Princess

by PencilPony

Chapter 1

Gusts of wind rushed through the pristine evening air, obstructing what might have been an otherwise enjoyable flight for the sky's travelers. Two tan pegasi clad in royal armor flapped their wings furiously and tucked their heads in towards their chests to avoid the brunt of the wind, their chariot's enchanted wheels clicking and clacking as if it were being pulled along an earthen road instead of an airborne highway. The former, Twilight reflected, probably would have been much easier for the battered guards to navigate--less nerve-wracking for their passenger, too. Even though Twilight sought out some extra flying lessons from Rainbow Dash in preparation for this excursion, she was by no means confident enough to move a muscle from the very middle of the chariot's velvety seat. She kept her hooves firmly planted in the cushion's plush depths and only briefly checked to see if her fellow princesses were still nearby before determinedly focusing on the empty airspace ahead.

Celestia and Luna's chariots flew alongside hers, their passengers considerably more relaxed. Luna was languishing on her dark cushion, resting her head on the edge of her sleek black chariot to peer down at the scenery below. The light of the sunset glinted off her obsidian crown, tinging it a dark shade of red. Wind tore at her vaporous mane and sent sparkling pinpricks of illumination swirling behind her chariot, twisting and contorting into miniature short-lived galaxies. Twilight had already thought about chancing a glance down at the fast-moving ground below to share in the fascination of the sights, but the thought of going near the edge of her chariot brought to mind far too many disastrous scenarios, all of which involved inconveniently forgetting her newly-acquired wings and facing the unpleasant consequences.

Celestia, meanwhile, remained perfectly composed in her chariot, the picture of serenity even as the uncooperative weather flattened her flowing aurora-hued mane against the back of her seat. Her crown was wrapped in a mass of billowing ethereal mane, its three sharp points only just managing to avoid being smothered with the rest. Her golden neck brace reflected the gleam of the setting sun, imitating its brilliance to the point that Twilight could hardly look in its general direction for more than a second before her eyes began to burn. Celestia met Twilight's eyes whenever the two checked each other at the same time, and offered the much-appreciated--if ultimately ineffective--smile at every possible opportunity.

Twilight hoped the return trip would be less blustery.

"How much longer?" she called. They had been flying for hours, and Twilight began to worry that she would never be able to remove her hooves where she had rooted them to her seat. Twilight's guards exchanged glances, their faces betraying that they, too, were eager to know the answer to her question.

Wind whistled around Luna's chariot as it moved nearer, slicing through the gusty opposition with ease. Luna leaned further over the edge of her chariot, placing one silver hoofshoe on the side of Twilight's vessel. "If you would look for yourself," she said flatly, "you would know the answer to that question."

Before Twilight could respond, Luna looked over Twilight's shoulder and rolled her eyes. "We are very nearly at our destination," she amended reluctantly, "if you could not tell by the severity of these winds. The griffons always were fond of foolhardy flying."

"Oh." Twilight leaned forward an inch to look over the front of her chariot. Far below, obscured by clouds, she could make out sandy orange stone with what appeared to be canyons digging deep into its surface. Small rivers and rivulets crisscrossed the terrain, running down the sides of the canyons into the gloom below. The Griffon Kingdom. She'd only read about it in books and seen crude representations on maps, but never beheld the harsh territory for herself. After a swift thrill of excitement, she fault nausea start to bubble up in her stomach. "I see now." She pushed herself back against her seat and flashed a sheepish grin at Luna. "Thanks."

Luna nodded. She shoved away from Twilight's chariot, her batpony guards grunting as they were caught off guard by the movement. Twilight's chariot tilted only slightly with the force of Luna's push, but the smallest movement was enough to make Twilight let out an indignant squeak of fright.

She heard Celestia's chariot draw closer. "It's almost over," Celestia promised. "We'll land and wait for daybreak before meeting their delegate. I hope you remember your studies on the subject."

