A Man Called Hero

The once peaceful land of Equestria has fallen to fade as it stands on the edge of ruin. The threat of an all-out war is now inevitable, facing an army unlike anything this real has ever seen.

Fuelled by his ambition of conquest, the Dark King Sombra had overthrown the monarchs of the Crystal Empire. He claimed his rightful place on the throne, enslaving his very subjects and ruled death upon any who dared oppose him. For a moment in time, he had everything his heart could have possibly desired. The grandest of feasts to quell his hunger, the finest of wines to quench his thirst, the most beautiful of mares to satisfy his carnal pleasures and all the wealth befitting that of true king… but even then it was not enough.

Like all the great kings of old, he grew restless… he wanted more. However to challenge the might of Equestria alone would prove a fool’s undertaking and so he called far and wide to any who would join him in his cause and two came fourth.

From the Eastern realm stood Lord Tirrek of the Hollows, the sinister centaur liege and master of Castle Nightmare. From the Forbidden Lands of the South, ruled the baneful Queen Miasma, queen and matriarch of the Changeling horde and together the three forged a mighty alliance. United, their armies numbered in the thousands and like the shadowy wraiths from the darkest of nightmares, they advanced on great kingdoms.

Unwilling to surrender to Sombra’s decree, the kingdoms answered their call to war upon the battlefield however nothing could have prepared them for the brutal savagery that awaited them there. Outnumbered and outmatched, they were massacred without pause and without quarter. Sombra’s wicked armies thrived on the violence, living for the thrill of combat and the more they fought, the more they craved the ecstasy of carnage and bloodshed. Before long, one by one the great kingdoms fell, first Unicornia then Pegasopolis and eventually the Walls of Terra itself, the final stronghold of the Earth Ponies.

As relentless as they were ruthless, they plundered, pillaged and butchered anypony foolish enough to stand in their way. As they marched further into their campaign, they left nothing in their wake but flame swept wastelands of death, destruction and decay.

The streets ran red with crimson as thousands of innocents were slaughtered by mindless, soulless beasts who knew no mercy or compassion. But alas, not everypony was fortunate enough to be claimed by cold claws of death. A fate far worse awaited those who would curse the reality they will soon come to know. Mare, foal, women and child were torn from their homes in chains and with the crack of a whip, broken and assimilated into life of slavery or to be used as mere instruments of flesh to satisfy the depraved and lustful desires of Sombra’s army.

Six moons had passed since the invasion began and with every indomitable victory, every fallen kingdom and the head of its once defiant monarch adorned his malevolent throne, The Dark King now turns his sights on the greatest kingdom of them all… Canterlot.

Not a day goes by that the ponies of Equestria had not lived without fear, waiting endlessly for that dreaded day when they would lay their eyes in terror at the sight of Sombra’s black flags sailing upon the horizon. Even now, they hear the rumbles of hoof, boot and claw steadily approaching like the hungry fangs of starving timber wolf, circling its prey as it savoured the meal to come.  Yet even then, they could not, dare not ask for a hero, for no creature should suffer so to mend this broken land.

.. All hope is lost.

It rained again…

The storm was even more ferocious than the night before and tonight was no different, like an unbroken stallion the wild tempest was persistent and unforgiving, trampling upon any hopes of subsiding anytime soon. Like disembodied beasts did the winds howl, tossing, turning, even jolting the very branches upon the passing trees as if to tear them from the ground from they grew. The half resonated strikes of lightning and thunder coruscated across the darkened skies, lighting it ablaze with a marvelous gleams of blue and yellow entwined with the continuous rhythm of the torrential rainfall batting against the racing carriage.

Braving the wrath of the monsoon was a company of ponies a dozen strong. Clad from top to toe in a magnificent array of full body armor plated in gold were eight sets of hooves, galloping across the sodden terrain side by side with the speeding carriage. Two of which drew the carriage as speedy as their hooves persist. Four pegasi guards took to the skies and like sentinels they watched with eyes ever vigilant, ready to give life and limb for honour and for country at the very first signs of danger. It was as if the world itself had turned against them and the malicious claws and fangs of the ferocious and the nefarious lay hidden within the shadows of every bush, every rock and every tree.

Needless to say the weight on their shoulders weighs heavier than any mountain for they have been tasked with the safety and well being of one particular pony.The young princess shrugged while she watched through the blurry windows of her carriage. Apart from the occasional bumps and the annoying metallic creaking of the oil laps upon their hinges, the journey had been fairly comfortable, more than she can say for her loyal escorts.

It has been a week since her departure from Canterlot and yet another dreary week to endure before reaching her destination by drawn carriage, a hassle which could have been avoided if they had traveled by wing.

However Princess Celestia knew of the risks, King Sombra’s spies were aplenty and an ambushed mid-flight would prove disastrous for them all. The alliance with the Gryphon Kingdom must be settled before Canterlot or any more of Equestria’s known kingdoms could even hope to stand against Sombra’s forces. Regrettably caught between upholding the morale her royal subjects and the preparations of an impending war, the duty now falls upon her younger sister Princess Luna to meet personally with King Ventus.

Luna felt her ears wither ever so slightly as she laid her head upon the soft velvet surface of the carriage seat. With a heavy heart she contemplated on the sheer weight of it all, famine, death, destruction, the threat of an all-out war?  It seems that only yesterday her biggest concerns were no more complicated than which dress she intends to wear to the Grand Galloping Gala come next moon. A hefty sigh escaped her,how she hated herself for such petty desires but was it a crime to wish that things had remained the same? Was it a crime to remain ignorant?

A fool?

