Fractured Spirit

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.