The bright rays of Celestia’s sun had just broken over the horizon as a gathered group of ponies and one young drake said their farewells to one another. It was not a sad occasion, because they would only be gone for a week. This trip was just preparatory one for a trade conference which was scheduled for next month. Nations including Equestria, Griffica, Mexicolt, Neighpon, Germaneigh and the Crystal Empire would all be there to discuss a trade agreement which would hopefully benefit all the nations of Equis.

“Thunderlane, I’m trusting you to keep my daughter’s out of trouble,” Fleetfoot said as she gave him a quick hug.

“No worries, Ma’am. It’s only for a week. I doubt that they’ll be able to get into too much trouble,” he said as he returned the hug.

“More like the two of us keeping him out of trouble,” Flitter added with a smirk.

Cloudchaser’s reply was more deadpan. “Most likely, it will be me keeping you two in line.”

“However it works, just that you three stay out of trouble,” Fleetfoot told them.

Off to the side, Twilight and Spike were saying farewell to their friends as well.

“I do wish I could join you and Spike on this trip, Twilight. I’m certain that I would receive inspiration from the Griffins while in Griffinhelm. I hear that the architecture there is stunning, and I am always open to the new dress ideas that could come from it. That and possibly a whole new market for my designs. Alas, I have orders I must complete.”

“Don’t worry, Rarity. I’ll be certain to take lots of pictures for you,” Spike reassured her. He too had hoped that she would be able to come along. Even though it had been several years since he first met her, his infatuation with the beautiful fashionista had not diminished in the least.

“Thank you, Spike,” she said to him. “I shall most appreciate them.” Even though they would poorly serve as inspiration compared to actually being there, Rarity could never refuse the gift. She was not blind to his feelings towards her, even if she did feel that he was still a bit young for her. Maybe as he matured a little more, she might consider returning those feelings. Until then, she chose to carefully tread the path between actively accepting his feelings, and letting those feelings down.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t decide to join us, Rainbow,” Twilight told the athletic mare who was hovering around them. “It would have been an excellent chance to track down an old friend once again.”

“Sorry, Twi, but Gilda burned that bridge a long time ago. It was her choice to not accept that I have friends other than her. She tried to force me to choose her over you guys. That’s not how friendship works.” Rainbow Dash would have considered going, if Gilda had shown any interest in being friends, but the one time she had tried sending a letter to the Griffin, it was returned to sender, with the word “DWEEB” written across the back of the envelope. Rainbow had made her attempt, and it had been kicked back into her face. “Hey, if you do happen to see her, Twi, give her a punch across the beak, for us. Especially Flutters.”

“Um… that really wouldn’t be necessary,” Fluttershy practically whispered timidly.

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that. Would not look very diplomatic starting a hoof fight while on a diplomatic mission,” Twilight said, facehoofing.

“Ah just hope that all this pans out, Twi. Would be good ta have a new market for apples and cider,” Applejack told her.

“OHHH! And the PARTIES I could throw for them! As long as they ain’t all meanie-pants meanies,” exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she bounced around her friends.

It was at that point when the all aboard was called. Twilight and Spike pulled their friends in close for one final group hug. “I’m gonna miss you girls this week. And I’ll get souvenirs for all of you. I promise.”

Soarin looked up from his paperwork at the sound of knocking. Standing in the doorway was his ex father-in-law, First Sergeant Silverwing. “Come on in, Sarge,” he told him.

Silverwing wasted no time. He came in, sat down on the couch, and stated, “Sir, we need to talk.”

Soarin was pretty certain he knew what it was that Silver needed to talk to him about, considering that he had been sitting just a couple tables over when him and Spitfire had argued last evening at the party for Fleetfoot. Like most good parents, Silverwing was protective of his daughter. Fortunately for Soarin, Silver was not one who would just tear into a pony who happened to piss them off, unless there was a damn good reason. Still, Soarin already knew that the conversation would not be one filled with smiles and laughter. Looking to the clock on the wall, he saw that it was about time to break for lunch. “Mind having the talk during lunch? They’re serving salmon in the chowhall here today.”