My studies. Twilight's legs became flesh again, instead of stiff boards. "Of course," she said, a tinge of confidence creeping into her voice. She cycled through her mental archives, pulling out every piece of information she had ever learned about the griffons and their culture. To her satisfaction, she found a wide array of political and conversational topics, perfect fodder for a meeting with a griffon representative. A smile made its way across her muzzle. "I'm ready whenever they are, Princess."

Celestia beamed back at her, her pride warming Twilight faster than the rays of the summer sun. "I knew you would." She glanced down over the edge of her chariot, then frowned. "We should have been landing by now. Guards," she chimed, "take us down, please."

The wind faded from Twilight's ears as the guards adjusted their course, taking a smooth path through the feathery white clouds towards the ground. Twilight took a deep breath, her heart's nervous staccato lessening the closer they drew to earth. The chariot's wheels met the ground without the smallest of jolts, and the guards ran a short ways along the dusty orange stone to ensure the vessel slowed to a perfect stop.

In short, it was Twilight's favorite part of the ride.

She stretched her stiff muscles and tottered out onto sweet, sweet ground. Despite having hardly moved the whole ride, her nerves were worn and battered. The other princess' hoofshoes clicked against the stone ground as they somewhat more gracefully descended from their chariots. There was a hum of energy in the air as they summoned their magic, and the sound of armor being unfastened as the guards were released from their stations. Twilight jumped to attention when she realized her guards were still standing where they had stopped, stoically facing straight ahead.

"Sorry, sorry!" she gasped, rushing over and fumbling with her magic to release her guards. Their harnesses unfastened with a sharp snap, falling limp at their sides. "Y-you're done now. I"--she looked at the other princesses, taking cues from the way they were gesturing to their pegasi--"think we're going to stay here tonight, so you can..." What could they do? Light a fire? There were no trees in sight; nothing but rutted sandy stone stretching from one horizon to the next. Take a break? Twilight had tried that more times than she cared to count, but had yet to encounter a guard who would accept taking a break as an order. Her guards might as well have been chiseled out of granite for all the emotion they displayed as they watched their princess struggle with the most basic of royal tasks.

"You can... watch the chariot!" Twilight perked up as she struck upon the idea. She let out a peal of relieved laughter. "Yes, that's perfect! You can do that while I, er, do something else."

She was acutely aware of the grins on both princess' faces as her guards saluted and marched a few paces to stand next to the chariot proper. Celestia's was the smile of a mother bird watching a fledgling wobble through its first flight: amused, but appreciative of the fledgling's efforts. Luna's lopsided smirk betrayed that she was more entertained by said fledgling's attempts than compassionate.

Twilight swallowed and plastered the most composed expression at her disposal upon her muzzle. With as much grace as she could muster, she sauntered over to join the other princesses. "So," she said, "what now? I don't see any griffons around, or any shelter, for that matter." She cast around at the empty scenery, then glanced up at the sky and noted its deepening shade of crimson. "And it's nearly night."

"We wait," Celestia answered simply. "The delegate knows our location and will arrive in the morning. As for shelter, griffon cities are not designed to accommodate ponies. We will have to make do with our chariots for the night."

Disappointment settled in Twilight's stomach. Ruefully, she wondered why she hadn't brought a book for company. "Can we at least look at the griffon cities?" she inquired, peering hopefully up at Celestia. "If they know we're visiting, they won't mind, right?"

Luna let out a short bark of derisive mirth. "Fly into those shadowy canyons at this hour, surrounded by notoriously fierce creatures with talons? Forgive me if I value my well-being."

Twilight tilted her head. Were the griffons really so unfriendly as to warrant such a reputation? She had never heard of them being an exceptionally notorious race before. Biting her tongue, she waited for Luna to carry on.

Ignoring Celestia's snort of warning, Luna continued. "No, Twilight Sparkle. Their queen may have permitted us entry, but her citizens are not renowned for their hospitality. They would mark us intruders in an instant. Indeed, we arrived at this very hour to avoid any unnecessary encounters." She paused, glancing up at Celestia. "Am I incorrect, fair sister?"

