quarters Tyr. You are not to be on deck during the next bombardment" Father said and slammed his talon into the floor, two guards walking inside.

"Who are you?.." I questioned sadly as the two griffins stared to drag me away.

"I am your king" My father responded with a tired look and then once more turned to the window.

The door was locked behind me as I was lead into my quarters. The guards didn't seem to hold any sympathy nor care about everything. How could they all act so blind? How could all of them not mourn the unnecessary death of thousands? Father was wrong about me. I could stomach war, I could fight a battle. But I couldn't stomach the unnecessary slaughter of civilians and our own soldiers. Had those warriors just accepted those orders without question? To stand there and simply slow the pony army down long enough for my father to arrive? Had they truly accepted death so willingly?

I remembered when I heard the alarm. I had been asleep when the Ygrid arrived on Equestrian soil, but that didn't last long. I had jumped out of bed and grabbed a sword when the annoying bleeping sound had been activated on the ship. It indicated battle, so in a last attempt at avoiding a catastrophe I ran through the long narrow hallways of the ship to talk some sense into father. This machine of war did not belong in the talons of the mortal races! My father might be vengeful but even he had to realize that!

When I got above deck was the smoke and smell almost enough to make me puke. The very large deck of the Ygrid was filled with griffins running around arming the canons made from sky-metal. The weapons that had been built especially for the flying fleet were huge, their barrel one meter in diameter with the canon itself and its stand being over to three meters in height. If it wasn't for the knowledge that they could wipe out the lives of hundreds if mere minutes I would've been impressed.

The smoke that filled the sky had come from the burning city below, the sounds of battle even audible to us one hundred and fifty meters up. I knew the captain was using the smoke as a coverage to hide our entrance for the pony troops, my father always did like hitting the enemy when they least expected it. It was then I saw my father by one of the canons on the ship, overlooking the battle below. I ran for him and stopped at his side, grabbing his shoulder.

"Father this is madness! Those canons are to powerful to be tested on a city! Thousands of civilians will die!" I yelled and he scowled.

"I do not care for their kind son and neither should you. It's their blood that has weakened you" The king said accusingly and I growled.

"Our soldiers are still down there! You cannot fire those canons!" I said but he simply shrugged me off.

"Fire. The princess must be at the city center by now" My father said with glee and the griffon holding the lever to the canon nodded.

"No!" I yelled and threw myself at the soldier, knocking him away from the controls.

If any of those levers were pulled then so many would die! I couldn't allow it, I wouldn't allow it. I grabbed my blade only for something metallic to hit me in the back of my head. I dropped the sword and fell to the floor, darkness swimming over my vision. The last thing I remembered was the disappointed look my father gave me as the light of the magical canon fire lit up his face.

I had been unconscious for over two days when I woke up again. My head was wrapped in a bandage and I was watched by a griffon medic. I had demanded to speak with my father instantly which had led to him strangling me, his own son. I only felt cold as I remembered the events of the battle, the battle we "won" according to father. We might have won that battle, but at what cost? Thousands of our own dead just to stall for time? Equally as many pony civilians from the canon fire alone? All that was left in that city's wake was ruins!

It hadn't been better for the other city we'd occupied. With the Flag Ship flying over the skies here there was no need for the rest of the fleet, meaning they bombarded the other city. Only equipped with two canons each were the smaller brig sized flying ships not as much as a threat as the Ygrid, but they still held the same destructive power as it in a group. Five of them were in Equestria while one had been sent of to the south to wipe out the mutant tribes. I had vocally opposed the idea of killing even more civilians for the crimes of a few, but my father's decision stood set in stone.

I didn't know if the Solar princess was still alive after the blast delivered upon Fillydelphia. The ground had been torn apart and buildings had fallen in its wake. I could still imagine every soldiers and civilian stuck in the city as the blast hit, afraid as the giant green blasts of magic tearing everything apart around them. Had they even said goodbye to their loved ones? Had they gotten a chance to see anything but terror and despair? I didn't know and that hurt a lot.

