Screaming through the forests on the border of the Badlands, a lone Gryphon, cut and bloodied almost beyond recognition, hobbled to civilisation hoping to be freed from the peril he'd just left behind. His screams fell short of any sentient life. He knew the risks of attracting more predators, but he felt that they were avoidable even if they found him, what wasn't avoidable was what he was screaming and running from.
Through his heavy panting, he saw the faint glow of moonlight beyond the treeline and knew he'd made it to the edge of the forest. 'Thank Celestia' he thought, even though Celestia was not his deity Truthfully, the Gryphons had no need to believe in an afterlife. Nomadic in nature, they believed death in battle to be the ultimate privilege. To exist in any way shape or form afterward would be nothing but an insult. This Gryphon however, thought differently after having seen what he'd seen. He'd entered the forest with a hunting party of seven. None but himself made it more than a yard from the point of contact.
Pushing through the pain all over his body, he picked up the pace. Even if by a fraction, it would be fast enough; or so he thought. As he cut through the treeline, he filled his lungs and went to call out for help. He barely managed the first two letters before he was silenced by a large creature. It had caught his hind legs with its teeth, causing him to trip up and fall face first into the ground. He bit his lip and pain seared through his mouth, followed by a warm fluid that was too metallic for saliva. With a mouthful of blood, he was unable to call out again as his once prey, now turned predator dragged him back into the depths of the forest.
The gurgled cries of the Gryphon could be heard from three yards away at the most. Far enough for a widowed old Gryphon to hear. It didn't take her long to deduce the situation. She'd heard similar cries from animals, but what frightened her were the gargled words instead of the high screeching or bleated baying. Reacting on instinct, the Gryphoness locked her doors and closed the curtains on her windows; she turned out the lights and took refuge under the covers of her bed.
The following morning, the villagers listened to the Gryphoness' story. While some refused to believe her, others went so far as to investigate the treeline. It didn't take long for one of them to spot a dried up trail of blood leading into the forest Some feathers remained pinned to the ground, further proving the old one's story. A large number of villagers armed themselves with everyday farming equipment and went into the forest to investigate.
Several minutes in, and the carcass of their fallen brother had been found; half of it at least. Different emotions spread out through the villagers. Some were angry, others worried for their lives. This Gryphon had died as prey, not as a warrior He had been disgraced. Later that day; three of the villagers, including the widow made track for the High Kingdom of the Gryphon Empire.
It took a week for them to arrive, but they arrived unscathed, which was all they could have asked for and sadly all they received. The Emperor was unwilling to listen to reason. Possessing a race-wide superiority complex, he refused to believe a Gryphon could fall to anything short of another one.
Sent on their way without the promise of aid, the three were ten minutes out of the city's edge when the widow offered an alternative solution: They could either return home empty handed, or they could go further West to the Border of Equestria, where the newest Princess, Twilight Sparkle (who had taken an abandoned Gryphon state as her own without complaint from the Gryphon Emperor) resided. The other two, though uncomfortable asking the Equestrians for aid, realised they could either swallow their pride or let their comrades back home be mercilessly killed. In the end, the decision was obvious. It would be even more shameful to not seek help from a neutral race than it would to go home knowing they had the potential to save their friends.
The journey had taken a further week. They were thankful that Twilight's territory was a wedge in the Gryphon Empire's. Explaining their situation to the Dawnguard Captain, Rainbow Dash, they were allowed to rest and given food and water after their journey. All the while, Rainbow Dash had put in a request order for an audience with the Princess. Knowing these orders could take anywhere from twenty-four hours to three days, Dash gave the gryphons accommodation within the castle to the three tired travellers.
That evening, Dash spoke with Twilight.
"It's strange. Gryphons never ask ponies for help. They're too proud. That was evident in Gilda's personality." Twilight commented, staring at the audience form as if it were an indecipherable artifact from an Ancient ruin.
"I know what you mean, but I've never seen Gryphons so tired and spooked before. These three aren't Soldiers like most others, they're genuinely village folk." Dash replied. She removed her helmet to reveal her shortened Rainbow Mane. She was taller than most of her Guards and she'd aged really well. She was in her thirties and there were barely any wrinkles on her face, but her eyes showed experience.
