Honor Above All Else

by Honored Service

One Hell of a Nightmare

Honored Above All Else
Chapter 6
By Honored Service

"So do I make a left here, or take the right?" I was staring at the crossroad in front of me. The map was stretched out in my hands. I guess I should have paid closer attention in the navigation course.

I think we should have turned left at the rock formation a few miles back.

"But the map shows to take a left at a the rock formation resembling a unicorn horn. That was just a long triangle."

Oh.

Yeah. Maybe I was right! So now guess what.

"I don't want to hear it." I pinched the bridge of my nose and ran my hand across my face. Folding up the map I sighed and turned around and began walking back to the other fork in the road.

Maybe if I was in control, we'd be to the border by now.

"Yeah we would, but there would be dead things behind us and fire raining from the sky."

Hey now... That's not totally true. At least the fire from the sky. It would most likely be shooting up from the ground splitting the earth apart as I led an army of demons through the plains of the living.

"And that's why I'm still in control." I kicked a rock across the road and readjusted my rifle on my back.

Pull out the map again.

"What for?" I asked reaching around and dragging out the parchment.

Just trust your inner Nightmare.

"That's what I'm worried about." I held the map out in front of me as I felt my left I go cold, like a breeze was blowing right on it. I could still see through it, but it was like looking through a dish eye lense.

There, instead of trekking all the way back along this path, we can cut through the plains and end up almost right next to the fork.

"Good thinking Nightmare!" I rolled up the map and blinked my eye rapidly to revert it. Whenever the Nightmare wanted to show me something he used the fish eye thing. Like when pointing out spots where we could camp and wait for an innocent pony to walk along the path and jump them.

See? I'm helping.

"Yes you are. Now if only we could fix your hatred of colored adorable ponies."

Nope. Never going to happen.

"Alright, I'll just put that under needs improvement."

Your face needs improvement.

"Oh wow, that was fucking brutal man." I stepped off the path into the plains of Zebracia. "Now going stright should put us back onto the path."

Thank god for long pants. I touched the tall grass around me and jerked my hand back. It was saw grass everywhere. I had to keep my hands held above my waist or I would slice my hands up on the serrated blades of grass.

Off in the distance I could see tall trees reaching up into the sky. They looked like pine trees, but this was a desert plain area, way off from pine trees.

I heard the swaying of grass all around me as I pushed forward, but some of the noise sounded different. "Nightmare, you hear that?"

What? The sound of something bitching? Yeah and it won't stop.

"Fuck off, I'm being serious."

Me too.

"Do the firestorm thing please."

And set the whole plains on fire? Think again human.

"Oh now you don't want to cause destruction and mayhem?" I spun around and sure enough I saw some of the saw grass being pushed down a hundred feet from me. "There see that! We're being followed."

I could see the top of a white bowl sticking up through the grass. It swayed back and forth as it moved closer. It wasn't a bowl, but the top of a safari hat. Soon a second one appeared not to far from the first. "Nightmare what do you make of that?"

Two safari hats exploring?

I kept backing up towards the trees which according the map would be near the correct left turn we should have made at the clearly mislabeled rock. It was a fucking triangle, not a unicorn horn.

Something is just telling me that we are in for another detour on this short journey.

"Nah, I'm sure it's just two ponies on a safari." I stared as the two half eagle half lions stood up. Each griffon was decked out in olive green shirts and safari helmets. From this far away I guessed they were at least eye level with me. One had a wooden crossbow contraption on its back. But instead of bolts, it had a net looking end to it.

And once again your all-knowing powers of wisdom fail you.

"You could be supportive once in a while."

You could be right once in a while.

"Touché."

I waved at the two griffons. "Hi!" I yelled out at them.

The grass next to me was hit with a net made of rough brown rope. I looked back to the griffons to see one hand the other a net.

You should probably start running.

"You should probably start up the firestorm."

Yup. The shimmering air began to form around me. The griffon holding the crossbow took aim and let the net fly. It struck me just as the wall of green and black flames exploded around me scorching the earth and obliterating the net.

I took off to the trees, running at full speed. The grass around me crackled and burnt as I ran through the saw grass. Another net whizzed by my head and crashed into the grass.

What the fuck! Griffons are apparently assholes, who are trying to hunt me. Oh wait; I have a shit load of weapons.

