Nathaniel looked at the small camp of griffins from his hiding spot. Blaze had been trying to sneak towards the enemy soldiers for hours but the man had stopped him each time he tried. They needed to bide their time and wait for the right opportunity to strike. The human knew that other Equestrian soldiers were waiting in the trees opposite of him, watching the griffins just as intensely. He wondered where the damn griffon lieutenant had gone since Nate climbed into the tree. They were here for him, not the griffins serving below him.

"How's it looking kid?" Osiris said quietly as he made his way to the human's branch with some difficulty.

"He's not here yet." The man responded and the stallion nodded.

"Rose is starting to grow agitated over the fact that the griffin leaders are growing more and more paranoid. After our raids on their forward camps have their commanding officers grown less aggressive. It's a miracle we even found this group." The stallion said and brought out his dagger.

"They're scared of us." The human said with a grin and rested his hand the sword-hilt at his waist.

"They are. But if they get reinforcements sent to aid them then they'll grow bold again, so don't get cocky." Osiris mused and looked over the group of laughing griffins.

The enemy camp was small, only holding around four tents and one campfire. But the griffins stationed here still had someone with them that would hold valuable information, their lieutenant. Nathaniel had heard them refer to him with that title several times and the enemy group had openly spoken about the griffon's victories at the coast. Nathan swore to feed him to Blaze if the lieutenant had so much as touched Luna's mane.

The wolf would have probably enjoyed the taste of chicken.

The slippery lieutenant wasn't an official leader for this particular camp in the area if Rose's scouts were to be believed. Apparently the griffon was the supervisor of at least twenty of these small camps in the woods and he reported back to the commander leading the mission. If they could get to him then the main force was next, or at least in theory it would be. But the enemy leader only came out to chat with his underlings a few times a week, getting a status update on the woods. Nathan found it funny how they hadn't noticed their forces yet, as five-thousand ponies would stand out in the woods even if they were concealed. But maybe luck was smiling at them for once.

"Lieutenant!" one of the griffins suddenly shouted as a heavily armored griffon walked up to the small campsite.

The lieutenant held mostly grey feathers and golden armor on his body, only leaving room for a few silver medals hanging from his chest. Every last pony near the camp prepared themselves as they could hear the discussion between the group of griffins. If they failed to catch this soldier then they would be forced to stumble around blindly in the woods until they could find the location of the griffin main camp. Nathan saw how Osiris prepared to jump down on the small group of griffins and gave the stallion a nod. They couldn't wait any longer.

The lieutenant had brought with him a large group of guards for his own protection, the griffins standing a few meters away from the camp. The enemy soldiers didn't even see where the first arrow came from. There was confusion at first before suddenly a few of them realized what had happened. The griffins grabbed their weapons and the lieutenant shouted orders, but there was around thirty griffins in the camp and hundreds of ponies in the woods. The human dropped from the tree overlooking the camp and he drew his sword. The man was forced to block an incoming strike from a griffon almost immediately the same second his feet touched the ground and Nathan pushed his adversary back.

Ponies rushed into the camp and jumped down from the trees, the ambush having the exact effect the Lunar Guardian had planned. The griffin soldiers struggled to even pick their weapons as they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of colourful equines. The Equestrian army had enough of hiding in the woods hoping to ambush a few griffins at a time. Now it was time to send the invaders home, either in a coffin or chains. Osiris lead the large group of pony soldiers into the fray alongside the human and decimated whatever defense the thirty soldiers could put up.

It didn't take long until the griffins soldiers tried to run, only to be met by pegasi guarding the sky and earth ponies hiding in the treeline. The griffon lieutenant saw how the battle was lost and he grabbed a knife from his side. The commanding officer intended to turn the blade on himself, plunging it towards his throat. However, before the knife could cut through his flesh had Nathaniel grabbed the griffon's front legs to stop it. The human disarmed the enemy and hit the griffon in the head with his sword pummel, knocking him out.

When the small skirmish was over had no Equestrian soldier fallen while the griffins had suffered several casualties. They had grown too secure since their victory on the coast and that had cost them the battle. Without the proper soldiers stood no camp a chance against the angry army of five thousand ponies marching for blood. It was likely now that the griffins would send more soldiers into the woods once they realized the ponies had not been defeated, but by then it would be too late.

As the ponies cheered for their victory was the enemy lieutenant dragged to a tree and woken up with some cold water. The griffon sputtered and growled at them but grew quiet as the human buried his sword in the tree behind him. The blade had missed the golden armored griffon with mere millimeters, the sword pushing up against the side of the lieutenant's head. Nathaniel glared at the captured commanding officer and looked to Osiris who only nodded. That was all permission the young man needed.

"Where is your main camp?" Nathan asked with a growl and looked at the griffon.

"Piss off you damn monkey! I would rather die then betray my king!" the lieutenant said with a growl.

