Tribunal

by Carnifaxy

Chapter 13

It had been two weeks since Gilda's fight with Nikola and despite her injuries still taking time to heal she hobbled about the halls of the mayoral residence in the border city of Thiva, one of the few places griffons lived near the Fangs. She wore a cloak over her that covered most of her body to keep her injuries from being fully seen, but everyone knew how rough it had been. Lord Nikola was still back in his fortress, but the damage inflicted upon him were just as severe, if not worse considering his age.

Though half-lucid, Nikola had given his reluctant support for Gilda and with him and Barbstorm behind her the rest of the griffon lords fell in line though not without some issues.

The Queen of Gold and Black Iron...

She was jolted out of her thoughts by one of her guards stepping into her way and bowing before her.

“My liege, should you not be resting? The surgery was a success and all, but you still have wounds to heal.”

She clicked her beak in disapproval, though she knew he was right. “The machinists said that I should still be somewhat active to promote a proper acclimation to the prosthetic with the rest of my body. It was my worst injury after all, the rest of them will be fine. Besides, you can't keep a good griffon cooped up for long, we're not chickens.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Talking about the prosthetic made the joint where it was attached itch, but that was a common side effect until full assimilation has occurred, which could take months of just letting it heal naturally.

She didn't have months, Equestria was fortifying the Azures and griffon scouts had been running skirmishes against the pegasi. Word of a rainbow-haired pegasus had made Gilda nervous, Dash was a fast flier but did she have what it took to fight? She worried for her friend, even if they didn't part on good terms.

The joint began to itch again as she grumbled and headed for the dining hall. The mayor was some lout that only cared to keep things running at the base minimum, but then again Thiva was an out of the way place that folk only used for the peace and quiet to rest and heal after grievous injuries if you had the money for a private vista. It was Nikola's seneschal that had set her and her guards with the mayor's residence, which made her suspicious but after two nights of vigorous searching nothing was amiss.

The machinists with their experimental prosthetics came from Olympia to the south, the main trade port for Griffdonia from all across the ocean with claims of being inspired by similar research in Equestria, with a healthy dose of the griffon industrial know-how. They were really proud of their work, and despite the materials of its construction they said it would be as good as any natural wing.

Gilda flexed her wings a little, just enough to ruffle her cloak, and both seemed to work just as well. Her guard fell in line beside her as they made their way to the dining hall. Once there it wasn't long before she was seated at the head of the table where the mayor would normally sit and eating a hot meal with water.

“Any news from the other side of the mountains?” She asked her guard.

He shook his head. “Small raids into the Equestrian heathlands but there's little out there.”

She made a noise as she ate, her eyes looking to the tapestries around the hall. “How long until we can get an airship for the Azures? I need to be there as soon as possible before Equestria is too entrenched.”

The guard glanced up to the ceiling. “We can go at anytime, Your Highness. I and the other guards do believe you should remain here to fully heal.”

There was a noisy ripping of meat as Gilda took a chunk out of her meal. “There's no time for that. I need to be out there and show to the world who I am. I am Queen Ermengilda of Griffdonia. I am the Queen of Gold and Black Iron.”

---

The changeling queen stomped around Slaar's throne room, dug out from the ground to fit a dragon of his size rather than he continue to take a human guise. Vincent watched impassively while Slaar busied himself in figuring out the best route to Equestria over land.

“I keep telling you, there is no good land route from here to there!” Chrysalis hissed out at the dragon. “It took months of planning and preparation to get the bulk of my forces into Canterlot from the Badlands and we were closer! You'd need to initiate a long range teleportation and for that you need a beacon for such a force in the first place. I could get you set up with one, but that would mean letting me get out of here!”

“Unacceptable. Everyone knows you're here now, I cannot just let you leave,” Slaar said as he didn't take his eyes off of the maps. “Technically we're not at war, and you will need to lead your hive in the conflict, but there's a lot of other preparations I need to do... and I need your help for it Chrysalis. You understand the necessities for mass mobilization and logistical organization.”

“You can't be serious my lord.”

“Of course he's serious. My little boy has many talents, but war simply isn't one of them!” The changeling queen risked patting Slaar on the snout in which he retaliated by bumping her enough to push her back and he glared.

She looked him over for a moment and frowned thoughtfully before shaking her head.

“If you are done patronizing me Chrysalis I suggest you begin looking at the information for a plan-”

“No.”

Slaar faltered with his words and looked at Chrysalis dumbfounded. “No?”

“No, Slaar. I am thankful your little ploy for the Tribunal helped let me live thus far, but I have my own people I need to organize and prepare. Besides, you owe me tenfold after all I had done for you.”

Shifting himself up a bit he spread his wings out, the room large enough for the dragon to stretch out fully as he pleased. “You would be dead right now without me!”

