//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 25th, 2559
//
//22:08 Local Time
Can I just start off by saying how much I hate, no... despise gryphons? I mean fuck... it took twenty minutes for my nose to stop bleeding after the meeting went south. Though I should be more mad at the minotaurs for instigating the whole thing. So yeah, as you can probably guess, the meeting thing nearly ended up in a brawl between the gryphons, minotaurs, and us humans. I suppose it’s a good thing I decided to take Celestia’s advice and wear full combat armor.
Anyway, the gryphons, minotaurs, and zebras are all leaving tomorrow morning to return to their respective nations. The deer however, have elected to stick around. All I know is that their Queen wants to meet with me and Celestia tomorrow morning. Hopefully that doesn’t end with me having to kick someone elses ass.
I also learned today that dragons can magically change their body sizes. So the huge dragons we saw flying in were present at the meeting, just in the form of two average sized humanoids.
So yeah... weird shit happened. Although, I will say it was still a productive meeting.
Now for the part that worries me a bit. I’m not sure if Celestia realizes this, but I’m guessing that the gryphons are gearing up for something big. If I had to guess, I would say they intend to declare war against Equestria and Ecotonia by the end of next month. Call me paranoid, but that’s my prediction.
//End Log
The dining hall was alive with the sound of a dozen conversations as Daniel, Zerom, and Dior entered the room. They were met by an incredible sigh. Before them sat a massive circular table where the usual long one once sat. Around the table sat three of each race. A number of guards were clearly visible along the walls and at each entry point, just in case something went wrong.
Celestia was the first to notice the humans and beckoned them over with a nod of her head.The room suddenly went silent as all eyes at the table shifted to the three humans. Celestia then stood to address the table.
“Everyone, I would like to introduce Captain Daniel Ryan, Commander Jonathan Zerom, and Commander Lisa Dior of the UNSC,” the Princess said with her usual warm smile.
“Heh. These are the super powerful aliens you spoke of? They look like sickly shaved diamond dogs.” The large minotaur chief said with a chuckle as he leaned back in his chair.
“That’s enough.” Snapped Celestia as she turned to Daniel. “Captain Ryan, allow me to introduce our world’s leaders. Chief Grey Horn of the minotaur tribes, King Varen Windscar of the gryphon empire, High Shaman Rezana of the zebra nation, Queen Cervidae of the deer empire, Flight Master Garon of the dragon nomads,and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire.”
“A pleasure.” Daniel replied with a polite nod to each.
Everyone in the room then took their seats as waiters emerged from a side room and placed menus in front of everyone. The room remained silent as everyone decided what they would have to eat. As Daniel was deciding on dinner, he glanced up to see Varen eyeing him with a scrutinizing gaze.
“Is there something you need, sir?” Daniel said with a blank face.
The gryphon chuckled. “No, I’m simply interested to see what you pick for diner.”
Daniel closed his menu and looked across the table at the gryphon king.
“Care to make a recommendation?” Daniel said as he leaned back in his seat.
Varen smiled slightly before replying. “The sauted chicken breast is good. Though hydra steaks are incredible when done properly.”
Daniel turned to the waiter behind him. “I’ll take a hydra steak, medium rare, and a hard cider.”
The gryphon king began to chuckle. “A predator eh?” He then turned to Celestia. “I’m surprised you’ve been keeping a bunch of carnivores in your midst.”
“Omnivores actually. Humans are omnivores.” Daniel corrected.
“Just the same.” Varen said with a smile.
“Hmph. I don’t care if they eat meat. They still look puny and weak.” Chief Grey Hoof said with a scowl. He then turned his gaze to Dior. “Though, I can’t fathom why you would allow your cows to serve in any sort of military role. They are weak and inferior.”
“I’m going to stop you right there.” Daniel quickly stated. “First off, referring to a human female as a cow is considered incredibly insulting. I’ll just write that off as ignorance on your part. Second, humanity got past gender differences a long time ago.”
“Still, a female has no place on the battlefield.” Grey Hoof said as he brought a fist down on the table.
“This coming from the guy who looks like a bull fucked a monkey.” Dior commented with a straight face.
