Infinity Era

by JDPrime22

Chapter 48 – Griffonstone Forever

For all of Gallus’ life, he had known only the piercing pain of lonesomeness. His parents abandoned him and fled Griffonstone the moment they could, Grandpa Gruff took him in and kicked him out the second he could care for himself, and from that moment on he was on his own. Alone. No family. No friends. No griffon he could consider being close to.

All of which changed when Grandpa Gruff chose him to represent the griffons in Twilight Sparkle’s School of Friendship. For so long, Gallus dreaded every second flying to Equestria, being forced into the school, and especially having to meet all of the ponies and other creatures. But for some odd reason—a reason he still couldn’t explain to that day—he had found… a bond not with ponies… but with other creatures. Others completely separate species from him. There was a pony amongst them, yes, but the rest were so different. So unlike him.

So why did they become his best friends?

Silverstream, Yona, Sandbar, Smolder, and Ocellus. There were no other creatures he could consider being closer to, no one else he could consider being as good of friends as they were to him. No one else he could see as being his family. Ever since his little stunt he pulled in ruining the Hearth’s Warming Tree last Hearth’s Warming Eve, he knew from that moment on that his friends would be with him through it all. They were the family that he never truly had, ones who would sacrifice their own happiness just so they could be together. He saw their smiling faces, the excitement each of them had when they exchanged gifts the next morning, only to be told by Head Mare Twilight that they could go home to their families after all, and live their lives as friends… closer than ever before.

He saw that. He saw his whole life flash before his eyes right before the Chitauri foot soldier slammed its rifle in the side of his head.

Griffonstone lied in ruin. Trees that held homes for every griffon were either in flames or in tatters, slowly crumbling to the ground as pillars of smoke rose into the air, joining the hundreds of Chitauri chariots that hovered over the capital city. Several Leviathans circled from above, circling over their prey that stood within the massive mountain city below. And the lone Chitauri Command Center hovered high above it all, the clouds and swarming snowstorm nearly blocking it from the griffons’ sight.

As for within the city, Chitauri filled the streets alongside the scrambling and screaming griffons. The ones that tried to flee the city were instantly gunned right out of the air, a new body flying off and falling every minute or so. The resistance, the Griffon Army itself, were bested in just a day’s time. Soldiers were forced into the lines just like every other griffon, commanders and medics slaughtered on sight to prevent any form of recovery or strategy.

As for the civilians…

The Chitauri made it absolutely clear where they wanted them to stand…

Half of all griffons in the city on one side… the other half on the other.

The road ahead was empty. Completely bare save for one Chitauri Elite standing tall and heavily armored, a long blade in its right hand, its blue visor observing the culling of Griffonstone’s population. To its right, the Elite could see those who would be spared, the griffons who would experience years and years of plentiful food, supplies, and salvation. The ones who were randomly chosen to be saved. Gilda and Greta stood on that side, forced back into the crowds with the Chitauri blocking them in the front and the back, guns trained on them. Then to the Elite’s left… stood the hundreds who would give their lives in the balancing of the universe. The universal scales, the balance that their master, the Great Titan himself, saw fit would only remain in that important state if there were those willing—or unwilling—to give their lives for it. Hundreds remained on the left side, screeching and screaming as the Chitauri forced them back to remain in line. Hundreds stared fearfully at the Chitauri pointing their weapons at them.

As did Gabby. As did Gallus.

He, like many others, realized they would never lie down and take death when there was something they could have done. So, with the Chitauri in front of him turning its head and rifle to the side, growling an alien language at a pack of griffons to remain in line, that’s when Gallus took his chance. Despite everything Grandpa Gruff behind him yelled, Gallus still chose to fight. Still decided to fight an impossible battle, because that’s who he was. He knew what it meant to fight every single day.

