Three Fillies and a Griffonby Michigan J FrogChaptersGabrielA Tearjerking TenorStarling HoofwayThe Griffon CurseGabriel“Good morning class!” Miss Cheerilee’s kind, cheery voice rang through the classroom. All the little ponies in the classroom lay slumped over their desks and chairs. Today was going to be another long day of school. The maroon earth pony noticed that her class wasn’t looking very perky today. “Come on! Cheer up, class! I wanted to announce something really important.” Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom. “Probably going to be another big test or something,” the orange pegasus whispered through her teeth. “Today, we have a new student!” This got the class’s attention. They all immediately lifted their heads up off their desks and chairs. Each one of them was thinking a different thought. Will this pony be a blank flank? Apple Bloom thought. Maybe they can be a Cutie Mark Crusader! I hope they’re nice, thought Sweetie Belle. I hope that having a cutie mark won’t make them bully us like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon do. I can’t wait to show them around, thought Scootaloo. I wonder if they know Rainbow Dash. If not, I can introduce them to her, and then they can join the Rainbow Dash fanclub, so they can see how awesome she is! Diamond Tiara smirked to herself. I wonder what lame foal will be coming today. I hope they’re an easy target for me and Silver Spoon. Snails chuckled. I like pudding, the orange unicorn colt thought. “You’re probably wondering which pony will be joining us today,” Cheerilee continued. “Well, oddly enough, he’s not a pony at all.” This caused the entire class to gasp. “He’s a griffon. His family just immigrated here from Griffonstone. His life there was terrible, and he’s probably hoping for a better life here. So, I think we should all smile and do our best to make him feel welcome.” The entire class each put on a huge smile. “Good. Now, please allow me to welcome…Gabriel!” A small griffon chick/cub, who looked a bit older than the crusaders, came into the classroom and stood at the front of the class. He had a dark brown-black body, a chocolate brown head, and a yellow tail tuft and wings. He also had yellow-ochre facial markings and turquoise-colored eyes. He stared at the classroom with a nervous look in his eyes, not saying anything. “Go on,” said Cheerilee. “Don’t be nervous. I already introduced you. All you have to say is hi.” “Um…” the griffon said in a high-pitched voice. “Uh…h-hi.” Cheerilee frowned. “Can you say that a bit louder, please? I don’t think the class could hear you.” Gabriel gulped and spoke again, this time a decibel louder. “Hi.” “Good job, Gabe!” Cheerilee said, clapping her hoofs. “You may sit down now. That chair behind Apple Bloom appears to be untaken.” As Gabriel strutted past the chairs, Sweetie Belle heard snickering. The white unicorn turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were whispering to each other and occasionally glancing to stare at the young griffon. After Gabriel sat down in his new desk, Cheerilee spoke up again. “Now that we’ve met our new student, I feel like it’s time to begin our lesson. Now, many years ago, Star Swirl the Bearded…” As Cheerilee continued to speak, Apple Bloom glanced behind at Gabriel, who was just sitting at his desk with his head facing downwards. She turned to Sweetie Belle. “Gabriel looks a little upset,” she whispered. “Ah think maybe at recess we should talk with him and try to make him feel welcome. Who knows? Maybe we can make him our newest crusader.” “But griffons don’t get cutie marks,” replied Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least be our new friend.” *** At recess, the crusaders sat at their picnic table, eating lunch. “So, you want us to try to befriend Gabriel?” said Scootaloo. Apple Bloom nodded. “He just looks so sad. His life in Griffonstone must’ve been pretty rough. Ah’m sure you remember Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie tellin’ us about what that place was like.” “So, where is he?” asked Sweetie Belle through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Scootaloo looked around. “There he is!” she shouted, pointing her hoof at a picnic table close by. Sure enough, the young griffon was sitting there all by himself, his head slumped down over his talons. He had a bag of food sitting next to him, but he didn’t touch it. “Well,” said Apple Bloom. “Let’s go talk to him. Come on, crusaders!” Gabriel sighed as he picked up his lunchbag and looked inside. There was an apple, a banana, some grapes, and a thermos of milk. He was used to eating mostly meat products back in Griffonstone. But ponies, being herbivores, considered meat-eating a taboo, so he was stuck eating nothing but plant products. “Gabe!” a voice called. Gabriel lifted his head. “Gabe!” called a different voice. “Hey, listen. We want to talk to you.” Gabriel turned his head to see three of the fillies from the classroom standing by his table. There was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and tail and a pink bow in her mane, a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane and tail, and an orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail. None of the three fillies had cutie marks. “Oh..hi guys,” said Gabriel. “Is there something you three want?” The earth pony nodded. “We wanted to say hi. I’m Apple Bloom, this is Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle. You look kind of sad. Are you feeling lonely?” Gabriel sighed again. “Everywhere I go on this playground, ponies stare at me like I’m some kind of a monster.” Sweetie Belle patted Gabriel on the back. “Well, we don’t think you’re a monster.” “You don’t?” “Nope!” said Scootaloo. “We think you’re awesome!” “Really?” A tiny smile began to form on the griffon’s face. “Yeah! I mean, half eagle and half lion…that’s the most awesome combination ever!” Gabriel stood up. “Well, it’s nice to see someone being nice to me, pony or griffon.” The crusaders all nodded. “Would you like to join our club?” Apple Bloom asked. “Club?” Gabriel lifted one eyebrow. “What kind of club?” “THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” all three fillies shouted. Gabriel backed away in surprise. Sweetie Belle was the first to notice this. “Oh, sorry Gabe” said the unicorn filly. “We didn’t mean to startle you.” “It’s okay,” said Gabe, brushing the feathers on his head. “So, what’s this club like?” “Well,” said Scootaloo. “It’s basically dedicated to helping young ponies get their cutie marks. Now, we’re aware that griffons don’t get cutie marks, but if you want to help us out…” “I’d be happy to!” said Gabriel, fluttering his small wings and lifting himself into the air. Scootaloo couldn’t help but frown upon seeing this, being reminded of her flight disability. The frown went away after Gabriel landed next to Apple Bloom. “Well,” said Apple Bloom. “When ah get home, ah can ask my sister Applejack if you can come over to our clubhouse. Does that sound good?” Gabriel nodded. “Before we go home, I can give you my address, that way you guys can come and get me. My mom got a new job, so she’s not home very often. My dad will be there, but I must warn you; he can get a bit tough sometimes.” After hoof-bumping (or talon-bumping, in the case of Gabriel), the new friends set off in different directions. Gabriel walked back towards the school, while the three fillies trotted back to their picnic table. Meanwhile, a pair of familiar other fillies were standing close by. “Hey, crusaders!” shouted Diamond Tiara. “Did you decide to make friends with that silly griffon?” “Be careful! He might eat you!” said Silver Spoon. The crusaders ignored the bullies. They decided that they needed to think of a plan before the bell rang. Author's Note I added the scene with Sweetie Belle eating the PBJ to show you guys that this does NOT take place in the same canon as Sweetie Belle's Allergy. A Tearjerking TenorThat afternoon, Gabriel was at the clubhouse with his three new friends. “So, this ‘Rainbow Dash’ pony…you say she once did a Sonic Rainboom?” “She sure did! Actually, I lied. She didn’t do it once. She did it multiple times!” “I heard it was just a myth.” “Nope. I’ve seen her do it. We can ask her to show you sometime in the future.” “So, you can’t fly yourself?” Scootaloo sighed and lowered her head. “No,” she said. “I’m not sure why.” At that moment, Apple Bloom interrupted. “But she doesn’t