//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: The Last Laugh // by Waffle134 //------------------------------// “War? There hasn’t been a war in the Griffon Kingdoms for centuries!” Celestia said, pacing back and forth. “Ever since the Iron Wing clan united the tribes, there has been only peace and prosperity. What changed?” “We don’t know,” Frauke said, shrugging. “Three days ago, the nobles gathered to decide tax laws and before we knew it the Kingdoms were in chaos between the two warring factions.” Celestia’s ears perked up at the word chaos. “On the day the war started, we saw a large group of nobles storm out of the palace,” Frauke continued. “Something was wrong with them; they were… different.” “It’s true,” Gisela added. “My master, Lord Pother, and the others that left had turned gray. He was always caring and kind to me, but on that day he was angry and all I did only served to irritate him more.” “It must have been some sickness,” Frauke said, “because half the city joined them when they left. They weren’t themselves, and it seems whoever they touched became just as gray as they were. They formed an army and declared war on our good King Kraut. “Luckily, those still normal drove them out and secured our capitol, Windsoar, and the surrounding territories. We have been at war ever since.” Celestia’s mind was racing. With Discord’s release, she was sure this was no coincidence. Altering personalities was a game Discord had always played, and as their personalities drained, so did their color. She had seen the same thing happen to Twilight’s friends, and now it seemed that Discord had done this to half of a kingdom. “You never answered her question,” Chrysalis said, suddenly. “What?” Frauke asked, tilting his head in confusion. “You never told us what the bandanas are for,” she said. She pointed toward the bright blue pieces of cloth wrapped around the two griffons’ heads. “These help us find out who has ‘turned,’” Gisela said. “I don’t know about ponies, but there are some griffons that are naturally colored gray. This bandana,” she pointed towards the colorful cloth, “lets us know if someone is still normal. When someone turns gray, so do any colored clothes they were wearing.” She paused for a little bit, thinking. “Think of it as our identification,” she finished. “If you have come here for Equestrian aid, we bear ill news,” Luna said, speaking up. “Things are not as they were the last time thy kingdom sent an emissary.” Frauke’s eyes opened wide. “You mean… you mean you couldn’t find a cure? But your head wizards had promised our ambassadors-” “We know what they promised,” Celestia interrupted. “And all of our efforts proved fruitless.” There was a moment of awkward silence as the griffons didn’t know what to say. Gisela rubbed her neck as she spoke, “I’m sorry, we didn’t realize… we didn’t know…” She trailed off into silence. “It’s alright,” Celestia said. “Now, you said you had a letter?” “Aw! Yes.” Frauke said, moving quickly to give the letter to Celestia. “It’s from our king, but, I don’t know if it’s relevant now.” Celestia grasped it in her magic and opened its seal. Luna walked to her side and Celestia held it for the both of them to see. To The Royal Princesses of Equestria, These are indeed terrible days. Even as I write, my kingdom is at war. To make matters worse, we rage war with ourselves. Some of my most loyal nobles and advisors have betrayed me and are threating the safety of the state. In accordance with our alliance, I hereby ask for the Equestria’s aid in maintaining order. Time is of the essence, for I fear if you do not act swiftly I will not be here to greet you. ~King Kraut “We had a hundred years,” Celestia said quietly to herself, “and now everything is happening at once.” She closed the letter and floated it into her saddlebag on the ground and levitated the saddlebag onto her back. “It just so happens that we were on our way to your king,” Celestia said to the two griffons. “Now that you have delivered your message, I assume you will be returning?” “That is correct,” Frauke answered. “Then you shall be our guides,” Celestia said smiling. “We need to get to your palace without being seen by any unfriendly eyes. Can you manage that?” Gisela saluted. “Yes your majesty.” Celestia turned from the still saluting griffon to Chrysalis. “This is your last chance to turn back, Chrysalis. As soon as we cross the seas, it will be too late to rethink your decision.” “Where will I go, back to the Hives?” Chrysalis laughed. Not the arrogant laugh Celestia had come to associate with her, but a real laugh. “Your subjects aren’t the only ones depending on the success of your mission,” Chrysalis continued. “Besides, you’re the only food source around. I’m staying,” she said resolutely. Celestia nodded. “So be it. We’ll fly from here.” Celestia opened her wings and lifted into the air, followed by Chrysalis and the two