Numbered Days

Chapters

Chapter 1: Just use the pen and paper
Chapter 2: The Key to Securing Power…
Chapter 3: … Is To Divide and Unite the Masses to Your Cause
Chapter 4: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Chapter 1: Just use the pen and paper

Canterlot University of Sciences and Sorcery, three days after Bold Ideals’ death…

Shifting through each book as fast as physically possible, Solemn Vow skimmed through as many pages of documents relating to the trial. From names to evidence, to even other branches of possible links. And he still couldn’t get over the fact that he overlooked such information.

After a short moment of increasing frantic shifting, his eyes finally landed on what he was searching for: Bold Ideals’ dying will. Doing another quick skim to make sure he landed on the right papers, he was suddenly interrupted by a knock on his office door.

“Come in!” he responded, never taking the need to look up to whoever entered.

“Um… are you by any chance the Doctor around here?” The voice asked him.

Looking up, he saw, what was to him, a fairly young-looking orange dragon that had entered his office.

“Young one, there are plenty of doctors around the campus grounds alone, so do me a favor and tell me if you need the physician or physicist?” He asked in a monotone voice as if he’d been asked the same old question over and over again throughout his life.

“The physician,” the voice adamantly replied.

He looked up as he left a bookmark on the last page of the documents he skimmed over, closing it as he stood up. “Hoho, for a moment there I thought you needed Dr. Hooves.”

He took his moment to look over the new face of a fairly young dragon(ess). “So! Since I’m the one you’re looking for, follow me to the other room, and do tell me a bit about yourself and the reason as to why you’d come to me at this time of day. Solemn Vow is the name, and a pleasure to meet you…”

Leaving the statement to hang, he made his way to a different room outside of his office, his head held up high as he listened in on what she would say, who trailed closely behind.

“I’m Smolder, and I’ve kinda been wanting to meet ya. Headmare Starlight said that you’d be the pony who would know more about Bold Ideals.”

Thinking over it, he found the first choice of topic to be quite peculiar.

“Is it for a history project?” He asked, never fully processing the name of who he was speaking with.

“More or less, I’m part of a group sent to look after and make his obituary. Call it ‘community service’ of sorts. After that, I’d probably get started on my constellation projects.”

Entering the room, he reached a stop as he looked around the fairly livid room, promptly taking a seat at the nearest chair to his side.

“Make yourself at home and find yourself a seat, we’ll talk more once you get settled in.” He said.

His invitation was soon answered and after a short while, the pair got settled down, the two started to talk once again from where their conversation ended earlier.

“So you want to create a ‘first-rate obituary’ containing and outlining Ideals’ entire life and will, correct?” he asked, trying to wrap his head around the huge task this dragoness has put herself through.

“More or less,” she shrugged, “And as I said, Headmare Starlight pointed to you, she was hesitant to even help with its completion… despite it being a multi-school effort...”

She drew closer to him as if she were about to tell a secret. “But between you and me, I think she’s avoiding it altogether.” She whispered in a comedic sense.

Still unable to wrap his head around what he was about to get himself into. “Well, I can tell you this, you’d likely need access to the restricted section of the Royal Canterlot Library, rumor has it that his books were locked away there… somewhere.” He lied.

He knew exactly where the nine books were and knew damn well that righting an obituary surrounding Ideals was going to be a pain. So, he opted to try and dissuade the young dragon by telling her what should be an impossible task for her to accomplish without connections.

What he didn’t expect was her casual response. “I’ll deal with the library and books when the time comes, but by then, you and I should be done halfway through with the entire thing, besides, it’s bound to be simple with just a pen and paper.”

“Wait, what…” he asked, taken aback all of a sudden as he slowly started to process the situation. “You’re… insane. Do you have the slightest idea as to how difficult it is to even try and write a paper about his books!? Let alone his entire life!”

“I mean, it can’t be that hard... right?” The real weight and monument of the task she had unknowingly placed upon herself slowly unfolded before her.

“NO! Of course, it ain’t as bloody simple as that! Writing an obituary is hard, so some cunts job would have been made easier if there was just a… I dunno, recording of themselves in their final moments, with a crystal or something. ”

“And the point is that..?” she asked, leaving it hanging in an attempt to make it seem like she didn’t understand the full extent of what she was about to partake in.

Thinking over it, Vow decided that he shouldn’t be beating around the bush any longer than he needed to.

“Ugh, listen, kid, you seem like a nice gal, but unless you got some real deep, like, shit deep connections with Twilight, you might as well get another source or make shit up.”

