//------------------------------//
// Lucien 
// Story: Monster 
// by Dai Kirai 
//------------------------------//

700 AD (After Discord) 
Age 21
The air was warmer than usual for a summer day in Winniepeg, a northern Equestrian territory close to the Griffon city of Ptalonmaios that spanned the Korale Mountains to the North. The moisture was seeping into Lucian’s feathers, causing her feathers to twitch against her rust colored body as the water caused irritation and itching, but as long as she didn’t fly or exert herself, the extra preening shouldn’t require more than a few minutes. She stared with her neon green eyes out at the city of ponies. 
The city itself consisted mostly of several dozen large triangular sandstone buildings designed to handle the harsh winter, with its high winds and treacherous snow. Large magic tinted windows acted as thermal breaks and allowed the house bound ponies to feel less enclosed. 
Lucien missed the more solid building of her home with their golden brown stonework; smaller windows letting the buildings take more damage in an attack as the dark rose stone gargoyles watched over from upper eves. Almost every apartment had a balcony to view the world around them; something she felt these ponies desperately needed to adopt. Her own house had been modified with a collapsible perch on the roof. 
Her muscles tightened as she looked upon the Equestrians from her high perch. Her mind wouldn’t obey her wishes today. It wanted to go over how she found herself in this predicament. She had found a job with the Pony Express delivering mail, almost the instant she landed in Winniepeg. Griffons were known as fierce fighters, they had to live with the constant threats at the northern edge of civilization. 
The glaring ponies weren’t helping. The war had ended almost 200 years ago and yet griffons were looked at as less, they were animals only capable of war. Her scarred body may have influenced that notion a little. But, that belief by Equestrians was also what allowed Lucien to so easily land a job. Letters had to be delivered to outpost towns and there were threats out there; dangers the average pony was too afraid to face. 
The griffon’s body was covered in half a dozen scars. Lucien’s mind ran through each injury, ruminating on what had led her here. The scar along her chest had been during her first true fight in basic training, when she had underestimated her opponent as a talon had scrapped along her chest. The small collection on her left wing; a terrified flight through the Sea of Trees as the griffon had been chased by a rabid loup-garou where thorns had cut into her wing, making her flight from the creature that much harder. The hole where her right eye should have been…
Lucien’s mood darkened as she tried to take a calming breath. That day, the day that should have been her crowning achievement, the day the griffon had lost everything, more than she had ever thought possible. Lucien could feel her blood pumping faster, the need to hunt grew the nostrils at the base of her beak flared to life as her tail beat the roof. 
Lucien forced her attention to a tree that resided in the middle of Winniepeg, an Equestrian Elm, a tall bushy tree that remained green no matter the weather and gave a wonderful amount of shade in the summer. Foals were chasing each other around its base; a young pegasus stood precariously on one of the branches, ready to pounce on one of his friends. The tree reminded the griffon of an old tree back home, a favorite perch to hide in during those games of tag used to teach young griffons the early art of war.
Norra, a good strong name for a tree. Lucien loved that name. The first empress had been named Norra; giving the original tribes structure, her sons had eventually became the kings and regents. She had died at the beginning, fighting the Dark One. Fighting alongside the alicorns, the first zebra shaman, and several other deities, many of whom had faded into obscurity. None had survived that battle. A griffon would be honored to die in battle, following Norra’s example.
Some believed the Dark One still existed, that he had been responsible for the evil that flourished from time to time. Those were the ones looking for scapegoats. Lucien knew this, the war had been started by a rogue king wanting territory, and few knew how it truly ended. 
It was a conundrum. Griffons had to fight; they were attacked by rogue dragons at least once a year, that excluded other predators they had to compete with for food and creatures like the quadrotrilicaily that would happily eat a griffon. Life in the north was brutal. And Lucien realized if she couldn’t focus her thoughts, stop her muscles from tensing and adrenaline from surging, she would have to head inside. Ponies were vegetarian, they could sense when a predator was around, that and she would want to find that bottle of Sika Sake to make sure she forgot.
Lucien closed her eyes and took another deep breath; it had to work eventually. The griffon then decided to focus on the clock tower, the largest building in town and one of the first. The tower reached over 50 feet into the air, a solid slab of sandstone; it could be seen from anywhere in town. 
Despite her intent, Lucien didn’t check the time. There was a small grey shape in front of the dial. A unicorn foal had somehow managed to climb to the top, and the griffon’s eagle eyes showed it was using its forehooves to push the minute hand from the six to the seven. 
Lucien turned away, looked out towards the southern plains. What did she care what some stupid foal did. If harm came to the creature it would be the parent’s fault for not watching their child. 
Lucien swallowed, her eyes shifting from the plains to the clock tower. Her stomach sank and wings unfurled as the foal’s rear hoof slipped as the thing struggled to pull itself back up. So what if it falls. It’s not a griffon; why should I care?
But, as she continued to spy on the foal, both its rear legs slipped, holding on only with its front hooves. Lucien reflexively took to the air and darted over yellow green grass and triangular houses. Realization struck; she was over halfway to the clock tower before it dawned on the griffon that she had left her perch. 
Lucien’s beak and claws clenched, this wasn’t her duty. Ponies didn’t like her, and she didn’t like them. They were too passive, they were afraid of the world around them. The griffon sneered. But the foal hung there, clamoring at the edge of the block of sandstone, body shaking. Lucien’s focal hearing even detected whimpering from the pathetic grey creature. And her eyes revealed the foal was rather bland, being two-tone grey; charcoal grey body with a light grey mane.
The foal slipped and time stopped for Lucien, her senses heightened instantly. The foal’s body rotated in midair and their eyes met. It was clear in her silver eyes; the foal knew what would happen at the end of the fall. No one was coming to the foal’s rescue.  No pony noticed the foal was on the tower, there were no screams of awareness; a foal who wasn’t even old enough to have her cutie mark yet.
Thought was no longer an issue for the griffon, training took over. Lucien’s wings pumped up then backward and down, propelling her forward. Speed wasn’t an issue for the griffon; her day job relied on speed in order to protect her shipments. Her heart sped up, she lied to herself, she was facing a headwind and 50 feet wasn’t a lot of space, only 1.77 seconds to catch it.
