Rose's POV

Under the heavy fire of the flying ships above our troops were pushed back. I stood at the front lines, throwing knives in the direction of any enemy soldier I could see. The fighting had been going on for hours and no matter how hard we tried to push back our enemy they always counter attacked and broke through our lines. We had the superior numbers at the start of the battle which had served us well, but now soldier after soldier fell on both sides. It was senseless slaughter that made feel ill, but I pushed through it and continued fighting.

The worst opponents I faced were the shadow ponies. With their mages and archers giving covering fire for their allies it was nigh impossible to break through the griffin defense. Every time I thought we managed to drive them back even a meter they just hit us right back with double the force. But when one of the shadow ponies faced me in close-quarters combat I was always fearful. These soldiers didn't fear death and they held unnatural abilities. It was funny, I used to see myself as one of them.

I fought through dirt and blood as our ship went down from the sky. I flew away from the front lines as I saw the burning vessel coming towards us and I ordered the troops to flee. The ship caused devastation on both sides. As it hit the dirt it tore up the ground for over a hundred meters, creating a trench in the middle of our two armies. The griffins used this moment to charge, flying over the torn up ground and diving on our soldiers. It didn't matter how many pegasi or allied sanguines tried to meet them, they were always pushed back or cut down.

In the woods we had the advantage of the trees blocking most of the griffins from flying. But out in the open plains they could easily evade attacks that would normally kill a pony. I could only see it getting worse as they poured over our soldiers like water, cutting them down like animals. The shadow ponies used their dark magic to create crystal walls in the middle of battle that lasted a lot longer than any magical barrier our mages could summon. What was worse were their ability to create crystal weapons. When a crystal spear broke they just created another one. When our spears broke our soldiers died.

When Glare and Nox flew across the sky and assaulted the enemy ships our troops cheered and fought on, the shadow ponies suddenly breaking formation and falling back. The empress must have been killed or injured for them to just suddenly back away from the battle. With most of the shadow ponies falling back it left the griffins exposed and our soldiers used that opportunity to rush over the trench. The clash was bloody, but finally we drove back the griffins once more. It was then the red dragon, Nox, was shot out of the sky. His dead body landed far away from the battle, but for a second all stopped to look at the massive corpse. With a few blast they had killed a dragon. What could they do to Canterlot with even more?

An enemy ship crashed into the ground not soon after the dragon and soldiers poured out of it. Suddenly the damaged vessel exploded and debris flew up into the air along with dirt. Glare landed and created havoc among the enemy lines as he waited for Nate. I watched him burn griffins alive with his red flames. It was pure chaos all around me and when Glare finally delivered Nathaniel and Osiris onto the ship I couldn't even tell who was winning. We had lost too many soldiers at that point. Dead littered the ground like leaves in a cold autumn day and blood had started to fill the trench.

It was then one of the ships above us fired.

The green blast hit to my right, sending me flying through the air. When I hit the ground I rolled for several meters until I came to a stop with a groan. My ears were ringing and my vision was blurry as I tried to get up on my hooves. As I crawled I tumbled down into the trench, the blood on the bottom coating my fur and armor. I could see black smoke rising up from where the blast had hit its mark. Screams could be heard from our soldiers dying in the magical fire and the griffins once again advanced. They had lost most of their shadow ponies comrades but they were still a formidable force. With their heavy armor and ability to fly they quickly drove us back.

As the enemy rushed across the trench and our soldiers started to back away towards the Everfree a group of griffins surrounded me. A white feathered griffin stepped towards me with rage in his eyes, a spear held tightly in his left talon. Captain Steelbeak had left his ship and was now fighting among his men it seemed. I reached for a knife and tried to get up, only for one of my legs to flare up with pain. I let out a howl of anguish and fell onto the bloody ground, my right back leg broken.

"You ponies never know when to give up, do you? Always crawling in the dirt for some senseless hopes about freedom and justice. The only justice here today will be that of my king and all of the Grifonian kingdom!" The captain growled.