I stopped abruptly and turned around grabbing the handle of my sword and ripping it out just as another net traveled straight for me. I held the sword up and cut right through the rope. The flames leapt around me as I stared the two poachers down.

I twirled the sword in my hand and moved to a defensive stance as the griffon without the crossbow unsheathed a steel sword from its back.

Oh this just got good.

"And you thought today would be a boring stroll through the rolling hills."

The griffon leapt at me with amazing speed. I sidestepped and blocked a slash with my blade. I laughed with glee as the griffon's blade shattered against the diamond sword.

"Nightmare remind to visit Ruffy and scratch his stomach or something." I said as the griffon stared at the broken remains of its sword. It growled at me and hurdle its body forward, claws out stretched to rip me to shreds. I tucked and rolled through the saw grass, slicing my hands, neck and face up but avoiding the talons.

"Keep that fire up!" I yelled over the loud roar that the griffon unleashed as it turned to face me.

Turning up the heat. Gottcha!

The flames rippled around me and caused ash to fly through the air as I charged towards the griffon. It turned tail and took off into the sky. The fire slowly dropped around me as I sheathed my sword and watched the griffon circle above me.

Wait weren't there two of them.

"Oh shit!"

THUNK

I pitched forward as the force of the net wrapped around me. I landed hard on the ground and struggled to get free from the rope. I gripped the hilt of my knife and looked up to see two pissed looking griffons. Shattered sword griffon raised its claw and made a fist.

"Oh fuck me." Oh fuck us.

SMACK

********************************************************************

"You were taken by griffons?" Princess Celestia asked as she walked back into the room followed Princess Luna.

"Yeah, you missed the coolest fight scene!" Pinkie Pie jumped up and began to retell the story using Fluttershy as the human as she played the griffons.

The human laughed at the silliness of Pinkie leaping around and making growling sounds as Fluttershy tried to pitifully avoid the attacks. Rainbow Dash became the net and jumped on the timid Pegasus and held her down as Pinkie Pie posed with one hoof on the captured prey and declared it her prize.

Both Princess looked at Honored with confused looks.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened."

"Where did you get a sword from?" Luna asked as she sat herself down in her dark purple throne.

"The Diamond Dogs from the red paw pack." The human reached over his gold helmet and drew the shiny dark blue blade from its sheath. It sparkled in the morning light streaming through the window.

Everypony's eyes grew wide as the stared at the beauty of the weapon in the human's hands.

"It's an extremely rare think to have a Diamond Dogs give a gift, let alone accept a stranger into their pack."

It’s cause we're just so awesome.

"Well please continue. The griffons have been pushing on our borders lately. I would like to hear about them." Princess Celestia sat herself and looked at the armored creature to continue.

With a flourish of the wrist the human flipped the sword around and slipped it back into its sheath.

***********************************************************

"Ugh." I cracked open my eyes to see nothing but darkness. "Nightmare?"

What?

"What's happening?" I tried to move but found that both my hands and legs were bound together. "Nightmare, if you could just burst the fire magic, that would be greatly appreciated."

If this gets us killed, I'll be very pissed.

In a flash of green and black, I found myself staring into more blackness. I wiggled my hands around and found them to be free of their binds. Same as for my legs.

Snap your fingers human. The Nightmare said to me, giving a sigh.

I snapped my left hand and jumped as a green and black flame sprouted to life in my palm. It wasn't intense but it lit the area with a green flickering glow. "Nice Nightmare, who needs flares or flashlights now."

I looked around with the new light source and saw that I was in a square cell. Every so often I would feel the box shift. So I was being transported in cell. I rapped my right hand against the side. Solid metal.

"Well fuck."

Second that.

I paced around the small metal room, trying to think of a way to escape this place. I looked to the flame in my hand. "Ideaaaaa!" I focused on the flame and watched as it very slowly grew larger.

Ah you are figuring it out!

"What the fuck Nightmare? You knew I could focus magic like this! And you didn't tell me?!" I was a little pissed. This could have helped with the rats and with the griffons if I could just have magicked them.

But then it would have been too easy. You need to learn on your own.

"Can I do other things?" I continued to focus on my hand as the flames grew larger and larger.

Maybe.

"You're an asshole."

Meh, I'm the Nightmare. At least I'm not giving you a shitty riddle to solve.

I held my hand in front of me and slammed my palm forward, sending a ball of green and black flames at one side of the steel box. "Check 'em!" I yelled as it struck the wall.