It was unbecoming for a princess to gripe, one of Celestia’s more memorable words and though she took no glee in the sheer gravity of her task, she knew of her duty. She moved her shoulders against a gorgeous cloak woven of a luscious crimson silk, beautiful enough to shame even the most beautiful of Canterlot’s roses. It had been a gift from her beloved sister the night before she left, to keep her warm when the nights are at its coldest along with her prayers for her safe return. She closed her eyes and buried her nose into the fabric and inhaled her sister’s lingering scent, smiling warmly as she did.

Some may consider it a terrible burden to bear but it was her burden nonetheless. So for now all she can do is chin up, put her best hoof forward and hope for the best. Eyes of bright turquoise turned to the darkened clouds above desperately searching for even a small glimpse of her beloved moon, a ray of hope even when night is at its darkest. Through clasped hooves, her prayers went out to all those poor unfortunate souls.

Maker grant them hope, give them the strength to hold on just a little while longer. We will put an end to this war and peace will return to Equestria… that is my promise.

Meanwhile…

The pegasi guards above gritted their teeth as yet another thunderous clap shook them to the very bone. While they were used to flying in such turbulent conditions, it certainly did no favors to a company already on edge.

“Curse those pegasi! Without them patrolling the skies, the weather had gone completely berserk!” cried one of the guards.

“You owe your gratitude to Sombra for that. With Pegasopolis up in flames, so have their weather patrols. Sadly, it seems that it’s only a matter of time before Canterlot is only great kingdom left standing,” said the other.

“Do you not have family back in Pegasopolis?”

His question was met only with silence. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to imply-,” he added.

“I’ll mourn when the war has come to pass,” the guard replied.

Another flew in closer. “All the more reason this alliance is so damned important! If King Ventus answers our call, we may just stand a fighting chance. Not to mention with the gryphons by our side, we will be able to unite the rest of Equestria as well,”

“He better, I want to be there when they take Sombra’s hea-,” the guard was suddenly cut off by a blinding flash of lightning.

It was then he noticed something strange moving in between the storm clouds. His squinted his eyes for a better look but all at a moment too late for when the skies lit ablaze with yet another bright flash, he feel his still beating heart come to an abrupt halt.

“CLOUD JUMPER WATCH OUT!”

It came from the shadows, zooming at a blinding speed too fast to even comprehend let alone react as the pointed edge of a spear caught the nearby guard right in the side.

SHANK!

“ARGH!”

The attack had taken them completely by surprise and the never-ending garish of flashes across the sky had left them too stunned and disorientated to mount an offensive... they were done for.

“WE’RE UNDER AT- EURGH!” the guard chocked as a blade struck him in the neck.

A bird-like hand tightened around the leather wrapped iron hilt of a longsword. The blade was forced deeper, cutting thoroughly across the throat before being violently ripped from flesh. A spray of dark crimson spilled from the ghastly wound followed by a spiteful sneer from his assailant. Golden eyes watched with a twisted sense of glee at the sight ofhis prey falling lifelessly to the ground soon followed by his three compatriots.

“Get em boys!”

Six creatures almost twice the size of the average pony responded to the call. With heavy flaps of rain drenched wings they tucked into a nosedive as they descended upon the carriage. Bearing weapons as sharp and as malicious as their intent, they thirst for the carnage to come. By the time the unicorn guards had noticed, just like the pegasi before them it had been too late. A single crack thunder swallowed the initial sound of the impact.

BAM!

“AH!” a sudden violent jolt awoken the young princess from her light slumber, forcefully tossing her off her seat the moment the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

She cringed from the stabbing pain in her forehead, rubbing it with her hoof as she tried to soothe the aching bruise. “Ow, what is going on? What is all that commotion,why did we stop?”

It was then the world outside erupted into sheer chaos with flashes of magic entwined with battle cries, snarls, growls, shattered splinters of wooden spears and even the clashing of blades followed by the screams of the dying.

“Protect the Princess! Prote- ARGH!”

Luna felt a chill run down her spine with every inch of her body trembling with fear the moment a spray of blood came plastered across her foggy window. She quickly forced her hooves over her mouth as she fought the overpowering urge to scream, the last thing she wanted was to alert them to her presence. There were voices outside, they were talking to each other but the torrential pitter-patter of raindrops against the oaken roof of the carriage was making hard to comprehend.

But the more she contemplated on whatever cruel fate that awaited her at the hands, claws or hoof of her would be captives, the more petrified she became.

“No!” the princess proclaimed.  She was afraid, there was no denying that but she gritted her teeth in absolution.

Too much depended on her reaching the Gryphon Kingdom and may the Maker have her soul before she would allow herself to be taken here. “I can’t and I won’t!” hues of bright turquoise narrowed in determination.

There were six of them in the midst of aftermath of the unspeakable slaughter they had unleashed upon the unsuspecting Canterlot guards, dead to the last stallion. The earth beneath their feet ran red with crimson, a repulsive cocktail of blood and mud diluted by the rainwater showered upon the cold, mangled corpses of a platoon decimated.

SHING!

“Well that’s the last of em, I think and ere I was bein worried and all, poor sods didn’t even see us comin,” said one of them with a half-amused chuckle as he removed the pointed tip of a halberd from the skull of one of the unicorn guards.

“Pfft, Canterlot’s finest my bloomin arse! If these are the best they got, it’s gonna be a walk in the park when King Sombra comes waltzin into town! What say you Striga?” the other spat with a demeaning scoff.