He took a step towards me and raised his spear. It was then I heard a familiar barking and growling not far away. My sight had cleared as had my hearing, but I still felt drowsy as I watched Blaze jump from the edge of the trench down towards the white griffon. With a single swift strike of Steelbeak's spear's pommel the wolf was sent flying, a trail of yellow magic following the hound. Blaze hit the trench wall and with a pained whine slumped against it, unconscious and two of his legs looking broken.

With a rage filled battle cry I jumped the griffon, ignoring the pain in my leg as I beat against the side of his helmet covered head with my knife. I bit into his neck and I tried to rip it open, hoping to kill him for what he did to Blaze. The captain's only response was to grab a hold of my throat and thrown me onto the ground. I landed on my injured leg and screamed, trying to crawl away from the griffon. His soldiers stood in a ring around us, simply watching as their commanding officer advanced on his prey.

It was then I noticed his eyes. They had been blue once, I remembered that from our time in the griffin capital. But now they were a sinister yellow, glowing with magical power. The griffins weren't supposed to be able to use magic, but this single griffon captain had defeated Blaze by casting a spell. It had been powerful enough to keep the wolf down, magic absorbing fur or not. Guto must have bestowed him with some fraction of his power, to ensure victory for the ground forces. I tried to crawl away from Steelbeak as he quickly approached me, frantically searching for a weapon.

"Any final words pony?" He asked, but his voice was not the same.

"To serve, protect, and shield our charge from harm.." I quoted, turning my eyes towards him. ¨

The captain only grinned and raised his spear above his head. He was laughing with Guto's voice now, but there was something else there, something ancient. I thought of Lucid, my sweet little sister, sitting locked up in some school for artists while griffins ruled our home. I regretted not having told her about all the things that had happened to me since I joined the guard, since I met my friends. I just wished to hug her one last time and sing the melody our mother had once sang in a happy tone. I closed my eyes, the spear was raised high now.

'I'm so sorry sister.. May Faust watch over you.' I thought.

I heard flesh being pierced by a weapon and a gurgle of blood. Once I realized it was not my own sounds of pain I opened my eyes to see the faces of horrified griffins watching as their captain bled to death. A red crystal pike had been sent through his neck while a blue crystal spike had went through his chest. I was equally as stunned as the griffin soldiers surrounding me, my eyes wide open. It was then a blue sword went through the back of one of the soldiers, killing him instantly.

Crystal Sword, former king of the Crystal empire, rushed into the fray to meet the enemy. His red fiery mane and white coat almost seemed to glow on the smoke filled battlefield as he dashed between enemy to enemy. His blue magic grabbed a hold of a few griffin soldiers and he then slammed their heads together. As he cast this spell more blue crystal spikes rose from the ground and impaled more griffins. His black horn was ablaze with mana as he cast spell after spell at both my attackers and at griffins crossing the trench.

I felt a hoof pull me up from the ground and I leaned against the face of Silver Page. Her red coat managed to hide the blood she'd crawled through but not her black mane. The succubus helped me to lean on one of the trench walls before she picked up a griffon with her own red magic aurora. The mare slammed the soldiers into the ground until his body had too many broken bones for him to stand up. She then quickly joined her lord's side and helped him drive off any soldiers trying to get to me.

It was then a griffon slipped past their defenses and dove for me with a sword. I threw myself onto the ground only for a large sword to come from above and decapitate the enemy soldier. I looked up to see solar guardian Holy Light standing there with a grin, watching over me from the above the trench. I felt hope blossom in my chest before suddenly the last of Steelbeak's soldiers were killed with red crystal spikes launching out from the trench walls. I watched as the griffin army ran around in confusion, their shadow pony allies turning on them.

"This is no place to die esteemed guardian." Empress Darkest Dream voice said.

The mare was covered in blood and injuries, but her eyes shone with life. A deep gash could be seen on her forehead and a crack was clearly visible on her horn. But on her back sat a young colt who hugged her neck tightly. He looked terrified but at the same time happy. I was confused for a second before I realized who he was. That was the empress' son. The foal that Guto had kidnapped!

I watched as a changeling followed them, her body the same size as princess Luna's. The bug-pony's mane and tail was a strange mix of pink and a sickly green. The same went for her eyes as they seemed to hold both pink and green to them. I saw how she trotted forward with her head held high, her eyes shining with glee as griffins died around her. This must be a daughter of the former hive queen, thought dead for months.

