Chapter 3: The Battle of the Skies
Chapter 3: The Battle of the Skies
The guard pony carefully opened the delicate book, the silver moonlight shining off the faded brown pages. Blaze flipped past the Fall of Discord chapter, carefully checking the elegant hoofwriting of this Raven Quill to make sure he hadn't missed anything of any significance or interest. A new chapter then revealed itself to the fascinated unicorn, regally curved writing looping around the top of the slightly ripped page. To the left of title was drawn an elaborate ink picture of a bronze griffin, its wings spread wide and its crest tall and proud. To the right, an equally impressive picture of a deep red dragon, smoke fuming from it's nostrils and fire burning in it's eyes.
The swirling looped writing read 'The Rise of the Griffin a- ingdoms', a large patch of what appeared to be fire damage obscuring the rest of the title. Judging by the pictures, Blaze assumed the missing word was 'Dragon'. With a slight chuckle to himself, the violet eyed unicorn traced his hoof to the starting paragraph. As a foal, he had always admired the griffin race. They seemed so proud and majestic, regal like the Great Eagles from which they were descended from, yet predatory and ferocious when spurred into action. And dragons...well...who doesn't like dragons?
The Rise of the Griffin Kingdoms and the Battle of the Skies
A detailed account of the Rise of Gryphus, as told by the unicorn mare Stella Maris. Records taken from the Canterlot Royal Archives.
"Ponykind could not be happier. Discord, our overlord, had finally been vanquished. Our people would survive to see another dawn, thanks too the two Princesses. Celestia and Luna had promised a bright future, one built on Harmony and tolerance. Though there would be much hardship in the years to come, everypony had a sense of purpose. Thanks to Harmony, we had a reason to live on.
In the weeks following Discord's downfall, ponies of all kinds began to rebuild our scarred Equestria. The War of Chaos- as some of us called it- had left terrible wastes in place of once lush green meadows. The Valley of Fertility had suffered the most, the plowed fields that once occupied the landscape now naught but dust and ashes. I was part of a survey team sent to find any form of life among the devastation. We found none.
In the final days of the war, Discord had used everything in his power to halt our advance towards his Palace of Disharmony. I was a medic during the war, my powers used to aid the injured and dying on the battlefield against Discord's many twisted creatures. The things I saw will haunt me forever. I do not wish to speak of them.
Eventually Celestia's influence made its way into the earth, 'coaxing' it to heal itself and return to face the sun. In the months that followed, the Valley, the Mountains of Peace, the Sea of Eternity, and even the Everfree Forest healed from Discord's corruption. As for the Lord of Chaos himself, the royal sisters had him bound in stone. The living statue was kept in a hidden mountain vault constructed by Princess Luna. What his fate was to be, nopony knew.
It wasn't until the first anniversary of the Draconequus' defeat that things finally began to settle into a form of permanent peace. A new city had been built upon the ruins of Discord's Palace of Disharmony. The two Princesses had used the natural magic of the Earth to meld stone and gold into a single cohesive form. Canterlot... that's what we named the city. Our new home, a city of shining towers and glittering domed houses. never in all my life had I seen anything so beautiful. Canterlot was perched upon the very edge of Mount Everwhite, the crystal clear rivers that flowed from the peak ran through the streets.
Over the edge of the mountain were the twin waterfalls named Ilinata's Tears. I remember seeing out across the plateau to the twin peaks beyond. When the sun set, the mountains cradled it like a mother and her foal. My brother Apollo and I would gaze out across the Valley every evening, simply watching as our great Celestia lowered the sun.
Little did we know that Equestria's next great struggle lay just beyond those peaks...
Blaze looked up from the page and turned his violet eyes out of the window before him. The twin peaks being described in the passage lay before him, silent and unmoving. Blaze smirked as he imagined himself and High Flyer standing on guard duty, mimicking the mountains perfectly. The athletic unicorn's thoughts then turned to what lay beyond those two walls of rock. The Grey Guardians, those mountains were called. And as far as the guard pony remembered, they were named after the iconic War of the Skies, the second of the three major conflicts to scar Equestrian land, the first being the War of Chaos. And the third...
