The Valuntas Domini
Apple Bloom
Apple Bloom felt as though she had a pounding hammer between her ears. She raised a hoof to her head, but found it restricted. She opened her eyes, the blurry world before her swimming into focus. Above her was Spike, the now much taller dragon seemed to be cradling her in his arms! He also seemed to be running, and rather quickly at that.
"Let's go, we're almost to the woods!" Spike shouted over his shoulder.
"I can't leave him here!"
Who was that? That voice simply dripped with anguish. On top of that, it sounded very familiar, but who was it?
"Eros, we have to go! If they catch us, we're all done for!" Spike replied.
Eros. It was Eros' voice, but... who couldn't he leave behind?
"I don't care, I'm not going anywhere without him!"
Spike roared in anger, skidding to a halt and wheeling around. With one arm still cradled around Apple Bloom, he raised his other claw, muttering a quick incantation in a language she was unfamiliar with. His claw glowed bright purple. He kept his arm extended and continued sprinting. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo keeping pace beside her on the scooter from their younger days. She smiled weakly at them, getting a wink from Scootaloo in return. "Hang in there, Apple Bloom!"
Darkness took hold of her once again.
Twilight
Twilight sped towards the front lines, tailed closely by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. She fully expected to catch an arrow to the chest, or perhaps a cannonball through the head. However, much to her surprise, as she appeared within range, the cannons fell silent, and the archers stowed their arrows.
"Just what the hell do you jerks think you're doing attacking a sovereign nation?" Twilight demanded of the ranking officer as she approached the artillery line. A griffon in ornamental armor blew a hollowed bulls horn, its low note rumbling over the hills. A griffon with an eyepatch without a lick of armor and a finely pressed military uniform walked up from behind the lines. He stopped in front of the hovering ponies. To Twilight and her entourage's surprise, he bowed.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am Grand Marshall Carrion. I come with the Authority of the Emperor of the Griffon Empire. We are here to administer what aid we can, and ensure the plague that has befallen this land does not spread." He paused, lifting his eyes to meet hers. "It is with great sorrow that I must inform you that my orders are to accompany you back to the capitol. I must insist you and your entourage come with us."
"You insist?" Dash spat. "Who do you think you are marching in here and shooting at us?"
"For that, I am deeply sorry. It is our protocol to demolish anything that has come in contact with the plague. Our top scholars have been researching an answer, as the ponies living within the empire have also begun to suffer the same fate as many we encountered along the way." Carrion sighed heavily. "I assure you, during the journey, you will be accommodated in a manner befitting your title, as will your companions."
Twilight held her stare, still trying to read her would-be captor, when she noticed the iron expression he had worn from the beginning of their meeting begin to crack, a glimmer of humility showing in his eye. "Please, Princess. We know of your studies, we know of your research, we were just unsure if you were still among the sentient. With your research and that of our scholars, we could find a way to lift this curse."
Twilight looked to her friends before landing. She tucked her wings by her sides and signaled for them to follow suit. She knew full well Carrion could be lying. He could be waiting for her to let her guard down before trussing her and her friends up and delivering them to the Emperor for dinner. Griffons were well known for their cunning. However, she had gone into this fully expecting to have already been killed, so she might as well take this deal and see where it goes. There was nothing left for her in the castle. Spike had freed the ponies she'd kept there that had already turned, and the ponies that had fled during the brief battle were now long gone. Just in case this was a trap, she hedged her bets by neglecting to mention Spike and the girls leaving with her research. After all, if Carrion was telling the truth, then she could begin again.
"Very well, we will accompany you to the Emperor." Rainbow put a heavy hoof on her shoulder.
"Twilight, are you serious? They were trying to kill us five minutes ago!" She whispered urgently.
Twilight turned to quietly confer with the only friends she had left. "We've got no choice. It's either this, or keep trying to scrape by. At least with them, I would have a better chance of finding the cure for all this. They have a laboratory, funding, researchers besides myself!" She pled.
"I think Twilight is right. This is our best option."
They both glanced at Fluttershy, who'd been mostly quiet since they landed.
Dash looked at Twilight, then Fluttershy before sighing. "Fine. If you trust them, then I will too. But if I smell anything fishy, we're leaving."
