Nathaniel took a long breath and looked at the ocean before him. The fishing village had been long abandoned by the time they got there. The small homes provided some shelter for the many Equestrian soldiers hurrying to retake the coast, allowing for supplies to be stored inside. The human didn't like the cold biting wind that hit his face whenever he stepped outside from one of the huts, but that was the least of their problem.

"So what!? We have no idea how many of them are waiting for us in the ruins! If you want to run off and waste your life then so be it! But do not drag your squad into this! Am I clear?" Osiris shouted angrily into the face of a familiar stallion with a blue mane.

The soldier that had injured Blaze grumbled and backed away from the Lunar Guardian. The former scout eyed him as he walked off, shaking his head. It seemed Nathan wasn't the only one that disliked that soldier's presence it seemed. So with swift movements the human made his way to Osiris who motioned him to follow. The two Guardians walked past groups of soldiers talking and laughing with each other. It was like the battle in Everfree hadn't even happened. It annoyed him to no end.

"Let them smile kid. It's important for any soldier to have moments of peace and calm." The golden furred stallion told him.

"Do have time for peace and calm? Luna is out there right now undergoing god knows what!" Nate hissed and Osiris shook his head.

"Lieutenant Aurora feels the same as you, that we should march before we have any information from our scouts. You heard what I told him did you not? That you would be wasting your life and the lives of others if you run in without thinking." The Lunar Guardian instructed the human with a calm voice.

"Those scouts better hurry up then.." Nate mumbled and Osiris nodded.

"We have had reports indicating," the stallion said looking over his shoulder, "that the griffins flagship is moving towards Canterlot. We need to dismantle whatever operations they have on the coast quickly, or our capital will fall in a few days."

A sigh escaped Nathaniel's lips. "So what is our priority? Find Luna or chase after the ships?"

"Both. We are tasked with protecting the princess but also to defend our nation from invaders. If we cannot find the princesses within the limited time we have been given then we will be forced to move towards Canterlot." Osiris said solemnly.

It seemed those scouts needed to move quickly then.

Nate sighed and his eyes flicked nervously around the village. "Can we contact anyone for help? Holy Light maybe? We'll need more than just us to stop those flying ships."

"He haven't sent a letter since he arrived at the southern border. We do not know if he's alive or not." Osiris responded with another shake of his head.

"Then what do we do? They must have ways to deal with pegasi or other flying enemies. We don't have anyone with us that can even the battlefield." Nate sighed.

The stallion gave the human an encouraging smile. "We'll figure something out kid, you just worry about the enemies on the ground."

"If you say so.." The man responded and looked upon the troops.

The pony soldiers had been forced to march the same second the injured could be carried. No one had questioned the order to just move on from the bloody battlefield, leaving behind the bodies of their fellow brothers and sisters in arms. The war had not lasted long, but already had so many died from the decision of one person. If Nate ever got close to Guto he'd inflict all the pain these soldiers felt upon his body.

Osiris departed from their conversation after being given a report from a scout. The stallion gave Nathaniel a nod before hurrying away to discuss the newly given information, leaving the human alone on the dirt road. Nate just let out a exhausted breath and kept walking down the path. The road passed each hut and cabin in the village until it eached Everfree or the ocean. From the laid path could Nathan see every soldier crammed into the space between the buildings or hiding inside from the horrible weather.

The fishing village had been owned by the ponies before they fled from the war. If they had moved south towards the Dark Kingdom then Rose feared they were already dead. The human just frowned and looked upon the homes now occupied by soldiers. He'd seen pictures and clips of war on tv and other things, but it was a huge difference between being an observer and actually being in the middle of a battle.

As Nathan pondered on these things Blaze suddenly ran up to his side with the man's bow and quiver firmly grasped with his maw. The human grinned at the sight and grabbed the weapon from the wolf. Other pets fetched bones or small animals, Blaze fetched deadly instruments of war.

