On the Run [Closed] (Dated)

Megabyte looked back behind herself while flying away from the scene of much danger, sighing and lowering her head once any sign of the griffon who wanted to eat her was gone. She lowered her flight speed once the danger was gone for the moment, scanning the ground below her for any nearby griffon guards that might take advantage of her wounded state.

After a few moments of flying, her eyes locked onto the small building she was looking for, the home that merely acted as a hiding spot for her real home. The pegasus slowly lowered herself closer to the ground, touching down as gently as she could but still forced to wince as pressure was placed on her injured leg. "That sure was scary..." She said quietly to herself, leaning against a wall just to keep herself steady while she caught her breath.

Steel was running farther away from his shop. He was still trying to be sneaky though, and often checked behhind himself to see if he was being followed. Luckily he wasn't as far as he could tell. Steel had also been trying to follow the pegasus, hoping she might have a place he could lay low for a while. However, she was blocks ahead of him by the time she set down. He began going that way when he heard a patrol approaching. He stopped in the alleyway he was in and hid behind a trash can. They were walking down the misdle of the street.

"I heard this theif is completely undetectable at night. Shes as quick as the wind.." the other guard spoke up. "Thats a bunch of malarky. No way a no good pony is that elusive." he said, sure if himself. "You see Sangs injuries in the medical camp?" The opposing griffon nodded. "She and the others did that. " The skeptical guard stood still for a moment. "Huh. Guess it goes to show never underestimate rebel scum, even if you are hard headed SangWing" The guards continued on their patrol.

"That was close..." thought Steel. He pondered the guards words, and decided this theif fit the description of the young mare in his shop. So she wasn't as innocent as he suspected she was. He continued for a few more minutes before he found the rebel pegasus. He trotted a bit louder when he was in her sight, so as not to surprise her. "I dont suppose you know someplace I can lay low for a bit?"

Megabyte perked her head up from its resting place against the wall once the hoofsteps of a fellow pony caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder as the unicorn smith spoke to her, smiling and giving a nod. "I do have someplace you can stay with me, but I thought you didn't want anything to do with a rebel." She said, flashing Strike a coy smile to show she didn't really harbor any bad feelings for her fellow pony after the incident in the shop.

"That doesn't matter though, I'll aid anyone that isn't a griffon." The pegasus replied simply, standing up straight once she was able to breathe normally again. "I know you shouldn't be a problem, since you wish to stay neutral, but I need to be convinced that you won't tell a soul about where I'll take you. Not even another pony."

Steel nodded. It only made sense. "I swear on my life, that wherever you take me, I wont tell a soul. Besides, if I risked telling somepony, I'd risk my own safety." he said stating the obvious. He suddenly thought if something that seemed to slip his mind on several occassions. "Im so sorry. With everything happening, we never learned each others names." chuckling slightly. "I am Steel Strike. Newly evicted smith." he said with a smile.

"Alright then, follow me inside." Megabyte replied, returning the smile she was given by Strike. A slight giggle came up from the mare, slowly turning into a laugh once she realized the words spoken to her were true. "That's right, we never did! My name is Megabyte Stream, and I am an inventor and engineer." She bowed her head lightly after the introduction, turning herself around before slipping into the home through the doorway they had been standing next to.

Megabyte? Weird name. though Steel. He had heard weirder before. He followed the pony through the doorway. "Sorry about ruining your plans again. I honestly thought I was helping out two defenseless mares from a cruel death. My lick turns out that one wanted to be captured, and the other was a notorious theif..." Steel sighed. He just thought of everything of value he had left in the smith. The bits he had saved, the materials he collected. It felt almost all for naught everything he had done so far.

"And now that griffon has probably told every patrol in the city about me. I wonder how long till it passes over. Hell I might never get my smith back...." Steel said glumly. He was about ready to sy everything on his mind; his impending death, his ruined reputation. However he stopped, as to prevent himself from going into a downward spiral of negativity. Besides he was sure this mare probably didnt care too much about his problems. Why should she? She had just met him after all....

