//------------------------------// // An unexpected honor // Story: Aces of the North // by Skystriker //------------------------------// In the very heart of the Griffin homeland laid a vast, beautiful green valley, where mighty trees were groomed into sections for hunting, streams diverted and merged into a fast flowing crystal clear river for fishing, and standing in the middle of it all was the imposing capitol of the proud Griffin Empire. The city was surrounded on all sides by a high stone wall that had stood for centuries, with massive palisades that were constantly garrisoned by elite "Immortal" unit of Griffins, who were under the direct control of only high king Golden Talon. Within the walls stood a modern city where the high casts of Griffin society resided. This was the home of the Generals, the leaders of industry, and those of noble blood that had not been given a land of their own to rule. Having even a humble dwelling within the city was considered a greater sign of status and position than having an enormous palace anywhere else in the empire. This was a city where there was never a shortage of meat or mead, even despite the ongoing hostilities. Upon a high plateau that the rest of the city was built around stood the castle of the high king, Golden Talon. The architecture was nothing like anything in Equestria, the central hub of the building was a great hall with high vaulted ceilings tall enough for one on one airborne combat exhibitions that were often held by the best the griffin army had to offer where they would show off their fighting prowess in hopes they would be selected to join the Immortals. The centerpiece of this hall was a table that stretched over a quarter mile long with the throne of High King Golden Talon at the head of it. This hall was the center of power for all of the Griffin Empire, and this day the hall was silent. The many imposing nobles and generals sitting at the large table looked toward the throne, where a very angry, very scary looking grizzled griffin, with a scar over his right eye, and wearing a treasury’s worth of gilded armor. In his talon was a mighty battle axe, that any of the others would have needed both talons to even raise, that glowed a deep purple from the grooves and designs engraved into the weapon. “Has he returned yet?” The king asked, his voice booming through the entirety of the hall. “N-no sire, we haven’t had any word from him yet.” The noble closest to the king responded, and closed his eyes, half expecting to meet the business edge of the axe. “This does not ma-” The king began, but was interrupted by the heavy doors of the hall being flung open. In tumbled the sole survivor of Razorwing’s attack force, who quickly flew to the foot of the kings throne, which made everyone in the room gasp in shock at this common soldier’s boldness. The soldier was shaking in his armor as he looked up at his king, and he began to speak. “M-my king-” He started, but was quickly cut off by the kings thunderous shout. “You had better have a good reason for approaching me uninvited whelp!!” The king shouted as he rose from his throne, his wings flared out wide. “My king, I bring news of Jarl Razorwing’s attack upon the Equestrians.” He shakily said as he bowed down, his beak touching the floor. “I gave him no such permission! That rash, thoughtless, glory seeking fool stole my personal airship and went on some foolhardy mission to end the war himself!” He snarled and screamed, shaking with fury as he descended from his throne. “You’re highness, he told us he had your blessing.” The soldier whimpered, nearly at the point of wetting himself. “Let me guess, he sent you back to report he has crushed all resistance and that the way is clear for our forces to descend upon Canterlot?” High King Golden Talon asked, his tone calming a bit. “N-no my king, I must report th-that the Jarl’s attack has failed, and the royal harbinger has been destroyed..” He replied, his beak still on the floor. “Why are you here? Where is my son? Where is Razorwing?” The king frantically and angrily asked the soldier, his vision blurring with fury and grief, for in his heart he knew. “J-Jarl Razorwing met an honorable end upon the field of battle.” The griffin whimpered in reply before receiving a swift kick to the side from the king. “Who did this?! Who killed my son?!” The king raved as his feathers ruffled and his chest puffed out. “The one had a mane that looked as if it were made of fire, and the other had a single red wing my king!” He desperately replied as he held his side, three of his ribs now shattered. The king was completely overwhelmed his anger and grief flooding his mind until he was in a blind homicidal fury, he looked down at the pathetic whimpering pile of flesh and feathers before him, the sole survivor of the attack, and the messenger of the grim news. This one should not have survived, why him and not his son? He had abandoned him and left him to die. This griffin was a coward and should be punished. All these thoughts flowed through his mind like a raging river about to burst its banks, and