Twilight was taller, but she hadn't aged a day beyond her transformation. Her wings were larger than Dash's, then again, so was she. She truly looked like a Lavender Luna in Dash's eyes. Her Galaxy themed mane and tail suited her. It was just like Twilight to take on an Astronomus theme. "That's the worrisome bit. If they aren't soldiers, then their reason for being here must be genuine and if it's so bad that they need our help, well... I'd rather not know what the problem is. Nevertheless, I'll see them first thing in the morning." Twilight lifted a quill from her table and signed the form with her name. "Let your guards know to expect them. I'll also be holding a meeting with Celestia and Luna. If it involves the Gryphons, I want them present. Their experience will undoubtedly be helpful in this situation. That being said, could you be a dear and sent this a letter to Luna when you're done with this form?" she asked. Dash knew it wasn't an order, so she decided to play around.
"You know, I do sleep Twilight. Why not get Spike to send the letter?" she asked.
"Spike's in Canterlot, visiting Rarity and undoubtedly trying to win her over while helping her. After that, he'll be visiting Applejack so we can exchange letters." she replied. Dash thought about the last time she saw Spike.
"Is that why he was carrying a dragon egg in his bag?" she asked.
"Yes, I decided to give our friends back in Ponyville their own baby dragon to raise so we can communicate to each other. Since only Myself and the other Princesses know how to return a letter sent through a dragon, it would be best if they had their dragon send it and I replied through it." she replied.
Dash began flapping her wings excitedly. Her foalish nature hadn't completely subsided over the years. "Ooh, can I send some letters to them as well? I don't really trust the regular mail services, not since Derpy left to join the Dawnguard. Ironically enough, it ran better with her there."
"That's because the Post office was full of morons. Derpy was just cross-eyed." Twilight said venomously, remembering a bad situation regarding the Manager. "Okay then. But We should both write on the same parchment. We don't want their dragon getting sick, do we?" she asked, smiling honestly.
"They can get sick from that?" Dash asked.
"Of course. Remember how Spike was after that first encounter with Discord? He'd belched up all of the friendship reports I'd given to Celestia and he wouldn't even look at Ice-cream for weeks. I had to make smoothies out of his food, just to keep him healthy." Twilight replied. Dash recalled the following weeks and nodded.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Alright, could you let me know when you're going to write a letter to the others? I wanna tell them about us." she asked. Twilight chuckled.
"Alright. I guess if I tried to tell them about us, they wouldn't understand what I meant by it." she handed Dash the Audience request form, concluding the conversation. Dash looked around the room for signs of other guards. When nopony was present, she quickly leaned in and gave Twilight a peck on the cheek.
"Be right back." she said, dashing out of the room. Twilight chuckled again and began writing her letter to the other Princesses.
Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,
...
Chapter 1: The Journey Begins (Revised)
The Royal court had been gathered the following morning. Those present were Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Blueblood and Cadence. Blueblood's presence was unnecessary, yet he'd insisted on being present for this particular meeting. Knowing him too well, the Princesses broke it down to wanting to revel in the supposedly superior Gryphons' begging. The Captains of each Royal member were present, seated below their respective Princesses. Dash sat below Twilight. A new Captain had been selected from Celestia's guard to replace Shining Armour. His name was Stone Wall; easily the most unshakable guard in the army. He was an obvious choice.
Ceasar was a fast thinker and a brilliant tactician. Descendant from Luna's previous Captain before her exile, he was the best choice for the position. It had taken him a matter of seconds to provide several escape routes should the meeting go wrong.
Cadence had chosen a more subtle Captain. This one seemed harmless, untrained and insecure. In actuality, he was the best and brightest mage in the Crystal Empire. Young and full of enthusiasm, he gave off a rather shifty stance.
Rainbow Dash had been trained at the Wonderbolt Academy for the purpose of boosting her strength and speed, but her tactics were taught to her by Shining Armour himself. She was a purely instinctual Soldier, able to read the situation and find a way around it as she went along.
With everypony gathered, the three Gryphons were escorted into the courtroom. Their uneasiness was evident in their inability to look upon the Princesses for more than an instant. They stood together in the centre of the courtroom, their heads bowed. Twilight was the first to address the visiting Gryphons, as was customary given this was her kingdom.
