Sunset in the gods

by red-sun

Act II – Fallen Gods – Chapter 16

Gruff didn't dislike ponies, what the griffon disliked was pony society itself, they always believed that they should get involved in everything and help everyone as if it were a duty or an obligation... but Gruff didn't see it that way, no one should help out of obligation or duty, maybe he would understand that they helped because it was the right thing to do or to return a favor, the old griffo helped a lot in Griffonstone because he simply wanted to help.

After the Arimaspi war, the griffon tried to help the younger ones since most of the adults had died. Gruff tried to be a mentor to all the children and that's why he earned the nickname 'Grandpa Gruff'. Although he loved all children equally, the old griffin had a special affection for a baby unicorn that his son saved during the war. He still remembers his last words from his son before he fell dead. 'please give him a name'

He raised the filly the best he could but he could only raise her as a griffin, he had problems when she started to develop magic, that's why one day he had to send her to Canterlot, to a school for unicorns, although Sunset was sad at first to have to leave Griffintone, but little by little she began to adapt to pony society, gradually the old griffin received more letters from the filly telling him how she learned to control magic, she told him that she had a companion called Cadance, she even once wrote that there was a possibility that she could get wings.

But one day the griffin received a letter from the princess that said about an accident that Sunset had, that scared the griffin and as soon as he had the opportunity he took the first train heading to Canterlot. When he arrived at the city a pegasus guard was waiting for him.

The guard escorted him to the hospital, when Gruff arrived and was heading to Sunset's room he saw Princess Celestia passing by, the old gryphon bowed as a sign of respect. “Good afternoon princess, thank you for taking care of my granddaughter.”

"Good afternoon to you, I suppose it's been a long time since we last saw each other at the big gala, it's a shame that it's under these circumstances." She says with a sad expression. “Although you thanked me for taking care of Sunset, I can't accept her gratitude since she ended up hurt.”

"Don't worry princess, what happened to Sunset will help her learn another lesson in life."

“But being her teacher, I worry about her learning that way.” The griffin could only notice the princess's concern. “I won't keep you any longer, have a good afternoon.” Then the princess leaves and the griffin enters the filly's room.

“Grandpa Gruff! Did you come! how are you!?" says the filly happily.

“I feel older than yesterday, and you?” the old griffin asked, unable to hide his joy at seeing Sunset again.

“I'm in a hospital. How do you think I'm doing?” said the filly, happy to see her grandfather.

“It's not unusual for you to get hurt, but usually you sent other griffons to the hospital... I guess only you could send yourself to the hospital by yourself.”

“Was that a compliment or an insult?”

“That depends... what exactly happened?”

Sunset responded with a bit of embarrassment. “Try to make a complicated spell.”

“How complicated?”

“A spell that apparently would have only worked well if I were an alicorn.” She said as she covered herself with her blanket in shame.

“And why did you think you could do it?”

“Because I really believed I could, like when I learned some griffon spells.”

The griffin sighed, knowing that when Sunset thinks she can do something she won't stop until she achieves it or until she causes enough damage that she realizes she has to stop.

“Even the princess worries about you, she just tries not to stress her out.”

“Don't worry, grandpa, it's normal for her to worry, after all she has a great future prepared for me.”

“I believe that your future is great without anyone preparing it for you.”

Sunset smiled at her grandfather's words. “Where are you going to stay, grandpa?”

"At first I thought I would stay at the embassy but according to the princess's letter I can stay in the castle for a while, I will also take advantage of doing an errand, Gustave wants me to get a baking book."

“Does he still want to make the perfect eclair?”

“That griffo never gives up.” He said with a sigh.

Sunset Shimmer and Gruff talked non-stop until visiting hours ended.

“Goodbye Grandpa, it was good to see you.”

“See you Sunset.” So before the griffon leaves he decides to ask. “Out of curiosity, what spell did you try to use that ended up getting you in here?”

Then Sunset smiles. “Do you really want to know?”

---

PRESENT

Scorpan did not understand what was happening, for some reason he was kneeling and it was requiring an enormous effort to stand up, it was as if something was forcing him to submit and the most surprising thing of all is that the landscape changed color, a monochromatic color, there was only one god with a power that could distort the environment like that, but All Master is currently in the sacred lands.

"This is incredible! A human is using a divine power and not just any power! “She is using a power that resembles All Master's!” Scorpan shouted with joy as he had finally managed to stand up.

“'KNEEL!'”. The former unicorn screamed again and Scorpan knelt down again in a more abrupt manner.

“I don't know how you're doing it but…” then the god felt a strong blow to the head and when he was going to look at what hit him he felt another blow and the blows did not stop.

---

Discord and the other gods are still battling in the center of the camp and neither side was giving ground.

“We have to resist a little more then everyone must flee!!” Discord shouted to his allies but then he felt something, a divine power that he knew very well but the god knew that was not possible, but then he noticed something curious in the energy and then he realized that Sunset had done something. Discord looked around among the enemy gods to see if anyone else noticed him but everyone was focused on their own battles which Discord would take advantage of so that no one would notice Sunset.

“I didn't expect things to end like this.” The god whispered, but at that moment he dodged an attack from Chrysalis.

“You're getting distracted.” Chrysalis said as he attacked the god with a halberd. “Are you afraid that everything you have achieved so far will be in vain? Are you afraid of dying in this battle?”

Contrary to what Chrysalis said, Discord was not afraid of death, and Discord did not know when he was going to die, but in his youth he had a vision and he knew who was going to kill him and that is why he knew that he was not going to die today. “Say what you want, I already laid the foundation for the future, it doesn't matter if you kill me today.”

