A Storm For the Agesby DmitriTheWriterChaptersChapter 2: Treachery at Castle MitternachtChapter 3: A Story To TellChapter 4: The Rule of TwoChapter 5: Home of the GuardsChapter 6: The Imperial DietChapter 7: The Pendant of MagicChapter 1: Calm SkiesChapter 2: Treachery at Castle MitternachtCastle Mitternacht was the most impregnable fortress in all of Griffonia. It had three layers of strong walls, each staffed 24/7 by highly trained guards armed with crossbows, and a series of trench systems so that any invaders that fell in would be easy targets for the crossbow guards. The walls were built with the best building techniques of 1200 years ago, along with strong anti-magic wards within the walls to fend off unicorns or other magic invasion forces. Castle Mitternacht's defenses are so great, in fact, that it was the only fortress in the land not to be sacked by the Goths, a powerful griffon tribe that lead out a conquest of Griffonia around 900 years ago, destroying the old kingdoms in power and creating new kingdoms with Gothic rulers, except for the King of Saxony, who ruled from Mitternacht and held back the Goths in the glorious Siege of Mitternacht. That siege would later inspire the griffon bard Amalric to write the second great griffon epic, 'The Defense of King Hademar'. The Kingdom of Saxony remains the only griffon kingdom to have been around from the fall of the Empire and the advent of the Gryphonic Dark Ages to today. The King of Saxony derived his legitimacy from wielding the Spearhead of Might, said to have been part of the spear used by Odin, the legendary unifier and emperor of the griffons, which got split into two parts at the end of the Gryphonic-Equestrian War. The Spearhead was in King Friedrich of Saxony's possession, and the Spear Hilt was...somewhere I'm sure. King Friedrich was lounging in his throne room, surrounded by five lightly armored bodyguards. Now, when you're the most powerful griffon king, you can afford many expensive things. Beside his throne in the back center of the room, the king had two violet and light green banners emblazoned with the Saxon coat of arms, a griffon rearing on his hind legs and clawing at the sky with two crossed spears below him. He had a red carpet leading about twenty feet from the central courtyard to his throne. The throne itself was made of smooth solid stone, as solid as the kingdom. The throne's back was topped with the Spearhead of Might, by far the king's most valuable treasure, and symbolic of his and his kingdom's power. Friedrich's crown was made of solid gold, encrusted with enough jewels to make Saxony the envy of all dragons. Anyways, King Friedrich was lounging in his lavish throne room when one of his bodyguards, stationed in the central courtyard, burst open the doors and started to shout his demands. "I demand an audience with the king!" "Wolksfeuer, what is the meaning of this?" King Friedrich asked, as his bodyguards readied their pikes. "I demand an audience with you, because I believe that there isn't enough security in this castle." "What do you mean not enough security?! I have the finest defenses and the most loyal guards in the world. The only castle better fortified than Mitternacht that I can think of would be Canterlot, and even then I'm not too sure." "No, Your Majesty, you do not understand. Allow me to demonstrate for you." Wolksfeuer stretched out one of his forelegs, and five tendrils of lightning shot out of his paw and blasted King Friedrich's five bodyguards. After five seconds of millions of volts passing through their agony-racked bodies, all of his guards fell dead onto the floor. "Do you see what I mean now?!" "Wolksfeuer, I..." Wolksfeuer then leaped from the front doors to just in front of Friedrich's throne in a single bound. "You are not worthy to rule this kingdom if you cannot defend your titles from griffons like me," "Wolksfeuer, you have served me faithfully for over thirty years. I do not understand what you have to gain from this," Friedrich's eyes darted around, looking for a secret escape, but there were none in sight. "Thirty years might as well be thirty days to me. But I hope you understand this is nothing against you personally. My ambitions are greater than that of being king. I had my birthright destroyed many years ago, and now vengeance must be paid," Wolksfeuer stretched his paw out and millions of volts of lightning made its way through Friedrich's body. Through his agony, the king saw his 46 years of life flash before his eyes just then. The fun he'd had sparring with his brother as a cub, him inheriting the most powerful gryphon kingdom, the birth of his daughter and heir apparent, all whizzing by in under a second. Suddenly, the voice of a young girl, about 16 years of age, cried out from the throne room doors, "Father!" There was no more lightning flowing through him now, but Friedrich still found it hard to move anything. "Hel...ga..." Friedrich collapsed, his eyes glazed over. "Little girl," Wolksfeuer looked over his shoulder at Helga with bloodshot eyes, "if you value your life, you shall leave Castle Mitternacht, and never interfere in royal affairs again," Wolksfeuer flicked his wrist, and lightning struck just in front of Helga's paws to illustrate his point. Helga flew away, her sobbing making her flying shakier. Wolksfeuer looked back at the throne that formerly belonged to King Friedrich, and gazed upon what was, in his mind, his real prize. "The Spearhead of Might," Wolksfeuer said, awed by the ancient artifact. The Spearhead seemed to put Wolksfeuer in a sort of trance. "I have awaited you since the death of my father," he flew up, grabbed the Spearhead off of its pedestal on the back of the throne. When he held it, it began to crackle with electricity, "and together, we shall rule the world with an iron paw. Vengeance shall be had!" Wolksfeuer began to cackle madly, reveling in his victory over the king. Author's Note So what do you think? Chapter 3: A Story To TellWhen Rainbow Dash arrived back at Ponyville three hours after her encounter, it was late afternoon. Ponies were starting to prepare their dinners, and only a few were still outside, watering their lawns, hawking their wares, etc. The skies were dotted with tiny clouds. Twilight's library house towered above every other building, giving the impression that it could touch those clouds. Dash needed to talk to someone about her near-death experience, and who better than the one pony who might know something. Dash planted herself in front of Twilight's front door, and politely knocked. She reasoned that she might as well make as good of an impression as she could before dropping a bombshell on Twilight. Inside, Dash could hear paper fluttering and hoofbeats sounding on the stairs inside before, finally, the door was opened. "Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. What brings you here?" "Hey, Twilight. Listen, I need to talk to you about something," "Well come on in." The walls inside the house were stacked with full bookshelves, on every topic imaginable, and quite a few on unimaginable topics. The walls and shelves were all shining with fresh polish. Spike was carrying a stack of books fifteen high upstairs, all while mumbling under his breath. Something about Rarity, probably. As Dash flew to the left center of the room, Twilight telekinetically grabbed a full teacup and teapot from upstairs, and held them in front of herself. "Alright, Rainbow, what's your story?" "Okay, so you know how I go to the western shore of Equestria every so often?" "This is the first time you've mentioned doing so." "That's besides the point. Anyways, I met this guy on the open ocean," "Uh huh," "He had this crazy ship that had no crew members and seemed to come out of nowhere, and a flag that was, like, a cracked pony skull with two bones under it," "Uh huh," Twilight had now grabbed a quill and piece of parchment and began to take notes as she sipped her tea. "So I went to talk to him and I was like 'Hey, what's up?', then he started messing with his bracelet and the oceans started churning and he threw a pillar of water at me," "He threw a pillar of water at you?" Twilight asked quizzically. "Yeah, or at least I think he did. After that, I said something like 'Well, gotta go.', and he started freakin' chasing me through the skies with his wings that I never saw before! I only barely escaped with my life." "Whoa! Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" "I'm fine. But that whole thing was just crazy," "Did you catch his name at all? Maybe we can bring him under arrest," "Yeah, he said his name was Chrysaor or something else weird like that." "I think I've read that name before somewhere. Hold on," Twilight dropped everything she was carrying and grabbed a shelf's full of books from her 'World Mythology' section. As Twilight was flipping through books titled things like 'History of the Pegasi' and 'Whatever Happened to Nephelogia?', Rainbow Dash asked "Soooo...are we gonna call up everypony else? What exactly are we going to do against this guy?" Twilight levitated her books back onto the shelf. "Nope. Nothing on 'Chrysaor'. I may have just been imagining things," "But I certainly wasn't! Come on, Twilight. Let's go find the others and figure out what to do with this guy," "Hold on, where are we gonna meet?" "I don't know where. Let's just meet in front of town hall." By the time all of the Mane 6 had been rounded up, it was late evening. There was a mass of clouds coming in from the east, from Everfree Forest. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all looked at Dash in a strange mix of awe and horror as she recanted her tall tale. "You mean someone tried to murder you?!" Rarity looked as if she were about to faint dramatically at a moment's notice, as usual. "And you mentioned something about him wearing a bracelet?" Applejack said. "Yeah! He started fiddling with it and then the ocean went all nuts!" Rainbow Dash's voice was still shrill with disbelief. "Twilight, do you know anything about this?" Applejack asked. "Sorry, but none of the books I looked at mentioned 'Chrysaor' at all." Twilight started scratching her head. "None of us have a clue!" Rarity telekinetically dragged her couch outside and pretended to dramatically faint on it, the back of her forehoof on her forehead. "Nope," Pinkie was now wearing a deerskin hat and an Inverness cape, only to take both of them off a second later. Twilight thought of a mare who might know the threat they're up against. "Maybe Celestia knows who this Chrysaor is." "Alright," Rainbow Dash glanced at the train station, and the train leaving without them. "But the last train to Canterlot just left." "Oh," Twilight too glanced at the train station, now with the train fully absent, "Well then we'll just have to go first thing tomorrow. Good thing too, we'll probably need all of the rest we can get. Good night everypony," "Good night!" everyone went off towards their own homes. That night, with Spike packing his possessions in a suitcase in the background, Twilight Sparkle wrote a letter to Celestia, letting them know they were coming: Dear Princess Celestia, I, along with my friends, are coming to Canterlot to see you. We may need some exposition on an adversary we're facing, as none of us know anything about him. We're hoping you know something, even just a little bit on his backstory. We'll be there at around 10 A.M. tomorrow morning. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle Author's Note So what do you think? Any comments, ways I can make this story better? Chapter 4: The Rule of TwoThe seas were rough on the eastern shores of Griffonia. The sky was rife with storm clouds, and lightning tore through the clouds, threatening to blast Chrysaor's ship to the ocean floor. He feared nothing on the waters, however, as he considered it his home turf after millennia of sailing and raiding coastal towns. The shore was rugged with cliffs and fjords rising about fifty feet, not a safe place to dock anywhere. Chrysaor sailed for 15 miles before spotting a shadow upon the cliffs.The storm clouds made it difficult to make out the details, but Chrysaor was fairly sure that he was looking upon a griffon. The shadow unfurled its wings and flapped, hovering in place, its beak pointed towards Chrysaor's ship, and seemed to stare interestedly at Chrysaor's bracelet, as if trying to decipher the odd inscriptions on it. "Who goes there?!" He spoke with a booming voice that echoed across the cliffs. It seemed fit for a king, or the king's chief general. "I should be asking you the same thing. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drag you to the ocean floor right now," Chrysaor spoke calmly and steadily, brimming with comfidence "Was that a challenge to me?!" "Perhaps. It depends on what you make of it," "If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you shall have, knave!" The shadow griffon unsheathed what looked like a dagger from a scabbard on his right foreleg. Out from that dagger shot bolts of lightning that narrowly missed blasting Chrysaor's ship. Chrysaor adjusted his bracelet and tendrils of water rose fifty feet to the cliffs' edges. The shadow had already soared away, and the next thing he knew, Chrysaor felt a massive thump on the starboard deck of his ship. Chrysaor twisted his bracelet once more and spontaneously generated a thick wall of ice, just in time to protect him from one of the shadow's lightning blasts. Despite its thickness, the ice wall shattered like glass. Chrysaor then decided to fly away, still staring down the shadow griffon whilst raising hundreds of gallons of seawater. The water morphed into a massive wave, which crashed onto the ship, capsizing it. The shadow was fast, though, and managed to fly away from the now capsized ship. "Wow, you are good," The shadow said. "Millennia of experience can do that to you," "I think you'd be the perfect pony to join forces with me and share in the spoils of war," "Join forces?" "Yes. Hello, my name is Wolksfeuer, how are you?" Wolksfeuer extended his right forepaw. Chrysaor did not accept it. "You see, thousands of years ago-" "Ah yes, it's always thousands of years ago, isn't it?" "Will you let me finish?" Wolksfeuer furrowed his eyebrows. "Ahem. Anyways, thousands of years ago, there were these three powerful artifacts created to help any worthy griffon, or pegasus at the case may be, to take over what is rightfully theirs. You seem to possess Nibelung, the Ring, er, Bracelet of Power, based on your manipulation of water and ice. What I have in my paw right now is the Spearhead of Might, and to recreate Gungnir, the Spear, I'll need the Hilt as well." "I don't suppose you know where that is?" "I have an idea on where it's probably hidden," Inside his mask, Chrysaor raised an eyebrow. "Where?" "Canterlot." "Canterlot?" "Yes, Canterlot. I believe that makes sense. Celestia would hide the Hilt there so that it can't be used against her. Not after the war." "And?" "I want you to go to Canterlot and retrieve the spear hilt, covertly if possible. But don't hesitate to murder some guards if necessary." "Wolksfeuer, your plan is all well and good, it's good to have grandiose dreams and all, but what exactly is in it for me?" "What exactly is in it for you?" "Did I stutter? Yes, that's what I asked. You can't expect somepony to do a job for free." "Well I can give you anything you desire," "Oh really? Can you now?" "Yes. Tell me what you desire, and it is yours. Once I control the universe, I mean," "Even the throne of Cloudsdale?" "Oh, especially the throne of Cloudsdale. In fact, I can build you a throne fit for the Emperor of the Skies," Chrysaor's wings extended as he pondered exactly what that meant. "Emperor of the Skies. That would be the perfect 'Buck you.' to my father, if he's even still alive," He turned to Wolksfeuer. "I'm in. I'll be your apprentice or whatever you want to call me," "Good. Your first task is to go to Canterlot and retrieve the Hilt for me," "Alright. Thing is, I've been on the sea for thousands of years. I don't exactly know what Canterlot looks like," "Oh, it shouldn't be too hard to find. If you go towards the mountain at the center of Equestria, you should find Canterlot on the mountainside. Not exactly the smartest way to design a city, but I guess when you're as big of a megalomaniac as Celestia..." "You know, you're a bit of a megalomaniac too," "Did I ask for your opinion?!" "No, but I'll give it anyways," "Be at Canterlot by mid-morning tomorrow! We shall meet on these cliffs again when you succeed," "Alright," Chrysaor took off due east for Equestria, summoning forth tailwinds to arrive faster, leaving Wolksfeuer to go back to staring at the sea and ranting to no one, his favorite pastime. "Enjoy your moment in the sun, Equestrians, for soon there will come a day of reckoning, and I shall be there to witness it. With spear in hand, I shall burn down your entire world and laugh with glee as the Royal Sisters beg for mercy. But there shall be none, just as there was none 1,200 years ago! The Second Gryphonic Golden Age has begun!" Wolksfeuer raised his beak to the sky and cackled madly, which was his second favorite pastime, before turning back to bring order to his new land. Author's Note So what do you think? Chapter 5: Home of the GuardsWhen the train stopped at Canterlot Station, it was mid-morning, and the station clock struck ten. Everywhere Twilight looked, there stood unicorns with practical, yet fancy-looking accessories. There was one pony with a hoofwatch that seemed to be gold-plated. On the wall, there was a train schedule, changing as each train arrived and departed. Stationed haphazardly around the station were royal guards, armed with pikes and dressed in full armor no less. The guards looked warily at everypony in the train station. A long line that lead to the exit was supervised by two of them. Why there would be so many guards stationed here was beyond Twilight, but Chrysalis's invasion was probably involved somehow. Twilight and her friends, under close supervision, left the train station and into Canterlot proper. Immediately the air filled with the scent of freshly cut flowers and recently baked bread. Ponies called to the streets, hawking their wares and conversing with each other. Towering above all of the other buildings in Canterlot stood the Princesses' Castle. Decorated with gold and jewels, this colossal palace seemed fit for the reigning monarchs. In a dark Canterlot alleyway, Chrysaor made himself visible. From what he has seen, Chrysaor didn't like Canterlot much. The unicorns heavily adorned in jewelery and fancy clothing, obviously nobility, Chrysaor thought, seemed to give off this aura of condescension. He could see them turning their snouts upwards because he wasn't born to the noble House of Nopony-Givsafethr and didn't own any land or titles anywhere in Equestria. Didn't matter, Chrysaor thought. He wasn't here to make friends, especially not conceited ones. As Chrysaor walked along, he grabbed a newspaper from the stand, "The Turnip". This was Chrysaor's favorite newspaper. It was mostly all fake news, but it was hilarious and made fun of the reigning Princesses almost on a daily basis. Today's headline was "Princess Celestia Addicted to Exposition". Chrysaor read up the part where 'passersby were amazed by the unusual amounts of blood' when the brown-coated stallion running the newspaper stand called to him. "Oi! Ya gonna pay for that or what?" Chrysaor just stared at him, or rather it seemed through him. "Who are you to be making demands of me?" "Well, that newspaper ya got there costs ya five bits, so either cough the money up or put it back on the stand," Chrysaor placed two bits in front of the salespony. "How about I give you two bits and I get to keep this?" The salespony turned his head away from Chrysaor and closed his eyes. "Ya can't just bargain me down like that. Five bits or nothing!" When he looked back, nopony was there. "Okay...that was weird," Chrysaor went back to reading his paper, now in the unseen plane, which looked like a sort of abstraction of Canterlot. All color was desaturated, buildings were deconstructed into basic shapes, ponies resembled blank stencils with no features whatsoever, and the sky was perfectly pitch black, yet there was still enough light to read by. When Chrysaor looked up from his newspaper again, he saw something odd. A group of six ponies were headed towards the Princesses' Castle, but one of them was fully formed, and he could see her clearly. Her coat and mane were obnoxious shades of pink, at least for the unseen plane, and her odd way of moving that involved continually jumping just struck Chrysaor as odd. This pink pony then stopped and gazed at her surroundings, as if she could sense Chrysaor in the unseen realm. Preposterous. It was called the unseen plane for a reason. Chrysaor ignored this anomaly and headed straight to the barracks adjacent to the castle. He was fairly sure that was where the Hilt was. Twilight and her herd of friends were making good time towards the Princesses' Castle, when suddenly Pinkie Pie stopped and gazed at her surroundings. "What is it Pinkie?" Twilight asked. "Do you ever feel like somepony's watching you?" Pinkie replied. "I think that's just you, because I don't see anypony," Twilight said. "That's the thing! What if they're invisible?" "Pinkie, stop being ridiculous," Rainbow Dash said. "We need to get to the castle," They made it to the castle without anything else interesting happening. When they arrived at the grand throne room hall, Celestia was standing on her throne, expecting them. "Ah, Twilight, you've come," Celestia said. "I'm afraid I have dire news," "Is this anything to do with the murderous pirate on the seas?