And as she heard that, confidence entered her soul upon that remark as she gave a sly smirk. “Well if that’s the case, you should have just told me! I’m sure Headmare Starlight and Princess Twilight could make those arrangements, after all… I was one of her students.”

At first, he was in disbelief at what she said, and rightfully so, considering how thorough Twilight is with those she trust, but then, he remembered who he was, he was Solemn Vow, a dear friend to Bold Ideals and an associate of Twilight Sparkle. And he knew he could probably spin this opportunity to his favor, after all, that’s what his friend would have done,

“… You don’t say…” he remarked aloud, now processing the possible connections and leeway she had with Twilight.

“Well, in that case, we better get started somewhere.” He said, trusting the word of the dragoness and hoping that this could bring him a good opportunity later down the line.

“How about on Ideals’ history? I think that’s a good start.” She suggested.

For moments he thought over it, trying to remember anything of note, and eventually, he found a narrative. “Well, according to some ‘old’ documents, Ideals had some connections with the Labor Union in Stalliongrad,”

“That’s common knowledge about him at this point.” She responded.

“What isn’t, is the connections he made with a mare in Marelin, the same party as him but allegedly they ‘ran a second party’ of sorts. Well, according to some old colleagues of mine and his, the group name was called ‘The Divided Order of Five Hands’, they were primarily hired to export things, and ‘unique’ ones at that.”

“Hands? As in, those ancient symbols?” She asked intriguingly. “Well, that’s interesting…”

Agreeing with the remark, he further explained. “All that, and it’s still the tip of the iceberg. His last book… ‘The Changing Winds’, was supposed to be his tenth book and the grand finale before his death. It would outline where the world stage would shift away from pony kind, the dominant nation, whoever it would be, should have a proper lock on sea trade and have a decently large army and air force to pair. Something along the lines of, who would have ruled the world, a sort of reincarnation of the empires of old, there are finer details, but those aren’t important.”

“So all of that and the amount of unholy stacks of paper works scattered throughout this entire continent… and it’s only a fraction of what’s required to make an obituary on him?”

“When compared to other ponies and creatures this influential, yes… we tend to make it a bit too detailed.” He said, his tone finally drilling the facts into her head.

“Well, with our case set, we’d have to go on a round trip to get some missing files, and It’ll only be a few missing, I’m sure of that,” he said.

“Speaking of which,” she began to switch the subject, “since I heard that you and Ideals were of noble blood, tell me a bit about that, it might bring an interesting spin.”

Thinking over it, he initially relented but eventually complied. “Well, we did always exchange a bit of banter back then, and one of the things that set us both apart from our fellow nobility was our passion. He primarily focused and poured his time on social science while I took a medical course and majored in psychiatrists... that said, I did branch out into law later down the line. Where most nobles would likely try and maintain a balance in being ‘civil’ and well-rounded in talent, or simply try and excel on as many fields as possible. That, and where he and I differed between ourselves was our contested views on magic, in general.”

“And why is that?” Smolder asked, “Doesn’t magic course through all of us, where magic could be created and dissipated, it could also be transferred to influence and overcome through mastery.”

“Oh please, him? He understood that line clearly, better than anyone else,” he remarked. “It’s just that his belief was so detailed and finely written that it practically put him at odds with the entire world, even Canterlot had a tense run-in with him while he was still alive.”

Looking around to avoid eye contact, his voice faltered as he spoke, despite the sensitivity of the topic to him. “Well again… some of us would like to believe in the prospect of something greater.”

“And so I’ve heard,” she remarked.

“So! The papers, when shall we get started?” Solemn asked, bringing in a new tone to shift that mood.

Adjusting quickly to the change, Smolder smiled. “How does next week sound?”

He returned the smile with one of his own. “Sounds wonderful to me.”

With that, their first discussion had ended, standing up, and both have their regards as they parted ways. Although, while they would pursue this little journey, a larger endeavor is about to play out.

They just haven’t realized that they are going to play a bigger part in the ticking clock of a new world.

Author's Note

The first chapter of this story!
I got big plans for this story, and I hope you guys are here till the end to finish it though, even if it would be at a slower pace.

Likewise, I hope you enjoyed it, and do leave a like and tell me your thoughts in the comments :)

Chapter 2: The Key to Securing Power…

Canterlot Palace, at an undisclosed time…

Twilight sat up on her throne with humbling patients, radiating a comforting aura that most would describe as one of “understanding”. Here, she silently sat, some familiar faces stood before her, having arrived at her calling.

She looked at them closely, monitoring their movements. Before her were some of her most trusted officials, and amongst them, Raven Inkwell stood in front of them all as their representative to the crown.

