//------------------------------// // Marching Death // Story: Least Faithful Student // by Dexter Helix //------------------------------// Author's note for returning readers; Some of you may have noticed that Season 3 doesn't get along with this fic perfectly well. I'm still going to finish it, as planned, and I'm not planning on modifying it to match the new Season 3 canon. For the most part, things are still mostly okay... Though my Twilight doesn't have wings. There are a few other less-important divergences, as well. I'm not complaining or anything— This is just part of writing fanfiction for an ongoing series. If the show is any good, it will do its own worldbuilding, and my hypotheses will be invalidated from time to time. I'm okay with that. I'm not bitter, I'm still enjoying the show, and I'm still enjoying writing this story. I am deeply sorry for the hiatus between the last update and this one. Between two part-time jobs, and standardized testing, and grad school, my life has been rather hectic. All those things are going BLOODY FANTASTIC, though, so all the effort has been paying off. I'm getting back into the swing of things, and I hope I'll be able to publish chapters a little more regularly. The story is heating up, right about now, and I don't want to let a little mistake somewhere ruin it. If you're worried you might not remember exactly what's happened so far (Don't feel bad, it has been 10 bloody months since an update happened), and you don't particularly feel like going back and reading 30,000 words over again, I've taken the liberty of summarizing the most important details of the story here; http://www.fimfiction.net/story/130474/ So, without further ado, Allonsy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter: Marching Death Xenea Churchier was Equestria's leading panthaccipologist and Celestia's personal consultant on griffons, renowned for knowing everything that was worth knowing about the race. During the last griffon war, she developed a method by which she could observe a formation of griffons without putting herself in the slightest bit of danger— a few good obfuscation spells allowed her to document every event in unprecedented detail, from a perspective that rivaled that of a soldier on either side. In that war, as she had noted, Sigrund had unleashed such fury on the state of Atheria that their leaders surrendered unconditionally in only two hours. Having taken control of the last military state other than his own, 'Sigrund the Conquerer' became 'Sigrund the Great', and the other griffon city states were easily folded into his empire until every griffon was united under a single flag. Evidence suggests that griffons may have lived in such a way thousands of years ago, but almost no records exist from that era. Their folklore only goes as far back as some 'great war', in which 'the sky was ripped asunder, and the frost-giants ruled over all land'. The story bears striking and undeniable similarity to the Hearth's Warming Eve mythos, but this is dismissed as coincidence in most academic circles. Sigrund led his armies in a most fearsome and efficient way, equipping his soldiers with advanced weapons. His first battle was fought with spears, but his last battle was won with weapons never seen before— machines that could spray musket balls at a rate of hundreds per second, and large incendiary rounds that could be hurled, launched, and dropped to obliterate anything within three meters of the point of impact, and maim anyone within ten meters. The soldiers themselves were equally fearsome; they were trained up to, and typically many times beyond, the limits of griffon physiology. Additionally, they were known to wear armor of dragon hides that had been carefully treated to maintain their magical defensive properties, and also to decorate themselves with the feathers of those they had killed. They would march in great numbers, some on the ground, others in the sky, forming a formidable and fast-approaching wall. Those brave souls who didn't run were mowed down, and then consumed. As if that wasn't enough to break the enemy's will, Sigrund himself would frequently lead the charge, not contented to stay behind and let others kill for him. Some said that he did this out of a sadistic need to see and taste blood. Still others said he thought so highly of himself that he would never trust another general to lead the charge. But the fact of the matter, Xenea thought, was different entirely. Their greatest weapons were not the technological marvels that Sigrund's genius brought them. The source of the power in their army was not their armor, or their sheer numbers. Sigrund was their most powerful weapon. He killed more than any other— struck more fear into the hearts of his enemies. Sigrund had something that no other griffon had. He had a horn. He could do magic, alter the field of battle, strengthen his troops— even directly boost the morale of his own soldiers, while striking pure sadness and pain directly into the hearts of his enemies. Late in his career, it was uncommon for any blood to be shed in the course of winning a state, the all-too-proud Atheria being the greatest exception. But Xenea wasn't sure what to expect here. There was no way that Celestia was going to give in to Sigrund— Equestria would not become a part of the Griffon Empire. Politics aside, Sigrund's magic is of little import compared to Celestia's, Captain Armor's shielding spell is enough to repel the horde indefinitely, and Princess Cadence's heart-changing skills are sufficient to overcome Sigrund's empathic attacks. Not to mention the Princesses' protege, the legendary Twilight Sparkle, envy of unicorns across the land. She could match the skills of all three of those ponies; some rumors shared around the university watercooler suggested that she could take on all three at once and win, though the biomagic studies department usually scoffs at such sentiments, citing that ambient magic levels would be insufficient for one to take on three in such extreme conditions. However, many argue that they are underestimating how big an impact cleverness can make in such a duel. Of course, those four would never get into a fight. Celestia was so very protective of her student— Academy faculty and students are barred from approaching or initiating conversation with her, and in the unlikely event that she intentionally started a conversation with you, you were expected to keep it brief and steer clear of discussing her magical abilities. It seems so strange to keep her so isolated; so very strange that many believe that she is privy to confidential information— secrets of the state. Some