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

[Wylfen Shepard]

Dreamweaver

The young dragon was silent for a while as he tried to get his bearings on what happened. With his coat back on and the rest of his things, he follows Princess Luna to the way out of the sanctum. "I'm sorry about all this, your highness", he said solemnly out of the blue. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble for you. I'm sure you had more important things to take care with you're subjects and everything that's been going on", he said

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dreamweaver

"We are," Starlight answered, before ordering a starter of risotto, and a main of dandelion linguine. She looked over to see what Trixie was ordering, at the same time, admiring Trixie's confidence and gusto. Starlight wished she could bring herself to shout 'Waiter!' like that. Now that was how to live!

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"Doubting oneself is good." Luna said as they walked. She unsheathed her runeblade and the thing began to shift, until it was simply a large silver pole, standing about her height. It was incredibly detailed, with scenes of great battles up and down the length of it. "If you don't doubt yourself, you'll get cocky. If you get cocky, you'll get dead. For all the magical power you hold, one well placed swing will kill you. So keep doubting yourself! It'll keep you alive."

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
That was a strange bit of advice but he'll take it regardless. He didn't think he was getting cocky. It was more or less his insecurities coming out there, believing that he was far less than the rest of them. It is so easy to believe that you're worthless when the world doesn't care whether you live or die for most of your life. He was only just now realizing that maybe, just maybe, he might actually be something.

"Alright..." He agreed quietly, glancing between the Lunar Guards. "Still a bit strange. I suppose I will be coming here a lot?"

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"I doubt it. I am here to show you to your study room." Luna replied with a chuckle as they turned a corner and entered a long hallway. The walls of this hallway were not made of metal; they were made of bones. Legs and arms of creatures long dead, including some ponies, skulls of massive hydras and other beasts all made up the walls of this hallway. There were no doors, except for one massive one at the end. As they walked, Luna pulled the silver staff from her back and stopped in front of the door.

It was large. Twice Luna's height and wide enough for two of her to walk through shoulder-to-shoulder. A design of a ponies skull was in the center of the door, split down the middle by the doors crease. It remained locked at the moment. "Hold out your paw." She commanded, while slamming the butt of her staff on the ground. A curved blade sprouted from the top of it, roughly 3 feet in length and made of what appeared to be condensed shadow. The blade had stars floating in the midst of it, and small specs of gray floating all around it much the same as her great-sword had.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
A study room? He didn't really know what exactly that was. He was liking the decor, though; hallways made of bone? That was right up his alley, and considerably neat all on its own. He doubted that they were actually made of bone - bonus points if they actually were - but he just had a thing for anything undead-related now. Considering how close he was to being an undead, it was ironic that he liked it.

The door at the end of a hallway threw him for a bit of a loop. Was that supposed to be his study room? To be fair, Luna couldn't really account for him being a bunny of all things, but damn that might just be a little too large for him. Regardless, he was still digging the design choices so he could live with it. He couldn't imagine normal pony objects would be difficult for him to use anyway. He can jump high and has magic on his side!

At the request, he held out his paw for her. "What's this for?"

 

[Wylfen Shepard]

Dumbledoof

Dreamweaver

After his run-up with Princess Luna, the young dragon finally made his way to the Thirsty Tongue Inn. While things were awkwardly quiet most of the time he was with it, he was internally joyful that he finally had a chance to actually meet her. Even though he wished he parted ways with her on a good note, he thought it was best to leave her be. Considering the circumstances. For now the focus was more on the battle against the Griffon invasion. And it doesn't take a genius to know she was a busy mare. Although, he had a strange distinct feeling theyed be meeting again.

Either way, Cassian was a bit less woozy but still tired from his contact with the Sacred Tree.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Wylfen Shepard
Expellix entered that same inn a few minutes after Cassian had. He had been busy for the last few days, what with the preparations for the battle to come at Canterlot, not to mention his abilities as a healer being needed. Though he was injured at the battle for Ponyville, that wasn't going to stop him from doing what he needed to.

