Post-Equus arrival, day 116
03:16, local time
West Griffon Kingdom shore
I hate the beach, one fleeing Griffon thought to herself as she saw the group of the other Griffons gathered below. Her father had shown her the location on a map before Grayclaw grunts broke down their door. He dove at the invading Griffons, tackling the one on point. “RUN!” he screamed. She didn’t remember flying up the stairs and out the window, flying toward the western shore… before doubling back and flying over her home. She spotted a cloud not too far away and landed, observing the chaos below.
It was happening everywhere. Doors were being kicked from their frames, screaming families were being pushed out into the streets before being loaded into carts. She spotted her home, a small but well-maintained brick house, and the Griffon that was being dragged by the scruff of his neck. He was led to the middle of the street before the Grayclaw threw him down to the ground. “Where did you send her!?” one asked.
She couldn’t make out what her father had said in reply, but it was something they didn’t want to hear. A barrage of nightsticks came down onto him, causing her to cower and shut her eyes. She could still hear the wooden batons coming down on her father. Pop, pop, pop, they said, until they all abruptly stopped. She opened her eyes to see her father laying down… unmoving.
“Get up,” she quietly said. “Get up… please.”
He didn’t. A call went to a Griffon in the cart, who brought over a body bag. Her late father was quickly placed inside, the barricade of Grayclaws still surrounding the scene.
It took everything in her power to not immediately swoop down from her cloud and begin to fight every single one of them. She gritted her beak and felt the feathers and hair stand on her back. She was going down there, and there was nothing that would stop her. She looked up into the starry night as she prepared to leap… when she noticed an out-of-place star in a familiar constellation.
Only few knew that she was a secret amateur astronomer at heart. It was her father that first showed her the joy of stargazing. “And that one is the mighty Heracule, slayer of great beasts and freer of Griffons. Next to him is his wife, Salera, the Keeper. And, above us--” he pointed up, “--a very special constellation.”
“And who would that be, da?” she said, already bored with the nights lesson.
“Your mother.” She pointed her beak skyward. “She’s in the stars every night, for you… to tell you ‘Goodnight.’”
A tear formed in the corner of her eye as she recalled the memory. She quickly wiped it away, looking back at the group of stars and the new invader. It shone somewhat brighter, twinkling as the others did. “What are you?” she quietly asked.
A break of another door snapped her back to the chaos down below. Her rage had subsided with the flood of the memory, and she remembered the spot on the map her father had shown. She took off, hoping that she would be able to find it.
Twenty minutes of flying later, she found her target. It had been lit by torches, and she could see the gathered Griffons were being hurried toward a waiting airship. She landed just in time to see the crew beginning to release the moorings. “Whoa there, miss.” An official-looking Griffon approached her. “We need to see your claws.” She shifted her weight back to her back legs, exposing her claws. “Okay, you can board the ship. Can I get a name for the manifest?” A word tried to come out of her throat, but barely made it past the frog that was already there. “I’m sorry, could you say that again?”
“Gilda.”
He made a note. “Climb aboard.” She took flight again, landing on the deck. A long whistle sounded, and the crew members on the ground flew onto the deck, mooring lines in their claws. It slowly spun and moved forward, flying over the great ocean.
I hate the sea, she thought, looking instead to the sea of stars.
Post-Equus arrival, day 116
13:58, local time
Caprica
“Status,” Mark called out.
Steel Hoof, supposed to have been relieved four hours ago, still manned the sensor readouts. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “The first airships should be making landfall any time now. Their altitudes have fallen to less than fifty meters.”
“Do we know where they’re going to land?”
“I think they’re aiming for Central Park, sir.”
Mark was mid-sip of his coffee when Steel Hoof gave his answer. “You think, or you know?”
Steel Hoof adjusted a setting on his scope. “I am positive they are going to land in the Park, sir.”
“Don’t make a guess when lives are on the line, cadet. Always be sure.”
“Aye, sir.”
