//------------------------------// // The War // Story: Pipers Tale // by Saro0fdemonz //------------------------------// It didn't take long for them to reach the camp. The Gryphons were still trying to regroup, having lost a large number of their ranks to the small onslaught brought on by the pegasus and his troops. Piper stumbled a little as he entered the camp, Celestia glaring at him. He offered only a soft smile to the angered Alicorn, limping toward a nearby tent, his soldiers close behind him. "Wait." she said softly. Piper stopped and nodded to the others, telling them to continue on without him. "Why?" Celestia asked him once the others were gone. "I made a promise to protect you no matter what. To keep you safe. None of that has changed." he said to her. She shook her head. "Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" "Well, it was our only choice. That or let him get his claws on you. So yea, that was our only choice." she smiled a little at him and shook her head again. "Try to be more careful...please." "I will, I promise." The Princess smiled faintly. "I remember that...it was a foolish promise to make..." she said quietly. "I still kept it didn't I?" "Just barely if I remember correctly." "Not to interrupt the touching moment, but how is this important to whats coming? I thought we had settled all disputes with the Gryphons long ago." Twilight said. "Sadly that is not true. There has always been a sort of...falling out...between the Gryphons and I ever since the death of their first great king." "Tia, that wasn't your fault, they can't hold you responsible for it!" Piper argued. "At the time my dear friend, you were a soldier under my command and I was responsible for the actions of all under my command." "I left on my own remember? I couldn't let them have her...not after I promised..." "I'm sorry Piper..." she said quietly. "Ok...I'm just confused now. Piper, Celestia, would you care to explain all of this?" Twilight asked them. "It wasn't long after we returned that war was declared by king Monoclos. He claimed we had attacked first and in a way we had. Again it was my fault, my actions toward the king spurred on the war. All of this is my fault..." He held up a hoof to stop Celestia from arguing as he continued. "WAR?! We can't go to war! not again..." Luna said, hanging her head. "I'm sorry sister...but it appears there cannot be peace without more bloodshed." Celestia said, hugging her younger sister. Piper stood with his soldiers, bandaged and staring at a map. Piper smiled to himself as he remembered the formations Nova and Emerald had come up with when they were first battling Discord. Those would work perfectly here. But he would need time to train the soldiers, time he didn't have. He would have to stall for time. "Chrome Mist. think you can train them?" Piper asked. "Uh...Yes Sir! But you're more fit for it than me Sir." The pegasus answered. "No, its gotta be you. I'm gonna buy us some time." "How do you plan on doing that?" the manticore asked, the young pegasus from before changing some of his bandages. Piper smiled a little and stood "I've got a plan." he said as he turned to walk away. "Wait, where are you going?" Celestia asked him. "We are gonna need more than just the ten of us Princess. We've got two unicorns who are only strong enough to cast a simple barrier, and the rest of us are injured. We can't fight off an entire army and we're gonna need every soldier we can get. But we don't have time to train them. The Gryphons could be on us any minute now and we'd be helpless to stop them." "Then we'll just move somewhere else, retreat to safety." Luna suggested. "We can't do that, just like when we couldn't back down from Discord. If we give King Monoclos even an inch he'll see that he can just take what he wants and he won't let up on us until he has every last inch of land in Equestria." Piper said. Celestia only nodded. "You're right. But what are we to do?" she asked of him. "We'll start by training as many as we can, in the meanwhile I'll go buy us some time." "With that plan of yours right? what is it exactly?" one of the wolves asked. "I haven't figured that out yet. I'll improvise." he said with a grin, zipping out of the tent and leaving them all shocked. Luna chuckled a little. "I remember that. A'ios mentioned that we were doomed at that point," everypony just stared at her for a moment. "Oh he was the Manticore." Luna explained after seeing the confused looks on everyponies face. "I must admit I was a bit worried then. I trusted your abilities and still do, but knowing my best weapon..." Celestia bit her tongue as Piper flinched. "My best hope..." she corrected, though the damage had been done. "Didn't know what our next move would be...it was unnerving." "I still pulled through though." he sighed, stretching his wings a little, Strawberry pouted a little and nudged his side. "Hey, no bein a big grumpy-pants." she scolded, waiting until he smiled to hug him. He sat up a bit and continued his story. Piper took to the air, his armor still sitting in Celestia's tent. He wouldn't need it, or at least he hoped he wouldn't. He let himself drift for a moment, smiling at the clouds that passed by him. For a moment all was calm. No fighting, no blood and death. The wind in his mane, flaming arrows zipping toward him. "wait, arrows?" He gasped and rolled in the air as the arrows zipped past him, just barely missing him. He looked down to see several Gryphon