The room was silent for a moment before the gryphons and dragons erupted into laughter. Chief Grey Hoof glared at the SPARTAN with pure rage, but dared not to act upon it. Queen Cervidae and her two aids were doing their best to not laugh, while Celestia merely shook her head. Cadance and Rezana sat in shock as they tried to process what Dior had just said.
“Celestia,” Garon said as he wiped a tear from his eye, “these humans are the greatest thing I have ever seen. Insulting a minotaur chief to his face without even hesitating.”
Eventually the table broke out into smaller conversation as everyone waited for their meals to arrive. Daniel was happily talking with the deer queen next to him when dinner finally arrived. A unicorn waiter set a large, thick cut steak in front of Daniel, followed by a silver mug of hard cider. The room once again became silent as everyone enjoyed their meals.
Daniel was happily enjoying his steak when he reached for the hard cider. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the drink. It smelled of green apples with a much sharper and more pointed scent beneath it. He wasn’t sure what was giving it that smell, but shrugged and took a sip.
He immediately regretted his decision as he nearly choked on the drink. This earned a chuckle from the gryphon king.
“What’s the matter? Equestrian liquor too strong for you?” the gryphon said with a smirk.
“No, just wasn’t expecting the salt.” Daniel said as he choked on the remnants of the drink. “I was expecting something with alcohol.”
The gryphon king smiled at this. “Humans drink alcohol?”
“Yeah, ethanol to be precise.” Daniel said with a nod.
“Waiter!” Varen called out. A unicorn waiter quickly trotted up to the king. “Bring the good Captain a glass of dragon fire whiskey.”
“Right away, sir,” the waiter said as he trotted off.
Celestia looked to the pair with an uneasy gaze. “Just make sure the two of you keep it under control. I don’t need this turning into a drinking contest.”
“Of course, Princess.” Varen said politely.
A few minutes later the waiter emerged from a side room and placed a glass of a dark red liquid in front of Daniel. The human carefully picked up the glass and took a deep whiff. It had a very powerful spice to it and a few other scents that Daniel couldn’t identify. With a shrug, he took a sip and then downed the entire glass.
Varen and most of the table watched in shock as Daniel drank the entire glass in a single gulp. He then set the glass down and seemed to ponder what he had just drank.
“Hmm, now that’s better. Interesting flavor... a nice mix of spice and sweet with the lovely smoky taste that I would expect from a whiskey.” Daniel said with a grin.
Soon dinner came to an end as waiters quickly moved in to remove the empty plates. Everyone at the table continued to engage in light conversation, until Princess Cadance spoke up.
“So, Captain Ryan, tell us a bit about yourself.” She said with a smile.
“Alright.” Daniel said with a nod. “Well I’ve been a UNSC ODST for twenty years and an ONI ship captain for ten years.”
“UNSC? ODST? ONI?” Queen Cervidae asked with her head tilted in confusion.
“UNSC is short for United Nations Space Command. ONI stands for Office of Naval Intelligence. ODST stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.” The Captain replied.
“Wait... orbital? Like... space?” The deer Queen said with a look of absolute shock.
Daniel nodded. “Yup. ODSTs use a special vehicle to drop from the underside of an orbiting ship. It’s a form of rapid deployment onto a planet’s surface.”
“That’s... incredible. And it’s totally safe?” The Queen asked with enthusiasm.
The Captain laughed as he shook his head. “Not in the slightest. There is a chance you could burn up in the atmosphere, and die. Or you could crash into another pod, and die. Then you could be hit by anti-air guns, and die. Finally, you could hit the ground too quickly, and die. So no, it’s not safe at all.”
“Then why would your military make anyone do it?” Queen Cervidae asked with a horrified look.
“ODSTs are all volunteers.” Daniel stated matter-of-factly.
“I see. Still, I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly put themselves in such incredible peril.” The queen said, slightly relieved.
Daniel then turned back to Cadance. “Does that answer a bit?”
“It does.” The pink alicorn replied. “Though I suppose I will save my other questions for tomorrow.”
