Chapter 13: Remembrance
Gryphus Command Center, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom
May 18th 2020, 1130 hrs
Saetos hummed one of his favorite tunes as he walked back to his workstation with his right hand firmly grasping a mug of hot coffee. Everything around the capital had been pretty quiet ever since the intrusion of the capital nearly a month ago. The griffon’s workload had also been lessened when the allied forces managed to liberate Pisa from the enemy forces. Saetos had to admit, it was nice that the capital was peaceful again and out from the reach of the flames of war, but the peaceful period also brought the usual boredom he experienced before the Neue Gryphus Insurgence.
But that was about to change today.
Just as Saetos entered the main control room, an alarm which was used to notify the communications officer about an impending enemy strike blared to life. Saetos immediately put his mug away and ran towards the main computer. The old griffon typed in a few commands on the computer, trying to see what was going on. He was shocked to see that the two radars located near the Schmierfett Canyon and the nearby Erinnerung Crater were offline from some reason. Saetos gritted his beak and typed in more commands, desperately trying to see what the hell was going on. He tried accessing to the main radars, but the system needed its daily reboot. Saetos just sighed and tried to call any griffon squad patrols that could give him some visual around the capital while the computer finishes its reboot.
He checked the schedule; the 21st Griffin Air Force Unit “Drossel” was the only squadron that was near the area where one of the radars went dead. He searched for the right frequency before calling them in,
“Drossel 1, this is Altair Alpha. Can you read me?”
Only static met his answer.
“I repeat, Drossel Squadron this is Altair Alpha, please state your status.”
“... *static*… They’re everywhere!!” yelled an unknown griffon soldier. It made the old griffon anxious.
“Drossel Squadron, what happened? Drossel respond!”
“This is Drossel 3, I’ve taken over command of the unit after Drossel 1 and 2’s deaths!” Drossel 3 yelled in desperation. “We’re currently engaging with changeling forces! How the hell did they break through!?”
“Doesn’t matter, I’m sending over another squadron to assist you. Just hold out a little longer!”
Suddenly, another voice cut through the transmission.
“This is Warhound 2 of the 108th Griffin Squadron “Warhound” to Altair Alpha, we encountered fierce enemy resistance over at the Erinnerung Crater airspace! Requesting reinforcements!”
“Stand by, Warhound 2. I’m sending over a squadron right now!”
Soon Saetos found himself answering calls for help from multiple frequencies. While he was answering them, he caught a glimpse of the main monitor. The reboot was completed, and the main radar was online again. However, the monitor showed Saetos what he didn’t want to see in all his years of working in the GCC.
Multiple enemy forces were currently closing in on the capital, and some of them had already breached the Windshear Region. An air raid siren was sounded nearby, indicating the enemy’s presence to the old radio operator.
“Damn…” was the only word that came out from Saetos’ beak.
Meanwhile…
5 miles north of “Ground Zero”, Waldreich Mountain Range, Neue Gryphus/Belka
May 18th, 1200 hrs
The changeling Z.O.E. now dubbed as Wechselbalg by Riddle screeched as she engaged both Southwind and Northwind squadrons’ top members. Archer, confident from having already engaged the previous Z.O.E., clashed with Wechselbalg for a short moment, but she soon found out that this Z.O.E. unit was more tenacious than its pegasus counterpart. Wechselbalg emitted a bug-like screech that sounded more like a giggle before the Zaubenschaft gem on her armor glowed, pumping more power to her body.
Archer was caught off guard when Wechselbalg’s attacks suddenly increased. The former wasn’t able to dodge them all, but luckily for her, Rod intercepted Wechselbalg’s attacks and drove her away from his wingmate. Ronin let out her battle cry as she too joined into the fight. Even with her lightning fast reflexes, she couldn’t slash the changeling in close range.
“Tch, what’s with this changeling!?” Ronin exclaimed as she tried to slash Wechselbalg again to no avail. “She’s too fast!”
“Southwind 1, fall back!” Rod responded. “Don’t engage her at close range. She’ll kill you with one hit!”
The warning came through as Ronin did what Rod told her to do, and just in time, as Wechselbalg decided to stop evading the former’s attacks and go on the offensive. Wechselbalg tried to swipe the metallic blue griffoness, but Ronin already flew back a couple of meters away from her. The griffoness could feel the huge amount of air being displaced when Wechselbalg made that swipe.
“いやらしい…" Ronin squeaked in amazement after realizing the amount of power Wechselbalg stored inside her body. The griffoness quickly turned tail and make her hasty exit with Wechselbalg following suit, but Rod flew in and slammed her away. Wechselbalg recovered from the impact and hovered for a moment before screeching at the brown-coated griffon. Rod wasted no time and flew away as fast as he could, intending to buy some time until Riddle could formulate a plan to handle this Z.O.E. unit.
Meanwhile, Gilda and Kite were having trouble facing Esser’s wingmate, Svenson, in close combat. Gilda admitted that she was impressed by Kite’s speed, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Svenson. Powered by the tiny Zaubenschaft gem, Svenson was able to perform maneuvers no pegasus or griffon could even hope to perform. Even Kite had difficulties keeping up with him. Despite Svenson clearly being faster than them, he was vulnerable against heavy attacks that Gilda usually delivered. Both Gilda and Kite felt awkward about helping each other out since the former usually bullied the latter in their younger days.
“Yo, Hawksforth,” Gilda called out. “How long do we have to do this!?”
“I don’t know, G,” Kite answered, “I guess until Sir Wonderfalke comes up with a strategy to beat that red changeling!”
“Unbelievable, I’m putting my faith in a nerd…” Gilda thought to herself.
Riddle was indeed trying to come up with a plan to handle Wechselbalg, but he was unable to get the full picture because he never studied a changeling’s anatomy before. He was even more worried with Black Star’s state. While he already ordered Kite and Kestrel to engage Wechselbalg, only the small griffon complied with that order. Kestrel, on the other hand, remained with Black Star, who became unusually silent after hearing Esser’s words about him being the true master of the Equestrian War.
“Come on, Blake,” Riddle thought as he observed the unfolding battle before him. “Snap out of it!”