I still remembered my father before this toxic dream of a war. He had been a calm and stoic griffon quick to anger, but never seen prone to actually go through with his old promise of a war. The image of my father slowly choking me flashed before my eyes and I wondered when that had changed. When had my father become King Guto? When had I lost what parental figure I could somewhat look up to? Maybe he had never been there in the first place, and that stung. I sighed and looked out the window when I heard something from the door behind me. I turned around and noticed a paper not having been slid under the door frame.

"Hello?" I called out, but got no response.

I slowly made my way to the note and picked it up using my talon. The top of it bore the mark of a single feather followed by a small text. The note seemed to be made out of older paper, like the whoever had gotten their talons on it was poor. But it was what the small paper note said that made me feel confused, the information given to me seeming very strange. Why would anyone give me something like this? Or a even better question: Who would be brave enough to give it to me?

I looked at the note for a long time before throwing it into the fireplace father had installed in my room. I would not mention to the guards that I had been given the note, but I was uncertain if I would comply with these "Griffonian Feathers". Despite everything I loved my father. I could still remember sitting in his lap as a child when he read me old legends of heroes and villains, how he had made me crown prince despite my mixed blood. There was a good griffon in there I knew it. But as I looked out over the burned and dead landscape below I wondered if that was enough anymore.

Nathaniel's POV

Osiris gave him a tired look when the human entered the tent. Nathaniel sat down on a chair and looked at the floor, biting his lip. What should he say? The stallion probably expected an apology of sorts and maybe he wasn't wrong for craving one. Guilt wasn't good enough to make up for one's mistakes, it took action to prove to someone that you were truly sorry for what you had done. So how did you apologize for murder? The human had walked into the tent thinking he knew the answer to that question but when push finally come to show it turned out Nate had no idea where to begin.

"I'm sorry.." He said, not letting his eyes leave the ground.

What exactly was he sorry for? For killing the enemy captain? For enjoying it? For getting drunk and acting like an ass? Maybe he was just sorry in general. Sorry he couldn't protect Luna, sorry he had disappointed his friends, sorry he had acted without thinking. It hurt knowing he'd done wrong, to admit to his faults. Nathaniel simply hoped that he would learn from the mistake he'd already made, that Osiris wouldn't look at him strangely anymore or that the soldiers wouldn't fear him.

"No. I am sorry kid" The pony responded with a sigh and sat down on his own chair.

"What?" Nathan asked and looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I sent a child into battle. A child with enough power to tame a dragon if he so wished. You're a kid Nathaniel, which you should know by now. You are not meant to be fighting in a war or make decisions about life and death. But fate thinks otherwise and have thrown you into this path" Osiris started and the human nodded at his words.

"Thank yo.." Nate started only for the stallion to put up his hoof.

"Let me finish. While I understand what pressure we have put on you it doesn't excuse your behavior, just like it wouldn't excuse the behavior of any other soldier. But we are at war, so I do not have the time nor the will to put you trough some trial over one death. I want you to remember this mistake kid and to not repeat it. I have seen enough of my friends become blood hungry monsters thanks to battle, I do not want to see that happen to you" The stallion stated and the human nodded slowly.

"I won't do such a thing again. I enjoyed it Osiris and I never want to find joy in killing others again" Nathaniel said solemnly.

"That makes you wiser than most Guardian Sol. Many in this camp wouldn't have thought twice about killing him if they were honest with themselves. Many of them would have relished in that enjoyment, letting it feed them so they could commit terrible things. That is a chain, a chain of anger and hatred. We can only be truly free in this war if we do not find it enjoyable in killing each other just for the sake of killing" The stallion said and then handed Nate a letter.

"What's this?" The man asked his friend and looked over the letter.

"A message from Rose telling us that five-thousand ponies has marched into the Everfree. The princesses backup soldiers never got a chance to join their side before the coast was lost. This means that they are under our command and that we just got an army of our own" The golden coated pony said and stabbed a knife at the eastern Everfree.

"Does that mean?.." The teen said hopefully and stood up from his chair, looking at the combines forces available to them.

"Yes it does kid. It means were driving these chickens out of the woods once and for all" The stallion growled.

