Whimsyshire

Envy For Love

Envy was the spirit of jealousy, and as all spirits, she was powerful. One of the most powerful to be precise, because she fed off the jealousy of all beings around her. But, the source of a large portion of her power was in fact, herself. Envy craved what others had, but she rarely got what she truly wanted, love. Thousands of years ago, Envy saw the love ponies had for Celestia, and she wanted that kind of love. So, she took over the Griffons with her might. They however, did not love her. Her jealousy only grew as she heard how show was viewed as a tyrant, while Celestia was loved as a mother. Envy felt great fury that despite her best efforts, she could not get what she wanted. This had led her to war with the ponies a millennia and a half ago. The war ended shortly after it began however, when Celestia sought her out and confronted her. Celestia told her that she did not want to destroy something she wanted and could not have, she reasoned that because the love of ponies existed and Envy could not have it only meant strength for Envy. She listened to Celestia's reasoning because she knew she would need all her strength if Discord ever broke loose again. Envy did not want anything of that psychopath. His madness was one of the few things Envy feared.

As Envy reminisced to herself upon her throne she was brought back to reality by the crashing and shattering of glass. A bloodied Griffon collapsed to the foot of her throne, and rose. He looked ragged and torn, as if he had flown for days without stopping.

"What is the meaning of this?" Envy said, unhappy that she was interrupted whilst day dreaming.

"H-h-h-he... Carved a m-m-message for you..." Stuttered out the fatigued Griffon.

"What?" Envy asked, a confused and slightly concerned look crossed her face. She held a massive talon up to bring a halt to her guard captain that was advancing on the bloodied Griffon.

"In my f-flesh, a message... for you..." The Griffon said, standing up on his hind legs, and revealing the message that by some magic, still looked fresh and had not scabbed over.

Envy's eyes widened as she read. Something dared to attack her Griffons? And they also dared to protect those mongrels that held jewels that put her treasury to shame. Whatever this 'Immortal King' was, it was dead. Her eyes narrowed as she clacked her beak in frustration.

"I'm s-s-sorry my queen, the spell has taken control of my b-body." The Griffon stuttered out.

Envy looked confused at first, then her eyes grew wide as she launched into the air and tried to warn her guard captain who had tackled the bloodied messenger. A second too late came her warning though, for the Griffon exploded in a powerful torrent of flames, an elemental spirit bursting from the corpse and incinerating everything around it including the guard captain.

Envy growled at the sight of her guard captain being taken out by a halfhearted attempt on her life. The Immortal King would pay for this, nothing mocked Envy like this and got away with it. This meant war.

The fortifications of Bannuk's new town were going well. Houses were built, and a wall was erected. Next came the making of catapults to launch nets to ground air troops. The message he sent would ensure war thanks to Ayida. Though he truly did hate magic, he could put up with hers.

"My king, we have received a message from the Griffon champion." Rover said, producing a rolled up scroll

Bannuk took the scroll and looked around, he could not find Ayida. She had mentioned venturing off to find something she needed for a spell. The Barbarian cursed silently to himself.

"Can you read?" Bannuk asked Rover who gave a questioning glance in return.

"No, but why do you ask? I did not read the message if that is what you are asking." Rover said, tucking his tail between his legs. Did Bannuk not trust him yet?

"I cannot read either... Ayida always did that for me." Bannuk said, allowing his shoulders to slump.

"Ah, do not be sad though my king, none of us Diamond Dogs can read, we think it as usually a waste of time that could be better spent working!" Rover said wagging his tail, happy that his king had not meant to question his loyalty.

"Well this does need to be read... I think I might ask help from our neighbors..." Bannuk said thoughtfully.

"As long as the white one with a purple mane does not come here we will be fine with company if they wish to come over as well." Rover offered. The Diamond Dogs with a now open trade had acquired many goods for their gems and minerals. But the one called Rarity was forever banned from the Diamond Dog lands.

"Rarity?" Bannuk asked.

"She is quite infamous around here, perhaps I will tell you the tale later." Rover offered.

"That would be good, but for now, I have a reader to seek out." Bannuk said, waving off the notion that Rarity could do anything harmful to the dogs.

Celestia had left to resume her duties in Canterlot, but Luna remained to keep an eye on the new faction. As the princess of the night sat upon a cloud and watched over the Diamond Dog's town, something caught her eye. Ayida was channeling something very powerful. Luna moved the cloud closer to get a better look at the magical weaves to try and decipher the spell, but it was starting to look like a mere message. Why would a message spell have to be so powerful? Luna dismissed the harmless enough spell as she noticed Bannuk leaving his post with a scroll in his hand. But, he wasn't heading towards where Ayida sat in the shade. Where was he going with that?

Luna then decided to trail Bannuk as he headed for Ponyville. She was a little confused however, if he was looking for something to be read to him why wouldn't he head for the library? Surely young Twilight would be the best choice for having something read. But instead, Bannuk took the road that would take him to Sweet Apple Acres. Where was he going? Luna had better keep a close eye on him...

Bannuk approached the apple orchard, eyeing the fruits with a hungry eye. But, food would have to wait, he needed to know what this said, and he needed a source that would not blab what might be in here to the princesses. He was looking for the bright red stallion he had met last night at the party. Big Mac was his name he remembered. The stallion seemed to have the kind of personality that would not gossip.

"Perfect..." Bannuk smiled, spotting the red worker pony.

