Tranquility dominated the cool autumn night. So peaceful was the night that even the most hazardous of places gave way to a restful slumber. For those who stayed awake the distant stars painted the magnificent night sky, deep and full. Yet it was here on the edge of a more often insignificant forest where the land's meditation broke from shaking ground. Suddenly a bright explosion rocked the sky, tearing bark from nearby trees and embedding them into the trunks of others.
Amid the epicenter of the brilliant lights stood, rather shakily, a gryphon. The gryphon was unusually big compared to the average found in this land, roughly twice the height and length, and had a more muscular build than that of his lean counterparts. He was covered top to bottom in soot. Through gritted teeth he Inhaled sharply, and coughed madly as he choked from the falling ash. He managed to recover from his fit and started stretching and checking for further injury. For the most part he came out unscathed. His copper feathers on his body were disorganized and poked out every which way but he felt no wounds. He sprained his hindleg but could walk on it. However when he tried to unfold his wings a sharp pain rattled his spine. Looking back at them he noticed his left wing could not fold properly to his back and hung a little loosely. His right wing looked fine at first but anytime he tried to spread it he could only get halfway before he felt intense pain from his wing joint. All in all he could walk, but flying was out of the picture for now. With himself in check he started observing his surroundings.
It was dark, too dark to see in much detail. Despite this it didn't take long to figure that he was in a forest. On his left the trees only grew thicker, yet on his right existed a small, if rather unusual clearing. It was almost as if someone walked through the forest and fell every tree along the way.
The gryphon stumbled out to observe the clearing and made a discovery. Along the ground were two parallel lines of steel rails occasionally crossing over blocks of wood connecting the two. Railroad tracks, the veins of an industrial civilization. This was good news. Following the tracks one way or another will eventually take him to a town where he can start his investigation. With any luck a train may come by and he could hitch a ride. He debated between starting out or camping for the night when his body answered him, hitting him with a wave of exhaustion. Deciding to begin his journey tomorrow the gryphon went back to the edge of the forest. After some time scouting for a comfortable and secure place to sleep the gryphon gave himself into the night and drifted off into the dream realm.
But the gryphon wasn't the only creature awake that night. Far away in a distant town a single pony paced around a large round table.
Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, was confused. She had been up all night in her library wrapped up in her reading. She nearly called it a night before something strange occurred. As she was walking to her room she noticed a soft light emitting from the map room. She peered inside to see the map lit up, a blue light shone over a single location. The map had done many exotic things in the past yet this was, different. Twilight couldn't describe the feeling exactly but something about this event seemed off and it made her uneasy. She made her way over to the map and discovered that the light hovered over the Whitetale woods. She tried to think of explanations for what the map may be trying to tell her. Was it calling her? It never done so like in a way like this. It would usually alert her or her friends and place their cutie marks over the location they needed to travel. What if it was a warning? Was something bad happening?
Twilight's thoughts were interrupted as the light disappeared and the map flickered dead. Before Twlight could react the castle shook and a continuous low rumbling filled the air. Twilight feared an earthquake and made a start towards the door. Before she even took a full stride the shaking stopped.
The map returned and all appeared to be back in order as she inspected it. No longer was there any soft light emitting over any location. Twilight concluded that whatever caused the earthquake the map picked up on it before it happened. This discovery fascinated Twilight, she thought that the map had found a way to predict immediate natural disasters. A new ability for the map and one worth studying in depth. Her stomach turned sour upon examining the location where the light first emitted. Where once there was a clear image of the Whitetale forest, now the image was blurred, fading both in and out of focus. What disturbed Twilight the most was what was not there. Near the center of the forset there wasn't any image projected at all, just the table itself. It was as if someone took a map of Equestria and cut a small hole where the forest was.
Twilight started pacing anxiously around the table. Her mind was filling with every worse possible situation that could have happened ranging from a glitch with the map to the complete existence of that spot being erased. Eventually her mind grew weary causing her to stop. Twilight took a few breaths and started planning her next steps. She took a quill and parchment and started writing a letter to the princesses. If anyone knew what was happening in the realm of Equestria it would be them. She wrote down in great detail the event that transpired. Luckily Twilight already had plans to visit Princess Celestia the following day. Twilight made a mental note to summon her friends tomorrow to discuss what happened and have them keep her updated with any alerts. Finally, although she rather not, Twilight knew she needed to get some sleep herself and headed off to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Princess Luna, ruler of the night, controller of the moon, and guardian of the dream realm. It is there in the dream realm where she was now. So far it was just a routine night for her with only a couple of bad dreams here and there that she quickly resolved. Just about everyone in the land of Equestria experienced peaceful and fulfilling dreams. So quiet was the night that Luna found that she actually had time just to wonder and observe. She even spent some time in her sister's dream to chat and share memories. So when a blinding light shown as Luna was walking through the realm she was caught completely off guard.
