Griffons and Magic and Nightmares, oh my!

by bahatumay

Chapter 2

The griffon alchemist sat at his bench, working on yet another batch of this magic-giving potion. Leader de facto of the entire nation he may have been, but he was still much more content in a laboratory than on a throne. That position was reserved for his most trusted lieutenant, Gruarch.

Who, incidentally, was going to have an unfortunate accident soon that would leave him unfit to fulfill his duties, whereupon he would be replaced by Inas'i's second most trusted lieutenant.

A griffon captain burst into the room, interrupting his stirring ever so slightly. “Inas'i!” he called, trying very hard to not look at the empty cages that lined the walls.

Inas’i merely grunted in response.

The captain took this as an invitation to speak. “There are rumors spreading among the troops.”

Inas'i finally looked up and raised an eyebrow. “And you thought this important enough to risk interrupting me? Griffons die if this is not performed correctly, you know.”

“Yes, sir. They say you gave our magic recipe to the Diamond Dogs, and they fear more enemies in more places.”

Inas'i shrugged and turned back to his mixing. “'Tis no rumor if it is the truth.”

The captain stared in shock. Finally, the griffons had accomplished something no one else had been able to do—something they had been told would be forever impossible—and he had just let it go, just like that? “You gave them the recipe?”

Inas'i didn't even look up. “I needed the rubies they had. They do not simply grow on trees, after all.”

“But won't they become our enemies too?”

Inas'i shrugged as he began to prepare a clawful of said rubies to be added to the mixture. “I think not. The Diamond Dogs are a fallen kind. They are scattered, a shadow of the proud race they once were. Besides, I do not think they will succeed in making the mixture. They are an impatient group, too rash and hasty to wait for it to stew to maximum potency. And on the off-chance they do succeed, and make magic-wielders, I need them to trust me. I'm going to need a ruby supplier, after all. Such things do not grow here in these mountains.”

That wasn't right. Inas'i had indeed gotten overconfident and drunk with power. But past experiences had led him to know when it was prudent to say nothing, and now was definitely one of those times.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lair of the Diamond Dogs, another underling was also baffled with the actions of his own superior.

“You traded all our rubies for a piece of paper?”

“This powerful paper,” Rover reassured his friends. He tugged his red vest proudly. “This paper tells us how to get magic!”

Spot scratched behind one grimy ear. “But... all our rubies?” He just could not get over that. How does one become a leader of a group formed for getting gems if they keep giving away all the gems? It just made no sense.

“Listen, dummy. If we get magic, we find even MORE rubies. Like that white horsey did.”

The three gave an involuntary shudder at the memory of that awful pony.

“Now, follow me. We need ingredients.”

The idea of splitting up hadn’t quite occurred to them (after all, mining is an operation that should never be undertaken alone). This misuse of resources meant that it took until the next morning until they had finally gathered the necessary ingredients. All but the last one.

Rover squinted at the paper. “Blood of an inn... innnu... innocent unicorn, preferably a filly.”

His companions seemed a bit surprised by that.

“Blood?” Fido repeated. “Do you think we need it all?” Diamond Dogs were many things, but murderers they were not.

After much pondering and head scratching, Spot raised a paw and suggested, “Let's find one and just ask for it. If we ask nicely, surely they help out?”

This logic was accepted, and the three climbed out of the hole in the ground, squinting in the bright light. Picking a random direction, they started walking hopefully towards pony civilization.

As they walked, one asked, “So what means 'innocent'?”

“I dunno.”

“Mebbe it means 'young'?”

Not having any other definition available, this was accepted; and soon enough, they spied a young unicorn digging in the dirt. She was white, with a curly purple and pink mane. She was probably very pretty by pony standards, even with all the mud on her face and coat.

But as soon as they decided to make a grab for her, they heard another voice.

“Sweetie Belle!”

The three Diamond Dogs froze. They knew that voice...

“Honestly, Sweetie Belle. What are you doing out here? All alone, and so messy.” Another unicorn entered the scene. This one was also white, but larger, with a purple mane with voluminous curls. “What with those horrible griffons flying about, you could get hurt! What were you thinking?”

The filly unicorn looked up at her sister. “I was just looking for gems like you,” she said, her face falling a little bit.

Rarity's reply was interrupted by faint screams of terror. She turned to see three shadows shaped vaguely like Diamond Dogs running full tilt deeper into the desert.

* * *

“All the gems in the world not worth that!”

“Nope! Nope nope nope!”

* * *

Rarity paused, staring after them, an expression of bewilderment on her face. “Well, I have seen weirder...” she said to herself. She turned back to Sweetie Belle. “Well, that is an admirable idea, but your coat is filthy! What have you to say for yourself?”

