The Second Griffon War (Casual Thread - All welcome!)

Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
Cyan Hide Cyan Hide
“Aside from what we've already asked?” Celestia said rhetorically, reaching her hoof out to Luna's and grasping it firmly for support. “And, don't feel obligated just because we've asked you. We understand if you really want to say no, it is a big responsibility after all, but... It would mean the world to us if you would do it, and without feeling put under pressure.” The Princess of the Sun said, obviously worried that she put the Princess of Love on the spot.

She was family, maybe not by blood but she was family nonetheless and the Princess of the Sun wouldn't dream of putting undo stress or unwanted obligation upon family.
“Would you like my help Shining Armour?” Celestia asked concernedly, offering the usage of her magic to heal the light burn he sustained. Maybe Luna went a bit overboard with scalding him like that. And it would be the right thing to do to make sure there wouldn't be any bad blood between them after this revelation, it was all a huge surprise and an unexpected reveal to him after all.
 
Anonmare Anonmare
Outside of the ancient city of Anekdotos, a festival was in full swing. It was no ordinary festival either; it was a renaissance festival! All around, ponies were dressed in the clothes of the olden days, armor, and carrying fake weapons. Well, foals were carrying fake weapons. There was a strict policy that disallowed any grown ponies from carrying an imitation weapon.

Nightsong hummed as she walked along the cobblestone path through the middle of the festival. She was a beautiful light blue Pegasus, with a well-kept pale blue mane and shining coat. Beside her walked Salacia, who was also under her Pegasus disguise. From here, they looked almost identical. The only difference being that Nightsong was taller, and Salacia was a bit of a darker oceanic blue...

"I'm starting to remember this place." Luna muttered to Daybreak as they walked.

In the middle of the festival, was a gladitorial pit. A simple metal railing surrounding a sand pit, which you could sign up to participate in.

That's where she was walking. May Harmony have mercy on their souls.
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
Daybreak smiled, she was a pink-maned Unicorn with a pure white, regal-looking coat and a bubblegum pink mane that hung in long locks all the way down to her chest, yet, somehow managed to remain silky smooth despite the nightmare it would have been to keep so clean and frizz-free. Her unicorn disguise was familiar and comfortable and it felt nice to be able to walk amongst the populace without them bowing and scraping their knees before her. Silvanus, too, shared a Unicorn disguise but compared to Daybreak – they were as different as night and day in both colour and height, Daybreak being a full head taller for one.

“Any cobwebs getting shook free?” The disguised Solar Princess asked Nightsong in a joking tone. While getting an exact match of Anekdotos would be impossible, nopony (besides the two of them) had been alive back then and went off historical records and anecdotes, but, despite that it was still an impressive recreation. Even if nopony was allowed to bring weapons with them, an actual citizen of Anekdotos would have probably found the concept alien.

Of course, Celestia noticed Luna heading towards the sand pit and uttered a quiet prayer for everypony else. May Harmony have mercy for Luna surely wouldn't. Celestiaa was careful to keep an eye on Silvanus, fighting was not her cup of tea as it were though Salacia was having the time of her life and happily followed after Nightsong – damn near skipping as she did.
 
Dumbledoof Dumbledoof
It had been a few hours since Ponyville was lost to the Griffins. All ponies in the area had been properly evacuated, other than those who's job it was to hold off the invaders. After everypony had been evacuated, Princess Celestia had nuked the area with a massive pillar of fire which wiped Ponyville from the map.

The griffons wouldn't be using it as a base anytime soon. Not even a single sliver of wood from a single house was left after that fiery blast from the Solar Goddess.

Right now, Princess Luna was currently travelling to see her apprentice Expellix, who was being cared for by a veterinarian in Canterlot. She was still rather hurt from her ordeal with the airship, but was quickly healing. She had a bandaged wrapped around her left eye, and more bandages wrapped around her left ribs. Both of those bandages were wrapped in crusted old blood.

Her legs were healed, though, and that allowed her to get up and walk around. Her skull was also healed.