She snarled and bared her fangs. “You would've been dead if I didn't take you in so don't even play that to me! How much time and effort did I waste on such an ungrateful whelp?! Too much! If I didn't owe your mother I would have left you where I found you!”

Slaar furrowed his brow as he looked to Chrysalis. It was only a moment before he broke away and looked down at his maps and plans.

“Go then,” he said in a small voice. “Go and be with your people, your real children.”

Chrysalis' horn flared and she teleported in a puff of green fire.

Vincent walked over to Slaar and began chanting a small spell. Though his power was nowhere near his lord the dragon allowed the spell to wash over him and calm him until his eyelids drooped and he settled in for a comfortable sleep.

The wizard ran a hand over his head and let out a weary sigh. “How much longer is this farce to play out my lord? How long until every dirty secret has been dragged out and you're made to pay for your foolishness?”

Elsewhere in the human kingdom the princess of the moon trotted through snow covered pathways to a forge. The small village was out of the way and near where the worst of the blizzard hit. Celestia's worshipers were scarce here, nearly the entire village dedicated instead to Luna and upon speaking with the priest of the small chapel she was directed to the smithy, for the most devout Lunarian lived there constantly forging jewelry in the name of the moon.

Despite the late hour the forge was operating and the clinking of metal on metal could be heard and the princess entered without a sound. The heat of the forge blasted at her but she ignored it, instead looking around the workshop as the man carefully hammered what looked to be silver into a bracelet with sockets for gems. Even as he worked, seemingly unaware of her presence, he spoke.

“I was wondering when you would grace me with your presence, Sweet Selene. Long have we waited for your return to us, and after a thousand years here you are.”

“I had committed terrible misdeeds against mankind. You were my most ardent supporters, and yet it was only the ponies I cared about. I have heard of you, and your skills. They call to mind one I knew that long ago.”

He didn't turn to give her attention, still working, but she continued to speak.

“His name was Oliver, I recall. A fine smith, but he had a dark heart. He turned against his brothers to join me in my foolishness.” She shook her head, her starry mane wavering in the still air. “Seeing you it makes me hope he escaped to have a family. It would be no better end for a loyal servant.”

There was only a brief pause in his motions, but it was enough as Luna narrowed her eyes.

“But that is not what happened. It is you, isn't it Oliver? After all this time, you had somehow survived a millennia.”

“When my goddess returned so did I. But before I could assist her, she was struck down and you had returned in her stead.”

“I am the Nightmare, and the Nightmare was me. It was my anger and my jealousy made manifest, it was not some separate entity.”

The small hammer used for fine work struck out and hit Luna across the skull. His speed was not unsurprising, he was the greatest of the human warriors that served Nightmare Moon after all. That he had the audacity to strike at her was surprising however, and caught her off guard enough that a follow up blow cracked her head. The lunar princess collapsed to the ground and groaned before she felt her crown being replaced by another one, the dark energy within the new accessory so familiar to her.

“I will have my goddess returned to her proper place!”

Luna felt the power wash over her, the power that was rightfully hers. The monster that went bump in the night, the shadow between the stars, it all flowed from the black gems set in the crown and into her being. With a sharp intake of breath she stood up onto her hooves, her eyes turning to slits. She looked upon Oliver who was grinning gleefully and knelt before her.

“Oh sweet Nightmare, you have retur-”

Her hoof lashed out, striking him across the temple as her eyes refocused. He fell to the ground with a grunt. Before he could get back up Luna placed her full weight onto him to pin him to the ground. The glow of Luna's magic illuminated the forge as she placed her horn on the back of his head.

“You disappoint me, Oliver. As such, I have no choice but to ensure your death in service. You will join Slaar's army when he marches onto Equestria, you shall fight, and I shall hope you die on the field of battle for I shall seek you out myself if necessary.”

With the geas placed upon the fanatic she stepped off of him and quickly gathered the rest of the Nightmare Regalia that he had crafted, humming softly as she considered the rest of the set. She carried them in her aura as she went for the door only to turn to look on Oliver in scorn.

“To think you betrayed your brothers for the Nightmare. At least they had the decency to die for their goddess.”

When Luna finally returned to Slaar's abode the hour had drawn late and few were awake. Even Vincent had turned in to bed after no sign of the lunar princess for some hours. Carefully she stepped into the dragon prince's lair only to see the blue beast fast asleep. Seeing the opportunity she focused on her magic and stepped into the realm of dreams and directly into Slaar's.

Upon entering the dragon's dreamscape she realized something felt off. She stood inside the very same room that she had been in the real world, and Slaar was fully alert and staring right at her. Her fur bristled at this unfortunate turn of events, the princess trying to salvage the situation.

“Sweet Selene, is something the matter?” Slaar asked in a soft tone as he approached.