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Perhaps. I just got word from Griffonia that the King of Saxony is kind of...dead, and the other royal houses are falling like they're made of cards. Some griffon named Wolksfeuer is trying to recreate the Spear of Might," "Pardon me, what exactly is the Spear of Might, Princess?" Twilight asked. "That should be pretty obvious. The point is, he already has the Spearhead, so we need to guard the Hilt from his grasp, lest he grow too powerful," Princess Celestia strolled to a new stained glass pattern near the entrance. It depicted a griffon standing on a pedestal on his hind legs, thrusting a spear to the sky with a ring to his right and a necklace to his left, while the world beneath him was engulfed in flames. "I fear that if Wolksfeuer obtains Gungnir, then we are all doomed," "We'll protect it!" Twilight proclaimed. "You don't even know where it is," Celestia said exasperatedly. At that moment, Shining Armor burst open the doors and galloped towards Celestia. "Princess! I come bearing grave news!" "What is it, Shining Armor?" Celestia asked. "The Spear Hilt...is gone," Shining Armor said. "Excuse me?" Celestia's eyes bulged. "It's just gone. Somepony took it from under our snouts," Shining Armor gazed down at the ground. In the unseen realm, Chrysaor giggled to himself about the complete, utter idiocy of the EUP Guard whilst holding the Hilt. They didn't even guard the room at the back of the barracks the Hilt was in, just stuck a sticky note on it's glass case saying 'Please Do Not Touch'. EUP Guard, sucking at their jobs for just over a millennium. As Chrysaor as walking down the streets of Canterlot invisible, preparing to take off, he spotted that pink pony and her five blank cohorts again, and this time they had their big friend with wavy hair with them. "That's him!" Pinkie declared. "That's our guy!" "How can you tell, Pinkie? I don't see anypony there," Rainbow Dash questioned. "Who else be walking around invisible with a fancy bracelet like that?" Pinkie replied. "Pinkie...what are you talking about?" Twilight asked. Chrysaor wanted to just fly away and leave these ponies squabbling amongst themselves, but he couldn't resist making snide comments and revealing his abilities, so he revealed himself. Just as bad as Chrysalis if you ask me. "Yeah, I can turn invisible. Better power than friendship if you ask me. More utility and less rainbows," Chrysaor said. "What are you trying to say?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "I'm saying that a storm is coming for you ponies. You'd best prepare yourselves now," Chrysaor said. "How conveniently vague," Celestia said whilst charging up a magic blast. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a date with my boss scheduled for, uh, now," Chrysaor took off, narrowly avoiding Celestia's blast as he turned invisible. "Come back here, you bucking-!" Rainbow Dash tried to take off after him in pursuit, but was halted by Applejack pulling on her tail with her teeth. "Now don't you go chasin' after him alone," Applejack said. "You should know, you're the one he almost murdered," "But I'm angry at him! And he has the Hilt!" Dash complained "Don't worry girls." Celestia said. "That masked pony is in for a nasty surprise. As long as we can prevent Wolksfeuer from obtaining any more relics, we should be able to defeat him." "Any more relics? There's more than just the Spear?" Twilight broke out into a sweat. "Of course. Wolksfeuer now has the Spear of Might, and by the looks of it, that masked pony had the Ring of Power. The only relic left that was on that stained glass window was the Pendant." "Pendant?" Twilight asked. "Yes, Brisingamen, the Pendant of Magic." Celestia answered. "We should probably find that before somepony else does," Twilight said. "I know what magic necklaces can do to a pony." Twilight shuddered at the thought of Trixie and her amulet. "Then let's go!" Rainbow Dash soared off in a random direction. "I guess we're doing this, huh?" Fluttershy said quietly. Chapter 6: The Imperial DietOn the way to the cliffs where he had previously met Wolksfeuer, Chrysaor got caught in a rogue wind and ended up in the town of Griffonstone. Once a shining city on the hill on an island just off of western Equestria, now it was utterly decrepit, made up almost entirely of shacks that seemed to be held together with little more than spittle and wishes. What could be ostensibly called the commercial district was nothing more than the mining gear shack and the general store, both of which charged outrageous prices for their services. Castle Erdschutz, once mighty, where descendants of one of the lieutenants of Odin ruled for fourteen generations, now lay abandoned in the distance, as if it hadn't been occupied in 700 years. One female griffon stared at him, eyes narrowed, as she approached Chrysaor. "What are you doing here? This is no place for ponies like you," she said. "Save your venom for somepony who cares." Chrysaor replied, twirling his stick around. "If you're here to try and make friends or whatever, then you've come to the wrong place," she said. "Well good thing I haven't. If every griffon is like you, then no wonder your kingdoms fell apart," Chrysaor said. "Are you mocking my race?!" she said outraged. "Perhaps I am. All I know is that ponies know how to make cities that last," Chrysaor said. As the griffon raised her paw to slash Chrysaor to ribbons, a booming voice washed over both of them. "Gilda! Chrysaor! Stop mouthing off to each other!" Wolksfeuer stood a full head above Gilda. Gilda, cowed, lowered her paw and stood to attention. Chrysaor took a step back and brought one of his forehooves close to his face. "I see to it that you've brought me the Hilt," Wolksfeuer said. "Yes, I-I have it," Chrysaor presented his stick to Wolksfeuer. Wolksfeuer grabbed it from his hooves and, with his other forepaw, unsheathed his Spearhead. He brought the Spearhead and the Hilt together and...nothing happened. He tried again, to no avail. He kept trying, but the Spear of Might wouldn't form. Wolksfeuer then sheathed his Spearhead and examined the stick that Chrysaor gave to him. He pecked at it, and, sure enough, it radiated no ambient power. "Is this some kind of joke?" Wolksfeuer asked in an annoyed tone. "I-I don't know what you mean," Chrysaor said. "This is not the Hilt of Might! This is a random stick you found and presented to me as if it was!" Wolksfeuer's voice grew more shrill with every word. "I don't know exactly what happened there," Chrysaor said. "I snuck into the EUP Guard's barracks room and there it was. I assumed that Celestia would hide the Hilt with her most trusted and well-armed ponies, but apparently I was wrong." "Then what, pray tell, do I do with this?!" Wolksfeuer yelled as he waved the stick around wildly. "You could shove it up your ass and pretend you're a corn dog," Chrysaor replied. "Are you just begging to be blasted with lightning right now?!" Wolksfeuer asked. "I know you wouldn't do it," Chrysaor said. "I may if you keep acting like this! Now how do you propose we find the Hilt?" Wolksfeuer said. A deep voice called out from the shadows. "I believe that won't be necessary, gentlecolts,". From a dark, grimy alleyway, a strange mishmash of animal features walked out to greet the two-person council. His face looked generally equine, but as you looked around his body, everything fit together in the wrongest of ways. "Discord. What brings you here?" Wolksfeuer asked as he unsheathed his Spearhead. "Oh, nothing in particular," Discord replied. "I was just watching you two team up when I heard you two fine chaps plotting to destroy Equestria. Since I'm technically reformed as of now, I feel as if I have a duty to report this to the Princesses," "Hold on!" Wolksfeuer said. "What exactly do you have to gain from being loyal to Celestia and Luna? A gold star and a free coffee mug saying 'World's Best Draconequus'? You do know they're just playing you, right?" "Playing me? As if I were a fiddle?" Discord conjured a fiddle to hold. "How can you suggest such things?" "They killed my father! As far as I'm concerned, anything's on the table with them!" Wolksfeuer raved. "And that is my problem how?" Discord replied nonchalantly. "Think about it. Your options are to either work with us and become unfathomably powerful or work with Equestria and continue to be bossed around for all of eternity. I believe the choice is obvious," Wolksfeuer said. "They're not bossing me around. I'm just doing this to help my friends. Well, friend singular," Discord said. "Alright. What happens when that friend of yours dies, or betrays you, or forgets about you, or any of a thousand other things that could happen within a hundred years?" Wolksfeuer said. "Uhhh..." Discord didn't know what to say. "Exactly! Friends don't exactly last when you're immortal. But power, that has the potential to last forever. Remember when you ruled Equestria? How would you like to rule it again?" Wolksfeuer said. "Alright, I guess I'm in. What's our course of action then?" Discord said. "Well, first you two find the Hilt, then I find the Pendant of Magic, Brisingamen, then we gather our artifacts and use them to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" Wolksfeuer began to cackle madly, with a few bird cries sprinkled in, prompting Discord to turn to Chrysaor and twirl his finger beside his head. "You two!" Wolksfeuer turned towards Discord and Chrysaor with an unhinged look in his eyes. "Find the Hilt, the real one this time, and meet me anywhere you can. I trust one of you two jokers have the ability to sense magic?" "As a matter of fact, I do," Discord said. "Wonderful! Don't fail me this time," Wolksfeuer turned around, spread his wings, and zoomed off towards the horizon. Discord and Chrysaor turned towards each other once again. "Should we betray him at the best opportunity?" Chrysaor asked. "Perhaps. His megalomania worries me just a smidgen," Discord answered. Chrysaor laughed. "We're all megalomaniacal here," "But Wolksfeuer there takes it to excessive levels," Discord said. "Well we'll have to take him down a peg when it matters most, won't we?" Chrysaor said. "Yes, we shall," Discord laughed in a sinister manner, while Chrysaor trotted towards Castle Erdschutz. Chapter 7: The Pendant of MagicIt was six in the morning. The sun had barely begun to rise over the horizon, causing the stars to fade for the day. Cheerilee raised the key to the lock on the schoolhouse door and pushed open the door. The classroom was empty. Students weren't supposed to show up for another hour. Yet, there was a piece of jewelery on Cheerilee's desk, with a little note attached to it. Cheerilee sat down at her desk. The note read: For the most worthy. ~Wayland Attached to the note was a violet pendant, complete with a golden chain necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a perfect kite, an unnaturally perfect kite. Cheerilee could feel its ambient magic from where she sat. Who was this Wayland guy anyways? Was he a secret admirer? If he was, then why would he describe Cheerilee as 'worthy' rather than more poetic descriptions? Anyways, the pendant would complement her coat very well, and she felt somewhere inside of her that she would benefit from wearing it in other ways than that, but would she, really? Cheerilee just placed the pendant inside one of her drawers. She had to prepare her lesson for today. "Good morning class," Cheerilee said. All of her students had their eyes half-closed, and a few had their heads slumped on their desks. It was seven in the morning, what did you expect? "Today, we're going to..." Suddenly, Cheerilee had a desire to show off her necklace to her class. After all, it was Show-and-Tell today, conveniently enough. "...start our Show-and-Tell right now. I'll go first." Cheerilee walked back over to her desk and pulled her pendant out. "Whoa! Who gave you that, Miss Cheerilee?