“If you really want to die for your beliefs…” Then a fist goes through Discord's back. “I will grant you that wish old friend.” Tirek plunges his other hand into Discord's wound and quickly splits him in half.

Discord screams in pain and then the Fallen run to help Discord but the god lying on the ground shouts an order. “Stand back and disperse, no one else has to die today!” Some fled immediately, others hesitated but in the end they also obeyed.

The gods see the Fallen flee but do not pursue them.

“This was an easy battle.” Chrysalis said. “More than half of the Fallen were annihilated today.”

"Do not underestimate them, it is true that I helped found the Fallen but I was never the leader." Discord says as he tries to get comfortable after losing half of his body. “I wonder how I'll manage to go to the bathroom?” He said to himself.

“It's been years since we last saw each other.” A feminine but aged voice said she said.

“I see that someone is enjoying my defeat, should I call you Priestess Cinch now?”

“Although I want to imagine that I won this position through my own merit, unfortunately I only got it because you betrayed us.” She says with a slight tone of anger but calms down again. “I also inform you that the council of the gods gave me the power to decide your punishment.”

"I guess they're going to kill me."

“Maybe... Some want to see you dead, the simple fact that you are alive is a shame, you are also using your power to block the visions of our fortune tellers which has caused many problems but there are others who want you to stay alive out of respect and for the great contributions you have made to our society." Cinch thinks for a moment. “Tirek, you were a close friend of Discord. What should I decide?”

Tirek looks at Discord and answers. “kill him.”

“I was expecting a more pious response from you.”

“What I'm asking for is merciful, look at him, we destroyed his dreams and maybe even his plans and he will probably live in agony if he continues in that state.”

“Can they decide quickly? Can't you see that I'm dying? Discord complained.

“And your Chrysalis? “You were his student, should we kill him?”

"No"

“I take it you have a good reason to forgive him?” Remember that if we kill him our fortune tellers will recover their visions.”

“This is not forgiveness, sentence him to slow petrification.” When Chrysalis said that all the gods looked at her as if she had said something taboo. "I will explain... he betrayed us and incited others to betray us, so we must set an example with him."

"But the time it takes for him to die would be counterproductive because while he is alive we will not be able to have more divinations." The priestess told him.

"In his current state he will not live more than five or six years, we have managed very well without the fortune tellers, and they can still have minor visions."

After thinking about it, the priestess makes a decision. “Discord, for the crimes of treason, incitement of treason, provoking unnecessary conflict between humans and in the death of other gods I condemn you to slow petrification.” The priestess calls two soldiers. “take him to our domains.”

“Do we chase those who fled?” Tirek asked.

"We have the entire camp surrounded, I don't think anyone will be able to escape." Cinch said. "And even if some manage to flee, without Discord they will not have any symbol to unite them, I can safely tell you that the Fallen have been defeated."

---

“¡¡KNEEL!!”

Sunset screamed again and made the god kneel again, but every time she screamed she felt great pain in her body, her eyes were bloodshot from the pressure but even so the former unicorn continued hitting the god's head with an iron ball that she had picked up. Sunset could feel that the magic was trying to adapt itself roughly to her human body...and that hurt her.

“¡¡KNEEL!!”

She continued to feel weaker every time she used the spell. Every time the god tried to get up Sunset screamed again and hit the god again, destroying his head, but she could feel the pressure of the magic like a boiling pot but with the lid tightly sealed.

“¡¡KNEEL!!”

Sunset still remembers when Cadance brought her a book of alicorn spells and how she asked him to teach her how to use them, Sunset still remembers how she was excited because she could learn magic more advanced than that of unicorns, Sunset still remembers the first time she tried to use a spell from that book, Sunset still remembered how she ended up hospitalized for trying to use the royal voice.

“¡¡KNEEL!!”

When she recovered from that incident, the princess scolded the filly, but that scolding did not feel like a teacher scolding a student, because when he scolded her the princess didn't look angry, she looked sad, she said that the spell was something that only alicorns could endure, that as long as she remained a unicorn she would never be able to use her royal voice, but Sunset interpreted those words as encouragement to try harder.

“¡¡KNEEL!!”

But here she was using a spell that not only wasn't made for unicorns, but now she was using it on a human body that can barely handle magic.

Sunset was about to scream again when Scorpan regenerated again but then she noticed that he had dropped the iron ball, she knew that she might be getting too tired from the way she was attacking but she still believed she could continue, but then she noticed because she let go of the iron ball, she noticed that she didn't have her left arm.

“Damn human, how dare you hurt one of the great gods.” A god had arrived that Sunset didn't notice.

Sunset only remained silent while she saw her left arm lying on the ground, although she began to feel a lot of pain, she could not scream due to exhaustion.

“I don't know how you managed to get that power but you're going to die now.” But when he was about to finish off Sunset, Scorpan hits the god's head, breaking his neck.

“I don't know who you are nor do I care but you interrupted a great moment.” Scorpan sees the former unicorn. “I just can't believe it.” Scorpan said with a face of sick joy. “Do you know how many times you killed me?” The god asked. “Do you know how many lives I had to use? I even had to use more than one life due to an injury that was difficult to recover from.” The god sees how Sunset could barely stand until she fainted. “I guess she couldn't take it anymore.” He said as he approached the fainted girl but then someone stood in the way.

“I won't let you get any closer.” A scared Twilight said.

“And what do you think you can do about it?” Scorpan is surprised how the human who seemed to be the weakest of the group tries to stand firm in the face of a god, he also notices that the other humans were regaining consciousness. “I can tell that you would fight to the end to protect her…” The god is happy for what he was able to find in the battle. “You would like to be my prisoners.”