"Welcome, friends; It is a pleasure to have you here with us today, and we hope that this meeting may improve relations between Equestria and the Gryphon Empire" she said, keeping a formal and polite tone. The three Gryphons looked up to her with hopeful looks in their eyes. "Don't be afraid, tell us why you have come to us." Twilight cooed. While the other two Gryphons were still a little apprehensive, the widow spoke up.
"Please, Princess... there's a terrible creature within the Badlands that's been attacking in a very peculiar order." she began. Twilight cut her off.
"Peculiar in what way?" she enquired.
"It started with minor animals but gradually worked its way up the food chain. It's systematically attacking stronger creatures. Before last month, a Hydra corpse was found half eaten on the border of a village South of our own. The next night, one of our hunting parties was killed. We only found the remains of one of them, he was ripped in two. We never found the other half, nor the other hunters." one of the other Gryphons spoke up. There were murmurs within the court as the story told unnerved the nobles who had taken part in the meeting.
"You say this takes place at night?" Luna asked. All three Gryphons nodded. "Then this falls under my jurisdiction. I will find a way to eliminate this threat to my peaceful night." she concluded.
"One question; why come to us? Surely your Emperor should be the one handling this situation?" Celestia asked. The Gryphons looked between each other.
" The Emperor refuses to consider this thing a threat to our race. He truly believes that we are beyond defeat. And we figured that it could very well go after Equestrians next. It never seems to stay in the same place twice." the Widow replied.
"What can you tell us about this creature?" Twilight asked.
"Nothing. When it attacked, I heard the victim, nothing more. No carnivorous sounds. It was as if the creature silenced him and then dragged him away to eat without being discovered." the widow replied again.
"So it's carnivorous, silent and deadly, possesses quite a degree of intelligence and doesn't want to be seen. This is... a unique predator." Cadence chimed in.
"You think it has an ulterior motive?" Twilight asked. Cadence shuddered at the thought.
"A carnivorous predator with a goal, could there be anything more frightening?" she asked in return.
"Perhaps a Hunting Party of our own would succeed in at least figuring out what this creature is." Celestia suggested.
"I'll select a team myself." Luna replied.
"I'll join your team. If anypony can note important information on a new species, it's me." Twilight said.
"No, My sister wouldn't allow it and this isn't your jurisdiction." Luna replied firmly.
"I wasn't asking. I have a duty to my ponies to protect them from this danger and nothing short of that is going to stop me." Twilight replied just as sternly. Luna was surprised by Twilight's resolve and turned to Celestia for advice.
"She's beyond our control, as a Princess herself, she has the right to join regardless of what we say. And if we try to deny her, she'll form her own team instead." Celestia said. Luna sighed and nodded in defeat.
"Very well. I suppose your attention to detail will come in handy when labeling this predator. Obviously, our Captains will be part of the team, but I figure we need at least six." Luna replied. Twilight felt a sense of smug satisfaction over her victory.
"We may be able to help you there. If you're looking for a strong and capable team member, there's one of your kind in the Neutral Zone shoreline. Goes by the name of Hawkeye." one of the Gryphons said.
"Hawkeye's a Pirate." Stone Wall called out, believing that to be enough reason to eliminate him as a potential team member.
"Not just any Pirate, but the Pirate King. Why would he bother helping us?" Luna asked.
"No offense to your Captains, but he and his crew are far more capable of surviving this predator and protecting you in the process. His seven-hundred million bit bounty is proof of that." the gryphon replied. Everypony in the room went wide-eyed, including Blueblood.
"Seven-hundred million?!" they all cried out.
"Yes, he's been robbing our Emperor blind and no-one seems to know how he does it. As a result, the Emperor plans to give half of what Hawkeye has stolen to the one who finds him."
"So essentially, if we were to travel with him, we'd have to be on the look out for both the predator and Gryphons wanting his head?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, but I think two royal ponies in Gryphon territory would have pretty much the same result, so it won't really matter." the Widow replied.
"Very well. You said he's at the shoreline? We should consider leaving immediately." Luna declared.