“Black Star! Hey!! Black Star!!” Kestrel yelled at the black-feathered griffon in mild annoyance and anger. Black Star wouldn’t respond; his usual cold and focused eyes weren’t there anymore. Instead, they were replaced by a thousand-yard stare that seemed to go on forever. Esser had already flown away from the battlefield, stating that he must lead the army advancing towards Gryphus. Svenson took his place as commander for now.
Black Star, on the other hand, just hovered there, not heeding to anyone’s calls, be it an order or a call for help. Although the battle was swift to anyone who participated in it, for the dark-feathered griffon, time seems to slow down. His whole world came into a complete stop as his nightmares finally overcame the spell Princess Luna had cast on him a month ago. Flashes of his nightmares: flames, corpses, the red sky began to form right in front of him. Black Star’s breathing quickened as he darted his eyes around.
He was no longer in the present…
“Black Star! Black Star…!!”
Black Star gazed at his surroundings.The snowy peaks of the Waldreich Mountains had disappeared, replaced by lush greeneries that spanned as far as his eyes could see. Something ticked inside his mind; Black Star had seen this view before.
“This is Waldreich before… before V-2…” the dark-feathered griffon mused. “But why am I here?”
“To witness the beginning of the end…” an unfamiliar voice answered his call. Black Star looked up and saw a black mass hovering just above him. When he flew closer to the mass, Black Star noticed that the mass resembled a bird, but due to its ever changing body, the creature’s true form could not be determined. Finally, the griffon gathered enough courage to ask this creature,
“Who… what are you? Are you… ”
“Yes, I am the embodiment of your nightmares, but that does not matter right now,” the creature answered before a limb and a finger formed on his body. “Look, the show is about to begin.”
Black Star turned towards the direction the creature pointed its “finger” at. All he saw was the cloudy skies and the thick fog that rolled beneath them. Suddenly, a flash of light nearly blinded him, and then he saw something that would scar him to his very bones.
A giant mushroom cloud rose from the horizon. The giant cloud emitted so much light; it was as if a second sun had just formed from the horizon. The creature chuckled as it and Black Star saw the cloud rise into the skies. Seconds after, a deafening sound pierced through Black Star’s eardrums. The dark-feathered griffon knew that he just witnessed the V-2 bomb being detonated in the horizon: claiming thousands of lives.
Something wasn't right.
“If this is my mind, then why am I seeing an event that had happened before I was born!?” Black Star nearly yelled at the creature. The creature just turned and gave the griffon the simple answer.
“I’m not just your nightmares, Blake… “
The creature then morphed its face into Red Cyclone’s face.
“I am the embodiment of all the nightmares of this pathetic world!” the creature roared as the world around them dissolved into nothing, leaving Black Star back in the void yet again. The creature then morphed its’ face into Esser’s smirking face. “Esser” then roared in laughter as the familiar ghouls began their unholy dance and chants around the dark-feathered griffon: taunting him of his failures and mistakes. Black Star closed both of his ears in desperation, trying his best not to hear the insults being thrown at him, but it proved fruitless. Unable to cope with the failures anymore, Black Star let out an anguished scream as small tears began to form on his eyes.
“STOOOOP IT!!!!”
Kestrel noticed that Black Star’s condition was growing worse and worse; the dark griffon was now shaking like leaf. His eyes twitched and darted around, his breathing quickened, and he kept mumbling nonsense. Worried for him, Kestrel tried to poke Black Star’s shoulder just to get a reaction from him. The dark griffon yelped and turned towards her, glaring at her with his blank eyes. Kestrel was worried as she got a perfect look at Black Star’s eyes. They had already lost their natural shine, and the pupils had shrunk down so much they were nearly invincible.
“No… NoNoNoNo! NO!! DON’T TOUCH ME!!” Black Star shrieked. “STAY AWAY!!”
“Black Star, it’s me!” Kestrel tried to calm the black griffon down to no avail. Black Star twitched and tried to slash Kestrel away, much to her shock. “Black Star! Snap out of it!”
“Get away from me!!” Black Star screamed in desperation before he turned around and flew away. “GET AWAY!!”
“Black Star!!” Kestrel yelled at the fleeing griffon. “Black Star, get back here!”
Her calls were ignored by him; the dark-feathered griffon just kept screaming nonsense on his way down: covering his ears as if there was a crowd yelling at him from all directions. Black Star finally landed on the ground and ran through the snow-covered dead trees covering the mountains. Kite saw what had happened and decided to call Kestrel in,
“Captain Turmfalken, what happened over there?” Kite began. “Why did Black Star—”
“I don’t know, Milvus… I… I think something happened inside his mind,” Kestrel answered in worry. “I think he snapped, and if we leave him like this…”
Kestrel paused for a second, thinking what should she do next. She couldn't just leave and search for the dark-feathered griffon. They were in a middle of a battle. She had to help Riddle and the others on the new Z.O.E. unit, but she couldn’t just leave an emotionally wrecked griffon alone near a death zone. After nearly a minute of thinking, Kestrel made up her mind.
“Milvus, please tell Sir Wonderfalke about the situation. I’m going after Black Star myself.”
“But captain!” Kite tried to object.
“That is also an order, Milvus. Kestrel out.”
Before Kite could say anything, Kestrel already descended to the area where Black Star had disappeared. The air was warmer in low altitudes, but the griffoness never noticed it. The only thing she had in mind now was to find Black Star before he gave himself into utter desolation. Once Kestrel neared the ground, she could see Black Star’s claw and paw prints in the snow. The griffoness landed and began to follow the tracks, hoping to find Black Star as soon as possible.
“Black Star!” she called out as she made her way through the snow-covered landscape. Only the howling winds answered her. The snow wasn’t too deep, so the griffoness didn’t have too much trouble walking through the dead forest. The sounds of twigs breaking were also heard when the griffoness accidently stepped on them.
“Black Star!!” Kestrel called out again, but there was still no answer. “For Celestia’s sake, Black Star, at least make a sound or something!”
