//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Griffon War // by ihaveofficiallyretired //------------------------------// High in the mountains of the Griffon Kingdom sat Castle Aves, from which the king of the griffons gazed upon the magnificent city of Eyrie. I do wonder, thought the king, if Celestia has the gall to retaliate. She has always taken a pacifistic approach to things… One of the five warlords of the kingdom entered the chamber, interrupting the king’s thoughts. “Your majesty.” “Ah…what pleasure do I owe you this evening Warlord Ares?” The harsh basso of the king reverberated throughout the chamber. “King Balthazar,” started Ares, “I am here to report to you that the attack today was more than successful.” “Fantastic. Ares, walk with me.” The two griffons walked down the dark, twisting halls of Castle Aves. Ares was quite large for a griffon, yet he was dwarfed by the massive king. There was a reason no griffon had yet challenged Balthazar for his crown. “So, your majesty, what is it that you want?” “I want your personal opinion.” The massive king stopped and looked at Ares. “Do you think that Celestia will retaliate and attack us back?” “Of course not, your majesty.” “Hm….I would have to disagree. A decade ago, I would have thought the same thing. But then she sent her own sister to the moon. We should not assume anything.” Balthazar’s fierce eyes shone with intelligence and wisdom, his voice riddled with caution. “Your majesty –“ “No. As much as I want to raze the fields of Equestria and reduce the towns and its citizens to ash, I feel that we should proceed carefully from here. For the time being, at least.” Ares looked at his king with a mixture of disapproval and disappointment. “You’re not scared, are you?” Balthazar narrowed his eyes and stared down upon the warlord. Balthazar towered over Ares, and was at least twice his size. “Never,” he hissed, “would I be scared of a pony. Do not confuse concern for my subjects with fear. Remember this well, lest your head become a trophy upon the walls of my throne room.” “Ye-yes, your majesty.” The warlord cowered beneath his king, realizing the folly of his words in a state of sheer terror. “Now be gone. Give the orders to my soldiers to be prepared to fight on either Equestrian soil or our own. I shall let the princess make the next move.” Ares simply nodded his head, afraid to speak once more. The griffon quickly departed, leaving the king alone in one of the many halls of Castle Aves. The king continued on his walk, headed towards one of several dining rooms. As he walked past paintings of his predecessors, he began to contemplate the coming war. As of now, there are two possibilities…Either Celestia attacks outright or she plays a diplomatic card. Only now, the likelihood of an attack on Eyrie is quite high. The banishment of Princess Luna quite took me by surprise. I honestly hadn’t though it possible of her. However…now knowing what she will do for her subjects, there is no guarantee of anything. I shall have to be careful… His thoughts continued on and on until he had finally arrived at his destination. The chefs prepared him something unmemorable, and as he sat picking the bones of some dead animal an idea had come to him. “SAWYER!!” bellowed the king, summoning a smaller yet still intimidating griffon to his side. “Yes, your majesty?” The king’s chief attendant stood in a dignified manner. “I need you to gather Warlords Odin and Morrigan. Immediately. And tell them to meet me in the war room.” “It shall be done, your majesty,” replied Sawyer. The servant turned and slowly left the dining hall, headed towards the castle gates. Almost an hour later, Odin casually entered the war room. He was covered in scars, and was missing an eye. “Your majesty,” he growled. “Ah, Warlord Odin. How pleasant to see you again. Please, do make yourself comfortable while we wait for Morrigan. I suspect it to be another half hour until her arrival.” “Ugh, she’s going to be here?” Odin made a face of disgust. “Yes, she is. In case you’ve forgotten, she defeated your brother for her title. A feat even you could not accomplish.” Odin grunted. “Don’t remind me. So, why exactly have you summoned me?” Balthazar walked over to a map of the world, staring at it intently. “Patience, old friend. Patience.” Odin grunted again. Balthazar ignored him and continued to study his map. There were many possible paths Celestia could take should she indeed decide to invade. However, the mountainous terrain of the Griffon Kingdom made it easy to discern such paths. Soon enough, a rather small figure appeared in the doorway. “Good evening, gentlemen. Have I missed anything?” The griffoness’ mellifluous voice echoed slightly throughout the room. She sauntered into the war room, shooting Odin a quick, arrogant look. “Ah, my dear Morrigan. How are you?” replied Balthazar. “Mmmm….quite well, considering that I am to be in the same room as that…buffoon.” Odin sprang up from his seat, eyes fiery with rage. “You little –“ “Odin! Calm yourself!” roared the king. The walls seemed to shake from the force of his voice. “Yes, your majesty…” Odin hung his head in shame, and Morrigan smirked in satisfaction. “Now, for the reason I called you both here,” started Balthazar, lifting a talon and placing it on the representation of Eyrie on the map. “I am quite certain that Celestia is going to strike back. Here,” he said, indicating the spot on the map, “specifically.” “What?! That’s ridiculous! She would never dare to do such a thing!” Odin shouted. Morrigan remained silent, still thinking about the possibilities. “Well, Morrigan? Do you have any input?” queried Balthazar, raising an eyebrow. “Hm…I completely think it is possible. If I were her, I would.” “And why is that?” “Well, I suspect she’s still suffering from having to put her sister away. Think about it. She’s been with her sister for who knows how long, and it is going to take some time to adjust. A significant amount of time for something that drastic. I highly doubt that she is going to hesitate to make difficult decisions she would normally have consoled her sister about. I personally think that we should prepare for an attack,” finished Morrigan. Odin looked at her with a slight amount of anger. “Exactly, my dear.” Balthazar looked at Odin smugly. “There’s a reason Morrigan defeated your brother. She’s brilliant.” Odin mumbled to himself while Morrigan beamed. She was young for a warlord, but Balthazar was right: she was absolutely brilliant and deadly in combat. “Now then. I want to know where exactly Celestia is going to come from.” The three griffons stared down at the map, isolating several ideal paths from which the Royal Guard and any makeshift army would likely come through. “No, I think that this northern passage is most likely…” “Perhaps, but they would charge right through Castle Aves. They could never take the castle.” “But what if Celestia herself was to fight personally?” “A good question….” “I highly doubt that, in one-on-one combat, even I could defeat Princess Celestia.” “King Balthazar! Don’t say such things!” “No, Odin. The king is right. She has the advantage of magical prowess and skill unmatched throughout the world.” “I suppose this is true….” Amidst the conversation, Balthazar appeared to have thought of something. The look on his face told of its brilliance. “My dear friends, I believe there is something we have forgotten.” Both Odin and Morrigan looked at their king, puzzling looks about them. “Come with me.” The trio exited the war room, Balthazar leading, and made their way through the various twists and turns of Castle Aves. Many stairs they descended, until finally reaching their destination: the dungeons. “My lord, whatever has brought us here?” asked Odin. “Yes, I find that I do not like being this…deep.” “Patience. Just a little further now.” Further through the tunnels they trekked, until reaching the very last room. “This is where I keep my….important….guests,” said Balthazar, opening the door. “Oh, very good!” “My…admiration…grows stronger yet, my king…” Balthazar’s figure loomed over the prisoner. The pegasus was bound to a torture table. Gashes and burn marks adorned his body. His wings were clipped, so that even if he were to escape, he could not fly. His eyes lazily turned to face Balthazar. “What….could you…possibly want…?” “Oh, I think you know what. It’s time you start talking again….captain.”