need to fly! She’s awesome enough on her scooter!” Scootaloo lifted her head back up. “That’s right!” she said, as her frown turned back into a smile. “Well, you’ll have to show me sometime.” “Okay, you’ve heard enough about us,” said Sweetie Belle. “We’d like to know more about your life in Griffonstone. What was it like?” Gabriel didn’t say anything. He just stared down at the ground. “Gabe?” “It’s alright, Gabe,” said Apple Bloom. “You don’t have to tell us if it bothers you that much.” “No, no,” replied Gabriel. “I should tell you. Anyways… “I remember very little about being a very young fledgling. All I remember was that I was never allowed outside. My parents were super protective. It wasn’t until I was five that I was finally allowed to go out. But whenever I did, my parents kept a close eye on me, never letting me leave their sight. They also wouldn’t let me play with the other griffons for reasons I didn’t understand.” He continued. “When I was finally old enough to go places on my own, I noticed that every single griffon I encountered, young and old, were very nasty to me. If I so much as brushed against one of the other griffons, he or she would yell at me and threaten to hurt me.” He shuddered upon saying this. “So I had to be extremely careful just going out to get some food. I always carried bits, but because the other griffons demanded bits for doing so much as letting me walk past them, I rarely had enough to get the food I wanted.” “That’s awful!” said Sweetie Belle. “You said it,” replied Gabriel. “But I didn’t realize how awful it truly was until we came to Equestria and saw how kind you ponies were compared to the other griffons.” “Well,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah’m glad you came. Ah really hope we did a good job of makin’ you feel accepted.” “By the way, I’m just wondering, is singing allowed here?” “Of course it is!” said Sweetie Belle. “Why? Was singing not allowed in Griffonstone?” Gabriel shook his head. “Nope. There were even signs stating so. Every time I tried, some other griffon would throw a stone at me. That’s where this scar came from.” He parted his head feathers to the side, revealing a scar on the top of his head. The fillies all gasped upon seeing this. “It really stunk, because I absolutely love to sing. Unfortunately, I could only sing in the safety of my own home, and thus the only ones who could judge me were my own parents. And as you probably know, family members are biased and will enjoy anything you create, no matter how bad it is. So I have no idea if I’m a good singer or not.” “Well, maybe you could show us,” said Scootaloo. “Go ahead. Me, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom can judge you.” “Okay,” said Gabriel. “Just…give me a bit to warm up.” After taking a deep breath and doing some breathing exercises, Gabriel began to sing the lullaby his mother had sang to him since he had first hatched. There’s always another rainbow Search until you find it Don’t look at the cloud Look behind it There’s a rainbow there somewhere There’s always a ray of sunshine Though it all seems tragic You may turn around And like magic There’s an answer to your prayer Now you feel forlorn But hope can be reborn Try to lose that frown Look up, not down And you’ll find another rainbow I can guarantee it Even though you feel you’ve reached the rainbow’s end There’s always another rainbow Always another rainbow Round the bend After Gabriel was finished, all three fillies clapped their hooves. They also had tears in their eyes. “Oh my gosh!” said Apple Bloom. “That was beautiful!” “That makes me feel better about my flight disability!” said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle was smiling the biggest of all. “Good job, Gabe!” she said. “That’s a great singing voice you have. In fact, I have an idea.” Gabriel blushed. “Really?” he asked. “What kind of idea?” “Well, I signed up for a one-pony concert in the park for tomorrow evening, because the others say I’m a good singer. But I wasn’t able to come up with a song to sing for that event. However, thanks to you, I now know what to sing!” “Well, thanks,” replied Gabe. “Glad to hear I inspired you.” “Oh! But that’s not all! How would you like to help turn this from a one-pony concert, to a one-pony-one-griffon concert?” “You mean…sing with you?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Well, I don’t know. Do they allow griffons?” “They’re allowing a dragon to announce, so I don’t see why a griffon can’t sing onstage,” said Scootaloo. “Come on, Gabe!” said Apple Bloom. “It’ll make Sweetie Belle happy, and it’ll make yourself happy as well.” Gabriel thought about it for a minute. “Okay,” he said. “I guess so.” “Great!” said Sweetie Belle. “We’ll go get you signed up sometime today.” “Girls!” Applejack, Apple Bloom’s older sister, opened the clubhouse door. “Want some lunch? Ah made some apple fritters, if ya’ll are interested.” “YAY!” all three fillies shouted. Gabriel just sat there, looking sad. “What’s the matter, Gabe?” Applejack asked him. “Ain’t ya’ hungry?” “You said he couldn’t come inside, remember?” Apple Bloom reminded her sister. “Oh, yeah,” the orange pony replied, putting a hoof on her chin. “Well, ah can see ya’ll are getting’ along with ‘im just fine, so if he wants to come inside, we’ll let him.” As the four ponies and the griffon trotted over to the house, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “So, it turns out Gabriel has a really great singing voice, and I’m thinking about allowing him to sing along with me at the park tomorrow.” Applejack stopped in her tracks. “Gabriel, a griffon, singin’ with you?” “Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle. “That’s not a problem, is it? Applejack grinned. “Problem? What problem? Ah tell ya’, that sounds greater than the ripest apples on the biggest tree! Ah can see it now: Gabriel, the first ever famous griffon singer! This could go down in history books! Ponies will be talkin’ about him after all of us have passed! Ah bet…” “Now, don’t get too far ahead, Applejack,” said Scootaloo. “He’s not a famous singer yet.” “Yeah, sis,” said Apple Bloom. “You never know, what if he loses interest in singin’ and just wants to live a normal griffon life?” “I hope I don’t lose interest,” said Gabriel as they arrived at the door. “I really love singing.” Author's Note So, the rule states that while copyrighted song lyrics aren't allowed in stories, MLP songs are. But they didn't say anything about songs from PREVIOUS gens. Starling Hoofway“Apple Bloom? Do you take this griffon to be your loftily wedded husband?” “Ah do.” “And Gabriel? Do you take this pony to be your loftily wedded wife?” “I do.” “Well then.” Winona continued as she clutched the Daring Do book in both paws. “I know pronounce you mare and colt.” An older Apple Bloom and Gabriel kissed. It was tough to do with Gabe’s beak getting in the way. As they strode down the hallway, everypony in the audience cheered. *** “Congratulations, Apple Bloom and Gabriel,” Dr. Discord said as he held the newborn in his paw and talon. “It’s a girl hippogriff. A mix-mash of different animals, just like me!” He handed the baby to Apple Bloom, who lovingly held it in her both hooves. Gabriel gently stroked the baby with one talon. The baby had a pony head, hindquarters, and tail, but griffon wings and talons. She also had her father’s coat color and eyes. “What will we name her?” Apple Bloom asked. “Greta? Gabriella? Gwendolyn? Genevieve?” “How ‘bout Appletalon?” Gabriel replied. “But…but…don’t you remember the griffon curse?” “It’s a hippogriff, not a griffon,” Gabriel replied. “I’m sure nothing bad will happen to her if we name her something that doesn’t start with g.” “Well,” Apple Bloom said. “Appletalon is a nice name. Ah think we’ll go with that, then.” *** “Happy first birthday, Appletalon!” The young hippogriff giggled and booped her mother’s nose with one talon. “Come on! Let’s take you outside.” Apple Bloom trotted outside with Appletalon waddling after her. “So, what do you want to play?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ball!” Appletalon shouted. “Ball!” “Okay,” replied Apple Bloom. “Mommy’ll go get the ball.” But before Apple Bloom could grab the ball from the other side of the yard, she heard familiar laughing. Standing across the street were two familiar mares, one pink and one silver. “Oh no,” Apple Bloom groaned. “Not Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” “Hello, you little abomination of nature,” said Diamond Tiara as she trotted over to where Appletalon was sitting. “I can’t wait to see you get made fun of when you grow up.” Appletalon giggled, unaware of what Diamond Tiara had said. “In fact, I think I’ll help you out. I’ll just get rid of you to put you out of your misery.” “No!