She grasped forward with her clawed paws, careful not to spear the thrashing pony as she sped closer to the ground. Lucien felt the wait settle in her claws and gave her wings an upward pump to break their downward velocity. 
The foal’s eyes darted and her body twitched, professional looking coiffure mussed from the rushing air; it looked like a bunny wanting to run from a wolf that just saved her life.
Lucien turned her head from the foal and snorted. “Are you normally that stupid? And an earth pony no less, you didn’t even have a pegasus or unicorn nearby to catch you.” Her body stiffened as the foal cowered and not a meep was heard. “You don’t even care do you?” She spat, lowering them both to the ground.
“Thank you.” The foal whispered in a soft voice, head bowed. “May I ask your name?” She asked meekly.
Lucien was taken aback as she landed, letting the pony hop off her hoof. It has been a long time since anyone had been polite or even nice to her without expecting something in return. “Lucien.” Was the only reply the griffon could think of.
The foal giggled. “That’s a funny name.” She replied, looking into the griffon’s neon green eyes. 
Lucien narrowed her eyes; maybe it should learn to remain quiet. There was something not right about this creature. “It’s a griffon name.” How could she explain it was also a male’s name? Supposedly her father named her that because it was difficult to tell the sex of a newborn griffon, but she knew better. Her father wanted strong offspring, and she would be his only one due to a training accident. The name was meant to make her live to a higher standard, she would have to beat the best of both sexes. But ponies didn’t have proper names, they had titles and Lucien wouldn’t put it past them to come up with something ridiculous like Rainbow Dash.
The griffon had two choices at the moment. Fly away and resume the status quo, or continue this conversation and let fate take its course, but if she lost her temper, this would simply be another place she wasn’t welcome. 
Fate had other plans as a strong force impacted her side, threw the griffon off her feet and sprawling into a building. The structure was built to withstand the toughest of weather and not even dust is moved from the rafters as the griffon lay dazed. 
A vehement growl ushered from the direction of the hit, it was clearly female, but that’s all Lucien could tell. “Stay away from my daughter you carrion eater or next time I won’t hold back.” 
The only thing that could have hit that hard would have been a unicorn’s telekinetic shove, it was too solid over too wide an area of her chest to be from a hoof or a flying tackle.
“Come along Lustrous Eventide. You have cotillion in five minutes.” The newcomer spoke in clipped tones.
Lucien heard the foal’s soft clopping as she trotted after her mother and a quiet thank you that was barely audible to the dazed griffon. 
It wasn’t her fault she ate meat. It was never in public and never sapient. Why was it considered wrong for her to live by others? The stories of griffons eating pony flesh as a delicacy during the war never occurred; their bodies were treated with the respect due any warrior that fell in battle.
Lucien felt tired. She could no longer fight the machinations of her mind. 
How did it come to this?
How had this become her life?

Age 7
Lucien looked around the soothing yellow hospital room. It had to be yellow, white looked like snow and patients would try to fight while blue reminded any griffon of the sky and they believed they were still in battle. Yellow was soothing, the light of a new day, and a color that never filled the sky in Ptalonmaios. 
Lucien was old enough now to see what her parents did and where her own abilities lay. She followed her mother through the infirmary. There were rows of beds that the young griffon would try to see over by craning her neck, these were all griffons that would defend home with their lives. She would bounce from bed to bed to get a better view as her mother watched happily.
“Come along Lucy. We have appointments to keep.” Her eyes dancing.
Lucien growled sub-audibly. She hated her nickname. It was weak, lacked a backbone. She would have commented if she was an idiot; the young griffon knew better to talk back to an elder though. Maybe I can see an actual hero of the Dragon Siege. 
There was a door at either end of the hall; one led back to the entrance, the other led to the exam rooms. The patients would enter through the back entrance, better to not show weakness in front of others. A griffon needing help for an injury received outside of battle would lead to ridicule. 
The first appointment was a griffon suffering from avian flu, a disease that dulled the claws and the mind; it was also highly contagious. Lucien’s mother left the room for a moment, telling Lucien to stay by the door. The sick griffon’s occluded eye stared off into space until the medic returned a moment later with several glass jars in her talons.
Agnis, Lucien’s mother, pulled out an old marble mortar and pestle. Her tongue stuck out as she focused on the herbs. A pinch of something green and flaky followed a shiny white powder and ground it, adding in a few drops of a blue acrid liquid. The healer waved her talons over the mortar with closed eyes. The resulting paste had no odor, was a pure white and the ill griffon gladly covered his tongue and within moments his eyes cleared. 
A few moments later and his voice returned. He let out an ear-splitting shriek, thanked Agnis and left.
Lucien stared in disbelief. That was impossible; you couldn’t just get better like that. Rest was required, time was mandatory.
Agnis saw Lucien’s staring at the door with a slack beak. She chuckled. “It’s a rare thing to see zebra magic here.” The medic informed her daughter. “I was sent to study with the Zecora when younger than you are now. I had raw talent for feeling out injury.”
“Zecora?” Lucien rolled the word around her mouth, it felt weird leaving her beak. Such an alien word, such an alien ability. 
“Zecora is the name the Zebra Federation gives to the best healer in their lands. An expert that can use magic without a focus like a unicorn’s horn. They can just wave a hoof and fill a cup with tea.”
Lucien stood slack beaked. That was impossible. Griffons couldn’t use magic; they were fighters, being a healer was already a rare ability that seemed to follow family lines along the mother’s side.
“Be on your best behavior.” Agnis warned sternly. “The next patient is the son of a General.”
Lucien raised her head. This could be an in with the military elite, a chance to rise above her father’s meek position as a captain. She stuck her chest out and followed her mother into a connected exam room.
A hatchling of only three years lay on the steel table. Its wings were missing feathers and were clearly misaligned, this pitiful creature could never even hope of flying. Its talons were dull, not even sharp enough to cut wood. 
Agnis walked over to the silently screeching form, they were the only three in the room. She waved a paw over his limp form and ran a talon through his feathers. “Very good. You’ve been doing your wing exercises. Keep this up and they may in fact stop hurting and return to a lustrous shine.” Her lilting voice soothing even her own daughter, there was magic in those words. 
