Chapter 3: Sorry, Dream.
Grief sat on large piles of hay with his sword sheathed in his scabbard, pressed up against him. He was resting his eyes while facing his head upward to the cloudy gray sky while the wagon he was on was still being pulled through the dirt road. Wind brushed against his coat as his eyes started to slowly open. Once he awoke, he released a quiet yawn built up from the long ride to Canterlot. Looking left and right, he glanced back at wagon driver and smirked lightly. The one carrying the wagon was a large brown stallion with an auburn colored mane and tail. Over his mane was a tattered rancher hat with a tag sewn to the side reading Stetson.
"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Apple." Grief said as he gotten up and started to stretch his tensed muscles.
The large buffed stallion glanced back, with his hat tilted forward which concealed parts of his face, and gave him a nod before looking back ahead of the road. "Might I ask why yur goin' to tha' big city," He asked in a calm tone. "You might not like all those fancy folks if they see that sword of yurs."
"It's alright, sir, I don't mind the stares and snobby attitudes. If they are afraid or nervous, that gives them every right to avoid me." Grief said as he stopped stretching and soon began flexing his hind muscles.
Mr. Apple scoffed lightly, before chuckling at Grief's disregarded attitude towards weapons being carry around in city populated areas. He founded it childish and somewhat memorable that it reminded him when he was young and always into trouble. "I respect yur norm of society that seems to shine brighter than glitter in mah daughter's art."
Grief stopped and wrapped the strap of his scabbard to his back and nodded at Mr. Apple with a kind smile. "Why that's mighty kind of you, sir. I did not know I shined brighter than glitter."
"Ah, would it make you feel nice and purty if I outta say the stars?" He asked in a joking tone causing Grief to chuckle lightly.
"If you were to say that to Insane, he'd probably be all over you and give your wife a heart-attack!" Grief said beginning to laugh.
"Now he knows the last time he tried to get me drunk and mate with him was the last time he ever invited me to bars. I don' hate'm and all, just can't trust him. Always sneaky that I get'm confuse to being one of them fox." He said, shivering at the thought of Insane's presence, "Now he knows I am not a fence-buckler or coltcuddler."
Grief stopped laughing, calming down with a few small chuckles. "Alright, alright, I get it. You're right about that, sir. He's very sneaky."
"We're about near Canterlot; you wanna walk there or have me drop you off? I don't mind either option you choose." Big Apple said, glancing back at him.
"I'll walk, thanks for the ride, sir." Grief said hopping off the wagon and quickly trotting pass him. Big Apple stopped and tilted his hat in acknowledgement to his gratitude.
"Stay safe now, you hear, Grief?" He called, Grief stopped and looked back, nodding his head before running ahead, pass the grassy plainfields in which the road to the prospering city resided.
-A Week Ago-
Grief was preparing to leave to Canterlot, with his sword strapped to his back. Walking out the kitchen, he stopped at the exit of the front door located in the living room and looked to his right seeing his mother tapping her left hoof on the ground as if waiting for something impatiently. He smiles at her before quickly trotting to her and hugging her tightly. His mother returned the hug, while resting her chin on his left shoulder.
"You're leaving to the city now, are you not?" She asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, I decided to take up the mission, why?" He asked in a curious tone.
"It's just…Canterlot is very far away and I might not see you again once you return," She said causing Grief eyes to lower. He soon frowned feeling her grip on him tightened, frighten to let him go. She was his mother after all, willing to give up whatever it was to see her flesh and blood survive in the world. "You must remember, think about your family all the time, including Dream. He sees you as his role model and it is your duty as your brother's keeper, to lead him down a road to Paradise. But not the Azazel way, the good one, Grief; one that will ensure his safety from the danger out in this world."
"Of course, mother." He said in a soft sincere tone.
"Go now; be sure to come back safely, Grief." She said letting him go, smiling at him.