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Don’t touch her!” “What do you think, Silver Spoon?” Diamond Tiara asked her friend. “Should I eat it?” Silver Spoon nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me.” “Very well, then,” said Diamond. “Down the hatch.” She bent her head down to the hippogriff and opened both jaws. Apple Bloom tried to yell for her to stop, but no sound came out. Diamond’s jaws stretched wider and wider until she completely engulfed the fledgling. She then tilted her head back and swallowed. Apple Bloom watched in horror at the bulge moving down her throat. “Don’t cry, Apple Bloom,” said Silver Spoon. “I think Diamond just did you and that baby…thing a good favor.” The mares laughed maniacally as they trotted off, leaving Apple Bloom alone to wallow in her own tears. “Apple Bloom!” The yellow mare turned around to see her older sister towering over her. “You were supposed to take good care of your child.” Apple Bloom tried to speak, but she was still unable to form words. “Ya’ll had to give her a name that didn’t start with a g…” Applejack said as she grew larger and larger. “…now she’s gone…and it’s all yer’ fault, sis!” She lifted up one hoof and held it over her sister’s head, prepared to step on her. “Goodbye, Apple Bloom.” Apple Bloom was finally able to scream.”No! Applejack! Ah didn’t mean it!” “Apple Bloom!” “Please, Applejack! Ah said…” “Apple Bloom…Apple Bloom…Apple Bloom…” *** Apple Bloom awoke from her nightmare, breathing heavily. She looked around her room. Everything was the way it was before she fell asleep. At that moment, Applejack came in. “Apple Bloom! Are you awake? Ah’ve been calling fer’ ya’, but you didn’t come.” She noticed the beads of sweat on her sister’s forehead. “Lemme guess…another nightmare?” Apple Bloom nodded. “But it ain’t a big deal, sis,” she said. “Ah’ll be down in a moment.” After Applejack left, Apple Bloom went over to her mirror and worked on combing her mane. Usually her dreams had some sort of logic, but this one had been extremely confusing. She decided that it was best not to tell anypony else about this dream. Especially not Gabriel. She didn’t want him to think that she was in love with him. “Here ah am, sis’,” Apple Bloom said as she came downstairs to the kitchen. “What was it you wanted?” Applejack was standing by the table next to Big Macintosh. “Well, ah just wanted to remind you that Sweetie Belle and Gabriel’s concert is tonight! Isn’t that right, Big Mac?” “Eeyup,” Big Mac replied. “That’s right!” said Apple Bloom. “You want me and Scootaloo to help them out with setting everythin’ up?” “Eeyup.” “We sure do, sis. They’re over at the park. Why don’cha go over and help them?” *** That evening, the stage at the park had been set up, and so had all the chairs. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had gotten front row seats and had their eyes wide open. Rarity was also sitting at the front. She couldn’t wait to see her sister perform that beautiful song she had practiced. At that moment, Grigori swooped down from the sky and landed in the seat next to Rarity. The unicorn gagged at the smell of his unwashed fur and feathers. “Get away from me, you foul-smelling ruffian!” she shouted, pushing him with both hooves. Grigori responded by looking downwards at Rarity and glaring his yellow eyes. “You know who I am, pony?” the griffon asked Rarity. “I am father of griffon performing! I come to see my son perform on stage for first time! I heard you are sister of filly Gabriel performing with. Well, if pony watch her sister perform, then Grigori watch his son perform. GOT THAT?!” he screeched in her face. Sweat ran down Rarity’s face as she chuckled nervously. “Heh heh. Sorry, sir. I didn’t know you were Gabriel’s father. I apologize.” At that moment, Spike appeared onstage holding a microphone. “Fillies and gentlecolts!” the young purple dragon announced. “Allow me to present two new singers here in Equestria: Sweetie Belle and Gabriel the Griffon!” The curtain rose, revealing Octavia with her cello. Grasping the bow tightly in her hoof, she drew it across the strings, making a soft, calm melody. Then Sweetie Belle and Gabriel appeared onstage. Sweetie Belle was wearing a pink dress with a musical note on it, and Gabriel was wearing a blue shirt with a similar musical note. The crowd cheered. Sweetie Belle trotted up to the microphone and began to sing. There’s always another rainbow Search until you find it Don’t look at the cloud Look behind it There’s a rainbow there somewhere It was Gabriel’s turn to sing the next part. There’s always a ray of sunshine Though it all seems tragic You may turn around, and like magic There’s an answer to your prayer Then they sang together. Now you feel forlorn But hope can be reborn Try to lose that frown Look up, not down Then it was Sweetie Belle’s turn again. And you’ll find another rainbow I can guarantee it Even though you think you’ve reached the rainbow’s end Then Sweetie and Gabriel sang together again. There’s always another rainbow Always another rainbow Around the bend The crowd all clapped their hooves and cheered. “THAT’S MY SISTER!” Rarity screamed. Tears ran down Grigori’s face. “My son,” he said as he clapped his talons. “Finally, you live up to full potential.” *** Shortly after the concert, all the ponies had gone home. But Sweetie Belle and Gabriel had decided to stay for a short while, along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Ah still think that was awesome!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “I know I already said this, but that song makes me so happy. I’ll remember it every time I get sad, so I can cheer up.” “Well, thank you,” said Sweetie Belle. “But Gabe here deserves praise too.” Gabriel blushed. “Oh, yeah!” said Apple Bloom. “And Gabriel was awesome too!” “Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “Your singing voice and his are both awesome. But when combined…geez, I can’t comprehend the awesomeness of that number!” “Well, I’ll be goin’ over to my house. Wanna come?” “No thanks,” said Scootaloo. “I’m tired. I’d like to go to bed.” “Me too,” said Sweetie Belle. “Me three,” said Gabriel. After Apple Bloom and Scootaloo left, Sweetie Belle and Gabriel were prepared to leave as well. But at that moment, they heard a voice from behind them. “Wait! Wait, you two!” That voice sounded familiar to Sweetie Belle. A tall, lanky, handsome stallion came up onto the stage. He had a navy blue coat, a short, curly orange mane and tail, and was wearing a gray sweater and bowtie. “I just wanted to praise your amazing performance,” said the stallion. His voice was soft and surprisingly high-pitched, sounding almost like the cooing of a dove. Indeed, his cutie mark depicted a white dove with outstretched wings. “You two have wonderful voices, just like how I constantly get praised for.” “So, who are you, exactly?” asked Sweetie Belle. The stallion chuckled. “You seriously don’t recognize my voice?” “Well, your voice sounds familiar but…wait a minute! Are you Starling Hoofway?” The stallion nodded. “What were you expecting?” Sweetie Belle squealed with excitement. “Me and my sister hear you on the radio all the time! I fell in love with your voice the day I first heard it. But what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Las Pegasus?” “I occasionally go to other towns to check out the work the residents do. And I was impressed by the performance of both of you young ones. Your respective soprano and tenor go together like peanut butter and chocolate.” “Well, thank you, Starling. Gabe, are you going to thank him as well?” “Thank you, Starling,” said Gabe. “I’ve never heard of you, much less heard you at all.” “Are you from Griffonstone?” Starling asked. “I’ve been there myself. Big dump of a place. They don’t have radio, so if you’re from there, it’s not surprising that you haven’t heard or heard of me before.” Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I’m from that place. So, what exactly do you do on the radio?” “I mostly do readings of popular novels,” replied Starling. “Although, I do occasionally sing. And that’s the other reason I came here. Is it okay if sometime I perform the song you sang here?” “Sure!” said Sweetie Belle. She turned to Gabriel. “The lyrics are on that table over there,” she told the griffon. “Go grab them and give them to Starling.” Gabriel did what he was told. Starling beamed as he put the lyric sheet into his sweater pocket. “Thank you so much, young ones,” he said. “I’ll be on my way back to Las Pegasus. Have a good night!” Sweetie and Gabe both waved as the stallion trotted out of the park. “Well, that was great!” said Sweetie Belle. “We not only put on our first performance, but we got the attention of a famous radio star!” “Yeah, yeah, cool,” said Gabriel, yawning. “But I’d like to go home and go to bed.” Sweetie Belle found herself yawning as well. “Same here,” she said. “We can do some more stuff tomorrow. Good night.” Sweetie Belle trotted out of the park to the direction of Rarity’s house while Gabriel flew up into the air to search for the tree in which he lived. Author's Note I tried to make AB's dream sequence as trippy and surreal as possible. Hope I succeeded in doing that. I originally wanted Gabriel to mostly hang out with Apple Bloom, since he's based off of fan musician BlackGryph0n, who's friends with Michelle Creber. I ended up having him hang out with Sweetie Belle instead, since they both like to sing, but then I realized it works because Michelle sang for Sweetie Belle in the first three seasons. Plus, my brother found out he's also friends with Claire Corlett. Also, Starling Hoofway is based off of a certain deceased actor. Can anyone guess who? The Griffon Curse“So, what did Applejack say?” “She said he could come over.” “Awesome!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cheered. Apple Bloom lifted a hoof to silence them. “But Applejack said he can’t come in the actual house. Only in the clubhouse. But she’s not discriminatin’ towards him or anythin’. She just doesn’t know him very well, and she wants to get to know him before he becomes a welcome guest.” The three fillies were on their way to Gabriel’s house. The griffon had given them a map showing them where to go to find his place. After a few minutes of trotting, they arrived at an enormous tree that made Twilight’s old library look like a shed. The actual house was sitting in a nest on one branch high above. “How are we supposed to knock?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “None of us can fly, and that tree looks too steep to climb.” “You three fillies from school?” came a loud, deep voice from above them. The fillies looked up, and saw a large black griffon sitting in the nest at the front door. “Yes,” called Apple Bloom upwards. “We’re Gabriel’s friends. He gave us the address, and my sister said we could come over. I’m guessing you’re his dad?” The griffon at the top chuckled. “Yes, indeed. I am father. Name is Grigori. Gabriel tell me all about you.” The fillies noticed he had what sounded like a thick Russian accent. “Come fillies,” Grigori continued. “Grab rope. Hold on tight.” A long thick rope dropped down from the nest. All three fillies grabbed on tightly with their teeth. “Okay,” called up Scootaloo through a mouthful of rope. “We got the rope.” The crusaders felt Grigori pulling the rope up with both talons. Eventually, they found themselves sitting in front of the elder griffon, and they finally got a good look at him. He was enormous, about the size of Big Macintosh. His body was dark black, and his head was a charcoal brown. He had streaks of yellow-white all over his head and body. “Come in, fillies,” said Grigori. “We were expecting you, so I make delicious scones.” Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo sat down on a huge wide couch in the living room. There was a huge fireplace, and shelves filled with many golden artifacts. As Grigori brought the scones to the fillies, Apple Bloom asked the first question. “Where’s Gabriel?” “Gabriel napping,” replied Grigori. “You stay down here with me until he wakes.” Sweetie Belle was the next to ask a question. “Where’s your wife?” “Gwendolyn? She has job. She works on weather team in Baltimare.” “I’m just wondering,” said Scootaloo. “I really hope you aren’t offended by this next question, but why do all griffon names begin with ‘g’?” “That is good question, pegasus,” said Grigori. He sat down on a large armchair opposite of the couch. “Story goes that long time ago, Starswirl the Bearded annoyed by griffons’ greed. So he put curse on griffons. Curse so that all griffons born die on first birthday.” “But Starswirl has good heart beneath,” continued Grigori. “He add escape clause to curse. If griffon child is given name that starts with ‘g’, griffon lives long and healthy life. But if griffon child is given name that starts with letter other than g, griffon dies on first birthday.” “You don’t actually believe in this curse, do you?” Apple Bloom asked. Grigori sighed. “I don’t believe in curse. I find it silly bunk.” “Okay, good.” “At least until Isabelle is born.” All three fillies stared. “Who’s Isabelle?” Sweetie Belle asked. Grigori pointed to a painting hung on the far wall. The painting showed a small, newly born griffon fledgling lying on its back with a blanket over its belly. The fledging had one eye open and the other closed, making it look like it was winking. The gold text on the frame below read “Isabelle”. “Isabelle was first child we had before Gabriel. She is beautiful cub, with coat as white as fallen snow, eyes as golden as shining sun, and facial markings blue as clear sky. I deliberately give her name not starting with g to break tradition, and show that no such curse exists.” “What happened to Isabelle?” Tears began to form in Grigori’s eyes as he continued his story. “On first birthday, we take Isabelle outside to play. She run around curious and exploring, and we smile watching her. She sees butterfly and follows it, but we are not concerned. At least not until she runs to edge of Abysmal Abyss.” Grigori began to make choking and sobbing sounds as tears ran down his face. “We run to catch her, but it’s too late. Ledge gives way, Isabelle not old enough to fly, and…” Finally he stopped telling the story and broke down sobbing, both talons over his eyes. Apple Bloom got off the couch, trotted over to the chair, and patted him on the wing. “It’s alright,” she said. “Ah know how it feels to lose a family member. Ah lost my parents when ah was just a baby, though Applejack hasn’t told me what happened to them.” Grigori’s sobs turned into silent sniffles. “Yes…but you were just baby…your loss not your fault…but if I had given Isabelle different name…she’d still be with us…” Grigori put his talons back over his eyes and continued to sob. Apple Bloom climbed up onto his lap and wrapped both forelegs around his neck in a hug. She gestured to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, which caused them to trot over and hug him as well. Grigori, upon removing his talons from his eyes and noticing the crusaders hugging him, embraced the three fillies within his wings. “Thank you fillies,” he said. “I feel slightly better now. Helps that this one reminds me of Isabelle.” He patted Sweetie Belle on the head, which caused her to blush and beam. After the fillies got back on the couch, Grigori continued to tell his story. “So, one year later, new fledgling is born. We name him Gabriel to avoid new tragedy. Years later, we move out of Griffonstone to spend new life in Ponyville.” “Hey, Dad!” called a voice from upstairs. “Are the crusaders here?” “Yes!” called Grigori back. “Fillies are here! I finish telling them story of Isabelle!” Gabriel strutted down the stairs and into the living room. “Hey, guys,” he said. “I see you’ve met my dad. Told you he was kinda tough.” “He’s awesome!” shouted Scootaloo. “His story of Isabelle kind of made me sad,” said Sweetie Belle. Gabriel nodded. “I wasn’t around to see her, but I bet she would’ve made a great sister.” “Well, come on!” said Apple Bloom, trotting to the door and opening it. “Let’s go back home and…WHOA!” She almost slipped as she stepped through the doorway. She had forgotten that they were high above the ground in a tree. She backed away from the doorway as quickly as she could. Grigori chuckled. “I’ll get your good friend rope,” he said. “To climb out of house.” Author's Note So, here's the second chapter. I think I'm the only person who actually tried to come up with an explanation for why all griffon names start with G.