A plethora of bandages medical remedies were wrapped around him, particularly his torso and head. His jaw had been broken, unfortunately, limiting him to just speaking telepathically. He spotted Cassian and recognized the dragon, walking over.

"Greetings, dragon," he waved. "Interesting finding you in another inn. I never caught your name the last time we met."

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dumbledoof

Cadence was pacing through the corridors of the palace, regal-like. She was heading to one of the many guest/lounge/meeting/recreation rooms,, simply looking for ways to occupy herself while she must stay at the palace.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Cyan Hide
Asa had been wandering around the halls as well, not sure if what to do. All the adults were busy doing stuff usually... While she might fill in that gap by playing with Silvanus or something, she spotted Cadence. Well, why not go adoptive mother instead like what every l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶l̶̶s̶p̶a̶w̶n̶ child should do?

She scampered after Cadence, her claws clinking against the ground. "Cadence!" She yelled. "Wait up!"

 

[Cyan Hide]

Dumbledoof

Cadence looked behind her to see Asa approach her, she smiled and waved, waiting for her to catch up. "Hello, little one!" In truth Cadence was just as bored, and was missing her old child, so this meeting was at a good time for her too.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Cyan Hide
Asa happily came up to Cadence's side. Her crystal scales shined beautifully in the light, showing their many different facets and colors, if sharply edged in several places. "Whatcha doing?" She asked enthusiastically. "Everybody is busy an' I don't have much to do..."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
It had been about 3 hours since Asa, Flurry Heart, Silvanus and Salacia had been kidnapped. During the first hour, both Silvanus and Salacia were sure that their parents would arrive at any moment and save them. Their mothers were deities, after all; and who is crazy enough to steal a deities children? Silvanus, and especially Salacia, both made a habit of telling their captors this was a terrible idea and that, if they let them go now, their mothers might decide to spare their lives. For a pair of fillies, they were rather calm and collected in this situation. Luna and Celestia had trained them for no less.

It was after the first hour that panic began to set in. One of their mothers, or both, should have been here by now. They could literally teleport across the planet, where were they?! "Maybe... Maybe they get that smokey stuff, like we got?" Silvanus asked with an arched eyebrow, to which Salacia just sighed and nodded her head. "Woona and Sunny would have been here already. They musta got it."

They were talking, of course, about the 'gas'. That's what the fillies had taken to calling it. It came in a small black capsule, and exploded into a black mist. It had been used in the room they were being held in, and had rendered all of the younglings powerless. Even as a filly, Silvanus was more than strong enough to punch a hole in armor with her hoof. But that gas just... Took it all away. Her strength, her magic, even her healing abilities if the massive lump on her head where a soldier had hit her was an indication. That lump should have been gone in a few seconds at most.

She didn't like feeling so vulnerable.

After being hit, Silvanus and Salacia had both stopped yelling threats at the guards. With the exception of that one strike, the guards hadn't done anything to hurt them. Although they were all under close guard and there were thick chains wrapped around their wings and hoof-cuffs around their legs. Asa and hadn't gotten off any easier, and was equally chained down. Flurry Heart seemed to be the only exception, simply because she was still an infant and, due to being over her magical spasms, was rather non-threatening. The guards kept a pellet on-hand in case anything happened with her, but for the most part she just cried a lot and slept.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Asa, for her part, had mostly managed to keep a cool head as well. She was a little more difficult to actually hurt than normal, mostly due to the fact of the crystals growing on her scales. It tended to deflect blows, and though they were quite a bit softer than that of a fully grown dragon, they would prove to be a bit of a nuisance. That didn't really stop them, though. They just decided to break the crystals.

That caused her a great amount of discomfort and little pain, fortunately. While they grew naturally, they were nonliving for the most part and were more like a protective coating over her actual scales. It wasn't as if she hadn't chipped or broken a couple crystals before anyway. They were made to be constantly replaced at her age, growing new ones as she aged and her body developed.