griffons. Luna hoisted her saddlebags onto her back and took to the air. As they rose, the vast blue expanse of the ocean opened in front of them. *** The soft sounds of the ocean rose from below the small group as they glided over its waters. The soothing sounds, however, had little effect on Celestia’s nerves. When Discord said he was spreading chaos everywhere, he had meant it. This was worrisome; he hadn’t been this aggressive when he had ruled Equestria all those years ago. Then, he had been content to torment the ponies of Equestria, now he seemed intent on encompassing the entire globe. And one of his first targets had been the Griffon Kingdoms. At the moment, it was night. While the sun and moon had settled into a more ordered pattern, they were still prone to fits of excitement, making telling the time of day impossible. Celestia had no idea how many hours had passed since they had left the coast. Normally it was a five hour journey, as the pegasus flies, to cross the ocean, but as her wings grew heavier and heavier, she wondered if they were approaching that time or if they had long since passed it. The group had started off flying as fast as they could, considering time to be of utmost importance, but as the miles dragged on they had settled to a steady pace. Celestia looked to her right to check on Luna and the two griffons. Luna looked as stoic as ever, but Celestia could tell that the griffons were struggling. If they didn’t reach the Griffon Kingdoms soon, they might have to carry them. She glanced left to Chrysalis. She was keeping in formation, not showing any noticeable signs of exhaustion, but Celestia knew that flying so far after what Chrysalis had been put through couldn’t be doing her any good. She had been rather quiet since they had left the Hives. Luna decreased her speed and grabbed onto Celestia’s tail, dragging them a little behind the two griffons. “I wish to ask thee, sister. Why hast thou not told them of Discord?” she said, motioning towards the two griffons ahead of them. Celestia suddenly found Chrysalis on her other side. “Yes, I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Chrysalis said. Celestia looked forward to check if the griffons had noticed yet. Luckily, they were too busy struggling to fly. “I don’t think it’s best to tell them,” she said. “I believe Discord has something to do with all the griffons acting differently and turning gray. They think it is some sort of disease, but I have seen Discord do this before and how do you think they would react if they learned that we were the ultimate cause of their problems? They certainly wouldn’t let us anywhere near their king, whom I’m sure knows where the Time Turner is.” Celestia shook her head resolutely. “No, it’s best if we don’t tell them.” Luna and Chrysalis nodded in agreement, and Luna flew forward towards the griffons. Chrysalis, however, remained behind for a moment. “We need to talk,” Chrysalis demanded. She wore a troubled face. Celestia raised her brow, but said nothing, waiting for Chrysalis to speak. She had noticed Chrysalis’s odd behavior earlier; maybe this was what had been troubling her. Chrysalis took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Ever since we left the Hives I’ve felt different,” she said hesitantly, avoiding eye contact. “I… I used to be so angry all the time but now…” She trailed off, letting several seconds of silence pass. “Now what?” Celestia urged. Chrysalis took another deep breath. “At first I thought it was because I was feeding again, but it’s not the same… I now realize… that I’m happy. My whole life I’ve sought power, thinking that would make me happy.” She screamed in exasperation as tears welled up. “So why is it now, when I’m at my weakest, that I finally find happiness?” “Oh, Chrysalis,” Celestia said, giving a weak smile. “Power doesn’t bring happiness.” Her eyes grew misty. “I know that better than most… “When Luna and I first ascended to the throne, I thought we were the greatest in in all of Equestria. We had just overthrown the Master of Chaos! The ponies of Equestria treated us as heroes!” Celestia gave a bitter smile. “I was a fool back then, a prideful fool. I became aloof from the ponies of Equestria, becoming the princess they treated me as.” Celestia pause for a moment. “But I realized something was wrong; I was unhappy. I couldn’t understand why! After all, I was the most powerful pony in all of Equestria! But then I met Dew Drop.” A smile began to play at the corners of her mouth. “She treated me like any other pony, and because of this I almost had her replaced as the chief gardener once!” Celestia smiled at the memory. “Strangely enough, it was this quality of hers that allowed her to become my closest friend, and I was the happiest I had ever been. At that moment my one friend was dearer to me than all the power in the world. Do you understand?” “I… I think I do.” Chrysalis said. “Your