Certainly, they were Canterlot’s finest but nothing bests a well put strategy especially when the odds in their favour from the very start. They were built stronger and faster than the average pony with wings twice the size of the average pegasi. In addition to the opposable digits, their claws, talons and hooked beak are capable of ripping through flesh like sword through paper. With their senses honed by years of training in the art of combat and warfare, they truly were a formidable force indeed.

They are gryphons and the guards never stood a chance.

Striga slid the blade of his sword across the black quilt of his armor, removing the stain of the weak and the craven from his blade. With feathers as black as night behind a bright silver chest plate which had been drenched in the rain now also begrimed with mud courtesy of the earlier scuffle.

“Shut yer trap and let’s get this over with,” he groaned, eyes of bright gold shifted in the direction of the carriage. “The sooner we grab the bint, the sooner we get ome… Fishlegs!”

“Yes sir!” a shrill, rather neurotic voice responded. The craggy brown gryphon draped in leather armor scurried over to his commanding officer before gazing upon him idiotically with eager eyes.

“Well don’t just stand there ya dolt, open the damned door!” Striga commanded.

“Yes! Yes! Right away!” he replied.

Fishlegs hurried over to the carriage, putting his ear to the wooden door before giving it a knock or two. “Helooo? Anypony there? You can come on out, ole Fishlegs won’t hurt ya!” he said with an unnerving chuckle and a grin.

BAM!

Fishlegs swore he saw the moon and the stars align the moment he took the full brunt of the door right in the kisser. The gryphon’s face contorted almost comically from the initial impact but before he could make heads or tails of the situation, he took both sets of hooves to the face as Princess Luna rushed out into the open. She gritted her teeth then with a grunt of effort, she pushed herself off into the air, spreading her wings and flapping them as hard as she could in her one desperate attempt to flee.

“Oh lookie there, stars…” babbled Fishlegs in a half conscious daze.

“WHY THAT- BRING ER DOWN!” Striga yelled.

She was so close, so close to the open sky. The feeling of the rain battering her face and the wind in her wings edged her onward… she was going to make it. Luna was a good twenty feet off the ground when she felt something snag her back hoof.

“Ugh!” she cried alarmed. Then with a sudden violent yank, she was pulled back right into the ground.

Pain, it was the only thing she felt from the moment she was slammed right into the thickness of the mud. Discombobulated and knocked far from her senses, the world felt like an endless vortex but as the blurry images in her head began to steady, she could tell that they were coming for her.

Her eyes narrowed. “Away from me foul beasts!” she yelled, her horn lit ablaze with an azure glint as she fired a beam of magic and to her luck, managing to hit one of them clear in the chest. However just as she prepped for another, she felt something sharp and cold against her neck.

“Heh, feisty little tart aren’t ya?” came a voice beside her. Unlike the others before, this one was female.

“Ya see love, I’m all fer Sombra bringin you back alive and all but he didn’t say nothin bout bringing ya back in one piece. So try another one of your magic tricks and I’m gonna snap off yer pretty little wand there,” she said.

“Domino, back away,” said Striga, the female gryphon returned his command with a sneer.

“Yer the boss love,” she said, twirling her magnificent silver blade in her hand before sliding it back into her holster. She then shot Luna one last cheeky glance as she brushed off a blotch of mud fromher snowy white fur.

His ember eyes narrowed at Luna, his gaze unamused. “Vincent, Tank, hold her down,” he commanded which the other two obeyed.

“Let me go you savages!” Luna cried the moment she felt their strong vice-like grip pinning her to the ground. She trashed about and struggled but all for naught, they were just too strong.

“Cor blimey, did ya see that? Nailed Tank right into the ground,” said the grey feathered gryphon named Vincent.

“Ha, ha laugh it up ya coon. Ya should be thankin your stars that wasn’t you, blimey did it hurt,” said his bulkier, oaken feathered compatriot.

Striga rolled his eyes at their childish antics but paid them no mind. “Now then, ya heard Domino. So unless ya want to be a little less of a princess by the time we get ya to Sombra, ye’d best be rememberin yer fancy Canterlot manners,” he said.

“Why?”

Her question immediately caught the attention of not just Striga but the rest of his entourage.

“Why would you do this? Why swear your allegiance to Sombra? All those ponies he slaughtered and enslaved! Have you no honour!? Have you no heart!?” she cried at the top of her lungs.

She then barred her teeth in anger. “You are gryphons of the Gryphon Kingdom, allies of Canterlot! You were supposed to help us defeat Sombra, not join him!”

“Not anymore dear Princess,” a rather posh voice interjected, the sort of dandy-like tone more commonly taken by a noble or one of high stature. “For you see…”

Another gryphon came in view, his sandy feathered wings were tucked neatly by his side and he carried himself with a certain sense of class. Unlike the others, he was dressed in a dark blue overcoat bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Gryphon Army uniform commonly adorned by high ranking officers. The golden hilted rapier holstered on his belt was a dead giveaway that he was of noble birth.

“We no longer serve a monarch who kowtows to bunch of pastel horses!” he spat in sheer disgust.“You want to know why? Because it’s sick, it’s disgusting and it’s just downright wrong! The very thought that WE would even consider an alliance with YOUR kind turns my insides out!”

“And when we chose to voice our disapproval… when we tried to show that such an alliance would do nothing but weaken us, to invite shame and ruin upon our great and powerful nation, he branded us as traitors and drove us into exile!” he said, his voice growing louder with every enunciation.

“We lost everything, our rank, our stature and our home! Because of you and that bloody cunt you call your sister! But worry not dear Princess, we have every intention to repay the both of you in due time,”

“You have no one to blame but yourselves you despicable mongrel and honestly I believe you and your passé deserved worse!” Luna snarled, angered by the insult he had hurled at her sister.