Twilight nodded, turning back towards general Carrion. "As I said, we will head to the capitol with you."
Carrion raised a talon, a griffon by his side blowing a long, rumbling note into his bullhorn. An ornate carriage pulled by two burly griffons appeared. "I hope this carriage will suffice until we reach the palace."
Twilight looked it over, accompanied by Fluttershy.
"No thanks, I'd rather fly," Dash insisted.
"Very well," Twilight sighed, a griffon soldier opened the door with a bow. The inside of the carriage was just as ornate as the outside, fit for a princess, as she was promised. Fluttershy and Twilight sat in silence while their ride began to rumble forward. Twilight looked outside the window at the smoldering ruins of Canterlot.
"How did we fall so far, so quickly, Fluttershy?"
"I don't know," she whispered in reply, sidling over to her. "But I know if anyone can figure this out, it's you."
Her vote of confidence comforted her, and harkened back to the instructions she had given Spike in case the very events currently transpiring ever took place.
"Don't talk like that, Twilight! Nothing is going to happen to you, or anyone else."
"Spike, I know it's hard to think about, but we need to be realistic. If something were to happen to me, I need you to follow my orders as acting Princess."
Spike paused for a moment. "Okay."
"In the event I succumb, or something else happens to me, and the castle must be abandoned, I need you to free the stabled ponies, and take my book of research and this." Twilight levitated a medium sized book with a simple sun and moon emblazoned on the cover. Spike took it in his claws and looked it over.
"Where did this come from?" Spike asked, opening it and thumbing through the pages covered in a language he didn't recognize.
"Celestia gave it to me. It's called the Valuntas Domini. She told me it held the secrets to the alicorn powers, but it's in a language I don't know how to read."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "She gave you a book you can't read? Why didn't she just tell you what it said?"
Twilight sighed. "She couldn't read it either."
"Then how does she know what's in it?"
"I don't know, okay?!" She snapped. "I'm sorry, Spike, I just... this was the last thing she gave me before she turned, and I know she wouldn't give it to me without good reason."
"Okay. I'll take these books and release the stabled ponies. Then what?"
"Take the fillies and anyone who wants to flee, and head to the Crystal Empire. If there's a chance Cadence and Shining are still around, they'll be able to give you shelter and supplies."
Spike looked at the books, then back to Twilight.
"For how long?"
"...I don't know."
Spike
His legs felt like jelly, his arms burned from carrying Apple Bloom, and his head pounded from using magic to carry Argos as far into the forest as possible. Finally, mercifully, he collapsed, setting Apple Bloom and Argos down in a clearing as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle caught up on the scooter.
Spike rolled over onto his back and stared at the blue sky peeking through the trees above him. If he hadn't known better, he could've sworn this was just a bad dream. The skies were no different now than they were before the blades. Birds chirped sweetly in the trees, squirrels ran back and forth along the tree branches. It was all so perfect, and yet it all seemed so wrong. Spike sat up, and was drawn back down to the reality of his situation. Eros knelt over his father, grasping his talon, a crimson pool expanding below his father's body, soaking the soil.
"Dad... can you hear me?" Eros whimpered.
"I... I can, son," he sputtered, raising his other talon to stroke his sons head. "You were very brave today, Eros."
The young griffon smiled, tears falling from his eyes. Spike had seen everything after the cart had been wrecked. Most had made it through with only minor scrapes and bruises, save Apple Bloom and Argos. Unfortunately, a rogue splinter the size of a spearhead from the shattering oak found its way into the older griffon's chest, buried so deeply that only a hint of it peeked from his bloodstained chest plumage.
Spike knelt down next to Argos, feeling a young set of eyes upon him.
"You can help him, right Spike? With your magic?" he asked hopefully.
"Eros... let me talk to Spike for a moment," Argos asked. "Go make sure Apple Bloom is okay, will you?"
His son nodded, joining the other crusaders in making their friend comfortable.
"Spike, I need you to look after Eros. He's all I have... he's all his mother has. You must keep him safe for me."
"No, there's no need for that, you'll be fine as soon as I cast a healing spell." Spike knew this was a lie, and so did Argos, it seemed.
