//------------------------------//
// Part Two 
// Story: Ponies at Arms 
// by GearheartHound 
//------------------------------//

	
Ponies At Arms


Part Two



By: GearheartHound


In every world, in every multiverse, there are men and women who uphold the laws of their government and their rulers. We call them police or guards or watchmen. They work tirelessly to stamp out corruption, to end violence, to be the shining beacons of order in a chaotic world, and most importantly to make it home safe at the end of the day.
In a little universe, nestled carefully out of harm's way, sits a world called Equestria. In the country of the same name, where the noble alicorns Luna and Celestia rule over their hooved subjects, night had fallen long ago. The pegasus ponies of the weather service had scheduled a downpour which tended to keep most ponies indoors.
The streets of Canterlot, the capitol, were no different. Though the lights of the late night establishments still burned in the windows, most were barred for the evening and the cobbled streets were empty. Empty save for a single stallion, wrapped in a heavy cloak who slipped from one doorway to another. At first glance one might think that he was trying to avoid the drenching rain, he would be be pleased to  know this as that was precisely what he hoped any onlooker would assume.
His weaving path took him down a back alleyway to a heavy wooden door which was bolted from within. He knocked hard upon it in a careful pattern, one knock, pause, four knocks, pause, two knocks, he waited, it opened a crack.
“Yes? Can I help you, friend?” The reply from within sounded neither helpful nor very friendly. The cloaked stallion looked back and forth a moment more.
“As a matter of fact you can... I come from the palace seeking guidance but I find neither Princess much versed on the subject... so I come to speak to her that knows.” The stallion drew back his hood and grinned. The doorman grunted and pulled the wooden portal open all the way.
“You're late...” He rumbled, stepping aside and letting the other stallion pass.
“Not exactly my fault! Have you seen the weather... I had to trot my sorry arse all the way here from the Sun Palace.” He grumbled, pulling off his soaking cloak, he cast it aside before he trotted down a long flight of stairs. The dim light of sputtering candles seemed to glow off the walls as he descended down below the underbelly of Canterlot. Down he descended, the walls chilling his already cold body He could hear water far off, no doubt the run-off of the sewers of which he was certainly under by now. Here was a place where the sun never shone and that was just as well.
Once the stairs opened out into a wide chamber that was dimly lit by a few wall sconces, he couldn't tell the size of the chamber as the sconces only allowed twenty feet or so of lit area, from then on there was only the inky darkness. It wasn't the simple absence of sunlight, there was something sinister, something very nearly alive about it. A voice echoed off the dark stone from somewhere in the gloom beyond. “That is quite far enough...” The cold and calculating feminine tones put the stallion's mane on end and his hooves stopped dead in their tracks whether he wished it or not. “You are late...”
“Yes ma'am... the... weather...” He mumbled softly but was abruptly cut off by the female voice.
“Silence! You will speak when and only when I ask it of you.” The voice spoke again and the stallion thought he saw movement from the deepest shadows. “So our agent in Trottingham has failed... utterly?”
“Yes Ma'am... several local guards and Celestia's prized student intervened before the plan could be carried out.” The stallion cleared his throat, “The... mayor was killed in the process, Ma'am”
“He was a fool and died as one. He was warned about the dangers of testing the potions too early and chose to ignore my wisdom. He drew undue attention to himself and paid the price for his arrogance.” The voice spat out cold as ever and the stallion suddenly wished that he was somewhere else, somewhere where the sun shone. “I have a far better plan in motion but it requires your obedience.”
“Y-yes Ma'am...” He mumbled , feeling his knees grow weak. He recalled the last time his obedience had been required. It took him a full week to clean all the blood from his hooves. Not a night went by where he was not haunted by the screams of that filly he barely knew as her life bled away. 
“You have access to the hall of records and petitions. You will draft a notice of prisoner transfer  and deliver it personally to the desk of the Master of Keys in Canterlot prison.” there seemed to be an edge of glee creeping into the dark voice. “You are to ensure that Lady Fiona is released and that she escapes custody.”
The stallion paled, “N-not... not her, Ma'am. Certainly... She's a monster!”
“The Night Butcher is ideal for the task at hoof... she will make herself useful to our cause. Now go... and give her this.” An envelope floated out of the shadows born aloft on a cold purple glow.
Wordlessly the stallion plucked the letter out of the air, stuffing it hastily into his battered saddlebags and bowed before scrambling back up the cold, dark stairs at speed.


Lord Captain Drussard walked slowly through the cells below the castle of Canterlot flanked by three guards He admired the ancient stonework. Centuries of stone cutting  to build the city above had almost hollowed the mountain and provided a honeycomb of dark spaces where the dregs of society could be locked away in safety. Murderers, deviants, thieves and those deemed too dangerous and unstable to exist in the carefully ordered society in the world above.
The trip was standard procedure. The Master of Keys had not checked out for the evening so the cells would be searched in case he had slipped and fallen or simply gotten lost in the subterranean labyrinth. Normally Captain Drussard would have passed the task off to a subordinate but today was a slow day so far. They had checked several passages and cell blocks before stopping at the well locked and heavily barred door which marked a place where nothing was ever intended to leave from. As 'maximum' as maximum security got in the Canterlot cells.
He sighed once more and turned to the soldier who marched on his right. “Sergeant... ready the keys... I would like to finish this task and get out of here quickly.” The unicorn nodded an affirmative and removed the ring of keys from the belt on his armour, placing the key in the lock. The well oiled and well built tumblers clicked into place and two other unicorns applied their magic to swing the oaken portal open.
Within the chamber, the dark was pierced by points of magical blue light dangling from the ceiling, casting the whole room in an ethereal glow. The room was hexagonal in shape and had six great pillars, carved in black lodestone to deaden the flow of magics in and out of the space, holding the vaulted ceiling in place. In the centre of the chamber stood a low pillar and atop it a large cage. Instantly the captain's eyes narrowed, the door was open and the cage stood empty. “On your guard!” He shouted and the three unicorn Guards of the Citadel formed up on him instantly flanking him on all sides so no ponies back was to the darkness. Four pairs of eyes studied the room in detail before one on his right gasped in shock and raised a hoof.
Drussard bolted in the direction the Citadel guard had pointed but quickly slowed to a trot. Behind one of the six large pillars a shape lay in a pool of  blood. it took a great stretch of the imagination to recognize the shape as that of a pony. The body had been mutilated to the point of bare recognition. The world faded slowly from notice as the old pegasus knelt down and pushed his helmet off his head, running a hoof though his greying blue mane. “It would be Master Lock... look.” He pointed to the corpse. “You can make out part of his mark here...”
“He's been... gutted...” He could hear one of the guards behind him mumble as one of the others turned and vomited over his own hooves.
Captain Drussard reached up and closed the unicorn's lifeless eyes, the head, for the most part, was still intact. He didn't weep or shudder, he didn't pass out or be ill. Captain Drussard was the oldest serving member of Celestia's military staff and in his long years he had seen things that no pony in the newest generation of guards could withstand. “It was the gryphon... only a gryphon's claws can do this kind of damage...” Drussard stood and turned to look at the rest of his current squad. “You Lads need to take a break, get some fresh air, head up and get someponies in here to take Master Lock to the morgue and clean this mess up then take the rest of the day, I'll get some others to cover your shifts, but first inform the Princess that Lady Fiona has escaped... this is her bloody calling card.”
“It true she's a cannibal, Captain?” the sergeant turned to Drussard, his face grim as he gave his slightly green looking subordinate a reassuring pat on the back.
Drussard chuckled darkly and retrieved his helmet, pulling it back on. “If she were a pony she would be... the gryphon's gone mad. She's turned murder and blood-lust into an art.” The sobering words of the captain sank in, the guards separating and dashing off to their duties while Drussard trotted towards the cage. He saw the lock and his frown deepened. It wasn't forced or shattered with either spells or alchemy. The lock was opened with a key. Somepony... some bloody foalish pony... some complete suicidal idiot had let her out...


