No simple book of parchment, ink, and leather can truly capture the magnitude of what our brave ancestors bore witness to that fateful morning. The day the first of the tyrants fell, and our kind glimpsed victory, a victory born from battle between the mightiest of foes.

It is said the ground shook so violently that it was felt as far away as the shattered city, and the sky came ablaze with lights brighter than even the angriest of storms. Truly, it was as had been promised; the first battle of Gods had begun…

Taken from the Griffon historical text ~Our Treasured Past

/ / / Griffon Kingdome, Fringes of the Fallen City. / / /

Daring to take a step forward the Griffon posing as the ambassador couldn’t help but smirk as he watched the giant scaly fist twist and force itself further down into the pile of rubble. He could barely believe his eyes as the stone cracked and crushed, sinking through what had been the floor and into the muddy soil beneath.

Master’s disciple must be a powerful being indeed, to have destroyed creatures of such strength as those Alicorns in a single blow! The very thought left his mind spinning. It hardly seemed possible, even for a Dragon and yet the irrefutable proof was right before his eyes.

Perhaps this whole endeavor was not such a fool’s errand after all. With creatures of such clear divinity as these Dragons leading them, victory over the self-righteous ponies was guaranteed, if the display of power before him was of any indication. His smirk twisted into a devilish grin as another ancient block of stone shattered violently under the pressure.

The imposter was just beginning to fantasize about how the Master might reward them for this flawless victory when one of the other Griffons beside him inhaled sharply in surprise and he suddenly became aware that the ground was trembling. With beaks dropping open in disbelief the pair quickly joined the others in backing against the far wall. They were unable to accept what their eyes were seeing as, slowly but surely, the Dragon’s fist was pushed back…

Releasing a growl of anger the massive sky leviathan pushed back with all of its might, causing the ground around the decaying structure to sink and fill with cracks and fissures. For a moment, as the beast let loose a mighty roar of challenge to the skies above, its fist shakily came to a halt. The bellow was long and loud, a sound that had surely sealed the fate of many a challenger in the past. It was deafening, it filled the air, shook the walls, rattled their very bones.

Indisputable as it seemed, as the Griffons held their ears under the power of the roar another sound soon made itself known. The sound of a pair of voices shouting a challenge of their own. In an act even harder to believe, the nearly panicked Griffons could only stare on as the Dragon was again slowly pushed back. Its muscles bulged in effort as they were overpowered.

Unbelievably the two Alicorns began to rise out of what should have been their grave, hooves pushing back against the Dragon’s scaled fingers. With a monumental heave they stood to their proper height, hind legs shaking as they bore the full might of their foe with the ground buckling beneath them.

With a growl of surprise the Dragon’s clawed feet slid backwards just a bit, the water logged soil squelching out from under him as the pressure between them grew. The great beast flared out its wings in a desperate bid for stability, adding their considerable force into the effort and once again bringing the struggle to a standstill.

The Dragon’s beating wings whipped the already gusty winds of the gorge into a frenzied squall, driving the rains in sideways sheets and knocking a few of the more precariously leaning trees to the ground. The Griffons could only watch as the test of strength went on, the shaking ground rattling their bones, some of the weakened stones falling from what remained of the walls around them.

Though the false ambassador couldn’t dare to look away he was vaguely aware of his cohorts scrambling over each other in a vain attempt to get away. The poor fools would find no exit he knew; the only way out was directly ahead of him, beyond the dueling titans…

Knowing he would likely be annihilated if he tried, the Griffon simply leaned against the vibrating wall at his back. He decided to trust in Master’s word that he would survive if he followed in the Disciple’s plan without question. As the crumbling structure slowly shook itself to pieces around him though, he began to have his doubts.

The storm outside continued to grow worse, seemingly fueled by the power of the combatants as they strained against each other, blocking out the morning sun as if to signal the inevitable battle to come. Far above, the clouds began to circle ominously, an occasional flash of lightning in the distance.

Straining with all his might Scipio looked beside him, grunting as the ground beneath his hooves sank just a little further. They needed a new tactic and soon, before the Dragon decided it had had enough of this posturing and got serious.

It seemed as though Mars was having an easier time of things, though his face was contorted in concentration his limbs were still and his breath controlled. Scipio would likely never have said it aloud, but he held a certain amount of admiration for the far older Alicorn and was reminded again of why he deserved his position.

Mars noticed Scipio looking at him from the side and met his eye. “We need a plan before this becomes worse!” He called out, clenching his teeth as their footing sank yet again.

Scipio turned his gaze to the Dragon looming over them. “I have one, but will need a moment to implement it. Can you?” He asked, nodding at the fist attempting to crush them as it inched closer.

Furrowing his brow and widening his stance Mars gave a nod of his own to indicate that he was ready. “Be swift,” he said with a growl as his fellow Alicorn pulled back, leaving him to resist the Dragon’s strength alone.

Dropping back to all fours Scipio lowered his head to the ground, his horn lighting up in an aura of green flames. Magical fire gathered along the length of the appendage, rushing to the tip where it condensed into a growing ball of emerald light. Sparks of static energy crackled and snapped as they fell to the ground, the wet soil hissing as the moisture was boiled away by the energy.

Closing his eyes Scipio released his senses upon the lands around him, gathering every scrap of information he needed about his target. Size, distance, the composition of the scaled skin, this and more flowed into his mind with perfect clarity.

The process took mere seconds, an eternity as he felt the Dragon shift overhead, the titanic beast growing irritable and sending its other clawed fist down towards them. Time seemed to crawl as his mind went into a magically induced overdrive, burning through the calculations necessary to perform one of his most dangerous spells. The Piercing Lance was both explosively powerful, as well as exceptionally accurate. However its use required great care as it could easily overwhelm a careless user.