"It's alright, don't worry about it. They wanted me for questioning about the rebellion and I'd get to see the inside of their headquarters. Probably nothing to world-shattering I'd find while all of those griffon eyes would be watching me." Megabyte replied, leading the way to the far wall of the front room while listening to Strike. "You can do business out of my workshop if you'd like. I know I'd buy some parts off of you."

She climbed up onto the tattered armchair and reared up onto her hind legs, leaning into the wall with her forehooves pressed onto the seemingly normal wall. With some force, she pushed the perfectly hidden door open and climbed up onto the revealed ledge. "Come on in, Mister Strike."

Steel stood agahst as she opened the secret passageway. He promptly shut the door behind him and walked toward the new hole in the wall. Well, I suppose thats one way to lay low he though with a chuckle. It was so well concealed that he thought no one could possibly find it. He heard her mention that he could use her shop for his work. "Well you may be an engineer, though I doubt you have a working furnace and anvil. Not that I'd be surprised if there was one down here. I suppose next your gonna say that you have a tunnel heading straight to the rebels!" he said eith a laugh. He was findig it hard to accept everything had happened so quickly in such a short amount of time. " If you could though, I'd like a block of wood if that isnt too much. I need a little whittling to get my mind off of things..." he said calmly. However he was syre e'd end up doing more thinking that way.

"That's true, I don't have those... I guess my offer won't work then. But, you're welcome to live here as long as you need." Megabyte replied in a tone that was both happy and serious. She paused once at the bottom of the stairs, bringing a hoof up to fix her glasses before giving Strike a devilish grin. "Well, in fact I do have something like that too." She stated, losing any trace of the look afterwords and trotting over towards one of many storage boxes in the room.

"I have plenty of wood from all over, come over and take you pick!" She replied with an overly cheery tone, being forced to sit on the floor due to her injury not seeming to bother her in the slightest since the wound had stopped actively bleeding.

"Oh I had almost forgotten about that wound! You need to patch that up, otherwise you might become infected." he said cautiously. "Wait...there is a rebel tunnel leading from here? Well, that makes it bad news if that griffon finds this place, for you guys." He stood there thinking a moment, then trotted over to the box she had motioned towards earlier. That pony changes attitudes quicker then a hare in a carrot farm. thought Steel noticing the shifts of tone in her voice each time she spoke. Serious, suspicious, overly happy. She's seems eccentric, by the very definition. But she seems nice enough. I doubt she couldn't handle herself in any situation. he thought while searching for a block of wood. He found a large piece, that he thought looked just perfect.

He went back pulling out a whittling knife he had in his saddle bags. He looked for a nearby trashcan, hoping to shear his shavings right into them. Normally, he'd do it anywhere, and not care about the mess. But this wasn't his home, and he certainly didn't want to seem rude. He had a seat, pulling the trash can over to him. He noticed she was still sitting on the floor. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor or something? I feel bad after all that trouble we were in to see you hurt like that..." he said, with a hint of regret.

"It can wait a little bit, we can't go outside to see the only doctor I know of in the city." Megabyte replied, able to the ignore the pain as the lack of movement in her leg let the wound rest in place. "Well, the entrance there is just as well hidden as the door we just went through, can you see it?" She asked, almost giggling again while proud of her own work.

She tapped a hoof lightly on the floor as she searched for something to talk about with Strike while the two of them hid in the workshop. "So... How did you end up here in Manehatten, Mister Strike?" She asked curiously, tilting her head lightly to show her curiosity. The mare's eyes locked onto the wood Strike had started carving, watching the wood slowly take shape while going silent again.

Steel looked around, and couldn't see anything that resembled a door. "I suppose you're right. I can't see anything that resembles an entrance." he said with a chuckle.

Steel heard the next question clearly. It brought up quite a few memories. "Well, before Canterlot fell, I was working with the Army. Making weapons and armour. Nothing special, mind you. Just the basics for war. When Canterlot fell.." he stopped for a moment, and had quit whittling for a second as well. "I suppose it just went to shit. I hid from the griffon armies that invaded the rest of Equestria, to avoid capture. I came to Manehattan, avoiding the past, I suppose. And started up that smith about 3 years ago. I poured my life into it, but it was never like it was before. Nothing is I suppose...Been here, avoiding trouble where I could. Till tonight that is." he said, a bit despondently. He resumed whittling.

