Attack On Equestria
"Well, that was fun."
"I have to agree, blaring uncivilized music over the high brow capital, I wonder how many ponies we pissed off?" Trixie smirked.
"Lots, so, we just grab some food over on island 54 then head north, get a bunch to relocate, and we bring them down through Canterlot, to island 54, 47, 42, or 39, all depending on how many we get?" Gilda asked for clarification.
"Yeah, we gotta make sure there's enough room for them all, enough food, stuff like that. Besides fruit, they can get clams from the island shoreline as well. Let's go."
The stop was pretty uneventful, just grab as much as we could, can it, then store it in the hold. Three days to get there, two to have so much food on board the ship could barely fly, and a week to get back flying heavy. We reached Tailfeather to find it absolutely abuzz with activity.
"Oh my god." Gilda's jaw dropped. Looking out at the mountains, an absolute flock of griffins were flying around, cheering our arrival. We descended to a valley and landed, where we were met by two hundred hungry, tired, but hopeful griffins. As we walked down the gangplank off the ship, we were met with cheers again.
"News spreads fast eh?" I said as the whole crew and tribe stood on the ground before the crowd.
"Dragon slaying and slave freeing will do that you know." Nadene replied.
"Hello fellow griffins. Since you're all here, you no doubt know who I am."
"Captain! Griffin! Captain! Griffin!" They cheered, saying each word enunciated.
"That's right. I do have a speech, but, you're all tired and hungry, so I think I should feed you all first. If you know how to cook, come forward." Ten left the group and stood before me. I passed them each a fruit for them to eat.
"Now that you aren't starving any more, follow Maria and Selma to the ship's kitchen. You'll be making meals for the rest of them. Get to it!" They quickly followed the cat and bird into the ship's bowels.
"Now then, we don't have enough room on board for all of you, and while we have a lot of food, we have to share it evenly between you all, so that way nobody starves. I'm sure you all have questions, so, ask away." I was met with a multitude of shouts, and I pointed at someone in the crowd at random.
"Fly up here, stand next to me, there you go, now, 'sonor' speak clearly so everyone can hear your question."
"Did you really kill a dragon?" His voice boomed across the field, much to his surprise.
"I did. Nearly a year ago, a black dragon ate me, and so I decided to choke him to death. I'm chewy." A roar of laughter rang out.
"From his scale and bone, I made my sword. I named it Hades, god of the underworld. Since then, I slew a dragon in the southern rain forest, six at the same time above the ring sea, and one in Gem Fido when I freed a number of slaves from captivity. I also have a young dragon, Shimmer, two diamond dogs, Etch and Growl, and a number of cats from the Feline Jungle as part of my crew. Next question."
"Your crew is, diverse. Why is that?"
"That requires explanation. Griffins get taken as slaves by diamond dogs, the dogs also get taken as slaves by rival packs. The reason they do this is so they can dig up enough gems to satisfy the dragons to avoid being eaten, and the dragons must deal with the packs to not starve. Many dragons are cruel and heartless, while others are kind and caring. My goal is not freedom for griffins alone, but for all who suffer, be they griffin, diamond dog, dragon, pony, cat, or any other living thing in this world. We can live in harmony with one another."
"You would help diamond dogs? But, they enslaved us, took us from their families, fed us to dragons....."
"I do not care for race. Etch and Growl were slaves as well, and the dogs are slaves to their alphas, not even knowing it. Diamond dogs in general are not the problem, it is the greedy alphas and the cruel ones among dragon kind that must be swept away. Next question."
"You have done all this in under a year? How?"
"I am not of this world."
"What do you mean?"
"I am an alien. I am not a griffin by birth, rather I took that form on arriving in this universe. My plane of existence was once in touch with this one, and was again for a time, allowing me to cross into your world. I have advanced knowledge which I used along with a heaping helping of cruelty that comes from my home. Forma Versus." They all watched in awe as I became a human again. I figured I'd have to show them or else they'd call me crazy.
