Author's Note

Woohoo, 200k words!

This chapter might make or break the story for you all. Hell, I might delete it and rework it at some point, but for now this is what I intend for the story. I tried making things work out realistically and without characters being stupid for the sake of plot, but I'm not sure I succeeded.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now since it's nearly midnight where I am. Enjoy!

I hope, anyway...

26: The Nor'wester

Nor’wester

/nȯr-ˈwe-stər/ noun

A Nor’wester, or a West Griffonian Coastal Storm, is a specific type of powerful cyclonic storm which form over the Southern Celestial Sea off the western coast of the Dragon Lands. They normally make landfall on Griffonia’s western coast. The name comes from the direction in which the storm flows, northwest. Nor’westers typically form between late October to early April, although they can form during other times of the year. They are known for producing heavy precipitation, hurricane-force winds, or blizzard conditions and can cause severe coastal flooding or coastal erosion at sea level.

Gobbler’s Groggery, An Hour Before Sunrise The Next Morning…

Lady Serenity looked out at the whiteout conditions that had arisen during the night around the city. Not even during the brief journey from Equestria to Griffonia had she seen such nasty weather conditions. She was no pegasus, but even she wasn’t sure that anypony could dispatch this storm. Nopony would be able to fly well in this weather or even walk unless they used a unicorn’s magic shield to block out the wind and snow.

Behind her, Dusky Heart and Jade Seed were standing at the table, looking at the map of Griffonia carefully. There was silence in the room, the only sound coming from the wind outside. The window rattled a bit as the wind beat against it. The fireplace was lit brightly and its warmth kept back the icy cold storm outside.

Lady, not able to stand the silence among the three, simply said, “Welp, so much for doing anything today.”

Jade immediately glared up at Lady and was about to say something in defense of her commander but Dusky held up his front hoof to silence her. He looked more frustrated than angry, but there wasn’t much any of them could really do in this blizzard, which the innkeeper had called a Nor’wester. And she was beginning to have doubts about her mission as well as Dusky’s own mental state.

They were just supposed to gather information about the human and only act if they assumed he was a danger to Equestria. Lady hadn’t seen or heard anything about this Gregory Graystone that seemed dangerous. Under her Red Print alias a couple night ago, she’d learned much about the Griffonian Chancellor enough to start casting doubt over their missions secondary objective should they find it necessary. The dragoness she spoke to was a very knowledgeable one, especially since she owned one of the best tea shops in the city. She’d even met this human a few times along with his group of friends, which included a unicorn pony who had rejected her own Equestrian citizenship to become a Griffonian citizen.

What she’d learned put a bit of doubt on her initial assumptions about humans. He was known to be hardworking, kind but firm, friendly and full of life. Apparently there wasn’t a single day that went by where he didn’t travel around the city and find a place where he could help rebuild with the citizens. And his drake was also helpful as well, able to lift bits of debris that nocreature else could lift. While initially Griffonstone citizens were wary of the massive beast, soon the drake, named Daenerys, became known as a symbol of good luck among the creatures inhabiting the city.

However, when she’d told Dusky and Jade about this, the former had quickly suggested that it was an elaborate act. Jade, being the suck up that she was, quickly agreed and made mention of a report she’d gotten about how in the first two weeks that Gregory had been in Griffonstone he had hardly been seen and whenever he was seen, he seemed angry and bitter. His miraculous change in demeanor had to have been an act.

Despite her overly flirtatious nature, Lady was a bit worried about Dusky. He seemed to be taking this mission more and more personally with each passing day. She had no idea why he seemed so dead set on vilifying this human. She’d tried asking about it before they’d gone to sleep the night before, but he’d just said he was doing his job.

Lady knew Dusky better than most other ponies, however. When the three had been a part of S.M.I.L.E., he had always been a professional, never letting his emotions get the better of him and doing the job. However, despite his initial actions being similar upon their arrival to Griffonstone, he’d seemed to become more driven to find reasons to carry out the other portion of this mission just in case. They were to retreat if it was found this human was not a threat, but Dusky kept on finding reasons. Flimsy reasons, Lady thought, but Dusky was their leader. Maybe he saw something that she didn’t.

Still, despite everything, she couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. This Gregory seemed genuine from what she’d heard. When she suggested that one of them make ‘accidental’ contact with him to get to know him on a more personal level, Dusky and Jade dismissed it outright.

Dusky tapped on the map, breaking Lady out of her reverie. She turned and saw he was tapping the map with a frown. “From what we’ve learned, this Gregory lives in the upper levels in a mansion paid for and built by the city,” he said. “He lives with a few others, too. If we hope to catch him alone and without that beast he keeps, we’ll need to find a way separate them from the others.” He looked at the bags on the floor again and lifted one of them up. It floated over to the table and landed with a heavy thud, the singular object inside responsible for that.

“Dusky, we’ve only been here a few days,” Lady protested, “and we haven’t even met this human. Shouldn’t we-?”

“Last night I explained that we were told to use discretion, Miss Serenity,” Dusky retorted, his mask briefly cracking to show anger before returning to its practiced neutrality. “We’ve all seen how this human has quickly risen through the government. He came here through mysterious means, worked as a postal employee, then the moment he meets a former cult leader he becomes a part of the government? Too much of a coincidence.”

“Dusky, even before this Starlight Glimmer arrived he was helping to improve the city,” Lady protested.

“You and I both know just how devious humans can be,” Dusky said. “Star Swirl’s reports on them are pretty clear. You’ve read them, remember?”

Lady nodded. Thanks to Star Swirl’s mirror, he had been able to traverse a number of different worlds and dimensions, and had found that the realm where humans lived was a dangerous place. They were, according to him, savages who lived off of the blood and sweat of other creatures they had enslaved. Their world lacked magic, which was why Star Swirl had banished anything dangerous to those lands, including the sirens. “Dusky, what if this human is different?” she protested. “Besides, if any of them discover we had anything to do with any harm that befalls this Chancellor, it could start a war between Equestria and Griffonia! Do you honestly think we can fight back!?” She was on the verge of screaming now, but kept her cool so as not to disturb the other guests.

Jade frowned at her. “Miss Serenity, are you saying that Star Swirl was wrong?”

“What? No! I’m sure what he saw was what he recorded,” Lady replied quickly, “but need I remind you that ponies weren’t as harmonious as we are today, and even now those rumors spreading about Ponyville-”

“Those are lies! All of them!” Dusky shouted, stomping the ground. “Nopony would do anything like that to another!”

“How do you know?” Lady replied, glaring at Dusky. “Seriously, how do you know? You saw that trial in Canterlot just like I did.”

“They altered that broadcast,” Jade said.

“If you’re backing out of this mission, then you’d better say so,” Dusky replied darkly.

“Not at all!” Lady replied quickly, “but I’m just saying we haven’t even been here a week and you already want to use those things on him.” She pointed to the bag on the table, then to the other two bags in the corner. “Even if he’s secretly plotting something, if you take him out of the equation, the Griffonian government won’t know that! They’ll cry vengeance!”

“Not once they know what humans are capable of,” Dusky replied quickly. “Jason Wright took over Canterlot with a ragtag group of changelings. Imagine what he could do with a nation of griffons. And he’s made an alliance with dragons? Three predator races together? What happens when he reaches out to Jason Wright and asks to join forces?”

Lady wanted to argue against this. She wanted to contradict his words. However, despite everything, she did see a bit of sense in what he was saying. Still, something about this felt more wrong the more she thought about it. “I don’t like this…” she said softly.

“When this is over, we’ll get paid enough that we won’t have to work for a long time,” Dusky said.

“Sir, how would you like to do this?” Jade asked. “This Chancellor is always surrounded by somecreature or other. We won’t be able to get close enough to take care of this for a while.”

“Not if we do it today,” Dusky said with a small grin that sent shivers down Lady’s spine. And not the good kind of shivers.

“How? How do we do that?” Lady asked with trepidation.

“Oh, I have an idea,” he said and gestured for her to join him at the map. “See, while exploring the town, I found this place…”

The Green Dragon, Before Sunrise The Next Morning…

When Celestia woke, the first thing she heard was a fierce wind blowing just outside their window. That, and she could feel a slight wisp of cold air that was seeping in through the small crack at the bottom of their bedroom door. Slowly sitting up, she looked around at the sleeping forms around her. All were curled up in their blankets in an attempt to stave off the cold. Lighting her horn, she quietly lifted a few of the logs and kindling next to the fireplace, placed them in said fireplace, and lit a spark. The kindling caught and after a few minutes there was a warm blaze in the fire, heating up the room quickly.

She quietly grabbed her copy of the room key and slipped out into the hallway, not wanting to disturb the sleeping ponies and dragon. The hallway itself was dark save for a ruddy glow that came from the staircase at the end of the hall. Celestia walked downstairs to the main tavern only to see Garble breathing fire into the main fireplace. Standing, he nodded in satisfaction before turning and spotting Celestia. “Oh! Hello there,” he said. “Isn’t it a bit early for you to be up?”

“It’s a bit early for anyone to be up,” Celestia replied, “but it’s my duty to raise the sun over the world, so I must be awake early and can only sleep when the sun has set and my sister has taken the reins.”

“Huh, so dad was right about the ponies possessing the mystic art of the world rotation,” Garble said as he made his around the tavern, lighting candles with his fire breath. “How long until sunrise?”

“Oh, there’s half an hour until that,” she said as she walked around, looking at the tavern more closely. Turning back to him, she asked, “What are you doing up so early?”

“Running this tavern and inn is a tough job,” he said. “I’ve got to get up early and get the stoves nice and hot and get the food prepared.”

“Don’t you run this place with your sister and some other griffon staff?” Celestia asked.

“Smolder? Yeah, I do, but I let her sleep in most days. Especially today,” he added, nodding towards one of the windows which had its curtains closed. “It’s a really nasty Nor’wester out there, and us dragons are cold blooded. Being in a storm like this could kill us if we’re out in it too long. We can handle extreme heat just fine and can bear some cold temperatures, but if we’re out in temperatures like this? It’s not good. That’s why most dragons live in the Dragon Lands.”

