Crouched next to a mud brick building, with a thatched roof, was three pegasi and a large bipedal creature -aka: Me- each looking over the others shoulder into the town. Jazz was on my back, Lone was on his, and Amber was sitting on Lone's shoulders, absently rubbing her chin on his head. Jazz was trying to hold up the combined weight of his friend as his friends marefriend... all while I just sat there, hunched over, holding all their weight on my shoulders.
"Alright ya bunch of nimrode's... we think the town is safe... We can move out." I said, rising up and dumping them all onto the ground unceremoniously. Dusting myself off I looked back and chuckled at their mass of body parts that had been intertwined.
"Aye... Corpus..." Jazz said as he shook his head, trying to get rid of the slight dizzy spell he was under from getting two ponies to land on his head.
"Then lets go." I called, walking out around the corner and into town. I could hear Jazz and the other two quickly get to their hooves, moving to get back at my side. The town was filled with some very... unhappy... looking characters, all of them with their heads hung low and their coats covered in grime and looking like they hadn't washed out their fur in a few months...
"Corpus... Is this normal?"
"Nay Jazz... This is not normal... Something is wrong here... Jazz, go to the mayor... They might know what is wrong, or at least give us some insight as to the reason behind this behavior." I motioned for him to go towards a tall large building that had been marked with red paint stating 'Mayors Office'. He nodded with a grim look and subtly made his way onto the busy path, having dropped his armor back at our bush outside the city limits.
"Lone We would be grateful if thou would go and mingle with the crowd, see if thou can garner any word as to this places lack of life from the locals... Amber, we need thee to fl back to camp and bring everypony here, the way is safe so they can move freely..." They both nodded, rather apprehensively, and took off to their tasks. Though, Lone Sentinel did stop and look at me questioningly.
"Corpus, if we art doing these things... then what art thou going to do?" His expression having finally changed in a conversation with myself... Not of much import but still... Stony face made a face!
"Signaling for our backup!" I called back as I quickly made it off in an Easterly Direction... Off towards a VERY familiar force presence...
Perspective Luna
"We are almost there your Highness! Just a few more leagues!" The lead Pegasus called out as we all flew over a small stretch of hills and a small gully. The land was very barren and covered in varying degrees of dead and dying grass... not much unlike the southern areas of Equestria, but wetter and much more arid.
"Good! We should expect to see the outer limits of the town soon!" I called ahead, the Lead nodding to me as he dived down and took a better look at the land scape, looking for any sign of the limit or some kind of indicator.
"Commander Hurricane, make sure that thou has all our forces ready for an immediate fight, just in case we come across some stragglers!" I called back, Hurricane nodded and started shouting orders to his officers, which in turn made sure to spread the word. I could in the very fiber of my being that we were going to be coming across something ... rather extraordinary... Though what it was... I could not say...
Perspective Corpus
Getting away from the city I leapt for joy as I could feel the presence of my Dear Friend Luna approaching from the east, Directly towards me and the city! My heart was over come with happiness and euphoria as I could also feel the emense size of the forces she had brought with her... Roughly a group of one thousand three hundred and twenty... Give or take a few dozen... The majority of them were pegasi, seeing as I could feel their presence up in the skies instead of the ground... Which left me to belive that the rest were earth and Unicorn ponies that had tagged along. A euphoric sense of hystaria then began to set in, 'I'M GOING TO SEE MY DEAREST LUNA AGAIN!' being my the most entrenched emotion going through my heart and mind as I bounded over any obsticole in my way.
The force was like a torrent of emotion as it swirled around me, its ebbes and flows being tossed as though by a great wind as I let my emotions pour out into the force. Though a spark of sadness also stained my soul. The thought of all the men and women aI had lost in the past few weeks weighing heavily upon my soul. and then there was the prospect of telling Luna of grace and I... and how our short time together had forced her to choose me as her first, and only, partner for her latest heat cycle. Not that I felt guilty or anything, I just didn't know how she would react. So I was feeling fairly pensive about the whole situation.