“Princess Celestia, I’m surprised your sister isn’t here.” Garon asked as he leaned forward in his seat.
“She will be joining us later after night court.” Celestia stated.
“Oh joy.” King Varen deadpanned.
“What was that?” Celestia said with an accusing tone.
“You heard me. I don’t want to even be in the same room as Nightmare Moon.” The King huffed.
Celestia was doing her best to glare a pair of holes through the gryphon king’s head as she replied.
“Don’t you dare refer to my sister as that monster. She has every right to be here, and nothing you say or do can change that.” Her tone was dripping with venom as she continued her stare.
“Alright, alright... let’s just all calm down before someone does something foolish.” Daniel said in a calming tone.
“Yes, Celestia, perhaps you should take the human’s advice.” The gryphon said with a smirk.
Celestia shot him an angry look before turning back to the conversation.
“Another question, if I may. I noticed one of the castle towers is missing.” The dragon said with an inquisitive look.
Celestia sighed. “Nothing gets by you, does it Garon.”
The dragon merely chuckled.
“There was... an incident a few weeks ago that rendered Luna’s tower uninhabitable.” Daniel cut in.
“Oh? Mind sharing what that might have been?” The Zebra shaman asked with an inquisitive look.
“Not at this time. We are still investigating the exact cause.” Celestia quickly finished.
It was at that point that the table occupants began to file out of the grand dining hall and back toward their respective quarters. Daniel and the two Commanders were quietly walking back to their ship when a voice caught the Captain’s attention.
“Captain Ryan! A moment?” Queen Cervidae called out behind him.
Daniel turned to face the deer queen approaching from behind. She was about as tall as Luna, with a dark brown coat covered in small white spots across her back.
“You two head on back.” He said to the other two humans. “Yes, your Highness?”
“Please, call me Cervidae.” The Queen said with a chuckle.
“So how can I help you?” The Captain said while standing at a parade rest.
“Well, I was hoping to get a glance at your spacecraft. If that’s alright, of course.” She said with a sheepish grin.
“I suppose I could show you a bit. Word has it that you are preparing to launch a spacecraft of your own.” The Captain said as the pair began to make their way to the Tuscany.
“Ah, so Celestia has mentioned that project. Yes. It is a joint effort between our two nations. Equestria has provided a substantial amount of funding and various tools. Ecotonia has been providing the science and the construction.” The deer Queen said with a proud grin.
“Is this going to be a manned flight?” The Captain asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Sorry, poor choice of words. Will this spacecraft have a crew?” Daniel asked with a shake of his head.
“Oh, yes. There will be five crew members. There will be three deer, a pegasus, and a unicorn.” She replied with a nod.
“I’d love to see the ship sometime.” Daniel said with a smile.
“Well... that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.” The queen said as they reached the door to the gardens.
“Alright, beyond this door lie the castle gardens and my ship. Ready?” Daniel asked, trying to build suspense.
“Oh yes.” Cervidae said with excitement. Daniel paused before opening the door to reveal the gardens.
As the door swung open, the pair were met by nothing. The ship was nowhere to be seen.
“Ummm... where’s the ship?” Queen Cervidae asked while looking at Daniel with a concerned face.
Daniel sighed and rolled his eyes. “Figures. One sec.”
The Captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a small electronic device.
“What is that?” The deer queen asked while trying to get a better look at the strange device.
“It’s a personal data pad; basically a small tablet computer. It does a lot of different functions, however, it also lets me check on the ship’s systems. I can even control some of them from here with an override command. So let’s see here... ah, here we go. Optical cloaking field.. off.”
As Daniel pressed the button on his data pad, the optical cloak around the Tuscany shimmered and vanished, revealing the Prowler sitting proudly in the gardens.
“Shall we?” The Captain said, motioning toward the open hangar ramp.
As the pair began to make their way to the ramp, another voice caught the Captain’s attention.
“Daniel!”
The human sighed and turned to see who was trying to get his attention. This time, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were trotting up to meet him.
“Yes Princess?” Daniel said politely.
“Have you seen Luna around? No one seems to know where she is?” Cadance said with concern.
