Today started abnormally... Mainly because Luna and Celestia traded shifts so that Luna would be well rested for the summit with the Griffons this afternoon. Unfortunately for me, that means that none of the guards I've worked with for the past couple weeks were here with us, but I suppose that the same could be said for Scarlet Dawn as well. I just hope she doesn't mess with the formation I had the guards in tonight. It took me weeks to get enough ponies to cover the grounds like I wanted and even still most of them are in training.

"Edward?" The sudden voice snaps me out of my inner monologue and as per usual it is the moon princess herself, sitting on the sun throne where sun-butt first glared down at me.

"Yes, Luna?"

"You were daydreaming again. Are you alright?"

"Yes, princess I was just thinking about the past and my equal. I hear Alicorns can go a good few weeks without sleep, is that true?"

"That is correct."

"Then why are you and Celestia swapping shifts?"

"A change of pace mostly."

"Very... Well then." Changing the subject as quickly as possible in hopes of keeping my annoyance from Luna. "Who besides me will be guarding you during the summit?"

"Just you, each official or royal is only allowed one companion while the escorts or in our case the Pegasi that will be flying us there will be waiting outside and away from the building itself. Now come, let us be on our way"

"Sounds good to me. Will I also be writing the minutes of the meeting?"

"If you wish, it isn't necessary though."

"How come?"

"I'll be using magic to record it."

"Fair enough. Can't argue with that I suppose." I say as we exit the castle to be greeted by two pegasi standing at attention signaling them to be at ease, I escort Luna to the carriage and sit beside her. It takes a few minutes, however, as the pegasi fumble around with their harnesses. Honestly speaking it'd be much easier to put them on if they had fingers. I would help him but I can't have my hands full if someone were to attack Luna. They eventually get the harnesses on though and we take off, the flight is a smooth yet long one as we're being carted by two pegasi but to give them credit they were moving faster than I gave them credit for and they clearly pushed themselves because by the end of the flight they were sweating buckets and panting like they've been exercising with no rest for days on end, while they got unstrapped and situated Luna and I entered the Griffons palace. Unlike the palace that Luna and Celestia have, this one looks run down, in a similar state to their other buildings. Holes in certain places in the roofs entire walls collapsed, exposing it to the dry barren mountain wasteland that they call home. We enter the war room and are greeted by the griffon king, sitting at the head of the table. He gazes at us with his one eye while he scratches underneath its milky white counterpart.

"You've arrived Moon Princess." He says in his old raspy voice. "And who might I ask is your companion? They are no pony."

"This is Edward, Lord Ruddeford, he is our personal guard."

"Sister dearest finally let you have one I see." He says bluntly as a chuckle turns into a dry heave and then to an outright cough spell. "Oh, how I envy the lifespan of a pony.."

"Oh, come now, it isn't that bad."

"One of your generations is equal to three of ours, princess. Not that it matters though, I'll be leaving the role of king to Galiha here soon." He says as he weakly gestures to the Griffon sitting next to him. "That is why he is here today, so that he may be fully up to date with the proceedings."

"It's a pleasure, princess." Galiha says in a polite manner, I set my gaze to him, an aura emanating from his body that doesn't sit well with me, and as our eyes meet we stare at each other, his green eyes piercing my very soul.

"The pleasure is ours, now shall we begin the summit?"

"Yes, let's begin with the rogue faction of griffons. How exactly do you intend on helping us cull this matter?"

"Well firstly have your scouts found where they frequent?"

"Yes, they seem to spend most of their time in the plains when they're not stealing from traders on the main road."

"We suggest that both of our armies send troops to patrol along the main road and have stations where they check for proper identification and licensing to sell goods."

"That is a temporary solution princess, I want these rogues wiped out not cautious."

"With all due respect Ruddeford, you said that they were stealing from traders. That implies that the theft of goods is their main source of sustenance and if we cut that off they'll slowly but surely either give up the fight or wither away."

"Until they find a new source, or move to a different region altogether."

"Then how do you propose we solve this issue?"

"We send in our scouts to identify the exact location of their hideout then overwhelm them with numbers."

"That seems fairly reckless, there is a high possibility that something could go wrong."

"Like what?"

"Well, that method is likely to have a high number of casualties for both sides." Turning to Galiha, Ruddeford calmly asks him.

"What do you think, child?"

"I believe that you're completely correct m'lord, we must snuff out this vermin while we can before it becomes even more of a problem later."

"Well said, my boy! There you have it, princess, the vote is two to one. What of your aid then hm? Will he make it a tie vote yet again?" I look up slightly shocked, luckily for me, my helm is covering the entirety of my face so my expression is hidden.

"You want my input on this matter?"

"I'm told that you are from another plane in which you guarded royalty rather successfully I might add, much like you do now, even taking it upon yourself to heighten the Lunar Guards numbers for better placement and patrols, so it stands to reason you'd have an inkling of knowledge when it comes to strategy." In my heart, I'm left to question how he got this information so quickly, I've been by Luna's side daily since I was posted as her guard and I never saw her write any letters, unless her sister sent word beforehand during the day hours where we're not active, either way, I swallow my suspicion for now and reply.