"You either tell me," The human said with a low growl and let his eyes glow a menacing green, "or I will make sure that every last minute of your life will be in agonizing pain..."

"You think you can scare me? You're nothing more than a circus freak! The princess must have been more desperate than a whore to take you on as a guardia..!" the griffon shouted only to be cut off as the teen grabbed him by the throat.

"Call Luna that one more time and I will make sure your wings are cut off!" the man yelled only to be pulled away by Osiris.

"We need him alive kid! Calm yourself and then try again." The stallion said and looked at the now quiet griffon.

The young man took a deep breath, noticing how the eyes of every pony solider in the woods rested on him. Where they waiting for him to kill again? Did they think he'd snap and allow his rage to control his actions? Did they still see him as some kind of beast that needed to be contained? No, he was above that. Nathan had learnt his lesson about when taking a life was necessary. That knowledge didn't lessen the pain he felt when thinking about Luna, but it did help him come to terms with Osiris' order. So with a calmer but still furious mind the human approached the griffon lieutenant.

"Tell me where your camp is. I am not asking you to betray your country, but to save it. If you continue walking down this path then there will be nothing left when we're done. You will have no kingdom, no leader, no coins and no future. For if I am forced to search all these woods for one camp then I will not show mercy to anyone. I am running out of time and so are all the soldiers under our command. So either you accept the loss of a few and Everfree or live with the consequences that your kingdom burned because of you.." Nathaniel said with a calm icy tone.

He had no leadership skills, he couldn't really command troops and the human felt helpless. But he was fucking pissed, so that had to be enough.

The once confident and arrogant griffon was now showing some doubt. The enemy leader looked to the other griffins that still lived, all of them hoping that he'd choose to save their skin. The lieutenant simply glared at the human and growled deeply. The teen's words were laced with truth, the hard kind of truth. Nathaniel intended fully to burn every city the griffins had to the ground if they could not resolve the Everfree crisis quickly. Nate had already lost any semblance of peace in his life and he would make sure the griffins would feel the same when he was done.

"You think you can burn a nation with Guto leading it? You are all fools for not bowing before his might! Our king has lead us this far and given us back our land and soon our mines in Zebrika! You will fall if you go to him Guardian, on that I swear." The griffon spat and the human shook his head.

"I do not bow before anyone and I can ensure you that when I find Guto he will die. I have gone through too much to let him win this damn war.." The man informed the lieutenant with a glare.

"Either tell us what you know or I will make sure they throw you in a cell filled with diseased blankets!" Osiris suddenly growled and grabbed the griffon.

The man was taken back by the stallion's anger and wanted to call him a hypocrite before seeing the fear in their captive's eyes. Perhaps talking to him wouldn't work, which meant other ways to persuade him had to be used. The earth pony had one of his hooves on the bound griffon's back and growled. The enemy leader lowered his head and then sighed. Perhaps he finally realized just how outnumbered he was. Even if he kept the information from the Equestrian army they would eventually find the rest of his men and show no mercy.

Maybe the commanding officers had some affection for their men then.

"To the south from here... The main camp set up by king Guto lays three miles from here to the south.." The enemy officer grumbled and looked to the remaining soldiers.

The prisoners thanked him with bows of their heads, hopeful that they would see the end of the war. It seemed Guto's chosen military leaders didn't share his willingness to sacrifice soldiers for the larger picture. Osiris ordered for the enemy officer and the remaining griffins soldiers to be transported to the holding cells and then beckoned the human to follow him.

"If what he says is true then we will strike in a few hour's time. I will ask Rose to send scouts into the woods that will await further orders once they have seen the camp. You can rest or train until then Guardian Sol, as you will need to be prepared for the coming battle." the former scout said and the teen nodded.

They were almost there. Several weeks out in the woods would soon come to an end and the griffins wouldn't dare send any more soldiers into the Everfree. It was the final push before they could get to the coast and push out whatever ground forces Guto had stationed there. Nathaniel leaned on a tree and watched how the bodies of the dead were carried off to be buried, much to the surprise of the griffin captives. Maybe they expected the ponies to spit on the bodies like they most likely had done, but Equestria was not a nation of pure hatred. Maybe that was another reason the human had stayed behind to save the ponies. Not only were all of his friends in danger but their populace seemed like decent ponies if one would judge the funerals for the dead griffins.

With the comforting thought in his head the human simply closed his eyes and relaxed, feeling the breeze pull on his long black hair. Now was not the time to think about the darkness on the horizon. Nathan took out his grimoire and started to read through it, spotting the Globus igneus spell. It was time to train for the coming assault. So without further ado the man followed the marching ponies down the overgrown forest path while reading from his book.