While he was whittling, he began wondering what he would make this time. He decided that he'd try something a bit ambitious, and began cutting delicately off the top. "What about you Megabyte. How'd you end up in the Big Apple?" He was genuinely curious. It seemed like she was at home, however something seemed off about it.

A frown slowly formed on Megabyte's face while listening to Strike's story of the war, the mare's ears folding back onto her head to match her current emotion. "That sounds so sad and scary... I'm glad you got away though, but witnessing the attack on Canterlot with your own eyes must have been very traumatic. An army that not even the princesses or those element things could help stop." She said in a solemn tone of voice.

She perked up almost the instant after she was asked about her story by Strike, putting a hoof to her chin as she thought back. "Well, I've been living in this house since before the war started." She started, going quiet for a few moments to sort through her memories some more. "I got here when I was seventeen after being kicked out of my parents' house for not being enough like them and spending all my time indoors. I wandered around for a little bit and ended up here. What started as a simply repair shop boomed and I got plenty of bits to buy this place and ran my shop out of this basement. But, when I heard about the attack on Canterlot, I broke down the old door and built the one we used to go through. I hid here and only left for the most important things until the fighting passed through and the city was like this."

"Yeah, it wasn't something I like to remember..."

"How'd you get mixed up in the rebellion if I may ask?" asked Steel. It seemed strange that someone like Mega could get mixed up with such a group, especially when she remained indoors so much. Steel began forming the inside of the wings, not yet adding detail to the outstretched wings, and still needing to hollow the space out between them. "I mean, I don't think you guys have a hell of chance, against the griffons. But how does a Engineering prodigy like yourself get into that?" he asked, still focusing on forming the wings.

Megabyte kept her eyes focused on the wooden statue that slowly took shape from the simple block of wood she had given to Strike. "Well, that is a much different story." She replied, going silent while searching for all of the details she remembered yet again. "It was seven years ago, five years since the occupation... I was on one of my usual trips through the ruined city to find supplies of any kind I could get my hooves on. I guess I was spotted by the wrong griffon, and before I knew I was being watched, I was impacted on the head by something blunt and heavy. I thought it would be the end, but a pony I never got a good look at appeared and everything went black..."

The mare paused for a moment as she fell back into thought. "The next thing I remember is waking up in the undermarket with nopony around me. I struggled to my hooves and soon found some ponies to talk to. They explained what had happened and after I told them about myself, they offered to have me work as a main engineer for the rebellion. After what had happened, I had to accept."

Steel nodded. It made sense, she owed them for saving her life. However, he felt no such loyalty, but he was grateful for the help they provided. "I am grateful for all the help you provided me. But I have to be honest. It doesn't make a lick of sense to me. I mean sure, fight for what you believe in. But until Celestia herself comes back, I think the rebellion won't achieve anything miraculous." He looked a tad uncertain as he said this, as if it brought up an unpleasant memory.
He continued whittling, working on the legs, trying to make them taller then usual, as was required for this piece. Again he formed the outside of them, but didn't hollow it out quite yet. Next would come the head of the pony.

Megabyte nodded to agree with Strike, that was the main reason she was helping them: that, and the bits they provided her. "I can't argue that point there, but I only help them in passive ways. I just build their weapons and supplies, but I very rarely use anything more than my tools." She replied, slipping the saddlebags she remembered she was wearing after the mention of her tools.

"Although, I do have this hidden on my sometimes in case it's ever needed." She stated, opening up a hidden inner pocket of her saddlebag and removing an empty wooden handle. A simple press of a button on said handle caused a hidden blade to reveal its self. "I specialize in things like these."