“What do you mean no one knows where she is? Wasn’t she in the throne room?” Daniel said with worry.
“She was, but a few minutes ago we heard yelling coming from the throne room. When we went to check on it, the room was empty.” Shining Armor reported.
“Alright... I think I know where she is. C’mon.” Daniel said, motioning for the two to follow.
The four of them quickly made their way into the hangar bay of the Tuscany. Queen Cervidae was trying to take in every little detail of the ship as the entered, while Cadance and Shining remained focused on finding Luna. The group quickly moved out of the the hangar deck and into the passageways that made up the ship’s interior. Crew members would quickly move against the bulkheads to give the group space to pass.
“Captain, I have to wonder how your ship deals with foreign contaminants. Surely there are decontamination protocols you must follow.” The queen asked while still looking at every piece they passed.
“That’s an interesting point. When we first arrived the ship was completely sterile, and it still is. Though the crew have been acclimating to the new environment. There are multiple systems that all work to keep the ship clean and safe. See the lights above you?” The queen looked up at the lights in the ceiling. “Those lights are actually giving off low level UV rays, killing any microorganisms that were living on you. Even the air is filtered and bombarded by UV light an other decontaminants.”
“That’s incredible.” Cervidae said with continuing wonder.
Eventually the group reached their destination; the galley. Daniel motioned for the group to stop before slowly sliding the door open. Inside were three figures sitting at a table. Luna, Chef, and Spotlight were all sitting together in silence at a table near a window. Three metal mugs and a pitcher sat in the middle of the table. The only audible sound was the hum of the engines.
Daniel turned to Cadance and Shining. “Yup. She’s here.” He said as he stepped aside to allow them entry.
Cadance and Shining slowly made their way in and began walking toward Luna’s table. Daniel and Cervidae simply watched from the doorway. The three occupants at the table quickly looked to see who had entered the room. Luna’s ears were pinned back until she saw Cadance walking toward her. Though Shining Armor froze about halfway across the room with a snarl on his face as he spotted the changeling sitting at the table.
Spotlight noticed this and quickly turned back to the table and dropped his forehead against the tabletop.
“Ah shit.” He muttered.
“Relax Shining, he won’t bite.” Luna offered quietly.
Shining hesitated for a moment before approaching the table, never taking his eyes off the changeling.
“Luna, what happened? I heard yelling from the throne room and then you were gone when I went to check.” Cadance said with a wing draped over Luna’s back.
“The new gryphon king decided to pay me a visit.” The lunar Princess replied weakly. The fur around her eyes still damp. “I’m not ready for this kind of thing...”
“Nonsense. You’re doing a great job with the night court.” Cadance said warmly.
“Cadance... nopony comes to the night court.” Luna deadpanned.
“Oh...” The pink alicorn said sheepishly.
“But why did you come here?” Shining asked, never taking an eye off the cowering changeling.
“Because I’ve been living here for the past two or so weeks.” Luna said with a slight shrug.
“Really? Why not in one of the guest chambers?” Shining was rather taken aback by her answer.
“You want to know why? Because quite frankly these humans have been kinder to me in the past few weeks than most ponies have been in a few years!” Luna practically shouted back.
Cadance looked to Chef who only offered a shrug.
“I-I-I’m sorry Luna... I didn’t know...” Cadance said meekly.
Daniel glanced out into the hallway and flagged down a passing crew member. The crewman quickly made his way to Captain Ryan and the deer Queen.
“Yes Captain?” The crewman said while standing at attention.
“Queen Cervidae, this is Master Chief Greg Cazaras, he will give you a brief tour of the ship. I would love to do it myself, but I have a feeling I’ll be needed here in a moment.” The Captain said with an apologetic tone.
“There is no need to apologize, Captain. It is quite alright. I will see you in the morning.” Cervidae said as she bowed her head.
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daniel watched as the two made their way down the passageway and toward the bridge. He then turned back to the galley and walked up and sat between Luna and Chef.
“So Luna, I’m curious as to what Varen said,” Daniel commented as he poured himself a cup of hot chocolate.
“He said I had better stay away from the meeting tomorrow or bad things might happen.” Luna replied as she looked down at her reflection in the table.
