Fractured Spirit

Chapters

Griffonstone and Current Goals
The Start
Plans and Tests
Reason To Fly

Griffonstone and Current Goals

Fractured Spirit

Chapter 3

Gold stared at the horizon with a small tin cup in his claws. He sipped from his cup a few times and flicked his tail with a hum.

“Had enough to drink?” Gabby sat down next to Gold with her own cup in hand.

“Yeah,” he murmured. He leaned back with one arm rested at his side. “I’m good.” The sun began to set behind the pair as the bright-orange sky making a slow transition into nightfall. They sat on a large boulder near the edge of a rocky island. The island resembled a small mountain covered in patches of moss, with the pair atop a steep hill with Gabby’s Shack just behind them. Gold’s cloak swayed in the wind as he remained still with the hood down. In the distance, dark clouds formed along the horizon. Gold’s chest tightened as the realization of his travels draw near.

Gabby took a sip before she spoke. “Are you ok, Gold?”

Gold gulped down the rest of his drink before he sat the cup down at his side. “I’m fine.” His right wing quivered a bit before he reached over and scratched it with a claw. “Just thinking.”

“Whatcha thinking about?” Gabby chirped.

“Everything,” he whispered. He paused and turned his gaze to Gabby, taking in her features. “Honestly, I’m just feeling a bit nervous.”

“About living in Griffonstone?” she asked with a raised brow.

Gold shook his head and continued to scratch his wing. He started near the base of the feathers at his shoulder and traced out to the tip. “It’s what you said that’s been bothering me. Griffonstone, Ponyville, this whole situation with the shapeshifters. It makes this journey a bit worrying for me.”

She hummed and watched Gold mess with his feathers before she spoke. “Why are you coming out to Griffonstone?”

Gold gave the tip of his wing one hard scratch and let out a low groan. “Personal problems.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Is it something I can help you with?”

“I wish you could help me.” He folded his wings back to his side, it twitched, and he flung open his wing again. “Ugh, this one spot,” he mumbled.

“Something wrong with your wing?” She leaned over to him.

“It’s just really itchy,” he murmured. “I had this oil I was supposed to use for my wings, but I left it back in Eroza.” He began to frown and scratched deep near the tip of his wing. “Crap!” The feathers around the wound in his wings became stained in blood, but he managed to let out a mild sigh.

“You ok?” She reached out to grab his wing.

“Ah!” He snapped his wing back and stood up. “It’s fine Gabby, just broke the skin a little.”

“But you just hurt yourself,” she reassured, reaching out to his wing again. “Let me see it.”

Gold stepped back and waved a claw. “It’s fine, really.”

“No, it’s not. It could get infected.” She huffed and puffed out her cheeks. “Let. Me. See.”

“Look, I’ll take care of it.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, rainbow-colored, diamond-shaped vial in his left claw. “It’s why I have this.”

Gabby raised a brow. “What’s that?”

“A magic potion that speeds up the healing process.” He swapped it between claws, popped the cork off and dabbed it in left claw. “Now all I,” he paused and noticed a distinct lack of fluids. “No, no!” he hissed.

His beak hung open at the empty vial in his claw. “I thought I had more,” he grumbled and stuck the vial back in his bag. “Glare said,” he began then glanced at Gabby who’s had stepped back from his outburst.

“Gold, what’s wrong? Did you run out of your potion?” She took slow steps towards him.

“Y-yeah.” He clenched his beak and turned away. “I’m just surprised. All I needed was a drop, but it looks like there’s nothing left!” he sneered. “This is terrible.”

“Gold, just let me take care of your wing.” With a quick grab, she latched onto his wing, one claw on his shoulder and one at the very tip. “I just want to help.”

Gold turned to glare at Gabby but when she began to work on it with a light touch, he remained quiet. After Gabby looked over the wound, she dashed to her shack just behind the boulder, and retrieved her first-aid kit. When she returned, Gold watched her dress his wounds and wrapped it up with a few bandages. For a few minutes Gabby looked over her handiwork and the rest of his wing. “Gold, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” He watched Gabby with unease as she stared at a single spot above the shoulder of his wing. “What do you want to know?”

Gabby slid her claws across a small patch of feathers; under the feathers were scars that streaked down from his wing. Further down, she followed the scars as they curved around his neck. “How did you get these scars?” she whispered.

Gold brushed her claws away, frowning as he tucked his wings in. “Scars?”

“Yeah, you have a lot of scars on your wing down to your neck.” Her eyes trailed up to his. “Did you get into a fight with a monster like a bugbear or a manticore?”

He rubbed the side of his neck and felt the rough skin below. “I don’t know what they are, but I don’t remember getting attacked by anything.” He lowered his head and whispered, “Unless I got these scars before I entered Eroza?”

She sat in front of him. “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing, Gabby. Or at least nothing I can recall.” He walked around her and hopped off the boulder. As he neared the island’s rocky edge, he peered into the distance. “Hey Gabby, how long until we reach Griffonstone?”

Gabby approached Gold on his right side and peered into the distance with him. “If we rest now, and leave early in the morning, we can expect to reach Griffonstone in the evening.”

“Good,” he sighed. “Good. Once, we leave from here we’ll be in Griffonstone eh?” He pulled his wings through the openings in his cloak and rested flat on his stomach. With his arms crossed, he rested his head, and closed his eyes. “The sooner I get to Griffonstone, the faster everything will fall in place. I can feel it.”

Gabby tapped her talon again the hard, mossy surface. “What kind of personal problem would make you come out to this dangerous side of Equestria?”

Gold glanced at Gabby, with his eyelids half-lidded, and the corners of his beak curved down. “To find the truth,” he declared, “to find the truth about everything that happened to me. To be honest, I feel like I’m still dreaming.”

Gabby tilted her head and touched her beak with a talon. “Well, what happened to you?”

“Something truly unbelievable that I couldn’t even begin to explain. Don’t concern yourself with it Gabby.” He rested his head back on his claws and sighed.

“Well, you know if you ever need help with anything, you come to me,” she smiled.

“Noted,” he nodded. “I think I’m going to sleep out here for tonight.” His eyes felt heavy when he closed them.

“Are you sure?”

With one arm he pulled his hood down and tucked the cloak’s edges under his body. “I’m sure, Gabby.”

“Well,” she turned around and gave Gold one last glance, “the door is always open.” Gabby grabbed their cups off the boulder and headed into her shack.

“You’re kind Gabby,” he whispered. The gentle echo of the ocean waves filled his ears with peace as slumber embraced him.

“You know,” Gold shouted as the wind howled in his ears, “once we get on land, I’m never flying over water again.”

Gold and Gabby locked claw in claw as they pushed through the heavy winds and the occasional blast of thunder. The sky, coated in grey clouds with heavy rain poured upon them. While Gabby maneuvered in harsh weather, timing her wingbeats, and adjusting to the shifts in wind, Gold had no such inclinations. He teetered, drifted, and often slipped trying to keep hold onto Gabby’s claws.

“Just hang on! We’re almost there! Ah! Do you see it!?”

The pair continued their rise as they flew over several mountains, passed over a deep gorge, and crossed a long winding path to a split mountain with a giant, leafless tree sitting at the top on one side.

Gold squinted. “Is that it!? The mountain with that tree and houses on it?”

Gabby stared at her home and kept quiet for a moment before replying. “Yup! That’s… home!”

As they drew closer, Gold began to shiver as the finer details became apparent. Most of the buildings built on the branches and around the base of the tree were dilapidated. Some buildings were destroyed except for a large, slender, tower like structure near the top. The streets were no better as many suffered uneven paving, piles of rubble, and all manner of objects from torn books to branches scattered everywhere.

To Gold’s surprise, several griffons going about their business in the downpour. Some perched upon buildings and dead trees with their wings spread out, and others wandering around. He even noticed a few griffons fighting in a large puddle of mud near a broken-down statue that they passed over. The echoes of squawks and screeches pierced through the rain and none of the griffons in the area seemed interested in breaking it up.

“I was not expecting this…” Gold whispered.

“Are you ok, Gold? You’re shivering a bit.”

Gold’s grip began to loosen up as they approached an area with the least amount of ruined buildings. Most of the buildings resembled bird-houses in design with a few exceptions. The roofs were made from straw and loose sticks, and the rest of the structures made from a white-grey wood. The doorframes on almost all the homes were painted either red or blue.

They came down to a road with two set of houses on each side. One side, closer to the edge of the mountain had one building that stood amongst the ruins. While the other had maintained homes which still showed signs of falling apart, with window panes coming off the hinges or gaping holes in the roof. Gold’s chest tightened when they approached one home, which had windows with holes taped up and a door with many locks on it. When Gold’s feet touched the wet, straw-covered ground and let his claws side off her wrists, he continued to watch the other griffons around them.

Gabby hovered over to the door and pulled out a keychain from her bags and began to unlock each lock in a hurry. “We’re just going to stop here for a bit. I’m sure you want to know a bit more about Griffonstone before you,” she gulped and pushed the door open with a groan, “get settled in.”

Gold joined Gabby while keeping his eyes trained his surroundings. He also noticed a few griffons perched on nests on top of those homes, staring at the pair.

Gabby tossed her bags in a small barrel next to the door and began to shake herself dry. Gold groaned and closed his eyes until she stopped, his head further soaked in water. “You should probably take that cloak off so you can dry yourself,” Gabby offered, while waiting for Gold to enter.

Upon entering and wiping the excess water off his face and body, Gabby slammed the door shut and began to fasten the locks on the door. With the sound of locks rattling and twisting behind Gold, he began to examine the home.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. Something was dead in this room as he began to sniff for the source. The room was illuminated from the low light coming through the windows. A large tree stump sat at the center of a smooth wooden floor, with various dishes either tipped over, broken, and filled with some unknown substance. There was a faded, grey, table cloth underneath the dishes but was torn in some places and had numerous spots speckled on it. He was sure it was white at some point. Even the number of stools surrounding the table were either broken or needed repairs.

There were tons of smaller bird houses that were placed all around the room, some were carved out of the walls and some dangled from the ceiling by strings. Barrels were scattered all over the floor, ranging from small to large and a few of them were open. To his left was an area he presumed was the kitchen with a carved out wooden counter. A large black cauldron sat above a firepit next to the counter. Next to the counter was tons of bird houses stacked on top each other. Each had either a jar or bottle of some sort or a small box. The counter had various, wood-carved, kitchen utensils in poor condition; except a few.

A bookshelf sat to his right with all the books tucked in place. Right above the tree stump was a hammock filled with cooking utensils like pots and pans, and near the back was three doors. The door off to the right was cracked open while the other two were shut.

Gold took a few steps forward, his nose sniffing for the offending smell as he looked around. “Sorry about the mess,” Gabby strolled to the kitchen and began to rummage through the small bird houses. “Gilda probably forgot to clean up again.”

“Gilda?” Gold questioned. “Oh, the friend you mentioned on the way here.” As he approached the table, he picked up a cracked vase that sat on the floor. “Ugh,” he whispered. A dead rat appeared to be half eaten, laying on its back, with its putrid smell greeting Gold’s nose. “Found out what that smell was,” he muttered.

“Found what? Oh…” Gabby returned and placed two bowls filled with a green, mushy like substance on the tree stump table. “That’s probably Gilda’s food. Just leave it there, she’ll get it.”

“Huh,” was Gold’s reply. Gold placed the vase back and sat next to Gabby, his stool creaked. She brushed aside some dishes and winced when a few hit the floor with a bang.

After Gabby pushed Gold’s bowl in front of him and began to eat. “What’s this?” He winced at the sour smell that tickled his nose. He leaned in closer and noticed pink noodles wriggling inside the mush. “Smells and looks… interesting.”

After she finished scarfing down her meal, Gabby chirped, “Cold worm porridge.” She leaned back and licked stray droplets off her beak. “That’s the ticket,” she grinned.

Gold leaned back and pushed his bowl away with a talon. “I’m not sure if-“ A loud growl echoed throughout the room.

“What was that!?” Gabby glanced around room with a raised brow.

“Probably something from outside.” He pulled back the bowl.

“Wait…” Gabby turned to Gold, tilting her head as she watched him start to eat from his bowl. “Was that your stomach?”

“Nah, probably something from outside,” he repeated though his stomach lurched from the taste. “So, we’re here in Griffonstone, eh?” he said after swallowing a large glob of the porridge. “What can you tell me about this place before I leave tomorrow?”

Gabby crossed her arms on the table. She glared at Gold for a moment, before her expression softened. With a sigh, she faced the window across the room and stared at the weather outside. “What do you want to know?” Her voice soft and wistful.

Gold sighed and pulled his cloak off and dropped it to his side, landing with a squish. As he ran his claw through his head feathers, he kept silent. Gold frowned as he watched Gabby stare at the window. He raised he claw with an open beak but said nothing. Instead, he leaned back in the stool, cleared his throat and kept his tone leveled.

“So, who do I talk to for purchasing a home?”

“Y-you’ll have to find one for yourself,” she stammered.

“Find one for myself? Like, find a spot of land or vacant home?” He mused, “Doesn’t sound too hard.”

“You might end up taking someone’s home,” she whispered.

He raised a brow. “Uh, can you say that a bit lo-

“Who are you!?” a feminine voice demanded.

A griffon with its body low approached Gold from the shadows in the back. “Gabby, did he sneak in? Cause if he did, he’s dead.” As the griffon got closer, Gold saw its amber eyes pierce into his.

He scrambled off the stool and held his claws up. “Just wait a minute. I came here with Gabby!”

The griffon flinched when Gabby stepped in front of her, eyes determined. “Wait, Gilda! He’s with me, I brought him here.”

“What?” Gilda glanced between the two, but she held her focus on Gold’s eyes. “You know what, hang on.” Gilda retreated to the back, going into the middle door and returned with a lantern and dropped with a bang on the table.

Gilda sported white feathers from her head down to her neck, the with rest of her body a light brown. She had a golden-yellow beak and claws, three feathers protruding from the top of her head, each tipped with purple. She even had purple marks over her eyes with three points that curved up.

Gold watched her anxiously as she walked around him, and picked up the rat inside the vase. She sat down directly across from Gold, her arms resting on the stump with the rat in her claw and stared at him. “Explain,” she cautioned.

Gold glanced at Gabby who gave him a sheepish smile. “Right.” He sat back on the stool and kept his eyes on Gilda. Gabby returned to her seat as well and would often glance between him and Gilda. “So, my name is-“

“Not that, idiot,” Gilda cut in and tapped on the table, “explain your eyes.”

His heart pounded in his chest. “Pardon?”

Gilda slammed her fists onto the stump. “Your eyes, doofus!” Gold flinched and teetered on the stool. “Why are they so bright in the dark? Are you a shapeshifter!?”

“N-no! Why would you say that?” The pounding in his chest magnified and his body started to feel like a furnace. “My eyes are just like that.”

“Is that right?” Gilda glanced over to Gabby who nodded. She turned back to Gold, slapped the crushed rat into her beak and swallowed it whole, with her eyes still trained on him. “Well, I’m not so certain. Last time I checked; shapeshifters have eyes that are bright in the dark. Your eyes better just glow naturally, because if you are a shapeshifter.” Gilda leaned onto the table; her scowl deep. “I. Will. Kill. You.”

“Understood,” he said and sighed. “But I am no shapeshifter, I can promise you that.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Gilda waved her claw and turned to Gabby. “Now for you.”

Gabby flinched. “Y-yeah?”

“Why did you bring him here?”

Gabby rubbed her arm and turned away. “I thought this would be a good place for him to stay until he gets his own place.”

Gilda gawked at Gold. “What?”

Gold rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “Look, I came from far out east near Eroza. I wanted to do some personal research and I needed a place close enough to the locations I had in mind. Griffonstone was ideal for my purposes.”

“And it just so happened that we met up,” Gabby chirped. “He needed some help getting here so I helped him out, we travelled and here we are.”

“So, let me get this straight.” Gilda rubbed her temples. “You came all the way out to Griffonstone to do some research?”

“Pretty much.” He nodded.

Gilda turned to Gabby. “And you brought him here to stay until he finds his own place?”

“Yup.”

“If it’s a problem I can leave,” Gold stated.

Gilda pointed at Gold. “As long as you don’t plan on staying too long.”

“Don’t worry, I plan on leaving tomorrow morning.” Gold gestured to Gabby. “She was telling me how to get my own place.”

Gilda raised a brow and turned to Gabby. “Oh, and what did she say?”

“Well, I was going to buy a home, but she said I should find one.” Gilda perked up. “Do I need to find an empty home or someone who’s selling their home or something like that?”

“I’m going to assume you’ve never-“ Gilda raised and flexed two talons on each claw, “-lived in Griffonstone at all, because you’ll never find a home here. You got to claim your territory.”

“Claim my territory? Wait, so there’s no free space available here or-“

“Look, if you want to a place to stay in Griffonstone, you need to claim your territory.” Gilda gestured around the home. “This place here, is my territory,” she paused, and glanced between herself and Gabby, “at least for now. Since this is my territory, I’ll have to defend it from time to time. More so since the whole shapeshifter situation started.”

“So, unless you are too weak to do that, you’ll never get your own place in Griffonstone.” Gilda leaned forward with her claw held out. “Since you don’t know anything about Griffonstone, you could just give me the bits you were going to use and stay here.”

Gold waved his claw with a shrug. “No thanks. I need total privacy unfortunately. I’ll take my chances.” Gilda frowned. She wiggled her claw a bit, staring at Gold. Gold turned to Gabby who stared into the table with her head down. “Gabby, is something wrong?”

Gabby looked up at Gold with a frown and with a single shake of her head she went back over to the kitchen area. “Well, I like talking to you. I mean, well you are the only griffon who really listened to my whole story about me and my friends.”

She continued, “It’s been a while since I’ve talked to another griffon like that. It really boosted my spirits!” Gabby turned back to Gold with a wide smile and picked up a can of beans. “Plus, you aren’t unfriendly like the other griffons so having another griffon I can relate to is refreshing. I’m just going to miss seeing you around once you leave.”

Gilda smirked at Gabby, and watched as she rummaged through the birdhouses. “She’s lying. She’s just upset that you won’t ruffle her feathers.”

Gabby fumbled with a can.

“Ruffle her feathers?” Gold placed a single talon on his lower beak. “What do you mean by that?”

Gilda snickered while Gabby glared back at her. “Well, you’ll find out once you two share a nest.”

“Gilda!” Gabby fumed.

Gilda slammed a claw on the table as she laughed.

“Yeah,” Gold deadpanned and crossed his arms. “Anyways, I’ll be out of your way tomorrow. Is there anything else I need to know about Griffonstone since I plan on staying here?”

Gilda rubbed her chin and glanced out the window. “If you get a home, you’d better get some locks for your doors. Griffons have no problems entering your home and kicking you out while you sleep. If you want food, go hunt if you can find anything or buy some of my griffon scones. They are the best in the kingdom,” Gilda smirked. “There are other things I should tell you, but you’d be better off learning the hard way unless you got some bits for me to continue?”

“Are you serious?”

“If you got any bits, I’ll answer that. I know you do.” Gilda flexed her claws in front of Gold. “Because this last piece of advice will be worth it.”

Gold grumbled and reached over to his bags. “I suppose I should.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll cover for you Gold.” Gabby walked to the barrel she dropped her saddlebags in and pulled out a couple of bits. She sat back in her seat and dropped the bits into Gilda’s claws.

Gold cast Gabby a sideways glance and refrained from raising his claw. Gilda made a wide grin as she began to tap the bits together. Satisfied with the sharp, metallic, noise they made; she dropped the bits in front of her. “No refunds.”

She turned back to Gold. “If there’s one piece of advice I can give you it’s this: bits mean everything in Griffonstone. If you want a griffon to do anything for you, you better have the bits to back it up. Since things are bad here, you might find desperate griffons that will do anything for bits.”

Gilda stared at the bits in front of her, unblinking and focused. “Stealing is a big one, but griffons won’t try if they know you don’t have bits. Some griffons will try to sell you stuff for bits so you should be wary of that. Be careful of some griffons you ask help from. Depending on how many bits you offer, they may try to ask for more work from you. Those griffons can be really annoying.”

“The most important part of this, would be to avoid griffons who offer you bits for doing something for them.” Gilda leaned forward with a talon pointed at Gold. “Those griffons want you to do something shady. Avoid them if you know what’s good for you and please don’t feed any begging griffons.”

“Gilda!” Gabby scolded. “Don’t say that.”

“If they are too lazy to hunt for themselves then they are a waste of space.”

Gold grimaced, “I’ll keep all this in mind.” He let out a wide yawn and stretched a bit. “Oh, this is a question that I’ve been pondering about. Have there been any shapeshifter attacks in Griffonstone?”

Both Gabby and Gilda paused and went silent. Gold glanced between the two with Gilda glaring at him. “Yeah, there was an attack here, but I don’t want to talk about it,” Gilda cautioned. With that, she snatched up her lantern, bits, and headed towards the back. “I’m going back to bed. I’ll see you losers later.” With the sound of a door slammed, both Gabby and Gold were left in near darkness.

“Must have been a bad attack?” Gold said with a hint of concern.

Gabby sighed, “Yeah, but it was only one incident a few months ago. Greta, a friend of Gilda’s was attacked by a shapeshifter.” Gabby returned to her seat with a lit candle and a bowl full of beans.

“Do the ponies know about this? Was the shapeshifter caught? Is Greta alright?” Gold inquired. “You didn’t mention this before.”

“I was hoping you would change your mind once we get here so I didn’t bother to tell you.” She traced a claw along the bow, with her other claw rested under her chin and downcast eyes. “Also, I may have exaggerated on a few things about Griffonstone.”

“Gabby, I am here now, and my decision has not changed.” Gold reached out to Gabby, but stopped just inches away from her arm. Gabby glanced up at Gold. Right before he could pull his arm away, she grabbed his claw.

“Please leave Griffonstone, Gold,” she pleaded. “It’s not safe here. The shapeshifter that attacked Greta escaped. It could still be somewhere in Griffonstone.”

“What?” Gold recoiled. “Are you serious?”

Gabby nodded. “The shapeshifter hurt many griffons in the attack, but Greta had it the worst. Its true form was a changeling from what Gilda told me. During its attack, it used magic and messed up Greta’s eyes. She’s practically blind now.”

“That’s terrible,” Gold whispered.

“Please Gold, leave Griffonstone while you still can.” Gabby tightened her grip on his claw. “This really isn’t the best place to do your research.”

“I can’t, Gabby,” he insisted. “I simply can’t. Not yet anyways. I did say I would stay here for a little while, hopefully. If my research goes well and I don’t have any problems, I’ll be gone soon enough.” Gold smiled for a moment. “Though I’m rather happy you took the time to try and protect me. Don’t worry about me Gabby. As a Cutie Mark Crusader, you’ve helped me plenty.”

Gold glanced out to the window and was greeted to darkness and rain outside. “You should get some rest.” Gold slipped from her grasp and made his way to a barrel filled corner next to the entrance. He flexed his wings, stretched, then rested on the floor with his wings tucked in and one long yawn. “I know I need mine.”

“Well, if you say so. I’m glad I could help you,” A smile grew on her face. “Just be careful in Griffonstone.” She went back to eating her beans.

Gold rested his head on his claws and closed his eyes. As he listened to the heavy downpour of rain upon the home, he assessed his current situation. He hummed a little and flicked his tail as he listened to the pattering rain and the light rattle of a bowl.

When Gold cracked open his eyes and saw Gabby sit her empty bowl on the counter, he spoke. “Gabby.” She looked down at Gold just as she went to back grab the candle. “Can I ask you a few things before you go?”

“Sure.” She sat down in front of Gold with the candle placed between them.

Gold stared into the candle, uncertain if he should ask the question. With a glance at Gabby, who has eager eyes, he spoke up. “Are there other ways to find out if someone you know is a shapeshifter? I’m aware that shapeshifters have distinct eyes and a certain feeling you get when you see them, but are there other clues?”

“It’s hard to say.” Gabby rubbed the back of her neck. “From what I know, at least from the news I got from Ponyville, is that the shapeshifters can act just like the normal creature that they took the form of.”

Gabby sat on all fours with her arms crossed. “Before Princess Twilight was attacked, the shapeshifter ponies were residents of Ponyville.” Gabby squinted at the flame on the candle. “There’s more stuff out there but the eyes are the best way to find them. At least during the night. But even with the shine in those eyes, the feeling that someone gets when looking into those eyes are key.”

Gabby yawned as she continued. “Fear is common with all the ponies who have looked into a shapeshifter’s eyes. That fear is present even during the day. Princess Twilight emphasized the fear they give off.”

“Did you fear me when you looked into my eyes during that night?”

Gabby shook her head and smiled. “Nope. I didn’t feel it at all. Maybe if we didn’t talk, I probably would have been more suspicious. But I didn’t feel any fear.” Gabby chuckled. “Honestly, I forgot all about it when I started helping you, and when I saw your eyes, I was just surprised. That and I’ve never actually seen a shapeshifter’s eyes.”

Gabby paused for a moment then looked up at Gold. “Are you really not a shapeshifter? I never met a griffon with eyes that shine like yours. It is suspicious.”

Gold sighed and in one quick motion, he pulled a large thin book paired with a quill out of his left saddlebag. “Do I have to put this in writing?”

“Oh no, you don’t have to.” Gabby waved her claws. “I’m sorry for saying that.”

Gold tucked his utensils away and shook his head. “I understand Gabby. I really do, don’t feel sorry for being suspicious.” Gold hummed. “In any case, here is my next question. Will I have any problems if I tried to visit Ponyville? I suspect with how my eyes are, they would be very cautious of me. Would I be able to visit with little to no incident?”

“You shouldn’t have any problems at least during the day, but I don’t think they will let you in without taking that test.”

“Test?”

“Yup. The guards in Ponyville have some sort of test they use to see who a shapeshifter is or not. They mainly use it on some creature they think is a shapeshifter or those who want to see Princess Twilight.” Gabby raised a single talon on her claw. “Especially for anyone trying to see the princess.” Gabby pointed at Gold. “You don’t need to see the princess, do you?”

“Nope, no reason to.” Gold shrugged. “I just need a library and I’m set, which is why I’m going there anyways.”

Gabby smiled. “Then you shouldn’t have any problems. Just, uh, don’t wear your cloak with your hood on. I think the residents will find that very suspicious.”

“I’ll keep this in mind,” Gold nodded. “Thank you so much for all of this Gabby. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

“It’s no problem at all. Any other questions I can answer?”

“Well, there are two more.” Gold reached up and scratched under his beak. “One, do you know how many libraries are in Ponyville?”

“Well, there’s two. One is in Twilight’s Castle and the other is in Friendship University. But…”

“But what?”

“Twilight’s Castle used to be open to the public but that changed since the whole…you know. The School of Friendship will only allow you access to their library if you are a student. Though you might be able to get in without being a student, but you’d have to get on their good side or make a pretty good case.” Gabby explained.

“I see,” Gold murmured. “It’s fine though. Are those libraries huge?”

“Yup! Between the two, whatever you are looking for you are bound to find it,” she chirped. “Though the one at Friendship University will probably be your best bet. Oh, there are a couple of bookshops in Ponyville. I’m not sure if they’ll have what you need but you can take a look.”

“Good enough for me,” Gold said with a nod. “Now for my last question, I am aware that there is a train that goes from here to Canterlot and Ponyville. Between the train and flying, which would be faster?”

“Flying,” she giggled. “In fact, you could reach Ponyville in an hour if you fly directly over the Celestial Sea.”

“Absolutely not.” Gold furiously shook his head. “I’m not flying over another body of water. I’ve had enough flying to last me a lifetime.”

“But Gold, you would be better off flying. I mean, how do you expect to travel to and from Griffonstone without any equipment?”

“What do you mean?”

“Griffonstone is a steep climb,” Gabby cautioned. “There are some parts that are pretty unsafe to travel through. If you don’t have wings, one slip can spell your doom. I know you don’t like flying, but shouldn’t you have planned for that before you decided to live out here?” Gabby leaned forward. “How much research did you do on Griffonstone before you came?”

“Not enough I suppose.” Gold rubbed his neck. “To be fair, I didn’t have much to go on. The libraries in Eroza didn’t have much information on Griffonstone. Just some journals about Guto, sabotage of some idol, and how Griffonstone is full of cold-hearted griffons, and very basic information about the area.” Gold raised a talon. “Oh, but the scones are pretty good.”

“Sabotage?” Gabby tilted her head. “Are you talking about when Arimaspi stole the idol?”