Celestia raised her eyebrows. “What’s a Nor’wester?” she asked as she walked over to the nearest window to get a closer look at the conditions outside.

“Oh, it’s a common type of storm they get over here,” he said as he put down one lit candle and grabbed another to light. “They’re nasty blizzards that can last for days. There’s at least two every winter up here. I think this is the first one this year.”

Celestia had exceptional eyesight thanks to the side of her that possessed pegasus magic. Even so, the whiteout conditions outside was something she doubted even the windigos could match. She could see the hazy outlines of buildings as her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, but the winds were whipping by and the snow building up against the sides of buildings. None of us can go out there to search for any kind of problem today, and especially Spike, she thought to herself. Blinking, she let her eyes readjust to the light of the fire in the fireplace. Turning back, she watched as Garble walked around, using his fire breath to light lamps hanging on the walls now, brightening up the place even more. “I’m surprised the city’s managed to survive it for so many years,” she admitted.

“I agree,” Garble said as he lit the last of the lamps. “I don’t know if this storm is worse than other Nor’westers, but it’s the worst one I’ve seen.” He walked behind the bar and grabbed a mug, washing it with a damp cloth. “You want anything to eat or drink before you need to do your thing with the sun?”

“Oh, that would be nice,” she said as she took a seat at the bar in one of the stools designed for ponies. “Could I have three scrambled eggs and some buttered toast?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Garble said as he put down the mug. “And to drink?”

“Do you have hot cider? If not, some hot tea would be alright,” Celestia replied.

“I might have some cider left,” he said. “It’ll be out in a bit.” So saying, he headed into the back.

As the sound of pots and pans being moved around carried towards her, Celestia heard the sound of a door opening and closing down a hallway near the other end of the bar. Turning, she saw the shorter orange dragoness teen called Smolder walking in, hand in front of her mouth and yawning. She looked around he room and a frustrated look appeared on her face. “Garble! What did I tell you about not waking me up?!” she shouted towards the kitchen.

“Mother and Father told me to protect you, and that’s exactly what I’m doing!” he shouted back from the kitchen.

Smolder threw her fists in the air in frustration, then finally noticed Celestia. “Nnng…older brothers…always so overprotective,” she grumbled.

Celestia chuckled good naturedly. “Well, I wouldn’t know. I have no older brothers or sisters. Just a younger sister,” she said.

“Lucky you,” Smolder said as she grabbed the same damp rag that Garble had been using earlier and began wiping down the counter Celestia was sitting at. “Getting to tell her what to do must be nice.”

“I’m sure your brother means well,” Celestia said to try and be encouraging.

Smolder growled. “Ever since we moved here, he’s been acting like he’s my keeper, not my brother. I’m nineteen already, practically an adult. I molted when I was sixteen like most other dragons, so why is he acting like a mother hen? Why can’t he treat me like an equal?”

As she muttered to herself, Celestia found herself thinking back to her own sister. After Luna had come back, Celestia had been overprotective of her. Before her banishment, Celestia had been inattentive to her own sister, falling too far to the other side. After all, the two had been rulers of Equestria for hundreds of years prior to her banishment. Now she was realizing that she had fallen to the opposite spectrum once again, being overly protective of her adult sister. There had to be a middle ground she needed to find.

Coming back to reality once more, she looked over and saw that Smolder was now washing some of the dishes that hadn’t been cleaned the night before. Probably some late night diners, she thought.

The silence was broken a half minute later. “Smolder, since you’re up, could you prepare some tea for our guest out there?” Garble asked from the kitchen. “You do it better than anyone else.”

“Yeah, sure,” Smolder said with a sigh before turning to Celestia. “What kind of tea do you want? We have green tea, sweet orange tea, black cherry tea, and black tea.”

“Sweet orange tea sounds lovely,” Celestia said with a smile. “Do you have honey to go with that?”

“Sorry, no. Griffonia doesn’t have bees,” Smolder explained. “We have sugar if that’s alright.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll have it as is,” Celestia replied.

“Suit yourself,” Smolder said as she poured some water into a kettle. After a deep breath, she blew fire onto the bottom of the kettle and immediately steam began rising from the spout. She began mixing the brew. Silence reigned for about a minute before she turned to Celestia and with a raised eyebrow, asked, “So…do you really raise and lower the sun?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes, I do,” she confirmed.

“Wow…that’s pretty terrifying,” Smolder said.

“You just say that because Gregory said it is,” Garble called out from the kitchen.

“It doesn’t mean he’s wrong!” Smolder called back.

“How did he say that it was terrifying?” Celestia asked, curious to hear Gregory’s reasoning.

“Well, no offense to you, Princess,” Smilder said plainly, “but that much power in only one creature’s possession is pretty dangerous. If you wanted you could keep the sun up and roast the world alive or keep it from rising and keep the plants from producing the air we need.”

“I would never do such a thing,” Celestia said, a bit mollified.

“Oh, I’m sure you wouldn’t, and Gregory says you wouldn’t either,” Smolder said in agreement, “but you’ve got to admit it’s a scary concept. Imagine if someone like the Storm King got his claws on that type of magic.”

“The Storm King? Who is that?” Celestia asked.

“You don’t know?” Smolder asked with a raised eyebrow. When Celestia shook her head, Smolder explained, “He’s a satyr who’s conquered some of the southern lands of your continent except the Badlands. Him and his lieutenant Tempest Shadow have taken over many of the southern territories below Equestria, including Klugetown and Mr. Aris.”

Celestia remained calm but inside she was deeply worried. Mt. Aris was the home of the Hippogriffs, and if this Storm King had captured that island, it was possible he had captured her old friend Queen Novo. But hopefully the queen had hidden her kind before that. “This is news to me,” Celestia admitted.

“My father’s been keeping an eye on him and his army,” Smolder said. “Him and the Dragon Lord.”

“I’ve heard that the Imperial Council knows too,” Garble said as he brought out a plate of scrambled eggs and toast for Celestia. He set it down and at the same time Smolder poured the tea. “Then again, that’s just a rumor. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised. That council tries to keep tabs of as much as they can despite their problems.”

“Problems?” Celestia asked.

“You’ve seen this city,” Garble said as he joined his sister in cleaning and preparing for the breakfast rush, “it used to be a shitshow, but now it’s getting better. That doesn’t mean the rest of the country is doing any better. They’ve been trying to figure out ways to help rebuild Griffonia.”

“But if Griffonstone is any indication, others certainly will follow,” Celestia said.

“Griffonia has been in decline for centuries,” a new voice said from the hallway. Turning, everyone saw a young griffoness staff member walking into the room. She had dark purple fur, a deep evergreen plumage including very long and wavy feathers that flowed from her hair much like a long mane would, golden colored claws and deep rose red eyes. Celestia recognized her as Galilea, the griffoness who had shown her and the others to their rooms on that first day. She grabbed another towel and dipped it in some nearby water. “It’s a miracle that we’ve fixed so much in only three months.”

“I’ve heard that other cities and towns are doing their best, but it’s hard without money and assistance,” Garble said.

“I heard a rumor from somewhere that the council is considering sending a group out to round up lots of those wild horses out east and tame them so they can be used as beasts of burden,” Smolder said.

That startled Celestia. Horses no longer existed in Equestria strangely enough, but the breed of equine did live elsewhere on the planet. While ponies had achieved language and reasoning, horses had remained animals according to studies done by many paleontologists, including the foremost expert on horse studies in Equestria, one Horse Whisperer. Nopony knew just what it was about ponies that separated them from their horse cousins, but there were plenty of guesses. “Why would they need horse labor?” she wondered.

“My best guess? Farming and supply transport perhaps,” Galilea said. “My uncle who lives out near Clawstershire owns a dozen horses on his own farm. Trained them since they were foals. They’re the sweetest animals in the world. He uses them for plowing the fields and for transporting his crops to Clawstershire to sell. He loves them very much and they love him.”

“The problem is that it’s too dangerous to capture and tame them right now when they’re needed most,” Garble said. “The council can only do so much with the resources they have now.”

Celestia listened to the conversation as she ate her admittedly simple breakfast. Simple, but delicious and filling. As a leader, she had grown into the habit of occasionally going out into Canterlot and other major cities using a captured changeling necklace. She would disguise herself as a variety of different ponies and call herself various names, with her favorite being a pegasus named Sunshine Gleam. She would use the information she gathered to better rule, but after Jason’s invasion, said necklace had disappeared from its hiding place in Celestia’s room, which she reasoned was probably for the best.

A couple of minutes before the rising of the sun, she finished her meal and stood. “Thank you for the meal,” she said to Garble. “You’re a talented cook.”

Garble, who had been having a polite argument with Galilea, turned to Celestia. “Yeah, no problem,” he said. “Have to be a good cook here or else we won’t get business. Smolder’s a good tea brewer, too, so that helps. And she makes the best alcohol around.”

Smolder, who was making some delicious smelling porridge in a large pot in the back, shouted out “Hey! I heard that!”

“Yeah, yeah, Smolly,” Garble said.

Galilea giggled and held her mouth behind her hand. “It’s cute how much you tease your sister.”

Garble scoffed a bit, but Celestia caught a hint of a blush as he turned back to his employee. “Yeah, yeah…” he grumbled.

Galilea laughed and turned towards the empty main hall. “Well, I’d better put the chairs down,” she said, moving towards the nearest table where the chairs had been stacked upside down on many of the tables.

“I’ll help,” Garble volunteered, heading to the other end of the room and removing and setting the chairs as well.

Celestia watched them briefly, a bemused smile on her face. She could tell there was some kind of spark between the two. She wondered if the feeling of happiness was anything like her niece felt whenever she saw a couple in love. However, her thoughts were interrupted by her sensing the approaching of sunrise. Normally, she would have gone outside to cast the spell but with the Nor’wester being as strong as it was, not eve she would dare leaving, not even a teleportation spell would work since it required more magic during inclement weather, and with the low magic in Griffonia, even a short teleportation would leave her feeling weak, especially after raising the sun.