"Excuse, me Princess, but are you serious? Hawkeye is the monster responsible for the destruction of Seaddle Arabia's Eastern trading line. Because of that, half the populace succumbed to famine and more than half of them died as a result." Stonewall interjected.
"Hawkeye is obviously the kind of Pirate who likes a challenge. If Equestria falls to this predator, then plundering will be made too easy for him. 'A game is hardly a game if it's not challenging.' That's the kind of Pirate he is." Luna replied.
The Shoreline is a small town in the Neutral Zone. It's best known for its cargo transport as direct delivery into opposing states often ends in destruction. Shoreline ships are recognised by their white dragon on the hull. Both parties know that Dragons, like the Shoreline are Neutral in the conflict between Gryphons and Equestrians and that is why white dragons are placed on the hull. Every now and then, ships from the opposing lands will enter the Neutral zone at the same time, but under the agreement all leaders signed, the Neutral Zone doubles as a No-War Zone.
Luna slept in her cabin as her Flagship, the 'E.S Reborn' made its final approach to the Shoreline Docks. Rainbow Dash had taken command as Twilight found herself seasick within minutes of departure from Equestria. The Rainbow Pegasus called out the orders required to dock. The ship would have weighed anchor out at sea and had a boat sent to drop the team off, however, Celestia had asked Luna to also transport some supplies that had been requested, so the Reborn would be there for a while after the team departed.
"Princess Luna, we're here." Dash said as she opened the door to the Princess' cabin. Luna awoke feeling slightly groggy.
"Thank you, Rainbow Dash... You can tell Twilight she can stop being sick now." Luna replied. Dash chuckled and left the Princess to her devices.
The Shoreline was bustling with ponies and Gryphons who had wanted no part of the eminent war; though the war had been eminent for ten years. Those ponies who saw Princess Luna stopped what they were doing and bowed before her, then again as they spotted Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash and Ceasar kept close to their respective Princesses, prepared to defend them at a moment's notice.
Twilight spotted a rather large ship with a beautiful design of black and white paint, red sails, and a statue of Princess Luna on the Hull. Twilight thought the statue looked more seductive than the real thing. Ceasar caught the same ship in his eye and brought Luna's attention to it with a protest.
"Why, that it the most appalling insult to your name, Princess." he said. Luna looked at the statue.
"Is that me?" she asked.
"Looks like you." Twilight replied. The statue had the Princess seemingly standing on her hind legs, one hoof covering her exposed nethers, the other across her chest. She looked beautiful. Luna was tempted to copy the pose to see how she might look, but thought better of it. She had an image to maintain, even in the Neutral Zone.
"Ignore it, Ceasar. It's not harming anypony. Besides, the way I hear it, ships often display maidens sexily posed. If anything, I should consider it flattering." she said.
"Flattering?! It's portrayed you with your hoof over your-."
"Over my what, Ceasar?" she challenged, wanting to shut him up. "Would you prefer I weren't covering myself?" she pushed. Ceasar blushed redder than an apple.
"My apologies, Princess. I didn't mean to question your opinion." he replied.
"It's fine, Ceasar. Perhaps next time, let me discover these things for myself and let me decide if I like it before presuming." she replied. With the matter settled, the four ponies began their search for the infamous Hawkeye. Ponies and Gryphons both seemed hesitant to even reply which gave both Captains the sneaking suspicion that they knew and were weighing their options.
Having spent the better half of a day searching for their target, they decided to take a break at the local pub. They took a table in the corner and ordered their drinks and food. Twilight had cider with a hay sandwich. Luna decided on red wine and a salad. Dash had water and hayfries while Ceasar settled on cider and a fruit salad.
"Maybe Hawkeye's not in the Shoreline. I mean he is a Pirate, and they set out for sea more often than not." Twilight suggested.
"We'd best hope not. It could take weeks for him to return here and every day waiting is another day the predator has of attacking Ponies and Gryphons." Luna replied. Ceasar took a quick glance around the pub.
"I think he is here." he whispered.
"What makes you think that?" Dash asked curiously.
"Look around, only a select few ponies are staring at us. All of them look unruly, just like Pirates." he replied. Before anypony could respond to that a tall dark grey mare with Green eyes and a darker green mane and tail approached them.
