'1356'
Chapter 7: 'Mordhau' (The Battle of Great Gray Pass Part 1)
Since Gabriella was a mail-delivery griffon, she was sent out to act as a scout while going through her routes and reported back to us with haste, "The Ponies are on the march toward Griffonstone, they will be at the Great Gray Pass within two days," said Gabby catching her breath while coming back with an empty satchel that often times held the mail
"To arms!" cried out Gilda with a raised axe
"We move out to the Great Gray Pass!" said Lady Ghislaine and the rebels cheered their battle cry with raised weapons. While the Ponies were on the march on the trails in the Iron Mountains, the Griffons and Mountain Hippogriffs used the Merchant's Trail in the Everfree Forest to move the troops. They had made it with time to spare for preparations.
The Great Gray Pass has the natural tunnel, the very largest of it's kind that the Griffons call 'The Deep', "This is it...this is where we will make our stand," said The Countess of Irontalon, looking up at the high stone ceilings and back at the end of the tunnel that leads to Griffonstone. Wilhelmina De Faucon in armor approached the big Northern Griffon
"Allow me to assist you," Wilhelmina requested
"You are most hospitable," Ghislaine remarked
Wilhelmina and Geneve had made love the night before, and she had told her of her plan, "I will offer half my troops and knights, that's 5,000 infantry and around 250 knights, the rest will be under Lady Geneve's command, and will help in bolstering Griffonstone's defenses, something tells me these Ponies are going to try and be clever," she explained
The snow white griffon with the silver beak approached her lover, and gently touched her forehead with hers, "Whatever becomes of us, promise you will come back to me," she asked of the beautiful love in her life. Wilhelmina gave a light nod as she gazed into Geneve's eyes to grace her beak with a kiss. As she left, Wilhelmina gave her a playful swat.
"They have arrived," said Lady Ghislaine
"They are punctual, these Ponies," said Wilhelmina
Now with 15,000 soldier-griffons and hippogriffs plus 1,250 knights, they watched as they saw a lone stallion in armor in the distance. It was the Earl of Grey of the House of Ceylon. A noble-stallion and knight from Trottingham, he led a force of 25,000 strong with 1,300 of the finest stallion and mare-knights in Trottingham plus 500 longbow-ponies.
Although they have a sizeable force to combat the Ponies, they are still outnumbered. It did not matter to them. There wasn't even a single ounce of fear among the troops. Lady Ghislaine looked at Wilhelmina with a grin and a nod. The dapple gray Mountain Hippogriff nodded back and smiled, "Say, may I have one?" Ghislaine asked of her friend in armor
"Sure," Wilhelmina replied, smirking at her request
"I do not see any harm in it," she smiled to Ghislaine
Ghislaine's big flanks wiggled to the playful swat from the Mountain Hippogriff knight. She grinned warmly with a suave and mature chuckle, and wagged her stubby lynx tail. No mercy was promised to them at Hawksbill or at Eagletown so none was going to be shown here. The Countess and Lady could tell as the Earl of Grey is not coming up for terms
Northern Griffons and Mountain Hippogriffs are known for being big, rugged, and strong. That strength was on display, and lives up to their reputation on the battlefields leading up to this one, "Prepare to fight, if we are to die, then there is no better death that anyone can ask for," said Lady Irontalon as swords were unsheathed and weapons made ready
"I have no interest in prisoners," said the Earl
"Kill them all...archers forward at the ready," he ordered to his Ponies. The Earl of Grey is a well-built stallion just like his deceased cousin Prince Blueblood. The difference between them is the Earl has a dark brown mane and tail plus a tea cup and saucer with two crossed swords for a cutie mark. The North-Birds and Mountain Hippogriffs looked on
Lady Wilhelmina clinched the grip of her heater shield tight, and calmly unsheathed her longsword for battle. Countess Irontalon applied her chainmail coif as she saw a banner go up on the other side of the field. The longbow-ponies lined up in a firing line. Still the rebel forces held their ground. The only way to Griffonstone for the Ponies is through them
"Archers forward!" called out a Pony-Commander
With bows nocked, he gave the order, "Loose!"
The arrows whistled through the spring air, and came down on the rebels like rain only to hit their shields instead of armor or flesh. With a second volley of arrows, the longbow-ponies made no headway, and only put a few holes in their heater shields. Keeping to tradition and military tactics, the stallion and mare-knights were up next in the battle order
"Show them no fear, show them no pain! Charge!" said a knight with a ready longsword for battle, a Unicorn Mare named Morning Glory. Hearing the battle cries of the Ponies as they charged the line, the Northern Griffons and Mountain Hippogriffs waited and bought their time. When the enemy knights were entering the bottleneck, the rebels attacked
"For the Griffonlands! And for Chefal! Attack!"
As they charged, Irontalon readied a two-handed sword. She did a torpedo dive with a midair rotation while holding the grip with her paws and the blade in front. She stabbed a knight through the chest and out the back. Using her momentum, she pulled the blade out into a midair tuck, and came down on Morning Glory to cut her in half from skull to tail.