True Colors

Reason and Red

It was eerily quiet in the former home of the dead duke. The battle had left a somber mood for the leaders of the Lunar Republic, after Thunder Cracker’s yelling was finished. Two days ago they had a resounding victory against the Grand Army forces sent to take Stalliongrad and the Pie Duchy back from them. They had gained over three hundred soldiers from the fight, with more being very slowly converted from the prisoners, and the leader of the enemy regiment sent against them had been identified among the dead. Yet so had Hail Bolt. They had lost one of their leaders. This left most of the Republic quiet about their victory. They didn’t want to speak of it because of what they had lost. Yet they could not remain still for long. They had the troops they needed to start invading the Silver-seas Duchy, and it was time for them to go on the offensive again.

Nightmare Moon took a breath, and broke the silence, “We’ve wasted enough time. I was fine with giving the soldiers time to adapt to their allies and the…loss of Hail Bolt, as I was certain we would hear back a response from the ponies we sent to Gildaris by now. It’s been too long, though. We need to press forward while we have the advantage. Celestia likely does not yet know of the attack’s failure. The Silver-seas don’t have that many significant towns, but there are quite a few villages between here and North Bay. We should work our way down the Empress’ Road until it starts curving south, and conquer any villages in our way.”

Quiet filled the building again. It was awhile before Masque Raid responded, “I’m assuming that once it starts bending south we’ll cut through the wetlands to the part of the road that leads to North Bay?”

“Yes. It’ll be slow going, but far less dangerous than if we went down to the border with the Platinum Duchy and came back up. North Bay has secure walls, and we can really only attack it from one side. Not to mention that the city guards there actually have their own little fortress. We’ll need to keep any troops we might lose fighting a force patrolling said border to ensure the best possible outcome.” Nightmare answered.

“And who would be leading this force?” Thunder Cracker asked, staring at the fire burning in the fireplace in a lost way.

“Me.” The alicorn answered, eliciting a snort from the earth stallion. “And since I know how much you mistrust them I’ll be taking mostly our newly acquired forces.”

“Really? I’m supposed to trust you leading Grand Army forces?” The angry stallion queried as he looked back at Nightmare.

The former empress stared back at him coolly. “Have I not proven myself trustworthy in all I’ve already done? And they are not Grand Army anymore. They’re Lunar Republic. They’re our soldiers as much as any who were here before.” She pointed out.

Thunder Cracker opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Masque, “I’m afraid she has a point, but even if you don’t trust her only one of us need stay up here. I can lead the force with her if that would be easier to swallow.”

The earth stallion glared at him a moment before snorting, and looking back into the fire. “Fine.” He replied. “But what about your supplies?”

Nightmare was surprised that he had given in so easily. He must truly have been upset about losing Hail Bolt. “We’ll have to make do for now. We’ll take what we can without endangering the town, and hope that the other villages we cross will have the food and water we’ll need. It’s not like it will be difficult taking them either. Since the gryphons have not responded we need to hurry to North Bay. It’s Equestria’s best port next to Manehatten, and certainly the most profitable one. It’ll have enough supplies to support everything we’ll have gained by that point.” She answered.

“Barely.” Thunder Cracker scoffed. “That’ll spread our resources thin across camps, outposts, and villages. We’ll be weak and struggling if you take everything out of North Bay to supply the whole Republic.”

“It’s better than if we allowed said villages or camps to starve, and it will have to do unless the gryphons reply back soon. We can’t wait forever.” Masque pointed out.

“That makes enough sense, but it won’t do for a permanent solution. My point still stands.” Thunder Cracker argued.

“If the gryphons of Gildaris won’t help us we still have two other gryphon kingdoms we could contact.” Nightmare offered.

“And if they don’t help us?” The earth stallion asked. “Why should we ask those overgrown chickens for aid anyway? Aren’t you the one fretting over what they’ll want if they help?”

“We are asking the gryphons because they are our only option. The monkeys, zebra, and bison live too far south to be of any aid at the moment, and why would they have any reason to help us? The monkeys are so isolationistic hardly anything has been known about them since the middle of the Disparate Era over a thousand years ago. The zebra and bison together could provide significant strength, but they hate each other. Not to mention they have no interest in other societies politics. The gryphons’ greed worries me greatly for what they might ask, but it is also the only thing giving us any hope of receiving supplies. As for if none of them will aid us…I am uncertain how our movement will survive. We need them. That’s all there is to it.” Nightmare explained.