"I wasn't planning on dying to the likes of you." I said and grabbed a spear from the ground.

"She's not our enemy Rose." Guardian Light said.

The large stallion climbed down the trench wall and got to my side, healing my broken leg. I felt a lot better as the bone snapped back in place, even if it hurt. I gave him a thankful nod and leaned on my new spear as the griffins ran back over the trench to crush the rebellion the shadow ponies had started in the middle of their ranks. Darkest Dreams quickly passed the trench and climbed up to the pony army. At first weapons were raised towards until Holy Light gave them orders to stand down. I followed with Crystal Sword and Silver Page behind me. Blaze was carried behind the former king, his injuries being healed. Yet the wolf was still passed out cold, so the hound was simply laid down on the ground with crystal dome forming around him to keep him safe.

We got up from the bloody trench and watched as chaos spread among the enemy ranks. Yet the shadow ponies were outnumbered and had lost many in their battle against our forces. Many simply fled over the trench to join their former enemies, their empress no longer under the control of Guto. I watched over my shoulder how only a little over one thousand remained uninjured while the griffins had similar numbers. It had been a senseless slaughter from our side and now many lay dead. Way too many had been cut down by flying attack from the griffins.

"Take my son to the woods and hide. Do not come out until you know it is safe." The empress instructed the changeling princess.

"Of course." She said and picked up the colt, placing him on her back.

"Be kind to Chrysalis, ok Hidden?" Darkest told the colt who protested and cried as the changeling took him away.

I saw how what shadow ponies remained joined our side, placing crystal walls among our troops to act as defenses. We were all tired and injured, having been fighting for hours. The griffins should have been equally tired but whatever control Guto held over them just made them march on, killing whatever got in their way. I took a deep breath and held my spear tightly.

We all knew this was the end.

I rose my spear into the air and spread my wings wide. "For Equestria!"

"FOR EQUESTRIA!!!" The troops chanted and plunged themselves against the enemy one last time.

I followed with my troops and newly found allies, plunging my spear into the enemy. I killed with quick jabs and slashed with my spear, throwing a knife at griffin soldiers when they got too close. We kept fighting and pushing against the enemy, even as the ships above started to bomb our troops with canon fire. Glare the dragon returned to kick the smaller ship out of the sky, ending the bombardment, but it was too late. We were pushed back and many more of our soldiers fell. A griffon cut my side with his sword and another shot an arrow through one of my wings. I stumbled backwards and allowed Crystal Sword to cut them down before even he had to stand back from their onslaught.

We fought until the bitter end, but our dead and injured were outnumbering our capable warriors. Finally empress Darkest Dreams send out a blast of magic that pushed back a few soldiers. Their retaliation was to send an arrow into her chest, driving her back with a stumble. The empress just roared in rage as the griffins pushed us way beyond the trench and towards the Everfree behind us. Many of our own stumbled into the holes created by the canon fire and I tried to fend them off the best I could. Darkest Dream summoned a scythe and slashed many enemy soldiers across their chests until she took another arrow into her chest.

"Aunt, get out of there!" Crystal Sword yelled as griffin soldiers started to surround the empress.

Shadow ponies ran to her side, sacrificing themselves so the mare could stand. Crystal hurried towards her before a griffon war-hammer hit his side. The stallion was sent flying before he hit the ground with a roll. The former king moaned in pain as Silver Page jumped his attacker and tore out his throat. In all the commotion I tried to get to the empress myself but there was just too many soldiers fighting between us. I took to the skies but was quickly tackled by a griffon who cut me across my cheek. I retaliated by shoving my spear into his stomach and kicking him off me.

"This is for my son you bastards!" The empress yelled.

From the ground rose large red crystal spikes. They impaled many soldiers but afterwards they discharged magical enemy into others. These spikes fried any griffin who got too close, but it didn't protect her against the third arrow. It hit her shoulder and she stumbled back with a pain filled grunt. Some of the spikes fell apart without her focusing on them and the griffins threw themselves at her. The mare swirled around with her crystal weapon and cut off the head or limbs of all Guto's soldiers that approached her. It was like an exotic dance until one griffon thrust his spear into her side. The empress stumbled and let out a pained breath, another spike impaling that griffon as well.

