CHAPTER 37
BUTCH'S ASSAULT PART 2
How are you managing Scar?
Whoa! I'm taking out the guys-Oof! At the front door-Raaaah! You OK?! Hi-yah!
Glad to hear that you are doing well. I am currently engaged in a fight between several more griffons hear on the floor below our rooms.
OK-Gah! Not stressing-Dammit! Out?
I'm fine. Ironhead? I believe that is you brawling on the other side of the barrier I created. Do you need any assistance?
Can't talk; too busy kicking griffon ass.
I see. Have either of you seen father, Blues, Psych or Ash?
Argh! N-Nope!
Can't talk; too busy kicking griffon ass.
*sigh*
Equinox reappeared in the dining room, but before he could survey the area, something large and heavy slammed into him. He was knocked off his hooves and painfully slammed into the wall. Despite being disoriented from the pain, he felt the feathers of whatever crashed into him.
A burst of magic knocked the griffon back allowing him to view the room fully. The floor was strewn with griffon feathers, clumps of navy blue hair, splintered wood and the occasional drop of blood. The table where he and his sons had their meal at had been split in two. He knew that a few spells would fix that, but he was much more concerned about his sons.
He then spotted one of them, Blues, at the far end of the room surrounded by two griffons who were dodging a tendril that began at his head and ended with a large mound of hair, most likely a griffon he had wrapped up. He watched as a griffon flew over the mound as Blues swung it and severed the connection. As Blues screamed, the trapped griffon burst out and lunged at the distracted Blues.
He would've sank his claws into his flesh if he hadn't been hit with a blast of silver magic. Blues then found himself yanked backwards unexpectedly. When his hooves finally met solid ground once again, he felt a presence beside him. "Are you alright my son?*gasp!* You're bleeding!"
"I-I'm fine." Blues reassured before smacking an approaching griffon aside with a tendril. Another flew at them only to crash face first into a silver barrier. Equinox lowered the shield and struck the griffon with another blast of magic.
"Let me asses that wound." he said surrounding them with another barrier. Sighing, Blues rolled on his back exposing his deep gashes to his dad. As he lit up his horn, the griffons recovered and began hammering away at the barrier with their fists. Equinox lowered his horn and pointed it at the wounds. Blood stopped seeping out of them, but the marks were still visible.
"Good enough for now." Equinox said as his son rose. The barrier radiated outwards and pushed the griffons further back. Once it dissipated, Blues jumped forward and launched four tendrils. Two coiled around their targets' ankles, but the other two were severed. Fighting the pain, he slammed the two griffons on the floor.
The other two griffons were struck by blasts of silver magic leading them to let out a piercing, high-pitched eagle scream. As it sounded, Blues cried out in pain as he stumbled back. "Blues!" Equinox was immediately at his son's aid. Meanwhile, griffon had recovered; worse still they had all witnessed what the shriek had done to Blues. Both ponies looked up, seeing the griffons take a deep breath.
All at once, they released a long, piercing eagle shriek. To Equinox, it was just another loud sound, but to Blues, it was pure agony. His mane straightened out as he covered his ears and began screaming in pain. Even with his ears plugged, the griffons' shriek tore through his senses, overwhelming them, inflicting unimaginable pain to him. He stumbled back
Equinox was about to raise another silver barrier, but the griffons, still letting out their eagle shriek and hurting Blues, flew in and rammed them. Blues felt himself get slammed into the wall and heard his dad suffer the same fate. Before he could launch a counterattack, he felt a fist sink into his stomach.
Another fist struck his face. Several more hits there, and he could taste a little blood. He could sense that his dad was suffering a similar fate. Indeed, the sound of fists striking against his dad's flesh hurt him as well. With neither of them finding an opportunity to attack, the griffons' savage beating continued.
It only ended when Equinox successfully surrounded the two griffons with silver magic and froze their bodies. Grunting, he launched them back and slammed them against the wall opposite them where they collapsed unconscious. The other two were too distracted by the sight to notice Blues wrapping their faces with hair.
