Santra AiE chapter 1 - Dragons and Gryphons and Pegasi

>You are laying in bed staring at your alarm cursing your ability to wake up before it even goes off

>"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE-"click""

>You turn the alarm off and head to the shower

>Your one weekend off and you have to spend it hiking with your family

>And they wonder how you don't have a life or a girlfriend

>Every day is work or recovering from it. Fucking factory job

>You went through four years of college for nothing

>Your biology masters degree wasted on making parts for cars

>Going to your closet you grab your favorite hiking gear

>The outdoors has always been your true home and you used to hike all the time

>However its hell making ends meat anymore and you could use rest more than a hike

>But your sister asked you and you have never been able to turn her down and she knows it

>Grabbing your hiking pack you make sure the basics are still there.

>MREs? Check. Fire starter? Check, Fishing line and hooks? Check. Dynamo flashlight? Check. Medpack? Check. Emergency Blanket? Check. Knife? In pocket so check.

>A couple of emergency bottles of water later and a spare change of clothes and you are ready to go

>You text your family that you are on your way

>A couple hours later you arrive at your destination

>As you open your trunk you hear a yell "ANON!" as your tackled from behind

>"Hey sis!" you say as she lets go of you. God she is 15 now isnt she? Its still amazing that she is not that little shadow that followed you around for years

>At eight years younger than you she always seemed unusually close to you

>Your parents get out of the car and wave at you

>About ten minutes of conversation later and you are off down the trail

>Ground is a little wet. It must have rained overnight

>OK I know I complained about coming but this is nice

>Its calm and beautiful, the birds are out and I have never seen it like this.

>Its like everything is more vibrant. Yet...it feels less real then you think.

>Ehh its just my tired mind making stupid observations

>Hike goes on for a couple of more hours before everyone stops for a rest

>Quiet conversation going on while you look around

>You see something strange through a break in the limbs

>Something big just flew by. Impossibly big.

>You don't say anything because fuck what would you say

>Instead you tell them to keep resting you are going to look at something

>Heading down a side path that leads down the side of the ridge you cant help but wonder what you saw

>you hear a loud screech and a cry of "HELP!" and look up. That shape is flying directly overhead now and You get a damn good look at it

>Huge and scaled with large bat-like wings a long neck. Red and grey. It has a large..creature grasped between its claws

>And at that moment is when you officially went insane

>I mean you KNOW what you are seeing has to be but it cant be

>Because you know...dragons don't exist

>The screech must have been the large...

>Head, wings, and forelegs of an eagle, rear body of a lion.

>That is even more impossible, you cant remember the name for it though

>At this point the shock of what you saw has now subsided and your brain enters emergency resoponse mode

>INSTINCTS ACTIVATE!

>You turn and start to run

>Directly off the path

>INSTINCTS BAD!

>Your last thought before your head hits a rock was

>"Fuck my lif-"

 

>Blackness. All around you is blackness

>then your eyes shoot open above you is sky and then

>A dragon flies overhead and a gryphon, yes that's what its called, cries for help

>Three gryphons come out of nowhere and claw at the dragon. A roar of rage and it dropped the one it held

>Faster than you can believe it turns midair to breath a blue-white flame that the gryphons barely dodge

>The gryphon that was dropped tries to fly away but...it looks like its wings are injured

>At this point you realize that damn gryphon is going to crash into you!

>scrabbling to get up the gryphon crashes into the ground a few feet from you before you can make it to your knees

>INSTINCTS ACTIVATE

>Looking around you see there are some kind of ruins that you can hide in if you are quick.

>One mad dash later you are standing inside the doorway of a crumbling tower thing

>The gryphon on the ground is not moving but the fight overhead is starting to heat up.

>One gryphon keeps making quick attacks at the dragons head and underbelly as the other two attack its wings and back

>The dragon looks like it is starting to get tired when it gets a good strike at the on in front of it

>You can hear the sound of those claws hitting as the gryphon drops

>A nearby moan makes you look and the gryphon on the ground is starting to get up

>Its tawny wings were slightly blackened and you could see hair and feathers burned away at spots, probably from the dragon, and that's why it could not fly

>A roar draws both of your attentions to the sky where the dragon seems to have gotten rid of the two other gryphons. The dragon is looking this way now.

>A cry shows the gryphon on the ground cowering when you hear

"N-n-no! Please no!"

>With such terror that it leaves you feeling cold.

>That gryphon can talk. Not only can it talk but its obviously a girl from that voice.

>Even worse, it sounds like your sister

"OVER HERE! HURRY!"

>you hear someone yell

>Oh you said that. Huh you don't remember saying that

>You also don't remember stepping out of the doorway and waving for it to come to inside

>She looks at you for a moment. You think you can see surprise and confusion wash over that face before another roar sounds

>She bolts for the door and squeezing past you (trying not to touch you) she gets inside

>You run inside after her and as you get about three steps in the door you feel the thud resound through the building as the dragon lands

>You manage a couple of more steps before you feel something catch your backpack and slam you against the wall

"LITTLE GRYPHON! LITTLE GRYPHON COME OUT AND PLAY!"