“YOU MISERABLE WRETCH!” the gryphon growled in pure acrimony, raising his hand in absolute fury as Luna flinched and braced herself for the blow to come.

“Bluewind enough!”Striga yelled as the gryphon froze.

Bluewind took a deep breath. “Yes, my most sincere apologies. I believe I may have lost my composure there,” he said as he ran his fingers over the likes of his rain soaked feathers over his head.

“But ya heard correct Princess Luna. There was once a time that we would have given our very lives to protect im, king and country and all that bullocks and what did he do? Spat it back in our faces he did! Well them sons of whores may have taken away me home but they can never take away me pride as a true gryphon!” Striga proclaimed.

“Now I live for the day when Sombra’s armies march on the Gryphon Kingdom. To purge the land of them weak pony sympathizers and I pray to the Maker that I be granted the honour of hacking that old bastard to pieces meself. We princess! We are The Iron Talons, and we answer to no one but ourselves,”

Luna mustered a smirk “And yet you play patsy to Sombra,” she said.

Striga’s brows furred at her comment “Fer now… but til then, let us consider it a mutual partnership,” he added. “Now I’m done spillin me guts to ye Princess, time to fly,” he said.

“Oi, old on!” said Vincent all of a sudden.

“What is it now? Caught yer nut sack in the olster again?” Striga asked with Tank silently sniggering at the comment.

“I mean, we got the Princess of the Night ere, THE Princess of the Night and we ain’t gonna have ourselves a little taste? After all, she is rather pretty and all…” he said with a rather unnerving smile taking shape on his beak.

The word ‘taste’ brought nothing but a world of discomfort to the princess but as the gryphon began running his loose talon down the curve of her chest down to her naval, she understood perfectly.

“Get your filthy talons off of me you bastard!” Luna cried, trashing against the strength of her captors but still unable to break free.

“Oooh, kitty’s got claws. Then again I like em feisty!” Vincent said with a malicious grin, running his tongue over the top end of his beak.

“Lucky wanker, betcha she’s a virgin love,” said Domino.

“Pfft! She is a princess, big doubt right there,” added Bluewind.

“Ten bits says otherwise love,”.

“Twenty and you have a deal,”

“You’re on,”

Striga shrugged. “Fine, make it quick. Domino, go see if ya can wake that brainless twat up before he cocks something up again!”

“Righto,” she replied, as she heaved over to where Fishlegs lay unconscious. “Come on, git yer bloomin arse off the ground,” she said, picking up the half conscious gryphon.

“Aww momma, I don’t wanna go to school today. The other kids are always so mean to me…” muttered Fishlegs.

Luna’s eyes widened at the command, the salivating lust filled gaze of her would be assailant grew wilder with every passing second. Though she fought as hard as she could, trashing, yelling, kicking with all her might, her attempts were silenced the moment Vincent pulled a blade to her neck.

“That’s enough of that! Now sit back and relax, ole Vincent here’s gonna make ya feel good,” he said with a grin.

The young princess felt a lump in her throat as tears began pouring from her eyes. Was this to be her fate? To be violated and used by rogues before being submitted to Sombra as his new plaything? She closed her eyes, waiting, hoping, and praying that the Maker would hear her pleas but through every thunderous clap from the skies above, any hopes of rescue fell to fade.

It was all over… my dearest sister please forgive me, Equestria forgive me…I have failed you, I have failed you all.

It has been said that when faced with your darkest moments, the world comes to a complete standstill. To the young princess, it was as if time itself had slowed down to the very fractions of a second right then and there. She could feel it, her psyche swept up in a tidal wave of emotions and the dreaded feeling of hopelessness taking grip upon every fibre of her being. However even at the edge of her hope, the Maker worked in mysterious ways for what happens next would set in motion a drastic chain of events that will change the fate of Equestria forever.

POW!

“ARGH!” the cry of pain snapped the Princess’s eyes wide open, just in time to see a piece of rock the size of a gryphon’s palm catching Vincent right in the temple.

“What the fu-“

POW!

“ARGH!” his attempt at profanity was interrupted by yet another, this time catching the gryphon right between the eyes. As blood trickled down the tip of his beak from the nasty gash torn between his eyes, needless to say he was pissed beyond words.

“ALRIGHT! Alright, who’s the son of a whore with a death wish thinkin it’s a good idea to be chuckin bricks at me ed! Show yerself ya blighter!” he yelled.

“Er… love?” Domino said with an astonished gaze.

At that very moment, all eyes wereturned in the direction of a mysterious figure standing in the middle of the craggy road. However it was no pony, gryphon nor dragon that stood so boldly before them.

“What the… is that a… human?

There were no words to describe Luna’s complete bewilderment though she was certainly no stranger to their kind. Though not initially native to Equestria, humans have been around for thousands of years and a good number of them have been born and bred in Canterlot for generations.

The rain had soaked all the way through his rather questionable set of earthly green forlorn garbs now timeworn was ridden with small tears and holes. By first impression it seemed more suited for sleeping rather than travelling given how loosely it adorned his torso. The princess’s eyes then wandered across the faded dress-like trousers and a pair of straw sandals he had on, picking up on every patch, tatter and loose bounds bearing the scars of a long and difficult journey. A stained bandage also faded and torn bounded and gloved his left hand.  The young princess had tried to pick out more details however a large portion of his face lay in shadow, obscured by a conical straw woven hat.

Just who is he… this… this… vagabond?

“What in Maker’s name is a human doing way out ere? Don’tthey usually stick ta them towns?” said Tank.