Prince Tyr's POV

The Ygrid was a slow ship. The pride of the fleet was meant to destroy and wipe out what opposition it faced, which meant it was filled to the brim with weaponry. The giant sky-metal canons, the reinforced hull, the smaller canons to hit any enemy capable of flight and the small bombs filled with the corruption sickness were all packed onto one massive ship. We had almost used two thirds of our largest forest to amass this flying fleet and spent several thousand gold coins on hiring the right personal for the mission. I could see why the researchers and scholars at home could be so interested in war, so much went into it.

Yet I even if the ship had an interesting story to tell it wasn't for me. The Ygrid was a tool of death and destruction my father used whenever it pleased him, not an artifact at a museum. I could hear how the ship's crew moved around on the five different floors of the ship as the day progressed, all of them preparing for the next attack on Canterlot. I could still remember the look my father gave as the canons fired upon Fillydelphia. There was only disappointment in those eyes as I tried to stop the senseless slaughter of our own soldiers and civilians, no empathy or regret what so ever.

I had been thinking a lot about the letter given to me by an unknown sender the day before. They wanted to meet me in the cargo hold, the lowest floor of the ship, tomorrow at midnight. I had no idea if I should meet with these griffins who clearly wanted to sabotage the war against the ponies. Who was to say they wouldn't kill me when I met them? Or who was to say they wouldn't just kidnap me? Why should I trust them if they were willing to betray their own nation? While I loathed how many had to die I still saw some logic in my father's words, even if I hated to admit it. The ponies had taken many things from us, things they had not deserved. But war wasn't the only solution when it came to dealing with the issue.

I sighed and laid down on my bed, looking at the letter resting on the nightstand next to it. The parchment had been sent to me from my mother, the middle aged mare sending letters with the food transports to our troops. She had told me to be careful and to listen to my father, even if his words were harsh. She loved him so much, held such a strong devotion to him. Even with all the things he was doing here she still looked upon him with love in her eyes, a love nothing could extinguish. Maybe it was something wrong with me? I had always been loyal to our nation and my father. I had always looked upon the griffon who raised me with admiration, but not anymore. What changed?

I deep down knew what changed, but I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to run away from the harsh truth and just relive memories of a large smiling griffon putting his overly large crown on my head. I had as a kid always wanted to sit upon our steel throne, to rule like my father wanted me to. But as I looked upon the Equestrian soil below the Ygrid I could only feel sadness and confusion. I never wanted to hurt my father or the crown. But I refused to hurt innocent people as well. I had always looked up to stories with heroes sacrificing everything to protect those they loved. I had always wanted to be such a hero growing up. I had wanted to be a hero king, a ruler that put his citizens first.

But now I couldn't defend the crown and the people at the same time anymore. I was forced to choose between my ideals as a sentient being and my responsibilities as my father's son. I couldn't choose between those two things! I couldn't go behind my father's back and work with rebels! They stood against everything I was raised to believe! We had many rebel groups within our borders and they were nothing more than lowly bandits, pillaging anything they saw fit for "justice and freedom". They wanted the people to rule over the nation, to abolish laws and order.

But the people don't want the power! It is a too great responsibility! They cave under the pressure and give it to someone else who can rule. The old republic of Griffonia was the best example I could think of. Before our first king we had elected rulers voting upon the matters of the state. But they were too slow and the bureaucracy allowed for all sort of corruption to consume the land. Not until my great great grandfather lead the people to rebel against the ill advised democracy could food once again flood the markets and banks be reinstated. When the people were allowed to lead they made too grave mistakes and allowed the will of others to cloud their judgement.

I couldn't say my father was much different from that first republic. He had made great mistakes and grown mad thanks to the power bestowed upon him. So did that meant neither the rebels nor my father was right in how the nation was to be governed? If both sides committed the exact same mistakes and both hurt the people that lived within their borders then what was the correct way to lead a people? I had been taught since birth I was meant to lead Griffonia once father passed away, but maybe that was wrong?

I groaned and threw a knife at my door, the thing burying itself in the wood. It didn't matter what the rebels thought or what my father thought was the best way to lead our people. Right now all I knew was that my father had taxed our nation heavily to build this fleet and used shady tactics to keep down angry opposition. I wasn't blind to what happened in court or on the streets. Yet even with the people angry over raised taxes and other things it often only took one speech from my father to make them feel patriotic. If it was because of his charisma or the damn Idol I couldn't say. All I knew was that when my father spoke you listened.

I would go and see the rebels tomorrow and pray to whatever god that listened that they would offer me a solution to my problems instead of adding new ones. I looked at the letter from my mother one last time and sighed, folding it. I would have to disobey my mother, but I didn't have much of a choice. I would not sit by idly and allow my father to punish the innocent. If I had to get aid from rebels to do so? Then so be it. I put the letter among all the other's the mare had sent me in my bookshelf and then I walked back to my bed.

"Sorry mother.. But I cannot listen to my father anymore.." I sighed and looked out the window by my bed, my heart feeling heavy with sorrow.