Realization struck her that Slaar was not aware that there was any change of the dream. He had been dreaming of her.

“No, of course not. I was just admiring the way the light reflects off of your scales.”

The big beast let out a strange, feline-like purr as he smiled. “And I was admiring your mane! Truly, even among divinity you are above others.”

“Oh, I am not divine! Not truly. Semi-divine at best!”

Slaar let out a rolling chuckle as he nodded. “Ah, to think that I wanted you and your sister dead. Truly, seeing you had struck me with such a terrible affliction that I can only content myself with Celestia's end!”

Luna resisted a shiver at that. He had wanted her and Celestia both dead, and yet he was lovestruck upon seeing her. There was no doubting he had power, but how much and if he could truly pose a threat to her and her sister remained to be seen.

“Enough of that dour talk, Slaar,” she said as she regained her composure. “Surely there is something else we could chat about on this fine evening.”

He approached her, and the world around them melted away to be replaced by crisp chill of Griffdonia's peaks, the pair high above the castle where Gilda would now rule from.

“Dour talk is all I have right now. I've so many sins against me, and though I know this to be but a dream and you a construct of it I still must confess. Agathon is dead because of me. The plan had been initiated before my heart ached for you, though admittedly I am not much of a planner.”

She saw great big tears form in his eyes as he looked down upon the silent stone castle below.

“It may be your fault, but you only did what you thought was best. For yourself.”

He winced at the accusation but nodded in agreement. “Indeed. I had brought the idea of the Tribunal to Chrysalis when I caught wind of her plans for Equestria. Truthfully I doubted her capabilities, and while she did fail she was on the cusp of victory! Oh how sweet it would have been for me to hear of the defeat of the princesses even if I could not enact it myself!”

“And of course bringing the changelings in would serve two purposes. In victory you could use your position to stonewall the minotaurs and griffons from retaliation, until all parties dissolved the Tribunal. In defeat, you would use it to lure myself or Celestia into a trap to try and kill us or start war with Equestria. But there was a snag.”

Slaar let out a weary sigh. “Two snags. Agathon wasn't meant to die, merely wounded in the attack. And of course... had it been Celestia there I would have seen to it she died.”

“But what if you fell for her instead?”

“That is indeed a question I have asked myself. What if, what if, what if! But I cannot deal with what ifs and maybes, I have to deal with what's happened and I fear I am leading myself to my own destruction, but perhaps that is for the best. I've been disrespectful to the one who raised me, I have lied and betrayed those dear to me, and I seek to slay the sister of the one whom my heart sings for. Perhaps I should surrender, end this poor charade.”

“No, you cannot.”

He looked at Luna in surprise and furrowed his brow. “Eh?”

“You must see this through to the end. If you truly think your death will assuage the sins you've committed then you cannot surrender now, otherwise you would be shown leniency which will only make your guilt grow in your heart. And, and Princess Luna would not look kindly on one who had caused so much hurt merely to give up now. When she became the Nightmare do you think she had her guilt, her doubts prior? Of course, but if she had given up then she would have continued to languish in Celestia's shadow before it finally broke. Now, she still carries her sins, of all those who fought and died in her name. There is no turning back for her, for Celestia, or for you.”

It took only a moment for Luna to realize she may have given it away as Slaar looked at her oddly, as if he began to figure out she was not a mere dream construct after all. Her horn glowed as the dream washed away from them both and she focused on muddling his mind of the encounter. When her magic died down she saw she was in Slaar's throne room, the dragon still sleeping peacefully. She let out a sigh of relief as she turned around only to be face to face with Chrysalis.

The changeling queen motioned for the lunar princess to follow her out into the bitter chill. The wind was quiet, snowflakes gently falling to the ground.

“Everything is falling apart isn't it?” Chrysalis asked as she looked up to the overcast sky.

“At the seams. I have no intention of letting Slaar kill my sister.”

“Will you kill him?”

Luna was taken aback by the tremble in the changeling's voice. “Only if it is truly necessary. Celestia and I had slain the six great dragons when we were barely mares after all. Slaar may not prove to be much of a challenge. You did defeat my sister at the wedding, but she could not bring her full power to bear in the heart of Canterlot.”

“Do you truly believe that? She had sat on the throne for a thousand years without practicing and each war against Griffdonia had not seen Equestrian victory. How can you two claim to be so powerful when you've done little to prove it?”

“Even as the Nightmare I never wanted to be what Faust wanted us to be. Her shadow looms over us still. But why do you care what happens to him?”

Green, slitted eyes looked to Luna and held for a moment. “Alms saved me from the Empress and I swore myself to her service after that. Then when the time came for her death she made me swear to protect her child.”