Sweetie Belle pulled out a green gemstone she had found. “Surprise?” she offered weakly.

Rarity's eyes widened at the sight of the emerald. She picked it up and examined it with a practiced eye. “That would go perfectly with the fall line I'm working on right now...” she breathed. “Right in the center of the lineup… yes, yes indeed…”

Sweetie's relief at having escaped a scolding was tainted by the fact that no cutie mark had appeared on her flank, but seeing her sister speechless was a pleasant surprise, too.

This moment of triumph was interrupted by the appearance of Twilight Sparkle. “Rarity! There you are! I've been looking all over for you! It's urgent, Princess Celestia herself was here and she's sending chariots because she wants us to come to Canterlot right... away... You're not hearing a word I'm saying, are you?”

Rarity stroked the gem gently. “Such a vibrant green...”

Twilight raised a hoof hesitantly. “Uh, Rarity? You're drooling.”

* * *

When Twilight finally managed to drag Rarity away from her emerald (and that didn't happen until after Rarity had kissed it goodbye and locked it inside a small chest, and then locked that chest inside of another chest), she returned to the library and was pleasantly surprised to find the library still standing and not on fire. Considering she had left Pinkie alone in there, that was quite the accomplishment.

She entered and found Rainbow Dash, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Gilda involved in a poker game. Gilda was shooting the pink earth pony some dark looks, but the pony remained happily oblivious. Applejack, who couldn't bluff to save her life, had opted instead for a quiet read. Fluttershy had found a coloring book and was enjoying herself immensely.

“Hey Twilight!” Rainbow called. “You want in this round?”

“No, thanks.”

Gilda passed out the cards (having claws makes it much quicker) and each settled into the game. Rainbow picked up her cards, and though her blank facial expression didn't change, her wings flared out with a quick 'pomf'.

The other three looked at each other. “I fold,” Spike sighed, tossing down his cards.

“Fold.”

“I'm out.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but a knock at her door interrupted her witty remark.

There stood a Solar Guard, accompanied by a few golden chariots. “Twilight Sparkle. We are here for the Elements. And the griffon, if she so desires.”

The griffon in question raised a claw and twisted a digit in a rude gesture, indicating that she did not so desire.

The guard remained stoic. “Come, then. We don't have much time.”

And soon, they were all flying to Canterlot.

* * *

Celestia stood waiting as they burst into the hall (heaven forbid they walk in gracefully like normal ponies).

“Princess!” Twilight said, skidding to a stop in front of the alicorn. “We came as soon as we could!”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I don't know how much you know, but the rumors of griffons and magic have been circulating for almost six months. This is a very volatile situation. Your friend just confirmed what we have long suspected, much as I hoped to the contrary. The griffons are preparing for war.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “We'll get the Elements! That's like our catch-all for every problem, right?” She threw a couple punches to accentuate her point. “We'll just give them a blast of rainbow-powered action and blast their furry flanks back to Griffinlandia or wherever they came from and bam! We saved the day again!”

Celestia shook her head. “I don't think that is our wisest choice of action.”

This, of course, was greeted with no less than six loud vocal protests; but Celestia raised a hoof for silence.

“The Elements are powerful, but they are born of deep magic; deeper even than the Alicorns and back to the dawn of time. They have taken various forms throughout the ages, but they have always been there when ponykind have needed them. They are to be used when there is no other option, when ponies need them and all other hope is lost. When the Elements are used against this code, they work; but never as intended, and their connection with the user is severed permanently.” Celestia took a breath. “That's what happened the night I... banished my sister. I meant to send the taįn̡t to the moon, not her. Never her. But the power of the Elements was never meant to be used by one alone. They did not work as intended, and after they had done their work, my connection with them was severed.”

“What else could you have done?” Applejack asked, in a tone that clearly showed that she could see no other option.

“I don't know,” Celestia admitted. “But a physical attack is nothing I haven't seen before, and I know how to defend our land. I don't want to risk breaking your connections to the Elements for a threat that can be handled in other ways.”

“So why are we here?”

“For your own protection.”

Rainbow frowned. “So who's going to be doing the griffon flank kicking?”

“We will. As we speak, guards and soldiers are being recruited and trained. We will lead. Luna and I are not the guardians of this land for nothing.”

“That's it?” Rainbow Dash was incredulous. “That's your plan? We're here to hide and do nothing? That's the worst idea I've ever heard, and I've been hanging out with Pinkie Pie all week.”