Asa had put up a bit of a fight when she first saw the Changelings. While not as strong as Silvanus, but certainly stronger than Salacia, she would have been able to claw through their armor just fine. Not only that, but her sharp crystalline scales made her a bit difficult to handle. Just like the other two, the smoke got the best of her and she soon succumbed as well, knocked unconscious and dragged off. It was a lousy end, in her book, but at least she was alive.

"They... they must have." She responded quietly to the other two. There wasn't any other explanation. "Where do you think they're taking us...?"

 

[Wylfen Shepard]

Dumbledoof

The receptionist looked internally skeptical about letting a Dragon take lodging in his Inn, but luckily he's more concerned about business. The moment he gives a key to his room, Cassian's frills twitch upon hearing a familiar voice.

Turning around, he didn't see anyone, until he felt a presence right under his snout. His emerald green eyes now lay upon his acquaintance from back in Ponyville. "Um....Expellix!", he snapped his claws upon remembering the undead rabbit from the Tavern when he first came into town. "Looks like you made it, huh?", he asked with a casual smirk. Will it's true that the undead rabbit still kinda freaks him out a bit, he's glad he made it safely to Canterlot.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Wylfen Shepard
Expellix wasn't an undead, at least not yet. Though he isn't alive either. His situation was difficult to explain.

He nodded shortly, glancing around. "Yes, I've been here for a while already. Trixie and Starlight teleported us to Canterlot when I was knocked unconscious in the Battle for Ponyville. Broke my damn jaw." He pointed at his face and the many bandages wrapped around it, and then swept a paw lightly over his torso as well. "I can tell you've been busy as well. Your presence feels different now. Got some new tricks up your sleeve or is it just for show?"

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
Both Salacia and Silvanus shrugged at her question, though Salacia is the one who spoke up. "Probably somewhere... Dark. And scary. Scary like, there's no water around, and it's all rock as far as the eye can see..." to which Silvanus let out a loooong sigh and responded, "Probably somewhere scary, like in the middle of a lake with no way to shore. Terrifying..."

Flurry Heart responded 'googoo gaga' from somewhere in front of them.

"... Do you think our parents are dead?" Silvanus asked quietly to Salacia, who vehemently shook her head. "Dead? How? Neither of our mommies can die, the smoke just might make them a bit dizzy, obviously... Stupid-face. Dead... Woona can fight a whooooole army by herself, I don't think some dumb griffon will hurt her."

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
"I doubt that..." she mumbled. That thought didn't sit very well with her. As far as she could tell, those two were almost unkillable. "Well, we need to at least protect Flurry... she isn't even old enough to defend herself yet. What a bunch of creeps..."

She went quiet afterward, looking down at Flurry Heart and leaning over, sniffing her slightly. She was just double-checking that Flurry Heart wasn't hurt, she was pretty much her baby sister at this point. Her eyes darkened slightly. "Well, at least none of us are really hurt. I guess we just have'ta wait until they come and get us."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
"Naw I'm gonna get us outta here... Somehow. Just you wait!" Salacia chirped quietly, but happily. Silvanus just looked at her with a slight frown, obviously not really believing the boast but not really about to argue against it either. She wasn't really in the mood for arguing right now, and fighting over an escape plan when their captors were all around was probably not a good idea.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Asa didn't really believe the boast either, but it was critical if they were going to get out of here to think positively. Being cautiously optimistic was a good thing in her book. For now, she just sat next to Flurry Heart protectively.

She had no idea how they were going to escape. She didn't even know how many of them there were that was going to be between them and the exit. Plus, wouldn't they just lob more of that gas at them if they tried to do anything? Would the effect get worse the second time? She certainly didn't want to be hit by it again.

"Well... maybe I could blind them and you guys can make a run for it?" She suggested awkwardly. "I only recently got my breath, but... it hurts others eyes when they look at it."

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
Silvanus shook her head slightly and frowned. "We have chains around our wings and our legs. Even without being weak, I don't think I could break these chains. So running... Isn't really an option. I might be able to summon an earthen spike to cut my chains, but I can't do it for us all and I can't fight an whole encampment alone." She said quietly, dissecting that plan apart.