Grief gasped once he spotted a tear from his mother's left eye slowly dribble down. He soon smile and nodded his head before walking off to the front door. He stopped at the doorknob and glanced back at his mother who was still smiling at him, motioning him with a nod of her head to go. He turned back to the door and exited the house. But, standing there in the front was Dream, looking up at him shocked before smiling.
"Grief, I am done playing with my friends, can we play together now?" Dream asked in a happy tone, only to have his mane rustled softly, by his brother's left hoof that soon remained on his head.
"Sorry, Dream, maybe next time." He said before moving down his hoof and walking off. His brother looked back at him disappointed before smiling after he turned to him with a pleasant smile.
"I will keep that noted!" Dream yelled.
-Present Time-
It was quiet in the thoroughfare of Canterlot as Grief walked down the clean cobblestone streets, passing by the tall Victorian designed medieval homes and stores. As if the beautiful city for the rich and blessed royals was turned to a ghost town. The swordspony continued walking towards the path that led to Celestia's castle, but his walk was soon halted by the sudden chill in the air. Quickly grabbing the handle of his blade with his right hoof, he began looking around hesitantly, becoming cautious.
"So, you decided to take the mission that Julius created, hmm?" Grief turned around spotting a white griffin with black eyeliner and painted talons. Attached to his hip was a leather brown scabbard, sheathing a small wakazashi that had beads tied around the handle.
"Helios, what are you doing here?" Grief asked in a cautious tone, backing away slowly as the griffin was flapping his wings lightly in the air while glaring at him with his golden eyes.
"Well, I was higher by my employer to do the same thing you are doing, but instead of taking, I have to destroy." He said in a calm tone.
"So, the Samuelnist are aware of the body and they wanted to be erased from history without any trace left behind?" He asked in an anger tone.
"I can't say that my employer is a Samuelnist, does not have that Order and Chaos mojo you'll find in many of those zealot punks like yours," He said folding his arms before chuckling lightly. "My employer just wants it gone."
"Well, I am not going to allow it. I am going to retrieve the body." He said becoming tense once the griffin started laughing.
"That's pretty rich, though it can get quite tiresome if you focus on your missions like that all the time. Grief, do you even know what will happen if you were to kidnap that body?" Helios asked in a calm tone.
"What?" He responded.
"You see, not only will you be endangering your cult from Celestia's wrath, the cult of Sasora will go after you and your family. You really don't want to piss off that cult for you should know what they are capable of," He explained in a cold tone just before chuckling at Grief's shocked expression. "Turn down this mission, my fellow sword member, this mission is not meant for you."
Grief lowered his head, forgetting to think throughout the entire plan. He realized why Raijin turned it down in the first place. It was to protect his people and family. As Helios landed on the ground, walking pass him, the swordspony turned around and watch him walk ahead towards the castle. He wanted to do the mission, but he felt a bad feeling in his stomach. His reputation and pride was having a conflict with the rights and in wrongs inside of his head as well as the common sense of the outcome. He did not want to put any of his family members in danger, but he did not want to give his cult and father a bad name.
"Do I sense anger and stress from you, Grief," Helios asked, stopping in the center of the street glancing back at him. Grief grabbed the handle of his sword, beginning to unsheathe it, just before glaring angrily at him, "Oh, it's neither of that, but determination, intention, and your typical grueling attitude that sickens me." He said in a disgusted tone. The griffin unsheathed his blade, clutching it tightly in his right talon while the tip pointed right.
-Two Weeks Ago-
Grief was in his room, polishing his Cello with a white cloth while sitting on his bed. Soon, Dream enters his room in an excited state of joy, hopping around his brother's bed before being stopped by his dark stare that frightened him. But the fear diminished once his brother softly chuckled and Dream could only smile in relief.
"Grief, can we play today?!" He asked, but was halted once Grief rested his left hoof on his head, ruffling his mane softly before leaving it there.
