Glendela prodded at me curiously. "So, what's a kirin doing visiting me?"

I couldn't quite get my thoughts together to respond, focused on trying to keep her beak out of my face. She was enjoying that far more than I liked. "Because, I was given a mission to do?"

Pinkie nodded firmly. "We have to find brave griffons that are willing to take a chance to become something bigger and better, for all griffonkind!"

Twinkle huffed softly. "I don't think she cares about that."

"I do not." Glendela folded her arms across her chest. "Griffonkind hasn't done much for me recently. I can barely get my own business done."

Maud tilted her head. "Your own business?"

"Fashion. I design and create clothes." She spun a hoop that served her as a belt, decorated with some flowers. "Most of it's handmade. I have trouble getting the materials I need."

Twinkle smiled brightly. "I bet becoming a phoenix will help. You'll be able to buy all the materials you want."

I blinked, unsure if that was actually true, and where did Twinkle hear about it?

But Glendela looked like she was pondering the idea. "Not many griffons would say no to a phoenix that came swooping in, all a-fire and demanding to buy some stuff." She smirked her beak. "Maybe even get a discount."

"Or free things." Maud shrugged softly. "Just give it away."

"You think?" Glendela ruffled Maud's mane, not that she reacted. "Now we're dreaming. Still, you're not wrong. That might help. So, what's the trick? What do you want from me? I'm not rich, to make that extra clear."

"That's fine." I nodded softly. "We're not looking for that." I pointed to the temple. "Just come with us, pass the test, and learn how to be a phoenix. We have a few phoenixes in there, waiting to share how to do it."

Glendela tilted her head, looking back and forth between the temple and us. "It's that easy?"

Twinkle shrugged. "That easy. They say the test is hard, but I haven't seen a griffon fail so far."

Pinkie nodded along with that. "So far, everygriffon that's been brave enough to try has gotten it. You just have to try it."

She smiled slowly at that. "Alright. You got my attention." She clapped her hands together. "I'll do it. I can't guarantee I'll be any good at it, but I'll at least go have a look."

We led her back to the temple, thoughts of only needing one more griffon, if they all passed, on my mind. When we dropped her off, we didn't see Gallus, perhaps busy teaching another griffon? We emerged to consider our next move. "This is going well so far. One more." I frowned with thought of how to find the next. "It's worked so far."

I focused on the icon of the truth-speaker spell and felt a strong response. "This way. They may not be the griffon, but they'll tell the truth."

Twinkle smiled with amusement. "Like with Glendela?"

Pinkie shook her head quickly. "Glendela actually said yes. More like that other griffon that pointed us towards Glendela."

"Right." I nodded quickly. "She was fine." I set off at a quick pace, not quite running, but certainly trotting along. I quickly found the source of the spell, a griffon sitting at a bar, holding a drink. They were a male of the species, and didn't react as I wandered up.

"Good morning." I reared up, hooves on the bartop. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question if I can take a moment?"

"That's one." He chuckled at his own joke. "What's a kirin and his herd need with me?"

Pinkie inclined her head. "I'm not in his herd."

Maud shrugged at that. "I am."

I waved both off. "It's about griffons brave enough to try becoming a phoenix."

"Yeah?" He leaned in towards me. "I know where to find those, but before that, come with me." He slapped my shoulder and stood up. "Got business." He walked out of the bar without another word.

I exchanged confused glances with my friends and followed after him, leading into the city streets, deeper away from the temple. "Where are we going?"

"To find a bunch of griffons who'll try and become phoenixes." He gave that odd bit of a chuckle. "I know a wing of them really interested in that." We were passing into a dark alleyway, one of many in the city. "They hang out around here."

I hesitated, feeling that tingle of uncertainty. "Isn't that the wrong direction? I thought the temple was back that way?"

"Huh? I didn't say we were going to no temple." He snapped his fingers, heavy forms dropping ahead and behind us. "I said I'd bring you to interested griffons."

A huge form emerged from the dark, glaring down at me. "Yep, good job." He reached out for me. I shrank back away, but he closed his fingers around my skull, taking firm hold. All I could see in that moment was the palm of his hand, and darkness. "You don't understand what you're doing"

I struggled uselessly, unable to pry him loose. "Let me go!"