"Well firstly, may I see a map of the suspected area?"

"Certainly." With a clap of his raptorial talons, a servant griffon enters the room.

"What will you be needing master?"

"Bring us a map of the plains and other areas surrounding the main road."

"Yes, right away." The servant leaves and quickly returns with the requested maps, then leaves without another word. Spreading them out on the table I look at the completed picture.

"This is how they should be arranged yes?"

"That is correct. Now look and see what you come up with." Looking at the maps the plains are rather large and would take a long while to scout through the entirety even with the advantage of flight, but there is also what appears to be a heavily dense forest to the east of the main road not too far from either, beings with wings could easily travel back and forth if needed.

"What's in here?" I ask as I point curiously at the forest.

"Nothing too important. that forest is so densely packed that it would be extremely difficult if not impossible for griffons to survive properly. That's why the plains are our prime suspected place of operation seeing as we griffons need an abundance of free air to fly and feel comfortable."

"I see..." Given my past experiences and instincts, I am left to suspect that the forest is the true operation grounds. "And while I understand that surveying enemy territory is difficult as it is, with all due respect sir, I feel that you've been looking in the wrong area."

"Oooh?" He sounds with a disapproving tone almost as if he's started to dislike me for implying that he was wrong. "And what prey-tell makes you believe that?"

"Multiple reasons actually, firstly being that if one was heading a covert operation you wouldn't want to risk it in such an open area as a plain, while it is large it is far too open to be hiding anything of substance, so while you might be finding rebels in the plains I doubt that it is their main base of operations. Now if you'd look over towards the forest just to the east, while you said it would be difficult for griffons to survive there because of the lack of open air it's not impossible."

"And why is that." Ruddeford said bluntly

"You mustn't underestimate a rebel force, sir, it will only lead to your downfall in the end. When one is desperate to change the state of a kingdom for the better they would be willing to put themselves in unfavorable conditions and even throw themselves into unwinnable situations if it means that they 'might' gain the upper hand. So that is why I believe that their true base is in the forest, and I suggest actually doing a combination of tactics. Luna's plan to siphon out their food and supplies and your plan to overwhelm with numbers. Basically with their supply intake being cut some who aren't as loyal to the cause will break off and moral with the troops will diminish as well, they'll be tired, hungry, and weak. Then with a large scale force, we can go in and capture them for interrogation. Though I'd like to suggest having four squads of elite members of our respective intelligence forces to scour the forest and confirm my suspicion."

"Won't they catch on to the sudden change in patrols though?"

"Well, you see we'll still have the regular patrols into the plains to avoid any suspicion while we instill the check posts and scout groups."

"That might work if I'm to be honest... What if our large-scale force is unable to efficiently move into the forest without arousing suspicion?"

"Then, with your permission, of course, we set fire to the forest and force them out to us."

"I must say you are a terrifying strategist. Princess, would you mind letting me keep him?" He asks while chuckling as if he's impressed by the plan I just put forth.

"We are sorry Lord Ruddeford but he is our sole personal guard, and We would so love to keep him as such."

"What a shame, I suppose that means I can just be thankful we're not enemies at this juncture. Now onto less pressing matters, we need to make our trading more efficient than to just caravans how do you propose we remedy that?"

"What if we did navel trading? I would cost more initially, yes, but it would allow for faster delivery of goods and in more abundant shipments."

"Seconded" And the summit carried on like this them listing their worries, complaints, and remedies sometimes quarreling about what solution is best. It was a short summit, however, only lasting a couple of hours once it's over we say our goodbyes and walk out of the same decrepit hall as before finding our pegasi strapped in and ready to fly off and as we walk past to get seated I lock eyes with one of them with their green eyes piercing into my soul. I do a double take at the pony who's eyes have turned purple, I lift my visor and rub my eyes. Feeling rather sluggish and drained I join Luna in the carriage before we take off.

The flight is a relatively smooth one, we reach the halfway point, passing the plains when I look down and see a group of griffons lined up I'm about to shake it off when we feel a sudden change in the direction leading us straight down to the group, the stop is abrupted and causes me to be thrown out of the carriage. When I find my way to my standing position I see Luna in some sort of net with a couple of griffons trying to take off, with her, I quickly throw knives at each of them both finding their mark in the griffon's wings, I run to Luna so I can more easily protect her but when I get to her, the griffons and the two ponies who flew us down here begin to circle us excluding the two currently recovering from their landing.

--->Celestia<---

"Discord." With a loud pop, the being of chaos appears before me.

"You called, Tia?"

"I am concerned for my sister on the path of the summit, I'd like you to open a viewing hole for me to observe her and the human."

"Are you sure it's not just to see what the human does hmm?"

"Just open the hole."

"Oh, poo you're just no fun, Tia." He cracks his knuckles and the rest of his body in a rather grotesque manner before stretching out his tale and making the fluff of hair into a hand and snapping its fingers allowing a circular pool of magic form and we're granted an ariel view of.. them surrounded by griffons, and Solar Guards.

Scarlet! "A flash of light is expelled from directly in front of my view with Scarlet Dawn standing in its place.