“They’d still be pretty exposed to an aerial assault. Will it be enough?” Spitfire turned from the surface chart to ask.
“It’s going to have to be. I told Twilight to move them further into the city for their protection, but we might have to move to them ourselves.” He sighed. “I just hope it will be enough.”
“Captain,” Steel Hoof said, both captains turning to face him, “the first airship is down.”
“Very well. Comms, get me Sparkle.”
His headset crackled. “This is Twilight.”
“Princess, what is your position?”
“About twenty minutes out. The conductor said he’s pushing the engine as hard as he can. We’ve sent a message ahead of us, and the local Guard is ready to go wherever they land.”
“I need you to send another message. The first airship has already landed, and the pursuing Grayclaws have picked up a good eastern wind with the morning heat and are rapidly approaching. Time is against us now.”
Post-Equus arrival, day 116
09:01, local time
Twenty minutes outside Manehattan
“Can you not get there in time?”
“We moved the ship.” a brief moment of static came through Twilight’s headset. “You’ll get there before we even reach the atmosphere, but we’re prepping a Hopper right now. It’ll be close to an hour before we set down. Tell the commander of the guard they’re landing in Central Park.”
“Hurry down. Twilight out.” The rail car Twilight and her friends were currently occupying shook as it travelled, the scenery moving past the window at almost blinding speeds. The cityscape itself could be seen in the distance. She reclined in her seat as she sat back from her desk. “Dash, I need you to do something.”
“What’s up, Twi?” Rainbow Dash hovered over to her desk.
She took a quill and quickly scribbled a note on a scroll before sealing it. “I need you to deliver this message to whomever is in charge… as fast as you can. You have my permission to break the sonic barrier.”
Rainbow Dash gave a salute. “I’m on it, ma’am!” She took the scroll in her teeth, opened the door leading to the next car, and took off. Dash’s rainbow trail streaked toward the skyline before it erupted into a sonic rainboom. At any other time it would have been a glorious sight to see, but the minds of the ponies in the cart were elsewhere.
“Do ya really think there’ll be a fight?” Applejack asked.
“I hope not, but Mark thought it safe not to take a chance.” Twilight sifted the papers on her desk, most of them detailing the rumors of alleged events in the Kingdom. “He told me of a similar event among his people several hundred years ago. Well, one of them anyway. There were more than one instances of genocide in human history.”
“By the stars…” Rarity gasped. “They really were barbarians. And now he has brought his blood lust here.”
“Rarity, I’m positive Mark has no intention of starting a war.” The train hit a bump, shaking the car and rattling their individual Element regalia that had already been equipped. “If he had, he would have already tried by now.”
“I hope, for all ponies’ sake, you’re right,” said Rarity as they all felt the train begin to slow.
So do I, the princess thought.
14:19, Griffon Kingdom time
Caprica
Why does trouble always seem to follow me? Mark stood at the chart, observing the displayed positions of the airships. The early morning easterly winds had pushed the pursuing Grayclaws to within strike-flight distance, according to Spitfire. But when the first Goldclaw airboat landed, the Grayclaw chasers did the same, just twenty-five kilometers offshore. That’s when Spitfire told Mark of alleged Griffon strategy. “So they use the boats like they would a carrier?”
“That was always the rumor anyway.” Spitfire said as they observed the airship’s positions. “The last time that pony and Griffon engaged in a fight was around the first coming of Nightmare Moon.”
A unicorn from the communications relay picked up her head from the console. “Five minutes, and the Hopper will be ready.”
“Very well.” Mark pressed a button, changing the screen back to the Griffon Kingdom. “What’s the report on the princess?”
“Little has changed,” Spitfire answered. “Thermal scans show that the number of Griffons around her has increased, and that she’s been moved to a different part of the compound.”
Mark took the open palms of his hands and brought them to his eyes, giving them a vigorous rub. “Well, that’s just dandy, isn’t it?”
“Aye, sir. I believe we now have a hostage situation.”