She approached a large window which had the shades drawn to keep the heat in better then turned to Garble. “Excuse me, but is it alright if I open the shades to this window? The one looking east? I need to raise the sun. I won’t be long.”

Garble looked over at the window, then back at Celestia. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he said nonchalantly.

“Can I watch?” Smolder asked, peering out from her place in the kitchen with an excited look on her face.

Celestia smiled down at her. “Of course you can.”

“Sweet,” she grinned as she ran over and stood near Celestia, watching her expectantly.

“I’ve always wondered just how it works, too,” Galilea said, walking over from where she had been setting the tables. “You mind if I watch too?”

“Not at all,” Celestia replied.

“Mother told me once that raising the sun was nothing to miss if you had the opportunity,” Garble said with a shrug as he approached as well. “I was never really into that, but I just know she’d yell at me if I didn’t watch.”

Celestia chuckled. “I’m afraid with the storm it won’t be as spectacular as your mother would put it, but you might be able to feel the magic coming off of me. And you’ll see some results. Ah, it’s almost time. Might I ask that you three remain silent for this? It requires a great deal of concentration.” With them silently nodding their understanding, Celestia turned to the window and closed her eyes. Reaching out with her magic, she felt the massive flaming orb just below the horizon. The momentum that she put into it the night before was nearly gone as it always was. Its warmth caused her own body to start glowing slightly and her mane and tail blew faster. It was almost as if a wind blew over her entire body.

As she did this, she could feel the magic of her sister relieving some of the pressure off of her, pushing the heavens back into a twelve hour cycle of momentum that would eventually reach a stagnation near sunset. But she also felt another spell being cast. One that could only be cast during the rising or setting of the sun. A two way communication telepathic spell.

When Celestia opened it, time slowed around them as it normally did whenever this spell was cast. Luna, is something wrong? Celestia asked.

Yes, sister, Luna replied in a frantic tone. Plots are ahoof in Equestria!

What kinds of plots? Celestia asked.

Cellie, one of your former agents informed me that a friend of theirs overheard three ponies down near Ponyville. They have discovered a second human in Equestria! One that lives in Griffonstone!

Celestia froze, a chill running down her back and up her wings. How did they find out?

Apparently there is a spy in Griffonstone, Luna quickly explained, but that’s not important. Listen, sister! Whoever these ponies were they have a powerful and rich friend. One who can hire somepony or somponies to investigate the human! Sister, is there a human in Griffonstone?

Celestia took a few seconds to answer. This was bad. If whoever was able to hire sompony to investigate the human was rich like Luna had reported, then it was either a noble or a very wealthy businesspony. Chancellor Gregory Graystone, she replied. He’s the second human to have arrived on Equus. And he knows about Jason.

Dear Maker above… Luna gasped. How did he find out?

He was told by Zecora, and then by us, Celestia replied, but our time is almost up. What else have you to report?

I’ve been having some of our best investigators looking into the nobles since I received this news yesterday afternoon, Luna replied quickly. I’m sorry for not telling you last night, but I was still waking up.

It’s alright, I’m just glad you told me now, Celestia said. Go on.

There’s not much else to tell, sadly, Luna said with a sigh. The investigation has only just started. But with our little ponies prejudice against humans, and especially ponies like our nephew, it’s pretty clear that there are many suspects. Especially among the nobles. Unfortunately, this friend of your former agent could only hear the voices of these conspirators. Conspirators, I am told, who repeatedly assaulted a zebra.

So, we’re dealing with the same three that the Chancellor told me about, Celestia thought darkly. If I ever find them, I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold back my anger… Thank you, Lulu. I don’t suppose you know how many ponies this mysterious ‘friend’ sent?

Only that it was a group, so it could be anywhere from three up, Luna replied.

I see. Well, this group might be in Griffonstone already, Celestia said. I’ll put this friendship mission on hold. We have a rogue group of ponies to find and a chancellor to warn.

Gregory’s House, That Same Morning…

Gregory’s first impression of waking up was of a very warm mass snuggling up on top of him with two arms wrapped around him and a mass of soft feathers against his left cheek. Said mass was breathing in and out quietly, nuzzling him close underneath the warm covers. One of his arms was wrapped around the midsection of his new griffoness lover.

The second impression he had was of the sound of high force winds coming from the window along with the sounds of branches striking the window occasionally. Opening one eye, then the next, he looked up at the high ceiling of his canopy bed. The curtains were drawn as opposed to how they had been open the night before, but the crack let in a bit of early morning blue light. He guessed that Gabby had done so sometime after he’d fallen asleep.

As he listened to what sounded like quite a storm blowing against the house, he thought back briefly to the revelation that Gwendolyn had revealed to him the day before. Just looking around the room at the many different artifacts that could be used by anyone was eye opening for him. Closing his eyes, he tried once more to recall some of the names of the artifacts and the brief explanation he got for their uses. The Eye of Osiris he knew quite well, of course as he knew the Staff of Sacanas. But he didn’t know a few of the others, like the Sword of Igneus, which was apparently a sword that could morph into a blade covered in fire, or the Staff of Circe, a very ancient pre-Equestrian magical staff with the power to change sapient creatures into mindless animals and then back again, the Book of Throth, an Egryptian artifact that contained many different spells that was apparently written by an Egryptian god of the same name, Pan’s Flute, another ancient pre-Equestrian artifact that acted more like the Pied Pipers flute than anything else, Apollo’s Lyre, a large golden lyre whose music can soothe even the angriest creature, sentient or otherwise, the Griffon’s Goblet, which was an antique goblet that had once been stolen by a band of bandit ponies in the pre-Equestrian Era and had been recently returned by an adventurer pony named Daring Do, and the Hydia Broom, an artifact that resembled a large broom which Gwendolyn explained was said to have been used by an ancient witch over two thousand years ago.

And then there was the Gjallarhorn. It was an ancient looking gold coated horn with a golden chain stretching across it to help someone carry it. It seemed to shimmer whenever light passed over it in a certain way. There were unusual ruby red runes carved into it, but not even Gwendolyn could translate them despite her years of research. Gregory had no magic, but anytime he was near it, he remembered feeling similarly to how he’d feel if he moved his hands near something charged with static electricity. Gwendolyn had no idea what that particular artifact was for, but Gregory noted that it sounded Norse in origin. She’d never blown it because of the massive amounts of power it possessed but she also knew better than to take it out of the vault.

His thoughts were derailed by a sudden movement below him. Looking down, he saw Gabby adjusting herself to get more comfortable. He knew she was awake then, and despite not wanting to disturb her, he knew he had to answer the call of nature. He tried to sit up, but Gabby only pressed into him harder. “Nnnoooo…stay heeeere,” she whined. “It’s waaaarm…”

Gregory smiled and reached up to stroke her plumage gently. “Sweetie, I need to get up,” he said. The call of nature was not one to be ignored, after all.

“Nnnnoooooo,” she whimpered again, clinging tighter to him. “Staaaay.”

Using more force, he sat up and pulled the blanket away, revealing his girlfriend still clinging to him. She wrapped her wings around him immediately and began shivering. He rolled his eyes. “It’s not that cold in here, babe.”

“But you’re so waaarm,” she protested as she shifted her position until her rump was hovering slightly above his pelvic region. She pulled her head back and looked at him with a very knowing grin. “Soooo warm,” she said in a softer and surprisingly seductive voice, slightly wiggling her behind suggestively.

Gregory felt blood rushing to his cheeks and another region of his body at that moment, but despite that he had enough self-control to reach up and boop his girlfriend’s nose playfully. “Naughty Gabby,” he grinned. “Now are you going to let me go? I have things to do today.”

“I don’t think you will,” Gabby said, pointing towards the window. “We’re having a Nor’wester today.”

Confused, Gregory walked over towards the nearest window and opened the curtains. Despite the early morning blue glow, it was still enough to see what was going on outside. Snow was piling up on the window eaves extremely fast, and beyond that, snow whipped past the window and the branches of the Houseoak bent back and forth in the particularly strong wind. The entire landscape around him was experiencing whiteout conditions, there was no doubt about that. It was so bad that he could barely see the majority of his Houseoak tree only a few yards away from his window, only the nearest branches. The rest of the tree was a very shadowy outline, barely visible in the early morning light. “Holy shit,” he muttered.

Gabby clung even tighter to him. “Bed again?” she pleaded in his ear.

“Gabby, let go,” he said, gently trying to pry her off. “I’ve gotta use the bathroom.”

“You’ll come back to bed afterwards, right?” she asked hopefully.

“Sweetie, no no. It’s almost seven in the morning,” Gregory said, pointing to the analogue clock in the room. “I’m hungry, I need to wash up for the day, and we need to make sure that the house is warm for the day. It is getting cold in here and the fireplace is dark.”

Gabby gave him a pout, but finally nodded and slid off of him, landing on her feet. “Can I shower with you?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows up at him.

He snorted and smiled down at her. “Since when did you become the sexual type?” he asked.

“Ever since you confessed to me, lover boy,” she returned with a seductive wiggling of her rear and a flick of her tail.

“I bet,” he replied with a slight blush and a grin. “But not right now. I’ll fill up the bath for you, but I need to wash up quickly so I can get the house warm for the day.”

“Oh fine, ruin my fun,” Gabby pouted, before giving him a playful wink. “I’ll go get started and check to see if the basement furnace has enough wood.” So saying, she turned and left the room, but Gregory didn’t miss the extra sway in her hindquarters towards him.

After freshening up for the day with washing up, brushing his teeth and changing into some very warm around the house clothes (there was no way he was going out barring an emergency or checking on Daenerys) he went downstairs and after starting a fire in the main living room’s fireplace and going outside to check on Daenerys (her building was warm enough and he saw that she had a few carcasses lying nearby for food), he began making a warm breakfast for everyone there. Gallus had gone to spend the night with Gia, so it was just Gregory, Starlight, Gabby, Gilda, Gracie and Zecora at the house, the latter because it was too late for her to head down to Griffonville.