Suddenly the front door burst open, and a soldier rushed into the room from the hall. “Ma’am, sirs!” He addressed, breathing heavy. “It’s Twilight Sparkle…”

Twilight sat in her tent with the prepared materials. Since the battle things had been changing for her throughout the camp and town. Citizens had been grateful to her for saving their lives. Some had even given her gifts. A thick dark blue cloak that was bit large for her was one, and she quite liked it. It matched most of her mane and tail in color, and it helped keep her warm. She, like most citizens of Stalliongrad, had become numb to the cold to some extent, but that didn’t mean she was entirely protected from it. She could still feel it if it was bad enough, and warmth was always welcome. Another gift she’d received was a copper brooch one of the smiths made that resembled the large star that dominated most of her cutie mark. It was fine craftsponyship by no means, but it still had been cleaned and shined.

The citizens’ gifts and gratitude weren’t the only things happening to the young unicorn, though. The Republic forces were treating her with more respect now, and the new recruits from the Grand Army… Twilight supposed it had something to do with how closely her master interacted with her. Even if the lavender mare herself was still somewhat distant, Nightmare Moon was kind and caring towards her, if a bit firm. The soldiers didn’t seem to know she was actually their goddess’ slave, though. All they knew was that Nightmare favored Twilight greatly, and kept the unicorn by her side often. Which caused them to treat Twilight with a certain level of reverence. They treated her like a commanding officer for hardly any reason.

All these things, the gifts, the respect, and the reverence, the young unicorn was uncomfortable with. The only pony to treat her with respect or give her things before was Nightmare. Plus, it had been her job to protect the civilians. They really shouldn’t be giving her gifts for it. This was all too new and too sudden. She wasn’t going to argue with it, though. She might be unnerved by this new treatment, but she knew that it was supposed to be a good thing. Wasn’t it? Deep down, she did feel some joy at the respect, and at having helped the ponies of the town. It made her wonder about the question Nightmare Moon posed her with before the battle. What did she fight for?

At the moment, Twilight was attempting something new. She had plenty of practice with combat magic by now, but she hadn’t been able to study or practice other kinds of magic since leaving the Royal Pony Sisters’ Castle. So, she was going to try to make her cloak more useful. She was going to enchant it. Her master had packed a few scrolls into her saddlebags when they first left, and she was fortunate to find that one of them held the rune alphabet. Granted, she technically didn’t need it. She knew well enough that any mark could function as any kind of rune, but she had a hard time imagining that. Her mind didn’t want to accept it. So, she was glad to have the rune alphabet here to aid her.

She had taken careful calculation and planning in what she wanted the cloak to do. Invisibility seemed like a plus, but it would have to be massive to cover her whole body. Otherwise, parts of her would show. Besides, she liked wearing the cloak. She didn’t want to store it away for special missions. No. Instead, she decided to attempt making the cloak tougher than the leather armor she usually wore. With her power and the fuel source she chose that shouldn’t be too difficult.

What she was going to use to mark the runes she needed on the cloak, and what she was going to use to fuel them were also matters of debate. She ended up settling on blood for both. It would make a good permanent mark on the cloak, and it would also increase the power of the enchantment. All in all, it was her best choice.

Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath to prepare herself. She was used to being hurt now, but doing it to herself was something she needed to brace herself for. She lifted one of her forelegs over the bowl in front of her, and levitated the small knife she had brought up to her flesh. Quickly, she cut herself, and put the knife aside as she waited. Her blood slowly fell from her scratch, and began to fill inside the bowl. It was a bit slow of a process for her taste but necessary.

Once the bowl was filled, the unicorn bandaged her leg, and then dipped the brush she had with her into her blood. Carefully, she painted the runes she needed onto her spread out cloak. She had no experience painting, and the runes looked sloppy. However, they’d pass. There was little blood left in the bowl when she was done, and Twilight was relieved that she’d had just enough to make the runes. She would’ve been agitated if she had to cut herself again.

Two steps done, the young mare, stepped forward, and placed her horn on the runes one by one. She gave them all meaning and power. Forcing them to draw the fuel needed from the blood used to make the runes was complicated, but she managed.

When the task was done she gave a slightly tired smile, and levitated her cloak up to inspect it. Thankfully, the blood hadn’t leaked the whole way through, so there were only a few spots of blood on the cloth’s backside. On the underside, where the runes were painted, the blood appeared to have already dried and stained the cloak, but when Twilight slid it on she could feel the warm wet spots where her blood made up the runs. It bothered the unicorn, but she pushed it aside as unimportant. She secured the cloak with her brooch, and left her tent. She had to test her enchantment to make sure it was working, but she didn’t have a sword or proper weapon to test it with in her tent.

As Twilight made her way through camp to an armory tent she couldn’t help but take note of the occasional group of ponies bound together with a few guards watching over them. There wasn’t a proper dungeon in town, just a few cells under the dead duke’s house. So the prisoners were spread throughout the camp in small groups, and watched over by soldiers of the Lunar Republic. It was inefficient and ill-advised, but without a proper place to hold the criminals what were they to do? Keep them bound together in a large group? No. Better to split them up, so they couldn’t work together to attempt escape. Alternatively, they could let some go, but Nightmare Moon wanted to gain as many soldiers as possible. So she was holding all of them until they could be converted. Judging by progress so far it was likely they could all be made to serve the Republic, but it would be slow going.