“Child? You mean... Slaar is the son of Alms and Sage.” The alicorn's eyes widened. “Of course, it all makes sense now. I know he wants Celestia dead. We killed his family, why wouldn't he want us slain? But then he saw Succor's memories of her final moments and knows we had no choice in the matter.”

“But things have gone too far to stop now, haven't they? The ponies and griffons will fight over the Azures. The minotaurs will be sailing as well if they haven't already. My people need to feed, and humanity needs its revenge for being abandoned by you and your sister. There will be blood.”

“You should have killed Cadance or Twilight when you had the chance to. Your victory would have been assured.”

Chrysalis scowled. “It was assured! But I let the pink one get too close to the puppet. Besides, it wasn't in my interest to kill either of them. I left Cadance in the mines with enough time for her to be picked up after the wedding and even then there was a supply of water down there for her to not die of thirst. Think, why would I want the Princess of Love to die? Still, I could have put in a little more effort into spying on her but frankly Twilight never even met with her again until the wedding. It was an unknown I wasn't properly prepared for.”

The changeling took in a deep breath of the cold air and let out an evil hiss as she exhaled. The distant cry of the windigoes could be heard as the storm attempted to intensify. Her wings began to buzz as she took to the air.

“You are heading back to your hive then. I pray you do not lose too many of your kin in the upcoming battles, Queen Chrysalis.”

“And I hope not many ponies die as well. I need them to feed on.”

---

Praying to a pony god was still strange to Lloyd, but he had sworn himself to serve as Roland's squire and part of that meant adopting the religious principles as much as the martial ones. Still, it wasn't all bad. The cathedral to Celestia was rather stunning, comparable to the temples in Knossos on the outside, but on the inside even grander. That, and the pony goddess of love herself officiated services!

The catacombs beneath the cathedral, full of Roland's brothers-in-arms, was what struck a chord most with the young griffon. His master had brought him to the resting place of Grandmaster Turpin and a chill ran down Lloyd's spine.

“It was always the role of the Grandmaster to bring initiates into the order, to teach them the rituals that they must first master before delving deeper into the mysteries. As the last living member of my order, it should be me to become Grandmaster, and yet...”

He looked up to Roland for a moment and nodded in understanding. “I don't think I'm really worthy of being here either, Sir Roland. But we're both here, so we need to do what we must right?”

Roland turned around about to speak when he stopped, his eyes looking down the passageway. Lloyd turned and saw Princess Celestia walking silently down the way, not dressed in her normal regalia but in a light, airy white dress trimmed with gold and a necklace of her cutie mark hanging from her neck. She stopped before the pair and bowed which the knight and squire returned in kind.

“Sir Roland, young Lloyd. I have realized that I have been negligent in some of my duties, to your order.”

“My lady, please, you do not need to do this.”

Celestia raised a hoof and smiled gently at Roland. “You have other things to worry about Sir Roland. As such, I shall formally be accepting the role of Grandmaster of the Solar Knights once more, as I had done so in the years before Grandmaster Turpin rose to the position. And that does include accepting new members as well. You taking Lloyd as your squire has made me realize that the tenets of the Solar Knights must not fade away.”

Lloyd bowed nervously, his feathers puffed out. “It is an honor, Princess Celestia.”

Roland knelt down next to the griffon. “An honor indeed, Grandmaster Celestia.”

They both felt the touch of her horn on their shoulders as Celestia recited the oaths.

“Do you knights of the sun swear to uphold the laws of the celestial realm?”

“We do.” They said in unison.

“Do you swear to serve Princess Celestia, goddess of the sun? To act with chivalry and honor in all things?”

“We do.”

“Do you swear to never take wife, land, or titles? To serve the brotherhood and its goddess solely?”

Roland said 'We do' but Lloyd paused a moment.

“If you do wish to take a wife, land, or titles you may ask at any time to be released from your oaths. There is no shame in following ones heart, should it lead you to a new path to happiness. All the knights have known this, and I shall never take the choice away from you. But as long as you serve the order you cannot accept outside influences.” Celestia clarified.

Lloyd gulped and nodded. “I swear.”

A flow of magic went through the both of them and a sigh passed Celestia's lips.

“Now go, the both of you. Get to your training, study the maps I will have sent. War comes to my land, and as my knights I will have to call upon you both, Sir Roland, Squire Lloyd.”

Author's Note:

Been working on and off on chapters lately, decided to upload a couple.

Comments

[paladinwolf]

64.media.tumblr.com/a5c3045edf2d0af79835e9ee84e0c281/tumblr_oz4maitJlP1qmob6ro2_500.gifv
I hope to read more of those plans soon :)

and that end bit...
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[Carnifaxy]

11122592
Pettiness IS pretty much the big reason the griffons are going full blast with it. Gilda's just unfortunately the face of them and her tenuous grasp on the throne means bowing to the pressure from the various nobles until she can form her own core of loyal followers.