Against aliens, however…

The Chitauri lifted its rifle, blocking Gallus’ attempt at fighting back and knocking him away. It made its statement even more clear by slamming the butt of its rifle into the side of Gallus’ head. The griffon fell to the dirt, yelping in pain as he did so. When he opened his eyes, the sounds of the fear and panic were slow to come back, yet the blur in his vision took even longer for him to see clearly. Reaching upward, Gallus felt around where the alien had struck him, touching something cool and bringing it forward for investigation. A dark crimson painted his talons. Gallus tightened his beak at that sight.

Another sound prompted his attention forward, the sound of a Chitauri rifle charging up. Gallus lifted his head to see the same alien that hit him point its rifle his way, the end glowing a bright blue. It fired. Not at Gallus, who flinched and closed his eyes, anticipating the blast to finish him. A painful, final screech came from behind him, a body landing just mere feet in front of Gallus. Finally opening his eyes, Gallus gasped and saw who it was.

“Grandpa Gruff!” he screamed.

Several other griffons did as well, all of which were silenced when the Chitauri threatened them with their far-superior weaponry, forcing them back in line. Gilda and Greta screamed at that, staring with disbelief in their eyes at the fallen griffon lying in the road. They tried to push through, but the Chitauri pushed them back even harder, already growing more and more impatient. Some looked to the Elite for the order, knowing the griffons wouldn’t stay still for much longer. The lone Chitauri Elite saw the disruption unfold down the road, growling and screeching out the order.

The Chitauri all lined up.

The ones on the left side all raised their rifles towards the griffons.

The left side of the road began to panic even further. The right side watched on in horror, seemingly frozen in shock for what was soon to befall their species.

And Gallus could do nothing but crawl forward, his bloody talons pulling Grandpa Gruff’s body to him. Shaking him, almost desperate at that point, Gallus called out again and again to Gruff, to the only other griffon who had once shown him a shred of kindness in the past. Yet there was nothing. Grandpa Gruff’s eyes stared straight upwards, to the alien mothership hanging over their city. His beak was slightly parted, blood splotches upon his chest and abdomen. There was no response for Gallus.

Nothing at all.

Gallus sat with his dubious expression latched only onto Gruff’s cooling corpse, nearly missing the Chitauri lined up in front of them raise their rifles. He didn’t even pay attention to the Chitauri that killed Gruff aim its rifle right at him once more. The Elite at the end of the road held its sword high into the air. The griffons screamed even more. Gallus pressed his bloody claw onto Grandpa Gruff’s chest, slowly closing his eyes.

The snow fell around them, filled Griffonstone with a blank whiteness, freezing to the touch. The Chitauri Elite kept its sword in the air, turning from its right… over to its left. And it very nearly brought that sword down. It nearly gave the order to cleanse Griffonstone. The Chitauri nearly won.

The Elite flinched forward, its chest exploding and torrents of dark blue liquid pouring out of its mouth. It let out one last painful growl, a low gurgle leaving its throat. All the Chitauri in the road slowly turned their heads back to the Elite, barely lowering their rifles when they saw it…

When they saw the harpoon impaled right through the Elite’s chest.

The Elite forced its head downwards, gazing down to the bloody harpoon jutting out of its chest. More pain ripped through its body as the harpoon extended its claws outwards, then suddenly pulled back with a force the Elite couldn’t hope to hold against. The Chitauri all faced completely down the road and watched as the Elite was forcefully yanked into the sky, disappearing between the snow-white clouds hovering close over Griffonstone.

The chariots flying above suddenly wheeled in the direction the harpoon had come from, some flying towards the clouds and searching. Others remained hovering just over the road, the Chitauri standing still and gripping their rifles, unsure of what to make of the situation without the Elite commanding them. As for the griffons, they remained silent, Gilda and Greta keeping their gazes plastered to the skies, searching, waiting for anything else to happen. Gallus slowly lifted his head, staring in the same direction the Elite was pulled towards. The tears in his eyes almost blinded his vision, the large gash on his forehead dripping blood to the bottom of his cheek.

It was so quiet he could’ve sworn he heard his blood drip and fall onto the snow.

It wasn’t silent forever.

It never truly was.