>Resounds through the building as the dragon drags you across the wall by your pack

>You fumble with the straps trying to get the claps undone as you struggle against the pulling.

>At the last possible second the strap over your left shoulder snaps throwing you out of the pack

>Stumbling you make it to the opposite side of the room from the door, your wrist is aching from getting smacked against the wall

>Next to you the gryphon is in the fetal position shaking

>She must be scared out of her mind

>The tower shudders as the dragon shifts and you see an eye at the door

"Huh looks like a second treat has arrived! Don't think you are safe. I can always just incinerate you with my flame or tear this tower down to get to you! So how about you come out and I will make your deaths quick! HA HA HA!

>That laugh was like boulders rolling down a hill

>It shook the tower and you suddenly don't doubt that he could follow-through with his threat

>What to do? I cant fight because I am like 1/20th this things size and I have no weapons

>I cant run because its blocking the only exit. Nowhere to hide either.

>Can I bargain? Worth a shot

>"Wait why do you want to eat me? Surely four gryphons would be enough to feed a magnificent beast like you!"

>A squawk sounds from behind you as the gryphon freaks out a little

>you shush her as the dragon answers

"So you can talk then little thing? Perhaps four gryphons would be enough but I have never seen anything like you. I cant miss this opportunity to try what might be a rare treat!"

>Crap this bastard knows he has you right where he wants you. Maybe I can trick him?

>"Ahh but what if I am poisonous? You don't want to die for such a small meal as me!"

>A rumbling chuckle shakes the building

"Ah well you must not know that dragons can eat ANYTHING! You may be poisonous but it would be worth the bellyache!"

>Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. That did not work. Maybe I should just give myself up. Fuck maybe this is all a drea-

"DRAGON! Your kind knows better than to enter my lands! You dare break our pacts?"

>A regal voice cuts through your thoughts like lightning

"Ahh princess! I only entered your lands chasing an intruder who entered my territory. I apologize I did not mean to intrude on your kingdom! I must have gotten distracted by the trespassers."

>Does that dragon sound...cowed? What could scare a- "Did that dragon just say princess?" you say out loud in confusion.

"Celestia! We are saved!"

>The gryphon cries out

>Celestia? The fuck

"Be that as it may dragon you are not allowed to hunt on Equestrian soil. This pact is close to 2000 years old and your kind knows it well. We have overlooked certain...mistakes in the past but our patience wears thin. Now leave Equestria and tell the rest of your kind that we are watching you. Closely"

>Whoever she is, she sounds angry.

"As you wish princess. Good day to you!"

>The tower shudders violently as the dragon takes off

"PRINCESS! ITS ME!"

>The tawny gryphon yells. A moment later you hear

"Ambassador Lightfeather? Is that you? Where are you?"

>She quickly stumbles out of the tower, you decide to follow her

>As you step out of the tower you see a chariot floating in the air with two...pegasi pulling it

>Pegasi how wonderful. What else are you going to mea-

>A beautiful pegasi with a horn is in the chariot. Her mane and tail are an aurora of shifting colors caught in a breeze that is not there. She is wearing a gold necklace thing with a large purple gem and a golden crown. Her flank is emblazoned with a sun. She is twice the size of the pegasi around her and the only one sporting a horn. She is the most striking creature you have ever seen.

>In the air around her are about two dozen other pegasi all dressed in gold armor

>You see her looking down upon the gryphon (Ambassador Lightfeather?) and she is seems to be furious then her look cools to one of concern when she hops down off her chariot and says

"Ingrid dear are you ok? Where are your guards?"

>As she asks that she starts looking around and spots you. Her horn starts to glow and...suddenly you cant move. At all.

>Magic. Yep you are crazy. A magic flying talking unicorn horse.

"And WHAT is that?" She asks pointing her hoof at you. You also notice a large number of pegasi head over from the group and surround you.

>Ingrid looks at you and says

"I have no idea. But it saved me and then I believe it tried to distract the dragon until help arrived." She looks back at the Princess "My guards were trying to save me from that dragon when I last saw them." she sounds exhausted.

>you try to nod but you cant move you manage to say through a closed mouth "I was trying to help"

>For some reason the pain in your wrist is getting worse but you cant look to see why

"I thank you for that." Celestia says. "I would hate for something to have happened to my friend."

> The glowing around you stops and you understand why your wrist is hurting. From the angle its currently at it looks like you broke it.

>I think my wrist is broken" you say as you begin to shake. The sudden realization of everything that has happened seems to be sending you into shock

>You try to calm yourself down but all you can do is fall back on your ass causing pain in your arm from the shock of it.

"Guards get these two to the infirmary" Celestia says pointing at you two. "I am going to make them sleep but I want guards on them both until I return. Nothing can happen to either of them. The rest of you search for Ambassador Lightfeathers' Guards. Pray we find them alive"

>You see a glow and feel calm wash over you. The pain in your wrist fades as you fall back into a dreamless sleep.