I checked my compass. Yep, still going the right way.
I then checked my watch. I’d been flying for over two hours. Of course, that wasn’t a problem for a mail delivery griffon such as myself, especially when you got to see so many new and fascinating places during the journey. It was my first time going that far south, so I had been flying more slowly and enjoying the view. It wasn’t a priority letter; I could afford to take it easy.
Terramar, was it? And I think it was from Silverstream – she’s that hippogriff in Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship, isn’t she? I remember hearing about all the non-Equestrian students from the Crusaders. Oh, I can’t wait to meet them! I’ve just been so busy lately... well, I actually had time today, but I got so excited about going to Mount Aris for the first time that I totally forgot about everything else. Oh well, there’s always a next time!
I was so busy in my own thoughts that I didn’t even notice a mountain appearing in the distance. It was still too far away for me to actually see much of anything, so I flew faster until I could see it clearly. Finally, I had a perfect view of Mount Aris in its entirety.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! It’s so beautiful! I can’t believe such a beautiful place exists! This is so amazing!”
Right then, I decided I wouldn’t leave Mount Aris until I had seen everything it had to offer. I made sure my mail bags were securely closed, then bolted towards the base of the mountain.
The first thing I saw when I got there was the train station. There were no trains to Mount Aris that day, since it was still a somewhat new destination and not quite as developed as Manehattan or Fillydelphia just yet.
Don’t worry, Mount Aris, I just know tourism is gonna explode one of these days!
On my way up, I noticed quite a few beaches around the mountain. The sky was clear as can be, so many hippogriff and seapony families and friends were relaxing and having fun by the sea.
I’m all tuckered out from that intense flying just now, maybe I should relax for a bit too. Wait! I almost forgot, I have to deliver that letter! Better take care of that right now before I forget again!
I picked up my pace, just a bit though since I still wanted to see the sights. I wasn’t going to fly anyway, on account of my wings still being pretty tired. I saw a few hippogriffs along the way, and a cute hippogriff filly even came up and talked to me. She asked me my name, what race I was, and what I was doing in Mount Aris.
“I’m a mail delivery griffon, so I’m here to deliver a letter.” I turned to face her mother. “Speaking of that, could you give me some directions? I’m looking for a hippogriff named Terramar, he lives at—“
“Terramar? He’s Queen Novo’s nephew!”
“Really? I had no idea!”
“It’s true! And of course I’ll help, you’ve been so kind to my little girl. First, keep following the path up the mountain. Then, once you reach the top...”
I wrote down the directions I was given, waved goodbye to the hippogriff family and went on my way.
Wow, I had no idea I was delivering a letter to the Royal Hippogriff family today! Huh, I wonder how Silverstream and Terramar know each other. They have to be related, right? You wouldn’t send a letter to the royal family all willy-nilly otherwise.
I was actually pretty close to the top already; it wasn’t long until I saw the imposing arch at the entrance to Hippogriffia. Unlike last time, I was around other creatures, so I couldn’t squeal in excitement too loud.
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
Perfect. Let’s go deliver this letter!
I walked past all kinds of shops, cafés, restaurants, and many beautiful houses. I even noticed that they had already built a history museum, no doubt containing relics that survived the Storm King’s invasion. A bit up ahead, I saw the Royal Palace, which was not only impressive, but it meant that I was going the right way. And everywhere I looked, I saw hippogriffs chatting, smiling, playing, laughing...
This is nothing like Griffonstone...
I didn’t want to make myself sad, so I pushed those thoughts out of my head and looked at my notes again.
Turn right, go straight, second on the left, light blue house. I’m almost there!
I turned, walked, turned again, and there it was. Light blue, slightly bigger than most other houses and with a well-kept garden. There was a blue hippogriff with a light gray mane watering the plants out front, so I went to talk with him – I always preferred delivering letters to living creatures over inanimate mailboxes.
Gotta be polite, I’m about to talk to an important hippogriff!