“That would be good, Sir. Let’s head over there,” was the First Sergeant’s reply.

The two of them walked in silence as they headed to the chowhall. Silverwing followed one step to the right and just behind Lieutenant Soarin, as per regulations when an enlisted pony is walking with an officer. Little did it matter that the First Sergeant had in all practicality a good deal more seniority over the Lieutenant. Rank structure and protocol were important in the Equestrian military.

When the two of them arrived at the Wonderbolt’s chowhall, they ordered their meals and sat down to eat. Both had chosen the grilled salmon, as it was usually excellently done, and would provide a sizable boost in calories, which Pegasi especially needed. Though most ponies were vegetarian, it was for cultural reasons, and not biological. Pony digestive systems could digest meat in smaller portions, and it did provide high levels of energy that active ponies needed. Still, it was not something that you would often see among civilian circles. With many, the cultural moors were just too strong to ignore.

After a few moments of continued silence, Silver finally decided it was time for the needed talk. “I’m certain that you know why I’ve asked to speak with you, Sir,” he said.

Soran simply held up a hoof, saying “First off, in here, you know the rules. Rank has no meaning; we’re equals. That is a Wonderbolt rule here, and we ask all who eat here to respect that. Even Shining Armor follows that rule in here, Silver. Also, you were once my father-in-law, and I do still consider you a friend. So, please, at least here, just call me Soarin.” Pausing to take another bite of his salmon, he continued, “And yes, I believe I do, considering that you and Octavia were just a couple tables away from Spits and I.”

“I’m not angry with you, Soarin. I am upset that I see two ponies I care about hurting, though. And I am worried, because if things do not change, all that I see happening is that both you and her are gonna continue to be in pain.” Silver paused a moment to let his words sink in. “I can empathize with the emotional pain you feel, son. I have been there, myself. When Tavi and I divorced, it took a long while for me to heal from the pain, and for Tavi and I to be able to actually be friends again. For the longest time, the only reason Tavi and I would get along was for the sake of our daughter.” Silver took a bite of his meal as he continued, “That’s not something that you and Spits have, though.”

“Yeah,” was all Soarin could say. That Silver and Octavia were able to be close friends now was something that Soarin respected deeply, and honestly, he was even a little jealous of that.

“Why is it that you don’t want to give up on the relationship, Soarin?” asked Silver. “What is it that drives you to hold on when most others would have quit long ago and moved on?” There was no animosity in his voice when he asked this. No anger. Instead, it was a sincere question, born of an honest desire for an honest answer.

Soarin took a drink of his iced coffee before he opened up to the one person in his life he could consider a father figure. “I never stopped loving her. No matter how many fights and arguments we had, I loved her. Heck, even on the two times I have tried to move on and went on dates, instead of the mare that I was with, it was thoughts of Spitfire that was in my head,” he said. It hurt to talk about it, but it was also a relief, in a way. “I can’t help but think that I failed her somehow in our marriage, and that if only I tried a little harder, maybe our relationship could have been saved. After the divorce, I would always ask myself where it was that I went wrong. I still ask myself that daily. And it still hurts.”

Silver pondered Soarin’s words for a moment. The answer he received was pretty much what he was expecting. He just needed his thoughts on the matter confirmed from Soarin himself. He gave the younger stallion the only advice he could give. “She’s hurting just as bad, son, and sadly, your continued efforts to try to get back with her, while good intended, are doing nothing but push her further away. If you do not learn to accept things, and let her go, I’m afraid that all that will happen is that you’ll end up pushing her away permanently.

“Please, as her father, I am asking that you let her go, before she ends up hurt much worse. If that were to happen, then I would be angry.” Looking up at the clock, Silver gathered his now empty tray. “I need to get back to my troops. Please consider what I have said. For both your sakes,” he said before he departed the chowhall, leaving the younger stallion to his thoughts.