Crystal finally got up and I saw him make another run for the empress. He parted the way by sending out a blast of magic into the fray, forcing anypony in the way to fly back. The young stallion hurried towards her when a fourth arrow hit her chest. The mare gave coughed up blood and made a sound filled with pain. Her legs buckled under her and she fell onto her side, blood pouring from her mouth. Crystal Sword saw this with rage and with a single fluid motion summoned read lightning from his horn that fried the griffins above the mare with bows.

By the time I managed to get to the empress she was already dead, the former king cursing the griffins with tears in his eyes. The death of the empress spurred the enemy on and soon we were pushed back to the edge of the woods. I pulled Crystal back from his aunt's dead body and back into our troops. Silver Page was by his side and looked upon the dead empress with horror as we were finally on the verge of scattering in the woods. If we all died here or fled then there would be nothing between the princess and the griffins. There was families hiding in the woods and gorge as well, they couldn't fight against this! It was then the griffins ran towards us, aiming to finish us off while we were at our weakest.

May Faust watch over us all.

It was then the sound of something dropping from the sky alerted me to back off. I quickly did so as a ball of green fire and magic landed among the griffin front lines and sent them all flying. This caught the griffins off guard completely and they all tried to fall back as canon fire started to rain over the enemy troops. Griffins died and fled as a newly arrived ship bombarded them. The ship proudly showed the Equestrian flag and I immediately recognized it. It was the Spellbinder, flying across the sky and creating havoc in the enemy ranks. I used this opportunity to charge, Holy light getting behind me as I broke through the griffon defenses.

The enemy soldiers tried to fly and run north only a great horn to be sounded through out the plains. I watched in amazement as an army made up of yaks and minotaurs crashed into the griffins flank and completely caught them by surprise. We quickly encircled them and with the superior bowmen among the minotaurs were many griffins shot down. Quickly we pushed both sides of the griffins forces towards the middle of the battlefield, towards the trench. It was now our mutant allies suddenly returned. They had crashed with their ship but they hadn't died. They seemed to have been working on fixing one of their canons and they now fired into the quickly diminishing griffin troops.

We were gonna win this war! I looked up to the Ygrid still flying in the sky. Glare flew around it but he did not attack it, this quickly changed as bolder slammed into the ship's side. I saw how the northern armies had brought with them catapults, the siege weapons being used to fire upon the very large griffon ship. Glare was forced to land and he roared at the enemy, making many of them throw themselves onto the ground in fear. I looked with worry up at the ship as another bolder hit it, taking a large piece of the hull with it.

'Hurry you two, there isn't much time.' I thought and continued to fight.

Prince Tyr of Griffonia's POV

I looked out of my cage into the nearly empty camp. I could hear the fighting and explosions coming from the Canterlot plains and I knew the ponies were loosing. With the firepower of the Ygrid in my father's grasp and his alliance with the dark kingdom it was just a matter of time. I needed to get to the flagship and stop this war once and for all, no matter the cost.

My eyes were fixated on the mare standing guard by my cage. My own little private prison had been secluded from the other captured soldiers, Celestia fearing I would be able to control them like my father. I sadly lacked the idol and held no such abilities, but she didn't know that. With most soldiers gone from the camp to fight in the final battle it left our guards all alone. They were supposed to watch hundreds of captured prisoners with only a few dussin soldiers. You could basically taste their nervousness in the air, their eyes flicking to the other cages. But the mare guarding me was mostly calm, her back turned to my cage as she watched the smoke rising from the battlefield.

I had heard the roars of dragons and seen two ships fall from the sky as the hours dragged on. The battle never seemed to end and the already tired Equestrian soldiers were most likely being pushed back by my father's warriors. If I didn't get out of this cage soon then my father might destroy everything the ponies and our own people had built during the centuries. I would not accept such a thing, not anymore.

"Hey, you!" I yelled to the female guard.

She turned around and walked up to the cage. "What is it prisoner? I told you we have run out of food."

"It's not about that! You need to let me out! If I don't stop my father then you will all die!" I yelled in desperation.

She just scoffed. "Your father will be defeated, don't worry your royal head about that."