Coming to a large meadow I stopped and took in the area around me... The bare dead looking trees, the ghastly looking bushes, the infected looking grass... I could tell that there was something wrong with the area... But I knew that none of us were well enough equipped to deal with IT and the encroaching threat of the Gryphon empires... Suddenly I could feel a thousand plus pairs of eyes stare down at me as the sound of a thousand wing beats surrounded me.
Looking up I saw the next most awe inspiring sight I had seen in my entire life... My Dearest Luna... Surrounded in the gold wreathed forms of a thousand pluss pegasi... as she was shown in the bright sun wreathed in her own Silver and platinum plated armor... Looking ever the part of an angel come to deliver death to its enemies.
"MY DEAREST LUNA! IS THAT YOU WE SEE! OR DOST OUR EYES BETRAY US TO THE SIGHT OF A PERFECT ANGEL COME TO REAP ITS REWARDS!" I yelled out to her,to happy to see her than to really care for decorum at a time like this.
"AYE MY DEAREST CORPUS! It is we that stand before thee..." She came down and landed not three feet from me, a glorious smile plastered to her faceas she looked me over with concern blatently showing in her eyes. Her smile soon turned to a frown as she saw all the battle wounds i had taken as my personal prize against the Gryphons, the scar across my chest from my evil half battering me intot he earth, the scars on my face from Dark Claw and his men.. Even the disernable injuries from the different breaks in my bones where the skin had been bruised from the impact injuries. She took this all in as she looked me over... Though she could only see the surface scars... Not all the trauma I would later resolve to waking up with when the nightmares came...
"Corpus... Our Dear Corpus... What has happened to thee..." Her hoof came up and stroked my cheek as she took in the pain hidden behind my eyes... For yet, I did not hide it from her.
"Well... We fought a champion... Delt with over three thousand Gryphons by now... And got our rear handed to us by a copy of ourself that came out of the forest not so far away from here... But other than that, thou should see the other guy... They're mostly in different pieces... all aorund the battle field... mostly..." I chuckled, making her look even sadder as a small smile creeped onto her lips.
"We would normally call thy psyche into question there dear Corpus... But seeing as thou art the one we are talking to... This seems like a recurring thing..." She then reared up n her hind legs and flung her forelegs around me, embraccing me in a very passionate hug. Not wanting to be left out, I immediately wrapped my own arms around her, bringing her in closer than what her own arms could accomplish. But, when her wings suddenly spread out and wrapped around us, I kind of felt like we were makinng a sceen... Not that I really cared if I was going to make the Guards uncomfortable... THey'll get over it...! And they did, seeing as i'm writting this from tthe future and what not! HAHA!
As we stood there, locked in a happy embrace, Luna began to nuzzle my neck. I could tell that she was... 'happy' to see me... Seeing as I could feel, and read... though mostly read, her emotions in the force... Damn... I don't think even Grace was this bad... Well... She's also not a couple hundred year old Mare who hasn't been with anypony since her creation...
"Hello, dearest Luna... I see that somepony was eager to see us again..." I said teasingly as I trailed my hands up and down her back, making her sink into my gras ever more as time went on.
"Shut up... To happy... to argue..." She purred as she nuzzled into my neck even more, the heat of her cheeks growing ever more prominent the longer we ere together.
"Fine... Shutting up now... We missed thee..." I whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek as I did so. Making her blush even more than a few moments ago...
"WE... We missed thee as well..." Instead of kissing me on the cheek though... She used her hoof to steady my face and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Her blush a bright maroon against her dark fur.
"Hmmm..." I hummed against her lips as I quickly pulled her closer. Deepening the kiss before letting her break it moments later.
"Now that... Is a kiss my dearest Corpus..." She breathlessly said, resting her face against my chest as she tried to regain her composure.