“Why bother?” Lucien muttered, unable to hide a disgusted snort.
Agnis turned around in a flash, eyes burning with an unnatural white fire. “What did you say.” Failing to keep her tones neutral.
In a sense of self-assuredness, Lucien replied to her mother. “Why bother? He should just be left to die!”
All emotion left Agnis’ face. “If you see someone in pain and do nothing yourself, you may as well have been the source of their pain. For you had the remedy and were too greedy to use it”
“It’s not greed!” Lucien argued, taking a step forward and raising her voice. “He can never fight. What’s the point of a griffon that can’t fight, that can’t even care for itself?”
“You can’t predict what he will become. He’s a genius and may be a battlefield tactic commander.” 
        Lucien scoffed. She then felt a solid paw slam across her face that threw her to the ground.
Agnis stood over her daughter. Hard eyes meeting Lucien’s cowering form. “I brought you here hoping you could take over my position, you could have helped save more lives than you ever could in battle. I was an idiot for ever thinking you would have the appropriate emotional state.” 
Lucien stared up at her mother. She was the gentlest griffon, and she had just hit the young griffon. It had to be lies; griffons were warriors, not a wimpy medic. But Agnis was anything but weak right now, there was a fire.
Agnis let out a roar at her daughter. “Out!”
Lucien ran faster than she thought possible with her tail wrapped around her body, truly scared for the first time in her life. The young griffon knew she was skilled in war, now it truly was her only option. She would have to train even harder to be the best. To prove to her mother that she could succeed. 

Age 15
Lucien tossed and turned in bed. Basic training started the next morning, the day of her ‘15th birthday.’ It wasn’t really the anniversary of her day of birth; griffons celebrated and received rites of age based upon the year they were born, not the day. Her heart pounded and her body tingled.
Tomorrow! Tomorrow I can finally test my training! Lucien quivered. Ever since the day she had been kicked out of the hospital, everything she did was to prepare for a military career. The military was her only path to glory, a path that rewarded aggression and action. After a year of basic training, all griffons had to serve three years in the military to defend their fine nation.
Lucien laid motionless, realizing sleep would continue to evade her. So the griffon let thoughts of combat and defending the kingdom from dragons, of the glory and rank she would attain drift through her mind as the edges of her beak lifted.

Day 1
The castle stood in the middle of town, dark spires piercing the sky. Black marble inlaid with gold, blended night with day as the sun rose behind its immense structure. Light seemed to run in rivulets across it’s golden sigils. A single statue of a pegasus standing on its rear hooves with wings splayed seemed out of place at the castle’s entrance. Lucien walked past the statue, as a pony it wasn’t worth her time. And she wanted a good seat for her orientation. 
Griffons streamed inside the imposing monument. Inside the halls were dark with just enough reflected light from the gold filigree to allow their hawk eyes to see. Images of past battles and the history of time moved with the eye. 
Lucien moved a taloned paw to her mouth in an attempt to stifle a yawn. The filigree was impressive, but not what she cared to see. This was finally her chance to shine, to enter combat; not to meander down some darkened hallway. 
The path turned right, opening into the Grand Ballroom. Lucien stopped to stare at the massive room as other griffons streamed around her, only a few stopped to marvel. The roof was 75 feet above her head, with the walls farther apart. A platform sat atop four black steps along the back wall; the wall itself replaced with crystal pylons letting in a mix of filtered and natural light. The walls themselves were the same black marble with inlaid gold, but jewels were scattered throughout making the image. Light would stream into the building through the crystal pylons behind the platform as the sun lowered in the evening, setting off the jewel encrusted walls.
A lone griffon stood atop the platform, only his front claws and the tip of his beak showing past his jet black cloak. He stood stock still like a statue, but Lucien could feel his piercing gaze. The only griffons allowed to wear such garb were the Suscéptors, the elite corps. As he spoke, his voice surrounded her. Lucien cocked her head from side to side, but the voice remained constant. 
“Welcome to the Royal Armed Services. Over the next year you will be tested, and how you perform will decide your roles.” The Suscéptor’s voice had its own power with no emotion intoned. “On your way out you will each receive directions to camp. You will follow them to the letter. You have five hours. Dismissed.”
As the other recruits filed out, Lucien kept her eyes on the Suscéptor. As he moved the cloak barely whispered or whooshed, it barely seemed to move as he flowed over the ground; exiting through a hidden doorway in the reliefs.
Lucien turned and followed her fellow griffons out the ballroom, back through the hallway. As each recruit exited they were handed a small piece of paper. Soon Lucien received hers, neon green eyes scanning the slip. There was no map; only directions with compass points indicated. Taking a closer look at the directions though brought up a problem, the directions were inefficient. “Go south for 2.3 miles? That’s the opposite of where camp is supposed to be held.” She muttered. Farther down, it then told her to go north for one mile. 
Lucien studied some of the other papers out of the corner of her eye, each one was different. Starting the tests already. She mused to herself, sure there would be Suscéptors hidden along all the paths.
Ruffling her feathers in anticipation, a grin graced her lips, now was her time. She stared up at the noonday sun directly above her head.

Month 1
Lucien’s chest heaved as a ragged cough racked her body. The day had started with a ten mile speed flight of her squadron, with the Drill Instructor adding in a few fast maneuvers for fun. Only when every griffon was exhausted did he announce the fifteen mile jog they then had to perform. She had never been more thankful about the extra training she had put herself through for the last eight years.
Lucien glanced at her squadron mates, all of them collapsed onto the ground. The female griffon was tempted to do the same; however, she refused to show any hint of weakness. Ever more confident that she was the best.
“A bunch of hatchlings, that’s what you are.” The DI didn’t yell, didn’t scream, just said it as a matter of fact walking past the collapsed griffons. “Or did you just have your wings clipped?”
The recruits were too tired to move and stayed where they fell. 
“Don’t think your day ends just because some pony decides to lower the sun. You still have combat training.” The DI’s voice went up slightly with the corners of his eyes. “Now you should go first?” He mused, golden body shining with the last rays of sunlight.