"No you don't get it! Those ships were designed to wipe out armies! The only reason why my father hasn't unleashed its full potential is because his own army is in the way!" I said with panic rising in my voice.

The guard just shook her head and turned around once more. But this time she was closer, much closer. I could see the keys to my cage hanging from her saddle bags. If I could just reach them then maybe there was a chance of escaping this camp and getting onto the Ygrid. The only problem I faced even if I got out was my lack of armor and weapons. They had confiscated my sky-metal armor and any knife that had been attached to said armor had been taken as well.

I would need to move slowly if I wanted to see the defeat of my father.

I reached out with my right talon towards the mare's side. I was careful about touching her tail or flank as I reached for the keys. Her golden armor reminded me of our own standard heavy armor we outfitted the troops with. It gave them great protection but made flying exhausting. If I ever got hold of the throne I would need to change those models of armor into something lighter. My musings were stopped as a red aurora surrounded my arm and it pulled me straight into the metal bars. I groaned in pain and was held there by my guardian, the mare having turned around to face me once more.

She held beautiful red eyes that shone with magical power that truly captivated me. Her mane and tail were equally red, almost looking like fire. Her grey fur was mostly hidden her golden armor but I could still see it clearly as she faced me. For a pony she was beautiful, and probably deadly. She glared at me before letting go of my arm and pushing me back into the cage. This mare would not be fooled easily.

"Please just let me out. If I do not stop my father then he will grow even more desperate. He might simply force the canons on the ship to explode! Such an explosion would be devastating for the entire region. The magical shock-wave would topple trees and buildings alike!" I warned and finally she looked concerned.

"..What's your name?" The mare asked me and looked over her shoulder.

"Tyr of Griffonia." I stated simply, feeling some pride over that title.

"Well Tyr if it wasn't for you I would be out there with my brother and defeating your troops. The princess thought I was yet too unwell to fight, but I disagree. I can let you out of that cage and go join my brothers and sisters in arms, or I could just obey my orders and keep you in there. Tell me why the first option is the better one." She said and eyed me suspiciously.

I sighed and looked onto the ground before I spoke. "Because I do not want anyone else to die in vain."

There was a second of silence before I heard a key being inserted into the cage door. I looked up in surprise as the door swung open and the mare threw my gear at my feet. I scrambled to get up and saw how she started to quickly walk away, heading towards the battle beyond the gorge, beyond the trees. I slipped the sky-metal helmet onto my head and hurried after her.

"What is your name? Who is it I am thanking?" I asked.

She stopped for a second and looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Broken Orchid of the Crystal Empire."

With that the unicorn ran away and I was left all alone. I knew there was still ponies here and even Celestia herself was hiding somewhere among the tents. I decided to slip on the rest of my armor and try to flap my wings. I had been given some medical attention thanks to my information and thanks to that I would be able to fly up towards the Ygrid. When I was certain my wings didn't hurt I quickly stole a spear and flew away from Rambling Rock Ridge. I was spotted by a pegasus who tried to give chase but I simply flew over the Everfree and out onto the plains. The pony gave up on the chase and now I looked upon the carnage that was the final battle.

Our soldiers were dying, being pushed towards a single trench in the middle of the battlefield. I could see that only the Ygrid remained in the sky. All our other ships had been destroyed and now the pony's had a ship of their own. It was bombarding both our flagship as well as our troops, using some new sort of machine to fire large balls of concentrated mana. They balls exploded upon impact and created a lot of destruction. It was a miracle the flagship hadn't been torn apart yet. As I flew closer I noticed how warriors from the north were pushing our troops back, most fleeing in terror in the face of such brutal death.

It was then I saw a bolder hit the Ygrid's side while the remaining adult dragon spewed flames over the hull. With the combination of fire and catapults managed to ponies tear up holes in the hull. I used this opportunity to quickly gain height and I threw myself into one of these holes as I got closer. I immediately felt the corruption sickness in the air and I kept myself elevated over the ground. I put a piece of cloth over my beak to not inhale it all. I noticed with horror how many griffins lied dead on the ground. Most of them had turned partially into crystal, pain and fear frozen on their faces. Had my father sent them down here to manage the canons? Had he willingly sent them all here to die?