“Good afternoon, sir, I’m a mail delivery griffon and I’ve got a letter for Terramar.”
“Ah, just a second.” The hippogriff put down the watering can he was using and flew up to the top floor of his house. “Terramar! Letter for you!”
“Coming!” A voice said from inside the building.
The hippogriff went back to gardening and moments later another hippogriff appeared from a window in the top floor and flew down towards me.
“Oh, hello there! We don’t usually see too many griffons in Mount Aris.”
“You must be Terramar. My name’s Gabriella, but most everyone just calls me Gabby. Nice to meet you!” I handed him the letter.
“Nice to meet you too, Gabby!” Terramar took the letter and looked at it. “Ah, it’s from my sister!”
“She’s in Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship, isn’t she? I have some friends in Ponyville and they’ve told me about all the students from outside of Equestria.”
“Say, do your friends happen to be a yellow earth pony, a white unicorn and an orange pegasus?”
“W-what? Huh? How? How can you possibly know that?”
Can this guy read minds? I am seriously freaked out right now!
“That symbol on your mail bags. That symbol is very similar to Apple Bloom’s, Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s cutie marks. Does that mean you’re also a Cutie Mark Crusader?”
“Oh my gosh, yes! I am a Cutie Mark Crusader! But wait, how do you know who the Cutie Mark Crusaders are?”
“They came here and helped me one day. At the time, I thought I had to choose between living up here as a hippogriff or down in Seaquestria as a seapony, since everyone else had already decided, but they helped me realize that I could keep going back and forth so I wouldn’t have to be apart from either world or any of my parents.”
“Wow, that’s incredible! I can’t believe the Cutie Mark Crusaders are even helping creatures beyond Equestria. That is truly, absolutely amazing! I’m so happy for you, Terramar.”
Terramar smiled. “Thank you. I really am thankful for their help, I am so much more relieved now. What about you? How did you meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”
“Well, I went to Ponyville one day to deliver a letter, and when I asked ponies about their cutie marks, they all pointed me to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They couldn’t help me get a cutie mark, but they did help me find my place in the world: helping other creatures!”
I’m gonna skip the part where I thought griffons could get cutie marks, to save me the embarrassment.
“That’s fantastic! Was that when you became a Crusader?”
“Uh-huh! That was when they gave me these cutie marks too!”
“That’s so good to hear! Thank you for delivering the letter, by the way.”
I giggled. “It’s what I do best!”
“Did you come all the way to Mount Aris just to deliver it?”
“Not a chance! I’ve been wanting to visit Mount Aris since its restoration. I want to see everything, but I have no idea where to start.”
Terramar pondered for a bit. “I could give you a tour if you wanted.”
I gasped in surprise. “Really? You would do that for me?”
“Of course. Consider it a thank you for delivering the letter.”
That’s a pretty big reward for just doing my job.
“I’m just going to drop the letter by my room and then we can go. Sounds good?”
“Sounds great!”
Terramar flew back to his room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Oh my goooooooosh! I can’t believe I’m about to get a tour of Mount Aris from the Queen’s nephew himself! What an honor! I’m so lucky I got to deliver a letter to Terramar. He’s so approachable, so nice, kinda cute too... no, don’t push your luck, Gabby. Just be respectful, that’s all you have to do. No pressure—
“Ready to go?”
My feathers stood on end; I was distracted and facing away from him. It probably showed, too.
“Ready as I’ll ever be!”
Which is to say, I’m not even close to ready.
“Alright, shall we start at the Royal Palace?”
“That’s where your aunt lives, right?”
Now it was Terramar’s turn to be surprised. “Ah, so you’ve heard.”
“Sorry, someone told me about it when I asked for directions.”
“No need to be sorry. I’m just surprised you already knew that, given that it’s your first time here.”
I smile softly at him. “We can start at the Royal Palace.”
We walked back the way I had come from until we eventually reached the palace.
“This is the Royal Palace of Hippogriffia, reconstructed after the Storm King’s invasion. Auntie Novo should be in there, wanna come meet her?”