"Don't give me any of that... I'm don't have much time. Comfort him for me."
Spike closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He took his talon in his claw and firmly gripped it. "I promise, I will."
"May I see my son?" Argos asked, a fit of coughs following his request.
Spike stood away from the pair as Eros rejoined his father. He was far enough away to show respect, but close enough to hear what they were saying.
"Eros, do you still have my watch?"
"Y-yeah..." he sniffed.
"Whenever you feel lonely, or scared, remember that I'm always with you. You have Titan, and you have your courage to defend yourself, and your friends."
Eros sat back, confusion across his face. "What... what are you saying?" he asked, jaw quivering as he slowly came around to a horrible realization.
Argos smiled, taking his sons talon again. "There comes a time when we all must face what frightens us the most. Syrell did, and you have Syrell's blood in your veins."
"Dad... please, I can't... I don't want you to die!"
"Shh... Eros, all griffons must die. It is the natural order of things. I wish I didn't have to leave you."
"You don't have to!" Eros turned to Spike. "Help him! Use your magic!"
"Eros, listen to me!" Argos snapped, coughing up a bit of blood. "It doesn't matter where you go, as long as you think of me, I'll be with you."
"Dad... please, don't go... don't die..." He put his and his father's talon to his forehead as he broke down in tears. Argos pulled his son into a hug, holding him close.
"Eros, I love you more than anything in this world. You are my son, and you've made me so proud on this journey. Never let your courage falter, and always remain loyal to your friends..."
"I will Dad, I promise."
After a brief moment, Argos' talon slipped from around his son, laying limply on the ground beside him.
Eros wailed, begging his father to return to him, but there was nothing to be done. Spike approached him, putting a claw around his shoulder, only to have him shrug it off.
Spike sighed, turning back to Apple bloom. Besides her head injury, she seemed to be alright. He removed his shoulder bag and threw off his cloak. Inside his bag were the few provisions he managed to scavenge and the two books Twilight had told him to retrieve. He looked at the mysterious tome known as the Valuntas Domini. He opened the book to the first page and found something unusual. The page was blank. He flipped to the next page, then the next page, then the next. He made it through to the back cover, not seeing a single word on any of the pages.
"How... how is this possible? I looked through it before we left to make sure it was the right one!"
"Spike!" Scootaloo cried. He dropped the book and ran beside Apple Bloom, as she coughed and sputtered back to consciousness.
Her eyes fluttered open as she counted her friends standing over her. All except one.
"Where... where's Eros?"
Spike and the crusaders looked at each other.
Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "What? Where is he?" She tried to sit up, but fell weakly to the ground.
"Take it easy, AB," Spike said. "Eros is fine, it's just... well... Argos isn't."
She peeked through the gap between her friends and saw Eros still crying over his father. A familiar pain shot through her heart. Celestia help him.
Emperor Talos
"Your Highness, the 3rd Army has reached Canterlot."
The Emperor stood from his iron throne, the echoes of his paws on the marble floor bouncing around the vaulted ceiling as he walked towards his address balcony. "What did they find?" he asked his advisor.
"The city had been abandoned, many ponies were found but all had succumbed to the grass, save three."
His ears perked up. "Three?"
"Yes, Sire, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her two associates. The rest of the country lies in ruins."
The Emperor wanted to march his army into Canterlot, but not like this. It was his mission to avenge the humiliation of his great grandfather, but this was certainly hollow.
"Was there any aid rendered?" he asked.
"No one was there to receive it, Sire."
Although many hardliners rejoiced in the fall of Canterlot, he took no joy in innocent suffering. It was his sole purpose to best the alicorn princesses in battle, not have them succumb to a plague. "Then ready my podium. I must address the nation."
In minutes, a crowd of thousands gathered outside the imperial palace as Talos stepped onto the balcony. The crowd cheered and waved patriotic banners as he waved and greeted them. In a moment, there was silence. Both ponies and griffons dotted the crowd, hanging on his every word.