Gabriel“Good morning class!” Miss Cheerilee’s kind, cheery voice rang through the classroom. All the little ponies in the classroom lay slumped over their desks and chairs. Today was going to be another long day of school. The maroon earth pony noticed that her class wasn’t looking very perky today. “Come on! Cheer up, class! I wanted to announce something really important.” Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom. “Probably going to be another big test or something,” the orange pegasus whispered through her teeth. “Today, we have a new student!” This got the class’s attention. They all immediately lifted their heads up off their desks and chairs. Each one of them was thinking a different thought. Will this pony be a blank flank? Apple Bloom thought. Maybe they can be a Cutie Mark Crusader! I hope they’re nice, thought Sweetie Belle. I hope that having a cutie mark won’t make them bully us like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon do. I can’t wait to show them around, thought Scootaloo. I wonder if they know Rainbow Dash. If not, I can introduce them to her, and then they can join the Rainbow Dash fanclub, so they can see how awesome she is! Diamond Tiara smirked to herself. I wonder what lame foal will be coming today. I hope they’re an easy target for me and Silver Spoon. Snails chuckled. I like pudding, the orange unicorn colt thought. “You’re probably wondering which pony will be joining us today,” Cheerilee continued. “Well, oddly enough, he’s not a pony at all.” This caused the entire class to gasp. “He’s a griffon. His family just immigrated here from Griffonstone. His life there was terrible, and he’s probably hoping for a better life here. So, I think we should all smile and do our best to make him feel welcome.” The entire class each put on a huge smile. “Good. Now, please allow me to welcome…Gabriel!” A small griffon chick/cub, who looked a bit older than the crusaders, came into the classroom and stood at the front of the class. He had a dark brown-black body, a chocolate brown head, and a yellow tail tuft and wings. He also had yellow-ochre facial markings and turquoise-colored eyes. He stared at the classroom with a nervous look in his eyes, not saying anything. “Go on,” said Cheerilee. “Don’t be nervous. I already introduced you. All you have to say is hi.” “Um…” the griffon said in a high-pitched voice. “Uh…h-hi.” Cheerilee frowned. “Can you say that a bit louder, please? I don’t think the class could hear you.” Gabriel gulped and spoke again, this time a decibel louder. “Hi.” “Good job, Gabe!” Cheerilee said, clapping her hoofs. “You may sit down now. That chair behind Apple Bloom appears to be untaken.” As Gabriel strutted past the chairs, Sweetie Belle heard snickering. The white unicorn turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were whispering to each other and occasionally glancing to stare at the young griffon. After Gabriel sat down in his new desk, Cheerilee spoke up again. “Now that we’ve met our new student, I feel like it’s time to begin our lesson. Now, many years ago, Star Swirl the Bearded…” As Cheerilee continued to speak, Apple Bloom glanced behind at Gabriel, who was just sitting at his desk with his head facing downwards. She turned to Sweetie Belle. “Gabriel looks a little upset,” she whispered. “Ah think maybe at recess we should talk with him and try to make him feel welcome. Who knows? Maybe we can make him our newest crusader.” “But griffons don’t get cutie marks,” replied Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least be our new friend.” *** At recess, the crusaders sat at their picnic table, eating lunch. “So, you want us to try to befriend Gabriel?” said Scootaloo. Apple Bloom nodded. “He just looks so sad. His life in Griffonstone must’ve been pretty rough. Ah’m sure you remember Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie tellin’ us about what that place was like.” “So, where is he?” asked Sweetie Belle through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Scootaloo looked around. “There he is!” she shouted, pointing her hoof at a picnic table close by. Sure enough, the young griffon was sitting there all by himself, his head slumped down over his talons. He had a bag of food sitting next to him, but he didn’t touch it. “Well,” said Apple Bloom. “Let’s go talk to him. Come on, crusaders!” Gabriel sighed as he picked up his lunchbag and looked inside. There was an apple, a banana, some grapes, and a thermos of milk. He was used to eating mostly meat products back in Griffonstone. But ponies, being herbivores, considered meat-eating a taboo, so he was stuck eating nothing but plant products. “Gabe!” a voice called. Gabriel lifted his head. “Gabe!” called a different voice. “Hey, listen. We want to talk to you.” Gabriel turned his head to see three of the fillies from the classroom standing by his table. There was a yellow earth pony with a red mane and tail and a pink bow in her mane, a white unicorn with a purple and pink mane and tail, and an orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail. None of the three fillies had cutie marks. “Oh..hi guys,” said Gabriel. “Is there something you three want?” The earth pony nodded. “We wanted to say hi. I’m Apple Bloom, this is Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle. You look kind of sad. Are you feeling lonely?” Gabriel sighed again. “Everywhere I go on this playground, ponies stare at me like I’m some kind of a monster.” Sweetie Belle patted Gabriel on the back. “Well, we don’t think you’re a monster.” “You don’t?” “Nope!” said Scootaloo. “We think you’re awesome!” “Really?” A tiny smile began to form on the griffon’s face. “Yeah! I mean, half eagle and half lion…that’s the most awesome combination ever!” Gabriel stood up. “Well, it’s nice to see someone being nice to me, pony or griffon.” The crusaders all nodded. “Would you like to join our club?” Apple Bloom asked. “Club?” Gabriel lifted one eyebrow. “What kind of club?” “THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” all three fillies shouted. Gabriel backed away in surprise. Sweetie Belle was the first to notice this. “Oh, sorry Gabe” said the unicorn filly. “We didn’t mean to startle you.” “It’s okay,” said Gabe, brushing the feathers on his head. “So, what’s this club like?” “Well,” said Scootaloo. “It’s basically dedicated to helping young ponies get their cutie marks. Now, we’re aware that griffons don’t get cutie marks, but if you want to help us out…” “I’d be happy to!” said Gabriel, fluttering his small wings and lifting himself into the air. Scootaloo couldn’t help but frown upon seeing this, being reminded of her flight disability. The frown went away after Gabriel landed next to Apple Bloom. “Well,” said Apple Bloom. “When ah get home, ah can ask my sister Applejack if you can come over to our clubhouse. Does that sound good?” Gabriel nodded. “Before we go home, I can give you my address, that way you guys can come and get me. My mom got a new job, so she’s not home very often. My dad will be there, but I must warn you; he can get a bit tough sometimes.” After hoof-bumping (or talon-bumping, in the case of Gabriel), the new friends set off in different directions. Gabriel walked back towards the school, while the three fillies trotted back to their picnic table. Meanwhile, a pair of familiar other fillies were standing close by. “Hey, crusaders!” shouted Diamond Tiara. “Did you decide to make friends with that silly griffon?” “Be careful! He might eat you!” said Silver Spoon. The crusaders ignored the bullies. They decided that they needed to think of a plan before the bell rang. Author's Note I added the scene with Sweetie Belle eating the PBJ to show you guys that this does NOT take place in the same canon as Sweetie Belle's Allergy.
