I. Rude Awakening
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Inspired by this story. Smart people will probably see many similarities.
...and yes, Luna is pretty out of character.
From Skies Above – Rude Awakening
The gryphons circled above, their battered steel armour glinting in the sunlight. Furious shrieks and cries escaped their beaks as they flew, brandishing maces and war axes in their talons in a frightening show of brutality. The bird-like beasts swooped down toward their prey, but kept their distance. They were wary of the strange creature, as it had wounded one of their own using a force of the likes they had never seen before.
With an ear-splitting explosion and a blinding flash of light one of their comrades had fallen, screaming at the sudden burning agony. The creature had fled, and the gryphons had been forced to leave their injured companion behind, along with one of the younger members of their party to make sure he didn’t succumb to his wounds.
The gryphons pursued, their hearts filled with rage, but also fear. Deep inside they knew this creature was more than it seemed.
*
Two days earlier.
Twilight’s horn lit up with a dull glow, as did the bottle of syrup that sat on the table before her. The syrup raised itself into the air, its new aura adorning its surface. It glided toward the unicorn’s plate, and began emptying its contents. When Twilight was satisfied with the amount syrup on the three golden brown pancakes that rested on her place, she returned the bottle to its upright position on the table before gracefully lifting her knife and fork. She made a careful cut, removing a section of pancake, which proceeded to be lifted on the glowing fork toward her mouth. With a satisfied smile, she chewed slowly, savouring the rich flavours of her breakfast.
The young dragon sitting across the table was, naturally, stuffing his face.
“Spike! What have I told you about eating at the table?” Twilight scolded.
The dragon paused for a moment, looking up from the brutal massacre of syrup and pancake that was his breakfast. “Aww, c’mon! We never get to eat pancakes!” he protested.
“That doesn’t make it ok to eat like that.” The unicorn responded, “Imagine what Rarity would say if she saw you eating like that.”
Spike froze at the mention of the white unicorn. He looked down at the shredded pancakes, and then at his claws, which were coated in syrup and chunks of food. He assumed his face didn’t look so clean either. “Ok. Sorry, Twi.” He sighed.
Twilight tossed him a reassuring smile, and a cloth. “It’s ok, Spike, just try and put a little more effort into your manners.”
“...And maybe use a fork every now and then.” She added upon seeing a piece of pancake skewered on one of his claws as he rubbed his face with the cloth. The exchange of words came to an end as the sound of chewing and the clinking of utensils against plates filled the room. Spike picked up the knife and fork that had so far been untouched, and began cutting in to the remnants of his breakfast, trying to mirror Twilights actions. Without warning, the baby dragon suddenly froze, dropping the utensils which impacted loudly on the table.
“Spike, be gentle when you-”
*BELCH*
With a bright flash of green flames and light, a sealed letter appeared above the table. It hung in the air for a moment before gravity asserted its dominance and the letter fell, but only to be caught in a purple glow.
“A letter from Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Ugh. I wish she’d warn me before doing that.” Spike complained.
Twilight ignored her assistant and focused her attention on the scroll. “I wonder what she would want.”
“Well, you could try reading it...” Spike said, earning himself a dirty look from the unicorn.
Twilight broke the seal on the letter, and opened it. She began to read aloud.
My most faithful student Twilight,
I write to request your presence in Canterlot to discuss an opportunity of great importance with myself and my sister. I apologize for being so brief, but unfortunately there is much information I cannot disclose, and time is of the essence.
I assure you, all will be revealed upon your arrival to Canterlot. A chariot has been dispatched to collect you.
I look forward to seeing you again,
-Princess Celestia.
Twilight wore a confused expression, and she read the letter again. Spike however, seemed more interested in his breakfast, which was rapidly dwindling in size. He resumed eating, only to pause again when he noticed that the unicorn was looking increasingly agitated. “Something wrong, Twilight?” he asked.
“Weren’t you listening? Princess Celestia is bringing me to Canterlot!”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, but isn’t that a good thing? I thought you liked seeing the Princess.”
“I do, but what is this opportunity? Why is she being so brief? Why can’t she tell me everything?” Twilight was borderline shouting, making it clear that she took this situation very seriously. “What if she’s going to give me a new assignment? I might have to move make to Canterlot! Oh no! What if I never see my friends again?!”