The whiteness of the clouds was suddenly filled with a bright orange, growing brighter and brighter until the fireballs shot out from the clouds, impacting each chariot precisely and blowing them right out of the sky. The air lit up a bright yellow and orange, griffons shielding themselves from the raining debris and the Chitauri screeching out in protest to such deliberate acts of aggression. It didn’t end there.

Gallus could’ve sworn he saw the shadow and wingspan of a dragon soar directly over the road, concealed only by the clouds. Followed by another. And another.

And so many more.

The Chitauri were at a loss of what was transpiring. Their current air support was gone, either vanished in the clouds or blown out of the sky. They had lost their commanding Elite, giving them no orders on dealing with the griffons. They scrambled about, some firing straight into the clouds, towards the shadows, ultimately hitting nothing. But something responded. Something fired back.

Innumerable spears rained from above the clouds, firing downwards so fast that the Chitauri barely had time to react. They pierced the earth in the center of the road, impaling Chitauri where they stood or even killing them on the spot. Not a single spear hit the griffons. They fell with such accuracy that the griffons could only assume the spears were thrown, and not simply be just a bizarre act of nature.

The shadows flying above indicated that. The resounding screeches that weren’t griffon by any means showed that. And the roar of the airship’s horn filling the air proved to the griffons… that help had arrived.

The airship donning the glowing blue insignia of the Storm King flew into sight.

The armies of Queen Novo, of Dragon Lord Ember, all filled the skies and broke apart the clouds.

Nothing but complete and utter chaos remained afterwards.

Queen Novo—alongside Sky Beak and Stratus Skyranger—led a particularly large Hippogriff army directly down to the city of Griffonstone. They flew below the buildings, ultimately swooping down to the road where the griffons were lined up and picking up their spears. The Chitauri that had survived the initial attack were instantly struck down once the Hippogriffs flew past them, either getting slashed at with swords or impaled with spears. Many Chitauri died from the Hippogriffs’ attack, but even more survived and responded by firing madly into the air.

Had it not been for the griffons finally finding their opening and attacking, they would have actually managed to kill a Hippogriff. Not a single Hippogriff died. The griffons made certain of that.

Gilda was the first one to attack, offering a resounding griffon outcry and leaping forward, wings outstretched as she latched herself onto the first Chitauri she could see. The alien’s back was turned to her, its attention to the sky, completely unprepared once the griffon slashed and claws at its face and eyes. Gilda shot her eyes down as the two stumbled across the road. She spotted a lone spear sticking straight out of the ground, the Chitauri quickly approaching it with its back turned, struggling to fight off the griffon. Gilda wrapped her tail around the grip of the spear, yanking it out of the ground and leaping off the Chitauri’s back. It stared straight upwards, the claw marks on its face failing to hide the shock in its eyes when Gilda tossed the spear to herself, ramming it down right into the Chitauri’s neck.

The spear tore into the earth a second time, this time Gild being on the opposite end of it, the Chitauri impaled on its sharpened point. The beast was pressed to the ground, its own lifeblood spilling out from the wound and painting the dirt beneath it. Gilda breathed heavily, her claws gripping the spear as tight as she could manage and refusing to let up. For a while, all she could hear was her own breathing. That faded once the sounds of echoing warfare filled Griffonstone once more.

And the griffons weren’t alone when it did.

Gilda looked about, her beak falling in awe to see the clouds break apart and reveal who had truly come to their aid. She almost lost her breath when she saw the army of the Dragon Lord filling the skies above Griffonstone, already locked in combat with the Chitauri Leviathans, starships, and chariots. Joining them were even more Hippogriffs than Gilda had seen earlier, surrounding the ten flying battleships commanded by General Seaspray of the Hippogriff navy. He stood at the very edge of the bow of the leading ship, commanding the queen’s ships with his curved saber in claw. The battleships engaged with the Leviathans, actually managing to kill one in a devastating explosion that followed its erupting body. Gilda’s beak fell. They actually managed to kill one of those things! The griffons—though it was painful to admit—couldn’t even dent its armor, let alone kill it.