"Yeah... It was..." 'Yay... Now try to explain this shit to her... Yeah... I DUN FUCKED UP!' I smiled nonetheless and started to ease her back don to the ground, getting into e kneeling position as she started to move back. SHe was surprised by my action, though she kept a straight face after what had just happened and now my odd behavior.
"YOur Majesty, Commander Corpus... Reporting for duty Mi'lady..." I swept an arm behind me and bowed my head, showing that she was above me here in this situation. Which did in fact bring shock and awe to the rest of the soldiers now surrounding us.
"You may rise, Commander. Now, where art your forces... They seem to have dissapeared." Luna quipped, a chastizing tone underlaying her slightly snide sounding voice, playing the pat of leader and princess.
"They are being sent for this instance," quickly rising to my feet I saluted and gestured off in the direction from whence I had come. "We had sent a Private Amber Rose to rouse our remaining troops and lead them to Huffington mare... They will have started treating the heavily wounded and brought them into town... Though of how much help the town will be is unforseen as of this moment..." I saluted again and eased out of my military reg stance, relaxing some as I began again my searching of the tree line. Keeping the skies around me in full view as I watched.
"Good, you may go a head and lead us to them... Also, did you recieve a messenger pony not to long ago? He should have returned but he has not..."
"Ah, yes... He was most likely taken in by our lead physician... She needed as many extra hooves as possible to deal with our wounded... And he was an extra hoof we suppose..." I smiled and waved off in the direction of the town, motioning for everyone to follow me.
Other Side of the Equestrian Border: Throne Room of the Gryphon Emperor
"General Blood wing... Any news about the invaders?" A large Gryphon with a very intricate set of regalia; his back was adorned with a large blood red skin, a large, collar like, tuft of white fur, with black dots, spread around his shoulders and around to the front of his neck, framing his head in a regal looking mane. His fore legs were dressed in black leather bracers, each was also covered in a row of serrated, blood red, studs. His head was adorned with a wreath of golden leaves, each one had the tips dipped in silver, creating an effect of the light shining off it like a halo.
The rest of his body was covered in golden plates that had details of his families rise to the throne emblazoned upon them, these scripts were both on the inside and the out... Trailing out from his chest piece all the way down to his greaves and flank plate.
The other Gryphon in the room, a shorter stout looking Griff, was dressed in a simple white sash like cape and some minor adornments, a single eye patch and an iron claw were his most prominent features. The eye patch covered up a milky white eye that had been taken during a raid on an opposing house of the Crown. He had received the Iron claw as a prize for his long time service to the crown, It was fully articulate and could move upon his mental order, much to the shock of most that had seen it applied.
"We have beat them back my lord... Though we have had some casualties... The twentieth legion was routed at the south western boarder... Only Dark Claw and his small group of just over seventy made it back in one piece..." The Gryphon named Blood Wing incited, giving a false turn of events to his Emperor. His hidden eye crinkled slightly as he continued. "Alas, we have also received news from the northern battle group that a scouting group was found and destroyed, all hands lost... it only took those blood thirsty ponies a few hours to destroy them... Though we did receive word from both Dark Claw and the Battle group that the Ponies have a large Bipedal creature with them..."
"What dost he look like General?" Emperor targus queried, his interest in his enemies being his greatest strength. He had earned the title 'The Master' by being able to read his enemies -even if he was given just the most vague bits of information- He was a master tactician in his own right, having seen many wars in his own time. Having fought the Minators, the dogs, and the Zebras many times in his time as a warrior for the crown and his time as its reigning Emperor.
"He is a large Bipedal creature, standing just as tall as most Minators... Though he dost not have the same broad upper body as them, he is much narrower and lithe than any of them ever will be... His features are rather smooth, his head being capped in a dark mane and his face framed by a thick beard... The creature also wears clothing, always, only removing parts of his attire to sleep... We know this as we had stumbled upon him once in the night... He also has a very interesting set of weapons... Each one has the ability to cut cleanly through armor as if it were such flimsy..."