A Tearjerking TenorThat afternoon, Gabriel was at the clubhouse with his three new friends. “So, this ‘Rainbow Dash’ pony…you say she once did a Sonic Rainboom?” “She sure did! Actually, I lied. She didn’t do it once. She did it multiple times!” “I heard it was just a myth.” “Nope. I’ve seen her do it. We can ask her to show you sometime in the future.” “So, you can’t fly yourself?” Scootaloo sighed and lowered her head. “No,” she said. “I’m not sure why.” At that moment, Apple Bloom interrupted. “But she doesn’t need to fly! She’s awesome enough on her scooter!” Scootaloo lifted her head back up. “That’s right!” she said, as her frown turned back into a smile. “Well, you’ll have to show me sometime.” “Okay, you’ve heard enough about us,” said Sweetie Belle. “We’d like to know more about your life in Griffonstone. What was it like?” Gabriel didn’t say anything. He just stared down at the ground. “Gabe?” “It’s alright, Gabe,” said Apple Bloom. “You don’t have to tell us if it bothers you that much.” “No, no,” replied Gabriel. “I should tell you. Anyways… “I remember very little about being a very young fledgling. All I remember was that I was never allowed outside. My parents were super protective. It wasn’t until I was five that I was finally allowed to go out. But whenever I did, my parents kept a close eye on me, never letting me leave their sight. They also wouldn’t let me play with the other griffons for reasons I didn’t understand.” He continued. “When I was finally old enough to go places on my own, I noticed that every single griffon I encountered, young and old, were very nasty to me. If I so much as brushed against one of the other griffons, he or she would yell at me and threaten to hurt me.” He shuddered upon saying this. “So I had to be extremely careful just going out to get some food. I always carried bits, but because the other griffons demanded bits for doing so much as letting me walk past them, I rarely had enough to get the food I wanted.” “That’s awful!” said Sweetie Belle. “You said it,” replied Gabriel. “But I didn’t realize how awful it truly was until we came to Equestria and saw how kind you ponies were compared to the other griffons.” “Well,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah’m glad you came. Ah really hope we did a good job of makin’ you feel accepted.” “By the way, I’m just wondering, is singing allowed here?” “Of course it is!” said Sweetie Belle. “Why? Was singing not allowed in Griffonstone?” Gabriel shook his head. “Nope. There were even signs stating so. Every time I tried, some other griffon would throw a stone at me. That’s where this scar came from.” He parted his head feathers to the side, revealing a scar on the top of his head. The fillies all gasped upon seeing this. “It really stunk, because I absolutely love to sing. Unfortunately, I could only sing in the safety of my own home, and thus the only ones who could judge me were my own parents. And as you probably know, family members are biased and will enjoy anything you create, no matter how bad it is. So I have no idea if I’m a good singer or not.” “Well, maybe you could show us,” said Scootaloo. “Go ahead. Me, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom can judge you.” “Okay,” said Gabriel. “Just…give me a bit to warm up.” After taking a deep breath and doing some breathing exercises, Gabriel began to sing the lullaby his mother had sang to him since he had first hatched. There’s always another rainbow Search until you find it Don’t look at the cloud Look behind it There’s a rainbow there somewhere There’s always a ray of sunshine Though it all seems tragic You may turn around And like magic There’s an answer to your prayer Now you feel forlorn But hope can be reborn Try to lose that frown Look up, not down And you’ll find another rainbow I can guarantee it Even though you feel you’ve reached the rainbow’s end There’s always another rainbow Always another rainbow Round the bend After Gabriel was finished, all three fillies clapped their hooves. They also had tears in their eyes. “Oh my gosh!” said Apple Bloom. “That was beautiful!” “That makes me feel better about my flight disability!” said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle was smiling the biggest of all. “Good job, Gabe!” she said. “That’s a great singing voice you have. In fact, I have an idea.” Gabriel blushed. “Really?” he asked. “What kind of idea?” “Well, I signed up for a one-pony concert in the park for tomorrow evening, because the others say I’m a good singer. But I wasn’t able to come up with a song to sing for that event. However, thanks to you, I now know what to sing!” “Well, thanks,” replied Gabe. “Glad to hear I inspired you.” “Oh! But that’s not all! How would you like to help turn this from a one-pony concert, to a one-pony-one-griffon concert?” “You mean…sing with you?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Well, I don’t know. Do they allow griffons?” “They’re allowing a dragon to announce, so I don’t see why a griffon can’t sing onstage,” said Scootaloo. “Come on, Gabe!” said Apple Bloom. “It’ll make Sweetie Belle happy, and it’ll make yourself happy as well.” Gabriel thought about it for a minute. “Okay,” he said. “I guess so.” “Great!” said Sweetie Belle. “We’ll go get you signed up sometime today.” “Girls!” Applejack, Apple Bloom’s older sister, opened the clubhouse door. “Want some lunch? Ah made some apple fritters, if ya’ll are interested.” “YAY!” all three fillies shouted. Gabriel just sat there, looking sad. “What’s the matter, Gabe?” Applejack asked him. “Ain’t ya’ hungry?” “You said he couldn’t come inside, remember?” Apple Bloom reminded her sister. “Oh, yeah,” the orange pony replied, putting a hoof on her chin. “Well, ah can see ya’ll are getting’ along with ‘im just fine, so if he wants to come inside, we’ll let him.” As the four ponies and the griffon trotted over to the house, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “So, it turns out Gabriel has a really great singing voice, and I’m thinking about allowing him to sing along with me at the park tomorrow.” Applejack stopped in her tracks. “Gabriel, a griffon, singin’ with you?” “Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle. “That’s not a problem, is it? Applejack grinned. “Problem? What problem? Ah tell ya’, that sounds greater than the ripest apples on the biggest tree! Ah can see it now: Gabriel, the first ever famous griffon singer! This could go down in history books! Ponies will be talkin’ about him after all of us have passed! Ah bet…” “Now, don’t get too far ahead, Applejack,” said Scootaloo. “He’s not a famous singer yet.” “Yeah, sis,” said Apple Bloom. “You never know, what if he loses interest in singin’ and just wants to live a normal griffon life?” “I hope I don’t lose interest,” said Gabriel as they arrived at the door. “I really love singing.” Author's Note So, the rule states that while copyrighted song lyrics aren't allowed in stories, MLP songs are. But they didn't say anything about songs from PREVIOUS gens.
Starling Hoofway“Apple Bloom? Do you take this griffon to be your loftily wedded husband?” “Ah do.” “And Gabriel? Do you take this pony to be your loftily wedded wife?” “I do.” “Well then.” Winona continued as she clutched the Daring Do book in both paws. “I know pronounce you mare and colt.” An older Apple Bloom and Gabriel kissed. It was tough to do with Gabe’s beak getting in the way. As they strode down the hallway, everypony in the audience cheered. *** “Congratulations, Apple Bloom and Gabriel,” Dr. Discord said as he held the newborn in his paw and talon. “It’s a girl hippogriff. A mix-mash of different animals, just like me!” He handed the baby to Apple Bloom, who lovingly held it in her both hooves. Gabriel gently stroked the baby with one talon. The baby had a pony head, hindquarters, and tail, but griffon wings and talons. She also had her father’s coat color and eyes. “What will we name her?” Apple Bloom asked. “Greta? Gabriella? Gwendolyn? Genevieve?” “How ‘bout Appletalon?” Gabriel replied. “But…but…don’t you remember the griffon curse?” “It’s a hippogriff, not a griffon,” Gabriel replied. “I’m sure nothing bad will happen to her if we name her something that doesn’t start with g.” “Well,” Apple Bloom said. “Appletalon is a nice name. Ah think we’ll go with that, then.” *** “Happy first birthday, Appletalon!” The young hippogriff giggled and booped her mother’s nose with one talon. “Come on! Let’s take you outside.” Apple Bloom trotted outside with Appletalon waddling after her. “So, what do you want to play?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ball!” Appletalon shouted. “Ball!” “Okay,” replied Apple Bloom. “Mommy’ll go get the ball.” But before Apple Bloom could grab the ball from the other side of the yard, she heard familiar laughing. Standing across the street were two familiar mares, one pink and one silver. “Oh no,” Apple Bloom groaned. “Not Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.” “Hello, you little abomination of nature,” said Diamond Tiara as she trotted over to where Appletalon was sitting. “I can’t wait to see you get made fun of when you grow up.” Appletalon giggled, unaware of what Diamond Tiara had said. “In fact, I think I’ll help you out. I’ll just get rid of you to put you out of your misery.” “No!