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Somepony named Wayland," Cheerilee replied. "It's strange, I've never even heard of anypony being called that. I didn't even know it was a real name," Cheerilee hung her necklace around her neck, and suddenly, the back wall of the classroom was filled with stars. The students began to glow pure white until they were amorphous blobs of pure light. The walls, floor and roof fell into the endless void that everyone now floated in. Rivers of light pulsed across the sky as one amorphous blob raised something analogous to a hoof. "Um, Miss Cheerilee," A blob of light that sounded exactly like Apple Bloom began. "Why are you floating?" Cheerilee blinked and saw that she was indeed floating, now back in her classroom. Her students were definitely all awake now. "I don't know, but I feel as if I could be doing...more than this," "Miss Cheerilee, are you okay?" Scootaloo asked worriedly. "Yes, I feel fantastic," Cheerilee's hooves began to glow a deep crimson, and her irises shrank until her eyes were a pure white. "Hit the dirt!" Apple Bloom yelled. As all of the other students leaped out of their seats, Cheerilee tossed crimson orbs of energy at the back of her classroom, igniting three desks and the schoolhouse floor. Diamond Tiara led her classmates out of the schoolhouse, which was now on fire, while Cheerilee was too busy cackling to stop them. "YES! I HAVE THE POWER!" Cheerilee savored the high her new powers gave her. On the streets of Ponyville, the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried finding each other. "Apple Bloom! Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle called out. Beside Sweetie Belle, a laser beam struck a house, which promptly exploded. "Sweetie Belle! Is that you?!" Apple Bloom called from the nearest intersection. Sweetie Belle galloped towards Apple Bloom. "Apple Bloom! Where's Scootaloo?!" Cheerilee's silhouette rose in the distance. One stallion lowered his newspaper to gaze at the spectacle around him. "Again?! That's the fifth time this month!" "Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo called from the town square, standing beside Pipsqueak. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trotted to meet with their friend, and they embraced each other in a hug. "Uh, you may want to look behind you!" Pipsqueak shouted as he pointed towards Cheerilee levitating a hundred feet away from them, causing mayhem. "Shall we depart?" "Yes!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted at once. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pipsqueak galloped at full speed towards the train station. Problem was, Cheerilee was flying towards them faster than they could gallop, and in another few feet they would be within frying range. As Cheerilee was about to barbecue her quarry, who not even an hour ago were her students, a bolt of lightning struck her in her abdomen, and she lost control over her levitation powers and crashed into the ground. Her attacker, a griffon armed with a spearhead shot further bolts of lightning from his position flying above Cheerilee, while Cheerilee countered with powerful magic shields. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pipsqueak watched the ensuing battle from the windows of the train station. When the Mane Six departed their train into Ponyville at half past seven in the morning, they were not expecting a fight between a lightning shooting griffon and a schoolteacher drunk on power. Nonetheless, that was what they were greeted to. "Whoa! Check this out!" Rainbow Dash called. The rest of her friends crowded around the window she was in. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pipsqueak spotted the Mane Six from the window to the left of them. "Twilight!" Apple Bloom called. "Miss Cheerilee has gone nuts! Can't you do something about this?!" "We can try," Twilight answered. "But I'm not so sure," Cheerliee's fireballs and the griffon's lightning were deflecting each other so that no one in the battle could get a hit in. Rarity noticed the pendant that Cheerilee was wearing. "You think that's the Pendant of Magic?" she asked. "It's gotta be," Applejack replied. "I don't know what else could give an earth pony that much magic power," "Alright girls, time to move out," Twilight said. "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "Do you know who I am?!" The griffon shouted. "It doesn't even matter!" Cheerilee answered. "You shall fry like the rest!" "I am Wolksfeuer!" Wolksfeuer shouted. "Emperor of all griffons, commander of the Legions of Odin, and owner of the Relics of Wayland BY RIGHT!!!" As he shouted, Wolksfeuer's lightning fired from his Spearhead became more powerful, and he got a good hit in on Cheerilee. As she writhed in agony on the ground, the magic from the Pendant fired shock waves powerful enough to shake the buildings near Cheerilee violently. Yet Wolksfeuer still stood his ground, or air I guess. At least until he was hit by a blast of magic from the train station entrance. "Who dares-" Wolksfeuer was interrupted by a kick to the face traveling at Mach 2, knocking him all the way back to the fountain at town square. Rarity trotted over to the half-conscious Cheerilee and removed the Pendant from her neck. She studied it, thinking about what color of dress would complement this stunning piece of jewelry, when Applejack snatched it from her hoof. "I can see what you're thinking there, Rarity," Applejack said. "And we ain't havin' it," Cheerilee's irises came back into view, and she rose clutching her head with one hoof. "Uuugh, what happened?" she asked. "YOU THINK THAT WILL STOP ME?!" Wolksfeuer bellowed as he zoomed back into battle. He shot a bolt of lightning at Applejack, only for her to be barely saved by Twilight casting a magic shield. Rainbow Dash flew underneath Wolksfeuer and kicked him in the face at Mach 2 again, this time at an upwards angle, so that he almost flew over the horizon. Wolksfeuer could see that this was getting him nowhere, so he retreated. "Well then," Applejack said. "Maybe we should keep this here Pendant in a safe place," "Yeah," Fluttershy agreed. "But where are we going to keep it?" Twilight asked. "I mean, what if that Wolksfeuer guy tries to take it again?" "Well we'll just have to keep it with us for now," Applejack said. Author's Note For the six people who actually follow this story, here is Chapter Seven. *halfhearted fanfare* Chapter 1: Calm SkiesThe skies were clear above the ocean, not a cloud anywhere to be seen. The seas were almost dead, only spurred by the occasional sea breeze as gulls flew lazily about. It was early morning, the sun only just beginning to climb past the horizon. High in these fair skies, a blue-coated pegasus with a rainbow mane prepared to go into a dive. Rainbow Dash plummeted to the sea in a dive and skimmed along the surface of the water, creating waves in her wake as though she were the North Wind. After flying for some time, she ascended once again and set loose a triumphant roar. "YEAH!" Dash giggled as she skimmed the waters, making waves and soaking her coat and mane in seawater. Suddenly, as she was shaking off her latest load of seawater, Dash spotted an unfamiliar ship just on the horizon, that seemed as though it wasn't there before. The ship was colored an unnaturally deep brown, and its black flag depicted somepony's cracked skull with two crossed bones below it. It was a very large ship, larger than the flagships in Celestia's Royal Fleet, and it looked as if it would need a crew of 100 ponies or more just to maintain it. As Dash approached the ship, she didn't spot any crew members on board whatsoever. None. The only pony on deck was fiddling with a bracelet on their forehoof. The bracelet appeared to be made with solid gold, and was marked with various inscriptions that meant nothing to Dash. The pony's cutie mark depicted two golden swords clashing, complete with sparks between them. Their pitch-black mask completely covered their face, and their gray-colored coat made them look ethereal, like a storm cloud, ready to strike out with lightning at a moment's notice. Dash flew in place just out from the ship's port bow and waved towards the lone foreboding seafarer. "Hi there. What are you doing here?" "I should ask the same of you," the masked pony replied, in a deep, disinterested voice. Dash decided to think of him as a stallion for convenience' sake. "Well then allow me to introduce myself to you. I'm Rainbow Dash, coolest pony in Equestria, champion flyer, and perfector of the Sonic Rainboom. You've probably heard of me,". "I haven't," he said matter-of-factly "Oh. Did I also mention how I saved the world three times?" "Is that so?" "Yeah. And I was completely awesome while doing it. Now tell me about yourself," "And why should I?" "You seem pretty cool, what with your ship and your...flag I guess, and I want to get to know you better. So come on, tell me your name," "Very well. The name's Chrysaor," The sea underneath Rainbow Dash began to churn as Chrysaor adjusted the bracelet, like a sea monster was thinking of making her into a meal. "And I kill all who oppose me and my birthright," "Wait, what!? I-I never opposed you! At least not that I can remember," Dash began to sweat profusely. "I haven't stolen your birthright, whatever that is!" "It's nothing against you personally, arrogant one," the whole ocean, as far as Dash could see, became choppy as if it was in a hurricane, despite the clear skies, "It's just that your race has cheated me before, and I'm simply returning the favor." A pillar of seawater erupted beneath Dash, but she quickly zipped out of harm's way. "Yeeaaah, I really should be going now. It was nice talking with you," "But why? The fun's only begun," Dash zoomed away from the ship, due east towards the Equestrian mainland. The nearest land was about one hundred and fifty miles away, but Dash didn't feel worried. She sighed in relief and looked back behind her to get one last glimpse at the masked pirate on the horizon. When she turned her head, Chrysaor was soaring about a hundred feet behind her, with his now visible wings outstretched and a massive tailwind trailing behind them that Dash could now feel on her hind legs. Dash's eyes bulged in surprise, and she began to fly more hurriedly. Chrysaor's wings, as well as his tailwinds allowed the masked demon to easily catch up to Dash. Dash went into a sharp dive, with Chrysaor following close behind. As Dash thundered towards the ocean surface, the air around her began to flare up and become visible with her increasing velocity. As the rainbows came into being around Dash, she blasted off due east just above the face of the water. The Sonic Rainboom spread in all directions, confounding Chrysaor, who crashed into the ocean. The masked demon resurfaced two seconds later, but Dash was already long gone. "So that's what the Sonic Rainboom is," Author's Note So what do you think?