The DI walked amongst the recruits, giving a critical eye to each as he passed. Stopping at a collapse female griffon, the last to come in. “Whoever you are, get up, you’re first.” The griffon tried to move, successfully getting one claw under her only to collapse next to a pile of her own vomit. 
The DI looked back again through the recruits. “Lucien. Jorge. You’re up.” He ordered, his voice stern and he lowered his brows. “And the rest of you, from now on I don’t care if you have to claw your way to the training circle, you will enter or face punishment! And we will do this every day until each and every last one of you gets it.”
Lucien’s claws scraped the fallen pine needles across the ground, walking toward the cleared area inside a large white area. She saw another griffon that matched her height with bright red eyes, his white feathers conflicting with his black fur. This griffon had escaped her attention somehow; his drooping tail and ragged wings being the only sign of the days harsh excursion. They looked into each other’s eyes; Lucien saw a tired fire, but a fire nonetheless. 
Jorge moved forward gracefully like a cat, shoulder blades visibly moving, each paw landing with deliberate effort to disturb none of the detritus from the overhead pine trees and dirt. Lucien let her exhaustion show as she walked, making sure her rasping breath was visible, dragging her claws across the ground, feeling her heart rate speed up, pulse quicken.
The circle was fifteen feet across, leaving only five feet between the two combatants. The two stared at each other, waiting for the word to start. 
“One last thing.” The DI spoke as he circled the combatants. “Anything goes; once it starts you may even leave the circle. However, there will be NO permanent injuries. Anything you do to the opponent that permanently hinders them; I will happily do to you.” Everyone turned to their ‘boss’ only to see his eyes set, horror stories from other griffons starting to sound more believable. 
No word came for them to start, the two griffons took the hint, Jorge surged forward striking out with his left claw. Lucien ducked down to avoid the strike and move forward when Jorge’s strike displaced his center of gravity. Jorge landed hard on his back, head snapping backward into the ground.
Lucien ran forward, mouth dry, every gasp becoming audible to her ears, she knew there was no way for Jorge to recover in time. On his back it would be easy for her to put him into some sort of lock or just place a claw to his throat to secure her victory and jumped.
Jorge flapped his wings once, twice, rising slowly from the ground as Lucien was in the air. 
Lucien let the sides of her beak turn upwards, her guise dropping. Jorge moved upwards a few inches, Lucien didn’t even think about slowing down, barely even feeling when his left claw scrapped along her chest as she tackled him. His few inches allowed him to strike before she expected them to meet. Lucien decided it was to frighten her off. 
Wimp, barely even felt that cut. Lucien huffed a little, unused to using so much energy. Staring down at Jorge, she noticed a few drops of crimson, then a few more drops causing it to grow. The female griffon looked to her chest; a bright red streak ran from the lower left of her chest up to her right shoulder. 
Lucien stood on top of her combatant with Jorge’s gaze stuck to her chest and the growing pool of blood. The female griffon refused to move until the DI came over calling her the winner, when she promptly collapsed to her right side. A spike of pain traveled from her right shoulder.

Month 9
Lucien, Jorge, and Euclid stood on the precipice, staring down at their home for the next month. ‘Team Survival Training’ it was called, forced to live for a month in a team of three, if anyone in their group died they would all fail. 
Lucien looked to at Jorge, happy to have him there, over the last few months he had proven himself to be a strong fighter and capable tactician. Her reserves were on Euclid, the stark white griffon who had been too weak after the first hike to even stand when called upon to fight, but somehow she had made it into their group. The DI has said: “You three are a group, each of you have the highest marks,” 
Complete lies. She can’t fight her way out of a fog bank. Lucien had never seen the third griffon as any kind of a fighter; she lost every match and never completed a task without exhausting herself. There’s nothing she could do to help. Lucien’s glare was unnoticed by her party. She’s just going to drag us down.

Lucien looked away from Euclid; they had three days left to get to the next rally point and Euclid wanted them to take the long way around a ‘nasty patch of forest’. 
Lucien turned away from her counterpart. “With your pace? That will take an extra day, time we can’t spare. You have been slowing us down the past two weeks!” She roared, scaring the tiny birds resting in the trees. 
“Please keep it down. You’ll alert the local predators.” Euclid swallowed, pulling her wings closer.
“We are griffons! We fight for our very survival against dragons!” Lucien turned back to Euclid, taking a step towards her. “And you are afraid of little things in a forest!?”
Euclid wilted, cowering behind Jorge who looked between the two, beak pursing. “Just calm down, let’s talk this out-“
RROOOOAAAAARRRRRRGGGHH 
All three griffons hunkered close to the ground, Lucien’s and Jorge’s eyes scanned the area looking for trouble, one forward toward the deeper forest and the other behind toward the howl. Euclid’s eyes were screwed shut so tight it was doubtful any light could make it through. 
“What the tanj is that?” Jorge spoke softly to the cowering white griffon. 
“I-i-i-it’s a k-kzinretti… felinesque cat, hunts in packs.” Euclid choked out; shrinking further into herself. 
Lucien could hear the griffon muttering to herself now. We can’t stay here, or they will just surround us. 
“We can escape this way.” Lucien called, heading deeper into the forest, the area she had been trying to convince her group to go. 
Another howl, this one closer, came from behind them. The nearly fetal griffon was the first to her paws.
Euclid ran faster than a banshee, the other two were having a hard time keeping up as the kzinretti howl followed them deeper into the forest. Twice, Lucien nearly tripped herself on tree roots rising a foot out of the ground, once in a while one would try to wrap around a leg.
Euclid took a hard right, taking her out of the sight of her comrades. A bone shattering shriek issued from the terrified griffon’s location.
Lucien and Jorge rounded the trees, nearly tripping over Euclid’s body.
Her snow white fur and feathers were untouched, golden eyes closed, she looked peaceful. There was no rising or falling to her chest. The griffon’s body lay next to the emaciated bodies of three others, their colors and sex impossible to tell; except for the body of one laying on top of another in an attempt to protect it, the third a few feet away.
The howling from the kzinretti continued to move forward. Lucien turned her back on her allies, checking for trouble. There was nothing she could do, out of the three only Lucien had no medical training. “Is she still alive?” Her concern only for the fear of failing due to Euclid’s shortcomings.
