IGNITION POINT
He couldn't explain it.
The griffin's talons rapped against the crystal floor, skidding sideways as he rounded the final corner.
The Princess and the other ponies had just arrived, and all was going to plan. The research facility was the first large-scale effort between Equestria and the griffin territories to sooth tensions. There hadn't been any major incidents, ponies and griffins working side by side to forward both provinces. Well, no incidents until now. It was an accident that shouldn't have happened, but thankfully there was a specialist here to deal with it. One of the lead griffin researchers, Doctor Ironeye, was showing the apparently chemical-resistant Toxic Shield the layout of the labs, and the visiting Princess seemed content talking with her personal aid, a mysterious female griffin.
So if all was going so well, why did it feel like someone was watching them?
Osfrid shook his head, opening the door to his small room. Being the security detail had its perks, like on-site living.
His sharp eyes roved over the room; the bed, small bathroom, drawers, and closets, all made from the same crystalline material. A pile of blankets and pillows were mounded in the center of the room, the alternative to a bed. He felt...safer, sleeping in a cocoon like that. It was a childish thing to do, but Osfrid had long since stopped caring. It made him feel safe.
Safe. That described the absolute antithesis of what he felt right now.
The griffin snapped on a metal-plated belt, adorned with an array of small colored crystals, the material matching his breastplate. Next came two crystal-infused gauntlets.
Such extra gear wouldn't make him too out of place, and besides, he wasn't the center of attention anyhow.
On his way back to the large reception room, Osfrid stopped to check the security monitors, out of habit more than anything else. It appeared to be completely clear. Not so much as a bug was visible on the monitors. Both inner and exterior cameras showed the same thing they had always displayed for the past months.
The screens then snapped to black.
The anxiety that had infiltrated his thoughts an hour ago now hit full force as the griffin tried to reactivate the monitors, but quickly discovered the entire board of electronics was dead. Maybe if he re-plugged the power cable-
'BZZZZZZT!'
With a flash, the monitors lit back up, and for a moment, Osfrid's nerves ebbed. It had just been a system error. With ponies and griffins working on the same system, sometimes there were glitches, language errors, all the usual stuff. All he had to do was wait until the cameras-
Osfrid blinked as an image flashed onto the screen. It was red, color dripping down the monitors against a white background. The sight of the symbol turned the usually peppy griffin's blood to ice. The sight confirmed his fears, and fear threatened to dash his logical thoughts.
Osfrid almost slammed into the wall as he dashed back to his room, claws starting to shake as he retrieved the more unusual pieces to his security attire. These were the extra bits and pieces he had added on himself.
A selection of small blades were snapped onto his belt, a few others on his gauntlets. Then came the rest of the breastplate that covered his haunches and back legs.
Finally came the helmet. Black and complete with a full-beak guard, it had been custom forged a few months ago.
Did every griffin have a full set of battle gear in a closet? No, no they didn't, not since the peace treaty.
But then again, everyone who had met him always said the same thing, eventually.
He was not every other griffin...
The lights flickered, then went out. Emergency lighting kicked in, illuminating the hall with a dull blue glow.
He grabbed a vicious serrated blade and ran down back to the meeting area, a strange vibration starting to shake the halls.
As he screeched to a halt in the large chamber, Osfrid was at least somewhat relieved to see every-pony and griffin safe, but clearly concerned. The princess was talking to Ironeye about something, and the guards seemed on edge.
He was about to shout a warning, when the furthest wall exploded, sending chunks of sparking rock and crystal every which way.
Too much.
The realization of who was involved, and the potential consequences of the next few minutes quickly overloaded the poor griffin's brain, shutting down all questions and complex thinking.
As dark figures burst from the hole in the wall, the griffin's claws automatically began to move on their own, speeding him towards the scientists who sat grouped away from the Princess and her guards.
The dust cleared, and the intruders quickly became visible.