Again, there was no answer. The forest was deathly silent. Only the howls of the winds blowing through the dead trees kept Kestrel some company. She also heard some grunts and yells coming from the still ensuing aerial skirmish above, but she didn’t pay attention to that. The only sound mattered to her was Black Star’s voice. Kestrel kept her pace as she tugged through the snow, calling out several times in hopes of Black Star would respond to her calls.
Finally, after minutes of yelling and searching, Kestrel heard Black Star’s mumbles coming from her right. She wasted no time and ran towards the source of the sound. Then, she finally found him: sitting on the snow, using his own wings to hug himself tight. Black Star looked like a wreck to the griffoness; he was twitching, either from the cold or something from his mind. His eyes were blank and weren’t focused to anything; he just stared at the trees without any real reason. He kept mumbling nonsense to no end. Words like “failure,” “fault” and “mistake” were occasionally heard through the nonsense.
This sight really tore Kestrel’s heart apart; never in her life would she see the normally focused, self-controlled griffon like Black Star being a total wreck like this. The pastel griffoness knew she had to try snapping him out from this state.
“Black Star?” she began quietly, but the dark-feathered griffon didn’t respond, ignoring her presence. Kestrel remained calm and repeated again,
“Black Star?”
Once again, the dark-feathered griffon ignored her and kept mumbling more gibberish. Kestrel tried and tried again, but Black Star kept ignoring her. Running out of options, Kestrel finally gathered enough courage to say his real name: something she hadn’t done for a long time.
“B… Blake?”
This time, Black Star turned and stared at her. Not only his eyes were blank, but they were bloodshot too. His face no longer reflected the image of a griffon soldier. Instead, it showed what a broken and traumatized individual would look like. Kestrel feared that she might have been too late to save the dark-feathered griffon from his inner torment.
“Blake, please… if you can hear me… please snap out of this,” Kestrel began. “You can’t stay like this.”
Black Star didn’t answer at first as he turned his attention away from the griffoness. Finally, he responded,
“I can’t… can’t do it… can’t do it… too late… too late…”
“Blake… “ Kestrel tried to gain his attention again, but Black Star kept going on and on.
“Too late… too late… late…”
“Blake,” Kestrel repeated, slightly emphasizing her words so it would go through the broken griffon, but Black Star remained catatonic.
“… late… late…”
“Blake!” Kestrel yelled as she delivered a painful slap directed at the dark-feathered griffon. Black Star stopped his rambling and remained silent; the slap seems to work on snapping him out from his madness mantra. Black Star was silent for a moment before he turned to Kestrel and said,
“… I needed that…”
Kestrel smiled slightly. It seems Black Star could still be saved. However, the dark-feathered griffon then turned his head and placed it between his legs with his arms, hugging them tight. Kestrel decided to sit down beside him; she might be able to snap him out if she stayed with him for a moment. Both of them were silent for the first couple of minutes until Black Star decided to break the silence first,
“I know what you’re thinking, Marie,”
Kestrel just glanced at him in worry.
“You’re going to try talking me out from all this, but you can’t…” Black Star continued with a somber tone. “I don’t know where my own morale belongs anymore. I tried, to wipe my own ledger… Try to wipe it clean, so I can have clean slate… nothing to worry about and I believe if I tried hard enough… to do what’s right, I can finally have peace both body, and mind… but I just… can’t…”
After finishing that sentence, Black Star grabbed a handful of snow before throwing it at a nearby tree. The snowball missed the tree and hit the snow-covered ground, causing Black Star to groan in annoyance.
“You’re right… I can’t fight my destiny. I’m always going to be one of the factors that caused the war… the war that brought our mighty kingdom to its knees… the war that I could have prevented if I wasn’t such a coward… a failure… a fucking embarrassment…!”
“You’re not a coward or any of that, Blake,” Kestrel said softly. “”You’re the bravest griffon I’ve ever known. You’re willing to help Wonderfalke despite that being clearly outmatched.”
“How did you know?” Black Star asked. Kestrel just chuckled and said,
“Sir Wonderfalke told me yesterday. I asked why he owes his life to you, and he gave me the full story. I never expected you to do that sort of thing: risking your life for others.” Kestrel paused for a moment before she continued. “You’re brave, Blake. Brave enough to let that filly Firefly alive so she could form that squadron which thwarted Rad’s plans during the war, and you’re also brave enough to reveal Rad’s manipulation to our troops. More griffons and ponies could have died if it wasn’t for you…”
“So, you’re saying that I’m some sort of a hero?” Black Star asked bluntly. Kestrel just shrugged.
“You could say that.”
“Still, that doesn’t make a damn difference now…” Black Star said quietly. “We’re too late to stop that maniac from invading the capital.”
Silence fell between both griffons as Kestrel tried to think some way to convince Black Star to find his way again. Finally, she got an idea.
“Blake, if it would make you feel any better…” she began as she moved closer to him. “Remember when we first met?”
Black Star remained silent as he recalled the old memories of him meeting with the pastel-feathered griffoness for the first time.
“Yes, it was snowing… right?”
Kestrel smiled. Now this was going somewhere…
Military Academy, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom
December 30th 2000, 0800 hrs
It was a cold and snowy day in Gryphus. Hearths’ Warming Eve, a holiday celebrated by the ponies, had already passed, and everyone in the world was waiting for the coming of the new year. Black Star, or rather Blake, who was just 8 years old at this time. visited the Military Academy with his mother. His father joined the military ranks when he was 18, and Blake wanted to do the same thing when he reached that age one day. His mother, a beautiful yellow-feathered griffoness, approved of his dream and decided to take him to the military academy to see the glimpses of his later life.
Blake was beyond excited as he and his mother entered the main building. The military instructor at that time was very nice to him and his mother and showed them the entire facility. He even got to meet some of the recruits who decided to stay in the academy for the holidays. When he asked them why didn’t they just go home to their mommies and daddies, one recruit just sighed and answered,
“Kid. Unlike you, we don’t have a family anymore. They’re gone since the disa— Oh, I mean when the heavens fell before us.”
“The heavens fell?” Blake repeated in pure curiosity. The recruit just chuckled and patted the little black-feathered cub.
“One day you’ll learn.”