“Uh, Twilight? I don’t think-”
The unicorn took no notice of him. Her breathing began to increase in speed, and her face paled visible under her coat. “This is horrible! I’ve only been here for a year, and we were getting along so well! I don’t-”
“TWILIGHT!” Spike suddenly roared. The outburst caught her off guard and she went silent immediately.
“You’re overreacting, Twilight! The Princess wouldn’t just separate you from your friends like that, and you know it.” He began, “You just need to calm down. Whatever the Princess wants, I seriously doubt that she’d force you to do anything you didn’t want to.”
Twilight visibly improved, and her breathing slowed to a more normal pace. She took several deep breaths to help calm herself. “Thanks, Spike.” She said, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Not a problem.” He responded, clearly proud of himself for averting a potential disaster, “Now, you should probable get ready. Your ride could get here anytime.”
The unicorn gasped. “You’re right! I have to be prepared!” she rushed out of the kitchen, and Spike could hear her move books and other objects about. The baby dragon sighed. He was going to have a good deal of cleaning to do later.
Twilight appeared in the doorway, sporting saddlebags that looked like they were packed with books and other miscellaneous objects. “Spike, I need you to look after the library while I’m gone, and make sure to let the others know where I am.”
The dragon jumped up and gave a mock salute. “You can count on me, Twilight!”
There was a loud thump from outside, and the sound of hoofsteps. “It looks like the chariot’s here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” The two exchanged a wave and Twilight trotted to the door.
“See ya, Twi!” Spike called after her. The front door closed, and the young dragon could hear a muffled conversation outside. He wandered to a window just in time to see a pair of pegasi guards take off, dragging the chariot smoothly through the air. He watched them get smaller as they moved further into the distance, and then returned to the table. He picked up the fork in his scaly hand, but paused for a moment.
Spike looked around to make sure he was truly alone, before dropping the silver utensil and plunging his snout into the pancakes.
*
Twilight sat alone in the hallway just outside the throne room. The unicorn had been there for at least thirty minutes, waiting for Celestia to address her. This was not the first time she had been forced to wait for her mentor, but Twilight held no ill feeling for the Princess, for she knew how demanding running the country could be on the alicorn.
She wasn’t entirely alone, of course, as Celestia’s Royal Guard stood at their posts, yet due to their statue like stance and expressionless faces they were not the best of company. The unicorn glanced around at her surroundings once again, her eyes coming to rest on the stained glass windows that lined the hallways of the Canterlot Palace.
The glass depicted and image of one pony of each kind. Toward the top left of the glass, a white pegasus stood atop a low lying cloud, in the lower centre of the window, a brown earth pony stood, all four hooves firmly on the ground, and to the top right, although a little lower than the pegasus, a blue unicorn stood proudly on the edge of a cliff face. All three ponies looked toward the upper centre of the glass, where the image of a sun being covered by a moon took its place on the window.
A solar eclipse, Twilight thought.
The door to the throne room opened, tearing Twilight’s attention away from the glass. Her eyes came to rest on the Princess herself. She stood tall, taller than any other pony in the land, her pure white fur seeming to shine, as her majestic, multicoloured mane flowed off her head and neck like a sparkling river.
“Twilight.” She greeted warmly.
“Princess!” Twilight rushed to her mentor and nuzzled her. Of the two guards stationed at the door, the younger flinched when he saw the unicorn dash directly toward the Princess, but the older remained still, familiar with the unicorn in question.
“It has been too long Twilight.” The Princess said, “But I’m afraid this was not a social call.”
The alicorn adopted a serious tone that she usually used when dealing with matters of great importance. “Walk with me.”
Twilight complied, staying at the Princess’ side as they began their journey through the Royal Palace. “Princess, what’s going?” she asked.
“All will be explained in due time, my little pony.”
The answer annoyed Twilight, as did the prospect of more waiting, but if the Princess thought that this was necessary, than she wouldn’t argue. Their journey was painfully long for the young unicorn, every second feeling like an hour. Her mind ached for answers, but she knew she just had to be patient.
The pair eventually reached a large set of double doors, guarded by a pair of unicorns holding the familiar hard expressions of the Royal Guards. Celestia nodded her head once, and the guardsponies proceeded to open unlock and open the doors.
Twilight followed the Princess inside, and the door was sealed shut behind them. The unicorn examined the room. It was quite large, and several tables and bookshelves adorned the walls. Twilight examined the books that lay on the shelves. Most were old, presumably taken from the depths of Canterlots massive archives. Twilight read some of the titles. She was not familiar with any of the ancient tomes, and she realised some of them were even written in different languages.