“I guess? All I know is that the idol is gone and things went downhill from there.” Gold shrugged. “In any case, that’s all I know. Thank you for answering my questions Gabby.”

“You’re welcome Gold.” Gabby yawned. “Oh boy, I’m tired.”

“You should go to bed then.” Gold rested his head and closed his eyes. “Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

“Y-yeah.” Gabby rubbed her claws together. “I do.”

“Well then, goodnight and thank you so much for your help Gabby. I must make sure to repay you soon.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “Goodnight.”

Gabby picked up the lantern and headed towards the back. Once the sound of a closed door echoed throughout the room, Gold flopped on his side. “Tomorrow, find a place. The next day, head to Ponyville,” he whispered.

“Hey, loser, you awake?” Gilda shouted.

Gold flinched, his eyes darting around the room until they landed on Gilda, who was hovering near the ceiling with a few pans in her claws. He rubbed his eyes and glanced to the light from outside beaming through the windows. “What time is it?” He shook his head and rose to his feet.

“It’s time to get up.” Gilda landed in the kitchen and began pulling out baking ingredients.

“Yeah.” Gold scratched his head and stretched. “Where’s Gabby?”

“She left already,” she shrugged. “Though if I was you, I would do the same.”

Gold grabbed his cloak off the floor with a yawn. “Why would you say that?”

“If you got some bits, I might tell you.”

“Full griffon mode huh?” Gold sat down at the stump. With his head tilted down, he closed his eyes and rested his left claw on his temple, and his right holding the cloak to his chest. For a while, Gold remained silent.

Gilda placed her ingredients, tools, and cooking utensils in a small barrel and brought them to the front door in her claws. “It’s time to go.”

“I know,” Gold replied. “I was thinking.”

“Well think outside,” Gilda opened the locks with one claw then kicked it open and stood to the side. “Now get out.”

Gold sighed. He hopped off the stool and headed towards the door. He stopped in front of Gilda and adjusted the cloak tucked under his arm. “Thank you for your hospitality.” He gave her a bow.

Gilda rolled her eyes as the two stepped out. “Just don’t come back here without any bits.” She locked the door and gave Gold a glare before she headed towards the back of her home.

Gold stood with three limbs in wet earth, a damp cloak in his claw, and a light shiver travelling through his body. “Better get searching.”

As the sun rose higher in the partially cloudy sky, Gold began his stroll on the muddy roads of Griffonstone. Gold cracked a tiny smile as he passed several griffons without incident. He saw griffons keep their eyes up and walked around each other as if there’s a physical barrier covering their body. From the few who managed to bump into each other, squawked and continued without saying a word.

Griffons of all kinds from young, to old, were all wandering through the roads or perched on top of their homes. Others were even lying flat out on the ground, sleeping without a care. However, there was one aspect that bothered him as he began to observe the residents.

For the most part his stroll was unimpeded but prospective homes were not up to his standards. As he circled around the outer edge of Griffonstone, every neighborhood had few homes that had intact roofs but broken windows and no doors. Some had both intact doors and windows but no roof. He even saw several homes side by side that were half destroyed.

Gold’s trip led him to the kingdom’s entrance, which was a simple yellow arch that was shaped like the number eight. It had wings attached to the side that were made of wood and painted red.

Gold slumped his back up against the left arch and let out a heavy sigh. “This is going to be tougher than I thought.” He stretched out his cloak and twisted it with a grunt. “How can those griffons even live in this mess?” he mused and watched as droplets of water fall from his cloak. “Do griffons even do work around here? I can’t see how the loss of that idol caused griffons to just give up to this magnitude.”

He flicked the cloak a few times and slipped it on. “And why do the griffons look so, malnourished? I mean, Gabby and Gilda look healthy but the others…” Gold raised a talon to his beak. “Something just isn’t right here.” He lowered his claw and crossed his arms. “I’m sure someone is looking into this.”

He leaned up against the arch again and turned to his left. Far out in the distance is the silhouette of a mountain with thick black clouds that shrouded its peak. Gold hummed as he stared. “I have to claim my territory, huh?”

Gold sagged his shoulders and blew out a puff of air. “I think Gabby would hate me if I managed to do that on someone’s territory.” His eyelids lowered half-way. “Honeydew too…”

A distant, yet light hum permeated through Gold’s ears, like the sound of wind bellowing from far away. Gold dismissed it, tilting his head around to identify the source but couldn’t pinpoint its exact location. At the same time, a light feeling stirred within his gut. A few minutes later the noise vanished, and his gut feeling disappeared as well.

Gold took one long look around him. Griffons flew to and from in the skies of the kingdom, the occasional sound of tree branches cracking, and general noise of light dialogue greeted Gold’s ears. Gold shrugged and reached to his bags. “I wonder what that noise was?”

As he began to pull out his journal the hum buzzed in his ears again, this time growing louder. The feeling in his gut formed into a burning sense of danger. His heart began to pound in his chest as the hum turned into static and crept closer.

Gold darted his eyes around, wide, and fearful. Everywhere he looked, he couldn’t see what the cause of the noise is. He focused on the road behind him that lead out from Griffonstone. Nothing. He looked back and forth from the sky to the kingdom. Nothing.

Gold clenched his claws tight and kept his search going. The static now blaring in his head, he began to take deep breaths. “What is going on?” The words coming out in a single, rushed, breath. “Where is this noise coming from?”

“You there,” said a hoarse voice. Gold’s wings flexed under the cloak and he snapped his head towards the voice. A dark-brown griffin, roughly a head taller than him, stood before him on shaky legs. Its skin sagged under its chin like its melting. The feathers and fur missing in large patches, and it held both its claws on a wooden cane that teetered under its weight.

As Gold scanned the griffon’s body, he noticed several bruises on the skin under its beak and bald patches on its body. There were even scratch marks all over its head, chest, and body as if it was recently in a fight.

“Want to earn some bits?” the griffon asked. Its left eye faced Gold, the other rotating in its head.

“No,” Gold blurted out, “I’m f-fine with bits.”

“I’ll pay you everything I have.” The griffon hobbled closer. “It’s a simple job. Just something to do with Ponyville.”

Gold tilted his head forward and gave the old griffon a glare. “I’m sorry, sir, but no.”

“Please,” he coughed. “If it’s not bits that you want, how about anything you want in my home?” He turned his head back. “You can take anything you want; I just need one thing.”

“No thanks.” Gold stood up and began to walk around the griffon. “Aren’t there other griffons you can ask for this or-“

The griffon grabbed Gold’s arm, and stumbled during his stride. “Hey, let go!”

“There is no other griffon in this decrepit kingdom who can help me!” The griffon hobbled closer. Gold’s eyes watered and covered his beak with a claw. “You must help me and only you!”

“Why do you smell like you haven’t washed in years!?” Gold used little force to try and pull his arm out the griffon’s grasp with no success. “Look, I’m not in any position to help you alright. I don’t know why you came to me, but I’m certainly not going to help you with a matter that has nothing to do with me.”

“Are you a coward!?” the griffon shrieked.

Gold shrank back with wide eyes. “W-what? No! What does that- “

The griffon jerked Gold’s arm. “Then you can surely handle killing some wretched beast. It’s a simple job.”

“I’m not doing anything like that!” Gold scowled and with one motion, jerked his arm forward, sending the elderly griffon tumbling away from him.

With its face in the dirt, the elderly griffon coughed as its limbs wobbled as he rose. “You will help me,” the elderly griffon smirked, “one way or the other, griffon. You’ll come to your senses.”

“Go away!” Gold shrieked and waved the griffon off with a scowl.

The griffon limped to its cane which sat a few feet in front of Gold, picked it up while flashing a wide smile, and ambled down a road around Griffonstone. The blaring static in his head subsided the further away the griffon went, and the dread that crept into him faded. “That was a crazy griffon. Ugh. This noise coming out of nowhere and this crazy griffon. The day was almost uneventful.”

Gold stroked his head feathers and sighed. “Maybe I should head down to Ponyville after I find a spot to claim.” Gold stole a glance at the large tree residing at the center of the kingdom. “I wonder if someone has already claimed the castle?”

“Ugh, I can’t let myself get sidetracked.” Gold scrutinized his arm where the griffon grabbed him, stroking a talon across for any cuts or bruises. There was a mild, prickly sensation that danced across his skin, but it came as quickly as it went. With a huff, Gold turned back to the kingdom and walked with his head low and his eyes peeled.

“Hrm, this won’t do,” Gold said as he stood in a doorway of a broken-down home with a large gaping hole at the back. “I would get robbed if I stayed here until I got the hole fixed.”

Gold stepped back walked out into the road with his head down. “I’m almost certain nobody lived there, then again, who would?” A low growl escaped his throat. “I could just take someone’s home but that isn’t me. I need to find a place soon. I really don’t want to camp out again. Or I could just head down to Ponyville to see what is going on.”

“Ugh!” a griffon screeched as Gold, unknowingly, bumped into its behind. “Watch it!”

Gold stepped back with his claws up as the griffon had turned around and crouched, its eyes dead-locked into his. “Woah! Hey, sorry about that!” Gold stepped back as the dark-brown griffon wearing a loose red scarf around its neck and a small red fez on its head, stepped forward. “I wasn’t watching where I was going. It was an accident.”

“An accident, eh?” The griffon’s wing spread out. “You expect me to believe that?” its voice feminine with a slight rasp.

“It’s the truth I swear,” he said, his claws extended. “I really meant nothing by it.”

The griffon’s cyan eyes stayed glued to his and never blinked. Its dark brown tail flicked behind it like a cat ready to pounce. Gold lowered his head and tucked his claws against his chest. “I should have been looking where I was going.”

The griffon’s eyes narrowed. “Where are you from?”

Gold looked up. “Uh, what?”

The griffon lunged at Gold with its claws out. Gold found himself straddled under the griffon with her claws on his neck. Not enough to choke but still enough to give Gold concern. “Where. In. Griffonstone. Did. You. Come. From?”

“I’m not from Griffonstone, I came from out east near Eroza,” Gold said as his wings twitched.

“Ew,” the griffon said and tilted her head up, “an outsider.”

“Yes, I’m an outsider,” he stated as he reached up and began to pry her claws from his neck, “now can you let me go please?”

“Shut up!” The griffon grunted and squeezed as her claws trembled under his grip. “You’re probably one of those creatures.”

Gold scowled at the griffon. “If I give you some bits,” he choked with a roll of his eyes, “would you believe me?”

The griffon’s claws snapped open and yanked from Gold’s neck. As Gold rubbed his neck, coughing here and there, the griffon leaned in closer to Gold, glanced around. “You got bits?” she whispered.

“Uh, yeah I-“

The griffon covered his mouth with a claw. “Be quiet! Do you want other griffons to try and rob you!?” she hissed.

Gold held his gaze at the griffon for a few moments before shaking his head. “Good, now come with me.” The griffon stepped off Gold and yanked him up by his arm.

“Hey, easy!” Gold pulled his arm back. “I didn’t agree to come with you. You are just as suspicious as the other griffons.”

The griffon flicked his beak with a growl. “This is no time to be stupid, we’re being watched.” As Gold looked around, he noticed several griffons were walking by, staring at them. A few sat a distance away in alley’s and around the corners of a few homes.

“Now come on.” The griffon clenched Gold’s arm once again and began leading him down the road. “I don’t want them to get any ideas.”

Gold opened his beak in protest but kept silent with the surrounding griffon numbers increasing. As the two walked, they ended up closing in on the base of the giant tree of Griffonstone. Only a scarce amount of homes stood as most of the area has mounds of rubble. To Gold’s confusion, many griffons have nests on top the mounds, and others with makeshift tents using the materials available. “I guess I missed seeing this area in the storm,” Gold said as he glanced around.

“Shut up, we’re almost there.” the griffon spat. Wedged between two large roots of the giant tree rest a brown shack with several scratch marks on the door. Upon the top was a smaller, more juvenile looking griffon.

Once they reached the door the small griffon jumped down to Gold’s side. It resembled a washed-out, smaller version of the griffon in front of him. It stood just barely up to Gold’s forearm. With its large head and cyan eyes, it peered up at Gold. “Mamma, who this griffon?” the little fledgling squeaked.

“A traveler,” the female griffon stated.

The moment the door creaked; a pungent odor smashed into Gold’s nose. He doubled back and wrapped his cloak over his beak. “Woah, what on earth is that smell?”

“You have a problem?” The female griffon turned back and glared.

“Uh, yeah.” Gold frowned and nodded. “What died here?”

“Nothing did, so shut up.”

Inside the little shack was mounds of dirt, branches, leaves, and small fluffy lumps of matter. Patches of light that pierced through the cracks in the wooden walls, and in the center was a small trapdoor. The griffon grabbed the rusted handle and grunted as she tried to pull it up.

“Stupid door,” she muttered, the well-rusted hinges groaned as the door bended without moving.

Gold glanced between the two as he stood off to her side. “Do you need some help or…”

“I got it!” With her hindlegs firmly planted on the ground, she pulled up on the door. It squeaked and cracked opened.

“Are you sure?” Gold raised his claw only to get slapped away by her wing.

“I said I got it!” the griffon growled.

“Momma,” the little griffon chimed in, “can I help?”

The female griffon’s expression softened. She sat down and wiped her forehead with a sigh. “It’s fine Garo, it’s just a bit tighter than normal.”

“But momma, you said that three weeks ago,” the little fledgling nuzzled up to her leg. “When can we get inside momma?”

“Soon, all I need to do is-” The griffon gawked when Gold grabbed and began to pull on the handle. “What are you doing!?”

“Look just,” Gold started and adjusted his grip, “let me open this up for you.”

“No.” She pushed down the door with a claw and glared. “I don’t want to owe you anything.”

“Owe me? What are you talking about?” Gold gave the griffon an incredulous expression. “You’re having trouble getting this open and I’m offering to help.”

“I don’t care,” she sneered. “I don’t want to have a debt to any creature. I brought you here so I can get those bits and you can get your feathers ruffled and then leave.”

Gold did a double take. “W-what? Ruffle my feathers? What in the hell are you talking about? I just came along so I can give you these bits in private.” He gestured with one claw. “Didn’t you say other griffons would try to rob me? Why would you think I wanted my feathers ruffled?”

She rolled her eyes and raised a talon. “Number one, you touched my rear with your beak, so you obviously wanted me.” She raised a second talon on her claw. “Number two, you offered bits so that meant you wanted me in my nest. Most griffons do that anyways. I wanted to avoid losing bits.”

Gold’s beak fell open. “Did I not tell you that I came from out of town? I don’t know these customs. You’re just assuming all this. I’m not here to get my feathers ruffled.”

“Momma, is he gonna give you bits so we can buy food?” Gold and the griffon turned to the fledgling hugging his mother’s arm. “I’m hungry.”

“Once we get inside and take care of business, I’ll be able to buy you some of those scones you like,” she said with a soft tone.

Gold pushed her back off the door and grabbed the handle again. “That’s right kid.” He grunted and yanked the handle up, causing the trapdoor to open partially. “I have a few bits so your mother can take care of you.”

He reached under the trapdoor both claws. “Little griffons like you need to grow up strong so you can’t be going hungry.”

“Do you promise?” the little griffon asked. “Other griffons momma brought here sometimes don’t give her bits because she didn’t do a good job.”

Gold turned to the little griffon then towards his mother. “Do a good job with what?”

She pinched the little griffon’s beak closed with her talons. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But that is worrying.” Gold shook his head and went back to the trapdoor.

The mother griffon scowled, “Hey, I don’t want you-“

“Just shush and let me help you,” he declared as he arched his back and squatted down. “Or rather, your son.”

“I can do it my-“ With a mighty heave, the trapdoor flew open and smashed into the ground. Dust and wind erupted through the little shack as the trio walked out.

“Are you crazy!?” the mother griffon snapped as she cradled her little griffon in her claws. “You could have broken the hinges!”

“Sorry,” Gold coughed. “I didn’t think I would,“ he paused as his eyes drifted towards the ground, “do that. Besides, I opened it up.”

“Momma, I’m going inside!” the little griffon squeaked as he squirmed out of his mother’s hold bolted into the dust cloud.

She sighed, “wait just a minute.” She turned to Gold with a frown. “Well, it’s open now.”

Gold stepped into the shed waving his claw. “Yeah, I see that. Look, we need to talk.” Once the mother griffon stepped into the shed, Gold shut the door and crossed his arms as she sat across from him. “I’m going to make this crystal clear so that you understand what I am saying.”

“Oh, and what are you saying?” she said as she slouched forward but kept her eyes focused on his.

Gold huffed and held out a small number of bits in his claw from his saddlebags. The mother griffon’s eyes widened at the bits, but only for a moment as her eyes returned to Gold’s with a clenched beak. “I am going to give you these bits but for a different reason.” With his free claw, he held up a single talon as he spoke. “All things considered; it was an accident that I bumped into you. No, I don’t want my feathers ruffled and I am not looking for any favors from you that you may think I want. I am not from here.”

Gold reached out and rested his claw on hers while he stayed focused on her eyes. She glared but otherwise did nothing as he flipped over her palm and placed the bits in it. “Now, I just want information,” he insisted.

She looked down at the bits while Gold pulled his claws away. “You really don’t want to-“

“No.”

The mother griffon looked up to Gold. She tilted her head sideways, glancing up and down at his form. After a moment, she sat up straight and let out a sigh. “Ok…” She gripped the coins. “So, what do you want to know?”

“I need a place to stay,” he paused and scratched his chin with a talon before he continued. “So, I was thinking, is there a griffon around here who can help me get my own place? I’ve been told that I would need to-“ Gold rolled his claw around with a frown “-kick someone from their home and claim it as my own. I don’t want to do that.”

The female griffon tilted her head back. “You are thinking too much like a pony.” She slid the bits against the wall, and swept dust over them. “You have to take what you want or pay for it.” She unlocked the door and walked out with Gold. “But if you really want the help of a griffon, you should go see Grunge.”

“Grunge?”

“An old timer who’s lived in Griffonstone for as long as I can remember.” She pointed behind her with a talon. “He lives near the top of this tree behind the castle. If you want help, he’s the griffon for you.”

“Anything I should be aware of while dealing with Grunge?”

“Be prepared to do favors for him if you don’t have enough bits. But, with how Griffonstone is now…” She rubbed her beak and stared into the sky. “He’s probably going to want more than just bits. That’s my guess.”

“I see.” Gold turned around. “Well I better get going. Thank you for the information.”

“Wait,” she said and grabbed Gold’s cloak. “It’s not like I’m interested in you or anything but… what’s your name?”

Gold looked back and waved his claw. “It’s not-” Gold glanced to the ground then turned back to the griffon, “Golden Eyes. What’s yours?”

“Glory,” she said with a nod.

“Well then Glory, it was nice meeting you,” Gold strolled along for a moment, paused and looked back. The shack door was closed and Glory was gone. Gold glanced up at the castle looming over Griffonstone. “I’d thought I be done with climbing already,” Gold sighed. “I think it would be suspicious if a griffon with functioning wings would be climbing a tree, but” he stroked under his beak in concentration, “would they even care? Is that even suspicious behavior? Darn it, I wish I had more to go on.”

Gold strolled with his head down towards the massive, ivory, intertwining roots at the base of the tree. Once at the base, he scanned the tree for anything that could help him make his ascent. The sky was clear as far as an odd griffon or two flying around. With nothing to go on, Gold leaned up against the wood, pulled his hood down, crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Gold snapped forward with a smile, and slammed his fist to his palm. “Of course!” Gold cringed as he glanced up to the structure ahead. He took a small breath with his claw on his chest. “Okay. This would be a lot easier with Gabby here but this isn’t full flying. Though I would be lying if I said it wasn’t,” he chuckled.

He pulled back his hood, and stepped out from the wall. “Okay, this should be manageable.” Gold stood straight with his eyes glued to the lowest hanging branch. It stretched out beyond the edge of the mountain with a couple of homes on it. “Just jump, fly up for a bit, land, repeat.”

Gold flexed his wings and stretched as he prepared. “Fly up as fast as I can and don’t look down. Make it quick and it will be all over. Just reach the top. No big deal, I’m not over the ocean. I’m also not in Eroza so this is more flexible.”

Gold crouched down with his eyes closed. “Jump, fly, land, repeat. Jump, fly, land, repeat.”

His eyes slowly opened as he spread his wings out. “All to go home. All to go home,” he chanted.

With a single, powerful wingbeat, Gold left the ground in a cloud of dust. “Oh crap!” Gold hastily flapped his wings, slowing down just enough to bump into the thick branch’s side. With his claws latched onto the wood, he pulled himself up and flopped over to his side as far in the center as possible. “I really hate being in the air.”

As Gold sat up, his eyes fell upon five griffons hunched over in a group behind a home. All staring at him.

Gold open and shut his mouth numerous times before deciding to turn away and look at the next branch to fly to. He glanced between two more branches then at the castle to the top, each spiraled out towards the sky. The buildings that lined these branches appeared less damaged and well maintained.

Gold hummed as he analyzed the buildings, turned away and flexed his wings again. He let out a shaky breath before launching towards the next branch, claws extended. This time, he managed to hover when he got close and clumsily landed upright between two houses.

He looked at his target above him and the castle further up. “I could just…” His eyes darted between the branch and the castle overhead. “I could just take one trip instead of two,” he mused and a huff left Gold’s beak. “I need to stop over-analyzing everything at times. I just need to get up there to talk to that griffon.” He crouched down with his spread out. “A place to stay to work in peace.”

Gold inhaled; his eyes focused. The griffon remained stationary. His arms and legs trembled, his wings and tail twitching in place. Seconds turned into minutes as Gold didn’t move. “I should get used to this,” Gold said, his breath shaky. “If I don’t have to fly for this griffon; this should be the only time I need to do this.”

Gold clenched his beak and glared at the structure. “I’ll fly so fast that I’ll reach the top without a second thought.” Gold nodded and closed his eyes. As soon as his eyes snapped open, he burst into flight. The air howled in his ears, a blur of white and brown whizzing through his vision. This was it; Gold will finally reach his first milestone.

However, the wind’s howl died out, and silence echoed around him. Gold’s ascent slowed down with him breaking through a layer of clouds. Gold glimpsed at the cyan sky, right at the apex of his flight, then he looked down with his mouth open. The rushing wind was nothing compared to the intense pounding in his ears.

Gold flailed hopelessly as he stared at the earth. “OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO!” He clawed at the air, grasping for anything he could find. “I DON’T WANT TO DIE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!”

He could clearly see the kingdom, and the ivory castle that he needed to reach, coming in fast. To his surprise he noticed a grey dot circle around the castle, flying off to the side, then darted straight for him.

“What is… Gabby!?” The griffon caught up to Gold, and grabbed one of his flailing claws.

Gabby spread out her wings as she pulled Gold up. Gold held his breath as he reached out with free claw. In moments, Gabby straightened up Gold’s descent.

Gabby leaned in and screamed, “Spread out your wings and pull up!”

Almost instantly, Gold’s limp wings straightened out. Gabby pulled back on Gold’s claws, Gold followed suit, matching her movements. Gold closed his eyes; tears flowing out.

The griffons came mere inches from the castle walls, as they rushed between the spires, and flew straight into open air. The two slowed their ascent as they hovered above kingdom. They remained in place with Gabby’s tight grip on Gold. “That was… a close call,” she breathed. Each breath deep and heavy.

Gold’s breaths are quick as his claws trembled. “Are we… still alive?”

“Y-yeah! We’re just hovering over…the kingdom now,” she said between breaths. “We should probably… land though.”

“You lead. I can’t open my eyes right now or else I’ll just freeze up again.”

Gabby shifted Gold around. “Okay, I’ll take us back to Gilda’s place and-“

“Wait!” he shouted, flapping his wings furiously. “Take us down next to the castle,” he said, all in one breath.

She glanced down at gold, shrugged, then shifted the two around towards the castle. “Alright, I’ll take us down there now!”

“Thank you,” he said as Gabby guided him. “I honestly, can’t thank you enough.”

“It’s no problem!” She paused and glanced over Griffonstone for a moment. “I’m always here to help.” Gabby tightened her grip on Gold and muttered, “Just don’t die here.”

“Did you say something?” Gold inquired, tilting his head up.

“Well, I need to ask you something when we get down there. Is that alright?” she said as they began their descent.

“Sure, it’s fine,” Gold nodded.

“Okay, we’re here!” Gabby chirped. The two hovered over the ground with Gold clutched to Gabby. “You can open your eyes.”

“Are you sure?” Gold tensed up. “Are we really close to the ground?”

“Yup!” Gabby lowered Gold further, his legs inches from the ground. “Open your eyes and take that first step.”

Gold cracked open his eyes, his vision blurry at first. After a few blinks, he gasped. He snapped his claws from Gabby and collapsed to the ground. Ignoring the pokes from the branches, Gold embraced relatively solid ground with tears flowing from his eyes. “I’m safe, I’m alive,” he whimpered.

Gabby sat next to Gold, gently patted his back. “Hey, hey, it’s alright.”

“It’s not alright Gabby.” His claws snapping the branches in his grasp. “It’s a nightmare.” He rolled on his side; wings tucked in as he looked at Gabby. His eyes half-closed and teary. “All of this is too much. I would have died if you didn’t rescue me.”

“Well, I did rescue you now so you aren’t dead,” she giggled.

“Gabby,” Gold strained, “please, don’t say anything else.”

“Sorry.”

Gold rose on unsteady legs and stared at the castle that towered over him. “It looked more impressive from a distance,” he mused.

“Oh, the castle?” Gabby shot a quick glance at the structure. “Yeah, it needs a bit of work.”

Gold nodded, then turned away and waved. “Thank you again. I hope this is the last time you come to my rescue.”

“Wait.” She stepped in front of Gold before he could move. “Are you ready to head down from here?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You know the only way to get down from here is to fly,” she stated. “Unless you are a good climber?”

“Oh!” Gold rubbed his temples, his eyes averting hers. “Right.” He trudged past Gabby, each step slow and careful. “I’ll be fine, I am a good-,” he paused, “-climber. Don’t worry about me. And besides,” he pointed to the bulge on her saddlebags, “don’t you have some work to do?”

“Yeah, but…”

“I’ll be fine, I just know not to put too much energy into flying again.” Gold rubbed his temples again. “Flying just isn’t my thing.”

Gabby sighed and kept her eyes on him as she prepared to take off. “Wait, I have a question.”

“Uh, what’s the question?”

“How did you manage to fly so high in the air? I mean, you said it yourself that you are scared of flying so how did you end up above Griffonstone?” she inquired.

Gold froze.

“Did another griffon take you up there or did you try flying low but got swept up in an air current?”

“Um, well, yeah,” Gold stammered. “The last one.” He cleared his throat and explained, “a freakishly strong air current got under my wings and took me way up there. In my surprise, I flapped along with it and ended up there, even faster.”

She nodded with a frown. “Yeah, sometimes the wind can be a bit rough up here. During snowstorms, you are better off staying indoors if you know what’s good for you. Matter of fact, you should probably prepare yourself well if you really are staying here.”

Gabby gestured to the sky; eyes heavy. “Winter will be coming in a few months so the weather will be pretty bad. I still say you should find a place down in Ponyville. I’m not sure how well you can handle the cold weather up here considering how Griffonstone is right now.”

Her eyes widened and she raised a claw; a smile plastered on her cheeks. “Of course! Why don’t you stay in Ponyville for the winter?”

“I don’t-

Gabby hushed Gold with a talon on his beak. “Just hear me out on this one.”

Gold huffed and sat down. “Alright, what is it?”

“Well, you want to stay in Griffonstone to do your studying right?” she questioned.

“Yeah?”

“And you want to do it without any problem right?”

Gold turned his head slightly and nodded.

“You know that Griffonstone is a mess. The homes here are in need of serious repairs and nobody wants to do it. So, each time a big storm we lose more and more places to live. The places that do survive are usually damaged in some way and have a hard time protecting from the elements.” She pointed to the castle. “Like this castle here, most of the books and debris that you saw scattered out on the roads came from here during a bad storm. If you want to protect your valuables, I would seriously suggest you head over to Ponyville for the winter. Your belongings would be safer there.”

Gold hummed, as he tapped his claw on his beak. “That is…a sound argument. You are actually right about that. These buildings are looking bad. I’ll have to seriously considering having a second place in Ponyville.”

Gabby broke into a massive smile. “Yes! Yes! Of course! And maybe you could consider staying there longer if you like it, eh?” She nudged Gold in his side, with a wink.