I shook my head and concentrated on finding my father. As long as he lived would no one be safe, pony or griffin. I held onto my new spear tightly and wondered if I could truly kill the griffon who raised me. But I looked over the bodies once more to destroy that notion. This was not my father anymore, this was a monster that had not only killed countless innocents but who Guto of Griffonia once was. This monster had destroyed the griffon named Guto and replaced him with itself. I couldn't allow it to leave from here with its life.

With a deep breath though my cloth I flew down one of the burning corridors and headed towards the cargo room. I could hear fighting from somewhere in the ship and I would help the ones standing against my father. I wouldn't stand idly by and watch him kill more cities. Never again would I allow king Guto to tarnish the soul of the Guto, savior of the kingdom. This ended today, with my death or his death.

On this I swore.

Nathaniel's POV

The man ducked underneath the crystal creature's grasp as it threw itself at him. The former griffon went over the ship's railing and fell to its death, but there were many creatures that remained. The human stood back to back with Osiris as they cut down any crystal griffon trying to kill them. The abominations created by the magical disease only seemed to have one goal, and that was killing all in their way. The teen used Valkyrie to crush a few creatures running towards him, turning them into a mangled mess of blood and crystal.

Osiris tried to keep the monsters away from Nate's back as they fought. The stallion used his spear to force the armor clad creatures to back away. At times the pony would send his weapon through the chest of one of them and push them off the deck. The human adapted this tactic and used Valkyrie's magical discharge to send many enemies tumbling off the edge. Yet they were many and soon one of the former griffins slashed the human's friend across the side. The man immediately went to help his companion and he used the sword in his left hand to decapitate the monster while the war-hammer in his left hand was used to hold other creatures back.

The battle moved from the sides of the Ygrid to its middle. Soon the numbers of the monsters dwindled and a few just hit the floor. Those who didn't die to the stallion and man's attacks started to become part of the upper deck floor. The crystals inside them grew grotesquely and planted themselves into the wood. They almost became like any other plant as roots formed in the wood, slowly making it rot. But normal plants were not evil, these things were.

"Kid! We need to find the princess now!" Osiris yelled.

The ship that had been flying next to the Ygrid had been stunned by what had happened. They couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing as they looked upon the creatures. But the same second the human and pony had defeated the monsters they prepared to fire. They would damage their flagship but possibly kill the human, something the mad king had most likely instructed them to do.

It was then Glare showed up once more, slamming his tail into the other ship's side. It went down and the drake roared, victory seeming possible once more. The man and stallion ran for the door Guto had locked behind him. It was made out of steel and Nathaniel simply slammed Valkyrie into it. The door flung open and the teen backed away to puke as the smell of death hit him. Something putrid was inside the hallways and rooms of this ship, something rotten. Osiris pushed onward, ignoring the smell and hurrying down the long corridor ahead of them.

The doors on both sides of the corridor were open, with many having more crystal griffins inside. These creatures were already dead however, the crystals in their bodies having sprouted across the floor. The man felt weak in his legs as he watched the death and suffering while his pony friend pushed on. There was nothing they could do for the dead. But they could still save the living.

The long corridor finally split into two paths, one leading to the left and the other to a couple of stairs leading down. The human listened closely until he heard Luna's familiar voice from below. She was screaming and yelling in anger, giving the two lunar guardians a clear lead to follow. They both hurried down the stairs into more death and rot. The disease had taken hold of the entire ship. Anyone not infected had either fled or taken their own life. It was pure evil, there was no batter way to describe this infection.

As the human walked through the bodies he could see red spore like particles in the air ahead of them. "Osiris place something over your nose and mouth. Don't breath in that stuff."

With the two pushing onward they soon heard cheers from below and the sounds of explosions. It wasn't clear who was winning. But at that moment they only had one focus, find Luna. When they heard another rage filled scream coming from the bowels of the ship the two quickly descended another couple of stairs. This time they walked into the epicenter of the disease. The floor had rotted in several places and bodies littered the corridor like trash. The bodies here were more crystal then flesh, their growths reaching the roof and planting crystal roots there as well.