It came to no question that Vincent was just as stunned as the rest of his comrades but the moment he caught sight of the large piece of rock clutched in that human’s hand, his temper immediately lit ablaze with the fires of a thousand suns.

“So that’s the tosser that knicked me in the ed!,” he snarled.

“Yeah, he got ya good didn’t he ya dolt!” Tank added with a sneer, adding insult to injury which did nothing but further ruffle his grey feathers.

“Can it ya prick! I’m gonna go rip this long pig a new one!” Vincent growled.

“Well, Sombra did say not to leave any witnesses love,” said Domino, crossing her arms as she leaned her back against the carriage.

The vagabond’s free hand tightened around the cloth-like bag swung across his torso. More precisely, the bright golden strings that bounded something incredibly long slung over his shoulder wrapped tightly in a spread of shabby violet silk. The fuming gryphon marched forward, a vicious stomp in his step with his anger mounting by the second as he grabbed hold of his halberd stuck in the ground beside him.

Then without as much as a warning, he took off in a full out charge. His feline paws digging deep into the marshy surface with a grip like vice upon the wooden pole. Gathering enough speed, he spread his wings and took to the sky at least ten feet above the ground, halberd brandished at the ready with every vengeful intention of splitting the man’s skull wide open and having his innards for supper.

“Maker ain’t goanna save ya now ya slimy git! Kiss yer arse goodbye!” Vincent yelled, whirling the halberd masterfully in his hands before swinging it over his head for the final blow.

However the human remained undaunted causing Striga’s instincts to flare. Humans were never this composed, especially when faced with imminent death. Vincent was moving at a speed befitting a gryphon of his calibre, too fast for an average human but the moment he caught sight of every muscle, every tensed and focused movement the moment the vagabond shifted into stance, he knew that this will not end well.

“VINCENT WAIT!” he cried out but all at a moment too late.

In a split second, the vagabond reached for the brim of his straw hat before lifting it off and slinging it right into the oncoming gryphon. Vincent hissed in pain the very moment it collided with his eyes, blinding him for that one brief moment just as he swung his halberd with all his might. As if anticipating the motion of the swinging blade, the vagabond sidestepped effortlessly to the right with the sharp edge of the weapon missing him by mere inches before burying itself into the ground with an intense clang.

He then seized hold of the wooden pole before slamming his foot right into the neck of the halberd and snapping the blade right off in a single fluid motion. Clenching hard with his one good hand, he stepped forward and rammed the other end of the pole right into Vincent’s gut.

“BLUEGH!” the gryphon chocked, forcing out repulsive goop saliva from the back of his throat the moment the very air was forced right out of his lungs.

Using the brash momentum of the downward dive, the vagabonds flipped the now shaken gryphon over then face first into the ground. Vincent chocked yet again, coughing uncontrollably having taken a mouthful of mud forced down his gullet.

“Ya… ya piece of… I’ll… get…” he spluttered, though dazed and disorientated he forced himself to balance on his wobbling feet but not for long.

At a blinding speed, the vagabond began twirling the pole flawlessly in a one handed figure eight motion, gathering all that momentum before back-handing the full brunt of pole right into side of the gryphon’s face causing his neck to snap violently to the side. Vincent felt his very soul had been shot out of his body at the moment of the impact. His now dull eyes rolled to the back of his head as his world fell to darkness.

The gryphons felt a cold chill run down their spine, their bodies made stiff and their jaws agape as they watched their comrade tumble lifelessly to the sloppy surface of the ground defeated. Luna could have sworn that her heart had come to a complete during those breath-taking seconds from the very moment he turned the tables on his attacker almost as if he had rehearsed it.

It was when the vagabond turned to face them did was the princess able to catch a better glimpse of her unlikely saviour. He was aged, possibly in his mid-forties deduced from hard lines on his fair, rough shavencomplexion. A well-trimmed grizzled beard grew along his jaw line along which is more than she can say for his messy jet brown locks which he kept tied in a ponytail leaving but a few strands hanging loosely over his forehead.

Although what struck her the most was the very look his eyes, irises of intense moss green bore the ferocity of a brewing storm. It was intimidating, almost threatening the way he stared dauntingly at the gryphons before him. There was no mistaking it… they certainly were the eyes of a warrior.

The vagabond proceeded to reached for his belongings before removing them from his torso and dropping them a fair and safe distance by the side of the road. Once they were out of harm’s way he swiftly brandished the pole in their direction of the four gryphons left standing. An expression of unimaginable fury streaked across their faces as eyes narrowed in pure animosity, it was without a doubt a jeering call to battle.

“Ya… YA BASTARD!” Striga’s yell shattered the silence.

In a mad frenzy, they ripped their weapons from their holsters. Tank his axe, Domino her daggers, Fishlegs his spear, Bluewind his rapier and Striga his sword as they charged onward. They swore that this human will know no mercy, no hesitation and no surrender until he lies drawn and quartered at their feet. The vagabond broke into a slow jog, moving faster and faster before breaking out into an all-out sprint.

They were fast and they were lunging in from every known direction weapons brandished, talons at the ready and wings outspread however the vagabond not unprepared. Domino took to the skies, soaring a good ten feet off the ground. Then with a mighty swipe of her wing, she tossed a half a dozen silver knives cleverly concealed between her feathers right at the approaching human. Catching sight of the oncoming blades, he immediately snapped his pole rapidly in a single motion which deflected them instantly.

He then pushed himself into the air and back flipped into a summersault barely seconds before Tank’s swing axe went swinging barely an inch from his scalp. Domino felt her eyes snapped wide open and with a grunt of effort, he swung his foot right into her lower jaw.

