Meet me in Maretonia

by Paradise Oasis

El Capitulo Catorce

"Everybody, I've made my decision." Fiesta announced, "It's time for us to regresar to de capital, and put a stop to these griffo once and for all."

Looking up, the other three ponies present nodded their heads in agreement.

"Si, that is the best course of action." Sunny Salsa also stepped forward. "As príncipe of Maretonia, I have a duty to protect the ponies of this land, honor demands it."

"If you're going back, mi amor, then I'm going with you!" Moonlight spoke up, trotting up beside the prince. "Maretonia is my home, too! And I'm not going to let those griffins take it over!"

"I-I'm going along, as well. And it's not just clearing my name, either." Watercolor agreed, trying to muster up her courage. "Pepperdance risked his life for me, and I can't just sit by and let his homeland get taken over."

"Very good, all of you." The pony maid agreed, trotting into the room and bowing. "We shall care for the noble Jaguar knight here, while the three of you return to the capital to deal with the conquistadors."

"Gracias, mi fiel sirviente. We will trust you to take care of things here." Fiesta replied, her voice growing more serious. "The rest of us should start making our way back to the capital, though it may be best if we try to return without being noticed."

It wasn't long before the four ponies had their belongings packed, and were on their way back towards the capital. This time, instead of traveling in by way of a farmer's crop cart, the four came trotting back towards Tenochtitlan. But as they approached the outskirts of the city, a familiar earth pony stallion galloped out to greet them.

"Fiesta... Watercolor, there you all are!" The nervous stallion called out, slowly emerging from the bush he had been hiding behind. "I actually didn't know if I'd manage to find you out here!"

"Wait a second... Fresco!?" Fiesta came running up, surprised to see the stallion. "What de hay are you doing out here? Cómo nos encontraste?"

"Huh? Oh, the duke told me all of you might have followed this highway to the Flair family's estate out beyond the capital." The stallion replied. "I decided to come out here along the road, and wait for all of you here." He frowned. "Everybody, you NEED to get all of you back into the capital under cover of darkness, something terrible has happened!"

"Que? What is it? What's going on?" The prince demanded, stepping forward. "Has something happened to mi padre?"

"You're Prince Salsa? I was looking for you, too!" Fresco bowed hastily. "Your father has been abducted, and replaced with a fake! We have to hurry, the imposter is going to hand the entire kingdom over to the griffons if we don't-"

Suddenly, a bolt landed in between the two stallions, sticking out of the ground. All of the ponies turned, to find five griffons all staring them down, each holding a crossbow in their sets of claws,

"End of the line, calballos!" One of the griffons growled, taking aim with his weapon. "Hooves in de air! You are all under arrest as enemies of the soon-to-be declared republic of Maretonia!"

"Republic? what is this tontería?!" Sunny Salsa replied in disbelief. "Maretonia is a duchy, ruled by my family for generations! The ponies of this land would never betray the royal house!"

"You are woefully misinformed, noble pony princepe." A second griffin replied. "De ponies of this land have grown tired of your family's rule. An' now, it's time to pay for all de oppression the house of keztquetl forced upon their subjects!"

"No, just wait one minute, there!" Moonlight spoke up, stepping in front of the surprised prince. "We are in no way oppressed by the royal family. In fact, they have taken very good care of our nation, and have served the nation for as long as there has been a Maretonia. It's not the royal family who is the source of the problem, rather it is you griffo who are our country's biggest problem. You feathered fiends need to pack up, and get your sorry tailfeathers out of our lands!"

One of the griffins responded by firing another crossbow bolt straight at the angry Pegasus, who jumped into the air to dodge it. Sunny immediately tackled the griffin, and the two began to struggle on the ground over the crossbow. The other four griffins took to the skies, showering the group with crossbow bolts from above.

"Everybody, look out!" Fiesta cried, as she and Fresco dodged for cover. "The griffo are attacking from above!"

Watercolor and Moonlight immediately took to the air, each whizzing towards one of the griffins like a bolt of lightning. Watercolor caught one of the flying fiends by surprise, knocking the crossbow clean out of his hooves, and sending it tumbling towards the ground. The griffin then began chasing the pony in circles around the sky, slashing at her mercilessly with his claws. With one quick swipe, he managed to slice off the back part of her tail

"OW! HEY!" She shrieked, her blood pressure rising. "I just had that tail done at an expensive salon, you jerk!"

Seething with anger, she back-kicked the griffin towards the ground with her hind legs, knocking him to the ground.

"Never mess with a girl's mane or tail, you feathered creep!" she snorted at the unconscious griffin. "Hmmph!"

Meanwhile, Moonlight zipped around the other griffin in circles, trying to make him too dizzy to hit her by flying extremely fast.

"Hey, what the problem, senior?" She asked him with a grin. "You look like you is a little dizzy, I think."

"Stop flying around in circles, you perra loca !" The griffin growled trying toi aim his crossbow. "I can't shoot you dead, unless you hold still!"

Wait, what did you call me?" Moonlight asked, stopping in midair, and glaring at the surprised griffin in rage."Oh, you do not call me a perra loca, you estupido idiota!"

She beat the griffin with her wings mercilessly, and using her natural Pegasus weather abilities , hit the conquistador with a powerful blast of air, that sent him crashing towards the ground."

"Aieeeeee!" The griffin wailed, as his head hit a rock, knocking him out.

"Ugh, you conquistadors really have to learn to watch your language when talking to a yegua!"

The two earth ponies below dodging all of his shots, the fourth griffin quickly tossed his crossbow, and dove at the unsuspecting Fiesta below, talons outstretched. The surprised mare looked up at the diving monster, her eyes going wide like a frightened deer in headlights.

"Fiesta!" Fresco yelled, as he saw the oncoming threat. "Look out!"

"Oh no..." Fiesta cried, looking up at her attacker in horror. " Madre de santo poni...

In one swift, fluid motion, Fresco grabbed the dropped crossbow in his hooves, spun around, and opened fire on the griffin who had nearly reached Fiesta. The bolt struck the bird-monster squarely in the chest, causing him to tumble over just a few inches away from senorita Flair, dead.

"Fiesta are you all right?" Fresco asked, rushing up to the sobbing mare. "Are you all right?"

"Oh Frisco, fue tan horrible!" Fiesta weeped, grabbign onto the surprised stallion with her hooves. "¡Ese malvado Griffin se me acercó tan rápido, que no tuve tiempo para reaccionar! ¡ Gracias, gracias por salvarme! ¡ eres un semental maravilloso! "

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there, I have no idea what you're saying!" he replied, hugging her back. "I'm just glad you're okay."

It was only a few moments later, that Sunny Salsa emerged from the bushes, a scar across his face. "Well, I certainly didn't see that attack coming, is everybody else all right?"

"Oh! Mi príncipe! You're hurt!" Moonlight came rushing up to him, wiping the blood away from the scar on his forehead with a cloth she pulled out of her saddlebag. "How did that fight with the griffo go?"

"Don't ask, mi querida Luz de la Luna. We struggled over his crossbow, and it was either him, or me." The stallion looked around at the other ponies, who had all come together again after the last griffin had been defeated. "Since the griffins ambushed us like that, it means Bifido and his goons know we're coming."

" Which means we're going to have to be mucho careful when entering de capital." Moonlight agreed, as the now five ponies trotted on towards Tenochtitlan. "Because those Conquistadors, they are gonna be waiting for us with a trap..."