Twilight Sparkle smiled happily and read over her newest mail. It was evening and she had been putting it off until she had some time to herself, she was pleased to find another letter from her parents. She had, of course, written about her adventure in Trottingham just a month ago and they had responded with words of praise and good wishes about her broken leg, which she would be in full command of in a few more days. All her friends, both those that were there that day and her friends who had been at home, were pleased to see she was quickly on the mend.
She set the letter down, it had also contained a polite request to come home for dinner one night when she was in Canterlot for any reason, and she mused about just taking some time off to visit home. Maybe she could bring her friends so her parents could meet the ponies, who were the dominant feature in her letters, personally. Imagining the pleasant moments she drifted in thought before the sound of her nighttime owl assistant cut through the calm of the tree. He was flying around in every direction he could fly, dropping feathers in his near terrified state.
“Owlowiscious what's the matter?” Twilight was suddenly full of concern, trotting awkwardly into the middle of her dimly lit bedroom to try and catch the owl. “Did you hurt yourself? Do you need me to open a window for you?” She scrambled for a reason for the outburst before there came a steely cold voice from the now open doorway to her balcony.
“You would do well to heed the warning of your owl friend, little pony.” The voice was mature and cultured which reminded her of the socialites in Canterlot which she had been, unfortunately, introduced to at the Grand Galloping Gala.
Twilight turned her magic on out of reflex and the purple glow bathed the doorway. She gasped and shook a little as she looked upon the second ever gryphon she had seen. This one looked far more menacing than Gilda had ever been. Her feathers were a deep blue/black like those of a raven and her back half was covered in black fur like a panther. Talons and beak shone like polished ebony and only her eyes broke the dark pattern, like two shining ruby pools which looked over the room with a calculated gaze. She recoiled from the light and shielded her eyes a little as her wings spread in indignation.
“W-who are you?” Twilight managed to raise her voice to ask as she took a stumbling step backwards, wincing as her leg protested.
“You, my dear, may call me Lady Fiona if it pleases you, though I assure you it will not be for long...” The gryphon stepped into the room and looked at Twilight through half lidded eyes. “Tonight is the night you die, Twilight... assassinated is the correct term I believe.”
Twilight reached a hoof up to her throat as the fear gripped her, looking at a creature which seemed to be some sort of monster. “A-assassinated... m-me?” She squeaked, “Why me?”
“Oh I don't pretend to know all the details...” She waved her talon in a very nonchalant manner, smiling softly. “Some political idiot plans to bring your Princess down. I am to kill you and make it clear that Celestia could do nothing to prevent it... you are her most faithful student after all. And personally I am going to enjoy it because unicorn is so very succulent.” Her tongue unknowingly drew across her beak at the thought of the word succulent making her that much more menacing to the already terrified Twilight.
Twilight paled and stumbled back until she landed on her haunches, the gryphon approaching slowly. “You're going to eat me?!”
“You will not be the first I have consumed, nor will you be the last. I have been imprisoned twice for just that offence. Celestia has nothing but distaste for me but she dare not send me home nor exile me from her borders.” The gryphon let out a sigh as a tear rolled down Twilight's cheek. “Now I believe talk is at an end...” She lowered her forelegs and dug her claws into the wooden floor, her beak opening partway to let out a low throaty growl as she prepared to pounce.
“Hey, ugly bird!” A voice  puffed up with determination and heroism called from the upper loft and both unicorn and murderess looked up. There stood a young purple dragon who's chest was puffed up and both scaly hands rested on his hips. “Nobody eats my big sister!” He drew in a full breath, the gryphon's pupils shrank to pinpricks before a gout of bright green flame shot forth. She turned in time as the smell of burning hair and feathers filled Twilight's bedroom. The pale light of the candles were eclipsed by the sudden eruption of flickering fire. The black gryphoness flailed and desperately tried to snuff out the embers of what remained of the feathers upon the right side of her face.
As Spike's breath ended in a small coughing fit, the gryphon rounded, more angry than before. Her breath coming in ragged pants. Her eyes looked like they were lit by her own inner fire, the momentary lapse from the flames and the piercing shriek of the burning gryphon had shaken the purple unicorn from her terror induced paralysis. Her magic swirled forth with pure anger at its heart. The gryphon backed towards the window slowly but Twilight was much faster than that. She lashed out and tipped a book case solidly onto the monster who squawked in pain.
Twilight grinned smugly and limped closer to the prone beast, “Not all that tough are you?” She prodded one of her hind legs for just a moment before the tufted tail reached out like a striking snake and wrapped tightly around Twilight's neck, instead of the choking suffocation she was expecting she felt herself being jerked forwards. Her forehead met the wooden bookshelf and she saw stars. What she didn't see however was the black shape, still smoking slightly, slip out the balcony door and into the night.


Princess Celestia paced back and forth along the ground floor of the library. Never, in living memory, had  she been so furious. Her wings stood proudly from her back and everypony gave her a wide berth. Twilight was sitting upon a pillow with Spike held tight in her lap. The two had not released one another since the incident had happened.
“What pony would dare do this?” Celestia asked to nopony in particular, turning her eyes around the room.
“I believe it is connected to the recent problem in Trottingham, your majesty.” Captain Drussard stood tall without his usual helmet, the look of tired remorse in his steely blue eyes made Twilight's heart beat faster. The purple unicorn remembered the times she had met with Celestia and the captain had been present. He always seemed like a stoic old stallion but the pained look on his face was beginning to show his age.
“S-she did say that somepony wanted me dead to... to show that you couldn't do anything to prevent it, Princess. It was the same intent the mayor had for Trottingham.. to attack you indirectly by hurting ponies and causing chaos.” Twilight spoke up for the first time in nearly half an hour and Celestia stopped her furious pacing to kneel at her student's side.
“Oh Twilight... this is beyond terrible... beyond monstrous.” The Princess gave Twilight a nuzzle on the cheek and then looked down at the little purple dragon in her lap. “And you Spike... if you hadn't reacted in time then it could have been so much worse... thank you, my little hero...” She leaned down and gave the stunned Spike a gentle kiss on the forehead which made him blush sheepishly.
“It was Owlowiscious who woke me up, Princess.” Spike looked towards where the owl perched nearby, in an uncharacteristic moment of humility.
“Then you are both my little heroes.” Celestia held one of her wings out where   Owlowiscious landed with an appreciative hoot.
“Your Majesty,” one of the guards who stood outside the door slipped in and bowed respectfully. “there are several mares present who wish to see, miss Sparkle.”
Celestia stood back up and nodded to her guard. Returning her feathered hero to his perch near Twilight. “That would be the Elements of Harmony Please let them in, Corporal.” Celestia watched as the mares who had become Twilight Sparkle's best friends were led into the library. They instantly swarmed the purple unicorn with their concerns and their tearful hugs. Celestia  took this moment to join her Lord Captain on the other side of the room where he had taken a moment to rest himself.
“We need to relocate miss Sparkle somewhere we can ensure she is safe.” Captain Drussard rose stepping to Celestia's side and looked over the Elements of Harmony, keeping his voice low so he didn't disturb their moment together. “Perhaps her friends as well... and family members... the ponies behind this do have the resources to bribe their way into my jail to release that terrible creature, Celestia knows what else they can bribe their way into.” Drussard blushed at using Celestia's name in vain, she only smiled. 
“It's alright Captain, I believe you are right.” Celestia turned her eyes and looked upon the assembled guards. The glimmering white coats, and bright blue manes, maintained by the ward spells in their armour each pegasus standing like a copy of her faithful Lord Captain. For a moment her thoughts drifted back to some other guards. Their armour dented and worn but their spirits empowered with drive and determination. “Captain... send word to Twilight's parents that they are to come to the Sun Palace for an extended stay. And do try not to alarm them, we don't need ponies panicking in the street.” The Captain nodded and Celestia grinned. “Also... please send word to the guardhouse in Trottingham that a Captain Shrike and her squad are to come immediately to Canterlot. Assign one of your detachments to look after the town in their absence.”
Captain Drussard raised an eyebrow and looked to Celestia “Are you certain that is wise, your Majesty? The Trottingham guards are valiant and skilled, as they have proven with this potion business, but certainly one of my senior detachments would make a better choice.”
“Trust me, old friend. Twilight needs ponies who are her comrades... she has laughed and fought alongside them. I trust in their spirit to ensure her safety.” Celestia smiled and her captain bowed before heading towards his troops to make the arrangements.
Celestia turned back to the other ponies and carefully sat down amongst them to lend her support. “What are we gonna do, Princess?” Came the earthy voice of Applejack, her eyes tearful.
“We are going to do our best...” Celestia replied with a smile, putting on her most confident face. She needed to look confident for the ponies who looked up to her. Deep down however, Celestia was growing frightened.


