A Renewed Ending

Saturday, October 30, 1007 A.L., Gryphonia

Unlike hospitals back on Earth or even in Equestria, at least from what Gregory had seen on the show, the Gryphonstone General Hospital was more medieval in nature. It was a long T-shaped building with the front looking like an anime fantasy style guild hall where doctors and certain patients would eat or spend time when the former weren’t working or the latter weren’t in bed recovering. Opposite of the front doors, there was a small hallway that led to two infirmary halls where there were beds lining each side of the walls, most with wooden partitions up to separate patients, although more permanent walls were being planned to hopefully stop the spread of disease from patient to patient. While the left and right doors led to the two infirmary halls, a third led to a large domed room filled with medication and hospital supplies which lined the walls on shelves.

It was in the hospital's main waiting area where Gregory, Gallus, Gilda and Gabby sat playing a game of poker. However, Gregory’s mind wasn’t completely on the game. Instead, it was focused on the three unicorns in one of the infirmary halls.

“You need to relax,” Gallus said. Around them some remnants of a meal they’d eaten earlier sat, one Gregory had begun to slowly introduce to Gryphonstone: hamburgers and cheeseburgers. They were a work in progress, but the ones the hospital made were still pretty decent.

Gregory, who had a perfect straight flush, put his cards down and rubbed his eyes. After the group had brought the three ponies to the hospital and found Dr. Gabriel, the four had waited with some anxiety, most of it being Gregory’s, as she and her staff looked over the three. After about ten or so minutes, she had come out and informed the group that Starlight and Sunset were both extremely malnourished, with the former showing signs of having been beaten a few times and the latter showing signs of a bone in her back leg that had healed improperly, which had forced the doctor to rebreak it so it could heal the right way. She’d had to break out some ketamine for both of them, which was only a few weeks away from expiring, but which would only last a week. Trixie was in better shape than the other two, but she too showed signs of malnourishment and some other trauma that the doctor didn’t feel comfortable sharing, which Gregory accepted. All three were hooked up to IVs and while Sunset and Starlight were both showing some signs of improvement like stronger heart rates and easier breathing, they were still unconscious. Starlight would only come to irregularly but screaming as if in fear of something. Or someone.

“Why are you so worried about those ponies anyway?” Gilda asked.

“What, you mean aside from the obvious signs of starvation and abuse?” he asked harshly. Too harshly than he meant as he saw Gilda’s reaction, which was to twitch angrily. He balled up his hands, which were on the table, into fists. “Shit…I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I didn’t mean-”

“You’re worried,” Gabby, who was sitting next to him, put her claws on his hand gently. He automatically relaxed his fingers as she continued, “I understand, but you do need to relax.”

Gilda eased up as well and nodded. “There’s nothing you can do. The doctors here are the experts, not you. You have some healing magic we don’t know about? Then just relax, okay?” She sounded a bit exasperated now.

Gregory nodded. He knew she was right, of course. He took a couple deep breaths, then picked up his cards again. “I’m still sorry I lashed out,” he said.

“Eh, it’s cool,” Gilda said, waving her free claw dismissively. “Just because I’ve had bad experiences with ponies doesn’t mean this one’s the same, I guess.”

“Bad experiences with ponies? What happened?” he asked, although he knew exactly what Gilda was talking about. “Are they really that bad?”

Gilda got a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Eh, maybe not too bad,” she admitted, “but the one I met there was just so damned annoying. She was always trying to hang out with an…an old pony friend of mine. Although, thinking back, I did do some things that I really shouldn’t have,” she admitted as she got a sorrowful look on her face.

Gregory inwardly smiled. The fact that Gilda could openly admit to her faults spoke volumes to her character. Maybe it was because of what happened with the light that came from the Idol, or maybe it was something else. He wasn’t sure. “Well, have you written to this friend or the other ponies and apologized?”

Gilda winced and a frown came over her face. “No…should I?”

“Well, let me ask, whatever you did to those ponies, do you regret it?” Gregory asked.

Gilda stroked her chin, looking down at her cards. After a few seconds, she said, “Yeah…I think so? I’m still upset at that pink one. I mean, I wasn’t gonna be in town that long and I wanted to spend time with Rainbow Dash. I haven’t seen her in years, damn it, but that pink annoyance kept on butting in.” She was gritting her teeth now, but she took a deep breath and exhaled. “Still…I should have probably been cooler about it.”

“Sounds like you were jealous,” Gregory said. “I mean, if this Rainbow Dash was a friend you hadn’t seen in years, it makes sense you’d wanna spend as much time with her. I don’t know the whole story, but it sounds like there was fault on both sides.”

Gilda sighed. “Yeah…I was pretty bitchy. I’d go visit them and apologize, but with the closed borders I can’t. Gabby, is mail being allowed through?”

Gabby nodded. “Yeah, but we can’t deliver it. We have to give the mail to the Equestria Postal Service instead. Anytime I’ve gone there, the ponies I’ve met have always apologized for the inconvenience and I’m pretty sure they mean it, too.”

“What kind of monster is this Jason Wright anyway?” Gilda asked angrily.