Everypony's eyes flicked instinctively over to Pinkie Pie to see her reaction to this thinly-veiled insult, but she was contentedly making funny faces in the stained glass windows and making bubbly noises at her distorted reflection, and was apparently unphased.

Fluttershy raised a tentative hoof. “I like this plan, actually,” she said softly.

Celestia stood silently for a moment. Then, with a face as expressionless and flat as the marble pillars surrounding them, she said, “Allow me to explain. Yes, you are here for your own protection. No, you are not here to hide away like a frightened sparrow. You are here as a last line of defense, in case all else fails. If we cannot stop them, then will be the time to evacuate the city, garrison all the civilians in the castle, and use the Elements to repel the griffon attack. I would rather lose the connection to the Elements than have my little ponies be utterly destroyed.”

Twilight was taken aback. “Do you think it would get that far?” she asked nervously.

Celestia's expression didn't change. “I hope not.”

This tense moment was broken by Pinkie Pie, who had apparently been paying attention the entire time. “So does this mean we're, like, on a vacation for a while?” she asked brightly. “I love vacations!”

Celestia cracked a smile. “Yes, Pinkie Pie. Consider the castle your temporary home until further notice.”

“Will I be able to throw parties here?” Pinkie wanted to know.

“No. Not during wartime,” Celestia answered. “But each of you will be assigned a set of bodyguards, and you could maybe have a little fun with them.”

* * *

Deep in the barracks of the Lunar Guard, a mare sat up with a gasp, covered in a cold sweat, and bringing the blankets up to her neck in fear, fear such as she hadn't known since she was a tiny filly living on the street.

Her partner stirred. “G?” the stallion next to her asked, blearily rubbing his eyes. “Something wrong?”

“I just had a terrible sense of foreboding, Stone,” she answered shakily, trying to retract her wings after the fight-or-flight stimulus that had coursed through her body. “Something awful is going to happen. Probably on our shift tonight.”

The stallion was concerned, as it took a lot to shake the mare. “Really? Like what?”

“Just...” The mare known as G shook her head. “Something is going to end badly, Stone. That's all I know.”

* * *

The next day, bright and early, two weary Lunar Guardsponies trudged back to their room and as one threw themselves down on the bed without even taking off their armor.

“'Guard the elements,' they said,” the stallion whined. “'It'll be fun,' they said. Look, I've been through basic training twice. I've faked my own death. I've survived the return of Nightmare Moon. I've stood guard for two full shifts in sleeting weather. I've helped break up more barfights and riots than I can remember. I've jumped into fights where I've been outnumbered twenty to one, and won; and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. But I have never experienced anything like that before, and if I never see that mare again it will be too soon. I think I'd rather relive the hot sauce incident than guard that mare for another five minutes.”

G was much more succinct in her judgment. “Pinkie Pie,” the mare spat, like the name was a curse.

“Pinkie Pie,” Stone bitterly confirmed.

And with that, both silently prayed that some other unlucky pair would be assigned bodyguard duty next.

Author's Note:

And that's how Rarity unwittingly saved Equestria.
Part of me dislikes Pinkie breaking the fourth wall or being “cartoony” in fanfiction/text form (Pinkie knowing things she shouldn't and claiming “I got it from reading the next chapter!”, shout-outs to the author mid-story, writing “Pinkie left the frame, but returned in an instant with *insert item of ridiculousness here*, “Pinkie stretched her arm across the room and picked up a cupcake”) but part of me wanted to add, “As Pinkie Pie picked up her cards, she made her face blank. Not her expression, not her mouth; her face had become pure, unblemished pink.” Then that made me think of Slenderman, so I scratched that idea.
Rainbow Dash's bad... um... poker face? inspired by this image.
There at the end of the first section, I wanted to put in a bit of “I hate flying...” banter, but then I realized—Applejack rode the top of the balloon to catch discorded RD, so she is ok with flying; Pinkie Pie built her own candy chopper so she's ok with flying; Twilight owns the balloon, so she's ok with flying; Rarity had wings so she's obviously ok with flying; Spike's a dragon and he can look down and commentate on a race without getting nauseous so he's ok with flying; and the other two are pegasi and are born to fly. Darn you, canon, for ruining my ideas...
On an unrelated side note, am I the only one who thinks that nopony ever walks in Equestria? It's like they're always running and barging into rooms and no one walks politely.
G and Stone are holdouts from Luna's Existential Crisis. I liked their characters and wanted to bring them back (read: bt was too lazy to think up new names for new characters).
Speaking of Luna, I can't just put her on the cover and then never introduce her, now, can I? Let's do that next chapter.