the enchanted markings upon his axe began to glow brighter with each passing second. Then with one merciless savage motion the massive griffin brought the enchanted battle axe down upon the terrified soldier. Rather than simply cleaving him in two when the axe made contact with him, it caused him to shudder and pop, as if he were an overfilled water balloon, leaving only a bloody mess where the griffin had once laid. The king took a deep breath and looked out at his stunned subordinates. “We are going to make them wish they had bowed before us. I want their princesses slaughtered, their kingdom burned, their cities pillaged, and picked clean. I will not take this lying down! We shall show them the true power of our nation! I want our factories to turn out weapons that will make them surrender at their mere mention! I don’t care about the cost, I don’t care about the traditions, I don’t care how you do it! I want their technology! I want their magic! Then take it all and make it better than they ever could! Above all else I want those Ponies that killed my son to die slow painful deaths! Now go! Your king commands you!” The king ranted and raved as he paced back and forth through the puddle of what was left of the soldier he had annihilated. All at once everyone at the table took off and flew off to go do whatever they could to attempt to appease their grieving leader. In less that a minute the king was alone in the great hall and he dropped back down onto his throne, heartbroken and blind with fury. He closed his eyes, still shuddering violently in his armor. He knew that if he went through with what he had planned he might very well be the harbinger of the Apocalypse, but that no longer mattered to him. They had murdered his son, and he was going to have his vengeance. When he opened his eyes they glowed and sparkled with a mix of midnight blue and a deep dark purple for just a moment before returning to normal. “and someone clean up this mess before it starts to smell!” He squawked, then downed a stein of rich mead, the thought of Equestria in ruins between his talons bringing a faint grin to his beak. After a few days of laying in bed Blaze had finished every single book in the Adventures of Daring Doo series, and was quickly growing bored and restless. "I wonder why all the good stories are written about mares, hasn't a stallion ever done anything worth writing about?" Blaze wondered to himself as he set the book down on top of the pile of others he had already finished. He laid there tossing and turning for what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes, before deciding that he was well enough to at least trot down to the Frozen Flank to get something to eat. Blaze had a little trouble slipping his uniform back on, due to his body still being very sore from a combination of the recent injuries, and from the stiffness of laying in bed the past few days. He raised his wings to shield his face from the strong icy winds and trotted as quickly as he could toward the cantina, a twinge of regret tingling through him as he began to miss the warmth of his blanket. He stumbled in and took a seat at the bar, his throat was dry, and he could smell the sweet aroma of fresh cider. He licked his muzzle in anticipation as Sour Mash floated over a tall warm mug of spiced cider for him. He wrapped his hooves around the mug and drank deeply from it, the warm liquid quickly chasing the cold from his body. He smiled as a shiver went up and down his spine, and his wings flared out a moment and his tail flicked as the sensation rushed through it. Just as he lifted the mug to take another sip he felt a pair of hooves slap him on his back. The unexpected smacks, though not painful, made his wings forcefully flare out. The sudden wingboner sent a root beer float, one of the waitress was carrying, flying into the air. Most of it came down on the bar and made a sticky foamy mess all over it, and the scoop of ice cream fell on top of his head sinking into Blaze's fiery mane. Blaze smiled nervously then flicked his head up sending the scoop of ice cream back into the air, then caught it, and gulped it down in one bite. Sour Mash rolled his eyes and wiped up the mess on the bar before trotting over to help a pair of unicorns down at the other end of the bar. "Sorry Blaze." Cloudburst started as she wiped some of the mess from his mane. "We didn't mean to startle you." Sunrise said, finishing her marefriend's sentence. "It's alright girls, really, so did you enjoy your morning off?" Blaze asked in a sarcastic tone, and the two mares looked a bit embarrassed, and rubbed the back of their necks in unison. Blaze chuckled and leaned back against the bar as he marveled at the two of them. He watched as they both realized he wasn't really mad at them, and a relieved grin shot onto their faces. Sunrise's bubblegum pink coat and blonde mane looked rather silly paired with the olive drab flight uniform, while her marefriend's dark blue coat and white mane seemed to fit the look a bit better. Similarly their special talents were about as polar opposite