Gabby’s grip on Gregory’s hand only increased as Gregory slightly tensed up. However, he maintained his calm and said, “Well, with the changelings at his command, he could have done a hell of a lot worse, I think. He could have taken influential ponies and replaced them and nobody would be the wiser. I don’t know exactly what happened. All I know is what the ambassador said that day he returned from the Southern Badlands and what rumors I’ve heard from the colonists who’ve returned.” The latter of which wasn’t much, considering that none of them had seen Jason.

“Everygryphon knows what he said,” Gallus said.

“Still, back to answering your question, Gilda,” Gregory said, “You want to know why I’m concerned about the ponies in there? Well, aside from me unable to see anyone like that without being worried, I came from far away because I wanted to meet some ponies. Actually, you mentioned one earlier, Rainbow Dash. I’ve wanted to meet her and the other Elements of Harmony for a while now. I’m big fans of them and wanted to see if I could become friends with them.”

“Whoo, then your timing sucked,” Gilda said.

Gregory smirked and nodded. “No shit. Still, I’ve been lucky since coming here. For the most part, I suppose.”

“Yeah…still can’t believe you walked right over the cliff into the abyss,” Gallus said with a teasing smirk. “Slippery feet?”

Gregory rolled his eyes and flipped him off. “Piss off,” he said playfully.

Gallus repeated the gesture back before looking at his cards. “Eh, I fold,” he said as he placed them down.

“Same here,” Gilda said.

Gregory put five shiny gold talons on the table. “Alright, I call.”

“Hey, has anyone heard about this council that’s being formed?” Gallus asked as Gabby put down five talons of her own.

“I’ve heard rumors that Grandpa Gruff’s and the Ambassador have been searching the city for worthy members,” Gabby said. “Four of a kind,” she said as she put her cards down.

“Straight flush,” Gregory replied as he put his cards down and collected the pot. “I’ve heard that, too,” he added as he pushed his cards towards the stack and Gilda began shuffling them again. “Seriously, it’s only been one month and you gryphons have just started to fix up the city. Now you’re thinking about trying to fix the continent too? You really work fast.”

“These wings aren’t just for show,” Gilda said proudly, spreading them wide for all to see. “We might not have all the fancy stuff that Equestria does, like telephones and telegraph, but we can get messages around just fine.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Gregory smirked. “Kinda wish I had wings, to be honest. I’ve flown on planes a few times in the past, but being able to fly under my own power? That seriously would rock.”

“I can take you flying if you want,” Gabby offered, smiling up warmly at him.

“Maybe another time,” Gregory said. “I’d love to, though.”

Just then the doors to the cafeteria swung open as Doctor Gabriel flew in. She was a dark purple gryphon with the same color eyes, white wings and a dark aquamarine set of claws. She looked around, spotted the group and flew up to them. Gregory was already on alert when he saw the serious expression on the doctor’s face. Before he could ask what was happening or what was wrong, she landed and held up a claw. “Mr. Graystone, you wanted to know how the ponies were doing?”

“Yes,” he said as he stood to face the doctor.

She sighed and gestured for him to follow. Once they were far away from the table and from others to speak alone, she spoke. “I told you what happened to them already, and I’ve kept an eye on them. Mr. Graystone, I’m not so sure that our facility would be able to treat them properly.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Gregory said with a sigh of disappointment. “It’s not your fault,” he quickly added when he saw Dr. Gabriel’s face fall. “We’re working on rebuilding Gryphonstone, and I understand things aren’t good yet.”

“Well, that’s definitely a part of it,” the doctor said, and Gregory heard a bit of shame in her voice. “Another issue is…the other staff don’t especially like having to treat them, not after recent events in Equestria and their government’s reaction to it.”

Gregory scowled at this. Ever since the invasion by Jason Wright, the Equestrian borders had been closed, with nobody being let in. Ponies and non-ponies who were let out of the country had been warned that they wouldn’t be let back in for the time being. The official reason given was a lack of resources to staff the border patrols, but many believed this to be a bullshit excuse. They believed that this was a fear response from the Equestrian monarchy to an invasion of non-ponies into their kingdom. Ponies were set up in camps outside more prominent border entry points until things settled down, according to the official statements given by local officials. A few gryphons who had returned to Gryphonstone had reported this and it had sewn discontent and a deep-seated anger towards ponies regardless. “Understandable,” he nodded.

“If they weren’t so badly injured and couldn’t be moved, I would suggest sending them to Gryphonville local hospital,” Dr. Gabriel said.

“Why’s that?” Gregory hadn’t yet visited the small town. In fact, he hadn’t even yet left the city limits save for the time he and a group of gryphon volunteers had carried his truck and camper to the vacant lot.

“I know the doctor there,” she said. “He and I were both trained in Equestria at the same school and hospital. He’s much better than I am, and the town down there is in a lot better shape than here. I even heard that there are a few ponies and a dragon or two living down there in peace. He even mentioned in a letter he wrote a week ago that their town had just opened an apothecary run by a zebra.”

Gregory stroked his chin thoughtfully. “That sucks that we can’t move them,” he said, “but could we ask this doctor to come up here and look at them?”