Griffins, a simple bright red mark painted across their face and chest feathers. They were clad in simple armor, most of it looking cobbled together from stone and...wood?
This might be somewhat manageable. Between the guards and the Princess...
Osfrid's last thought died as quickly as it had appeared, more griffins pouring from the wall entrance. There were now easily fifteen of them. Eight moved towards the Princess and her guard, the other group towards Osfrid, and the scientists behind him. His fellow guard, Eadric, was with the princess and her guards, baton ready to shatter bones at a whim.
The entire room lit up as the lunar princess blasted one of the griffins into the stone wall, her eyes glowing a terrifying white.
“THEY ARE SEPRATISTS! DO NOT JUST STAND THERE! FIGHT!”
The sound of the Princess's royal canterlot voice snapped Osfrid back to semi-reality, and a dangerous smile twitched at his beak. He had royal authorization to use deadly force.
Well then....
“Who do we need?”
“Kill the guards, the other griffin too. We only need the princess and the scientists. Take the two unicorns for ransom.”
Osfrid wasn't able to pin down which griffin was speaking, not that he really cared at that point in time. A unicorn was lying prone behind the group, but Osfrid had to concern himself with the still-conscious individuals. The first of the intruders, a bulky individual even by griffin standards, lunged at Osfrid with a serrated knife, aiming for his neck.
There was a blur of motion as Osfrid detached his baton, sending the crystal-tipped device slamming across the opposing griffin's head, the special stones sending pulses of magic across the impact area.
“Get to Luna!” Osfrid growled to the scientists, his tone alien even to his own ears. More enemies were entering, and it was clear that soon they'd be overrun, which wasn't to say they already weren't...
“Do you have a spare weapon?”
Osfrid's eyes widened as another griffin appeared at his side, eyeing the advancing Separatists. He didn't know much about Luna's aid, but rumor had it that she was pretty deadly in a fight.
Without a word, he snapped off a knife from his belt, handing it to the strange female griffin next to him.
“Osfrid.” He spoke out of the corner of his beak.
“Silla.” Her tone was equally as curt, and bearing a definite edge.
Silla...So that was the name of Luna's aid.
The two griffins moved along the wall, Luna's guard mimicking their maneuver. If they could get the scientists to Luna, maybe the Princess could teleport them all out of here....
Naturally, it wasn't that easy.
Another griffin lunged, this time with a small dagger. Osfrid moved, but not fast enough. The blade nicked his chest feathers, the pain shocking his brain. A very strange feeling overcame him as the griffin moved for another strike, time seeming to slow as thoughts skittered across his consciousness.
They were Separatists, the Blindweed Order, to be exact.
Another near-miss, this strike nicking his shoulder. Osfrid's thoughts kicked into overdrive, the reality finally shoving through the utter shock of the situation.
Wait...they want to kill us! Kill me! This is real?!
One thought then reverberated through Osfrid's mind, rage and hate bubbling to the surface.
The Blindweed Order. They owe me more than they can repay. They took everything from me!
This is no dream, no fantasy. They will pay. THEY WILL PAY!
The thoughts couldn't be stopped now. They consumed him, shoving down all logical thought. All Osfrid saw was red.
Silla looked over to the other security guard, who apparently was frozen in shock. The fool hadn't even blocked two of the strikes. She was busy holding off a griffin who threatened to cut off their path to the scientists and the Princess. As Osfrid's opponent lunged, Silla mentally winced, knowing the poor guard was about to be skewered.
Her eyes widened as the griffin glanced around, oblivious to the weapon about to plunge into his chest. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and a shiver ran down Silla's spine. In that instant, something about the griffin changed.
Osfrid's arm snapped up, hooking the other griffin's arm in his own. Without a pause, the guard stepped forward, snapping the offending appendage in two. Snatching the dagger, Osfrid glanced at it, and then to the Blindweed attacker. Without any further hesitation, he plunged the dagger into the assassin’s chest. The stricken griffin's unworldly shriek caused a temporary lull in the fighting, both combatants turning to the source of the noise.