Captain Shrike groaned, her side was aching again as she pulled herself to her hooves. No matter how much salve the doctors smeared on her or how many times she got a massage from her Trusty stallion, the wound always ached. “OK... not bad... not bad... you can move with armour on, I’ll give you that, and you've got a good set of legs on you.” She nodded to the latest recruit as he finished his tryout. “We've got some more to go through in the next few days but we'll come get ya if we decide you're guard material.” Shrike watched while the stallion stripped off his ill fitting armour and trotted out of the yard behind the guardhouse, nodding to Sergeant Trusty as he passed.
“So Brick Hoof there makes sixteen, Captain.” He floated a cup of coffee to his captain and marefriend who accepted it with a grateful sigh. The hot bitter blend slid welcomely down her throat. She nodded in thanks and passed the cup back to the green unicorn who cradled it with his magic.
“There just aren't any that can measure up...” She mumbled before turning back towards the guardhouse and trotting in the back door, pulling off her helmet and letting it clatter to the floor beside the armoury room. “Jammy left some pretty specific shoes to fill.”
“You're telling me... I haven't had a good biscuit since he's been gone... or a kitchen fire for that matter...” Trusty nudged Shrike in the side and the pegasus let out a short chuckle.
“Alright, alright... I’ll go through the paperwork soon as I can... we're still bloody short and getting spread thin as is... we need more suits of armour out there.” Shrike sunk down to the bench and began to struggle out of her shoes and greeves.
“Oh speaking of suits of armour... you might want to stay kitted up, Captain... there's a royal here for you. Told him to take a seat at the duty desk until you were done.” Trusty used a little magic to re-buckle Shrike's shoes. The mare sighed.
“Can't I get a break... just once, Trusty... just once I’d like to end my day by the clock... or pay myself a little overtime.” She lamented as Trusty helped her to her hooves again, holding her coffee mug before her so she could take another long sip.
“Overtime pay? What might that be? Never heard of it myself, Captain.” Trusty smirked and Shrike gave him a playful cuff before trotting into the duty officer's room. She blinked at the black coated unicorn who sat neatly at the desk. He was in the process of organizing the piles of various papers into some better sense of order. His armour and the wards which empowered it marked him as a Citadel Guard. One of Celestia's Sun Palace Guards.
“Ah Captain.” He stood and bowed before removing his helmet. The wards on his mane and tail slipped away to reveal that his usual tones were more reddish. He held out a hoof which Shrike shook carefully. “I am Captain Cinder of the Citadel Guard.”
“Long way from Canterlot, aren't you, Captain?” Shrike took a seat and the new guard did likewise.
“Indeed...” He answered in the usual tones of an upper crust Canterlot accent which set Shrike's nerves on edge a little. “I come bearing grave news and an order from the Princess herself.”
“Well don't stand on ceremony!” Shrike piped up and grinned, accepting the cup back from Trusty to take another long sip.
“An attempt has been made on the life of Twilight Sparkle.” Captain Cinder managed to back up in time before he received a face-full of hot coffee. The now neatly stacked papers on the desk weren't so lucky. Shrike stared open mouthed as the black unicorn pulled a handkerchief from his armour and wiped a little of the splattered drink from his coat. “Somepony in a position of power has orchestrated the escape of Lady Fiona, the Night Butcher. It was only through last minute intervention that Twilight's life was saved. The Princess is quite distraught and has arranged for Twilight, her friends and her family to be taken to Canterlot Castle to be placed under guard there.”The Night Butcher,  Sweet Celestia's mane!” Shrike managed to clear her thoughts enough to swear. “The bloody Night Butcher... is she alright? Twilight I mean, not the bloody gryphon...” Shrike thought back to the harmless bookish unicorn who had stood by her side when the need arose and who had written a report so comprehensive that she could have bound it and had it published. Harmless,egghead  Twilight Sparkle.
“Twilight Sparkle was unharmed thanks to the quick intervention of her dragon assistant... the Princess, however, believes that she should be under the guard of ponies that she knows and trusts. So I have come to relieve you and your detachment so you may undertake the task of protecting Celestia's prized student.” The black unicorn stood and snapped off a salute.
Shrike stood slowly and blinked a few moments before turning towards her sergeant who only shrugged, still looking shocked at the news. “I stand relieved...” She mumbled the phrase from the big book of guard procedures and ordinances. “So when can we expect our ride to Canterlot?”
The unicorn captain blinked and looked a little shocked. “Right away... the carriage is waiting in the square as we speak.”
Shrike slumped a little and sighed, “I’m never getting my time off, am I? ” she asked to nopony in particular. 


Twilight Sparkle opened the door to her old tower and smiled softly, stepping out of the way and letting her friends walk in past her. “Well, this is home... or was home while I was away at school. Make yourselves comfortable.” Twilight watched as her friends trotted into the old tower and deposited their saddlebags in the main room.
“Oh my, it's simply covered in dust!” Rarity, always the one to point out such things, seemed to produce a feather duster from some dark recess of her saddlebags and began to clear the year's worth of dust away.
“Well nopony's been in here for a whole year, Rarity.” Applejack sighed and pulled her heavy packful of apples towards Twilight's little kitchen. “Why don't you loosen up a might and stop obsessing over every tiny little detail... for a change.” The farmpony set the saddlebags down with a thump on the counter and set to restocking the kitchen.
“Well somepony has to! My allergies will be positively atrocious if all this dust is allowed to remain!” The white unicorn went about her business as Rainbow Dash flapped her way to the largest window she could manage and pulled it open.
“Nice view, Twilight.” The sky blue pegasus scanned her eyes over the cityscape laid out before her. She could just picture the up drafts and eddies that the tall towers and ancient fortifications would cause this high up a mountain face. “I’m so gonna have to practice my moves while I’m here! It's not like I get a chance for an urban flight every day.”
“And I can't wait to check out all the candy stores and sweet shops and bakeries and soda shops and restaurants in Canterlot Not to mention going back to see Pony Joe. I betcha I can get him to tell me his secret to making such perfect donuts!” Pinkie beamed as she bounced in a circle around the room.
“Oh... but this isn't a vacation girls...” The soft voice of Fluttershy made everypony pause. She had barely spoken through the entire trip to Canterlot, just looked scared and pained. “We're here to make sure that Twilight is OK... and to stay safe in case any scary ponies try and hurt her or us again.”
The eyes of everypony fell and there was a muttered round of apologies. Twilight blushed and took a few steps into her tower before she looked at all her friends. “I want to thank all of you girls... for coming with me. I... I’m so glad all of you are my friends and I just don't know what I would do without you all here with me.” Twilight tried in vain to hide the tear that rolled down her cheek. The Elements of Harmonyclustered around Twilight joining in a sympathetic group hug, with even Spike relenting and accepting the warmth.
“Hey, no tears or hugs for me? I feel so left out.” A slightly gruff voice spoke from the doorway and all eyes turned. Everypony except for Rarity and Fluttershy trotted over with broad smiles.
“Trusty! Celestia said that my guard would be ponies I could trust, it's so nice to see you again!”  Twilight gave the green unicorn a hug before he trotted out of the doorway after receiving a none too soft nudge from his captain. The other Trottingham guards made their way into the increasingly crowded little tower, each being greeted by the Special Constables.
“Are these the ponies you have told us about Twilight?” Rarity stepped forward and put on her finest smile. “Any friends of Twilight's are certainly friends of mine. I am Rarity, a pleasure to meet you all.”
The introductions were warmly received and even Fluttershy came out of her shell with the help of the friendly attitudes of the uniformed ponies. Dash and Star talked about how their respective jobs had been going for the last month. Pinkie Pie and Applejack went to work in the kitchen making use of the apples that AJ had brought with her while Trusty brewed up an industrial size batch of one of his better blends of coffee.
Pinkie Pie would have called it a party but she was too busy having fun to remember to unpack the banners and balloons from her saddlebags. Nopony noticed as the weather began to turn or that night was advancing on schedule.