Not gonna lie, I panicked a bit. “I-it’s okay, she’s probably busy with important royal hippogriff business, right? I wouldn’t want to interrupt her.”
“Trust me, she always enjoys taking some time off from work to talk to me when I drop by. I’m sure she’ll enjoy meeting you.”
I lied; I panicked a lot. “N-n-no, really, it’s fine! I’m just here to see the sights, not to meet with the Queen.”
I think Terramar did this regularly; he was calm as can be and seemed to be finding my agitation quite funny. “Well, then at least come in just to see the palace.”
“I’m okay with that, I guess.”
Terramar nodded and we walked inside.
The Royal Palace was more elegant than I could have possibly imagined. The paintings, the sculptures, even the palace itself. I was awe-struck.
“This is so beautiful.”
“It truly is stunning. Every time I come here, I feel inspired.”
I didn’t say much during the visit. I mostly just followed Terramar and listened to what he said about each room and decoration we passed by. We peeked into the throne room and saw Queen Novo, but I was still too intimidated to actually meet her, so we left.
“Okay, our next stop is the Harmonizing Heights. It’s a very serene place, with countless hills, animals and plants. If you listen closely, you’ll be able to hear a faint humming sound.”
“Wow, that place sounds wonderful!”
I could certainly use some relaxation after that nerve-racking palace visit.
We headed opposite the main entrance, through a stone path, under massive Hippogriffian arches, until we finally reached it: the Harmonizing Heights. A gentle, steady breeze danced around me and cooled my feathers. A whimsical melody came from everywhere and nowhere. Nature reigned free.
“Everywhere I go, it gets more and more beautiful. I just don’t have the words to describe how I feel.”
Terramar didn’t say anything. We just kept walking, admiring the world around us, until we reached a tree on a hill overlooking a small stream. Terramar lay down on his back under the tree’s shade with his wings stretched out, and I did the same. For a while, we just stood there in silence.
I’m usually a very talkative griffon, but Mount Aris has left me speechless.
I glanced over at Terramar. His eyes were closed, his fur and feathers rustling in the wind, his chest peacefully rising and falling.
He was smiling. I couldn’t help but smile too.
After a good bit of relaxation, we headed back to Hippogriffia, more specifically towards the main gate.
“Are we going to the base of Mount Aris?”
“You could say that.”
We flew all the way down to the base, to a beach just past the train station.
“Alright, our next stop is Seaquestria.”
“Seaquestria? Isn’t that underwater? How am I supposed to go there?”
“Simple. I turn you into a seapony.”
“Wait, you can do that!? Griffons can turn into seaponies? I thought that was only a hippogriff thing!”
“Here, come into the water and hold my claw. When I transform, you’ll transform as well.”
I entered the water and Terramar followed suit. “This won’t hurt, will it?”
He looked at me softly. “It won’t hurt a bit, trust me.”
I took a deep breath, then grabbed Terramar’s claw. He clutched his necklace, causing a magical outburst that temporarily blinded me. When I recovered, I discovered that I no longer had a beak, talons, wings, or even hind legs: I was a seapony.
“WOOOOOOOAAAAHHHHH!!! Oh my goodness, I’m a seapony! I can’t believe it! This is so amazing!”
Terramar laughed as I swam around, going up and down. I leaped out of the water and splashed back in. I chased a few fish and did some cool flips. This went on for a few minutes.
“Okay, I’m done, I’m exhausted... but I’m still freaking out at how cool this is!”
“I’m glad you like it! It can be a bit jarring if you’ve never experienced it before. Take your time getting used to being a seapony before we go visit Seaquestria.”
“I think I’m good, this isn’t too different from flying.”
It’s cute that he’s letting me take my time with this, though.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Lead the way!”
I followed Terramar through some dark chasms and tunnels, which helped improve my underwater maneuverability, and eventually reached Seaquestria.
“Wooooaahhhh... I never thought I would ever see this place with my own eyes. Seaquestria is so much more majestic in real life.”