An owl hooted outside, startling the unicorn as it landed gently on the windowsill outside. Blaze chuckled. With a stretch he undid the hook that held the window shut and pushed it open. The delicate glass panel thrust outwards into the night air. "C'mon little buddy, its okay" comforted the unicorn, motioning for the owl to step inside. Blaze couldn't be sure, but the owl looked similar to the pet owned by Princess Celestia's favoured protegé. Blaze had spotted the feathery pet once during a royal visit to Ponyville. Surely it couldn't be the same bird?
"Who?" hooted the owl.
"Who? What?"
"Who?"
"What d'you mean, 'who'?"
"Who?"
Shaking his head, Blaze let the owl perch itself upon his dark grey shoulder. It was nice to have some company in the darkness. As the unicorn read on, he raised his eyebrows at the heading of the next passage.
Gryphus the Windlord and the Building of Asgard
As told by the griffin warrior Peronan at the time of these events. Records taken from the High Library of Talos, within the Griffin Kingdoms.
"Never before had we taken any interest in the lands to the southeast of our mighty nations. The green flatlands were populated by Ponykind, a race of weak equines who farm and reap the land. They were not worth the time and resources needed to conquer them or their land. 'Equestria' it was called, a region of green fields and babbling brooks. Nothing of value or worth was within the Pony borders.
The events of recent times however, had sparked an interest in the many clan leaders of our mountainous realm. It seemed that an unusually powerful creature, a Draconequus according to the Farseers, had taken residence in the wide Valley that lay just beyond our eastern border. From the rumours that spread through my clan, the mighty Blade Wings, I had heard that the mysterious creature had established lordship over the weakling pony races.
This caused quite an uproar among the Chieftains of the seven major clans: Drogbar of the Silvercrests, Yngol of the Cloudbreakers, Hirithor of the Prey Slayers, Uriel of the Fog Runners, Valmar of the Iron Beaks, and my own Chieftain Skaldi. However, the one who took the most from this new change of leadership in the Pony-Lands was the venerable Gryphus of Clan Skyrider. The proud crested leader was undoubtedly the best of us all. He was the one who defeated the great Sky Serpent Alf-Ung-Dong in single combat, and he was the one who lead the conquest of the Old Kingdoms of the Great Eagles, our ancestors.
I remember the day that the seven clans met very well. All seven of our leaders had convened a meeting at the summit of Mount Stormcrow, the most sacred peak in all of the Kingdoms. I myself was not present, but every griffin within a thousand leagues would soon know the word of the Chieftains.
The final command was heard at noon on the third day of the meeting. Our leaders had decreed an immediate peace summit to be made between the Griffin Kingdoms and this Discord creature. From what the Farseers had seen, this creature had immense magical power, power that Griffinkind did not possess. If a pact could be signed, then we could finally advance far into the Northern Icefields, where the Sacred Lights touch the earth. With this Discord creature, we could finally venture into the mysterious Godlands without being expelled by the magical entities that inhabit them. The ultimate conquest lay within our grasp.
Then the Alicorns came...
Blaze grunted in frustration as he found the void where the beginning of the next paragraph should have been. The owl perched upon his shoulder gave a disgruntled hoot. Blaze turned to it.
"Are you reading this?"
"Who?"
"You. Are you reading this as well?"
"Who?"
"Huh, I dunno. I didn't know owls could read. Thought you were just a dumb bird" the unicorn chuckled. He received a hard slap to the back of his head from the owl's wing. He couldn't help but laugh a bit, the echo bouncing off the high ceiling of the Library.
"Sorry"
"Who?"
"Me, I said I'm- oh, never mind"
Blaze's armoured hoof found the continuation of the writing.
