//------------------------------// // Visions Of The Future (Also known as SPOILER): Beginning Of The End (75) // Story: Griffin the Griffin // by BlackWing //------------------------------// Visions Of The Future: Beginning Of The End "And that is how you properly clean, disinfect, stitch, and bandage a wound. Next week's class will be basic self defense. Make sure you come, you need to know this stuff." Fillies and colts, as well as full grown ponies, griffins, and even some of the more intelligent, and not to mention peaceful, diamond dogs living in Equestria stood, collected their belongings, and left the school house. After I nearly died..... again...... at the battle of the deeps, with Gilda's pregnancy coming along, I couldn't keep doing it. What if I died? She'd have to raise our son or daughter as a single mom, and I'll be damned if I'm not there when my kid needs me. I won't be like my parents and abandon them. Let Aoi, Ember, and the rest of the several dozen humans that got thrown here lead the revolution and save the world. I did my part to get the ball rolling, and I don't mind passing so my teammates can be the ones to score. After getting therapy for my issues, Celestia suggested that I be an instructor for emergency procedures in order to get the masses ready in case of disaster. Of course, what better place to start than the ground zero of... everything ever, Ponyville. The pay is good, and we live comfortably. The New Dominion is thriving under the council's guidance, with some helpful hints from Equestria. Don't get me wrong, I'm still large and in charge, and they send me reports on whatever's happening, but things are going just as I planned. For the most part, they can take care of themselves. Especially since the sea ponies started taking an interest in the surface world again and began helping out, making sure we don't ruin the ecology, sending some helpful tsunamis whenever we get attacked, and helping us build our own version of Cloudsdale. Things should be smooth sailing. A scream from outside interrupted the bliss I felt from sharing my knowledge, with annoyance that even when I'm retired, I still can't catch a break. "Oh, what is it now!" I shouldn't have asked. A regiment of a dozen or two living shadows sailed through the small town, moving like dementors but without the flesh or cloak, only wicked swords black as an empty night sky, and a small creek of blood flowing beneath them as they cut down or any ponies they came across. Most escaped, some weren't so lucky. They were like the basic heartless from Kingdom Hearts mixed with the Nazgul from LotR, and all before them fled in fear, save for the mismatch of ponies, griffins, and diamond dogs that made up my emergency response class. "Oh bloody hell." My mechanical wing revved, the chainsaw wing blade on the front portion springing to life as I grabbed the broken Hades by the handle. Ever since I snapped the blade on Ember's thick hide, things just went down hill in my fight, and I never saw fit to repair it. The jagged, broken edge still served as a weapon quite well by the fact that I was able to cleave three of the fiends with one swing before my strike was stopped by the forth. It's souless, glowing eyes glared at me before it was knocked off guard by a shot of magic from a Pumpkin Cake, and the head kicked from it's neck by her twin, Pound Cake. It dissipated into a wisp of black smoke before it's sword clattered to the ground and followed its master into oblivion. "Thanks you two, but get yourselves and all the others into the shelters. Let the professionals handle this." I instructed as my wing cut through another shade that was coming up from behind them. Giving quick salutes, the pair took charge of the class and brought them to one of the several bunkers installed recently, in case of just such an event. "Anyone who doesn't know how to kick ass, get your flanks underground. Everyone else, with me. They ain't taking us without a fight!" Ten of my former students from the first class, having passed my course, took up positions behind me with their spears, swords, and mark 1 beam rifles. The mark 2's were reserved for actual military, but I preferred using mark one's anyways. Less finicky, meaning you don't need a degree in marksmanship to use it. "Ya got another thing coming to ya if you think you can take OUR town! Not a one of ya's gonna survive this!" My booming voice caught the attention of the smoke creatures who immediately stopped what they were doing, many in the middle of swinging their swords to cut innocent ponies, and started making their way towards our group as the thankful civilians fled to safety. "You all remember what I taught you?" I turned to ask my graduated students. They nodded, took a deep breath, and in order to steel their nerves for what they were about to do, let out a piercing war cry which when joined by my own made the trees themselves shake. "WRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" 'I thought I got out, and they pull me back in. Celestia is going to want to hear about this.'