“So… how did the summit at Griffinstone go?” she asked.

“Less than ideal,” Raven Inkwell admitted, “it was nothing more than bickering on paperwork relating to… him.”

“Uggghhhh…” Twilight groaned. This was news to her, and to think she sent her best-negotiating team to this summit, only for it to turn out to be a little convention about Bold Ideals and his works.

“Well, at least tell me some good news Inkwell,” She said, “I don’t want this to be our first endeavor to go unfruitful.”

As a response, Inkwell rigorously shifted through dozens of pages, with Twilight waiting patiently for her to give a response. With each passing moment of silence, a tense air started to grow as hesitation and fear of disappointing the sovereign started to set in. She had hoped that, if there was no good news, at least bring her news they could make use of.

“Anything?” she asked as the moments dragged on.

“I… um… I don’t have anything else to say.” Inkwell responded.

And like a disappointed mother would tell their children, Twilight took in a deep breath, seemingly trying to hide the growing annoyance in both her mood and voice. “Every pony, out,” she bellowed, “except you, Inkwell.”

And every pony followed their monarch’s orders, making their leave in single file, heads held down in shame. Once the room had been vacated by everyone except Twilight and Raven Inkwell, their worlds seemed to change as Twilight cast a barrier surrounding the two of them, making sure to have sealed it shut from any prying ears.

“Alright, now talk to me honestly now, Inkwell,” she said, “and kudos for having some integrity in keeping such secrets, well, secrets.”

“Anything for you, your highness,” Inkwell responded.

“That said, there are things that need to be addressed, so tell me truthfully, what is the state of Equis? Not in Equestria’s view, but for any other minor nation.” She asked

“As it stands,” she began, “It could be better, it could be worst, and as you predicted, the other nations have started to make backend deals and the beginnings of what could be counter-intelligence agencies.”

“Any incidents? News?” Twilight asked.

“Well, as far as major incidents are of note, there was a strike that happened in Griffinstone… allegedly there were plans to unify some coastal ports of the badlands into the federation… there are rumors of some nations expanding their military might… and the persisting whispers of Ideals’ name here and there.”

“And just as he predicted…” she muttered, “and much sooner than expected.”

She groaned at this revelation, if only Spike was here to accompany her through this endeavor. Even her own personal student was still back at Ponyville while she was here at Canterlot trying to decipher what a good big brain move would be in this evolving ecosystem they call the “Balance of Power”.

‘Bucking hell, why can’t ruling an entire federation be simple?’ she thought, Equestria was in all but name a Federation. She wouldn’t consider it an empire nor would she consider the system to be of parliament-style but compared to Bold Ideals’ theoretical systems, and the somewhat primitive (and straightforward) systems of other nations, Equestria was that middle ground between the complex possibility of the future and the simplicity of Celestia's set.

Getting sidetracked, she went back to her initial thoughts. “Shame… Spike is still on leave with Ember and Thorax, so I can’t get him to mediate or negotiate some delicate treaties for the while… What about you Inkwell, do you think you could fill in for him and pull me a big favor?” She asked her, with Inkwell’s expression shifting into one of surprise at the question.

“Um, don't take this personally, your highness, but I am half as qualified to be your advisor, and twice as likely to be kidnapped by a Griffon should I take the offer, sure, there is a reassurance, but even I couldn't pull off such miracles. As it stands, I am being paid twice as much to simply shift and sort through your daily routine. So forgive me if I don’t think I'm the pony for the job”

“Fair point…” she remarked, “anyways, if that’s the state the world is right now… how about Equestria? What’s been brewing within our borders?”

Equally as intrigued, it took a few moments for Inkwell to sort through the papers before she found some stories. “Well, a quarter of the newspaper is about the possibilities of Ideals’ work for the betterment of Equestria and the other half are basically reactions to the whole ordeal, even the ‘big three’ are in the trend… somehow.”

“You mean Songbird, Sapphire, and Coloratura?”

“Yep, that’s what they're known as,” she clarified, “Aannnnd…”

Shifting through a couple more lines of paper, Inkwell stumbled upon some more interesting stories. “There are rumors of an organized strike in three different city-states… and the ERN had announced its plan to expand its railway from Griffinstone to the Dragon lands, and alleged plans to expand west and southwards of Equestria’s former borders with Griffonstone.”

“Hmm… interesting.” Twilight thought, internally trying to figure out some big brain moves to see where she might land.

Equis and Equestria were divided, a lack of narrative for the nations to hinge upon, only the past to look back, learn, and build upon. Yet she knew that was just one option that could make way and lead a nation, Ideals’ taught her that history could be made, it was possible, and that such endeavors were always risky to some existent. Celestia was by no means a perfect ruler, but she had played off so many things in terms of modernization that it had been left to Twilight’s accord to fix and find a resolution of improvement, for the sake of her little ponies.