The two walked past it until they felt something rock the entire ship. The man hit one of the rotted walls and fell through it, landing in a small cabin. All around him were griffins frozen in fear, their expressions preserved by the crystal surrounding their body. They had been trapped by the corruption and their last moments had been nothing but fear and pain. It made the man quickly scramble his way out from the room and into the corridor once more. Osiris was waiting for him, the sounds of fighting below suddenly much clearer.

The pony opened a door and sunlight hit his face. The human walked up behind him and saw how a large chunk of the ship was missing. The battle below seemed to go in the ponies favor and this spurred Nathan forward. The Ygrid was falling apart and they needed to save Luna before it came crashing down. They scoured the lower levels until they finally stood by the doors to a cargo-hold. More hits had occurred as they searched and at placed they had to jump over holes in the floor. The ship was no longer indestructible with Glare spewing flames over it and boulders being hurled at the flagship's hull.

Osiris gave Nathaniel a nod before the pony pushed the door open. The cargo-hold had shelves laying all over the ground and in the middle of it all stood Guto. The griffon had the idol of Boreas tightly held in his left talon while his right held a sword. The human stormed inside to see Luna beside the griffon, still locked up in a cage. The princess of the night was now unconscious, slumped against one of the walls in her cage. The worst part was how close the alicorn was to a large hole behind the mad king.

"Have you come to die?" the griffon growled and put down the idol on the ground.

"Give us the princess and we can promise you a trial! It is over Guto!" Osiris said and swirled his spear.

"Trial? Trial?! The only judgement that matters is mine!" The king laughed and slammed his talons onto the floor.

A massive shock-wave sent the human and stallion flying. They saw how Luna's cage had remained unaffected but it was still dangerously close to the hole. Acting quickly Nathan ran for the griffin king with Valkyrie held tightly in his hands. The man slammed it against his enemy's sword but the weapon didn't break. With a growl the king pushed the human back and cut one of his legs, yellow sparks following Guto's sword. Nathaniel hissed in pain and stumbled backwards before Osiris threw himself at the king.

Guto simply grabbed the pony mid air and threw him into some shelves that toppled over. With the southern stallion temporarily out of the way the mad king gathered yellow energy in his left talon. Nathaniel raised Valkyrie in front of him to protect himself from the blast but it did little. The beam of yellow magic hit the war-hammer and Nate felt like thousands of volts hit his body. The man yelled out in pain and flew backwards, rolling over the floor. The war-hammer flew across the air into the waiting talon of Guto, the griffon grinning.

"This is Faust chosen? A boy that can't even hold onto his weapons!?" He yelled at the human.

With a fluid motion the griffon threw Valkyrie down the hole towards the ground. With the human's advantage out of the way the king planned to easily kill him. Guto advanced on the teen who grabbed his sword and prepared to fight the powerful ruler, hoping all the spells he had learnt would work on the mad chicken. With a deep breath the man engaged in combat with the griffon, slashing and jabbing towards the enemy.

The king easily blocked any strike sent his way, punching the human's throat. Nathan backed away and used his healing magic to quickly negate any damage Guto had done to him. Now the human decided to use all the spells his friends and grimorie had taught him. Nathaniel began by creating a dome shield around himself that blocked a strike from Guto, the griffon growling. Next the man used the illusion spells Occultatum Jende and Occultatum Korvaus. The man became invisible and a copy took his place.

The griffon king attacked the copy only for it to disappear as his blade went through it. Nathan then used Solaris Mico to blind his opponent with a great flash of light. Nathaniel then slashed Guto across his left eyes before sending him flying with a blast of magic from his left hand. The result was an injured king getting up from the floor with murder in his eyes and his eyes glowing a deep yellow. Nathaniel tried to teleport to Guto's side for a surprise attack but the mad king just grabbed him by the throat as he reappeared.

"You're pathetic." The griffon growled and forced the sword from Nathan's hand.

It was then another boulder hit the ship, making the older griffon warrior loose his grip on the human. Nate hit the ground and saw his sword laying by Luna's cage. He crawled towards it and reached out with his left hand to grab it when suddenly Guto's sword slammed down on his arm. With a scream of pure agony Nathaniel scrambled backwards, holding what was left of his arm. The griffon simply kicked the severed hand down the hole, glee in his eyes. Nathan tried to gulp down as much air as possible and he felt like all his senses dulled thanks to the pain. The young man crawled almost to the edge of the hole, looking over his shoulder at the deadly drop. With no other option he summoned his mana and held out his right hand.

