"Here they come!" A Sleipnir soldier shouted from the top of a hill. The army sat behind the hill, waiting for the griffons to fly into range of their magic. Roddel stood at the front of the unit, ready to lead the charge. The dark streak in the sky looked like a normal flock of birds for a second, but the shine from their metal armor and spears made it obvious that their army was approaching.
"We're waiting for your command, captain," A Sleipnir turned towards Roddel. He looked back at his army - his own kind, those who were imprisoned just like him, those who took part in eating and torturing the ponies - and sighed. Clutching the gem that sat around his neck, he shouted, "Fire!"
The Sleipnir began shooting their magic into the sky, hitting some of the griffons directly. The flock began to scatter in the sky as the Sleipnir continued their firing. Several other battalions flew up to meet the griffons in battle, and soon the battle for Canterlot began. Roddel shouted orders to his troops as he ran from station to station. The castle loomed in the background as they fought off the invaders.
A platoon of griffons landed right in front of the hill, prompting several of the Sleipnir to switch to melee and charge the group. Roddel pulled out his own spear and ran forward to meet their foe. The griffons were very fluid in motion, using both their wings and talons to their advantage. Roddel took a swipe at a griffon, but his spear bounced off of the griffon's wing. They were wearing some kind of plate on the outside to protect from physical attacks, yet that material was light enough to allow them to fly. Several of the griffons flew up and dove down to attack. Roddel took his spear and swiped it up in the air as if he were shooing away bats. One stab from a griffon was all it took to get Roddel to drop his weapon and fall to the ground. The griffon got him right in the shoulder; the sting was felt all throughout his body. As he fell, two beams of magic came from the hill, blasting many of the griffons away.
"Get the captain!" Several of the Sleipnir shouted as they pulled him back to the hill.
"It will be tough to beat them as it is," Roddel said. "They're too fast." The Sleipnir looked up at the sky as a medic began to tend to his wounds with magic. It stung, but he felt relief soon after. As he sat there, he noticed the sun, a small dot in the sky, and then an idea came to him.
"I need some of our best magic casters, and some to protect us," Roddel said, getting up just as quickly as he fell. The medic called out to one of the Sleipnir, who nodded and charged away. A minute later, he came back with a group of five Sleipnir - Rana included.
"We need to move the Sun," Roddel made no hesitation to explain the plan.
"Is that even possible?" Rana asked.
"If the ponies could do it," He thought about the lone pony at the top of the crystal castle in the north who was able to move the Sun and tilt that battle in the ponies' favor. "Then we can too."
Rana and two other Sleipnir stood firm as they pointed their horns at the Sun, while Roddel and the rest formed a circle around the group in case any griffons came into view. Three beams of magic shot up into the sky, directly at the Sun. Roddel could see the strain on Rana's face as the three attempted to pull the star closer to them.
Slowly, but surely, the Sun began inching towards the battlefield. The temperature grew warmer and warmer to the point where Roddel started sweating in his armor.
"That's good!" Roddel shouted, causing the trio to break their hold on the star. Feeling rejuvenated, several Sleipnir around the captain began shouting as they charged. The beams of magic grew stronger for some, while the others used the new-found energy to stay on the offense. More and more beams of magic shot into the sky, shooting the griffons down with each shot. Roddel nodded to the group and they all returned to their posts. As Rana turned to return to her assignment, she tumbled to the ground. Roddel noticed and immediately went to her side.
"Are you okay!?" He held her in his hooves. She was sweating and looked like she had a fever.
"I'm fine...Just a little tired," She laughed.
"I'm sorry to put you through that, Rana."
"We're going to win...right? That's the right thing to do?"
The forests next to the battlefield soon burst into flame as the Sun sat overhead, beating down on the earth below. The griffons all around the battlefield soon became overwhelmed with the fighting energy of the Sleipnir. The group that Roddel had helped imprison for ten thousand years were back, and would be able to continue their reign of terror on those who inherited the world.
"Yeah...we're going to win."