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Don’t touch her!” “What do you think, Silver Spoon?” Diamond Tiara asked her friend. “Should I eat it?” Silver Spoon nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me.” “Very well, then,” said Diamond. “Down the hatch.” She bent her head down to the hippogriff and opened both jaws. Apple Bloom tried to yell for her to stop, but no sound came out. Diamond’s jaws stretched wider and wider until she completely engulfed the fledgling. She then tilted her head back and swallowed. Apple Bloom watched in horror at the bulge moving down her throat. “Don’t cry, Apple Bloom,” said Silver Spoon. “I think Diamond just did you and that baby…thing a good favor.” The mares laughed maniacally as they trotted off, leaving Apple Bloom alone to wallow in her own tears. “Apple Bloom!” The yellow mare turned around to see her older sister towering over her. “You were supposed to take good care of your child.” Apple Bloom tried to speak, but she was still unable to form words. “Ya’ll had to give her a name that didn’t start with a g…” Applejack said as she grew larger and larger. “…now she’s gone…and it’s all yer’ fault, sis!” She lifted up one hoof and held it over her sister’s head, prepared to step on her. “Goodbye, Apple Bloom.” Apple Bloom was finally able to scream.”No! Applejack! Ah didn’t mean it!” “Apple Bloom!” “Please, Applejack! Ah said…” “Apple Bloom…Apple Bloom…Apple Bloom…” *** Apple Bloom awoke from her nightmare, breathing heavily. She looked around her room. Everything was the way it was before she fell asleep. At that moment, Applejack came in. “Apple Bloom! Are you awake? Ah’ve been calling fer’ ya’, but you didn’t come.” She noticed the beads of sweat on her sister’s forehead. “Lemme guess…another nightmare?” Apple Bloom nodded. “But it ain’t a big deal, sis,” she said. “Ah’ll be down in a moment.” After Applejack left, Apple Bloom went over to her mirror and worked on combing her mane. Usually her dreams had some sort of logic, but this one had been extremely confusing. She decided that it was best not to tell anypony else about this dream. Especially not Gabriel. She didn’t want him to think that she was in love with him. “Here ah am, sis’,” Apple Bloom said as she came downstairs to the kitchen. “What was it you wanted?” Applejack was standing by the table next to Big Macintosh. “Well, ah just wanted to remind you that Sweetie Belle and Gabriel’s concert is tonight! Isn’t that right, Big Mac?” “Eeyup,” Big Mac replied. “That’s right!” said Apple Bloom. “You want me and Scootaloo to help them out with setting everythin’ up?” “Eeyup.” “We sure do, sis. They’re over at the park. Why don’cha go over and help them?” *** That evening, the stage at the park had been set up, and so had all the chairs. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had gotten front row seats and had their eyes wide open. Rarity was also sitting at the front. She couldn’t wait to see her sister perform that beautiful song she had practiced. At that moment, Grigori swooped down from the sky and landed in the seat next to Rarity. The unicorn gagged at the smell of his unwashed fur and feathers. “Get away from me, you foul-smelling ruffian!” she shouted, pushing him with both hooves. Grigori responded by looking downwards at Rarity and glaring his yellow eyes. “You know who I am, pony?” the griffon asked Rarity. “I am father of griffon performing! I come to see my son perform on stage for first time! I heard you are sister of filly Gabriel performing with. Well, if pony watch her sister perform, then Grigori watch his son perform. GOT THAT?!” he screeched in her face. Sweat ran down Rarity’s face as she chuckled nervously. “Heh heh. Sorry, sir. I didn’t know you were Gabriel’s father. I apologize.” At that moment, Spike appeared onstage holding a microphone. “Fillies and gentlecolts!” the young purple dragon announced. “Allow me to present two new singers here in Equestria: Sweetie Belle and Gabriel the Griffon!” The curtain rose, revealing Octavia with her cello. Grasping the bow tightly in her hoof, she drew it across the strings, making a soft, calm melody. Then Sweetie Belle and Gabriel appeared onstage. Sweetie Belle was wearing a pink dress with a musical note on it, and Gabriel was wearing a blue shirt with a similar musical note. The crowd cheered. Sweetie Belle trotted up to the microphone and began to sing. There’s always another rainbow Search until you find it Don’t look at the cloud Look behind it There’s a rainbow there somewhere It was Gabriel’s turn to sing the next part. There’s always a ray of sunshine Though it all seems tragic You may turn around, and like magic There’s an answer to your prayer Then they sang together. Now you feel forlorn But hope can be reborn Try to lose that frown Look up, not down Then it was Sweetie Belle’s turn again. And you’ll find another rainbow I can guarantee it Even though you think you’ve reached the rainbow’s end Then Sweetie and Gabriel sang together again. There’s always another rainbow Always another rainbow Around the bend The crowd all clapped their hooves and cheered. “THAT’S MY SISTER!” Rarity screamed. Tears ran down Grigori’s face. “My son,” he said as he clapped his talons. “Finally, you live up to full potential.” *** Shortly after the concert, all the ponies had gone home. But Sweetie Belle and Gabriel had decided to stay for a short while, along with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Ah still think that was awesome!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “I know I already said this, but that song makes me so happy. I’ll remember it every time I get sad, so I can cheer up.” “Well, thank you,” said Sweetie Belle. “But Gabe here deserves praise too.” Gabriel blushed. “Oh, yeah!” said Apple Bloom. “And Gabriel was awesome too!” “Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “Your singing voice and his are both awesome. But when combined…geez, I can’t comprehend the awesomeness of that number!” “Well, I’ll be goin’ over to my house. Wanna come?” “No thanks,” said Scootaloo. “I’m tired. I’d like to go to bed.” “Me too,” said Sweetie Belle. “Me three,” said Gabriel. After Apple Bloom and Scootaloo left, Sweetie Belle and Gabriel were prepared to leave as well. But at that moment, they heard a voice from behind them. “Wait! Wait, you two!” That voice sounded familiar to Sweetie Belle. A tall, lanky, handsome stallion came up onto the stage. He had a navy blue coat, a short, curly orange mane and tail, and was wearing a gray sweater and bowtie. “I just wanted to praise your amazing performance,” said the stallion. His voice was soft and surprisingly high-pitched, sounding almost like the cooing of a dove. Indeed, his cutie mark depicted a white dove with outstretched wings. “You two have wonderful voices, just like how I constantly get praised for.” “So, who are you, exactly?” asked Sweetie Belle. The stallion chuckled. “You seriously don’t recognize my voice?” “Well, your voice sounds familiar but…wait a minute! Are you Starling Hoofway?” The stallion nodded. “What were you expecting?” Sweetie Belle squealed with excitement. “Me and my sister hear you on the radio all the time! I fell in love with your voice the day I first heard it. But what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Las Pegasus?” “I occasionally go to other towns to check out the work the residents do. And I was impressed by the performance of both of you young ones. Your respective soprano and tenor go together like peanut butter and chocolate.” “Well, thank you, Starling. Gabe, are you going to thank him as well?” “Thank you, Starling,” said Gabe. “I’ve never heard of you, much less heard you at all.” “Are you from Griffonstone?” Starling asked. “I’ve been there myself. Big dump of a place. They don’t have radio, so if you’re from there, it’s not surprising that you haven’t heard or heard of me before.” Gabriel nodded. “Yeah, I’m from that place. So, what exactly do you do on the radio?” “I mostly do readings of popular novels,” replied Starling. “Although, I do occasionally sing. And that’s the other reason I came here. Is it okay if