However, there was another important reason to keep all the prisoners. If no one escaped then no one could inform the Legatus Legionis that ordered the attack that it was a failure. Celestia had no idea that the Republic had won yet. Twilight wasn’t worried that the prisoners might escape either. The guards watching over them were attentive. Attempts to convert soldiers were frequent, and there were more than enough forces in this camp and town to foil any escape attempts.

Before Twilight Sparkle could reach an armory tent a shrill unfamiliar cry echoed over the town. Everything seemed to stop. The noise. The talking. Whatever ponies had been doing at the time. The young unicorn looked up curiously, as the sound had been very bird-like. A large flock of massive flying forms were circling round from the north to the camp’s main entrance. Twilight hesitated before following. She could test her enchantment at anytime. She’d never seen creatures like these before, and she wanted to investigate.

As the young mare neared the camp entrance she heard shouting. “What are you doing here?” Demanded an angry voice.

“I could ask you the same thing, grand army dog! And what’s with the white stripes on your armor?” An equally angry and clearly non-pony voice retorted.

Twilight furrowed her brow at it. It sounded sharp and chirping but powerful. It was very foreign, and made her ears twitch. “This is our camp, and you will show us respect by answering first!” The first voice argued.

“Excuse me.” Twilight said as she came to a crowd apparently gathered round whatever spectacle was occurring.

The pony to whom she spoke immediately moved to the side when he saw who she was, and the rest of the ponies in the crowd began parting for her as she progressed. She didn’t even have to push her way through. She came to the front to see something she had never before. Gryphons. A whole wing of them.

They were massive, and could probably stand eye to eye with her master. Most all their bodies were pure muscle with the exception of their scaly bony forelegs. Which ended in claws sharper and larger than even the wolves’ Twilight had seen. Their digits were also long and far more flexible than any creature the unicorn would’ve thought. The entire front ends of their bodies were covered in several coats of large feathers of varying colors from individual to individual. Just behind and above their shoulders were massive wings the lavender unicorn suspected were even larger than her master’s. Their necks curved seamlessly into their heads, and their ears were long and curved to fold into their necks perfectly during flight. Which prevented the wind from deafening them while airborne. Their eyes were almost as large as pony eyes, but appeared to constantly adjust, flex, and take in everything. They likely had superb sight, and they had no snouts but sharp cruel beaks that could probably break many a sword in half.

The aft end of the gryphons’ bodies were drastically different though. They were chimeras after all. It was shaped like a manticore’s, but the fur was shaggier and longer. There were less variances in color on the gryphons’ back ends as well. One of the oddest things to Twilight, though, were their long wiry tails that ended in a mixture of a tuft of fur and feathers.

Unlike the wolves the gryphons wore armor as well. Large breastplates with attached shoulder pads covered their upper torsos. Heavy platemail shielded the outer and inner thighs of the gryphons, and some had chainmail leggings running under the plate. Twilight was curious how the massive beings flew with all the weight they carried.

“Bah! We aren’t here for you, dog!” The, presumably, gryphon commander retorted. “Out of our way!”

“I will not let you pass unless you state your business!” The former grand army soldier stated, refusing to budge.

The gryphon commander apparently grew tired of arguing as he pulled back a claw to strike. “‘Is that why you fight?’” Nightmare’s words echoed in Twilight’s head, and the unicorn made a decision right there and then.

In a flash she had knocked the soldier out of the way of the gryphon’s attack, and the chimera struck. There was a shriek of pain, and the gryphon recoiled. He stared at his broken talons in shock before snarling at Twilight as best his beaked face would allow, and letting out an odd chirping hiss. The enchantment on the young mare’s cloak had taken with more effect than she would’ve thought. Feeling emboldened she snarled back with a fierceness to match the gryphon’s. “Answer the question.” She ordered.

“Mare.” The gryphon commander hissed with disdain. “You think you have the right to command me?”

Had Twilight thought about it she would have realized what the alien creatures were here for. She did not. She was caught up in the moment. Infuriated that the gryphon commander had dared attack one of HER allies. “I am Twilight Sparkle. A slave of Nightmare Moon. Yes. I do.” She answered, half with the intent to insult the gryphon before her.

The chimera picked up on this, and his growing fury was evident in his eyes. So did the rest of his wing, as they began to crowd closer. It was now that Twilight caught sight of the confused pegasus among them. She paid him no mind. “You can not hope to kill us all mare.” He spat, as if her gender were lower than her lot in life.