The topics of conversation ranged from teasing him and Gabby about their new relationship to things that the others at the table had been up to. Starlight even mentioned that the day prior, Princess Celestia and Spike had stopped by her library again for about ten minutes to chat. It had been tense at first, but the Princess had actually deeply apologized for her treatment from the ponies that had beaten her up in Our Town and had informed her that said ponies had been properly punished. Starlight’s anger towards the Princess had lessened after that. Spike had then mentioned that Sunburst was, indeed, living in the Crystal Empire and when Spike had found him and talked with him he had mentioned Starlight. Celestia had promised to contact Sunburst and mention where she was now.

Gregory noticed how reluctant Starlight was to meet up again with Sunburst, especially after what she’d learned from him about the episode where they first met after all those years. He’d told her that it was alright to go meet with him if she really wanted, but that it was her decision. She said that she’d think about it.

It was just after breakfast when they received the first visitors. Everyone was gathered in the living room about to watch a movie to help pass the time when Starlight straightened and looked towards the door. Gracie did the same and she was the first to speak. “We have company.”

Gregory was about to ask what she meant when there was a frantic knock at the door. He looked at the young griffoness with confusion. “How’d you know-?”

“Chancellor Graystone! Please tell me you’re in there!” a muffled voice called out from the door. A voice he recognized as belonging to the Equestrian solar Princess. Her voice sounded frantic. “Chancellor! P-Please tell me you’re alright!”

Gregory rushed to the door and pulled it open. Princess Celestia stood in the door wrapped up in a light eggshell white cloak and hood pulled over her head. She was alone. Gregory’s eyes widened in alarm. “Holy shit! What the hell are you doing out in this blizzard?!” he shouted in alarm as he stood aside. “Inside hurry!” After she filed in, he closed the door and ushered her over to the fireplace, grabbing a blanket and flinging it over her. “Jesus, get up close to the fire and get warm. I’ll make some tea.”

“N-No t-t-time,” Celestia said as she looked up and, through chattering teeth, continued, “D-d-danger! Y-Your in d-danger!”

He gave her his complete attention. “Danger? What’s happened?”

Celestia looked exhausted and worried at the same time as she forced herself to sit up straight and face Gregory. “I…received a m-message from my s-sister earlier this morning at sunrise,” she explained. “Somepony has sent s-spies from Equestria to s-spy on you.”

Everyone in the room went silent at that, stunned by this revelation. Gregory remained stoic, but his mind was racing. Ponies sent to spy on him? What for? What had he done? He’d never once set food in Equestria save for the first time he opened the portal and taken pictures of Ponyville before the portal closed. What kind of danger did he pose? He had no magic of any kind and-

And then it hit him. Jason. They were afraid of him because of what Jason had done. He fought hard to keep the anger from his face, but his mouth betrayed him as he said, “It seems your little ponies haven’t learned anything from this.”

Instantly, Starlight was by his side, putting a hoof on his knees. She looked up at him hurt and said, “Gregory?”

He felt guilty at that and took a few deep breaths to calm down. He reached over and ran his hand through Starlight’s mane gently, giving her a reassuring smile that made her relax a bit. Still stroking her mane, he looked back over at Celestia, giving her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. It was rude.”

“You’re right, though,” Celestia said sorrowfully as she looked down at the floor. “This is my fault. I failed to tell my ponies about the truth of what happened. A failure I plan on rectifying as soon as I return. But we need to find these ponies and stop them before they bring harm to you.”

“Bring harm to him?” Gabby asked, immediately moving protectively over to Gregory and putting a wing around him. Starlight too stiffened and looked towards the door as if it would burst open any second.

“I thought these ponies were only here to spy?” Gracie asked sternly.

“That’s what I was told, but I don’t know if they’ll stop there,” Celestia said. “They were hired by a wealthy pony, presumably a noble or businessstallion. They have expressed their feelings about Jason quite clearly. With some exceptions, they hate him and would see him punished for his actions.” She looked at him pleadingly. “They need to be found as quickly as possible and apprehended.”

“And what should I do with them? They’re spying on me only, right?” Gregory asked. When Celestia nodded, he sighed. “If they came into this country legally, that’s not a crime. If they’re going around asking about me from the citizens, it’s not like that’s a crime either. Would you have me round up every pony in Griffonstone and have them interrogated? That would make me no better than a tyrant!”

Celestia’s ears flattened at that. Slowly, she nodded. “I know…forgive me. I’m worried about your safety.”

“As a political move?” Gregory asked. He didn’t mean it as an insult. Despite only having been a member of the council, he did somewhat understand how things worked. He quickly added, “I don’t blame you. If any of your ponies did something to me, the council might put it to a vote to respond to the attack. Probably not war, but who knows?”

“Not just that,” Celestia admitted, “but I wouldn’t want to lose a potential friend.”

That shocked Gregory. He had wanted to befriend the Mane Six for months, but had always figured that Celestia would be a bit out of his reach. Now he felt foolish for thinking that. “I think…I think I’d like that,” he admitted. “Being friends with you sounds like something that I’d enjoy.”

Celestia was about to reply, when there was a second knock at the door. Gilda threw up her claws. “Who the fuck is that, now?” she sighed.

“If it’s all the same to you, I can go and see who’s who,” Zecora said as she got up from the couch.

“No, it’s alright,” Gregory said as he stood before she had a chance to head to the door. “It’s my house, so I should go see who it is.”

Zecora nodded at that and sat back down. Gregory quickly made his way to the front door and opened it, only to see another hooded figure standing in the doorway. He quickly saw that it was Gwendolyn and ushered the cold looking griffoness inside. He ushered her over to the fire where she removed her snow-covered cloak. Gregory took it and hung it near the door on one of the hooks before rushing over to her and sitting beside her. “Gwendolyn? What’s going on? You look scared.”

And she did. The young griffoness mage was trembling, but not just from the cold. Her eyes were wide as saucers and she had a terrified expression on her face. Looking up at Gregory, he saw a small tear fall down her cheek. “Ch…Chancellor…it’s the…it’s horrible…” she whimpered.

Gregory was immediately on alert. “Gwendolyn, deep breaths,” he encouraged her as he reached back and rubbed her back gently.

As she calmed down and her trembling subsided, she finally got hold of her words and turned to Gregory. The look of fear and worry had morphed with a serious one. “There’s been a collapse, Chancellor,” she said. “One of Griffonstone’s branches snapped in half on the eastern side of the city! Dozens are buried under the snow and debris!”

He was immediately alert at that. “What part of the city?”

“Ponytown District, sir!”

Celestia’s face went whiter than it normally did and she gasped out, “No…”

“Fuck,” Gregory swore. “When did it happen?”

“A half hour ago, sir,” she said. “I saw…I saw some of my friends there through…well…”

Gregory understood. She’d probably watched it through the Eye of Osiris. “I understand,” he said as a blanket floated over towards them with magic. Turning, he saw Celestia had removed her blanket and was hovering it over to them. He nodded gratefully, snatched it out of the air and wrapped it around her, rubbing her body to help heat her up more.

“I told the guards about it and they’re heading there now,” she said as she gave Gregory a grateful look.

“Good call, Gwendolyn,” Gregory said.

Starlight walked up, worry in her own eyes. “The Ponytown District really collapsed?” she asked with a trembling tone.

When Gwendolyn saw Starlight, her eyes widened with hope. “Miss Glimmer, right? You’re one of the most powerful unicorns in the city, right??”

Starlight looked a bit nervous from the tone that Gwendolyn was using. Gregory put his hand on Gwendolyn’s back. “Relax, Gwen. Just warm up. I’ll handle this.” Seeming to realize just how desperate she must have sounded, Gwendolyn took a deep breath and went back to warming herself by the fire. Gregory stood and looked at the group assembled before him. “You all heard what she said, right?” he asked. “There’s been a disaster in the Ponytown District. Apparently a city branch fell and buried dozens of the inhabitants underneath snow and debris.”

“I wondered when that branch would finally go,” Gilda said with a frown.

Gregory frowned as well. He was inwardly cursing himself for not making sure that the branch he assumed she was talking about was properly dealt with, but he also knew the time for beating himself up and dealing with the aftermath would come later. He was the Chancellor, after all. Immediately he knew that this would be his first true test as a ruler. So far, things had been going smoothly for the most part, but now there was a disaster to deal with and no time to waste.

All of this went through his mind in less than a second as he stood from where he was sitting and faced his friends. “I need to go down there,” he said. “It’s my job to make sure everyone’s okay.”

“I hope you don’t think we’re staying behind,” Starlight said as she walked over to the front door and began using her magic to put her winter gear on.

“I’m coming too,” Gabby said as she too began dressing up for the weather outside.

“My anger at ponies is not such that I would leave them in the lurch,” Zecora added.

“I get where you’re coming from,” Gracie said with a frown. “I’m coming too.”

“I can get more help from the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia said, standing and spreading her wings wide. “They can help. We know where Ponytown District is. I’ll teleport back and gather as many supplies as we can get then we’ll meet you there.”

Gregory scarcely had a chance to nod before the alicorn vanished in a flash of white light. He pursed his lips briefly before looking at the rest. “You all want to help? I know better than to argue with you. Let’s get started.”

Gilda watched the other four begin to dress up, but hesitated to move. However, before she could say anything, Gregory spoke up. “Gilda, could you stay here and keep an eye on Gwendolyn and the house? I can tell that you really don’t want to go out, and I don’t blame you.”

Gregory saw her relax slightly. He’d taken to studying body language of griffons a few weeks ago so he wouldn’t be able to be caught off guard during any sort of meeting with any less than reputable griffon. Something on his list of to do’s was to find a few individuals from other races to teach him how to read their body language. “Yeah, you caught me,” Gilda said, “I really don’t like these storms. I hate the cold. But I’ll keep an eye out and watch over her and the house.”