“Way ahead of you,” Dr. Gabriel said. “I sent a letter down there this morning. I don’t know if he’ll be able to come, though. He’s one of two doctors down there, and he doesn’t seem to think too highly of the other doctor.”

“Shit,” Gregory said with a frown.

“Shit indeed,” she agreed. “I wish there was more we could do for them.”

“Same here,” he said. “Will they make a full recovery?”

“If I can get the proper treatment for them, they should be alright,” Dr. Gabriel said, “but like I said, our resources are low and many are too old for me to want to use.”

“Expired?”

She nodded. “I learned about that in Equestria, and I’d hate to use older medicine that might have lost its effectiveness.”

“I understand,” Gregory said. “Keep doing what you can for them.”

“That was the plan,” she said with an unamused smile before the two began heading back to the table. When they were in earshot, she paused and snapped her fingers. “I almost forgot! Miss Trixie is asking to talk to you. You wanted to talk to them, right?”

Gregory nodded. “I did, yeah.” He looked at the group. “Sorry, everyone. Play the next round without me.”

“We’re coming too,” Gilda said, standing as she put the cards down on the table.

“I can’t allow that,” Gabriel said. “She’s still a bit shaken up by whatever she went through.”

“Trixie can speak to them all, actually,” a familiar voice said from behind the doctor. Everyone turned and saw the aforementioned pale blue unicorn walking over, holding the metal rack that held the IV drip.

“Miss Moon,” Gabriel said admonishingly, “you shouldn’t be out of bed so soon! You’re still too weak!”

“Trixie made her way here with her new friends,” Trixie replied stubbornly, “so she will be alright.”

“Wel, at least sit down in a comfortable chair,” Gabby said, flying over and gently leading the unicorn mare over to a cushioned seat, then pushing said chair over to the head of the table.

Gregory turned to the doctor. “Will this be okay?” he asked.

Gabriel looked frustrated, but she sighed. “Miss Moon,” she said, looking at Trixie, “I really wish you’d let me know that you wanted to see these folks privately. I could have arranged for it. However, since you’re out here already, I’ll allow it. If you feel any discomfort, though, I strongly urge you to let me know and we’ll get you straight back to your bed.” She walked up to the IV bag, looked at it, then nodded. Looking back at the group, she said, “If you notice her having any difficulties, flag down one of the nursing staff, please.”

When everyone agreed and after Gabriel left, Trixie looked at the group. Finally, her eyes landed on Gregory. “Trixie wishes to thank you and your friends for helping Trixie and her friends last night,” she said with gratitude before looking at the three gryphons at the table. “We all could have died of starvation if you all hadn’t taken us here.”

“Eh, no worries there,” Gilda said with a wave of her claw.

“Are you feeling any better today?” Gabby asked with concern.

Trixie nodded. “The doctor hasn’t given Trixie any food yet, but Trixie isn’t hungry anymore.” She gestured to the IV drip.

“Well, that makes sense,” Gregory said. As Trixie turned to him with confusion, he added, “You haven’t eaten in days, right?”

“Trixie’s last meal was a discarded and nasty scone in a small gryphon town about a week ago,” Trixie explained.

“Your body needs time to adjust back to food, then,” Gregory explained, “so for now, this drip is working to get your body back up to speed. Same goes for your friends.”

Trixie nodded in understanding. “Trixie is grateful for the help,” she repeated, “and hopes to one day repay your kindness.”

It was just then that Gregory noticed a small ring that had been placed around the base of Trixie’s horn. He looked at it curiously, then back at Trixie. “Miss Trixie, did something happen to your horn?” he asked.

Trixie looked up at it, reached up a hoof, then touched the ring. “Oh! This! The doctor told Trixie that she has a magic deficiency, and because…um…Gryphonstone doesn’t have as much magic, Trixie can’t use magic for a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that Equestria does seem to have more magic than we do here,” Gabby said, looking over to Gilda. “Don’t you agree?”

Gilda nodded. “Yeah, true.”

“I wonder why that is?” Gallus said.

Gregory did too, but he instead turned back to Trixie. “Miss Trixie, you wanted to talk with us about something, and I get the feeling it’s more than just a thank you.”

Trixie nodded somberly, then to Gregory’s surprise, she dropped her normal third person speaking cadence. “I want to be the first one to apologize,” she said, “for sneaking into this city and looking for food. We were scared.”

“Scared of what?” Gregory asked. Trixie looked embarrassed now, and she looked away, clearly not wanting to say. “Hey, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to,” Gregory reassured her.

“Yeah!” Gabby interjected, giving Trixie a wide friendly smile. “We won’t hurt you here, right you guys?” She looked over at Gilda and Gallus.

“Huh?” Gallus said, a bit distracted, but when he looked at Gabby’s glare, he flinched and nodded quickly. “Y-Yeah, what she said.”

“Eh, you said sorry, and that’s pretty chill of you,” Gilda said with a nod.

“Trixie thanks you all,” the pony finally said after a while, retreating back into her third person talk, “but she has to admit, she’s still scared. She’s heard some not-so-nice stories about gryphons. That was part of why Trixie and her friends were scared.”