Twilight continued to scan the shelves, when she realised that she and Celestia weren’t the only ones in the room. The young unicorn nearly jumped in fright when she spotted a dark coloured alicorn with a deep blue mane.
“Princess Luna!” she exclaimed before she could stop herself.
Luna merely smiled in response. “Greetings to you too, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight scolded herself silently for forgetting about Princess Luna, who had been clearly mentioned in Celestia’s letter.
Celestia quickly cut the greeting short. “Now, Twilight, I’m sure you are eager to know why we have brought you here.”
The unicorn’s ears perked up at the mention of her name. “Yes Princess!” she announced, her confidence restored.
“Very well. But before we begin, I want you to give me your word that you will not repeat anything that occurs in this room to anypony under any circumstances without the permission of my sister or myself.”
The request unnerved Twilight. Celestia had always trusted her, and in all her years as the student of Celestia, she had never once asked Twilight to do anything like this. With a slight hesitation, she delivered the oath.
“Thank you. Luna, if you please.”
Twilight turned her attention to the Princess of the night. Luna cleared her throat, then began. “Two days ago, I felt a disturbance in my night. A foreign object had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and was descending toward our world at an alarming speed.”
The first thing Twilight noticed was that Luna’s speech had vastly improved from the last time they had met. The thought was quickly dismissed when Luna mentioned the object.
“A foreign object? As in a meteor or something?”
“No, this object was different. It was not of natural origin.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You mean somepony made it?”
Luna’s mouth twitched into a faint grin. “Not somepony. Something.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in, and when they did, Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “You mean... a-aliens? Like a space ship?”
Luna nodded with enthusiasm that was unfit for a Princess, unable to hold back her huge grin. She was clearly excited.
Twilight felt a mixture of excitement and fear. Being the enthusiastic astronomer she was, the prospect of there being life outside of the confines of their own world had always intrigued her to an extent. She had always wondered if there were other beings out there, and now that the Princess were telling her that they not only existed, but were in Equestria, she didn’t know what to think.
Celestia decided to continue. Unlike the other two, she had managed to retain her composure. “The object, what we believe to be a spacecraft of some sort, crashed just north of Equestrian borders, in the Sharptooth Mountains.”
“Isn’t that Gryphon territory?” Twilight asked. The gryphon clans made their homes in the massive mountain ranges to Equestria’s north, and were fiercely territorial. If the clans would be able to cease their conflicts and unite under one banner, they would be a serious threat to the ponies to their south. Fortunately, their hatred of one another ran deep, and showed no signs of letting up.
Celestia was the one to answer her question. “Technically, no. That area is unclaimed, nopony’s land, but that won’t mean that they haven’t taken notice.”
“So that means we have to get there first!” Luna added, and with a little more force than necessary.
Her sister shot her a look before continuing. “Twilight, I would like to offer you a chance to accompany my sister as part of the first team to examine the vessel.”
Twilight was taken aback. Princess Celestia was offering her a chance to be one of the first ponies in history to see alien technology, and maybe even make first contact. A dark thought crossed her mind.
“Princess, what if there are... aliens there? What if they’re alive? And what about the gryphons?” she asked, fear eminent in her voice.
Luna spoke up. “The vessel impacted the ground at a very high speed, and we believe it was damaged severely in the crash. It is very unlikely that anything survived. That is all assuming we are correct in our assumption that this object is indeed a spacecraft of alien origin, and that there were actually life forms onboard.” She paused to a moment, “As for the gryphons, they shouldn’t be too much trouble. They woun’t have the nerve to attack us outright, and some of our most skilled guardsponies will be accompanying us on this endeavour. We will have nothing to worry about.”
Celestia cast Twilight a reassuring smile. “If you wish not to go, then I’ll have a chariot return you to Ponyville. But keep in mind; it is unlikely that an opportunity like this will arise again.”
Twilight needed no further convincing. “That won’t be necessary, Princess, I’d be honoured to go.”
Twilight thought she saw a faint look of concern in Celestia’s eyes, but the alicorn’s expression didn’t change. Luna however, failed to contain her excitement. She wore a smile almost as big as one of Pinkie Pie’s. “Excellent! Come Twilight, preparations have already been made, and we shall depart immediately.”