"Well, passively I can see more then outright aggression. At least that way you can evade detection much easier. That Griffon Repellent device was amazing if I do say so." said Steel and he meant it. The griffon was so shocked by the device it dove right though his roof. He could only imagine what a bunch of those could do to the Griffons. He focused on the head now, leaving a large section of the forehead rounded. He slowly whittled it down, till a nice curved pattern appeared on a pointy piece wood. He'd worry about the facial details later. Next he moved onto the back, and taking out the wood inbetween the wings. He moved quickly to clear large chunks but slowly as he got closer to where the back should be, and where he wanted the wings to be.

"That's why I prefer to stay that way... Well, I'm also not that strong, so I can only run away when something wants to attack me." Megabyte replied, carefully putting the weapon's blade back in its hiding place and simply placing it down on the ground next to her. "And thank you very much! It took forever to get a design that worked, but it was worth it!" She said, her tone turning into one of near jubilation after she received the complement from her new acquaintance. "It's easy to make, but something hard to think up for the first time! But I guess that's every invention."

Steel nodded. "Yep, years in the making. Yet once you find the right combo, it just clicks." he said, recalling several inventions like that. He continued being more in depth into his work, but the silence was appalling. "So, you said your folks kicked you out? Sorry to hear that. I came from a family that specialized in Skill Trades, Woodworking, Carpeting, stuff like that. Most just jumped right into the business, while I sought a master. Name was Black Soot, and he'd been a smith for years, so I was eager to apprentice for him. A few years after I went on my own, this war business started. I hate conflicts of any kind, but it was good for business. Somehow or another, I ended up working for the army directly. Wasn't paid as much, but it sufficed for me." he said.

He began hollowing out the area under the legs, being careful to keep it higher the usual. He did this the same with the back, knocking out large chunks until he got to where he wanted then smoothed it out a bit. He smoothed the legs as well, keeping them trim. He also kept a little on the bottom, because he had designs for the bottom. He also cut out a nice section for the flank and tail.

"He sounds like a good master to learn skills from, you seem to be lucky when it comes to that at least. I'd like to see what you can make sometime, if you ever get your shop back." Megabyte replied, blinking her eyes a few times as she seemed to realize something. "...I'm sorry for making all of this happen to you. If I had been searching for materials somewhere else, you'd still have your shop!" She suddenly whined in yet another mood shift.

"My parents were farmers and they hated the fact that I'd always stay inside rather than work the garden. I think I was the only foal whose parents were actively devastated when their cutie mark appeared." She stated with a sigh once she remembered the question a few moments earlier.

"It really isn't your fault. If I hadn't stopped him from taking that thief none of this would have happened. Damn horseshoes.." he said glumly. He listened as she lamented her parents disapproval of her path in life. "Yep, always gotta do whats right for you." he said at the end.

He began making the final touches. He carved out the mane and tail, being careful not to break the delicate wood holding them to the body. He then carved out the eyes. Not scolding, or malevolent, but simply eyes that spoke of kindness. He outlined the hooves with a special pattern, like boots, slightly overlaying the rest of the legs. He added more detail to the wings, giving the feathers texture. And last bot not least, a crown on top. Once he finished it fit beautifully. It was majestic.

"I think there is one story you should know Megabyte. The day Canterlot fell. The day the Griffon armies advanced. I saw her. The Princess. Everyone was running away, but I was staying put, until I was told otherwise. The Princess flew past, then came back and said...You know what she said?" he said almost in tears. "She said. 'Smith, the battle is lost. Leave your post.' And that's just what I did." he said, in tears. He had never made a wooden sculpture of the Princess, but in doing so, he let loose the feelings he felt about the moment for so long. And little did he know, that the carving was prophetic in more ways then one.

Meanwhile, in the Industrial District....

The griffons dreams were hazy, terrifying things. Images of a white Alicorn, so bright it was difficult to look at, turning to wood, then ash. A Unicorn, green as a new leaf, picking up a forgotten blade. A con artist, trying to make a new deal. A sinister black griffon, laying the pieces for a game. A forbidden relationship, made all the more dangerous by a thief in the shadows.

Snapping his eyes open, Vengeance hungered. And he knew just who would sate that hunger. The unicorn who restrained him, imprisoned him. Him and the smart one, the Pegasus whose blood was caked on his claws. He could smell their presence nearby. And this time, there was so sword to stop him from feasting.

