Pain. Not the stub my paw kind, but the kind that comes with a severe wound from a battle. It was all I could feel as I lay down on the rough ground, flashes of thunder and the screams of both griffon and pony alike filling the cloudy skies above me. I didn’t know how I got there, how I got injured, but it was quite obvious that I fell, even with my cloudy mind it was no denying that.

“Gorvin!”

The voice, Gapo, called out for me. He must’ve seen me fall from the battle above. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the giant griffon enter my field of view, his one good eye staring down at me in concern.

“I’m f-fine Gapo.” I managed to force out as he helped me stand up. He was towering over me, his left eye covered by a dark eyepatch, his right eye, green and glowing with strength. Like any other son of the Redfeather family, his feathers were a crimson color, quite similar to my own.

Using his massive strength, Gapo lifted me up, allowing me to lean on him to avoid falling back down. “Fine? You’re far from fine sir Gorvin! Your wing is quite clearly broken and you just fell a distance that would kill most others!” I simply gave him a warm smile, though I had to agree, my insides were screaming in pain from more than a few broken bones and when I looked down at my left wing, I could see it bend like no wing should.

However, my fake smile faded instantly when a more pressing concern filled my mind. “Where’s Gael?” A single look towards Gapo gave me the answer. My brother was gone. I nearly stopped where I stood, but I kept moving, not wanting to inconvenience the larger griffon.

“He fell right after you did, sir. However, I suspect the unicorn responsible got a lucky shot, cause he was dead before he even hit the ground.” I could do nothing but stare blankly in front of me. The realization hitting me hard like a minotaur fist to the chest. Gapo himself was clearly affected by this as well. If anygriffon respected my brother, it was Gapo. The two had been friends for as long as I could remember, their bond only strengthened by their roles as leader and servant.

“What happened to the unicorn?” My own voice surprised me. It was rare for my anger to show as clearly as it did then. The large griffon could only stare for a moment in shock before he gave me the answer I needed to know.

“Captured. I imagine she will be put through the very worst King Giran has to offer for killing his heir and firstborn son.” I could feel my heart sink at that. The unicorn was probably just following orders, though I still felt angry at the mare for having killed my elder brother, I didn’t believe any pony or griffon deserved to face the full wrath of my father, the tyrant king of the griffons.

It was clear to see that Gapo felt the same. After all, few fates were worse than to be put before one of the great tyrants in this neverending war. I felt a twinge of guilt for thinking so poorly of my father, but it was short lived, as I remembered that the only other living creatures in known history to even match my father’s cruelty was the two princes of the Equestrian Alliance. Prince Blue and Prince Blood.

“Where are we going?” My voice was slowly coming back to me, making the larger griffon give me a small smile.

“The royal medical tent. Since Gael is gone, you’re the new princ-” I cut him off before he could finish the sentence, my eyes glaring daggers into his. It took him the entirety of two seconds to realize what he was about to say. “Oh… I’ll take you to one of the lesser tents then?” At my nod, we changed direction.

Several minutes passed and neither of us said anything. But once the nearest medical tent was within sight I decided to ask Gapo the last question that was burning on my mind. “Who do you serve now? My brother was the only prince and my sisters all already have servants.”
My question made him think for a few moments.

“You, I suppose. Even though you’re not a prince, my father won’t allow me to serve anygriffon outside the royal bloodline, and I think he’d probably want me to serve you either way.” I couldn’t deny his words. Even after my father dismissed my title as the second prince, uncle Gorl always preferred my company over my brother’s.

When we reached the medical tent, Gapo decided to say his goodbyes, most likely going to see his father and confirm his suspicions about his new role. Giving the larger griffon a quick nod, I moved inside the tent, sitting down on a stool as I waited for a medical griffon to come patch me up.

After what felt like an eternity with nothing else than my pain to focus on, a feminine voice caught my attention. In front of me stood a gorgeous female griffon, her yellow eyes captivating me with their endless debt and her blue feathers seemingly glowing in the light from the outside. Noticing her confused look, I shook myself out of my stupor, giving her the best smile I could manage.

Her confusion faded a bit and she gave me a small smile, though she was still rather unsure about the situation. “Excuse me, sir, but shouldn’t you be in the royal medical tent?” It was clear she didn’t know me and simply guessed my family by the color of my feathers. She quickly realized just who I was when she saw my frown. “I-i’m sorry sir Gorvin! I didn’t mean to offend you with my foolish ignorance!”

I simply shrugged at her response, forcing a smile to appear on my beak. “It’s quite alright. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to get patched up.” I pointed to my broken wing “I think I broke a few bones and I might have a concussion.”

It took a little while, but the medical griffon knew her stuff. I could almost move like normal after she finished patching me up. “You’re quite good at this, have you considered applying for a higher ranking? I’m sure my father would appreciate a griffon with your talents to take care of his daughters should any harm come to them.” I didn’t realize my mistake before I saw the dark look in her eyes at the mention of my father. “Oh... “ was all I managed to say after that, realization dawning upon me like a heavy wall.