Not that Twilight blamed Celestia, it was just the thought that her job could be easier, but she knew change had to start somewhere, and Celestia wasn’t that change. Furthermore, Twilight knew that if they don't do something to improve both for and in the future, they would sooner be left into obscurity.

“You know what…” she said, turning her back to Inkwell as she was consumed in deep thought. “I think this is a great opportunity… it gives me enough leeway to warrant some changes to the system and bring a bit of something new, slowly modernizing it… yeah, that could work.”

She smirked as if she was proud of what she had just figured out. “Inkwell, do you think you could reschedule my entire plan for this month?”

“I um…” she shifted through dozens of pages to inspect the possible. “I think so, yes, your highness. I could reschedule the entire… month?”

Slowly the realization came but what’s done is done, and there was no turning back from Twilight to Inkwell. Immediately, Twilight brightened up at her response, clearly pleased with the arrangement.

“Then could you get me an appointment with Solemn Vow?”

For a moment, Inkwell didn't respond, hoping she was hearing things, but once she realized there was no changing, she took to the next step she knew in starting things off. “When would you like it?”

“If possible, tomorrow afternoon,” Twilight responded.

“Why?” Inkwell asked, intrigued as to the reason why Twilight might have this change of heart. She knew first well there must be something ticking inside her head, she did learn a thing or two from being Celestia’s personal accountant for a time.

“I would like to have a little… discussion with him. He talks a big game in his field and I think he may have more than what he lets on.” Twilight responded without hesitation.

“No, I mean, why did you ask me if I could reschedule you for the entire month?” Inkwell asked, all the while writing down and doing mental adjustments and math to best suit the new change of plans of her sovereign.

“Oh, that… well, I have a feeling that there would be a big event for us, soon enough.”

Skeptically, Raven Inkwell looked at Twilight concerningly, before shrugging it off. “If you say so, I’ll have everything arranged by tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you again, Inkwell,” Twilight said.

“A pleasure to work with you as always, Princess.” She responded, bowing slowly as began to leave, with Twilight seeing her off.

Soon enough, once Raven Inkwell left the room proper, Twilight quickly cast a teleportation spell to her personal bedroom. Now left alone to her own thoughts, Twilight couldn’t help but have her mind wander off to the books she had read. So many books, from Star Swirl to some of Celestia’s old books, and now, Ideals’ books. In front of her was the messy bedroom she had, unfit for a princess but still reflecting her very true nature, hungry for knowledge and to understand the world around her.

Countless papers lay scattered as unfinished manuscripts and other documents lay around. Lazily, she looked over all of them, but one thing was constantly in her mind, something was about to happen. And it ticked on her to no end, she really did feel like something was amiss, and it frustrated her. Unable to do anything, she sought answers, and although she has the resources to follow through, there are simpler ways to do so.

“Tomorrow,” she mumbled to herself, “tomorrow, I’ll settle it with him.” She mumbled.

Chapter 3: … Is To Divide and Unite the Masses to Your Cause

Canterlot University of Sciences and Sorcery, a day later…

Solemn Vow was not in the brightest of moods, had he known his rent would go up by such a large margin in just a few days he’d left Canterlot a long while back. As is the case, he started his morning well enough, having a cup of Joe and reading the Canterlot Times, and soon enough, he would sort through his mail.

Unfortunately, even with some dubious help from his late friend’s will, his job as a doctor and teacher couldn’t fully keep him afloat in this expensive city. Much more so did his day takes a turn when he heard that Twilight was waiting in his office, not only was his first train of thought being a visit concerning more work for him (on top of already working with Smolder), but he simply didn’t have the energy to deal with it, let alone make himself presentable this time around.

Now, like any good pony, he would have brushed his earlier transgression to at least give himself a favorable impression for the princess, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to nor cared, he was simple in a sour mood and he won’t change for a while, and as it would turn out... he would believe in the frankest of words and simple honesty.

“So… what’s the deal this time, princess?” he asked as he entered his own office, heeding no bow.

There patently waiting, was Twilight Sparkle, beside stood two Royal Guards. She simply sat at one end of the room opposite where Solemn would sit at his table.

“Nothing much, just came by to say hello,” she said, looking around as she waited for him to settle down.

“Kiss my ass, princess. Now tell me why you are here, rent just went up and I'm not in the mood to deal with whatever shit you got my way.” He said, sitting down on his chair as he arranged his table and set the newspaper he brought down, with it being settled on a page about economics and news.

