NOIRE POV

A couple of miles from our hiding place was our entrance, a hole made from a recent confrontation that was concealed by the guise of bushes and trees. From above, you could see griffons guarding the walls with unrelenting focus. As the situation with Gilgar's forces within Griffonstone remained a mystery, staying unknown became an absolute must. As we passed through the hole, a bustling town unfolded before us. Guards littered every corner and a couple could be seen passing through with every second. Regular civilians were few, with the exceptions only outside to carry as many supplies as possible before the inevitable came knocking on their doorsteps. War was coming.

"This place looks like a train's going to run through it: everyone's desperate and frantic. So, this is happening" I thought as I stayed closed in on the edge of the undergrowth, where Gilgamesh's contact should be waiting. Just as he planned, his contact was here. A small boy sitting on a tree singing a little ditty without a care in the world.

Guilatea, bless our soil, to summon our libations
Guilahad, please strike the hen, to promise our protection~
Guin'vera, dress the boys and girls, sing to us 'Rex in Terrum'
so Aes from Elysium may guide us to our freedom!

The little griffon jerked up when he heard the rustling in the leaves. He jumped off the branch and landed right in front of us "So you five must be the intruders! Welcome to Griffonstone! We don't have much, but home's home!" He turned right around and marched onward "What are you standing around for? Let's get moving," We shook off our surprise at this child's ability to see through our illusion but carried on anyway. As we passed through the streets, my eyes were drawn towards the jewellery attached to the boy's waist, an aquamarine gem fixed to an ovular brooch, making it resemble an eye.

"It seems the charm the boy has allows him to see through magic spells. Are artefacts this accessible that a child can get one?" Luna asked.

"I don't think so," Windy replied "Gilgamesh must have given it to him so he could find us. This prince is meticulous."

"When fighting a war, especially one against your father, I guess you would have to be," Cadance added. I noticed we were drawing closer to a manor. There was only one guard posted by the gate and from one gaze at the small boy and our direction, he silently bowed and allowed us entry.

"It should be safe now. You can get rid of the disguise now," Luna lifted the invisibility over us, and we continued into the manor, already open for us. The interior was your typical level of extravagance: red silk carpet laid over checkered, marble tiles, paintings of several griffons hung over every wall, and gold accented the staircase, where at the summit stood a tall griffon with honey yellow fur and white feathers. He wore a long, deep brown coat, black pants, shoes, and gloves, and a purple scarf around his neck to complete the look of a distinguished gentleman, who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He quickly descended the stairs to greet, and with a bow, announced himself.

"Welcome to my abode. As you may already know, I am Gilgamesh von Griffonia. My apologies for the trouble it took for you to get here, but from what you have seen, the reasons should be clear." The boy walked to the prince and handed him the brooch. He accepted it, and in exchange, handed him a bag full of bits. In a hurry, the boy left the house. "Things have been getting difficult when our scouts discovered plans for an attack on the resistance, with assistance from our common enemy. Let us move to a more comfortable place so we can discuss a plan of action." He led us up the stairs to a lounge, with a couple of maids present with a tray of tea and biscuits. The room, much like the rest of the house, had portraits of griffons. With each one looking slightly more modern than the last. We took a seat on the sofas available, and Gilgamesh sat on his chair.

"Thank you all for coming to hear my plea. I know that you all are going through a much bigger crisis, so make yourselves comfortable."

"Worry not, Prince Gilgamesh, we are more than happy to help your cause, especially since our crises are now one," the prince looked at confusion "The threat that has appeared in both Equestria and the Dragonlands is most likely the one who started this civil war in the first place. The one behind this, Grim, won't stop until all Equus has been destroyed and reborn under his rule." Luna informed the prince of everything that had occurred, with the attacks on Canterlot, defilement of the first dragon lord's remains, and the release of Tirek.

"I see. This issue does require an alliance to confront if Grim is this powerful. However, with our nation divided, with many on my father's side. Even if we manage to succeed, we wouldn't be able to give you much support. Many believe that ponies are not being the best ally themselves with." He sighed as he took a long sip of his tea, preparing himself to say what may be hurtful to his goal "Not just us, but other races do not have positive opinions of you, with one half thinking you're weak, and others thinking you are self-righteous, always preaching about friendship, but never open to other races." It would be a lie to say that what Gilgamesh had said did not have a lot of truth. From the discrimination of changelings, which ultimately led to their demise, to the profiling of dragons and griffons as brutes, we didn't have much of a leg to stand on when it came to negotiating. No one had much to say after that, until Windy, like the unfiltered pegasus he is, broke the silence.

"It would be a lie to say we gave the best reputation, and that we haven't done some damage to each other. If Tidal were here, she could testify to that, but we can make a decent start by dethroning your dad, and proving we can all get along. would be pretty good for the papers, don't ya think?" He took another biscuit from the trays a maid was holding and took a leisurely bite. Gilgamesh stared at him for a moment before letting out a small laugh. This first time we saw him break out of that gentlemanly role.

"You would be correct, Sir Windy. That is why this alliance must happen. As not only the end of this war but the start of talks for an alliance between all races. My father's parasitic hatred, while understandable, has gone on long enough." I perked at the mention of Gilgar's hatred for ponies. This was the second time it was mentioned, and by the sombre looks on people's faces, as they recounted it, it sounded like it was understandable, almost warranted. That was a question I was going to get after that meeting. As for that moment, Gilgamesh's attention was drawn to me and he stood up, walking over to me. He looked into my blue eyes, inspecting them like one admires a painting. "Apologies for my rudeness, but I must ask, do you house more than your power?" I stared at him silently, unsure of how to answer "Allow me to rephrase. Your ki does not have the essence of you alone, but another. At first, it was hard to tell due to the two being so similar, but now that I am in closer proximity, I can feel another soul dwelling beside yours. Have you had another being come into contact with your soul?" I took a moment to think about it. I thought of Grim for a moment but remembered we were cut off. There was Vindr and/or Lucus, but I couldn't remember them coming into contact with my soul. No one else came to mind

"Sorry, the only thing I can tell you is that it is not Grim. Our souls were separated before we got here. Once we resolve this, I need your help with something, but that can come later: we still need to know how much time we have before Gilgar comes knocking," Gilgamesh understood and moved back into his desk. He took out a map and handed it to me. The map of the empire had a red line, coming from what I assumed to be the capital, extending to the south-west, where we were.