Rose Thorn's POV

I ducked under the griffon's sword and stabbed one of my many knives into his neck. The enemy soldiers gurgled and grabbed a hold of his throat as I removed the blade, allowing me to kick him into a tree. They didn't seem to want to give up no matter how many we killed. It was annoying with how persistent they were, not just running away when they had the chance to. But if they wanted death they could have it. I just kept cutting down soldier after soldier that came in my way, using my smaller size and speed to get around their numbers and weapons. I spotted their commander frantically shouting orders before giving off a shriek of fear, being eaten by the Ursa Minor we had found in a cave nearby.

Using the monsters in the woods against the foreigners was a good idea. Osiris plan with the Manticores had worked out just fine, as had our plan with using the Ursa Minor. The forest itself seemed to hate presence of the griffins, for which I didn't blame it. They didn't exactly make the woods feel more alive. I saw a captain shouting orders in a final attempt to rally his soldiers against us and win the battle. I wouldn't allow it.

Quick as the wind I rushed over the battlefield, taking a hit from an arrow into my shoulder. I screamed in pain but kept going, my left leg making the injury worse as I ran. When I approached the captain were the two soldiers closet to him alarmed over my presence and tried to shot me with their arrows. I swiftly grabbed two knives from my belt and threw them at the soldiers. One of the soldiers dove out of the way from my throw while the other one landed on his back with the blade having pierced his chest. The way open to the captain was open and I ran for him, pulling out my short-sword from my side with my wing. The griffin pulled out his own blade and we locked swords, glaring at each other.

"You and your kind bows to King Guto now demon!" The griffon growled and pushed me backwards.

"I'm no demon" I growled and quickly hit him with quick jabs and strikes from my sword.

For several minutes we exchanged blows and curses, but it was clear the griffon was the better when it came to fighting with swords. I had earned myself many cuts and injuries while my opponent was barely fazed by my attempt at fighting him off. I was good with knives and decent with a sword, but it stood clear that the griffon had trained for longer than me. I just hissed at him and kept up my slashes his way, the arrow in my shoulder hurting like all Tartarus. I needed a distraction, so I whistled loudly and another sanguine mare slammed into the captain's side.

My old squad had been assigned to me along with all the other soldiers. They had been happy to fight at my side again and I could only feel the same. As my comrade bit into the back of the griffon, making him scream in pain, I dashed forward and bit into his neck. The struggle only lasted for a second before he died, blood covering my mouth as I let his body hit the floor. Cheers erupted among my soldiers as the last griffins ran or flew away, trying to escape from us. I simply let the pegasi and scouts hunt after them as I sat down and caught my breath.

The griffin camp had been standing to the north, discovered by one of our scout group. It was thanks to their quick reports that we could move our soldiers up to the enemy territory and fight them off. The camp had been filled with over a hundred griffins before the battle, now very few remained. Yet I spotted ponies among the dead as well, sighing deeply for myself. We lost more and more while it seemed like our enemies never ran out of resources. The coast had fallen, but that didn't mean we couldn't protect the farmland and villages further into the country. But to do that would we need to drive out the griffins from the Everfree, which seemed impossible at first.

When suddenly a commander walked into camp asking where his five-thousand soldiers could sleep I felt relief once more. With the added number did we stand a chance in completing our mission and moving on to help the rest of the nation. The ponies of Equestria needed us, but we were being too damn slow. I groaned and held my bleeding shoulder as a medic hurried to my side, starting to tend to the wound. Even with the added numbers would the griffins still put up a fight before they would give up the idea of a quick way for their soldiers to reach Canterlot.

Many had asked me if fighting for the woods was even worth it considering the griffins held flying ships now. But I was adamant that we needed to drive out our enemy from the woods. The largest ship moved slowly if my reports were to be believed, so that meant we still had time. But it was more then just a time constraint, as soldiers would probably move faster through the woods had they a clear way through. We could not leave our flank exposed to possible enemies if we went to fight Guto, which meant we were forced to clear out Everfree first.

I smiled as I watched the soldiers mend each others wounds and round up prisoners, seeing hope in their eyes. With the amount of griffin camps we had raided and scout patrols we had killed it was only a matter of time before the large force came running through the trees. The question now was when? They had knew we were here and they must see us as having less numbers. So were simply biding time? Maybe waiting on one of those ships? If that was the case then we needed to act first. I would not loose this war, not when Luna counted on us.