"Globus Igneus!" Nathaniel yelled and a ball of fire erupted from his hand and sent the king backwards.

Guto slid across the floor only to come to a stop. He growled even louder as his feathers slowly stopped smoldering and he picked up his sword. It was then Tyr jumped the king from above and buried his spear into the griffon's back. The weapon sank right through the flesh and pierced through the king's chest. Osiris suddenly joined the hippogriff and jumped the enemy leader, sinking one of his daggers straight through the mad king's neck.

A gurgle rose from Guto's beak but Osiris breathed a sigh in relief. The battle had been won. But then Nate could hear what was coming from their opponent's throat. It was a blood-chilling laughter. A large bolt of yellow magical energy sent Tyr flying into one of the walls and with supernatural reflexes the griffon grabbed a hold of Osiris' throat. The pony chocked against Guto's death grip as the unnatural griffon pulled the dagger through from his neck. The wound healed as the blade was removed and the brown feathered griffon threw it towards Nathan. The spear that had gone through the griffon's body turned to ash and that wound healed as well.

"Any last words pony?" The griffon king asked Osiris.

Osiris looked towards Nate who desperately tried to stand up, but he had lost so much blood his vision was getting blurry. The man grabbed Osiris dagger and crawled towards the stallion and griffon, but he was not fast enough. He was too injured to continued fighting and his mana reserves were already low. Nate looked up at the stallion, Osiris looking back for a moment before facing Guto.

"They're not for the likes of you." He chocked out with a defiant growl.

"Then so be it." Guto said and broke the stallion's neck.

Everything slowed down for a second. All the human could hear was the sound of Osiris' neck snapping and all he could see was the pony's dead body hitting the floor. The teen was aware of that he was screaming, if it was in rage or sorrow he could't place. All he knew was that Osiris was dead and Guto had murdered him. The king turned his gaze on the human and moved towards him, ready to finish him off. Nate was stunned, his eyes locked on his friend's corpse. He felt such hatred for Guto that he could hear the idol laughing. The artifact was laughing with Guto's voice, but there was something else within said voice.

Before he could even realize what he was doing the man threw himself at the idol and stabbed Osiris' dagger into the gemstone. For a second there was absolute silence before the idol screamed. The artifact's screeched caused the man's ears to bleed but he could only grin at the idol's suffering. The artifact tore itself from the man's gasp and fell down the giant hole in the floor next to him. Guto screamed in panic and ran towards the hole. The human and griffon king saw how the idol fell down towards the ground until it suddenly exploded, a great yellow wave spreading over the sky.

The king screamed in rage and turned towards the human. Nate held a hold of Luna's cage, keeping it from going over the edge. It was in this moment Tyr flew across the room and picked up the man's sword. Before Guto could defend himself was the sword buried in his chest. The hippogriff breathed heavily as he stared into the eyes of his father, the yellow glow leaving them. For a second Guto had a look of recognition in his blue eyes, his talon stroking Tyr's cheek. The hipogriff's father smiled. The griffon king slowly slid of the sword and fell down the hole, his body lost from sight thanks to all the smoke.

Nate didn't get a second to breathe before he noticed a green beam of magic heading towards the ship, more canon fire. This salvo would hit the cargo-hold and he was to weak to stand. With a look to Osiris' dead body the young man sniffled and he squeezed Luna's hoof through the cage. He was crying, but that didn't matter. With the last magical energy he had left the human opened the cage by force and then sent all the other three back into the corridor they had come from. The same second they were out of harms way the floor exploded, the man suddenly falling.

The human twirled around in the air, his body not stopping as he headed towards the ground. His eyes were blurry and he saw how the army below cheered, the enemy surrendering. They had won, they had won the war. A small smile graced his lips before he closed his eyes. The man kept on falling, seeing Osiris smiling at him and handing him a bottle of booze.

'Don't worry.. I won't be long my friend..' He thought.

And he kept on falling..

Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading. I'll give you all my thoughts in the epilogue