Matthieu Leblanc, the great griffon adviser to the crown, looked over the map of Equestria. It was slightly weathered, yellowing at the edges and probably used once too much.
Nevertheless, it was functional to him, and that was all that mattered.
Because, at the end of the day, if all went right, this map would be inaccurate.
It wasn't really a question of "if all went right," either. The griffon forces could easily outnumber and outfight their target, a civilian town with only a handful of self-trained fighters and a single black belt in karate, no match for armed fighters. The Karate Colt tended to be highly inaccurate in real-life situations.
Only one thing stood in his way: The Elements of Harmony were a super-weapon that would defend the town, with the capability to single-handedly slaughter entire armies.
That was what Equestria boasted, but Leblanc highly doubted what they said. On numerous occasions, they failed to use the elements to target large groups. The elements appeared to only hit one being at a time.
It would be a risk they'd have to take.
He couldn't back out now, after all. They were taking an airship to raid Ponyville, and it would be a giant waste of resources to head back now.
He was navigator for the flight, and the map showed that the force was nearly there. "Begin descent, captain!" he called over his shoulders. He rolled up the map, stuck it in a cubbyhole in the wall, and grabbed his armor from a military locker.
It wasn't too hard to pull the gold and green armor on, but what was really painstaking was to adjust it to fit him perfectly. Every time he put it on, it required adjustment so no part of him was uncovered by metal shields or rubber joints except for his feet, wings, and head. He slid on spiked front-guards for his wings, slid his rapier into its scabbard, and slid pointed gauntlets onto his feet. He was now ready for battle.
It was showtime.
Ponyville was falling.
Griffon cannons fired flaming cannonballs, shooting down house after house. The wooden homes quickly fell to the raging inferno that spread from house to house at breakneck speed, aided by high winds.
Spike ran to Sugercube Corner, hoping to help the Cakes get out safely. His invulnerability to fire allowed him to save many people that night from the blaze.
Meanwhile, Leblanc and other griffon foot soldiers descended on a gangplank to loot the buildings and capture prisoners. They went from ruin to ruin, searching for gold and jewels. Rarity and Sweetie Belle just barely managed to escape from the onslaught. The griffons sent a cannonball through the roof of the Carousel Boutique, successfully causing the building, which was never that sturdy in the first place, to collapse in on itself.
Meanwhile, Princess Twilight Sparkle was trapped in her own basement. Griffon soldiers and swarmed her home in hopes of capturing the princess. She murmured incarnations while setting up runes with her telekinesis.
Finally, it was done. She sent out the last blast of magic she would for one thousand years, making her drop to the floor under the stairs and slowly fade into an invisible haze.
She was hidden.
One thousand years later...