She pushed the door open to the veterinarians office, looking very much like a zombie while doing so, and caused the veterinarian there to nearly hit the roof with fear. "... I'm not undead. I'd like to talk to my friend who's being looked after here." She said, paying the veterinarian no more mind as she left to find Expellix.
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
Expellix hadn't been hurt nearly as bad as Luna... at least, that's considering the relativity of what had occurred to them. Physically, however, the two of them were probably equally hurt simply due to durability differences. He was just a bunny, she a lunar goddess. There was a pretty big difference.

Being cared by veterinarians probably wouldn't have been his first idea. He was a bunny, but still... it just felt weird. He'd been playing doctor for the ponies, being treated as an animal still was just awkward. You don't just go back from that and not be weirded out. At least they were nice.

Expellix was in the back of the ward, wide awake and looking more irritated than ever. His face was scrunched up in a scowl, multiple bandages running across his chest and around his head, particularly his left eye and nose. It was annoying. He just was sitting up on his pillow, fuming.

How could he have not been paying attention enough to get hit by a mace? Honestly...
 
Dumbledoof Dumbledoof
Princess Luna soon appears in the ward, and makes her way over to Expellix. "Hey." She greets shortly, looking him over and smiling slightly to herself. After a moment she speaks up again and simply says, "... You look like shit, you know that right?" She levitates over a chair, her horn having healed by now, and sits down on the bed beside him.

"Are you doing okay? I mean obviously not, but do you feel like you're going to live?"
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
Expellix looked up at Luna, his expression softening ever so slightly. "Hello," he greeted stiffly, but telepathically. "I would talk physically, but as it happens... my jaw is broken." He frowned. "And I can't really heal it myself. Some other pony will have to."

He did almost laugh at that next part. "I'm already not alive, Luna. Funny joke, though." He shifted, laying on his back, staring down his muzzle at her. "What about you? I heard they dropped an airship on you. I don't think even I could pull off a stunt like that without having those super abilities you alicorns have."
 
Dumbledoof Dumbledoof
"Considering what a mace did to you, I don't think an airship is in your realm of survivability." She says with a little grin and a wink at him, with her good eye. She levitated over some bandages and quickly swapped out her old ones for new ones. In the time it took for her to redo all her bandaging, Expellix could clearly see that she indeed didn't have a left eye. Not right now, anyway.
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
He pouted. "It shouldn't have hit me in the first place. I got careless, and, well, I should count it as a miracle that I'm still not-living." Dancing around the subject of 'living' and being 'undead' was a habit of his now. What the heck is he supposed to say about it besides swing all the way to one side or the other at some point? He did notice the lack of an eye but wasn't that disgusted by it. He'd seen worse. "... Well, good thing it wasn't me that the airship was dropped on, huh? Then I'd have everybody impressed that I survived."
 
Dumbledoof Dumbledoof
"If an airship landed on you and you survived, everypony would think you were a deity too. 'Expellix the Bunny God: Master of Carrots' is probably what we'd call you." She said with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "On a serious note, I am glad you're alive. I try to make a habit of not letting my apprentices die in their first week."
 
Anonmare Anonmare
"I wouldn't exactly call it... Perfect. My memory is still quite hazy from the... incident, even though that was ten years ago." Luna said with a sad shake of her head. She was careful not to use the word 'banishment' in public, because somepony might hear and connect the pieces of the puzzle. Luna already looked exactly the same as she had upon returning, save for the fact that her cutie-mark right now was two crossed swords over a cloud covered moon. Her mane and body color were exactly the same as her post-banishment return as was her height and weight. Ponies were always commenting on how much she looked like Princess Luna.

The other reason she didn't use the word 'banishment' is because her children had no idea about it. They were only 8 months old, and Luna had yet to really discuss that with them yet. When they were older, she would open up to them about it and teach them a good life lesson. A lesson from Celestia about not treating others badly or not letting your feelings cloud your judgement, and a lesson from Luna about not losing control and making grave errors.

So for now she avoided the topic.