“ARGH!” she cried. The blow had sent her world into a topsy-turvy spin and losing all feeling her wings, she then took a turbulent nose dive to the world below.

“DOMINO! YOU!” Tank cried.The feline end of him slid across the mud before throwing his entire weight around just as the vagabond made contact with the ground behind him, landing feet first into a squat.

The gryphon was barely an arm’s length away with the razor-sharp edge of his axe head ready to cleave through flesh and bone. Just as he took that one mighty swing, the vagabond spun around.

In that exact motion he slammed the pole violently into the hilt of the axe with such force, Tank could have sworn he felt the bones in his fingers shatter to pieces. A loud, almost gut wrenching cry of pain pierced the air as the weapon was sent sailing into the darkness. He then spun the pole twirling it within the palm of his hand from the front to the back and another swing, he brought the pole back around in a full brunt slam right into the side of the gryphon’s jaw.

Tank’s face contorted as he was sent into a full out spin followed by with a spray of blotched crimson before falling to the ground just as Fishlegs came charging forward with his spear at the ready. However the vagabond gave him no quarter, lunging forward he slammed the blunt end of the pole into Fishleg’s chest then right in the tip of his beak.

“AH! ME NOSE!” he cried.

The gryphon had barely enough time to make sense of his flaring senses before the vagabond twisted his torso, swinging the opposite end of the staff right into his chin in an uppercut.

“UGH!” the blow was powerful enough to send Fishlegs into the air and right onto his back, forcing his body to curl from the impact.

A sudden oncoming battle cry alerted the vagabond to the approaching danger just as Striga came down on him with his brandished blade. Barely seconds to retaliate, he attempted to block the swinging blade but it was no use. The blade cleaved the pole in half and the sheer weight of the swing forced the stranger backwards. Striga drew a smirk and without a second thought, he lunged forward at full speed.

The vagabond’s eyes narrowed, now with a part of the pole in both hands he lowered his grip to the edge, gripping them as if they were swords. Striga came out swinging, hurling a barrage of slashes at the stranger but he deflected every one and with every attack blocked, he countered with a blow.

The motions begin to blur as they moved faster and faster with loud clangs of steel against wood entwined their every motion. A block to the left, a blow to the thigh, a block to the right, a blow to the side, his attacks were blunt but they were precise and Striga felt his body jerk and stagger with every strike.

But even in the midst of the chaos the thought of escape had complete eluded the mind of the young princess. Luna could not bring herself to turn away, not from the sight of her human savior in the heat of battle. He bore such skill, such strength and it drew nothing but awe and admiration but the battle was far from over.

“Argh!” Striga cried as the pole struck down on his shoulder. The vagabond twirled them skilfully with the swift motion of his wrist before ramming both of them into Striga’s chest, a blow powerful enough to cause the gryphon to stumble.

The gryphon covered his chest, coughing and convulsing from his bruised solar plexus while he wheezed for breath. Now wide open and exposed, the vagabond then raised his poles in the air and brought them down across the gryphon’s torso with a force hard enough to finally put him to the ground.

It was then he caught a glimpse of Domino at the corner of his eye, panting and struggling to regain her composure after having forced herself to her feet. In an act of desperation, she grabbed yet another one of her blades and tossed it in his direction. The vagabond retaliated, flinging one of his poles back at the female gryphon with a force powerful enough to knock the blade off course and hitting her square in the chest.

“Ugh!” she cried, having knocked off her feet yet again.

“HARGH!” came yet another battle cry as the vagabond dodged the thin piercing blade of a rapier thrust in his direction, missing his face by a hair.

“For my comrades, I will have your head mounted on my wall knave, en garde!” Bluewind proclaimed, swinging his blade forward.

The vagabond dodged his oncoming strikes and deflected several of his swings with his remaining half but he was being forced back. There was no denying that Bluewind was a talented fencer, his blade was agile and coupled with his speed and near perfect form he left no openings for a counterattack. The vagabond gritted his teeth as the blade nicked him in the arm, drawing a sneer from the gryphon and like Striga before him gained of blind sense of confidence in himself.

“This is the end, touché!” he cried, thrusting his blade blindly forward in an attempt to pierce the vagabond’s heart but itwould be an action he will soon come to regret.

That had been the moment he had been waiting for.

Wasting no time the vagabond evaded the attack and slammed the edge of his pole into the gryphon’s armpit hard enough to pop his arm right out of its socket.  A high pitched shrill of pain and agony escaped Bluewind’s throat as the golden rapier fell from his now limp arm. Pushing forward, the vagabond slugged him right in the gut. The blow was stifling, Bluewind never knew that his body was capable of pain surging through every inch of his fibre at the same time and even before he could compose himself, the vagabond swung another into his chest.

The gryphon felt his ribs crack the moment the pole made contact. The flares of endless throbbing pain overpowered every will to fight back and as he faded in and out of consciousness. Then without warning, he took the brunt of the pole to the side of his beak followed by a splatter of blood across muddy road before his consciousness faded entirely.

Eyes devoid of remorse watched the gryphon sink to his knees and face first into the muck and grime. He took a moment or two to steady his now laboured breathing but he was forced back into action the moment blares of angry screaming, cursing and battle cries grew louder as they approached him from behind.

“DIE YOU MOTHER FU-!”

Then without warning, he slammed the butt of his pole to the back, hitting Tank squarely in the solar plexus causing him to gag for a brief second before slamming his elbow right into his beak.

“Argh!” he cried, a spray of blood shooting from his nostrils while he wobbled backwards.