"Sorry, Dream, maybe next time." He said before getting up and resting his Cello to the side of his wall on the right part of his bed and exited the room leaving Dream alone.
-Present Time-
Grief swayed from fast attacks delivered from Helios before blocking a powerful strike that sent him sliding back with a trail of dust formed his hooves to float up into the air. The griffin flew forward, yelling angrily, before crashing his small katana against his rival's blade. The force caused sparks to flare as the wild griffin continued swinging powerful attacks. Comparing to skills, Grief was well train with the art of swords than Helios which was being revealed now from his less movement to attack back at the angry griffin.
"You tend to always speak down to me, Helios, but you forgot that I am the second strongest Sword there is in this world!" Grief said leaping back from a quick swing. Once he landed on the ground, he twirled around and blocked a powerful strike that sent him sliding back. "What's the matter, are you angry, bird boy?" He taunted.
Anger by the taunt, Helios threw his wakazashi at Grief who quickly rolled to the right, dodging it, and pressed his talons together. The ground started to shake causing Grief to become startled, trying to remain his footing. He soon leaped to the right, dodging the wakazashi that missed him just inches from his right cheek.
"That was close, too close." Grief said before dashing towards Helios who grabbed his blade causing the shaking tremor to stop.
"I had enough of you!" Helios yelled swinging his blade that clashed against Grief's sending chunks of debris from the rippling ground around. The two leaped back before dashing forward at one another, clashing blades over and over again. The two soon came to a stop, panting out of breath.
"You say that you had enough, but I wonder; what else is it that you had enough of? Was it putting up with me or keeping up?" He asked pointing his sword at the griffin.
"Wrong, you arrogant fool," Helios said, beginning to laugh as he sheathed his blade. "But I must say that you being here really riled up the folks in this city."
Grief looked at him confuse before sheathing his blade back in its scabbard. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Helios pointed both his talons at Grief and suddenly, the ground beneath the pony ripped apart just before chunks of rock burst out of the ground, hitting him hard in the chest which caused him to fly back into the wall. Once he fell to the ground, he coughed out blood beginning to lose consciousness. Helios slowly walked towards him with a mocking grin.
"What I mean, Grief, is that I am going to use you as a distraction. After all, you and I are doing the same thing." Helios said as the fellow Sword passed out. Opening his wings, he flapped them twice before taking off to the air, heading towards the castle, leaving Grief behind as bait.
As time progressed, Grief slowly woke up, feeling a large amount of pain crawl through his body. He groaned, struggling to get up from the ground, but soon froze in shock after suddenly realizing that he had been knocked out and Helios went off to eliminate the body he was ordered to receive. He started to hear chatter, which was not good but full of anger. He could not under-stand why he heard such yelling voices and demands of beheading, but once he looked up to scan his surroundings, his fear began to peak and the answers to the loud crowd was answered.
The folks of Canterlot were in a state of frenzy while being held back by royal guards. Their attention was focus on him and it was not just theirs but also the large pony that stood in the center glaring down at him. He backed up against the wall before sitting down, staring at the princess, Celestia. All he could do was smirk lightly at the towering alicorn before guards by her side rushed towards him.
The cell he was put in was nothing much but a plain bedroom with white painted walls, bed to the side of the wall near the sink, and toilet on the far right. The light above his head shined down brightly as he stared down at his scabbard, empty of his sword that was taken away after he was put into custody. Smiling softly, he stared up at the ceiling and pressed his hooves together, beginning to pray quietly. The door before him soon opened, and there standing at the doorway was Celestia with a few guards by her side.
"Come, we must talk, and you may take your scabbard." She said before walking away. The guards looked at him oddly while he was still praying quietly.
"Hey, didn't you hear, "I heard her, it's just I'm just praying before I go, that's all." Grief interrupted a brown stallion guard.