"I hear you're looking for Hawkeye?" she asked. Twilight took the initiative and responded with in a kind manner.
"Yes, we are. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you? We're hoping to get his help with something of great importance."she replied. The grey mare considered Twilight's words carefully.
"Come with me." she said, walking out of the pub. The others abandoned their meals, leaving the bits on the table for the waitress to collect. They followed the Grey mare to the ship with Luna's statue on it.
"Who'd have thought, huh?" Dash asked Ceasar who sighed in response. They were greeted with cautious looks from the skeleton crew on the deck. The grey mare barked orders for them to return to work and they did so without question.
"Name's Poison Arrow, by the way." the grey mare said.
"Nice to meet you Poison Arrow, I'm-."
"I know who you are, Princess. And I know your guards as well; Captain Rainbow Dash and Captain Ceasar. We know all about you and your unique traits." Poison Arrow replied coldly. Twilight kept silent. If they were going to get Hawkeye's help, she needed to respect him and the crew.
Poison Arrow opened the door to the Captain's Cabin. She stood aside to let the four visitors in before closing the door behind herself. All they could see was the silhouette of the Captain. He appeared to be wearing a round wide brimmed hat with a feather sticking out from one side. There seemed to be a sort of coat or cloak resting over his shoulders, but the one thing that the ponies could see clearly were the golden eyes of a hawk, more refined than a Gryphon's eyes.
"Well then, this is a surprise indeed. Don't normally get visitors of such... grand calibre. Not unarmed anyway." the Captain said. His voice had a thick accent belonging to that of somepony raised in Trottingham.
"Are you Captain Hawkeye?" Luna asked.
"Wat'chu think?" he asked in return Luna saw his eyes narrow and she felt light headed for a moment, as if somepony had tried to magically render her unconscious. She stumbled for a moment before being caught by Ceasar. "Sorry 'bout that. Got these nifty little eyes after I stole a Zabra's daughter from a slave-trader. The father was very grateful. I can use it at will, but sometimes it'll happen of its own accord, I haven't gotten full control of it yet." Hawkeye explained.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"The Zebras call it 'Moeg' which means 'Faint' in their language. I just call it 'Dominance'." he replied. "Now then, what can I do for you? Rarely does somepony of your status come to me without a bounty poster and a crossbow." he asked.
Luna fixed herself and stood proud before the Captain. "We'd like to ask for your help in dealing with a dangerous predator." she said.
"And 'ow dangerous is this predator, exactly?" he asked.
"It's systematically working its way up the food chain, moving around and avoiding visual contact so we can't tell what it is or even what it looks like. It's silent, won't even eat noisily." Luna replied.
"Really? Now that is interesting. Such a creature is indicative of a Velociraptor, but that was a creature that became extinct long before the even the Ancients roamed the planet. Dinosaurs was what they were called. Prehistoric even to the Ancients. It's virtually impossible for one to exist in this day and age. So what you're looking for is something that acts like a Raptor, but is stronger and smarter." he said.
"How do you know so much about Ancient history?" Twilight asked.
"By going through Ancient tombs. When you're a Pirate, the sky's the limit." he replied.
"Captain, this Predator is working its way up the food chain Its most recent attack was a Gryphon and I fear ponies may be next. I'm willing to pay you for your employment should you choose to accept." Luna offered.
"Think nothing of it, Princess. For you, I'm at your disposal free of charge. If this predator's as dangerous as you say it is, then it'll undoubtedly begin to increase the number of kills it makes, in which case, no-one is safe. In short, it'd be in our best interests to join you in taking this thing down." he said. It was then that he got out of his chair, walked around the table and entered the light emanating through the door. Hawkeye was a Pinto stallion with white and brown fur, a brown mane and tail, a little brown goatee, an eyepatch over his left eye and a golden earring hanging from his right ear. Around his neck was a chain necklace with what looked like a wedding ring for the horn of a Unicorn or Alicorn. Luna found herself thinking Hawkeye familiar for some reason, even though she'd never seen him before.
"Princesses, you got yourselves a crew. Welcome aboard the S.S. Crescent!"