"My scouts found the enemy army marching in on the southern roads where all the trade routes were. They're making no effort to hide their intentions. If we are fortunate, five days tops. However, we have no way of telling what kind of firepower they have at their disposal. Intercepting them now would mean engaging in our more populated areas, Guin'vera, and the sacred grounds. It would be a disaster. So, unfortunately, we have no choice but to remain here and evacuate as many civilians out of Griffonstone as possible. Guilatea Town's the best place we can think of until this dies down."

"We can help with the evacuation. We packed lots of food to last." Cadance said.

"Escorting them to Guilatea Town will be our pleasure as well," Burning added. Gilgamesh bowed to us.

"By Aes, I don't know how I could thank you enough." I got up and put my hand on his shoulder. Upon closer inspection, he looked completely ragged, held together by what I could assume to be coffee and the notion of passing out in front of guests to be unsightly. The weight of a prince was taxing, but one with goals that went against his legacy? It was a miracle he hadn't collapsed by now unless he already had before we met. I patted both of his shoulders.

"For a start, take a nap. We can get a fresh start in the morning. A leader ain't useful when he's about to keel over. Plus, we're going to talk about Aes after we deal with those forces." With that, he sighed and nodded. We all said our goodbyes and left the building. To save time, we teleported back to the ship to get some of our business affairs. We needed soldiers to help give out food and with the escorting. From the map, showing a blue line stretching north to Guilatea Town, it would be a two-day trip, both there and back. Lots of time to organize our troops for the battle.

After a long day of work, I plopped my butt on the nearest chair and stretched. Cadance joined me and we both watched Celestia's sunset, bathing the horizon in an orange glow, giving way to Luna's night. As we relaxed, Gilgar entered my thoughts again. Everyone spoke of him as a legend, and a tragic one. I couldn't take not knowing and just said it. "What happened to Gilgar?" Cadance turned to face me with an expression of discomfort "Whenever he comes up, people either consider him a tragic legend. What's up with him?" Cadance shuffled in her seat, moving it so she faced me, now serious.

"Gilgar was and still is, a good man. He was recently crowned king of the empire after his father went mad with magic poisoning," I raised an eyebrow at the magic poisoning "Some creatures aren't capable of handling massive amounts of magic like you and I, Noire. When that creature has entered its body too much, with no way to release it, it poisons their bodies and minds, and go rampant. That made it even more painful when Gilgar was forced to strike him down before he killed his wife and children. We all thought that would be the end of Gilgar's suffering. We were wrong." I leaned in closer, hanging on to every word "When Aunty Tia and I were on a trip there to discuss a trade of their artefacts for our magical knowledge to prevent incidents like that, and as we were talking, his wife went to go check on her daughter. It was all such a rush when we heard screaming and found both their dead bodies found, with the daughter, Guinavera, in worse condition. The killer was one of ours. A soldier who saw an opportunity but lost control of the situation very quickly. Gilgar lost it at that point. He told us both to leave before he lost what was left of his self-control but left the murderer there. We complied."

I was left speechless. Any man goes mad when he loses everything. Cadance continues with clenched hands around each other, seeking solace in her warmth "The events that proceeded were what gave him two titles: the Solitary Lion and The Crownless King. We weren't there, but he executed the stallion himself: tore him limb from limb, and Faust only knows what, and after all, was said and done, with his wife and daughter buried, he melted his crown to engrave their names on their tombs. He had barely stepped foot out of his room, let alone his country, until the Gala. That was the biggest surprise of them all. Now I fear there's no other choice but to end him. For his own sake." A tragic legend indeed. I only held her hand and nodded in understanding as we turned our gaze back to the complete night. Luna had done a wonderful job on the constellations tonight. We took solace in the fact that we did everything we could today, and would do the same tomorrow. However, we remained aware that past the sacred grounds and to the capital, Griffonia, Gilgar was doing everything he could to erase us.

GILGAR POV

"Guinavera, Selene, you will be avenged," I prayed to their grave, their names inscribed in this country's finest gold, written by my own crown. Such a thing was, and still is, pointless to me. I value them more than this crown, this country, this reality. I walked back to my office in deadly silence, gazing out the window. Somewhere on that horizon, the last piece of the family I had left was planning my downfall, my own demise. A part of me was shattered to know that. That I had to be the one to right this injustice, and the only griffon to remember this tragedy, but a part of me felt empty, so accustomed to losing that my own son leaving was nothing more than an inconvenience, or an inevitability. I did teach him to value people over everything. I sat in my chair and looked at my mounts. Monsters that I had slain were aesthetic, and looking at them was not pleasing anymore but one sight was slightly gratifying like I had performed a righteous act. The pony head, contorted into an expression of pure agony. I wonder what he thought as he took my last reason for living. I wonder if he had felt true remorse for his actions, or if he had anything to lose if he died, perhaps a family like mine, "Agony. Is this what it feels like?"

Author's Note

I'm back, lads and ladies!

Uni stuff has been mostly sorted out and I have enough time to write this chapter. Another chapter could come out this month, but at this point, my situation's still a little volatile.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter at the very least.

Stay dizzy. Wuzzy out.