Nathaniel's POV

He took a deep breath and once again tried to focus on the spot in front of him. The human remembered how he had moved during the first battle, how he'd been standing on one spot and in the next second he'd moved. According to the other mages he had cast a teleportation spell. It seemed to be the correct assessment as no other thing could explain the speed of which Nathan had moved with to save Blaze that day. So with the time he was given as the army traveled towards the enemy encampment was Nathaniel trying to use the spell once more.

The study session had started out with trying to learn Globus igneus once again but after many attempts to get the spell to work had the teen given up on it. Nate would have to learn it later, as now a more important feat in magic was around the corner. With a smile the teen closed his eyes and almost started to meditate while standing up. He allowed calm to wash over him and once again envisioned himself moving. The thoughts and focus did little to move his body from the patch of grass he was standing on. Maybe the spell wasn't as easy to use as Nathaniel first thought. When he'd cast it in the woods had Blaze been in danger. So maybe if he focused on those emotions?

The human held out his right hand in front of his body and tried to drown out the sounds of marching soldiers around him. Their forces were so large that the torrent of warriors never seemed to stop. Nathaniel had pulled back to a small clearing after walking with Osiris for some time and practiced the spells in the book. The clearing still had soldiers passing through but they paid him little mind. They must have thought the Lunar Guardian was a bit strange when he stopped in the middle of the march, but the teen paid them little mind.

Nate thought about what emotions he's felt that day when he saw the griffon diving for Blaze. Anger had certainly been one, as had fear, but there had been something else. The sense of urgency that carried him to his companion and saved the wolf from an untimely death was missing. There needed to be a strong will to move fast, to move through space like it wasn't there. If Nathaniel could grasp that feeling then surely he'd be able to teleport once more. The human tried one more time and focused as much magic as his mark would allow on leaving the place he was standing on. All it resulted with was a headache and frustration.

Perhaps he simply didn't have enough time to pick up a new spell before the battle. It stung knowing he'd go into the battle a bit more unprepared then what he first thought, but the human would work through it. Nathaniel could still remember casting his first spell in the woods and look where he stood now. If he could go from a hermit in the woods who barely understood magic to a warrior wielding a weapon laced with mana then he could learn a couple of spells. With a calm exhale the man returned his grimoire to his side and followed the soldiers as they marched. Osiris and Rose were among them somewhere, but the teen didn't care to search for them now. He'd see them once they approached the camp, he hoped.

Nathaniel noticed how the soldiers slowed down after a couple hours of walking. The sky was growing darker and they were starting to get close to the enemy camp. The scouts had reported seeing an hour away, which meant they would be attacking the griffins soon. But Nathan could tell the soldiers were all exhausted from the march, having dragged with them armor and supplies to last the army a couple of weeks. The ponies weren't alone in feeling tired however, as Nate felt like his legs were about to fold under him at any second. They would need to rest before they attacked the camp or at least eat something.

Osiris and Rose found him rather quickly as the army set up camp and lead him away from the other soldiers. Tents were all around the woods and the largest one belonged to the Guardians. The sanguine mare seated herself on a chair and took a bite from a bowl of meat. Osiris never flinched when he saw the human or mare eat meat, but they could always tell he wasn't comfortable with it. Nathaniel was handed a bowl of food from the bat pony which he gladly accepted and ate. After eating in silence Rose finally spoke.

"We know where they are, but we have yet to make out just how many griffins have decided to besiege the woods." She told her two friends who nodded.

"They are armed with the usual equipment according to the scouts: Spears, swords, heavy armor and shields. I assume they do not have any corruption disease stowed away somewhere since I burned down their lab in Garthram," the stallion frowned at the memory, "But be careful when you fight them. They are bound to have some veterans just waiting for a battle." Osiris said and Nathan nodded.

"Do we know where will be the best time to strike?" the human questioned and Rose nodded at him.

"During the midnight hours. An assault during the day would work if we had access to any manticore battering rams, which we sadly don't." She mused and gave her two friends a smirk.

"It worked didn't it?" Osiris replied with a grin.

"So we're sneaking in then? It will be hard to hide five-thousand ponies, even in the dark." The human stated and his fellow Lunar Guardians nodded in agreement.

"We will send in so many we can before we're discovered. Once they know we're here we'll storm the camp and drive them out from the Everfree." The sanguine told them both and Nathan thought about the plan.

They would just storm into the camp and hope for the best? Even with forces inside that would be a hard thing to do, especially if those ponies inside were killed before they could do anything of use. They were riding a lot of this on luck, but they had to. The time was running out and Equestria was on the brink of destruction. It was either a plan that could get many killed or no plan at all. With a sigh Nate put down his bowl of food on the ground and looked out over the camp. They would need to cut down a lot of griffins if they were supposed to drive them out from the woods completely.

"Can we run them out of the woods without so many having to die? If we are the last soldiers left in Equestria and we loose to many to go on.." He started without finishing as the implied loss was all they needed to know.

