"Go!"
Peyton readied his spear and lunged forward. His sparring partner jumped to the side and struck down with his own weapon, but Peyton lifted the butt end of his spear to match the blow. Both griffons jumped back and waited. Peyton saw his opponent's hind legs spaced farther than they should be, prompting the soldier to jump once again. As the soldier prepared to defend himself, Peyton used his wings to quickly strafe right. His opponent dived forward before attempting to turn to face Peyton, but his forward momentum caused him to lose balance and fell to the ground. Peyton walked up to the other soldier and tapped him on his head with the end of his spear.
"Always keep your stance tight," Peyton said as he helped the soldier up. "We are going against ancient creatures who will be able to run circles around us. Their magic is one thing they have over us, which is why we need to keep up the pace." The soldier, a young griffon, nodded his head and returned to his fighting stance.
"Go!"
*********
Day after day, Peyton found himself either in the training yard with the young recruits, or in the planning room with the other captains. He's listened to countless tactics and plans of attack, and plenty of argument over the best course of action. Nopony new what to expect with the Sleipnir, so Peyton believed that they were all wasting their time. There is no plan of attack that they should follow; being able to adapt to the battle is the most important thing they will need to do if they want any chance of winning.
However, each of the other captains only cared about making sure their plan was the one to follow, without caring about anything else. Their greed and pride will be their downfall, and Peyton cannot let that happen. By training the new recruits, hopefully Peyton could reach out and teach the young griffons to be more open-minded. Greed would lead to disjoint, which would lead to a loss against the Sleipnir.
The streets of Griffonstone were in no better shape either. Ever since King Griff came into power following the loss of Griffonia's most treasured artifact, and the schism that soon followed, the kingdom has never been the same, with the Griffons holding onto their money like they hold onto their pride. The meteors didn't do much more to the already devastated kingdom, giving the Griffons an opportunity to restore their former power and take over a broken Equestria. Peyton didn't approve of the situation, but remains in support of his kingdom.
He passed a couple of griffons fighting in the street over a dropped coin. Others cheered from behind. It was pathetic what the kingdom had fallen to. Eventually, the fight made its way over to Peyton.
"Oi!" One of the griffons got up after running into the soldier. "Watch where you're going!" The other griffon spit and turned to reach for the coin. The fight resumed. Peyton gave a sigh and moved on.
Peyton's house was in a small tree on one of the other mountaintops surrounding the castle. It was unharmed by the shower, but feels as empty as any ruined house would feel. Peyton didn't have a family - after Griff came into power, they left Peyton to find a place to make more money. He will always remember that day. Just a young griffon, his parents told him to stay at home one day while they would go get food. Days passed before Peyton finally went to find them.
"Do you know where my parents went?" Peyton would ask the local villagers.
"Yeah, I remember them...I think they flew off to the east a few days ago." One responded before adding, "I told you what I know, so how about you give me something in return?" Peyton sighed as he tossed a coin the villager's way. He caught it and moved on.
Without any emotion, Peyton remained in the house for days. Weeks. Without eating much except table scraps. Nopony else in the kingdom was able to eat much of anything either, except for what they could catch in the chasm below. Peyton would have died then and there if some soldiers hadn't come through while on patrol.
"Are you alone?" Peyton remembered them asking.
"Yes." A stoic response.
"How about you come work for the kingdom," One soldier offered. "You can make a bit of coin that way. Beats dying here." He added coldly.
The thoughts of the past left Peyton's mind as he entered his house. An empty void that he sleeps in. Some food in the cabinets and weapons in a corner made up his abode. All he knew how to do was train and patrol. Eat and sleep. Repeat. He rummaged through the cabinets to find some bread, and pulled vegetables out from a basket. The simplest sandwich ever made. A patented Griffon invention.
The wind blew outside as Peyton ate. He loved flying in the air, as he felt he could go anywhere he wanted. Just as his parents did. And that wind will carry the griffons right into Equestria. To show the Sleipnir - and Equestria - that the Griffons were not to be trifled with.
*********
The Griffon Force lined up at the foot of the castle. King Griff emerged and made his way to the head of the pack. Thousands of griffons lined up to serve their kingdom.
"We are ready to enter a new age of Griffonia!" King Griff spoke to his subjects. "For too long have we lived in broken times! I am proud to be the one to lead us to our destiny! We will defeat the Sleipnir in Equestria with our speed, our wings, and the fire in our hearts!"
The griffons cheered in response. Many of the villagers stood and watched from their homes.
The king continued. "We will fly, and we will fly fast! The Sleipnir won't know what hit them! Let the ponies cheer for us to save them from their predators, and let us claim Equestria in the name of Griffonstone!"
The cheers grew louder as the King flew into the air.
"With me, Griffon Force! With me!" He said as he turned and flew west.
Rows of griffons shot up into the air after the king, and soon a moving cloud tore through the skies, leaving Griffonstone behind. The griffons flew at top speed, soaring through the clouds. Peyton looked back as he saw his family home shrink and fade in the distance. Mountains and trees came and went as the Griffon Force moved as one. They were in an arch formation, with the King at the center of the charge. The sun sat high in the sky, with its rays shining down and glistening off of the griffons' feathers. Peyton kept his focus, wondering what sort of challenge sat before them.
Peyton had only heard of stories about Equestria when he was growing up. "The land of the ponies and magic," his parents would say. "It would be unwise to oppose them. But, times have changed. Ponies had their spotlight, and now it was the griffons' turn.
Soon, the rocks turned to ocean as the griffons continued to move through the sky. Equestria was growing closer and closer with each flap of their wings. Before long, Peyton would set his eyes on the land of ponies and magic for the first time, and hopefully it will be just as magical as he expected.