“That’s vague and incredibly cliche. Did he say anything else?” Daniel asked as he shook his head in disappointment.
“Oh, some things about me not fooling anyone. How I’m still Nightmare Moon and how I will be the first one to die.” The lunar Princess said as she ruffled her wings, causing a loose primary feather to fall to the deck.
“Woah, woah, woah. First one to die?” Spotlight instantly shot up in shock.
Luna nodded. “He didn’t go into anything further than that, so I’m not sure what he meant.”
Daniel bit his upper lip for a moment before speaking. “Well... if that doesn’t constitute a threat, then I don’t know what does.”
“Yeah. Though, there really isn’t anything you can do about it.” Shining added.
“Well, nothing direct at least. We can take preventative measures.” Daniel said with a slight grin.
“Such as?” Shining asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Now that would spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it.” Daniel chuckled. “Well, I think we should get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to be late to the party.” Spotlight said with a sarcastic chuckle.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Daniel said as his eyes drifted to the indigo feather on the deck. He reached down and picked it up before twirling it in his fingers. “Hmmm... I have an idea.” He said as he glanced to Luna.
The alicorn looked at him and the feather with a perplexed look. “Ummm... okay?”
“Spotty, go get Andrew. We’re going to the armory.” Daniel said with a sly grin before getting up and walking out of the galley.
“Umm... yes sir?” Spotlight said with a tilted head, even though Daniel was already long gone.
~~~
It was early the following morning as all the foreign leaders were filing into the grand hall that had been used for their dinner the previous night. What was different about today was the attire. Each leader was wearing something ornate, whether it was a set of elaborate armor, or a long elegant dress, everyone had something to show their status. Everyone was already seated when the three humans entered, and Luna, entered
Everyone, including Celestia, was shocked at what the humans were wearing. Daniel was wearing his usual ODST body armor and helmet. Commander Dior walked beside him in her Mark V Security armor, while Commander Zerom wore a set of standard marine combat armor. What no one noticed was that each human carried an energy sword hilt, which they had happily liberated from a Covenant supply pod back on Reach. What everyone did notice was that their armor was all a very familiar dark indigo, the same color that belonged to a certain Princess of the night who stood next to the ODST.
King Varen looked ready to explode, while Celestia was utterly confused at the display. Her confusion was only doubled as she noticed a single indigo feather hanging from Daniel’s left pauldron.
The four quietly took their seats and removed their helmets before setting them on the table in front of them.
“Well then. Now that we are all here, shall we begin?” Celestia said while looking to each leader.
“I thought I made it clear that I would not be in the same room as that loathsome bitch.” Varen said with a snarl.
“And I thought I made it clear that she has every right to be present at this gathering.” Celestia countered with an angry glare of her own.
“Well this is going great so far.” Dior said with an amused smile.
“Be silent, cow. I can tolerate the Princess’s being here, but a lowly female such as yourself has no place in politics.” Chief Grey Horn said with absolute arrogance.
“Captain, permission to kill him? Slowly?” Dior asked as she looked to Daniel.
“Only if he hits first,” Daniel said with a shrug.
“And you!” Varen shouted as he pointed at Daniel. “How could you possibly stand to be around that whore of a Princess! I thought you were better than that.”
Daniel’s face contorted into an intense glare as he looked to the gryphon king before standing up and leaning over the large table.
“Alright, listen here you scraggly feathered fuck. I’m getting tired of you bitching and complaining about every little thing that you disapprove of. Especially when you decide to pick on someone who has done nothing, nor said anything ill, about you. So sit the fuck down and shut your ass up until you have something constructive to add. Clear?” The table sat in stunned silence as the human finished his rant. “Am I fucking clear?! I expect a fucking answer!”
“I am a king! You have no right to speak to me in such a tone!” The gryphon king shouted back.
“King? You led a fucking military coup and ousted the actual Emperor.” Daniel said with a scoff
“How could you possibly know that!” The gryphon said with a deep snarl.
“Like it was hard to figure out. Hell, I know this whole time you’ve been bullshitting me with this fake sense of friendliness.” Daniel said with a smirk.