Immediately, both royal guards stood at attention ready to strike Vow down for his profanity and indecency in front of her highness, but Twilight, with a single gesture, had them stand down as she observed the morning news.

“Well, I guess we could skip to the point since you already read the news.”

“Is this about Griffonstone?” he asked.

The newspapers were quick on a catch for a good story, and the incident at Griffonstone was no different. To most, it’s just business or publicity, to Twilight and Solemn, it meant the books were right. And it only meant one thing, the clock was ticking… for more than three decades did Twilight lead Equis, and only now did problems arise.

“Well… Unlike Ideals, I use my magic sparingly. So here’s a start for you, how about you bugger off while I try to find a new place to crash by for tonight, how’s that sound?” Levitating the newspaper and some maps, he began to read them as he didn’t bother to listen to the protest of the guards.

Twilight for her part was, as the ever-patient pony, merely gave a suggestion. “How about this, I’ll let you crash by at the palace while you help me with the papers, we're going to be busy for a while.”

He looked at her skeptically, “did Smolder ever tell you about her plans?” he asked.

“Smolder? You mean my old dragon student?” She asked.

“Yep,” he clarified, “she wanted to make an obituary about Ideals, so I decided to help her out.”

“You don’t say,” she mumbled, having an internal conflict on how to feel about it.

She knew she wasn’t supposed to condemn her own student for what could be believed as an innocent act, yet there was a part of her that couldn’t help but outright just oppose the idea as a whole.

“Well, if you’re asking for my extended help, I’ll provide it on some conditions,” she responded, hoping to entice Solemn to work for her.

“Good enough for me,” he responded, never bothering to question her motives as he set the paper down. Reaching for a comfortable position, he began once again, “You’re here to bargain with me, princess. Get the guards to wait outside while we have our talk, got it?”

A quick glimpse and nod from Twilight and they were on their way. Once they left, Solemn promptly locked the door with his magic as he waited for Twilight to make the opening move.

From what he had read from the papers so far, Equis was, as his late friend would put it, approaching a new era. One of enlightenment, or in some rare instances, could be considered a renaissance. Whatever the case would be, Solemn wasn’t sure what the world and its future would be like, nor is he sure on the side he should take, but judging by the fact that Twilight came to him for (most likely) help, he could only assume that ideals and ideas are going to be redefined and expressed, making her job as a ruler that much more complicated.

“Tell me honestly, what have you been up to with Inkwell, or even Spike for that matter?” He inquired, about to make a mental note of whatever she was going to tell.

Suddenly, nervousness started to set in for Twilight as she suddenly found herself abhorring the potential direction of this conversation.

“W-why does it matter?” she hesitantly asked.

For a moment, Twilight swore she saw Solemn look at her with a face of indignation.

"Do you have any idea how big this could be?" Solemn asked, “Thousands upon thousands of hours… just to create something as close to an everlasting impression, and it was all because he was willing to risk it all in his final gambit. A gambit to open something new, not a gamble of change. Something inherently different.”

For a moment, Solemn seemed to have left it that, until he decided to shift through some old papers. It took him a while and a decent number of files and drawers, but he eventually found what he was looking for, something to, perhaps, prove a point for Twilight.

“You know… Ideals told me something, not directly word for word, but through a letter…” he began, skimming through the contents of the paper he held up before setting it down on the table for her to read. “It simple revolved around the idea of a test, that ‘the greatest test for any mortal has everything to do with being mortal, i.e. morality and mortality; the greatest test for any immortal is the question of what it means to be immortal and/or mortal…’…”

While Twilight took the moment to read the paper he had set down, he continued. “He sent me a book that day and an apology… I was still in med school at the time.”

“What does it have to do with-?” Twilight was about to inquire about something before being abruptly interrupted with the answer.

“Everything… because to divide is the beginning to revive. To break the bricks down to build a new. And the greatest tests often divide even the most brilliant of minds.” He said, remembering the topics that Ideals would usually teach in his books

Break it down to fundamentals, make the process as simple as possible while allowing gains to flourish and methods of retaining power as long as possible… but most importantly, make sure it is effective, that no one opposes you yet will still reach out to aid you. That is, to the principles of Ideals’ book, the cornerstone of securing power. And the next step… is to build upon that power, take what you can, give nothing back.

“You'll have to choose a philosophy to stick by, princess,” he said, “because sooner or later, someone, and I do mean someone, will have to look up to you… either for guidance or for prying opportunity, no matter what the motive may be.”