Twilight followed a giddy Princess of the Night out of the chamber, leaving Celestia to ponder her decision to allow her student to become involved. The alicorn muttered a silent prayer that the young unicorn would be safe, then left to resume her duties.
*
Faelin’s front claws clattered loudly against the cold metal, whilst his hind paws padded along silently. He was part of a team of gryphons sent to investigate a strange object that had fallen from the sky. At first the gryphon had suspected that it had just been another meteor from the sky, as they were not uncommon in the mountain ranges, yet as soon as he and his companions had spotted the great pillar of black smoke rising into the sky, he knew this was not the case.
They arrived onto the site to find a huge, metal airship of some sort. The gryphons sometimes made use of large airships suspended in the sky with huge balloons, mainly for transporting large quantities of goods or for as a mobile platform for mounted ballista and other siege weapons, but this particular vessel was vastly different. The group had never seen, nor heard of anything like it. They approached with caution. The ship was damaged severely, and there was no sign of the balloon that would have kept the ship afloat. Either it had come loose and floated up into the heavens or burned up in the crash. And what a crash it must have been, for the hull of the airship was broken near the centre, leaving it almost snapped in half.
After spending some time observing the wreckage, the band of gryphons wearily approached. They entered the wreckage at a breach in the area where the ship had separated into two pieces, and set about exploring the insides. The airship was immense, stretching several hundred metres in length, vastly bigger than most of the gryphon’s airships. It was full of rooms, many of which were mostly destroyed by flames. Mysterious objects lay in pieces, scattered around by the impact.
A noise tore Faelin away from his thoughts and back to reality. He stopped dead in his tracks and listened intently. After a moment of silence, he heard it again. Faelin scanned his surroundings for the source of the noise, his eyes coming to rest on a half open sliding door. The sounds were definitely coming from within.
Faelin crept up to the entry as silently as his sharp claws would allow with such a hard surface beneath them. He loosened his sword in its sheath, knowing all too well that he may have to use it. The burly gryphon managed to squeeze through the door, moving the heavy sheet of metal slightly as he forced his way in. The noises, a dull thumping and some muffled grunts, were amplified as he entered.
The room Faelin found himself in was unlike any of the others. It was larger than most of the other rooms, and rectangular in shape, remaining mostly undamaged. The longest walls were lined with large tubes, one of which being the source of the strange sounds. The front of the tube was shifting slightly.
Without warning, the front of the tube swung open like a door, causing the startled gryphon to jump back in fright. A figure fell out of the tube with a loud grunt. It looked up at Faelin, before scrambling to its feet. It stood over six feet tall, and its figure matched the one of the body the gryphons had found earlier.
It stared at Faelin, its head covered in a dark green shell and face hidden by a reflective mask. Unless that was its face. Its skin/fur was a mixture of different splotches of green, and several plates of dark armour covered much of its body.
Faelin blinked, and the creature moved one of its paws to its waistline. The slight movement was enough to set the jumpy gryphon off. He launched his claw back and ripped his sword out of its sheath with a loud chink.
Without hesitation Faelin charged, using his wings to propel himself forward at an alarming speed. There was no way the creature could defend itself.
Or so Faelin thought.
The creature whipped a small black object from a pouch hanging off its waist. It gripped the object with both hands and raised it to head level.
Three loud bangs.
Three flashes of light.
Three explosions of pain in Faelin’s body.
The searing burn that erupted through his abdomen and left shoulder was too much for Faeling to handle. He let loose an ear piercing scream of agony that echoed throughout the ship.
Then everything went dark.
*
Twilight awoke slowly. She felt something jab her in the side, and she weakly waved a hoof in a vain attempt to force it away. She felt another jab, this one more forceful than the last. She groaned in frustration and gripped her blanket in her teeth, pulling it further up over herself.
“Ugh, five more minutes, Spike.” She groaned.
A deep chuckle filled her ears. Far too deep to be Spike’s voice. The unicorn warily opened her eyes and found herself face to face with a grey coated stallion. A big grin appeared on his face as he looked down upon her with his bright green eyes.
Suddenly memories rushed back to her tired mind, and she realised the error of her ways. The unicorn stallion laughed again. “Looks like you got a little too comfortable.”
Twilight’s ears burned with embarrassment and she laughed nervously. “He-he... sorry Captain...”
“Not a problem, Miss Sparkle. But you might want to wake yourself up, we’re almost there.”
