The sound of glass shattering into a thousand pieces pierced the night sky. In the city of Trottingham, it was the first omen for what would become a chaotic fight that could be rivaled in size and bloodshed only by a true battle between two armies. --- Xerihan stumbled as he hit the ground, clumsily rolling to break his fall. Glass rained all around him, stinging his back and wings. He paused, trying to catch his breath. [i]Did that really just happen?[/i] His thoughts were interrupted by a loud yell. “Xerihan! What the hell are you doing!? Come on, we need to [i]move[/i]!” Xerihan shook his head, trying to regain his bearings. [i]Right. Move. Have to keep moving[/i], he thought. Not bothering to look back, he sprinted to catch up to his friend, Ricket. Both gryphons raced down the alleyway as the shrieks of enraged acolytes echoed along the brick walls. They had flown up through the glass in the roof of the building, having escaped the ritual chamber. They had been looking for an exit chamber, and found one in the skylights above them. Now they ran, trying to escape the insane ponies that bayed for their blood. Two pegasi flew through the broken window, pitchforks in their hooves as they dived at the two retreating gryphons. Xerihan and Ricket rounded the corner, avoiding the dive only momentarily. They were on a larger street now, and a few ponies walked along, minding their own business. The two gryphons sprinted past them all, trying to put distance between them and their pursuers. The two pegasi had flown back up, and were pursuing them from the sky, pitchforks ready. Xerihan glanced back, and saw them dive. “Ricket! Move!” he shouted. The former Jester hooked left, jumping through a small newsstand. Ricket had held steady, darting between two ponies. The pegasi on Ricket’s tail missed, skewering one of the unfortunate ponies that had been in his way. Meanwhile, Xerihan fumbled to stand back up after landing in the stand. The owner had woken up from his nap and was yelling at him furiously. Xerihan paid him no mind; to him, it sounded like white noise compared to what he was listening for. There was a loud [b]crack[/b] up above. The pegasi had pierced the tin roof with his pitchfork, and was trying to tear it open to reach Xerihan. The gryphon muttered, “Excuse me,” to the stand owner as he jumped back into the street, leaving his pursuer struggling to pull his weapon from the roof. Xerihan was running behind Ricket, and saw the Cultist chasing him. Xerihan leaped into the air, quickly catching up to the slower pegasus and tackling him. The pegasus grunted in surprise, and they tumbled back to the ground. Rolling over several times, Xerihan gained the upperhand and slit the pegasi’s throat with his metal talons. Standing up, he heard something whiz past his ear. He flinched, looking to see where it had come from. When he looked, Ricket had pulled out his bow and apparently loosed an arrow. The reason was apparent a moment later; the second pursuer smashed into the ground, sliding only a few feet behind Xerihan. Said gryphon looked up, surprised. “Thanks?” Ricket nodded. “No problem. Now, let’s get out of here!” Xerihan agreed full heartedly; the two gryphons rised into the night air, hoping to fly far away from the city before more Cultists could pick up their trail. They made it only twenty feet before Ricket cried out in pain. Looking over, Xerihan could see why; a giggling ghosty had snuck up on them, and bitten hard onto Ricket’s wing as she smiled. Xerihan looked over and behind his friend, and he gulped. “Ricket, get back to the ground! They released the ghosts!” Ricket grunted, stabbing the ghost until it let go and disappeared in a small [b]poof[/b]. “Are you kidding me!? Those things will go everywhere! Does the Cult even care if House Stormwing notices how much they’ve dug into the city??” Both gryphons started to glide back to the ground. Small swarms of the carnivorous ghosts appeared in the streets. “I don’t think they do, Ricket. They really want our blood,” Xerihan replied matter-of-factly. Ricket merely snorted as they hit the ground running, folding in their wings to prevent the ghosts from permanently grounding them. “Bull shit. They want to kill [i]you[/i], I’m just collateral.” “A charmer as always, Ricket,” Xerihan deadpanned, clucking his tongue. Ricket chuckled grimly. “Dont’cha know it.” They continued to run, the swarm of ghosts attacking any airborne creature - several pegasi fell down screaming, unable to hold off so many attackers. Xerihan grumbled, his