"This is my true form. As hard as it may be to believe, I come from a place far worse than this one. It has made me cold and calculating, angry and spiteful. Reverti." Back to griffin.
"I have used my pain and knowledge to change the face of this world, and I will continue to do so. Now, everyone line up, and come get some food."
Raw fruits from cans, some cooked veggies, clam chowder, and various other nutritious foods were passed out and around for the griffins to eat. They devoured it heartily. They all looked so much better with their bellies full. Once they finished, we passed out seconds. It amazed me really, old and young, women and men, children, infants even, they all came from who knows where. I instructed all the sick to go see Nadene, as well as Selma, who had some knowledge of medicine, and had them whip up potions for them from the various ingredients we gathered at our various stops. Always loading up on them whenever we parked somewhere meant she had quite a healthy stock.
"And more questions?"
"Are you single?!" I heard a female voice call out.
"Sorry, Gilda gets first dibs on me. You know, finder's keepers." More laughter. She blushed.
"So, what now?"
"Now? We leave, and we take as many of you with us as we can." They seemed shocked by this revelation. Several gasps rang out.
"But, where will we go?"
"I have been all around the world, and I have found many places that are uninhabited, are fertile, have natural food sources, and are safe from the nets of dogs and jaws of dragons. Islands in the Zebrican Archipelago, spots in the Feline Jungle. We can only hold so many on the ship at a time, so any who wish to come with us will have to fly after us. We are headed to Baltimare first. I have good relations with Equestria, and the capital is in the center of the country and will act as a staging area for our other operations, such as relocating you."
"What about our friends, our families?" They started sounding worried.
"Don't fret, we're taking the names of everyone here, and what their relation is. Who their friends and families are. We'll get you settled in and record where you are, so if we come across anyone you know, we'll know where to bring them. If they're out there, I WILL reunite you with your families. Myself, my crew, and the Equestrian royalty will see to it."
"The ponies never cared before, why now?" A male voice called out, to which the others began asking why.
"They did care, they simply did not believe they had the power to do anything about it. The princesses don't have much influence outside their borders, and are stretched thin. By my actions, I have started making waves. Raising awareness, helping everyone to realize that they CAN make a difference. My name has rang out all across the globe, and everyone knows my purpose. I have become the voice of the people, and they will do what they can to help. If they cannot come to you, I will bring you to them."
"We don't need their help."
"THIS IS NO TIME FOR STUBBORN PRIDE!" I boomed angrily, causing the crowd to shrink.
"All it will bring us is disaster and ruin! What good is pride when you are starving, your children are sick, and you're living in fear? And I'm not dumping our problems on them, I'm simply letting them help ME to help you." That effectively silenced the crowd.
"Now then, let's move. We head west, then we stick to the eastern shore, so we'll have plenty to eat. We will reach Baltimare, a port town, where I will secure safe passage for you all to an island. And remember, though uninhabited, it is zebra land, and I suggest you play nice with the locals. We don't need a war. Stick to fruit and seafood. Now, let's fly." I got back on board and the ship began to take off, the griffins flapping their wings and flying after us.
We reached Manehatten in record time, only three days since some of the griffins actually took to tying ropes to the airship and pulling us along with the engines pushing, where we traded some of the excess gems for bits, which we would then use to help get the griffins set up, as well as get Steelhorn to hurry up with the laser rifles for the crew. We continued south towards the intended town. Whenever the griffins got tired, they'd land on top of the ship. So, they didn't have beds, but the armored top of the balloon made for a great perch. We arrived, and I prepared to see them off.
"Alright, we're here. We're sending you to island number 47 in the archipelago. I've paid your fares, as well as to have some ponies help with setting up a village and such. This is where we part ways."
"You're not coming with?" One of the older griffins, already decided to be the village leader when they arrived, asked.
