//------------------------------// // I Don't Even... // Story: The Griffon // by Kaf_Kraked_Poni //------------------------------// Several magic bursts rang out through the cold night air. The dimly lit streets of Clopton were a breeding grounds for derelict gangs and unwanted individuals. So what were a couple of high class mobsters doing there that night, blowing into a large concrete cylinder with their magic? “How many are there?” the Griffon inquired to the panting colt below him. “I’ve lost count, but then again I’ve killed so many that it doesn’t matter.” The Griffon scowled at his young apprentice. “What have I told you about bragging? Wait until you’re at least of age.” A magic beam whizzed by the bird’s head, forcing him to duck. “I am of age,” the tiny blue colt responded, charging out from their hiding spot. “Stupid kid,” the Griffon sighed, exposing himself as well. The fedora-capped unicorns fired another round of lasers from their head. The Colt ducked and dodged under the attack, leaving the Griffon to handle the beams of hostile energy. “I am The Blue Colt!” the small earth pony shouted, closing the gap between the mobsters and himself instantaneously. The Colt jumped into the air and whipped a roundhouse kick at the first mobster’s head. The stallion dropped without a hitch. The remaining two stallions fired upon the Colt, but he performed a mid-air spin, weaving between the two sizzling beams of magic. “He’s not pony!” one of the mobsters cried out. “He’s not,” came a voice from behind the other two. They spun around, ready to fire, but their heads were cracked together, a forceful claw on either side of their skulls.  “He’s my apprentice!” “In all honesty, I should be the master. After all, I beat you all the time old Cock.” “Watch your mouth, boy,” the Griffon screeched. “You should be lucky I took sympathy on you and allowed you to win.” “Is that what you call it? Man, I can’t believe I used to be your fan.” The Griffon clicked his tongue and walked over to the tiny colt. “Keep it up,” he said with a growl. “You’re just about as bad a trashtalker as I am.” “You don’t hafta talk trash Cock, you are trash.” The Griffon promptly slashed upward at the Colt, knocking the small boy on his back. “Damn it boy,” he said, clenching his beak. “Learn to know when we’re joking and not.” “Hey, don’t do that,” a high-pitched voice called out. “If anyone will be doing any abusing, it’ll be me!” A tall white elk emerged from out of the shadow of a construction trailer and posed ever so poshly in front of the duo. “Queer,” the Griffon mused, “a elk in charge of a band of unicorns? What are you playing at?” “No way!” the Colt exclaimed, rising to his hindhooves. “What is it?” “That’s the Albino elk, Gane Fructease! He single-hoofedly took down the mob boss in Clopton and took power almost four years ago!” “That just sounds ridiculous…” the Griffon said shuddering. “So what is a mob group doing in Clopton anyway?” “The question is, why are you here, Griffon?” “That’s not my name, it’s-” “We don’t hafta answer you!” the Colt said, taking an offensive stance. “You may be on my top 10 Most Awesome Villains List, but now that I’m in league with the Griffon, I’ll take you down!” “Shut up, we don’t want any trouble. We accidently took their tacos and they retaliated, no biggie.” “No biggie?” Gane asked wildly, bringing his forehoof up to his forehead. “Oh, you’re that kind of guy,” the Griffon grimaced. “You dare to steal a meal from my hard working lackeys? I shall show you fear!” Gane removed the two horns on his head and twirled them about in his forehooves as he rose on his hind ones. “You’ve got to be kidding me, we’re not going to take down a mob boss. The whole point of being a bounty hunter is to be inconspicuous!” the Griffon yelled. A herd of unicorn emerged from off the construction site, aiming their horns in the Griffon’s direction. “I don’t care if you want to fight me or not,” Gane said rocking back and forth, holding his antlers like a pair of blades. “Killing the Griffon will give me the chance I need to excel in this underworld!” “Why does everyone want to kill me?” “I’ll take care of the pony-folk,” the Colt said with a grin. “You take down Gane like the hero that I know you are!” “Do you know how much sense this is making right