"You called majesty?"

"Yes, I want you to assemble a rescue squad. Luna and her guard have found themselves in the plains attacked by griffons and traitorous ponies.

"Yes Ma'am right away Ma'am!"

"Hold on though, I want you to wait to strike until the human either falls unconscious or becomes deceased."

"But why would you want that?"

"I want him to see that only a unicorn's magic is what can properly protect my sister and I. Not some alien from another dimension."

"Y-yes Ma'am!" Without another word, Scarlet teleports out of the room to assemble the required guard forces. Discord turns to me, a curious and disapproving look on his face.

"That is rather cold, Tia even for you."

"He isn't suited to be her guard, you know that as well as I do."

"Tia, in your eyes even my magic wouldn't be enough protection. Is there more to this than you're letting on? Possibly getting revenge on that Joseph boy? you know the one who played you like a fiddle?"

"Enough, let's just watch and see what happens."

"He's already grounded two of the griffons, you sure your 'rescue squad can reach them before he proves you wrong?"

"I said enough, Discord."

"Hmph. You really are no fun..."

--->Edward<---

"What are you after, attacking us like this?" They continue to circle us without speaking with two of them incapacitated there is a gap in their formation, if I time it right I could possibly get the two of us out of their formation and make it so we're facing all of them.

"Edward," Luna says weakly before looking to me "I can't use my magic... This net, there's something that's sapping my strength."

"You're going to be fine princess, I'll get us out of this." Almost as if on cue one of the griffons pounces, I grab Lune and strafe to the left, the griffon's claws tares my shoulder guard off as I lunge forward past the gap effectively getting us out of the circle, however, before I can get the net off of Luna one of the other griffons pounces on me from the side pinning me to the ground, one set of talons on my chest the other in the air clear with intent to murder I grab one of my remaining knives and stab the griffon in the throat before pushing its bleeding body off of me, the purple metal of the armor is red with the blood, I draw my sword as I once again stand between Luna and her assailants.

Unkown to me one of them took flight in hopes to flank me, the two griffons that were previously incapacitated regain consciousness and stand to fight me with the two traitorous ponies and the four of them inch towards us, 'Treason, assassination, and espionage, I suppose that it's not too different from home after all' I think to myself as I ready to meet them before getting a sharp pain in my head followed with the booming voice returning.

"Have you finally come to your senses?"

"Damn it, not now.."

"Edward? What's wrong?" Luna asks clearly worried before looking up and in a surprised yell warns "Above you!" But her warning is for not as a griffon pins me down from above making sure I can't reach anything with my hands before finally speaking in a heavy, brooding accent.

"I don't know what you are or how you've come to know this princess, but you've killed one of my brothers and injured two, so before we take her, we will kill you slowly."

"What do you mean? I've killed three."

"What?"

"My knives are coated in a poison made from snake venom, they're already dead." The griffon speaks once again but his voice is drowned out by the one in my head.

"You've realized it now haven't you? War is a part of every world when there is sentience there is conflict that fact is unavoidable." The griffon breaks my arm.

"Answer me!"

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Just what are you?!" 'What am I?' I think to my self, eyes closed, before laughing as the pain returns, this time far worse than last. 'I guess it was unavoidable, I was a fool to think that this place would be without war...'

"I see you finally understand. You know this is not a battle you can win on your own without magic. This world unlike yours has magic in every being, tied directly to their emotions. Edward, relinquish the chains on your heart and form a contract with me, brandish the emotions that you've buried deep within the depths of your soul and open your eyes." I open my eyes and a strong gust of wind pushes the griffon off of me as I slowly stand.

--->Celestia<---

"It appears that this is goodbye for the human..." I say before seeing discord have a fit out of the corner of my eye.

"Oh, dear, tat can't be right."

"What. What is it?"

"I fear the ones who never stood a chance was them."

"What?! That can't be right he-" The griffon get's thrown off him without any visible force, I watch in disbelief as he slowly stands, his broken arm hanging limply at his side, blood dripping from his armor as he removes his helm and speaks.

"What I am, griffon is a monster." He says as he glares at the griffon with red eyes.

"Discord, his eyes are supposed to be blue, why are they red? what's going on?"

"I don't know... I didn't sense any magic in him before." He covers his forehead as if he's in severe pain before returning his hand to his side and releases a ghastly scream and with it, a stream of magic ascending into the sky causing it to darken as clouds form and thunder sounds and a chill runs up my spine as I feel the pressure of his magical energy even from this distance"

"The magic seems to just be being expelled from his body like he can't physically handle it." Discord says as he rests his head on his tail now curious. "But still to feel it all the way over here," He chuckles to himself "This is going to be quite interesting. However, it looks like Luna's had her strength sapped a great amount. It appears that she is passed out."

He looks up at the sky once his experiment is over.

"I know you're watching, Tia. It's time you stop." Not even a second passes and the view hole is reduced to nothing but static and we can no longer even hear what's about to happen.

Author's Note

I apologize for the wait, I just moved and I'm prepping for college. I picked away at this chapter in between work shifts while being exhausted so I do apologize if this feels rushed or janky in any way I hope you enjoy