//------------------------------// // Act 1 Verse 6 // Story: Dragon's Descent // by Compendium of Steve //------------------------------// Act 1 Verse 6 New Plans Five days have gone since the canyon battle and what was unquestionably the most awkward day of my life. The boys were swell enough not to mention my indiscretion to the general when he arrived, or to anyone else… that I’m aware of. He seemed rather disappointed missing out on the action before he got a chance to plant his hooves into some griffon skulls. But he was glad nevertheless that the invasion force had been completely routed, with only a moderate number of casualties on our end from the initial attack. Guess that was a good call on your part sending me out, Twi. After giving my battle assessment and firing a quick parchment to Twi, I was put on one of the first ships back to Canterlot. The following day I gave the same report to Twilight directly. I told her upfront about me going on a blind rampage, since she was gonna hear about it from someone else eventually. I told her of the sensations I felt before losing consciousness, and that it may have been some sort of magical interference. I didn’t mention Discord, though; no sense muddling this up further, especially when he doesn’t seem to be a viable threat (yet). If there was any concern she didn’t show it; she just said she was glad I was alright and thanked me for keeping the enemy out. Afterwards she gave me some time off, which I spent wholeheartedly with Sweetie Belle. The flight left me pretty wound up to my surprise, and Sweetie seemed to appreciate the added enthusiasm over my return home. At least, if the long hours and the blissed-out look on her face was anything to judge. Things in Canterlot appeared the same, yet as I suspected, the sight of all those airships leaving from the harbor and the extra guard patrols has gotten citizens murmuring about invasions and war. It’s being treated as a rumor, but I can sense the unease among the citizens walking the streets. Twilight may need to make an official statement soon, cap this thing before it gets out of hand. At least the resident griffons haven’t started a revolution or something. Shows the rest of the world hasn’t gone insane. Today General Stonewall has returned from the field, and I’ve been summoned for a staff meeting at the castle. Probably to discuss further actions, or maybe find out what the hell is going on over at Griffonstone. Hopefully the prisoners have squawked up some answers for that one. After a light dinner I made for the castle a little past sunset. Striding along the polished corridors, fresh clothes flapping and sword at my side, I come across the captain of the Royal Guard. “Hey there Spike!” “Whaddup, Will?” The unicorn gets alongside me and trots at my pace. Gonna be a while longer to get to the meeting room, so some company would be nice. “Just finished evening inspections at the barracks. About to go get some food from the mess before heading up to the office for paperwork.” “Gonna squeeze in the meeting for your busy schedule?” “I, uh, wasn’t called for it. Guess it doesn’t involve the Guard this time.” “Ah. I say that’s a good thing. Your trainees doing okay? The ones that Twilight wanted you to send.” “Yeah they’re fine. They told me about what happened out there, though they didn’t see any of it up close. Makes me thankful it didn’t get bad enough for them to get involved. They’re good Guardsmen, but actual military engagement could be far too intense for their training.” “At least they got to see a change of scenery. Bet none of them ever been that far out from Canterlot.” “Not all of them. A few fliers did land surveying out there before enlisting, and one of them’s a griffon.” Oooooh. “Don’t suppose they or, uh, any other griffons in the Guard felt conflicted about this.” That was actually a really dumb thing to say. Fortunately Will just laughs it off. “Not at all. Sure there were talks and uneasy feelings, but none of the griffons took it personally. The one who went out afield grew up near Manehatten. I think he only has a grandfather back in Griffonstone, so no love lost.” “That’s good. Things like this could cause schisms and the like.” “Maybe if griffons still weren’t trusted by the general populace. Like back in the stone ages.” “Heheh, yeah. The wife doing okay?” “Still wonderful as ever. We went bowling just the other day. She’s still a beast on the lanes.” “You should probably ask if I can come along the next time you do that. Been a long time since I last bowled, and I’m sure Sweetie Belle could go for it as well.” “I’ll be sure to ask her when I get the chance. Sera’s something of a fan so I bet she’ll say yes. Be seeing you around, Spike.” “Take care, Will.” He and I wave to each other before he turns down another corridor. Seeing where I am, I’m nearly at my destination. That really passed the time. I see the guards posted by the doors, and nodding they opened them. The room within was smaller and cozier than the one that