The hand was wrenched from me, a pillar of stone shoving the hand and the griffon attached to it in an abrupt thrusting motion. Pinkie swirled with arcane fury as she waved a hoof, a new pillar sending another griffon flying away in a heap.

Maud glimmered faintly with earthen power, but did nothing until a griffon tried to slash her with a big knife, for the blade to shatter against her. She punched a hoof upwards, shattering the wrist that held the knife just as surely, several wet cracks filling the alleyway along with the griffon's howls of agony.

Twinkle was left standing between us and the remaining griffons, those trying to swarm Pinkie and Maud, leaving only two facing her. "I only know a little magic of this world," she admitted, sounding and looking just embarrassed of that fact. She fled beneath me, using my legs as cover.

I couldn't blame her, but now I had a job. "Fireball!" A bright sphere of light and flame formed in my open hoof, flinging forward and slamming into one of them. But the griffon swirled with wind magic, channeling the ball of flame around them to crash into a building instead.

"That the best you got." The wind picked up, flecks of lightning surging around him. "We have magic too, fire horse."

I was distracted as the second griffon advanced on us. "Not going to let you run away." The griffon reached for us.

Suddenly, I was a stone, so was Twinkle, caught in the rock I had become.

I heard Pinkie laughing maniacally in the distance as a whip of blood was sent lashing out, hitting the one attacking us. They recoiled back, clutching at a bleeding cut, slumping. I let the stone spell lapse, freeing me and Twinkle.

Maud and Pinkie had worked through them with ruthless efficiency. Neither of them had a single cut to their name. Pinkie giggled as she stepped on one griffin. "Now, you can be a nice creature and tell us why you did that, or we can be extra not-nice."

The griffin laughed, then laughed more as he realized how serious Pinkie was. "Oh, come on. We just wanted you off our trail."

"Trail?" Pinkie tilted her head, while Maud kept walking, head down.

Maud slammed a hoof beside the griffon's head, sending stone flying in a crater. "You touched my stallion. Only I get to do that."

I blushed deeply at that. "Maud, that's not necessary." I sat on my haunches. "So, tell us?" I glanced at the other bruised and battered griffons. "You lost this pretty firmly."

He sniffed. "Go back to Canterlot if you know what's good for you, and forget about phoenixes."

I took a moment to consider the situation. "You think phoenixes are scary. Why do you think that?"

"Ha." He smirked viciously. "You don't know anything. What do you think we griffons are? We're nothing if not ready to not agree about something." He rolled his eyes at the idea. "We have a lot of ideas about phoenixes, which is half the problem, stupid pony."

I blinked slowly. "You mean you disagree about whether you should have phoenixes in Griffonstone?"

"Closer." He stood up slowly, each movement clearly coming with some amount of pain. "Some of us would rather not have them at all. Others think they'll bring a new golden age, like the griffons at that temple. Bottom line a lot of us can agree on, them being around will change things, in a big way."

I leaned towards him, making him shrink away. "Do you think becoming a phoenix will make you different?"

"Me? Duh, of course." He lifted his shoulders, nervously laughing. "But I'm talking about the bigger picture! Griffonstone will change, not just any one griffon."

Pinkie shook her head, frowning with frustration. "And you had to do it the not-fun way?"

Twinkle rushed ahead of Pinkie. "I'm fairly certain he's telling the truth."

Maud nodded faintly. "Yeah." She turned away from the griffon. "They don't want it."

I was forced to accept the conclusions that the others were reaching. "That seems to be the case." I sighed heavily.

"I do," came a little voice. We looked over to see a griffon boy watching us with wide eyes of amazement and a little fright.

I blinked at the kid. "Aren't you--" I looked around. "A little young? Is there an age limit on phoenix?"

"Is there?" The boy certainly didn't seem to know.

Twinkle knelt before the boy. "There isn't, as far as I know. But it is dangerous. Have you asked your parents?"

The boy shook his head quickly. "I don't have one of those. I make my own decisions." He fluffed up as best he could. "I wanna be a fire bird."