Osfrid pulled another knife from his belt, his eye meeting another one of the assassin's...
and smiled. The voice that emanated from his beak was dripping with hatred and bloodlust.
“You're next!”
His mind was numb. Blood splattered over his feathers as he slammed his claws onto the face of an attacking griffin. Osfrid's baton twirled in his grasp, shattering the beak of another. Of the three knives he had thrown, one had found its target. The other two had bounced off the skulls of the griffins, his lack of throwing practice showing. Now though, those same knives were picked up off the floor and sent hurtling towards the Blindweed attackers. His baton broke bone and beak, and Osfrid's claws sank into any available purchase he could get on the offenders. He had been cut on his arms, but how many times Osfrid wasn't sure. He didn't even care, for that matter. There was too much hatred in the way.
“Hey! Move it!”
The world resolved back into focus as a guard shoved Osfrid, their two groups finally meeting.
“Any time your majesty...”
Luna glared at her aid, but a faint smile twitched at her lips, their enemies starting to regroup.
“Hold on- GAH!”
The alicorn shook her head, wincing as magical energy sparked from her horn.
“This...is not right. The spell is suppressed!”
“The magical suppression field. They must have activated it.” Osfrid offered his explanation, no emotion in his voice.
“Stay close. This will be...difficult. It will take...time.”
The scientists and guards, griffins and ponies alike, bunched together around Luna, the teleportation spell slowly resolving into an orb that shimmered into existence around them. As the outside world began to fade, Osfrid saw a projectile speed towards them;
More specifically, towards Luna.
It nicked the ear of a guardspony, then sailed towards Luna's exposed chest. There was a blur of movement as someone shoved Osfrid aside-
The teleportation spell then activated, and everything went black.
It was hot.
In temperature, he wasn't sure, but the sensation was something Osfrid could never forget. In the strange misty darkness of semi-consciousness, flames danced in and out of his vision, pain lancing through his body.
Was he asleep?
His senses were assaulted with new stimulus with a loud 'CRACK!', sounds and smells the first things to register, Osfrid's eyes still closed with shock.
First, it was quiet. Only the sound of birds reached his vision.
Second, a very acidic smell, almost like burning.
Third came the overwhelming sensation of...
HOT!
The griffin's eyes snapped open, adrenaline spiking into his system. He scanned the area briefly, hoping for- There! A small pond, but a few feet away!
A high pitched yell then caught his attention, and his slightly-blurry gaze registered another griffin beside him, feathers steaming.
His brain shut down, the overwhelming desire, no, need to be cool drowning out all else. Osfrid promptly grabbed the nearby griffin and hurled himself, and the other individual, into the water.
Hissssssssssssss....
Ahhhhh...
Osfrid wasn't sure how long he soaked in the water, letting the cold permeate his entire body. It felt like someone had lit every feather on fire. Judging from the burnt plumage floating in the water, something akin to that had happened.
Now that he wasn't burning up, figuratively or literally, Osfrid took a better look at his surroundings. It looked like the small pond was in the middle of a clearing, around which large trees loomed. A few birds flew overhead, and a few miles away a small mountain jutted from the forest, which crept up the side of the large rocky outcropping. The air was cool, but laden with the smells of the wilderness.
Which was to say, it was clean. Not like the antiseptic-smelling laboratory.
The laboratory...
Osfrid's eyes widened as the memories came flooding back. What had happened back there? They had been attacked, and he...had...
The griffin clambered out of the water, stumbling a short distance from the lake and vomited, limbs shaking. A cold sweat sprang up underneath his feathers and fur, and he couldn't help but shiver slightly.
He had killed them.
The last of his stomach's contents emptied, the young griffin buckled down on his not-so-secure emotions and walked back over to the lake to check on the other occupant. To his surprise, the other griffin was sitting in the water, watching him with a curious gaze.