In the dark and twisting streets of lower Canterlot, hooves were clattering on wet stone as a stallion ran. He ran for his life, heart pounding in his chest and legs begging him to let go, to stop and rest. Every time he slowed there came the laughter. Cold and mirthless laughter which made him wish to be anywhere... anywhere the sun shone and his life was better.
He ran harder still and looked back over his shoulder. The dark shape in the sky above was pacing him easily. The stallion never noticed the cracked cobblestone until it was far too late. His leg dipped down hard and his hoof twisted with a snap.
He tumbled to the ground and cried out in pain. Eyes overflowing he tried to crawl in the direction he was running. The light rain and the slick stones making him all the more miserable and cold.
“You have done well, pony...” The sickly sweet voice spoke to him again as the heavy shape landed with a thump in the alley behind him. “I had supposed the golden horseshoe on your flank had something or other to do with running... very good indeed.”
“N-no! Stay back!” The stallion gasped, rolling onto his back and trying to crawl backwards away from the advancing black creature. Her eyes burned red as she sauntered closer. He got another good look at the gryphon he had released. There was something distinctly different. He wouldn't have called her beautiful before, gryphons weren't high on his list of attractive partners but now her feathers looked out of shape and there seemed to be seared patches of skin showing through, her right eye must have been injured and was swollen partially shut. It gave her a much more menacing appearance. A burned, scarred, mad creature.
“Oh we are quite beyond that, my dear stallion...” She leaned close to him and grinned. The stallion felt as if his heart turned to ice, her dark talon snatched out and gripped his broken ankle solidly. He screamed like a filly and descended into a whimpering fit. “Who are you really... I know it was you who released me and under the orders of this mysterious female. Who employs you?”
“S-stop! I'll tell you everything!” The stallion pleaded, tears streaming down his already damp face as the pain overcame him, Fiona leaned close, easing up on his ankle only slightly, looking at him with her good eye.
“Oh... oh I know you will... I have many questions and I have ways of asking them that will not heal for weeks...” Her sweet smile returned which only made the icy fear grip him harder.
“I’m a clerk... I work in the hall of records and petitions... I... draft and forge the documents that she asks me to.”He whimpered between panting and trembling. 
“Who is she?” The gryphon demanded tightening her grip on the damaged appendage with a snarling breath. 
“Oh, Celestia! I don't know!” He screamed and shook until the vice-like grip lessened. “S-Some Canterlot noble. I’ve never seen her but she has to be a unicorn, she uses magic sometimes... she never reveals herself. She sends messages through intermediaries or wears a cloak. She's always in the shadows. She picked me and took me for... for an initiation...” The stallion trembled as the gryphon regarded him with a slight smirk. “I h-had to kill... a pony... some young thing... maybe a student... I don't know! It was awful, but I did it, I proved my worth to her.”
“Good, good. Blood on your hooves, innocent blood... we share a common bond you and I. Now... what I wish to know... is why your mysterious benefactor failed to tell me that Twilight Sparkle had a little dragon for a companion?” The gryphon gave another squeeze to the stallion's ankle and he winced hard again.
“S-she what? I... I had no idea! I was ordered to release you, she never told me her plan!R-release you and give you that letter, it was sealed, I never even read it!” He pleaded with tears rolling down his cheeks before the black gryphon sneered and gripped her talon tight as she was able, grinding the broken bones together.
Once the screaming had stopped, she leaned close and whispered sweetly into the stallion's ear. “Her letter, lovely penmanship not withstanding, left much to be desired about her plans. A pity you know nothing... because now I must go pay your employer a visit... but not before I tear that unicorn's heart out and cast her child dragon from the highest spire of Canterlot, because, my dear stallion I was beautiful once and that blasted little creature has taken MY FACE!” the more she spoke the more fury crept into her words until she was nearly frothing mad. Taking her free talon she smoothed down her burned feathers as best she could and put her smile back on, taking a slow breath. “Well it appears that is all the questions I have.” 
“Can I go?” He brazenly asked, though unable to keep the trembling hope out of his voice.
“Go? Oh no, you see all this anger and distress have made me rather... hungry...”
The stallion's eyes went wide and he shook. Managing a scream that pierced the dark night before being cut off abruptly.


Captain Drussard stood back while a pair of guards left the alleyway, a wagon with a white sheet over it being pulled behind them. The older captain again left his helmet aside and let his eyes follow the shrouded wagon as it trundled away. It was not proving to be a good morning in the slightest.
“Who found him?” He asked quietly, reaching a hoof up to rub his tired eyes.
“An old mare who lives a block over, she told us she thought she heard screaming in the night but took it for her bad hearing but then this morning she found him while taking out the trash.” His corporal stood at his side, trying not to look at the pool of blood over the cobblestones. The night's rain had watered everything down. “There was enough to identify him... Twisted Quill. A scribe working in the-” Drussard cleared his throat and cut the corporal off.
“The hall of records and petitions...” Drussard sighed and looked at his subordinate who blinked a little. “It's obvious... he forged an order to have Fiona transferred or some such nonsense so he could get her released. Now she's turned on her employer and murdered him as well... and we know what she plans to do next...” He raised a hoof and pointed wordlessly to the wall of the alley and the message which had been smeared there in blood though carefully sheltered from the rain.


Tell Twilight Her Dragon Is Dead Meat


“Short and to the point... not good coming from that one. She never uses two words when six will do the same thing. It means she's angry... very angry.” Drussard sighed and turned away from the scene, “Get some workponies with strong stomachs to get it cleared away, I am heading to the University grounds. Then to the Palace to speak with Celestia personally on this matter... nopony is to go over my head, do you understand Corporal?”
The guard gave a nod and coughed softly to hide his nervousness. “Yes, sir... of course.” Drussard looked at the corporal a moment more before taking wing and making his way towards the tower which held the most endangered ponies in all of Equestria