He shoved them back and got one his hooves. Swinging his head, he twirled the griffons over himself several time before launching them at the wall. Like their fellow griffons, they smacked head-first into it, slowly slid down and hit the floor out cold.
"About time they were unconscious." Blues muttered leaning against the wall and catching his breath. He heard a thump and sensed his dad do the same thing.
"There are...still others..." he said between pants. "The whole castle...is under attack. Your brothers...are in danger."
Blues sensed his dad rise and bring his horn, now doubt glowing, down on him. His exhaustion quickly faded as well as the pain from his injuries. "We cannot rest for too long." Equinox continued, healing himself with his magic. "Scar and Ironhead should be able to manage. Ash is still in no condition to fight anypony at the moment, but he should have Psych to defend him. Solstice is the one in the most danger."
"Why is that? Are you worried the stress of battle might trigger a surge?" Blues asked nervously.
"Yes and something else." The father and son pair started trotting out of the room. "The griffon leader is armed with a sword made of arcanite, a metal that can block out any form of magic; mine was completely useless against him. If Solstice were to encounter him..."
"Let me find him father. Surely, I could defeat him before he reaches Solstice." Blues offered as they reached the stairs."
"No." The unicorn raised his eyebrows. "Blues, I noticed the dining room floor littered with stands of your mane. If that much damage can be done with mere claws, think of what a sword could do to you. I refuse to put you in harm's way, but you shouldn't worry. I already have somepony in mind, sompony who would love to get into a fight with the griffon leader."
Blues nodded, understanding just who his dad was talking about. "Yes; why don't we find him. No doubt he must be enjoying himself by now..."
And he was enjoying himself.
Sure, he was on his stomach with a pile of griffons on top of his hammering away at his back, sides and face, but all those blows didn't hurt at all. Ironhead's body was made tougher stuff than a normal pony's; their blows weren't as painful as they normally would've been. In fact, the griffons were hurting themselves instead.
He looked ahead towards the stairs in front of him ignoring the griffon's fist pounding against his skull. His eye lit up as he saw Blues and his dad emerge from the staircase, both looking at him alarmed. Hey guys, I found Blues and dad. They're OK.
Alarmed by the griffon horde covering his son, Equinox lit up his horn. "Don't worry dad; I got this!"
Deciding that the griffons had had enough fun, he quickly stood up and swung his limbs about. Griffons went flying, crashing into the walls and ceiling. One that remained took a punch from Ironhead knocking him all the way down the corridor, stopping only when colliding with a sliver barrier Equinox threw up.
A few remaining griffons ganged up on his left and shoved him against the right wall. Undeterred, head butted one of them and bucked another one away. Soon, there were only about six griffons left. Ironhead sighed, cracked his neck and slammed a hoof against the floor before continued the fight.
"I was right; he is enjoying himself." Blues muttered as bodies went flying.
It was over in after minutes. The griffons were tough and put up a long, good fight but eventually, the last one slammed against the floor and passed out on the spot. Ironhead stood in the middle of the unconscious griffons panting, sweating and wide eyed, adrenaline still pumping through his veins.
"Damn that felt good." he said wiping some sweat from his brow. "So dad, bro, how're you guys doing?"
"Never mind us. I'm just glad to see you unhurt." Equinox said flying towards his son and pulling him into a hug. Ironhead just sighed and went along with it.
"We need your help for something Ironhead." Blues said trotting up to him. "Solstice is in danger. He-"
"Hang on a sec bro." Ironhead broke away from his dad's embrace and held a hoof up ordering them to stay quiet.
I have successfully cleared out my side of this floor. Solstice's voice echoed in his thoughts. We should find Psych and Ash and confirm if they- Wait a moment.
What? Ironhead thought.
Several seconds of silence answered him. When his brother's voice returned, it was quick and panicked. I...Impossible...I...I need help; Scar, Ironhead, are either of you available?
Grah! Sorry bro! Little-Aaaaahhh! Busy here!
On my way bro!