discomfort plain. “At least they prefer flying targets.” Ricket had no response. They reached an intersection, and both were dismayed to hear a gathering crowd. Ricket groaned. “Don’t tell me they caught up...” Indeed, a large mob of Cultists had found their way onto the streets, searching for the escaped gryphons. Pitchforks, torches, large knives, and even axes graced the assembling mob of Converted Townsfolk. Xerihan and Ricket couldn’t slow down fast enough to escape detection. “There they are!” came a cry from the group. Before either gryphon could respond or continue fleeing, a loud siren was heard. Pegasi shock troops poured in through the air, repelling the swarms of Giggling Ghosts as a squad of Stormwing ground guards marched from the opposite side of the street. The two groups paused, unsure if they should attack. Xerihan and Ricket were stuck; a wrong move could get them killed. “I was kind of hoping this wouldn’t turn into a [i]complete[/i] clusterfuck...” Ricket commented, a small hitch in his voice. The mob of townsfolk made up their mind quickly enough. “Get Xerihan! Kill the blasphemer!” one of them cried. The mob moved to charge the gryphons. The stormwing ground guard interfered, shouting orders at the mob to stand down. Xerihan thought for a moment, and reached a conclusion in milliseconds. “Go dead ahead! We’ll meet up behind ‘em, the gate’s not too far from here!” He dashed forward between the Stormwing and Cult troops, forcing Ricket’s hand in following him. The two gryphons dashed through the escalating conflict, the Cultists and Ground Guard fighting in a large, confusing battle of tug and war. Xerihan ducked several times, narrowly avoiding the swing of a halberd or pitchfork. He dodged to and fro, quickly making his way through the mass of ponies. With one final leap over a torch wielding cultist, Xerihan was clear of the crowd. Ricket had less success in his attempt to navigate the crowd. He barely dodged the attacks that flew by him, at one point being nicked by a thrust from a ground guard. “To hell with this,” he muttered, spreading his wings and taking off. He made it to the far side just as three giggling ghosts converged on him, intent on gnawing his wings. He landed, but was set upon by the ghosts. He flailed around, trying to get the annoying spectres to leave him alone. He managed to stab one, but another took the opportunity to bite his tail. “Aah! Get lost, you freaks!” Xerihan raced up and slashed at the ghosts, dispelling the remaining two. He sighed as he tugged on Ricket’s armor, pulling him along to run. “Stay on the [i]ground[/i], you idiot! Those ghosts will start swarming you if you don’t!” yelled the gryphon, frustrated both with his friend and the situation they found themselves in. They rushed down the street, leaving the growing battle behind them. “Okay,” Xerihan huffed, panting from running for so long. “The gate should still be open, and news of the riot won’t reach the guards manning it for a while. If we hurry, we can make it through without much suspicion.” Ricket nodded, before nervously saying, “Sure, but, your face, Xeri... that’ll draw attention.” He was referring to the piece of bronze mask that was melted onto half of his friend’s face. “I know, damn it!” Xerihan snarled, still leading the way to the gate. He huffed, willing himself to calm down. “Look, we can turn left here and make our way through a residential area. They tend to dry clothes outside here, we can pick something up and be on our way to the gate.” No further words were needed. The two gryphons slowed their pace to a trot, finding a clothesline within moments. The sounds of the battle echoed in the distance, screams and the clashing of metal growing in volume. Xerihan grabbed a large cloak and several extra pieces of clothing, while Ricket plucked a simple sack shirt from the clothing, among a few miscellaneous items. They were just about to leave when they heard a window creak open. They looked up, panic in their eyes when they saw a mare gaze out to the fires down the road. Then she looked down, seeing the two gryphons. A glint of light reached her eyes, and she saw the Jester Mask melted to Xerihan’s face. The mare panicked, screaming, “ASSASSIN!” at the top of her lungs before slamming the window shut.The cry echoed out into the street, momentarily drowning out the noise coming from the riot. Xerihan felt numb. Ricket was on him in a second, shaking him from his stupor. “Xeri, we have to RUN! It won’t be long before the guards show up!” Taking faulty initial steps, the