The whole box seemed to shudder as the magic fire impacted the black surface. There was a flash of light and I screamed in happiness as sunlight poured into the box from a two foot wide hole in the wall. Liquid metal dripped from the edges of the hole. I could see clouds passing by the box.

I moved over and looked out of the new window. As far as I could see was clouds, sky, and ocean; all stretching to the horizon.

Something tells me we just took a long detour.

"You can say that again Nightmare."

Something tells me-

"It's a figure of speech!" I yelled out and fired another bolt of magic fire through the opposite side of steel box.

"Hey stop that!" I turned around and saw a golden eye peering into the box. I blasted more fire through the box near the eye. I wasn't aiming to kill just show that I could end this flight if I wanted.

The whole box bounced and I fell to the floor. "If you don't stop that I'll have Jars dump you in the ocean, creature." The golden eye reappeared at the large hole now in the side of the cell.

"And I'll take both of you with me!" I yelled back, letting fire form in both of my hands and travel up my arms. The duster remained unharmed, which was just amazing.

The eye moved away from the hole.

"I though so." I turned away from the griffon and stared out the hole at the clouds rushing by. Everything other than my clothes had been stripped from me. No rifle, sword, knife, or pistol. All my pouches were empty and my pack was gone. I was pissed. I closed my eyes and nodded off to sleep while listening to the Nightmare talking about destroying the oversized turkeys.

A bump woke me from my sleep and I could see ground below us.

"Nightmare, do you trust me?"

What?

"Do you trust me!"

I guess. Why?

"Just hang on; I've got a really stupid idea."

Those are always the best.

I snapped my fingers and let the green and black flames swirl in my palms. I held both hands out in front of me and aimed at the front wall. I let two bolts of magical energy crash into the front wall. I jumped forward and looked out. One very startled griffon was pulling the steel prison and attached to his back was a bundle of things that didn't belong to him.

I blasted the whole large enough for me to crawl through and jumped out onto the griffon's back.

"Hey what the hell!" I took my belongings off its back and dove head first back into the steel box. I looked back out at the two metal poles attached to a yoke around the griffon's neck. I conjured another fist full of fire and sliced through one of them.

The box dropped and swung to the right. I gripped onto the opening and fired another bolt at the remaining pole. "Hang on Nightmare!" the pole was cut clean in two and the steel prison dropped towards the earth spinning. I was weightless as the box plummeted to the ground. I laid out flat along the width of the box and braced against the wall with my hands and the other wall with my legs.

I don't trust you! I don't trust you!

"Hahaha too late for that!" I screamed with laughter as I waited for the impact.

**********************************************************

"You dropped yourself from hundreds of feet up in a steel coffin to the ground!?" Fast Skies said angrily, her ears pinned back.

"Yes." Honored hunkered down under the mares verbal assault.

"What were you thinking? You could have died!" she yelled.

"In his defense, we all thought he was dead." Luna offered from her spot on the throne. Fast Skies glared at the Princess, but quickly remembered who she was glaring at and settled down.

"It was either try and get free or be the griffon's catch of the day." Honored looked to the red mare. "And I didn't intend to go down without a fight."

You never do go down without a fight. You stubborn human.

***********************************************************************

I was ripped from my impact position as the cell crashed into the earth. I flew upwards and smacked into the ceiling. Spots filled my vision as the box crashed down a second time and skidded along the ground.

I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. I moved my arms and legs feeling for any breaks or anything that was out of place. A trickle of blood dripped over my left eye. I wiped it away and stood up.

I picked up my bundle of weapons and belongings and crawled out of the hole on the front of the steel prison. I tumbled out and onto the ground.

Yeah let's fall some more, because that wasn't enough.

"We're alive aren't we?" I said rolling my shoulders back and loading my pouches up with the little ammo I had left. I re-slung my rifle and sword and put on my knife and holstered the pistol. I looked back at the cell I had been in.

There was twenty foot long trench carved into the earth were the box had traveled. I noticed something painted onto the side of the cell. Something that shined when sun hit it.

"Nightmare?"

What now?

"I think we might be in some trouble." I was staring at a gold crown painted onto the side of the transportation cell.

Oh that. Yeah we might be wrecked.