Celestia sighed. "No," she conceded, turning her gaze to the ground. A shadow seemed to cross her face, then she met Twilight's eyes. "You must understand that not all nations are as harmonious as Equestria."

"I know that," Twilight responded quickly. It was true--she had gotten a taste of chaos during Discord's temporary reign, and seen what suffering could do to the ponies of the Crystal Empire. But hearing that a perfectly civilized and established empire partook in such foreign practices as hostility suddenly made her pay extra attention to the fading amount of light. "I just wasn't expecting it here."

"Understandably, but enough of that. You won't be experiencing any unpleasant encounters with this delegate; he's a fine diplomat. You must be getting some sleep if you're to provide adequate conversation for him in the morning. Luna"--Celestia nodded to her sister--"I believe it is time for the moon to rise."

Luna's horn fizzed and spat, then flashed a brilliant shade of silver. A magical aura surrounded her horn as she tilted her head to face the sky. "I am aware," she said curtly, her voice hardly wavering even as she lifted the enormous full moon into the sky. Twilight watched Luna's every move, a sense of exhilaration tingling up her spine even though she was not the one to guide the moon on its celestial path. She tried and failed to suppress a sense of envy as Luna nonchalantly dimmed the light of her horn, as if shepherding the moon was nothing more than a brisk stretch for her magical power. Luna noticed Twilight's admiration and ruffled her wings awkwardly.

"Perfect," Celestia said cheerfully. Her white coat stood out in sharp contrast to the gloom of the night, whereas Luna seemed to have suddenly faded to nothing more than a shadow. "Twilight, I know you've conjured a wisp before. We'll need light for tonight."

"A wisp," Twilight repeated, her brow furrowed. "Oh! Yes, those, of course I've done those." She remembered conjuring the little flickering balls of light as a filly whenever she woke up from particularly frightening nightmares, but hadn't found much use for them since. Even so, she had never forgotten their artificial comfort during taxing nights. They were a convenient source of light when one couldn't stay up all night with their horn aglow. Also good for keeping animals away, Twilight thought, guiltily realizing she was thinking about the griffons.

The air around her horn became supercharged with violet energy as she concentrated on siphoning her magic away from herself and into a separate form. Celestia began to do the same, her golden magic like a beacon in the darkness. Two swirling clumps of magic began to form in front of them; one gold, one purple.

Luna's horn began to glow, but was extinguished as she hesitated. "The light of the stars will be enough for us." She eyed the floating nightlights warily. "I never did like how those things spark in the middle of the night. They sting worse than a manticore."

Twilight watched fondly as her wisp bobbed through the air. It sputtered and popped, leaving behind tiny sparkling particles as it went, but not for a second did its comforting light fade. She reached out and took the wisp into her magical grasp, holding it close like a lamp. "Done," she chirped. As an afterthought, she indulged in a little flourishing of her work, spinning the wisp around her head until she began to get dizzy from following it with her eyes.

Celestia chortled. She held her nightlight, which resembled a miniature sun, above her head, where it seemed to drive off even the darkest gloom of the night. "That's enough, Twilight," she chided gently. With one wing extended, she walked over and nudged Twilight back towards her chariot. "You'll wear yourself out before morning comes."

"It's nothing," Twilight assured her. However, she made no attempt to slip out from under Celestia's wing as they walked back towards her chariot. "I know exactly what I'm going to say to the delegate, I might as well enjoy myself. I thought maybe if I draw some parallels between our society and theirs, we could be able to introduce a griffon settlement to Equestria; I've heard Cloudsdale would be more than happy to accommodate for them, at least according to Rainbow Dash..."

