Flurry Heart's Story: The Ghost of Grogar

While Starlight stayed in the castle to inform Sunburst and Trixie about last night’s events, Discord and the dragons took the kids out to a local café that next morning to reflect. They told more about their experiences and decided that the Apparition was definitely the one who caused them to fight just so it could easily put them in the astral plane. Discord kept its identity secret from the others for fear of worrying the kids, but he knew he’d have to let Twilight know eventually. After Spike brought in a quill and parchment, Flurry and her friends all took turns delivering a friendship report as he wrote it down.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

We all learned a valuable lesson last night about friendship. Even if you are friends with someone, there will be times when arguments happen and harsh words are exchanged. It might seem like all hope is lost and you’ll never be friends again, but that’s simply not true. When you’re in a dire situation, you have to remember your friends and work with them to get out of it. And in such moments, you’ll forget about all those fights you had and work together no matter what. And with teamwork, you can overcome anything! And pretty soon, you’ll look back on those tough times you had and either forget them or just laugh it off. And that is undeniable proof that friendship truly is magic.

Your niece and all her friends,

Flurry Heart, Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake, Apple Chip, Annie Smith, Storm Streak, and Cozy Glow

Everyone else applauded the kids. Spike rolled up the scroll to send it to Twilight with his magic fire, impressing his siblings in the process.

“Wow, so that’s how your fire works, Spike!” said Buttercream, watching the green fire zoom up to Canterlot.

“Yup. Princess Celestia figured out my fire was magic and taught me how to control it,” Spike replied.

“That’s our magical little bro!” said Singe, giving Spike a noogie.

“We’re gonna have to get something set up so you can send letters to Nordo Dracos!” added Scorch.

“Well I’m glad you guys all learned your lesson,” Barb said, turning to the kids. “I know it’s kinda rough when you have disagreements, but next time just remember how we handled it and it’ll be easier for you.”

“You got it, Barb,” Pound said putting his arms around Flurry and Pumpkin as all the kids did the same next to each other.

“I just still can’t get over these crazy worlds you guys went to,” said Spike. “Discord told us the astral plane can take you into weird alternate universes or something, but I didn’t think they were that amazing!”

“I know, right?! One of them looked like a video game, Spike!” Stormy beamed.

“That is pretty awesome that they got to experience that,” said Lily. “We’ve had our fair share of video games in Ester Dracos, but nothing like what you kids are telling us!”

“Yeah, talk about hitting the highest score possible!” said Aster. “We let Myosoti know about this and maybe he’ll make a game out of it!”

“You guys know Myosoti, the creator of Super Dragon Warriors?!” asked Stormy.

“Sure do. We could take you to see him some time!”

“EEEEEH! THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!”

“Well it’s good to know you kids made it out okay,” said Singe. “We were all pretty worried when we saw you in there.”

“It was a pretty unforgettable experience,” Pumpkin said.

“Minus all the fighting we had to do and the scary ram things we kept encountering,” Annie added.

“Well I for one am glad that thing is gone and it’s all over,” Flurry said with relief in her voice. “I dunno about you guys, but I think I’m a little tired now of playing hero. At least that experience didn’t cause any damage in the real world.”

“Aw, why not? I thought that was all awesome!” said Stormy.

“Now now, Storm,” said Chip. “We are just kids after all.”

“Well at least we all have great stories to tell others one day,” said Pound. “Heroism comes in many forms after all.”

“So Discord, did we figure out what that thing was?” asked Billow.

“Eh, I’m guessing it was a miasma or something,” Discord said, nonchalantly. “They’re spirits that like to torment ponies in their sleep much like the kids described.”

“So what was with the horns then?” asked Aster.

Discord’s eyes then widened and he spoke nervously.

“Uh…well…”

“Yeah, he kept looking like a ram in all the places we went to, except that one where we all had weird clothes on and looked like humies or whatever they’re called,” Stormy interjected.

“Humans, Stormy,” Flurry told him.

“Yeah, what she says.”

“But he also looked just like Grogar in that one place,” said Pumpkin.

“Pump’s right,” said Pound. “It reminds me of how Grogar appears in the Super Dragon Warriors game.”