The Hippogriffs weren’t alone.

Gilda watched as the Dragon Lord herself, Ember, shot her Bloodstone Scepter high into the snow-filled air, roaring loud and leading several massive dragons towards the battle in the skies. They engaged with Leviathans, chariots, and even directed their attention towards the Command Center high above their heads, slowly becoming more visible as the clouds continued to break away. Gilda couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It seemed like a fleeting hope brought to life right before them, a saving grace emerging at the last second to deliver that killing blow to the aliens invading their home.

Gilda suddenly felt that fighting spirit rekindle in her chest, that fire waiting to be unleashed the more she saw the aliens fall from the sky, more of them hitting the street and houses dead on impact. That fire spread through every griffon, every last one that was forced into lines, forced to face a fate of life and death. Once the Storm King’s airship flew over Gilda’s head and its shadow passed the road, that’s when the griffons struck back.

The Chitauri that had survived both the onslaught of Novo’s forces and the Hippogriffs flying past them were not so lucky once the griffons cried out and attacked. They swarmed from both sides, picking up discarded spears and alien rifles and using them to their advantage, stabbing or shooting at the Chitauri in the road. It was too much for the aliens to handle, far too many griffons swarming them to react and fight back. Gilda watched—still struck with an unending shock reverberating throughout her body and mind—as Greta and many other griffons got back into the fight, stealing weapons from the dead Chitauri and taking off into the skies, to aid in the battle. To save their home.

Gilda mentally slapped herself and did the same, ripping the spear from the Chitauri’s neck and spreading her wings. She joined every last griffon that took to the sky, engaging the chariots and starships the second they slipped through the clouds. The rest was lost in war.

Gallus wasn’t.

While mentally and physically frozen for the time being, merely sitting on his rump over Grandpa Gruff’s body, Gallus slowly began to come to when he realized that help had arrived in droves of Hippogriffs and dragons. Help had arrived. It actually came… did what the griffons once thought was impossible: work together and accomplish the unthinkable. Gallus saw as Leviathans were killed left and right, by dragons and Novo’s battleships. He saw starships and chariots burn and crumble from the sky. He watched as the Chitauri in front and around him were overcome by the griffons choosing to fight back and not lie down. Something he decided earlier and suffered the consequences that came with it.

That Chitauri that struck him was focused elsewhere, firing down the street at retreating griffons, managing to pick off a few. Gallus stared at the creature, felt the pulsating wound on his head grow even more painful the longer he kept his growing glare on the alien. The longer he stared at it, the more ferocious the fire inside of him was growing. The sight of Grandpa Gruff’s already cold corpse beneath him was all that was needed to unleash the fire.

It came out as a piercing yell, the Chitauri spinning back and pointing its rifle for the griffon. Yet it was too late. Gallus pounced and knocked the alien on its back, keeping his back paws pressed down on the rifle as his claws went to work on the creature’s head. Gallus yelled. He yelled and cried as loud and as emotional as he could when he punched the Chitauri across its head again and again. Tears blotted his vision, but he was too far gone to let that sorrow consume him. He let the emotions of rage and desperation take over, his claws gripping the alien’s head and proceeding to slam it against the rock and dirt numberless times. Again and again and again. Until crimson wasn’t the only colored painted on his claws. He screamed the entire time, his cries outweighing the sickening crack that came from between his claws.

Gallus tossed the creature’s head away from him, backing off with eyes closed tight. He breathed steadily, only hearing that and the painful cries that tried to escape him for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see that the Chitauri continued to move, growling softly despite Gallus putting all of his strength in seeing its end.

That end came quicker than he expected, a spiked, metal mace swinging downwards and crushing the Chitauri’s head beneath it. Gallus flinched back, both from the mace and the blood that shot out from the alien’s head. He followed that mace to its owner, his eyes widening and his beak forming the biggest smile he could manage.

“Smolder!”