Blake giggled before he and his mother were taken outside to look some of the training grounds. Along the way there, Blake spotted a small pastel-feathered griffoness cub who was accompanied by her parents talking to another recruit, probably her own brother. Blake couldn’t help but to look twice at her.
“She’s pretty…” Blake thought with a smile. When the griffoness noticed him staring at her, Blake immediately blushed and turned his attention away. The dark-feathered cub took a tiny glance at her again and found her waving sweetly at him. Blake just responded with a nervous wave, causing the griffoness cub to giggle.
When the little tour was over, Blake’s mother thanked the instructor before they were getting ready to depart for their home. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the same pastel griffoness cub from before. She was getting ready to leave with her parents with her presumed brother watching and waving goodbye. She also noticed him and gave him a small smile and a wave.
When she and her family had already left, Blake decided to ask his mother about the griffoness cub.
“Mom?”
“Yes, sweetie. What is it?” his mother answered softly.
“Umm… mommy, who are they?” Blake asked as he pointed to the griffoness cubs’ parents flying away. His mother looked before she gave an answer,
“They’re the Turmfalkens, sweetie. They just moved in a couple of days ago and lived in the house next door. Don’t tell me you forgot already?”
Blake just chuckled in embarrassment; he never really did notice, since he was always out and playing with the other griffon cubs far from his house and neighborhood. He made a mental note to come and visit these Turmfalkens if he could.
“I remembered when you first arrived on my house’s doorstep,” Kestrel chuckled. “You looked so nervous when you asked my parents if I could go outside and play.”
“I’m even more surprised that you were a tomboy back then,” Black Star added, slightly comforted after recalling those memories. Kestrel just frowned at him and asked,
“And you think I’m what? A spoiled girly princess?”
Black Star just waved his talon, confirming the griffoness’ statement. Kestrel gave out a small laugh.
“You were such a boy back then,” she said. “It’s hard to believe that you used to be like that!”
“Yeah, I get that a lot. I still miss my parents though. I wonder what they’re doing right now… “ Black Star answered before he recalled more of his past.
9 Years ago…
Military Academy, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom
November 12th 2011, 1000 hrs
A nineteen year old Blake paced around in his room in the Military Academy. He managed to enlist in the ranks, and he was accepted as a member of the new generation of soldiers of the Griffin Kingdom. Both of his parents had never been prouder of their son, but something unexpected happened. While his father was a soldier, his mother worked as a diplomat for the kingdom and was suddenly called away to attend a meeting in North Point: a neutral griffon-pony nation located in the far east, just near Neighpon. His father also departed to North Point to escort his mother.
What really troubles Blake was that he just read the news saying that the tensions between Urusea and the rest of the eastern bloc, which included North Point, had been severed. As of now, all contacts from the east were blocked by the Urusean military.
“Come on, Blake. I’m sure they’re fine!” his roommate said in assurance. “Stop worrying so much!”
“Edgar, the eastern block is infamous for its local civil wars ever since the Uly— I mean, that disaster,” Blake said flatly. “They even conducted a full scale rebellion when some of their countrymen were about to sign the whole “mining agreement” with our kingdom.”
“You do have point there, Blake,” the griffon, Edgar said thoughtfully. “Nevertheless, we should keep our hopes up. Your folks are tough right? So they should be fine with all the madness going on around them.”
Blake sighed, Edgar’s right. He’s worrying too much about this. He knew his father is a capable officer of the Griffin Kingdom Army, and his mother was quite a decent combatant for a diplomat. If both of them were together, then he should have nothing to worry about. Suddenly the door creaked open as a gray-feathered griffon peeked in.
“Gregor,” Edgar began. “Have you heard of knocking before entering?”
“Sorry, Ed,” the griffon, Gregor apologized. “I tried knocking nearly a minute ago, but you guys didn’t notice so… yeah.”
Both Blake and Edgar immediately apologized to their friend before asking why he was knocking at their door in the first place.
“Captain Metal Sphere has called all of us to the main training yard,” Gregor explained. “He said that we’re having a guest from the top brass.”
“The top brass?” Blake asked. “What the hell did they want from us?”
Gregor just shrugged.
“I have no idea, the captain only told me that,” the gray griffon admitted. “Now come on, he’s waiting for us!”
The trio then exited the room and made their way outside the building. Though the sun was shining today, the air was cold: marking the arrival of winter. Many griffon recruits both male and female had already gathered at the main training yard. and their instructor, Metal Sphere, wasn’t quite pleased by the trio’s tardiness.
“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again,” Blake said sternly.
“Alright then, now you three, get in the front of the line and remain on standby until somebody other than a recruit comes and tell you three something to do.”
“Yes, sir!” the trio said in unison before they took their positions in front of the other recruits. Gregor wasn’t exactly pleased about being late, and the same could be said for Edgar and Blake. A few chuckles and snickers came from behind them; the other recruits were clearly enjoying the trio’s punishment. Blake took a small glance and saw Marie, his childhood friend giggling at his predicament.
“Oh man, you’re an idiot, Blake,” The dark-feathered griffon thought to himself. “You just humiliated yourself in front of her.”
The recruits soon went silent when the guests arrived. It was Colonel Silverbeak, a high ranking member of the Griffin Army, and he was accompanied by several other griffon soldiers. One of them who had a bright red feathers and coat caught Blake’s attention. Silverbeak soon revealed his intentions for visiting them today.
Turns out, he was currently forming a new elite squadron called “Gryphus” and he was seeking members for the squad. The rules and regulations were strict; that would push anyone who wanted to join the squad to their very edge. Blake was interested by this request, and so were the others. The dark-feathered griffon felt that this was the chance to prove himself to the kingdom. If he was strong, then he will be able to help his parents at North Point. Blake knew he would have a fierce competition to take the empty seat, but something had bothered him throughout Silverbeak’s visit.
He felt like the crimson-feathered griffon he saw earlier kept his eyes on him. Watching him, observing him, and he even saw his nodding thoughtfully before he turned his attention away from him. Something was going on inside this griffon’s head, he just knew it.