The city would run in blood. If he had to, he would tunnel through the city itself to get his prey.

Rationale was walking down the Industrial District, his mind focused on the intricacies of a rebellion of this measure. He had managed to find a better spell that lifted the weight of the sword, and made it nearly effortless to carry. However, it was still unwieldy, and he had to be careful with the piece of weaponry. He had no idea how to professionally use it, but he was capable of brandishing it around if he wanted to.

Rationale levitated a book of maps in front of him, one that was previously in his saddle bag. He looked up at one of the buildings in front of him, and nodded his head. This was where he wanted to be. He levitated the book back into his saddle bag and moved into Megabyte's house. However, there was no one to be seen. He looked around, checking the walls and the books for any kind of secret switch.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Jack thinks as he's running through the alleys of the East Residential district. It is the first time that he won't be at the farm in time, but he really needed these ingridients."It seems that I have to stay here for the night." He hasn't suicidal tendencies, so he won't trot in the open till curfew is over. He slowed down and looks out for a place, where he can stays for the night.

Megabyte's ears fell flat on her head once she noticed the tears in Strike's eyes, slowly standing up from her seat on the ground and moving over to the unicorn. Placing a hoof on his back in hopes of comforting him, she wasn't too experienced in situations like these. "I can't imagine what that must have felt like... Hoping for the best, only to be told by the princess herself that we've lost..." She said in a quiet voice, a few tears starting to collect in the corners of her eyes.

Her attention was grabbed by the sound of hooves faintly coming through the ceiling above them, taking her hoof off of Strike's back. "I think there's somepony here that needs my help..." She said in a quiet voice, wiping away her tears as to not seem too strange for the visitor. Looking back at Strike again for a short moment, she slowly climbed the stairs towards the door of her shop. Hooking her foreleg around the handle on the door, she pulled the door open with a bit of trouble, peeking out to see Rationale in her home. "Oh. Hello there. Please hurry inside before we talk, a curfew patrol might be here soon." She said, not giving the green pony a chance to reply before she moved out of the way of the door.

Steel appreciated Megas hoof. He hadn't told a soul about that incident, but the sculpture had brought it back. As Mega left to tend to another pony, Steel got up and set the sculpture down. He hadn't cried in so long...there was never time, nor was it productive. However he felt like some great burden was lifted. He went to the exit of the tunnel leading to the room. Hopefully these new ponies wouldnt notice his bloodshot eyes. He looked hoping to get a glimpse before they came downstairs.

Rationale smiled once Megabyte showed her face and he looked over at the entrance to her secret compartment. "Clever." He merely said before he walked into the room, expecting Megabyte to close the door behind her. He spared a glance to Steel's eyes and he placed his hoof onto Steel's shoulder. "Something the matter?" He asked, before he walked over to the main room and sat down. "If you need to talk about something, I'm here. That's what I used to do, before all this happened."

Jacks is still wandering around in the alleys. Suddenly he hears some wing flapping and he looks into the sky."Shit!Griffon patrol" he thinks and tries to find cover.
The patrol lands on the street."Spread out!" commands the tallest griffon.
"There are always ponys outside after curfew and I like to have a little snack."
Jack could hide in an abandoned shack, but he's sure that the griffons will finde him. So he gets ready to defend himself.
A small griffon walks around the corner into the alley where he's hiding.
Jack puts the knife into his mouth, he knows it have to be quiet.
As soon as the griffon passes him he attacks him. He jumps on his back and rams his knife into the neck of the griffon, while he holds his beak closed.
The griffon collapses."Well, that was easier than I thought" he thinks while he moves into an empty house. " I have to leave before they'll find their comrade."

Megabyte was just about to close the door behind her and Rationale, pausing once she spotted a new pony wandering into her home. She wasn't always so eager to let strangers into her workshop like she was doing, but a ravenous griffon was on his way to their location. "Hey! Mister, get in here!" She said in a voice that would be loud enough for the pony to hear, but too quiet to be heard outside.