"Hmm... Tis a... Disturbing revelation then... Tell our forces to retreat and regroup, I want them to strike from the north and south in a months time... In the mean time though, tell the Twentieth to expect more troops in a weeks time and to then push on through the middle, the northern battle group and the southern battle group will be able to meet up with them by the end of next month... six weeks from now..." Emperor Targus ordered, his voice booming around the long throne room filing out into the halls and through the rest of the castle. A scribe came from behind the large throne he sat upon and laid a large, gold trimmed, scroll upon his arm rest. Targus then took one of the feathers from his scribes out stretched claw and dipped it into a small tender of ink that was attached to the right arm of his throne. He then signed his name in the dark amber-esk liquid and gave a few soft blows to the ink, making it dry faster to the paper.
"Take this... and go..." Targus pointed his longest claw towards the entrance to his domain, to which Blood wing bowed deeply, "My will, is your command Sire..." Blood wing declared proudly as he swiftly left, his cape like sash billowing around him as he moved.
'These ponies won't know what hit them...' Blood wing thought as he grinned mischievously.
Perspective Corpus
Just for kicks... Play: Breaking Benjamin - Until the End
Leading the mass of troops into Huffington I could feel a weight slam down upon my shoulders when my sight then fell upon the blood covered form of grace... The light in her eyes diminished, her gaze... Lingered in the winds... ANd her presence, diminished by the things she had seen. My heart fell as she slowly strode up to me and Luna -Luna had even gasped at the sight of what her little ponies had looked like- Grace then plopped her flank right down in front of us, here ghost like gaze falling on me as she started to tear up. Her face ever vacant as tears streamed down it, I knelt down and wrapped my arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace as I stroked her mane, trying my best to bring her back to reality.
Luna, being the ever thoughtful one, knelt down next to me and craned her head around Grace as well, she even brought her wings around us and shrouded us in a veil of privacy. Luna let a few tears of sorrow and anger fall across her cheeks as she comforted the mare... I on the other hand turned into a blank mass, my emotions just closing off... Suddenly I shot up, coming to my feet in a brisk and fluid motion. I could feel something amiss in the air... something sinister... And it weighed down the air around us.
"RUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!" I bellowed, as several thousand Gryphons appeared over the horizon, coming over the tree tops seemingly out of nowhere. Two blades instantly flying to my hands as I rushed to the fore of my group, the urge to protect overriding the need to self-preservation. Flying through the air I used the force to lift and move many of my comrades away from the incoming attackers, taking many of the townsfolk with them in the same motion.
Landing I slammed my fist into the ground and broke apart much of the ground, which I then used as projectiles as I threw them at ever increasing speeds at the incoming Gryphons. I could hear Luna and her commanders rallying the troops, trying to get them to protect the Civilians as they moved in amongst our own forces. Moments later I could feel the presence's of Sentinel, Rose, Heartstrings, along with both Ducati and Roid Rage as they gathered up some swords and rallied to me. Suddenly Grace and a few other stallions joined me as well, Grace looking a fair bit better for wear as she brandished a sword in her fetlock.
As I continued to knock scores of Gryphons form the air I could feel Luna getting closer, her raging emotions a vortex in the Force. The rest of the ponies around me though were rocks compared to her, each being a bulwark against the incoming Gryphons. They were kept busy as they beat down and neutralized any and all Gryphons that got near me.
"Corpus! We must retreat! There art to many of them for our forces to handle! We will be smashed here!" Luna cried as she charged a ball of plasma and let it fly, scoring a glancing blow to a group of grounded Gryphons. Her voice sounded far off as I let my mind drift even more into the force -It was like a fog had been placed over my other senses, the force letting me see and hear through it instead of by natural means- as I hefted rocks and boulders at the enemy.
"We shall be fine Luna, take the rest of our forces and leave, we shall distract them!" I cried out, suddenly whipping around and shooting out both my blades through the air, impaling them on two Gryphons that had cornered a civilian. Recalling them to my hands, I deactivated them, continuing with my barrage of the Gryphon forces.