“Now I don’t know about permanent residence but seasonal stays sound good.” Gold nodded.

Gabby sighed and deflated. “Come on, it’s Ponyville, you should really consider it.”

“I know what I want Gabby.” He patted her on the shoulder. “But I will hold what you say to heart. You would know what’s best right now, but I need some time before I can do anything. The sooner I get a place, the faster I can consider your options.” Gold raised a brow as he hummed for a moment. “How did you know I was up there?”

“Well, I felt a burst of wind. It came out of nowhere,” Gabby said as she flailed her arms. “When I looked around, I didn’t see anything until I looked up and saw you.”

“You saw me from all the way down here?” Gold questioned.

“Yeah!” she chirped. “I wasn’t sure at first but when I got closer, I knew.”

“I see, well, good to know your eyesight is crazy good,” Gold admired.

Gabby giggled and turned away with a blush, “thanks.”

Gold walked around her, looking down towards the end of castle. “Now go on, you have a job to do right?”

Gabby’s blush quickly turned into a frown. “Yeah, but can’t we just-“

“Go,” he groaned. “I’m good. If I need you, I’ll squawk or something!”

“Alright. Be careful up here Gold.” Gabby gazed at Gold before she flew off.

With Gabby gone, Gold sighed. He continued around the castle, occasionally glancing upon it. The walls were cracked and broken in some points. Chunks of stone and wood strewn about the ground that Gold had to avoid. He could even see multiple rooms exposed due to a few massive holes in the sides.

Upon reaching the corner of the castle, Gold found himself quite close to the edge of the tree. There were two large branches that spread out with the one furthest having only the remains of a building on it. Looking along the back of the castle however, he noticed over a dozen shacks with chimney’s surrounding a relatively large tower with a cone shaped top.

Unlike the one’s on the lower end of Griffonstone, these were built out of stone with patches of metal plates covering holes. There were a number of racks lined with swords, spears and other weapons against a few shacks with the longest resting against the building. The main building, however, engulfed Gold in its shadow. Its multiple balconies wrapping around each floor, a broken statue at the top and a number of Griffons looking out from within. The air as he approached had the stench of burning coal and molten metal as evidenced from the smokey chimneys among the shacks.

A few Griffons went back and forth between the shacks to the main building, holding a number of weapons and bringing materials. Some were at little stations grinding blades on rotating stone tools and others were at tables in some sort of discussions. But the most important to Gold, was the griffons wearing metal helmets and chest plates, with swords and spears in hand.

“What is this place?” Gold mused as the sound of banging metal echoed in the air.

Without anything of note on the branches, he headed towards the structures. The griffons glanced at Gold from time to time, but otherwise kept to themselves. Upon reaching the largest building, the word ‘armory and bar’ was crudely painted on a wooden sign above the entrance. The entrance itself was just a single wooden door hanging off the hinges.

The porch creaked as he stepped up to the entrance. Alcohol assaulted his senses as he entered the establishment. Inside, the current room was modestly lit with light coming in from the windows around the room, with a few rusted brass lanterns lit among the tables. A number of griffons littered the lobby, some sitting over at the fireplace engaged in conversation. Others were sitting at tables either drunk, sleep, passed out on the floor in singles or piles and the remaining sitting in the back, hammering away at tools at a furnace. To the side, was a counter which resembled a bar but with one side holding booze and the other holding weapons.

Gold took a few steps towards the counter before a griffon stumbled in front of him. “Hey you,” he drawled, the scent of booze pungent on his breath. “You got any bits?”

“No,” Gold said, covering his nose.

The griffon paused, staring blank eyed at Gold. “Damn.” The griffon’s eyes glazed over and collapsed to the floor.

Gold leaned down, with his claw raised. “You alright?”

“Don’t bother,” a smooth, confident voice said.

Gold looked up and saw a tall, bulky, lime green griffon behind the counter beckon to him. “Don’t bother with him, he’s usually drunk off his ass on a daily. Don’t know where he gets the bits from though.”

Gold stepped over the griffon to approach the barkeep. “Huh, well, that’s good to know I guess.”

The griffon wore a simple black vest with a red stained white shirt and is currently wiping the inside of a murky looking glass mug. “So,” the griffon started, keeping his eyes glued to Gold’s. “Do you have any bits? I only serve paying customers.”

“I do, but I’m not here to buy anything. At least not buying any drinks.” Gold glanced over to the weapons. “Or weapons.”

“Oh,” the griffon said and placed the mug on the counter. “Then there is no reason for you to be here, no?”

“Well, I’m looking for a griffon called Grunge. Do you know him?” Gold inquired.

“I may.” The griffon grasped Gold’s shoulders, and began sniffing the air around him.

“H-hey, what are you doing!?” Gold struggled to escape from his grasp.

The griffon sniffed closer down to Gold neck, paused, then inhaled for a moment. The griffon’s eyes widened and locked Gold in place. “You have the scent of ponies on you,” the griffon hissed.

“So what?” Gold began to clench his talon. “What does that have to do with anything?”

The griffon jerked Gold towards him, with a deep glare in his eyes. “You trying to spy on us or are you a shapeshifter? Because everyone who lives in Griffonstone knows who Grunge is. You don’t which can mean one of three things. You are either a unicorn, changeling or a shapeshifter in disguise. If you are any one of them, I’ll end you here and now.”

“Or,” Gold declared with a tremble in his voice, “I could be a griffon born outside of Griffonstone and this will be my first time coming here. So, with that in mind, I should not have any knowledge of who lives here.” Gold raised a claw with a clenched beak. “I’m not here to cause trouble, I just want to talk to Grunge about getting a place here in Griffonstone. I’m not familiar with your customs as I came from far east where Eroza is. The only reason I smell like ponies is because I spent some time in Eroza studying, which is almost exclusively a pony population.”

Gold spread his arms out. “I did not grow up with ponies so who I am today has nothing to do with them. I do not work for them. I only associate with them as needed, same here with you griffons. Once my business is done, you won’t hear from me again and that’s all you need to know.”

The griffon glared at Gold intently. The small scene caused other griffons to circle around the two. The barkeep released Gold and nodded. “Yeah. You aren’t associated with the ponies.” A hardy slap to the arm by the large griffon nearly knocked Gold over. “Even ponies with guts would have squealed like pig,” he said with a smirk.

Gold kneaded his arms while then raised a brow at the griffon. “Or make you squeal depending on what pony you are dealing with.”

“Is there a problem Grubbs?” a griffon said as two flanked Gold.

“Hard to say, just checking to see if this griffon is real.” The barkeep flexed his talons. “He’s an outsider.”

“Oh really?” the griffon on Gold’s right nudged into his side. “Outsider eh?”

“I hope this isn’t a problem, is it?” Gold crossed his arms and glared at the red and brown feathered griffon next to him.

“Don’t worry, we ain’t gonna hurt you for now. But I do have to ask,” Grubb rested his arms on the counter and stared at Gold, “why did you really come to Griffonstone?” The surrounding griffons edged closer or kept an ear close to this conversation.

“Almost every griffon that lives or used to live here don’t come back if they find a better life for themselves. You on the other hand never lived here, found out about Grunge, and wants his help. A griffon that came from a pony centric kingdom apparently, that wants to live here during our current battle with the ponies.” Grubb sneered, “I find that a tad bit suspicious. So much so that you might as well be a threat.”

The sound of fire cackling in the back was all Gold could hear as the griffons awaited his response. He pinched the skin above his brows and sighed. “To be honest, it is suspicious on your end,” he started, still kneading and pinching the flesh, “but I’m not going to explain my life’s story to you. I will say this; I’m here to get away from the ponies. It’s been a long journey for me and I need a place that is away from pony eyes. I… have some important business to take care of and I can’t do it around ponies.”

Grubb snorted, “Oh, so you have something against ponies?”

“No!” Gold’s eyes widened at his own outburst. He cleared his throat and straightened up. “I mean, I simply have a task to complete that would probably cause ponies to question if they found out what it was.”

Grubb reached below the counter and pulled up a plain blue bottle with red liquid in it. “Well, what could be so important that you have to do it here in Griffonstone?”

“I told you everything about my intentions for free, more details require a fee,” Gold demanded with an outstretched claw.

Grubb smirked at gold’s claw. He looked above Gold’s shoulder and tilted his head up. The rest of the griffons dispersed with the two at Gold’s side remaining. “I’ll tell you where Grunge is, but you have to give me all the bits on yah.”

Gold looked between Grunge and the griffons before finally turning back to him. “You make it sound like I have a lot of bits.”

“Because I’d bet all my bits that you got that information from paying griffons in the first place. Paying them well too.” Grubb set the bottle down and inched it towards Gold. “So, for being so nice, I’ll tell you where Grunge is and give you this fine drink for all the bits on you. Because I know you have enough to cover this and it will make talking to Grunge a bit easier.”

Gold pulled out a small brown bag and dropped it on the counter. The resounding clatter of coins immediately caught all the griffon’s attention. “Where is Grunge?”

Grubb quickly snatched up the bag. After a quick peek inside, he rubbed the bag against his face like a lost lover. “Top floor,” he muttered. “Take the staircase.”

With a curt nod, Gold placed the bottle in his saddlebags and headed to the staircase by the bar. As he ascended, the bar became explosive as griffons squawked and screeched as if a brawl broke out. Among the commotion, Gold heard Grubb shouting at the griffons to get away from his bits. The sound of glass breaking and thuds echoed as he climbed each floor.

While the bottom floor seemed unkempt and dirty, every floor as Gold climbed had doors with handles, partially damaged walls and ceilings, and one floor had a single long bright red carpet that extended from end to end, with multiple black stains on it. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Gold entered a hallway that extended in four directions. Directly ahead was two, large, metallic doors with two heavy plated griffons standing guard on each side.

Gold approached the griffons, with his eyes glancing between the large silver blade at their sides. “Is Grunge here?”

“Do you have bits?” the white and brown griffon on his left asked.

“A little, yes.”

The guard held out his claw. Gold frowned and reached into his other saddlebag for only a handful of bits. The bits were swiped from his claws, and the guard nodded to the other. The guard on Gold’s right, a black and white spotted griffon opened the metal doors to a dimly lit staircase.

“Don’t cause any trouble,” the guard said as he pushed Gold towards the stairs.

Gold sighed as he carefully climbed the stairs. Small golden chandeliers lined the ceiling with candles. Various painted dotted the walls in an uneven manner, with the frames of some missing, the images torn or yellowed, and imprints of something missing. Cobwebs hugged the corners of ceilings and clear patches of dust on each stair.

“Holy crap!” Gold hollered as the doors below slammed shut. He sucked in a breath as he patted his chest. Upon reaching the top, he was greeted by another set of doors, this time were wooden and cracked in multiple places. Gold raised his claw, held his head up, and tapped multiple times on the door. “Hello, I’m here to speak to Grunge,” Gold stated.

“I heard you shout. Come on in,” a raspy, worn voice spoke from within.

Gold grabbed the loose handles and inched the doors open. Upon entering, he recoiled and covered his nose. “What is that smell?” The rooms walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of weapons. Crossbows, swords, axes, daggers, maces, spears, all reflected the outside light. Rows of mannequins cluttered the room with various armor ranging from leathers to metal, with some smaller variants for little griffons.

The floor itself was littered with feathers, broken tools and a pile of animal skeletons sitting in the far corner. In the center of the room, however, rested a single lopsided nest with various weapons leaned against the edges and surrounded by feather piles and bones. “Mr. Grunge, where are you? I need to speak with you.”

The griffon stood in front of the feather and bone pile, and sat with his eyes wandering around the room. “Are you busy?” Gold asked as he began to tap his claws on the floor, his attention on the barred windows. “I can wait outside the room if you need to do something but I really need your he-

Gold quickly turned around as the sound of rushing footsteps and rattling metal closed in. Inches away from his neck is a long silver sword, wielded by a griffon encased in plated armor. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you,” the same raspy male voice said.

Gold eyes shifted between the blade and its owner. “Because I-I want to do business with you. You are Grunge right?”

“I am.”

“I would like your help for getting a home. I’m new here. And-

The blade pressed against Gold’s neck. “I only help griffons. You certainly don’t act like one; knocking on my door all polite like and hollering like a scared pony,” the Grunge spat. “You must be a unicorn in disguise or a shapeshifter.”

Gold’s eyes narrowed. “I am not a shapeshifter,” Gold hissed. “I’m not a pony so what you see is what you get.”

The griffon hummed as it stared at Gold. “Got any bits?”

“Unfortunately, no, I gave the bulk of it to Grubb and what I had left to your guards.”

Grunge tilted his head. “Did Grubb give you anything?”

“A bottle, why?”

“Show me.”

Gold glanced at the blade. “You gonna lower this thing?”

“No.”

“Of course.” Gold Leaned back, gaining a few inches apart from the blade. After cautiously reaching into his bags while observing the armored griffon, he held out the bottle in both claws. “Here, this is what he gave me.”

The griffon pulled off its helmet with one claw and let it crash into the floor. A balding head with grey feathers graced Gold’s eyes. “Well now,” Grunge chuckled, as the single aqua blue eye examined the bottle. “That’s a pretty expensive drink there.”

“It is?” Gold raised a brow, staring at the drink. “This?”

“Well, it tells me all I need to know about you.” the griffon lobbed the blade off to the side with a loud clatter. “Let’s do business.” Grunge yanked the drink from Gold and climbed into the nest. With a twist and a pop, the cork came off and the griffon propped himself up in the nest. “So, what do you need help with, griffon?” Grunge threw his head back and downed half the bottle.

“I need a place to stay,” Gold stated. “I was told you were the griffon who could make that happen.”

Grunge smirked and handed the bottle over to Gold who turned it down. “Well, I can help yah, but you don’t have any bits, right?”

Gold shook his head. “No, though I planned on getting some soon if ran into an issue like this here. I just want to know if you can get me a place that isn’t currently owned or if I could have temporary lodging until I can round up the bits to pay you. A place that I can have reasonable privacy and security.”

Grunge took sip of the drink, leaned in, and belched in Gold’s face. “That’s a tall order for a bit-less traveler. You have no griffon aggressiveness. On top of that, temporary lodging? No bits, no service.”

Gold cringed at the foul air and waved at his nose. “Well, forgive me for not wanting to be aggressive and territorial. Can you help me or not? If not, I’ll leave Griffonstone.”

“Hold on now.” Grunge guzzled the rest of the drink and sat it down. “We can work something out. Now I can get you all the accommodations you could want in a place. But you have to do something for me until you can get the bits.”

Gold crossed his arms with his head tilted. “I’m listening.”

Grunge leaned back into the nest, spread out in a lump bones and bottles. “Food.”

“Food?”

“Go hunting for me down in the Griffonstone forest. Bring some kills back, and I’ll give you a place to stay. Bring me a big kill, and I’ll let you pick any place you want in Griffonstone,” Grunge said with a wave of his armored claw. “But until you get me the bits, I expect you to hunt when I say so.”

Gold hummed, looking away for a moment. Then turned back to Grunge with glare. “What’s the catch? Seems far too simple considering how many griffons live here.”

“No catch, just hunt.” Grunge began unstrapping the vambraces off his arms. “It’s just most of the griffons are either too scared or lazy to go hunting outside the kingdom.”

“Because of the shapeshifters?” Gold inquired.

“With what happened to one of our own, I would rather starve here than to be caught by one of those things.” Grunge scowled and violently ripped off the last vambrace and tossed it at a mannequin.

Gold flinched as the items crashed into the floor. “But there was a shapeshifter attack here in Griffonstone too though, from what I’ve heard.”

“What?” Grunge paused, and stared at Gold. “When was this?”

“Uh, a few months ago or something?” Gold pressed a claw under his beak. “I think that’s right. I was told by a few griffons who were friends to the one who was attacked.”

“Is that right…” Grunge glowered then quickly smiled. “Well, thank you for this information.”

“You didn’t know?”

“Griffons don’t usually talk without some incentive,” Grunge declared. “Though I would have at least expected them to mention that.”

“I see, well, in any case. If I get you some food, you’ll get me a place to stay?”

“It’s my current offer, and the only one you’ll get considering what you’re asking.” Grunge lifted up the armor of his head and dropped it onto the pile of bones outside the nest. “But before that, do you have any more information about that attack?”

Gold waved a claw. “Depends, am I going to be incentivized for it? I did use up all my bits here and quite frankly I should just leave.”

“Look, you.” Grunge leaned forward and pointed at Gold. “I need to keep tabs on this kingdom. The only reason we are not trying to kill each other as much is because everyone has a part to play.” He leaned closer; a scowl formed on his face. “I want to keep my griffons angry at ponies and shapeshifters so they can at least find the strength to fight them.”

Grunge waved a claw around the room. “All of this here is in preparation for that. If we have even one of them here in Griffonstone, that leaves us open for surprise attacks.” Grunge slammed his claw into the nest. “We need to hit them before they hit us. We need to know who’s not a problem, and who’s going to be a problem. That includes knowing what happens in this kingdom, especially when it comes to shapeshifter attacks and to a greater extent: pony infiltrators.”

Gold gave the elder griffon an incredulous look. “Are you sure ponies want to infiltrate this kingdom? What could they possibly gain from doing that?”

The griffon lunged at Gold with crazed eyes, grabbing him by the shoulders. “To take what little we have left!”

“Well, you do what you got to do. I don’t have other information about that shapeshifter attack though.” Gold said as he shrugged out of the griffon’s grasp. “Well, I’ll accept your offer of getting you food so long as you get me a good place. Preferably one with a cellar or basement.”

Grunge scratched his head and stood back. “Right, alright. Well, go ahead. Pick a weapon.” He pointed towards the walls. “I’ll let you use any weapon here to aid you on your hunt. You’ll need em.”

“Any weapon huh?” Gold turned and headed towards the walls stacked with weapons. He examined a variety of blades. Katana’s which he raised a brow, short swords, knives, daggers all held his interest. Most of the blades were well polished and maintained but the craftmanship was lacking. Most of the blades were slightly bent in one way or the other, blades that were thick and heavy, hilts that were loose and flimsy. Some even broke in his grasp.

As he circled around the room, his eye landed upon a pile of blades with no hilts except for one. Gold pulled the hilt and revealed a rather long and slender blade, half the length of his body. The hilt itself is bronze, with simple t-shape carvings of two bird heads at the ends of the pommel. Both the blade and the hilt were well worn as the blade, while polished, had various dents on the blades edge. The hilt was caked in dirt and had bandages wrapped around the grip.

Gold held up the sword, giving a few test swings, and hummed contently as he examined the blade. “Huh, this is a rapier isn’t it?”

“You talking about that royal blade?” Grunge said as he took off the rest of his armor and sighed. “Yeah, though those things didn’t really get used that much. Guto had a royal weapon that signified the griffon army but it wasn’t really popular. You can pick anything but that.”

“Of course,” Gold grumbled as he sat the blade aside and continued searching. “Do you think I’ll need armor?”

“If you are hunting ponies, then yes, but I doubt you are so no.” Grunge climbed out the nest and headed to a shelf that housed small blades. He picked up one in leather sheath and tossed it at gold’s feet. “Use that.”

Gold picked up the item and pulled out the blade. It was a rather crude looking, rusted dagger attached the a bony hilted tied together by string. “It will save your life if things get too hairy for you. A quick slash to the throat if you don’t like to dirty your claws. Why you are actually going to use a weapon instead of your claws for killing is beyond me.”

“Well, don’t want to put too much stress on my claws is all,” Gold joked.

“I hope you do.”

Gold ignored the comment and examined the crossbows. “Oh, what about a crossbow?” Gold stood in front of pile of various crossbows. Though many looked shoddy and prone to breaking. “I could probably use one of those for smaller kills.”

Grunge chuckled, “if you can hit something with it. Those things are a waste of time since they are not built well.”

“Hmm, ok.” Gold grabbed the dagger and set it down in front of Grunge. “I’ll take this then. Got a strap for me to use?”

“The strap’s extra.”

“What!?” Gold pointed at the dagger. “Am I supposed to pay for this? I don’t have no bits.”

“No, this is free.” Grunge gestured at all other weapons. “Everything else you have to pay for.”

“Then why tell me to pick a weapon? I thought it was for free.”

“You assumed that it was for free.” Grunge patted Gold’s shoulder. “I was hoping you might have a little something left. You really are a broke griffon.” He shook his head.

“Ok then.” Gold scooped up the dagger and put it into his saddlebags. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

Grunge pointed to the door. “You’ll be hunting tonight.”

“I… should have expected that.” Gold sighed and walked to the door. “Well, what can you tell me about the forest? What kind of animals live there? Where are the best hunting spots? What kind of danger-“

“You can stay in one of the empty equipment sheds until nightfall,” Grunge said as he pushed Gold along. “I’ll have some of my boys grab you when it’s time to hunt and let the two downstairs know what you’ll be doing.”

“But-“ The door slammed shut in Gold’s face. “Rude,“ he hissed.

The door opened. “Oh, and if you don’t come back with anything, don’t come back to Griffonstone.”

The door slammed shut. Gold sighed and made his way down the stairs. After a quick knock the two steel doors opened with the guards glaring at Gold.

“So,” Gold started as he glanced between the two griffons. “Apparently I am going to be doing a bit of hunting for him tonight.”

The griffons both raised a brow and glanced at each other, then the one Gold’s left spoke up. “Is that right? Well, you better get your rest then. Though I don’t expect much from a solo hunt.”

“A solo hunt? What do you mean by that? He said he was going to have two boys come with me.”

“Oh no,” the other griffon chimed in. “They are going to stay back and collect the kills you bring. You are going to hunt by yourself.”

“What!?” Gold pointed his claws between the two griffons. “I have never been down in that forest before so I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what I should or should not hunt. I mean, are they at least going to give me some tips or areas that I should stay away from?”

The two griffons glanced at each other and laughed. “Yeah sure, they’ll tell you all about what’s dangerous down there,” the griffon on the left joked.

“Just bring back something you wimp. Grow out some chest feathers,” the griffon on the right said and patted Gold’s back. “You don’t need no information to hunt. You go out, follow your instincts, and kill anything that looks edible.”

The first griffon nodded. “Don’t bring back any mushrooms or berries or some crap like that. We need meat, and meat is the next best thing to bits in this kingdom.”

Gold groaned and let out a long sigh. “Fine, just take me an empty equipment shed. He told me I could stay in one until I hunt tonight.”

“Alright, I got yah,” the first griffon chuckled and nodded to his partner. He walked towards the stairs and beckoned Gold over. The pair descended until they reached the main floor with the bar.

“Woah…” Gold said as he examined the scene. Tables were upturned, griffons laid bruised and bloodied on the floor, strewn on the counter, and in piles. The silence in the air was cut by the metallic banging outside the building.

“There must have been a lot of bits that came in,” the guard said while looking at Gold.

“All for those bits?” Gold said then noticed the guard staring at him. “What?”

“I know it had to be you who brought those bits here. Where did you come from?” the guard inquired with a grin. “Got any more bits coming here?”

Gold rolled his eyes and headed towards the exit. He carefully stepped over a few griffons and danced around any streak, speck or puddles of blood and feathers in the process. “I came from far, far away and no; I’m going to be broke for a while. Which is why I will be doing this hunting thing until I can get more.”

“Huh.” The guard shrugged and kicked a slumped griffon in the head with a smirk. “Well, be sure to give me some when you do.”

“Not for free of course,” Gold declared. “Now take me to this shed so I can prepare for the hunt.”

Gold and the guard walked around the armory towards the back. The trip led them past several forges and shacks until they approached a small area like area. The bark was carved out showing light brown wood underneath in a circle. There were several straw target dummies shaped like ponies scattered around, some with multiple arrows lodged in the head, but the ground largely covered in arrows. Three large brown sacks at in the center with a fourth currently being lifted over a griffon’s head.

Some griffons were in the area shooting arrows at the pony dummies using bows, but many of them either had bad aim or the bow broke under the strain. Gold watched as the griffons struggled to hit their mark, but noticed the trembling in their arms. “They are having a hard time,” Gold mused.

“Yeah, but what can you do when you don’t have the energy to fight.” Stopped for a moment to glance at the griffons. “Those ponies are to blame for this.”

Gold stopped and turned back. “The ponies? What did the ponies do?”

“The ponies are the ones who had something to do with the shapeshifters. I know it.” The griffon nodded. “But they’ll get theirs, you’ll see.”

Gold glanced between the guard and the other griffons. He hummed briefly before he spotted the small shacks lined around the edges of the arena. “Hey, am I going to be staying in one of those?”

The guard turned and pointed towards the one at the far-right corner, furthest away from the arena. “Let’s try that one.”

Gold expression turned into a frown as he glared at the structure. “Better than nothing I suppose.”

The shed was small, wooden structure with a single door and one cracked window next to the entrance. There were a few tools resting up against the walls such as hammers and axes, but lacked handles. When the two reached the shed, Gold’s face scrunched up. “Do you smell that?”

The odor was that of rotten, rancid meat and the muffled sound of flies buzzing could be heard. The guard didn’t flinch however, but sniffed the air with vigor. “I smell it. Something died in there and I’m going to eat it first.”

“Please, help yourself,” Gold urged, stepped back and waved his claws towards the door. “I’m not even hungry.”

The guard pulled the door, and stood still. “You gotta be kidding…” the griffon hissed.

“Huh, what are you looking at… oh my goodness!”

The shed had two small tables on either side with a single hanging lantern on the ceiling. In the back, however, slumped over with an empty can in its claw, and a knife in its chest lies the body of a griffon. It’s skin a sickly mixture of green and gray with blue feathers. Eye sockets empty and a pool of decayed flesh under its body. The feathers loosely attached to what skin remains on the body though many lay on the floor.

Gold retreated, and turned away. “P-please tell me that isn’t a dead body.” He covered his mouth and dry heaved. “P-please tell me that is not a dead body.”

The guard strode forward towards the corpse, examining it. Then its eyes landed on the can in the claw and yanked it from its grasp, pulling off the decaying arm as well. “I don’t believe this…” The griffon headed out towards Gold with the can and arm in tow. “Do you see this?”

Gold turned back, immediately staggered away, his wings twitching fiercely. “Holy crap, what are you doing!?”

“Do you see this!?” the guard snapped.

“How can I not!?” Gold said with extended arms. “I’m not blind.”

“This bastard ate everything in this whole can and didn’t even share,” the guard said with a hint of frustration.

Opened his beak wide eyed. “Are you serious!?” Gold hissed.

“I know, right.” The guard tilted its head in acknowledgement.

“W-wha- Shouldn’t we call the local authorities or something… someone!” Gold stammered. “Wasn’t there a knife? This could be a murder!”

The guard closed Gold’s beak with his free claw and pointed at him with the dismembered one. “Listen here chickidoo. You aren’t going to mention nothing about this to anyone, especially Grunge. If you do, we’re gonna have a problem. If you want to continue living here, you’d better keep your mouth shut or you’ll end up like that griffon in there. Are we clear?” The guard’s words sharp with glaring eyes.

Gold trembled, watching wide eyed at both the rotting arm and the guard holding it. He turned away, and with a single nod, the guard let Gold go. The guard glared at Gold for a few moments before heading back into the shed. “Keep watch, I need to do something.”

“Do what!?” Gold hissed with his claws on his head and eyes shut.

The shed door quietly shut. Gold slowly turned back and stared at the shed, body trembling as he stared wide eyed. He dragged his talon down to his temples and rubbed them in small, even rotations. “I shouldn’t even care, it’s not a person I know or even a human,” Gold whispered. “But damn, I was not expecting to see that.”

Gold stared into the sky, letting his claws drop to his sides. The sun beamed down onto his form as the sky began to clear. It bathed him in an orange glow that warmed him. He let out a long, slow, breath, that eased his shivering. After a few more breaths, he placed a claw right on his chest and exhaled. “I should get used to this here.”

Gold turned back when he heard the shed door creak open. The guard emerged, adjusting his armor, and a content smile on his face. “There we go,” he sighed and kicked the door closed.

Gold analyzed the guard and slowly approached him. “What did you do in- what is that on your beak?”

The guard flicked his tongue over a piece of greenish flesh that stuck to his beak, and drew it into his mouth. “Huh, musta missed that.”

Gold’s face immediately contorted into complete disgust. “Did you just… do… what I think you just did?”

The guard raised a brow and shrugged. “I was hungry. But I think we should keep this between us.” The griffon glanced around and settled his sight on a shed in-between themselves and the arena. “You’ll stay in that one.”

The guard beckoned Gold over to the new shed as he began walking. Gold kept a wide berth as he followed behind the griffon. Once they reached the door, the guard opened it and after a brief moment, nodded. “Come on, this one’s empty.”