"Wanna go hunting?" Nathaniel asked with a smile and the hound barked happily in response.

Taking Osiris words to heart Nathaniel smiled brightly and hurried towards the woods with the wolf following behind him. If a soldier needed some peace and calm then he would get himself some peace and calm.

Lord Protector Silver Wing's POV

I ducked under the enemy fire and breathed heavily as black smoke rose from the town below. The griffin enemy ship once again loaded its canons and fired, Spectral quickly steering the Spellbinder to the left. The sudden movement caused our ship to slam into the mountain next to us, a terrible sound of metal grinding against rock assaulting our ears before the unicorn steered us away from the wall of rock. We had not been prepared at all for the enemy.

Once we finally reached the north had the griffins already destroyed a couple of yak and Minotaur villagers. The enemy war-ship had devastated the local farmland and done everything in their power to weaken the two northern nations. With just one war-ship had they managed to wipe out at least six villages. Compared to what had happened on the coast it was nothing, but I could see all those yaks and minotaurs in my mind, begging for their gods to save them.

Once we continued to follow the path of black smoke we soon came across a town. The walls were either broken or ablaze and screams of fear rose from below as our ship flew over the ruined settlement. Violet and Minted had looked upon destruction with grim expressions on their faces. The newly appointed corporal looked so sad as he watched the minotaurs of the town cover in fear, hiding from the ship's shadow. Violet and Spectral both looked equally disturbed by the sight, neither of them used to such horrible events.

It was at that moment the Spellbinder was almost hit by a great green beam of magic. The magical blast hit the mountain instead and the citizens below screamed in fear as rock rained down upon the already ruined town. Spectral Vision had quickly turned our broadside towards the ship and fired our own canons, yet the enemy simply dodged it. After our captain was forced to steer the ship into the mountain we tried to collect ourselves and hurried below deck to check up on the canons.

The weaponry worked without any manual labor thanks to the many runes Spectral had drawn on them, but they could still need a helping hoof. I helped Minted push a loose canon back into its slot while Violet ran across the room to make sure there was no damage to our ships ability to fly. If we dropped from the sky there would be no more hope for Equestria's survival.

While I tried my best to assist Spectral as he bombarded the griffon ship I could see our remaining dragons harassing the griffins at the two large canons. The canon slot was small but large enough for us to see how the teenage dragons spewed fire upon our enemies. It gave us a window to fire and Spectral didn't hesitate as he activated the canons from above deck. The weapons sucked in magic from the air until a red glow emanated from their barrels, a buzzing sound starting in the room. With that the impressive weapons fired and hit the enemy ship point blank, wood and griffin soldiers sent flying.

I grinned and hurried up to see the damage done to our enemies only for the Spellbinder to shake violently. I could smell burning wood and I almost fell down the stairs from the sudden impact on our ship. As I made my way above deck Spectral was gritting his teeth and steering us away from another blast. The enemy had landed a hit and it would have split us in half if it wasn't for our sky-metal reinforced hull.

The dragons had been forced to retreat after the griffins brought out bows and long spears. They were now capable of firing at us again and they were not gonna show us any mercy. I could see how they turned their prow towards us as well as their two large canons. The massive beasts of weaponry the griffins had could fit ten ponies in one of those barrels! How could they even support that kind of weight!?

"Spectral! Fire the damn mortar!" I yelled to our captain and hurried to the cauldron looking thing at our prow.

"It's still charging!" he yelled back and steered us out of the way as another shot was fired.

Our port was hit by one of the blasts and I heard Violet scream in pain. Smoke billowed up from the impacted area and Spectral growled. It was then our mortar finally finished charging, a blue light shining brightly from the device. I aimed it towards the other's ship location and nodded at the stallion behind the helm. Spectral returned the nod and slammed both his front hooves down onto the floor.

"FIRE!"