“Because of those stories you heard about gryphons?” Gabby asked.

“‘Part of why’?” Gilda repeated with a raised eyebrow now. “What’s the other-?”

“Gilda,” Gregory interrupted her with a stern frown, “she doesn’t have to say if she doesn’t want to.”

“Right, yeah,” Gilda said, her feather rustling a bit.

Trixie looked more uncomfortable now, so Gregory decided to change the subject. “Miss Trixie, Dr. Gabriel assures me she’ll do all that she can for all three of you.”

“Trixie is grateful, and she believes the others will be once they wake up,” Trixie replied with a small smile. A smile that faded instantly when she fell into a coughing fit.

Dr. Gabriel, who had been watching from afar, rushed over and landed next to her. “Okay, time for you to go back to bed, Miss Moon,” she admonished.

“Trixie is fine-”

“Miss Trixie, listen to the doctor, please,” Gregory interrupted Trixie’s stubborn statement.

Trixie looked at him, then back at the doctor. She nodded. The two went back through the doors back to the infirmary. When she was gone, Gregory turned back to the group. “Well, I think we should vacate and let the staff do their work.”

As they cleaned up their spot, Gabby came over and hovered next to him, patting his shoulder. “The doctors here are all good,” she said reassuringly. “Those ponies will be fine.”

Gregory nodded, giving Gabby a grateful smile before the group began heading to the door. Before they reached it, however, the door to the infirmary burst open and a voice called out, “Mr. Graystone! Wait!”

Turning, he looked at the now panting Dr. Gabriel. Alarm bells began ringing in his head as he stopped, halfway through putting his coat back on. “Is something wrong, doctor?” he asked as he removed the coat and hung it back up.

Dr. Gabriel came flying up, landing in front of him and catching her breath before she said, “One of the ponies is awake and wants to talk to you. Alone.”

Gregory was standing in front of the door that led to the open aired infirmary. The doctor was next to him, watching him patiently. He took a deep breath, exhaled, then slowly pushed the double swinging doors open. The smell of antiseptic assaulted his nostrils as he entered as well as the large echoing sound of the door opening. The infirmary hall was massive, large enough to create echoes. Near the arched ceiling he saw large windows which let in warm sunlight. The majority of the beds weren’t partitioned off since they were empty, but the one directly to his left wasn’t.

The doctor led Gregory directly to the left of the door. Each bed was separated by white partitions, and three of these beds were occupied. Well, two were and one had been. The bed in the middle was occupied by an awake but groggy looking Sunset Shimmer. Trixie was sitting next to the bed in a very comfortable looking chair similar to the one she’d been in previously.

Unlike how he and his companions had found her before, Sunset now looked cleaner, with her mane having been brushed and tended to with excellent care. Her fur had also been trimmed down to get rid of the knots in them. She was wearing a pale aquamarine hospital gown similar to the ones seen in Earth hospitals, although this one was a bit wrinkled. The leg the doctor had mentioned was in a sling and there were several bandages wrapped around various parts of her body.

Trixie looked up, and her face brightened a bit as she leaned forward and whispered something to Sunset. The latter’s eyes shot open and she locked eyes with Gregory. For a brief moment, there was a look of fear on her face before it switched to confusion, then a look of relief. “So…you found…us lying…in the gutters?” Sunset asked in a gravely and tired sounding voice.

Gregory nodded. “That’s right,” he said as he walked up to a stool that was nearby. “My friends and I found you all. May I sit?” When she slowly nodded, he sat, lowering the stool so that he could look more eye level at Sunset. “How are you feeling?”

“Like tartarus,” she groaned, “but…at least I’m not…hungry.” She gestured to the IV drip.

Gregory nodded with a small smile. “The doctor says with treatment you should be alright,” he assured her.

Sunset frowned a bit at that. “I’m surprised…that gryphons would…treat us.”

Gregory winced at that, assuming that she was referring to the border rules. “I asked that they treat you as best that they could,” he said, “and…to be honest, I’ve become something of a citywide hero.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I don’t like using that influence, but with what’s going on politically in the world, I just don’t feel right leaving wounded people to die when I know I can do something to help.”

Sunset looked a bit surprised by this, but then she gave him a grateful look and a nod. “Well…we appreciate…that.” She began to cough, so Trixie grabbed a glass of water and gave it to Sunset, who drank it eagerly. Clearing her throat, Sunset now spoke a bit more strongly and without the hesitation. “I’m not sure if Trixie here told you our names, but I’m Sunset Shimmer.”

“Gregory Graystone,” he replied, outstretching his hand automatically. Sunset flinched a bit, but then gingerly reached out her hoof. The two shook appendages in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Sunset.”

Sunset then gave a smirk. “You can just call me Sunset,” she said. “My old teacher called me that, and I’m not exactly on good terms with her at the moment.” There was a flicker of emotion that passed over her face, which Gregory couldn’t read, but could guess.

“Well alright then, Sunset,” Gregory said as he released the hand/hoofshake. “I understand you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Sunset nodded with a sudden grave expression on her face before she turned to Trixie. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Trixie looked embarrassed. “Trixie couldn’t,” she said with a sad frown. “He’s been so kind-”

“Yes he has,” Sunset agreed, “but he needs to know what happened.”