"My children, heaven smiles upon our kingdom. But, in our time of good fortune, we must not forget those who have suffered tragedy. Our neighbor nation of Equestria, has been silent as of late, and no doubt you've been wondering why travel to the pony lands has been prohibited these past few months. Well, rest easy, my children, this was not in preparation for war. The truth is, that a terrible plague has been unleashed upon pony-kind, and in an effort to control it, we have sealed our borders. However, we will not sit idly by while our neighbors suffer. We have sent an aid convoy to the heart of Canterlot to help any survivors we may find." The crowd gasped. He picked out a few ponies from the crowd, expressions of fear and worry blanketed every face.
"Our researchers have been working tirelessly to find a cure for this plague, but these things take time. For now, we have sent our armies into Equestria to occupy and protect the remains of their civilization, so that they may be rebuilt once a cure is found. May Syrell bless us, and our nation. Thank you."
He withdrew from the balcony accompanied by his advisor. He removed his royal vestments and sat on his bed, in very un-emperor fashion.
"Silver, you've never lied to me," he said to him.
"Of course not, your Majesty."
He looked his advisor in the eye and took a deep breath. "How many of our citizens have been quarantined?"
Silver checked his clipboard before sighing. "Fifty-seven."
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
1,002 users online
2,110,669 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
The emperor wants to face a princess in combat rather than see her succumb to disease? I'll take it. They need all the help they can get.
Ugh. Reading this story is the best kind of headache. You've established such a tense atmosphere, my heart's in my throat with every sentence. Looking forward to more.
Citizens as in griffons? Huh boy.
I really should have known from the beginning that Argos was going to bite it. Doesn't meant it's not awkward to see.
5492888
Citizens as in pony citizens of the Griffon empire, I assume.
5492888
5493015
I'm with Seirhune on this. If not, they'll probably regress into simple eagles.
5492888 I'm pretty sure that he meant pony citizens.
Pretty sure.
Also, poor Eros.
5492873
Yes, completely. I keep wanting this to pass on because damn if I don't want to see the resolution
We come in peace; shoot to kill!
Don't know what to really think about the invading Griffons. They are still creeps, but at least they are not entirely heartless... Although, considering that many of the ponies have been ensnared by the Grass and a son who have lost his father because of their actions, it didn't really earn them much points. If they can help find a cure, however, that might make up a few things...though, what they would do afterward with Equestria, who know.
Poor kid, to lose his father like that. At least he got some friends to comforted him.
C&C:
"Was their any aid rendered?" he asked.
> Replace ‘their’ with ‘there’.
And another move is made in the Griffons game of thrones.
...Shit.
Poor Argos... he'll be greatly missed. A very sad day indeed.
Still, hope remains! Even though the outlook is still bleak.
Looks like if anyone can stop the plague, it's the Griffons. If they succeed, I somehow doubt they will hand Equestria back over to an independent pony government, but frankly, ponies ending up as citizens of the Griffon Empire is far from the worst fate they could face.
One thing: Right now the Griffons seem like reasonable beings who want to stop the plague, if only to protect their own pony citizens. But isn't this plague also causing the sun and moon to move on their own? If the Griffons figure out that curing this plague will return control to the ponies, well... that will leave the Emperor with an interesting dilemma, won't it?
Oh, and I hope we get to see the Emperor realizing now he has to deal with Discord.
5500003 yes, the sun and moon follow orbits dictated by gravity. But the griffons have always known this.
5500009 So the Griffons think Celestia was a fraud, or was she an actual fraud?
5500009 Then this isn't even Equestria.
It's some model that some obsessed fan made with dark magic and the power of Satan. But then the idiot broke his pact and now Satan is unmaking the entire planet little by little and making the fan watch his fantasy die miserably before Satan rips his soul into Hell.
What? It's possible in this scenario!!
(Alondro, better at crazy twists that somehow make sense than M. Night Shyamalan)
I miss Applejack.
This story is certainly dramatic.
Well this is unexpected. The griffions seem to be affected by something similar, if not the same disease, and the ponies. I guess the ponies won't be the only ones to suffer the loss of magic from the world. This is getting interesting
5500065 they think she was a fraud, but she's not. (remember, eternal night, moon and sun in the sky at the same time, etc.)
5528864 Then let's hope the Griffons don't catch on!
5494980
"Put your faith in the Lord and keep your powder dry."