The power and sound from the explosion was enough to send me backwards, my wings pinned by my side as I rolled across the deck. I watched with a blurry vision as a large ball of blue light flew up into the sky before falling back towards Equees once more. The griffins screamed in panic and tried to steer clear but it was too late. The ball of magic slammed into the prow of the enemy ship, completely destroying the griffin canons and taking down many enemy soldiers with it. The ship was unarmed now it was starting to loose altitude.

Spectral grinned before noticing the griffon captain steering the damaged ship towards us. It seemed if they would die they were taking us down with them. With their ship quickly loosing its magical properties allowing it to fly they gained more and more speed. They were practically falling towards us at this point. I ordered Spectral to move out of the way but it was too late, they were too close. I could see the disappointed look of my father flashing before my eyes before I closed them. If I would die I would die with dignity, not fear.

It was then the enemy ship was suddenly smashed out of the sky by a giant bolder, sending it careening into one of the mountains. The enemy vessel was destroyed upon impact and the remains fell down outside the town, throwing up dust and ash into the air. Once it settled we could all see an impressive sight. The armies of the north marched down the icy mountain peaks and flooded the valley below, both banners from the Minotaurs and Yaks being seen by my keen scout. Violet and Minted walked up from below deck to witness the soldiers chant in an unknown language and blow triumphantly in horns. I could see catapults being dragged with them as well, one of them lacking its ammunition.

We had found them. We had found Equestria's salvation.

Nathaniel's POV

Nathan looked at the rabbit with a concentrated glare and pulled back his bowstring. The arrow had been resting on it for over an hour and the man wanted nothing more then to let it go. But he needed to be cautious, as the animals were even more scared of sudden noises now since the war started. It was like the forest knew about all the death and destruction taking place within and outside its borders.

Nate was sitting perched on a thick tree branch and had been for the last fifteen minutes of the hunt. Blaze was hiding in some bushes not far away, ready to spring into action in case his owner missed his shot. The two knew what to do and worked in tandem to lure any creatures close enough for a killing blow. So far they had managed to catch two rabbits while three others had gotten away. The young human wanted a third rabbit to cook for blaze, as the city ruins wouldn't exactly be filled to the brim with game.

Nathaniel moved himself slowly down the branch to get a better look at the animal. The teen wanted to make sure his shot counted and that the risk for failure was minimal. So once the Lunar Guardian had a clear view of the animal among the branches and saw Blaze being ready to run he fired his arrow at the rabbit. The projectile flew across the air, a blue tail of light following it. The wolf below the human followed the arrow's path with interest before it finally hit the rabbit in the back, pinning it to the ground.

Nathan jumped down from the branch and walked towards the dead animal with Blaze following at his side. The man picked up the dead animal and strung it to his side where the other two rabbits hanged. It wasn't a lot of food but the human wouldn't complain. After all, there was a war going on. Blaze seemed at least to be happy with the catch as the hound tried to grab one of the dead animals, only for Nathan to lightly smack him on the snout.

Nate had an amused smile on his face as he spoke to the wolf. "Later. We need to get back and prepare for what awaits us among the ruins."

With that the man walked off with the wolf following behind him, hoping that the news from the scouts were good. The ponies sent to explore the city ruins had to be quick if they were to get back with detailed reports of the situation there. As Nate hurried through the dense forest he could see campfires in the distance. The army was too large to be confined to only the fishing village, so many simply put up camp in the Everfree. Nathan quickly passed these small and large camps on his way to the village, many nodding respectfully at him as he passed.

Once the human broke through the leaves he was immediately met by the sight of soldiers packing down things and running around. Rose was flying around overhead to count the available supplies and soldiers when she noticed the young man. The sanguine mare landed next to him and lead him towards the center of the fishing village, Osiris waiting on them both.

"The scouts have returned kid. The situation is not good." The stallion said grimly and walked into a nearby cottage for privacy.

Rose and Nathan followed him, the mare opening her mouth to speak. "How is it with the survivors?"