Trixie nodded, then slowly got to her feet. Walking past Gregory, she looked at him. “Mr. Gregory, promise Trixie something?”

“What is it?” Gregory asked, not liking the nervous and scared look in Trixie’s eyes.

“Promise Trixie that you won’t kick her and her friends out when Sunset tells you what happened,” she pleaded.

Gregory was completely confused now, but he only nodded. As Trixie left the partition, Sunset gestured for him to come closer. As he did so, she lowered her voice into a whisper. “I know what you are,” she said. When he gave her a sharp glare, she raised her hooves slowly. “I’m not here to accuse you of anything. I just wanted to warn you to stay away from Equestria. It’s not friendly towards your kind.”

Gregory was now more confused than ever. Sunset gave him a small knowing smile. “It’s a long story, and not one you’ll want to hear,” she said.

Gregory felt a pit forming in his stomach, similar to the one he’d felt when he learned about the name of the new changeling emperor. A sense of nausea took over, and he had to down some more water just to keep from losing his lunch. “Is this about Jason Wright?” he asked hesitantly. When Sunset nodded, his fears were confirmed. “So, he was human after all,” he muttered.

“You didn’t know?” Sunset asked, sounding shocked.

“I suspected,” Gregory said, “but I wasn’t too sure until just now.”

Sunset nodded. “I only ever saw him in the Equestria newspapers,” she said, “and you’re the first human I’ve ever met in pony. But there’s more to his story than you might know.”

Gregory steeled himself, got up from the stool, and walked over to the chair where Trixie had been sitting before. He figured he’d need a place to sit where he wouldn’t fall down in shock. “Tell me what you know,” he said.

And she did. And it further shattered Gregory down to the core.

“Gregory? Gregory? Helloooo?”

Gregory jumped a bit as he felt himself being shaken a bit frantically. He looked around, realizing that he was now in the main lobby area of the hospital. Gabby was holding his arms with her claws, a worried expression on her face. Behind her, Gilda, Gallus, and Dr. Gabriel all stood, varying degrees of worry and concern on their own faces.

“Ah, um, sorry,” he said as he looked around, finding an empty table nearby. He walked over and sat down heavily, folding his hands and looking at the floor.

“You okay, dude?” Gallus asked.

Gregory shook his head. “I’ve got a lot on my mind,” he admitted.

“Did that pony say or do something to you?” Gilda asked, and when he looked up, Gregory saw a look of anger passing over Gilda’s face as she faced the door to the infirmary. “If she said anything, I’ll-”

“She didn’t do anything to me,” Gregory quickly said, “so calm down there.”

Gilda’s feathers rustled a bit, then they settled back. Gabby sat next to him. “What did she tell you?” she asked worriedly.

He held up a hand. “Not…not now,” he said. Turning to her, he gave her a small sad smile. “I’ll tell you later when I’m done processing it, I promise.” He looked at Gilda and Gallus. “All of you.”

“Damn, it must have been a really big arrowstorm to get to you,” Gallus said. Arrowstorm was their version of the term bombshell.

“It’s…yeah,” he said, his head still swimming from what he’d learned from Sunset, who’d apparently learned it from a certain zebra mare a week after the changelings had retreated from Canterlot and what remained of Ponyville. “Pretty big bombshell.”

He felt the reassuring arm of his first friend wrap around his back. Looking up, he saw Gabby looking at him with a look of reassurance. “We’ll listen when you’re ready, and not before,” she said.

He reached up and put his hand over the claw that was on his shoulder. “Thanks,” he managed to get out. After a bit of silence, he looked up at Dr. Gabriel. “Doctor, make sure those three mares are well taken care of. Show them every bit of hospitality you and your staff can muster. I don’t want to hear any complaints from them.” There were a few gryphon hospital staff nearby who heard him speaking. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw them flinch a bit, but he ignored them as he slowly stood.

“Of course,” Dr. Gabriel said without so much as a stammer or a flinch. “Do you want to be kept informed of their progress?”

“Please,” he said.

“Very well,” she nodded. “Gabriella is our mailgryphon, so I’ll give her updates to bring to you every day, and if there’s an emergency, I’ll send a courier.”

As the doctor left the room to head back to the infirmary, Gregory slowly stood and took in a deep breath. “I’m ready to head on home,” he said with a bit of a shaky voice.

Gabby let him lean on her for support as the group left the hospital. The sun was brightly shining now, and the sky was clear, just as it had been that morning. The view from the hospital was actually one of the nicer ones as it looked west towards the Celestial Sea, the ocean between Gryphonia and Equestria. The massive forested area on the valley floor was only broken by the tiny area of land cleared for the village of Gryphonville.

As they walked down the street, Gabby looked up and spotted someone. “Garrett?” she said aloud.

A middle-aged gryphon landed in front of them, a scroll in one of his claws. He looked at Gregory, then bowed and held out the scroll to him. “Sorry for interrupting your day, Mr. Graystone,” he said, “but a message just came for you.”