Twilight rose up to a sitting position and shook her head in an attempted to clear her thoughts. She was about to discard the blanket when she became aware of the cold wind washing through her fur and biting into her skin, and decided it would be better to keep the warm cloth. The Captain noticed this.
“Don’t worry. It won’t be as bad once we land.” He said before turning to face the forward direction of the chariot, “Which, by the looks of things, won’t be too long.”
Twilight followed his gaze, and she found herself looking at a pillar of black smoke rising from the snowfields below. She tried to get a look at its source, but her view was obscured by cloud cover. The Captain shouted to the pair of pegasi pulling the chariot. “Reduce altitude and circle target!”
One of the pegasi acknowledged him with a nod of his head. The chariot banked left and weaved through the clouds, expertly guided by the two pegasi. Twilight remained at the edge of the chariot, looking over its side in anticipation. The Captain was doing the same thing on the opposite side. Two more chariots became visible through the clouds to their right. In the center most vehicle sat Princess Luna, accompanied by a high ranking unicorn. The third chariot carried two more unicorns, along with supplies. Each chariot was pulled by a pair of Celestia’s finest pegasi guardsponies, many of which bore battle scars, constant reminders that these particular ponies had seen brutal combat, and possessed the strength and skill necessary to survive.
The chariots broke through the cloud cover, revealing an awe inspiring sight before them.
The alien ship was hundreds of metres long, and left a deep trench behind it where it had impacted the ground and ploughed forward before finally coming to a halt. Its dark grey metals shone white due to the snow it had accumulated since the crash, and the ship also appeared to be broken toward the centre, as it snapped in half. Twilight couldn’t keep her eyes off it, and she soon realised her mouth was hanging open. Luna shouted something, but Twilight didn’t catch it. The chariots descended further, circling around their target a few times before moving in to land.
Twilight’s chariot landed with a soft thump as it hit the snow. The Captain jumped over the side just as Luna’s chariot touched down, followed shortly by the third. The pegasi guards began unhooking themselves from the transports with practiced efficiency as the unicorns spread out to secure a perimeter. As soon as Twilight’s hooves touched the snow, she felt uneasy. Something was wrong here. A quick glance at Luna confirmed that the Princess felt it too.
Despite her unease, Luna was clearly excited. Her eyes swept along the hull of the ship, and eventually came to rest on a hole in its side, at the point where the ship’s structure had bent and broken. Twilight approached her.
“What now Princess?”
“There.” Luna pointed toward the breach, “That should provide a suitable entrance. Captain!”
The unicorn whom accompanied Twilight on the chariot rushed up to his superior. “Princess?”
“Secure that breach. That is where we shall enter.”
The Captain nodded. “It will be done.”
The unicorn rushed off, barking orders to his subordinates. Twilight’s watched them as they moved toward the breach.
“Twilight.” Luna said, “I don’t know what is in there, but I want you to say behind me at all times. Understand?”
“Yes, Princess.” The young mare responded.
“Very good. Now, let us proceed.” Luna began to make her way toward the breach, which the guards were already examining. Twilight smiled when she noticed a slight bounce in the Princess’ stride. She must be very excited. The unicorn thought.
The Captain stood at the entrance of the breach with one of his Lieutenants. “Captain!” Luna barked, “Why do you hesitate?”
The Captain looked up at Luna, before pointing to the snow at his hooves. “Princess, look.”
There were tracks on the ground, imprinted in the snow. Being so close to the ship, the massive object had shielded that particular spot from the fresh snow falling from the sky. Luna examined the imprints, a scowl crossing her face.
“Gryphons.” She hissed.
The mention of the creatures sent a chill up Twilights spine. She had only met one gryphon in her lifetime, a gryphon who happened to be a friend of one of her closest friends. The meeting hadn’t gone so well, and the gryphon in question had ended up leaving the town in a rage. And that was only a regular gryphon. The ones in this area would be, without a doubt, warriors.
“Stay sharp.” The Captain ordered, “Move in.”
A unicorn guardspony took the lead, crossing over the threshold into the unknown of the alien spacecraft. The Captain followed close behind him, then Twilight and Luna, surrounded by the remaining guardsponies. Two of the pegasi remained outside, keeping watch for anything that might try to sneak up on them. Twilight stuck to Luna’s side as they entered the ship. It was cold inside, the smooth metals that made up the floor and walls almost uncomfortable to touch. Their hoofsteps echoed uncomfortably loudly throughout the ship.