And he ended it at that, waiting patiently as Twilight Sparkle, the Sovereign of Equestria, thought over what he said, the revelation he made still leaving a reasonable impression.

Twilight, who had nothing to say and already having gained what she had come for, decided it was high time to leave.

“So, when are you going to stop by at the palace?” she asked before standing up.

“Tomorrow…” he replied, “and lock the door when you leave.”

She looked at him but didn’t let it settle on her as she began to walk out of the room, that is before she was halted when Solemn asked her a personal question.

“And how’s your student been?” He nonchalantly asked.

For the briefest of moments, Twilight’s heart sank as she suddenly stopped in her place, concerned for her current student, Luster Dawn. It wasn’t officially news yet, but Twilight had had several students in the past decades or so, Luster Dawn was her newest student, which she planned to keep a secret from prying eyes until she was certain that her student could handle not only the attention but also herself.

Hesitantly, her vision hovered over Solemn, ready to instinctively strike him down should worst come to worst.

“Calm down, geez, you’re getting worked up over nothing…” he remarked, spying over her posture as he figured out the apparently personal topic. “Don’t hold any vendettas against me, I’m just asking, Smolder told me about her the other day. She said she was a pleasant one to speak with.”

And as quickly as her suspicion had risen, it had quickly subsided at the mere mention of one of her former students.

“My student aside, any news on Smolder and her works?” she asked.

He looked at her with a somewhat offended face. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?”

A heartfelt chuckle escaped Twilight as she heard the remark. Truthfully, she hadn’t had the time of day to check on her close associates and friends as of recent.

“Tell something I don’t know,” she dared, “I’ve got eyes and ears around Equestria to keep my subjects safe, so you shouldn’t really fret.”

“I know you do,” he whispered, “let's just hope that your world would outlast you in every sense of the word…”

As he said this, he heard the doors of his office click shut to signal the sovereign has left. Now left to his own devices, he could only think at the moment, how he had lasted up to this point, how he had outlasted a friend…

Author's Note

Nearly forgot this one...

Please comment and leave a like, I enjoy your responses :)

edit 1 (22/07/2022): some minor spelling corrections

Chapter 4: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Griffonstone, several days later…

After what seemed like a long and exhausting train ride and an uphill hike, Smolder and Solemn had finally managed to reach their golden destination.

What greeted them up top was a revolutionized city, not anymore was Griffonstone a cold desolate city of a bygone Kingdom, instead, it was a fairly modest City-State, having transitioned from being a sole Kingdom into another one of many other cities that made up the “Greater Eastern Federation”, unofficially still referred to as the Griffon Kingdoms and Principalities or “Griffon Federation”.

Surrounding them as they entered the city-proper were, to their surprise, better-mannered griffons. The worst case was simply being ignored, but when compared to what this city used to be and you could say it’s a huge step forward from what once was.

“So, remind me why we’re going to Griffonstone again?” Smolder asked, still bewildered at what had happened to this once shallow nest of a city.

A sigh of aggravation escaped Solemn as he looked back at the hovering Smolder. “Were supposed to check up on what Gallus been up to if he’s even around these parts, as well as check-up in the locals for some things relating to your work.

“So who are we looking for? Apart from Gallus of course.” Looking around whistles still listening to the souring mood of Solemn Vow.

Lifting a piece of paper, he showed her who the picture was. “Gustav, a good associate of Ideals. He’ll know a bit more about him since they knew each other on a much more… eh, ‘mutual’ grounds.”

“You don’t say…” she remarked, taking her sweet time at admiring the amount of tremendous effort to turn the life of this once ragged city around.

Of course, Solemn wasn’t exactly explaining the whole picture to Smolder, at the behest of his new employer, Twilight Sparkle. One that he had to begrudgingly accept, plus, as his old friend would have said, “not everything may seem as it is...”

Soon after, both would arrive at their first destination in the city, a small and seemingly humbling little pawnshop, owned by an old griffon, Grandpa Gruff. As they entered through the front door, it creaked all the way through, which was enough to gain the attention of the only griffon in the establishment.

“And here! The old bastard is still kicking, how’s it been old grandpuff?” Solemn asked the elderly griffon, receiving more of an annoying puff than anything else from him.

“Been better,” the old griffon simply replied, but he responded to a question yet to be asked. “Plus, I know you’re looking for that Blue jay. Truth be told, I haven’t seen him much since he became a captain, heard from Gilda that he’s been a bit of a downer lately at their bakery. As for any clue as to why? No idea...”

“Blue jay?” Asked Smolder, clearly still bewildered but trying to get over and think nothing more of it.

“Gallus, he means Gallus,” Solemn answered.