The last five months were tough for the recruits. Blake kept trying to perfect his flight maneuvers and aerial combat just to impress the top brass in the selection, which was going to be held seven more months from now. One day, Blake finally collapsed after pushing himself too hard in a joint maneuver exercise with Gregor and Edgar. Both griffons had carried him back to the building. The nurse said that Blake just needed some rest.
“I wouldn’t blame him though; we nearly didn’t have any proper rest for the last couple of days,” Edgar spoke. He and Gregor were now back in the former’s room, while Blake was already sleeping on his bed. Gregor just nodded in agreement.
“Yep, and it’s all because of that stupid elite squadron selections months from now,” Gregor sighed. “Honestly, I’d rather work my way up rather than to be chosen as a member of the spoiled elites.”
“Well, some of us had their own dreams, Gregor.” Edgar shrugged. “Now come on, we really should leave and let Blake rest for the day.”
Then the two griffons did just that: they exited the room quietly and closed the door behind them, hoping that Blake wouldn’t wake up from that. What they didn’t know was that Blake never slept in the first place, the dark-feathered griffon opened his eyes and gazed the ceiling. He really pushed himself to the limit today, but resting was the last thing he had on his mind. Pampered or not, joining the elites was the only chance for him to prove himself, and he was not willing to be placed as a second banana to some other recruit.
Blake grunted as he made his way through the hallway. His body protested him for not resting, but he ignored it. He needed to perfect aerial combats so those “spoiled” top brass could see that he was worth something in their eyes. When Blake finally reached the exit, he heard a cough coming from behind him. He sighed; he just got caught.
“Where do you think you’re going?” a feminine voice said. Blake kept quiet as the owner of the voice walked over to him. It was Marie, and she was not in a good mood.
“I said, where you think you’re going?” she repeated.
“More training,” Blake answered simply as he tried to open the main doors. Marie stopped him and said,
“You’re going to get yourself killed, Blake. Three of our guys had been sent to hospital, all because of the same reason you are here now.”
“Marie, please. Gryphus is the only chance. I got to prove myself,” Blake responded. “If I’m in, then I got a straight shot to North Point, save my family from those Uruseans. I know, I already asked them, and they said that the kingdom will have some involvement on the eastern block.”
“There are other ways to do this, Blake,” Marie snapped.
“I don’t have any time,” Blake said bluntly. “My parents don’t have any time.”
“And now you’re doubting them,” Marie said, prompting Blake to turn and face her. “I know them, Blake. My parents know them, and I know that they are safe from harm. They’re probably the ones who were worried, worried about you.”
Blake wasn’t able to respond, his mind still worried about his parents, but what would they say if they made it back without a scratch and find their son had died from exhaustion? In the end, Marie’s words got to him.
“Come on, I’ll help you get back to your room,” Marie said softly.
“But, my room is in the boys section…” Blake pointed out, but Marie just giggled.
“Everyone’s in the cafeteria right now. No one will notice.”
“You were so stubborn back then.” Kestrel smirked, but then she frowned. “I guess that’s your defining trait.”
“Yes, and look what it got me to…” Black Star sighed.
“I’ve noticed,” Kestrel nodded. “It leads to your bravery, focus on your own tasks and your unflinching resolve.”
Black Star kept his mouth shut as more and more memories came flooding in. This time, it contained the most fatal mistake he’d ever made in his entire life.
7 Years ago…
Palace Courtyard, Gryphus, Griffin Kingdom
January 5th 2013, 1245 hrs
Blake stood proudly as numerous cameramen took his picture. He did it: he made through the elites’ selection ceremony, and he was chosen as the third honorary member of the highly acclaimed Elite Gryphus Squadron. Though he was two years late and was unable to attend the first selections, he took Marie’s advice and waited until he was ready for the third round. The situation on the eastern block remained stable, despite the growing concerns about Urusea’s rising technological and military might.
He was sure that his parents would be very proud at him. All he had to do now was to wait an order for deployment on the eastern block.
Beside him was the same red-feathered griffon who was called Red Cyclone by the other senior members of Gryphus Squadron. Red Cyclone currently held the rank of Captain and was the leader of Gryphus Squadron. His red eyes may have looked intimidating to the others, but the senior members claimed that he was a very capable leader of Gryphus Squadron and was very charismatic, which earned him the spot within the top brass. When the ceremony was over, Red Cyclone told Blake that he was given some time to pack up his things back at the academy before moving into Gryphus squadron’s base inside the palace.
“You have a bright future, Blake,” Red Cyclone told to the dark-feathered griffon with a smile. “With you joining our ranks, you’ve made our kingdom proud, and I’m sure that our kingdom will become much more powerful than before.”
“You really think so, sir?” Blake smiled.
“I never doubt my words,” Red Cyclone smirked as he patted the dark-feathered griffon’s head. “Believe me, Blake. You will change everything when the time comes.”
Blake felt his confidence grow when he heard those words. He just couldn’t wait to tell his parents about this. Back at the academy, his friends threw a big party to congratulate him for passing the selections. Even the usually grumpy Metal Sphere praised him for his success. However, some of them were disappointed when Blake told them that he was moving out from the academy. Edgar and Gregor stated that they were going to miss him on their daily training sessions, and Marie was visibly upset about him leaving. Blake assured to them that he would find some time to visit them. The party lasted for the entire night until Metal Sphere had to disband it himself. When morning finally came, Blake had already brought his bags outside and was ready to leave, but Marie’s voice stopped him. The pastel griffoness looked troubled.
“Is there something wrong, Marie?” Blake asked. “If it’s about me leaving this academy behind, I already promised you guys that I will visit—”
“That’s not it, Blake,” Marie suddenly blurted, surprising the dark griffon. “I just can’t… um… I will never get to… ah!”
“Marie…” Blake started, but the griffoness kept her stuttering as she searched for the right words. It’s true that she had been friends with him since their childhood, but what he didn’t know was that Marie had always been harboring strong feelings towards him. Blake was the first boy she’d ever made friends with when her family moved in.