Shrike took a sip from her coffee mug again, the brew was getting cold but Trusty had headed out with Pinkie Pie to a local donut shop that apparently had the finest donuts in the city. She was never one for excessive sweets personally but she wasn't about to deny the bouncing ball of pink sunshine her sugar fix.
Shrike closed her eyes sadly and sighed. Pinkie Pie would have been the perfect match for her late constable, had fate not conspired to fell him in the line of duty. She could imagine the fun those two could have gotten up to, the parties, the drinks and the food. It made her shiver to think that the warmth of that future had been denied to them both as friends or even as something more.
“Have you ever been to Canterlot before?” The soft question shook Shrike from her reprieve and she looked up at Twilight who was in the middle of reading the report from the last encounter.
“Once when I was a foal... my mum thought it would be nice if I could see the Summer Sun Celebration one year... I was too young to get much out of it of course.” Shrike chuckled and finished off the last of her coffee, nodding in Twilight's direction. “You're a Canterlot filly though?”
“All my family has lived here... generations of us.” Twilight smiled and carefully closed the report, setting it back in its place on the table. “Can I ask you a question, Captain?”
Shrike gave a nod, “Certainly... and you don't have to call me Captain unless one of those royal guards is in.”
Twilight gave a little nervous smile. “O-OK. I just wanted to ask... what made you want to become a guard. I've thought about it a lot, mostly when I’m looking at the badge you gave me, and I just can't wrap my head around what would possess a pony to decide that their calling in life would be to throw themselves in harm's way.”
Shrike leaned back a little and looked up at the high ceiling, currently being occupied by a pair of pegasai who looked to be desperately trying to stave off boredom coupled with the deep inner need for a young pegasus to fly rather than sit still, they had a ball they were currently tossing although much flipping and cavorting was also going on as well. “I grew up in Trottingham. My mum was a pegasus and my dad was a ground-pounder. It was about mid fall, just starting to really cool off. I was on my way home from school, just a little filly at the time, perhaps in first year. I was amusing myself watching the leaves drifting to the ground here and there in the downtown when I heard this scream from between a couple buildings. I rounded the corner and I saw a bunch of big bullies picking on this young colt. Didn't know any of them, didn't care that they were all twice my age and mean looking or that there was three of them and only one of me, I couldn't just let that stand, so I jumped in with hooves flailing to defend him.”
As Shrike spoke Twilight sat with rapt attention, almost like she could picture every moment of the past as it drifted through her mind. “And you beat them?” She asked with a smile.
“What? Oh Celestia, no. They beat the living daylights out of me. Would have been worse too but this big stallion in a guard uniform reached down and plucked me out of the fight. That was Sergeant Stirling...” Shrike gave a sigh and noticed that all the ponies in the room were now listening intently. “Sergeant Stirling was the biggest pegasus I had ever seen up until that point, his armour gleamed and his mane actually flowed in the breeze. He told me the young colt got away and that the bullies were being dealt with. Then he asked me why, just asked why I would jump in like that. I was sort of out of it and I think I mumbled something about it being the right thing to do. He just said he thought it was too and pointed to my flank.” Shrike stood and turned, moving her barding off her flank to show off her cutie mark. A blue and green shield with a single grey feather laid over top of it. “That was the day I knew that it was what I was born for, to be a guard, to safeguard the lives of ponies.”
“And when she was old enough she joined up, wouldn't have got the job either were it not for old Sterling.” Trusty stepped away from the doorway and set down a box of sweet smelling donuts on the table. “Remembered her from way back as soon as he saw her cutie mark the job was hers. And I can tell you that's true because I was in line behind her at the time.”
“That is super awesome!” Rainbow Dash drifted down from the ceiling and landed to grab a donut before they all got snatched up.
“Well it's what landed me the job that I’ve kept all these years and why I’m the first female Captain in nearly two hundred years.” Shrike looked over at the green unicorn who only grinned and went to make a fresh pot of his usual brew. “It also landed me with that lump over there,” She pointed at Trusty and chuckled, “So there has been some bad with the good.”
The others laughed and settled back down to their conversations before there came a loud knock at the door. Shrike held up a hoof for silence and gave a nod to Boulder who extracted himself from his resting spot and trotted over to the door. Star swooped down and nodded to the big stallion who pulled the door open so either pony would have a clear line of sight to the doorway.
“At ease...” Came the rumbling reply and the guards backed away. Lord Captain Drussard stepped through the doorway, nodding to his two other guards to remain at the door. His eyes scanned the room and finally fell on Shrike. Shrike could feel her knees grow a little weak as the bigger pegasus stood closer. “Captain Shrike... a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh.”
“Sir.” Shrike snapped off a salute and stood stiffly, the ponies from Ponyville watching and keeping their distance.
“Aren't you going to introduce me? I believe that I know young Twilight Sparkle there but the rest of your ever growing company are a mystery to me.” Drussard managed a little smile and Shrike let some of her tension slip away.
“Of course,” She cleared her throat and pointed to each pony in the room in turn. “Sergeant Trusty Spirit, my second in command recently promoted, Constable Boulder, Constable Shooting Star, also recently promoted, Twilight Sparkle you know, Spike her young assistant, Applejack, owner of  Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie a strange but truly fantastic baker, Rainbow Dash who just might be the fastest flier in all of Equestria, Miss Rarity who owns  Carousel Boutique in Ponyville and...” Shrike trailed off and blinked. “We're one short.”
“Ah... I see who you mean...” He pointed to a small puff of pink tail which was just visible from behind a bookcase. “Aren't you going to come out... I’d know that tail anywhere, dear.” He spoke with an uncharacteristic smile which made the guards and Twilight blink in minor confusion.
Slowly Fluttershy stepped from behind her hiding place, still blushing deep red along her cheeks and looking more nervous than many other times. “S-sorry...”
“Sorry what? Come on girl, it's been years since we talked...” He chuckled and pulled off his helmet to look less intimidating. His rich blue mane falling down a little though the grey in it showing his advanced age.
“Sorry... Uncle Drussard...” Fluttershy scrambled closer with a smile and shared a hug with the captain. “You still look scary in your armour.”
“And you're still shy as anything. So sorry I couldn't say hello when I was in Ponyville” He chuckled and released the butter yellow pegasus who looked over the dropped jaws and stunned silence that her friends had bathed themselves in.
“Your uncle... is Lord Captain Drussard?!” Rainbow Dash managed to stammer a little bit and stare at Fluttershy. Fluttershy for her part simply blushed and tried to hide behind her own mane.
“Um well... I don't really like to brag at all...” Fluttershy mumbled and scuffed her hooves on the floor, “and I haven't talked to him in years...”
Rainbow Dash looked between the cowering Fluttershy and the towering form of Drussard and blinked. “How could you two even be related?” The blue pegasus stammered before a hoof on her shoulder restrained her.
“Just let it go Rainbow.” Applejack sighed before tipping her hat to the big pegasus. “Any family of Fluttershy is a friend of ours.”
“Thank-you... and as much as it has been a pleasant surprise to see my niece. I have come with some grave news.” The room seemed to grow cold as everypony went from the shock of finding out Fluttershy is in some way more famous than she already is to the mounting dread surrounding the events of the past days.
Drussard looked towards Twilight and let out a little sigh. “Lady Fiona, the gryphon you bested, has killed again. The stallion who released her from prison. For whatever reason she went after him but at the scene of his demise... she left a message for you.”
“For... me?” Twilight gulped, unsure if she wanted to know the nature of the message.
“She wants your young dragon friend dead...” As soon as the words left Drussard's lips, all eyes turned to Spike. His pupils shrank down to the size of pinpricks and he began to tremble before leaning back and passing out in an instant.
“O-oh no...” Fluttershy squeaked and put both hooves over her mouth.
“Not little Spikey!” Pinkie Pie quickly bounced over to Twilight's side as the purple unicorn picked up her prone companion and hugged him tight to her chest.
“All the more reason we must find the Butcher before she has the chance to catch you alone.” Drussard looked at the guards and at the Ponyville mares. “Now... I know Lady Fiona.. she is smart and ruthless. She will wait until the perfect moment to strike and by then it will be too late. She was unprepared last time and you caught a lucky break. Next time will not be so lucky for certain.”
“Hmm...” Shrike began to grin as a thought formed. “Lord Captain, I believe I have an idea.” All eyes turned to Shrike and her grin widened. With the urging from the assembled ponies, Shrike laid out her plan. There were arguments and disputes, details to be worked out and pots of coffee to be drunk and many crumpled pieces of paper but at the end there were grins of approval and even a grim nod from the Lord Captain. It was just mad enough to work.
Captain Drussard reached back and unclasped his helmet from its place on his side before lowering it onto his head. “Excellent... we will wait for nightfall to execute the plan but the civilians will go... I will not see their lives put at risk for this.”
“No can do, buddy...” Came the reply from Rainbow Dash and the captain looked up in mild shock.
“That is not a request, miss Dash... that is an order from the Lord Captain of Celestia's Guards.” Drussard's voice had just a slight edge of anger creeping into it.
Dash leaned back and snatched something from her saddlebags and holding it like a shield before the Captain. “See this... it says ''Special Constable' I’m not a civilian. And I do not abandon my friends... or my duty.”
Drussard's eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to the now trembling Rainbow Dash, he towered over the blue pegasus and she felt all the smaller as he reached out and snatched the badge from her lips before turning it right-side up and placing it back in her care. “You were holding it upside down... looked rather silly actually. If you need a job and don't mind taking orders... come see me. The pay isn't that bad really.”


Lady Fiona clung to the battlements, her claws were getting tired but from her perch she had a perfect view of the tower with that accursed unicorn and her dragon in it. The dark of night did well to hide her black shape amongst the shadows. A grin spread across her face as she saw the lanterns being lit here and there and a coach pulling up to Twilight's tower.
Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the shapes moving in the small courtyard. It looked like several ponies were being loaded into the coach while more royal guards surrounded it. It was too far to get a clear look at the proceedings but she grinned wider. “A trap... marvellous... I follow the coach to its new destination and find only a few hundred crossbows pointed at me.” She spoke softly to herself and even chuckled.
“Just what kind of fool do these ponies take me for?” She disengaged from the tower and floated as silent as a cloud towards the tower which still had several small lamps on. With practised ease she pushed the window until the latches snapped. Poor trusting ponies never understood the concept of locking one's windows and doors.
She crouched low and looked about the room, it was a bedroom obviously, neat and tidy though only faintly smelling like ponies. She grinned and moved silently towards the door to the main rooms of the tower. Like a cat on the prowl she tucked her wings in tight as she was able and moved with the utmost stealth down a short set of stairs. She could smell a lot more ponies. Many had come and gone in here though there was an overriding scent, something confoundingly sticky and sweet.
She looked down in thought, stopping just past the doorway. Something was making the hairs on her back stand on end, the feeling like she had been trapped.
As if in answer to her thoughts, the door she had come through slammed closed and latched solidly behind her. A bright flash of light illuminated the lamps high over the shelves and shelves of books, bathing the room in the bright glow of mock daylight. Her eyes stung and she tried hard to cover them as the sound of moving hooves reached her sensitive ears.
With a growl of frustration she focused and looked upon the shapes of ponies standing, armour glimmering in the light. They blocked every doorway she could see. Her eyes snapped up to the high windows and saw that both were covered by a pegasus in flight. What she didn't notice was the smell. Instead of the natural scent of ponies there was just the sticky overwhelming scent of some confection. “Cotton... candy? You doused yourselves with concentrated essence of cotton candy?” She spoke slowly, the corner of her mouth curling up in a grin.
“It pays to know a baker who never leaves home unprepared.” Captain Shrike piped up as the guards held their ground.