"True... And no water is around, so I can't do much right now without a weapon." Salacia sighed out. "Plus, I counted 27 guards with us last time I checked, like mommy taught me too. All of 'em seem to be heavily armored and have enchanted weapons. This wasn't a random foalnapping." She shrugged her shoulders a bit.

They were so far from Canterlot that they couldn't even see the mountain anymore. The griffons had flown for 3 hours straight at full tilt, and then set up camp for the night once the sun had set. The only remaining hope was that Luna was planning to arrive in the middle of the night to save them, but she probably would not have waited.

And in the morning they'd be moving again.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Asa let out a long sigh. She had woke up last out of them. This didn't come as a surprise to her that they hadn't just kidnapped them on a whim. Until such a time that they were found and rescued from the griffons, her real goal at the moment was to keep Flurry Heart safe. Silvanus and Salacia would be able to take care of themselves, more or less. They were not alicorns for no reason, and she was a crystal dragon. That automatically would make others steer away normally.

She looked around the camp, eyes seemingly searching for something. "I imagine this is just going to get worse for us from this point forward..." she murmured. "If we think it's bad now, I'm calling it that this is the good part still. We're going to get to the bad part soon whenever we apparently get to wherever they're taking us."

 

[Wylfen Shepard]

Dumbledoof

Cass couldn't help but ponder at his question. "To be honest with you.....i have no idea. I had an eventful day and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it", he answered after a moment of silence.

"Its Cassian. Like in Cassian the Solitary in that old story", he mention before kneeling down to Expellix.

"So you got swept up in that fight too huh? I'm sorry to hear that.", he winced at the end while taking a close look at his jaw. "Damn, they licked a good one on you. If you want, I know a nature healing spell that might speed up your recovery a bit"

 

[Dreamweaver]

Dumbledoof
As the sun began to set and the night took over, it was time once again for more of Expellix's lessons. On most nights, the training lasted only for 1 or 2 hours; Luna worked from 7 PM to 7 AM, and most of her time was spent alone. Night Court ranged from 7-12 PM, and then she would go hunting in the Everfree Forest from 12-5 in the morning. It was her job to keep the monsters from encroaching beyond the Everfree's border... And Expellix had yet to earn the right to come hunting with her.

Tonight was slightly different. Right after Night Court, Luna had come to get him; skipping the hunt altogether. Although judging by her current demeanor, she was on a different type of hunt tonight. She wore no armor, due to simply having no use for it, and had her twin scimitars sheathed at her sides.

They were currently overlooking the Solar Guard barracks, from a rooftop nearby. From this position they could see the entrance to the barracks, and could keep an eye on the comings and goings. Well, Luna could. They were still over a hundred feet away, and not even Expellix had perfect night vision. Surely Luna would tell him when she was ready to proceed with... Whatever they were doing here.

 

[Dumbledoof]

Dreamweaver
Expellix was seeing himself becoming a bit of a night owl now. Ever since he had taken up apprenticeship underneath Luna, he had slowly been transitioning from being awake during the day to being awake during the night. It was one he noticed every so often simply because he was quite observant on his own, but not truly an important one. It made sense that he would be more active during the night now. Though, sleep was still a requirement for him so he did have to do every so often at minimum.

He certainly wasn't expecting Luna to come and get him. It didn't have a set time, sure, but he found that it would have usually happened after her hunt in the Everfree Forest. This was a bit different, and the spot slightly more difficult to get to. He could just teleport there, but what was the fun i that? He rather liked using his legs to spring around.

From his position, he could see... something. It wasn't much, really, maybe a slight movement in the darkness from this distance, or a tiny figure whenever they stepped into the light. He would have to be a lot closer to get any resemblance of a good look. If only he could do the cool stuff Luna could in the night.

"What are we doing, Master?" He asked quietly. "I thought you would be out hunting."