After a few minutes, Grief exited the room and was following behind Celestia, with the guards behind him, down the long large hallway with arched ceilings and chisel columns that stood tall, designed in story telling artwork with the color made glass of ancient ponies upon the princess' time living. His scabbard was wrapped around his back as he continued silently praying with his eyes close. The guards behind him founded this strange but also frightening due to the fact of his reputation to being a brutal Swordspony with a non-merciful intent to kill any foe before him. Stories, he was fully aware of, were either grotesque due to his Azazelist belief, while some were consider to be a stature of glory; others were simply fairy tales while others were facts of his great battles against tyrannical foes and memorable warriors forgotten in time by their names. He agreed to some stories but not all of them, for he fought powerful foes, but he was merciful to spare them unless he really had to put down a tyrant born to kill innocent lives for sadistic pleasure.
There was, however, a contradiction behind Grief's actions, for it was him in general. He was, as he even known it, a monster in a sense. Azazelists were made to be sinners and commit crimes and destruction under the name of their god. But due to the previous battles, many great leaders in many nations brought a law upon to eradicate such cults, even the rivaling Samuelnists, but most of these leaders were the governmental controlling cult known as Sasora. Grief followed his belief as a shield during his missions, for his sword was not the only weapon he wielded. Such fear driven to many creatures was the thirst and drive any Azazelist would thrive on, Grief was one of them.
He could sense their fear and hear their quiet whispers to one another, but his focus of fear adverted to the princess. She was not afraid but on her hooves, ready to strike him at any second while prepared to block any attack he would dare lash out. He did not blame her, for he would, at any second, attack her without hesitation. She would not be the only princess killed by him for he only killed two. He was deemed a criminal in two nations, one being in the far north called We'laksha Ze'xohrer and the second being called Atlaticus'Tol. The murder of two princesses in under a year sparked many other nations neighboring from the north and a bounty was only released for his head by those two traumatized nations when he became an adult.
Grief carried a reaper over his shoulder, what most ponies could not see while others could, and it let off a chilling cold breeze that made any pony that was fully aware of him, shivers and not hesitate to move away from his path. Celestia remained unfazed and shown less hesitation and more cautiousness with readiness to attack. Once they made it to the throne room, she levitated his sword to her, but after he grabbed it calmly, it was tugged away causing him to fall on the ground, causing him to look at her confuse.
"What is the meaning of this; you free me and return my weapon, but only to move away as if you're mocking me?" He asked, becoming angry, but Celestia was not afraid.
"You now work for me, Grief." Celestia said causing the guards and him to become confuse.
"Excuse me, what do you mean I work for you?" He asked.
"It's simple, you work for me, you fight for me, you protect me, you inform me of your cult's activity, and once everything seems settled down, you will be free from me. Right now, you're god; Azazel is not here to save you from the trouble caused from you. The body you're searching for is long gone, Helios took it. He mentioned to me of the battle you two were going on outside these castle walls and gave me the greatest idea I could ever imagine, why not have a spy no Azazelist could see coming?" She said beginning to smirk.
Grief narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, but it was silence by her magic once she forced it down. Celestia stabbed the sword deep into the polished marble floor and glared at him, digging her eyes through his well-being. He was not afraid but stun, remaining mute and unable to properly fight back without worrying about the guards. This was no ordinary alicorn like the ones he killed that manipulated ice and water and fire and earth. This one manipulated the sun with ease and reports of her powers were true. Celestia was, in fact, the most powerful alicorn in Six Circles that was created from the alicorn of time, Déjà vu, in order to stop the alicorn of war, Zephoyrioa.
"I'm impressed that you took a griffin's advice serious. What did you gave him in return, might I ask?" He asked, curious to Helios slick silver tongue.
"In return for his advice, I gave him the body, for you see the cult of Sasora is fully aware of your movement, Grief. They wouldn't mind having you under their control, but I am not going to let them believe that, for you are under mine."
'We'll see about that.' Grief thought.
"Now, any questions, Grief?" She asked, glancing at him, but he shook his head no.