***
Any surviving griffons were rounded up by the Sleipnir and brought into a circle, surrounded by the bodies of their own kind. A group of Sleipnir remained behind to hold them captive. Roddel stood at the helm, looking over the remaining group.
One griffon stepped forward, pushing through his men. He wore a crown of gold on his head - their leader. He was shouting and ranting as he glared at each of the Sleipnir that had captured them. When he looked at Roddel, the Sleipnir felt uncomfortable and guilty.
A shadow fell over the group, causing the king to stop his rant. Falchion and Thuun, who had not been a part of the battle, flew down in their menacing forms. They sat perched over the remaining griffons, who sat scared and afraid.
"Looks like they put up a good fight," Falchion's voice boomed over the land. "But just as I said, we will welcome them with open hooves before they die."
The king of the griffons stepped forward once again and stared straight at Falchion.
"What do you want us to do with them, my lord?" Roddel spoke up. Falchion stared back at the tiny king for a few seconds, then his horn lit up a fierce color as a giant beam of magic shot out, covering the entire group of griffons. The screams echoed in Roddel's mind as the group was reduced to nothing.
"Nothing. Let them rot here." Falchion said before flying away. No fanfare, no speech, no prisoners.
***
Roddel and Rana returned to the castle together after the battle. The battlefield stayed marked and ruined, a sign to anypony who tries to defy the Sleipnir again. The sun was returned to its normal spot in the sky soon after the battle was over, but Roddel could not help but think about how much the effort affected his friend. She looked better after drinking water and eating a quick meal. That pony must have been powerful to be able to do it by herself, he thought to himself.
As the two entered the castle, Roddel noticed many guards running towards the throne room in a hurry. "What happened?" Roddel pulled one guard aside.
"Sounds like a pony and a Draconequus snuck into the castle...they say the pony was able to speak our language! She's challenging the king as we speak!" The two ran to the throne room just in time to see a couple of guards walking out with a yellow pegasus in their grasp. She held her head down low as they dragged her off to the dungeons.
A pony who can speak our language...
Roddel followed behind the guards and into the dungeons, curious to see what this pegasus was all about. He approached the cell just as the guards walked out. They both saluted their captain as he walked into the room. She sat on the floor with her face still looking down. She looked just as sad as the first filly he had met...his first pony meal. Roddel approached the cage and saw a gem hanging down from her neck. It looked very similar to the one he wore around his own neck.
I wonder...
"You are able to speak our language...right?" Roddel spoke up to try and talk to the pegasus. She looked up, meeting his gaze with her own. She had a kind, but sad face. She nodded in response to his question.
Wow, she really can speak with us.
"I think it was pretty brave for you to go against our king like that." He truly admired her bravery, given her soft expression. Roddel approached the cage and bent down to meet the pegasus's gaze directly. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you until now. It must be difficult to have everything you loved about your world taken away."
He saw her gaze shift down to see his necklace, and her expression suddenly changed to anger. "HOW DARE YOU!" Were the first words come out of her mouth. Roddel jumped back in astonishment.
"How dare you wear that around your neck! That belonged to my friend! You have NO RIGHT to wear it!" She placed a hoof around her own neck and felt for her own necklace.
"Look," Roddel didn't want to get on the pony's bad side. "I want to help you-"
"I can't trust anypony now. Please leave me alone." The pegasus said as she turned to face the dark wall behind her. Roddel would have given anything to be able to talk with the ponies who helped him seal the Sleipnir away - the ones who built the world that existed until they came back. After all this time, now might be the chance. The captain removed the necklace from his neck and placed it inside the cage - a sign of friendship. He walked out of the room with nothing else to say.
I've done so much wrong since we returned to the world, He thought to himself. Instead of continuing what I had started. But I see now, that there is still a chance...the keys to order...they are still around.
Roddel left the dungeon with a determined look on his face. He stared in the direction of the king's - the TRUE king's - chambers, and remembered what his true purpose was, his reason for coming back after ten thousand years. It was not to give the world back to the Sleipnir, but to finish it once and for all.