Several pony ears overheard Spitfire, turning concerned faces to her. “Or at least that’s what it looks like.” Mark quickly spurted out. “If she has been taken captive she can probably just blast her way out.”
“Unless she’s been fitted with a magic inhibitor,” the unicorn at the comms station said.
“It is a possibility.” Spitfire added.
Mark looked over to the unicorn, a mare with an almost sky blue coat, sapphire eyes that reminded him of Rarity’s, and a short-cropped silver mane. “Name, cadet.”
“Silver Star, sir.” The mare turned, giving Mark a view of her cutie mark; a quad-cluster of five-pointed stars, all silver in color. “I bet you didn’t know magic inhibitors existed.”
“There’s a lot of things I still don’t know about this world. What are these inhibitors?”
“It’s basically an enchanted ring that fits over the horn of a unicorn, or in this case, an alicorn,” Silver Star explained. “When the wearer tries to cast a spell, it sends the magic energy back into the caster, and causes great pain.”
“Can it be removed?”
“No sir. Something about the enchantment makes it impossible to be removed by the wearer.”
“Well… shit.” Mark sighed. “But as far as we know, she’s safe.”
“For now,” Spitfire said.
“She’s going to have to go on the back burner. Right now, there’s this mess.” He flipped the display back over to eastern Equestria. The Goldclaw airboats still in the air now only numbered three, and the Grayclaws were still holding offshore.
“Sir,” Silver Star called out, “the Hopper is ready for departure.”
“Des, get Star Beam down to the Hopper.”
“Aye, sir.” Des’s form dissipated from the bridge.
“Also,” Mark said to where she once stood, “tell the hangar crew to prep my Cobra.”
“Going somewhere, captain?” Spitfire asked.
“Gotta go down to the planet,” Mark said as he stood upright. “Make sure these Grayclaws don’t harm anypony.”
“Who will hold command, then?” She worriedly asked.
“You’re just full of question today,” Mark replied as he walked to the hatch. “I believe you are the residing senior officer.” He passed through the threshold, “You have the conn, Captain Spitfire,” and the hatch closed behind him.
All eyes of the bridge staff turned to Spitfire, who stood in stunned disbelief. “Aye, sir.”
09:25, Manehattan time
Manehattan, Central Park
“Colonel!” a slightly winded Rainbow Dash said to the most official-looking pony she could find, taking the scroll from her mouth into her hoof, “I have a message from the princess.”
The moustachioed pegasus unfurled the letter, glancing over it before letting it fall to the ground. “Ponies! Listen up! There are possibly hostile Griffon airships within strike-flight distance. Pack ‘em up and start moving! Now!”
Another airship was coming down when Rainbow had arrived. During the time it took the colonel to read the note, it had touched down, and the tired and worn Griffons began exiting her hull. A familiar glimpse caught her eye, as one Griffon jumped from the deck and glided down to the ground.
“Gilda!” Dash yelled to her long lost friend. The Griffon in Dash’s sight quickly spun her head toward the source of the call. After their falling out during her last visit, the letters between the two had all but ceased. Any normal day, if one were to ask either of them of the incident, there would still be feelings of resentment, anger, and a hint of regret.
“Dash!” But not on this day.
Old friends sped toward each other, colliding in a tackle hug. “I was so worried for you when we started hearing things from over there.”
The Griffon leaned in hard on her friend, still clutched in the embrace of her hug. “I… I was worried too… that I wouldn’t get the chance to say that I-I’m--”
“Shhh.” Dash held a hoof to her beak. “There will be a time for that later. First, we need to get you someplace safe.”
“Safe? We are safe now.”
“You’re not out of harm’s way just yet.” Twilight said as she and Fluttershy landed near the reunited friends. “We’re currently tracking six other airships that have touched down in the water.”
“How far?” Gilda asked.
“Twenty-five kilometers offshore.”
The Griffon looked back to their airship. “Are you sure they’re that far out?”