Gregory nodded, turning to Gwendolyn. “Stay here and rest up, okay?” After she nodded, he turned to the others. “I’m going to get dressed into something warmer. I don’t want us going out separately, alright? While I’m dressing, could you collect as much food and medical supplies that you can carry? They might need it.”

“Of course, sweetie,” Gabby promised.

Gregory went upstairs and opened his dresser, grabbing the sturdiest and warmest pair of long johns he had. He slipped two on before pulling on a pair of snow pants. After hastily and automatically attaching his belt around it to keep it secure, he put on some warm shirt undergarments, then a warm hoodie and a thick black overcoat (his snow jacket was being repaired because he’d gotten a big rip in it a few days prior) before grabbing waterproof gloves, a beanie and the face mask he used whenever he flew with Daenerys. Lastly, he grabbed the goggles that he normally used for flying with Daenerys. When he was done, he was sweating, but he knew that wouldn’t last long. He then grabbed a small bag and filled his metal water bottle full with water, then stuffed as many of the remaining energy bars he’d brought from Earth into it as he possibly could to better help feed the injured and homeless. Running downstairs, he saw that the others who were coming were all more clothed than they had been before, each laden down with saddlebags full of supplies. One extra bag, a large backpack that Gregory had brought from Earth, was also ready for use as well “Are you all ready?” he asked as he moved the single strap pack on his back towards the front so he could more easily carry the backpack.

“All set here,” Gabby said as the other two nodded in agreement.

“Good,” Gregory said as he headed to the door. “I’d take Daenerys with me, but it’s too windy and the streets aren’t big enough for her to walk down. And I doubt even she could fly through this storm. She’s not even a year old.”

“Good idea,” Starlight said. “I’ve been reading some of those books the Dragon Lord loaned to our library about them. Drakes can withstand a lot, and they get tougher as they get older, but at Daenerys’ age it would be dangerous for her to leave where she is now.”

“Gilda, could you keep an eye on Daenerys as well?” Gregory asked.

“Sure, sounds good,” she said.

“Thanks. I’ll try and be back before dark,” he said as he turned and opened the door, heading out into the storm with his three companions.

The walk through the whiteout conditions was slow and tedious work, even with Starlight casting a low level shield spell in front of the group to prevent snow from falling onto them. Gregory insisted that she climb onto his back as best a she could as he was taller and could wade more easily through the snow drifts that had formed thanks to the storm. Gabby flew above the snow and Zecora trudged behind him, using his tracks to follow more easily.

As they began approaching the site where the Ponytown District had been established, they ran into a group of griffon guards who were struggling against the snow and wind. Gregory recognized one of them as belonging to one of the lieutenants of the Griffon Guard, Garrison. He put his hands to his lips and called out “Lieutenant Garrison!”

The griffon turned. He was about forty or so years old, had dark gray fur, black feathers, and a pale green right eye. The other eye was covered by an eyepatch because he suffered from a congenital disability where one eye was constantly dilated. When he saw Gregory, he saluted smartly. “Chancellor, sir!”

“Are you heading to the Ponytown District?” Gregory asked.

“When Council Member Gwendolyn ordered us to go, we left immediately,” he explained as he stepped around the half shield to talk to the human. “That was forty five minutes ago. We’ve had a hard time getting through the Nor’wester.”

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Gregory said, then turned and looked at Starlight. “Starlight? Can you expand the shield safely so the guards can follow behind us?”

Starlight got a thoughtful look on her face for a brief moment before her horn brightened a bit. The shield expanded a bit to fill the entire street they were on. “I think I can hold this for about ten minutes,” she said. “After that, I don’t think I should risk it.”

Gregory nodded, then an idea came to mind. Turning to Garrison, he asked, “How many do you have with you right now?”

“About fifty soldiers, sir,” he replied.

“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do,” he said. “Lieutenant, I want you to carry Starlight here a bit ahead of everyone else, then have two of the others carry me and Zecora. The rest of your soldiers should follow as close behind the shield as possible. We’re gonna fly there.”

“At once, Chancellor,” he replied with another salute before turning and beginning to bark out orders to his soldiers. Not two minutes later, everyone was airborne, heading towards the Ponytown District with a much greater speed than before. Finally, one of the sharper eyed griffon soldiers spotted the part of the branch that had fallen which was still attached to the tree. Despite the nearly whiteout conditions, Zecora’s sharp eyes were useful and she told them where to go. Gregory’s eyesight, having improved ever since he’d received Daenerys, could also see bits and pieces of the devastation before them.

They landed near a large and recently grown Houseoak which had served as a small clinic. There were white tents with a red cross on them that looked like they’d been hastily put up. Griffon and pony nurses, including one that Gregory immediately identified as Nurse Redheart, were rushing around and helping the wounded while other ponies and griffons were bringing in new stragglers.

Gregory walked over to Redheart, who was taking care of a pony with an injured wing. “Nurse? Where’s the doctor in charge here?”

She turned and when she saw him her ears flattened a bit. However, she quickly recovered her professionalism and pointed to the Houseoak. “She’s in there, Chancellor,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said as he headed towards the Houseoak.

“My friend, I think I that I will find a spot to fix some brews for injured ponykind,” Zecora said from beside him.

“Sounds good, Zecora,” Gregory said, watching her head into a nearby tent with her belongings on her back. Turning back to Garrison, he said, “Lieutenant, I want you and your soldiers to start looking for anyone who’s buried and bring them straight here.”

“Chancellor, wait!” Nurse Redheart called out, raising a hoof towards Gregory.

“What is it nurse?” he asked.

She pointed to one of the tents. “Let’s go inside quickly! I can barely hear!”

“Right behind you!” he called out before pointing to Garrison. “Belay that order for a bit and follow me, Lieutenant.” Turning to Gabby and Starlight, he motioned for them to join him as well.

Once they entered the tent which was empty but warmer, and after Gregory removed his beanie, hood and insulated facemask, the nurse turned to him, a worried expression on her face. “Chancellor, we’re swamped here as it is,” she said as she pointed towards the spot where the Houseoak clinic was outside. “Doctor Horse is about to collapse! We need help from the main hospital!” She was getting frantic. “There are too many, and some of them we don’t know how to treat because they’re not ponies!”

Gregory nodded, trying his best to maintain his calm on the outside while on the inside he was frantically trying to think of solutions. “I understand, nurse,” he said. Turning back to Garrison, he added, “We’re going to need to establish some sort of courier system between this clinic and the hospital, Lieutenant. How far away timewise would you say we are from the hospital from here?”

Garrison looked thoughtful, brows furled as he tried to think. “With this weather, sir? Too long. Maybe thirty minutes.”

“Some of these patients won’t last that long, or even the journey,” Redheart said anxiously. “The weather’s gotten really bad, and I doubt if any pegasi we have would be able to fly up and move these clouds away!”

“And we don’t have any vehicles to use,” Gregory said. His mind was in overdrive, trying to come up with a solution that would save as many lives as possible. Turning to Redheart, he asked, “What’s your name, nurse?”

“It’s Redheart, Chancellor,” she said.

“Alright, Redheart, how many medical staff are here right now?” he asked.

“Just five showed up today,” she said. “We normally have fifteen.”

“Who’s here?”

“Myself, Doctor Horse, Nurse Braveheart, Nurse Gina and Healer Scaley,” she said.

“I’m guessing the last two are a griffon and a dragon in that order?” Gregory asked.

“Yes,” Redheart said. “Ponytown District is mostly a pony district, but there are griffons and dragons here as well.”

“Wasn’t there a griffon doctor here as well?” Gregory asked.

“Doctor Gary never showed up,” Redheart said sadly, “but he does live across the city. And he’s sixty seven years old.”

“With the weather being as bad as it is, it’s possible he either decided he couldn’t make it or tried and is injured somewhere,” Starlight said solemnly.

“Probably the former,” Gabby said. “I know Doctor Gary, and he’s not an idiot. Somegriffon his age wouldn’t make it in this weather and he knows that.”

“Let’s hope it’s the former,” Gregory said. “We need Doctor Gabriel over here. She’s not only an expert in griffon biology but she also knows about how to treat ponies. She treated Starlight when she first came to the city.” Turning to Redheart, he said, “How many patients do you have here so far?”

“I lost count,” she said.

“How many are seriously injured?” he asked.

“Um…I’d say maybe a fifth of them?” she said uncertainly.

“And the other four fifths, could they be transported through the storm to the hospital without a risk of injury?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t risk it, sir. Anycreature who tried making that trip wouldn’t be able to see.”

“Okay, let’s see…how about this?” Turning to Garrison again, he said, “Lieutenant, I want the majority of your soldiers here searching for anyone who might be buried, but we’re going to need to send some of your soldiers to the main hospital and see if Dr. Gabriel is in. If she is, tell her what’s happening and see how many staff they can spare to come over and help the relief effort.”

“I know just the two to send, sir,” he said.

“And we need medicine and medical supplies too,” Redheart said. “We’re almost out of bandages and gauze and alcohol. We might have to use fabric from the tents.” She held her head. “Maker above…”

“Nurse Redheart,” Gregory said calmly. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “As the Chancellor of Griffonia, it is my duty to ensure the safety of the citizens of this nation. I will do everything in my power to get you the help and supplies you need.” He looked over at Garrison. “Go, Lieutenant. Have those two go to the main hospital and get anything they can spare. Do you have medics in your unit?”

“A couple, sir.”

“Good. Have them help the doctors and nurses around here,” Gregory said.

“I’ll help around here too,” Gabby said.

“I can help Zecora with the potions she’s making,” Starlight said. “Maybe we can make a temporary Houseoak nearby to help keep the injured warm.”

“Just be careful, you two,” Gregory said as they headed out.

“We will, sweetie,” Gabby said before suddenly launching into the air, flying up and wrapping her arms around him, kissing him deeply. Gregory was caught off guard, but he decided to indulge her and kissed her back just as deeply. A few seconds later, the two broke the kiss. Gabby caressed his cheek tenderly. “You be safe too, okay?”