"You won't want to be out here in a few minutes. I'll explain later, just come here and close the door behind you." She stated, clearing the doorway again to let Grayscale in without any troubles.

Jack turns around as he hears a female voice. He could see a female pegasus standing in a door. "Mhm? Is she talking to me?" Jack wonders and looks around. Nopony else is there, so he trots to the mare and closes the door after he entered the room.
Normally he wouldn't go into a house he doesn't know. It would make a good trap, but it was better than to fight the griffons all on his own.

Vengeance stood, alone, on the chimney he had roosted in. Sniffing the air, he knew that three ponies he had met before. A crafty Pegasus, who had managed to evade him. She would not have that luxury again. A Unicorn, who had restrained his sanity. And a Pegasus, who had just killed a griffon. Feeling his stomach growl, Vengeance clicked his beak. They would all die soon. As for the Unicorn that had... reclaimed his sanity, he had a very special fate planned.

Spreading his wings wide, Zweihander flew to the East. Keeping high, riding the thermals, he lazily flew. He was in no real rush; he was going to play with his food first before he struck anyway. Deciding to begin the game, the griffon remembered what his battle-screech was. Terrifying, brutal, and savage; he made the screech come out of the swords diamond. His sanity objected; after all, Zweihander was trapped in the sword.

After releasing the screech from the sword, Vengeance stealthily flew downwards. He smelt two other griffons, and one deliciously deceased one. He would need to kill them first. A necessary distraction. After all, what use would playing with the mice be with extra cats?

Steel shook his head. "No, Im fine now...Just ...dont want to talk about it." he said, in an unsual manner for him. He didn't get emotional often, and just wanted to leave it behind him. He saw Megabyte coming dowstairs with another pony. Four's a party he thought quickly. Too many ponies in the small room made him uncomfortable. "Not sure if we're laying low or throwing the griffons a party..." he said harshly. He thought the point of laying low was to not have others know your location. Yet here were two ponies he didn't know and frankly didn't trust.I can tell this is going to be a long night... thought Steel.

Megabyte came down the stairs with the others, not seeming to mind the slightly cramped quarters herself. "Well, if it was just to simply avoid curfew, I'd just let them stay upstairs for free without letting them know we were down here." She replied, taking a seat on a small box to take weight off of her injury. "But, there is an insane griffon coming after us and will probably go into the home upstairs. He might eat these two just because they're here, even if they aren't the ones he's looking for. Would you want to go up there tomorrow morning and find what was left of two eaten ponies you could have saved?"

Rationale decided not to speak as the other pony decided to join their ranks. He was slightly angered by the other colt's implicate objection to saving himself and the other pony. Before he was going to interject an reply with an irritated response, the other spoke for him. He rejected his therapy suggestion and looked away, before something happened. A scream, louder than any other penetrated Rationale's mind. His eyes widened and he cried out in pain upon feeling this. His head felt like it was being cut open by a knife, and he fell onto his haunches. "What is this..." He thought. "That pain..."

Cam heard...no, he felt a screech. It seemed to resonate within the recces of his mind. It was loud and piercing and hurt his head. It wasn't pleasant, and he could tell by the others expressions they had heard it too. Something was oddly familiar about it though. He had felt or heard of something similar before, but he couldn't quite put his hoof on it. Where did I hear about something like this... He thought.

Megabyte's eyes widened as the sound emitted from the sword, her glasses falling off her face as she brought her head down to cover her ears with her hooves. Despite her attempts to block out the noise at all, it seemed to remain the same, piercing her ears and ramming its self right into her mind. Her head quickly began to throb in a painful migraine, she hadn't ever heard a sound like this before in her life; it was as if somepony was ramming sharp objects into her ears that were slowly getting deeper as the sound continued.

Jack winces and tries to cover his ears, but the scream goes through his whole body. He knows that kind of scream. He heard it often on the final battlefield, but not such terrifying as this one.