“Yes.” Jorge replied. “Pulse is thready, looks like she passed out at seeing the bodies.” 
“If you make some noise I can sneak around and kill that noisy bastard.” Lucien flapped her wings. “We can still use her weakness by using it as a distraction. Maybe have you hide until one comes in for a strike.”
There was steel in Jorge’s voice. “You are not using her as a distraction-” A slight plop and the male griffon became quiet.
“Why not?” Lucien asked incredulously. “If your ally is dumb enough to get hit, you should be able to use them for something good. Believing anything else in a fight is stupid and contradictory.”
“B-b-cause.” A female voice stuttered. “If we don’t move right now we’ll all die like those other griffons.”
Lucien turned around, her body cold. Euclid stood over Jorge, panic shock on her face. A small tan ball of fluff on the male griffon’s right wing; the mass slowly grew. Another plop behind Lucien forced her to turn, a small pinkish-tan mass of fur sat there, lightly trilling. Looking up, the griffon saw dozens if not hundreds hanging in the treetops. 
“Don’t stare, help me move Jorge.” Something was different about the timid griffon. “We have thirty minutes to get out of their hunting area and this thing off Jorge before it’s too late.”
Lucien picked up the unconscious form, careful to avoid letting the mass touch her body. “But what is that ‘thing’?”
Euclid took off just as quick as before. It looked like her paws barely left the air. “Those are quadrotrilicaily. Small mammals, they act cute and docile until they need to feed and will try to ambush their prey, which is anything. They absorb their victim’s life force, letting its movement take them to new hunting grounds. They wiped the city of Clawson off the map in 1 AD.” 
Lucien followed dumbly. The stream of information continued, covering what seemed like everything ever studied on such an obscure species. 
“Stop here.” Euclid ordered. 
Lucien set the male griffon down, his ribs starting to show through his fur. 
Euclid looked over the unconscious form, running her claws over the body. Her eyes closed as the strange griffon mumbled to herself. “We have maybe five minutes left. Grab me five leaves of that plant over there and one of those pink flowers.” 
Lucien followed her orders, grabbing the requested plants. 
Euclid shoved them in her beak, making a grinding motion. “And a few ounces of sap.” She spoke around the foliage, pointed to a nearby leafy tree that looked like every other leafy tree to the warrior. 
As Lucien took a leaf off the same tree and used a claw to make a hole. The griffon had some questions. “How did you learn all this?”
Euclid spit a mixture of saliva and plant matter onto the ball of fur. The longer the solution sat there the smaller the quadrotrilicaily became. “I studied under Ptalonmaios’ Chief Medical Officer, Agnis. She’s amazing!” The medic blurted. “She even got me a chance to study in Zebrica, under the Zecora once my stint is up.” She laughed uncontrollably. “She’s like a mother to me.” The white griffon picked up two seemingly random stone. “If you can pour that sap on the quadrotrilicaily please, and make sure to get a pile of dirt ready.”
Lucien stood back, she and her mother never talked anymore but she still knew what kind of reaction these medicinals could have. 
Euclid struck the two stones together, forcing out sparks. One caught the sap and the quadrotrilicaily went up in blue flames. An unearthly howl rose from the mass and slowly died. The fire turned red-orange and both griffons shoveled on the dirt. 
“We should rest for the next few hours; give Jorge a chance to recover.” Euclid laid on the ground, keeping a vigilant eye on her patient.
Lucien let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t fail. 

Month 12
Lucien sat in the snow at the summit of a mountain in the Korales. She inhaled the brisk mountain air as the wind ruffled her feathers. She exhaled, observing the steam blow to the south, the subtle gurgle of the nearby stream complimenting the whisper of the wind. To the north sat the see of trees and beyond that, beyond her telescopic sight, sat the Gosi desert. To the south sat pony lands, east and west the mountains continued to the ocean. This was her final test, one last hurdle to become part of the griffon armed forces. 
“Bring back the head of a uki.” Those were her orders. Scanning the area again, it was calm, quiet, in a word, peaceful. There was no life around, the stream was clear and clean, the snow devoid of prints. 
“What is a uki?” Lucien had been given her mission then forced to immediately head to her destination. “Euclid would know what a uki is.” She groused. “She would also know where to find it, how to kill it, and probably things I wouldn’t even know to ask.” 
The griffon set off down the mountainside, careful to avoid the semi-buried rocks whose grey surfaces showed above the powder white snow. 
Lucien looked for hours, following the brook and knowing that life needed water, but this land still appeared barren. She growled and paced. There’s nothing here!! Not even any bones!
The griffon continued her solitary journey until the brook became a river running through a canyon. The walls and floor made of clay, snow spattered throughout. The river moved faster and faster as Lucien followed it downstream. As the river ran past rocks, it would throw up a spray, droplets of water trickling through her feathers. 
Lucien stopped; the hairs on her back rising. The path forward was sheet smooth as was the path behind her, polished smooth. The water became more and more wild. The roiling water turning whiter. As the griffon stared at the raging river fog moved in from either side of the canyon, in a moment she could barely see the beak on her face. 
Lucien had heard music before, and voices that sounded lyrical, but the words moving around her made the best musician she’d ever heard of sound like a trapped animal. “You are skilled.” It cooed. Definitely female and feminine beyond that. “But skill alone does not make one great.”
The voice soothed the griffon; her eyes drooped as she wavered on her legs. “Where are you?!” Lucien roared, forcing her body to react, increasing her own adrenaline. No mystery creature defeats me that easily!
The fog parted, revealing blue skies. The walls of the canyon, the river, everything was gone. The ground was made of clouds for miles in every direction. White clouds and blue skies, the sun hidden but light not an issue. In the distance Lucien saw coils rise and fall below the clouds, the coils white as snow.
What are you? This required power or finesse. Nothing short of a god should be able to perform such acts. 
“You have the makings of a great leader, but you know nothing of self-sacrifice.” The lyrics continued as the coils came closer. But the spell was broken, the griffon no longer felt tired. She felt great! Her mind focused to razor sharpness, the aches and pains from the past months disappeared, the scar across her chest no longer burned from the infection.