“I will,” he promised as he let her go.

As the two left, Nurse Redheart looked up curiously at Gregory. “You’re dating a griffon, sir?”

He chuckled. “That I am.”

At that moment, the tent flaps opened and a wounded dragon male walked in, carrying an even more wounded pony mare. “Help me, please!”

Redheart steeled herself and pointed to an empty spot where a few blankets had been laid down. “Put her down here.”

“Nurse, tell Doctor Horse and Healer Scaley that I’m here and that I’ll be helping dig out survivors,” Gregory said.

“I will, Chancellor!” she called out as she began helping the injured pony.

Gregory pulled his facemask over his face, put his beanie back on and threw his hood over his face. “Oh, one last thing! Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony know what’s happened and are on their way to help now.”

That stunned Redheart. “They are, sir?” she asked in an alarmed voice.

“I’m sure you have some reservations about them now, but we need all the help we can get,” Gregory said.

“U-Understood, Chancellor,” she said before returning to work on the pony mare.

As he bundled back up in anticipation of going back outside, he noticed that Gracie hadn’t left his side. Looking down, he saw that she was standing protectively close to him. “Gracie?”

She looked up at him, a fierce glint in her eyes. To his confusion, her eyes seemed to change from their yellow hue to a moderate cyan briefly before returning to their normal color. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, especially if someone’s after you.”

He was about to object, when he paused. He knew his life wasn’t a story or a book, but he wouldn’t make the mistake of going out there alone. Automatically, his hand went to his right hip before he remembered that he hadn’t grabbed his Colt 45. However, when his hands grazed the pistol in question, his eyes widened. Pulling his coat aside, he saw that in his haste he’d grabbed the pistol belt along with his pistol. Quickly he checked and saw that the pistol was fully loaded and he had a number of spare bullets snuggly in the bullet pouches on the belt. Quickly putting his pistol away, he looked down at Gracie. “Alright, stick with me, but be careful. It’s easy to get separated. I’ll need your help digging.”

“I’m with you,” she said.

Gregory nodded, slipped his goggles back on and quickly headed back out into the snow, Gracie quick to follow.

Ponytown District, Six Hours Later…

Six hours in and the storm had only gotten worse. Celestia and the Elements of Harmony, minus Pinkie and Spike, the latter of whom had stayed behind to look after Pinkie, had arrived and were helping as best they could. Doctor Gabriel had arrived as well with seven nurses and another doctor named Doctor Grissom to help treat the wounded. Twilight had begun to teleport some of the more critically injured patients to Griffonstone’s main hospital, Applejack had used her strength to help lift debris off of houses to look for injured, Fluttershy had volunteered to be a nurse to any foals, cubs or hatchlings that had been injured in the crash, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash had gone off together to help, the former grumbling a bit while the latter kept close to keep an eye on her.

The number of injured kept on growing, but there were no reported deaths as of yet. One thing Gregory had read about was that the first twenty four to forty eight hours of a disaster were the most crucial because anything after that and the likelihood of death began to increase, and with this Nor’wester the timetable only grew smaller.

He was only one voice in a number, calling out and trying to find survivors. He cursed himself for not purchasing a thermal imaging set of goggles, but there wasn’t much he could do about that now. Despite his clothes being warm for the most part, he began feeling water seeping into his gloves and shoes. Half of his food was gone and the water in his cannister was starting to freeze due to him putting snow inside it to replenish it.

Gracie all the while never left his side, helping dig out the victims of this disaster. They weren’t alone either. Lieutenant Garrison had assigned two of his guards, Ginger and Gretel, to help as well. Ginger and Gretel were both griffonesses in their early twenties. Ginger was a light orange griffoness with dark red plumage and green claws and eyes while Gretel was a dark purple griffoness with black plumage, yellow claws and eyes. Both wore light armor and were armed lightly, Ginger with a pair of knives and Gretel with a small crossbow. Both griffonesses would take turns carrying the wounded to the clinic before returning. If there were more than one, Gracie would help, but there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the three that there needed to be at last one Griffon Guard with Gregory at all times.

Sometime after the second hour, Gideon showed up to help, saying that he’d heard about the disaster from a neighbor who was going to help as well. He too, stuck by Gregory although he claimed he did it to keep a close eye on his cousin.

There was something about Gideon’s voice that sounded familiar to Gregory, but he had little time to think about it as the hours passed. The thick clouds hid the sunlight and the few unicorns who were helping that could cast light or fire magic found that their spells were weaker and less effective.

It was just past two in the afternoon when Gregory heard a cry for help coming from nearby. He and his entourage were passing slowly through a smaller neighborhood when the sounds of a child called out for help from the space between houses. He stopped. “Did you hear that?” he asked the other four with him. The other four lifted their ears and strained to hear past the wind and snow whipping past them. Gregory called out, “Hello! Is anyone there!”

Silence, and then, “…Help…” The voice was clearer now, sounding like it came from near the back of the collapsed house.

“Here, sir!” Ginger pointed towards the house as they all approached and began hastily removing collapsed stones and bricks.

“Can you hear us??” Gregory called out.

“Is somepony there?” the voice called out with renewed hope.

“We’re here!” Gregory shouted as he pulled on one of the stones, lifting it with Gideon’s help and placing it aside.

“Just keep talking,” Gretel added, “we’ll get to you.”

“Please help,” the voice called out, “Mommy’s not looking good. Daddy too.”

“Shit, there’s an entire family down there,” Gregory swore. “What’s your name?”

“C-Cozy G-G-Glow,” she responded, trembling in either fear or from the cold. “Please hurry!”

“Just keep on talking!” he called down, ignoring the astonishment at her name. He could deal with that later. What mattered was rescuing her and her parents. “Maybe sing something if you need to! Sing a Hearth’s Warming song!”

“O-Okay, mister,” Cozy said before she broke out into a trembling version of, “Ponies voices fill the night, Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again.”

“How far down is she, can anyone tell?” Gideon asked.

“This house might have a basement,” Gretel said, “so she might be down there.”

“Just keep digging,” Gregory said.

The destruction of the house they were at was nothing short of total. Nothing stood on top of the other, meaning the work was slow. The singing foal’s voice trembled and got weaker with each passing minute.

Fortunately, luck was on their side because not five minutes in two unexpected ponies arrived.

When Gregory heard the sound of approaching hoofsteps and looked over, he waved in relief at the approaching Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “Hey! Over here! Help us! We have a buried family down here!”

Rainbow Dash quickly rushed over to where they were and began hurriedly removing stones and debris. Rarity was a bit slower, but she did use her magic to remove some of the smaller pieces of rubble, her excuse being that due to the lower magic it was harder to lift bigger pieces of debris without risking them falling before she had a chance to put them down.

During the rescue, Gregory at one point found himself standing next to Rainbow Dash as they focused on digging up a large rock. She looked up briefly at the guards nearby, then back at him. “Are the guards here to protect you from those ponies after you?” Gregory stopped and looked at Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. She quickly held up one hoof. “I’m not after you, Chancellor. Princess Celestia told us about it before we came here.”

“I didn’t think you were,” he said as he shoved aside a large bit of snow, “but yes. There are some ponies after me.”

“Oh my gosh…who would be stupid enough to do that?” she asked.

“No idea,” he replied, “but that’s what these guards are for.”

“Got it.”

Despite the newly arrived help, thirty minutes passed, and with Cozy starting to get tired, they seemed no closer to getting her and her mother out than before. Ten more minutes later, however, they caught a break. They spotted a light pink horn underneath some rubble. Ten more minutes later and they’d uncovered three ponies. The first one they found had to have been the mother. She was an unconscious pink furred and light aquamarine maned unicorn mare with a teacup for a cutie mark. The father was a dark blue pegasus with slicked back white mane and a bright triple starred cutie mark. Cozy Glow looked similar to her depiction in the show, albeit without any cutie mark yet. She did have a yellow bow around her tail and held another in her hooves, the latter having apparently torn in the crash. She pawed at her unconscious family worriedly. “Are they okay?” she asked.

Gregory reached down and began checking the parents for a pulse. Each of them thankfully were unconscious but alive. However, the father’s wings were bent in an unnatural shape according to Rainbow Dash. Not only that, but the parents and Cozy were bleeding from various cuts and injuries. After confirming that they were alive, he reached over, put a hand on the back of said filly’s head, rubbing her mane reassuringly. She looked up at him with terrified eyes. “They’ll be taken to the clinic and given the best of care,” Gregory said.

“You promise, mister?” the pegasus asked.

Gregory only smiled down at her and nodded. “Yes, Miss Glow. They’ll be looked after.”

The little filly began tearing up and started to sob. He lifted her up and hugged her inside his jacket to try and help warm her up and comfort her. “I don’t want them to die!” she wailed as she buried her face into his chest.

“Just let it all out, sweetie,” he said gently, before looking up at the others. “Can you take them to the clinic as soon as possible?”

“On it,” Rainbow Dash said as she gently lifted the unconscious pegasus stallion, trying her best to be gentle with him.

“We’ll get them there as quickly as we can,” Gideon said as he lifted the unconscious mother up and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm.

“Here, you can go with Gretel, alright?” Gregory said as he quickly handed the little pegasus filly over to the griffoness guard.

She immediately wrapped the child in her wings. The pegasus looked over at Gregory with worry. He smiled at her and said, “She’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

“O-Okay, mister,” Cozy said as she clung close to Gretel. “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile before looking at the three rescuers. “Hurry and get them to the clinic as fast as possible. It’s getting colder. We’ll stay here and wait until you get back.” That had been the way Gregory and his team had operated. Moving in a storm like this was dangerous unless it was done all at once.

“I might not be able to get them there in ten seconds flat anymore,” Rainbow said, “but I’ll get this foal there as fast as I can. Rarity, stay here.”

“What? Rainbow, I need to get back to the shelter,” Rarity said, although her tone indicated it was more of a whine than anything. “My hooves are freezing and my horn is aching!”