“Only two-dimensional and drawn like a Saturday morning cartoon,” added Chip.

“Plus there were those curly V-shaped explosion things in the anime world,” Pumpkin said.

“Curly explosions? Uh…did they look like this?” Buttercream asked, making an Aries symbol in the air with her fingers.

“Yeah, like this.”

“Like thiiiis?”

Buttercream made the shape several times to get confirmation from Pumpkin. They all nodded their heads. She appeared concerned but then brushed it off like it was nothing.

“Ah well. You know anime. They use weird symbolism in there. It’s probably nothing.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not Grogar, guys,” said Chip.

“Isn’t Grogar from like two thousand years ago?” asked Annie.

“Maybe he was turned into stone and then came back?” said Chip.

“Or escaped from Tartarus?” added Pumpkin.

“He’s dead,” Discord said, quickly.

Everyone turned their heads to Discord. He took a sip from his teacup before continuing.

“Grogar was defeated after Gusty the Great took his Bewitching Bell. He had both his horns sawn off and was imprisoned in Tartarus where he eventually died. I can confirm it. I checked and there’s nothing but bones.”

“Oh…” Flurry said.

“Well that’s a relief to know,” added Spike.

“I had a feeling your story for him wasn’t adding up. But how is it Tirek and I didn’t see his skeleton when we were both in there,” Cozy asked, suspiciously.

“He was imprisoned way down deep, never to be seen again. Even if he were still alive, neither of you would have been able to speak with him. I’m guessing Tirek hadn’t heard about it since Grogar died after his imprisonment in Tartarus and he never would have bothered to educate himself on recent Equestrian history during his last few fiascos. Sorry again for tricking the three of you by the way.”

Cozy seemed to make sense of what Discord was saying and smiled in response.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. And apology accepted, Discord,” she said, as he smiled back.

“Well at least we know it’s not Grogar,” said Flurry. “Grogar did a lot of horrible things back in the day, and it would definitely be a problem if he returned. And I’m guessing that thing was powerful enough to release Cozy and the other two from stone since that wasn’t done with the Elements of Harmony. Still, it’s concerning that he was powerful enough to break it, let alone keep you from using your powers.”

Discord did his best to humor Flurry so she wouldn’t panic over recent developments and keep asking questions. He was determined to make sure the children would not know what he knew and worry them. With a smile on his face, he went back to drinking his tea in a more chaotic fashion.

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about it, Flurry Heart. I’ll say something to Twilight when I get the chance just to be safe.”

“Well hey, that was pretty awesome how Flurry took him down,” said Singe as Flurry blushed. “You shoulda seen it, bro!”

“Well let’s not pretend Scorch and Billow weren’t spending their time wisely,” Pumpkin said, lovingly.

“That’s right. They certainly had their own little adventure! Hehe!” Buttercream said, giggling.

“Thanks guys,” Scorch said with Billow cuddling up next to him. “Well Barb, think the three of us should head back to Nordo Dracos and give Mom and Dad the good news?”

“Oh that’s right! Shoot. Mom and Dad are not gonna live it down that you found a date before I did,” Barb said sarcastically.

“We’ll get you hitched someday, Barb,” Singe teased.

“Yeah yeah, I hear ya. I gotta find me a king soon. I’ll get to it. Meanwhile you need to court Simmer.”

“Oh I will. This handsome drake’s got it covered!”

Barb smiled and rolled her eyes, as Singe tried to act cool and slick his spikes back. While everyone else laughed and made conversation, Buttercream signaled to Discord with a small note in her hand. Discord stretched his tail behind Barb and used the tip of his tail to grab it. While they were all distracted, he read the note, which said, “Definitely Grogar. Curly V means Brotherhood. We need to see Twi later.” Discord moved his eyes in her direction and they both winked at each other. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Discord and Buttercream had actually known each other behind the scenes for a while now, and what they had just encountered had both of them worried.

A few hours later, they both went to Canterlot to speak with Twilight behind closed doors. Their discussion contained highly classified information, so Twilight had to use a sound-dampening spell on the entire throne room to prevent anyone else from hearing. They spoke as Twilight stared into one of the stained glass windows.