The train had been traveling all day long, traveling through plains, and then mountains, before it finally crossed the border with Griffica. Once they reached their northern neighbors, the train was able to move along at a better clip, not having to deal with the mountains which had slowed travel considerably. It took them a little over two hours to go a hundred miles now, riding through pine forests and several smaller towns. They had another hundred miles to go before they reached Griffinhelm, where the upcoming trade conference would be held.

Twilight looked forward to being able to depart the train and stretch her legs some. Granted, she had been on much longer train rides in the past, such as all the way to the Crystal Empire on more than one occasion, but this did not make this ride any less tiring. Sixteen hours was still a long trip.

The time spent traveling had been productive, though. Twilight, Spike and Fleetfoot had spent the majority of their time going over their notes and plans for this preparatory meeting with the Griffins. If they could iron out the details during this trip, it should be smooth sailing for the conference coming up in two months.

Twilight was going over various production figures when Spike dropped a stack of notes on the desk. “Here are the notes on last quarter’s food production for Griffica, Twi. All collated and cross referenced like you asked. Something about the figures don’t look right though, Twilight. It almost seems that the info that we have, and what they’ve given us, don’t add up right.”

“I’ve noticed something similar with their industrial figures, Twilight,” Fleetfoot mentioned. She had been going over the numbers and had found numerous discrepancies. From how it looked, Fleetfoot was willing to wager that Griffica was not doing as well as they wished to appear. Actually, if certain sources were to be believed, Griffica was hurting. Hurting bad enough that their economy could very well be at risk. “They’re not telling us everything, and what they are telling us just does not ring true with our own sources.”

Twilight had been thinking the same thoughts herself, after going over the notes scattered before her. Whatever it was, she decided that she would attempt to get to the bottom of the situation while at the meeting. “We’ll find out the truth. We have a week to get—”

The sudden violent lurch of the train through everypony to the floor. The violent and unexpected motion was accompanied by an explosive boom that seemed to come from the front of the train. This was followed by the sounds of train cars crumpling as they compacted into one another and derailed at speed, throwing everypony around like dice within their cars. As Twilight flew forward, she could see Spike, Fleetfoot and several Guard ponies all tumbling towards the front of the car as it tipped onto its side and came to a crashing hault. The last she saw of Spike was him crashing out through a window, disappearing into the night.

She had no more time to think of Spike when she slammed hard into the front wall of the train car, landing on her wing and snapping one of the bones in the process. Immediately following her impact with the wall, Fleetfoot impacted with her, dislocating her shoulder. Twilight screamed out in pain, almost passing out from the shock of her injuries.

After what felt like an eternity, the car came to a halt. Those Guards capable of moving quickly checked on the princess, finding her dazed and moaning in pain from her injuries. With the knowledge that she was alive, their top priority became securing the area so that she may be kept safe. A Corporal instructed Fleetfoot to help Twilight out of the wrecked train car before heading outside to check on what happened.

“Twilight, I need you to hold on to me so I can get you outside. This car is not safe,” Fleetfoot told her as she lifted the injured pony onto her back. With the train car on it’s side, going through the windows would be a problem. The only option was through the doors at either end, and the door by them was blocked by the wreckage of the previous car. Walking carefully, Fleetfoot made her way to the back of the car.

“Fleetfoot, where’s Spike?” Twilight moaned. “We need him to message Celestia.”

“We’ll find him, Princess. Don’t worry,” the Pegasus told her reassuringly. Where Spike ended up though, would be anypony’s guess. Fleetfoot remembered seeing him fly out a window, but beyond that she had no clue.

Once Fleetfoot got Twilight outside the car, she called to the Royal Guard non-com who had instructed her moments ago. “Where is your squad leader, Corporal? We need to know how many survived the crash, and we need to see if there are any medical supplies for the injured. Princess Twilight has a broken wing, and possibly a dislocated shoulder, and she is our number one priority.”