He is scared. Not because of the screaming griffon, but he notices that he liked it to kill that small griffon.In this moment Jack felt young and strong again.
He was the first griffon he killed after the war ended and now he fears that he'll get a flashback. They warned him when he joined the army that some soldiers, who aren't mentally strong, can get a flashback even years later.
Jack hopes that he's strong enough.He doesn't want to endanger them more than he already did by killing that griffon.

Gliding down silently, Vengeance landed on all fours on a nearby roof. Sending a loose shingle crashing down, he went flat on his belly. The noise was not overly loud, and would probably be mistaken for a stray cat. After waiting several moments, he creeped along the rooftops, stalking his quarry.

Eventually, he came across them. Waiting atop a roof, this time her purposefully sent a shingle falling down. Landing with a crash on several garbage cans, it was unmistakably attention getting.

The two griffons were having a bad day. Klaus, the patrol leader, had sent Horst, their scout, after the old stallion who violated curfew. Horst had yet to return. Horst's brother, Gunther, was nervous. Gunther was a sizable brute, and was a ratty brown color. Klaus was smaller, but more lean, with whiter coloration. Gunther fiddled with his pole arm.

"Klaus, what was that noise?" they had both heard the smash of a shingle falling from the rooftops. Taking a deep breath, Klaus responded.

"Probably nothing. Nonetheless, I doubt your brother would delay returning to us for a reason. If he got the kill, he would have brought it to share by now." Klaus heard a noise from above. Snapping his head up, he saw it was Horst, still with his helm on. Cursing, Klaus yelled at Horst. "By the King, you scared me halfway to Valhalla! Get down here!" What happened next horrified the griffon. As "Horst" slid down, his brother moaned in terror. Slowly, the head moved forward, the body became more, and more ravaged. Falling down, it landed on front of them. There was barely anything left to identify the body. Even the lower part of the legs, and the forearms, we're snapped off. All that was left other than the head, that was recognizable as Horst, were his wings, the same color as his brother.

Before either of them could scream, a fourth griffon joined the group. Except this one was alive. And caked with blood. All were still for several seconds.

*click*

Then the screams began.

Rationale looked away towards the exit to the room, his mind berating him for allowing him to absorb such a detrimental scream into his head. It felt terrible, and that scream gave him the worst feeling. Of course, none of it was being shown on his exterior, because he did not want to frighten the others. But the other scream puncturing the night only made him more uncomfortable. He should have been used to things like this by now, since ponies and griffins were killed every day. But, this was not the case.

Steel was thinking hard, on where he remembered that screech. He heards a few griffon like screams, and it suddenly kick started his memory. Of course, the griffon and that sound are connected! he said, realization dawning on him. He looked around, at the ponies that seemed distraught, and noticed the sword the first pony to come in had. He saw th handle, and remembered it instantly. That was the sword of the griffon who I restrained at the smith. he thought quickly. It must be the thing connecting them to the rest of the group. He walked over to the pony as fast as he could. "I need that sword. I haven't got much time to explain." he said, quickly. He needed to prepare a little trap for their griffon friend.

Megabyte slowly removed her hooves from her ears after a few moments, forced to stay quiet while she tried to regroup her thoughts after the piercing noise. She glanced down at the blurred floor, quickly snatching up the green object she knew were her glasses and placed them onto her muzzle with a light sigh. Her moment of relaxation as the sound of horrified screams managed to make their way into the room from outside the house.

She glanced towards Steel with curious eyes, knowing what kind of importance the sword had but clueless on what kind of plan Steel had for it. Deciding not to ask, the mare simply stood up from the box she had been seated on in case she could help in some way.

Jack looks around the room and then asks:" Does this room has any other exit than the stairs?"
He doesn't like rooms with just one exit. They're easy to defend, but if the enemy overruns you it can be a deathtrap.

If Rationale hadn't previously spoken with a merchant that tried to take his sword, he would have agreed. But considering this was not the case, Rationale took a step back from the colt that wished to take his sword. "No thank you." He merely said. Sure, the sword gave him painful headaches, but he was not going to get rid of it to a colt that he didn't know. "Explain and I might give it..."