I sighed as I thought about the princess and I just hoped she wasn't hurt. I knew the possibility of her being dead, of the possibility that the griffins had killed her. But I choose to ignore it. I kept up hope about her survival in Baltimare, even if the chances were slim. I just needed some guidance now when I could no longer send or receive letters from my sister. Poor Lucid was stuck in a city under Griffin occupation, probably wondering if I was even alive. I wanted to see her again, to hug her close and tell her I love her. But that would be forced to wait until after the final battle. Duty came first, even if it stung.

Lord Protector Silver Wing's POV

I felt the wind grab a hold of my mane as the Spellbinder cruised across the sky. The smaller ship had earned us a lot of time as it quickly crossed the sea in a day. The desert currently far below us didn't seem to change much in appearance but I knew better than to assume we weren't moving. Spectral Vision had been checking over the two sails that stuck out on each side of the ship as we had travelled, making sure they could catch enough wind to move us forward. The balloon above us had been reinforced with a magic spell thanks to the ship's captain, a blue shimmer around it indicating a shield. With the time they had was the work the zebras had done amazing. Now we just needed to get to the North in time.

"My Lord" Violet said and walked up beside me, eyeing the dragons that had followed us.

"Commander" I responded and eyed the landscape.

"Do you think it was a good idea taking the dragons with us? They are getting agitated that we haven't brought them to the human yet" She said and I sighed.

"We need their protection in case we would run into one of these flying ships the griffins have created. I am certain that none of them can face the might of this many dragons" I told her confidently and the mare nodded slowly.

"Is just that they killed the Dragon Lord with those ships Sir. I think we need to be more cautious" The commander stated and I nodded.

"I understand your worry, but we simply do not have the time to be cautious. We need to get the aid of the Northern Armies now and that requires speed, not stealth" I said with a huff.

"As you wish Lord Protector. But know that they followed you because of the promise that they would be lead by the human. If they think you have lied to them or is stalling for time they'll grow angry" Violet said and headed below deck.

My second in command spoke the truth of course. I knew that our current allies were here for the human, not me. I could allow them to search after him once we arrived on Equestrian soil, but that would leave the Spellbinder more exposed. The weapons had never been tested as we were running out of time and Spectral was learning how to control the ship as we travelled. If we met one of those flying ships without the dragons then we'd most likely die.

I sighed and waved private Minted Surprise over to me, the young stallion hurrying over. The private had been very helpful since we set out on this journey, always following orders. I could see a bit of myself in him, back when I signed up to the army. Had he signed up for the same reasons? To impress a family member? To defend the nation that had given him a chance at life? Maybe he had simply signed up because he wanted to legally own weapons. Either way, it was time to give the private a reward for his service.

"Yes my Lord? Is it something you need?" Minted asked me, looking nervous.

"Kneel Private Surprise" I said and the pony complied, bowing his head and bending one of his front legs.

"How long have you served with me?" I asked him.

"A few months my Lord" He responded and I smiled.

"Have you ever broken one of my orders or endangered the life of your comrades?" I said, letting my gaze lay upon his head.

"No sir!" The private responded and I grinned.

"And you took the oath to serve and protect our country, no matter the cost?" I finally asked and he looked up.

"Yes sir!" He said respectfully and I nodded.

"Then stand tall and proudly Corporal Surpise, for you will serve Equestria as more than a common soldier" I told him and his eyes shone up in shock.

I could see Spectral watching us from the helm, a soft smile on the stallion's muzzle. He hadn't smiled since I asked him to leave Orchid behind, always looking serious or down. Maybe he was finally getting over our spat in the snow. Maybe my magic specialist would be able to focus on the future now. Broken Orchid was still alive, waiting for us in Canterlot. I would just need him to hold out for a few more weeks. Soon we would reign vengeance upon Guto and all those who followed him, on that I swore.

"Violet! Minted was just promoted!" Spectral shouted and the mare hurried up from the hatch.

"I knew you were gonna promote the kid" She grinned at me and suddenly hugged a very confused Minted.

"I can't call him private forever" I said and went below deck as my commander started to question the new corporal.