“Captain.” Luna said, “Spread out and sweep through the ship. If you find anything, report back, but do not engage.”
The Captain acknowledged her with a nod of his head, and signalled the guards to move. The guards separated and began their search. Luna turned to Twilight. “Come, we shall inspect the front of the vessel.”
Princess Luna lead the way, Twilight following in close behind her, as they began their trek to the front of the ship. The corridors were long, and lined with metal doors that lead to darkened rooms that gave of a sinister feeling. Twilight began to wonder what kind of creatures had made the vessel. What did they look like? Where were they from? Could they use magic?
Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud shout. “Contact!”
Luna stopped, and swung her head around to face the direction of the cry. “Come, Twilight.” She commanded as she took off through the ship.
It took less than a minute to find the source of the shout. A gryphon brandished an iron sword threateningly at a pair of guards. He stood over the body of another gryphon, which was covered in scarlet blood and looked ready to die. The gryphon held his defensive stance when Luna arrived, but was visible unnerved by her presence.
“Lower your blade, gryphon!” a guard barked, “We did not come here to fight.”
The gryphon growled. His gaze flicked between the ponies before him, and he snarled when his eyes landed on Twilight, causing her to shrink back in fear.
“Lower you blade!”
The gryphon’s grip on the weapon tightened, and he looked ready to attack. He jumped slightly when a claw touched his side, but he realised that it was only his companion. “Do as he says, Avlyn,” the injured gryphon wheezed, “you can’t fight them, don’t throw away your life.”
Avlyn glanced back and forth between his companion and the ponies, before reluctantly lowering the sword.
“Explain yourselves.” Luna commanded.
Avlyn looked to his companion, who nodded. He turned back toward the ponies and spoke.
“We are of the Talon Peaks Clan, part of a group sent to investigate this object.” He began, clearly unhappy about giving in so easily.
“How many were in your group?” A guard inquired.
“Eight, including Faelin and myself.” He gestured to the wounded gryphon, who Twilight assumed was Faelin.
With a gesture from his companion, Avlyn continued, “We arrived not long before you did, and searched the ship. It was badly damaged, but we managed to recover a body.” As soon as the words left his beak, Twilight spotted a gleam in Luna’s eyes. Before she could ask about it, a guard spoke up with another question.
“Your friend, how was he wounded?”
Avlyn scowled at the memory. “Faelin was attacked. One of the creatures was still alive.”
Twilight felt overwhelmed by a sudden mixture of fear and excitement. One of the aliens actually survived!
“Where is it? And where are the rest of you patrol?” Luna practically shouted. Twilight was immediately reminded of her ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’. Avlyn was also taken aback by the sudden change in her volume.
“It fled the ship, and the others gave chase.”
“Where? Which way did it go?”
Much to Luna’s displeasure, Avlyn took his time answering her questions. Twilight thought she could see a slight smirk on his face. “East.”
*
Aceius lead the other five gryphons in their pursuit. His muscles rippled under his fur and feathers, supporting the heavy iron armour he wore with ease. A mace hung off a strap on his belt, and he clutched a long spear in his front claws. A loud shriek sounded across the sky, coming from one of his subordinates. Aceius looked toward the younger gryphon, who pointed downward.
In the snow fields below them, a dark shape stuck out in the snow, running franticly to the east. My prey, Aceius thought. The creature had been able to get a decent head start on the gryphons, as there had been much confusion after Faelin had been wounded, but even with the distance it had gained, it couldn’t outrun the angry war group.
The leader of the hunt surveyed the landscape below. Snow covered the ground, and the flat plains stretched out on every side. Every side but one. The ground rose into a hill to the east, and on the other side of the hill was a cliff face, rising hundreds of feet into the air. The creature was heading straight for it.
Aceius began his descent, and his companions followed suit. The gryphons broke through the thin clouds that had shielded them from being spotted by the creature below, and let loose blood curdling their war cries.
They began to circle around the creature, which had stopped running and clutched a small back weapon in its paws, the same weapon that had felled Faelin in a mere few seconds. Despite his lust for vengeance, Aceius knew this creature was far more dangerous than it seemed.
This should be interesting. The gryphon thought.
Aceius looked toward his companions and bellowed loudly, signalling the attack.