With a loud battle cry that surprised his dad and brother, Ironhead turned and charged down the corridor. Slowly, the crisscrossing stone columns that Solstice used as a barrier came into view. Ironhead just smiled upon seeing them and sped up, lowering his head in the process.
With a loud smash, the barrier burst apart showering the area with rubble, yet that didn't stop Ironhead from continuing on, determined to save his brother.
"How unexpected." Blues said face-hoofing. "He hears one cry for help, and it's like a switch go off in his mind. It doesn't matter how invulnerable he is; I swear he's going to get himself killed one day." He gave a big sigh. "I guess we should help him then."
"No." Equinox said stopping his son from charging into battle. "Ironhead can deal with their leader. The two of us should split up and find the others. You head downstairs, while I check upstairs. With any luck, we should find them before it's too late."
Blues nodded, and the duo split up to find their family before it was too late.
Meanwhile, one floor above them, Psych was fighting for his life.
As the griffon at the head of the group flew towards him, he lit up his eyes; instantly, every other griffon vanished except for the one in the lead. With a wave of Psych's hoof, several tendrils of razor wire shot out along the entire length of the corridor swinging around wildly. The lead griffon swerved around them but eventually, they slashed across his body leaving deep, bleeding gashes on his face and body.
Psych normally would've relished the sound of dripping blood and the scream of pain, but he didn't have time. Once the lead griffon fell, Psych shifted his focus; the griffon vanished and was replaced by another griffon further down the corridor. Psych made the tendrils slash and cut into his flesh making sure to inflict enough pain to keep him down. Once his sides was finally a mess of blood, feathers and exposed flesh, he collapsed as well. Psych immediately shifted focus to another griffon. Hopefully, the flailing razor wire would hold back any of the other-
He suddenly felt his hooves leave the floor and his back slam against the door he was guarding. The glow in his eyes vanished giving him a full view of the angry griffon clutching him by his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the remaining griffons slowly rise shaking their heads and blinking several times. This one must have been at the back and was able to evade the razor wire.
I hate my power's limitations...
"No more tricks." the griffon said throwing Psych against the opposite wall. Groaning, he opened his eyes and saw the griffon reaching for the knob and quickly activated his powers. The knob suddenly turned red-hot and emitted steam, but the griffon noticed that too late and screamed as his claw burned. Psych turned his illusion as the griffon clutched his burning claw.
Thinking fast, Psych cast another illusion, and out of the walls came dozens of barbed hooks attached to some rope. They launched themselves at the griffon, snagging on his wings, and flesh and hoisting him into the air. With a swing of his forelegs, the hooks pulled back sending blood and chunks of griffon flesh everywhere. The griffon collapsed screaming in agony, so Psych shot a hook at his mouth. It pierced the griffon's tongue, and, with a mighty tug, tore it out of his mouth.
Psych let him wallow in his agony before turning his attention to the other griffons. One flew at him, so he drove a stone spike into the back of the griffon's head. Once he fell, he shifted focus to another griffon and pinned him to the ground with a spike that grew out of the ceiling. He shifted focus and sliced another griffon's legs off with a buzz saw. A griffon ended up getting torn to pieces by a pair of wolves while another one had his eyes gouged out violently with an ice pick.
He was determined to stop them before they reached his brother. He was willing to torture them all to insanity if it meant keeping Ash safe from harm. He didn't care that they flailed about in agony. He didn't care that he saw blood gushing out of eyes, ears, beaks and stomachs. He didn't care that they begged him to kill them.
I just want my brother to be safe...
Time flew for Psych; he didn't know how long he spent torturing them, but he stopped. Panting and his body sore, he took in the scene before him, the griffons clutching no-longer-present wounds, shivering in fright and whimpering in pain. One raised his head and gazed looked around confused eventually looking into the earth pony's eyes which glowed with a dark rose light. He whimpered and fell back hoping that he would be shown mercy.
But Psych had no intention of showing them mercy. He lit up his eyes once again ready to destroy their minds and render them catatonic for the rest of their lives. As he was about to fill the corridor before him with an electric field that would send millions of volts into their bodies, he once again felt himself lifted and slammed against the wall.