The Unicorn hurried over to inform Fleetfoot what he knew. “Staff Sergeant Hot Shot is dead, Ma’am. I’m the senior surviving Guard pony. Of all on the train, we have found only eleven survivors, and all have injuries of some sort. Young Spike is the only one unaccounted for. As for medical supplies, I have a Private gathering anything she can salvage. Unfortunately, our medic was one of the ponies killed.”

His report was interrupted by a warning cry of “incoming,” and everypony who was able took whatever cover they could find. The arrows that landed all around them were different than the typical arrows used against personal. Instead of a narrow broadhead designed to pierce through light armor and flesh, the tips were glass vials that shattered on impact, releasing clouds of gas. A second volley followed almost immediately, and then a third.

By the time the Griffins stepped out of the woods and surrounded the wrecked train, the surviving ponies had been knocked unconscious.

Spike had almost reached the train when the first volley of arrows had landed. He had been thrown from the train when it had crashed, and had first went through a tree as thick as Twilight’s foreleg, and then collided with a large boulder.

The tree alone would have split a pony in two, and the boulder would have been akin to a giant fly swatter. Being a Dragon, Spike had a much tougher constitution than any pony, allowing him to survive impacts that would have turned any of his friends into nothing more than a memory. Whereas he was biologically still an infant Dragon, he was not as tough as an adult would have been. Where an adult dragon would not have really felt a thing, Spike came out of the ordeal with multiple bruises, scrapes, and his left arm broken just above the wrist.

Sore as Tartarus and scared for the pony he called his sister and best friend, he hurried to find Twilight and the others. He had finally found them and was nearly upon them when he saw the arrows coming in. He shouted out a warning just before they landed. Caught at the edge of the cloud, he got some of the gas in his lungs. Though the gas would not knock him out, it was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach.

The realization hit him that it had not been an accident, but an attack, and with that, panic hit him. It was that panic that saved him, causing him to turn tail and run for the woods.

After a few minutes, pain and his injuries caused him to slow. By then, he had gotten ahold of his panic, and stopped to listen for any signs of pursuing Griffins. It had to be Griffins, Spike reasoned to himself. No one else would have been able to pull of doing this, and they were in the middle of Griffica. It was not long before he heard Griffin voices approaching. Moving deeper into the forest, he found a wild blackberry bush and dove in. Reaching the center, he started digging with his good claw. Normally, Spike could dig a pit pretty quickly, but he was slowed due to his injuries. Still, he managed to get one deep enough to cover himself in to hide.

All he could do is hold his breath and pray that he was not discovered.

Fortune smiled upon him this time, and he went undiscovered. When he no longer heard Griffin voices, he slowly pushed his head back above ground and waited, listening for any return. After an unknown length of time, he climbed out of his pit as quietly as possible, and laid there. The events of the day and the late hour finally took their toll, and he passed out from exhaustion.

The first sensation that came to Twilight’s senses was pain. The pain very quickly grew in intensity and focused around her left wing and shoulder as her sense of hearing started to return. Through the haze inside her head, she could make out that the language was not Equestrian, but not much else. Groggily, she opened her eyes. Her vision seemed to swim in front of her, but soon, a pair of feathered forelegs with bird-like talons instead of hooves came into focus. Looking up, she looked into the scarred face of an armored Griffin, who called out in Griffic to an officer sitting nearby.

Suddenly, everything came into sharp focus for her. She remembered the train wreck, and the struggle to get out of the train after. She remembered being worried about Spike, and hearing that he was still missing when she had exited the train car. She remembered hearing somepony yell out a warning, and seeing a cloud form all around her. The realization hit her then that it had been Spike who had shouted out the warning. The spark of hope ignited within her that he may still be alive and uncaptured. If he could manage to get a message off to Celestia, then they would get her home safe.

Twilight first attempted a simple spell designed to assess her injuries, but a sudden feedback through her horn sent a sharp spike of pain straight into the center of her head. The Griffins must have placed an inhibitor ring on her horn while she was out. She tried moving around, but between the pain from her injuries and the fact that her hooves were bound together, she was immobile.