Rainbow rolled her magenta eyes and sighed. “We were just there,” she said. “You’ve been doing more complaining than anything lately!”

“I’m not suited for this sort of work,” Rarity huffed.

Gracie and Gregory looked at each other with matching incredulous looks. Gregory knew that in the show at least, Rarity might have been ladylike, but as the song said, even though she’s prim and proper, she could make it in a fight. However, this wasn’t his business so he just said, “Do what you need to do, but hurry! The storm’s getting worse.”

Rainbow and Rarity had a brief but angry conversation. However, it resulted in Rarity walking back over to the destroyed house and heading into the hole where the family had been, sitting there out of the snow and wind. As Rainbow, Gretel and Gideon left, Gregory, Gracie and Ginger headed over to the hole as well, huddling down into it. Thankfully, it did protect the group of four from the majority of the wind and snow.

Gregory looked up at the sky and grimaced. “Mother Nature is a homicidal ho,” he muttered to himself. He turned to Ginger. “Is it really true that these nor’westers can last for days?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I remember one that lasted for a week once.”

Rarity gritted her teeth in frustration. “Don’t you griffons have a way to control the weather?”

“No,” Gracie said through clenched teeth. “All we can do is sit on clouds. That’s it. It’s not like we have the ability to move them!”

“Gracie, calm down,” Gregory warned. Gracie took a few deep breaths and exhaled, moving closer to Gregory and sitting protectively nearby. “Besides, Miss Belle,” Gregory added, “this storm is probably too strong even for a full blown pegasi team. And the magic here is lower.” Rarity grumbled, but didn’t say anything more as the four sat in the hole and waited for the others to return. As they waited, the wind picked up, sending shivers down Gregory’s spine.

However, even as the wind died down slightly, the shivering didn’t stop. The hairs on the back of his neck began standing on end and he had the distinct sense that someone was watching him from nearby.

Remembering the warning he’d received from Celestia earlier that morning, he sat up and whirled around, looking carefully over the edge of the hole around the whiteout blanketed landscape. Gracie, seeing this, quickly moved to his side and looked out with him. “What is it?” she asked, looking around as well.

“I don’t know,” Gregory said, “but I have the feeling someone’s watching us.”

Gracie looked around as well, but with the wind blowing hard and the snow whistling past them, he couldn’t see anything other than damaged houses shrouded in white. Gracie looked around as well, unable to see or sense anything. “I don’t sense anything,” she said. “Do humans have some kind of sixth sense I don’t know about?”

“When your distant ancestors were chased by creatures that could tear you apart with east, you tend to be able to detect these things,” Gregory replied as he removed his beanie so he could hear better. “Now hush, I’m trying to listen.”

Ginger joined them as well, having heard what Gregory had said. She had pulled out her knives, scanning the surrounding area carefully. Rarity was the only one who didn’t move. Everyone was silent.

Five minutes passed, and there was nothing. Only the sound of wind whipping through the destruction. This only raised Gregory’s suspicions. He would have expected to have heard one of the other teams of rescuers nearby talking or moving debris, but there was nothing.

“I’m not seeing anything out there-” Ginger began before a sudden bright fiery red blast of magic came from a dark portion of the street, arcing up and slamming down into the guard, flinging her back into the rubble.

“Ginger!”

The Green Dragon, Ten Minutes Earlier…

Spike lay on the bed directly next to Pinkie’s. Ever since the others had left to help with a disastrous collapse of one of Griffonstone’s branches, he had been looking after Pinkie. He hadn’t been asked to do this since Princess Celestia had almost gone and asked one of the staff at the inn to keep an eye on her. He had quickly volunteered for the job despite Celestia’s and even Twilight’s protests. Their look of guilt was enough for him to realize what they were thinking, so he quickly reassured them that he was alright with staying behind. Besides, he’d learned that dragons didn’t do well in cold, so despite wanting to go and help he knew he’d be pretty much useless.

After Princess Celestia left him with some money to pay for food for the now feverish Pinkie, they had headed out into the storm, even a grumbling Rarity. Throughout the day, he had kept the fire in the room going, had bought some vegetable soup, heavy on the broth, for Pinkie and had ensured that she kept her food down.

He didn’t have to be told what Pinkie was suffering from. He knew. He knew a lot more than Twilight had ever taught him. The way she’d lost too much weight to be healthy. The way she’d barely eaten and then retreated to the bathroom. It was obvious to him that she was forcing herself to starve very slowly.

Despite his anger towards the ponies he’d once thought of as friends, his heart went out to Pinkie. She’d suffered way too much these past three months. Self-punishment it might have been, but her mental state had to have been nearly broken for a pony who had been so full of life to be purposely and slowly draining herself of life.

It hurt to see her like this. It hurt him terribly.

In between helping Pinkie eat the soup and maintaining the fire, he busied himself by reading and even engaging in a brief conversation with Sunset. She told him that the cruise they’d planned was about to begin and that she was so excited to be going. They would be leaving for the cruise in a few days and spending the whole week sailing around a string of islands, sunbathing, swimming, playing games and even shooting a music video for a song titled I’m On A Yacht.

When she learned about what Pinkie Pie was suffering from, she immediately consoled him and told him that he was a magnificent guy for wanting to help Pinkie. She gave some suggestions on how to treat Pinkie, such as smaller but more frequent meals and giving her a variety of foods if possible. He thanked her and then the two talked about more innocuous things before she had to head out.

For the rest of the day, he actually read a bit to Pinkie, mostly fairy tale stories from the books he’d brought in the hopes that they’d cheer her up. After a while, though, she asked that he stop since she was getting tired and wanted to sleep. He did so and read more on his own.

It was getting darker outside when Pinkie shot up out of bed, eyes wide in fright. Startled, Spike put the book down and looked over at her. “Pinkie?”

“Something terrible is going to happen,” she said breathlessly. “Something terrible is going to happen to the Chancellor.”

“What…what is it? Can you tell?” Spike knew better than to question the Pinkie Sense.

“Somepony’s going to attack him,” she whimpered. “Somepony bad.” She turned, her eyes wide with fear. “Spike…I have to go help him. I have to-”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Spike ordered as he stood up and rushed over to her side, pushing her back down into her bed. “You’re sick. You need to recover. I’ll head out instead.”

“But…you’re just a baby dragon-” Pinkie objected.

Spike stomped the floor angrily. “I’m in my teens by pony years! I’m not a baby anymore!” She flinched and whimpered, looking down at the floor. Spike felt guilty at that, so he reached over and put his hand on her trembling hoof. “You need your rest. Dragons are a lot tougher than you know, I promise. I have to go warn that human. His life could be in danger.”

Pinkie frowned, but slowly nodded. “Come back safe, alright?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” he promised, making the signature moves before he pulled the covers over her, put a few more logs on the fire to last until he got back, then began dressing in warm and comfortable clothes, each of which he’d received as gifts from Sweetie Belle.

As he rushed out of the room and down the stairs, he felt the ground rumbling a little bit. Steadying himself, he put his hand on the railing of the staircase and stood still. There was another tremble, then another, and then he guessed who, or what, was making that. He’d only seen that drake once before, but he figured that in this weather she couldn’t fly very well. He ran as best and as fast as he could down the stairs and through the door, immediately blinking away the tears that the wind caused.

Immediately, he was struck by how cold it actually was outside. It had been cold for their entire time here, but this was on another level. The wind chill only made things worse as he quickly looked around. The snow was so deep that it came up to his neck. He took a deep breath and began spewing his now bright yellow fire out towards the snow in an effort to melt a pathway through it.

He didn’t make it three or so feet before he saw a large shadow looming over him.

Spike looked up into the glowing purple eyes of the drake that the human Chancellor had called Daenerys. She was looking down at him with some anxiety and worry evident on her face. Suddenly struck with inspiration, he bellowed, “Are you worried about your friend Gregory too??” There was a quick nod. “Do you know where he is?” Another nod. “Can you take me with you?? I need to warn him about something!”

Before he knew it, Daenerys had grabbed him and placed him on her back in a saddle that was a bit too big for him. He grabbed onto the straps for dear life as she spread her large wings and jumped up into the air. Spike felt himself being slammed into the back of the seat, but held on for dear life as the drake flew as best as she could in the blizzard.

Hang tight, Chancellor sir, we’re coming…

Present Time, Ponytown District…

As Gregory rushed over towards the unconscious Ginger, another blast of magic flew out from another portion of the street, this one bright orange. It fell towards Gracie who ducked out of the way, wings spread wide and a look of pure rage on her face. There was another few blasts which Gracie dodged. However, moments later three blasts of magic, the third one a dark green, flew towards her. Rarity had retreated to the hole where they’d just been.

“Look out, Gracie!” Gregory, who had retreated to the same hole with Ginger, shouted out in fear. Each of the blasts of magic were about to strike Gracie, but then something happened that stunned him into silence. She held out her claw and it began to glow the same color as her eyes, as did the magical shield that formed around them. The magic struck the shield and dispersed, but not without Gracie wincing as she held out her second claw which began to glow as well. “Gracie?!”

Gracie looked back at Gregory, the strain in her eyes clearly visible as red, orange and a few dark green magical barrages struck the shield around them. “I’m sorry…”

Gregory watched in utter astonishment as a very familiar yellowish green fire formed around Gracie in a circle. It moved upwards in a blink of an eye to reveal a young changeling. Rarity screamed and moved away from said changeling. All Gregory could do was stare at her in complete confusion. Gracie, or whoever she really was, aimed her glowing horn up at the shield, which brightened in response. “You need to get out of here, now!” she shouted in a voice that Gregory immediately recognized. “Take Ginger and the pony and get out, now! I’m right behind you!”