The vagabond then spun around, twirling the pole in his hand in a figure eight motion before swinging it full force, catching a charging Fishlegs in the neck. Coupled with his blind speed and added momentum, he was forced into a backflip, twirling uncontrollably mid-air before landing smack dead on the ground. Domino then lunged herself forward, now pissed drunk with rage and screaming at the top of her lungs like a banshee out of Hell.

With all her strength, she brought her dagger down in an attempt to stick it in his skull but she failed the moment the vagabond caught her by her wrist, twisting it forcefully enough to disarm her. Then leveraging on her force, he tossed her into a full on flip and smack flat on her back but not before putting her down with a hard stomp to the face.

He then twisted his torso, snapping his entire body around and landed a vicious kick right into Tank’s head, hard enough to send him in a full out mid-air twist before slamming back into to the ground., He then swept his feet across the ground in one continuous motion, hooking the other piece of the pole with his foot before kicking it upwards.

He spun in a complete circle and in that moment Luna swore she saw everything in crystal clear detail. From the trickles of the raindrops to winkled movement of his clothes to the sheer intense focus in his eyes all came together like a well-tuned instrument. A gasp escaped her the moment he ducked just as Striga’s swinging blade nicked several strands from his ponytail.

The vagabond then caught the pole in mid-air and the moment he came face to face with Striga, swung both poles into both sides of the gryphon’s neck. Splinters and strands of broken wood scattered in every direction as the poles literally exploded from the impact. Striga gagged as trails of foam and blood salivated from the side of his beak. Clutching the base of his neck out of reflex the moment he fell on his rump, his body burning for even the shortest breaths of life.

The princess felt her frantic breaths began to steady and the rapid thumping of her heart against her eardrums began to settle still half caught in wonder at the shocked faces of her once terrifying captors now grovelling in muck, laid to waste by a human they had so clearly underestimated. The vagabond stood as daunting as ever and even through his apparent fatigue, never once did his piercing eyes leave the now broken and battered gryphon that lay defeated before him. Loosening his grip, he allowed the broken pieces of wood to slip from his hands.

It was then he uttered a single word.

“Leave,”

An unsettling roar of thunder shook the very ground at that moment. The gryphons felt the gravity of his words and they knew that it was no request. No, it was a warning and the dire consequences that will soon to follow should they choose to ignore it.

“Sorry gov, I don’t know bout ya but I’m getting the ell outta ere,” said Tank, stumbling to his feet while he cradled his fractured hand.

“Come on love,” Domino said as she pulled Fishlegs to his own.

“Wha? Momma? I don’t wanna go to school today, I wanna stay ome and bake cupcakes with ya,” he replied in a half conscious daze.

However even in the shame of defeat, Striga remained as defiant as ever for he was too strong, too proud to acknowledge his fall to this two legged ape. The gryphon barred his teeth, his clutching fingers growing tighter over the leather wrapped hilt of his trusty sword. He would rather die than to allow himself to live on with this humiliating rout but before he could give into his moment of madness, he was held back.

“Have you gone freakin daft!? We gotta go now!” he cried, grabbing hold of Striga’s shoulder.

“Get ya freakin hands off me ya tosser! It ain’t over till I say it is!” Striga yelled.

“Stuff it love! He’s too strong, we ave ta fall back!” Domino added.

Striga’s frantic wrathful breaths began to draw to a clam when he realized the truth in their words. Now left without any reasonable options, he hesitantly sheathed his sword but not without shooting the vagabond a gaze thick with pure acrimony and disdain.

“Mark me words ya bastard, I’ll get even with ya yet and when I’m done with’ca, you’re gonna wish you whore of a mum never pushed ya out into this world!”

Then without another moment to spare, they grabbed hold of their unconscious comrades and took to the open skies.

“You aven’t seen the last of us love!” came a final proclamation moments before they faded into the darkened clouds above.

Luna watched along with her two legged saviour as he peered endlessly into the blackness of the horizon, being doubly sure they had no intention of returning on an impulse. A strange though welcoming sense of calmness befell the young princess despite the fact that the whole thing had left her completely overwhelmed. She felt tired, drained and soon the weight of eyelids and the temptation of slumber was no longer her strength to bear. The last thing she remembered were the sounds of rain splashed footsteps headed in her direction.

There was no telling how much time had passed her by while she drifted between an ocean of blackness and the land of the living. Although Luna may not remember precisely what was going on, she recalled the feeling of being cradled in the arms of some pony or perhaps something else entirely. However none of that mattered right now for even through her uncertainty and half-conscious daze, she nestled her face into the comfort of his shirt and for the first time since she left the calming comforts of Celestia’s embrace did she truly feel safe.

Luna awoke incidentally to the warmth and smouldering scent of burning firewood. Where was she? How long had she been asleep? She groaned as she tried to shake the grogginess from her throbbing head. As the world around her began to make sense, the young princess took a good sweep of her surrounding and found herself in the midst of a clearing amongst a formation of boulders. Judging by the wall of trees in every possible direction, she was in the middle of the forest possibly miles from the beaten road.

But at least the rain had stopped...

Hues of bright turquoise shifted to the sky above only to be greeted by the familiar twinkles of stars and the soft lunar caresses of her beloved moon, feeling the warmest of smiles upon her face. How she yearned for the beauty of the night sky after spending day after day in the midst of that dreary thunderstorm and now at long last, the skies were clear once more. She sighed in absolute bliss, oblivious to the dark shadow now lurking behind her.

Immediately Luna felt her fur stand on end, it was sudden as if it came out of thin air and it might had gone unnoticed if not for the subtle sounds of breathing. She swallowed hard, overcoming her moment of hesitation before turning around.

“BLARGH!” Luna yelled the moment she caught sight of the old vagabond kneeling right beside her.