“More than sure.” The princess looked to the left, showing the earpiece in Twilight’s ear. She pushed an exposed button. “This is Twilight.” She stared into the distance before glancing back at Gilda. “When will they arrive?” She began to pace. “Have you informed Captain Frude?” She stopped. “Okay. Patch me through to him.”
09:31 hours, Manehattan time
132,000 kilometers above the surface
“Captain,” Des’s voice came over the wireless. “Sensors are reporting a single Griffon launched from one of the airships and is heading toward Manehattan.”
Mark shifted in his flight suit. After fifteen days of being outside it, paired with the last year where it seemed he never took it off, and now being behind the stick of his Cobra again, it was a comforting feeling. “Just one?”
“Aye, sir.”
“Sounds like someone wants to talk.”
“Or he could be flying as a scout. We did a composition scan on the airships. They are carrying what appears to be trinitrotoluene.”
Star Beam, flying a Hopper on Mark’s right flank, wavered his craft. “What’s trinitro-whatcha-call-it?”
“Explosives.” Mark heard the unicorn take in a gasp of air. “Pretty tame compared to the compounds we’re carrying right now, but it still can pack a punch.”
“Captain Frude, this is Twilight,” Mark’s headset crackled. “Have you been informed about the incoming Griffon?”
“I was just being told about it.” Mark and Star beam banked, beginning their descent into the atmosphere. “Are the airships still holding their positions offshore?”
“Aye, sir.” Des answered.
Mark brought his hand to his head, forgetting that his helmet was on. “Well… this just keeps getting better and better.”
“What should I do?” Twilight inquired.
“Meet them at the shore,” Mark replied. “Do not let them know where the Goldclaws have been taken.” A bump let Mark know they were entering the outer atmosphere. “Also, do not let them land. Take a couple of pegasus guards and meet them on a cloud if you have to, but do not allow them to touch Equestrian soil.”
“What’s wrong with letting them land?”
“They’ll see it as an invitation to go anywhere. By putting a stern hoof up, they’ll think twice before just waltzing in. What’s this Griffon’s position, Des?”
“Sixteen kilometers out, approaching from the east-south-east,” Des said to the team. “Looks like he’ll be passing over the port.”
“Princess,” Mark started, “I trust you’re wearing your royal regalia?”
Twilight took a moment to respond. “I am.”
“Good. Because you’re going to be the one that talks to him.”
“What, what, what!?” she asked, flabbergasted. “Aren’t you going to get here by then?”
“Negative. We’re still about a half-hour away.”
“M-m-maybe we should wait for one of the other princesses to get here? Since they have more experience with this kind of--”
“Twilight,” Mark firmly said her name, cutting her off, “you’re going to do fine. These Griffons want only one thing, and only you can provide them with the means of doing it. You’re going to be the wall between the Goldclaws and the Grayclaws. But you have to look and act the part as well. There’s a saying back on Earth that I think will help you here: ‘Just say no.’” He could tell his speech wasn’t having the desired effect. “If all else fails, accuse him of making unwarranted aggressive moves that threaten the safety of Equestria, and kindly ask them to return to open airspace.”
“What if they won’t leave?”
“Take your colonel. He’ll know what to say next.”
09:43 hours, Manehattan time
Two hundred meters above the Manehattan seaport
Be a wall. Be a wall. Be a wall, Twilight repeated to herself as she sat atop a cloud, flanked by the pegasus colonel on her right, and a captain on her left. They could see the distinct outline of the Griffon envoy now, his course appearing to take him over where they were sitting.
“Gentlecolts, if you would.” She said to her guards. The pegasi dove from the cloud, unfurling their wings and flying toward the lone Griffon. Thirty seconds passed before she saw them hover in air, one of the ponies pointing to the cloud. She couldn’t hear what transpired between them, but when the group approached, it was immediately apparent the representative was not happy about being diverted.
“Why are you wasting my time? I am on a mission for High General Neadle, and am not to be delayed.”
Twilight cleared her throat, but the colonel spoke first. “You are addressing Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. You will speak with more respect.”