After the sudden flash subsided Luna stood face to face with a new door, her preferred method of entering dreams. The door was grand and elegant in design. Small images were carved into the dark wooden door. Luna approached the door with a high state of curiosity as never before had an event like this occurred before her eyes. She raised a hoof and placed it over the carved images. The designs were so smooth and contained such an attention to detail that is she didn't know any better Luna would have said that the door was crafted by an expert carpenter and that this work was his master piece. Luna took a step back to examine the images in detail. A crown, cracked in two, dominated the top part of the door. The lower left side showed a bouquet of shriveled roses as if they haven't ever been nourished. The lower right image was a heart with a texture that made it appeared to be made from stone. Fianally an image rested in the center of all three. The final image detailed an open book with no words but instead a picture of a grass hill with a single large and very old tree.
As Luna examined the door a presence began to swirl around her. It was cold and full of sadness and yet at the same time determination. A tormenting panic started to grow and overcome all other emotions. Luna knew what this was. Whomever rested on the other side of the door was starting to slip into a nightmare, a very bad, unforgiving nightmare. Luna quickly tried to enter into the dream so help the poor soul on the other side only to back off as one of the most shocking thing in her recent memory happened. The door was locked.
Never before did Princess Luna, Guardian of the dream realm, come across a dream she could not enter. She spent the next part of the hour trying to gain access to the dream with no result. All the while the creature on the other side began to suffer more and more. Finally the door vanished all together, signalling the ending of the dream. To say Luna was dumbfounded was an understatement. No explanation she came up with made any sense as to why she couldn't enter that dream. She made a note to keep an eye for that door should it ever appear again. Luna continued her rounds without incident yet with each passing hour her mind returned to that extraordinary enigma of a door. She did this until at last it was time to retire as the new day approached. It was time for the moon to yield to the sun.
A sudden jolt sent the gryphon into the side of the box car. An agonizing pain crawled up his spine as the gryphon once again cursed his failed luck as he glared down at his shattered wing in frustration. He knew he should have been cautious with his entrance into a damaged realm. Yet, the gryphon had an infamous reputation for being a reckless planner. A reputation he had no plans to shake off. The gryphon sighed as he turned his attention back to the moving countryside and delved deeper into his thoughts. His condition put a wrench into his plans in which he hoped that he could accomplish his assignment with minimal interaction with the natives. So much for that idea, if anything his wounded wing sent him down the opposite path he wanted. He needed medical attention, the constant pain snaking its way through his body a consistent reminder. But there was another snag, there was no guarantee that the locals would accept a gryphon let alone know how to treat one. He turned his mind to reflect on his latest observation of this world.
Ponies! The gryphon thought. A chuckle escaped from his beak. He spotted them while walking along the railway and stumbled upon a supply station where a cargo train was currently parked. The gryphon thanked his lucky stars as he sneaked aboard one of the empty box cars. As he opened the door to the car movement caught the corner of his eyes. His mind left for an extended vacation as he stared blankly as two ponies exited the station while giving the engine a final inspection. Now the gryphon had seen many strange and wondrous sights in his time, but sentient multi-colored ponies were a first. He scrambled into the box car before the ponies saw him.
For the next few hours the gryphon treated his injuries to the best of his abilities as well as cleaned the soot off his body. Black particles of ash still clung onto fur and feathers but for the most part he succeeded. He couldn't help but beam in pride as his majestic silver wings were once again put on full display. He extended his right wing as far as he could as he took in the symbol of his gryphon pride, happy that his wing extended farther than the previous night. However, his smile soon turned sour as he once again failed to move his left wing even an inch. He took time to groom his copper fur and preened his feathers while observing the local geography.
With the hours passing by and not a whole lot to do the gryphon took the time to review his next moves. Eventually he would come across a city or town if he stayed on the train which would put him at a high risk of being spotted. He needed to plan for this eventuality as well as solve a lingering problem. Should he expose himself to this realm in hopes of getting some sort of medical treatment? Or should he stick with his original idea of minimal interactions? With each spasm of pain from his left wing he leaned more towards the former. The ponies of this world might not know how to treat him, but they may at least know how to lower the pain. But would the ponies accept what could be a strange creature to this land? What should happen if they don't? What if gryphons did exist here but where enemies with the ponies? The unknowns and risks would have been to great for anyone else to consider. The gyphon, however, was not like the others. He didn't live his life by what ifs, but instead by doing, plus the situation of this world was too important to operate in the shadows which is why he was probably asked to fix the situation in the first place. His supervisors knew what kind of gyrphon he was, if they didn't think he was the right being for the job then they would never send him in this situation. Yes, he would reveal himself to the locals and judge their reactions. Should the worst happen the gryphon had a way out, though it had to be use as a last resort for if he left the realm unfixed...