Steel literally facehoofed. How to explain the intricacies of sword magic and soldier mentality, in a few seconds to a scared pony... "We REALLY don't have time for this. Griffons sword is cursed, and he wants it back!" he said. "Unless you can stop a griffon that pulled horseshoes pinning him to the wall, You need to give me that sword. I can explain later!" he said frantically. He really hoped that by shock or by realization of the situation at hand, he'd hand it over.He turned to the pony that wasn't holding the sword. "There's another exit. Mega will show you where, I want you to hide there, and if my first plan doesn't work, the backup is open the door, and get everyone down the hole as fast as possible, while I hold him off." He turned to Mega. "Mega, I know this seems insane, but I need you to stand in front of the entrance, so the griffon can see you." he said, hoping to get everything in place. "Just make sure you're far enough away that he can't reach you as soon as he gets in here." he added, not wanting her to get hurt anymore.

As much as Rationale wanted to keep this sword, the screeching and patterns were making sense. So why didn't he immediately agree to handing over the sword if it was providing such detrimental effects? The sword... It was the sword. Rationale levitated the sword off of his body and quickly gave it to Steel, and he let a sigh of relief. Something was wrong with that sword, and he was slowly losing his logical mind in the process. Now he had it back. He looked around the room for any weapons, before he turned to Steel. "The lady should leave first. You and me, we can take on the griffin."

Megabyte listened to Strike's words carefully, nodding her head to show she understood just what she had to do. Not showing any signs of fear of the job she was going to do, the pegasus calmly trotted over to the far corner of the room next to her shelves with many of her smaller inventions and plan books. "Gray, over here, quick." She instructed while looking over her shoulder. Reaching over to one of her few books, she pushed one that wasn't all the way in place, an opening on the floor big enough to fit a pony through opening up to reveal a set of stairs. "Hide in there. There's a button disguised as a loose stone on the staircase to open and close this door." She instructed.

After her first piece of business was done, she quickly trotted back over to the colts. "I'm not leaving. He's after me and that sword." She replied bluntly to Rationale, turning her head to Steel and giving him a nod.

"Just instruct me on what I need to do." She stated, passing by the other ponies and standing in what she felt was the right place to be.

Jack nodds as Megabyte introduces him into the mechanics. He steps behind the shelf and waits there. He isn't really sure what the black pony is going to do, but at least he seems to have a plan.
He hates the waiting part. He always did, especially at his job as an undecover agent. Waiting for hours, that's what he's good at, but he doesn't like it.

Steel was happy to see Mega acting calmly, and going with the plan. "Just do what you would normally do if you saw a rampaging griffon coming towards you. If you could, act like you didn't expect it either. He'll think he caught us off guard." he turned to the pony who had possessed the sword previously. "I'm standing in this corner, facing the entrance. You stand in the corner oppisite of me. He's far too strong for two ponies to take him on." he said. The two ponies obeyed dutifully. He levitated the sword flat against the wall, above the entrance. He had it blade pointing up away from the entrance. He looked on the desk near Mega, and saw that his figurine was still standing there. Dear Princess Celestia...Please make this plan work. he thought, and with that the ponies waited for the griffons arrival.

Vengeance had only shaven the edge off of his appetite. The three griffons had proven satisfying enough, but provided no sport. Unlike the ponies. Inhaling the air as if it was imported perfume, he noticed the sword was changing hands. They were likely planning something. Vengeance didn't care. Even if they drove him off tonight, he would never stop hunting. All of them were marked, and there was nothing they could do. Preparing the large griffons polearm, he threw it into the air to gauge its weight. Feeling satisfied with the weight, and the "gift" attached to the pole, he threw it with all his might through the door.

With a silent hiss, the polearm flew in a line of death, with three lumps impaled on the handle. Flying with enough force to drive the door off it's hinges, it pegged itself in the floor.. The "lumps" were three griffon skulls, the meat and muscle clearly gnawed off with a beak. All that remained were the eyes, wide and terrified. Rammed in the beak of one was a note.

Vengeance tensed his wings. Impatiently gnawing on a thread of nervous tissue, he waited for their reactions.