“Silla?”
Author's Note
Any and ALL feedback appreciated! I take all criticism seriously, and hope to use it to craft a more enticing and exciting story for everyone!
The female griffin stood up, shaking the water off her frame (and quite a few singed feathers in the process).
“Yes, and you are...Osfrid?”
He nodded, limbs still shaking as he looked around.
“Yes. Are you alright?”
The female griffin stood, shaking off the excess water, nodding briefly.
“It would seem so. Any idea what happened? My bet is Luna's teleportation spell malfunctioned.”
Osfrid couldn't help but nod in agreement. He had heard of such things happening with pony magic...
Silla then made her way to shore, tail flicking back and forth in thought.
Her dark tan fur bore a few singe marks, and the white feathers appeared to have a few grey and black feathers that weren't of natural color; but otherwise, she did appear fine. Her eyes were the color of rusted sandstone, and quickly narrowed as she realized Osfrid was still looking at her.
“Yes?”
The male griffin's own brown eyes widened and he shook his head briefly.
“Sorry. Give me a second, and I'll see about getting some supplies.”
He walked over to the flattest part of the large clearing, still close enough to hear the displeased muttering from the other griffin.
“Males. Go figure. Help the poor female find some supplies...”
Osfrid bit back a retort that threatened to expel itself. There wasn't reasoning with some griffins.
As he unbuckled his armor, a few charred feathers fell to the ground, and a disturbing shiver ran through his frame. A few sights flashed in front of his vision. Flames, smoke....rubble. Sounds foreign to a forest also reached his ears: screams, shouts.....
As abruptly as the disturbance had begun, it ceased, and once again Osfrid was left in the clearing. He could dwell on that later. Getting supplies was the first order of business.
And to think, they all thought I was crazy for this. “Why would you need a spell for that?” They said...
Osfrid let himself have a mental I-told-you-so moment before retrieving a few crystals from his belt. They were small and rectangular blue cubes, each with a gentle light burning in side of them. The final crystal he retrieved was of long, needle-like appearance, and colored a deep violet.
Placing the cubes a short distance from each other, Osfrid rapped the violet crystal on each cube twice, nodding approvingly as it disintegrated upon the final tap. In a few seconds....
Nothing.
Upon inspecting the cuboid crystals, Osfrid determined that the spell was active, for the light inside each was now a deep purple- so why wasn't it....
The suppression spell.
The griffin sighed, walking back to Silla, who had apparently been watching his antics with some amusement.
“I didn't know you had the diet of crystal ponies...”
Another retort rose at her jab, but Osfrid shook it off.
“We have to wait here.”
The female griffin shook her head slowly, glancing around suspiciously.
“Why is that? It's clear that we're somewhere across the border, judging from the vegetation, and there isn't a lot of cover in this clearing.”
Ok. So she was smart.
Very. Very smart. Osfrid you featherhead...
On the plus side, this would make surviving much easier.
“Those crystals I activated are keyed to some supplies in my room. Ordinarily, they would have transported here, but the suppression spell is lengthening the time. We need to wait for them to arrive.”
No sooner had Osfrid finished his explanation than a blow knocked him on his back, and a very sharp object nicked at his throat.
“You had supplies waiting? How convenient. I don't know who you really are, but I would start explaining things very quickly. Why else would you have supplies with a remote teleportation spell unless you knew this would happen? How interesting you also happen to have full battle gear, at a research facility. Well? Explain that! How long have you worked for them? ” Her tone lacked any civility, and reminded Osfrid of a hardened soldier.
At first, an simple explanation rose to mind, but Silla's last comment pushed that aside. A low growl rose in his throat, Osfrid's enraged gaze meeting hers. A quick twist, and his hind legs swept hers aside. As she brought the dagger to bear, a beak clamped down on her arm, hard. With a surprised screech she dropped the weapon, then finding a very angry male griffin standing over her.