Gregory took it slowly, looking it over curiously. It was a fresh piece of paper, and the seal on it was of a gryphon in profile wearing the same crown that was on the table next to the Idol that nobody could remove. “Thank you,” he said as he broke the official looking seal and unraveled the paper. He read the following:

To Gregory Graystone,

As you may very well be aware from the rumors spreading around Gryphonstone, there is a council being formed which will act out of the Eyrie and work to try and rebuild our great and proud nation. There are a clawful of gryphons already on this council, and we would like to speak to you about something important as soon as possible. If you want, you can bring your companions with you. It is a matter of great importance. We will be in the old throne room where the Idol of Boreas now lies and will be there until sunset.

Penned by,

Convocation Member Gwendolyn

Gregory raised an eyebrow as he slowly rolled up the scroll again. He’d never met a gryphon named Gwendolyn, but she sounded like a more formal type of gryphon than any he’d met before. As he lowered the scroll, he looked back up towards the Eyrie. It stood quite near to the hospital, its towers looming and imposing, but with a hidden majesty that had been lost to time and the elements. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to go. His mind wasn’t in the right place at the moment.

He turned back to the group and held up the scroll. “I’ve been asked to go to the Eyrie to meet with a few gryphons. The note said I could bring you all with me if you want to come with me.”

“May I see the note?” Gabby asked. After she and the others read over it, she looked back at him. “You don’t have to go, you know.”

“Yeah,” Gilda agreed, “it’s not like you need to be there right away.” Gallus just nodded in agreement.

Gregory took the scroll back and read it over again. The four stood just outside the hospital property line for a few minutes while he considered his options. He’d just received some rather unnerving news from Sunset, and he knew his mind wasn’t quite in the right place at the moment. However, part of him didn’t want to be rude, and he could probably use a distraction before he went back to thinking about it. He took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and momentarily putting his feelings on the information Sunset gave him aside, then opened his eyes. “No, I’ll go,” he said. “If it’s even more of the same type of news that Sunset just told me, I should hear it now.”

He felt a claw squeezing his arm. Looking down, he saw Gabby giving him an ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ type of look. He gave her a weak smile and a nod. She narrowed her eyes a bit, then sighed. “If you’re sure,” she said, “but I’m going with you. If things get too messy in there, I’m taking you out of the situation.”

“Same here,” Gilda said, crossing her arms as she hovered nearby. Gallus, who was sitting nearby watching, nodded again in affirmation, giving Gregory a thumbs up.

Gregory felt his spirits rising. He smiled more genuinely now. “Thanks, everyone,” he said, “I could definitely use the company and support. Come on, let’s go.” He took a step forward. However, he was so drained and nervous from the information that he collapsed to his knees. When the others quickly gathered around him, he looked up nervously at them. “Heh, sorry. Guess I’m still a bit out of it.”

The others looked at each other, then Gabby’s face brightened. “Well, that gives me an excuse to do this!” Gabby said, suddenly moving behind Gregory and wrapping her arms around his midsection.

“Hey, what are you doing-? Whoa!” Gregory found himself being lifted off the ground with surprising ease. “Gabby, what are you-? Hoooolyyyyy shiiiiit!” Gregory exclaimed as Gabby effortlessly shot directly into the sky. “Whoooooaaaa! Careful!” he shouted, grabbing onto her arms and clinging for dear life.

“You’ll be fine!” Gabby giggled as the two flew higher and higher into the air.

Gregory’s fear was quickly replaced with awe. It was a bit cold now since autumn was now in full swing, and what few trees were actually full of leaves were changing colors. He wasn’t sure exactly just how the city had looked before he’d opened that portal to Gaia, but he could see all of Gryphonstone now, laid out before him. There were gryphons flying around near the more ruined sections of the city and others walking around the now cleaner sections, either aiding in the impromptu rebuilding, selling wares, or enjoying the cool autumn day. “Wow…I can’t believe we’re flying,” he said softly, his varied emotions set to the side as he drank in the view before him. This had been his second time flying since coming to Gaia, and it was just as amazing as before.

Gabby laughed. “Just wait until I really let loose!” she said as she tightened her grip on the human and shot up higher, heading east towards the Eyrie.

“Whooooaaaa!” he shouted again as they zoomed up towards the massive towering structure. He felt like he was on a roller coaster, the wind blowing through his hair which had grown out slightly since coming to this world. “Haaahahaha!” he laughed as he spread his arms, letting himself trust Gabby’s strength more and pretending that he was the one actually flying. He was also letting loose some of the nervous energy that he’d felt initially upon being flown. “Woooohoooo!”

He heard Gabby laughing behind him. “Having fun??”

“So much!” he shouted back at her, a wide grin plastered on his face now.

“If you think that’s fun, wait until you feel this!” With that, Gabby reangled herself and began to dive. Gregory felt his stomach rise, and he screamed once more, partially out of fear and partially out of adrenaline induced excitement. When they were about twenty or so feet away from the ground, Gabby spread her wings wide and their descent nearly stopped. He heard her grunting as she held onto him tighter as she flew down towards the ground near the Eyrie’s entrance where the other gryphons were waiting for them.