"We do not have the support to make this less bloody kid. We either storm them with all we got or we hit them in waves. They won't be dumb enough to chase us out into the dense forest, so they'll simply wait if we run away." The stallion told the human who frowned.

"Can't we send someone in and poison their food or something?" the man asked Rose.

"We don't know where they have their food located. If we knew or had time to scout out the camp more it would be a sound strategy. But we're out of time. We're all tired but with how things are looking we'll strike in a few hours." She responded and stood up.

"If that is the case I will spread the word among the soldiers. Kid, go and find your dog before he hurts someone. I don't think you've fed him for a while." Osiris said with a grin.

"He can hunt for himself." The man responded and left the tent to see where Blaze had gone during the march.

Nathan passed many tents and many soldiers saluted him as he walked past them. The ponies gave him a few nod of acknowledgement or just said his rank and name. They all seemed to know who he was now, which wasn't that hard to figure out. The teen was the only human on Eques after all. The man asked those he met throughout the camp about the wolf's whereabouts, most ponies having no idea the man even owned a wolf. Seeing how the army had over five-thousand ponies soldiers it was soon clear for the young man that how pointless it was asking everyone he met where Blaze was.

With a sigh the man yelled the wolf's name and continued down the path among the tents and trees. It was then he heard a growl and a couple of laughs. Curious the teen walked towards a clearing and saw something that made his blood boil. Nathaniel came upon the scene of five soldiers laughing and throwing bottles of liquor at a bleeding Blaze. The wolf had backed up against a tree and growled at the ponies but refrained from attacking them. The hound had learnt not to bite the ponies in yellow armor from his owner and he was following that command without question.

"Dumb beast wandering too close to camp! Get out of here before we skin ya!" one of the drunken stallions with a blue mane said and the others laughed.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Nate asked slowly and walked into the clearing with murderous intent.

"Ey boss is that ape the princess put in charge" One of the stallions said to the blue maned stallion.

"I know who he is!" The stallion hissed back as the human walked closer with a cold glare.

"If you know who I am then you will answer my fucking question" Nathaniel growled and the stallion backed up.

"We were just dealing with this beast Guardian Sol," the stallion swallowed thickly as he eyed the human, "They attack farms and slow us down, so they're better off dead. I was planning on skinning it later, we need blankets you se.." Their leader said before he was picked up, holding his neck.

Nathaniel hadn't moved, but his eyes glowed a soft green. The stallion was picked up into the air and chocked at the same time by a simple levitation spell, but it was so satisfying for the human hearing his panicked chokes. The four others looked at him in fear as the human slowly choked the life out of their leader. Just a little more and the pony would fall dead to the ground, a life Nate wouldn't miss. When the stallion was suddenly dropped to the ground coughing and taking deep breaths were the other stallion in the clearing surprised.

"That is my wolf. If I ever see you or one of your friends touch him again I will kill you. The only reason you live is because I need you alive. Is that clear?" the man said while digging his nails into his fist.

Nathaniel wanted to kill the soldier almost as much as he wanted to kill Guto at that point, but if he wanted to get to the griffon king then he'd need every soldiers the Equestrian army had. Blaze limped to his owner and licked his hand, the man petting the wolf's blood covered head. With a deep breath and a lot of mana started the black haired teen to heal the wolf's injuries. Some of the cuts ran deep and took more time to heal than others while the wolf's broken paw took many minutes to mend.

While the Lunar Guardian healed his friend the five stallions ran away back to their tents, either to hide or spread lies about what had happened. It didn't matter much to Nathan. They wouldn't try again knowing the consequences. Or at least he hoped so. The ponies weren't supposed to fight within themselves when their country was at the brink of destruction god dammit.

When Blaze was mostly healed from the attack the human hugged him and closed his eyes, the wolf resting its head on his shoulder. Nate vowed to not let the wolf get hurt those months when they lived in the woods and he'd allowed it to happen anyway, multiple times. The memories of the wolf throwing himself into danger time and time again just to save his owner came up in Nathaniel's mind, and he couldn't help but smile at the wolf.

"You get hurt time and time again. You follow me to hell and back. Any enemy I have falls before they can hurt me thanks to you. What did I do to earn such a friend huh?" the man asked with teary eyes and the wolf pushed its head into his chest.

"Thank you Blaze, for helping me get this far. Thank you for standing beside me despite everything that have happened. I would be honored to fight with you any day, to go hunting with you any night. I just hope you will stand with me tonight despite this." The young human said and gestured to the broken bottles and blood on the ground.

The wolf's reply was to lick the human's face and bark loudly, making the man laugh with a sob. He'd started out without anything in these woods. Nate could barely build a working shelter and missed almost all his shots with his arrows at first. Yet when Blaze came into his life suddenly survival wasn't a farfetched idea or concept any longer. Suddenly he was able to get lots of food and his mind no longer turned to dark thoughts with the wolf nearby.