She nodded her head, and levitated his blade down to his hooves before proceeding towards her throne seat. The two royal guards gasped once two griffins appeared by her side wearing royal armor. Grief was, too, left in confusion, for he never seen griffins working for Celestia. Something felt odd to him, but his eyes soon widened once he discover the strange feeling growing within; for the griffins' had sharp a T carved in their helmets along with tribal markings on the side of their shoulder pads.
"T-those markings, they're…" He tried to finish his sentence, but Celestia only chuckled in amusement.
"Yes, they're griffin guards from Griffin Kingdom of Talos. It was hard, but since the cults are becoming quite wild, I think I might just make them suspicious; toy around with their emotions by buying off guards from the king. These guards are no ordinary griffins, no, Grief. You want to know something amazing about them?" She asked, smirking at him.
"What?" He asked.
"These guards are experimental super soldiers. They were made in the Prison of Talos: Kusckatano which in griffin tongue means God's Prison. Their abilities are classify from ears like yours." She said in a cold tone.
Sheathing his blade back in its scabbard, Grief brushed back his mane and proceeded towards the exit, passing by the frightened guards. He soon stops and leaps to the right, dodging a spear that impaled the ground, remaining still. He looked back, spotting the black griffin on the right and narrowed his eyes. Celestia horn soon began glowing, causing the two to lower their attacking stance and remain calm.
"Now that none of you are going to tear each other's throat apart, I must appoint you to a mission Grief that must be completed before you come back. Archbishop Julius, you're leader of the group, must die." Celestia said in a stern tone causing him to gasp, finding her order to be not only a crime to his cult, but an impossible task.
"Have you lost your mind, he's the leader of the cult me and my family follows, what makes you think I will do such a thing?!" But he regretted asking such questions for the griffin on Celestia's left and the other, who threw the spear, on the right stepped up. Her expression was cold and promising of pure agony and punishment to those who disobey her.
"I will promise you this; the cult of Sasora will not hesitate in killing every member of your family, one…by…one. You see, Archbishop Julius is a member of that cult and all he's been doing is using you and every pony else. The best option is to kill him for if you fail, you and your family, along with the blinded fools that followed his tail, will die."
"No, that's impossible; he can't be part of that cult, for he is in ours!" He yelled angrily at her, finding her words to be only blackmailing lies.
"If I wanted to, I would have killed you and your pitiful cult in the first place. The city you live in will be buried in rubble. The only reason why I have no done such things for it is against my nature to kill many ponies for the sake of others and the cult of Sasora is funding my city and keeping me under their watch. You, they would not even dare expect, will go find Julius and kill him." She said.
"What proof do you have of him?" He asked.
"Proof, heh, the proof is you and your family. He was ordered to run the cult and kill the previous leader. While running it, the cult of Sasora called out orders to him so he could use you all to do it for them and him. You were all puppets and now the best way to make sure that "were" stays in its proper tense is to eliminate that leader and free those trap in his cage of despair and lies." Celestia said looking at him calmly as her stern expression lightened.
Grief was still shock, but he started to believe. Deception was not too kind in the cult for those who deceive fellow members must be punish and slain without mercy or burial for the flies will then eat their corpse and the magnets will devour their bones until they are nothing more but little remains on the earth. He sighed and looked at her, before stomping his right hoof on the ground. "Alright, I will return with news of his death." He said in a calm tone, but behind it was pain and betrayal.
As Grief turned around, he could only worry about the safety of his family. The cult always came second as well as his mission came third. Walking towards the throne doors, he closed his eyes and silently prayed for forgiveness to his god, hoping the actions he was about to commit would be forgiven and true from what she said.
"And Grief," Celestia called causing him to turn around to her, "Be sure to give me the book of Azazel and Samuel." He did not want to question her, so without speaking, he nodded his head and proceeded off to his objective; to kill Archbishop Julius.
-To Be Continued-