archers taking aim once more. Piper dived toward them, roaring as he snapped his wings wide, the blades in his feathers spreading out and slicing through the neck of one of the archers. He pulled out of the dive, rolling back in the air, looping over and over again as the arrows whizzed by. He grinned to himself, feeling the pressure build around his body. With one last powerful flap of his wings he burst through the cone around him, mere inches from the ground, sending the Gryphons flying as cascading shades of orange spread out in all directions, the boom reaching his ears moments later as he continued onward, slicing through Gryphons at super sonic speeds "S...so thats what that was..." Luna said softly. "Yea, I figured throwing a legend in their face would be enough to buy us the time we needed." everypony just stared at him. "Well it worked." Piper gritted his teeth against the wind as he rode the sonic-boom, flying circles around the Gryphon army, keeping it effectively distracted. But he would have to pull free of the sonic speeds soon or risk doing some serious damage to himself. The pegasus slowed and landed, skidding across the damp grass and spinning, flaring his wings out as the gryphons surrounded him. He chuckled a little to himself. At least they were distracted. Hopefully Chrome Mist would have time to train enough Soldiers to hold them back. He had underestimated them though and quickly found more and more piling around him. The sound of chuckling made him turn to see King Monoclos marching towards him slowly, dressed from beak to claw in battle armor. "I should thank you Loyalty. You've saved me the trouble of hunting you down. Now, be a good pegasus and bow." He demanded, glaring at the young pegasus. Piper chuckled and stood tall, ignoring the spear tips against his throat. "Never. You may be a king, but you are not Equestria's King. You don't control the sun and moon, you didn't defend this land from Discord and you won't get me to bow down to you!" he spat, wincing as the spears dug a bit deeper into his skin, droplets of blood making their way down his body to the dirt below. "You're as stubborn as the rest of your pathetic race. One way or another, you will bow!" He roared in his anger. Piper refused to flinch, he wouldn't give and no matter what, he wouldn't bow. Piper winced as Strawberry's hoof collided with the back of his head. "OW! What was that for?!" "For being an idiot! Those meanie Gryphons coulda killed you!" "It was that or be his lackey. I'd rather die then betray Tia." "While I am happy to hear you say that Piper..." Celestia began, her words freezing as he glanced at her. She sighed. "You've sacrificed so much on a simple promise..." "Its more than just a promise." he said matter-of-factly. "What keeps you going Loyalty, why do you fight for her? Why do you keep my land from me?!" "Its not yours. Maybe it was yours at one point, but when you abandoned it like the coward you are, when YOU gave up on it, it was no longer yours. These ponies, the Princess', they stood tall and they fought back. You're nothing but a coward, hiding behind your troops. You want me to bow? Make me!" Piper spat. The gryphon king chuckled, waving the soldiers away. "Very well Loyalty. If that is what it will take." He hunched his back, his massive wings opening to reveal his impressive wingspan. His muscled body stood tall over Piper. The young pegasus had to stop himself from gulping in regret as he stared at the Gryphon King. He reached for his hoofblade, quickly realizing it was with his armor and cursing under his breath, the wingblades would have to do. He didn't have time to continue his inner argument as Monoclos leapt for him, swiping with his massive claws. Piper leapt above the Gryphon, throwing his hooves around his throat and slamming his head into his. The king tried his best to throw him off but Piper dug his legs into his side, clinging to him for dear life and smacking his hoof into his head, slipping and jamming his hoof into the kings eye, an ear peircing shriek escaping the injured Gryphon. "ENOUGH!" he screamed, reaching back with a claw and trying to pry Piper off of his back. Piper shifted to the side, sliding off the kings back and rolling underneath him, his hoof finding a something sharp as he hit the ground. He quickly grabbed it, roaring as he threw his hoof forward to strike Monoclos, the king looking down in time for the jagged stone in Pipers hoof to slam deep into his eye. The king stumbled backwards, clutching his face and trying to pull the rock out of his eye. Piper leapt to his hooves, flaring his wings as the kings guard advanced. "NO! THIS IS MY FIGHT!" The king roared as he finally pulled the rock out of his eye. He had a demented smile plastered across his blood soaked face. "Its been ages since I've been marked. At least you can have that honor before you die Loyalty." "Not today Monoclos!" a voice rang out. Piper spun and grinned, standing high above him on a hill with Celestia's army stood none other than Chrome Mist, wearing his armor proudly as he lead the charge into battle. Though Piper's moment was ruined by Monoclos tackling him to the ground. Piper stopped as Strawberry began to shake, her ears twitching and her tail swishing about quickly, a quick glance over at Pinkie Pie revealed she was doing much the same, both stared into the air with wide eyes. "GET DOWN!" they yelled together moments before the world came crashing down around them.