“Speaking of which, where’s Gilda? I haven’t seen that tough bird since she moved her bakery.” Solemn asked, looking around the place but seeing no sign of neither Gilda nor Gallus nearby.

“Oh, she’s moved places, heard they get a decent increase in earning since the ‘old timer’ had started working there, heavy quotes on that one.” He said, pointing in one direction towards the newer part of the city. “Down there in the upper district, they make some of the best pie’s round there.”

“Well, that’s good to hear! Oh, and do you have any idea who this ‘old timer’ is? He asked, doing a little looking around from where he was, admiring some old antiques he could spot.

The old griffon seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before he spoke again. “I think his name was Gustav, good chef from what I’ve heard.”

“Bingo,” Solemn whispered, leaving Smolder to just wander for a bit around the shop.

“Well, it’s nice to get some help with you, old grandpuff,” Leaving thirteen gold coins for the old griffon, “and don’t spend it all in one night!”

“I won’t …” he mumbled, returning to cleaning some old antiques as he watched Solemn drag the young dragoness outside, grumbling, but still smirking in the process. He had changed, and old Grandpa Gruff was still kicking despite his age, but eventually, that would cease to be the case, everyone is now only waiting for the eventuality, no matter how grim it may be.

…

After a short while of more walking and searching, the two finally managed to find their footing and made their way to the place that they were looking for. A fairly large bakery in the upper district of the city, and much to their surprise, the griffons have not only changed but seemed to be better overall, what with their initial expectation of everything all being a ruse for some small-time scam. In retrospect, they found it pleasant that it was a truthful change for the better of the city and its inhabitants, all things considered.

“Ready?” Smolder asked as they approached ever so close to the city square.

A deep sigh and an unexpected answer were what Solemn gave. “That’s a stupid question and you know the answer.”

“So it’s a yes?” she asked, fully expecting him to be prepared for whatever may come.

“No! Of course not!” Solemn burst, “We’ve got no idea how this is about to go down, and we only went here because… where else are we supposed to get going? We're following the directions of an old griffon mind you.”

She was about to object to that when she realized something. “Good point.”

“Regardless of that, we better get in.” He said, opening and holding the door for Smolder as both entered the establishment they were led to. A ringing signaled the arrival of new patrons, thankfully, the duo didn’t receive any hassle from any of the other patrons who were already there, and as such, they simply made their way to the counter.

Once there, the young griffon that ran the counter made some adjustments for their accommodation, while they ordered some treats that caught their sweet tooth. Eventually, both found a table to settle down for a while while they waited for their snacks to come by.

“Any other story I should be caught up on?” He asked, guessing that Smolder lived a pretty livid life, all things considered for a dragon her age and connections. “So tell me, what happened with Gallus anyways?”

“He got a promotion, Captain of the Royal Guards, first griffon to do so.” she blandly replied as if it wasn't a big deal.

Straightforward to the point, Solemn could only smirk at a slowly dawning realization; if Ideal’s predictions were correct, then that would mean that Gallus is the first truly revolutionary figurehead outside and since Twilight’s ascension and Shining Armor’s days of a Captain, a griffon who could be a big player in the upcoming years of change.

“You don’t say…” He remarked, unable to hide his ever-growing smirk. One that Smolder caught on.

“Why? What’s with the sly grin?” She asked, somewhat concerned but still thinking of it as nothing serious.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a bit of lingering thoughts from Ideals.” He said, genuine in his response.

And that’s where they left their little conversation for the moment. Content with waiting for their treats, they would soon be served what they would pay for.

…

Several hours later…

Soon, the duo would find themselves carrying a half-asleep Griffin through the streets, one that they had found while waiting at one of the lower district’s plentiful bars. Having had their fill at the bakery earlier that day, they had the opportunity to talk with Gilda, a merry time, all things considered.

Although unfortunately, their trip to the bakery would mostly go uneventful, with Gilda telling them the griffon they were looking for was on leave, their whereabouts allegedly being somewhere in the lower district. Plus, they had sat out the afternoon for too long, being filled with pastry and the like thanks to Gilda’s passion and… insistence for them to take more.

That said and food aside, they had, by some miracle, been carrying Gallus for a good half hour or so, having found him in the wayside drinking to his heart’s content, they didn’t intervene and allowed the blue Jay to have his fill before trying and promptly failing to convince him to fly to a nearby dorm where they planned to stay the night.

“Holy shit, by Celestia’s ass, you’re fucking heavy for your size, Gallus.” Solemn remarked as he and Smolder tried to guide the stumbling and half-awake griffon to their place of sleep for tonight. A difficult thing to accomplish no doubt, with the griffon seemingly being unable to go sober anytime soon.