now?!” Shots fired from the entire perimeter, lighting up the field in a blazing purple glow. Dirt and smoke kicked up, shrouding the center of the site. The unicorns did not let up, unleashing volley after volley of magic bursts. Gane stood there, staring into the cloud, waiting for his foes. “Did we get em?” a unicorn asked. Suddenly, a tiny blue earth colt kicked him in the side of his jaw. The Griffon descended from the sky, talons drawn and ready to swipe at Gane. Gane, reared back, catching the strike in one of his horns. With his free foreleg, he swung his other antler at the Griffon who maneuvered into the air while still clutching onto the elk’s previous antler. “Feisty, aren’t we? Oh ho ho!” Gane swung the antler that the Griffon held onto roughly into the ground. The concrete foundation ruptured at the impact, creating a large crater in the floor. A jagged fissure stretched out into the road, the Griffon lying inside of it. “Why are you just laying there?” the Colt exclaimed, dodging in and out of magic blasts, punches, and kicks. “If we defeat him, our prestige will go up!” “This isn’t a game!” the Griffon shouted back. “Indeed not!” Gane cried out from above the Griffon. He held one of his antlers high above his head and brought it down, smashing once more into the concrete bedding. “Oh, but you’re fast.” “I have to be,” the Griffon said from behind the elk. He struck the elk a few times in the back and brought his leg up into Gane’s side. The kick shoved the elk sideways. “Not quite,” Gane said, screeching to a halt. He hadn’t been knocked down, but the attack forced him to stumble a bit. “Fire!” he cried, pointing at the Griffon. The Griffon leapt into the air, avoiding several attacks from the surrounding unicorns. “C’mon kid, do your job!” “I’m on it!” the Colt replied, digging his hindhooves into two gangsters. One unicorn grabbed the Colt from behind, but the boy jolted his head back, smashing the back of his cranium into the stallion’s muzzle. His body spun around and he roundhouse kicked the bleeding stallion away. Two more stallions in the distance began firing on the colt now, but he took cover behind a pallet of cinder blocks. Once the unicorns halted their fire, he leapt out, tossing two cinder blocks in their direction. The unicorns easily dodged the attack and aimed their horns at the boy again, but he was gone. Suddenly, they both flew upwards, hit under the chin by two powerful bucks from the small figure. “Thanks,” the Griffon said, grabbing the two airborne unicorns in his claws and zooming back over towards Gane. “Hey, Gane, take these!” The Griffon launched both stallions at the elk. They cried for help as their bodies soared in the air. Gane bit his lip and snarled. He swung his body around, kicking both of them out of the way in two fluid strikes. “You will pay for that, Griffon!” “I don’t think so!” the Colt cried, appearing suddenly from under Gane. Gane swatted the child away with his antlers, however, the strike left his right arm exposed. The Griffon was on top of him in a second. “Give me a break why don’t ya?!” he screamed and launched a punch into the elk’s clavicle. Gane screamed in pain, dropping one of his antlers and clutching his shoulder with his other hoof. “Oooooh, my foreleg… what have you done?!” he cried out. “Forget what I said earlier,” the Griffon growled, shooting a kick into Gane’s gut. He followed up with a few punches to the elk’s face and then brought his knee up against his chin. Gane stumbled, which gave the Griffon the opportunity to finish with a devastating headbutt. “I didn’t want the two bits on your head, but I think I’ll take it, Gane.” “You… you did it!” the Colt yelled, rubbing his bloody face. The remaining unicorns in the area bolted off as sirens echoed in the distance. “Wasn’t much of a fight,” the Griffon commented, spitting out some blood. “I know, I did all the work.” The Blue Colt looked up to the Griffon and chuckled. “So, are we going to collect the money on this guy and then move on to the next target?” “There is no next target,” the Griffon sighed, picking up Gane and flying into the air. “Of course there is!” The Griffon ignored the Colt, and flew away. Police sirens sounded louder, prompting the boy to follow his master. “Hey, we still didn’t get our tacos!”