Gilda was smirking as the two landed. Her smirk only widened as Gregory landed on all fours, holding onto the ground and trembling a bit with the adrenaline rush. “Have fun there, human?”

“Hah…hah…that was…without a doubt…the scariest…funnest…most death-defying experience I’ve ever had!” Gregory said as Gabby helped him to his feet. He was panting hard, but there was a goofy grin on his face. He tried to take a step forward, but stumbled a bit. Gabby was immediately by his side, as was Gilda who flanked him. “Heh, I’m alright,” he said. “Just…give me a minute.” He pulled out his metal bottle and drank a few large gulps before putting it away. “Aaah…that’s the ticket.” He stood up straighter, ran his hand through his hair and straightened his clothes. He felt better now and could actually walk on his own.

“You look a lot better now,” Gallus observed.

Gregory gave him a slight smirk. “You kinda get a bit distracted when being flown so high off the ground that a drop could do some serious damage,” he said as he turned back to the front gates of the Eyrie. “Just give me a few moments to catch my breath and organize my thoughts, and then we can go in.”

Minutes later, they were standing in what had once been the throne room in front of the large table where the idol, crown, sash and gold ring all still sat. There were currently three other gryphons sitting on large chairs around the tree stump table. He recognized two of them as Grandpa Gruff and the ambassador he’d met on his first full day, but the third one was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful gryphone females that he’d met. She had light brown fur, golden feathers in her plumage which fell down her sides like wavy hair, and bright green eyes. Her claws were yellow much like the majority of gryphons he’d seen. Said gryphon stood up and bowed. “Mr. Graystone, everygryphon, thank you for coming. I am Gwendolyn, Head Secretary of the Convocation. I assume you all know Grandpa Gruff and Ambassador Geoffrey?”

Gregory nodded. “Hello, everyone,” he said. “I don’t know if you’ve all met, but let me introduce my friends here.” He stepped aside and indicated the four gryphons beside him. “This is Gabriella, the first gryphon I met and the one who saved me from the Abysmal Abyss. This is Gilda, one of the best scone baking gryphons in the city and one of the best workers in the city. And this is Gallus, an amazing gryphon lad. Hardworking too.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Gwendolyn said. She then stood, walked over to one of the wooden chairs that had been placed around the table, and actually pulled it out. She did the same for the others. “Why don’t you all have a seat and we can talk?”

As the group took their seats, Gabby spoke up. “Listen, everygryphon,” she said, “Gregory just heard some pretty upsetting news earlier, so if this is more bad news, then we’re going to leave-”

“Oh no, it’s nothing of the sort,” Ambassador Geoffrey said with a wave of his claw. “In fact, I’d consider it good news.”

“Still, if you’d rather come back another day,” Gwendolyn said, now with a look of concern on her face, “we’d be more than happy to accommodate.”

Gregory shook his head, feeling a bit of relief now. “Good news is something I’m pretty sure I need right now, so I’ll stay,” he said.

With that said, the three gryphons looked at each other, then the two males looked at Gwendolyn. She nodded and straightened in her chair to face the newcomers. “Like I said in my letter to Mr. Graystone, there have been rumors circulating throughout the city about a council being formed. Those rumors are true, only we’re not being called a council. Our official name is simply the Convocation. It is our mandate to attempt to rebuild what was lost in the time before the Idol was lost to us.” She looked at the table where the Idol still rested, then looked back at the group. “We are still in the process of recruiting promising members in the hopes that we can receive many different perspectives, but as of yet we’ve only gathered the three of us.”

Gregory nodded in understanding. From what he remembered, a convocation was one name for a group of eagles, but he decided not to say anything. “I understand,” he said, “and I think that’s a great idea.” The moment those words escaped his lips, he inwardly berated himself. They obviously wouldn’t call him here for his approval. They didn’t need it. He wasn’t an official citizen anyway. “May I ask why you called me here?” he asked, trying to move past his faux pas.

Grandpa Gruff stood at that moment, coughing hard. Gregory noted that it sounded a lot like a smoker’s cough, but he ignored it as the elder gryphon looked at him. “For the past few weeks, I’ve been keepin’ my eye on you, Gregory Graystone,” he said, pointing to his one good eye, “and do you know what I’ve seen?”

“Um…no idea,” Gregory admitted with a shrug.

“You’ve been inspirin’ everygryphon around you to help make this city proud and great once more,” Gruff said, slamming his fist on the table. “There’s some amazin’ potential in that noggin of yours to do even greater things for all gryphonkind. And not just because you’re the Idol Bearer! And you haven’t asked for anythin’ in return!”

“Well, um, thank you for the high praise,” Gregory said, looking a bit sheepish, “but I was just doing the right thing by returning the Idol. It’s not mine, after all.”

“By gryphon law, it was yours,” Geoffrey said in a less harsh tone than Grandpa Gruff naturally used. “But you gave it up even though you could have sold it and earned a lot of talons.”

“Like I said, it wasn’t mine,” Gregory repeated.

“You’re showin’ true pride, just like a gryphon would,” Grandpa Gruff said before falling into a coughing fit.