Chapter 2: Treachery at Castle MitternachtCastle Mitternacht was the most impregnable fortress in all of Griffonia. It had three layers of strong walls, each staffed 24/7 by highly trained guards armed with crossbows, and a series of trench systems so that any invaders that fell in would be easy targets for the crossbow guards. The walls were built with the best building techniques of 1200 years ago, along with strong anti-magic wards within the walls to fend off unicorns or other magic invasion forces. Castle Mitternacht's defenses are so great, in fact, that it was the only fortress in the land not to be sacked by the Goths, a powerful griffon tribe that lead out a conquest of Griffonia around 900 years ago, destroying the old kingdoms in power and creating new kingdoms with Gothic rulers, except for the King of Saxony, who ruled from Mitternacht and held back the Goths in the glorious Siege of Mitternacht. That siege would later inspire the griffon bard Amalric to write the second great griffon epic, 'The Defense of King Hademar'. The Kingdom of Saxony remains the only griffon kingdom to have been around from the fall of the Empire and the advent of the Gryphonic Dark Ages to today. The King of Saxony derived his legitimacy from wielding the Spearhead of Might, said to have been part of the spear used by Odin, the legendary unifier and emperor of the griffons, which got split into two parts at the end of the Gryphonic-Equestrian War. The Spearhead was in King Friedrich of Saxony's possession, and the Spear Hilt was...somewhere I'm sure. King Friedrich was lounging in his throne room, surrounded by five lightly armored bodyguards. Now, when you're the most powerful griffon king, you can afford many expensive things. Beside his throne in the back center of the room, the king had two violet and light green banners emblazoned with the Saxon coat of arms, a griffon rearing on his hind legs and clawing at the sky with two crossed spears below him. He had a red carpet leading about twenty feet from the central courtyard to his throne. The throne itself was made of smooth solid stone, as solid as the kingdom. The throne's back was topped with the Spearhead of Might, by far the king's most valuable treasure, and symbolic of his and his kingdom's power. Friedrich's crown was made of solid gold, encrusted with enough jewels to make Saxony the envy of all dragons. Anyways, King Friedrich was lounging in his lavish throne room when one of his bodyguards, stationed in the central courtyard, burst open the doors and started to shout his demands. "I demand an audience with the king!" "Wolksfeuer, what is the meaning of this?" King Friedrich asked, as his bodyguards readied their pikes. "I demand an audience with you, because I believe that there isn't enough security in this castle." "What do you mean not enough security?! I have the finest defenses and the most loyal guards in the world. The only castle better fortified than Mitternacht that I can think of would be Canterlot, and even then I'm not too sure." "No, Your Majesty, you do not understand. Allow me to demonstrate for you." Wolksfeuer stretched out one of his forelegs, and five tendrils of lightning shot out of his paw and blasted King Friedrich's five bodyguards. After five seconds of millions of volts passing through their agony-racked bodies, all of his guards fell dead onto the floor. "Do you see what I mean now?!" "Wolksfeuer, I..." Wolksfeuer then leaped from the front doors to just in front of Friedrich's throne in a single bound. "You are not worthy to rule this kingdom if you cannot defend your titles from griffons like me," "Wolksfeuer, you have served me faithfully for over thirty years. I do not understand what you have to gain from this," Friedrich's eyes darted around, looking for a secret escape, but there were none in sight. "Thirty years might as well be thirty days to me. But I hope you understand this is nothing against you personally. My ambitions are greater than that of being king. I had my birthright destroyed many years ago, and now vengeance must be paid," Wolksfeuer stretched his paw out and millions of volts of lightning made its way through Friedrich's body. Through his agony, the king saw his 46 years of life flash before his eyes just then. The fun he'd had sparring with his brother as a cub, him inheriting the most powerful gryphon kingdom, the birth of his daughter and heir apparent, all whizzing by in under a second. Suddenly, the voice of a young girl, about 16 years of age, cried out from the throne room doors, "Father!" There was no more lightning flowing through him now, but Friedrich still found it hard to move anything. "Hel...ga..." Friedrich collapsed, his eyes glazed over. "Little girl," Wolksfeuer looked over his shoulder at Helga with bloodshot eyes, "if you value your life, you shall leave Castle Mitternacht, and never interfere in royal affairs again," Wolksfeuer flicked his wrist, and lightning struck just in front of Helga's paws to illustrate his point. Helga flew away, her sobbing making her flying shakier. Wolksfeuer looked back at the throne that formerly belonged to King Friedrich, and gazed upon what was, in his mind, his real prize. "The Spearhead of Might," Wolksfeuer said, awed by the ancient artifact. The Spearhead seemed to put Wolksfeuer in a sort of trance. "I have awaited you since the death of my father," he flew up, grabbed the Spearhead off of its pedestal on the back of the throne. When he held it, it began to crackle with electricity, "and together, we shall rule the world with an iron paw. Vengeance shall be had!" Wolksfeuer began to cackle madly, reveling in his victory over the king. Author's Note So what do you think?
Chapter 3: A Story To TellWhen Rainbow Dash arrived back at Ponyville three hours after her encounter, it was late afternoon. Ponies were starting to prepare their dinners, and only a few were still outside, watering their lawns, hawking their wares, etc. The skies were dotted with tiny clouds. Twilight's library house towered above every other building, giving the impression that it could touch those clouds. Dash needed to talk to someone about her near-death experience, and who better than the one pony who might know something. Dash planted herself in front of Twilight's front door, and politely knocked. She reasoned that she might as well make as good of an impression as she could before dropping a bombshell on Twilight. Inside, Dash could hear paper fluttering and hoofbeats sounding on the stairs inside before, finally, the door was opened. "Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. What brings you here?" "Hey, Twilight. Listen, I need to talk to you about something," "Well come on in." The walls inside the house were stacked with full bookshelves, on every topic imaginable, and quite a few on unimaginable topics. The walls and shelves were all shining with fresh polish. Spike was carrying a stack of books fifteen high upstairs, all while mumbling under his breath. Something about Rarity, probably. As Dash flew to the left center of the room, Twilight telekinetically grabbed a full teacup and teapot from upstairs, and held them in front of herself. "Alright, Rainbow, what's your story?" "Okay, so you know how I go to the western shore of Equestria every so often?" "This is the first time you've mentioned doing so." "That's besides the point. Anyways, I met this guy on the open ocean," "Uh huh," "He had this crazy ship that had no crew members and seemed to come out of nowhere, and a flag that was, like, a cracked pony skull with two bones under it," "Uh huh," Twilight had now grabbed a quill and piece of parchment and began to take notes as she sipped her tea. "So I went to talk to him and I was like 'Hey, what's up?', then he started messing with his bracelet and the oceans started churning and he threw a pillar of water at me," "He threw a pillar of water at you?" Twilight asked quizzically. "Yeah, or at least I think he did. After that, I said something like 'Well, gotta go.', and he started freakin' chasing me through the skies with his wings that I never saw before! I only barely escaped with my life." "Whoa! Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" "I'm fine. But that whole thing was just crazy," "Did you catch his name at all? Maybe we can bring him under arrest," "Yeah, he said his name was Chrysaor or something else weird like that." "I think I've read that name before somewhere. Hold on," Twilight dropped everything she was carrying and grabbed a shelf's full of books from her 'World Mythology' section. As Twilight was flipping through books titled things like 'History of the Pegasi' and 'Whatever Happened to Nephelogia?', Rainbow Dash asked "Soooo...are we gonna call up everypony else? What exactly are we going to do against this guy?" Twilight levitated her books back onto the shelf. "Nope. Nothing on 'Chrysaor'. I may have just been imagining things," "But I certainly wasn't! Come on, Twilight. Let's go find the others and figure out what to do with this guy," "Hold on, where are we gonna meet?" "I don't know where. Let's just meet in front of town hall." By the time all of the Mane 6 had been rounded up, it was late evening. There was a mass of clouds coming in from the east, from Everfree Forest. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all looked at Dash in a strange mix of awe and horror as she recanted her tall tale. "You mean someone tried to murder you?!" Rarity looked as if she were about to faint dramatically at a moment's notice, as usual. "And you mentioned something about him wearing a bracelet?" Applejack said. "Yeah! He started fiddling with it and then the ocean went all nuts!" Rainbow Dash's voice was still shrill with disbelief. "Twilight, do you know anything about this?" Applejack asked. "Sorry, but none of the books I looked at mentioned 'Chrysaor' at all." Twilight started scratching her head. "None of us have a clue!" Rarity telekinetically dragged her couch outside and pretended to dramatically faint on it, the back of her forehoof on her forehead. "Nope," Pinkie was now wearing a deerskin hat and an Inverness cape, only to take both of them off a second later. Twilight thought of a mare who might know the threat they're up against. "Maybe Celestia knows who this Chrysaor is." "Alright," Rainbow Dash glanced at the train station, and the train leaving without them. "But the last train to Canterlot just left." "Oh," Twilight too glanced at the train station, now with the train fully absent, "Well then we'll just have to go first thing tomorrow. Good thing too, we'll probably need all of the rest we can get. Good night everypony," "Good night!" everyone went off towards their own homes. That night, with Spike packing his possessions in a suitcase in the background, Twilight Sparkle wrote a letter to Celestia, letting them know they were coming: Dear Princess Celestia, I, along with my friends, are coming to Canterlot to see you. We may need some exposition on an adversary we're facing, as none of us know anything about him. We're hoping you know something, even just a little bit on his backstory. We'll be there at around 10 A.M. tomorrow morning. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle Author's Note So what do you think? Any comments, ways I can make this story better?