"...power. These two alicorns, these creatures of myth and legend, had overthrown the most powerful spirit this world has ever known. Somehow, they had defeated Discord. And with him our last hope of venturing into the Godlands. Suffice to say the Kingdoms were NOT pleased.
Chieftain Valmar suggested that the Kingdoms turn their attention to the mysterious lands to the far east. The Pony Nation of Neighpon was a country of warrior ponies, the only few who the griffins respected. The Iron Beak Lord's suggestion had merit. Without the magical might of Discord, the Godlands would be forever beyond our reach. Neighpon was a strong land, a kingdom born of war and blood. Others, like Drogbar and Uriel suggested that we simply extinguish the fires of battle for this season. The cold winds were rising, according to the Clans' Farseers, and winter in our mountain home is perilous.
But the final command came from the mighty Gryphus. The aging warrior called to us all: War.
Equestria was in disarray after the collapse of Discord's reign. These two Alicorn 'Princesses' were undoubtedly recovering from the great battle that could be seen from the mountaintops. If we could take Equestria while it was crippled, we could enslave the Alicorns, and use their power to forge ahead into the North. If we succeeded in that, the Griffin Race would be hailed as the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen".
The owl on the unicorn's shoulder hooted again. The guard pony merely looked at the bird in bewilderment. Were all animals this intelligent? The bird seemed to be reading along with Blaze, something which the unicorn found both astonishing and kind of creepy. He wasn't sure which feeling held dominance. And it looked so much like the pet belonging to the young filly Twilight Sparkle. But Ponyville was far, far away, nestled in the Valley below Canterlot. Shaking the thoughts from his mind once again, the grey coated pony scanned the paragraph again to pick up from where he left. It was intriguing to hear things from a griffin's point of view.
" Gryphus rallied the Clans together in a way that hadn't been seen for over a thousand years. My Chieftain Skaldi was the first to bow to our new ruler, the Windlord. Then fell the Iron Beaks, then the Fog Runners, and soon all six Clans bowed before Gryphus. The command was sealed. There would be war, and no mercy would be given to those who resisted us. We would shackle the two alicorns to our will, and with their power we would conquer all the known world!
In the months that followed, our Farseers began to notice a high level of activity occurring on the steep mountain where Discord once made his home. From what we could tell, the ponies were building a settlement, and a large one. It wasn't long before bright towers could be seen jutting into the sky like talons. The Windlord took this as a sign of their growing recovery, and ordered the immediate construction of a forward fortress on the edge of the Equestrian border.
And thus began the building of Asgard, Castle of Storms.
During the construction of the keep, I was sent to the sacred city of Talos to be outfitted for the coming invasion. My Clan had the first choice of the weapons and armour, due to us declaring our allegiance first. With spear in claw, I flew out to join the rest of the battalions on the edge of the Silverline Mountains. As soon as Asgard was completed and garrisoned, the attack would begin.
It was over a month of long, painful waiting. But the horns heralded the news that our people had all been waiting for: Asgard was complete. The invasion began at dawn".
Blaze flipped over to the next page eagerly.
Stella Maris-
"It didn't take us long to realise that our new home and resolve would be tested. For the past few weeks, several pegasi kept mentioning large groups of griffins to the west. The predatory race were a ferocious group of creatures, half eagle half lion. The flights however were not simple flyers. From what the pegasi had said, they were armoured.
The Princesses met together at the summit of Mount Everwhite. Nopony went with them, so we were all left in the dark about what was happening. However, the next morning, as Princess Celestia raised the sun, a deep echoing moan could be heard coming from the west. it took me a few moments to realise that it was a horn. I don't know what it meant, but every fibre in my being was telling me to run, to flee from the Valley and make like the wind to Canterlot.
My brother Apollo soon joined me. Together- along with a large number of ponies- we ran along the winding mountain path towards our fair city. Swarms of pegasi flew overhead, every one of us rushing to the safe refuge of the Princesses' protection. The harrowing horn call boomed out again across the Valley of Fertility. Something was wrong, so very, very wrong.