Osiris flinched at that.

"They.. They report of no known survivors among the ruins. It's even worse than we thought.." He muttered.

"No survivors?.." Nathaniel asked slowly.

"The entire city is rubble. The griffins reduced it to ash with their attacks and if anypony is alive they're buried under it all." Osiris told them both with a sigh.

Blaze had followed with them inside and he laid down with a sad whine. Rose looked horrified and turned away to collect herself, the sanguine feeling nothing but dread at the terrible news. Nate just looked to be in disbelief and shock for a few seconds before his facial expressions showed nothing but grief and anger.

The human let out a scream filled with rage and sorrow before punching through one of the cottage walls. He could see the events in his mind, the battle to reclaim Baltimare, the sudden appearance of the griffon warship and Luna's scared expression as it turned the city around her to ash. They had killed her. They had truly killed her.

A low growl rose from the man's throat as he stood up, closely watched by the three others in the room. "I'm gonna kill them all."

The human's promise made Osiris close his eyes and bow his head while Rose tried to not cry. There was no survivors in Baltimare, only griffin soldiers. The report given to Osiris was clear about how the possibility of finding anyone alive under the rubble since the battle took place was slim. There was nothing for their army among those ruins, nothing but dust and enemies.

"Prepare the troops to march Rose. Kid, get the hammer. We will show them the true might of the Equestrian army." Osiris growled and marched out of the cottage with the rest following him.

It was time to turn the tide.

Nathaniel ran for his equipment and quickly strapped his sword to his left side, placed Valkyrie on his back, attached his grimoire to his right side and slid the bow over his shoulder. As a final touch the man grabbed his black cloak and attached it around his neck. Blaze barked at the sight and followed his owner as Nate walked down the fishing village's dirt roads. The man waited by the end of the village, seeing more and more soldiers hurrying to pack down their things. It only took them maybe thirty minutes to be ready to go once more.

"The severely injured will be left behind to rest. A few healers and cooks will stay with them but that's it." Rose said as she walked up to stand beside the teen.

Osiris wasn't far behind the sanguine. "The soldiers are ready for another fight. Just give the word and they will follow."

Nate looked over the many ponies heading towards them with nod. They were not gonna fail this time, they were not gonna fail Equestria. His hands tightened into fists as he thought about Luna, how she had already given her life for the pony nation. Nathaniel would do no less.

"We march!" He yelled as the soldiers gathered and the teen lead them all towards the burned city far in the distance.

Prince Tyr's POV

I looked around the cargo hold with caution as I entered. The rebels had said they would meet me here at midnight and the moon was high in the sky. I had been forced to sneak out of my room when the guards outside where switching shifts. They grew lazy after the first day and didn't really keep tabs on me as much as they should've. I hoped I had enough time to hear what these griffins had to say, considering what they were asking of me was not an easy sacrifice to make.

"So the prince decided to save his people." A voice called out in the large room and I looked around.

The cargo hold was filled to the brim with weaponry and supplies. Boxes of stuff were everywhere and it created a maze of pathways to the middle of the room. I headed down one of the passageways until I came upon the large open area in the middle of the room. The staff had made this area for themselves to take a break if I remembered correctly, but with the war effort they didn't exactly get a lot of time to relax.

"Show yourselves." I commanded and held my dagger tightly with one talon.

You could never be too careful.

I spotted five griffins walk out from the labyrinth of boxes, one of them looking no older than me. His blue and white feathers stuck out to me as he stepped out into the light. The torches on the walls were giving off just enough light for me to make out their colour schemes. The blue and white griffin seemed to be the leader of the group as they all stood behind him. The other four griffins were all a mix between black and brown, most of them holding weapons ready.

"We're surprised you actually showed up. We'd imagine you wouldn't want to betray your father." Their leader said and my eyes drifted to the floor.