power didn’t bring any happiness. You were happy because…” a soft tear fell from Chrysalis’ cheek, “… because you had a friend.” Celestia smiled warmly. “It is not power that makes us happy, nor commanding others. It is spending time with others; helping them and in turn being helped ourselves. It is the magic of friendship.” Chrysalis wiped away her tears smiling. “Perhaps instead of feeding off the friendship of others, I should find it for myself.” "Pull up!" The two gave a powerful flap of their wings at the sound of Luna's voice, narrowly avoiding crashing into the massive cliffs emerging from the thick darkness ahead of them, towering far above the tumultuous waves of the ocean. The cliffs lined the waters as far as Celestia could see, fading into the night. They scaled the height of the cliffs, careful to avoid crashing into the hard rock. As they crested the dark cliffs, the sun jumped into the sky, the moon dropping below their line of sight. The two griffons landed with an audible thump in the tall grass, collapsing on the ground and gasping for breath. Luna landed gracefully, followed by Celestia and Chrysalis. Immediately they began surveying their surroundings from the grass they stood in, which easily rose to Celestia’s chest. Several large mountains dotted the distant skyline, their height in stark contrast to the flat, barren expanse in front of them. From the hill they stood on, they could see several villages scattered about the grassy plains. To the far north, a smoky haze hung over the horizon. “Shall we begin the concealing wards, sister?” Luna asked Celestia. “That depends on if we stay here to rest or continuing our journey,” Celestia replied. She turned towards the griffons lying on the ground. “Do you need to rest for much longer or can we carry on.” Gisela wheezed as she stood up. “No, we need to move. The sooner we get there the better.” She pointed north, towards the smoke. “King Kraut’s palace lies in that direction. Hopefully the rebel armies haven’t made it that far north yet.” “They weren’t very close when we left,” Frauke said between breaths,” but that was a full day and a half ago; anything could have happened.” “Then we shall continue forth,” Luna finished. Ready to take to the skies, she spread her wings out, only to be pushed down into the tall grass by Chrysalis. She motioned the others to keep down and stay quiet. She pointed towards the sky, where the group saw a flying party of gray griffons. Hopefully, the grass would be tall enough to conceal them. They waited patiently for the griffons to pass, only to be horrified as they circled and began to descend. As the griffons closed in, they could hear them talking. “Are sure you saw something?” one of the griffons said in a gruff voice. “Yes I’m sure,” one of the other griffons replied, his voice much more eloquent and refined. Unlike the other griffons, he wore a bandana on his head similar to Frauke’s and Gisela’s. Celestia guessed he was a recently turned member of King Kraut’s army. “Well I don’t see anything,” the first griffon replied. Six griffons landed only twenty feet from the group. Aside from the griffon with the bandana, they wore nothing but their weapons strapped to their back, ranging from large steel war hammers to heavy maces. The griffon with the bandana wore faded chainmail and metal shoulder pads. A heavy mace was strapped across his back. From the workmanship of the armor, Celestia guessed he had been a leader of some sort. “Spread out in a search pattern,” the griffon with the bandana said. “If anyone’s here, they’ll be hiding in the grass.” They began to fan out. Celestia crawled towards Luna and Chrysalis and motioned for the two griffons to do the same. They huddled in a circle, speaking in hushed whispers, careful to avoid being heard. “What should we do?” Celestia asked, looking around at the others in the group. “They’re going to find us, we need to act first.” “I think I know what we can do,” Chrysalis whispered. “Let’s just talk to them.” “Are you crazy!” Gisela said, struggling to keep her voice to a whisper. “Listen,” Chrysalis said, “they may be changed by this ‘disease’ but we don’t know if that makes them evil. Maybe they’ll listen to us.” “They started a war!” Frauke said, joining Gisela’s side. “They attack all normal griffons on sight! What’s not evil about that?” “But we’re not griffons,” Celestia chimed in. “They might not be hostile towards us.” She looked at Chrysalis. “I think it’s worth a shot,” Chrysalis said. “Chrysalis and I will see what we can do,” Celestia said. “Gisela and Frauke, I want you two to stay hidden. I don’t think having them see you will help. Luna, stay with them and help us if things go awry.” Luna and the two griffons nodded, staying low. Celestia and Chrysalis stood up and walked slowly towards the group of griffons searching through the grass. “I believe it is us you are looking for,” Celestia said