Secret of the Rainbow Pegasi

Throughout the Friendship Express’s years of travel, it held claim to the best sightseeing that one could observe from within its cabins. Though it traveled at breakneck speed, the environments around and far off into the distance never seemed to blur. Paradoxically, they became focused, as if through a lens, and one could see the world for what it was.

Hills that were a rich green were dwarfed by dark-purple mountains, rising up into the sky like pillars holding up the heavens. Fluffy clouds surrounded the peaks, rising up and down freely, orbiting around the tips. Snow fell from the tops, blanketing the lower mountains and gathering at the sides. If one peered close enough, one could see winter trees and timbers, their barks a frigid light-blue, their branches frozen, icicles hanging from the ends.

As the observer’s gaze lowered, the region around grew much greener, contrasting the distant landscape. Red and yellow flowers blew past as the train traveled, followed by their greener and taller brethren. The clouds here seemed not to move, even as fast as the train was going. They followed and trailed the locomotive, like pillowy guards, blocking the glaring sun with their masses. The trees, too, turned, leaving their northern cousins and becoming familiar; brown, green, and filled with leaves and birds. The occasional squirrel could also be seen.

As time went on, the green faded, as did the purple mountains. Now they became a carbon grey, with only the faintest of snow at the top. Dirt and mud ran down the sides; little trees, if any, were present, and those that were were devoid of any leaves. Vegetation all but vanished. The commodities of Equestria had seemingly disappeared.

None of these observations, however, occurred to Rainbow Dash, for her mind was elsewhere. Sitting in her booth, the pegasus stared outside, not quite noticing the change in the landscape. Her cyan hoof rested underneath her chin pensively.

“What are you thinking about?”

She turned, remembering that the Princess of Friendship sat next to her. Rainbow blinked. “Sorry, what, Twilight?”

“You’re thinking,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“How can you tell?”

“You’ve been staring outside and haven’t said anything the whole trip.”

Rainbow let out a slight chuckle. “It’s that obvious, huh?” She looked at her alicorn friend. “It’s nothing, really. Just remembering some stuff.”

“Really? Like what?”

The pegasus shrugged. “Just family stuff, that’s all.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Twilight, I’m sure. Why do you care?”

Twilight frowned. “Well, for one, you’re crying.”

Rainbow blinked. She reached up, pressing a hoof to her cheek, finding it having grown wet. She wiped her hoof on the seat, chuckling a bit darkly. “Huh. Guess I am.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, Twilight. I was just thinking about my dad.”

“Oh. You… you’ve never talked about your parents before.”

Rainbow slowly nodded. “Well, there’s a reason for that. Mom died when I was really young, so I don’t really have any memories of her. Dad became my only parent; he was the one who hyped me up for the Wonderbolts all those years ago. He was really my only family, and I remember he would always push me to do my best in everything.”

She sighed. “That was my life for the longest time. Having Dad support me in everything I did. I liked it. I really did.”

“But?”

“He… well, it’s hard to explain. It was a few days before I moved to Ponyville. I remember coming home, about to announce my plan to leave Cloudsdale. That was when I saw him.”

She shook her head. “He looked scared; really, really frightened. I was confused, and asked him if he was alright. He told me he had to go somewhere, someplace important. I let him go, thinking that I would tell him my plans later.

“That was the last time I ever saw Dad.”

Twilight softly gasped. “What?! You mean your father has been missing for years?!”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I felt pretty awful when I realized he wasn’t coming back. But, I gradually moved on from it. Dad wouldn’t want me feeling bad just because he had gone missing.”

She glanced up at Twilight, trying to muster a grin. “I guess… I guess looking outside, and seeing the world move, just somehow reminded me of his adventurous nature, his love of freedom. I… I miss him.”

Twilight frowned. “You don’t think he might be alive, do you?”

The pegasus shook her head. “If he is, I think he’s beyond saving. Who’s to say that he’s not permanently damaged at this point?”

“That’s rather… cynical of you, Rainbow.” Twilight’s gaze softened. “Though, after the war with Sombra, I guess we could use a bit of cynicism.”

Rainbow said nothing. Twilight made a sour face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”

The pegasus waved a hoof reassuringly. “It’s alright, Twilight. I’m fine now. Really.”

It was a small lie, and Rainbow knew this, but she didn’t want her friend’s sympathy for something that had happened so long ago. She decided to change the topic of conversation. “Hey, can you tell me why we’re going to the Griffon Kingdom? We’re not in trouble or anything, are we?”