"My father would never have reduced a city to ash. My father wouldn't send countless soldiers to their meaningless deaths. That griffon is not my father." I said firmly and their leader nodded encouragingly.

"Then you have seen the truth my lord. Your father is burning all in his path, including his own people." The griffon said and I reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"I will not let him kill any more innocent ponies. If he manages to get to Canterlot the city will fall and he will have won this war." I said and sheated my dagger.

"Which is why we need to sabotage the ship. The Griffonian Feathers sent us to buy time for the Equestrian army, which we will have succeeded with by the time the sun rises." Their leader said confidently with a grin.

"Sabotage the Ygrid? This is the flagship of our fleet! There are hundreds of guards and staff on board! Who do you think you are if you believe you can just sabotage a vessel like this?" I hissed and the griffon grinned.

"My name is Daren and I'm simply part of the staff on the ship my lord. No one questions us when we go into a secure room or when we work on the canons. We have been planning this for months, but only now do we have an opportunity to go through with our plan." Daren told me.

"And what exactly is your plan? You can't sabotage the balloons because they'll notice it and all sensitive weaponry like those corruption bombs are locked away." I said and the blue feathered griffon smirked.

"The bombs are locked away your highness. Only those with the highest authority can gain access to them, like members of the royal family." Daren said and his plan finally dawned on me.

"You want me to detonate the bombs on the ship.. You want to use them to create pandemonium and chaos, which would heavily slow down the Ygrid." I said with the realization hitting me hard.

"You are our only hope Tyr. Either you help us or your father will win this war." The rebel leader said.

They wanted me to detonate some of our scientists most horrible creations inside an enclosed space. They wanted me to possible infect hundreds with corruption disease, turning father's pet project against him. But that could end up killing even more of our soldiers! The bombs had been intended for any resistance the ponies would put up and I wouldn't allow them to be used like that. But if I turned them on our own soldiers I would be no better than father! They would also know it was me after I detonated the bombs, there was no way for this plan to work!

I sighed before I addressed Daren."I can't do that.. Even if I wanted to turn those weapons on ourselves father would figure out it was me."

The blue and white feathered griffon frowned at those words and shook his head. "You would be forced to leave the ship, become a traitor to Griffonia. I know what we're asking isn't easy, but too many of our own have given their lives to get us this far. Only you can do this prince. There is no one else." Daren said sympathetically before giving me a worn medallion depicting a moon.

"This is a Lunar Guardian's medallion.. Where did you get this?" I asked him slowly as I held the medallion.

"From the princess of the night herself." The griffon claimed and I looked at him in confusion.

"Princess Luna is alive? I thought she perished with Baltimare!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Captain Steelbeak captured her. He is bringing her to the Ygrid as we speak. One of our agents was stationed on his ship and stole that from her personal belongings. He sent it to me through one of those small flying ships your father installed before coming here. When you flee from the ship use that to prove your story for the Equestrian army. We will help clear the way for your escape but when you leave the ship you are on your own." Daren said and looked over his shoulder.

It sounded like a door was opening somewhere in the room.

"We're counting on you prince." Was the last thing he said to me before he and his four companions hurried back into the labyrinth of boxes.

All I could do was to look upon the medallion and make a decision, a decision that would affect this war. I swallowed thickly before hurrying out from the cargo-hold. I needed to decide now, because we were all out of time. So with a deep breath I looked ahead of me into the corridor and walked towards the security storage. The bombs were stored on the same level as the cargo-hold and they were heavily guarded.

I tried my best to imitate my father's annoyed look and moved down the empty hallways. I eventually passed a few guards that didn't dear question why I was there. Hopefully I looked intimidating enough for them all to back off until I got to the bombs. My hooves was one of the few things that made noises on the silent fifth floor as I headed towards the security storage.

I had walked down the corridor for a couple of minutes when I suddenly stood in front of a metal door guarded by two griffins. The two guards looked at me with suspicion but they bowed nonetheless. I would be forced to use father's 'authoritative' voice. I glared at both guards before I spoke, making sure my voice was dripping with malice.