“I take offence to that!” The gryphon shouted.
“You can’t bullshit an expert bullshitter. And quite frankly you have been spouting more bullshit than that minotaur.” Captain Ryan said, pointing to Chief Grey Horn.
“I’ve had enough of you. Here you stand, insulting the honor and integrity of both myself and Chief Grey Horn. We hereby challenge you to a duel of honor.” The gryphon sneered.
“That is quite enou-” Celestia said as she was cut off by Garon.
“Princess, you of all ponies should understand how important honor and tradition are to both the gryphons and minotaurs. If you try to stop this duel then you will be dishonoring both of their cultures. A course of action which I feel would be counter productive to our goals here.” The dragon stated calmly.
Celestia sighed and bowed her head before motioning with a hoof for the duel to proceed. “Very well. Though you must conduct this duel outside in the gardens. I will not have it in my castle. Fair?”
“More than so.” Varen said without taking his eyes off Daniel.
“Let’s go then.” Daniel said as everyone at the table stood up and made their way outside.
Everyone in the dining hall quickly filed outside to the castle gardens. The four fighters quickly found themselves in a ring comprised of the various leaders and their aids as well as a number of guards that seemed to grow with every passing second.
Daniel and Dior quickly fitted their helmets and prepared themselves.
“So is this a fight to the death or till one guy surrenders?” Daniel asked as he checked his gear.
“You may not kill your opponent.” Garon announced.
Daniel nodded and looked to Dior. “Good luck, Commander.”
“I make my own luck.” The SPARTAN replied defiantly.
Garon then stepped in to the middle of the ring and looked to the four fighters.
“In respect to the traditions of both the gryphons and the minotaurs, we are here to settle a dispute of honor. It will be a duel, not to the death, but to subdue. The fights will happen one at a time, starting with Chief Grey Horn and Commander Dior.” With that, the dragon walked out of the ring and joined the spectators.
Grey Horn and Dior began to circle each other, the minotaur chief snorting and glaring at the SPARTAN. With a stomp of his hoof, Grey Horn leaned forward and prepared to charge. Dior quickly stopped circling her target and prepared for the minotaur to attack. In a flash of movement, the minotaur charged the human with his horns pointed forward.
Everyone gasped as the human stood strong and leaned forward to receive the charge. She brought her hands forward and prepared for the impact.
“What is she doing!” A voice murmured.
“Is she crazy?” Another said with shock.
“Well this won’t last long at all.” The gryphon king chuckled.
To the shock of everyone in the ring, the SPARTAN grabbed the charging minotaur by the horns and was quickly sliding back in the dirt. However, she remained upright and started to push back. In a few seconds, Dior had completely stopped the charging minotaur and was holding his head by the horns.
In a single move, she brought her armored knee up, where it connected with the chief’s jaw, sending him flying onto his back. Everyone watched in stunned silence as the human incapacitated the minotaur chief in a matter of seconds. Though, there were two others who did not approve of the results.
Grey Horn’s two aids rushed from the circle and attacked the SPARTAN. The first aid swung at the human, his fist hitting her square in the back. The impact made her stagger forward for a moment before she turned around to face her new attacker. The two minotaurs stood next to each other as they faced the SPARTAN.
“You hit like a bitch.” Dior said with a laugh.
Both minotaurs ran forward and began to swing, trying to catch the SPARTAN on the side. The first minotaur swung high on her right, while the second one tried to jab forward into her gut. The SPARTAN jumped back to avoid the jab and then grabbed the fist of the one on the right. She quickly pulled his arm down, causing him to fall to the grass. She brought an armored boot down on the minotaur’s back, pinning him to the ground.
The minotaur on the left took advantage of this and rushed forward, knocking the SPARTAN back, freeing the first minotaur. Both fighters looked at the human and ran forward with renewed vigor. They quickly began throwing wild blows, trying to connect with the heavily armored human.
Dior seemed to be enjoying herself as she blocked and deflected every attack. After spending almost a minute deflecting and blocking, she felt it was time to end the fight.