She looked around and saw that the other survivors were similarly bound, and the Unicorns wore inhibitor rings as well. Some of them looked scared, while others had looks of determination on their faces. Fleetfoot looked to her to tell her, “We’ll get out of this,” only to be cuffed into silence.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle! So nice of you to pay me a visit this fine evening. If you wish, you may call me Major Bloodclaw.” She turned her head to the new voice. This was an older Griffin, and higher ranked than the others. Like the Griffin soldier who had been watching over her when she woke, this one was heavily scarred. Whoever it was, he had an aura about him that said that he was not a Griffin to be trifled with. “Tell me, Miss Sparkle, where is your little Dragon pet? I believe his name is Spike? Surely, you would want us to retrieve him for you. Nothing saddens a little chick more than a lost pet.”

His referring to her number one assistant and closest friend, someone she considered to be a baby brother, as a pet infuriated her. But he held her cool, replying, “He’s back at home. He came down sick, and couldn’t make the trip.” She hoped that he would believe her, so that Spike might have a chance to stay uncaptured and get a letter sent.

“Now, now, Miss Twilight, you should know better than to lie to your betters.” Bloodclaw softly stroked Twilight’s broken wing with his talon, sending minor jolts of pain through her wing and up into her back. “Then again, I honestly do not mind that you do lie to me. It gives me reason to cause you to hurt.” His talons suddenly grabbed the wing and twisted slightly, sending a massive spike of pain deep into her core, causing her to cry out. “Now, shall I hear the truth from you, or do I get to cause you pain in ways I would very much enjoy?”

“I— I don’t know. I don’t know what happened to him after the wreck.” Another twist to the wing caused her to cry out further, tears of agony now streamed down her face. “I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS!” Twilight cried out in desperation and pain.

“Stop it! She’s telling the truth!” Fleetfoot hollered out to the Major. “We searched for him, but could not find him at all. He was just a baby Dragon, and probably was killed when he got thrown from the train car.”

Major Bloodclaw pondered this for a moment, then let go of Twilight’s wing, leaving her to whimper in pain. “It matters little, really. We have what we came for.

It was the young Corporal from earlier who spoke up this time. “You bastard! When Celestia hears about this—“

“She will bow to our demands, pony. She cherishes her newest princess like she were her own daughter. She will do anything to ensure that Twilight is returned to her safely.” Looking down at the Unicorn, Bloodclaw snapped his talons, and a pair of Griffins roughly grabbed ahold of him, then dragged him about fifteen or so paces away. “Since you have so nicely volunteered yourself, I shall make use of your pitiful self as an example.”

Turning back to Twilight, he knelt down close to her face. “I’m certain that you have noticed that you’re wearing an inhibitor ring. As you may have seen on your friend over there,” pointing towards the Corporal a short distance away with his wing, “These are not your run-of-the-mill rings, but maximum security rings designed to hold in the magic of even the most powerful Unicorns, and even an Alicorn, if need be. Normally, these rings would deliver a massive feedback pulse back through the horn, directly into the brain, if an attempt to remove it is done without first unlocking it. We Griffins have modified ours, to better suit our needs. Watch closely, little chick, and see what will happen if you were to try to remove your ring.”

“When the Princesses hear about this, they will come in and demolish you. She will send in all or Equestria’s military might in to grind every single one of you into the dirt, you filth—“

With a nod of his head, one of the Griffin soldiers pulled on a cord. The cord was attached to the inhibitor ring on Corporal Quill’s horn. The ring started to move off the horn, and that set off the trigger inside the ring. Instead of a feedback pulse, which would have been powerful enough to cripple a Unicorn, it fired off a shaped charge of explosives molded into the base of the ring. The detonation of that charge sent a concussive blast straight down around the horn into Quill’s head, reducing it to an obliterated mess.