“No… it’s just that I… AH Screw it!” Marie yelled as she grabbed both of Blake’s shoulders, keeping her green eyes straight at Blake’s gold ones. “I… love you, Blake… and I’m afraid that if you leave… we might never see each other—”
“Marie,” Blake cut in as he moved his face closer to hers. “You’re not the only one. I always kinda liked you when we were kids. The first time I saw you… like when you waved at me, I thought I just saw a pretty little angel standing on the snow.”
“Blake… you really felt that way too?” Marie said softly, Blake just nodded as he continued,
“Yes, for a long time. I really want to tell you about it, but I didn’t have enough courage to spit it out, and I guessed you did too.”
Marie just chuckled when she heard that. Her laugh soon drowned out when she looked at Blake’s eyes again.
“Listen, I have to go. This is my job now, Marie. I promise that I will visit you every day if I have to, just to spend some time with you. Maybe, after this is done and my parents are home again, we could talk more about what the future has in store for us.”
After hearing those words, Marie smiled and planted a small kiss on Blake’s cheek. Both griffons then hugged each other, which lasted for an eternity for them. After the hug, Blake said farewell to the pastel griffoness before he lifted off with his bags and flew towards Gryphus. Marie stood there for a moment before she went back to the building.
Together with Red Cyclone’s leadership, Blake and two other senior members of the squadron flew missions outside the kingdom. One day, the kingdom’s forces finally had the official green light to go to the eastern block. Blake was more than eager to join on this mission, and Red Cyclone was kind enough to talk to the top brass about letting his team join the kingdom’s forces, who were about to be sent to North Point.
On February 1st, they finally took off from Gryphus, and for the first time, Blake could see the world with his own eyes. He knew that the world was big, but he couldn’t believe how beautiful it was when he first laid eyes on it. All of his life, Blake only saw the snowy peaks of the mountains around Gryphus, but now, he was gazing at vast plains that made up the Schayne Plains and the warm valleys around Hoofstio. Red Cyclone said that if Ulysses never impacted the planet, all of these beautiful sceneries would still be the part of the Griffin Empire.
“I know it’s a wise decision to let these countries separate from us, but still, it’ll be great if all of this were ours again…” the red-feathered griffon said to Blake during their long flight to the eastern block. “If only Lightbeak had more guts to step out from his den and invite all of these countries to join our kingdom once more.”
Blake thought about these words in silence. Red Cyclone did have a point. King Lightbeak was a good monarch ever since he took the throne from his father, who died during the Ulysses disaster. While his rule was peaceful and just, not many griffons, especially the top brass, were pleased when he was forced to let griffon states such as Nordland, Ratio, Sapin and Fato liberate themselves from the crumbling Griffin Empire, or else strain the already weakened kingdom. What’s more, his rule over the kingdom had a bad effect to the former hardened warriors who inhabited in it; there were no wars and no serious incidents.
The Griffin Kingdom nearly became a utopia just like their southern neighbor, Equestria. For some, it was paradise, but for the others, it was like some kind of a joke to their old ways.
During his stay in North Point, Blake was reunited with his parents. They were very proud of him when he told them about him being in the elites. Also, Blake trained harder to perfect his combat maneuvers, and he soon found out that he was more suited for battle during the night. His feathers and fur blended him well with the darkness; he nearly defeated Red Cyclone once. That’s how he got his intimidating moniker: Black Star the Ghost.
Little did he know that by the time he earned that name, his fate was also sealed.
6 years ago...
June 5th 2014, 1200 hrs
“What?” Blake, or Black, Star said in confusion as the now promoted Major Red Cyclone handed him some papers. The red-feathered griffon just made a gesture so he would read them. When he read some of them, he caught the glimpses of the words: “mutiny” and “investigation”" on them.
“I just got an order from the top brass,” Red Cyclone began as he walked around the dark griffon. “They have confirmed that a supposed mutiny against our kingdom was being staged at the area written on those papers.
“And they want us to suppress them before it gets out of hand?” Black Star concluded. Red Cyclone just shook his head and answered,
“No, this is a solo mission, Blake, and I’m trusting this mission on your shoulders.”
“Me?” Black Star said in confusion.
“Yes, you,” Red Cyclone spoke again. “It’s time to prove yourself, Blake. Whether you’re a capable soldier of the Griffin Kingdom or not. You had your orders, go.”
Without any other word, Black Star stood up and saluted the red-feathered griffon before he walked out from their base with the papers. Red Cyclone just chuckled darkly as he watched the dark-feathered griffon disappear into the clouds.
Black Star read about the location along the way. The papers said that it was within the Equestrian territory. Black Star grew suspicious. Did the ponies want to start a war with his kind? If so, then he would have no choice but to eliminate these warmongers before they could act. Finally, after an hour’s worth of lying, Black Star reached his destination, but something was not right. All he saw was a little home, not a massive training camp as he imagined. Still, it was worth checking out since he had his orders.
Black Star knocked the door, hoping that this house was empty and it was all just an elaborate trick set up by Red Cyclone and the other members from the squad.
“Coming…” a mature female voice was heard from the inside. Black Star tensed, someone or somepony was inside. When the door finally opened, he saw a pegasus mare looking quite shocked to see a griffon in front of her doorstep.
“Um… can I help you sir?” she stuttered.
“You’re joking right?” Black Star thought with a frown. Soon, another pegasus showed up from inside the house. This time, it was a stallion, and he looked just as confused as the mare.
“Can we help you sir?” the stallion asked nicely. Since he had no other way, Black Star explained the whole situation with them. Needless to say, both ponies were shocked to hear that they were accused of something they would never do.
“Preposterous! Why would we scheme a rebellion against your country?” the stallion said sharply.
“I’m sure that your superiors must have made some kind of mistake,” the mare added. “We’d never do such a thing; if we did, then we have defied the very rules of our country.”
Black Star knew it: this was a mistake. These pegasi had never plotted against his country, not now and not ever, but still, he needed to contact Red Cyclone just to clear up the misunderstandings. However, the red-feathered griffon’s answer nearly bleached his mind.
“It’s a trick, Blake. They’re double agents working for their princess and were trained to keep their scheme concealed.”