The young dragon pulled back her mace and rested it on her shoulder, smiling over to the griffon before he nearly tackled her in a tight hug. “Gallus!” she exclaimed, surprised to see so much affection the griffon offered her, considering his somewhat nonchalant attitude back at the school. When she had to push him off of her, the two observed each other, chuckling at their own appearances. Gallus stared at her helmet and armor, and she at his forehead. “Got a pretty nasty hit there!”

Gallus chuckled at that, prodding his wound but not minding it much. He was still busy smiling to see one of his best friends alive and well. “What are you guys doing here?!” he asked.

“Oh, you know,” Smolder said with a slick grin, letting her mace fall to the ground so she could lean against it. “Just saving your asses.”

Countless dragons roared out into the cloudy skies, some born to be dragons, others Hippogriffs transformed into pure beasts of war. The Griffon Army—and those many griffons that flew with them into the battle consuming the skies above Griffonstone—stared in a conjoined awe as the dragons that swarmed the skies suddenly swarmed the Chitauri warship above. They were even more shocked to see Queen Novo’s naval ships suddenly turn upwards, their massive wings pushing them to the Command Center of the Chitauri army. Hundreds of dragons. Hundreds of Hippogriffs.

The griffons didn’t wait and joined in on the singular charge to the mothership.

They were instantly passed by the Storm King’s airship literally storming by them.

Tempest Shadow, Captain Celaeno and her crew, Grubber, and the Storm Creatures all aboard the main deck of the airship held onto something tight, all narrowing their eyes as the wind and snow whipped wildly past them. Flying upwards at a near vertical angle, the occupants aboard Tempest’s airship held on to literally anything that was close enough so they didn’t fall back. Tempest herself gripped onto the railing on the edge of the airship, gritting her teeth as the freezing wind pushed against her. Celaeno held onto the steering wheel of the airship, both flying and commanding it while Tempest was preparing for the final attack.

Once they managed to break through the clouds and the nearby explosions from the opposition, the airship adjusted itself into a more stable position, its occupants releasing their grips on the ship to stand straight up. Without the clouds blocking their vision, Tempest and the parrot pirates stood on the very edge of the airship, gazing onto the Chitauri Command Center a mile away.

And closing fast.

Ember and her dragons tried to make headway closer to the warship, only managing to sneak slightly more than a dozen larger dragons through the madness of swarming Chitauri chariots and Leviathans. Ember and various other teenage dragons fought in the skies, trying to keep the attention of the Chitauri on them while the adult dragons dealt with the mothership. Tempest and the others standing upon the airship could see as their plan worked, the dragons breathing fire and spreading those flames across the hull of the Command Center. The dragons flew all around the warship, managing to deal a helping of damage before being forced to retreat by the approaching Leviathans.

They were cut off short. The Command Center still flew, still supplied the Chitauri with more and more reinforcements despite the flames burning away on its exterior.

“Tempest, we need one more lightning spell to bring down that warship!” Mullet shouted, his bright red hair flapping against the frozen wind. The temperature had dropped a considerable amount with their elevation, and the fires on the warship wouldn’t last much longer because of that. The armor on the Command Center would not be weakened for much longer.

Holding onto her hat with her free claw, Captain Celaeno held the steering wheel with the other, turning slowly to the unicorn on her right. “You sure you can handle that?” Celaeno asked.

Tempest Shadow didn’t even look at her. She kept her hardened, brutal, and somewhat hesitant glare locked on the approaching Command Center. Despite what the dragons had done, it wasn’t enough to take it down. Dammit, Tempest knew it wasn’t enough, and was already dreading to know what needed to be done. She could already feel the insurmountable pain ripple across her forehead—around the base of her horn—just thinking about it.

But she ignored it. She knew she had to. “I’ll take care of it,” Tempest muttered, already slowly approaching the bow of her airship. Celaeno could hear the pain in her voice, the slight stutter to it. Tempest was strong, that much she knew. She could only wonder how strong, though.

The unicorn pressed her steel-plated hoof on the very edge, nearly at the end of the bowsprit, and paused. The near-frozen wind chilled her to the bone, but Tempest didn’t let that bother her. She could only focus on the task at hoof, at the alien warship only a hundred yards away and closing faster. The flames were quickly dying, leaving little to no room left for her to act.