When he met his other friends for the first time they were mostly hostile except for Rose. Luna had knocked him out cold and Osiris had outright despised him. The ponies had been suspicious and not very trusting. Yet in the end they stood by his side just like Blaze. Wasn't this what he'd been wanting back on earth? Friends and a family that cared for him? He'd finally found it and now someone was trying to take it away from him. His thoughts went to Luna's smiling face and he growled. She was alive, he was certain of it. But where was she?

The man looked at the darkening sky and at the wolf with a determined expression. He would help his friends win this battle and every other battle after that until they reached Guto. They could not stop now, not when they were so close pushing the griffins out of Everfree and retake the coast. Nate stood up and left the clearing with Blaze following behind him. He would not let the mad king have his way with his friends or the people who lived in this nation.

With a clear goal in his head and with his companion by his side the Lunar Guardian headed back to his tent to prepare. Many soldiers gave him curious looks as he passed, like something had changed about him. A few looked happy at how the human walked with his back straight and a smile on his lips while others found it to be annoying. Many didn't trust him to lead yet and neither did Nathan if he was gonna be honest with himself. But the time for self-doubt and clouded anger was over. A battle was looming over the horizon and Nathaniel intended on winning it, no matter the cost.

Lord Protector Silver Wing's POV

I looked at upon the burnt villages and fields with a solemn expression. The griffins hadn't been merciful when the attacked from the south. The soldiers that would be guarding the border had to either be dead or in hiding at this point. It looked even more bleak when he spotted the Dark Kingdom's flag placed on our borders. So the griffon king had managed to gain the aid of the Empress through some shady means and added her troops to his own. I growled and slammed my hoof into the wooden deck of the Spellbinder. If it looked like this in the south then how had the coast fared? With the griffons holding ships of their own I couldn't help but shudder at the sheer improbability of success we had. We needed to get aid from the North or all of Equestria would burn.

"Lord Protector.." Spectral said grimly from the helm and pointed his hoof towards the north.

I looked towards the distant northern mountains and I felt my heart freeze. Black smoke rose up towards the sky and seemed to indicate doom upon all the world. I growled and barked for the ship's captain to move faster. We could no longer wait, it was now or never. The griffins had sent one of those ships up there, it had to be the reason for the smoke. I had been too slow with my planning and been too cautious around the desert. May Faust have mercy upon my soul if we failed this mission..

"Lord Protector! You said we would find the goddess' chosen warrior once we arrived on Equestrian soil! Yet I do not see us coming any closer to the fighting. I can only see us running away from it to the Minotaurs! We are not weaklings and will fight against the griffins without fear. Can you say the same?" a blue dragon growled and landed next to me on the ship.

So the dragons had finally had enough.

"I do not fear them. I am simply doing my duty as Lord protector and gathering allies for the coming battle. If you are so shortsighted you cannot see the difference between the two then you are lost" I hissed at the drake.

He scowled back at me before speaking. "We came here to follow the chosen one. We can now find him and do our duty as predicted by Faust herself. I will not hesitate to abandon this voyage if it will not take us to the human."

The blue dragon was a bit larger than Celestia and seemed to prefer standing on all fours. His wings twitched with caution as he awaited my response. Spectral had warned me bout this, that they might turn against us. I had hoped it would take longer before they decided to go the Lunar Guardian, but we can't not get all the things we wish for. I sighed and looked upon the other dragons flying around the ship, most of them teenage dragons with the exception of two fully grown adults watching over them.

I had to collect myself before I spoke. "I need your assistance with the ship up in the mountains. For the survival of all our nations I will need your power," I swallowed at that one, " if not I fear the griffins will burn all in their path."

I desperately hoped my voice was more firm then how it sounded in those moments.

"I will go to the coast with my willing brothers and sisters to fight." The blue dragon responded and jumped off the ship, flying towards the east.

To my dismay was he joined by most of the dragons, only a couple deciding to stay after giving their departing friends uncertain glances. The green teen-aged dragon, Charcoal, landed next to me and looked towards the other dragons with a sigh. For a normally docile creature could he conjure up some rather disturbing looks.

The dragon looked to me and said, "I'll tell Nathan you're getting help once we find him. Try not to die Lord Protector."

With that the dragon simply jumped over the edge of the ship and flew towards the east, following his fellow brothers and sisters.

"I won't die," I said but then frowned, "I hope."

Nathaniel's POV

The battle went wrong very quickly. The soldiers that had been sent into the camp was found before they could cause any immediate damage and the rest of the troops had been too slow with reacting. It had all ended with one massive showdown between the griffon and pony forces at the edge of the forest. Nathan was still trying to understand how they had lost control over the situation so quickly but he buried the thought in the back of his mind.

He had a job to do.