“But, sir! I-I know they’re telling the truth! I talked to them, I…”
“Listen, Blake. This is a level one order from the top brass. Meaning that if you don’t execute this order, then they will have your head in a basket,” Red Cyclone explained in worry. “It’s either you take their lives, or the top brass will take yours.”
Black Star was consumed by an overwhelming sense of dread. He felt like being pinched by two unstoppable forces, and he had to move one in order to let the other go. It was him, or those two pegasi. He promised Marie that he would return for her and his family, but he couldn’t just kill those two innocent ponies. In the end, he chose the worst choice of them all…
“Forgive me…” he said slowly to both pegasi before he made a vicious slash at the stallion first. The mare screamed, but she was quickly silenced when Black Star grabbed her throat started suffocating her. The stallion recovered from the blow and made a body slam at him. Black Star’s combat and predator instinct took over as everything around him turned red.
When he finally snapped out from his trance, he found both pegasi lying in front of him: unmoving and bathed on their own blood. Black Star brought up two of his forelimbs and saw the blood trickling down from his talons. He didn’t know it yet, but Black Star had just made his own life a living hell from this point on. In order to get rid of the evidence, he decided to burn the entire house down; everything must be destroyed.
Black Star smashed another oil lamp on the floor before lighting the oil up with some matches he brought with him. Slowly, he watched the flame make its way to the large oil puddle where the dead pegasi were laid. Black Star had to turn his sights away as the flames licked the dead bodies, slowly turning the once bright multi colored coats and manes into charcoal. The smell of burned flesh pierced his nose, but it was soon replaced by the smell of charred wood as the flames slowly engulfed the whole house.
As Black Star was about to leave, he heard someone entering from the front door. He took a tiny glance and saw a little pink filly entering the burning house. She looked quite confused at first, but then her expression changed when she saw the already burned corpses.
“Mommy… Daddy…?”
Black Star remained silent as the filly rushed over to the burned corpses.
“Mommy... Daddy... What happened to you?! Please, wake up! Say something!” she yelled desperately as she shook one of the corpses. Black Star felt his heart being pierced by a spear; he just murdered the parents of this little filly. But, he still had to play his role in this, and this was the chance. He could motivate this little filly to avenge her parents’ deaths, even if he had to get rough on the poor filly.
What happened next was too painful for the dark-feathered griffon to remember.
“And that’s how I ruined a filly’s entire childhood…” Black Star said sadly. “And gave myself endless nightmares that tortured me every time I went to bed.”
“But that’s not all the cause, is it?” Kestrel asked. “Y’know there’s one more thing that made you like this, the incident that made me…”
The pastel griffoness wasn’t able to finish those words. Black Star knew fully well what she was talking about: that one incident that set off the chain of events that changed the lives of so many Equestrians, and griffons.
Southern Drakenridge Mountain Range, Griffin Kingdom
September 18th 2018, 0140 hrs
Lightbeak choked in pain as he felt several talons being pierce into his chest. He couldn’t believe it: he just got back from a political visit to one of the former Griffin Empire nation and this was his welcoming gift? He personally ordered Gryphus Squadron to be his bodyguards throughout the visit, but he would never expect them to betray him like this. Lightbeak tried to scream, but Red Cyclone in front of him dug his claws deeper.
“Shhh, it’s alright, sir,” he spoke sinisterly. “It won’t take long.”
“Treacherous… dog…!” Lightbeak choked before his entire body went limp. Satisfied with his deed, Red Cyclone released the body and spat on it.
“Now that’s done, we can proceed with the next stage of our revolution that will bring the Griffin Kingdom back into its former glory,” he said with pure delight. Black Star just kept his beak shut, but the other two members of the squadron didn’t see anything glorious by murdering their own king.
“Cyclone, is this really necessary?” one of them began. The red-feathered griffon just turned and glared at him with those piercing red eyes.
“Are you questioning my authority, Lieutenant?” Red Cyclone hissed. The griffon just shrank in fear, but his comrade had more courage to challenge Cyclone’s authority.
“Maybe not him, but I do!” he exclaimed. “This isn’t a revolution, Red Cyclone. This is mutiny!”
“Drastic measures had to be done to achieve our kingdom’s best interest,” Red Cyclone spoke causally. “Didn’t I tell you guys that before?”
“But not like this! This is madness, Colonel!” the griffon yelled. “Lightbeak may be weak, but because of him, we achieved the peace our forefathers had long sought! This is a betrayal to our kingdom’s very principles, and I, a sworn soldier of the kingdom. must inform the other about this!”
Red Cyclone just sighed when he heard that little speech. He turned to Black Star and nodded slightly. The dark feathered griffon closed his eyes and muttered,
“Roger that…”
Before he could even react, Black Star lunged at his comrade with blinding speed. The griffon was shocked to see his friend suddenly attacking him without any reason, calling him a traitor and all sorts. The other griffon tried to flee from the scene, but Red Cyclone brought him down and smashed his skull at a nearby rock. After a fierce skirmish, Black Star finally incapacitated his own comrade.
“Well done, Black Star,” Red Cyclone spoke. “You managed to quell the rebels before they could take action…”
Black Star winced slightly when he heard those words. Red Cyclone continued on,
“Gather some wood, and burn the wreckage along with that weakling, Lightbeak. Make it look like an accident.”
Black Star merely complied in silence and did what he was told to do. Smoke quickly rose from the burning wreckage, and the smell of burning flesh began to pierce both griffons’ noses. When Black Star asked the red griffon about the incapacitated members, Red Cyclone merely responded,
“They won’t last long. The night will claim them.”
Although reluctant, Black Star had to comply and left his two comrades to die in the mountains.
“You did what!?” Marie said in disbelief. Black Star had been feeling uneasy with the entire assassination and decided to talk about it to his girlfriend. As he suspected, she didn’t take it very well. She looked very angry. “Blake! How could you!”
“Marie… please, Red Cyclone said that it was for the best for our…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Marie slapped him hard on his face. The pain really stung, but what hurt him more was that Marie wasn’t pleased with his actions. He tried to get up, but the pastel griffoness made a quick backhand at him. Out of reflex, Black Star grabbed her talon before it could strike him. He finally made eye contact with the griffoness; Marie’s green eyes were burning with anger and disgust.