Chapter 4: The Rule of TwoThe seas were rough on the eastern shores of Griffonia. The sky was rife with storm clouds, and lightning tore through the clouds, threatening to blast Chrysaor's ship to the ocean floor. He feared nothing on the waters, however, as he considered it his home turf after millennia of sailing and raiding coastal towns. The shore was rugged with cliffs and fjords rising about fifty feet, not a safe place to dock anywhere. Chrysaor sailed for 15 miles before spotting a shadow upon the cliffs.The storm clouds made it difficult to make out the details, but Chrysaor was fairly sure that he was looking upon a griffon. The shadow unfurled its wings and flapped, hovering in place, its beak pointed towards Chrysaor's ship, and seemed to stare interestedly at Chrysaor's bracelet, as if trying to decipher the odd inscriptions on it. "Who goes there?!" He spoke with a booming voice that echoed across the cliffs. It seemed fit for a king, or the king's chief general. "I should be asking you the same thing. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drag you to the ocean floor right now," Chrysaor spoke calmly and steadily, brimming with comfidence "Was that a challenge to me?!" "Perhaps. It depends on what you make of it," "If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you shall have, knave!" The shadow griffon unsheathed what looked like a dagger from a scabbard on his right foreleg. Out from that dagger shot bolts of lightning that narrowly missed blasting Chrysaor's ship. Chrysaor adjusted his bracelet and tendrils of water rose fifty feet to the cliffs' edges. The shadow had already soared away, and the next thing he knew, Chrysaor felt a massive thump on the starboard deck of his ship. Chrysaor twisted his bracelet once more and spontaneously generated a thick wall of ice, just in time to protect him from one of the shadow's lightning blasts. Despite its thickness, the ice wall shattered like glass. Chrysaor then decided to fly away, still staring down the shadow griffon whilst raising hundreds of gallons of seawater. The water morphed into a massive wave, which crashed onto the ship, capsizing it. The shadow was fast, though, and managed to fly away from the now capsized ship. "Wow, you are good," The shadow said. "Millennia of experience can do that to you," "I think you'd be the perfect pony to join forces with me and share in the spoils of war," "Join forces?" "Yes. Hello, my name is Wolksfeuer, how are you?" Wolksfeuer extended his right forepaw. Chrysaor did not accept it. "You see, thousands of years ago-" "Ah yes, it's always thousands of years ago, isn't it?" "Will you let me finish?" Wolksfeuer furrowed his eyebrows. "Ahem. Anyways, thousands of years ago, there were these three powerful artifacts created to help any worthy griffon, or pegasus at the case may be, to take over what is rightfully theirs. You seem to possess Nibelung, the Ring, er, Bracelet of Power, based on your manipulation of water and ice. What I have in my paw right now is the Spearhead of Might, and to recreate Gungnir, the Spear, I'll need the Hilt as well." "I don't suppose you know where that is?" "I have an idea on where it's probably hidden," Inside his mask, Chrysaor raised an eyebrow. "Where?" "Canterlot." "Canterlot?" "Yes, Canterlot. I believe that makes sense. Celestia would hide the Hilt there so that it can't be used against her. Not after the war." "And?" "I want you to go to Canterlot and retrieve the spear hilt, covertly if possible. But don't hesitate to murder some guards if necessary." "Wolksfeuer, your plan is all well and good, it's good to have grandiose dreams and all, but what exactly is in it for me?" "What exactly is in it for you?" "Did I stutter? Yes, that's what I asked. You can't expect somepony to do a job for free." "Well I can give you anything you desire," "Oh really? Can you now?" "Yes. Tell me what you desire, and it is yours. Once I control the universe, I mean," "Even the throne of Cloudsdale?" "Oh, especially the throne of Cloudsdale. In fact, I can build you a throne fit for the Emperor of the Skies," Chrysaor's wings extended as he pondered exactly what that meant. "Emperor of the Skies. That would be the perfect 'Buck you.' to my father, if he's even still alive," He turned to Wolksfeuer. "I'm in. I'll be your apprentice or whatever you want to call me," "Good. Your first task is to go to Canterlot and retrieve the Hilt for me," "Alright. Thing is, I've been on the sea for thousands of years. I don't exactly know what Canterlot looks like," "Oh, it shouldn't be too hard to find. If you go towards the mountain at the center of Equestria, you should find Canterlot on the mountainside. Not exactly the smartest way to design a city, but I guess when you're as big of a megalomaniac as Celestia..." "You know, you're a bit of a megalomaniac too," "Did I ask for your opinion?!" "No, but I'll give it anyways," "Be at Canterlot by mid-morning tomorrow! We shall meet on these cliffs again when you succeed," "Alright," Chrysaor took off due east for Equestria, summoning forth tailwinds to arrive faster, leaving Wolksfeuer to go back to staring at the sea and ranting to no one, his favorite pastime. "Enjoy your moment in the sun, Equestrians, for soon there will come a day of reckoning, and I shall be there to witness it. With spear in hand, I shall burn down your entire world and laugh with glee as the Royal Sisters beg for mercy. But there shall be none, just as there was none 1,200 years ago! The Second Gryphonic Golden Age has begun!" Wolksfeuer raised his beak to the sky and cackled madly, which was his second favorite pastime, before turning back to bring order to his new land. Author's Note So what do you think?
Chapter 5: Home of the GuardsWhen the train stopped at Canterlot Station, it was mid-morning, and the station clock struck ten. Everywhere Twilight looked, there stood unicorns with practical, yet fancy-looking accessories. There was one pony with a hoofwatch that seemed to be gold-plated. On the wall, there was a train schedule, changing as each train arrived and departed. Stationed haphazardly around the station were royal guards, armed with pikes and dressed in full armor no less. The guards looked warily at everypony in the train station. A long line that lead to the exit was supervised by two of them. Why there would be so many guards stationed here was beyond Twilight, but Chrysalis's invasion was probably involved somehow. Twilight and her friends, under close supervision, left the train station and into Canterlot proper. Immediately the air filled with the scent of freshly cut flowers and recently baked bread. Ponies called to the streets, hawking their wares and conversing with each other. Towering above all of the other buildings in Canterlot stood the Princesses' Castle. Decorated with gold and jewels, this colossal palace seemed fit for the reigning monarchs. In a dark Canterlot alleyway, Chrysaor made himself visible. From what he has seen, Chrysaor didn't like Canterlot much. The unicorns heavily adorned in jewelery and fancy clothing, obviously nobility, Chrysaor thought, seemed to give off this aura of condescension. He could see them turning their snouts upwards because he wasn't born to the noble House of Nopony-Givsafethr and didn't own any land or titles anywhere in Equestria. Didn't matter, Chrysaor thought. He wasn't here to make friends, especially not conceited ones. As Chrysaor walked along, he grabbed a newspaper from the stand, "The Turnip". This was Chrysaor's favorite newspaper. It was mostly all fake news, but it was hilarious and made fun of the reigning Princesses almost on a daily basis. Today's headline was "Princess Celestia Addicted to Exposition". Chrysaor read up the part where 'passersby were amazed by the unusual amounts of blood' when the brown-coated stallion running the newspaper stand called to him. "Oi! Ya gonna pay for that or what?" Chrysaor just stared at him, or rather it seemed through him. "Who are you to be making demands of me?" "Well, that newspaper ya got there costs ya five bits, so either cough the money up or put it back on the stand," Chrysaor placed two bits in front of the salespony. "How about I give you two bits and I get to keep this?" The salespony turned his head away from Chrysaor and closed his eyes. "Ya can't just bargain me down like that. Five bits or nothing!" When he looked back, nopony was there. "Okay...that was weird," Chrysaor went back to reading his paper, now in the unseen plane, which looked like a sort of abstraction of Canterlot. All color was desaturated, buildings were deconstructed into basic shapes, ponies resembled blank stencils with no features whatsoever, and the sky was perfectly pitch black, yet there was still enough light to read by. When Chrysaor looked up from his newspaper again, he saw something odd. A group of six ponies were headed towards the Princesses' Castle, but one of them was fully formed, and he could see her clearly. Her coat and mane were obnoxious shades of pink, at least for the unseen plane, and her odd way of moving that involved continually jumping just struck Chrysaor as odd. This pink pony then stopped and gazed at her surroundings, as if she could sense Chrysaor in the unseen realm. Preposterous. It was called the unseen plane for a reason. Chrysaor ignored this anomaly and headed straight to the barracks adjacent to the castle. He was fairly sure that was where the Hilt was. Twilight and her herd of friends were making good time towards the Princesses' Castle, when suddenly Pinkie Pie stopped and gazed at her surroundings. "What is it Pinkie?" Twilight asked. "Do you ever feel like somepony's watching you?" Pinkie replied. "I think that's just you, because I don't see anypony," Twilight said. "That's the thing! What if they're invisible?" "Pinkie, stop being ridiculous," Rainbow Dash said. "We need to get to the castle," They made it to the castle without anything else interesting happening. When they arrived at the grand throne room hall, Celestia was standing on her throne, expecting them. "Ah, Twilight, you've come," Celestia said. "I'm afraid I have dire news," "Is this anything to do with the murderous pirate on the seas?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Perhaps. I just got word from Griffonia that the King of Saxony is kind of...dead, and the other royal houses are falling like they're made of cards. Some griffon named Wolksfeuer is trying to recreate the Spear of Might," "Pardon me, what exactly is the Spear of Might, Princess?" Twilight asked. "That should be pretty obvious. The point is, he already has the Spearhead, so we need to guard the Hilt from his grasp, lest he grow too powerful," Princess Celestia strolled to a new stained glass pattern near the entrance. It depicted a griffon standing on a pedestal on his hind legs, thrusting a spear to the sky with a ring to his right and a necklace to his left, while the world beneath him was engulfed in flames. "I fear that if Wolksfeuer obtains Gungnir, then we are all doomed," "We'll protect it!" Twilight proclaimed. "You don't even know where it is," Celestia said exasperatedly. At that moment, Shining Armor burst open the doors and galloped towards Celestia. "Princess! I come bearing grave news!" "What is it, Shining Armor?" Celestia asked. "The Spear Hilt...is gone," Shining Armor said. "Excuse me?" Celestia's eyes bulged. "It's just gone. Somepony took it from under our snouts," Shining Armor gazed down at the ground. In the unseen realm, Chrysaor giggled to himself about the complete, utter idiocy of the EUP Guard whilst holding the Hilt. They didn't even guard the room at the back of the barracks the Hilt was in, just stuck a sticky note on it's glass case saying 'Please Do Not Touch'. EUP Guard, sucking at their jobs for just over a millennium. As Chrysaor as walking down the streets of Canterlot invisible, preparing to take off, he spotted that pink pony and her five blank cohorts again, and this time they had their big friend with wavy hair with them. "That's him!" Pinkie declared. "That's our guy!" "How can you tell, Pinkie? I don't see anypony there," Rainbow Dash questioned. "Who else be walking around invisible with a fancy bracelet like that?" Pinkie replied. "Pinkie...what are you talking about?" Twilight asked. Chrysaor wanted to just fly away and leave these ponies squabbling amongst themselves, but he couldn't resist making snide comments and revealing his abilities, so he revealed himself. Just as bad as Chrysalis if you ask me. "Yeah, I can turn invisible. Better power than friendship if you ask me. More utility and less rainbows," Chrysaor said. "What are you trying to say?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "I'm saying that a storm is coming for you ponies. You'd best prepare yourselves now," Chrysaor said. "How conveniently vague," Celestia said whilst charging up a magic blast. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a date with my boss scheduled for, uh, now," Chrysaor took off, narrowly avoiding Celestia's blast as he turned invisible. "Come back here, you bucking-!" Rainbow Dash tried to take off after him in pursuit, but was halted by Applejack pulling on her tail with her teeth. "Now don't you go chasin' after him alone," Applejack said. "You should know, you're the one he almost murdered," "But I'm angry at him! And he has the Hilt!" Dash complained "Don't worry girls." Celestia said. "That masked pony is in for a nasty surprise. As long as we can prevent Wolksfeuer from obtaining any more relics, we should be able to defeat him." "Any more relics? There's more than just the Spear?" Twilight broke out into a sweat. "Of course. Wolksfeuer now has the Spear of Might, and by the looks of it, that masked pony had the Ring of Power. The only relic left that was on that stained glass window was the Pendant." "Pendant?" Twilight asked. "Yes, Brisingamen, the Pendant of Magic." Celestia answered. "We should probably find that before somepony else does," Twilight said. "I know what magic necklaces can do to a pony." Twilight shuddered at the thought of Trixie and her amulet. "Then let's go!" Rainbow Dash soared off in a random direction. "I guess we're doing this, huh?" Fluttershy said quietly.