held the war council, which befitted the smaller number of attendees. There was Twilight and Quill, of course, and also Fair Deliberation in evening dress, but no Parcel Wind. I felt Stonewall’s gruffness before I laid eyes on the warhorse, and Rainbow Dash as well, all seated squarely. Stepping on in, I make my way over to Twilight. “Evening, Spike,” she greets me warmly. “You’re the last one to arrive.” “Really? Sorry if I’m late.” “Hmhm, not at all.” I move to my designated post by her chair, but she raises a hoof. “There’s no need for that tonight. Take a seat.” “Oh, okay.” Very nice of her, so I get myself the chair to her left. As I scooch it forward and settle in, I see that I’m sitting across the Wonderbolt commander. Then I notice a distinct lack of something. “Hey Dash, where’s Scootaloo?” “I gave her the night off. She’s a great secretary, but it’d mess up my conscience having her waste her youth following me everywhere. Girl’s gotta relax every now and then.” “Uh-huh.” Fair point, though I think this is the first time I’ve seen Dash without her number one fan trailing close behind. Come to think of it, I just remembered we were supposed to be going out for cocoa or drinks or something. Dang it! And here I am making plans to hang out with Will and his old lady. Gotta get my affairs sorted after this meeting. Speaking of which, Twilight looks around to speak. “Thank you all for coming here once again. As you may have gathered, you’ve been summoned to further discuss the matter of the recent griffon invasion. We’ll start with General Stonewall, who had just returned from the field. General, what is the state of  our border?” “Thanks kindly for letting me have the floor first, your highness,” he gruffs humbly. “The battle site is completely secure: not a trace of the invading force remains. I have a small platoon keeping watch in the area, but so far there’s been no signs of any returning attackers as of yet.” “What of casualties?” “Very small, lucky given the circumstances. Only about fifteen percent of our armed forces there were lost, most of them being the first set of troops on site when the attack began.” “Even one percent is too much,” Quill says gravely, and I see a nod from Deliberation. “That I agree. And by my understanding, the griffons suffered far worse?” “Yes indeed.” The general solemnly nods. “Just about the entire invasionary force got wiped out, all thanks to your royal envoy there, princess.” He nods at me. “Were it not for him, our losses may have been much higher before additional reinforcements arrived. Furthermore, he sealed off the canyon so that it’d make another surprise attack of that size considerably trickier to pull off. Of course, that also makes that particular overland trading route unusable.” “Bet Parcel’s gonna love that.” Rainbow’s chuckle gets shut down by a look from her majesty. Straightening herself up, Twilight retakes the floor. “With our border confirmed as being secure, let's discuss what prompted this attack. Have you gained any information from the prisoners taken?” “Nothing, your highness. And it's the damnedest thing. They resisted violently when first apprehended, then slipped into some sort of daze on the way back here and were nonresponsive. Now they seem confused as to why they're here.” “Probably shell shock?” Dash suggests. “Maybe, given what they've been through. Or they're real dedicated to feigning ignorance.” “I see. That is rather strange.” Looking to the diplomat in attendance, Twilight asks, “Fair Deliberation, what have you been able to find in your investigation?” “Nothing as well, I'm afraid. This attack came as much a surprise to the griffon liaisons as us, meaning this invasion was orchestrated strictly within Griffonstone.” Adjusting her glasses, she finishes with, “It was either by order from the king, or his inner council, that this attack was enacted.” “Could it have been a coup? It may not be the same government that did this.” “Possibly, Quill. Yet there's been nothing in the way of political or civil unrest as of late. The citizenry seemed quite content with their current monarch.” “It still doesn't seem right. The griffons have never done any forceful takeovers in the past decade.” “That I agree on.” “What in the way of communication, Fair? Have we made any contact with the king or anyone in Griffonstone?” Twilight asks, keeping things in order. “None whatsoever. We haven’t even received word from the messengers sent out there. I can only fear the worse.” That left a grim taste for everyone, judging by their expressions. “So it’s pretty obvious they’re not wanting to talk,” Stonewall says bitterly. “Which leaves us to wonder what their next move will be. And my bits are on another invasion attempt.” “What I still don’t get is how they got as far as they did so quickly for the first one,” Dash posits, rather astutely. “All those weapons and armor had to have weighed them down to some degree.” “Or perhaps… they kept moving nonstop since the attack on the outpost,” came