For a moment, Gold scoffed, but approached the shed. To Gold’s relief, the shed was empty. Nothing inside except for two work tables. Gold stepped inside and glanced around, though shot a quick glance at the guard before resuming his analysis.

“This will do fine,” Gold mused. “At least I have enough room to stretch.”

“Yeah yeah,” the guard said as he rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell anyone about the body yet and don’t touch it either. I need to make sure I eat it all.”

“You know what.” Gold turned around with two talons pinched together tight towards the guard. “At this point. You are telling too much information that I don’t care for,” Gold said with a strained smile. “Do whatever you want to do. Don’t involve me in this.”

“Heh, you’re right. But still, don’t tell anyone.”

“Who could I possibly tell that would care?” Gold groaned and gestured above his head. “Who? Seriously, who? Obviously, it isn’t too much of a big deal here so who would even care?” Gold scratched his head and turned away. He reached for his saddlebags and sat them to his side. “You know what, I don’t care. Leave me alone, I have to rest for the hunt tonight.”

The guard hummed for a moment, staring at Gold intently. Then he slowly slipped out the door and kicked it shut. Once the crunch of twigs faded from Gold ears, he let out a long sigh. “Finally,” Gold huffed.

Gold shuffled through his saddlebags, digging deep into each side, and with a nod he sat them against the wall. “Good, they didn’t try to steal from me at the bar.” Although the mid-day light brightened the shed, Gold stared into the blue sky through the window with a frown.

Gold slowly turned to his left, where he’d picture where the shed that housed the body would be. A chill shot up his body, his wings twitched fiercely and his claws trembled. His eyes closed again, letting out a small whimper, before shaking his head and taking a deep breath.

“I need to focus,” Gold growled and tightened his claws. “It doesn’t affect me so its of no consequence.” His voice began to waver. “This shouldn’t affect me.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “It can’t affect me.” His shoulders sagged and his wings drooped. “I am… a wall.”

Gold shook his head and snapped his eyes open. “I better take this chance to practice some more of my magic. I think I’ll need it for these griffons just in case.” Gold took a quick glance to the window. “No, I’ll need it for certain.”

Gold took off his cloak and hung it over a few loose nails above the window. After straightening it out and making sure no-one could peek inside, Gold reached inside his bags and pulled out his journal. He sat in the back, opened the book, and relaxed in the cozy glow of the blue, luminescent pages.

“I wonder what else I could do with that rope spell?” Gold mused as he slowly but casually materialized a small strand of rainbow-colored rope in his claws. Upon looking at his rather tattered cloak then back to his claws, he hummed. “Maybe I could try to repair my cloak with it?” Gold mused. “Better start experimenting.”

The Start

Fractured Spirit
Chapter 1

The sound of hooves and metal echoed throughout the hallway as two ponies, one a cream pegasus in a shimmering aqua dress with a silver crown, the other a unicorn clad in golden full-body armor walked side by side. The candles flickered along the walls and gave the area a dim yet adequate level of light.

The pegasus, petite, with a slender frame, was just a head shorter than the unicorn looked ahead; determination filled her eyes."I do hope I can convince him to make Eroza his home this time, his restlessness is starting to show," her voice soft as she turned to the pony clad in armor. "Do you think I could sway him this time around, Captain Glare?" The mares emerald eyes focused on the captain.

The captain pulled up the visor on his helmet, his scarlet eyes filled with indifference, peeked out beyond the metal. His mass apparent from the thick layered armor. "To be honest," his voice gruff and deep. "You should just leave him be. That griffon has issues. Not to mention that condition he has."

The mare gazed downward, her left ear twitched. "He said it has happened before, that he can cure it once he finds-"

"Find what, if I may ask?" he cut in. "Do you even know what he's looking for? That griffon only visits just to use the library. He doesn't care about you and I'm sure he doesn't care about Eroza."

The mare immediately shot up, her curly mane bounced, and lips pulled into a frown. "That's not true."

"Tell me something, ever since the king granted him access to the library, did he ever stop by your room to see you when it wasn't about research?" He raised his hoof just as her mouth opened. "Before you say anything, just note that I'm not trying to discredit him. I appreciate that he saved your life and owe him a debt of gratitude. Even to this day, I still can't believe you're still alive," the wistfulness of his tone rang true.

That day where he scrambled through the forest, and cursed at the guards that failed him. Dread flowed through him when he found her dying body in the claws of that griffon. Despite his intent to murder that cloaked stranger, when Honeydew opened her eyes, it felt like the world started spinning once more. That griffon somehow saved her. A slight chill ran up his spine from the memory.

The pair stopped in front of two massive wooden doors at the very edge of the hallway. Two cauldrons lay on each side with a green flame illuminated the corridor. The doors had a golden shield with two pickaxes crossed embedded in the wood. A transparent rainbow aura shined from Glares horn, and grasped the handle as the captain turned to the mare. "But that seems to be the extent of his kindness. Whatever he's searching for has him obsessed and I don't think any words will convince him otherwise. Even if they come from you."

The mare stroked the curls in her aqua mane. "I want him to stay because of that. I've seen his eyes," she paused. "Those eyes of his. Day by day when I find him in here," she gestured to the library, "it's almost as if he's searching for his very spirit and he does it alone. Whatever his obsession is could be dealt with if he'd let somepony help him."

"It's what you wish to do princess, I have no objections to your actions. Your father, however, already has plans to keep him around. He seems to want the same thing you do for some reason." The rainbow glow from Glare's horn intensified as the handle tugged at the massive doors. A gust of warm air swept out as the doors creaked open. The flames in the cauldrons flickered before they settled. There inside the room, barely lit with candles lie a lone figure seated at the center of the room.

"I want him to stay by his own volition, not by my fathers interference," she spat as she stepped into the library and flicked her mane back with a huff.

"I'll be waiting for your return." Captain Glare lowered his head and stepped off to the side. The large double doors creaked before they slammed in place.

Inside, there were long isles of books littered the library. Off to the sides were arched balconies that held walls of books. A dimly lit fireplace at the very end of the room. Chandeliers at every other intersection with a few candles lit as well. At the center were several square tables, each held a unlit candle at their center. All except one. The mare trotted quickly, a smile slowly grew as she approached her welcomed guest.

Its ashen colored tail with a tuft of charcoal fur at the tip, poked out from the brown cloak; the figure closed the book in its honey yellow claws and gently stacked it with the others. A single candle sat at the center of the table cast shadows off the books. Piles of books of varying sizes all neatly stacked and organized on the table, the figure turned to face the mare, its golden eyes glowed within the hood. "Ah, Honeydew, what brings you here?" he softly asked.

The mare raised her head and perked a brow.

"Right," he said as he pulled down his hood. The upper left half of his head was covered in bandages. The rest of his face down to his chest was covered in charcoal fluff with a dark yellow beak. Large feathers, white with charcoal tips fanned outward from the top of his head but were flattened down due to the wrappings. He shuffled his wings through the small holes in his garment till they stuck out and snapped back to his sides. An almost imperceptibly small smile graced his features, and his tail briefly swayed across the floor. "You gotta have your way huh?"

"Only if you stop trying to be a mystery." She giggled but slowly frowned as her eyes drifted to those bandages. "Does it hurt?" she whispered.

"Oh this?" he gently brushed a claw along the bandages. "Not at all. Actually," he ripped off the bandages and dropped them in his lap. "Much better." He rotated his neck, and sighed at the resounding 'cracks'. The griffon turned away and picked up a new book from one of the smaller piles.

"I feel like i'm at a dead end at this point in my research," he said with a sigh. All the books piled on the table in front of him taunted him. A slight groan escaped his beak as he opened the new book. "I'll have to venture out into Equestria. I think I'll find the rest of my answers out there, I'm sure of it."

The mare slowly plopped down next to Gold, his wing being touched by hers. She glanced at him a few times, her eyes darted between him and the books. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

The fireplace cackled in the back, and gave a nice ambiance to the room. Warmth washed over the pair as they sat in relative silence, with the occasional sound of a page being flipped.

Honeydew inched closer until their sides were firmly pressed against one another. Gold flinched at the contact but otherwise continued to read. Honeydew eyes lowered and her tail 'accidentally' slid on top of his. With nothing else stopping her, she nestled into his side. A triumphant smile edged on her face. "Gold, the rest of Equestria is having trouble right now. You should stay here a little longer until the princesses resolve those matters. It's safe here," she declared.

"Yet I feel like if I wait any longer, I won't be able to find my answers sooner," he said. "Whatever they have going on outside of Eroza can't be that bad."

"Maybe not," her smile fell, "but I still don't think you should leave just yet. You have yet to check our forbidden tomes beneath the-"

"Don't wanna know," he cut in sharply. "Captain Glare told me that is forbidden knowledge and whatever is in that place you were going to mention could also be a security risk to the kingdom. I really don't want to cause you any other problems."

"It's really no problem at all Gold!" She smiled up at him, her eyes shined in the candlelight. "Father would understand. I mean, I know he would understand. You saved my life so I'm sure he wouldn't mind you going into-"

"Unless he or the guards or whoever runs that place gives me the go ahead, I don't want to know anything about whatever you are talking about," his voice soft yet firm.

She leaned back stared at Gold with wide eyes, her lower lip quivered. "Please Gold, can you stay here in Eroza and let our clerics help you with your research?"

"No." He flipped a page and started to frown.

"Why? Ever since you started doing this research you've been having these episodes. Our clerics are sure to cure you if you give them a chance. You said if you find your answers you'll be able to cure yourself, but the way I see it, its been causing you nothing but pain," she explained.

He chuckled weakly. "My research is not hurting me Honeydew, something else is. Besides, while what I have is rather new, it seems to intensify when-" He went wide eyed briefly before he shook his head. "It's not the research, trust me on this."

"Then what is it?" she asked.

He paused with a page held in his claw. "I can't tell you, not yet."

"Why? You spend all your time in the library. If you aren't here, you are in the forest doing Celestia knows what." She took her hoof and gently kneaded his claw that rested on the book. "Whatever you are searching for is consuming you. Whatever this cure is doesn't seem to help you in my eyes."

Honeydew leaned in closer to him, her muzzle inches away from his beak. "You push us all away for this research. I understand you want to do this alone. But I," she paused. "I just want to know why. Why you won't let me help you? Why won't you let me or anyone else in? Why do you keep the world out?"

Gold gazed into her eyes and for a moment, silence wedged between them. He turned away, but glanced at her hoof. "I promise you, this research is vital to me. Its not like I want to keep everyone out. I do it for a reason you know. Last time I said some crazy things because I was-," he gestured with his claw, "-kinda delirious. I can't tell anyone because it could backfire against me," he chuckled. "I'd just end up hurting you because of it."

"Rubbish!" Her hooves snapped to his cheeks and yanked his head to her. She stared right into his eyes, the golden glow reflected off her own eyes. "You'd never hurt me and I doubt anything that you are inside would change my opinion on you."

Honeydew cradled him into her chest, her forelegs wrapped around him, and her head rested upon his. "That's what I want to know. The real you underneath that cloak, underneath those feathers, those talons. I want to see your heart, Gold. I don't want to see you suffer like this."

For a moment, Gold's beak moved but no words escaped. He closed his eyes and remained still. The soft thumps of her heartbeat, the warmth of her body, and the tender embrace made him smile. "I'll continue to suffer if I don't find my answers Honey Dew. That's why I don't want to get close to anyone, to you. But I possibly wouldn't mind being here if my circumstances wasn't so," he hummed, "unusual."

"Regardless of the circumstances Gold, I'm here for you." Her hooves slowly trailed the length of his back. "I would do anything to make you happy."

"All I did was save your life Honeydew. I mean, sure we got to know each other for some time but I don't think I did anything to warrant this kind of affection from you, did I?" he questioned, as he leaned back to glance at her. "I don't know why you took such an interest in me. I'm not even a pony. You should really focus on other things that a princess should do. I'm not worth it."

"In my eyes Gold," she said, as she stroked the long feathers on his head. "You are worth everything. I found somepony, no, someone who taught me lessons of the heart. Who saved my life and wanted nothing in return. I want the warmth that burned within you since that fateful day and I won't stop until it blooms forth, with all of your quirks included." She giggled and gently rubbed her nose against his cheek.

Gold perked a brow, as grinned. A soft gentle voice spoke in his mind, its familiarity warmed his heart. "You sound like my gir-"

Gold seized, his eyes clenched shut. He let out a strained whimper as he dropped the book as his claws leap to his head.

"Gold!" Honeydew grasped at his claws and screamed as she pulled. "No," she whimpered. "Not again!"

Golds wings flared out, and flapped uncontrollably. His body trembled as he tried in vain to control himself. "I can't," he said, his voice hushed and strained.

Honeydew had tears stream down her face as she held on as long as she could. Honeydew crashed against the table when she lost her grip and fell; books and paper scattered along the floor. Gold fell to his side and convulsed, as tears fell from his eyes. Visions of his past flashed through his mind as they bled into one another. Flashes of light, tall figures, voices, all jumbled into a chaotic cocktail in his head. The pain grew, like a white hot iron ball expanding at its core.

He let his talon drag across his skull as they sliced through the feathers and flesh. Blood oozed out from the wounds as he continued to tear into his head.

"What's going on!?" Captain Glare burst through the doors, his horn illuminated the entire library.

"It's Gold, It's happening again!" She scrambled to her hooves to face Gold, and stopped in her tracks when she did.

There on the floor, laying on his side is Gold. He cleaved at his head, his face contorted in pain. Large patches of flesh protruded outward of his skull. Large bloody lacerations in violent trails lead down from the top of his head. Blood pooled in his beak and around his head, and bits of flesh and feathers scattered around the neck of his cloak.

"Dammit!" In a burst of rainbow light, Glare stood above Gold. He encased the Golds claws with the rainbow light and yanked. Golds claws trembled but barely ceased their attack. "Is this what the clerics meant? What kind of strength does he have!? I can't pull his claws away!"

The Captain dug his hooves into the marble floor as he cracked the material, grinding his teeth as he pulled. Honeydew looked on as tears flowed down her face. Her hooves trembled at the sight. There was Gold, her savior, her friend clawing at his own head like a monster possessed him.

"Honeydew, get the clerics and bring them here now! You don't want him to die do you!?" Glare used his hooves and magic to pry the Golds claws away.

Honeydew stood frozen in place.

"Honeydew, hurry!" he bellowed, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Y-yes, i'll be back!" She stumbled as she dashed out the library.

Glare continued to wrestle with Gold, then immediately collapsed on the Gold when his claws suddenly gave out. He rose to his hooves, and quickly observed the Gold.

Gold's claws tucked protectively under his chest, covered in strips of feather covered flesh and blood. The top of is head lies a gaping flesh wound as blood oozed out, and a bit exposed skull. Tears streamed down freely along his face, mixed with the blood in his feathers.

Glare gagged at the sight. His eye twitched as he reached his hoof around Golds neck to lift him up. He stared down in to the eyes of the Griffon, a low growl rumbled in his throat. "You are a blight to our princess, you know that right?" he hissed.

"Was she crying?" the Gold choked out.

"What do you think!?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Moments later a group of ponies stormed in the library. Among them, four are unicorns that wore white robes with gold wreaths atop their heads. Two are guards with silver chest armor, gauntlets, and full faced helmets. The last was Princess Honeydew.

"Gold!" She immediately lunged forward only to be held by one of the clerics.

"Princess please, let us take it from here," the cleric said in a motherly tone. "He will be taken care of, I assure you."

"Dear Celestia," one of the clerics said as she knelt down and lowered her horn over gold's head. "This is even worse than last time." The other three clerics joined her and a collective flow of white energy erupted from their horns. The wind that gently breezed through the library erupted into a gale as their horns shined from the spell.

"Full power everypony, magic doesn't work on him too well," the lead cleric shouted.

A twister of wind built up as books and papers spiraled around the clerics. Glare stood in place and watched while the two guards held onto Honeydew. Golds body along with the clerics slowly rose in the air, engulfed by light. In a brilliant flash, they were gone. All that was left was a patch of blood, feathers, and small pieces of flesh.

Glare trotted over to the remaining ponies. "You two check up on that griffon. Do not let him leave, I'll escort the princess," he said casually as he flicked bits of skin off his hoof.

"Sir," the two guards saluted and trotted out the library.

"I should go with them." Honeydew turned to run, only to be stopped in place by a rainbow aura surrounding her.

"You aren't going anywhere, dear Princess." Glare strolled up to her as she growled, her legs frozen. "Not to him at least."

"Release me at once!" she hissed. "I need to see him."

"No you don't!" he shouted.

Honeydew winced from the volume, her ears splayed back tight against her head.

"I've had about enough of this!" Glare circled around Honeydew, his head low with his teeth bared. "I don't care if he saved your life now. Right now he's causing you too much emotional turmoil and that isn't healthy for you."

"This is the third time this happened and its three times to many." A thick tome encased in a rainbow aura floated up to Honeydew muzzle. "Do you see this?" He wiggled the tome in front of her, nearly twice the size of her head. "What does the title of the book say?"

Honeydew glanced at it, then turned away. "It doesn't matter what it says-"

"What. Does. It. Say?!" he all but screamed.

She stared at the book, a frown grew on her lips. "'One Hundred Wacky Theories on Magical Anomalies And Other Mystical Abstracts,'" she groaned. "What does that have to do with anything?

He paused and turned to Honeydew, he yanked his helmet off to reveal his deep aqua coat with multiple scars lined across his lips. With the helmet tucked under his foreleg and sneered at her. "Everything! A griffon comes out of nowhere, somehow heals you with either magic or some other method he won't tell us. Mind you, if it 'is' magic griffons shouldn't have it. He won't tell us and you don't know what happened."

He sat in place, and scratched his head with his free hoof, the edge in his voice rose as he spoke. "Not to mention that his life saving act is also the time we lost track of you in that forest. Then you and the king start to fawn over this 'savior,'" he spat, "and treat him like he's part of the family!"

Glare grinds his teeth, murder in his eyes as he stares at Honeydew. "You princess cater to him far too much. Cooking him meals, allowing him to stay in the castle, access to our royal libraries, unsupervised access to our vault! I'm glad I was down there at the time, who knows what he could have discovered."

"I can forgive him spilling his own blood upon the grounds, I can forgive him for putting his life on the line for you, and I can certainly forgive his unusual behavior." He leans in close to Honeydew, his ragged breaths tickled her nose. "But I could never forgive him hurting you in any way shape or form or potentially being a threat to the safety of our country."

A small napkin materialized in front of the princess and gently patted around her eyes. Honeydew tried to move but Glare's magical hold was solid. "The Princess of Eroza should not cry for some sick weird griffon."

She gasped, and shot him a scathing glare. "He can be cured! I will find a way to help him as he helped me."

"Surely," he said with a straight face. "The way you are talking is dangerously suspicious to love Princess. Are you in love with that griffon?"

The moment that rainbow aura faded Honeydew turned away with her head hung low and galloped out the library. Glare stood there, and thought about what transpired. Between the mess on the floor, the smell of blood that drifted in the room, and the distraught princess; he needed to resolve this soon. "I need to get that griffon out of Eroza soon. Luckily he wants the same thing," Glare thought.

As he contemplated, a unicorn stallion wearing an all black suit with a mop and bucket strolled in. "Good evening Captain Glare. I heard there was a bit of a commotion down," he paused, "here." The stallion all but stared at the massive amount of books scattered on the floor. "I'm going to need half the crew for this. Dewey is not going to like this." The lantern hovering above his head floated ahead as he looked around.

"You need to get the most important part before you do that," Glare said as he walked out the library.

"Which is?" The unicorn walked ahead then suddenly stopped, the lantern nearly fell to the ground. "Oh my word!"

"Yeah, that." The double doors to the library closed behind him as he walked along the corridor.

A single thought permeated through Glare's mind as the shifting metal echoed throughout the hallway. A wide smirk graced his lips as he fastened his helmet back on.

The sky flashed as the lone griffon in a cloak trots with its head low, occasionally to stop and look back. He came to a full stop when another flash of lightning illuminated the darkness. He crouched low to the ground, diving into the dense undergrowth. He remained still and waited. Pulling back his hood, he pressed his head against the damp earth. With one eye closed, he listened.

It wasn't like he expected anyone to find him in the forest at this hour, but needed to be absolutely certain. His ashen feathers stained with mud as he rose, and stared through the bush with his golden yellow eyes. The darkness stretched before him as the sound of rain and thunder greeted his ears. He gazed through the dark at every leaf, tree, and bush for irregularities.

In a single leap, he hopped back on his path and looked to the ground where he traveled. A combination of talon and paw-prints left a trail, the indents began to fill with rain. Patches that would soon be washed away. "Just a little while longer," he whispered.

The griffon continued through the forest for hours. He huffed as he shifted the cloak on his back. "I should probably take a little break," he said as he repeatedly tugged at his cloak.

All around him are large thick trees wrapped with arched vines. Even on the ground are vines that snake into the underbrush. Despite how dark it is as he searched, he noticed there were no caves, rocks, or any indication of a pit or ditch.

When he stood up, he noticed an abnormally large tree with a spiraling trunk and low hanging branches. As he approached he noticed a large hollow right at the base. He cantered towards it, and avoided any stray vines until he made it inside.

He placed his mocha-colored saddlebags to his side and rested, his arms crossed and his wings hung loose in his cloak. With his head raised and hood down, he looked out to the forest. A deep breath left his beak.

For the moment, this was paradise.

He reached into his one of his saddlebags and took out a small brass tube. It had intricate streaks of silver wrapped around it from one end to the other. There were numerous scratches near the opening as if it was dragged on stone, and discolored near the center. He opened it and pulled out the scroll inside. He pulled it open and revealed the map of Eroza with some parts to the west, or at least what he could make out. Most of the map was heavily smudged and worn, with a large tear to the right side. Most of it didn't matter though, only a few parts was needed.

"Why is this relaxing?" he mumbled, and listened to the downpour of rain. "I probably should have left earlier." The griffon huddled inside the tree's hollow. He examined the map a few times, and squinted at patches that got soaked. A barely audible grunt left his beak as he rotated it as much as he could to better understand his surroundings. A frown crept up on his beak, he sighed and tucked the slightly torn map back in his saddlebags.

He pulled his pack closer to his side, unzipped it, and retrieved a binder with a black quill attached. Its green cover almost completely black from the lack of light. The small words 'Golden Eye's Journal' was etched in a silver that reflected upon his face. The moment he cracked it open the letters on the pages glowed. It illuminated the hollow with a dim blue light.

Before he flipped through the pages, he wiped his claws upon his chest. With the map at hand, he examined key notes he took during his stay in Eroza. There were several locations he needed to visit on his quest for answers. On one page rested a diagram of Equestria with various notes on marked locations.

His primary concern was Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Out of what he studied, he knew one or both locations would have the magical knowledge he needed to go home.

Home.

That single word fueled his spirit. His claws trembled as that single word rolled through his mind. Voices began to flow into his head, numerous, familiar and distant.

I never met a guy that treats me like you do. I feel like I can relax with you around.

I'll pay for our train tickets, don't worry about it.

Thanks little bro, you're the best!

Boy, you look just like your father.

The same white hot pain started to sizzle within his head. Gold jerked his head back and forth, his heart pounded in his ears. He placed the journal to the side and gripped the earth below him and forced himself to remain motionless.

For several minutes he remained still, and took deep breaths to calm down. His eyes, however, remained open, focused straight ahead. "Why does this happen? What the hell is this world doing to me!?"

His claws slowly curled into fists as he growled under his breath. A primal fury boiled within his chest with as his body trembled. "I need to figure this out before I lose my mind." The wave of heat cooled down as he reasoned with himself. He opened up his journal again and flipped back to where he left off.

To the west of Eroza is Griffonstone. As far as he knows, Griffonstone is the only location that would be relatively safe from prying eyes so long as he lays low.

At the center is Canterlot and to the north is the Crystal empire. Both of these locations are vital due to their royal libraries. He hummed, as he stroked the underside of his beak, with his eyes trained on those two locations.

That leads to the next location, Ponyville to the south. There's a library in Ponyville that may have useful books he could examine. He also considered temporarily living there if his plan to stay in Griffonstone falls through.

A flash lit the hollow followed by a crash of thunder. Gold flinched, and quickly glanced to the forest. His chest pounded in his ears. The feathers on his wings quivered briefly, as he let out a sigh and continued to look over his diagram.

With a nod, he flipped to a blank page he scribbled a quick checklist. As the text glowed within, he stared at the last word he wrote. A single tiny droplet of water fell on the page before he closed it. He tucked his tools in the saddlebags, pulled it to his side, and held it tight.

With the cloak settled over himself and the saddlebags, he stared at the forest ahead. Outlines of various trees, bushes, and vines littered his vision. The sound of heavy rainfall surrounded him, the rustling leaves, and the occasional rumble of thunder.

Another sigh escaped the griffon as he stared out into the forest. His wings tucked in neatly at his sides with eyes half-lidded as he stared. Occasionally he would turn his head to a particular sound, expecting to hear something unusual. However, all he heard was the sound of rainfall and thunder.

His mind drifted back to those memories, memories of his life back on earth. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on individual thoughts. He knew what he was, where he came from, but he couldn't see it; like there was a fog thick layer of fog surrounding those memories.

When I just casually think back to my life at home, my mind just...I don't understand. It happened once out in the forest but it wasn't that bad. With Honeydew, that memory came so vividly and then it just exploded in my mind. Now that I think about it, I think I traumatized Honeydew.

A low whimper escaped his beak as he rested his head against the ground.

Nobody should see something like that. Nobody. Pony or not, I can't let this happen again until I find a solution.

Gold stood up and slipped his saddlebags back on. With a determined look in his eyes he stretched his limbs, pulled his hood back on and ventured out into the dreary forest night.

Gold continued at a quick pace, passing several dirt roads as he snaked through the forest. He kept his pace brisk as he wanted to get as far as possible within the weather. If he was lucky, he could reach the border between this kingdom and Equestria.

Aside from that, he's heard some pretty terrifying things from Eroza. From what he gathered, there are creatures in Equestria that have been harming innocent ponies. They are disguised as ponies but their true forms are something else.

Those forms, however, were not elaborated on. What those news articles did mention is to be wary of ponies with eyes that glow in darkness, and can strike fear in the heart at a single glance; the fear of death.

The rain started to slack up a bit as he approached the forest's edge. In the distance, he saw several orange lights glow along a massive grey wall of stone. The Eroza border. A small but faint smile graced his beak as he stayed low and approached through the tall grass beyond the forest. When he reached near the edge of the grass, he took a better look at his surroundings.

The smile he held immediately fell. The plains ahead that lead to the eastern most gate had guards march along the roads in fours. Unicorn guards at that. Many Pegasi guards flew overhead in formation, their metallic light blue armor shined through the dark sky. If that wasn't a problem, a dozen guards are posted at each gate that lead beyond the border.

The only good thing about this is the gate is currently open with many of the guards concentrated at those points. He noticed a few ponies enter and exit the gates. However, none of them had carts or anything he could use to escape with. A low growl escaped his throat as he glanced around for anything to use.

"I could do that thing with my magic," he whispered. Even after almost two years he still couldn't believe those words would escape his mouth. Magic, something he thought was nothing but fiction is now something he can actually use. Why he can even understand and use magic to a degree is another question for later.

He turned upwards to the border, a faint reflective shimmer could be seen. "A barrier, I forgot about that." He turned back to the gate. "It doesn't look like the gate has a barrier around it, but there's too many guards."

"I'm not going to get anywhere like this," he mumbled. "I should probably use the river gate option like Glare said, but I really don't want to take a swim." He let out a silent sigh as he gazed downward.

He retreated further into the grass and took out his map. With a very small amount of magic he lit his claw underneath the map. With a quick glance he saw the river cut straight under both barriers and out through some kind of tunnel. As he looked over the map, his thoughts drifted over to Honeydew.

I wonder if this is goodbye? She'll understand I hope. I should get her a gift down the line.

A slight rustle made the griffon flatten to the ground. Two unicorn guards entered the grass and searched through patches with their hooves. They each had low beams of light emitted from their horns that resembled flashlights in the dark.

"I'm sure I you felt that," one guard said, his voice young and perky. His armor lightly rattled as he shifted some grass around his hooves.

"I feel a lot of things. I feel like going home. I also feel hungry and wet," he glanced over to his partner, a frown formed as he continued. "I feel like going back to my post, but since you asked me so nicely, I felt like I should follow up and see what you felt."