Chapter 6: The Imperial DietOn the way to the cliffs where he had previously met Wolksfeuer, Chrysaor got caught in a rogue wind and ended up in the town of Griffonstone. Once a shining city on the hill on an island just off of western Equestria, now it was utterly decrepit, made up almost entirely of shacks that seemed to be held together with little more than spittle and wishes. What could be ostensibly called the commercial district was nothing more than the mining gear shack and the general store, both of which charged outrageous prices for their services. Castle Erdschutz, once mighty, where descendants of one of the lieutenants of Odin ruled for fourteen generations, now lay abandoned in the distance, as if it hadn't been occupied in 700 years. One female griffon stared at him, eyes narrowed, as she approached Chrysaor. "What are you doing here? This is no place for ponies like you," she said. "Save your venom for somepony who cares." Chrysaor replied, twirling his stick around. "If you're here to try and make friends or whatever, then you've come to the wrong place," she said. "Well good thing I haven't. If every griffon is like you, then no wonder your kingdoms fell apart," Chrysaor said. "Are you mocking my race?!" she said outraged. "Perhaps I am. All I know is that ponies know how to make cities that last," Chrysaor said. As the griffon raised her paw to slash Chrysaor to ribbons, a booming voice washed over both of them. "Gilda! Chrysaor! Stop mouthing off to each other!" Wolksfeuer stood a full head above Gilda. Gilda, cowed, lowered her paw and stood to attention. Chrysaor took a step back and brought one of his forehooves close to his face. "I see to it that you've brought me the Hilt," Wolksfeuer said. "Yes, I-I have it," Chrysaor presented his stick to Wolksfeuer. Wolksfeuer grabbed it from his hooves and, with his other forepaw, unsheathed his Spearhead. He brought the Spearhead and the Hilt together and...nothing happened. He tried again, to no avail. He kept trying, but the Spear of Might wouldn't form. Wolksfeuer then sheathed his Spearhead and examined the stick that Chrysaor gave to him. He pecked at it, and, sure enough, it radiated no ambient power. "Is this some kind of joke?" Wolksfeuer asked in an annoyed tone. "I-I don't know what you mean," Chrysaor said. "This is not the Hilt of Might! This is a random stick you found and presented to me as if it was!" Wolksfeuer's voice grew more shrill with every word. "I don't know exactly what happened there," Chrysaor said. "I snuck into the EUP Guard's barracks room and there it was. I assumed that Celestia would hide the Hilt with her most trusted and well-armed ponies, but apparently I was wrong." "Then what, pray tell, do I do with this?!" Wolksfeuer yelled as he waved the stick around wildly. "You could shove it up your ass and pretend you're a corn dog," Chrysaor replied. "Are you just begging to be blasted with lightning right now?!" Wolksfeuer asked. "I know you wouldn't do it," Chrysaor said. "I may if you keep acting like this! Now how do you propose we find the Hilt?" Wolksfeuer said. A deep voice called out from the shadows. "I believe that won't be necessary, gentlecolts,". From a dark, grimy alleyway, a strange mishmash of animal features walked out to greet the two-person council. His face looked generally equine, but as you looked around his body, everything fit together in the wrongest of ways. "Discord. What brings you here?" Wolksfeuer asked as he unsheathed his Spearhead. "Oh, nothing in particular," Discord replied. "I was just watching you two team up when I heard you two fine chaps plotting to destroy Equestria. Since I'm technically reformed as of now, I feel as if I have a duty to report this to the Princesses," "Hold on!" Wolksfeuer said. "What exactly do you have to gain from being loyal to Celestia and Luna? A gold star and a free coffee mug saying 'World's Best Draconequus'? You do know they're just playing you, right?" "Playing me? As if I were a fiddle?" Discord conjured a fiddle to hold. "How can you suggest such things?" "They killed my father! As far as I'm concerned, anything's on the table with them!" Wolksfeuer raved. "And that is my problem how?" Discord replied nonchalantly. "Think about it. Your options are to either work with us and become unfathomably powerful or work with Equestria and continue to be bossed around for all of eternity. I believe the choice is obvious," Wolksfeuer said. "They're not bossing me around. I'm just doing this to help my friends. Well, friend singular," Discord said. "Alright. What happens when that friend of yours dies, or betrays you, or forgets about you, or any of a thousand other things that could happen within a hundred years?" Wolksfeuer said. "Uhhh..." Discord didn't know what to say. "Exactly! Friends don't exactly last when you're immortal. But power, that has the potential to last forever. Remember when you ruled Equestria? How would you like to rule it again?" Wolksfeuer said. "Alright, I guess I'm in. What's our course of action then?" Discord said. "Well, first you two find the Hilt, then I find the Pendant of Magic, Brisingamen, then we gather our artifacts and use them to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" Wolksfeuer began to cackle madly, with a few bird cries sprinkled in, prompting Discord to turn to Chrysaor and twirl his finger beside his head. "You two!" Wolksfeuer turned towards Discord and Chrysaor with an unhinged look in his eyes. "Find the Hilt, the real one this time, and meet me anywhere you can. I trust one of you two jokers have the ability to sense magic?" "As a matter of fact, I do," Discord said. "Wonderful! Don't fail me this time," Wolksfeuer turned around, spread his wings, and zoomed off towards the horizon. Discord and Chrysaor turned towards each other once again. "Should we betray him at the best opportunity?" Chrysaor asked. "Perhaps. His megalomania worries me just a smidgen," Discord answered. Chrysaor laughed. "We're all megalomaniacal here," "But Wolksfeuer there takes it to excessive levels," Discord said. "Well we'll have to take him down a peg when it matters most, won't we?" Chrysaor said. "Yes, we shall," Discord laughed in a sinister manner, while Chrysaor trotted towards Castle Erdschutz.