The burning feel of bile that built up in the back of her throat made Twilight retch, forcing her to fight the need to release the contents of her stomach. While she was no stranger to having to fight, Corporal Quill’s murder was at least an order of magnitude more horrific than anything she had ever experienced before. This was the first time that she had actually witnessed violent death, and the realization hit her that those who have died today, they died because of her.

“I can see that you’re beginning to understand, Twilight. That is a start, but you have a long ways to go, still, and I assure you that the road will be most unpleasant for you.”

Twilight looked up into the face of her capturer. A feeling of defiance suddenly flooded her soul, filling her with a determination to not give in and quit. She was a Princess of Equestria, dammit, and she would NOT bow down before this beast! “Fuck you,” she spat venomously at him as she struggled to rise to her hooves in spite of her severely injured shoulder. She was allowed to reach a nearly standing position before the Major drew back a fist and punched her in her broken wing. The agonized scream that tore from her throat barely matched the mind-ripping pain that tore through her whole body, centered around the ravaged bone in her wing. There was no fighting it this time, and the dinner she had eaten earlier made its egress, spraying from her mouth violently. When she finished vomiting, all she could do is lay there in her own mess, bawling in pain and misery, feeling like a little foal surrounded by schoolyard bullies.

“Such spirit!” Bloodclaw exclaimed. “I shall enjoy breaking you!” Motioning a couple soldiers over to him, he gives them instructions in Griffic. They head fly off to carry out his instructions, quickly returning with a short length of chain. One of the Griffins connected this new chain to the chain between the shackles on her forelegs, and then connected the other end to the chain connecting the rear shackles on her hind legs. A pony would still be able to walk chained up in this fashion, but only at a hobbled pace. The other Griffin pulled out a screwdriver and some set screws, which he used to further secure the explosive inhibitor ring to her horn. They needed her alive, and did not want her to be able to attempt to pull the ring off her own horn. With one of her wings already broken, they had no worries about her trying to fly away.

“We will be taking you back to our base camp, where we will extract what we need from you. But first, we must take care of the other prisoners. I want you to watch, young chick, so that you may come to realize the fate of all who stand in the Empire’s way.” He grabbed her head, forcefully turning it to so she had no choice but to watch the show he had planned for her. “Start with the loud one, the Pegasus with the white mane.”

Fleetfoot immediately started to struggle against the pair of Griffins who had pounced on her to hold her down while a third Griffin approached and sat down in front of her. Grasping her mane in a talon, the other talon pulled a long dagger from a sheath attached to her armor. Lifting Fleetfoot’s head, she proceeded to saw through the mare’s neck, transforming her terrified screams into a loud, wet gurgling sound as her lifeblood spilled onto the ground and poured down her throat into her lungs.

Twilight attempted to look away, but was unable to do so because Bloodclaw held her head firmly in his talons, forcing her to watch the horrific scene before her.

Fleetfoot did not go out quickly. After the deep gash in her throat was opened up, the Griffins let her go to watch her flop around in her death throes, laughing as she struggled to bring her hooves to her mortal wound, but unable to do so because of the shackles around her hooves. In the end, it took nearly three minutes before the light finally left her eyes, though the look of sheer terror remained frozen on her face.

Still holding Twilight’s head facing straight ahead, Major Bloodclaw whispered in her ear, “Keep watching, because there are eight more to go.”

She was forced to watch as more of the ponies she was responsible for were brutally slaughtered before her eyes. By the time the third pony had been slain, a young colt, just barely old enough to join the Guard, and had just gotten to his very first duty station two weeks before, she lost control of her bladder and soiled herself as she sat there, trembling. And still, more of the ponies entrusted to her care were sacrificed on the altar of an empire’s greed and lust for power.

Once the executions were complete, Bloodclaw called for his messenger Griffon. It was griffins who were skilled in the use of rune magic that sent communications within the Empire. It was similar in nature to how Spike sent messages to Princess Celestia, but worked between one rune magic user to another. All military units within the Empire at company level or greater had a minimum of three such Griffins. They were also stationed in most government facilities, to include embassies. The Major ordered a message sent to the embassy in Canterlot, informing Ambassador Redtail that he had captured his target, and that Redtail could proceed with delivering his message.