"But-"
"NOW LUNA! We will keep them busy! Now take thy forces back to Ivory Celestia needs you... gather the generals and mobilize the militias... We are being over run everywhere... NOW GO!" I shouted, my words being backed with the full might of the force behind them. I could see the look of betrayal in her eyes as her body and mouth went against her minds wishes, her eyes showing a sort of loathing only a friend and loved one could ever bring to bare. Her anger was palatable as I turned back to the encroaching Gryphons, many of which were now injured thanks to my endeavors with the force.
I could feel the massive life force of my comrades moving away from us, the torrent of emotion that was Luna leading them away with impressive haste. With that in mind I cut my actions, switching my attention to my allies around me. Their emotions were all very tumultuous as I let their presence roll over me. Gathering the force around me, as if it were a shroud, I then pushed it out. I engulfed my allies in this shroud of energy, forcing it into their minds and bodies as I bolstered their bodies and their minds, increasing their reactions with the will of the force as their guide.
(Be ready... They are here...) I mentally breathed into their minds, making them all flinch for a moment before they readied for the massive wave of Gryphons coming right for us. Grace and her entourage readied off to my left, each braying and getting ready for the impending impact of bodies and the melee to follow. Ducati and the others were off to my right, flexing their wings, and the blades hidden within, as they awaited the imminent blood bath that would sure ensue.
(Be Safe...) My mental voice echoed in their minds as I suddenly surged forward from the center of our group, holding two saber staffs in my hands -I had switched out my two blades moments before- landing mere yards from the enemy. I became a whirlwind of movement as I activated and deactivated my four blades in quick tandem. Each time I moved I was weaving in-between blades and defenses, shooting my blades right into their armor. In mere moments I had ended over twenty Gryphons and incapacitated a good number of them, cleaving off a few limbs and heads in the process.
In an instant I heard the battle cries of my friends and allies as they jumped over the small embankment I had created earlier, each of them swarming into the fray like wolves to a flock of sheep. Grace bounded off one of the massive boulders I had thrown earlier on and landed on a Gryphon, embedding the blade of her sword into his neck, just about severing his head from his shoulders as arterial spray flashed all over her face and chest.
Rose and Sentinel both rushed into the enemy, a quick flash of their wings and several Gryphons were then on the ground their throats slit and many of their joints bleeding. The two of them then stood there, impassive looks on their faces as they stared down an overwhelming force. Then, without a word, or a cry, Ducati and Roid rage came flying over head and crushed a few Gryphons as Rose and Sentinel dashed to the left and right, all four of them working in tandem to destroy their opposition.
Jazz on the other hand... He was a monster... Seeing as I hadn't ever seen him fight before he was a speed demon if I had ever saw one... His wings never stopped moving as he brandished a sword in each of his fetlocks, he was covered in blood and small bits of gore. His face was an unreadable rock as he almost swam through the enemy lines, blades -wing and sword alike- diving into flesh and spearing through to the other side. His blades, especially his wings, were somehow going clean through armor and bone... as if they were nothing, killing almost indiscriminately as he moved with the fluidity of a dancer.
In his dance of death I noticed that he was slowly, but surly, making his way towards my own spot on the battlefield. I smiled to myself as I twirled my two staffs and seamlessly cut through several different weapons, to which I noted only one or two had an enchantment on them keeping my blade from damaging them... though the rest fell to pieces as I spun and continued my assault. I then leaped over head and blasted a large area around Jazz with Sith lightning, killing a score or so of the Gryphons as I landed next to him, his hunched form giving credence to his adapted form of fighting.
"How art thou holding up Jazz..." I asked nonchalantly, my breathing only slightly labored.
"OH, same old same old Corpus, Killing Gryphons and hating every single one of them..." Jazz replied, a slight manic undertone present in his voice, his breathing also slightly labored. His left side twitched suddenly as his wing and limb shot out and ended an overzealous Gryphons life, piercing the Gryffs skull with his wingblade before ripping out its throat with his sword, spraying blood all over the both of us.