calmly. The griffons reacted quickly, forming ranks in front of Celestia and Chrysalis. Some of them already had their weapons drawn. “Well look what we got here,” one of the gray griffons said. “A pretty pony and a Cheeseleg!” Chrysalis shifted uneasily and some of the griffons began to chuckle From behind her, Celestia heard a Luna’s whispered voice. “Cheeseleg? What’s a Cheeseled?” “It’s a slur from the Changeling war a long time ago,” Gisela whispered back. The griffon with the bandana pushed himself to the front of the group of gray griffons. He looked at each of the two menacingly, weighing them up. “Why are you here? These are not your lands,” he said. “You are not welcome here,” he added in a dangerously low voice. “We visit from the land of Equestria, across the sea. Have you heard of it?” Celestia responded. “Aye, I’ve heard of it,” he said, frowning. “I’ve also heard of the king’s attempt to contact them for help.” He narrowed his eyes. Celestia didn’t like where this was going. She needed to change the conversation quickly. “Tell me,” she said. “Where are you griffons headed to?” “We’re headed to the palace!” one of the larger griffons in the back of the gang said excitedly. “We got the king and the loyalists holed up in there!” “Quiet!” the griffon with the colorless bandana said, scolding the griffon. He drew the heavy mace from his back, his armor crinkling. “Can’t you see these are Equestrian scouts? You’re giving away our plans!” He motioned the group forward and the griffons circled Celestia and Chrysalis. “But that won’t matter much if they can’t tell anyone,” he said, grinning. “Now would be a good time to help!” Celestia shouted over her shoulder. Luna and the two griffons sprang from the grass, pinning two of the gray griffons down and opening a gap. Celestia and Chrysalis ran through the opening and took to the skies, followed closely by Luna, Frauke, and Gisela. From behind her, Celestia could hear the echoing shouts of the griffon leader. “I told you! They’re working with the loyalists! After them!” Sure enough, the gray griffons were on their tails, easily catching up to the group, which were still tired from flying beforehand. Celestia heard a scream behind her and glanced back to see one of the griffons grabbing Frauke from behind. Celestia shivered, seeing the gray spread from Frauke’s lion-like legs, covering his entire convulsing body. He dropped from the sky, quickly caught by one of the other griffons. Thinking quickly, Celestia encased the group in her magic and with a golden flash teleported them to the ground below, leaving the corrupted Frauke behind. She quickly hid in the tall grass, concealing herself. Far above them they saw the griffons reeling in surprise. Their cries echoed down. “Where did they go? They were right there!” “It’s foul pony magic, it is!” “They must have gone to the castle,” Frauke’s voice echoed.“After them! We can’t let them see the king!” The griffons turned and flew towards the smoky horizon, leaving Celestia and the others unnoticed. Celestia sighed in relief. Celestia heard Gisela whimpering. “They… they got Frauke,” Gisela said quietly. “He’s one of them now…” She stared into space, shocked at what had just happened. Chrysalis gave Celestia a look and walked to Gisela’s side. She put a comforting hoof around her as Gisela sobbed. *** Several hours had passed since they had lost Frauke. The sun had set and risen several times, leaving it night. They had traveled for the first hour, but eventually the groups of discorded griffons travelling to the besieged palace had forced them stay in one spot. Setting up their magical wards, they could move freely about, but every second that passed burned into Celestia’s soul. She knew that at any moment the palace could fall, and when that happened they had almost no chance of retrieving the Time Turner. They had managed to walk to within sight of the palace, and it taunted them all the more. A constant stream of griffons poured overhead, flying like moths toward the flames of Windsoar, the Griffon Kingdom capitol. Inside the capital the king’s palace stood tall, untouched by the flames. Gisela hadn’t said a word since they started traveling to the palace. She now sat quietly in the middle of the protected field. Chrysalis hadn’t left her side. Luna stood to Celestia’s right, scanning the dark skies for any change in the stream of griffons flying above, looking for a chance to make a dash for the capitol. “I think we shall have to fight our way from here, sister,” Luna said. Celestia surveyed the skies, weighing her options before answering. “I think you may be right, we’re running out of time.” Celestia sighed. “It seems to be something we excel at these days.” “Be of good cheer, sister,” Luna said, smiling. “Our goal is within sight.” The flames of the capitol painted the clouds above a brilliant orange. “In sight and in flames,” Celestia replied solemnly.