“If I were you, I would not ever suggest I work for those scum again! Do I make myself clear?” His tone was drenched with the same hatred and contempt that had colored his mind at the facility. Rage began to bubble up, eager to be released.
At the sound of a fearful whimper, the emotions dissipated, and his vision clarified with an abrupt mental snap.
Instead of an beaten soldier, he saw a terrified female griffin, eyes wide as he held the dagger at ready.
He dropped the dagger as though it was white-hot, trying to force his claws to stop shaking. For whatever reason, the sight of Silla utterly afraid of him struck a painful chord in his heart. That feeling was quick to pass however.
“If I was allied with those.... things, then why would I have killed them?”
Against his will, Osfrid's vision grayed out, his beak apparently having a mind of its own.
“How could I ever work for the creatures who took everything from me?”
Silla sat a short distance away, watching Osfrid with a cautious eye. Just her luck. Transported who-knows-where, and the only griffin she recognized didn't appear mentally stable.
Well, he was a guard at the facility, that counts for something.
After a few minutes, it looked like the guard griffin had calmed down, so Silla ventured to try and open up a conversation with him again. The enraged look in his eyes when he had disarmed her still was in her mind, so Silla kept her guard up, ready to act if he snapped.
For what that was worth. The fact the guard had so easily disarmed her showed her slacking of practice of late.
Silla couldn't help but look on curiously as Osfrid's demeanor shifted, the other griffin shaking his head slightly as though to dislodge some dizziness. He walked around each of the cubes before sitting down again, glancing over her way.
“Sorry for scaring you.”
Of the things Silla had expected him to say, that wasn't one of them.
“Well...I did have a knife to your throat.”
What seemed to be a genuine smile twitched at the male's features as he nodded slowly.
“True. So much for a good first impression. As I mentioned, moving would be unwise, simply because we need to wait for the supplies to get here. So should we try introductions again? ”
He must have taken her silence for an affirmative. The truth was that Silla was busy trying to figure out what exactly to think of this griffin. His voice was becoming calmer and more friendly with each passing moment. An almost happy tone was beginning to accompany his words.
“Well, the basics first I suppose. I'm Osfrid Steelfeather, guard of the Equestria and Griffin Territories Research Facility. I've been there since its opening, so about...eight months? I knew of tensions arising, so I took it upon myself to accumulate a small stash of emergency supplies, hence these teleportation cubes.”
Silla still wasn't entirely sure of her view of this griffin, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt...for now.
“Silla, one of Princess Luna's personal aids. I've helped her for a little over a year.”
Osfrid seemed to perk up slightly, nodding in almost an amused greeting.
“Well then, a pleasure to officially meet you Silla.”
Osfrid indicated the still-glowing cubes with a claw, eyes narrowing slightly with annoyance.
“Whenever these finish their spell, we'll be in much better shape. There is a locating crystal or two in the packs, so we can find out our exact location.”
He sighed, massaging a temple with one of his clawed hands.
“Sorry if I seem a bit out of it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what just happened. Being one of Luna's aids, you probably have seen your fair share of odd stuff.” Osfrid didn't try to hide the frustration and confusion in his voice.
Silla shook her head in response.
“Actually, I'm as shocked as you are. Do you know who it was that attacked us? The Princess mentioned the Separatists...” Her tone conveyed honesty, but a fair bit of caution.
Osfrid could only blink at first, truly shocked that she had no experience with these sorts of matters. A part of him had hoped that she had seen something: a failed assassination attempt, an uprising, anything that could help.
Apparently not.
He sat down, briefly glancing up at the sky. With luck, the supplies would arrive soon. It would be dark in a few hours, and spending the night in the open, let alone without food or shelter, did not sound appealing. True, they were on the griffin territories side of the border, but with luck, they'd reach Equestria in a day or two.
Assuming the spell was a localized teleportation spell at least.