Twilight looked back in the direction of the tower as the coach rolled onwards. “I hope it works...” She felt a hoof on her side and turned her eyes to Rarity who gave her most comforting smile.
“Twilight, darling, I am more than certain that our friends can handle themselves. It is just one gryphon against five armoured guards as well as Rainbow Dash and Applejack. If there is one thing our two friends are, it is sturdy.” The white unicorn looked back towards the tower. “And should the ruse prove incapable of fooling that horrible creature, then we are proceeding to the palace under truly impressive guard. We will have untold hundreds of guards as well as both princesses to watch over us. We will be just fine, won't we girls?” Rarity looked encouragingly towards Fluttershy who was silent and staring at the pink pony beside her.
Pinkie Pie was looking intently at both her forehooves which were trembling. “It's starting...” She whispered softly, so unlike her usual speech that all eyes were soon upon her. “Twilight... we gotta get nurses and doctors and everything ready...”
Twilight gulped when Pinkie's eyes looked up at her, more white than the usual perky blue, her pupils having shrunk down from shock. “There's gonna be blood everywhere...” Pinkie Pie whispered and Fluttershy promptly fainted.


“Surrender now, Lady Fiona... there is nowhere left for you to run to.” Drussard took a step forward and pawed at the library floor. “Let's not make this as bad as last time... it took a few months for your ribs to heal, if you care to remember.”
The black gryphon began to pant, her eyes squeezed shut tight. “No... no No NO! I will not return to your custody Captain! Where I am chained where I shall never see the sky, with the constant temptation of flesh dangled just out of my reach every time I see one of your pathetic pony guards. I will die before I allow myself to be captured!”
The dark winged creature wasted no more time, her back legs propelled her forward into the nearest pony who happened to be the Lord Captain. Like a giant cat springing on an unsuspecting mouse, she hit full force and the pony was borne to the ground under the larger bulk of the mad gryphon. Other guards rushed close only to be rewarded with a blast of air from her wings which knocked books from nearby shelves and staggered the guards considerably.
The lord captain struck out with an armoured foreleg which was dodged expertly before a wickedly sharp beak lashed out and cut a chunk of flesh from his hide with an accompanying fountain of blood. He didn't cry out as most would have, only grunted and struck lower with his uninjured leg, this blow caught the gryphon in the throat and she let out a pained squawk, her eyes narrowing in anger.
She pulled back and raised both glimmering black talons, ready to rend any exposed flesh she could grapple onto. She never got the opportunity before a massive armoured shape bowled into her and she was sent crashing into a pillar. Constable Boulder tried to hold her down as well as he could but the struggling, snapping gryphon was far too much for the kindhearted officer to manage. With one final surge she righted herself and grasped his helmeted head firmly before driving his unarmoured face into the solid stone of the pillar.
The big blue stallion let out a single moaned breath before slumping down unconscious. Drussard clenched his teeth as the gryphon took up a fighting stance, the other guards circling slowly. “Keep back from her! She's stronger than any of you!” He stopped to look at his leg, the artery was neatly severed and bled like a faucet. He winced and squeezed above the wound with his free hoof trying to staunch the bleeding.
Applejack lowered her head and grinned before breaking into a charge headlong into the very angry bird. The gryphon bellowed a challenge, her eyes murderously red in anticipation as she braced herself. She had seen it before, the charge of ponies into battle. So very direct. So prepared was she for the assault that when Applejack skidded to a halt she simply paused and blinked. Applejack looked up and grinned at the statue falling until the large stone horse's head landed square on the black gryphon's back followed by the grey pegasus captain.
Shrike landed and immediately struck out with all four hooves, something she had been taught in basic training was to use gravity to make up for the lack of mass in most pegasai. The stone statue she had carried up there was just the icing on the cake. The gryphon below wailed in pain as her wings were hit hard and Shrike lashed out again. Her hooves met the black body once more though this time it seemed to drop out from under her, the creature rolling to the side and catching the captain with a blow from her sharp talons.
Shrike winced and recalled the image which had been scored into her memory of the ex-mayor's blade slicing a line in her armour except this time there were three knives and where the blow landed there was little armour to protect. The grey mare cried out as claws caught in her neck and she was borne to the floor. The marble rushed up to meet her and the next she remembered was looking at the world filled with stars, letting the weight of consciousness slip away in a pool of blood.
The gryphon limped a little, spreading her bruised wings and looking at the guards who remained. There were the young pegasus mares who stopped her from taking flight, the orange mare who had caught her in that feinted charge, the Lord Captain who was bleeding out and the green unicorn who was cinching a makeshift tourniquet in place in a vain attempt to save the older stallion.
Lady Fiona turned and looked at the orange pony, still keeping both pegasai in her field of vision. She felt the frothing red rage creeping into her thoughts and she did her best to bank it. The taste of pony blood on her tongue and the scent of it heavy in the air weren't helping her at all. She needed a clear head and right now she was winning. “Would you accept this dance?” She smiled at the orange mare and stepped closer. “My you have some fine muscles on you... yes quite toned... a tough feed no doubt but wonderfully flavoursome.” She grinned darkly and watched as the mare paled just a little, taking up as best a fighting stance as she could manage.
Fiona licked along her beak and lowered her head like a pony would to charge. Applejack grit her teeth and leapt to the ready, charging forward with all her might as the gryphon did the same. What Applejack didn't count on was that lion paws were more stable on stone than pony hooves. The black shape stepped to the side and raked a single clawed talon down her side.
The searing pain shot through Applejack's body but she bit her lip hard to stop from wailing like a filly. She waited until her opponent was just past her before she lashed out. She struck with hooves that could take every apple from a hundred year old tree in a single hit. Hooves that were her time honoured tools of her trade and attached to legs that were like ironwood trees. With every ounce of force that Applejack had left she aimed her kick and struck home.
Fiona's eyes shot open wide and she screamed as the most pain she had experienced to date rocked her body. She felt her left hip shatter as well as the leg below. She tumbled to a stop and squeezed her eyes shut tight, the intense suffering washing over her and making her head spin. She struggled onto three legs and looked back at the last which hung limp and unmoving. Even her tail lay on the floor like a limp piece of yarn.
Rainbow watched with a grin before seeing Applejack stumble and fall onto her side. The Rainbow maned pegasus took one look towards the windows she was guarding before flying down to land at Applejack's side. Shooting Star held her place, watching with a gulp as she began to realize that she could be next in the long line of injured ponies.
“Holy horse apples!” Applejack winced and kept her head away from her injury as Dash carefully checked her over. “D-Dash... tell me how bad it is... don't sugar coat it none.” The farmer turned a tear filled pair of green eyes up at her companion and the blue pegasus turned to examine the wound.
Three long gouges ran through Applejack's hide and were only now beginning to bleed, each was deeper than the worst cut she had ever seen and she could tell by the twitching from the farmpony's legs that they were intensely painful.
“Deep but you'll pull through... gonna need a ton of stitches though.” Applejack let her head slump and let out a sigh as Dash laid a hoof against her cheek. “Nice move apples but next time... remember to duck before you buck.” Applejack managed a chuckle.
“Dash! Star!” Trusty called loud as he could, flinging his telekinetic force full at the window to hold it as the wounded gryphon stretched out her bruised wings and began to take flight. “Stop that crazy thing before she gets away!”
In an instant Dash was airborne again and at Star's side. Both pegasai sharing a nod before the black monster hovered closer. Her eyes were filled with boundless hatred and her claws flexed. She was fully in the grips of adrenaline and anger. Looking into her eyes, both Dash and the young guard at her side couldn't help but shudder.
“No way out... land and... and we'll get your leg looked at...” Star piped up, trying desperately to recall the course she had been 'asked' to take about sensitivity and dealing with angry ponies. “It's gotta hurt something fierce. 
“Do you think...” Fiona’s voice came out in short raspy breaths, her eyes flashing with all the more rage. “Do you think for a moment... that I would land... and submit myself to you ponies... I will tear you all apart for the trouble you have all caused me today! I will slaughter you like I have done to the blue one and that grey pegasus and be done with you pathetic excuses for creatures!”
“Not while I’ve got the door blocked, lady!” Trusty snapped from his position on the floor, grinning. The gryphon looked down for just a second before her eyes narrowed upon Dash.
The blue pegasus gulped and tried to look ready but nothing could have prepared her for that kind of savagery. The angry black shape was upon her in an instant, her back to the window and the other pegasus trying to pull the pair apart in midair. Finally with a titanic effort, Dash was released. Though she was released as a projectile aimed at the green unicorn on the floor. She tried to flap her wings to slow her descent but found them slow to respond. The world slowed and Dash looked over her shoulder to see the trail of bloody blue feathers she was leaving in the air.
With no other option, Trusty abandoned his control of the windows and used his magic to stop the temporally flightless Dash before she hit the floor at speed. Fiona grinned and turned her blazing eyes at the only remaining airborne guard. She didn't waste another moment talking. She struck out hard but Star flinched. She turned her helm at the last moment and presented the crest. Claws skittered off the thickest part of the armour but caught on the crest itself, painfully pulling the helmet off Star's head. The pegasus lost just enough altitude that the black gryphon could flap her wings and propel herself through the window and out into the night.
Shooting Star landed and stumbled to Dash, her head still ringing. The blue pegasus was sitting on the ground, looking at her wings which would need a few tender mending spells. “You OK, Dash?” The dusty pegasus managed with a small groan.
“I’ll be OK... but you've gotta get after her!”  Star found herself face to face with her Rainbow maned friend.
“How?! She's got a head start and she's a hell of a lot bigger than I am!” Shooting Star looked down at her hooves before Dash prodded her firm against her chestplate.
“She might have a head start but gryphons are slower than a pegasus. Trust me, Star I’ve flown with a gryphon before. Gryphons may be bigger but they have two big weaknesses. They can't turn as well as us or fly as fast and they get real angry real easy. If you can make her monster out then she's gonna make a mistake. On top of that she's hurt and hurt bad... I heard bones go when AJ bucked her.” Dash took a breath and looked into Star's eyes. “You're good, Star... you're fast and you can still fly good in that armour of yours. You can do this...”
Shooting Star looked at Dash and mumbled softly. “Why? We got our flanks kicked, Dash...”
“Because she's a monster... and it's personal... she's hurt our friends and that just doesn't fly with this girl.” Dash grinned as Star began to nod softly.
“Yeah... yeah I can do this... I’ll... I’ll think of some way and kick that ugly bird out of the sky!” Star looked around for her helmet, bouncing a little with energy. A hoof stopped her and turned her head slowly. Dash leaned close and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Shooting Star's eyes went wide and whether she liked it or not her wings decided that was the moment to spring into full form. She reached up and touched her cheek softly. Dash looked like she was blushing a lot as well. “Don't think too much into it OK... that was for luck... I’ve already got a pony with my name on her.” Dash mumbled and tried to look more nonchalant about it.
Star just grinned and spread her wings, grabbing her now dented helmet from the ground and rocketing up through the broken window and out into the blackness to do battle with her newest enemy.