“Of course not. Why would we?” Seeing Rainbow shrug, she continued, “We were invited by Gyps Fulvus. You remember him, right?”

“Yeah! That awesome griffon king who helped us out big time!”

Twilight smiled at her friend’s returned enthusiasm. “He wants to give us a personal tour of his kingdom, as a sort of ‘thank-you’ for uniting griffon and pony once more. That, and,” she added, a bit formally, and ruffling her wings, “he wants to talk about continued pony-griffon endeavors.”

Rainbow smirked. “And he asked for the Princess of Friendship and the Element of Loyalty? He’s smart, I’ll give him that. But why just us two?”

“Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were helping Azrael with something. The others have other things to do. If they wanted to come, I don’t think they’d be able to.” Rainbow nodded at the explanation.

“It’s just us two, huh? Guess that old king has some class!”

Twilight smiled at her friend’s boastfulness. “Well, it wouldn’t be too far a far stretch…”

The conversation grew lighter, as their thoughts drifted from Rainbow’s family problems to curious wonderings about what the future held. If there was one thing Rainbow knew about griffons, aside from their stubbornness, it was that they were natural fighters; something that she wholeheartedly supported. She couldn’t wait to thank them for helping Equestria fight back the forces of Sombra, remembering how she had nearly wavered in the face of the Soul Eater and the undead alicorn army.

They passed through a tunnel, and everything went dark for a few seconds. Then, light emanated from the front, and then drifted around the coaches. Somehow, it felt foreign. Looking back outside, Rainbow realized why. Gone were the purple horizons and green pastures. In their place, was a brown land, not dead, but different from the one she was used to. She wouldn’t call it desolate, but it seemed that not a soul was around.

As the train continued whizzing by, she saw that the trees became much harsher looking. Their branches were sharper, like they were fighting some invisible enemy. The mountains shifted from the violet hue to an earthen grey. She could see, at their peaks, snow, somehow darker than before. Those mountains were taller than the ones she had seen in the countryside.

It was like entering a whole new world. She couldn’t help but grin, excited. The thrill of adventure flowed through her, a river of emotion, daringness, and courage, and she reveled in the sensations.

***

Even though she had heard directly from Luna about the kingdom, Rainbow was still impressed by what she saw.

The train stopped a distance from the main area, making Twilight and Rainbow walk up to the kingdom. Along the way, they gazed at unfamiliar, dark buildings that had been “industrialized,” as Twilight put it. Unlike the familiar setting of Equestria, the Griffon Kingdom was much more technologically advanced. In regards to them not wielding any natural magic that might have bridged the technological gap, they were one of the most advanced races on the entire planet. The buildings weren’t just tall; they were massive, made of a little something called concrete—a material much stronger than wood. Heavy as it was, it was able to be melded and molded however the griffons saw fit. The windows were tinted a smoky grey, and they could see the silhouettes of griffons working inside. From huge funnels on the roofs smoke rose.

The walk was short, and soon they had reached their main destination. The grounds between the actual castle and the village below—a marketplace—was littered with griffons clambering to sell their items and trinkets. Rainbow counted several stands selling golden souvenirs; they were strange, and misshapen. She noted as well that, physically, the entirety of the kingdom, even from the train station, dwarfed Canterlot and the Crystal Kingdom to the north.

In Celestia’s returned sun, the place looked even more grand. Getting off of the train, she had to squint in the harsh light. The sun shone brilliantly off of the houses, the smallest of them somehow being tall enough to touch low clouds. She wondered if any of the buildings had the potential of reaching Cloudsdale.

Looking to the left, Rainbow saw several griffons in blacksmith attire, their aprons black and masks down. They were inside some sort of shop, with pipes and ends sticking out of the edges. Steam billowed from these openings as the griffons worked tirelessly; they were creating some sort of advanced sword. She remembered that Twilight had called this method “steampunk welding;” she couldn’t help but feel jealous of just how efficient it was.

To the right was what she guessed to be the residential district. Housing for subjects lay down the paved, cobblestone roads. Lights from tall street lamps, powered by hydroelectricity, kept the streets bright at night. The same power source would provide heating and personal illumination in many of the homes that were scattered down the street. And there were so many homes; so many, that, even if she were to remain on the road, staring down it, Rainbow could not have counted all of them.

Twilight led the way, her nose buried in a history book about the kingdom. Somehow she managed to deftly dodge incoming griffons, even managing a few greetings. They returned confused, but ultimately kind and welcoming responses. Equine and griffon relations were indeed in better condition, especially following the Sombra War.