"Down there Jars!" I looked up to see both griffons hurtling straight towards me. I turned and sprinted through the wooded area I had landed in. I dodged and ducked around trees and branches. The two griffons giving chase.

THUNK

A net wrapped around the branch right next to my head. "Alright fuck this!" I reached under my arm and drew my pistol from its holster. I vaulted over a log and popped up in front of the shattered sword griffon. I leveled the pistol right at its white feathered face. A slight bit of red feathers were mixed into the other feathers.

Shattered sword stopped moving. Crossbow douche bag also froze. They seemed to either know what this weapon did, or they had similar things. The crossbow resembled the pistol to a degree, maybe which was it.

"Now before I blow your brains all over the forest floor and leave you for the maggots, tell me why the fuck you're trying to capture me!" I yelled harshly at the two mythical creatures, the pistol not leaving shattered sword's head.

Neither answered. I pulled the hammer back on the pistol. "You have to three to talk."

Damn, your cold.

"One."

"Two."

I slowly began to squeeze the trigger. Crossbow asshole screamed, "Alright! Just stop!" I let up on the trigger, but kept the weapon trained on the other griffon.

"Better talk." I glared down the barrel at the other griffon, who was visibly shaking.

"We were sent by our king to find exotic creatures and to bring them back as pets."

"My name is Honored Service, and I am an Equestrian Honor Guard for the Princesses of Equestria." I barked at the two griffons.

"Then you're worth a lot more." A calm voice said from behind me. I spun around staring into the golden eyes of an armored clad griffon. Before I could move, it jabbed a needle into my arm. I staggered backwards bringing the pistol up in front of me.

BANG

I smirked as the armored griffon's head snapped back and he collapsed forward. His helmet doing little to stop the magical round from tearing through his face.

Wow this feels great. What do you think was in that needle thingy?

"I don't know Nightmare." I said slurring my words and coming back around to face the other two griffons. They both were trembling in a new fear that the pistol carried. I toppled forward as the drug took ahold of my body.

I couldn't move anything. I felt my rifle and sword being stripped from my body.

"Jars, what do you think the king will give us for capturing this creature?" Asked shattered sword bitch faggot.

"I don't know, but what do you think he'll do once he finds out it killed his brother?" Responded Jars, aka, crossbow whoring fuck face.

Human, I think it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Comments

[The Archimedes]

HA!

[Fireeaters]

BOOM! headshot.

[Xaratos]

Arrow in the knee!...wait wrong game

[Aru]

And straaaiiight into shitstorm. I smell in the air that king is going to have fun. You know. Honored, arena, thousands of excited gryphons sitting on tribunes and exotic pets belong to chicken-king. Yay. So much fun.

[Pia]

D'aw, and he's captured again.
Can't a guy get a break?
Nice chapter! Can't wait for the next!

[Gearhorn]

And that's how you make a entire nation mad at you. It usually takes me at least a week to cause a international war I applaud you good sir.

[Malesur Darkhoof]

Oh, shit just got real!

Hm, anyone else wondering if Honored is going to open a branch of KFC in the griffon lands?

[DezzarTac]

OH DAMN!

[Honored Service]

1058329
the title, We don't go to... is a reference to half life 2 mission.

[OutrageousOstrich]

Okay, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm calling bullshit right there.
Even if that fall didn't kill him, it should have left some immediate damage.
You don't just walk off a hundred foot (or more) drop just like that.

[More Dakka]

The king gets angry and then Honoured slaughters all the griffons in his way, and later he admitted he had a dam good time doing it. Plus the nightmare seemed to enjoy itself as well.

[Alex35012]

Saberspark was right, Griffons suck

[Radioactivemoose]

That last sentence I like Nightmare hes funny as hell

[Genesis1212]

i can see why it took him a whole damn year just to reach canterlot now and those griffins are complete assholes!

[damnaion]

dam lol

[The Shade]

1061892 Neither are you in equestria, neither are you a human with a ancient evil entity in your head, neither can you use magic, neither are you Equestrias Honor Guard, neither do you have good standings with deities, neither do you- I'm just going to stop now.

[Spell Check]

"It's an extremely rare think to have a Diamond Dogs give a gift, let alone accept a stranger into their pack."

I'll proofread from now on, kay?

[Shadow Faith]

1052618 wtf? No one took an arrow to the knee

[DoVaShy]

The fucking nicknames! and I realize I'm late for this story but I can't help but read it now.