Lady Fiona tried to fly faster but she found her body protesting at every turn, she was shaking and tears slowly fell from her eyes. Those ponies, those terrible ponies had beaten her to a pulp. They had tricked her and trapped her and taken turns pounding on her body all in an effort to drag her down below the mountain again. It brought back dark memories and darker thoughts. The entire exercise was proving less and less worth it by the moment.
“I want to go home... damn these ponies and their horrible, horrible little world...” She lamented, stumbling in flight a little with one leg dangling limp. It brought back shades of a scared little gryphon chick from so long ago. Fiona squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tried to banish the thoughts but they persisted. She could almost feel the rain soaking her coat and the oppressive heat of a summer night so very long ago. The blows of hooves on her body and the cries in her ears of fear and revulsion at the vision of evil before them. The ponies ignoring the look in innocent eyes as she was kicked and tormented. Fiona gave a single sob and shook her head to clear the tears, no time for this self-pity, let the memories die... she thought to herself and continued on into the night..
Fiona was nearing an older tower at the outskirts of the city when a voice cut through her calculated calm. “Hey, bird, you miss me?” Shooting Star kept her distance but matched the gryphon's flight.
The gryphon let out a deep shout of pure frustration before turning to hover in midair and stare at the pegasus who had pursued her. “No... no I don't care... leave now or die... simple as that. You get one chance or you become my bedtime snack while I sleep off this savage beating.” Her voice cracked with her exasperation. Fiona took slow breaths, trying to push her anger away but it was so terribly hard with the pony hovering before her and smirking.
“Well I guess I’d need my beauty rest too with a face like yours.” Star grinned wider as the gryphon's eye twitched. “You do look really ugly just so you know... I mean... missing feathers... blood... chipped claws... and that messed up leg...” Star kept a close eye as the gryphon twitched and her eyes began to narrow.
Finally, when Star started to launch into another description of how much the gryphon's feathers looked like they were falling out, Fiona let out a yell of utter rage. She pounded her wings hard and flew headlong at the pegasus. Star took Dash's words to heart and dodged, avoiding the attack with surprising ease.
“Not so quick in the air are ya?” She taunted, flying out of reach of another swipe. Star thought that perhaps one more insult would do the trick, “Amazing how a tubby, evil thing like you can even fly.” Star grinned for a moment but an eagle shriek blew forth from Fiona’s beak with force and rattled windows in the town below. Maybe that was a little too far... Star thought as the gryphon began to power towards her again.
Ponies in the town below, hearing the noise, turned their eyes to the sky to watch as an indistinct black shape and a pale pegasus in glimmering armour fought in the sky. Nopony had seen a battle quite like that in their lifetime, blows being exchanged and dodges expertly being pulled off. It was like a savage ballet in the starry sky.
It was going well for Star but she didn't quite move with her best speed and found out too late when her right rear leg was gripped tightly and she was flung at speed towards the tower. She remembered her crash training and rolled to a stop but by then the furious gryphon was on top of her. Their clash had brought them down to street level and Fiona had Star pinned against the cold, wet, cobblestones of old Canterlot. The crowd that had been watching continued to do so keeping their distance as the severity of the situation set in. 
“I am through with you little ponies and these little games! I have killed dozens of mares and stallions and fillies and colts over the years but you guards are infuriating. Poor pale excuses for warriors hiding behind your plate steel and your good behaviour!” Fiona bellowed inches from Star's face and the pegasus had only a moment to think, a little grin coming to her lips.
“Well I’ve got bad news for you... Fiona wasn't it? I'm not good at that whole 'good behaviour' thing... I'm still on probation... because I fight dirty!” Shouting the last word with as much force as she could manage she lashed out with her rear hooves.
An exquisitely horrid pain ran through Fiona’s body as steel shod hooves met with soft, pink, delicate areas of her anatomy. She reared back instinctively, both talons reaching down to grip the space between her hind legs. As she leaned back she, unthinkingly, put weight on her shattered hip. The combination of pains mingling together overpowering the last of her senses and the she-gryphon fell over backwards, passed out with her face twisted into a mask of suffering.
“Uhh... can we help you, Constable?” A deep masculine voice spoke beside Star and she looked over to a trio of Canterlot's guards, probably on night patrol. A smile came to her lips and she finally let herself relax.
“A drink would be nice... oh... and manacles for the Night Butcher.” Star indicated to the prone black shape before letting her eyes close. The crowd gasped as the true gravity of the situation set in and one of the Canterlot guards began to shackle Fiona warily. Star began to laugh manically as the other Canterlot guard looked on in quizzical confusion, she laughed and laughed until all the adrenaline had left her system and then she struggled to her hooves to get that drink and check on her fallen comrades. 