Fair’s suggestion. “I’m not well acquainted on the movement of armies, but that’s the only explanation I can think of.” “Nonstop? As in no rest?” the general scoffs. “Griffons are sturdy, for sure, but they’d have to have taken a break at some point for maintenance, scouting, logistics, or simply to keep their forces from wearing themselves out.” “They were definitely energized when they reached the checkpoint,” I point out to finally get my metaphorical foot into this verbal shindig. “Not an ounce of fatigue in their movements, attacks, and battle screeches. And there was hardly any discipline in how they fought. It was like they were in a frenzy to get at the closest opponent.” “Based on what Spike has told me, I believe there may be some magical influence at work with this attack,” Twilight elaborates; thanks plenty, Twi. “There is no devoted mages guild or school in Griffonstone, and magic usage isn’t a component in griffon military tactics. Yet it may be possible that King Gladius has come upon some relic, or has gained an advisor that is enhancing his soldiers.” “That’s well and good to know what’s driving them, princess, but would you have any idea what kind of magic it is?” “That… I do not know at this time, Stonewall. I would need to have a look at the prisoners myself to see if I can get a residual reading, if there’s any left.” “Well help yourself when you get the chance. Though I’m far more concerned about another invasion from these cockamany birds. The Griffon Kingdom’s army is formidable, and it won’t be long until they can muster up another force to make up for the one lost at the border. Probably going to be even larger because of that.” “Not to mention the rumors popping up among the citizens,” Fair adds. “If another attack were to occur and more of our own forces were to be sent out, I don’t think we would be able to hide the fact that we’re at war with one of our neighbors.” “Then we just tell them,” Rainbow straightly says. “It’s nasty business, but better that everyone’s up to speed then leaving them in the dark.” “But imagine the strain on griffon relations this may cause, Rainbow Dash. There can be distrust, possible panic. And it could only worsen were this to go on even longer than just two or four more invasion attempts.” “Plus the likelihood that they’ll eventually succeed at one of them, if they’re really persistent,” Stonewall gruffly adds, with a touch of severity. Debbie leans forward to continue. “Unless we make some kind of talk with Griffonstone, your majesty, then we may find ourselves in an even bigger crisis as the good general mentions.” “I might have a suggestion for putting a stop to that outcome.” Everyone turns to the dapper unicorn who has barely said anything this whole meeting. Quill usually only has something to say if it has to do with the parliament or, well, advising. Now everyone’s curious to see what he has to say regarding foreign armed conflict. “What might that be, Gilded Quill?” Twilight asks. “It’s a touch extreme, and I’m out of touch with current espionage tactics since my retirement from service so feel free to express your objections, but perhaps this can all be resolved if we were to… apprehend the griffon king?” Dead silence out of everyone. “Y-yes it does sound rather absurd, my apologies. I just thought that if this whole thing was orchestrated by the king himself, then capturing him could end the whole affair without having to worry the citizens or further utilizing our military.” “Real optimistic thinking there, Gildy,” Stonewall grunts. “You’re sure right about me having objections, though. How exactly could we get one of the most heavily-guarded rulers in the world out of one of the world’s most heavily-fortified countries? I doubt they’d fall for a Trojan Griffon or a rigged birthday cake.” At least one pony could have made that work… “I bet we could pull something like that off,” Rainbow says, rising to the challenge. “Have a small team fly in and snatch him up in the dead of night, and carry him back here before they notice what happened.” “No chance of them not noticing with their skies equally covered,” the general counters. “You’d have to go in by hoof, which means past the villages, checkpoints and barracks they have covering the mountain that holds their precious tree.” “What about teleportation?” Twilight looks straight at the warhorse. “General, I know a good fraction of your ground forces contain mages capable of short-range teleportation. And I also know that there have been instances that called for long-range teleportation in the field. What if a team went up to the border of Griffonstone and teleported into the heart of the city, possibly even the castle?” “That’s a real risky proposition there, princess. But… it could theoretically work.” The general actually pauses to tap a hoof to his chin. “Just a few mages could carry a squad over two kilometers. And if they focused together, they could send in just one object or soldier even further.” “So based on that, it may indeed