as Celestia and Luna's. Sunrise had a unique talent for creating pristine conditions for amazingly colorful sunrises, and had even created such picturesque scenery for artists to use as backgrounds. Cloudburst on the other hoof was a master at creating powerful downpours, and storms of all kinds. Despite them being nearly total opposites in these respects they acted in unison as if they were one pony, and most would guess non-identical twins before they would ever guess they were marefriends. "Aren't you still supposed to be laid up in bed?" Cloudburst asked. "Yeah Captain said you'd be on bed rest for at least a few more days." Sunrise added. "Yeah, well I uhh, ran out of books and got bored." Blaze said with a big cheesy smile before downing another mug of cider. "Crimson isn't gonna like this." Sunrise said, having already seen him enter the cantina. "Yeah he's gonna be mad you're out of bed before you're supposed to be." Cloudburst added, the two of them trying to hide their snickers as Crimson snuck up behind Blaze. "Oh stop worrying you tw-... He's right behind me isn't he?" Blaze asked, and the two mares nodded in reply. "Well, glad to see you listen to doctors about as well as you listen to me when I tell you you've had enough." Crimson said sarcastically. "I'm all healed up buddy, never felt better." Blaze said and stretched his legs and wings out, and they made loud cracking and popping noises in protest while Crimson rolled his eyes. "You're not in trouble, now stop that, its gross." Crimson said with a wince as his feathers ruffled out, a shiver running up and down his spine. "Fine, so... did our bounty come in for that mission yet?" Blaze asked, then began to preen one of his wings passively. "Yes indeedy dandy, fillies and gentlecolts, it is payday." Crimson replied, a giddy little pop in his voice as he pulled a few letters from his saddlebags. Crimson, being Gale teams Captain, had the responsibility of making sure everypony got their pay, and dishing out the teams hard earned bits was the only administrative duty that brought him any joy. Sunrise and Cloudburst received their standard pay, just like every other week, but Blaze and Crimson weren't sure how much to expect, considering all that they had done. When they opened up their envelopes they were surprised to find a letter rather than a check. "Where the hay is my paycheck?" Blaze asked as he looked inside the envelope, and shook it around, as if he were expecting a secret panel in the envelope to open. "Did you even read the letter?" Crimson asked, his tone a little annoyed as he watched Blaze dissect the envelope. "No.... what's it say?" Blaze asked as he shifted the bits and pieces of the envelope into a pile on the bar. "It says we're supposed to report to General Shortcake's office, and we'll be paid after our formal debriefing with her." Crimson explained as he held up the formal looking letter. "Well what the hay are we waiting for? Lets go!" Blaze said excitedly and started trotting towards the door, only to have his tail yanked between Crimson's teeth. "Ow, w-what are you doing?" Blaze shakily asked, the slightest flash of pink rushing to his cheeks as his wings pomfed up. "It also says when we're supposed to report to her office, and we've got an hour and a half yet before she wants to see us." Crimson said, eyeing his now heavily embarrassed friend as he pushed his wings back down. "Well what do we do until then?" Blaze inquired, as he finally got his wings back down. "First you're gonna sober up, then we're gonna grab Misty, Radar, and Heavy Lift, after that we're gonna patiently, and soberly wait for our appointment." Crimson replied in a firm commanding tone. "Awwwww that's no fun." Blaze responded, sounding like a disappointed foal being forced to do his chores. "Or I could keep teasing you till you admit you like it." He said in a much softer, almost seductive tone. "Hurry up and wait it is." Blaze instantly replied and the two set off to gather the rest of their team, leaving Sunrise and Cloudburst confused and intrigued at what they had just witnessed. An hour and half later the members of Gale team found themselves waiting just outside of General Shortcake's office. The five ponies fidgeted impatiently as they stared at the wall, reading and rereading the plaques on the wall that denoted the accomplishments of the commanding officers of the base, as well as the traditional portraits and devotions to the regal sisters. After a few minutes, which felt more like hours to the eager ponies, General Shortcake called them into her rather large and posh office. The small framed unicorn mare behind the massive desk looked almost as if she were just a filly who was pretending to be the boss in her mom's office, but not one of them dared say this out loud. General Shortcake was the supreme commander of all Equestrian forces in the field, and had a bit of a small mares complex due to her slight stature, but was a brilliant tactician and respected leader. She also had the distinction of being one of the only ponies to attain a position as high as hers