Once the message was sent and confirmed received, Bloodclaw ordered his Griffins to pack up and head back to the waiting chariots, so they may head back to their base camp. He ordered two of them to bring Twilight to the chariot which will carry her. They had to carry here there, whereas she has a dislocated shoulder, and was unable to walk on her own.

The duties of an Equestrian Princess never cease, and in this case, it was a final meeting with her Chief-of-Staff and other personnel in regards to important meetings scheduled for the next day. Though it was thirty minutes before the midnight hour, it was not uncommon that she would still be working at such a time. Right now, her primary desire was that she could conclude the business at hoof, so that those in this final meeting for the day could go home finally, or in her case, her Royal Bedchambers for some needed sleep.

That this meeting was rudely interrupted she found highly annoying.

“Back away from me, you buffoon! And keep your filthy hoofs to yourself, you lowly dirt pony!” was heard coming from just outside the Throne Room doors. If anything, hearing the tribalist turn of words infuriated her. She also recognized the voice behind the foul epithets. That fact was confirmed when Ambassador Redtail pushed the doors wide open and marched in as if he owned the place.

“Is there a reason that you have chosen to barge in unannounced and at such an untimely hour, Ambassador?” the princess asked in a polite tone, managing to mask her ire at both the interruption, and the Griffin’s tribalist slurs she had just heard.

“I suggest you hold your tongue until after I deliver my message, Princess Celestia,” Redtail told her with a distinct lack of proper decorum or etiquette as proper one his station. Griffons were well known for possessing elevated levels of arrogance, but Redtail was known for conducting himself in a manner befitting an ambassador from another nation, which made his manner of conduct here all the more worrisome to the princess.

“Then please, proceed,” she instructed him in a tone that failed to hide her displeasure.

Ambassador Redtail pulled a scroll out from inside his jacket. Unrolling it, he let out a little cough before beginning to read. “I have been authorized by Emperor Ironbeak to inform you that as of twenty-two hundred hours this evening, Major Bloodclaw has successfully captured Princess Twilight Sparkle, and will be holding her until such time that the Emperor deems fit to release her. If you do as we require, then she shall be returned to Equestria safe—“

"YOU DARE ATTACK A PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA? WHILE SHE IS ON A DIPLOMATIC MISSION?” Celestia bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The Throne Room practically crackled with energy as Celestia stepped towards the Griffin diplomat. Her Chief-of-Staff, and those others with him, quickly backed away, knowing that getting too close to an enraged Alicorn was not conducive to continued existence. Celestia’s guards quickly jumped into position, ready to run the ambassador through with their spears if he so much as blinked in a manner they thought might possibly be suspicious.

Redtail remained surprisingly calm considering just how close he was to certain death, if not at the hooves of Celestia herself, then on the spears of those who would give their lives to protect her. He simply sat down and raised a talon, beckoning her to cease, saying, “I beseech you, Princess Celestia, to calm yourself, and to call off your guards.”

Celestia’s reply was to coldly instruct the guards to seize the diplomat.

“Any attempt to molest myself, or any Griffin from the Embassy, will be considered an act of war, Princess Celestia. As such, I would no longer be able to make any sort of guarantee of safety for your former student.,” he told her. Stepping forward, he brushed aside the guards with his wings. He did not stop until his beak was mere inches away from Celestia’s nose. “Shall I be telling my Emperor that you have chosen to take the intelligent course, and shall keep a calm head and not interfere with the Empire’s course of actions to come? Or shall I inform him that you have made a more unfortunate choice, caring not what ill fate may fall upon your beloved student?”

