Griffonia
Present Day

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He worked tirelessly, from dawn until dusk. He had to make a living somehow; being a carpenter was not an easy job, but it kept him going. He grimaced as his arms protested against any more sort of use; his chest ached badly, but he was used to that now. Since that kind mare had found him, she had nursed him back to health. Her name was Wisp, an older unicorn mare with an aging complexion that told of many hard times, but behind those eyes, there always seemed to be a spark of life. She wasn't a professional doctor by any means, but she had barely managed to save his life. He scratched his head at the memory of her; he still felt that he had not done enough for the mare, even to this day. When he offered her the meager amount of bits he had in his possession after he had recovered, she smiled and said that it wasn't necessary, and that he 'didn't need to worry about it'. Being as stubborn as he was, he refused to leave until he had made it up to the kind mare. For several months, he helped her around the house, doing errands and chores for her. They were happier times for him, which helped him hide the longing and sadness in his heart.

He had left Wisp in the spring time, when the snow had melted and the roads were once again clear to travel. He thanked her profusely and promised to write to her, and with that, began to walk.

He didn't really have any solid destination in mind, but he knew that the further he was from Equestria's borders, the better. After months of travelling, he had found some land that would suit him well to his needs. It was a quiet, peaceful little place, tucked away from the noise and commotion of the world around him. His home certainly wasn't anything fancy, but it was his own little piece of heaven. miles upon miles of fields surrounded his little wooden shack, isolating and gifting him with a sense of privacy.

The sun had started it slow descent into the hills, giving off an array of different hues. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold; the bright colors of the day blending into the dark tones of the sky, while stars twinkled high above. Just seeing the sun fall every day brought him bittersweet memories of the times he had with her. Times where they had held each other close, her soft kisses, and her heart melting smile, just the two of them, enjoying each other's company as the lights of the day had faded away.

But that dream was dead.

As the painful thoughts drifted through his head, he grabbed the axe and hoisted it over is shoulder, which wasn't easy for him anymore.

Wind began to drift through the forest, giving the air a chill that brought goosebumps across his skin. Zipping up his jacket, he turned and began the long trek home.

Tossing and turning, he was seating profusely. The nightmares never seemed to end. It didn't matter how far he ran from them, they always came back for him, ready to prey upon him in his most vulnerable moments. He woke with a start, frantically looking around to see if it was a dream or not; there was nothing but him and the little stuffed bear he had won at a fair some time a go. Sunlight drifted through the shabby curtains, illuminating the room in a pleasant light. A warm gentle breeze came from the window, giving off the calming scent of nature.

He groaned as he rolled out of his bed and stretched. As he scratched his scraggly beard, he knew that it was getting too long for comfort. After thoroughly stretching and allowing himself to adjust to the morning light, he began his usual morning ritual. Grabbing the corners of the bed sheets, he pulled them taunt and tucked them neatly under the bed. That was the first task of the day. The idea of a nice cup of coffee was quite alluring to him, which was what drew him to the kitchen faster than it usually did. Today was a lovely Sunday if he did say so himself. Usually, he relaxed at home with a nice book and enjoyed the views, but then he remembered he need to run a few errands into the town. Minor things, but essentials none the less.

He grasped the warm cup in his hands and slowly brought it to his mouth. Taking a small sip, the strong earthy flavor greeted his lips. There was nothing better, he thought to himself.

A few hours later found himself into the middle of the town square, admiring the scents that drifted from the various stands and bakeries scattered throughout. As he walked along the cobble road, he smiled and greeted some of the townsfolk. They nodded and returned the gesture, and continued on their way. It was a fairly large town, but everyone there knew each other like family. It reminded him a lot of his hometown, with the nature of the people and its surroundings. Trees around them had begun to turn from a bright green to a dull yellow, signaling that autumn was coming. Some of the leaves had already fallen, scattering, scraping, and dancing across the cobblestone roads as the wind blew them in various directions. As he was walking, a sheet from the local paper was caught in the wind and flew into his leg. Curious to see if there was anything happening lately, he picked it up and glanced over it. The last time he read the paper, there wasn't anything too big; just a court trial for drunken fighting at one of the local taverns where several were injured. It was quite an interesting sight to see a mess of ponies, griffins, and the like in a giant brawl from merely a few feet away. It was unfortunate for him, only because a wing flared open and knocked over his drink. Clouds began to form overhead, heralding what seemed to be rain. He walked over to a local cafe and leaned against the wall.

As he opened the paper, what he saw made his heart stop. He hadn't seen her in... years, it must have been. There was a photo of her meeting with the Griffin King, Ironclaw the Fifth. Her giant magenta eyes, her snow white coat...

Pushing that aside, his eyes jumped to the top of the paper to see the headline, and what it was about. His breathing became laboured as he tried to calm himself, all to no avail. The paper was several days old, some of the text faded, but the headline was perfectly clear:

"KING IRONCLAW AND PRINCESS CELESTIA OF THE EQUESTRIAN EMPIRE MEET TO DISCUSS GROUNDBREAKING NEWS"

The capital wasn't very far from here. He was shaking uncontrollably.

"In light of recent events, political tensions have arisen across Equis. This news comes straight from Equestria. Some of our reporters have captured live photos of the Solar Princess lay waste to the major Changeling Colony, not far from Appleoosa. Reportedly, the ground shook for several minutes and the smoke was seen from miles away. Local residents thought this to be a large fire, but were astounded as they arrived on the scene of the attack when they saw only a scorched wasteland remain. According to..."

There was no love in those eyes as he gazed upon the photo of the "kind and fair" ruler. To lay waste to an area as large as that... it wasn't like her... she couldn't have...

He quickly stuffed the article into his pocket, and began to walk at a brisk pace. The wind had suddenly become more colder, like the atmosphere around him suddenly dropped a few degrees. Nervously, he scanned around to see if there was any sign of danger apparent.

As he walked, he noticed a new copy of the local paper was available for purchase. Hastily throwing the money at the vendor, he snatched a copy and took off, to the bewilderment of the vendor. He hastily snapped it open, reading the headline. Now, he wasn't scared. No, he was beyond that. What shook him so deeply to the core that it made every cell in his body quiver, was the headline:

"KING IRONCLAW AND PRINCESS CELESTIA TO TOUR LOCAL TOWNS IN SUPPORT OF..."

He didn't even read the rest. By that time, he was long gone, sprinting down the beaten old cobble road.

It began to rain.

Author's Note

I missed this so much.

I'll edit this later. If you see anything, feel free to point it out.