With swift slashes and quick jabs was the human able to keep any griffon away from him. They all had focused their attention on the teen whenever he got close, indicating they knew exactly who he was. The Lunar Guardian didn't really care at that point and did his best to stay alive, using his sword to block any strikes sent his way. Blaze was at least close by as the young man noticed a grey blur running at any griffon coming to close to his back. The satisfying screams and crunches left in the wolf's wake both terrified him and made him fight harder.

In the beginning of the battle had the human used Valkyrie to much success, but once the pony and griffon soldiers had gotten closer was it more likely to hit allied troops then the enemy. Much to the human's dismay was he forced to use his blade instead of the magical war-hammer, which out him at a disadvantage against the highly trained griffin troops. Nate could claim knowing how he fought with a sword, but that didn't make him the best warrior there.

One griffon that came from the man's side managed to cut his blade into the teen's leg, making the human drop onto his knee. If it hadn't been for Rose nailing the soldier between the eyes with a throwing knife would the man most likely have lost his head. The other two Lunar Guardians were always close to their friend but most often or not had they their own problems to deal with, like the never ending waves of enemy soldiers.

The griffon and pony army were not evenly matched. The griffins only had around three thousand soldiers but they had shattered all the plans the ponies managed to think about. So not even when the ponies had superior numbers could they easily win over their enemies. It annoyed the human how for every griffin they cut down would two more take his place. If they wanted to create chaos among the enemy ranks they needed their leader dead, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Just as the thought about finding the enemy commander passed through his head was Nathan sent flying as something crashed into his side. The man slid over the ground with a groan and looked up into the night sky. The only light around them were a couple of torches and the stars. Maybe Luna was watching the stars at that second as well. The thought made him smile in the middle of the bloody battle.

"Stand up ape and meet your fate with some dignity." A voice said from his left and the man quickly got up, ducking under another griffon's swing.

Among the screaming soldiers stood a griffon dressed in a thick silver armor. A long-sword was held in the enemy's talons and a dark grin was on the male's beak. So the enemy commander had finally decided to join the battle, lovely. With a growl and the man held out his hand and used Solaris Mico, the spell blinding the other griffin soldiers around him who stumbled to find some safety. But the effects didn't last long on the commander who scowled towards Nathaniel's direction. Maybe it was time to quickly learn a few other spells.

The griffon commander simply scoffed and slashed the head of a pony soldier who happened to be close. "Such weak things do not work on me boy!" The enemy yelled and flew towards the human.

Nate dived under a slash aimed for his neck and swirled around to cut the unprotected back legs of the commander. The sword cut through them and drew blood, earning the Lunar Guardian a hiss of pain as the griffon landed. With a swift thrust of his left hand was a great blast of magic sent the commander's way, the griffon being sent back by the force. Yet the magic hadn't fazed the warrior who simply shrugged it off with a cruel grin.

It seemed his armor was made to deal with magic, great.

Nathaniel threw himself to the side as the enemy once again ran towards him and tried to swipe at him using the great sword. The human knew he stood no chance against the griffon so long as his wings remained, meaning they needed to be removed. With a scowl Nate turned his body to the side to add some momentum to his swing, hitting the side of the commander's head. Thanks to his helmet remained the griffon unharmed, but he stumbled. Nathan used this to his advantage.

With quick jabs aimed for the enemy's back was the teen able to cut into the commander's wings. With a howl of pain the griffon smacked his talons into the man's face, drawing blood and sending the human flying backwards. Nate landed with a loud 'oof' and groaned as he put a hand over the left side of his face. He could feel two deep gashes running over his eye and on his cheek. Blood coated his vision and the Lunar Guardian wished he could just be drinking tea with Luna instead of doing this shit.

In his hazy environment the human barely caught the sight of the commander running towards him with murder in his eyes. Nate rolled out of the way to see a great-sword pierce the ground where he had been laying moments before, the griffon glaring at him. He needed to come up with a plan, and fast. So without really thinking the young man stood up and ran away from the enemy commander, heading towards familiar howls in the distance.

The commander just snorted and followed the man. "You shouldn't run human! I will find you wherever you go!" The giant chicken yelled after him.

The battle had been mostly a blur for Nate but he noticed just how bloody it had all become. Griffon and pony soldiers alike lied dead on the ground with all from arrows to spears sticking out of their chests. It was a sad sight and Nate knew they wouldn't have time to bury them all, if they would have time to bury anyone. His distraction cost him as a griffon sword slashed his chest and the man screamed in pain, stumbling backwards. The griffon that had attacked was quickly brought down by a pony soldier who gave him a nod before running away to help his brothers.

With blood pouring down both his face and chest the teen could only stumble across the battlefield towards where the wolf was biting the face of an enemy soldier. Once Blaze noticed his owner he gave of a happy bark and hurried to Nate's side, sniffing his blood covered hand. The wolf was covered in blood and guts, having gored quite a few griffons in the battle around them. At this point the enemy just tried to steer clear from the hound, not wanting their face bit off.