Celestia was not one to break so easily. While she may have felt a deep sense of dread and fear for her former student’s life on the inside, she maintained her outward appearance of having no fear of any threats that may be put forth by the Griffins. “How about you pass this message on to Ironbeak. Tell him that if so much as one strand of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s mane comes to ANY harm, I shall bring down an apocalypse personally upon his head.” Celestia turned away from him walking back to her throne, saying, “I suggest that you head back to the Embassy, Ambassador Redtail, whereas your welcome here in my presence has expired,” in a voice that would have frozen fire.

“Very well. I bid you a good evening, Princess,” was Redtail’s reply before departing the Throne Room.

As soon as the doors closed, Celestia sat herself down, trembling in rage. Taking a few calming breaths, she then called her Chief-of-Staff to her. “Issue a Stage One alert immediately. I require my sister, General Ironsides, Captain Star Caster, and Captain Spitfire here right now. Get it done. Everypony else is dismissed.” Once the room was cleared, Princess Celestia let out a bellow or pure rage as she slammed her hoof into the floor with enough force to shatter the tiles under her.

She had no plans to sit back and bow to the demands of Griffin tyranny.

Captain Spitfire was known for preferring tea over coffee, but after a hard day of training recruits, followed by the mountain of paperwork involved, she would resort to coffee for the added caffeine boost it provided. Emptying the last of her coffee down her throat in the hopes that the caffeine would carry her through the rest of her work, she brought out the last of the forms she needed to take care of. Specifically, the forms which would formally announce her intent to retire from the Wonderbolts, and would carry her recommendation for the next pony to hold her office.

She had been considering taking an early retirement for about a month now, though she had kept that information under wraps until she was certain of her decision. It was only last night when she finally stopped hemming and hawing over the decision, and made her choice. If she did not do this, then before the year was out, the stresses on her would push her to the breaking point, and that could cause irreparable damage to the Wonderbolts, as well as to her own life. This was the right choice, she told herself, and she had to do it now, otherwise, it may end up being too late.

Spitfire had finished the letter of recommendation, and was just starting the letter stating her intent to retire when the phone on her desk rang. Placing the pen aside, she answered, “Captain Spitfire speaking.” What she heard sent a chill down her spine.

“This is the Royal Switchboard with two official messages, as follows. First message; this is a Stage One alert. All military personal are instructed to report to their duty stations immediately. All commanders are to prepare for further instructions, as per Stage One regulations. Second message. You are required to report to Princess Celestia in the Throne Room immediately, Captain Spitfire. Please confirm receipt of messages.”

A Stage One alert! Damn! There is only one reason for such an alert level to be issued. Equestria is going to war. And this would be no simple border skirmish or police action, but a no-holds-barred fight using all of Equestria’s military might against an equally powerful nation. A moment of mild panic tried to invade her thoughts, but her military training and discipline took over and she calmly replied, “Receipt of message confirmed. Will comply as instructed. Over.”

Hitting the disconnect button, she switched the phone over to the unit announcement setting. “This is Captain Spitfire. A Stage One alert has been declared. All Wonderbolt personnel will report to the main auditorium in full combat gear and wait further instructions. Lieutenant Soarin, you are needed in my office immediately,” she instructed before hanging up the phone’s receiver. Before he arrived, Spitfire placed the two forms inside a desk drawer, saving them for another time when the road apples were not hitting the rotating mass air movement machine.

Lieutenant Spearhead hung up the phone before calling in his First Sergeant. When Silverwing walked in, Dusty quickly briefed him in on the alert message. “Looks like we’re going to war, Sarge. You know the drill, most likely twice as well as I do. Get the job done while I report to Captain Star Caster’s office.”

“Yes Sir. I’ll also put some pressure on the armory to have our weapons and ammo loads all prepped for immediate issue.”

“Thank you. I think the only reason they haven’t forced you to become an officer is because the Guard needs senior non-coms like you to keep things running as good as they do,” Dusty told him as he headed out the door.

Author's Note

With how things have been kicked up a notch, I have come to the realization that this story needs to be considered Mature, due to the graphic descriptions within.

Them Griffins... ain't they evil bastards?