The gryphon started twisting the bronze vambrace on his left claw. In the center of the brace rested a single emerald which stored energy foreign to the land of Equestria. He could activate the magic inside at any time for any purpose, though it was strictly made as an emergency escape should he either be captured, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to complete his objective. Never had the gryphon needed to use its power, but there is always a first time for everything.
The soft pitter-patter of rain striking against the roof of the box car slowly roused the gryphon from his slumber. A cool breeze brushed against feather and fur as his eyes observed the surroundings. The gryphon, unaware when he had fell asleep, gazed past the rain and absorbed the vastly changed landscape. Gone were the endless forests and grasslands, replaced by rocky outcroppings and towering mountains. The cargo train crawled at a snail's pace, struggling to climb the steep slope.
Sunlight swarmed the land as the rains died out. As the surrounding clouds started to dissipate a city in the near distance revealed its glory. The gryphon awed at the architectural marvel presented in front of him. A sprawling city, flowing with multiple canals and filled with luscious greens had been built on the mountain side and adorned with the finest marble the gryphon had ever seen. Just on the outskirt multiple waterfalls from the mountain fell into artificially made pools in which water flowed through the city and off the edge creating an everlasting mist. At the edge of the city the gryphon spotted tall spires and domes which dominated the city skyline. No two were alike as each sported a different design and size. The towers were attached to an equally majestic structure protected by massive walls of stone. Meticulous carved patterns and images covered the entire complex, not a single inch spared from the attention to detail. If he had to guess the gryphon assumed that someone as grand as a king or queen resided there.
The gryphon started to second guess his plan. It was one thing to reveal himself in a small or isolated location for even if he was a strange creature in this land the most that would come out would be either be rumors or conspiracy theories. A crowed city capital was a completely different monster. If the ponies of the land reacted negatively to his presence there wouldn't be many avenues of escape and the news could very well reach the ears of an influential figure. He shook his head free of the "what ifs" scenarios which plagued his mind. Either way it was best to get off the train now while it was slowed by its climb. If he was found stowing away on a train it could all go very badly for him. Noticing a walking path near the tracks to the right the gryphon took his chance and jumped off the train.
Once he reached the pathway the gryphon stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. This was it, he would find out soon enough how the natives react. He shook the feeling of doubt off his shoulder. He trusted that his boss wouldn't have requested his help if the locals were hostile. Still, several bad first contact memories flooded his brain as he hesitated to take the next step forward. All thoughts ceased as he notice a figure fly overhead. In the sky a pair of golden wings glided towards a lone rain cloud. The pegasus placed their two front hooves on the cloud and, much to the complete shock of the gryphon, started moving it towards a group of flowers.
So not only am I in a world of multi-colored ponies, but also in a land of weather manipulating pegasi. The gryphon thought. Where in the two worlds did you send me?
The sight of the pegasus gave the gryphon more confidence. If it was possible for pegasus to exist in this world there was also an increase of the chance of gryphons existing as well. He may not have to go through the whole "AHH! A new creature!" routine for the first time in many, many years. The gryphon scouted the surroundings for any more peagsi or ponies. Upon finding none an idea started to grow inside his mind. With a smile the gryphon stepped out onto the path and took a deep breath.
"Oi! You there!" the gryphon shouted.
A shocked gasp escaped the pegasus as she struck her hoof against the cloud. A bolt of lightning shot out and raced towards the wide eyed gryphon. With no time to react he held his ground, gasping for breath as the bolt missed him by mere inches. Looking back at his singed tail the gryphon's eyes narrowed as he slowly processed what just happened.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"
The gryphon turned to face his would be electrocutioner. The mare started to quickly make her way towards the gryphon. The mare sported fur of a soft golden color. Her mane was a solid mixture of green and blue, closely resembling celeste in color with a single purple flower attached near her ear. The feature which stood out the most to the gryphon were her eyes. The mares magenta eyes were ginormous to the point he could have sworn it took up half her face.
To the mare's credit, if she saw the glaring daggers thrown her way she took no notice as she approached without hesitation in her step. Concern gleamed off the pegasus as she not only glanced at the gryphon's scorched feathers, but at the limply hanging wing as well. Intimidation found a foothold within her as she started staring at the oversize gryphon as a whole. Intimidation turned into fear when her eyes met the rage filled eyes staring right back.