"My father the king sent me to collect a few bombs. I am to bring them to him before the hour is over, is that understood?" I asked them, puffing out my chest and spreading my wings slightly.

"Of course your highness. We will never interfere with the king's work." One of them said and unlocked the door with a large iron key.

I stepped into the security storage with relieved sigh and looked around. The walls were stacked with shelves upon shelves with the black bombs. They were round things with a red glowing rune on them, indicating the darkness hiding inside. I wasn't a unicorn but I could still feel the corruption inside those bombs, tempting me with power beyond my wildest dreams.

I shook my head and looked around for anything else that could be useful and my eyes landed on an armor set. It was made for a hippogriff, made out of a silver-like material. My eyes grew wide as I read the name engraved on the armor, my mind in a state of confusion. 'Tyr' was engraved proudly on the armor's side. Had father made it for me? Had he custom made armor for me? I touched the armor and I immediately was even more impressed with what I was seeing. It was made out of sky-metal.

"You made this for me father?.." I whispered and grabbed the helmet from the display stand and put it on.

I slipped on the rest of the outfit with some difficulty and looked over myself. My brown feathered wings were free to move around thanks to two holes on the armor back while the rest of my back and torso were covered. Chainmail attached the front piece of armor to the back piece that covered my flank. It was all made from sky-metal, crafted to protect as much of my body as possible.

"Thank you father for this gift." I stated simply to a griffon that no longer existed.

With a deep breath I then walked over to the bombs and hit the rune on one of them. It started to blink and count down from twenty. I did the same with as many bombs I could before hurrying out from the security storage. The two guards looked at me in confusion as I suddenly burst through the door and they yelled something after me when the bombs detonated.

The explosion was minimal, causing broken bones at most. But it was what the bombs released that was truly dangerous. I could see the black smoke fill the corridor behind me and I ran as quickly as possible. The armor was light as a feather and didn't hinder my movement in the slightest, but it wouldn't protect me against corruption sickness. I made sure to to take the quickest way up to the first deck, running up stairs and shoving anyone trying to stop me out of the way. The alarm had started bleering again but not because of a battle but rather the poisonous gas spreading across the ship.

The few times I was almost stopped I was quickly saved by a Griffonian Feather, the warriors throwing themselves on the normal soldiers. Daren himself joined me as I ran down the corridors and up the stairs, directing me towards the nearest exit. He eventually left me to hide, not wanting to reveal his position as a spy. It left me racing to get up from the ship's bowels, which I finally did when I ran up a flight of stairs and looked upon the main deck.

"Tyr!!!!!!!" I heard my father scream in rage and I narrowly avoided a spear thrown in my direction.

My father looked like a monster. His eyes were glowing a bright yellow and his look seemed to contain nothing but spite. Those were not the eyes of a storyteller nor the eyes of a warrior. Those were the eyes of a beast. I simply ran for the edge of the ship and jumped, feeling something hit my new armor. As I spread my wings and took flight I saw my father gathering magic in his right talon. It was a sickly yellow that seemed to feed on his very essence, and it terrified me. Griffins couldn't use magic!

My father then fired a beam of magic from one of his talons, the sickly yellow energy spreading up his right front leg.

I was so stunned by the sight that I failed to evade the attack, the beam hitting one of my wings. I fell from the sky with a scream and desperately tried to even myself out so I would crash into the trees below. The Everfree stretched from the coast to the princesses castle and we were still flying over it. I managed to unfurl my damaged smoking wing and I steered myself towards the east. If Daren's plan would work I needed to tell the ponies about what had happened on the Ygrid.

It was then I narrowly avoided being hit by great green beam of magic. It hit the trees below me and the amount of dust and fired spewed up into the air gave me ample cover to hide from anymore canon fire. I breathed hard and flapped both my wings as I tried to get as much distance between me and my father as possible. I didn't even care that my right wing hurt or that I was covered in ash and dust. I was free. Now I just needed to get to the Equestrian army.

