The city of Trottingam was thrown into chaos.
Three days ago, very strange things happened to the ponies. Floating letters appeared above their heads. They started speaking nonsense, losing touch with reality. The situation worsened when the sun unexpectedly turned into a square. Finally, the ponies turned into blocky monsters, with almost no memory of what they were before. They became very aggressive and started destroying the city.
Trottingam was a city with a large griffon minority. Whatever made ponies into crazed blocky creatures, had no effect on griffons. Griffons took arms, and the city became a battlezone between griffon militias and blocky monsters. There were also other creatures living in the city. Some, such as zebras, have been horribly mutated into strange bipedal creatures that some called humans, or something close to them. Others, such as cat-like katzens, were immune to this magic.
A group of four katzens was trying to get through the city. There was an older katzen in an elegant uniform, who carried a gun. Behind him there was a female katzen, who was holding a pistol and shaking with fear. Just behind them, two younger katzens were carrying a heavy chest with them.
From one of the streets, a blocky creature with a sword and iron armor came out. It saw the katzens, and started running towards them, jumping and slashing its sword. The older katzen shot at it a few times, and the creature turned into dust.
“Quickly, before more of them came. We’re close.”
“Are you sure we have to drag this chest with us, Mister Willy?” asked one of the younger ones.”
“Yes, Rigo. We are close to the port. This chest contains my research, it’s too important to abandon.”
The group has crossed the street. Luckily, they haven’t run into any more monsters.
“Cats, come over here. The blockies will soon swarm this place,” a griffon shouted from behind a barricade set up on the street.
The group reached the barricade and was able to rest for a bit.
“Is the road to the port clear?” asked Willy.
“Yes, the militia was able to hold the port, with the help of Nova Griffonians,” replied the armed griffon.
“Nova Griffonians are here?”
“Some of them are helping with evacuation, and the fleet is escorting ships to Weter.”
“Are they going to help you retake the city?”
“No, most of the fleet has moved north, to seize the penguin lands.”
“Penguins? Why?”
“Penguins are gone. Not changed, just gone. Nova Griffonians moved their forces north to counter a bear offensive.”
“Hopefully the fleet sent here would be enough for evacuation.”
The katzens have moved forward towards the port. There were many creatures there. Mostly griffons, but there were also those bipedal creatures that once were yaks and changelings. The griffons looked at them with suspicion. At least they weren’t violent like the blocky ones, so they were left alone.
Willy hoped to catch a ship to Weter, and later to Aquila, or somewhere safer, at least.
If there was a safer place left in the world.
At the same time, far to the northwest, in the freezing north of Griffonia, a light appeared.
The strange blue light illuminated the forest. Then, it had condensed. It had become a human, or rather, a transparent, blue-ish shade of a human. The human has looked around.
“Interesting forest. It looks a bit like the ones in the land of Vaegirs, but it is different,” the human said aloud. He hasn’t seen snow for years, since he retired from adventuring and settled down.
The human has started walking in a random direction. Maybe he would find someone here?
Suddenly, a few strange creatures came out of the forest. They were wearing armor and were holding swords. It took him a while to recognize them - griffons.
“Die, spectre!” - shouted one of the griffons and charged towards the human, sword raised. The human tried to avoid the strike, but the griffon was faster…
…yet the human was unharmed. The sword just passed through him, not hurting him.
“What!” shouted the griffon, and attempted another attack. The human just looked at him in confusion. “The sword should work against ghosts!” the griffon shouted.
“I’m not a ghost,” said the human.
“That’s what a ghost would say.”
“I don’t want to fight you. I just wandered the forest and found you,” said the human.
Another griffon walked towards the human. He took his amulet in his claw, and raised it towards him. “I don’t feel any trace of dark magic in this shade.”
“So tell me, how does a ghost just walk around the cursed land?”
“Maybe he’s not a ghost. I heard about powerful dream mages being able to interact with the waking world with their magic.”
“Dream magic… it makes sense. I’m dreaming. This is a dream!” said the human.
“I mean, this is not a dream,” said the griffon with the amulet. “Who are you, by the way?”
“I am Artur von Komuren, a Khight in the service of Emir of Dhibbain. in the Sarranid Sultanate.”
“In what?” asked the griffon knight.
“That’s probably Zebrica,” replied the griffon with an amulet.
“And you, who are you?” asked the human.
“I am Golden Cloudshield, a Knight of the Arcturian Order,” replied the griffon with an amulet.
“What is this place?”
“You are in the territory protected by the Order.”
“What should we do about him?” asked other griffon.
“I say we take him to Taipan’s Rock. Maybe they would want to meet him.”
“Take a shade to Taipan’s Rock? Are you insane?”
“That’s not a regular shade, and has no trace of dark magic. We can take him,” said Golden. Then, he turned back to the human. “So, you are a knight? I hope you will not try to attack us. If you try so, we can defend ourselves against your magic.”
“I won’t. I swear by honor,” said Artur.
“So be it. Let’s go back to Taipan’s Rock.”
At the same time, at the coast of Equestria, a group of ships arrived.
The commander of the fleet was an infamous adventurer and pirate, Hermann Meyer. The griff has looked towards the city of Manehattan.
Manehattan was a ruin. Huge mountains of stone and lava covered it. There were explosions. It was hard to believe it only took three days for ponies to turn the great metropolis into this.
For Meyer, it was an opportunity. The Equestrian government collapsed, and the Equestrian Navy collapsed with it. Now, nothing stopped him from raiding the coast.
He didn’t know what happened to the ponies. One day, those few Equestrians in Haukland had started to behave weirdly. They started to attack everybody else, but luckily were stopped before they made much damage.
Whatever was happening to the world, it would for sure bring chaos. Yet, Meyer wasn’t worried about this.
In fact, he already had a plan…
Author's Note
I will continue this story… later. I have some ideas, but I need to write them down first. Don’t expect the next chapter tomorrow, it will be ready when it will be ready. I just wanted to put the first chapter now.