"You don't need to be crude about it," the guard retorted.

"I was on my way home and the king sent out an order to bring some griffon back to the castle. If you ask me, the king is being unreasonable." The guard stepped out of the grass and turned off his light. "I mean, I get that he wants to have someone protect the princess and yes, he did save her with whatever he did. But he's not obligated to stay here."

"Heh, you kidding? You know how the king is. Once he finds something great, he wants to keep it to himself." He scrunched his face up, and squinted straight ahead to an odd patch of grass. He felt some faint trace of magic, or at least he hoped it was magic. "His wife, yes. Large mass of land that rivals the Crystal Empire, you bet. A griffon that can save a magically diseased princess to keep her alive and managed to cure her; you can bet that griffon isn't going anywhere."

A bright flash illuminated the sky followed by a massive gust of wind. The grass flattened against the earth, and the guards erected barriers from the sheer force of the wind. A distant cackle of thunder echoed throughout area as the guards lowered their shields.

"Jeez, that was a loud one!" said the younger guard as he rubbed his eyes with a hoof.

"I've heard worse," the older guard said, as his eyes opened up, "though I think I felt it." He glanced to the grass, small specks of light rose outward as the grass reached its full height again. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" the younger guard stood next to his partner. He glanced around. "I don't see anything."

"The specks of light," he trailed off. The light trail had vanished, but lead out from the grass towards the border. "They came out from the the grass."

"I don't see anything. Maybe it was the lightning," the younger guard suggested. "Doesn't look like anything's here though. We should probably head back."

"Yeah." The pair of guards strolled to a nearby group and continued their patrol.

Nearby, Gold latched onto the barrier, and dangled a few feet over the river. "So much pain," he growled, his eyes shut tight. His hood slid off as he glared up at the small crater in the wall just above him. Bits and pieces of stone fell, with remnants of light that flickered on the wall.

He held on with one claw and grunted from the shift in weight. With his free claw he brushed his forehead; a small bit of blood smeared against his claw. He closed his eyes, and wiped off the blood on his cloak. He opened his eyes and followed rivers path to an opening under the right gate. "That must be it."

Gold leaped off the wall and dove straight into the river. He gasped when he resurfaced and swam along the current. He glanced around, unsure whether the guards heard him or not, but that thought left him when he collided face-first against something hard. "Gah!" Ahead is a large gate with a simple design. It had black, metal, vertical bars that crossed across a larger circular opening; enough for Gold to swim in. Two bars right in the center, however, were covered in a transparent rainbow colored film.

Not wanting to remain mashed up on the gate any longer than he needed too, he grasped the bars with his claws and began to pull. The bars easily snapped and dissolved in the water. Gold ducked inside and swam along the tunnel with the current.

As he swam, he finally emerged from the tunnel. A large smile graced his beak as he floated along the river; the high walls of dirt and trees greeted him. He turned back and watched as the walls of the Erozain border started to fade in the night. The various torches evenly lined across the stone structure, even with the darkness and rain, it looked imposing but reminded him of his journey. With a salute, and a nod, he turned back with his eyes to the darkened sky.

"Time for the real work to begin."

Author's Note

Minor edits. 04/05/2019

Plans and Tests

Author's Note

Fixed a few Grammar issues I missed in the chapter. 4/15/2019

Plans and Tests

Fractured Spirit

Chapter 2

The sun shined in the sky as Gold sat at the edge of a forest, overlooking a cliff. Birds chirped and flew overhead without a care in the world. The trees rustled gently in the wind, a stark contrast from last night’s ferocity. The forest gleamed from the dew left by the rain, that started to fade from the sun’s presence.

With his cloak hung on the tree behind him and his bags at the base, Gold nodded at the scenery ahead. "This is a problem," Gold mused as he slowly placed a lump-ridden, blood-colored berry in his beak. His eye twitched once as the sweet yet wax-like taste flushed through his beak. He sat inches away from the edge of a rocky cliff with his eyes cast down at the land below.

Directly below is a steep drop to the plains. Right at the edge of the plains is a small town, he could see only the shapes of the buildings, but it was enough to frown at. Ahead in the distance is a large stretch of land that lined across the horizon. A massive body of water stretched along from east to west with no end in sight. The distance made him cringe but not as much as his current dilemma.

"How am I going to get down there?" He stood up and started to pace, with a berry filled claw raised. "I'm still too close to Eroza to head back on the roads. I'll probably be good if I don't run into any guards though, but I don't want to take any chances." He carefully chewed a berry. "I should be able to climb down but I don't have any tools for this."

His eyes wandered back and forth from the cliff. Off to his left beyond a few trees is a waterfall. The river he traveled along flowed into it, and at the base had jagged rocks and a small pool of water. Beyond that, there was no immediate declines for as far as he could see in that direction and there were no towns either.

To his right, just beyond the forests edge is the road from Eroza that lead down a steep but manageable hill that lead straight to the town. However, the path was devoid of any trees, bushes, or cover of any kind to hide from the Eroza guards.

Gold groaned and stuffed the remaining berries in his beak and swallowed hard. "Think. How could I get down there without putting myself into too much danger?" He continued to pace with a claw under his beak.

As that question hung in the air, he went to the tree and rummaged through his saddlebags. "Glare was right, these waterproof saddlebags are useful." He pulled out a violet and aqua, checkered magazine with a silver-colored pony on the cover. "Huh, High Mountain Magazine eh? Honeydew did want me to read this. Might as well until I figure something out."

Gold sat against the tree and relaxed as he began to read through the magazine. The magazine had a variety of articles about various events in Eroza. There's an appreciation festival for King Erozin, an exotic market opening for the weekend, various shops offering discounts at various days and one event that he noticed that he'll miss for certain.

"Honeydew's birthday party..." he whispered. "It’s in a few months and I won't be there. That's probably why she didn't want me to go so soon." He slapped his forehead and groaned. "Now I feel bad. I said I was going to be there too. I can't go back now..."

Back at the index, he saw a small section for unicorns that had the title, 'Spells of the Day.' "I definitely should get her something after I get settled in Griffonstone." He flipped to that section in the magazine and raised a brow.

The page showed a single, stylized, aqua colored unicorn by the name of Inert Spinner. There were six paragraphs that had his picture above each one, in a different pose to show off the spells he did.

One spell was lighting candles or lanterns without the need to look at it. Another for detecting certain types in minerals in rocks along with a spell for extracting those minerals. The other two spells were for coloring furniture which he was sure he didn't need. The last spell, however, greatly caught his interest.

"Here we go. Nether's Tether. 'Preparing to go rock climbing in the mountains of Eroza? Have no fear. With Nether's Tether you can enjoy all the benefits of rock climbing with rope, without the rope. Just fire the spell at anything useful as an anchor and use your horn as a pulley. Going up and down is a snap and you'll never have to worry about your rope troubles again.'" Gold smiled and wagged his tail as he read that description.

"This is good, this could be...wait what?" Directly under the description is a warning in red letters. "'Warning, do not use this spell if your magic is unstable in any way, shape or form. The spell require absolute concentration as improper use can launch the user in the air completely unconscious during pull, or a severed connection and magical disruption during descent.'"

Gold glared at the warning, along with the 'novice' tag under 'spell difficulty.' His eyes drifted lower to the spell itself. "Just as soon as I understand what these words and symbols mean." He placed the magazine next to his saddlebags and walked over to the tree closest to the cliff. "Well, it can't be that bad can it?"

"Come on!" Gold shouted as he stood on his hind leg with his claws, palms out, facing the tree. "Come on. Do something, anything!" His eyes twitched as he continued to stand with his claws out and not a single spark of magic being used. "How is this not working? I'm doing what the book says. Point and shoot. What am I missing?"

He flopped on his back and stared up into the sky. The sun hung low on the horizon and gave the sky an orange hue. In that time, he struggled to make a single tether of any kind. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "I'm not surprised though. I shouldn't have magic to start. The best I could do is make my hand, err, 'claw' glow and make myself move faster. Although that was an accident. Then again, it's not like I studied those spells either. Or at least, I think they are spells considering the rules of this world. Are they even considered spells since I didn't have a reference to go by?" he mused. "Still, it seems simple, yet I can't do it."

He chuckled and rolled on his side. "It would be funny if I had to pretend like I'm putting rope around the tree. I mean, the horn for a unicorn would act as a pulley so in a sense, it’s a rope dispenser? Maybe since I use magic differently, I could use the spell but must manage it in a different way. But the book said that you had to point and shoot." He scratched his beak with his wing and glanced at the tree. "Well, it's not working their way, might as try it my way."

Gold hopped up and approached the tree once again, this time he rested his claw against it and closed his eyes. "Ok, come on magic. Wrap some tethers around this tree." He sat quietly, and after a few minutes, he slowly opened his eyes. He looked upon his results and frowned. "Nothing?"

He rotated his claw a few times then waved it around. "Or maybe I should try this." He laid his claws side by side, in front of him with digits curled in. "What if I literally have to pretend like I'm holding rope." He raised his claws above his head and let out small breath as he closed his eyes once again. This time a line of pure white energy bubbled up in his claws. At first it was one, then two, then three, until his claws filled with them.

"Oh!" He lurched backwards as his claws twitched. The lines in his claws began to spiral around one another, intertwining until it resembled a thick, bright, golden-colored, transparent piece of rope. "Whoa! I didn't think this was going to work." Gold grinned as he stared in wonder at his accomplishment.

However, the moment he separated his claws, the rope faded into a bright mist. "No... No! I had it." He performed the same action again, with his claws pressed together. A low growl escaped his throat as he stared at his claws again. "I had it. I can do this again."

His wings spread out and his claws trembled as he focused. Small speaks of light rose from his palms. "Come on..." Gold strained. Thin trails of light began to glow throughout his body. They snaked along and followed his veins.

His eyes widened as he watched his body glow. "Wait...this isn't right."

The light flowed up in like droplets of white blood, then erupted in a shower of light. Gold screamed as the magic erupted from his body. Beams of light shot out, piercing through anything they touched. In those moments as the light came, it dissipated and only his veins gave a dull glow.

Gold fell to his side and began to cough. "Ugh...what in the world?" His arms shook as he tried to push himself up. As he sat up, hunched over, he gasped and clutched his chest. "Ok. Never going to force magic to work like that again."

As Gold looked up after collecting his breath, he stared wide-eyed at his display. Several trees had small bullet-like holes that pierced straight through and the smell of burnt wood permeated the air.

Gold placed his claws together and tried to focus on the spell. Light sparked out but nothing changed to his surprise. "Huh, maybe I should cut the magic use down for now." Gold shivered when he noticed the glow in his veins. "I hope this is normal and will go away after a while," he mumbled.

The caress of a gentle breeze tickled Gold's face as he finally relaxed. He headed back to slip his cloak back on and gather his saddlebags. Just behind the tree, he tucked his belongings at his side and curled up in with his hood on. "I'll figure this magic stuff out soon. I should have plenty of time," he whispered as his eyelids began to shut. Gold breathed quietly and furthered cocooned himself under his wings.

Gold studied his arm as he wrote a few notes in his journal. The glow in his body faded with no trace of injury. "It's been almost a full day since I... forced more magic out of myself. At least I can use it again." He turned up to the sky and watched as the stars twinkled to his delight. With a sigh he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. Images began to piece together in his mind, memories that threatened to reach out to him. The white-hot pain slowly simmered in his head and he knew what was coming next.

"No.." he grunted. Gold dropped his journal and placed a single talon upon his wrist. His eyes glued to his wrist as he clenched his beak shut. He pressed his talon lightly against his wrist and his breathing became labored. In one fluid motion, he dragged his talon across his wrist. He clenched his eyes shut as blood trickled down his wrist on the grass below.

Gold exhaled when he let his arms fall to his sides. He glanced over to his bags and a small frown worked its way up his beak. "This isn't me," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"I've made a little progress with the spell," he said as he munched on a berry. "I can now generate or materialize more of this magical rope with a single claw instead of using both." With his free claw he scribbled a few more thoughts in his journal. "Problem, the rope has no mass and if I apply just a bit of pressure it breaks. If the tether from the spell is sturdy than I need to work on making my magic rope more...solid?"

He scratched his head and sighed. "I'll figure it out. I got this far on my own."

"Yes!" In Gold's claw lie an arm's length of rope, it glowed bright but it's no longer transparent. "Yes!" He pumped his fist into the air with the item tight in his claws. "I did it!"

He scrambled to his saddlebags and yanked out his journal with one claw. As he opened his journal, he flipped to an empty page and began writing his notes. "After a bit of trial and error, I discovered that giving mass to magic spells revolve around experience with other solid objects. In my case, the rope I created with the thought of hard plastic made the rope... hard like plastic."

He waved the rope back and forth as it groaned. "Side note, it now sounds like plastic being crushed just by bending it and its annoyingly loud. Still, its progress and I can pull on it for once," he smirked and glanced down to his claw.

"Although," he opened his claw and like before the rope dissolved into the air, "I need to work on making it last without me holding it. Don't know how I'm going to do that but it's necessary to scale this cliff."

He closed his journal and sat it at his side. With a wide smile, he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. The sun overhead making a slow descent over the horizon.

Gold sat motionless in a thick bush, head low, and eyes forward. Just ahead, near the cliff where he studied at are two ponies, one a unicorn and the other a pegasus. The unicorn searched over the area, lifting every rock, bush and branch she could see.

"I'm telling you, there's something weird out here in the forest," the unicorn said, her mature voice sharp as she spoke. "Whatever it was caused that light I saw a few days ago and I want to find out what."

The pegasus groaned and sat at the edge of the cliff with his hind-legs dangling off the side. "Are you serious? You brought me all the way out here to find something based on a flash of light...in the daytime?"

The mare sat up and glared at the pegasus. "Look, I know what I saw. It was like a big flash of light right up here somewhere!" she flailed her hooves. "It was not natural! I've watched these mountains for years and I've not once seen anything like that before"

"In the daytime?" he raised a brow.

"Yes!"

"Up here?"

"Yes!"

"And you are sure it wasn't just-"

She stamped the ground and frowned at him. "I know what I saw!"

"Alright! I get it." He waved his hoof at her.

She huffed and began to search around the tree Gold studied under. "Oh my... Hey, come here. Look at this."

The pegasus begrudgingly rose to his hooves and headed over to the mare. "What am I supposed to... oh." On the ground, partially faded in the grass are specks of Gold's dried blood. The pegasus tilted his head and leaned in closer. "Whose blood do you think it is?"

The mare didn't respond but instead had her head pointed upwards to the tree. "Look at that."

The pegasus looked up and saw the holes on the tree that Gold's magic caused. "Woah," he turned and looked at the surrounding tree's in the area. "Looks like something put holes in these trees." The pegasus crossed his forelegs and scrunched his nose. “Hmm, these holes look pretty clean, like magic or something went through them. It could be a unicorn that messed up a spell and this is the aftermath?” he questioned.

The unicorn hummed and looked around the tree, sifting through the grass. "You're probably right," the mare said then stopped. "There has to be something. Oh, what's this." Her horn glowed and engulfed a single white, charcoal tipped feather. "This might-" she grunted, "-be something-" she growled as she increased the size of magic around both her horn and the feather, "-I could-" she ground her hooves in the dirt and tilted her head back, "use!" The feather rose off the grass and hovered just up to her neck.

"Dear Celestia, why is this thing so heavy!?" The mare hooves trembled as she made her way back. Her hooves buckled as she stopped in front of the pegasus, with the feather drifting towards the ground.

"Uh, you alright mom?" he asked, glaring at the feather.

"I'm fine," she wheezed. "That feather weighs a ton! That's not normal."

"You sure about that?" He nudged the feather then slipped his hoof under it and lifted it up. "Seems light as a 'feather' to me. Heh, get it?" he joked.

The unicorn ignored the comment stared wide-eyed at the feather. "I-Impossible! I couldn't lift it up with my magic. How are you doing that?"

"Uh, like this?" he dropped the feather into his other hoof. "You're exaggerating, this is pretty light."

"Let me see that!" She yanked the feather from his hooves. "This is unbelievable." She cast her spell for the last time, the feather rose with some effort before she wheezed again. "We need to...take this to the library and study it."

The pegasus sighed. "Please no..."

"Yes, and then we tell those guards about it when they come into town next week." She nodded as she dropped the feather into her saddlebags. "Come along, I want to find out what this feather belongs to," she said as she trotted away from the clearing.

The pegasus groaned and followed behind the unicorn. "Yes, mom."

When the sound of rustling bushes faded Gold emerged from his hiding spot. He glared ahead with his beak clenched. "I sincerely hope the rumors about Griffonstone are true. Cause it looks like I'm running low on time."

"I think it's time to move," Gold said as he slowly back pedaled towards the cliffs edge, the magical rope extending from his claws and around tree's base. He kept a sidelong glance as he began to pull on the rope. "Good gravy that's bright." He glanced up at the sun and winced. "I get the mass part down but now its extra bright in sunlight." He sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Magic is weird."

Gold took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tugged on the rope. It went rigid when he pulled. He nodded after a few tugs and positioned himself parallel to the cliff. He raised his claws, one held the rope, the other grasped at the loose piece. "Now let’s see if my practice finally paid off."

With a slow pulling motion, magical rope began to materialize as his claws separated. When he stretched his arms to the limit, he repeated the motion and pulled more magical rope from his claw. "Ok, this is good. This is good." Little by little he pulled and before long, he had several yards of magical rope dangling off the cliff.

His grip on the rope tightened as he peered off the side. He gasped and lurched back while he clung to his safety net. "This is starting to look like a bad idea." He gulped and began to shimmy off the cliff, his vice-like grip tightened further.

Gold's body was halfway off the edge, his legs grasped at the stone and carefully inched his lower body down. "So far so good." His arms trembled as he rested against the edge. "Now the hard part."

He took his right claw and grasped the rope under his chest and held tight. "Ugh." He released his left claw and snapped it right under his left claw and slid down the wall just briefly.

He stretched his legs out and kept his claws tights as he looked over his shoulder to the descent below. "Holy crap..." His eyes glanced over the rope as he held on and gave a half-smile. "Well, I better make this quick."

He threw his head back as he inhaled, his eyes snapping shut. As he opened his eyes and looked down, he braced himself. "Better make this quick..." He tucked his legs in, lightened his grip, then kicked himself back and slid down.

The descent was quicker than he expected, and he snapped his claw tight around the rope. He whipped against the roped before he slammed face first straight into the stonewall. "Gah!" He positioned his legs between his body and the wall and shook his head with a growl. "Ouch."

"Are you a griffon!?" chirped a female's voice.

"Gyah!" Gold lurched forward and smashed his head against the wall with a light thud. "Son of a-"

"Oh! I'm sorry, did I startle you!?" Gold felt something warm grip his shoulder. He snapped his head, glaring at the offending being with a scowl.

There with a single golden-yellow claw on his shoulder, shining turquoise eyes, and a warm smile is a griffon. This griffon had a blue-grey coat with an arctic blue-grey head, white markings above and below her eyes, with a lighter shade from its beak on down, a golden-yellow beak, and ocean blue wings. To top it off, the griffon had thick feathers that curved around the top of her head and a short, feathered, ponytail on the back.

"Yes! Yes, you did!" Gold said through a clenched beak. "That's quite dangerous to sneak up on someone while they are hanging off the side of a cliff."

"Oh," the griffon frowned, "sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Can you take your claw off me, please?" his asked in a slow, measured tone.

"S-sorry." She smiled sheepishly as she snapped her claw to her chest. She turned away and tapped the digits of her talons together. "I was just so surprised to see another griffon out here. Though..." She glanced at Gold and raised a talon to her beak. "Are you looking for the feathered mystery too?"

Gold resumed his descent, one claw after the other, his head cast down, and a low grumble in his throat. "Feathered... mystery? What feathered mystery?" He glanced at her only to see that eager smile on her face.

"What feathered mystery!? What feathered mystery!?" She spread her arms out quickly. "It’s the talk of the town since yesterday."

"Yesterday?" He grunted as he did another hop. "What do you mean?"

"Well, a pony from Pineberry saw something bright coming from the forest up here. When she got up here, she found this feather that's super resistant to unicorn magic!"

Gold paused. His wings twitched as his grip weakened a bit. "A super magic resistant feather? That's interesting."

"I know right! Before I head back to Griffonstone, I wanted to see if I could spot anything out here." She hovered above Gold and let out a high-pitched squeal. "But then I see this shimmering light in the distance and I just had to see what it is. Turns out, it was this rope!" She flicked a talon across it, and Gold promptly glared at her. "Sorry!"

"Yeah, I'm using it to get down this cliff if you don't mind," he grumbled.

"Oh, that's cool! Where did you get it from? Why does it shine like that?" She hovered a bit closer to Gold. "It's also a bit short, you're probably not going to reach the ground as it is. Oh! Is it magical!?"

Gold held in place as he glared at the griffon, his arms trembled as he held on. "Look, I don't know you and you are kind of messing up my focus now. I'm trying not to fall to my death if you don't mind." He glanced down and noticed his rope ends just below his hind legs.

She frowned at his words and pulled her arms to her chest. "Fall to your death?" She tilted her head then immediately went wide-eyed. "Can you fly!? Are you hurt!?"

"Before you say anything else, I can fly. I am simply opting to use a method that does not require me to be airborne. I am not injured. My rope is magical so it will continue to get longer the further I go down. Finally, I would like to continue my descent in peace." He looked at the griffon one more time and squinted as beads of sweat start to form on his face. "If you want to continue talking, can you wait till after I get down? You are making me really nervous." The rope in his claws flickered.

"Oh, well, is there anything I can do to help?" her tone a bit lower this time.

Gold let out a short growl, "Can you just-"

The rope snapped in a flash of light, and Gold watched as a gap formed between them. He screeched and flailed, as he felt the wind rush past him.

The griffon dived, with her wings tucked in, quickly catching up to Gold.

Gold retched as the griffon snatched Gold up from under his shoulders and pulled him out of his free-fall. "I got yah!" shouted the griffon.

"Don't drop me! Don't drop me! Don't drop me!" he screamed. He squirmed as he wrapped his arms around her neck, pressing close and nearly squeezed the breath out of the griffon as she glided down. "Do NOT drop me!"

The griffon's beak hung open from Gold's crushing strength and teetered as she descended. "Can you...loosen your grip a bit...please," she gasped.

He responded by maintaining his iron grip on her neck but stopped his kicking. He shut his eyes and buried his head in her chest as he chanted to himself. "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die."

"Don't worry, I won't-" she huffed, "-let anything happen to you. I'm Gabriella by the way."

"Yes!" Gold shouted as he collapsed on the ground. "Finally!" He dug his claws into the earth as he grinned like a madman. "I thought it would never end!"

Gabriella panted as she walked up to Gold, holding a large smile of her own. "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Gold groaned as he tried to raise his arms, instead he tucked them under his beak. As he turned his head, he glared at Gabriella with a slight twitch in his eyes. "I wouldn't need your assistance if you would have left me be."

She turned away and looked down, softly panting as she poked a blade of grass. "Sorry..."

Gold shuffled his wings through his cloak before laying on his side, facing away from her. "But I do owe you my life. So, thank you." He slid his claws up to his face and frowned. A pure white glow emanated from the veins in his claws. Unlike before, it centered at the base of his talon and faded around his wrists.

"Hey, I didn't mean to bother you like that." She scratched her head with a claw. "I'm really sorry."

He shrugged. "Honestly, it probably was for the best anyways. I'm down here and that's all the matters now." He looked past his shoulder and saw her slouched with a heavy frown. "Hey, it was just bad timing alright, don't look so sad."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. Besides, I might actually need some help." He flexed his claws a bit. "You said you were going back to Griffonstone right?"

"Yup," she said with a faint smile.

"Do you live there?"

She glanced at the ground before looking at him again. "Yeah."

He sat up to face her, kneading his claws as he spoke. "Well, what can you tell me about Griffonstone?"

She leaned back and perked a brow. "W-why do you want to know?"

"Well, I'm actually making my way to Griffonstone," he chuckled nervously. "It's why you saw me coming down that cliff. I recently left Eroza and wanted a new place to do my studies. I researched a bit into Griffonstone and thought it would be a good place to settle down temporarily."

Gabriella's jaw dropped. "Y-you want to live in Griffonstone?"

"Temporarily," he emphasized. "I'm aware of the not so favorable outlook on Griffonstone, but it seems perfect for me in a number of ways. Though many of the ponies I've talked to in Eroza say that the griffons is sort of," he stated, and rolled his claw in a circular motion, "hostile."

She raised her claw, and her beak opened, but nothing came out. Gold leaned forward a little and stared intently into her eyes. "Is it that bad?"

She brushed her claw through her feathers on her head down to her neck and sighed. "Yeah. Which is why I'm surprised and kind of happy to see another griffon out here."

"Why is that?"

"It's...a long story," she said with a weak smile.

"I see. In any case, what would be the fastest way for me to reach Griffonstone?"

"Well, flying-"

"Without me flying," he cut in."

She rubbed under her beak. "Well, you'd probably have to wait for a ferry the hippogriff's use when they dock here. But I don't know if they'll dock here again so you might never leave here unless you fly."

"What!?"

"Yup. Since those shapeshifters, not changelings by the way, started showing up, every creature in Equestria has been on edge," she explained. "They have to go through the dragon territory but ever since the incident in Ponyville, the dragons have been fiercely defending their territory from any outsiders. So, for the hippogriffs, sailing in their territory usually results in being driven out."

"Oh man. Well, can I get someone to fly me to Griffonstone? " he asked, a mild tightness formed in his stomach.

She chuckled softly. "Unless a griffon flies you to Griffonstone, you won't get there any other way I’m afraid."

He glared at Gabriella and crossed his arms. "How come?"

"The griffons will attack anything that isn't a griffon. This includes hippogriffs, sadly."

"Darn." He sighed and looked up, watching as the clouds drifted along a gentle breeze in the sky. "I really don't want to fly."

"How come? It's the fastest way to go," she chirped.

"Simple. It's one half fear of heights, the other half is that I don't trust myself flying," he stated. "I can fly," he said as he paused and closed his eyes, "I just don't trust myself enough to fly high in the air. I just feel like if I do, my wings will lock up at some point and I'll just fall to my death."

Gold's wings twitched as he continued. "To be brutally honest, I really want to try but the part of me that has been on the ground for most of my life doesn't want to take that risk. I mean, I've done flights up to trees and flying on... other flying things but never did anything full on airborne. And I do have a certain limit that I reach before promptly coming back down. I just don't see myself being up there."

She placed her claws against her cheeks and gasped. "But flying high is the best feeling in the world! To hear the wind rushing in your ears, caressing your body, and getting the view of the world below is amazing!" She scooted closer to Gold, her claws clenched and trembled excitedly. "You have to try it!"

Gold looked down at Gabriella and saw the sincerity in her eyes. "I'm not sure if I should, Gabriella."

She smiled warmly. "Call me Gabby, kay?" She reached down and grabbed Gold's claws and held them up. Her blue eyes shined in the daylight as she stared into his. "You should definitely try. I mean, don't you want to see what you can do?"

He swallowed a lump that formed in his throat. "Flying high, just isn't my thing. I like to stay as low to the ground as possible. But, if it’s to further my goals I guess I have no choice, do I?"

She hopped up and hovered in place, still holding Gold's claw in her grip. "You can either shoot for the stars or wait for the stars to come to you. I can tell you which one won't happen."

"Way to lay it on thick." He tilted his head and smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

Gabby giggled and before she spoke, she looked down at Gold's claw and frowned. "What happened to your claws?"

"Oh," he said and quickly yanked her claws away from her. "It was from the rope. Since I lost my grip, I couldn't keep focus, and this is the side effect of it. It requires focus to work properly. They’re fine though."

"Look I am-"

"It's water under the bridge now, Gabby," he said and smiled. "Besides, don't you have to go back to Griffonstone? I don't want to hold you up any longer than needed."

"I do need to head back to Griffonstone," she said quietly. With a single glance at Gold, she nodded and single aerial loop in place. "But not before I help you get there! I can't call myself a Cutie Mark Crusader if I leave you here."

He gave Gabby a curious stare. "A cutie... what?"

She snapped her claws to her cheeks. "You never heard of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!?"

"No, I haven't heard of them."

"I need to tell you all about them on our way to Griffonstone!"

Gold shuffled his wings slightly. "This is a mistake. But," he said as he clenched his eyes shut. "I need to get over there. Are you sure flying is the only option?"