I dove down among the trees and hurried down the path of trees. Father would send soldiers after me, so I needed to be long gone once they realized I had hidden among in the woods. I made sure to keep my eyes on where the stars were up in the sky as I tried to make my way towards the coast. It would take me a lot longer then I wanted but once the ponies knew princess Luna would be on the Ygrid they would have hope again. I could feel the winds of fate guiding me through the Everfree as I heard canon fire far away, my father trying futilely burn me alive.

Freedom hurt. But maybe that was a good thing.

Nathaniel's POV

Nathaniel ducked down behind some debris and peeked over the edge of the former building. He could clearly see a large group of griffins moving through the ruins. There had to be at least two hundred of them, every single one looking bored and restless. They didn't expect an attack then, which would serve the Equestrian army's purpose well. Nathan saw Rose stick her head up from another large pile of debris further away, the man nodding at her and raising his open palm into the air. The same second he saw all griffins turn their backs to Rose's location closed his hand into a fist, and all hell broke loose.

Pony soldiers rushed down the ruins with war-cries and slammed into the griffin soldiers. The enemy was completely caught of guard and many griffins fell before they could even react to what was happening. Nate left his cover with Valkyrie in hand and rushed down the rubble to join his allies in the fray. The human slammed the magical weapon into the ground and sent out a shock-wave of energy that sent many griffins flying. The young man rose his weapon to the sky and rallied his troops before sprinting into the middle of the enemy group.

Nate hit griffon after griffon with his mighty weapon, either killing them or maiming them. The pony soldiers followed and soon had every griffin surrendered or been killed. The three Lunar Guardians used this momentum of the battle and hurried to clear out other enemies hiding in the ruins. Osiris ran ahead over a hill and the others followed, seeing another valley of the ruined city. The griffins knew they were coming this time and arrows suddenly rained down upon them, Nathaniel raising a shield around himself and his companions.

"Don't let them separate the army. Hit them with one combined force and they will crumble!" Osiris yelled to the human who nodded and ran down towards the enemy.

The Equestrian army once again clashed into a group of griffins but with the enemy ready for the attack it didn't have the same effect. The hostile army managed to get into position with the most heavily armed fighting off the pony soldiers while the archers kept raining down arrows upon them. The pony mages provided what shields they could muster, but they were to few being forced to cover a too large area.

Nate once again used Valkyrie to push off any griffon getting close. The man had to be cautious when using the weapon as he didn't want to kill his allies, but he still wanted to make the griffins hurt. With a battle-cry the teen threw himself at a griffon with full plated armor, slamming his war-hammer into the enemy's side. The soldier flew back with a 'oof' but quickly got back up and swung a great-sword at the human. Nathan blocked the blow with Valkyrie's handle and pushed the griffon back with a snarl.

Suddenly something hit the ground next to Nathan and exploded. He was sent flying and lost his grip on the war-hammer, much to his dismay. The man hit the ground and rolled on his side for a few meters before he looked up with a groan. In one of the still standing houses on the hills was a canon mounted to the floor. Through a hole in the wall could the weapon fire upon the battle below, decimating the pony forces. Nathan saw how the canon fired once more towards the direction of Osiris and Blaze. The wolf had joined Osiris side during the fighting as running around Nate's leg was dangerous when he fought with Valkyrie.

The human got to his feet and drew his sword, running towards his two friends. Any enemy that got in his way was either cut down or pushed back as the man threw himself onto both wolf and stallion, pushing them out of the way. The ground where the two had been standing on exploded in a shower of rock and dust as the magical canon hit its target.

"Thanks kid.." Osiris said in a bit of a shock before hurrying to his hooves and running towards the canon.