By the time we arrived in Canterlot, our great protectors had already taken to the skies. I remember my heart swelling with pride as I watched the two Goddesses speed towards the western mountains. But what was racing to meet them was something which caused doubt to stir in our minds. A great flock of what looked like giant birds was riding the air currents, screeching loudly. Griffins. The griffins of the west had come for us.
Peronan-
"The mighty call of the Horn of Talos summoned us to battle. Our great leader and Windlord, Gryphus, bore in his talons the legendary spear Kyria. His body was armoured in glorious silver plates made from the heart of fallen stars. He wore upon his head the Helm of Conquerors, the ancient crown of the long lost dynasty of Windlords. With a bold cry, he ordered the charge into Equestria. The end of the Alicorn's reign would and as soon has it had began. The Griffin Kingdoms were going to war, and what force could possibly stop us?"
This was fantastic. Blaze smirked as he imagined thousands upon thousands of armed and armoured griffin warriors soaring into the skies ready for conquest. But from what history had told him, the unicorn guard remembered that Gryphus' War-Flock had been utterly brought to ruin. Eager to hear this version of events, the silver maned pony read on.
Stella Maris-
"It didn't take long for the ponies taking refuge in Canterlot to spread the word of the imminent attack. Hundreds - shamefully, myself included - sought cover in the newly built towers of the settlement. Many more hid in the half built vaulted halls of the Princess' new Palace, but the largest portion of the civilians hid in the hidden mountain caverns of Mount Everwhite. I ran for the caves, but my brother - along with many other brave souls - stayed behind to protect those who could not protect themselves should things turn for the worst.
"Never had I felt pride rise so high as I gazed upon Apollo as he lined up along the westernmost ridge of the mountain beside Ilinata's Tears. Another ten or so unicorns joined him, stallions all. But up above us, nearly a hundred brave pegasi of both sexes soared along the winds to guard the sky. It was a beautiful, yet so sad a sight. No sooner had we emerged from one harrowing conflict that we were flung head first into yet another.
"We could only see the Princesses faintly, tiny specks heading towards an angry black and silver cloud of griffins. None of us had any idea to what they were thinking of, but with a silent faith in our hearts, we waited. We waited for the end."
Blaze sighed yet again as another tear in the page obscured the next part of the account.
"This is ridiculous" the unicorn guard muttered as he flipped over the ancient page. It appeared that the point of view had changed yet again back to the griffin warrior.
"...unlight. Never in all my life had I seen such creatures of majesty and such regal power. These were not like other ponies that was for sure. We realised only too late that we had made a terrible, terrible mistake. Yet still, Gryphus roared a defiant challenge to the twin Alicorns, and raised Kyria high as he swooped down to meet them in glorious combat. But without magic, we griffins were nothing to the winged wonders.
"The darker of the two, the one who was Night itself, lit up the sky with a spectacular blue light. The front ranks of our flock were blinded instantly by the magical blast. Dozens of our number veered off into random directions, threatening to break our army apart. Only Gryphus - who had somehow resisted the strike, continued to dive towards the Princesses. With an almighty clash, the Night Sister and our Windlord smashed into each other, Kyria's blade screaming against the Alicorn's glowing horn. Sparks the size of lightning bolts shot out in every direction as the ancient starmetal blade began to crack beneath the Moon Goddess' magical might. But while our leader was struggling against the Night, the rest of us were now at the Day's mercy.
The Day sped past the epic duel being waged in the sky. Her eyes were blazing with golden flames as she conjured a glowing magical field before her. The field collided with many of our Talon Guards - our elite - and sent them screaming down towards the ground. Their armour had been burned until only shattered metal remained. The Sun Goddess spun round, lighting up the sky with a spectacular blaze of starry fire. The white gold storm of wrath smashed aside all those who sought to strike her blinding white form. In a moment of madness, I thought of fleeing, flying away from the magical power that these two Goddesses wielded. But I was a griffin warrior, belonging to the Clan favoured by the Windlord himself! I would not back down.