ponies, especially a few fringe-types in the history department, and one loony in the biomagical studies department, thought that Twilight may be the 'Element of Magic'— a mythical title bestowed to a sort of warrior-priestess hero who harnesses ancient weapons to do battle with powerful evil entities. It's exactly as silly as it sounds. She's just a talented pony with excellent training and connections; no more and no less. Surely, if such a powerful weapon existed— Xenea's considerations were cut short as a griffon rushed past her, flying low to the ground, forcing her to jump to the side. She couldn't help but think how strange that was. It wasn't like Sigrund to send scouts, and when he did, they usually travelled in pairs. Her heart-rate quickened as she scanned her surroundings for the partner, but she could see nothing in the fog, and she could hear nothing aside from the first griffon's rapidly retreating wing-beats. And then... She heard it. Her ear twitched as she picked up what just sounded like white noise. Slowly, she rotated her head to face the source of the sound. A shadow was creeping up, darkening the fog ahead, its sound growing louder with each passing second, building up from a subtle hiss to a deafening roar. All that was clear was that whatever it was, it was incredibly big, incredibly fast, and, Xenea would wager, incredibly dangerous. With only milliseconds and centimeters to spare, she dove out of the way of a griffon, only to quickly find herself underneath a flowing torrent of the beasts, blurs of brown and white moving over her and sending her mane flying chaotically around herself. She pressed her body hard against the icy surface below, trying her damnedest to keep herself out of their paths. It was then that she noticed something peculiar. Among the griffons, there was no rough gleam of dragon-hide, and no sheen of steel to reveal the presence of gun or blade. The army was clothed in naught but their own feathers and fur, and yet, they were more formidable than Xenea had ever seen them. Soon, Xenea found herself fighting to keep up the spells that were concealing her location— something was weakening them. Perhaps it was her fear breaking her concentration, or perhaps, the keen senses of the Griffons were breaking through what would normally be an impenetrable wall of imperceptibility. She continued pushing herself until the glow from her horn began exceeding the limit of what her spell could hide, and held there, sweating and straining. Just as the last griffon passed overhead, she stopped casting the spell, and simply laid where she was left, trembling on the ice. Her head ached with a terrible migraine from having held up the spell so long, and she was sure she was about to pass out, but she just barely held on to consciousness. As she watched the shadow retreat off to the West, headed for the fort, she could think of nothing except how very strange it all was. That was like no formation of griffons she had ever seen, and completely the opposite of what could be expected from Sigrund. As soon as she felt she had the strength to do so, she sat up, withdrew her notebook, and began scribbling down everything she had just seen, terribly excited over the new information, and absolutely terrified of what it could mean. Back at Fort Bezzer, Celestia was smiling while looking over a similar-looking notebook, watching Xenea's notes appear as she wrote them. Luna stirred behind her, prompting her to set the book down upon her desk and turn back. "Sister?" Luna asked. "Yes, Luna?" "Your student is in need of comfort," Luna suggested, gesturing towards the area above. "Would you care to see her?" Celestia tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. "There is no need for that, Luna. She may comfort herself. If she finds it difficult, then I suggest she begins practicing now, as it will only become a more necessary skill with increasing age." "But, sister; she has come to rely on you. You were more of a matriarch to her than her actual mother..." "Tell me, sister, how long should I be expected to look after her? How long do you expect me to live?" "Sister, I know... We are not long for this world, but Twilight needs your love now, more than ever." Celestia turned away to face her desk again. "If I love her, I will let her be. She's going to kill me, Luna. The beginning of her life will mark the end of mine, and if I coddle her until the end, she will be helpless when I am finally gone." "She is very capable, sister, but today may be worthy of special considera—" "Enough!" Celestia yelled, turning in place and glaring intensely. "I have told you what I feel, Luna, and if you care about Equestria's future, you, too, will leave Twilight to herself. Her friends must be sufficient comfort to her." Celestia looked scornfully at Luna. "She'll only get to keep one of them, and I dearly hope she doesn't come to regret which one it will be." Luna's eyelids dropped as she lowered her head. "I understand, sister..." "I presume you're going to see her anyway?" Luna's mouth scrunched up, much like AppleJack's might before a lie. "N-" She sighed. "Yes." "Then go. Defy me. We shan't live long enough to see the grudge held, anyway." Luna left the bedroom in silent, solemn thought, as Celestia again approached her enchanted notebook. -Estimates of griffon forces number in the hundreds. Despite their obvious increase in strength, they are still unarmed and outnumbered by the Royal Guard. Should be dispatched with ease. -Another hundred or so just passed. This is too bizarre. The behavior of the griffons is more like that of a swarm of wasps than it is an organized army. I am not sure if this is simply some new and peculiar stratagem of Sigrund's design, or if something far more unusual is at hand. -I am still shocked by the very unusual attack method. They seem to not be carrying supplies, and I have been walking in the direction of their origin for hours, having found not a single forward base or encampment. Where is the staging area? What are they planning? -Most concerning of all; I have yet to see Sigrund himself. To me, this means one of two things; either he has passed away, or whatever weapon he is planning on employing is so dangerous that he fears being injured by its use. Anything Sigrund would fear is truly fearsome indeed. -At least a thousand griffons just passed by to the North of my current location. An exact number could not be determined. I'm starting to fear for Equestria. The corners of Celestia's mouth fell as she read the last two entries, and she looked up and to the East. This war might take more intervention on her part than she had thought.