“Don’t you think you took in a bit too much?” Smolder asked the mumbling griffin, who simply ignored her question and somehow had managed to avoid vomiting up to that point.

“Bit much? HE FUCKING DOWNED A GALLON OF WHISKY BACK THERE!” Solemn exclaimed, finding it to his surprise that Smolder was this calm.

“I KNOW HE DRANK TOO MUCH! Damnt…. Listen, I know he’s intoxicated, geez, you don’t have to make a fuss over it.” She retorted in equal volume. “Plus, I didn’t ask you.”

“Ah… ok.” He was visibly taken aback, further enforced by the fact he couldn’t think of a rebuttal, being too caught up in the moment. So instead, he decided to focus on diverting his effort of getting this heavy griffin moving.

‘Holy… griffon stomachs are impressive.’ He silently thought to himself. Taking a mental note to maybe try out the bar’s around when he had the time.

…

After much time and an excruciating amount of effort, the trio had managed to find themselves a room and roof to sleep under. Gallus was still intoxicated, and Solemn feared he’d just empty his stomach any minute now. A mess he didn’t want to clean up after if what he downed was anything to go by.

“You think he’ll be fine?” he asked Smolder as they simply looked over the now fast asleep griffon. “Because thinking about it, I might have a couple of letters that need sorting after this. So I need to stay clear to avoid any... unfortunate mishaps.”

Looking to him, then towards her friend, Smolder motioned for him to go on. “I’ll keep an eye on him, do what you’ve got to do.”

“Ok…” he mumbled, making his way to another part of the complex to be alone for the night.

The light generated from his horn was the only thing that alit his view as he conjured up a pen and paper, prepared to write his message to Twilight. It was heavy, heavier than usual for him... he didn't know why, but he could feel as though there was pressure being placed on him to succeed, whether he knew it was his own expectations or not.

‘This is stupid,’ he thought to himself, ‘why the fuck down I have to write her a letter? I thought she already knew I could be trusted!’

Alas, he didn’t allow himself to ponder on those thoughts any longer than he needed to, he still had a letter to write and send. So he began, in a soft mumble, he began to mumble the words that he began writing, telling the princess about his current findings.

“To the Sovereign, that’s concerned,

As you may know, I accompanied your former student as per your request for the trip to Griffonstone. We had limited success in most regards to finding Gustav, as we had to also stop by the bakery and some shops. The information we had gathered is fairly limited, but we will continue our best in continuing this… investigation of sorts.

Another thing of note is that we had found your recently promoted captain; tired and heavily intoxicated. Rest assured, we had managed to bring him with us for his own safety. Although I highly suggest you clean up after his act, the papers are likely to get wind of this, so do take my warning for precautions as intended.

There is no fruitful news for you to hear as of the moment, furthermore, the developments of your plan seem to be unraveling at a snail’s pace, although I’d have no say in that matter.

Griffonstone, or the federation for that matter, has changed, for the better when compared to the slumps it once was, and I recommend you get someone to do a bit of digging for you, especially on your future endeavor.

Other than that, there is probably no news that you haven’t yet heard of, at least by the time I am writing this letter. Your sources and our previous discussion about Griffonstone have been accurate for the most part.

We even managed to stumble upon some of your old associates. Unfortunately, he has yet to find our leading griffon, although reset assured, it is still too early to say anything is for certain, I would still have to check on some possibilities and some old faces for the time being.

Other than that, I should be finished with my end of this arrangement by the end of the week, and I look forward to the possibilities we’ll have to discuss later on.

On a lighter note, I can attest to the fact that your student, Smolder, is putting up a good front, all things considered. I hope that she’ll be able to hold her own when the time comes.

Scenery,

Your only informant.”

And with that, he set the pen down as he looked over the letter he was about to send to her highness.

Pure silence, nothing to interrupt as his magic held the letter in place. It was short, all things considered. It had everything he needed to tell, which much wasn’t, but he did think it was still early in the game to say anything was concrete. After all, he still had to find Gustav in this open city.

He stared on for a little while longer. Content with waiting as he could hear in the distant room the snoring of a dragon and griffon.

“I should probably get some sleep now…” he muttered to himself. Deciding to send this mail first thing in the morning.

No harm in it, plus, he would be rewarded with a good night’s rest. Although he’d still have to arrange some common grounds for him and Gallus if he wanted to get along with him.

‘Don’t worry, it’s all fine…’ he thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep from where he sat. The letter still being in his reach as he slept over it.

The night was cold, a good night to sleep under. It was all good, all things considered…