Most of the griffons present wore some sort of armor-esque cloth, though it was made out of an unknown material. Some had helmets with small slits, outfitted with an array of lighting and weaponry; guards, Rainbow guessed, though they were friendly. She noticed that some had actual steam billowing out their ends. Asking Twilight a quick question, she received the explanation that it was a way to keep the guards cool in the heat.

Dust gathered underneath Dash’s hooves. She felt strangely uncomfortable on this ground than anywhere else. Despite the warm atmosphere, both physically and societally, she felt a nagging sense of dread somewhere in the back of her mind. She grunted to herself, pushing the thoughts away as best she could. The dirt was much less stable and not good for farming, she realized; perhaps that was why she felt odd, because it was foreign soil? Or maybe it was because the dirt wasn’t really dirt, just excess dirt that had not been covered up by the pavement?

The thoughts did little to put her mind at ease, but they at least provided a temporary scapegoat.

Twilight suddenly stopped walking, and looked up. Rainbow nearly bumped into her. She followed Twilight’s gaze. She gasped.

The palace itself, though an ancient building, was most definitely modernized. Unlike a traditional castle, with four specific corners, this was much larger and rounder, and more robust. The palace was much more grandiose in person as well. In fact, she guessed it had only become bigger since Luna’s visit. The dome had a sandy color to it, curving around the top. Griffon gargoyles patrolled the edges, staring at the town below, silent guardians that looked like they could spring to life at any moment. They, too, had been “steampunk-ized.”

“Holy Faust!” she nearly cried.

A nearby griffon chuckled. “Yep, that tends to be the usual response.” He pointed a claw out. “Those gargoyles aren’t just for decoration. Their ruby eyes are able to harness energy and shoot at the pull of a lever.” He grinned. “Pretty impressive, don’t ya think?”

“Impressive? It’s downright awesome!”

Twilight resumed walking, and Rainbow followed her.

The road was still paved with cement bricks, and the buildings to the side seemed to curve around the pathway, like a tunnel of sorts. The prevailing color was that of a gold-brown, ancient and regal. Some griffons wore suits; others, walked around in the nude. Most kept their distance, though they did give a few nods in their direction. A few griffon children even murmured to themselves; they recognized the national heroes easily.

As the palace approached, more details could be seen. Banners, crimson red, hung from the balconies, and on them was the emblazoned form of a fighting griffon. Next to those banners were white and blue ones; on them were depicted various equines fighting alongside their griffon allies.

The pegasus saw something painted on the sides of the columns. As they neared, her mouth broke out into a wide smile.

“No way! That’s so cool!” she exclaimed, pointing a hoof out.

There, on the left and right columns, was a set of murals, depicting the Sombra War in magnificent detail. The Equestria Army and the Griffon Army were beautifully drawn. The latter army wore fierce expressions as they rained down on the undead alicorns, while the former bore grim, determined looks as they charged through the battlefield. It was so accurate that Rainbow was certain that it had to have been drawn at the moment of battle.

She frowned as she saw one missing detail. “Hey! Where are we?”

“We weren’t at the battle, remember?” Twilight responded as Rainbow flew back down.

“Well, yeah, but shouldn’t we have a mural of our own?”

Twilight was about to respond, when another voice did for her. “What, the windows in Canterlot aren’t enough?”

They turned to the source. Rainbow found herself grinning once more. “Gilda!”

The griffon from Rainbow’s childhood nodded, holding a cocky smirk. “In the flesh, dweeb. Took you two long enough to get here.” Twilight blushed in embarrassment while Rainbow gave the griffon a high-hoof.

“Are you here to greet us?” the purple alicorn asked.

Gilda nodded. “Yep, and to show you the way to Gyps.” She puffed out her chest a little bit. “As Captain of the Griffon Guard, it’s my duty to escort all esteemed guests to His Majesty.”

Rainbow laughed. “Wow, you’re really hamming it in, aren’t ya?”

“Hmph. At least I have an actual position in royalty.”

“Gyps? You mean, King Fulvus?” Twilight asked.

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Potato, tomato, egghead.”

“Those aren’t even the same thing—”

“Anyway, Gyps is waiting inside,” she interrupted. “Follow me.”

Turning, she led the way into the palace. After a moment, Rainbow and Twilight followed after her. The palace doors closed shut, leaving behind a still busy marketplace.