Except now.

Tempest closed her eyes. She knew what was needed, an unbridled power she hadn’t reached before, stronger than her spell in the Dragon Lands. Stronger than anything she had ever attempted before that. There was no telling what it would cost, how much of her strength would be needed and taken away from the spell. Tempest threw those thoughts aside and focused only on the spell. There was no other way. The warship needed to fall… now.

With her eyes shut tight, Tempest focused all of her strengths, all of her efforts, all of her training on one particular spell, the one she used the most. The electricity already began to crackle and pop just over the head of her broken horn. Tempest grimaced as she felt a familiar wave of pain flush in her forehead, the shattered horn not helping in containing the magic that was needed for the spell, unleashing the aftereffects onto her mind and hurting her. The unicorn twisted her neck at an unnatural angle, gritting her teeth and forcing her head forward. More sparks shot off, actual streams of electricity crawling down her horn and her face. They shot outwards even further, striking the airship’s bowsprit, even the deck itself.

Tempest felt it. The darkness she saw exploded countless times into electrical discharges, the lightning building bigger and brighter, fighting to escape. Growling in agony, Tempest opened her mouth despite her best efforts and released a painful roar. Electrical torrents of energy shot out from her horn, striking the heavens, nearby clouds, and almost a Storm Guard. The creatures backed away on the deck, their worrisome eyes focused only on Tempest. Celaeno watched as well, just as worried as the guards, if not more so. Like a lightning storm had suddenly filled the heavens, the clouds brightened and dimmed with pure energy. All of which originated from her...

Until her very skull felt like it was going to split down the middle, Tempest found another darkness creeping into her vision, a darkness she didn’t want to embrace. The mission came first. Her path, her journey, her goal to redemption kept her awake, the weariness threatening to take her before she could finish the spell. As if things couldn’t grow anymore painful, tiny cracks appeared on what remained of her horn, Tempest wailing in agony, tears streaking down her face.

A shadow fell over her. The horn of the Chitauri Command Center sounded off, louder than ever before. Tempest knew where she was.

“Tempest, now!” Celaeno screamed.

She opened her eyes.

The resulting shock wave made every living thing within a hundred-yard radius completely deaf for several seconds. Storm Creatures and even the pirates were thrown back once Tempest Shadow shot her head to the sky, unleashing the spell upon the warship above them. Grubber fell back into the commander’s quarters, the door shutting closed as he rolled in. Celaeno gripped the steering wheel to hold herself steady, her hat flying off. Boyle managed to catch it with his hook, using his free claw to hold onto the deck.

When Celaeno lifted her eyes, she gasped and stared in reverence. Everyone else alongside her did the same. Tempest Shadow fired her strongest spell yet, the lightning so powerful that it lit up the sky and destroyed anything that had the misfortune to fly past Tempest’s line of sight. Chariots and starships were simply vaporized had they flown close enough, the unrelenting heat and power from the lightning strike shooting upwards and impacting the bottom of the Command Center.

The results were instantaneous. The lightning spread out like a ripple effect, consuming the entire exterior of the ship, traveling miles and miles across it surface in less than a second. Tempest kept up the fire, the occupants on the airship gazing up in a shared, awestruck stare. They all saw as the lightning caused several explosions and eruptions to cascade across the warship. Tempest held the spell for as long as she could, finally pulling back when her last bit of strength had vanished, all of it traveling with the lightning up to the ship.

And, despite all the damage she had dealt to it, the warship still flew. Large chunks and pieces of it broke off following the explosions that gripped it, but the remainder of the ship still held strong. The Command Center still unleashed its army to Griffonstone below. Tempest could feel her heart drop at the sight of it, flaming husks of debris raining down and nearly hitting her airship. The darkness returned, eating away at the edges of her vision. And she welcomed it this time.

Almost did.

The bright red tower spewing upwards made Tempest’s eyes shoot open.