“They weren't just Separatists. They were of the Blindweed Order. I'm sure you've heard of them, because they have shortage of anti-Equestrian propaganda. They are the terrorist group that the Separatist nation claims to be 'attempting' to destroy, which is false. They just do the dirty work.”
Osfrid shook his head slowly, settling down onto the cold grass as the weight of the situation began to settle in his mind.
“Those fools. If they hadn't forcibly broken from the territories eight years ago, none of this would have happened.”
And so much wouldn't have been lost...curse them!
He couldn't help but be distracted by his thoughts, but was thankfully snapped out of his stupor by a high-pitched popping sound, much like popcorn.
“Ah, finally! It's about time that spell worked!”
Strange purple sparks began flying from each of the cubes, filling in the space above each crystal like a strange puzzle. It took only a couple seconds before a series of large bulky bags appeared, landing on the ground with dull thumbs. There were two large duffel-style bags, two backpacks, and a three small satchels bundled together, all made of the same dark green fabric.
“Well, first things first...”
Osfrid rooted around in the bulkiest duffel bag, finally withdrawing a thick stack of paper and a fist-sized blue crystal, a piece of it breaking off and falling into his waiting claws.
“Here we are!”
Unable to restrain her curiosity, Silla walked over to look at the pile of supplies, impressed none of it caught fire like they did. Then again, the bags were steaming, so perhaps the fabric was heat-resistant?
“Stand back, and...um, try not to sneeze.”
Silla couldn't help but make a face at Osfrid's strange request. The other griffin then chuckled slightly, releasing the larger of the crystals.
“Obviously joking about that last part.” His voice petered out in the end, Silla's slightly-annoyed glare showing her lack of amusement.
The large crystal floated in place at about head height, sending out a beam of white light to the ground. Bright pulses began to run along the beam, increasing in speed and intensity. The light then stopped, and the center of the crystal pulsed three times, then dissolved into powder.
“That's it?” Silla couldn't help but ask, unimpressed.
Osfrid nodded, looking at the thin sheet of crystal that had detached prior to the levitation of the other piece.
“Yep. There are crystal locator beacons on the borders of Equestria. This smaller crystal pinpoints where we are in relation to them. With the coordinates displayed here, I can use the larger map to find out where we are. It's a one time use item though, and I only have three more of them.”
Silla walked over, unfolding the massive map. Osfrid appeared to be slightly startled by her willingness to be so close, but shrugged it off quickly.
“Well. I know how to read a map. What are the coordinates?”
Osfrid's brow furrowed, and he held the crystal out to her, shaking his head slowly.
“I don't understand. The symbols are faint, but getting brighter. It's like another suppression field is in place. I guess the teleportation must have damaged it.”
They both waited a moment in silence, the numbers slowly growing brighter on the crystal.
“Let me see, I think I can make it out....” Silla's eyes narrowed as she spoke, able to pick out some of the numbers.
“Alright, read them to me.”
Osfrid took the piece of graphite attached to the edge of the map and scrawled down the numbers, then busied himself with looking for the matching set on the map.
Ok. How does this work again? First find the length-wise coordinates, then....
His claws traced a path on the map, and after about a minute, he placed a small circle where the beacon located.
“There.”
He looked closer at the map, eyes widening.
No. There must be a mistake...
“Are you sure those are the right coordinates?” His tone was shaky, almost panicked.
Silla nodded, holding up the crystal for him to see.
“Yes. They are much easier to see now. Why? What is wrong?”
The forest they were in now seemed much more threatening. Osfrid's eyes scanned the skies and treeline, ears twitching at every bird-call that sounded. Without a word, he walked over to the other duffel-like sack, and began pulling out a series of metal parts.
“Osfrid, where are we?” Silla couldn't help but start to get annoyed at this odd griffin.
The other griffin's eyes were wide as he looked back at her. He simply pointed at the map before speaking. Silla looked down, then understanding why Osfrid was so shocked.
Circled in the fading light, was their location; deep in the heart of the Separatist nation.