"What was that?" The gryphon growled.
"S-sorry, I really didn't m-mean for that to happened. You star-"
"What in the two worlds was that?!"
"T-two wor-"
"Did you just shoot lightning at me?!"
"Ye-"
"You just shot a bolt of lightning at me!"
"I'm s-"
"An entire bolt of pure electric death was just shot at me!"
"Uh..."
"What the hell kind of place is this where a simple greeting carries the risk of electrocution!"
The gryphon took a deep breath. The feeling of boiling blood subsided as he took in the sight of the pitiful pegasus. She no longer stood but laid on the ground. Ears folded back and hooves covering eyes as she shook with terror. The gryphon let out a sighed with guilt. It wasn't as if the pony had tried to harm him on purpose, nor did he mean to direct his anger towards her. The lightning bolt had taken the gryphon completely off guard and in the effort of rebuilding it, took out all of his anger on an apologetic mare. Not the best first impression. Taking a knee the gryphon leveled his gaze to match the that of the cowering pony.
"What's your name?" the gryphon asked.
The mare opened her eyes as the soft spoken voice and gazed into the now gentle look of the gryphon's dual golden orbs.
"Uh...S-Summer. Summer Rain." Summer said.
"Summer Rain," the gryphon repeated. "Well Summer, allow me to apologize for startling you."
The gryphon saw Summer's body visibly relax as she continued to blankly stare at him. Several moments passed before Summer slowly returned to her hooves, slightly shaking though not as bad as before. She continued to stare into the soft gaze of the gryphon, replacing the terror in her eyes with that of concern as her heartbeat slowed down, her system no longer flushed with adrenaline.
"I'm uh..." she started. "I'm sorry about the whole lightning thing."
The gryphon smiled. "I'll accept your apology if you accept mine in return."
"Deal," said Summer.
Summer held out a hoof to the gryphon. The gryphon gawked at the hoof for a moment before holding out his claw to grasp it, slowly shaking it up and down. The action caused the kindhearted mare to let out a giggle. The gryphon tilted his head in curiosity but did not pursue the matter. Several silent moments passed between the gryphon and the mare before the latter decided to break the ice with her own question.
"So, what is your name?" asked Summer.
The gryphon grinned widely at the question. He came from a culture with an entire different naming custom and always enjoyed the reactions he would received. The gryphon straightened his back and puffed out his chest. He raised a single claw off the ground as he tilted his head upwards in proclamation.
"I am Silver Arrow which Streaks across the Midnight Sky!" he shouted to the heavens.
"Oh, you mean like a shooting star?"
A tail drooped, shoulders dropped, and head hung low as the gryphon processed what was asked. Typically responses to his name were less nonchalant much more befuddled, though he did see what Summer meant.
"Yes, very similar to a shooting star," said the gryphon. "Although, you may refer to me as Silver Streak instead. It is the most common of ways others call me."
Summer nodded in confirmation. "Nice to meet you Silver Streak. If you don't mind me asking, what brings a gryphon to Canterlot?"
Canterlot? Canterlot. Why does that name sound so familiar? Silver Streak thought. He angled his head towards the nearby city. Still, good to know that gryphons do indeed exist in this universe.
"To be honest, I've been traveling for a while and was hoping to get some rest," said Silver. Not the complete truth, though it was more than enough that the mare needed to know.
Summer studied the gryphon for a moment. She cringed as her eyes met the blackened end of the gryphon's singed tail, a reminder of what she nearly did to him. Her eyes gradually made their way back towards his wings and settled on the tattered remains of his left wing.
"I don't think rest will do much for that," Summer said, gesturing towards the lame wing.
Silver Streak glanced back at his wing in frustration. He wished he could simply blow off the injury as something minor, but it was an impossible feat to pull with the tangled mess. He looked back at Summer who moved closer to examine his wing. He could see the horrified look in her eyes as she did. He shifted his head away from the pony.
"Rest is about all I can do for it at the moment," Silver Streak said.
"Nonsense! After all, you are right outside Canterlot, home of the finest doctors for all creatures. Come on, I'll show you the way!" Summer said.
Silver Streak squawked in surprise as Summer started dragging him towards the grand city. He nearly started a protest but closed his beak before a word escaped. He figured it wasn't the best time to look a gift horse in the mouth. Literally in this case! Instead, he would use this to his advantage to get the treatment he needed. As for how he would pay for the expenses? Well... If need be he did have a couple tricks up his wings. He just hoped he wouldn't have to harm the kind mare in anyway. Speaking of...
"Thanks," Silver Streak said.
Summer merely smiled back.