A giant snake emerged from the clouds, but it wasn’t a snake. The long slender slithering body was wight as were the white scales, but a tuft of white fur flowed down its back to a tail reminiscent of her own. There were four muscled arms that each ended in a three clawed hand. The head was elongated, but where a snake only had two fangs, this creature had rows of razor sharp teeth in its gaping mouth. Two tan spears came out the back of its head like antlers on a deer, two long thick strings emerged and flew with its body just behind the flared nostrils on the front of it snout. The length was hard to estimate as its body bobbed in the clouds, but its slender form had to be long enough to surround the city of Ptalonmaios. 
“Without the strength imbued by virtue, muscle is of no use.” The voice took back up its call, but it didn’t come out of the snake’s mouth.
Lucien took the time to feel the clouds, to see if she could tear through them to escape. But they were solid as the ground. The snake began to trace a path around the griffon.
“If you cannot rid yourself of ego, you will never have a home.” The voice issued from something on the creature’s back. A new form began to appear, like something the griffon had never seen, something alien. It started out as a mass of light pink and purple, holding some sort of instrument in two pale five-fingered hands, holding a string instrument reminiscent of a club. She raised her head with its pale skin and small features, hair came off the top of its head in waves of lavender flowing like the water. Two dots of lavender makeup hovered over the inside of her eyes and a white flower in her hair.
Lucien looked into the creatures blue eyes as it stood and despite her will felt peacefulness wash over her. The creature was bipedal, all four limbs connected to a central body. She wore layers of clothes; the lowest level sea blue with each layer getting lighter until the light pink outer layer. The robe had a V around the neck showing off each layer and bundled on the ground. If the hands weren’t holding the instrument they would have slipped into the long dangling sleeves around her forearms. 
“To be forged by fire and come out strong, one needs patience in the smith.” Her voice crescendoed like the end of a song. Her head lowered and shook. “But you are not ready, do not listen. Tell them an Elder God separated from her home sent you. Benzaiten.”
Lucien blinked and found herself in a dark room, griffons in black robes seated around a semicircular table. The clouds and skies vanished. She stood in the council room.

Age 17
Jorge clawed the dirt. “How did we get stuck in the sticks? Guard duty?”
Euclid let out a petit giggle. “Everyone has to do it sometime.” Gently placing a talon on his folded wing.
The three griffons guarded a dirt path connecting Ptalonmaios with Winniepeg. What grass there was had dried out and died, there was a forest about 500 yards away. 
Jorge moved closer to Euclid. “This is just boring being put out in the sticks.” 
“And you had some of the highest marks in training.” Euclid half-mocked, rubbing against him as his cheeks reddened. “Enjoy the quiet for once.”
It’s that damned kid and nepotism. He wants to get back at me for that comment while he was a hatchling. So the first thing he does after his father, the general, gets him his position is assign the best new squad to GUARD DUTY! Storming up and down the path, Lucien wished for something to kick, to take her frustration out on.
“Lucien, why don’t you settle down?” Euclid raised her eyebrows.
“And why don’t you two just get a room already?” Lucien spat, moving away again.
Euclid lowered her head, taking a step away from Jorge who made up the difference.
“Don’t let her bother you.” The male griffon teased, looking at the irate griffon. “Some bug crawled up her nose.”
They wouldn’t get it. How can I explain about weakness and living to Euclid? Or how this is all revenge? Lucien just withheld her comments. 
They stood on that path for two hours with nothing changing. Lucien’s wings twitched from inaction while Jorge and Euclid stood on either side of the path talking. 
“Something’s wrong.” Lucien blurted, the others stared at her. “You have to feel it.”
The two griffons looked up at the serene blue sky. Worry etched on their faces.
Jorge was the first to speak up. “Nothing is happening. It’s your own tension.”
“No.”
The quiet reply from his girlfriend caused Jorge to turn.
“No. There is something. There’s something in the air. Magic is building up.” Euclid confirmed. 
“That’s it.” Lucien decided, straightening. “I’m going up.” She loosed her wings and flapped, rising into the cloudless sky. As her body rose through the air so did her tension. Nothing looked amiss. Ptalonmaios stood on the mountain, piercing the sky. Winniepeg was calm, the ponies milling about peacefully.
CRACK!!! 
The noise split the air; Lucien dropped twelve feet for the ground, head snapping toward Ptalonmaios, where a large black shape had just landed, knocking over several buildings.
“What the tanj was that?!” Jorge ordered.
Lucien stared at Ptalonmaios. “A dragon. Ptalonmaios is under attack by a black dragon!” She made for home; a voice stopped her short.
“NO!” Jorge yelled. “We have our orders.” He stared, his jaw set, cold eyes staring down the flier. “The Guard can take care of it.”
“No. I am not going to twiddle my primaries at some post because a snot nosed child doesn’t know where to keep his best.” Lucien turned from her comrades and flew. Training had done her some good, the city was visibly getting closer and her breathing was still normal.
The Dragon began to take shape, the black scales, tattered wings, sharp green fangs. The four fingered hands smashing through the golden-brown stonework, using the opposable thumb to throw debris at the Guard. A particularly nasty piece of rubble, the tower from city hall, was dodged by a particularly agile griffon and crushed a house on the outskirts. The dragon roared releasing a black cloud of gas.
Lucien flew, cold sweat drenching her brow, gulping down breath as quickly as possible. She only had a few dozen yards left. 
The dragon roared again, hit in the head from behind, claw slashing out at the nearest building. The structure sheared as shrapnel was created. 
Lucien lowered her right wing, banking in that direction to avoid the debris. She dodged the cloud of stone pieces, eyes tracking them as she passed. As her head turned back around something collided with her face and then rushed up to meet her. 
The griffon landed with a crunch, her neck twisted. As her vision faded she saw a second wave of griffons carrying nylon cord.

Her head pounded as she came to. The floor was soft, a familiar smell of antiseptic and the beeps of monitors. 
Lucien felt, she felt foggy, her mind slow to focus. She tried to move her arms but they wouldn’t respond. The griffon next tried to open her eyes, either the room was dark or she couldn’t see. In the end she decided to lie there in silence. Unable to pay attention to the foem next to her, she was barely cognizant of anyone there and yet unable to form words.
The matronly form sat and observed, silently whispering an apology. An apology for pushing the young griffon away and for what had to come next.