Yet despite my steel resolve, I watched the steel of a dozen Talon Guards splinter and break as the white pony sent a scarlet lightning bolt into their ranks. Many of those around me turned out to be cowards, and broke away from the fight and fled back to Asgard. They would face the Windlord's anger when we returned victorious. It was then that I heard the most beautiful and most terrifying sound in all the world: the Sun Goddess spoke. Her voice was so powerful, so strong, that my wingbeats faltered.
'I am the Dawn and the new day begun; I bring you the morning, I bring you the Sun! I hold back the Night and I open the Skies; I give light to the world, I give sight to your eyes! From the first of all Time, until Time is undone! Forever and ever, I am the Sky and the Fire and the Sun! I am one with the world and I am the Dawn!'
Blaze's heart swelled with pride. To think what the griffin warriors saw that day must have been both amazing and terrifying, and the young unicorn smiled as he imagined his monarch booming out those words across the sky. He had never seen Celestia use anything approaching this level of offensive magic before, but this was an eyewitness historical account. The guard pony whistled as he realised just how powerful the Sun Goddess was.
"But when we thought our army was broken, our forces defeated by two Alicorns, an echoing roar sounded from the North"
Blaze frowned.
"Now the sky was lit up with not only magical fire, but real fire. The roaring reached a climax as we all - the Alicorns included - turned towards the new players on the battlefield.
"The sky filled with Dragons..."
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Took you long enough, but well worth the wait. Griffins versus Equestira... epic, and now dragons? Oh boy this is going to be awesome. Celestia's badass boast:
That is simply awesome.
The Griffins already lost their elite guard? Luna and Celestia just obliterated an entire army with only the backup of a small contingent of ponies. Badass. The biggest issue that the griffins overlooked is that, yes Equestria was exhausted and their horsepower (hehe
) was severely depleted, but all of those survivors are veterans! The only way you defeat an experienced enemy if your troops aren't vets is through attrition.
That said, Luna and Celestia better scrape together at least a couple regiments' worth of ponies before striking.
Silver out!
1st all, I would like to say, FINALLY, this fanfic updated!
Next, I would like to say that you did an amazing job on writing this chapter, I cant wait to see what you got in store for us!
This review is brought to you on behalf of the group: Authors Helping Authors
Our Savior, Our Princess
Grammar score: 10/10
Pros: First up, every time the princesses show up, there is a sense of spectacle. Just wonderful. Next, the character of Blaze, whose narrative frames the story, is pretty likeable. I mean, he's a royal guard so by rights he ought to be as unique and compelling as a Stormtrooper, but somehow his curiosity and the way he kicks back and tries to have conversations with that owl and other little things just make him a great POV character. And finally, the world-building is excellent. There is a sense that you are looking at the tip of an iceberg and there is a whole fantasy world just out of view.
Cons: The biggest con has its roots in something you do very well. Those spectacular scenes where the princesses show up are written with real care, but I can't help feeling like the narrative keeps me on the outside looking in. What I mean is that we haven't gotten to see what's going on in the princesses' heads in the story. They still seem so far away from us. And I know these reviews are supposed to mention three cons, but that's really the only criticism I have of the story. As the story begins to show just how much Celestia has sacrificed, the audience is going to want to see her more closely.
Notes: Your characters are well-crafted and you show a real care for the world you are building. You also have a good sense of where to end a chapter. (That dragon cliffhanger is great.) Also, I really like Celestia, so this is right up my alley.
Enjoy your review! Please help me out by looking at my story, Celestia in Excelsis.
Celestia's boast is indeed badass, but..."I hold back the Night"?
i.imgur.com/wkRsmpQ.gif
And then out of no where... DRAGONS
it's like Helgan all over again lol
Awesome Celtic Woman reference there! Lol