"Yeah, we share thy sentiments here..." I growled as I kicked a Gryphon in the chest, caving said cavity in. I then used the force to take hold of my own body and shove it forward at an unexpected speed, my armored form bludgeoning away many of the Gryphons as I flew either past or through them.
As all of us fought, somehow working in concert with each other, from many yards away, we began to get pushed away from each others groups. They were trying to single us out, first in groups, and later as individuals... Suddenly I felt the minds of Ducati and my other friends go dark as they were overwhelmed and knocked unconscious. Both Jazz and I felt the shock through the force bond I had wrapped around each of us, making the two of us shriek in rage as we brought our efforts up ten fold. Delivering full body blows as we even began to for go using our weapons, just using fist, hoof, and foot to clobber the masses of Gryphons to death.
As I impaled a Gryphon through the chest, my arm protruding from his back -his still beating heart in hand- I felt the shock and then muddled feeling of a few of Graces guards being knocked out. I could feel Her fear, along with her guard's fear, as the rest of the Gryphons encircled them. As we felt the noose closing in on us both Jazz and I looked to each other. With an unspoken agreement we shot off towards our last remaining conscious teammates. Knocking Gryphons out of each others way, we made for Grace and her two conscious fellows. My blades cutting swaths through anything that got in my way, Jazz doing the same with his wings and his swords.
Bisecting a several Gryphons in a single swing I leaped over Jazz and landed on a Gryff that was about to end his life, crushing its skull and splattering its brains across the ground. I then twitched and unleashed a massive storm of lightning across the way behind me, my arm burning slightly from the outpour of power I let flow through it. Jazz then slammed into my body, sending us both sprawling. I was ready to reprimand him, until I saw that a Minator had been his cause for action, its massive great sword coming down where my body once stood.
Though, as I looked over to Jazz, I noticed that he had done so at a cost... His left hind leg was now missing below the knee, blood now pooling under him as he tried to get back up to attack more of the Gryphons surrounding us. Acting quick to seal his wound, and keep him alive, I lanced my blades over his wound, burning them shut and saving his life. Moments later I was bawled over again, this time though with a swift kick to the gut. The minatory had moved in closer than I would have thought having been only distracted for a second... A second to long it seems, seeing as I was now being bashed about with a very -and I mean VERY- blunt sword... I mean COME ON! The damned thing pry couldn't cut bread without smashing it all over the place!
After getting to my knees, and regaining my senses, I found that I was surrounded -though we all know this usually isn't a problem... they had found something to hold over me- and the bodies of my unconscious friends and loved one were brought before me. Each of them was laying face down on the dirt, with a sword pointed directly at their heads. Taking this in in about a second I could tell that they were all poised to strike at a moments notice... Something I did not know if I was going to be fast enough to work with.
"Creature! Kneel and submit! For if you do not, we shalt end them!" One of the Gryphons in front of me yelled, I could hear the sneer that overlaid his tone, even as he was hidden in the crowd around me.
"I would rather rip out thy spine and use it as a cane! But we shalt concede... This once..."I growled out, making a few of the ones holding my friends hostage shift closer to their charges, ready to strike. Begrudgingly I knelt down to the ground, and laid my weapons out before them, my scowl almost burning holes in their heads. Suddenly, the back of my head spiked with pain as I lurched forward... Everything then turned to black as my head hit the blood soaked earth.
Hello everyone!
This is Harbinger-of-Script here!
I just wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone that has read this story, and stayed with it for so long! I'm just throwing this out there right now to let you all know that we are coming close to the end of this particular book in Corpus' time in Equestria...
If any of you have any suggestions I am very happy to read them! Heck, I might even implement them!
Also... This saga - for that is what it will be by the end- WILL continue on into the cannon tv series area! SO we will be seeing Twilight and the rest of the cast some time in the future! SO if any of you are willing to follow along till then... You should be fairly happy with how the story turns out!
Now I must take my leave! Yours truly - Harbinger!