"This can't be happening! Not now! Why now!"
Twilight Sparkle frantically paced back and forth causing two nearby friends to stare with rising concern. Rarity, a snow white unicorn with a purple styled mane, and Applejack, an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and brown stetson, attempted to try and calm down the panicking purple pony.
"Twilight, darling, perhaps you could ease up a little on the pacing?" asked Rarity.
"Yeah, I get that ya all hyped up at the moment and everything, but all ya pacin' is starting to rattle us all up sugarcube." said Applejack.
Twilight stopped in her tracks and glanced at her two friends apologetically. She turned and walk back to the map. The day had gone as far away from her initial plans as they possibly could have. Twilight hoped that she could have called all of her friends together to discuss the event from last night, yet only two could be here at the moment. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had been called by the map and set out earlier that morning on a friendship quest. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found, even Starlight Glimmer left for a surprise visit to see Sunburst. Speaking of Rainbow...
"Have either of you seen Rainbow Dash recently?" Twilight asked.
Applejack shook her head while Rarity let out a sheepish chuckle.
"I'm afraid Rainbow is uh... *Ahem* how do I say this? Experiencing that time of the year," Rarity explained.
Twilight tilted her head at Rarity. Realization soon dawned upon her as she slammed her head on the table in disgust, not at Rainbow of course, but rather at her current situation.
"Really? Why me?" Twilight started rubbing her temples with her hooves. "Why now at all times?"
"Now now darling. You still have Applejack and I here to help," Rarity said.
"Yeah Twi, why don't you tell us whats got ya all worked up," Applejack said.
Twilight lifted her head and took a deep breath. Her friends were right, they might not all be here but she could still count on her two friends that were. After another deep breath she began recalling the event from last night, all the while keeping an eye on her friends. They started out with curious expressions, once Twilight got to the part explaining the earthquake the curious gazes were overtaken with shock, followed by confusion as Twilight finished her story. Both Applejack and Rarity then moved to observed the map, specifically the area where Twilight mentioned she saw the light and gap.
"I don't know sugarcube, everything seems fine now," Applejack said.
Indeed it appeared that way. Twilight noticed when she first woke up that the map reverted back to normal, almost as if last night didn't happen at all. Yet something in Twilight's mind nagged at her. Something about the whole thing didn't seem right to her. She gave thought that it could have been a one time thing, an anomaly, but she couldn't shake the feeling there was something more.
"I know Applejack, but something tells me this won't be the last time something like this happens. And what if the next time it does its worse than before? Or what if it hits a populated area? Or what if-" Twilight ceased as she felt a hoof land on her back. She glanced over and met the calming gaze of Applejack's eyes.
"Easy there sugarcube, no sense on getting yourself worked up for something out of your control," Applejack said.
"She's right darling, there's not much we can really do at the moment. Although, if it will put you at ease, Applejack and I can keep an eye on the map while you're away," Rarity said.
Twilight sighed. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she let a smile encompass her face as she was reminded what great friends she truly had.
"Are you girls sure? I know how busy you two are and I could always put off my trip unt-"
"Now there will be non of that now! Applejack and I are both quite capable of keeping up with both our tasks as well as observing the map. Isn't that right Applejack?" Rarity asked.
"Yup!" Applejack replied.
Twilight trotted over and pulled both of her friends into a tight hug. How could she have gone through life without them? They were simply the greatest friends she could ask for. The hug was held for several seconds as Applejack and Rarity gave all the support they could muster for their friend in need. Afterwards Rarity lowered her head and started pushing Twilight towards the door.
"Leave everything to us darling, we got it covered. Now go, you don't want to keep Princess Celestia waiting all day now," Rarity said.
"Thanks girls! And please, let me know if anything happens," Twilight said.
"We will, now go enjoy yaself ya hear?" Applejack replied.
With that Twilight turned and gave her friends a final wave before heading out the door. As she exited the Castle Twilight took in the peaceful atmosphere of Ponyville. Letting out a content sigh she unfurled her wings and took flight towards the nearby city of Canterlot.
Today was going to be a good day.
Author's Note
I did it! HAHA I actually did it! I got past my stupid bit of writers block! You all have no idea how much I was struggling trying to get past that. I basically spent an entire month on one little spot trying to find my way past. I owe a huge huge HUGE thank you to my cousin whom, despite not even liking the show at all, read and suggested ideas to help me get past it. In fact, there is even a line in this chapter that came straight from him.
Hopefully now I won't have a similar bout and be able to continue the story much more smoothly. Prepare yourselves for the next chapter as we are gonna get our first taste of action. So with everything said I leave you in order to begin on chapter 3: Inferno.