"Don't worry, it's not so bad. If you want, I can hold your claw the entire way there. That way, you'll never have to worry about falling," she said with a confident smile.

"Optimistic, aren't you?" Gold sighed and ran a single claw along his head. "Fine. As much as I don't want to, I'll take your word for it. It's all I have for now."

Gabby squealed in delight, flew straight up in the air and shouted, "I'm helping out a griffon!"

His eyes widened at her declaration. He quickly sat up and darted his eyes in every direction. "Hey! Can we get started?"

She dived back to him with a smile that caused his heart to jump. "Sure thing! I'm just so happy to help out a griffon, and that griffon actually wants my help."

"That is a concerning statement. Let's just get started."

"Ooh, this is going to be awesome!"

Gold glanced up to the cliff and noticed his magical rope still hung off the side and shined. "It's probably going to disappear soon enough," he whispered.

"I'm going to die!"

"No, you aren't."

"It's going to happen!"

"Just relax, it’s not that seri-

"All I can feel is air around me Gabby!"

"That's because we're flying and stop flapping your wings so hard or you're going to tired yourself out."

"This is so... I'm not... I don't think I can do this, I want to go back down!"

"You are doing great! Just relax, I got you." Gabby said as she tightened her grip on Gold's claws.

Gold kept silent as he slowed his frantic flapping. The sharp pressure of bile stayed strong in his throat as he kept his eyes closed as they ascended. Gabby kept a stern look on her face, and once she looked down, she stopped ascending and hovered in place. "Ok, we can hover here."

Gold nearly screeched from her sudden stop, as the hood of his cloak nearly slipped off his head. "Alright! So, what now?"

"Well, we won't fly far facing each other like this. You're going to have to open your eyes," she stated.

Gold sucked in a deep breath. His claws trembled as he whimpered. "You can do it," Gabby whispered. "I'm right here."

Gold eased his eyes open and stared directly into Gabby's. "Yeah! That's it. Now, I know this might sound crazy, but I want you to look down."

"If I look down, I’m probably going to wet myself," he stated.

Gabby smiled and shook her head. "Trust me, you'll enjoy the view." She leaned forward and grabbed his hood with her beak. "In fact," she said and flicked his hood back, "you'll love the view."

"Gabby, I don't-" For that moment when she pulled down his hood and his eyes drifted down, he could only gasp.

A sea of green graced his eyes as the plains stretched out along the coast with the town sitting at the edge. The forest on the cliff that surrounded Eroza was nothing more than a sea of trees. As he stared in wonder, his heart rate increased even though a smile formed on his face. "I can't believe I’m up here," he said. His claws began to tremble as he looked back to Gabby.

"Well believe it." She let out a small hum and glanced over her shoulder. "You ready for the trip?"

"No." He shook his head and groaned. "Not at all so, lead the way."

"Now, I’m going to fly above you, so I'll have to let go of your claws. Hope you don't mind it for a sec," she said, as she dislodged her claws from his and darted above him. He reached out and grabbed her claws the moment she lined up above him.

"Please don't do that," he whispered. "Are you done?"

"Yup!" She hovered directly above Gold as their wings flapped in tandem. "The next part is easy. We just go!" With one hard flap, Gabby burst forward, with Gold pulled along for the ride.

"Holy crap! Gabby slow down!" he panicked.

"I can't, I’m too excited now!"

"Why!?"

"Because I've never had someone travel with me on one of my rounds. Especially a griffon!" Gold kept his eyes glued to the land below. The cliff he camped at became distant, the town he had intended on stopping at came into view. "I'm just happy that to know there are other griffons out here that aren't as mean as the ones in Griffonstone."

"I see!" He chuckled. "Oh, how long is the trip?"

"About two days!"

He tilted his head and frowned. "Are we going to be flying for two days straight or is there a break in between?"

"There's a few islands we can sleep on for the nights, but for the rest of the trip, its non-stop-flying!"

"This is not-" he paused as he looked down. "We're over water! We are over water!" He began to sway as he flew, his breathing hitched.

"Come on, relax. I got you so don't worry about it, alright?" She looked down at him with a warm smile.

He stared into her eyes and began to slow down his breathing. He closed his eyes and let out a drawn-out breath before he looked ahead. "Alright, alright. I trust you. I just don't like this."

Gabby giggled as stared at the horizon. "This is going to be so fun! Oh! Now let me tell you all about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and why they are the best thing in all of Equestria!"

Gold glanced back and with a heavy sigh, whispered a few words. "This will be a long trip."

Gold yawned as he and Gabby soared, as dark clouds engulfed the sky. The once blue ocean now darker and the light from the moon breaking through the cracks in the sky. Gold shuddered as he kept his eyes glued at the water below. "That was an interesting tale of your Cutie Mark Crusader friends."

Gabby giggled. "Yeah, they are just that amazing!" She closed her eyes, with a nostalgic smile plastered on her face. "I just wish I could see them more often."

Gold looked up to Gabby. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she began, "the truth is that since those shapeshifters are running around, Ponyville hasn't been the same." Her smile dipped into a frown. "Since, 'The Strike on Ponyville.'"

"The Strike on Ponyville?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "One of the worst events that happened in Ponyville about a two years ago."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" he inquired.

Gabby gripped Gold's claws tighter before she spoke. "From what I was told, a group of ponies came to Ponyville, and tried to... murder Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Gold went wide-eyed. "Oh," he whispered. "That's terrible."

"While Princess Twilight managed to avoid getting seriously injured, she was still hurt really bad. There was a big battle that broke out between her, her friends and even the princesses of Equestria against those ponies. A few innocent ponies were pretty badly injured during the fight," her voice trembled.

"Hey, Gabby if this is hard for you to talk about then you don't-"

"It's fine," she cut in. "I've wanted to talk about this with someone for once."

"Even still, it sounds like that event traumatized you. You weren't in Ponyville when it happened right?"

"Not when it initially happened, no. But I came in shortly after to deliver a letter and saw the aftermath." She stared straight ahead. "Those poor ponies..."

"Hey Gabby," he nearly screeched. "Where is the first island that we can land on?" He quickly scanned the sea and noticed multiple patches of land scattered about.

"Oh!" She shook her head and glanced below. "Actually, one is coming up now."

The pair began their descent to a rather tiny island. It resembled a crescent in shape and had a few palm trees, with small patches of bushes near the edges and covered in sand.

Gold squinted when he noticed a small structure on the island. "Hey, what's that?"

"It's a little place I built during my travels out here."

"I see." They continued their descent in silence. With only slivers of moonlight that pierced through the clouds and reflected off the ocean, the two flew in near darkness.

"Hey, are you ok? You're shivering a bit. Are you cold?" Gabby asked with a hint of concern.

Gold stared wide-eyed at the dark ocean below. "I'm not cold, just staring into the abyss." His claws trembled as he held on tight. "We almost, there right? I can start to hear the water."

"Yup! You ready to land?"

He looked up at her. "Ready as I’ll ever be."

Gabby hovered in front of the structure with Gold just a few inches off the ground. Once Gold got his foot on the cool sand, he released his hold and collapsed on his arms. "Land, I cannot miss this enough."

Gabby landed in front of him and held out her claw. "Need some help?"

He began to push himself up. "No thanks," he said as he looked up at her. "Just give me a-"

"Gah!" Gabby flinched and fell on her rump.

Gold stepped back. "W-what is it?" He looked around. "Did you see something?"

She pointed her twitchy claw at him, "Y-your eyes," she choked.

"My eyes? What about them?"

She inched closer, her eyes glued to his. "They're so bright."

"I know," he whispered and closed his eyes. "The darker it is the brighter they glow. Scary isn't it?"

Gabby shook her head. A large smile grew on her face. "No way, that's just so cool. I've never seen a griffon's eyes glow so bright since, ever. They are almost otherworldly."

"Too bad it doesn't help me see better," he joked, and glanced at her.

"Oh! Speaking of that." She took out a key from her saddlebags and unlocked the door to the small to the structure and entered. After a few minor clicks, the inside illuminates with a warm glow. She dashed back out, jumped backwards and landed on top of the old wooden-looking structure. With her claws pointed down, she smiled. "Welcome to 'Gabby's Shack!'"

From the outside, it was a rather rustic looking cabin. It had small logs of wood tied together and painted violet in color with a slanted roof. There were two round windows at the front, and right above the wooden door is a small crude shield carving with a trophy etched at the center.

"Did you build this?" he said with a raised brow.

"Yup, and you'll be the first... ever... griffon... to step foot inside!" She giggled and hopped down in front of Gold, her claws twitched in anticipation. "I can't wait to show you what's in store. Come on!" She gestured for Gold to enter.

Once he stepped inside, and Gabby locked the door, he took a good look around. To start, there was very little space. A crude wooden table to his left with a few small boxes on top and underneath. A small nest with a few decorative blankets covering the inside in the back with two chests at its sides and a single picture frame hanging on the wall above it. To his right, a wall full of small chests, boxes and cans of various sizes. There was small oil lantern above the doorway, a metal hatch on the roof, and a small, stone, fire pit built into the center of the floor.

"Pardon me," Gabby chirped as she squeezed past him. She placed her saddlebags on the table to his left and hopped into her little nest. "What do yah think?" She gestured to the room. "I know it's not much, but it helps to rest during long trips." She flopped on her back with her arms over her head and sighed.

"I think it does the job." He plopped down in front of the fire pit, pulled the hood over his head and closed his eyes. "I mean, you come here to rest so that's all that matters right?"

"Yup, plus if I need to get some time away from Griffonstone I could come out here." She waved a claw. "I actually have two more on the way to Griffonstone. We're probably going to skip one since we're making pretty good time."

"I see, that's good to know."

Gabby sat up using her elbows and looked at Gold. "Are you hungry? Do you want some blankets?"

Gold shrugged. "I am hungry, but I can wait. I have some of those berries I picked in the forest. And I'm good, this cloak does the job. I just want to rest."

"Oh ok," She went back to her resting place. "Well, when you get hungry, I can whip you up a meal."

"It's fine Gabby, though, thank you for your offer." He glanced at her with one eye. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Nah, I had a big meal before I left. I'll eat in the morning," she hummed and stared at the ceiling. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Gold closed his eyes and yawned. "Sure, what is it?"

"What's your name?"

"My name?"

She turned over to face Gold with one claw hanging off the nest. "You haven't told me your name this entire time. I was wondering what it was if you don't mind me asking."

"Well, I'd figure it wasn't important enough to tell you," he stated. "Once I get into Griffonstone and get settled in, we probably won't ever speak again."

She tilted her head. "Well, even if we don't. I'd still like to know the name of a griffon I helped out."

Gold went silent. The sound of waves slashing against the island echoed in the cabin. He hummed and let the ambience settle in before he spoke. "My name is," he paused, " Golden Eyes. But you can call me Gold."

She gave him a warm smile. "That's an awesome name, almost legendary!"

"Thanks, though I don't know about legendary," he chuckled. "I like your name as well. I never knew anyone with Gabriella as a name. Sounds like a name a princess would have," he concluded.

Gabby giggled and turned away, with her claws on her cheeks. "It's not that great."

"You're right it's not." Gabby frowned. "It's legendary," he smirked.

They shared a brief chuckle before the ambient sounds of the ocean waves filled the cabin once more. Gabby rested her claws on her chest and crossed her legs. She glanced at Gold a few times before she spoke up.

"Are you still awake?" she inquired.

Gold let out a light grumble before he spoke. "Yes."

"I just want to ask you something before I go to sleep."

"Fire away," he yawned.

She took in a deep breath and spoke carefully, "Have you ever forced yourself on a female griffon before?"

Gold promptly sat up, wide-eyed. "Pardon?"

She fidgeted with her talons a bit. "H-have you ever considered forcing yourself on a female griffon?"

He stared at her incredulously. "Never. Never have, never will. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted know," she trembled.

He pulled his hood back. "Do you think I would try to force myself on you?"

"You don't seem like you would, but I just... wanted to know." She turned towards the wall and curled up.

Gold stared at Gabby with a single talon under his beak in thought. He turned away and began to unlock the shack door. "I think I know why you asked that question. I'll stay out here if it makes you feel safer."

"Wait!" Gabby shot up and waved her claws in a panic.

Gold stopped, and looked back, his claw on the handle. "It's fine Gabby, really. If you told me this sooner, I would have just stayed outside."

"That wouldn't be fair to you. You didn't know, plus I invited you in." She stepped out her nest and approached him. "You don't have to go outside."

He cracked the door open. "Not if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I can handle the elements."

Gabby brushed against Gold's side and with a raised claw, she firmly shut the door. "It won't make me uncomfortable I promise you." Her eyes, stern and glued to his.

"But it will make me uncomfortable knowing that it happened to you." He shook his head, and pulled the door open again. "I'm just respecting your space."

The door closed with a slam this time. "Please stay," she pleaded. "I just wanted to know for sure you're a real griffon. And I know how to defend myself, so it never got that far but," she paused.

"Ok, that statement is truly alarming." He released the handle and sat with his arms crossed. "What in the hell is going in Griffonstone? Are the griffons there crazy or something?"

"Not crazy," she whispered. “Just acting out is all.”

He gestured with his claw. "Elaborate."

Gabby grabbed the lantern above Gold and sat on the opposite side of the fire pit. She placed the lantern on the pit and sighed. "Well, like I said earlier, it’s a long story."

He sat in front of the pit, keeping his claws tucked inside his cloak. "From what you told me so far, I assume that ‘Strike on Ponyville’ incident in had something to do with it."

She nodded. "That wasn't the only attack on Ponyville. There were three big ones in total that relate to the shapeshifters and they were all tied directly to Princess Twilight. The first was the original attack. It was done by ponies but later discovered that they were some other creatures."

She scratched her beak with a talon. "Except that's not entirely true either. I don't know what they are exactly but one of their true forms was something unusual. There rest were creatures of Equestria. A minotaur, griffon, changeling, hippogriff, and even a dragon. At least from what I was told. Months later another attack happened but on a small-scale. It was just two ponies which was later found to be ponies."

Gold raised a brow. "Ponies that were ponies?"

"They were shapeshifters as well, except they never transformed, or if they couldn't. I'm not sure." Gabby leaned back with her arms at her sides. "Then came the third attack."

She scratched a talon on the wooden floor as she recalled the memory. "Grampa Gruff had visited Ponyville that day. It was to discuss the issues with the shapeshifters. Gruff and a few other important figures wanted to know whether Friendship University would be safe from any new attacks."

"The attack came but it was specifically for Princess Twilight like before. Grampa Gruff jumped in the battle and got hurt really bad." She looked across at Gold, a heavy look filled her eyes. "He is in a coma now and it doesn't look good for him."

Gold's wings twitched but he remained silent.

"When news got back to Griffonstone, the griffons were outraged. They blamed the princess for letting it happen and wants to cut their ties with the ponies. They never actually followed through with it. But without Gruff helping us out, Griffonstone just started to collapse. In less than a year, griffons were simply doing anything for bits or just doing what they want." She glanced down at her feet. "Most griffons could easily go out to find jobs, but they chose to stay in Griffonstone. No griffon wants to help out unless there's payment involved."

"So, in other words, Griffonstone is a mess," he stated.

"I've tried my best to motivate griffons into helping out and keep them on track," she whimpered. "I've tried so hard to spread friendship among griffons. All I get back is threats, harassment, and... it never ends." She covers her face with her claw. "I just want things to get better for Griffonstone, you know? Most griffons know how bad it is and just act out."

"Such as trying to force you in unwanted positions."

"Yeah... but it's all those shapeshifter's fault!" she shouted. Gold recoiled from the sheer volume of her voice. "They went and attacked the princess and innocent ponies for what!? I don't know! Princess Twilight was hurt, Grampa Gruff is in a coma, the other leaders were affected in some way and all of Equestria is on edge!"

She slammed her fist into the floor and caused a light tremor in the shack. "Why did this have to happen!? Who are they, what do they want?"

Gold turned away for a moment. "Has there been any more attacks since then?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Since the last attack, it's been quiet for almost a year now. If there was, I don't know about it. But I do know that many places like Ponyville check to see if any visitors are shapeshifters."

"I see," he mused. "This is all horrible Gabby and I just don't know what to say." He kneaded his claws and took a hard look at the floor. "I never knew it was this bad."

"You're not a bad griffon, right?"

"Define bad," he quipped.

"You won't try to hurt me or do anything that I won't like." She rubbed her claws together, and her wings trembled. "You won't do anything bad to me."

"I won't do anything like that to you Gabby," he smiled. "If anything, I can promise you that nothing will happen to you by me, because I'll keep my dist-"

Gold found himself pushed back with Gabby's arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. She buried her head in his chest, pulled him in tight with her wings and sobbed. "Gabby..."

"I just want griffons to go back to being unfriendly, at least I had a better chance to make a difference," she said, muffled in his chest. "Now, I don't know if I can."

"As long as you keep trying, you will." He pulled his claws up from her grip and gently scratched her head. "If you let this situation get to you, it will only get worse."

"I know, I'm trying," she whispered. "Do you really want to go to Griffonstone?"

He began to scratch up and down along her neck, getting small coos in response. "From everything you just said, and despite how bad it is, I have to go," he groaned.

"I don't want you to go there." Her grip tightened. "I don't want to see another griffon change for the worse."

"I understand your concern and it sounds like I should avoid going there, but I think I'll take my chances still."

"But I don't thi-

"Shh, just rest ok. I know you're tired from telling me that story," He gave her a few scratches along her back before settling a claw protectively on her head. "Just rest Gabby. Don't worry about me alright, and don't worry about me hurting you. Cause I won't."

"Ok," her voice barely a whisper.

He closed his eyes and began to sway back and forth, with Gabby in his arms and a light tune in his head. Several thoughts echoed in his mind. Gabby recalled some disturbing information to him, and he knew this will pose a problem, at least a minor one.

The last of the oil burned out and the cabin engulfed in near darkness. "Gabby?" he said with a nudge. "Gabby?" The only response he received was light snoring. Gabby's wings had lost their grip and her arms wrapped loosely around his waist.

As he cradled her head with one arm and slipped his right under her legs, he took measured steps forward to her nest. He gently tucked her wings in and gave her one more scratch on the head. "You're so busy helping others when there's no one helping you."

Gold let out one more yawn before he took his place on the opposite side of the fire pit. With his hood pulled down as he laid on his side, he began to drift off.

“Hey.” Gold felt something prod his side. “Wake up.”

Gold let out a wide yawn. “What time is it?” He tucked his arms under his chest and rolled halfway on his back with his eyes still closed.

“It’s time for breakfast,” Gabby chirped.

Gold let out one more yawn as he rested squarely on his back. With his hood pulled, down and his cracked open, he saw the smiling face of Gabby as she waved at him. “Come on.” She pointed at the rather large pot on top of the smoldering fire pit, with two small wooden bowls on each side of it. “Have some soup.”

Low beams of light pierced through the windows and the open hatch above that gave the cabin a dim blue tint. Gold rubbed his eyes as he sat up. “Soup, what’s in it?” He grabbed the bowl and peered into the pot.

“Oh, just some small bits of fish with beans and corn.” She took her bowl, scooped up a copious amount and began to gulp it down.

“Huh.” He glanced at Gabby before looking at the soup again. His stomach grumbled at the sight, and the smell of cooked fish and a hint of spices made his lips moisten. “This does look good.”

He scooped up a bowl-full, sniffed, and dipped his tongue in. “Hmm.” He swished the flavor around his beak. “I like the taste.” He quietly sipped on the soup with his eyes closed.

Gabby on the other hand dipped her bowl in for the third time and downed it ravenously. “Ahh,” she sighed after licking the bowl clean and sat her it on the side. “That was good.” She leaned back and rubbed her belly.

Gold chuckled. “I bet.” He nodded to the pot that had a small puddle of soup left.

“Oh!” She covered her beak and scrambled to her wall of boxes. “I didn’t mean to eat it all. I’ll make some more now.”

“Gabby…” He lowered his bowl.

She pulled out red can of beans from one of the boxes. “I think you might like this brand.”

“Gabby.”

“Yes?” She stared.

“I’m fine,” he said and sipped on the rest of his soup.

“But you only had one bowl.” She placed the can back and sat down.

“I know.” He wiped his beak with his sleeve and stood up and held the bowl in one claw. “I’m a pretty light eater.”

Gabby ushered Gold outside as she cleaned up her shack. The cool morning air washed over Gold’s as he took long, measured breaths. “I would be ‘placed,’” he muttered, “I think, in a world where there’s a conflict of this magnitude.” He rubbed his talons against his temple. “I might have to look into these shapeshifters.”

Gold turned around when he heard a door shut. “Alright, I cleaned up and ready to go,” Gabby chirped as she walked up next to him. “Are you ready?”

“Hang on.” He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a handful of bits. “Here.” He held out the bits to her.

Gabby tilted her head, then glanced between at him and his claw. “What’s this?”

“Bits?” he questioned with a raised brow.

“Oh.” She placed a talon under her beak. “Why are you holding them out to me?”

“Because I’m giving them to you?”

She leaned forward, head turned sideways and glared at him with one eye. “Why?”

He grabbed her claw, held it up, and dropped the bits. “Because I appreciate what you have done for me so far and this is just my way of thanking you.”

She gasped and stared down at her claw. “Are you really giving me these bits for just helping you?” she whimpered as the bits began to jangle in her hold.

“Yeah?” he drawled. “Are you ok?”

She hung her head low and smiled. “I’m ok, just happy and surprised at the same time.” She tucked the bits in her bags and wiped away the building moisture in her eyes. “You’re not a shapeshifter, are you?”

“Considering how evil they sound, I would say no,” he chuckled. He reached out and rubbed her head in a slow, careful way. “You must really be the oddball among the griffons, eh?”

Gabby hummed and she leaned into his touch with her eyes closed. “Same goes to you. I’ve never met such a nice griffon like you before.”

“That’s probably because I wasn’t born in Griffonstone,” he joked as he began to lightly scratch the side of her head.

“That would explain a lot,” she hummed.

Gold pulled his claws away with Gabby trying to lean further in his touch. “You feel better now?”

Gabby opened her eyes and turned away with a sheepish smile. “Y-yeah.”

“Sorry for suddenly touching you like that.” He scratched behind his head.

“It’s fine! I really needed that, so thanks."

Gold nodded. “Alright, lets be gone with the wind.” He spread his wings out and watched Gabby expectantly. “You’re leading of course.”

She glanced at the ocean. “Do you really want to live in Griffonstone? I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” she explained. “You should try Ponyville, or Baltimare, Las Pegasus or any other place other than Griffonstone.”

He held up a claw and spoke, “I’ve made up my mind Gabby. Besides, I need to see if Griffonstone is as bad as you say it is. But I can promise you that if anything changes, I’ll leave for Ponyville since that is one of the locations I need to visit anyways.”

“Can you promise that you won’t change while you’re in Griffonstone?” Gabby insisted.

“Gabby, if I feel like something is going to go wrong with me, I’ll come to you. How does that sound?”

“You promise?” she pouted with her arms crossed.

He rolled his eyes and smirked. “I promise.”

“Pinkie promise?” She balled up her fists as a smile grew on her face.

“I don’t know what that is, but sure, pinkie promise,” he shrugged.

“Woo-hoo!” She flew around the island, shouting in joy, before she returned to Gold and hovered above him.

“You done?” he deadpanned.

Gabby giggled and lowered her claws. “Yeah.”

He hooked on her claws. “Lead the way.”

“Next stop… Griffonstone.” The pair began to hover in the air, and with enough height, began to soar into the sky. With the sun beginning to peak along the horizon, the dark night sky slowly melted away as they continued on to Griffonstone.

Reason To Fly

Fractured Spirit

Chapter 4

“My magic is weird.” Gold clicked his tongue as he weaved a strand of glowing rainbow thread into a knot around itself. At first it held, and after a few moments merged into itself, then straightened out into its original shape.

A worn sigh escaped Gold’s beak as he laid on his belly, arms stretched out as he twisted the glowing, thin strand of magical fiber within his talons. “I don’t understand. I have magic like the unicorns, but I can’t seem to replicate their processes in utilizing it.”

Gold lazily rolled on his back, the thread between his talons dangled loosely above his beak. “I know I want to turn this into a knot, but it’s not working.” Gold rolled his eyes. “Correction, not working well.”

Gold pulled his talons opposite from each other causing the thread to break apart and fade. He let out a low grunt as light travelled up his arms until fading away. “Ugh, I can’t seem to make this stuff disappear without it hurting in some way.”

Gold rubbed his claws together as his eyes drifted to the window covered by his cloak. Low beams of orange, reds, and yellow light peaked through the holes as he stared. With a sigh, Gold rested his claws behind his head. “There is a trick to all of this somewhere. I know I can use magic for specific purposes, but I can’t seem to tap into that process to make it easier to achieve those purposes.”

“When I started with the Nether’s Tether spell, I noticed that as I focused on making it a solid structure that I am familiar with, it worked to a degree.” Gold’s tail swayed idlily as he mused. “Despite that, it wasn’t ideal but functional.”

Through his musing’s, Gold thought back to the time Gabby ‘unintentionally’ disrupted him during his spell. The rope between his claws fell apart but somehow the remaining length that was connected to the tree did not dissipate. “I wonder why that didn’t happen though? It only affected the length closest to my claws so why didn’t the whole thing fall apart?”

Gold shot up and his eyes widened. “Could it be that the magic I have has longer lasting properties for spells that create objects or instances?” He quickly grabbed his journal and began scribbling down notes on a blank page.

“That might be a problem in the event the remains of that rope are still there. Though, I guess it wouldn’t matter since it probably wouldn’t be traced back to me.” Gold raised a claw under his beak. “Except for Gabby, who knows I used it. But even then, if it’s resistant to magic, whoever finds it wouldn’t expect a griffon to have used it,” Gold shrugged, and shook his head. “No point in worrying about it now since I can’t test that, yet. But this could potentially be beneficial if I can use it to find a way home.”

Gold hummed, “there is one thing I want to try. Let’s see what happens if I try to pour more magic into it and try to pull at it.” Gold sat up, facing the center of the shed. With his right claw, palm up, he stared intently at the center. Thin lines of light flowed out from Gold’s palm and weaved around itself. It flowed down both sides his claw in a spiral pattern until it touched the wooden floor. Gold held the length of magical rope carefully up to his face, then using his left claw, he carefully reached down to the center.

“I hope this works,” Gold whispered, placing two talons on both sides of the rope. Then, he slowly began to pull.

“Huh. That’s a bit odd,” Gold mumbled, the rope completely immobile in his right claw as he pulled. He grunted and applied more force to detach the magical object from his palm. “Come on,” he hissed. Gold pulled and pulled to no avail with it locked in place.

He huffed and placed his claw on the floor, and his feet on both sides of the rope. Gold glared at the magical construct, then with a single breath, he yanked his claw up. He nearly tipped over as the rope remained bound, unmovable, within his palm.

“How is this not working!?” Gold snarled. The offending construct mocked him as he glared. With no progress, Gold took in a deep breath and relaxed. With his wings now spread out, Gold closed his eyes and slowly pulled up once again. “I won’t get anywhere by getting frustrated.” The rope began to peel away from Gold’s claw, with little threads flickering like webs in his palm.

Gold opened his eyes and grunted, the bulk of the rope only a few inches away from his claw. He rolled his eyes and let his arm slack, and his claw immediately snapped back to the rainbow-colored rope. “This is crazy.” Gold stepped back and held up the shimmering length of thread. “There must be some sort of magic based knowledge I need to know before I can start doing complicated spells.”

Gold dragged his free claw along his face with a huff. “I need a magic tutor or at least a guide to learning magic. Though, that’s why I’m going to Ponyville next.” Gold clamped his claw around rope. The bundle of rainbow thread shattered in a shower of sparks. Gold collapsed on his back, writhing as he clutched his now steaming claw to his chest.

“Holy crap that burns!” Gold flailed his claw, and after a few moments, the steam began to dissipate. “I really need to figure out how to cancel spells without hurting myself.” He brought his claw close and gently blew on it. Once satisfied, Gold sighed and glanced over to his journal. “Matter of fact, I should probably look into cancelling spells first before doing anything further. If I want to get home, I better account for failures as well.”

Gold tucked his wings in and dragged his journal over his lap. Over the course of several hours, Gold made several notes regarding magic cancellation and various experiments to further his understanding of magic.