This is quite unlike the Harmonizing Heights. It’s like sculpted perfection as opposed to natural grandeur: both can be just as beautiful, but in completely different ways.
“Hmmm, I think we should start by—“
“Actually... can we go get some food? I haven’t eaten in hours.”
“Oh, of course! You flew all the way to Mount Aris, right? You must be starving.”
“Not really, I’m kind of a light eater. I go way longer without eating on certain routes. I could wait until I get back to Ponyville to eat, but I’d love to try some local food while I’m here!”
“Well, then let’s go to my mom’s house! She makes the best fish pastries you’ll ever eat, I guarantee you.”
“Ha! Try me. You’re talking to the fish pastry connoisseur, you know?”
Those would end up being the best fish pastries I would ever eat.
After that delicious meal, we headed out to see the rest of Seaquestria. It took a bit longer than anticipated, since I often got distracted with schools of fish and other aquatic creatures that passed by, but we still saw all the main attractions.
Afterwards, we set off back to the surface. I challenged Terramar to a race there. I knew full well that he would win; I just wanted to see how fast he was. Unsurprisingly, he won.
We had returned to the surface.
The sun's getting low... I don’t want this day to end just yet!
“Hey, do you want to go to a beach and hang out for a while? I've been having so much fun today.”
“Sounds great, let’s go!”
We swam to the shore of a secluded beach. Terramar looked at me and raised one of his flippers. I grabbed it and he transformed us back into our original species. We laid down in the sand, just past the water’s reach.
We stood in silence for a bit as we watched the sunset and listened to the waves crashing on the shore.
“You visited Mount Aris at a great time, Gabby. The weather’s been perfect lately.”
“Yeah, the warm sun and refreshing breeze are so nice, I feel like I could fall asleep right here. Wake me up if I start drowning, okay?”
We both laughed.
“Thank you for everything today, Terramar. I had a lot of fun.”
“It was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing. You spent all afternoon just showing me around Mount Aris and Seaquestria!”
“Well, I had a lot of fun too. I like going to the Royal Palace, the Harmonizing Heights, Seaquestria... and I liked being with you.”
“R-really?”
He’s blushing a little...
“Yeah, your energy and excitement are contagious.”
“I do get a bit excited when I’m happy, and I’ve been happy all throughout the day! The Hippogriff kingdom is really beautiful.”
I was once again reminded of Griffonstone. The memories of a day when I watched, by the sunset, the once-great city resurfaced in my mind and brought sadness to my eyes. Terramar noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was thinking of my home, Griffonstone. It was once the majestic capital of our kingdom and brought pride to the heart of every griffon. Now, it’s like a ghost town. We used to have a bustling population, now most of our houses are in ruins. We used to have great kings and queens, now it’s every griffon for themselves.
“Seeing how quickly Mount Aris was rebuilt, after the Storm King turned it to rubble, while Griffonstone remains a total dump... I can’t help but feel a little sad. Why can’t griffons be a little selfless for once and work together?”
I just want my home back...
“I’m sorry to hear that. I had no idea things were that bad in Griffonstone.”
“...”
“I do know one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“If there’s anyone in the world who can bring motivation back to the griffons, it’s you.”
“W-what? Why me?”
“Your positivity and compassion are far beyond anything I’ve ever seen in anyone else. Sure, griffons may be grumpy, but with the right approach even they can be inspired by acts of kindness and generosity. I know that if you set your mind to it, you can spread friendship throughout the entire Griffon kingdom and together you’ll restore Griffonstone to its golden days.”
Terramar...
“And if that doesn’t work, you’ll always be welcome here in Mount Aris.”
I gave Terramar a big hug, which made him stumble and caused us both to fall over and get covered in sand. We laughed at the silliness of the situation as we flew over to the water and Terramar turned us into seaponies once again, to wash off the sand. We spent the next few minutes just floating around in the water.
Thank you for everything, Terramar. I promise you, I will do my best.