“King Giran is a tyrant and a fool seeking power, sir. I know saying this could get me in serious trouble, but if anygriffon would understand it’s you.” I could only give her a sad nod in confirmation. I was after all the only griffon to ever stand up to the king and not be sentenced to death or worse. I doubted I’d be so lucky if I ever voiced my arguments towards him again.

She looked at me like I was some kind of savior, a griffon that could stand up to the tyrant king and end this pointless was once and for all. I could only sigh and shake my head “My father removed any power I might’ve ever had. The only reason most griffons see me as noble is because of my family. I am a noble only in name, not in title.” Her hopeful expression withered and died in front of me.

I was about to leave the medical tent when she spoke up once more. “And you won’t do anything to stop this war? Many griffons admire you for what you did, you know.” Her words stung me. I was no hero, I couldn’t rally the people against their king. Besides, if a conflict arose within our ranks, the ponies would be guaranteed to win the war, and that would be just as bad if not worse than the current rule.

I could only give her a sad smile as I left the tent, unsure of what to say in response to her words. She was right, after all, many griffons did admire me, but I simply hoped they would come to their senses and realize that I was nothing more than a fallen prince, stripped of all authority and power.

The outside air was cold and refreshing, the formerly cloudy sky had given way to a beautiful sunset. Then I saw it. The war still raging up high above in the sky. Airships filled with unicorns and earth pony soldiers, pegasi using clouds to both attack and defend while Griffons wielding spears and crossbows meeting the enemy head on, attacking the unicorns from range, countering the pegasi with their own control over the weather and primal fury allowing them to overpower most earth pony soldiers.

I could only stand and stare at the endless fighting. Griffons and ponies alike falling from the skies like sacks of sand. Unicorns using new and improved spells to freeze the wings of their foes or to outright kill them, griffons countering with crossbows and spears made with anti-magic runes.

I felt my armor grow heavy, the anti-magic sword on my back burning in an invisible fire as I could only stare at the carnage. The ponies were only following orders, same as the griffons. The true monsters hidden behind countless of innocent lives. No one had a choice in this war, you either served with your life, or you would be sentenced to death or imprisonment for treason.

A battlehorn sounded behind me, it’s tone filling the skies striking fear into the hearts of anyone who heard it. I knew all too well what it meant.

Turning around, I saw my father stand on the top of a hill, his golden armor nearly glowing in the sunset. When I turned back towards the fighting, I saw the ponies retreating, the griffons pushing them back with renewed power. The presence of the griffon king struck fear into the hearts of all. The griffons fighting harder to impress their king, the ponies retreating in panic.

I wanted to close my eyes, wanted to turn away, but I could not. I knew what was coming, and I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop it. My father lifted his legendary sword, it’s golden blade drawing power from the sun itself, small orbs of light melting into the golden blade like fireflies in the middle of night. The pony flagship was suddenly covered in what must’ve been hundreds of shield spells, but the brave unicorns effort was in vain.

With a single shout, King Giran unleashed the wrath of the sun itself. A beam so hot it could melt rock shooting out from his blade, striking the pony flagship with the strength of a thousand spells. The shield held for a few seconds, but in the end, the beam struck through, transforming the once impressive vessel into burning embers and charred wood. The golden beam didn’t stop until it hit a different kind of shield. A silver globe surrounding a smaller ship behind the enemy lines.

The presence of the two pony princes was not unexpected. Their shield held and the griffon king’s attack faded, leaving a path of death on both sides. I could only stare in horror at the aftermath of my father’s attack. Griffons and ponies alike falling to the ground, badly burned.

My father grunted in annoyance when he saw the unicorn princes shield, then he sheathed his sword and turned around to leave. but before he could move far, he stopped when a voice reached his ears. My voice.

“What king turns his back when he just killed his own subjects!” I had heard of my father’s enhanced sword, but to think he would use it without consideration for his own soldiers was unthinkable. I could barely hold back my anger as I kept shouting at him. “Even the pony princes have enough of a care to not put their own subjects in the line of fire!”

I felt like shrinking back when his red eyes glared down at me, but I stood firm. Before I knew it, I stood face to face with the large griffon himself. His gaze unwavering as he stared down at me. I started to feel less like a griffon and more like an insect in the front of his large frame.

“Kneel, Gorvin. Beg forgiveness and I might oversee your stupidity.” His words were cold and calculated, not a trace of emotion in either his voice or his gaze. I stood firm, refusing to kneel in front of the tyrant. “I see…”

Before I could act, I was knocked down on the ground as he grabbed my neck with one of his talons, drawing a thin line of blood. I tried to resist, but his strength was too much and I felt the fight being knocked out of me by the impact. “I won’t kneel for a monster…” I managed to force out, his talon tightening its grip.

Giran glared down at me, anger filling his eyes as his crimson feathers moved in the wind. He looked like a predator covered in the blood of his prey where he stood, towering above me.“Guards! Take this pathetic fool to the dungeons. He shall stay there while I decide on his punishment.” He let go of my throat, the guards dragging my limp body away.

I tried to fight the guards, but I was still too weak after my father's grip. Giving up, I felt my consciousness slip, the sad look of a blue griffon the last I saw before all faded to black.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading this far! This is my first attempt at a story like this, so I'm sorry if there's much that don't make sense or could've been written better.

If you see any grammatical mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them.