After writing the last paragraph in his journal, Gold tucked it away in his saddlebags. The dull comforting glow was replaced by darkness. Using the small streams of light peeking through the window behind his cloak, he headed towards the further corner of the shed and laid down. “Ponyville, I hope that place will have at least some of the answers to my problems.” Gold closed his eyes, tucked his arms under his head and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The wind rushed through Gold’s ears as he pressed on. His hand outstretched as he struggled to keep up. “No, I’m almost home,” he whimpered. “I’m almost there! I’m here! I can see you. Just hang on!”

In the dark void surrounding him, a large white orb floated causally away from him as he desperately tries to reach it. Inch by inch, it slips away and the two greyed out figures inside reach towards each other, hand in hand.

One leaned against the other in comfort, softly whimpering. “Do you think he’ll ever come back?” a low, twisted, slightly feminine voice said.

“I don’t know,” the other said, his voice deep, and demonic.

“I’m right here! I can see you both!” he redoubled his efforts, taking the longest stride possible, controlling his breathing, doing everything he can to reach the orb. “I’M RIGHT HERE!” he shouted but his voice fizzled into a whisper.

The two began to convulse, clutching their chests as they gurgled.

“No… No… NO!”

After a few moments, they completely froze, then collapsed onto the floor. One on top of the other, one hand on their chest, the other intertwined together. Suddenly, the orb stopped moving and he collapsed into it and tumbled onto the floor.

Gold snapped up, only to see a new red figure seated in a chair with his head hung low and hands clasped together. The figure looked up at him, with no face or expression, but he felt the sadness emanating from him.

“My parents…” Gold whispered as the pain began to sear through his mind, but shook it off.

To the red figure’s side is two ornate caskets with a picture atop each one. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes as he turned to the figure in red.

“Twenty years,” the indistinct voice said. “Why couldn’t you have come back sooner?”

“I… I was... But… they can’t be…” Gold stuttered. “They can’t be gone, I’m here now.”

“They suffered so much and now you come back after they died,” the figure said. “They never knew what happened to you and now they never will.”

“Mom… Dad…” Gold said as he slogged his way to the two caskets. Each step heavier than the next. “I was… too late,” he fell to his knees and his hands lay limp at his sides.“

“It’s time to hunt!” a voice bellowed, accompanied by several heavy bangs on the door.

Gold shrieked and hopped to his feet. With his wings spread out, and his eyes darting around, he flexed his claws as he searched for the disruption of his sleep. “Who said that!? Mom, dad!?” he said, his eyes scanning through the darkness of the shed.

“It’s time to hunt chickidoo! I’m here to introduce you to the guys that will be watching over your hunt,” said the familiar male voice.

Gold cringed as the dream quickly replays in his mind. His wings quivered as the few words he uttered began to echo, a cascade of memories bound by a burning sensation flooded his head.

Gold grunted, wincing as he clenched wooden floor, cracking the structure underneath. Shadowy figures flickered in a white void, as they approached him. They shifted between one to many, playing out scenes in his head. The shadows shifted faster as they encroached on him, melting into each other like a tidal wave.

Gold let out a hushed shriek as he shook his head. A single trebling breath rolled from his beak as he quickly shifted his thoughts around. Thoughts of the hunt, thoughts of Gabby, thoughts of Honeydew. Anything not related to his world to drag him away from the pain. Gold remained anchored; his claws completely wedged inside the floor.

After a few moments, Gold’s grip weakened, leaving the floor with two holes where his claws had been. “I hate this,” Gold hissed, trying to sound as quiet as possible then rested a claw on his chest as he relaxed. “I’ll be out in a moment!”

Gold tucked his wings in and gathered up his things. Once his saddlebags were firmly strapped to his back, he grabbed his cloak and slipped it on. Out the window, Gold could hardly see anything beyond the buildings. Few tall torches lined the area around the arena with many of the buildings illuminated by wall torches. The mountains beyond seemed enveloped by the dark void with only the pale blue, stary sky above.

His golden eyes swept across the sky, each star invigorating his wary mind for just a moment. While he isn’t sure of how his plans will play out, he is making progress. With his thoughts turned to Ponyville next, he’s sure that everything will fall neatly into place. He’ll get there, find out how to use his magic properly and get home before anyone even notices.

With a single, calm breath he turns his attention to the grumpy looking guard staring at him.

“So, you done stargazing chickidoo- yikes!” the armor-plated guard yelped. “What is with your eyes!?” the guard said with a tentative step back.

“Oh right,” Gold shrugged. “It’s just something I was born with.”

“With eyes like that?” The guard pointed at Gold with a sorrowful expression. “I feel so sorry for you. If I can see your eyes in the dark that means other creatures can too. You must make a terrible hunter at night.”

“Yeah, well, nothing I can do about that.” Gold replied, then quickly slid out of the shed. “So, what now?”

The guard held Gold’s gaze for a moment before turning around. “Now,” the guard gestured to the bar and armory with a wing, “I show you to your hunting assistants.”

Gold nodded and followed behind the guard as they headed to the establishment. On the way, Gold kept an eye out. The arena they passed by was filled with several groups of griffons covered in hoodies and cloaks. In various parts of the congregation were crudely made wooden stalls which most griffons gravitated towards. Some were selling various substances in jars and sacs; others were selling relics like staves and old books. One stall in particular was selling a row of some type of meat that was grey and looked moldy. Despite the number of griffons, the air was relatively quiet with the occasional gust of wind blowing through.

“What’s going on over there?” Gold inquired.

“The night market,” the guard said. “It’s the only spot in the kingdom if you want to buy something discreetly.”

“Huh.” Gold kept his eyes trained to the area. Observing the stall and of course, the rather shady looking griffons. “Why be discreet? It isn’t like someone’s going to say something right?”

“Hmph,” the guard smirked and glanced back at Gold. “Griffonstone is going through an identity crisis. Grunge is a griffon who wants to control us all due to the shapeshifter’s situation. Most of us don’t care about him but he does motivate us to keep going. That and we do share some of his anger against the ponies.”

The guard continued, “despite that, we are not his tools. But he holds some sway over many of us.” He gestured back to the arena. “That market is like taking a break from his way of life, you know? Sure, we may get things that would be illegal even to Gruff’s standards but it helps us get by. I mean, we don’t have Gruff with us so how else are we going to cope?”

Gold nodded, glancing back once then walked up to the guard’s side. “Do you mean, Gruff, the one that was injured during the shapeshifter attack at Ponyville?”

The guard stopped and stared at Gold, a strained expression on his face. “Yeah, how did you find that out?”

Gold paused as well. “A griffon told me,” he stated. “She said that Gruff had went into a coma during the battle with the shapeshifters.”

“Yeah,” the guard said with a smirk. “He went down fighting like a champion. Well, of course he’s a champion, he’s a griffon after all.” The guard chuckled briefly, with his smirk fading each second. “But now he’s fighting a different battle, and those ponies better take care of him.”

“He’s not here in Griffonstone?”

“Nah, if he was, he would probably be dead already.” The guard adjusted his armor, rotated his neck and began walking. “Come on chickidoo, this isn’t important.”

“It’s important to you,” Gold said as he followed at his side. “I mean, I don’t really want to get involved in any of this really, but I would at least like to know the state of Griffonstone. I’m kinda glad you shared that with me.”

“I should have charged you,” he said as they rounded the corner and approached the front of tall, towering building.

“There is nothing wrong with sharing information for free you know.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get too used to it from me.” The guard stopped and nodded his head towards two griffons sitting under a torch at the side of the entrance.

One had a thick lime green body, with a pinkish red head and neck, thick cheeks and a small brown scarf around its neck. The other griffon was smaller, with feathers and fur like a rusted brown, and a short ponytail of cream-colored feathers on top of its head.

The griffons in question were currently engaged in a card game, with the larger one sporting a scowl and the other a cheeky grin.

“Got any two’s?” the smaller one said in a sultry tone, batting her eyelashes.

“No, go fish,” the griffon stated in a gruff, deep tone, and lightly tugged at the scarf around its neck with a free claw.

“Hey, I brought him,” the guard said, drawing the attention of the two griffons. “Get acquainted and get hunting.”

“You’re not sticking around?” Gold inquired, watching the guard head into the building.

“No.” That was all Gold heard.

Gold turned to the two griffons and nodded once. “So, I guess you’re going to show me where I’m hunting at?”

“Yeah,” said the rust-colored griffon with a grin on her face. “You must be the outsider Grunge mentioned.” She dropped the cards and sauntered up to Gold with half-lidded, ruby eyes. “Hmm, for an outsider, you aren’t bad looking. And those eyes,” she said, staring into his eyes. “I wouldn’t mind you lookin’ up at me while eating.”

“You are nasty,” the lime green griffon deadpanned and dropped the cards. “Let’s get started so I can go to bed.” The griffon turned around and picked up a sac with one claw and two unlit torches with the other. He dropped the sac and torch in front of Gold.

The female frowned and rolled her eyes. “I can be as nasty as I want to be. Besides, I think we could use some new blood to mess around with here.”

“No, no we don’t,” the lime griffon said as he casually tilted his torch to the one the wall. Within seconds it ignited, then he turned back to the duo with his torch pointed at them. “Light yours so we can go,” he urged while holding the torch in one claw.

Before Gold could grab his, the female used a free claw to slide the object right between her legs while staring into Gold’s eyes. Baffled and with his arm still outstretched, he stared back at the female with a raised brow.

“Any reason why you did that?”

The rusty female leaned in and nuzzled the side of his head. She began to hum while wrapping her arms around his neck. Gold remained still, though cautious as he eyed her form.

She lightly nipped at his neck, once, twice, and a third time before she started sliding her claws within his cloak. “Because you have to pay first and I don’t want bits for payment,” she whispered in his ear.

Gold immediately grabbed her arms and pushed her away. “I’m sorry, I thought you were going to tell me something interesting.”

The female huffed. “Really? You are going to pass up an opportunity to lay with this?” She gestured to her body like a salesman making an offer.

“Yeah,” Gold deadpanned. “I didn’t come here to… do you. I came here to work. I don’t intend on laying with ANY griffon or creature in this place.” Gold casually reached under her to grab the torch. After exchanging an irritated glance with the lime green griffon who nodded, lit Gold’s touch and the two began walking.

“Hey, wait up!” the female scooped up the sac in one claw and fell in line behind them.

Gold kept his head down, as the three griffons headed to the edge. A number of thoughts swirled into his head, questions that just occurred to him with his visit to Griffonstone. The first, being the shapeshifters themselves. He wasn’t sure at first, but he feels as though there is some information not being shared.

As far as he knows, the shapeshifters are attacking mostly ponies. What is the reason for the attacks? Where did they come from? Why did they try to kill Twilight Sparkle? And lastly…

How can he avoid them?

These shapeshifters have been attacking ponies but he doesn’t know to what extent. How many attacks? Where the most attacks have occurred? How many casualties? If they attempted to kill Twilight Sparkle, that means there might be those who may have been killed out in Equestria. From what he knows, especially with how Griffonstone covers up death or hiding information, he’d expect this with other parts of Equestria. There must be another way to find out who’s a shapeshifter.

Gold shook his head, with a focused stare into the shadowed mountains. He has never met a shapeshifter before so he has nothing to work with. Then again, he doesn’t want to meet one.

He hopes he never does.

The trio reached a few wooden platforms were nailed into the giant branch they stood on. As the trio stepped upon the platforms, the wood creaked. With a long hiss, Gold immediately flinched away as a wooden plank cracked under his claw.

“Back to reality?” the lime griffon stated. He casually floated in the air with a few flaps of his wings. “Come on, let’s get this hunt out of the way.”

Gold shrieked as a light smack came across his behind. “Yeah, let’s go big boy,” the rust-colored griffon said with a smirk. “We’re not going to eat with you standing here.” She casually floated up next to her partner, waiting for Gold to follow suit.

Gold froze, his eyes tilting towards the darkness below. The muted greens from the land and greys from the mountain seemingly vanish into a lump of scantly flowing darkness. Instinctively, his claws tensed up, cracking the poor-quality wood with ease. “Before I go. I must confess.”

Gold turned away, sighed and returned a stare that they both gave him. “I can’t really-

“Scared of heights?” the lime griffon finished.

“Wait,” the female said with a raised brow. “You afraid of heights?”

“I am.” Gold’s eyes drifted back down towards the darkness below.

The female dropped down to the platform and glared at Gold. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Yes,” Gold answered.

“Ew,” the female glanced up and down his form in disgust. “How can you exist as a griffon if you are afraid of heights?”

“WELL, I AM, OK!?” Gold snapped and the female flinched. His voice drifted through the air as a light echo. “I am and it’s hard to overcome that!”

The female backed away and held up her claws. “Yikes! Take it easy dude.”

“S-sorry.” Gold raised a single claw and lowered his head. “I didn’t mean to shout at you. Just a lot going on with me and flying is just not one of them.”

“So, that begs the question,” the lime griffon started as he landed in front of Gold. “Where did you come from? No griffon I know has ever had a fear of heights as a problem, or if they did, they grew out of it.”

“Well…” Gold sat in place and he held his torch in his claws. “The short answer is that I came from around Eroza. A pony centric kingdom. Didn’t really, uh, do too much flying around there.”

The female grumbled, “Oh… so you were born around poni-“

The lime griffon silenced her with a single raised claw and stared into Gold’s eyes. “You’re lying.”

Gold slowly began to flex his claws around the torch, his eyes found the flame much more interesting to look at. “About what?”

“Eroza,” the lime griffon stated. “Nobody usually comes out of that kingdom unless it’s business related.” The griffon glared at Gold. “And no griffon has ever been able to get into Eroza.”

Gold remained silent, occasionally slipping a glance at the lime griffon. Its sky-blue eyes burned into Gold’s. “Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant, besides, what does Eroza have to do with me being afraid of heights?”

“Because Grunge doesn’t trust you.” the lime griffon circled around Gold. “And after hearing what you just said confirms it. Now, you better explain why you are here or you’ll be our next meal.”

“Look, I didn’t come here to cause problems, ok?” Gold reasoned. “I did come from Eroza though, technically. My circumstances were unusual, and I can’t explain it directly as all the details were a bit fuzzy. And you are right, griffons are not allowed in Eroza but due to those circumstances, I got in.”

He watched as the lime griffon sat in front of him. “I came out here to get answers for those circumstances.”

“And those circumstances being?” the rusty female asked.

“I… cannot tell you at the moment,” Gold said regretfully, his ashen tail flopped lazily. “I would if I could but I don’t like giving out incomplete information.”

“Incomplete information?” the lime griffon questioned.

“Yeah, you can trust that if I had more information, I would have gladly told you’ll the full story but I can’t.” Gold clenched the torch. “But I will say this, magic is involved and this means that ponies are involved. And in order to find the truth, I need to do the bulk of my research here. I know in Griffonstone that I don’t have to worry about ponies nosing around.”

The lime griffon tilted its head. “Have something against ponies?”

Gold shook his head. “Not at all, but they may not like what I am trying to discover.”

“That sounds awfully suspicious,” the female glared. “If the ponies wouldn’t like it, why should we let you stay here? Is this research going to affect us?”

Gold raised a brow at the female griffon. “Uh, no, which is why its research. Once I get enough information and plans formed, I’ll leave Griffonstone the moment I make a breakthrough. I have no interest in staying here longer than needed.”

“Then,” the lime griffon asked, pointing his torch directly at Gold. “What is this research you mentioned? What parts of magic are you trying to study?”

“That’s private,” Gold stated with a sharp glare at the male griffon.

“I see,” the griffon brought the torch back. “I’ll leave it at that. Well, how come you have fear of flying?”

“Well, it’s just that…” The torch fell to the ground as Gold tensed up. One claw snapped to his head, while the other grasped the ground, crushing the wood beneath. His face contorted in pain as body began to shiver.

The female backed away while the male looked on. “It’s not that serious-“ he started before his eyes widened at Gold dragging his claws over his head, cutting through the flesh.

“W-what Is he doing!?” the female shrieked, now airborne.

The male grabbed Gold’s claw that’s tearing into his skull and placed the torch next to his free claw. At first Gold, didn’t react, then moments later he glanced over to his burning claw and immediately leaped back.

“Gah!” Gold waved his arm around as he let the cold air ease the stinging pain on his flesh. “Fuckin’ ow!”

The female approached the lime griffon and whispered in his ear. “What was that? Is something wrong with him!?”

“Well,” he started and handed the female Gold’s torch. “That would probably explain why he doesn’t want to be around ponies.”

She took the torch and watched on as Gold frantically blows on his arm. “You think that is why?”

“Well, whatever the case is, he has something serious going on in that head of his.” He turned to the female. “I don’t think he’s a problem, and with what we just saw; he’s definitely not working with the ponies.”

“What about the shapeshifters?” she cautioned. “Rumor has it that they have suicidal tendencies. This could be a warning sign.”

“Hmm, possibly.” The lime griffon shrugged. “However, this can be an advantage for us.”

The rusty female raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

A nod behind him was enough to silence the female on the matter.

“Still, though, I wonder why he did that? I know creatures tend to self-harm due to mental issues, but this doesn’t seem normal.” The lime griffon raised under his beak. “Even from some of the griffons I’ve known who had those tendencies, this just seems out of place.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the ponies and this research he’s trying to do?” The rusty female inquired.

The male shook his head. “Could be, but it’s none of our business if it has nothing to do with us.”

The pair looked onto Gold who’s headed toward them with his arm in his beak. After few experimental blows, he slowly allowed his claw to touch the ground and lowered his head. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I still see it.” The lime griffon jerked Gold’s head up, inspecting it. “You’ll live though, just a few marks.” He then glanced down at Gold’s arm. To his surprise, Gold’s arm was completely undamaged as if the fire didn’t burn him.

“Now let’s get down to the forest.” The griffon said as he turned around. “I’m sure you can overcome your fear with a bit of motivation.”

“Yeah, sure. I can just suddenly get over my fear just like that.” Gold opened his arms with a hint of sarcasm. “I’ll just fly straight down into the darkness because I’m not afraid of heights anymore.”

“If staying here is that important to you. Then you will do it whether you want to or not, no?” the lime griffon challenged.

Gold grumbled as he watched the lime griffon fly ahead, waiting for Gold to make his move. His chest pounded as he cautiously inched closer to the platform. While the land below wasn’t completely covered in darkness, the slow-moving dark-green shadows gave him pause as he peered on.

Gold had a choice, and while the answer was obvious, he could only gulp at his decision. With a clenched beak, Gold hovered off the ground. His eyes, trained on the darkness below.

“Eyes on me,” Gold quickly snapped his attention to the lime griffon. “Looking at it won’t get you there any faster.”

“It’s frightening.”

“Is that so?” the lime griffon closed in on Gold and reached under his cloak.

Gold wrestled with the griffon until they separated. “Hey, what are you doing!?”

“Trying to speed things up.” The lime griffon held up Gold’s journal. “What’s this?”

Gold darted towards the griffon. The griffon effortlessly flew further out the way as Gold tried to grab his journal. “Don’t worry about it, give it back!”

This continued as Gold tried and failed to grab his journal, with the griffon leading him further away from the platform. The female’s concern turned to amusement as she grinned at Gold’s struggle.

Gold’s heart thumped in his chest heavily as he felt the darkness surrounding him, with only the light from the torch and his journal dangling ahead of him. The male began to lead Gold lower and distanced himself further from Gold.

“GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKING JOURNAL!” The lime green griffon watched as Gold lunged at him.

The lime male dodged, but had to catch his breath. Gold darted back. The griffon did a quick aerial roll over him, with gold’s claws grazing his back. The griffon hissed and immediately nose- dived directly towards the ground below.

With a single wingbeat, Gold burst after the griffon. The wind howled in Gold’s ear as he chased after the rapidly descending light. It veered off just enough for him to miss. Goid’s eyes widened as he quickly pulled up, his legs brushing against the tree line.

He ascended high above the forest and spotted the griffon in the center of a small clearing. Gold quickly dived towards the griffon, whom stood still. The lime griffon planted his torch into the ground and held up the journal as Gold approached.

Gold hovered above the griffon, his beak still clenched, and snatched the journal from his grasp. Gold then flew behind a tree, flipping through the pages frantically. After a few moments of examination and a quick glance to the last page, Gold let out of strained sigh and placed it back into his saddlebags.

The rusty female joined up with the male as Gold approached the two, with his eyes focused on the male. “Don’t you ever touch my stuff again,” Gold warned with his wings outstretched.

“I won’t unless absolutely necessary,” the lime griffon replied. “But you are unnaturally fast to be a griffon that’s afraid of heights.”

“Yeah,” the rusty female chimed in. “I’ve never seen a griffon move that fast before. Is it your genes or what?”

“None of that matters.” Gold waved his claw as he shook his head. “Just don’t touch my sh- my stuff.”

“Well, it did get you down here didn’t it,” the male said, as he gestured to the area.

Gold paused as he looked around. “Wait, when did we…” He was so focused on his journal that he didn’t realize that they were in the forest. Tall trees surrounded them on every side. The ground crunched at each step and the trees swaying from a whistling breeze.

A few logs scattered were around with various carvings etched into them. The griffon walked towards the largest one in the center. It was faced upright and had multiple metal slots attached to the outside, with metal plates that were nailed into the ground from the bottom. The lime griffon placed the torch in one of the slots, adjusting it so the tip would come in contact with the wood. Once done he sat down against it and closed his eyes.

“You know,” the griffon stared as Gold and the female joined him. “I think you could go faster if you really wanted to, and fly further than any of us could.”

“That’s not really my interest,” Gold stated. “I’m just here to do what I got to do and move on.”

“Which disappoints me. From my little test, you ended up showing me that you have a large amount of potential.” The griffon waved a little claw then pointed at Gold without a glance. “Potential that could be utilized if given the right circumstances.”

The lime griffon continued, “Plus, that threat you given me, especially with those eyes of yours. I felt like you were going to kill me without hesitation.”

“K-kill you?” Gold deflated, and stepped back, his voice dropping to his softer tone. “N-no, that’s not right.” He shook his head. “That’s not right at all. I wasn’t going to kill you.”

“It sure felt like it,” the griffon concluded as he cracked an eye to glance at Gold. “In any case, I think we should introduce ourselves. I’m Gen and that nasty female there is my sister, Fara.”

Fara slowly waved at Gold when he glanced at her. He gave her a curt nod, then turned back to Gen. “My name’s Gold, but feel free to forget it at any time.”

Gen nodded and looked over to Fara. She nodded and handed the sac to Gold. “Ok, so what am I hunting for?” Gold said as he grabbed the sac.

“Anything that we can eat.” Fara shrugged and gestured to the forest. “Seriously, I wouldn’t mind a good mushroom stew to be honest.”

“Huh?” Gold tiled his head. “So, you don’t mind me grabbing mushrooms or berries? The guards told me to just get meat since I’m hunting.”

Fara huffed with an amused smile on her face. “You can get anything you want. Those who don’t hunt don’t get a say in the spoils. I’m sure they won’t mind a few berries over rotten corpses.”

“I see,” Gold glanced at the sac. “But what is out there exactly? Should there be specific targets to look for?”

“Anything that is equal to your size or smaller, kill it and bring it here,” Gen said. “Fruits, nuts, berries, insects, is all fair game as long as we can keep it down.”

“Well, that makes things a bit easier.” Gold tucked the sac into his saddlebag. “I have one more question though, are there creatures in there that I should be cautious of?”

“I don’t know.” Gen scratched the back of his head. “I haven’t been down here in almost two years.”

“What?” Gold frowned. “How come?”

“Because there’s a shapeshifter living here,” Gen stated.

Gold immediately glanced around; his eyes wide. “Are you serious? How do you know that?”

“Take a look inside,” Gen said then knocked on the log he’s rested on.

“What could possibly be inside that-“ Gold immediately jumped back. “Holy shit, is that a griffon skull!?”

There, inside the hollowed-out log, a bird-like skull faced Gold. Cracks lined the skull like webs with one side of the face completely missing. As Gold stared, he noticed a faint, translucent film outlined where the skull’s destruction stopped. Gold, despite trembling, leaned in closer.

Fana pressed a talon into Gold’s side. “Boo.”

“YAH!” Gold leaped over the over the lob, and fell face first onto the ground. “What the hell!?”

The rusty griffon snickered while pointing at the fallen griffon. “You may have some dangerous habits, but you are kinda fun to mess with.”

Gold collected himself and marched up to the female with a scowl. She smirked at him after setting her own torch onto the log. “Don’t. Do that!”

“I might do it again.” Her smile instantly switched to a serious expression. “After all, you will be going in there to hunt. I need you alert and ready to kill.”

Gold glared at her and held up a talon. “First of all, what makes you think I’m going to hunt in there now, after hearing shapeshifters being here?”

“Because if you don’t, you’ll get kicked out of Griffonstone.” Fara sauntered up to Gold. “But after hearing your story, you don’t have a choice, do you?” She stared up into Gold’s eyes, leaning in inch by inch, searching for something.

Gold turned away with his eyes drifting towards the dark forest. A low grumble emanated from his throat as he considered Fara’s words. He slowly shook his head and turned back, staring at the female intently.

“Know that I absolutely hate this.” Gold’s eyes drifted downwards. “I would rather not put myself in this kind of situation for the chance that I could be killed. But I have no choice if I want things done discreetly from the ponies.”

“Good,” Fara smirked. “Because that skull isn’t the only one here.” She spread her arms out and twirled in place. “This here is a graveyard for griffons who died trying to hunt in this forest.”

Gold recoiled, “A-are you serious?”

“Yup, this place is a graveyard for griffons who tried to hunt in this forest.” she glanced away for a moment, then back to Gold with a frown. “Well, when the shapeshifter moved in here almost two years ago. It was a month after that attack on Ponyville. A shapeshifter snuck into Griffonstone and killed a few of us and wounded one.”

Fara continued, “unfortunately, it was a nighttime attack. Whatever form the shapeshifter took as a griffon was a mystery as the ones who saw it are dead and the other being blind. What we do know is that when the other griffons came to kill it, it was in the form of some kind of blue, star filled, bear creature.”

Fara closed her eyes in thought. “A major, thing? Bear, ursa… I don’t know. Point is, it was in that form and killed more griffons before jumping off of Griffonstone and into the forest. We thought it died but we should have known better. When some griffons went to hunt the next night, the entire party never came back.”

Gold shifted uncomfortably as Fara explained. “Another party was sent to hunt and maybe find the missing party. They never came back. Then more and more griffons started to head into the forest, only to never return. That was until one party saw why all those griffons never returned.” She pointed to the hollowed-out log.

“The only reason I’m telling you this is because those griffons are scared, and so are we,” she gestured to herself and Gen. “That is why we cannot enter the forest with you. You must hunt alone and you must come back alone.”

“That is… screwed up,” Gold hissed.

“You can always leave,” Gen chimed in. “No one is forcing you to stay. But if you want to be here, you must do this. But I think you’ll have better luck than other griffons though.”

Gold rolled his eyes. “Oh really? Why do you think that?”

“Because this isn’t a hunt for you,” Gen said, his eyes turned towards the dark sky. “Like you said, you’re here to work.”

A light sigh left Gold’s beak as he turned towards the dark forest. “In any case, how did you know that taking my journal from me would get me down here?”

“Because of how serious you were explaining your story,” Gen said. “Most griffons don’t have that kind of determination. You said you were scared of flying yet somehow you got here. After all, if you truly were scared, you wouldn’t have flown over the ocean to get here.”

Gold’s eyes widened. “W-what makes you think I… Oh, I see. Well, I actually got help getting here from another griffon so I didn’t do it alone.”

“A griffon?” Gen mused. “Well, are you going to hunt or what?” He stretched out a bit. “The night is still young.”

Gold scratched under his beak. “Can I fill up that sac with anything edible even if I don’t actually hunt anything?”

“That’s fine.” Fara said as she flopped on her back, splayed out. “Food is food and if you can get it, you are in.”

“Alright.” Gold sucked in a large breath, puffing out his chest. Then exhaled slowly as he began taking trebling steps towards the forest. “I’ll see what I can find.”

“Be careful.” Fara said and poked Gold in his side. “Even if you fill it up, it won’t do us any good if you die before bringing it back.” Gold looked back to the rusty griffon who stared at him. “We don’t want any more griffons getting killed by those monsters.”

Gold nodded once, and continued on without a word. The earth rustled beneath his claws with each step he took.

“Do you want a torch?”

Gold waved back without looking. “I’m fine.”

“If you hear something suspicious, either find out what it is or get the hell out of there,” Fara bellowed.

“Noted.” The first set of trees, now up-close towered over him. Darkness thickened as he marched along, listening to the hushed movements of the forest through the polar winds.