As Bannuk approached, Big Mac looked up from the bucket of apples he had just set on the ground to the looming black figure that could only be one being he knew. Though he could not see Bannuk's face, the bulk gave the armor clad Barbarian away.

"Fine day is it not Big Mac?" Asked Bannuk striking up conversation.

"Eeyup." Replied the red stallion.

"Mind lending me a hand- er, hoof?" Bannuk asked offering the letter.

"Sure." Big Mac drawled out, taking the letter and unrolling it with a hoof. Big Mac had heard his sister Applejack gossiping to granny about Bannuk being illiterate, and how it was nice to see that not just posh city slickers could rule a land. So Big Mac understood what he was being asked to do, and began to read aloud.

"Immortal King, You have quite some nerve sending such a message to me, and being so cruel to my subjects. Your actions ask for nothing but war, and I hope you will be happy to hear I accept. But you will not like what we have in store, for your dogs are grounded, and have no defense against my air troops. There is a reason they remained underground, I will be more than happy to educate you on this as well. -Queen of the Griffons, Envy" Big Mac read off.

Bannuk had a surprised look on his face.

"Didn't count on air assaults from them?" Big Mac asked seeing the look on Bannuk's face.

"No, Ayida is taking care of that she said. But, I did not know the Griffon champion was a she... Now I feel bad about some of the things I said..." Bannuk stated, thinking back on the many things he said about making the Griffon champion look like a little bitch.

"Hmm?" Big Mac inquired.

"By the ancients... Your princesses must think I'm a sexist now..." Though women usually stayed to household if not healing tasks in the Barbarian tribes, Bannuk knew many fine warrior women, and he felt he dishonored them by acting like all women were weaker than men. It was fine for insults sake to make a man sound 'girly' but when making fun of a woman for being a girl, that was sexist in Bannuk's eyes.

As Bannuk walked off, Big Mac could only shake his head and smile. In the face of a war he had a disadvantage in, the Barbarian cared more about looking sexist than having to go to battle.

Ayida had finally finished the spell with the last reagent she scavenged in the forest. She needed this message sent to make sure they got some range to deal with the flying troops of the Griffons. Not that much harm could be done from afar to her or Bannuk, but the new town couldn't just be allowed to fall, and its citizens slaughtered.

Thorne would be put on guard duty while Bannuk and herself went to face off with this Griffon champion. She needed some info first though, so she would have to brave the questions the purple mare would more than likely fire at her when she went to the library. Such was a small sacrifice for knowledge on ones foe.

As Ayida made her way into town, a few ponies actually stayed outside instead of fleeing to the safety of their own homes. Perhaps seeing the princesses with her had left the ponies less afraid of her and her friend. Ayida looked around taking in just how colorful the ponies were, and how happy they seemed in their day to day lives.

"Thorne is going to hate this place" Ayida laughed to herself as she approached the library door.

Ayida allowed herself into the library, knocking on the door as she entered.

"Twilight, are you home?" Ayida called out.

A purple dragon then appeared form the kitchen wearing a frilly pink apron. Ayida raised an eyebrow at this, but then shrugged it off, not all to surprised at the girly apron when she had viewed girlier things already in this world.

"Hey Ayida, Twilight went over to have tea with Rarity, and I was left to watch the library." Spike grumbled not liking that he wasn't invited to see the white mare.

"No, problem. Are you familiar with the library's set up? I am looking for a book on the Griffon kingdom." Ayida said closing the door behind her.

"Sure, let me go grab a few books. Care for some cookies, I just made them fresh." Spike offered.

"That would be delightful, could I bother you for a glass of water too, I might be here a while." Ayida smiled back warmly.

"No problem, coming right up!" Spike said, eager to do a task to ease the boredom of a day working the library.

Ayida decided to herself she rather liked Spike. He did what was asked of him, and seemed to do it well. Perhaps she could give the small dragon some sort of gift for his hard work. But what did dragons like? She would have to inquire with Fluttershy, she seemed to know a lot about the creatures of this land.

Thorne sat in the Slaughtered Calf Inn at Tristam. He had been looking for leads of the disappearance of Bannuk and Ayida, they had last been seen here, and he wondered where they had gotten off to. The demons had gone into a state of depression without their masters, and kept to the hells. This left Thorne with nothing to do, no outlet for his hatred. So when he heard from an angelic messenger that Tyrael had sent that two of his old companions had disappeared form the face of sanctuary, he decided to investigate hoping to find a source of evil to slay.

"I wish they had left me some sort of sign, or clue as to their whereabouts..." Thorne sighed to himself, slumping over the bar table and resting his head in his arms as he let the buzz of ale take over. He thought back to the battles the five of them had, slaying all the wickedness that stood before them.

The air crackled with magic as a staff with a note tied to it fell on the Demon Hunter's head, breaking him out of his drunken daydream.

"Who threw this?!" Yelled Thorne clutching the staff and standing up, knocking the bar stool over.

"Um, sir... It just... appeared above you in a purple flash..." The bartender managed out.

Thorne gave a scrutinizing look to the bartender, and looked to the staff in his hands. He then noticed the note tied to it. Unrolling it, he received directions to where to take the staff, and to talk to this 'Cow King' to find where Ayida and Bannuk had gone. It was in Ayida's writing.

"Oh my..." Was all Thorne managed, before slamming a gold coin down on the bar table and taking off into the night down Old Tristram Road. He had some friends to track.