*
Low lying clouds whipped past Luna’s head as she rocketed through the sky, five of the pegasi guardsponies racing behind her. Two of the guards had managed to get themselves mounted to one of the chariots in time to allow two of the unicorn guardsponies to accompany them in their attempt to find the alien. Hopefully before the gryphons get a chance to hurt it, Luna thought grimly.
She scanned the ground below her for any sign of the alien, but saw nothing. She noticed a guard pull up alongside her, and franticly point forward, and shouting words that were lost to the wind. The Princess followed his gesture, and after scanning the horizon, her eyes came to rest on a flight of six gryphons circling in the distance. She redoubled her speed, leaving the guards behind her momentarily before they managed to catch up.
The gryphons were already attacking. One swooped down at the alien, causing it to jump down and lie flat in the snow as the gryphon flew dangerously close overhead. In clambered to its feet, crouched down, and, holding a small black object in its claws/paws, began to follow another gryphon with its outstretched arms. The gryphon in question was already diving down at it, intent on slashing the alien with a sword.
It was just under twenty metres away when something flashed in Luna’s vision, and the gryphon jerked violently in the air, spinning out of control and crashing into the snow just as a loud crack reached Luna’s ears. The gryphon didn’t move. The alien’s retaliation served to halt the attacks of the gryphons, as they fell back and continued to circle the alien. The Princess and her guards were closing in rapidly, and the chariot broke off from the group and lowered in altitude, preparing to land and deposit the unicorns.
The alien had begun moving again and continued its flight to the east, and toward a sheer cliff face, Luna noticed. It probably can’t see it from the ground, the Princess thought before turning her attention back to the gryphons. Now, how to handle this without a fight...
The gryphons finally noticed the approaching threat, and, much to Luna’s delight, several startled shrieks filled the air. The alien also seemed to notice the new arrivals, and paused for a moment to observe them. Luna saw the gryphon that looked to be in charge stop and glare directly at her, before calling one of his subordinates over to issue orders.
The subordinate broke off and veered toward his companions to spread their instruction, as the leader of the group approached the Princess of the Night. He stopped a short distance away from her. “What are you doing here?” he snarled.
Luna frowned at the lack of respect he showed her, after all, she was a Princess, and she was the one who brought forth the night. She decided to drop the formalities and follow his lead. “We have come for the creature you hunt. I advise you to call your companions and leave.”
“This beast has attacked two of my warriors! I will not let this go unpunished, and I will not run away like you Equestrian cowards!” the gryphon snapped.
Luna’s frown transformed into a look of utter rage at the ignorance of the gryphon. This half-wit is one of the first living beings to make contact with an alien, and he already wants to kill it?! Luna’s mind was alight with the possible repercussions that murdering this visitor could have, the foremost being the retaliation of the alien’s species could launch.
As she thought, she noticed a pair gryphons had landed, and were carefully driving the alien towards the cliff. It had taken up a defensive stance, backing away slowly whilst following the gryphons with its weapon. The remainder of the gryphon war group busied themselves with keeping Luna’s own soldiers away, although thankfully none had resorted to violence, yet. The problem these gryphons posed had to be dealt with, and quickly.
“I will not allow you to harm this creature. Take your wounded and leave now.”
The gryphon scoffed at her, then turned and sped toward the alien, letting out a piercing cry. His warriors were quick to react, charging at Luna’s guards. They were outnumbered, and the pegasi had been ready for the assault, but they still charged. Luna might have admired their courage and loyalty to their leader, however moronic he was, but she had more pressing matters to attend too.
The alien had been forced back even further now, and was standing dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, looking back and forth between the gryphons and the sheer drop behind it. The pair of gryphons that cornered it danced around its flanks, feigning attacks and keeping it on edge. Luna’s unicorns charged toward them, horns ablaze with spells yet to be unleashed, only their distance standing between them. The other gryphons were fighting a losing battle against the more numerous, and better trained and equip pegasi.
Luna rocketed forward, hoping to catch the gryphon’s leader in his attack, but he was already too far ahead. The gryphon readied his spear, and dove toward the alien, which was currently preoccupied with its two other assailants. Luna let loose a spell, sending a bolt of magic at the gryphon, but in her haste it was poorly aimed and sailed past him, slamming into the ground and sending snow flying several metres into the air.
The alien caught sight of the gryphon leader, and swung around to face the new threat. The leader of the war group hurled his spear with practiced precision mid flight. The missile soared through the air and Luna gaped in horror. The spear missed the armour plates on the alien’s body, piercing its abdomen and impaling it as the tip passed clean through the creature’s soft body.