As they walked, Luna wrapped a wing around Celestia's torso. It felt weird that she could do that and not feel Celestia's wings underneath her own; but alas, Celestia was a unicorn right now and not a pegasus. It felt strange, but nice. In the past they had used their different abilities together wonderfully... And some of that was lost after they ascended. Suddenly they could both fly and both use magic, and it took away some of the teamwork.
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
“Yeah... There is a lot I wish I could change from back then, some things I wished I had not said and some things that I had...” She said regretfully, carefully watching her words so as to not let slip about the real identity of their... Identities. Celestia quite liked this form and she didn't want to lose the anonymity it possessed. Like Luna, she superficially resembled Celestia's natural form, though it was not too unusual as a lot of Ponies chose to model themselves after the Princesses. Luna's wing s on her her torso reminded her of the past. “Do you remember when we used to do tricks together? Like you'd carry me and I'd cast spells from atop your back. That was so much fun, why;d we ever stop doing that?” She questioned but in truth the answer didn't need saying.

They hadn't broached the subject of the banishment with their children, and truthfully, Celestia didn't know how. It was not as though she could simply go up to them and say; 'Hey kids, wanna learn why I banished your mother to a thousand years of isolation upon the moon because of a war a long, long time ago where many, many Poneis lost their lives?'.
It was an uncomfortable topic but it wasn't something they could avoid forever, even if they did not tell them they'd soon figure it out from second-hand knowledge and sheer common sense. And they'd probably think less of the both of them if they had to found out themselves.

But, for now they were simply here to enjoy themselves.

Salacia had decided to use their parent's current distraction to torment her sister. Running up to her and nudging her hard enough to knock her off-balance and running away before she could react. “You're so slow Silva, even with magic you couldn't keep up with me.” She taunted, flicking the end of her horn on one of her passes. The water Goddess it seemed was something of an annoying little sister...
 
Anonmare Anonmare
Luna didn't bother to answer the question, although she guessed that Celestia expected as much. They had stopped working together so much for fairly obvious reasons; they gained each others abilities. The minute they could both fly and use magic, they had stopped needing to rely on each other as much. Of course, they both still had unique magical talents with fire and ice, light and shadow, but such conflicting things were much more difficult to use in unison.

The more Luna thought about it, the more she came to the conclusion that they were more in harmony with one another back then. They relied on each other a lot more. As ironic as it is, the moment the ascended to their true forms, the avatars of harmony itself; they had lost their own unique brand of harmony that they fought with.

Now it was just sort of 'get up in the sky, point your horn at something and watch it disappear'. While she wouldn't trade the power she held now to have that back again, she couldn't help but feel that the past was more fun.

Silvanus was somehow putting up with this. She was truly as unmoving as the stone under their hooves which which she represented. During one of Salacia's runs, Silvanus very carefully turned the earth under her hooves into mud and watched her slide face-first into one of the various market stands set up around them. This one was selling finely embroidered clothes.
 
In the gloom of a dark foggy forest Cassian found himself running for his life. Struggling and scraping his way through the hard rugged barks of the dense wilderness, he began to hear the echoes of the pursuers. Voices he knew....

"I think he went this way!", one cried

"You won't escape, you beast!", another echoed in anger.

"You'll pay, Monster!", another cried, only this one was female and more familiar to him.

Finally he fights a orange light in a clearing. His heart was beating rapidly with his breathing panting with exhaustion. Yet his adrenaline alone was all he needed to keep going. Finally he makes it to the clearing toward safety. Only to find another sight that wrenched his heart. The sound of echoes faded and became obscured by the sounds of screaming of fear and anguish. Before him was a small town he knew well completly consumed in roaring flames.

The young dragon's jade eyes went as wide as saucers as he dropped to his knees and held his ears to block out the sounds. "Stop....stop it!", he cries out. Suddenly a shadow of a silhouette figure within the flames appeared before him. But he was too stricken with fear to look up at it. "Cassie...", it whispered. That very voice made his blood run cold

"FOUND YOU!", one the echoed voiced shouted. The shout brought Cass out of his shock demeanor to look behind him. Only to see an axe being brought down upon him.