“He didn’t say how he did it, just that he’s ‘never been more alive,’ whatever that means,” said Discord.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” said Buttercream. “Nightwatch’s been worried sick but he didn’t find any concrete proof. We all just assumed Bray was talking about Discord’s disguise when he said Grogar had returned. That ghost didn’t show up till last night.”

“It’s okay, Buttercream,” Twilight said, turning around. “It’s my fault for not looking into this. Lately I’ve been having visions about Grogar, but I believe he’s been around much longer than we think.”

“Longer than we think? You don’t actually think he resurrected himself, do you?”

“He must’ve given up a portion of his life force and hid it inside the bell,” said Discord. “That would explain why he died so easily in Tartarus. And when you and your friends all used the Elements to stop those three, it completed a spell to release his spirit from the bell and take on the form I saw last night.”

“Discord, are you suggesting Grogar let Gusty take the bell from him? All so he could trick us into thinking he was defeated and passed away, only to eventually come back?” Twilight asked.

“Grogar was an absolute genius. He could wait for centuries before setting things into motion, regardless of any setbacks. That’s how he overtook the Golem production industry in Tambelon so effectively. I think it’s very possible he knew he wouldn’t have enough power during his reign, so yes, he had the whole thing planned.”

“Can you stop him?”

“Right now I don’t think he’s quite as powerful as I am, but the fact that he put the kids into a stupor and then transported their minds cross-dimensionally really concerns me. Either way, chaos magic isn’t going to work so well against his powers, so we need to keep the Elements handy.”

Twilight paused and thought hard. She looked over at the friendship report that was sent to her earlier. Her thoughts then turned to Flurry Heart and her friends. What had happened to them last night had her even more worried. Perhaps Grogar had very sinister plans that involved them. She knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she asked anyway.

“And why was he after the kids?” she asked.

“I think he just wanted to mess around with the young ones and see if he could actually turn them against one another. Thankfully it backfired, but he probably planned for that too. There’s no way Flurry’s light spell did any real damage. She just scared him off, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that.”

“No wonder Bray was so confident in Grogar. He’s probably still out there too,” Buttercream sighed.

“Is Nightwatch aware of this yet?” asked Twilight.

“I sent him a letter earlier. Sorry he still hasn’t reached out to you yet. He’s… kinda shy. Plus he’s still searching for that Golem he saw a few years ago.”

“Yes, we need to figure out who’s piloting that thing. I thought the Brotherhood had been neutralized years ago and now I’m hearing this. I’m pretty sure they’re related. Well, thanks for letting me know about this, you two. I suggest we all keep in contact. Report to me immediately if you see Grogar or any Golems out there. I’m going to put my troops on high alert.”

“Should everyone else know?”

“Not until we have more answers. I can’t let this go public right now, or there will be propaganda everywhere. I don’t want everyone thinking we’re at war with Tambelon.”

“Okay. Just don’t stress yourself out, Twi. I’ll keep Nighty informed and he’ll talk to ya, soon.”

Buttercream gave Twilight a tender hug and then did the same to Discord. She then left the room, waving to both of them. After the door closed, Discord turned back to Twilight. She was expecting him to say his good-byes, but he had other important matters to discuss that he didn’t want Buttercream hearing.

“Twilight, now that we’re alone, there’s something else you need to know,”

“What’s that?”

“Remember when I told you about Eris?”

Twilight appeared confused at first and then gave Discord a stern look.

“Discord, what happened?”

Discord closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He was hesitant to continue. Twilight’s voice grew graver.

“Discord, what’s wrong? Is she here too?”

Beyond Canterlot, a lone figure stood on top of a mountain, watching the capital city and the country village in the valley below. It was a donkey, cloaked and hooded, with his front left hoof made of silver. He kept his face mostly obscured under his hood, but had a large snout with two large teeth protruding from his top jaw. He wore a brooch with the Aries symbol that kept his cloak tied together.

As the mysterious donkey waited patiently, the Apparition returned to him after a long night’s work. It crept over the grass and rocks till he reached his minion. The donkey smiled wickedly as the black cloud circled around him.

“Are those children the ones, Master?” asked the donkey.

“Yes, Bray. They are most definitely the ones.”

THE END