But not before it attacked first.
*BANG! BANG!*
The gryphon didn’t scream, instead just twisted in the air. His momentum carried his body forward, and it collided with the alien, sending both of them over the edge. They disappeared from view, the sight spurring Luna on. She dove down after them, but knew she was too late. Even at her speed, she managed to catch the dull thump of the bodies hitting the ground.
Thanks to RainbowsCrush for pre-reading this story (and by that I mean stumbling upon it via black magics and pointing out some flaws).
Let me know what you guys think, I love feedback!
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I hope you continue you this.
TRACKING!!!
When should we expect an update?
aww, thats it?
this is actually really good. many regards
The main problem is I don't actually know where I want to go with it. I had a good deal of fun writing it, and didn't just want to let it sit forgotten in my computer. There is every chance I'll continue, its just as of now I'm unsure. As of now, just spread the word about the story.
Thanks for the kind words guys, and watch this spot! You might just see something.
LOL that last line came unexpected
.
That's a very nice story you've produced here, my sir.
I spotted, by the way, a little typo. Apparently you spelled gryphon without a p once.
Anyways, great story!
212268
Thanks again! Let me know if you see anything else wrong.
This is pretty damn good and the ending was unexpected but delightfully so. Just shows that the *cough*human*cough* isn't an infallible mary sue waiting to bang everyone.
Finish, damn it!
Yes!
Finish it please
My reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgvd9-R8HoA
wow, amazingly written and inspired by one of my favourite fics? tracked and 5 stars, sir!
You, good sir, should continue this story.
cdn.styleforum.net/5/5d/5dcbd53f_clap.gif
Great Story! I look forward to more!!!
MOAR. THE COMMUNITY DEMANDS MORE.
So when can we expect the next chapter
You guys seem to like it, so I must have done something right. So guess what? I'll see what I can do about continuing. As for when there's going to be an update, it could be tomorrow, it could be a week from now, it really depends on how motivated I am and how much free time I have (college and work can be real time consumers).
Thanks for the support guys! Remember to rate/track/comment and if you could do me a favour, tell your friends!
219520
Motivation eh?
Well... if you dont continue this...
Ill kill you
cdn.pimpmyspace.org/media/pms/c/s5/5w/wk/your-sleep.jpg
227170 media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmqwu2XwaW1qafrh6.gif
228161 But seriously, when can we expect another chapter?
235750 I'm hoping to get another chapter this week.
238124 Youknow tha tgirly dance Pyro does?
That pretty much sums up what im feeling
"After spending some time observing the wreckage, the band of gryphons wearily approached."
Probably meant to be 'warily'.
"The airship was immense, stretching several hundred metres in length, vastly bigger than most of the gryphon’s airships."
gryphons'
I'm liking this, mate! Hope you keep this story going. Nice to have another story like Article 2.
Holy shit. This is awesome. 5 stars... If that rating system still existed. Keep on writing this, it's a damn good HiE story.
OMFG !!!!
Holy shit it's chief and the Unto Forwad Dawn!
very well written! one of the best fics here. 5 stars.
So. Much. Win.
That warning at the beginning of chapter 1 and how the gryphons are shown gave me all the reason I need not to bother reading.
Nooooo! Master Chief! lol im sorry, that's what it seemed like to me at first
Really good story by the way
My God. I giggled like an excited fan-girl when I read this.
I hope I am not dissapointed.
I think I know one good way to explain Luna's excitement. It could be one of the most important political events she has been involved in ever since her return to Canterlot. She could be happy that she's finally being involved and trusted with important events again.
As a suggestion, I think you shouldn't mention her excitement so many times. It was being mentioned so often to the point where I was ready to say, "we get it."
I'll provide more feedback as I go through chapter after chapter.
what was the first picture? it didn't work for me
i wish he had an m4, or a deagle, or a .50 cal, or something, some display of our technological power
Multi hundred metre space ships but armor that can be pierced by spear? Material science man! Come on!
2187642
Read before you comment.
1204594
no, it would be OP as fuck and I would also loose respect for the author. Because its the most Cliche thing to do AND, why would an alien be running around with a fat ass Desert eagle , which is '50 cal' or an M4?
1204594 More like display of "neckbeard mall ninja"-ness.
NICE
Images are broken :(