Groaning, he looked ahead and saw another griffon pinning him to the wall, another one at his side. He realized that they must have recovered from the acid bath he gave them. He activated his powers once again, but the griffon wouldn't let him. He pulled back and slammed him against the wall once again.
His own body screaming in agony, Psych felt noticed that his vision was getting blurry. That all changed however when he heard a door suddenly burst open. His head immediately shot up giving him a clear view of Ash's door wide open, a pair of menacing griffons standing before it.
"No!" Psych shot up and raced towards them, but one of the griffons grabbed him as he passed and threw him into the room. Psych soared across the room, over Ash's bed and slammed against the wall and fell on the floor. Now body felt like it was on fire. He lifted a shaking foreleg and slowly pushed himself up, but he felt a sharp pain come from his stomach. He suddenly coughed out some blood and collapsed trembling and sputtering out more of it.
Meanwhile the griffons entered the room and cast a sweeping glance around it. At first, they found nothing of value, but then they found the bed with a figure curled up under a blanket. After some rustling, a head popped out belonging to a pegasus colt who was wondering what the commotion was.
One of the griffons immediately lunged at him. Ash was helpless as he was yanked out of his covers by his neck and slammed against the wooden head board. The griffon tightened his grip smirking as he saw the pegasus struggle, and heard him choke.
"N...No!" Psych spat out some leftover blood and forced himself to his hooves. "Please...Don't hurt him!"
He charged at them hoping to get them away from his only family. Unfortunately, his advance was halted by the other griffon who swooped down on him, grabbed him and slammed him right next to Ash. He then felt a fist sink into his stomach, knocking the air out of him.
Normally, Psych would've unleashed hell on them, but he couldn't. Ash was right next to him; he would never dream of using his powers in such a situation. Ash could've fought back if it weren't for his depressed state and weakened body. The griffon holding him raised an eyebrow noticing the lack of assault. "What's wrong? Can't use your tricks?" he taunted.
Psych would've dunked him in lava if it weren't for Ash being in his proximity. He hung his head accepting his defeat. "P...Please...Have your way with me...Just don't hurt my brother..."
The griffon holding Ash smirked. "Sorry, but no deal." He tightened his grip on Ash causing the latter to choke and trash about.
"NO!"
"Where are they? We know who you six are and what you have? Tell me where they are!"
Psych knew instantly what they were talking about, and there was no way he could just hand it over to them. The sound of Ash choking and struggling was all he could hear. He had to use his powers, but he had to get away from Ash first. That gave him an idea.
"Th-there." He pointed at the far right corner of the room. "You should find a hidden compartment within the walls, but it'll only open if Ash presses his hoof against a certain location."
His heart hammered, but even that couldn't block out the sounds his brother was making. The griffon holding Psych looked at his companion and jerked his head in the direction Psych specified. He nodded and threw Ash into the corner earning another scream from Psych. As the pegasus slowly rose, the griffon stalked towards him making sure he didn't try any funny business and putting enough distance between him and his companion.
"If you're lying, we're gonna kill him." Psych said nothing and bowed his head concealing his glowing eyes. "You hear me? Well, we're still gonna kill you all either way but-"
The griffon suddenly felt something strike his back. He dropped Psych who continued to maintain the illusion he created. The griffon, rubbing his sore back, turn around and got a claw swipe to his face. He fell back against the the bed, rolled across it and fell against the floor. Psych rushed over and peered over the bed while maintaining the illusion.
Groaning, he opened his eyes and saw his fellow griffon flying above him, a look of rage in his eyes. Without warning, he swooped down and started beating the crap out of the fallen griffon. "I-AM-STRONGER-THAN-YOU!" the top griffon punctuated each word with a blow to the other one's face.
Once he had been given a thorough beating, Psych cancelled his illusion and pressed his back against the head board in eager anticipation of the events that were about to unfold. The beaten-up griffon slowly rose trembling with rage, his gaze directed not at Psych but at his fellow griffon shoving Ash around ordering him to open the compartment.