Lucien stared at the message again from her hospital bed. Outside of this letter she had no visitors these last two weeks of recovery. 
‘Come to the council chambers at 1330 today’
Lucien had to turn her head to the side, making up for her lost eyesight. 40% of my vision just gone. The realization hurt. Anything can sneak up on me now. I’m practically blind, the eye was completely removed! She sighed. At least I’m not bumping into things just trying to move around.
She had been staring at the letter with her one good eye for the past hour. She kept going over the same question: What do they want? Am I no longer fit for duty? That though made Lucien’s heart race. Everything I have worked for.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
The door opened and Euclid entered, the white medical coverings hid her from head to claw, mask over her beak.
“Eu-“
“Quiet!” The medic hissed. “You are to be escorted to your meeting by the medical staff as you are not yet fully healed.” She then held the wooden door open, the locked door that had held Lucien trapped like a prisoner. “Please, come this way”
Lucien followed obediently. Distraught. Unsure of what happened between them. 
Euclid led the way, body stiff, incredibly formal. 
Is this another dream? Like the one with Agnis?
They walked for a while, passing around to the back of the castle, route extended to cover the pegasus statue. A featureless panel opened in the side. Euclid stood to one side. “Please enter.”
Lucien passed through the doorway and walked down the hallway, after a few feet the door slammed shut and she was cast into darkness, all alone. The rust colored griffon looked over her shoulder, trying to see something, anything other than the black walls, a small light at the end of the tunnel, the only direction to go. She stopped for a moment, twisting her neck, looking for anything not that light as she moved forward.
Eventually the tunnel widened into a large semispherical room fifteen feet across. With a ka-thunk, light filled the room. Five cloaked figures sat behind a circular podium, each in a different color cloak. Her mother sat to one side in a white cloak with gold filigree, in the middle stood the king’s representative in a purple and gold cloak, the other three weren’t immediately recognizable. 
Lucien trembled; there was no place to hide.
“Do you know why we brought you here?” The king’s representative spoke, voice modulated and face hidden. It was the cloak that gave away each person’s role.
“No.” Her chest tingled, this was a formal situation. Military regs passed through her mind.
“Are you familiar with the penalty for disobeying a direct order?” He asked.
No! NOOO!
“How about the penalty if disobeying such an order led to the death of another?” A voice to the right spoke, a male griffon in a black cloak, a Suscéptor.
“But I had to! Ptalonmaios was under attack! We were stuck at regular guard station. Two griffons could easily handle that.” She pleaded. If another died…my fault. Air caught in her throat. 
 The king’s representative cleared his throat. “I believe we have gotten a little off topic. Do you know what you were guarding?” He didn’t wait for a response. “A diplomatic envoy from Equestria.”
Lucien’s mood turned, she started shaking, clenching her beak. “Ponies?! I am in trouble because a bunch of ponies wanted an escort?” She roared, spittle trailing down her chin.
A pin could be heard, several council members whispered to each other. 
“Yes.” Was the curt reply for the council’s head. “Do you know why there is a statue of a pegasus in front of the royal castle?”
In a pique of rage, Lucien replied. “I couldn’t care less.”
“It’s a shame they don’t teach hatchlings better. All we know is he was a Celestial Guard by the name of DK. He died in the griffon war 200 years ago, protecting the King from other ponies. He ended the war.”
“For the past three years, we have been working together with Princess Celestia to create a true peace. A system of uniting the world in peace. Two weeks ago was the official signing of the treaty that will make this possible. But there are parties that tried to stop it. The Suscéptors were working with Celestia, we knew the dragon would attack.”
“Do you know the penalty for abandoning such a mission?” The black clad griffon asked.
“Yes. Execution.” Lucien lowered her head, eyes wide. What have I done?
“Do you know the outcome of the mission?”
“No.” Lucien admitted. “What happened?” It doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t walk out of here.
“Miraculously nothing, even your rushing in only resulted in your own injuries.” The Suscéptor offered.
Lucien lowered her head. Tears coated the ground as she hunched over.
“Are you ready to accept punishment?” The king’s representative asked.
“Yes.” Lucien chocked out. 
“You are exiled from the griffon lands. You are not allowed to return to any griffon city or communicate with any past connections, and you can never be a citizen.”
“Can I at least say goodbye?” Lucien chocked out.
“No. You cannot. This motion was passed in absentia last week by unanimous vote. Your acquaintances have been informed. As well as the penalty for disobeying. Why? Have you seen them?” The king’s rep inquired, head tilting to the side in curiosity the first hint of emotion.
“No.” Tears fell, she might as well have been killed, her life was equally over.
“Your belongings have gathered. You will leave immediately.”

Age 22 
Lucien sat on her perch, staring at the nearly empty glass of sake. Not daring to have more. After her exile she found herself relying on drink to ease her pain. But one day she woke up next to the body of an earth pony, he was dead and his body mutilated by something jagged, thankfully not her own doing but she never remembered what happened. She had no idea what she was becoming, where her life was going.
The griffon realized she had two choices to provide for herself, join a band of mercenaries and hire herself out like that black dragon, or follow up on the lead for package delivery someone had placed in her bags with Mr. Post.
Lucien stared at the foals, frolicking under Norra. How little they know of the outside world. The rust colored griffon tried to ignore the tinge in the atmosphere, weight pressing down in her limbs, something she felt exactly five years prior.
The griffon absentmindedly searched for a grey filly among the herd. That little brat has been coming by here at least once a week to try and talk and now she ups and disappears for the past two. 
A brief giggle from under her perch caused Lucien to look beneath her, at the two toned grey filly. “Surprise.” The filly cheered, eyes bright and round. “Will you tell me why you left to live with us?”
Lucien stared down at the filly. Always questions. “Maybe when you’re older, now go play with someone your own age.” She replied gruffly. “You know what will happen if your mom catches you talking with me.”
“Yay.” Lustrous Eventide cheered. “I am going to hold you to that.” And the still cutie-mark less pony trotted off to play.
Lucien took a deep breath, gulping down the remainder of her glass. Letting its warmth flow through her, her heart beating rapidly while trying to keep her expression neutral. Tension in the air slowly dissipating. 