Being ushered off to bed with ideas running through her head and her back shadowed by one of Celestia's great feathered wings made it all too easy to forget that they were on a diplomatic trip instead of leisurely wandering the halls of Celestia's magic school. So much had changed since then--new friends, new home, new role in Equestria. Though she had feared her relationship with Celestia would crumble, or become more distant after her coronation, Celestia had guided Twilight like a mother through every step of her journey. She hoped it would never change--she knew all too well she would need her mentor's guidance even more in the coming days.

Her guards nodded as she clambered up into her chariot. She jumped up onto the velvety seat, which was large enough to double as a bed. She flopped over on her side, setting her wisp to float above her guards' heads to better aid their sight. Her muzzle sank deep into the plush cushion and she sighed, stretching her legs to touch from one end of the chariot to the other. It wasn't her bed in the library, but it wasn't half-bad either.

Her mind still buzzed with ideas about the coming meeting, but began to wander back to Ponyville. How were her friends? Were they alright? Did Applejack get all her farm work done? Was Pinkie Pie baking away, or throwing a late-night party? Was Rarity laboring over her latest creation? Did Fluttershy need any help with her animals? Was Rainbow Dash sneaking into the library to see if the latest Daring Do novel had come in?

Did they worry about her?

Should she be worried about herself?

Sleeping in an open chariot on what Luna had described as the territory of hostile creatures--she was surrounded by guards and had the other princesses, true, but the shadow of the thought made Twilight's heart squirm. What could griffons do to ponies with wings and magic? What would they try, if anything? Would they come creeping silently up from their underground cities of crags and nests, or dive down from the sky?

Twilight realized she had her eyes wide open. She lifted her head and shifted in her seat, ears taut and homing in on the slightest of sounds. Her wisp was fizzing and Celestia was snoring in the most elegant way possible, but there was no clack of claws against stone or whistle of wind through feathers.

Maybe Luna and Celestia were wrong. Maybe their information had been outdated. For all her readings on the subject, Twilight had never once come upon a mention of griffons being violent creatures. Proud, yes, but pegasi were proud, and among the most loyal races on the planet.

"Your Highness?" one of her guards whispered.

Twilight was snapped instantly out of her reverie. One of her guards, talking? If she had brought supplies for taking notes she might have written the occurrence down as a great milestone in her royal experience. "Yes?" she whispered back, filing her thoughts about griffons in her mental archives for later consideration.

"Do you feel safe?"

Twilight was momentarily lost for words. "Well, where did that question come from?"

The guard fidgeted awkwardly. His partner continued to rotate his head in a mechanical fashion, clearly doing his best not to get involved in the conversation.

"You were... looking around."

Twilight considered telling the guard what was bothering her. Would he insist that all was fine and prove ultimately no help at all, despite that he was bold enough to speak to her? Or would he be able to provide enough convincing evidence to banish the thoughts of griffon attacks from her mind? Either way, she wasn't about to pass up this rare opportunity to talk with one of her guards. Once again, she rued herself for not bringing a single piece of parchment for notes. "Is what Princess Luna said true?" she asked quietly. "About the griffons being hostile?"

The guard was silent. Twilight feared she had overloaded his thought processes, or startled him into not speaking with her any more. She was about to reach a tentative hoof over the side of her chariot and prod him to check his reaction time when his partner took pity on him, and stopped his robotic surveillance to answer. "We do not know, Princess. We only know our duty."

His clipped speech and brazen tones were what Twilight had come to expect from all royal guards. She suppressed a groan of frustration and thumped her head back down on the velvet cushion. Maybe royal guards were even less capable of operating outside of duty than she had thought. As this thought settled in her mind, she was surprised again when the first guard spoke up.

"Is there an order that would make you feel safer?"

Was there? She mulled over the question for a few seconds. "No," she grunted. When she realized how snappy her response sounded, she added, "But thank you."

"You're welcome, Princess."

Twilight propped her head up on the edge of chariot, staring at the back of the guard's head. She could see his partner gazing at him with a set jaw, his eyes narrowed. He spotted her looking down at them and hastily resumed his surveillance motion. Twilight pondered if there was anything she could do to make this a more common occurrence. While it hadn't been the most enlightening conversation she'd held, it certainly had been a welcome change from the stuffy treatment she usually received from guards.