"Why you little!" The first griffon lunged at his companion, yanking him aside and beating him senselessly. The two griffons were soon just a jumbled mess of feathers, flying claws and shared insults.
Taking advantage of their fighting, Psych hopped off the bed, grabbed the blanket by his teeth and threw it over Ash. He went back and grabbed the pillow and pressed it against Ash's face just in case the blanket wasn't enough. Keeping one hoof pressed against the pillow, Psych turned to the brawling griffons and activated his powers.
Using them, he created another cloud above them and set upon them another downpour of acidic rain. He shifted views several times and saw both of them writhe around in agony. They both however had much more sense; as their bodies dissolved, they hastily made for the door. Psych turned his illusion off and witnessed them run right out of the room just in time to be struck by a blast of silver.
As he removed the covering on his brother's body, Equinox rushed into the room, gasping as he saw them. "Psych! Ash!" He wasted no time in rushing to their side and pulling them into a tight embrace. "I was so worried! When the griffons said they they were going to kill you, I...I just wanted to find you before they did..."
Both of his sons squirmed, but they couldn't break free of his embrace. Equinox then felt something moist touch his hoof. A quick check later, his heart nearly stopped at the sight of warm blood. "Oh my goodness!" He pulled away from his sons and immediately noticed blood on one of their lips. "Psych! Y-You're hurt; let me help you..."
But Psych pulled himself out of the alicorn's grip. He scoffed at Equinox, breaking the latter's heart, and took a step only to have his legs buckle and collapse on the spot, every inch of his body on fire. Through hazy eyes, he vaguely saw the image of a panicked alicorn before darkness swallowed him.
Ironhead's uppercut knocked Butch off the floor and caused his to smack headfirst again the ceiling and let go of his broadsword. Then then fell as in slow motion until he finally hit the ground, his blade clattering beside him. The pony who had just defeated smirked, not a single scratch on him. Beside him, Solstice stood unharmed but exhausted.
Hurried hoof steps caught the brothers' attention as Equinox bounded towards them. "Hey dad. We got things taken care of here. How's everypony else?" Ironhead asked.
"Psych is unconscious." Worry clenched the brothers' hearts. "But he is otherwise fine. He and Ash are both resting in their rooms."
"I'm very relieved to hear that." Solstice said with a sigh. He the turned his head to the side for a moment. "I just received word from Scar. He said that Blues had joined him and they successfully repelled the remaining griffons."
"D...Dammit..." A grunt brought their attention to a stirring Butch. He pawed the floor at his side eventually grabbing the handle of his sword. With a grunt, he used it to prop himself up back on all fours.
"You've lost." Equinox said stepping forward. "You are in no condition to continue fight. Command your forces to leave us in peace, and we will not harm you any further."
At that, the griffon snarled. "This isn't over." He raised his head. "Fall back! Full Retreat!"
The conscious griffons stirred and slowly ran away, some carrying their unconscious companions with them. They hurried past Butch who shot Equinox a dirty look before sheathing his sword and fleeing with his fellow griffons. Pretty soon, the corridor was empty save for the three of them.
"Yeah they better run." Ironhead said chuckling with amusement.
"Perhaps we should search the entire castle for any lingering griffons." Solstice suggested.
"Sound good to me. I'll go check this side; you guys check out the other side."
Solstice nodded, and Ironhead trotted away to search. The unicorn turned and trotted in the other direction to conduct his own search. "They know..."
"Hmm?" Solstice stopped turning curiously to his dad. Equinox turned to him looking grim.
"They know who you six are Solstice. They are somehow connected to the Light in Ponyville's soil. They were after what you six carry.
That bit of news stunned the young scholar. He stared at his dad trying to make sense of all this while placing a hoof on his chest. "Things are going from bad to worse. What is happening father?"
With a sigh, Equinox shook his head and took a step forward. "I've no idea my son, but one thing is clear. I would rather die then let them take any of you away from me..."