be possible to get someone within Griffonstone itself undetected, allowing them a chance to meet with King Gladius. Or capture him, if it comes down to it.” “That would be highly questionable having one of our own infiltrate the griffon capital for the purpose of capturing their monarch,” Fair Deliberation points out, but Dash just chuckles. “I say we’re past the point of maintaining a good image with the griffons, Debbie. So Twi, you thinking of sending in someone to bag the king and yank them back out with magic?” “I think that would be the simplest and most covert way of doing it, Rainbow.” Twilight gives a smug nod. A cough from the general ruins the mood. “It’s not quite that simple. It’s a whole heck of a lot of ground to cover between the border of Griffonstone and its center. If this is to be done quietly and with little chance of being noticed, there can only be enough mages sent to send just one soldier into the heart of the city. For that to work, it’ll have to be someone who can not only hold their own against the king’s elite guard, but be able to subdue him and get him out for extraction, all on their own.” “Then I guess I’m your dragon.” This time it’s my turn to get the surprised, curious looks. It’s kinda fun, though it’s spoiled by the look of genuine concern coming from Twilight. “Are you sure, Spike? You’d be willing to be sent in alone?” “This is Spike we’re talking about, Twilight. The loner bad-ass that can take care of anything no sweat.” Thanks for the sponsorship there, Dash. Yet, it’s another comfort having Twilight ask me. Shows again just how much things have really changed these four years. “Yeah, she’s pretty right about that. And this wouldn’t be the first military assignment I was able to do mostly on my own. There was that whole sky pirate threat near the Smokey Mountains I helped with.” “Yeah, I remember that,” the general reminisces a moment before looking to me. “Alright, you could be the one we deep strike into Griffonstone. After all, you know better than most how to handle and overcome… stiff opposition in as effective a way as possible.” Why did he cock his eyebrow? And why put emphasis on that wo—Oh son of a bitch! Gods dammit I don’t believe this, grrrrr! Once I’m out of here I’m gonna find whoever talked and give him (or her) a workover with a roll of duct tape. See how chatty they are walking in the buff liked plucked chickens. “There is still one critical aspect of this supposed operation.” That tone in Deliberation’s voice suddenly put a lid on everything. “What shall be done if it should fail, or any of the soldiers involved get captured? We may not be on good terms with the Griffon Kingdom at this time, but it will only get worse if they become justified with what could be viewed as an assassination attempt.” “...You just go with plausible deniability.” Another round of surprised looks my way. “Can’t get in trouble if you’re not officially vouching it. And if things do go wrong for me, I’m sure that’ll satisfy the politicians still grumbling about me being around.” “That would be true,” Quill agrees. “Not, entirely about satisfying politicians. But it would be less condemning on our part to deny any involvement should it fail.” “And you are absolutely fine with that, Spike?” I smile to her (bless her heart). “Absolutely.” She lets out a breath, and relaxes into her seat. “Very well. Then I would like to discuss a few things with Stonewall and Rainbow Dash. Fair Deliberation, you are dismissed for the evening. Gilded Quill, I’ll need you to make preparations for the parliamentary assemblage tomorrow. There’s considerable grumbling I’ll need to address.” “Of course, your highness.” “Want me to attend it as well?” “I may actually need you present there, Spike. But just await my summons as usual. For now, get some rest. If any new developments should arise… you’ll be among the first to know.” “Gotcha.” Push back and stand up, following after Quill. At the door I let Debbie pass (lady’s first) and walk out into the hall. So an evening to myself… or with Sweetie. Gah, got so many irons in the social engagements fire, like finding the cretin who told the general about my faux pas. But I think I’ll follow Twilight’s advice and chill for the rest of today. Walking my way back to the castle entrance, I think about what I might have signed up for. I’ve done retrieval missions before, but never anything this high profile. And normally it’s the kind of thing thrust upon me. But, in some way, I felt a sort of obligation to see this through. I’ve already dirtied my claws keeping the border safe, so I might as well get to the bottom of this mess. To find out who’s behind this debacle and bring them to justice, be they king or commoner. And if anyone’s capable of yanking that feathery keister off that throne, it would be me. Or at the very least get some proper answers. That is, of course, if Twilight would actually approve such a tactic. Which means I’ll just have to wait and see where exactly my sword will be guided.