The Griffon examined the princess from head to hoof, the glare of her crown meeting his eyes. “Ah, yes. Equestria’s newest princess.” He gave a shallow bow. “How do you fare, princess?”
“I have fared better.” Twilight’s opening remark took the pegasi off-guard. “I seemed to have been abruptly awakened at three o’clock this very morning when I was informed that six Griffon airships were approaching my coastline without provocation.”
The Griffon raised an eyebrow at the presentation of information. “Might I inquire as to how you obtained this information?”
“You may inquire, of course. However, if you do, I would be forced to inform you that information is classified at the moment, accessible only to those who need to know.”
“Very well.” the Griffon smoothed his wing feathers. “It matters little anyway. Why have I been side-tracked into an audience with the princess?”
“Ambassador, you approach my shoreline in warships loaded with explosives, without first disclosing your intentions to the crown. I have brought you before me to demand to know why you have violated Equestrian airspace.”
“And how are you privy to this information?”
“That is also classified.”
“We have done nothing to threaten Equestria, or her ponies, and our vessels are holding well-outside the recognized sovereignty line. Criminals who escaped the Kingdom fled west, and we have been tasked with bringing them back for trial. Surely if you saw us, you saw them, did you not?”
She skirted the question. “With what are these Griffons being charged?”
“High treason against the sovereign crown of the Griffon Kingdom. They were in line to be executed, but managed to flee.”
“And the fact that all of these ‘criminals’ happen to be Goldclaws has absolutely nothing to do with it?”
“You have found them? If you would kindly point me in their direction, we can put this whole mess behind us, and we can return to our normal, happy lives. I will, of course, need your permission to land my airships, and then afterward--”
“You do not have it.”
The Griffon’s neck feathers ruffled. “I beg your pardon, ma’am?”
“I believe you heard me. The Goldclaws inside of Equestria are now refugees of war, and are under the protection of the Equestrian Army and Navy. Any threat made against them will be treated as a threat against a pony.”
“I see,” the Griffon replied. “I am saddened that you have taken that position.”
“And you will see that it is a position that the other princesses will share. We hold all life of equal value, no matter their claw color.”
“I see you mind has been made. I will inform General Neadle of your decision.” He turned to the west, before spinning his head around to face Twilight one last time. “Speaking of princesses, I was told by General Neadle that if an agreement could not be met, I was to inform you that it will be difficult to secure the release of Princess Cadance.”
“Excuse me?”
“I believe you heard me, your highness. Fare thee well.” He lept from the cloud, flying west.
A tense moment passed as the group watched the Griffon flew over the blue sea. “What just happened?” Twilight finally asked as she remembered to take a breath.
“You did what you needed to do Twilight,” Twilight heard Celestia’s voice on her headset. “You stood firm and held your ground against their aggression, and they know not to come to Equestria. I’m very proud of you, Twilight.”
“But I’ve endangered Cadance.”
“They know better than to hurt her, lest they risk an all-out war, one they’re not ready to fight,” Mark’s voice chimed in on the comms. “Don’t think I could have handled it better, myself. Orders ma’am?”
“I require your council in Canterlot on this matter,” Celestia stated. “I may have had my fair share of political standoffs, but I feel you may have resources we can use to our advantage. Can you bring Twilight with you?”
“Yes, ma’am. We’re on our way.”
11:00, Canterlot time
Throne room, Canterlot
Saying the tension in the throne room was thick enough to be cut with a knife would have been a severe understatement. Celestia had been pacing since the incident started, worrying for the safety of her ponies and now for the well-being of the new Griffon refugees. “They’re safe, for now,” Mark was reading his initial report from a tablet. “Most of the medical claims when they were admitted were cuts and bruises, and a few other moderate injuries. However I’m more concerned about the psychological damage these Griffons have endured.”
“I understand,” Celestia responded. Her mane was flowing more rapidly than usual, with the clear divides between the array of colors being blurred. “We will send battle fatigue experts to the temporary shelter area.” Mark gave a nod of approval. “Anything else that needs to be addressed?”