sometime I perform the song you sang here?” “Sure!” said Sweetie Belle. She turned to Gabriel. “The lyrics are on that table over there,” she told the griffon. “Go grab them and give them to Starling.” Gabriel did what he was told. Starling beamed as he put the lyric sheet into his sweater pocket. “Thank you so much, young ones,” he said. “I’ll be on my way back to Las Pegasus. Have a good night!” Sweetie and Gabe both waved as the stallion trotted out of the park. “Well, that was great!” said Sweetie Belle. “We not only put on our first performance, but we got the attention of a famous radio star!” “Yeah, yeah, cool,” said Gabriel, yawning. “But I’d like to go home and go to bed.” Sweetie Belle found herself yawning as well. “Same here,” she said. “We can do some more stuff tomorrow. Good night.” Sweetie Belle trotted out of the park to the direction of Rarity’s house while Gabriel flew up into the air to search for the tree in which he lived. Author's Note I tried to make AB's dream sequence as trippy and surreal as possible. Hope I succeeded in doing that. I originally wanted Gabriel to mostly hang out with Apple Bloom, since he's based off of fan musician BlackGryph0n, who's friends with Michelle Creber. I ended up having him hang out with Sweetie Belle instead, since they both like to sing, but then I realized it works because Michelle sang for Sweetie Belle in the first three seasons. Plus, my brother found out he's also friends with Claire Corlett. Also, Starling Hoofway is based off of a certain deceased actor. Can anyone guess who?
The Griffon Curse“So, what did Applejack say?” “She said he could come over.” “Awesome!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cheered. Apple Bloom lifted a hoof to silence them. “But Applejack said he can’t come in the actual house. Only in the clubhouse. But she’s not discriminatin’ towards him or anythin’. She just doesn’t know him very well, and she wants to get to know him before he becomes a welcome guest.” The three fillies were on their way to Gabriel’s house. The griffon had given them a map showing them where to go to find his place. After a few minutes of trotting, they arrived at an enormous tree that made Twilight’s old library look like a shed. The actual house was sitting in a nest on one branch high above. “How are we supposed to knock?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “None of us can fly, and that tree looks too steep to climb.” “You three fillies from school?” came a loud, deep voice from above them. The fillies looked up, and saw a large black griffon sitting in the nest at the front door. “Yes,” called Apple Bloom upwards. “We’re Gabriel’s friends. He gave us the address, and my sister said we could come over. I’m guessing you’re his dad?” The griffon at the top chuckled. “Yes, indeed. I am father. Name is Grigori. Gabriel tell me all about you.” The fillies noticed he had what sounded like a thick Russian accent. “Come fillies,” Grigori continued. “Grab rope. Hold on tight.” A long thick rope dropped down from the nest. All three fillies grabbed on tightly with their teeth. “Okay,” called up Scootaloo through a mouthful of rope. “We got the rope.” The crusaders felt Grigori pulling the rope up with both talons. Eventually, they found themselves sitting in front of the elder griffon, and they finally got a good look at him. He was enormous, about the size of Big Macintosh. His body was dark black, and his head was a charcoal brown. He had streaks of yellow-white all over his head and body. “Come in, fillies,” said Grigori. “We were expecting you, so I make delicious scones.” Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo sat down on a huge wide couch in the living room. There was a huge fireplace, and shelves filled with many golden artifacts. As Grigori brought the scones to the fillies, Apple Bloom asked the first question. “Where’s Gabriel?” “Gabriel napping,” replied Grigori. “You stay down here with me until he wakes.” Sweetie Belle was the next to ask a question. “Where’s your wife?” “Gwendolyn? She has job. She works on weather team in Baltimare.” “I’m just wondering,” said Scootaloo. “I really hope you aren’t offended by this next question, but why do all griffon names begin with ‘g’?” “That is good question, pegasus,” said Grigori. He sat down on a large armchair opposite of the couch. “Story goes that long time ago, Starswirl the Bearded annoyed by griffons’ greed. So he put curse on griffons. Curse so that all griffons born die on first birthday.” “But Starswirl has good heart beneath,” continued Grigori. “He add escape clause to curse. If griffon child is given name that starts with ‘g’, griffon lives long and healthy life. But if griffon child is given name that starts with letter other than g, griffon dies on first birthday.” “You don’t actually believe in this curse, do you?” Apple Bloom asked. Grigori sighed. “I don’t believe in curse. I find it silly bunk.” “Okay, good.” “At least until Isabelle is born.” All three fillies stared. “Who’s Isabelle?” Sweetie Belle asked. Grigori pointed to a painting hung on the far wall. The painting showed a small, newly born griffon fledgling lying on its back with a blanket over its belly. The fledging had one eye open and the other closed, making it look like it was winking. The gold text on the frame below read “Isabelle”. “Isabelle was first child we had before Gabriel. She is beautiful cub, with coat as white as fallen snow, eyes as golden as shining sun, and facial markings blue as clear sky. I deliberately give her name not starting with g to break tradition, and show that no such curse exists.” “What happened to Isabelle?” Tears began to form in Grigori’s eyes as he continued his story. “On first birthday, we take Isabelle outside to play. She run around curious and exploring, and we smile watching her. She sees butterfly and follows it, but we are not concerned. At least not until she runs to edge of Abysmal Abyss.” Grigori began to make choking and sobbing sounds as tears ran down his face. “We run to catch her, but it’s too late. Ledge gives way, Isabelle not old enough to fly, and…” Finally he stopped telling the story and broke down sobbing, both talons over his eyes. Apple Bloom got off the couch, trotted over to the chair, and patted him on the wing. “It’s alright,” she said. “Ah know how it feels to lose a family member. Ah lost my parents when ah was just a baby, though Applejack hasn’t told me what happened to them.” Grigori’s sobs turned into silent sniffles. “Yes…but you were just baby…your loss not your fault…but if I had given Isabelle different name…she’d still be with us…” Grigori put his talons back over his eyes and continued to sob. Apple Bloom climbed up onto his lap and wrapped both forelegs around his neck in a hug. She gestured to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, which caused them to trot over and hug him as well. Grigori, upon removing his talons from his eyes and noticing the crusaders hugging him, embraced the three fillies within his wings. “Thank you fillies,” he said. “I feel slightly better now. Helps that this one reminds me of Isabelle.” He patted Sweetie Belle on the head, which caused her to blush and beam. After the fillies got back on the couch, Grigori continued to tell his story. “So, one year later, new fledgling is born. We name him Gabriel to avoid new tragedy. Years later, we move out of Griffonstone to spend new life in Ponyville.” “Hey, Dad!” called a voice from upstairs. “Are the crusaders here?” “Yes!” called Grigori back. “Fillies are here! I finish telling them story of Isabelle!” Gabriel strutted down the stairs and into the living room. “Hey, guys,” he said. “I see you’ve met my dad. Told you he was kinda tough.” “He’s awesome!” shouted Scootaloo. “His story of Isabelle kind of made me sad,” said Sweetie Belle. Gabriel nodded. “I wasn’t around to see her, but I bet she would’ve made a great sister.” “Well, come on!” said Apple Bloom, trotting to the door and opening it. “Let’s go back home and…WHOA!” She almost slipped as she stepped through the doorway. She had forgotten that they were high above the ground in a tree. She backed away from the doorway as quickly as she could. Grigori chuckled. “I’ll get your good friend rope,” he said. “To climb out of house.” Author's Note So, here's the second chapter. I think I'm the only person who actually tried to come up with an explanation for why all griffon names start with G.