Dragon Lord Ember watched from below alongside her fellow dragons fighting for their lives and the lives below them. She could see as Tempest and her allies unleashed a powerful lightning spell onto the warship, managing to deal a helpful amount of damage, but doing nothing more than that. It wasn’t enough. The Chitauri Command Center still flew, now slowly descending from the sky. More Leviathans came from it. More chariots. More starships.

No more.

Ember tightened her claws on the Bloodstone Scepter, the rock upon it shimmering a bright red, responding to Ember’s intentions. Reeling the scepter back, despite facing the countless Chitauri that charged right at her from above, Ember focused all of her focus and energy on the bloodstone. It shined so bright that all within the skies could see that red light breakout amongst the whiteness, turning accordingly to see the Dragon Lord unleash her fury.

And she did, in a resounding roar that escaped both her and the Bloodstone Scepter. The tower of fire escaping the weapon shot straight upwards, decimating the Chitauri that tried to swarm the Dragon Lord from above. The tower of red tore right through them, impacting the bottom of the Commander Center and finishing what Tempest Shadow started…

Completely destroying it.

In an explosion so profound and powerful, the warship erupted once the power of the scepter incinerated it from within. The blast lit up the sky, like Celestia’s sun so bright and loud above the city of the griffons. A resulting shock wave spread out in a massive radius throughout the sky, breaking apart storm clouds and dropping the remains of the Command Center across the sky and mountain range. The Chitauri crumbled instantly, chariots and starships simply dropping like rocks. The Leviathans gave off their final roars before dying all the same. Their bodies fell and impacted mountains, disappeared into foggy crevices, and left only the dragons, Hippogriffs, and griffons alone to conquer the skies once more.

The cheers came fast, dragons roaring in victory and the griffons screeching out all the same. Ember lowered her scepter, smiling to see her enemies fall before her. Mostly to see her allies alive and in victory. General Seaspray took off his golden helmet and stared at the bright orb of fire where the Command Center once was. All ten of Novo’s naval ships hung in the air, halting in the flight upwards and proceeding to celebrate. The Hippogriffs on their decks screeching to the skies. All ten of the battleships. They didn’t lose a single one. It was a total victory for the Hippogriffs. Seaspray cried out to his forces, his sword high in the air to exemplify their stance at the end of the battle.

High above their enemy.

The parrot pirates all cheered as one, flinging their hats in the air. Boyle handed Celaeno hers back, the captain joining her crew and flinging it in the air. The Storm Creatures held up their spears and shields, roaring towards the bright orb that once was the Chitauri’s mothership. Grubber pushed the door open, rubbing his head and groaning. He joined everyone else who was cheering, despite not knowing what they were cheering for.

As for Tempest Shadow… she couldn’t even smile. Her victory had to be celebrated from within, because she couldn’t force herself awake for much longer. She gazed longingly at the second sun in the bright white skylines, the darkness once more clouding her vision, the pain rippling through her mind. That darkness fully consumed her, Tempest passing out and falling forward, almost right off the airship.

Had it not been for Lix Spittle and Squabble catching her, she would have fallen off and become just another body in the sky.

The city of Griffonstone had experienced the worst conflict of its entire life. The griffons within it had never experienced a more terrifying type of conflict, one where the invaders were focused solely on their eradication, and not for their resources like previous attacks have shown. When the Griffon Army, the Hippogriffs, the dragons, and every appropriate leader flew back down to the city, all they could find was a city in celebration. The Chitauri that had filled the city were dead, leaving just the original populace and the reinforcements that had arrived.

Queen Novo and Dragon Lord Ember landed side by side, looking to one another and nodding. With them were Sky Beak, Skyranger, Garble, and several other Hippogriffs and dragons. The griffons—such as Gilda, Greta, and many others descended from the clouds and landed in their broken city, cheering alongside their fellow griffons. It was so odd to experience a simple form of comradery amongst them, all the griffons uniting for one specific purpose. And they stood together as well in victory. It was an alien feeling, but one no griffon seemed to mind, all of them screeching and crying into the air. Gabby and Gallus entered the celebration late, but didn’t seem to miss out on much. Smolder was right by Gallus’ side, the two smiling wide to see the aliens drop dead from the sky and the remaining species standing tall.