gryphons were soon on their way to the city gates. Doors and windows opened as neighbors investigated the commotion. Lights began flicker on throughout the houses and apartments. “This is bad, Xeri...” Ricket nervously commented. The observation was justified; dozens of ponies were now investigating the cry and the fighting in the distance. When they saw the two gryphons running along, they could immediately guess who the infamous figures were. It wasn’t long before yells of outrage and frustration assailed their ears. “Murderers!” “You’ve ruined this city!” “Go to hell, you cowards!” “You sneaking bastards!” A can was thrown at them. Then a horse shoe, then bottles and heavier, deadlier detritus. Xerihan shielded his face with a claw. “Just keep going, we’re almost at the gate!” he grunted. They endured taunts and projectiles thrown at them. The ordinary townsfolk seemed to be out for blood, and soon the road ahead was blocked by a solid line of stallions that were fed up with the former Jester. “Grah, we do [b]not[/b] have time for this!” Ricket yelled. He leaped clean over the line, ignoring their yells of protest. Xerihan rapidly followed suit, kicking a stallion with a hind leg before he landed. They ran on, the crowd now behind them infuriated. “Get them!” one of them shouted, rapidly followed by yells of agreement. The gryphons reached the main street again, and the gate was only fifty feet away. The Stormwing guards noticed the commotion caused by the crowd, and the decision was made to start closing the gate. Xerihan and Ricket continued to run for their lives; they had no choice. With the townsfolk behind them and giggling ghosts above, their only option was to run through the guards to the exit. “Halt!” yelled a particularly burly ground guard. “I said halt!” Xerihan and Ricket ignored him and sprinted past, avoiding the halberds the guards swung at them in an attempt to stop their escape. Luckily, the flying guards were entangled by the ghosts and were in no position to intervene, easing the gryphons’ escape. Closer and closer they approached, finally within distance of touching the gate- They dived through, seconds before the gate became too narrow for any pony to go through. The gate shut completely, blocking the gryphons’ view to the city. Numerous lights and fires could be seen over the walls. The yelling of Cultists, ghosts, Stormwing guards, and the enraged populace could be heard from miles away, as the city slowly tore itself apart in the chaos. Ricket looked back in disgust. “Fuckin’ unbelievable.” He glanced at his friend, staring at the closed wooden gate behind them. Ricket sighed, then said, “Come on, let’s get going before they figure out we escaped the city.” The brown gryphon turned tail, walking away from the destruction. Xerihan couldn’t tear his eyes away from the city walls. There lay what had been his home for over seven years, and it tore itself asunder. In a moment of weakness, Xerihan felt cast out, astray, with no direction. He didn’t even know what his next move was, and that simple fact chilled him. He tugged on his cloak, pulling it closer to his body. What do I do now? Xerihan finally turned around, slowly following behind his friend. Dark thoughts swirled amidst his doubt, and he cursed the day the alicorns decided to return. He gripped his claws in anger. [i]I hope this country burns itself to the ground. Alicorns have only ever caused trouble here.[/i] --- On one of the walls of the city, a single pony sat with a pair of binoculars. A Giggling Ghost accompanied him. The pony in question wore the customary gear of the Jesters, a bronze mask adorning his face, with a large vest and leggings obscuring most of his natural body. In the few cracks that showed, his coat was an intense, dark blue. A dagger was sheathed on his side, and one of his hooves was covered by what appeared to be a gauntlet. Snap Freeze put down his binoculars, a frown forming underneath his mask. He clopped his hoof on the stone beneath him, signaling the ghost to listen. “Unfortunate. It appears Xerihan and Ricket escaped the city, under cloak. They’re on the road to Muddy Hooves. Alert the High Priest and tell him to send reinforcements. I won’t be able to take them by myself.” The giggling ghost nodded its head up and down in a ridiculous manner before zooming off into the night. The pony stayed standing, looking at the road in silence. A whisper drifted through the air. “Sorry boss. But you failed the Cult, and now you’ve betrayed it. There’s nothing I can do for you now.”