Fara let out a huff as she watched the griffon disappear into the shadows of the forest. She shook her head as she strolled back to Gen, plopping down on her back. “We should really tell him to go somewhere else. A stranger shouldn’t die doing something for this train wreck of a kingdom.”

“I think he’ll come back alive,” Gen stated. “He’s doesn’t have normal motivation.”

“Eh? Normal motivation? I guess you’re right about that.” She scratched her chest. “Anyone who hurts themselves isn’t normal to begin with.”

Gen sighed quietly and looked over to Fara. “Which Is why he’ll come back alive. At least, I believe so.”

“How can you be so sure…” She made a fist with her claw. “Dozens have died to that thing, what makes him any different.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure at first, but now I’m certain.” Gen’s voice was low and calm as if he knew the truth. “That griffon didn’t grow up around ponies. I don’t know where he came from but it isn’t from Eroza as he wants us to believe. I don’t think any pony I’ve ever known would ever walk straight into death like that.”

“No magic, no support, just him and his resolve.” Gen rolled his shoulders with a light pop, then sighed. “Just keep your ears open.”

Several hours passed as darkness and the light rustle of wind is all Gold could see and hear. His eyes scanned through the shadows of the forest, examining every bush and tree. Each step he took was slow and measured, enough to listen for any abnormalities.

As he maintained a relatively straight path into the forest, Gold had to come up with an idea for gathering food. He wasn’t sure if he should have pushed for more specific answers about what lurks within the forest, but he assumed due to the shapeshifter’s presence and the lack of hunters; there was no way for him to know what he could safely hunt.

Of course, since Gen stated that even he didn’t know what is in the forest now, Gold would technically be venturing into unknown territory. This bothered Gold due to him neglecting to read up on wildlife that lurks around the kingdom.

Gold let out a light sigh after passing under a thick, twisting root. The forest grew denser as he pressed on. Trees clustered together, vines and bushes mangled together in a unified mass. Despite the current wariness in his chest, Gold couldn’t help but feel at ease.

He grumbled and briefly closed his eyes as certain memories threatened to crop up. The familiarity of him hiking alone washed through him like a burning wave of nostalgia and pain. It was only for a brief moment, but he knew he couldn’t fully grasp that memory. Not at this time, he couldn’t let himself be vulnerable out in the wildness.

“Oof!”

Gold rubbed his head after bumping into a tree. “I really need to pay more attention,” he grumbled. He walked ahead a hear the light sound of running water. With renewed vigor he continued up the hill until he reached a small stream with moss covered boulders littered around the bank. He climbed up the largest rock on his side and with a small breath, he sat still.

Gold thought as the sound of flowing water resonated below him. His idea was to hunt for fruits and mushrooms, however, due to having no information about the area, he wouldn’t even know where to look. He could try fishing but it’s far too dark for him to properly see, and he didn’t want to stray too far from the kingdom.

Gold stroked under his beak and thought about hunting for bugs. While easier, he would first need to know what bugs are safe to catch and eat and how to find them. Of course, he could go after larger prey but that would mean danger, and without a proper plan, he could end up being a meal.

The charcoal griffon leaned back and looked up into the night sky. “If only I could do that thing with the light to attract insects,” he mused. “Wait! I think I can.” Gold glanced at his claws. “I might be able to do that using my variation of that tether spell.”

The griffon immediately jumped down and headed to the nearest tree. “I should be able to produce string that’s bright enough to attract insects if there any in this kind of weather.”

With a nod, Gold reached up as high as he could stand. He pointed a single towards the tree, and with a grunt, a single speck of light formed. To his surprise, when he pressed that light onto the tree, it stuck in place as he began to trace around the width of the tree with the spell. The tree was hardly as wide as his claw so he finished his first ring quickly.

Gold hissed when the string snapped from his talon. The ring remained in place but glowed brighter. The ring was bright as it completely illuminated the surrounding area. He glanced away, turning his attention to the river. Gold smirked as he sat down and let his arms droop to his sides. “No way.”

In the stream, he watched as small, silver-colored fish swam along the current. Gold wondered if this is something they hunt during the night. “This might be one of their spots,” Gold whispered, leaning over the edge to get a closer look. “These must be nocturnal fish I guess.”

“Heh, I guess I got lucky. I might not even need the bugs if I can catch these fish.” Gold quickly took out the sac and held in it a free claw. “Hopefully, I can finish up in a few minutes and go back.”

Gold crouched low as he watched as the fish swam merrily on by. Each one passing through, unaware that one of them may not survive. The charcoal griffon raised his claw, his eyes aglow with purpose, then he snapped forward.

“Darn it…”

The fish slipped through his claws effortlessly. “Maybe I should try to reach out a little earlier. Maybe, I could try using my abilities with it too. I don’t want to be out here too long…”

Gold briefly closed his eyes and relaxed. Once opened, he reached out with his free claw again, but this time, to use that unusual strength he has with it. Another fish in his sights as it swam down the river. It came, closer and closer, just in range. Then Gold snapped forward.

The river exploded in one concentrated spot. Gold recoiled and fell back. “Holy crap!” he hissed. When he looked at his claw, he saw a fish who’s head and fin were missing. “Oh my… I did that?”

He turned his attention back to the river and noticed a large number of fish starting to float up and away, down the river. “Oh crap. I better collect on this.” With the remains of the fish, Gold began to scoop up the large number of stunned fish, and stuffed them all into the sac.

After a few minutes of collecting, the sac sagged as he held it over his head. “This is a pretty good haul. Well, all things considered.” As Gold admired his work, a shadow buzzed past him. To his surprise, the tree he set the ring up had a small number of insects gathering around it. Some were already perched either directly or close to the artificial ring of light he created.

“Now, this is really good.” Gold carefully plucked the larger, meatier insects such as beetles the size of his claw and placed them in the sac. While he maintained a quick pace, he only reached for the largest and least threatening looking targets. Most worms, moths, and centipedes along with other insects he gladly ignored.

The charcoal griffon examined the sac and gave it a few experimental tugs before nodding. “This should be enough.” Gold let out a light sigh. He pressed a free talon against the ring of light. The magical thread that made the ring attached itself back to his talon, and with a tug, it shattered and faded away. The illuminated area now shrouded in darkness once again. “Gah! Man, I hate that!” he hissed. “I better head back.”

Gold glanced back into the forest and immediately frowned. “Right,” he whispered. “I guess I’ll have to fly again?” The griffon let out a small sigh as he turned back to the river. He perched himself on the tallest rock he could find and stared tiredly up into the sky. “It could be worse,” the charcoal griffon nodded as he crouched low. “It could always be worse.”

Just as Gold began to flap his wings, he stopped. His eyes scanned the forest as he searched. “It’s that noise again?”

Unlike before, the low hum quickly grew into loud static. The griffon immediately jumped back, the same fear from before suddenly shook his body. As Gold’s breaths grew labored, he noticed something different about the static. It was morphing into soft, distorted chimes, like a bell being rang.

Ding, Ding! Ding! Ding, Ding! Ding!

“What is this!?” Gold stammered; his heart pounded in his chest. The ringing now surrounding him. He stumbled backwards off the rock. Ignoring the pain in his back he scrambled to his feet, with the sac of food clenched tightly in his claws.

“You’ll help me one way or the other griffon.” Gold snapped his eyes towards a small bush just a few feet away. The voice, hoarse yet composed spoke from within. “Or rather, whatever you are, you’ll help me because we have the same goals.” A pair of small, blood-red, slow-moving orbs rose from within the shadows.

“Creatures like us don’t belong on this world you know,” the hoarse yet familiar, male voice continued. “But the reward for carrying out this job has some great benefits.”

“B-benefits?” Gold choked out. “W-what are you talking about? What do you mean, ‘creatures like us?’” Gold tucked his body in.

“Don’t you know? We were brought into this world to do a bit of hunting, though our targets are high end.” The voice, accompanied with the orbs rolled and glared at Gold. “Well, at least for me, my target is in Ponyville. I wonder what yours is? You have a gong for your sound, so maybe it’s one of the other three?” the voice questioned as it looked away.

“I’m hoping it’s the white one, then we can all go home with all our new powers in tow.” The orbs refocused back on Gold. “Changing shapes is fine and all but I wish I was given more magic based abilities.” The orbs began to shift and move towards Gold. “What are your abilities-

In that moment, Gold launched himself into the air, smashing through branches. The air forced its way into his lungs. The starry sky looked closer without the cover of the forest around him. His chest began to tighten as he franticly flapped his wings. Gold kept his eyes glued to the sky as he stayed leveled, hovering unsteadily in place.

He heaved as he clung the sac of food to his chest. Gold clenched that sac as tightly as he could, still swaying in the sky. After a few moments, he turned around and spotted Griffonstone, glowing sparely in the distance. “I must have traveled far.”

The charcoal griffon shook his head and scanned the forest below for any signs of light. “There, they must me there!” Gold dove to the single speck of light closest to the kingdom. Despite his chest thumping in his ears, he set out for his first goal and finally accomplished. As the familiar clearing came into view, a smile crept up on his face.

But only for a moment.

Gen quickly sat up upon the sound of footsteps hitting the earth. He stared wide eyed at the charcoal griffon who clutched a fairly full, yet wet looking sac in his claws. The griffon huffed tiredly as he slowly approached him, and held out the sac to him.

“I got fish and bugs,” Gold breathed. “Will this do?”

“Did you actually get something out there without dying?” the rusty female said, rushing up to them. “Impressive.”

“Well, I suppose. I did run into… something out there but I escaped just in time.” Gold jumped back into the air, gesturing to Griffonstone. “I think it was the shapeshifter. If it was, we better head back now,” Gold urged.

“Fara, grab the torches and let’s go!” Grunge said as he hovered up to Gold, the sac in tow.

Gold kept his eyes glued to the kingdom above. His breaths quick and worried. Gen grasped Gold shoulder with a free claw to steady him. “I’ll help you back up to Griffonstone,” the lime green griffon stated as he hovered at Gold’s side.

“Thanks,” Gold whispered.

Once Fara returned with the torches, the three headed back to Griffonstone.

“Holy shit… you actually came back with some food,” Grunge gawked. He scratched the top of his bald head. “And you got this from within the forest?” The three were back in Griffonstone and stood inside Grunge’s weapon-filled room. A nice warmth surrounded the griffons as a number of candles lit the room in a soft cozy glow.

“Yes,” Gold nodded. He gestured towards Gen and Fara, who stood on each side of him. “They can vouch for me, obviously.”

Gen nodded as he handed the sac to Grunge. Grunge unloaded the sac into his nest. A pile of fish and bugs greeted his eyes. Saliva oozed down his beak as he began to ravage the pile of food.

Gen growled. “Hey, we need to ration out the food!”

Fara stepped in front of Gen and shook her head. “Not now!” she hissed.

Between the two, Gold remained silent. He was rather glad the griffons didn’t ask questions about what they brought back. If Grunge acts this way with food, the other griffons would have been worse. However, Gold now has a few questions to ask Grunge before getting to the deal at hand.

As Grunge stepped out of his nest, his face covered in fish meat, he strolled over to the three griffons with a smile. “Well done griffon, well done. That fish was fresh and those bugs, truly a crunchy experience.”

“About our deal…” Gold started.

“Ah, of course, a place to stay,” Grunge licked his beak and tilted his head. “You could stay in some of the rooms in armory. Makes it easier for me to send you out to hunt, eh? Or you could take that... other spot I have in mind.”

“It would have been nice to know that a shapeshifter lived down there!” Gold spat. The room became quiet. “I don’t know how you can’t hear it, but I can. That damned ringing, I heard it when it approached me. I thought I was crazy but the whole time the sound was coming from it!”

“The shapeshifter makes noise?” Gen inquired.

“Yeah, it was almost like a static noise the first time I heard it.” Fara and Gen glanced at each other at that statement. “Then tonight, I heard it again. Like a bell ringing. If I didn’t find out where it came from, it could have killed me.”

Grunge smirked and grasped Gold’s shoulders. “So, you can tell where they are?”

“That’s not the point!” Gold shrugged off Grunge and poked his chest. “The point is that I could have died out there and you didn’t tell me that a damn shapeshifter lived there.”

“But you didn’t, and you brought me more good news!” Grunge wrapped his arm around Gold and pulled him close. “You are going on a hunt tomorrow night as well.”

“The hell I am!”

“Before you get all huffy.” Grunge smirked and rubbed Gold’s head. “You won’t actually hunt. I’ll sent a group of griffons out with you. You’ll just let them know if you hear whatever noise you hear, and then you all leave. You’ll be recon. They will do all the heavy lifting while you point out the danger.”

Gold grumbled for a moment. The idea of hunting the next night would be a bit too much for him.

“I’m against it!” Gen glared at Grunge. “I mean, you didn’t even try to share the food you just got. And to the one who got it for you no less.” Gen stepped up and pointed a talon at Grunge. “It’s pretty shitty to throw some more griffons out there after one lucky hunt, don’t you think?”

Grunge chuckled as he strolled back over to his nest. “Gen, you misunderstand. I’m very aware of what I’m doing. I want griffons to get back on track as soon as possible. I’m willing to all that I can to make sure that happens.”

“After all, you haven’t really accomplished much, have you?” Grunge plucked a small bird like skull from his nest, and pointed at Gen. “’Oh look, Gen is starting to get a backbone even though he couldn’t save his brother from the shapeshifter.’” Grunge mocked Gen with a childish voice and exaggerated movements from the skull. “’Such a pity, if only he was strong enough to KILL that thing then his brother wouldn’t have died.’”

“You bastard!” With a mighty screech, Gen lunged at Grunge with his talons ready.

Gen smashed into a mannequin from the guards standing by. They wrestled until Gen was pressed onto stomach with his claws on his back. “Hey! Let him go!” Fara screamed.

Grunge glanced at Fara and licked his beak. “Not a chance. Unless you want to be pinned down like he is?” His voice smooth and confident.

Fara huffed, her claws twitched. “Just let him go already! I think you made your point.”

Grunge smirked and nodded in the direction of his guards. They returned the gesture and released Gen. The griffon shrugged the two off and slowly approached Grunge. The guards were ready to move but a single wave of Grunge’s claw stopped them.

“The griffons will die if you keep this up,” Gen hissed. “You have no idea of how badly you are running down our kingdom.” Grunge ran a talon into his earhole while he looked uninterested. “This is more than whatever agenda you have against the ponies.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, don’t care.” Grunge flicked the little bird skull at Gen’s feet and turned back to his nest. “Take our friend, who actually DID something to our free rooms downstairs.”

Gold raised a claw. “Wait, do you have any free places that’s not in this building? I did say I want privacy after all.”

Grunge raised a claw under his beak. “You did, you did. Well, that’s a shame. I would have preferred you stay close to me.” Grunge turned to one of the guards. “Go clear out that spot near the Griffonstone Gate and escort him there when you’re done.” The guard nodded and left the room.

“The rest of you can go,” Grunge said with a wave of his claw which circled to Gold. “Except for you.” He hopped into his nest and leaned back with his claws behind his head.

“If you need us, we’re usually in the bar or hanging around here at night. You know our names,” Fara whispered to Gold and followed behind Gen who nodded at Gold before heading down. Once door shut with a thud, Gold turned back to face Grunge, who yawned without a care.

“What do you want with me now?” Gold said as he sat down a few feet away from the nest.

“You said you heard the shapeshifter, eh? How did you know it was a shapeshifter?”

“I didn’t, well, at least initially,” Gold replied honestly. He paused as he recalled the information. of his encounter. Before he heard the bell, it was static at first. But this time he focused specifically on it. On reflection, earlier in the day he heard the same static and it only became clear after he met that strange old griffon.

“Wait a minute…” gold paused. “That griffon that I met earlier in the day. I think, I think that was the same one.”

Grunge opened his eyes and turned to Gold. “What griffon?”

“I met an old griffon earlier today. A really strange one. He started asking me about helping him with a job in Ponyville or something like that. At the time, I didn’t pay him no mind.” Grunge watched as Gold began to pace in front of his nest. “It was also the first time I heard this loud static noise. The loudest thing I’ve heard yet it wasn’t like it drowned out everything else around me. It was weird.”

Gold continued his pacing with one claw under his beak. “When I was out hunting tonight, I heard the same static but then it turned into this clear ringing sound, like a little bell chime. And although I didn’t see it’s face in the darkness, I remember hearing that voice.” Gold paused and pointed a talon at Grunge. “I think it was the same griffon.”

Gold shrieked, Grunge had his claws firm on Gold’s shoulders with a firm glare on his face and a low rumble in his throat. “Do you remember what the griffon looked like?” Grunge asked carefully.

“I-I do. It was a dark-brown griffon. Really old looking, had a cane, scratches all over its body. I believe it was balding too and he had a really bad smell.” Gold cringed at the memory. “I could not forget that part.”

“What color was its eyes?”

Gold turned away for a moment. The thought of that strange fear and death looming, shook him to the core. “Red,” Gold stated. “Its eyes were red like blood.”

Minutes passed as Grunge continued to stare at Gold, then finally he let out a chuckle. “This is wonderful!” He patted Gold on the back and hopped back into his nest. “This is literally the best day in quite a while for me.”

“Really?” Gold said with a shrug. “If you say so.”

“I’ll set up a team to be on the lookout for griffons that fit that description.” Grunge snapped his talon and the second guard scurried out the room. “As for you, I think the new place I have for you will suit your needs. It’s near the entrance so there aren’t many griffons around and you’ll be able to quickly spot any intruders on your property.”

“Oh, speaking of that.” Gold watched as the griffon waved his claw around idly. “You will have to protect your territory from now on. Once you get in there, you’ll have to fight off any griffons that want to claim your territory. If you can’t defend your place, you’ll end up doing more favors for me if you want to stay here.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to deal with it if that happens,” Gold nodded. “But I should be good with this.”

“Good. On another note, once you get settled in however, I need you to lead some hunting parties for me.” Gold raised his claw to object but was cut off by Grunge. “Three days are all you’re getting so you better make the most of them,” Grunge cautioned and smirked. “I’m taking a big risk here believing what you say. But considering you made out successfully with your hunt, this may end up being the moment we’ve been waiting for.”

The old griffon sighed. He glanced up into the ceiling, wistfully, reveling in the silence of these new developments. “Between you and me, I don’t expect many griffons to live during these hunts.” Gold recoiled from the declaration but remained silent. “But if we make progress and figure out where this shapeshifter lives at, we can kill it ourselves.”

“Yes,” Grunge’s smirk widened, “killing that shapeshifter will tell the ponies that we can do what they cannot.”

“Wait, what do you mean? Nobody has killed the shapeshifters?” Gold gestured with his claw. “I mean, are you saying that the shapeshifters got away?”

“No.” Grunge turned to Gold. “From what I heard, the shapeshifters that attacked Ponyville were not killed. The ponies managed to corner them. However, before they could capture them, the creatures killed themselves.”

“They… committed suicide!?”

“Well, from what info I was given. I got this from that griffon that likes to visit Ponyville. Grabby or what is it? Whatever, the point is that nobody has actually captured or killed them. They would kill themselves before that could happen.”

“No wonder everyone is on edge. If those things are crazy enough to kill themselves, no telling what they are capable of.” Gold realized that if he can sense the shapeshifters, and if they can sense him, this could lead to some very unfavorable situations.

Grunge watched as Gold looked down, deep in thought. “Well, don’t worry about it too much,” Grunge chirped. “Long as you can sense them for us, we can have the upper hand.”

“But this isn’t-“

They turned to the door, now opening up with the guard standing at the entrance. “His place is ready.”

Grunge nodded and glanced to Gold with a smile. “Welp, you better get going. I’m going to need you to be fully rested over these next few days. I’m going to need you in tip top shape for these hunts.”

The griffon headed to the guard but stopped. “If we somehow kill the shapeshifter during the hunts, you won’t need me for much else, will you? I mean, if that thing is killed because of me, and your griffons can hunt like normal, that would be a big service to you, right?”

“Of course! I may not need you immediately but if you can assist with that, I can let you stay here without payment. For a time that is. I’ll let you know but only IF the shapeshifter is killed.”

“I see, I’ll keep that in mind.” Both the guard and Gold went down the staircase. Once a soft click echoed throughout the room, Grunge rested flat on the bottom of his nest. Nestling into the various bones he collected.

He swept his claw over the sac Gold filled and frowned as his claw flattened it. “Soon, I’ll have some more soon.” Grunge crossed his arms over his chest. "That griffon… I should have asked him what the shapeshifter talked to him about. Either way, these days are going to be fun for me.”

A smile graced Grunge’s beak as he closed his eyes. “I wonder if he’ll help me make the princesses bow down to me? One can dream...”

In the night sky, Gold and the guard slowly glided towards the base of the kingdom. Several blacks down from the arch Gold is familiar with, the pair approached a small, dark road with a few of barely intact homes on each side. Only a single home had a sliver of light peeking out the boarded-up windows. The two griffons touched down in front of a home a couple buildings down.

This home, a one-story birdhouse, Gold could describe as barely standing. Darkness peered out as Gold glanced into the single, cracked, boarded up window. The walls were crumbled in places and the white paint seemed to have faded completely, leaving nothing but raw, grey wood exposed.

The guard gestured for Gold to enter and flinched when they made eye contact. After a moment, the guard continued his motion to Gold.

With a small sigh, Gold grabbed the loose doorknob and pushed the door open. It creaked open with a screech. Inside, Gold could barely see in front of him. With what little outside light he did have, he noticed there were several doors in the back. There was a kitchen like area to his left that had a counter with a number of cupboards above it. The living area to the right and a small table but nothing else. Dust, feathers and wood planks littered the floor and creaked in some areas as he stepped further in.

A faint hint of something wet and moldy hit Gold’s nose along with a pungent odor of either fecal matter or something else he couldn’t describe.

“All yours.” The guard said. Once the door closed, Gold is now surrounded in darkness with only the light from the window coming in.

Gold quickly headed to the window to see if there was anyone lingering around. With a hum, he turned around and held out his claw. Feeling a bit experimental, he decided to use his free talon to trace a circle around his wrist like he did the tree earlier that night. Once completed, a dazzling beam of bright, white light engulfed the room.

Gold slammed his eyes shut and turned away as the light burned into his eyes. Gold began to sweat, his body and the wooden floor below him began to heat up rapidly. “Too much!” he hissed. His claws trembled as he took in multiple breaths and rubbed the ring on his wrist slowly, as if adjusting the temperature with a switch.

Slowly, the ring’s light dulled and Gold opened his eyes and let out a sigh. With a quick glance around, the home was in need of repairs with a number of small holes in the floor and walls. Nothing he couldn’t fix and with a large empty living area, he could easily fit a number of bookshelves here.

What drew Gold’s attention was the number of green feathers that trailed from back all the way to the living room. “Did someone live here? I hope not…” He shook his head and nodded to himself.

“Well, I better get some air,” Gold huffed. Finally, he detached his talon from the ring with a hiss, the familiar magic sparks on pain greeting him once again, and opened the front door.

“Ahh, air!” Gold stood outside his new temporary home and closed his eyes. A chill ran up his spine as the air washed over him, replacing the heat that he accidentally created.

Gold slowly opened his eyes and stared into the night sky. This is the moment he worked for, while it’s not ideal, he at least has a base of operations to focus on his project to return home. That being said, he needed to check to see if there’s a cellar.

“You got it bright out here dude.”

Gold snapped his eyes to the sudden male voice. A few feet away, and fully illuminated by his wrist light, was a black-furred griffon with red-tipped feathers. The griffon stared at Gold with a raised brow and deep green eyes. “What is that you got? Never seen anything like that before.”

“Ah.” He raised a claw under his beak. “This is a type of magical light ring. Got it from my travels… to places… that I’ve been to.”

“Huh.” The Griffon squinted at the ring then at Gold. “Must be pretty expensive.” The griffon stroked the underside of its beak. “’Really’ expensive.”

“I’m not selling it or giving it up,” Gold warned.

“Easy dude.” The griffon waved his claws defensively. “Not trying to start anything, just saying.”

“Right, so what do you want?”

“Just wondering what that light was is all.” The black-furred griffon glanced into Gold’s home before resting his eyes back on Gold. “Wait…” The griffon squinted. “I’ve never seen you before, do you live here?”

“Well, technically I just moved in here tonight.” Gold shrugged. “I’m new here and I just got this place.”

The griffon went wide-eyed. “So that’s why the guard came down here…”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Gold stepped back when the griffon stepped up to him with a tilted head, and a scrutinizing eye. “What?”

“You must have done something real impressive to get one of Grunge’s guards to beat up the griffon who lived here.”

Gold glanced between the home and the griffon. “What!? Someone lived here?”

“Well, I guess that doesn’t matter now does it?” The black-furred griffon shook his head and waved a claw dismissively. “That old griffon who lived here was a bit of a loud mouth anyways.”

Gold clenched his claws and let out a light huff. “Grunge…“

“Do you need some work done?” the griffon inquired.

“Not at the moment, why?”

“I’m pretty handy. If you got some bits, I can help fix up your place.” The griffon smirked and nodded to Gold’s home. “Since you are new here, I’ll give you a discount for-“

“No.” The griffon stepped back at the claw obscuring his vision. “I don’t need anything right now. If that is all, I would like a bit of peace if you don’t mind.”

“Alright dude.” The griffon pointed to the home just across the road. Unlike the other homes, this one appears to be well maintained. There are no visible cracks in the walls, the windows while barred, are intact. The roof even appears to be patched up. “If you need info or work done and got bits, you can find me there. Name’s Gaven by the way.”

“Uh, well, yeah. If I ever need you, I’ll knock. Probably.”

“Oh, and by the way.” Gaven pointed a claw at Gold’s wrist light. “That ring you got there. Are you sure you don’t want to sell it? I could get you a pretty decent number of bits for it.”

“Uh huh, of course, and certainly you would give all those bits to me, right?” Gold said as he crossed his arms.

Gaven’s eyes shifted around before landing back on Gold, his scowl deep and judging. “Well, I mean, I’ll have to take maybe like an eighty-percent cut of the profits.”

“Look just go already.”

“Fine fine. Just be careful though.” Gaven waved as he headed across the road. “Keep your valuables close, you might not have them the next day. After all, I’m not the only one who can see that light too.”

Upon hearing those words Gold turned to glance up and down the road. With the few homes intact, he could see a number of griffons either standing in front of their doors or perched on top of their homes. They were all staring at him.

Gold hardened his gaze before retreating back into his new temporary home. As he shut the door, he glanced along the frame.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked no one in particular. “How did I not see this?”

To Gold’s dismay, he scolded himself for not asking about door locks. Though the strange part is how the door looked. On each side of the door frame the paint was a faded white with two small holes. “Huh, the lock must have been removed or something.”

With another problem to consider, Gold headed to the back. The room to the left was more like a small closet. A number of shelves up high and only a single, fallen, crudely made dresser occupied the space. Gold had sniffed around in the room and didn’t notice the strength of that stench from earlier.

That was until he entered the middle room. In the center was a type of hastily thrown together nest with a mass of brownish lumps clumped together. The griffon gagged as his wrist light shined in the room. Splotches of green painted the walls and chunks of little bones and pellets were scattered across the floor. Gold didn’t dare step any further into the room.

He gasped after shutting that door. “Nasty…”

Gold let out a mild sigh as he opened the final door. This room was the largest of the first two. He figured it was the master bedroom due to it having a window that was boarded up. A small open space for shelves but no other objects.

“I got a home with no locks, a room full of crap, kicked out the person who used to live here, and I got to defend this place from anyone who tries to take it from me?” Gold shook his head in disgust. “Fuck my life.”

Gold wearily walked back to the kitchen. He grabbed the table and tilted it on its side. It was just large enough to hide his form as he rested on the wooden floor, between it and the kitchen counter. As he tucked himself in and closed his eyes, all he could think about is the next destination.

Ponyville.

There was no mistaking it, he’ll get answers to his questions. Hopefully, he’ll be able to avoid encountering that shapeshifter. But knowing that this may take some time, he prays that nothing bad will come his way. A light chill went up his body as he thought to that griffon he met.

What did he mean by my sound being a gong? The other three? And his target was in Ponyville? Who? No matter, now I know that I can hear them, it would be good for me to avoid them as much as possible. Hopefully there aren’t any in Ponyville as well…”

With that last thought, Gold listened for any unusual sounds. All that greets Gold’s ears is the light gust of wind outside ambient silence inside. A peaceful night so far. With that the griffon slowly drifted off to sleep, ready to tackle his next destination.