that was not of royal blood. She hopped up on top of her desk then jumped down in front of them, landing next to a table with a large detailed map with little flags sticking up all across the length and breadth of it, indicating the position of Equestrian forces, as well as the location of any griffin forces they knew of. Gale Team gathered around the table and General Shortcake began to speak. "I've already viewed the flight recorder spells from your P.I.C.S.s so I won't bore us all by making you recount it, I'd just like you to verify that the markers we have for the battle are accurate." Shortcake said in a serious tone, that was somewhat undermined by the fact she still sounded like she had only just gotten her cutiemark. “These all appear to be accurate Ma’am.” Crimson replied as he traced his hoof over the map. “Great, now that that is settled we have other matters to attend to. These maps and charts were not the only reason that I called you in here.” General Shortcake said, as she unfurled a scroll onto the table. “What’s that? Is it how much we’re getting paid?” Blaze asked excitedly, only to receive several hooves upside the head. “No, I’ll get to that in a moment, this is something far more valuable.” Shortcake explained. The five ponies leaned in and examined the scroll and saw that it was a letter, from none other than Princess Celestia herself. The words were written in a beautiful calligraphy that despite all the elegant hooks and curves was still as easy to read as the simplest of printed forms. The wording was also unique, as if it were a mix of the old and new ways of writing that somehow flowed seamlessly across the page. As they read their eyes lit up, their hearts skipped a beat, and Radar nearly passed out as they read what the letter said. It formally requested that the five of them report to the Royal Castle in Canterlot, to have an audience and meal with not just one, but both of the Royal Sisters. This was an honor that none of them could have possibly thought would be bestowed upon them, especially for what they had done. “This, is incredible...” Radar whispered, unable to believe what he had just read. “Never thought I’d ever see the inside of that Castle mahself.” Heavy Lift added. “What does this mean?” Crimson asked General Shortcake, taken aback by the letter. “Well it’s nothing bad, the Princesses don’t handle punishments personally. If you were in trouble they would just have me handle your sorry hides.” She matter of factly responded. “I know we saved everypony from getting blown to the everafter by that airship, but I never would have thought it would get us in to see the Princesses.” Blaze said. “Might have something to do with the fact that the Jarl you did blow to the everafter was next in line to the Griffin throne; speaking of which, here is your payment.” General Shortcake said casually then floated out a check to each of them. While all of them were substantial, and far more than any of them normally got every week, Blaze’s had a number scrawled upon it that made his eyes roll back in his head, before he hit the ground, out cold. He awoke several hours later in a bit of a dazed and confused state. He felt around a bit and realized that he was in his bed in the barracks again, and he was out of uniform. He panicked a bit as he felt himself up all over and shot up out of bed. "You know i never get tired of how you shoot up out of bed like that." Crimson said with a nicker as he stared up at his startled friend. "Why am I back here? Why am I naked? Where is that paycheck?" Blaze asked as he landed groggily, then fell off the bed. "You know, one of these days you’re going to ask that, and I'm going to make up answers and see how hard I can make you blush." Crimson replied cheekily as he looked down at his friend, who's head was now buried in his own flight suit. Blaze quickly regained his composure and Crimson informed him that their pay was already in thier accounts, and that they would be leaving for Canterlot the next morning for thier meeting with the princesses. Neither of them could believe that they had been summoned, by name, to the royal castle in Canterlot by the Princesses themselves. This was an incredible honor, especially considering they were what amounted to glorified mercenaries. As Blaze dug through his closet looking for his dress uniform a thought crept into his mind, and his cheeks lit up with a soft pink hue again. “Uhmm, Crimson..” Blaze started as he stepped out of the closet. “Yeah buddy, whats up?” Crimson replied as he arranged his campaign ribbons on his own dress uniform. “I appreciate you carrying me back here and all, but why did you undress me?” Blaze asked, his wings involuntarily pomfed out. “Well I didn’t want you to get your uniformed all wrinkled.” Crimson responded, in a tone that made it obvious that he wasn’t being completely honest. “Did you-” Blaze began to ask, only to be cut off by Crimson. “That’s for me to know and you to wonder about.” He said quickly, and in a giddy upbeat tone as he swished his tail playfully, and made his own wings flare out.