The Griffons, having finally given up on trying to escape, could only look on in horror as the lone Alicorn holding back their master’s trusted follower shifted his stance and bellowed to the heavens. The equine’s body shone with light from within as he gripped the fist above him, his wings flaring out as he twisted around, shoving the Dragon’s hand to the side.

“Now, Scipio!” Mars shouted as he pulled the limb down beside him, causing the Dragon to stumble. Jerked off balance as the resistance suddenly turned into a pulling force.

A heartbeat later the ground around the Alicorns exploded in a hell storm of energy. The iridescent magic that had condensed at the end of Scipio’s horn shot forward in a spiraling beam, sizzling as it burned the very air.

The attack screamed through the rain, driving into the Dragon’s chest and ripping the beast clean off his clawed feet. It launched him back, hundreds of feet into the air before detonating in a flash of brilliant emerald light, the sound like thunder as it rumbled over the valley.

The force of the blast blew away what little remained of the stone structure, scattering its pieces and occupants a fair distance out into the mud. The ground underneath where the Dragon had been was scorched clean, the shrubbery and little gnarled trees completely obliterated. Further off in the distance the Dragon landed hard, crashing into the ground and skidding off through the foliage and rain, disappearing from sight.

Mars stood on shaking legs, panting lightly as he watched the Dragon tumble away, feeling the ground shake with every rolling impact. He hated to admit it, but he had not been tested like that in a very long time. His heart thundered away in his chest, an old part of him realizing just how much he had missed this kind of thing.

“Perhaps,” he said dryly, glancing over at Scipio. “Next time you lead with that.”

“Yes,” Scipio agreed, gratefully accepting the offered hoof that pulled him up from the mud. “And perhaps next time you will see that coming,” he added, looking around at the destruction his spell had caused. “How in the Forger’s name did he sneak up on us…?”

Mars turned to look behind them, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “An apt question, Scipio.” He said, moving towards the sounds of groaning and screaming Griffons. “I believe that I know exactly who to ask…”

“Indeed, it would appear as though there may be some form of an alliance between this lot and that Dragon,” Scipio observed, settling his wings before following. “I think it may be wise to err on the side of caution. I shall call upon our support.”

“Nay,” Mars called back, stepping over a small pile of rubble. “The King’s wishes were for us to work alone unless our situation became dire. No, we can contend with the lone Dragon, he is young and seems inexperienced.”

“True enough,” Scipio agreed, catching up as Mars stopped to prod a dazed Griffon. “A more knowledgeable Dragon would have known better than to attempt to finish us with a physical attack such as that. What has my interest is how neither you nor I could sense his approach; even now his presence is, fleeting, erratic.”

Garnering no response from the half buried Griffon, Mars moved on to the next, his ears swiveling at every sound around them. “Yes, a truly frightening gift for one of such size and not a common trait among Dragons, we must be cautious.”

Scipio snorted, suddenly seeming to be greatly bemused. “And to think, you were chary of boredom at the mere thought of this assignment. Not every day anymore one of your age meets with such excitement.”

“Hardly,” Mars replied stoically, though the corner of his mouth quirked up in a hidden smile. “I perform any task my king requires of me. Regardless of how, engaging, it may or may not be,” he said, pausing to inspect another body.

Getting a better look for himself Scipio noticed that the battered Griffon splayed out in the mud before him was the ambassador’s imposter, bruised and bloody but still very much alive. He waited for the groaning bird as he struggled to sit upright, holding his tongue until their eyes met and the Griffon shrank back in fear.

“I say again,” Scipio growled angrily, his horn crackling as a glimmer of his power flared along the length. “What is the meaning of this…?”

The poor Griffon could hardly believe his eyes, despite all that had been done to them the Alicorns seemed untouched, apart from some ruffled feathers and the mud staining their coats. How was it possible? Master had warned him of the power they wielded but this did not seem possible! He could not believe it, he would not believe it!

“Listen, wretch,” Scipio demanded, lifting the Griffon from the ground in a cloud of his magic to look him in the eye. “There are only a finite number of reasons that a Dragon would align with those of any other lineage, and none bring comfort to my heart. So I will ask you only once more, what is your purpose here?”

Mars stepped in closer, his own eyes suggesting the Griffon had best chose his next words carefully. “Speak, before we run out of time to be so civilized…”

Seeming to regain some of his resolve the Griffon steeled his gaze, turning to glare at Mars as he spoke. “I am here, tyrants, because a deal was struck, and these were the terms…”

/ / / / / /

Roh grunted as he coughed up smoke, rolling over as he held his spinning head. It had been many millennia since anything had hit him that hard and though he was loath to admit it, the strength behind it had been impressive.

Taking notice of the charred smell that had begun to fill his nostrils the Dragon inspected his chest, finding the scales where the magic had struck scorched and smoking, but they had held. Gingerly he placed a claw over the damage and pushed, surprised to find the natural armor there tender and raw.

It would seem his glorious leader had been right to send him; his exceptional resistance to the Alicorn’s form of magic would be a great advantage indeed. His other advantage, now that he had experienced their individual magics, would ensure that this mark upon him would be the last.

Getting back to his feet Roh stretched his wings, flaring them until he felt his ligaments pop. This would be quite enthralling, he had barely been out of his egg the last time a Dragon had done battle with an Alicorn. His veins burned with excitement as his mana rushed through them, fueling his need for the coming fight.

Rearing up he stood tall, looking over the trees at where his targets waited, his eyes having little trouble finding them through the rain. Raising an arm he pointed an open palm at his prey, power surging along the limb, illuminating the iridescent scales.

It was high time these Alicorn’s were reminded of just how fragile their ‘divinity’ really was…

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