Blaze joined his owner's side and bit into the leg of a nearby griffon who screamed in pain. Nate finished off the enemy soldier by burrowing his blade into the enemy's chest before pulling it out. It was then another explosion rocket the battlefield and Nathaniel looked in horror as another canon started to fire into the valley, hitting pony and griffin alike. It was becoming a bloody massacre instead of an easy assault.

It was then a great roar pierced the sky and Nate looked up to see a great shadow moving across the clouds. The griffins maning the canons up on the hill shouted panicked orders to each other before suddenly a great red shape landed on the broken building, crushing it. Nathaniel looked in awe as a great red dragon roared in triumph and spewed flames to the heavens the enemy soldiers running in fear. It was futile as another large dragon with blue scales landed on the other canon and roasted what enemies ran up the hill. Soon smaller dragons joined the fight and the griffin numbers quickly fell.

"Nate! Catch!" A familiar voice yelled to the human as Valkyrie flew across the air, the man catching it.

Charcoal landed next to Nate with a grin, his green scales reflecting the battle around them. The young man quickly embraced the dragon and laughed, looking at the aid sent from above. They stood a chance now, they could retake the coast and face Guto with the help of the dragons.

"The dragons would follow you, that is the promise we gave to the Guardian!" The teenage dragon said and the two adult dragon bowed their heads at the human.

"You came all this way to simply help me?" Nate asked the dragon who nodded.

"So Nathan, what's next?" Charcoal asked the Lunar Guardian with a grin.

Nathaniel looked over the ruined city before his eyes settled on the north, towards Baltimare. They still had a princess to find and more griffins to force of their land. This war was far from over.

"Follow me." Was all the human said before running over the hill with his allies not far behind him.

Hidden Sorrow's POV

I sniffled as the sounds of laughing got closer to my jail cell. The mean griffins did this every time they found some wine and I hated it. I shuddered in fear as I heard their deep voices outside my cell, their armor making rustling noises as they moved closer. I didn't want them to hurt me again. I didn't want them to cut my other ear as well! I sobbed and just wanted mommy to save me.

"Open the damn door Miik!" A voice yelled and I backed into a corner as three large griffins entered my cell.

"Look at the puny little thing! Probably pissed himself out of fear when he saw us eh?" One of them said and walked towards me.

"Yeah! Isn't this little freak supposed to be part demon or something? Show us a trick little guy!" The first griffon laughed.

The third griffon just watched me, his two pink eyes starring at me intently. What did they want? I had already done all the things the evil king asked of me! I choked down a sob for my mom but the second griffon heard it anyway.

"Naw did you hear that Miik? The little demon is scared!" The second soldier laughed as I continued to sob.

Miik was the third soldier it seemed, and his two pink eyes seemed really out of place. Even with the fear I felt likt they didn't fit him. It was like they were't part of his head. It made me shudder and curl up even more in my corner. I just wanted to go home, I didn't want to stay here any more when all they did was hurt me and laugh at me.

"Miik say something ya twat! You've been quiet all day!" One of the soldiers yelled in Miik's face only for their head to suddenly twist at a odd angle under a pink glow.

The second soldier jumped back in fear only for the same thing to happen to him, both of the griffins falling onto the ground. I breathed really quickly and looked up at the third soldier with fear. I tried to back into the other corner and hide but there was nowhere to go. I closed my eyes and cried, just wanting to see mommy again. I just wanted to sleep in my bed with mom there to tell me a bedtime story.

"Shhhhh little one, you're safe now." A soft voice said and I opened my eyes.

A strange mare stood in front of me. She had two pink eyes with one of them looking cracked. Her mane and tail was green at first before it became pink again. Her legs had holes in them but she wasn't bleeding and on her back was two insect wings. What was she?

"My name is Chrysalis," She started and gently placed one of her hooves on my head, "and I've come to rescue you."

Author's Notes:

There we go, chapter 25! I'm finally updating again and I will continue to do so until the story is complete. Have a good night everyone and thank you for reading!