In victory.

That was such a powerful and comforting word Gallus could hear again and again and it would never get old.

Victory.

While the celebration continued, only minor hostilities remaining amongst the griffons, dragons, and Hippogriffs, Novo and Ember both turned their heads skywards. Novo spotted her ten naval ships descending from the clouds, a relieved smile growing across the queen’s beak. Ember smiled with relief as well once she managed to catch Tempest’s airship descending alongside the battleships. The majority of their forces had managed to make it out of the battle alive. Their allies were all present and accounted for.

Leaving just the griffons.

As if on cue, six members of the Griffon Army approached Queen Novo and Ember. They bowed their heads respectively to the higher authority, Novo and Ember giving them ease. “We cannot thank either of you, or your people, for what you’ve done here today,” one of the soldiers said, removing his helmet and revealing the black feathers on his face.

“We lost all our commanders,” a griffon soldier explained, removing his silver helmet. “But that didn’t stop us from fulfilling our duty to protect Griffonstone. Without your aid, without your leadership, we could only have expected the worst to happen. Thank you.”

They all bowed their heads once more. Several more members of the Griffon Army did the same, having the dignity to know when to accept and appreciate help when given to them. The populace of Griffonstone, however, were a different story. Numerous civilians, griffons who had taken up arms and fought back against their invaders, still stared with uncertainty—and with a bit of hostility—towards the leaders of the Hippogriffs and the dragons. Gilda, Greta, Gabby, Gallus, and Smolder all stepped closer, a few other defining griffons joining them and standing as examples amongst their griffon brothers and sister. The griffons now faced a different dilemma, knowing where to stand on the conflict laid before them.

While the griffons decided that amongst themselves, Dragon Lord Ember stared at the griffon soldiers ahead of her and Novo. She planted the butt of her scepter into the dirt, a knowing grin tugging at her lips. “An army without leaders,” Ember noted. The griffon soldiers lifted their heads, meeting Ember’s stare with curious ones of their own.

“Our orders from the rest of the Griffon Kingdom was to defend our capital city and hold this invasion back,” a soldier responded. He held out his wing to the remains of Griffonstone, saying, “With Griffonstone safe… that still leaves us with orders yet to be fulfilled.”

“What he means to say is…”

All heads shot over to the approaching griffon. Griffons to be precise, alongside Smolder standing by Gallus, both of them smirking alongside Gilda, the one who led them. With Greta and Gabby by her sides, Gilda pointed not only to herself and them, but to all of them. To all the griffons, all the dragons, and all the Hippogriffs. Addressing all of them when she said, “Whatever this is… we’re in.”

“As long as we get payback on those sons of bitches,” Greta added, several griffons sounding off in agreement. Gabby cheered alongside her fellow griffons, finally glad to see them all agree on something, even if it was the horrible aspect of fighting and warfare, something Gabby took little to no interest in. She remained silent afterwards, watching the events unfold before her.

Gallus cheered next to Smolder’s side, earning curious smiles from Novo and Ember. They looked to Smolder, who only chuckled and said, “Oh, we’ll need Gallus.” Seeing the humorous look in their eyes, Smolder crossed her arms and added, “Yeah… he’s a fighter.”

Both Novo and Ember turned back to Gallus. Despite the blood trail painted from the side of his head and falling down to his cheek, the young griffon nodded to them, a certain fire glowing in his eyes. Ember joined his resilient smirk, nodding to him. Novo did the same.

“Well, all right, kid,” Ember said, staring at Gallus and Smolder. She addressed the griffons, the dragons, and the Hippogriffs. All of them. When she held her Bloodstone Scepter into the air and shouted, “Welcome to the army that’s gonna save Equus!”

The army, now more than a thousand strong, all cheered in one, diverse, resounding roar.