Princess Celestia walked through the halls of her castle wearing no expression at all. Her hooves clicking loudly on the cool marble, her glorious sun only just set upon its course through the sky. Anypony who had been at Celestia's side before would be slightly unnerved by the way she walked and the way her wings were partway up and trembling. Deep down in the bottom of her boundless, beautiful heart, the last of her patience had been expended. She was a very angry pony.
She paused her walk as the sound of a pony stumbling to catch up reached her followed by a loud yawn. “Sorry, sister... I must have dozed off again.” Princess Luna moved to Celestia's side and wiped the sleep from her eyes.
“I sent word for you an hour ago, Luna...” Celestia's anger was overshadowed for a moment when she regarded her little sister. She looked so very tired. “Have you not been sleeping well?”
“Not sleeping well is an understatement. I have sought out every remedy both magical and holistic and still I find myself waking without feeling the slightest bit rested. I have taken to napping at night when my duties are otherwise complete. I can only assume that the recent problems are to blame.” Luna yawned once more before shaking her head and trying to smile. “So what is on the agenda today?”
Celestia raised an eyebrow in concern before looking back down the hall. “The valiant guards who were watching Twilight and her friends have captured Lady Fiona once more.”
“That would be the gryphon murderess and consumer of ponies you spoke of? Monstrous...” Luna matched pace as Celestia continued. “Were there any injuries?”
“Severe on both sides... the gryphon will not likely walk again without magical intervention.” Celestia shuddered when she recalled the report which was given to her when she had been told of the night's activities. “We are on the way to see her now. She is being treated in my personal clinic.”
“Is that... wise? I mean certainly we could have her banished for her crimes... I read the reports at your behest and found you rather lenient towards her. There were several... gaps in the records surrounding her, Sister.” Luna stopped walking for just a moment before joining her big sister once more.
Celestia looked down at the marble and took a slow breath, recalling the painful memories. “Lady Fiona Ravenfeather is indeed of noble blood. A rare and elusive bloodline in the lands of the gryphons, she was being groomed to assume rulership of the tribes. I had taken great interest in her and she showed much promise. One day, however, she strayed from home and became lost. She wandered into a small village on the borders of Equestria and the ponies there, simple folk, saw her form... raven black with eyes like rubies and thought she was the Nightmare reborn. The misguided villagers tormented her and chased her through the village, finally cornering her and beating the chick to near death.”
Luna gasped and stopped walking, the thought of ponies being so savage to a child of any species filled her with worry. Celestia met her sister's gaze and continued. “She was spared death and brought to Canterlot to be presented to me. At once I realized what had happened and the villagers were justly punished for their crimes. With great care she was nursed back to health and tutored by some of the finest minds in Canterlot. When she was whole once more she was returned home to her lands and titles. There she brooded and learned the old teachings of battle from the days when you stood at my side against the clans. Years passed but when she again entered Equestria, she slaughtered every living soul in that village.”
Luna was still and nodded as Celestia's anger began to boil once more. “Her lands were forfeit to us for her atrocities and she was imprisoned here for several years. But no matter how long passed, the lust for blood was rooted in her and she began to kill once more when she was released. Hunting ponies for sport and devouring those she deemed worthy of her tastes. She stalked the night for nearly a year before Captain Drussard brought her to justice. Claiming the lives of five officers in the process. She was healed of her grievous injuries and chained away below the mountain.”
“So why heal her now? She is clearly a remorseless criminal despite her perceived motivation for her crimes. Personally I believe she should be released, crippled, back to the tribes and let them deal with her. Gryphon justice is as swift and brutal as always, is it not?” Luna regarded her elder sister and saw the cracks beginning to form in her facade. There was glee there at the thought of the end of such an evil creature.
“She has information I wish to know... somepony is playing a very dangerous game with me and I will have none of it.” Celestia's voice betrayed her building anger. It took the gentle touch of a hoof to her shoulder to slow her forward rampage and return her calm. Celestia trembled for the briefest moment and let out her breath as the heat of her wrath faded away.
“You care so much for our subjects, Celly... calm yourself before seeing her.” Luna managed a smile. “I know that it must seem like a mad request coming from my lips but please stay your temper.”
Celestia cracked a smile and gave a little nod to the other alicorn, leaning close and sharing an affectionate nuzzle, the older Princess moved up and whispered in Luna’s ear. “I forgot just how wonderful it is to have you back.”
The indigo alicorn giggled softly and blushed. The pair separating and continuing the journey to the small clinic in the castle halls. The sight which greeted both princesses was almost heart wrenching. Had the creature laying splayed upon the hospital bed been a pony instead of the Butcher of the Night, both rulers would have broken down into sobs.
“Ah, Princesses... come to check on our patient?” The elder unicorn in the white doctor's coat stepped forward and adjusted the glasses on his nose. Celestia only gave a nod in answer, finding her voice lost at the sight of the gryphon in the bed, she had her hind leg in a complicated brace as well as both wings splinted. An array of magical monitors and scanning devices of every description offered up a flow of information about how badly her body was damaged. As a matter of course, though the chances of escape were slim to nonethe gryphon's wrists and ankles were chained to the bed and the bed itself was affixed in stone to the floor.. “Ah well I’m afraid it's not good... burns to the face and damage to her right eye which are beginning to grow infected, four cracked ribs, three broken, fractured bones in both wings, minor head trauma. Internal hemorrhaging, which we have stopped, thank goodness. Though the major damage is to her left hip and the associated hind leg... the bone is shattered and many of the muscle groups are ruptured beyond any real repair. It would take magic on a scale, to be honest, rivalling your own in order to repair that sort of damage.”
“Can you wake her?” Luna spoke softly, the sheer damage of the wounds staggering her somewhat and bringing her closer to wakefulness. The doctor gave a slow nod and stepped to where Fiona’s head lay, he leaned down and gave a little glow of his horn. Slowly the gryphon's crimson eyes inched open.
“Fiona?” Celestia moved to where the doctor had stood and lowered herself down to be on level with the edge of the bed.
“Good morning, Celestia.” She mumbled in response, closing her eyes slowly and turning away. “Tell your dear ponies that they have surprised me once again.”
Celestia chuckled a little and shook her head slowly. Her amusement only lasted a moment before she sighed and let her own eyes close slowly. “Lady Fiona... you were sent to take something away from me... something I hold very precious... you killed your employer but still tried to carry out your mission... why?”
Fiona’s eyes opened wider and she began to laugh, deep heartfelt chuckles which shook her form until she had to stop from the pain. “You think that poor clerk was the one who employed me? He was a worm... under the sway of some unicorn with delusions of the fall of monarchy.” Fiona looked away for a moment more before taking a shivering breath. “She wrote me a letter... rather nice one, and no I do not still possess it.”
“What was in the letter?” Luna piped up again, standing beside her sister and looking over the black gryphon, now just as much white bandages as black coat and feathers.
“I’m not prepared to tell you that, Luna..” Fiona grinned and batted her eyelashes at the moon Princess as best as she could.
“You insufferable monster!” Luna snapped and stamped her hoof onto the floor, there was a sound not unlike thunder which rippled through the clinic, making nurses and the doctor scatter. “I am Lunar Princess of this land and I order you to co-operate with us this instant!”
It took a gentle touch from Celestia to still Luna’s anger. The dark Princess taking a few slow breaths and nodding to her big sister. Celestia opened her eyes and turned them on the black gryphon who began to tremble under the gaze of the Princess. “what do you want, little gryphon?” Celestia spoke softly and gently, as a mother would to a child who had misbehaved. Fiona felt the years stripped away and recalled the sad eyes of a lone Princess as she had apologized for all she had endured.
“I... I want...” Fiona’s eyes finally overflowed in tears and she shook against the restraints and splints holding her together. All her intelligence and dignity fled her and she began to wail. “I want to go home! I want to see my mountains and feel the wind again... the cold crisp air... I can't go back to the stuffy hole below the mountain.”
“Will you kill again if I let you go home?” Celestia's tone remained the same as the gryphon continued to cry like an infant, even the nurses and doctors watching from the doorway felt the prickle of tears in their eyes.
“No! no... I hope I never... never see a pony again... you chained me away... stole my lands and titles... beat me till I broke...  never... never again... Please, Princess! Please let me go home!” Her tears slowed to wracked sobs as Celestia looked over at her sister.
The Princess of the moon managed a weak smile and nodded her support before closing her eyes and lending her strength to Celestia's. Magic flowed between them and Celestia turned the focus onto the broken form laying upon the hospital bed.
Ancient magics swirled and drew together. Spells that had not been woven since the last great wars which tarnished the land began to awaken and respond to the command of the solar monarch. Bones rebuilt themselves and flesh knitted together once more. The bandages shredded and the splints fell away until she lay still, whole in body and beautiful once more.
She gasped and looked down at her body, able to wiggle her toes and twitch her tail, feeling everything together as joy filled her face. She turned her eyes to Celestia, intent on thanking the monarch for restoring her life but the look in the white alicorn's eyes made all her joy drain away to nothing. Fiona's pupils shrank to pinpricks and the gryphon found the tears returning though this time they were pure terror distilled by her own eyes.
Luna looked away and the nurses fled, closing the door as lines of shimmering heat rolled off Celestia's slowly unfurling wings, she leaned close and spoke softly, never raising her voice beyond her calm. Each syllable she spoke was overflowing with raw power which made the gryphon feel so very small.
“I was lenient with you before... far too much. I felt bad for all you suffered and endured at the hooves of my misguided ponies. I took you under my own wing, nursed you to health under my careful guidance. I saw in you the potential to be the greatest of allies to the lands and ponies of Equestria but you have tarnished that trust and shattered that future I so looked forward to. Perhaps in hope of rekindling the potential I saw in you, I have been kind. This, however, is your final chance. Now... give me the information... tell me who is behind all this... tell me who dares threaten me and my little ponies... tell me everything you know... or I shall take back what I have given... and leave you broken in a place where, I promise you, by the light of the heavens, you will never see the mountains or feel the fresh winter's breeze for the rest of your miserable, shattered life.”