"Find Osiris. I don't care if you have to drag him here just go find him." the man said and then jumped to the side as a great-sword attempted to slash him in half.

Blaze yelped in fear at the sight of the large griffon and ran off to find the scout, hopefully before Nate would get gutted by their enemies. The human once again was locked in a battle with the commander, blocking what strikes he could and jumping out of the way for others. The man tried all the spells he knew at the griffon commander, but only Solaris Mico worked. The armor absorbed all other kinds of magic and didn't allow the man to simply pick up and throw the griffon across the battlefield.

It was when the human's vision started to darken when Osiris suddenly stormed onto the scene. The golden furred stallion slammed into the side of the commander and sent them both rolling onto the ground, the pony trying to stab out the eyes of his enemy. Griffin soldiers saw their commander in trouble and rushed to help him. Or at least they tried to help him before Nathaniel cut them down. The tired human didn't allow anyone to get past him while the more experienced Lunar Guardian dealt with the commander.

Minutes flowed into each other as the fighting continued and Osiris slowly but surely won the battle against the larger opponent. They had gotten up from the ground and circled each other with the pony and his enemy both scowling at each other. The griffon commander tried to use his size and armor to bring down the smaller stallion, but it was exactly what Osiris had wanted. The former scout used his speed to bury his dagger into the griffons exposed armpit which made the enemy combatant drop his great-sword. With a swift slash Osiris buried another dagger into the throat of the commander, a gurgle escaping the griffon's mouth.

With the enemy leader dropping dead on the ground it was like the pony soldiers gained new strength. Osiris helped Nathaniel stand up straight, giving him a nod. The battle was not over, but as predicted chaos erupted in the griffin ranks and more soldiers fell under pony steel. Nate looked around him at the corpses littering the ground, the stench of death lingering in the air. It made the human feel sick as he watched the dead with a sad expression.

"Kid look at me," Osiris said. "We're still surrounded by enemy soldiers and I need you to be aware of your surroundings."

"Yeah.. Yeah I'm fine.." the human responded and held up his sword, looking at the blood covering it.

Nathaniel closed his eyes before he spoke once more, raising his sword into the air. "Let's kill these bastards. For Luna!"

"For Luna!" Soldiers close by called back as the pony army slashed into the remaining griffin soldiers with the Lunar Guardians leading the charge.

The aftermath wasn't pretty. The battle was won but many had died achieving it. Out of the five thousand soldiers that had rushed into battle had only a little over three-thousand five-hundred walked out. With the ponies that had been originally assigned to the Lunar Guardians had they an army of a little over four thousand. But many were injured or would die in the coming hours from said injuries. Nathaniel just eyed it all with a solemn expression.

The ponies were normally such happy creatures, but here they all looked ready for death's door. With a sigh the man walked off to find Rose and ask her for their next move when he noticed the blue maned stallion from the night before. The pony that had been harassing Blaze growled at the human before walking off. In the darkness of the night hadn't the man noticed the bloody dagger the stallion had for a cutie mark. Nate would had to keep an eye on that soldier.

Once Nathan reached Rose he found her praying in a strange tongue, the mare sitting by a stone with a rune carved into it. She seemed so focused on her task, like nothing could break her serenity. The mare's light grey fur was still covered in dried blood and from the look in her eyes hadn't she slept at all. Nate had managed to catch four hours of sleep after the battle, but maybe he'd only been allowed to do so because Rose covered for him?

"They might be our enemies," the mare said after her prayer, "But they deserve to rest in the afterlife like the rest of us."

Nathan scoffed at that. "Do you think they would bury us? That they would care?"

"No. They would move on without a moment's notice. Which is why we need to be the ones to bury them, to show them compassion by taking prisoners. We are not them Nathaniel, remember that." She smiled at the human before going back to praying.

Nate pondered over her words for a few seconds before sighing. "I hope we have a plan for when we reach the coast."

"We have a plan," the sanguine said with a frown, "But only the gods will be able to tell if it will work."

She didn't want to share what the plan entailed then? Great.

Nathaniel looked up into the morning sky and sighed before nodding. "Let's hope the gods throw us some hints then," he paused as rain suddenly started to fall over the woods, "Because we're gonna need it."

Author's Notes:

Another long ass chapter boi! Sorry this took a while but the end of the school year is approaching and that means a lot of tests.

(Fingers crossed I don't fail math because I wrote on this instead of studying! XD)
(Jk I studied, kind of.)

Anyway thank you for reading this chapter! I would like your opinion on how I structured dialog in this one. I used this article as a guide https://firstmanuscript.com/format-dialogue/ but as you might expect that doesn't mean what I got here is perfect. I just hope I will be able to learn how to progress as a writer which means absorbing feedback and learning new things.

(Like proper grammar)

Have a good night guys! Chapter 25 might take a while becuase school, sorry