The griffon stood from her overhanging perch, stretching out her limbs. Mr. Post has to have a job for me by know, it’s been over a week. Growling to herself while thinking.
Lucien walked away from the frolicking ponies, towards Post’s office. 
A resounding snap-crack echoed down the pathway followed by a gasp. Lucien turned. Did that stupid foal break a branch trying to climb that damned tree again? Leave the acrobatics to the ones with wings. Grinding her beak.
Lucien started down the path, the park was about 100 feet away, several ponies stared at something hidden out of her sight, when several turned and headed her way.
Several foals ran past the griffon as fast as they could, none with their parents.  To Lucien they were pallid, the bitter scent of fear seeping off their coats. Looking over the foals’ heads, a small lump of grey huddled near the base of Norra, quivering. 
Lucien ran, what the ponies would call a gallop, flapping her wings to avoid a mare headed straight for her. Head lowered, and straying to the right. Stupid eye! 
As she cleared the buildings an odor assaulted her nose, causing her to momentarily gag. The smell of a morgue after a pitched battle. She realized.
Lustrous was twenty feet in front of her, eyes glued to something to the right. Lucien turned to the right, eyes stopping on a bipedal white form. The thing looked like something designed to frighten foals on Nightmare Night and stood at twice the griffon’s height. Bipedal with no hair, its eyes covered in the same pale white flesh as the rest of its body, bulbous protrusions  sticking out at random spots on its body. But, what worried her most were its arms, long and strong. Saliva dripped down its open mouth, bits of flesh and some brightly covered fur between its serrated teeth. 
The creature felt familiar, but all that came up was the image of a grey body torn to shreds on a bed of pine needles, jagged teeth ripping off strips of fur, a burst of magic. Her heart sped up.
Lucien saw the shoulder of its right arm twitch, the rest out of her sight. A hard rod slammed into her side, the shock of the hit not even allowing her time to shriek, the air forced out of her lungs as her ribs compressed. 
The griffon sailed through the air until a slanted roof stopped her momentum. She collapsed to the ground, unable to breathe. Lucien gasps for a needed breathe and her chest blossoms into agony. Coughs racked her body, drops of blood settling to the ground. Her vision blurred, staring at the creature, limb from Norra dropping from its hand as it moved slowly to the cowering foal, mouth opening wider.
Lucien couldn’t move. I should just stay here, what have these ponies ever done for me? Her head swam. Broken ribs, punctured lung. Lifting her wing forced another flash of pain through her body. Broken wing. 
A tear dripped from her good eye. Why do I care?
“If you see someone in pain and do nothing yourself, you may as well have been the source of their pain. For you had the remedy and were too greedy to use it.” Agnis spoke in soft tones like she was talking to one of her patients.
Why should I?
“You have the makings of a great leader, but you know nothing of self-sacrifice.” Benzaiten sang. “Without the strength imbued by virtue, muscle is of no use. If you cannot rid yourself of ego, you will never have a home. To be forged by fire and come out strong, one needs patience in the smith.”
The smith? Lucien questioned, eye going to the tree. She tried to stand; her limbs gave out before she was halfway up. Everything seemed to be moving slowly, the world around her at a standstill. But I can’t even move she pleaded.
“What are you? A hatchling?!” Her Drill Instructor roared. “I don’t care if you have to claw your way to the training circle. Never give up.”
What have they ever done for me?! Lucien yelled at herself.
They gave you a job and a place to stay. Miss Fields connected you to that purveyor of meat. Lustrous came by every week to be your friend. She answered back. If you don’t help someone that tried to help you, then you are nothing better than a carrion eater!!
Lucien forced her way to her feet. Half breathing, half coughing. She ran forward as the thing lowered its gangly pointed claws toward Lustrous. The griffon pumped her wings, ignoring what pain got past the adrenaline. At five feet she let loose an ear piercing shriek, a predatory shriek, the scream ponies would fear. Both the creature and the foal looked up.
The creature only had enough time to look in her general direction before Lucien struck, attaching to its back. Her lion’s paws gouging at its back and legs while her talons clawed open any flesh they found and her beak tearing at the creature’s neck. 
The creature roared, putrid odor pouring out of its mouth. Long arms reaching around its body, attacking the offending griffon.
Lucien wouldn’t move, wouldn’t flee. Her peak punctured one of its pustules; a white fluid covered her face, burning her eyes, throat, anything it touched. She screamed, burning unlike anything she could ever imagine, the odor getting worse. The creature was moving around the square; under her assault.
Lucien’s felt her back slam into a building, her back half tingling for a moment. Her left claw to slipped, striking a part of its body she hadn’t been able to reach before. Something warm and sticky seeped out over her claw, but this one didn’t burn. The creature slowed, banging her against the same building but with less force. The griffon tired, started to cough against the noxious fluid. 
The creature stopped moving, only a faint gurgle could be heard by the griffon. It stumbled, Lucien still swinging wildly. Without warning it fell backwards, placing Lucien between it and the grass, she lost all feeling to the lower half of her body. The grass felt cold between her shoulder blades. 
Lucien could no longer hold on, body beaten and bruised, she released the creature. But no sound came from it, just dead weight on her body. The weight crushing her lungs, making it harder to breathe. She could no longer see. Her hearing fading as her mind slowly shut down.
Lucien could hear small gasps and words; she couldn’t piece any intelligible fragments together. 
The voices came closer and a weight lifted off her body. Lucien tried to take a deep breathe, nothing came, it felt like she was drowning.
“No. Stay back. Wait for the nurse.” A random pony. The words piercing the fog wrapping her mind. 
“Let me through! I have to see her!” A familiar voice screamed like only a child can, the voice one Lucien was afraid she wouldn’t hear again.
“Let them do their job.” A less welcome voice spoke. 
Lucien felt weaker with every breath, heartbeat slowing. The griffon tried to speak, only emitting a gurgle. Stay out of trouble you stupid foal, or you’ll never get to see your cutie mark.
Sound faded for the griffon until it was just buzzing which also faded. 
Lucien found it harder to breathe, harder to want to do anything. Soo tired.
Something hit her chest, pounded on it. 
Lucien gave a brief smile, as she took her last breathe. Home.