Chapter 7: The Pendant of MagicIt was six in the morning. The sun had barely begun to rise over the horizon, causing the stars to fade for the day. Cheerilee raised the key to the lock on the schoolhouse door and pushed open the door. The classroom was empty. Students weren't supposed to show up for another hour. Yet, there was a piece of jewelery on Cheerilee's desk, with a little note attached to it. Cheerilee sat down at her desk. The note read: For the most worthy. ~Wayland Attached to the note was a violet pendant, complete with a golden chain necklace. The pendant was in the shape of a perfect kite, an unnaturally perfect kite. Cheerilee could feel its ambient magic from where she sat. Who was this Wayland guy anyways? Was he a secret admirer? If he was, then why would he describe Cheerilee as 'worthy' rather than more poetic descriptions? Anyways, the pendant would complement her coat very well, and she felt somewhere inside of her that she would benefit from wearing it in other ways than that, but would she, really? Cheerilee just placed the pendant inside one of her drawers. She had to prepare her lesson for today. "Good morning class," Cheerilee said. All of her students had their eyes half-closed, and a few had their heads slumped on their desks. It was seven in the morning, what did you expect? "Today, we're going to..." Suddenly, Cheerilee had a desire to show off her necklace to her class. After all, it was Show-and-Tell today, conveniently enough. "...start our Show-and-Tell right now. I'll go first." Cheerilee walked back over to her desk and pulled her pendant out. "Whoa! Who gave you that, Miss Cheerilee?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Somepony named Wayland," Cheerilee replied. "It's strange, I've never even heard of anypony being called that. I didn't even know it was a real name," Cheerilee hung her necklace around her neck, and suddenly, the back wall of the classroom was filled with stars. The students began to glow pure white until they were amorphous blobs of pure light. The walls, floor and roof fell into the endless void that everyone now floated in. Rivers of light pulsed across the sky as one amorphous blob raised something analogous to a hoof. "Um, Miss Cheerilee," A blob of light that sounded exactly like Apple Bloom began. "Why are you floating?" Cheerilee blinked and saw that she was indeed floating, now back in her classroom. Her students were definitely all awake now. "I don't know, but I feel as if I could be doing...more than this," "Miss Cheerilee, are you okay?" Scootaloo asked worriedly. "Yes, I feel fantastic," Cheerilee's hooves began to glow a deep crimson, and her irises shrank until her eyes were a pure white. "Hit the dirt!" Apple Bloom yelled. As all of the other students leaped out of their seats, Cheerilee tossed crimson orbs of energy at the back of her classroom, igniting three desks and the schoolhouse floor. Diamond Tiara led her classmates out of the schoolhouse, which was now on fire, while Cheerilee was too busy cackling to stop them. "YES! I HAVE THE POWER!" Cheerilee savored the high her new powers gave her. On the streets of Ponyville, the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried finding each other. "Apple Bloom! Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle called out. Beside Sweetie Belle, a laser beam struck a house, which promptly exploded. "Sweetie Belle! Is that you?!" Apple Bloom called from the nearest intersection. Sweetie Belle galloped towards Apple Bloom. "Apple Bloom! Where's Scootaloo?!" Cheerilee's silhouette rose in the distance. One stallion lowered his newspaper to gaze at the spectacle around him. "Again?! That's the fifth time this month!" "Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo called from the town square, standing beside Pipsqueak. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trotted to meet with their friend, and they embraced each other in a hug. "Uh, you may want to look behind you!" Pipsqueak shouted as he pointed towards Cheerilee levitating a hundred feet away from them, causing mayhem. "Shall we depart?" "Yes!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted at once. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pipsqueak galloped at full speed towards the train station. Problem was, Cheerilee was flying towards them faster than they could gallop, and in another few feet they would be within frying range. As Cheerilee was about to barbecue her quarry, who not even an hour ago were her students, a bolt of lightning struck her in her abdomen, and she lost control over her levitation powers and crashed into the ground. Her attacker, a griffon armed with a spearhead shot further bolts of lightning from his position flying above Cheerilee, while Cheerilee countered with powerful magic shields. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pipsqueak watched the ensuing battle from the windows of the train station. When the Mane Six departed their train into Ponyville at half past seven in the morning, they were not expecting a fight between a lightning shooting griffon and a schoolteacher drunk on power. Nonetheless, that was what they were greeted to. "Whoa! Check this out!" Rainbow Dash called. The rest of her friends crowded around the window she was in. The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Pipsqueak spotted the Mane Six from the window to the left of them. "Twilight!" Apple Bloom called. "Miss Cheerilee has gone nuts! Can't you do something about this?!" "We can try," Twilight answered. "But I'm not so sure," Cheerliee's fireballs and the griffon's lightning were deflecting each other so that no one in the battle could get a hit in. Rarity noticed the pendant that Cheerilee was wearing. "You think that's the Pendant of Magic?" she asked. "It's gotta be," Applejack replied. "I don't know what else could give an earth pony that much magic power," "Alright girls, time to move out," Twilight said. "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash cried out. "Do you know who I am?!" The griffon shouted. "It doesn't even matter!" Cheerilee answered. "You shall fry like the rest!" "I am Wolksfeuer!" Wolksfeuer shouted. "Emperor of all griffons, commander of the Legions of Odin, and owner of the Relics of Wayland BY RIGHT!!!" As he shouted, Wolksfeuer's lightning fired from his Spearhead became more powerful, and he got a good hit in on Cheerilee. As she writhed in agony on the ground, the magic from the Pendant fired shock waves powerful enough to shake the buildings near Cheerilee violently. Yet Wolksfeuer still stood his ground, or air I guess. At least until he was hit by a blast of magic from the train station entrance. "Who dares-" Wolksfeuer was interrupted by a kick to the face traveling at Mach 2, knocking him all the way back to the fountain at town square. Rarity trotted over to the half-conscious Cheerilee and removed the Pendant from her neck. She studied it, thinking about what color of dress would complement this stunning piece of jewelry, when Applejack snatched it from her hoof. "I can see what you're thinking there, Rarity," Applejack said. "And we ain't havin' it," Cheerilee's irises came back into view, and she rose clutching her head with one hoof. "Uuugh, what happened?" she asked. "YOU THINK THAT WILL STOP ME?!" Wolksfeuer bellowed as he zoomed back into battle. He shot a bolt of lightning at Applejack, only for her to be barely saved by Twilight casting a magic shield. Rainbow Dash flew underneath Wolksfeuer and kicked him in the face at Mach 2 again, this time at an upwards angle, so that he almost flew over the horizon. Wolksfeuer could see that this was getting him nowhere, so he retreated. "Well then," Applejack said. "Maybe we should keep this here Pendant in a safe place," "Yeah," Fluttershy agreed. "But where are we going to keep it?" Twilight asked. "I mean, what if that Wolksfeuer guy tries to take it again?" "Well we'll just have to keep it with us for now," Applejack said. Author's Note For the six people who actually follow this story, here is Chapter Seven. *halfhearted fanfare*
Chapter 1: Calm SkiesThe skies were clear above the ocean, not a cloud anywhere to be seen. The seas were almost dead, only spurred by the occasional sea breeze as gulls flew lazily about. It was early morning, the sun only just beginning to climb past the horizon. High in these fair skies, a blue-coated pegasus with a rainbow mane prepared to go into a dive. Rainbow Dash plummeted to the sea in a dive and skimmed along the surface of the water, creating waves in her wake as though she were the North Wind. After flying for some time, she ascended once again and set loose a triumphant roar. "YEAH!" Dash giggled as she skimmed the waters, making waves and soaking her coat and mane in seawater. Suddenly, as she was shaking off her latest load of seawater, Dash spotted an unfamiliar ship just on the horizon, that seemed as though it wasn't there before. The ship was colored an unnaturally deep brown, and its black flag depicted somepony's cracked skull with two crossed bones below it. It was a very large ship, larger than the flagships in Celestia's Royal Fleet, and it looked as if it would need a crew of 100 ponies or more just to maintain it. As Dash approached the ship, she didn't spot any crew members on board whatsoever. None. The only pony on deck was fiddling with a bracelet on their forehoof. The bracelet appeared to be made with solid gold, and was marked with various inscriptions that meant nothing to Dash. The pony's cutie mark depicted two golden swords clashing, complete with sparks between them. Their pitch-black mask completely covered their face, and their gray-colored coat made them look ethereal, like a storm cloud, ready to strike out with lightning at a moment's notice. Dash flew in place just out from the ship's port bow and waved towards the lone foreboding seafarer. "Hi there. What are you doing here?" "I should ask the same of you," the masked pony replied, in a deep, disinterested voice. Dash decided to think of him as a stallion for convenience' sake. "Well then allow me to introduce myself to you. I'm Rainbow Dash, coolest pony in Equestria, champion flyer, and perfector of the Sonic Rainboom. You've probably heard of me,". "I haven't," he said matter-of-factly "Oh. Did I also mention how I saved the world three times?" "Is that so?" "Yeah. And I was completely awesome while doing it. Now tell me about yourself," "And why should I?" "You seem pretty cool, what with your ship and your...flag I guess, and I want to get to know you better. So come on, tell me your name," "Very well. The name's Chrysaor," The sea underneath Rainbow Dash began to churn as Chrysaor adjusted the bracelet, like a sea monster was thinking of making her into a meal. "And I kill all who oppose me and my birthright," "Wait, what!? I-I never opposed you! At least not that I can remember," Dash began to sweat profusely. "I haven't stolen your birthright, whatever that is!" "It's nothing against you personally, arrogant one," the whole ocean, as far as Dash could see, became choppy as if it was in a hurricane, despite the clear skies, "It's just that your race has cheated me before, and I'm simply returning the favor." A pillar of seawater erupted beneath Dash, but she quickly zipped out of harm's way. "Yeeaaah, I really should be going now. It was nice talking with you," "But why? The fun's only begun," Dash zoomed away from the ship, due east towards the Equestrian mainland. The nearest land was about one hundred and fifty miles away, but Dash didn't feel worried. She sighed in relief and looked back behind her to get one last glimpse at the masked pirate on the horizon. When she turned her head, Chrysaor was soaring about a hundred feet behind her, with his now visible wings outstretched and a massive tailwind trailing behind them that Dash could now feel on her hind legs. Dash's eyes bulged in surprise, and she began to fly more hurriedly. Chrysaor's wings, as well as his tailwinds allowed the masked demon to easily catch up to Dash. Dash went into a sharp dive, with Chrysaor following close behind. As Dash thundered towards the ocean surface, the air around her began to flare up and become visible with her increasing velocity. As the rainbows came into being around Dash, she blasted off due east just above the face of the water. The Sonic Rainboom spread in all directions, confounding Chrysaor, who crashed into the ocean. The masked demon resurfaced two seconds later, but Dash was already long gone. "So that's what the Sonic Rainboom is," Author's Note So what do you think?