- - - -

Cassian suddenly gasps sitting up and his body cold with sweat. He quickly did his breathing exercise by taking a deep breathe, holding it and letting it out as if he blowing candles on a cake. He repeated the process three time before he managed to calm down. His vision was still slightly blurry, yet he could smell the moist in the air he was in a cobblestone room of some kind. While trying to move his legs to hang of the edge of what seems to be his bed, he felt a metal chime with something latched onto his wrist. It was a chain attached to the wall. "What the...", he moves his wrist and rubs his eyes. His head was slightly throbbing along with his mouth dried as he tried to take in his bearings.
Finally his vision clear as he finds himself in a cell of some kind with thick metal bars.

"What happened? What's going on?", he thought to himself as he massaged his head trying to think back to his last memory. That's when it hit him. "That's right....i was fighting.", he thought as he kind went back to that moment when he suddenly had that immense surge of power when he saw that group of guard escorting that family about to get trampled by that mob of Griffons. "Wow....thats never happened before", he muttered and starts to look himself over. Most of his belongings like his coat, bags and weapons are gone. Leaving him with just his long sleeved shirt and cargo pocket pants. Various areas were bandaged up along his body. It seems whoever put him in this cell wants him alive, so that was a good sign....hopefully.

Most likely it was the ponies. He realized his hood and coat were off so there was no doubt everypony saw him. They must have been very wary of him so it was most likely they threw him in this cell to hold him in case he was a threat. "Can't say I blame them....", he signs and leans his back toward the wall. He was a Dragon after all. And they were all just attack by a group of them. So it was no surprise to him that they wouldn't trust him.
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
Celestia stared silently at the pit in response to Luna's own silence, she was obviously deep in thought. Though they were disguised, they still retained their innate abilities and Celestia could tell that the Princess of the Night was nostalgic about something. She presumed it was for the old days. “Wanna sign up for a few matches?” She asked Luna, knowing that she'd probably appreciate it. Fighting was in her blood after all. “Just go easy on everypony else, we don't want to be disqualified now, do we?” Celestia said with a chuckle, honestly it wouldn't be fair to anypony else really.

Whilst Celestia and Luna were having their conversation; Salacia was smiling smugly and self-satisfiedly at having apparently taunted Silvanus so much that she would not even respond any more. “What's the matter? Cat got your tongue, or are ya a chick- Ow!” Salacia was about to begin another line of taunting but Silvanus merely responded by tripping her up and sent her sliding right into a market vendor selling finely embroided clothes. The clothier could only watch in horror, knowing what was about to happen and being unable to stop it, as a little pegasus filly went sliding right into his stall and merchandise – tipping said stall over, as well as ripping the clothes and what wasn't ripped was now filthy with mud.

Uh oh, Salacia thought, I'm in soooo much trouble...
 
Anonmare Anonmare
"Oh, I plan on signing up. You think I'd come here and not s-..." She was interrupted as Salacia went flying into the vendors stall. She didn't see the earth turn to mud, and Silvanus immediately switched it back to regular solid ground so quickly that nopony even noticed. "WHAT IN THE HAY IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?" screamed the vendor at Salacia before turning his attention on Celestia and Luna. Of course to him they just looked like a unicorn and pegasus couple. He wouldn't dare yell at them or at Salacia had any of the Royal Family been in their true forms.

"And you two! Especially you two! You're paying for this! All of it!" He screamed at the both of them, which in turn just got Luna heated up and angry. "Well maybe you shouldn't park your cart IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAMN ROAD!" She yelled back at him. Surprisingly, nopony around them except a few really heard it, and they just kept walking. This festival was loud.

"Here's your damn money!" She said before pulling out 3 pouches of golden bits from her bags and chucking them at him. One hit him square in the eye, knocking him on his flank, another hit him in the throat and the last in a worse area down below. "And here, keep the cloth!" She throws picks up one of the tattered pieces of clothing and throws it over his face.

He was dead silent. He just sat there with his money. 'Don't further anger the crazy one' was his only thought.

Luna walked away with Salacia at her side, whom she promptly slapped over the head once they were far enough away.