The magical attack from two directions only increased and was joined occasionally by the green magic. Gregory knew now who this changeling was despite not having undergone her transformation. She might have looked like a normal changeling, but the voice was unmistakable. It was Ocellus. However, he knew better than to deal with this at the present. She was protecting him, and that was all that mattered at the moment. He turned, grabbed Ginger and lifted her up in his arms as quickly as he could. She was heavy due to her armor so he repositioned her so that she was on his shoulders. He wrapped his hands around her wrists and legs. Turning back to Rarity, he shouted, “Let’s go! Now!”

A massive burst of red magic shot out from the left at that moment, destroying Ocellus’ magical shield and sending the young changeling flying. She landed deep in a snowdrift, some more snow from a nearby half collapsed roof on top of her. “Gracie!” he shouted in horror but with enough sense not to say her real name.

Another blast from behind him slammed into the deep snowdrifts behind him, flinging him forward. His grip on Ginger slipped and she went tumbling off of his back and fell a few feet forward. He quickly recovered and stood, quickly reaching for his pistol when another orange blast struck the ground in front of him, making him freeze. “Stop where you are, human!” a male voice called out from the direction the red magic had been coming from. “Put your claws above your head, now!”

Gregory slowly moved his hand away from the pistol as he saw two pony shapes approaching from the darkening landscape. From behind him, he heard a third set of hoofsteps. Nearby, Rarity was lying down, apparently unconscious from the magic blast. Seeing that he was alone and anyone who could help him was passed out, he raised his hands as he was ordered. “What do you want with me?” he asked.

As the ponies came into view, he saw their features. He’d been around ponies in this world long enough to be able to tell the difference between stallions and mares with some ease. The first pony he saw was a dark crimson unicorn stallion with a black mane and fiery red eyes. The second was a dark yellow unicorn mare with a reddish-white mane and tail and orange eyes. The third, who joined from the back, was a rather attractive (in terms of pony mares) dark blue unicorn mare with a cloudy gray mane and tail and dark green eyes. The first two were glaring at him with stern eyes, but the third just looked resigned and a bit worried. Each of them had a large necklace hanging from their necks, gold chained with a teardrop shaped crimson gem hanging from them. Each one had a deep red inner glow.

The stallion stepped forward, pointing a hoof at Gregory. “We’ve been investigating you on orders from our client,” he said in an even tone, “and we’ve come to the conclusion that you are a threat.”

Gregory felt a stab of fear running through him. He had no magic to speak of, so if they were to even cast some minor offensive spell at him it was highly probable it would do him permanent damage like what had happened to Jason Wright. Still, he kept his outer cool as he replied, “A threat? What kind of threat? Tell me what I’ve done, please.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the stallion said, giving a nod towards the other two. The dark yellow mare nodded and moved away from the stallion while the dark blue mare did the same, albeit hesitantly. “What matters is you’re a threat to Equestria.”

“I’ve never even been to Equestria,” Gregory replied, his mind racing in an attempt to find a way out of this. Despite not having any magic of his own, he still could sense something dark about the necklaces around their necks. “I have no intentions of harming your nation. I’m too busy rebuilding my own.”

“And then when you do, no doubt you plan on invading with your fellow human, that so-called Emperor Jason Wright of the changelings?” the stallion nearly snarled. He pointed to the snowdrift where the unconscious Ocellus was still buried. “You’ve already gotten into contact with him already.”

“I didn’t even know she was a changeling until just now,” Gregory said as calmly as he could. “I’ve never spoken to or even met Jason Wright.”

“But you’ve heard of him, haven’t you?” the yellow mare asked.

“Guys, I think we should stop,” the blue mare said hesitantly. “We don’t know for sure that he’s a threat-”

“Just shut up,” the yellow mare snarled at her companion, “the human is a threat! They all are!”

Gregory wanted to shout at them that they were wrong. He wanted to scream that if they did anything to him, it could sour relations between Equestria and Griffonia. He wanted to run, but he knew better than to do anything. They had him right where he couldn’t escape without being seriously hurt. “What have I done to earn your anger?” he asked simply. “I don’t know you.”

“And after we’re done with you, you won’t know us ever again,” the stallion said calmly. He turned to the others and nodded. “Let’s begin.”

Gregory watched helplessly as the three ponies lifted their horns. There was a brief glow, then a ball of light came out of each of them. Each ball floated towards the crystal teardrops gems around their necks. The three then focused their attention on him as the gems began to glow. A deep crimson triangle of light formed in the air with the gems as their three points. Suddenly, he felt himself floating upwards, surrounded by crimson light. New light came out and formed a tetrahedron around him. He was floating inside it, still surrounded by the glow of magic.

He felt himself starting to panic, but still tried to think of a way to get out of this. All three of them were watching him. As he floated around in a circle, he caught a glimpse of Rarity, still lying in the snow. However, he caught her looking at him with one eye open before she quickly shut it.

The stallion closed his eyes, retrieved an ancient looking parchment from the coat he wore, and said one phrase. “Hunc peccatorem commendamus Tartaro.”

That was when a very familiar roar could be heard from above.

Gregory looked up with hope in his eyes. The storm was still too strong to see anything, but as he looked, he could see a dim shadowy mass approaching through the storm.

He wasn’t the only one to see it, though. The stallion looked up with fear in his eyes. “Celestia damn it! Do it now!”

“Yes, captain!” the yellow mare said, holding her horn up and firing a blast at the tetrahedron shield which caused it to begin glowing brighter.

From above, he heard Daenerys’ roar once more, but not only that. He heard the screams of a very familiar baby dragon as he shouted, “Get away from Gregory, you bastards!”

Gregory’s heart stopped at that. How had Spike gotten there, and on Daenerys?! From behind them, Rarity had jumped up and was looking at the sky in horror. “Spikey, no!”

Things happened too fast for Gregory to really comprehend it until later. What he did remember, however, was that several things seemed to happen at once. The massive form of Daenerys came out of the sky like an avenging demon, her eyes glowing brightly through the gloom. One of the ponies, the dark green one who seemed more hesitant about what they were doing than the others, simultaneously leaped towards Rarity who was also leaping towards Spike and Daenerys. There was the sound of glass shattering and immediately afterwards a blinding red light that forced Gregory to cover his eyes, and then he felt a brief sensation of falling.

A sensation which lasted only a few seconds before he landed hard on solid ground instead of the softness of the snow. Nearby some others landed, including a large mass that could only be Daenerys.

Slowly, after his eyes adjusted to the light around him, he sat up and looked around. And immediately gaped in shock at what he saw.

He was sitting in a large underground cave, larger than any cave he ever thought possible. There was light coming from the ceiling, but it was a dim dark mauve color. They were sitting in the middle of a vast empty wasteland, flat as far as the eye could see save for a few massive stalagmites that seemed to rise up as high as a mountain. The roof of this place was unmarred save for a few massive stalactites which seemed to appear over the stalagmites as well.

Somewhere nearby, Rarity screamed. “No! Not here! Anyplace but here!”

Gregory turned and saw the bundled up fashionista looking around the landscape in horror. Nearby, the unicorn mare who had tried to intercept Rarity was looking down at the ground with a blank expression. Quickly, he stood, pulled out his gun from the holster, stormed over to the pony and put the barrel to her head. She didn’t even react as he said, in a strangely calm voice, “What did you do? Where are we?”

The unicorn mare simply shook her head. “It doesn’t matter…we’ll never be able to get out now…”

“I asked you where we are,” he said angrily.

The pony looked up at him with those deep green eyes of hers, her expression blank. “We’re…we’re in-”

Griffonstone Keep, Gwendolyn’s Secret Artifact Room…

Among the pitch blackness, a brief glow emanated from a golden horn sitting on one of the tables. It flashed brightly, then as it began to dim, it suddenly vanished with a pop of displaced air, leaving the room once more in total darkness…

Ponytown District, A Few Moments Later…

Celestia ran through the streets, eyes wide with fear. She had felt the release of a magic that was all too familiar. Magic that had not been used for over a thousand years. She prayed to the Maker that she was not too late.

She couldn’t help but think about all of the worst-case scenarios that could have occurred. Somepony could have been seriously injured or died, or even worse, sent to the one place in the world worse than death.

When she arrived at the source of the magic, the blood drained from her face as she looked at the destruction around her. Lying on the ground, just starting to come back from unconsciousness, were two ponies. And each of them were wearing two of the three Hades' Teardrops gems, which she had thought were locked securely away in Canterlot. She lifted her horn and cast a spell that brought both ponies back to consciousness faster. The first one, the stallion who she quickly recognized, opened his eyes and looked around blearily until he saw Celestia. His eyes widened in alarm, but before he could do anything, he and his companion were both enveloped in her magic and lifted into the air.

The cold air around her began growing increasingly hot as her anger was kindled against these two ponies. When she spoke, she hardly recognized her voice. “Dusky Heart, what have you done?!”

Dusky’s expression darkened and he sneered at her. “What have I done? Simply what needed to be done, Princess.” He spat the last word as if it tasted like shit. “I disposed of that human! You know where I sent him! I sent him to the one place where he can’t deceive the griffons, dragons and ponies here!”

Celestia felt her mane and tail burst into flames as her anger consumed her like the raging flames of the sun itself. Her horn brightened and the smug expression on Dusky’s face fell as the spell she cast made him pass out. He and his companion, Jade Seed, both went limp.

Weakened by the overextension of her magic, she collapsed onto her rump, releasing the unconscious ponies and letting them fall into the snowdrifts. Her anger was fizzling out, only to be replaced with despair. She should have been more vigilant. She should have insisted on going out with him together. She should have done more.

Now, because of her short-sightedness, a second human had suffered a grave injustice at the hooves of her ponies. Only now it was much worse.

Gregory would suffer and starve to death…in the deepest and darkest pits of-

Tartarus

/ˈtɑrtərəs/ noun

Tartarus is a vast prison created by Eurynome in the late stages of Gaia’s creation as a place where the evilest of creatures are imprisoned. It is guarded by the three headed dog Cerberus and can only be accessed through a portal or the Hades' Teardrops gems which will transport a prisoner there in times of great need. Notable prisoners who reside in Tartarus are Tirek, the Titans and the race of creatures known as the demons.