“She doesn’t have to.” A voice said, and Twilight looked to her side to see that soldier she had saved standing by her.

The crowd behind her was moving closer with angry scowls etched on their faces. If the unicorn had a way to thank them she would, but now was not the time for it. She looked back at the gryphon commander with a smile of superiority. “You don’t have to lose your whole wing today, nor do I have to lose my ponies. Our feud is with each other.” She pressed.

She was doing this to protect the crowd. She didn’t want them to risk theirselves for her. The gryphon continued to scowl, but gestured for his soldiers to back off, and they did. Twilight turned to her side, and with a simple wave of the hoof to the soldier there he and the crowd did likewise. She then pulled up the hood of her cloak to protect her head. “Ready, mare?” The gryphon asked as he redrew her attention.

The chimera had drawn a blade that looked like finer steel than Twilight had ever seen. It was thinner than any pony-made sword she’d seen as well. She had not noticed the scabbard on his side until now because she had yet to take a good look at his sides. Briefly, she found the way he held it in one of his claws odd, but she hadn’t time to ponder it. “Yes.” She answered.

The gryphon commander’s response was immediate, and his sword flew towards her. She barely had time to create a shield the size of a disk to block the attack. The gryphon did not waste time, having already predicted the block. While one claw kept the blade pressed against the shield to Twilight’s left the other came swooping in on her right. The unicorn quickly ducked out of the way, and used her shield to force back the gryphon’s blade. Once she was no longer in danger of having her head cut off she dropped the shield, so she could throw opponent back with her telekinesis. With but a little twisting of his wings, however, the gryphon commander was able to catch himself, and flew up into the air.

Twilight shot several bolts of magical energy after him, but he dodged with ease. When he was directly over her he dove. She did not move, but waited until he was just a few feet away before creating a massive gust of wind to knock him flat onto the ground in front of her. Before he could recover she formed small shields over his arms to restrain him to the ground, and snatched up his fallen blade in her mouth. Thanks to its thinness it did not weigh enough to overbalance her, despite her inexperience with the weapon. The hard metal handle tasted and felt odd in her mouth, but she was able to get a good grip with her teeth. The almost artistic wiry guard pressed firmly against the side of her muzzle, and the small curving piece of metal in front of her snout, which she assumed was for protecting a gryphon’s claw, provided slight protection. She didn’t take time to analyze these things, though, and galloped to the side of the gryphon. She lifted the blade high over her opponent’s neck, and brought it down as hard as she could to-- “STOP!”

It had been so long since an order was given to her by way of her blood oath, which she now understood said orders to be empowered by, that Twilight was startled when she found herself short of breath, and dropped the sword before she could behead the gryphon commander. Fortunately this brought her relief, and she quickly looked off to the side to see her master standing there with a furious look. The alicorn approached and glared down at her. “We will talk later.” She stated angrily.

Twilight could not reply before Nightmare Moon turned her attention to the gryphon commander. Who had risen, and was sheathing his sword, the unicorn’s shields having dispelled when she dropped the sword. “What do think you are doing attacking the ponies under my command and protection?” She demanded.

“She attacked me.” The gryphon commander lied.

Nightmare slapped a hoof upside his head, throwing him for a loop. “Do you take me for a fool?” She asked rhetorically, as her magic ripped his scabbard from his armor.

It was thrown over Twilight, but the unicorn understood from her master’s warning earlier this was not reward. It was simply punishment to the gryphon. Nevertheless, she grabbed the blade and scabbard in her magic, and levitated them to her side. In her mind she had earned it. Even if she was uncertain what she would do with a sword. “What are you doing!?” The gryphon shrieked in outrage.

“You have lost to a female. That is shameful in your culture. You also lied to me. Which is dishonorable in ours. You don’t deserve that sword.” Nightmare explained. “Now, I advise you and your wing to follow me. Otherwise I will be the next one you fight.”

The alicorn did not wait for a response before storming off. The gryphons, reluctantly, followed. Twilight knew she would be in trouble later for starting a duel, but at the moment she didn’t care. She felt justified. She had been defending her fellow soldiers, and she had her reason to fight now. She fought to protect.

Author's Note: Boy it feels good to be updating frequently again. Well, here you guys go. The introduction of the gryphons, and some major character development for Twilight. Also, to clarify, a wing is the term for a group of gryphons. Typically it's applied to a military squad, though. A wing can be anywhere from eleven members to twenty.

Finally, I had not intended to give Twilight the sword, so I'm not sure what to do with it. So, I'm leaving the idea up to you. Provide me with suggestions for what she should do with it. Make no mistake, she's not going to become a master swordspony, but I'm willing to take any suggestions you guys give. Now, if you don't mind I have to hop into the TARDIS, and go have some fun at the Rocky Horror Picture Show.