Now the ponies in the tournament were going to have to deal with an annoyed Luna. That's even worse.
 
Passing the time in his cell, Cass decided to do sit-ups while counting the cobblestones on the ceiling. After a while, he lost count on his reps and ran out of stones. So he started counting cracks instead.

Just then, someone started tapping on the bars of his cell to get his attention. "Hey, up and at em! Our commanding officer wants to speak to you!", said two guard that were standing outside of his cell. The disburse to let through another pony clad in a different set of armor but a similar design. Possibly an exclusive set for higher ranks. Cassian merely responded thrusts his legs up with his weight and brought himself back up on his feet. He slowly approached the bars when he was suddenly met with two spears in his face. "That's close enough!", ordered the higher rank.

"I understand you guys are military but do you have to act like assholes? I mean this isn't exactly how you show treat a guest, even if you don't trust them", said Cassian as he stepped back and sat on his bed with his legs crossed.

"I'd watch the tongue if I were you Dragon! Remember, you're answers depend on your fate. As far as were concerned, you're a prisoner", the stallion smirked.

Cassian couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just like that they made him into an enemy and all he did was help. Yet he stayed composed. "Wouldn't the correct term be, 'Suspect'? I mean I don't see much reason why you'd assume I'm you're enemy", he stated as leaned down his cheek onto his claw.

"It doesn't matter, the fact is you're a Dragon and we have reports of dragon's out in the battle field. That should be more than enough evidence that you're a spy for the Griffon kingdom", stated the commanding officer.

Cassian could only just roll his eyes and ruffle his mane from what the stallion just said. "How unethical of you", he sighed. "Lemme guess, you just recently got promoted to your rank after one of the commanding officers were deemed KIA in battle weren't you?", exclaimed Cassian.

"What does that have to do with-", the commanding stallion was interrupted.

"Article 7 Chapter 9 of Equestrain Law. If an individual is under suspicion of revolt against the crown, the subject must questioned for investigation. The individual must not be harmed in any possible way or contained for no more than 24 to 48 hours; regardless of race, gender, religion, social class, or origin. Until proven otherwise, no further action or accusation will be taken", the young dragon quoted nonchantly. Even though the book he read may have been bit outdated, surely this law was still in effect

The two guard's mouths dropped along with thier spears at the commanding officer growled in frustration.

"So uh....may I please have a glass of water if it's not too much trouble?", Cass asked politely.
 
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Dreamweaver Dreamweaver
Celestia could only silently pray that the stallion would somehow realise his error when he began shouting at Salacia who shrunk back from the vendor screaming in her face, “I'm sorry mister...” She said, though she quickly recomposed herself and her wings flared back as her fight and flight (no pun intended) response kicked in and Salacia was the type of filly who would choose fight nine times out of ten. Unfortunately for the stallion vendor, he had no means of knowing who the Ponies he was shouting at are and, thusly, he felt the consequences when he began shouting at the disguised Princess of the Night whose aim with weaponry, both conventional and improvised, could not be understated.

They left him writhing upon the ground, a Pony in pain and thirty times richer than he started.

Salacia was about to blame her sister when Luna bapped her on the head and she thought better of trying to argue with Luna. Mom is scary when she's angry, was her thought of the day. “Well.” Celestia, as Daybreak, said simply. “That went well.” She added, frowning at Silva, she might have been quick with magic but Celestia was very sensitive to magic of all kinds and she knew that Silva was the one who made her sister slip and she made sure Silva knew that she knew.
 
Anonmare Anonmare
"Oh, shut up Ce-" She bit her tongue right as she was about to speak, her mind catching up with her words just in time, and she recomposed herself. Telling Celestia to shut up in front of the children would not be good role-modeling, but what would be worse is calling her Celestia out here. She didn't want anypony overhearing it and stalking them for the rest of the day to see if it was really the Princesses.

"What I meant to say, was... Yes, Daybreak, it went great." Luna gritted her teeth together, still fuming mad but not mad enough to accidentally yell at Celestia over this. Celestia didn't deserve to get yelled at.