I considered the little guy, but was mostly worried about the angry adults nearby. "Let's talk about this back at the temple." I led the way and the others trailed along behind me.

Soon we were back in the safety of those gilded halls. I went directly for the first priest I could find. "We have a griffon that's ready to test, but they're just a kid. Is that even allowed?"

The priest regarded the boy with some amusement. "Of course. Come in, child."

The boy clapped with a big smile, scampering right up to the priest. "I'll pass all the tests!"

"You are welcome to try." The priest led him to the forming line. "But you must wait your turn. While you wait, you will be fed and housed."

"A place to stay? Awesome!" The boy skipped off with the priest, eager and happy.

That was when I took notice of that line. There were griffons waiting there that I hadn't put there. I gently poked the priest. "There are more here than before. Did something change? Should I still be hunting?"

"Hm? Oh." The priest shook his head. "You have fulfilled your duty admirably, and beyond that." He waved around to the crowd. "This is a result of what you have accomplished."

Pinkie looked from one side of the line to the other. "What happened?!" She bounced up to one griffon. "What made you come?"

The griffon raised a brow at Pinkie. "I heard a kirin was encouraging griffons to come here. With so many successes, Gabby even, I figured I had a chance at this."

I didn't have time to answer, a priest moving up to my side. "Your services are required upstairs. Do you have the energy for more?"

I blinked at that. "I can't recruit griffons upstairs. What kind of help?"

"Help with our records." He tapped a quill against a large book.

Confused, I trailed after the griffon. "I know nothing of your records. How can I help? Seriously, kinda confused."

"I didn't expect you to know anything." He led me up two flights of stairs, Twinkle, Pinkie, and Maud trailing after. "You've proven yourself capable in other ways." He paused before a door, looking me over.

I swayed my long tail. "Have I? Seriously, show me how I can help."

"If you will allow me a moment." He pushed the door open, leading us inside. The room was dominated by shelves and cabinets, with stacks of books and papers all around. "This is the library that contains all of the history of the phoenix. From their birth, to their deaths. This is their legacy, and a small part of our test of the worthiness of a potential phoenix."

"Huh, okay." My eyes swept slowly over the many tomes. Twinkle dashed ahead, grabbing one in her magic to examine. "What do you want me to do with them?"

The priest cleared a spot on the desk, opening up the first book. "When I read the dates, I will tell you the shelf. Then you can replace the book accordingly."

I was stunned a moment, but went along with it. He began reading dates, and I ferried books off to where they belong as quickly as I could. Soon, Pinkie joined in, and we were hurrying around the library, pushing books into their proper homes. "Now, stupid question, but shouldn't a librarian be doing this, or at least another priest?"

"They are, but your presence and cooperation allows us to organize much faster. Not only that, but it speaks volumes of your willingness to aid in this." He was still flipping pages. "Such help is not unheard of, but uncommon."

It began to make sense then. I was being tested. A griffon purely in it for themselves would have made quite a bit more noise about being asked to help sort books. There I was, just doing it. I wasn't even being paid. I was just helping. I put the next book away as the date was read. "Glad to help. How are Gallus and Gabby doing with their mentorship duties? They close to done?"

The priest paused in his reading to smile. "They are doing wonderfully. Such fine additions to the order of phoenix. You're doing wonderful work with them."

"Good to hear." I reached for the next book. "Gallus just had to do one more, right?"

"Indeed." The priest began to flip once more. "I'm sure we'll have the final details ironed out in no time."

"I figured they started that one more, at least." I got the book where it belonged with a nod of satisfaction. "I didn't see him in the main room."

The priest perked. "Not in the main room?" He went to the window and looked out. "That's strange."

We returned downstairs to the common room, Pinkie having taken a spot by the door to wait for him. "Nope." She bounced after the priest. "We're starting to get worried."

But an idea was bouncing in my head. "What if he did do his three and he's not even here anymore? You have this going so smoothly, you've already got other phoenixes working in his place and didn't even worry about it."

The priest looked up from where he was looking at Gabby. "That is not the most unreasonable explanation." He tapped his chin. "I will consult with the archpriest." He marched off with firm conviction, leaving us there in the main room.

Author's Note

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