“Cadance!” A white unicorn burst into the room flanked by two others, their shining coats giving off a curious glow. “What about my wife?”
“Shining Armor,” Celestia began to address the distraught pony, “rest assured that everything that can be done is being done to release Princess Cadance. At the moment, diplomatic relations have broken down, but I have drafted--”
Shining Armor slammed both of his front hooves down upon the marble floor. “Then now is the time to act! Your newest addition to the Navy clearly stated in his report they are in no condition to fight. I can have a garrison of troops deployed in an hour, overseas and extracted in six, and back home in another six.”
“I will not condone any action that will lead to confrontation,” Celestia sternly said with a face to match.
“We will operate in an environment of stealth, unheard and unseen. Quick in, quick out.”
“And if you fail?” Mark asked as he folded his exposed arms.
“We won’t.”
“No,” Celestia’s tone was finite. “I will not hear of another plan involving the ‘rescue’ of Princess Cadance. This is will be solved by diplomacy, and that is final.”
Shining Armor gave a loud grunt of disapproval, turning about and stomping out, slamming the doors in his wake. “Well...” Twilight was the first to speak after his departure. “That could have gone better.”
“Yes, it could have.” Celestia let out a tired breath. “Captain Frude, do you have anything else to add to your report?”
Mark glanced once more at his tablet. “Oh, yes ma’am. We have a witness to the atrocities that have occurred in the Griffon Kingdom that insisted she return with us.” He stepped to his left, fully revealing Gilda.
“Go ahead and tell her what you told me,” he said to the Griffon.
She took a deep, shaky breath. “Okay.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Mark began to pull his flight suit over himself, zipping the airtight seal, “I need to get back to my ship.”
Celestia gave a nod, and Mark turned to exit the hall. Gilda was beginning her story when the great double doors shut behind him. A quick walk down the Gala Staircase and he was under the great blue sky once again. The sun was quickly rising to the roof of the sky, shining it’s radiance against his face.
He walked the streets of Canterlot, the passing ponies paying him nevermind, save for a few that gave him a smile. It’s one of the few things that Equus had over his old world. Everypony was always happy to see another. After his stressful day, it was a nice change to see a gleaming smile. And the best part, the smiles always seemed to put in extra pep in his step.
21:00 hours, Canterlot time
Undisclosed location in Canterlot
Shining Armor ground a rock into the dirt, unsure if anypony would show up to his summoning. His ear perked up every time he heard a set of hooves walk by, only to hear them pass. An hour passed before he considered leaving the garden. Maybe she’s right.
As he began to trek back to the castle, he heard multiple sets of hooves approaching. “Going somewhere, sir?”
“Well, I was about to head back to my room. But now that somepony has finally shown up, I might hang around.”
A brown-coated unicorn stepped forward. “Word says you’re looking for an expedition force to be on constant standby for the immediate rescue of your wife.”
“Word travels fast.”
“Sir, with all due respect, I’ve known you long enough to know you don’t mean to put together a standby squad for rapid deployment in case something happens. I know you mean to assemble ponies for an immediate rescue mission into the Griffon Kingdom.”
Shining Armor sighed. “Sometimes I really regret making friends.”
“Captain, I didn’t say I wouldn’t go with you. Why do you think I brought them?” He gestured to the other four ponies who had joined their meeting. “I only brought those I know we could trust. We are all in complete agreement. The time for talking has passed, and the time for action is now.”
Shining looked over the present ponies. “You know, if we do this and succeed, there’s a very real chance we will lose our commands.”
“We are aware, sir.”
“And there’s also a very real chance that we will lose our lives.”
“We’re sworn to protect the princesses… all of them.”
Shining smiled. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. There’s an airship waiting for us at the western skyport. I assume one of you is a pilot?”
“Yes, sir.” A unicorn with a white coat and cream-colored eyes said.
“Good. Meet me there at fourteen hundred hours tomorrow. We can make it over there by midnight, their time.”
They all saluted. “Yes, sir!”