Silva meanwhile met Celestia's gaze, grinned, and then went on walking ahead like nothing happened. Salacia had deserved it...
 
Cassian tried not to show any hostility when the guard splashed cold water on him.

Things were beginning to look uncertain if Cassian was gonna be released or not since they didn't have anything to convict him with. Luckily another commanding officer with more experience came in and managed to sort everything out. It was a mare this time and she seemed more calm than the arrogant jerk he had to deal with.

"Forgive us for the inconveince, sir. You weren't suppose to be in here in the first place. I didn't think our newest addition to our ranks would abuse his position and lock you up", she said.

"It's fine. I had worse awakenings", Cassian said to the armored mare.

"Well just get your things and send you on your way. We'd be sure to report this to the princesses if there wasnt much going on right now.", she stated while giving the stallion in question a stern glare.

"No that's fine. I'm sure your rulers have too much going on to deal with small things like this. Besides, I understand you're in the middle of war and trust isn't as easy to come by in times like these.", Cassian assured them. The accusing Stallion was taken aback that the Dragon would forgive him so easily.

"Either way, this most likely won't happen again. But no funny business. Which means if you start any trouble, we won't hesitate to kill you. Is that clear?", she stated with a stern glare.

"Yes mam.", Cass responded firmly without any sign of discouragement. He looks right into her eyes to make sure he got the message loud and clear.

"Alright then. Get his things and send him on his way.", she ordered the guards. As they went to get his things, the commanding mare went to the office to fill out his release forms.

- - - -

While they were gone, Cassian was alone again. Things were looking up now that he was off the hook. But still....that bucket of cold water was completly unnessassary. While he did promise no funny business, he figured a harmless helping of payback was in order...

- - - -
 
Arcus was in the barracks, fresh out the showers, with a towel around her mane, and set to cleaning and polishing her armour. It wasn't a requirement of the guard to clean their own armour daily, but it had been in the past, and Arcus' parents had trained her to clean her armour daily from an early age. As she did this, she was still soaking wet. Her only motion of drying herself had been to shake herself off once she left the shower.

With her armour clean, Arcus packed it away, quickly dried and combed her mane, then left and flew five times around the barracks to let the air dry her off, as well as finish warming down from the sparring practice the Solar Guard had just had. The pegasus touched down, and then began trotting to the gardens. It was a rare moment when she genuinely had nothing to do but relax, so she may as well take a stroll through the park.
 
Cyan Hide Cyan Hide
It was in the gardens that she would run into a certain dark gray mare... Sleeping.

Aurelia was passed out in the middle of the walkway. Her midsection was wrapped in bandages, presumably from an injury sustained while fighting. Arcus may or may not have heard that Aurelia had been sent with the first wave of troops against the griffons, and was one of the few who actually came back.

It looks like she had been working out with a jog, and then just sort of... Passed out halfway through.
 
Dreamweaver Dreamweaver

Arcus stopped at Aurelia's form, and prodded her. Arcus had heard that Aurelia had fought in Ponyvilla, and despite Arcus' protestations, she had been stationed at Canterlot. The reason given was that she was good at patrolling efficiently and didn't rest as much as others. She knew it was to protect the bloodline of Hurricane. Everybody know that, and Arcus getting preferential treatment had annoyed many Solar and Luna guards as much as it annoyed Arcus herself.

What Arcus didn't know was that Aurelia had sustained an injury.

"Hey, are you okay?" Arcus asked the prone mare softly. "You're sleeping in the middle of a park."
 
Cyan Hide Cyan Hide
Aurelia just about hits the sky with how high she jumps when prodded. "STAY BACK I'LL KIC-" she pauses when she sees Arcus and then smiles bashfully. The bandage wrapped around both of her wings, rendering them unusable, and she also had a bandage around her neck. "Oh hey, Arcus. Funny seeing you here. Where am I?" She looked around, and then nodded.

"Oh, I see. I passed out. Well at least I got to sleep..."
 
"What happened to you?" Arcus asked, gesturing to the bandages. "I heard that you were at the frontlines but I didn't knoqw you got hurt! I...should have been there too."
 
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