"No, I have to go to Canterlot. I'm dropping off your papers there for safe keeping, to let them handle all the book keeping and organizational stuff. Then I'll head over to check and see how things are coming, help you all get set up, grab some food on the next island, then head back to Gem Fido to free more slaves, and do a repeat of this, except putting them on the next island. Then, as I find families, I'll shuffle you around to put them back together."
"How are we supposed to defend ourselves?"
"Work as a group. I'm pretty sure a load of griffins can handle pretty much anything that comes your way. There'd have to be a full army attacking you to take you. Sheer numbers should drive off any lesser threats. Take this gem, you know how to charge it right? Send me letters every week updating your status, as well as if anything you can't handle comes up. I'll work on getting Steelhorn to arm you with defensive weapons on our next pass. Remember, YOU have to make the future, I'm just guiding you and lending a helping hand along the way. Now, be on your way, your people need you." And with that, the ships set sail, bringing the griffins to their new home. I boarded the Possibility once more, as we began our flight to Canterlot.
"Huh.... what are you all doing here?" I noticed a number of griffins had stayed behind.
"We're joining you."
"What?"
"Do you have room on your ship?"
"Well, yes."
"Do you need skilled fighters?"
"Define skilled."
"We can each handle a diamond dog or three."
"Weapons?"
"We use our bare claws most of the time, or whatever weapons we can if we can get em."
"Ehh, good enough, stick with claws, at least you have a natural advantage then. Alright, come aboard. Know this, since we are strong and can fly, we griffins act as combat mounts for the slower, non flight capable members. Trixie rides me, Nadene rides Maria, Shimmer rides Gilda while she air lifts Etch and Growl. You have to be willing to swallow your pride. Are you okay with being ridden by a cat or a diamond dog?" The glanced around at each other before nodding.
"Good, because those two need a ride of their own. Mostly, you're going to be dodging, evading enemies, getting the cats in and out of the fight. How many of you are there?"
"20."
"That works just fine. Alright, get on. Find one of those big burly cats with spears and stick with em. They'll be your partners. You keep them alive, they'll do the same for you. Get to practicing."
"What about our fares? We still have em."
"Buy some tough leather so we can make proper harnesses to keep the cats from falling off you."
A Week Later, Outside Canterlot, Aboard The Possibility.
"And here's Canterlot. Should we knock again?"
"Uh, Grif, I don't think that's necessary, since they're doing the knocking for us." Gilda pointed out a number of black things slamming against the purple bubble.
"Think we should drop in for some fun?"
"I'm for it."
"Attention crew, all hands on deck. We've got a battle coming our way!" The cats and griffins piled on to the top, with Steelhorn coming down from the bridge.
"What's going on?" He demanded. I pointed at the besieged city in the distance, the shield still holding.
"THAT is what's going on. Canterlot is under attack. They're crashing the wedding WE were going to crash, and that pisses me off. So, let's go kick some ass."
"Well then, you may want these." He opened a case containing ten laser rifles, one for each of the Romak minus Tiras on the main gun, and one for Nadene. Gilda preferred her bow because of faster shots, and I had Trixie. The dogs had their gem staves, which after practicing, they could charge in 40 seconds. In fact, all of us had, from practicing so much, gotten more resilient in our arcane endurance. Etch and Growl had their own griffin mounts, and so did 18 of the spear cats. The rest of them would stay on board to keep the ship from being boarded, and the rangers would shoot from the railing.
"Come on, let's go get em! This will be perfect training for the newbies. Mount up, for today, WE RIDE!"
I began playing a song as 18 griffins carrying spear cats, spears made from dragon bone with charged gems set in them for single use, Nadene carrying a laser rifle, riding Maria, Shimmer riding Gilda, Etch and Growl each riding a griffin of their own and carrying gem spears, which they themselves could recharge, and Trixie with her over sized laser riding me, the massive Possibility coming in directly behind us, Selma directing her troops, the rangers placed along the railing, and Tiras on the main gun pointing towards the besieged city,
We charged.