In one swift motion she kicked the minotaur on the left in the chest, sending him to the grass. She then spun around and brought a fist against the side of the other minotaur’s head. While he was stunned, she wrapped an arm around his neck and began to choke him out.
Dior, now with a minotaur suffocating in her grasp, twisted and pulled him to the ground with her as she straddled the minotaur’s neck. As the first minotaur struggled to break free, she wrapped her legs around the other’s neck, squeezing with her thighs.
“Shh, shh, shh. No tears, only dreams.” The SPARTAN whispered into the minotaur between her thighs.
A series of gasps followed as everyone watched the SPARTAN choke out both minotaurs at the same time. After a few seconds, the one under her arm began to slow his struggle, before becoming still. The one between her thighs was desperately trying to break the human off, but to no avail. As his body spent the last of it’s oxygen, he slowed down and eventually stopped moving. Dior gave it a few seconds before releasing both unconscious minotaurs.
The SPARTAN untangled herself from the mass of bodies and stood proudly over her opponents.
“Well that was fun.” Dior chuckled as she looked around.
A couple dozen guards and human sailors had joined the crowd of spectators. The humans all broke out cheering as the SPARTAN walked out of the ring. A number of guards proceeded to remove the three unconscious minotaurs from the fighting ring in preparation for the next round of combat.
“Alright Varen. It’s just you and me now.” Daniel said with a grin, his visor unpolarized.
The two fighters stepped into the ring and assumed positions similar to that of Dior and Grey Horn. Daniel chuckled as glared at the gryphon across from him.
Varen was the first to attack, lunging forward toward the ODST. Daniel quickly dropped and rolled to the right, dodging the charge. Varen suddenly used his wings to propel himself forward to close the distance to the human.
Daniel was caught by surprise as a massive eagle claw caught him in the breastplate, causing him to stumble and fall onto his back. Varen quickly got on top of the human and pounced on his chest repeatedly.
He continued to repeat this until Daniel brought his head forward, catching the massive avian predator in the face. As Varen screeched in pain, Daniel scurried out from under the predator and quickly struck the king in the head multiple times.
The two proceeded to trade blows and block each other’s attacks for almost a full minute before the gryphon king grabbed the human by the helmet and pulled him to the ground. Daniel twisted to his right and pulled back, slipping out of his helmet. The king looked at the piece of armor and dropped it to the ground.
“Not so tough without your armor it seems.” The king sneered.
“Still good enough to whomp your sorry ass.” Daniel replied with a laugh.
Varen lunged forward and used his wings to kick up a dust cloud, blinding the human. While Daniel was temporarily blinded, the gryphon swung a hard right hook and caught the Captain in the face.
Daniel was sent rolling across the grass circle before coming to rest at the hooves of Princess Luna. He looked up at her as blood flowed freely from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth. He shot a grin up at her as the gryphon king grabbed the human by the feet and dragged him back to the center. Just as he was about to finish the human, Daniel quickly brought a foot up into the gryphon’s crotch, slamming into a particularly sensitive area.
Varen screamed in pain as Daniel casually got up and got stood in front of the king before bringing his fists up. Daniel then began to narrate his movements.
“Up, down, up, down, left, left, right, right, A, B!” Just as Daniel finished his dance, he brought a single fist up under the king’s chin.
The Captain then walked back behind the stunned gryphon before bending over and wrapping his arms around the king’s waist. With a mighty heave, Daniel lifted the gryphon up and quickly bent backwards, using the gryphon’s weight to propel him up and over the ODST before falling back down on the king’s head.
Only one of the fighters got up from the maneuver. Daniel slowly stood, shaking off bits of grass and wiping blood from his facial wounds. He shot the gryphon one final glance before walking back toward the Tuscany.
“I’ll be in medical if anyone needs me.” Daniel called out over his shoulder for all to hear.
Everyone stood in shocked silence for a moment before the dragon Flight Master began to slowly clap. This was soon echoed by the stomping of hooves from the guards and energetic clapping from the human spectators.
Zerom looked around the circle and chuckled.
“Well that was fun. Shall we break for lunch?” He said with a beaming smile.