“NO! STAY BACK, I’M WARNING YOU!” she cried, almost falling off the flat bedrock she was on as she swung her hooves frantically in the air.

In her senseless panic, she had forgotten the clear fact that he had been her rescuer and it persisted despite his best efforts to calm her which had clearly gone unnoticed. That is until...

“STAY- ARGH! What the- OW!”

Luna yelped the moment she felta sharp stinging pain surge through her body the very moment she had jerked her right wing a little too hard. Only then did she take notice the white bandage wrapped carefully around it.

“What… what happened to my wing?” she asked, clearly alarmed.

“That was a rather nasty fall you took. Worry not, it is just a sprain,” said the vagabond.

His words would have caused her great distress if not for the fact all her irrational fears were overridden by her sudden realization that this was first time she actually heard him speak in a complete sentence. He had a deep voice, husky as if hoarse from lack of use and yet strong and intimidating to say the least but behind it all, the way he spoke to her bore an unexpected sense of warmth and tenderness unbecoming of one so rugged. A good minute had passed before the vagabond cleared his throat loudly in a desperate bid to clear the awkwardness in the air.

“Well then, I best leave you to rest,” he said as he quickly turned to leave.

Little did she realize that she had been staring silently at him all the while with wide starry eyes completely perplexed from the moment he spoke.  “Wait!” she cried after him.

His steps came to an immediate pause before returning his attention to the young princess.

“Em… who… who are you? Where is it do you come from?” she asked.

There was no immediate response to her question, just an apparent sense of hesitation before he said “Who I am and where I came from… is of no concern but if you must know, I am but a simple wanderer,”

Luna raised her eyebrow at his vague answer but what surprised her more was his rather humble choice of words. “Yes, I can tell but from what I’ve seen you are far from just a ‘simple’ wanderer,” she said.

“Is there something you wish to imply?” he inquired.

“Don’t be coy, I know what I saw. I saw you best five of the Gryphon Kingdom’s finest singlehandedly. Your skills were unlike anything I have ever seen… just… just who are you… what are you?” Luna asked eagerly.

It was then, the vagabond turned his gaze to the dancing embers upon the flame swept woodpile entirely silent in thought. “Well, we are all entitled to our secrets and I believe we are done here,” he replied coldly as he turned to leave.

The young princess bit her bottom lip, realizing that she may have struck a nerve.

“I’m sorry!” she cried out and once again, the man stopped.

“My apologies, I implore you to pardon my impulsive nature. Perhaps we may have gotten off on the wrong hoof. Allow me to introduce myself, I am-,”

“Princess Luna of Canterlot, yes I know who you are,” he said.

She was startled to say the least, so much that every vocabulary in the dictionary had failed her then and there. Instead, all she could muster were a series of meaningless mumbles and garbles.

The vagabond rolled his eyes. “Other than the obvious fact that you are an alicorn, your cutie mark is a already dead giveaway. Not particularly subtle when you have it plastered all over Canterlot,” he said.

“Oh… right,” Luna said, drawing a nervous chuckle.

“And by the way…” he mentioned, causing the young princess to raise a curious eyebrow.

He then reached for something behind a nearby rock. “I found this inside your carriage. I assumed that it must be important to you,”

Luna’s face lit up like a shooting star the moment she laid her eyes on her precious crimson cloak that she was forced to leave behind while she made her daring escape. As it lit ablaze with a soft azure glow, she floated it from his hands and gently upon her slender frame. She then nuzzled the silky surface of the fabric affectionately, vowing never to part with it again.

“Thank you,” she said before the elderly man returned her gratitude with a simple nod.

“Um, could you at least tell me one thing? I know you mentioned that you were a wanderer and all,”

“Yes?”

“So what reason could you possibly have had to rescue me? You owe me no allegiance, my life should have meant nothing to you,” Luna asked, hoping that he would be direct this time around.

It was then he turned his back against her and just as Luna conceived the impression that she may had offended him yet again, he looked over his shoulder and said. “Do I need one?”

Once again, the veracity of his words had silenced her completely. Even so, there was so much more she wanted to know however it would be wise to cease her sense of curiosity, at least for now.

“You had rough day so try to get some sleep, you must be exhausted. Rest easy, I will stand watch till the dawn,” he said, finally taking his leave.

Her eyes followed his every footstep as he headed in the direction of a small clearing nearby with nothing but the moonlight’s glow granting him sight. Resting with his back against the even surface of a boulder, he kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings.

As to why he would choose to brave the frigid chill of the night on his own instead of basking in the fire’s warmth seemed highly illogical in every conceivable sense. Luna assumed that perhaps he abstains from the pleasures of company or perhaps he believes she needed both time and space to recover from her ordeals. Her best guess was perhaps he wished to remain as far away as possible from Luna’s incessant questions.

Whatever it may be, he was right about her being tired. Luna yawned, batting her eyes at the dancing flames upon the flame licked timber as she contemplated the series of unfortunate events that had led her to this.  Her guards were dead, her company decimated and her mission in jeopardy while she lays miles away from home with a limp wing no less. Luna shrugged at the distasteful thought of her own hopelessness. She felt pathetic, most unbecoming of a pony of her stature.

Her thoughts inevitably wandered to that of her sister Celestia. Could word have reached her by now? Of the attack, of the perpetrators involved or… Luna’s gaze shifted to the old vagabond in the distance for a brief second. Could she have known of her saviour? So many questions, so little answers and in the midst of the night did the temptation of sleep call to her. She laid her head comfortably on the ground and soon through closed eyes, drifted off to slumbers embrace.

To Be Continued…