"Actually," she said, "there is one thing you could do."

"Yes, Your Highness?" Both guards responded with the exact same stiffness and tone, which only made Twilight more confident in giving her order.

"I'd like it if you both talked to me like that all the time. You and all the other guards. That's my order. I also want to know your names."

To their credit, neither guard coughed or spluttered like Twilight had expected. The first guard twisted his head to look over his shoulder at her, and she could read the surprise in his slack-jawed expression. His partner shuffled his hooves and seemed more embarrassed than shocked, but was the first to respond.

"My name is... Brisk Blade, Your Majesty."

"Mine is Silver Sheath, Princess."

Twilight nodded. Warmth began to spread from the bottom of her hooves to the tip of her muzzle. She smiled at the two guards and received two very forced grimaces back. "Thank you." She thumped her head back down on her cushion, all thoughts of griffon attacks pushed to the depths of her mind. "Good night, Silver Sheath and Brisk Blade. I'll see you in the morning."

As she drifted off to sleep, the guards' farewell mumbles echoing in her mind, Twilight's wisp shimmered above her head. It watched over the scene, seeming to bob in conjunction with its caster's surge of happiness. Its cheerful glow on her eyelids was the last thing Twilight remembered before she submitted to the world of dreams.

She was flying.

She was flying through the griffon's canyons, ducking under their craggy nests and gliding through shadowy tunnels. She emerged beneath a waterfall and looked down to see that the water plunged hundreds of hooves deep into the ground. Griffons slumbered in their underground city, curled up in various nooks and crannies of the canyons. It was quite spacious in their home, despite mostly being underground. Thousands and thousands of years of water had created overhangs and enormous hollows, with caves so big it was easy to forget there weren't clouds hanging overhead.

She perched on a craggy outcrop and watched as one family of griffons slept. A mother and her fledglings, looking as peaceful as anypony indulging in a wonderful dream, slumbered in the shadow of the canyon. She kicked off from the rock and hovered closer, trying to make out the expressions on their faces. Were they happy? Were they at peace?

Were they dangerous?

What was this she felt? She wanted to say she believed in the family's innocence; she wanted to believe they would never hurt her or her friends. The soft look on the fledgling's faces was hardly one of a vicious enemy. But looking at their mother's gnarled talons and beak reminded Twilight that one day those fledglings would grow up. They would lose their soft downy coats and learn the ways of their nation. She didn't know whether it would a way of love and acceptance, or if they would one day threaten the citizens of Equestria.

It was all so foreign to her. Her first instinct was to huddle up next to the young and shield them from the cold that permeated the air, but the memory of Luna's words, prevalent even in her dream, held her back. This was different from looking at Chrysalis or Discord, or any of the enemies she and her friends had faced before. The griffons weren't clearly in the wrong--was there a wrong in this situation to begin with?

The mother began to stir. She peeled open one scaly eyelid to reveal a feral pupil and curled her tail tighter around her young. Raising her thick, muscled neck, she looked Twilight straight in the eye. Twilight's breath caught in her throat and she tried desperately to wing away, but found she couldn't move. She wanted to tell the mother she was only watching and wished her young happiness, but her muzzle refused to cooperate. The mother's pupil shrunk and the feathers along the crest of her head began to rise. She opened her beak, her face contorting into an ugly snarl--

--and Twilight awoke to the screaming of a thousand vultures.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism and feedback is much appreciated, I'm always looking to improve my writing. The dark tag will become more relevant next chapter, so please bear with me. Edited for typos.

Comments

[ClockworkMage]

I was going to make a snarky remark about chapters that end in dream sequences, but you pulled that out of the fire.
Greatly enjoying this so far.

[EpicShadowz]

Vultures.... Ok. Who died?!