It seemed an eternity passed by until Marie regained her composure and scowled at the dark-feathered griffon. Black Star just stared at her and waited for the inevitable.
“Let go of me…” she hissed. He immediately complied. Marie then turned her back on him and walked away. She stopped and took a small glance at him before she said,
“You’re a disgrace, to your kingdom, to your family and to me. It’s over, Blake… don’t ever speak to me again.”
Black Star just stared in silence as the griffoness spread her wings and took off, leaving him all alone. Black Star wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but he felt that his entire world came crashing down after hearing those words. The dark griffon sighed and decided to return to Gryphus on foot. Along the way, he heard a radio broadcast stating that Silverbeak had been promoted to general and the chief commanding officer of the griffon army. Red Cyclone himself was also promoted as his advisor. Black Star knew that he was responsible for all of this.
“What have I done…?”
“And that concludes my own tale…” Black Star said solemnly. “From how I met you to becoming the biggest fool this planet had ever known.”
“It’s not your fault, Blake,” Kestrel said softly. “As I said before, both that maniac Esser and Rad manipulated you to do those things. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“But I made my choice, Marie. I could have stopped the war from happening, but I’m too scared... no! I’m a damn coward!” Black Star snapped, half yelling. “A fucking coward and an idiot to boot! I couldn’t even see through Rad’s bullshit! HOW COULD I’VE BEEN SO STUPID!!”
Kestrel winced when Black Star finally burst his top. The dark griffon then banged both of his fists at the tree he had been leaning on. Each blow he delivered made the tree shake snow off from its branches. After minutes of yelling and hitting the tree with his bare hands, Black Star finally stopped. Kestrel moved in closer to comfort the depressed griffon.
“Leave me alone, Marie…” he said slowly.
“No,” Kestrel said quietly. “My task right now is to snap you from all this… self-loathing. You’ll break if you continue to be like this.”
“That’s not so bad…” Black Star said without facing the pastel griffoness. Kestrel finally lost her patience and grabbed the dark griffon and put his face directly in front of hers.
“What? You’re planning to slap me again?” Black Star guessed boredly, but Kestrel remained silent and continued to glare at him. Soon, both of them finally locked their eyes into one another.
“Tell me what you see, Blake,” Kestrel demanded. Black Star just sighed.
“I see you…” he answered flatly, but Kestrel just shook her head and asked again.
“No, tell me what you see in my eyes. What I feel about you now.”
Black Star slowly complied at her request and began examining her features. Usually, Kestrel’s expression towards him had always been sharp, distrust and full of disgust ever since he told her about the assassination. But now, he didn’t see any of that within her eyes. Instead, he saw a glimmering hope that the griffoness was ready to forgive all of his misdeeds. When Black Star realized this, Kestrel smiled at him and said,
“You think that everyone wouldn’t forgive you after what you’ve done. Well, you’re wrong now. After hearing your tale, I realized that you’re just an unwitting pawn forced to do things you weren’t comfortable with. Those misdeeds, faults and failures, they were never your fault. You were just unlucky enough to be caught in it and made into a scapegoat.”
Black Star was surprised to hear all these things coming out from Kestrel’s beak. The griffoness continued on,
“I’m such a fool myself, blindingly accusing you out of rage and spite. But now, I finally see the real you, Blake… and I forgive you.”
It took nearly forever for Black Star to find his voice again.
“You… Y-You serious?”
Kestrel merely responded by planting a small kiss on his right cheek, the same place she’d kissed him all those years ago when they made their confession. At first, Black Star just stood there like a statue, but slowly, the light returned on his eyes, and his beak slowly curved upwards into a smile. Tears of happiness also began to form in his eyes. Without any delay, Black Star hugged her and said,
“Thanks…”
Kestrel also hugged him back. Tears were also flowing from her eyes: overjoyed that the Blake she knew had returned for good. Though she was choking on her own sobs, she whispered something to Black Star’s ear.
“Just promise me that you won’t leave me again…”
Black Star nodded silently, strengthening the bond between them. As if on cue, their comms suddenly went back to life as Riddle’s voice came through,
“Aquila 2 and 3, what happened down there? You two had been silent for nearly an hour!”
Then, Kite’s voice came in,
“This is Aquila 4 to 3. Ma’am, is Black Star still there?”
Kestrel glanced at the dark griffon and smiled before Black Star decided that he would answer the small griffon himself.
“Yeah, I’m here, kid. I’m back for good,” he said with his newly founded confidence. “Also, call me Blake from now on. Okay?”
“Oh… uh… Y-Yes sir! I mean, Blake! I mean Sir Blake... Argh!”
Both Black Star and Kestrel laughed when they heard Kite’s stuttering before they spread their wings and lifted off to join the others. Turns out during their absence, Riddle managed to send the changeling Z.O.E. into retreat and the other changelings followed her as well. Kite stated that he was forced to work together with Gilda, much to his own and the griffoness’ displeasure. Ronin and Archer were worried about Black Star’s state during his despair, but the dark griffon assured them that he was fine now.
With all the teams present and only minor injuries sustained despite losing one member: Aquila, Northwind and Southwind squadrons were ready to return to Gryphus and stop Esser’s forces from taking the capital. Without the changelings or the Belkans flying around, their trip back should be easy, but Riddle and the squad leads were suspicious about this. Their suspicions were doubled when they hadn’t heard from Marcus ever since Wechselbalg’s jamming.
Finally, after nearly a minute, Marcus’ voice was finally heard from everyone’s comms. But his first words to the three squadrons were,
“… *static* Warning! We’ve detected two high speed bogeys inbound to your *static*… area!”
Before anyone could determine the identity of the bogey, two large explosions erupted near them.
“What!?” Riddle gasped when he saw the explosions, but his and everyone’s horror; the two massive fireballs retracted into their cores before two new bigger explosions erupted around the first: forming powerful shockwaves that nearly knock everyone out of the skies.
“Hog, you petulant fool!” was the only words the popped up inside the blue griffon’s mind.