I looked at the rows of canons that had been installed on each side of the ship. The weapons would collect magic from the air and the expel it as a great blast. Or at least that is what Star Swirl's notes had told us when we read through them. The old wizard had all kinds of strange machines written down on the papers given to Spectral and most of them were to complex for me to understand. Even the idea of a flying ship had been absurd until the Arch Mage had made it possible, yet that was not the only strange invention he'd been drawing on. Projectile weapons like the canons but small enough to hold in your hooves, portable magic shields that any pony could use and something that spat fire was only a couple of the many inventions abandoned by Star Swirl.

Why would the old stallion ever leave all of his creations behind? With all this equipment we would have easily pushed back the griffins and set Guto's fleet ablaze. Maybe the princesses had requested him to stop making the weapons, but that wouldn't make any sense. The princesses were opposed to war but not fools, such weapons would have easily won us the respect of the dragons and scared off potential enemies. If we would have had such weapons during the Discord crisis then we would have had problems with bandits or rouge nations.

I sighed and let my mind drift away from the blueprints and back to the war. We needed to convince both the Minotaurs and the Yaks that fighting by our side would be worth it. I didn't know if they would listen to me, if they held any loyalty to our nation. But they needed to realize fact, that the griffins wouldn't stop with just Equestria. Guto was mad enough to start a war with the world and such an action would not leave the Northern nations unaffected.

As I watched the sand dunes pass under us from one of the windows I could only feel worried. The ravens had stopped coming back when we sent them to Equestria, most likey shot down by griffin archers. That meant the enemy had gained enough ground to intercept our messages, which made me feel no little amount of dread. I prayed to whatever gods would listen that Guto was still at the coast and had left the rest of my nation alone. But the closer we got to our goal the more I didn't believe in that hope. I felt like if we didn't get aid for our country in the coming weeks that everything we had fought for would be lost.

Luna's POV

I pulled on the chains and struggled to break free, but it was no use. I didn't have the strength to break through the metal and for some reason wouldn't my magic work. I didn't know when they had found me or who had been foolish enough to take me prisoner but I swore to bathe the planet with his blood if I ever saw him. They had killed so many of my citizens, torn up two cities and destroyed our army just to get to me and my sister. I had been an idiot to allow myself to be lured so easily into Guto's trap, but I could do nothing about it now.

The cell I found myself in was rather large, like it was originally meant to hold several prisoners. The floor was made from wood as was the walls, yet they were quite sturdy. I had kicked the the seemingly weak material several times and not gotten any results except for an aching leg. So I had to be in a well made prison of sorts, yet I knew there existed no such place like this on the Equstrian coast. We used stone to build our prisons, not wood. The cell door was a few meters in front of me with a barred window letting in some light. The griffins had put me on one of their ships maybe, but why?

"Ah, you're awake" A male voice called out and the cell door opened, revealing the white feathered griffon captain.

"Steelbeak.." I growled and pulled on my chains in an attempt to get to him.

"Now now, we wouldn't want to anger King Guto" The griffon said with a grin and entered the cell.

"Where have you taken me you bastard!" I yelled in anger.

"You're on the Supremacy my dear princess, one of our great king's strongest assets. I can assure you that your soldiers fought to keep my boys away from you, even if it was in vain" The captain said and walked up to my chained form.

"Personally I would have killed you, but the king had other plans. So I cannot kill you, but he said nothing about torture" The griffon growled and slapped me across the face.

"May the void swallow you whole" I spat and glared defiantly at my captor.

"You still got some fight you. Good, Nemo likes the feisty ones" He grinned and whistled loudly.

A large griffon walked into the cell with a table of different tools being carried in behind him by a couple of guards. He grinned at me and gave a nod to the white feathered griffon who backed away from me. I pulled on my chains harder as I saw my torturer grab a vile filled with some strange liquid and a blade. I was gonna kill every last one of them, I would have the very heavens rain fire upon their nation!

"Get the location of their remaining soldiers out of her. King Guto is not happy with our failures in the woods" The captain said and left the cell, leaving me behind with the larger griffon.

'Nathan, please stay safe' I thought as I glared at the griffin griffon coming closer and closer.

Author's Notes:

And there you have it! Chapter 23! The war isn't won just yet by the griffins, Celestia is injured and Nathaniel has hope ones more! Thank you for reading the chapter and I hope to see your comments down below