“What Grandpa Gruff and Ambassador Geoffrey are trying to say,” Gwendolyn said in her melodious tone of voice as Gruff grabbed a glass of water from the table, “is that you deserve a reward for all your hard work. And we have a couple of rewards for you. First, this.” She pointed at a stack of papers, a singular paper next to it, and a large leather bag. “Go ahead and take it.”

Gregory walked up and picked up the papers first. He looked them over carefully, and his eyes widened. Citizenship. He had been granted complete Gryphonian citizenship. He was stunned, unable to fathom just how this was possible. He looked over the paperwork carefully, noting that the date on the bottom read as the first day he’d arrived. He certainly wasn’t expecting this. Looking up at the three gryphons, he was stunned to see a quill pen being pushed towards him with an ink bottle next to it. “All it needs is your signature,” Gwendolyn said with a genuine smile.

He gently put the paper down, then grabbed the pen. He looked down at the paper, then at the pen, then back at his new friends. Gabby was giving him a thumbs up, Gilda was giving him a look that said ‘Get it over with, fucker’, and Gallus was simply nodding at him. This wasn’t at all the life he’d expected when he first came to this world. It was a bit overwhelming.

“Is something wrong?” Gwendolyn asked, sounding worried. “Did we assume too much? Do you need to leave now?”

Gregory shook his head. “N-No, sorry. I’m just a bit…overwhelmed is all. You’ve all been far too kind and accepting of me,” he said with a wide smile. “Sorry, I know I’m being a bit sappy.”

“Just sign the damn papers, Gregory!” Gilda shouted with a halfcocked smirk on her face.

“Right, yeah…” he said as he dipped the pen into the ink bottle. He’d gotten used to using them ever since coming to Equestria, even getting some practice in back on Earth before coming here. With a flourish, he signed his full name: Gregory Eugene Graystone.

“Excellent,” Gwendolyn said as she took two of the papers with her, each of which now had his same signature on them as if they had been signed by magic. “One of these are for our records and one is a spare in case yours is damaged or lost.” She then pointed to the single piece of paper. “This is the second part of your first reward.”

He reached down and picked it up and was floored even further. It was a deed. A deed to the plot of land where he was currently living. Looking up, the smiling face of the female gryphon locked eyes with me. “That plot of land where you’re living now was once owned by a long-dead imperial noble family,” she explained, “and it’s just been sitting and collecting dust, so to speak, for decades. We, as the Convocation, have the authority now to gift it to whoever we please, and you’ve done enough that you’ve earned it. That includes the fresh well, too.”

“And that’s not all,” the Ambassador said with a grin. “We will be building a house for you there. Well, once we’ve set aside the talons for it,” he admitted with a little nervousness.

“We’ve put together a crack team of gryphons to create plans for it,” Gwendolyn said. “I understand you’re sleeping in something called a camper, correct?”

“Um, yes I am,” he said.

“I’ve seen it from the air, I believe,” she said, “and it looks pretty cramped.”

“It’s not a mansion,” he admitted, “but it’s been working well so far.” In fact, it had been working better than that. He had no idea why, but he had confirmed that his solar panels kept his camper completely powered, even during some of the rainier days that had already come since autumn started. They had even worked during nighttime somehow, as had his portable solar powered power banks. He had a space heater that kept his camper warm during the cold nights, and a heated blanket if that wasn’t enough. Not to mention, he still had plenty of human food and had begun getting used to the gryphon cuisine, which was extremely varied.

“We wanted to give you more space,” Gwendolyn said. “There’s no rush, and if you feel like you don’t want it, you can refuse. You have time to consider. We can’t start construction until spring, anyway.”

He took in a few deep breaths before pulling out his water bottle again to sip from it. It was nearly empty by that point, so Gwendolyn offered some from a glass pitcher. He almost declined, but decided it would be rude to not accept. He downed the rest, then took the pitcher. To his surprise, the water inside was crystal clear. When he looked at it curiously, Grandpa Gruff spoke up. “Yeah, I know our water ain’t that pretty,” he said, “but this water we dug up special from another new well we found. The well on your new land has water like this too.”

Gregory nodded, pouring some and taking a tentative sip. He was surprised that the water tasted fresh, much more so than the bottled water he had. He closed the lid, then secretly rummaged through his bag, slipping a water purification tablet inside the bottle. As he was doing this, he said, “Thank you, and not just for the water. You’ve already been really kind to me so far, and I really do appreciate it.”

“It’s the least we could do for helping us,” Grandpa Gruff said.

Gwendolyn then pointed to the bag on the table. “Don’t forget the final part of your first reward.”

Gregory reached across the table, took it and lifted it, surprised at how heavy it was. However, he was further surprised by the jingle he could hear from inside. He undid the bag and looked inside, only to see a large pile of shiny golden talons. He looked up at them. “How…how much is in here?” he asked.

“One thousand talons, Mr. Graystone,” Geoffrey said.

He was floored. “That’s…wow…” he looked down at the open bag, then back at the gryphons at the table. Slowly, he closed the bag and set it back on the table in front of him. “Are you really sure about this?” he asked. He knew that gryphons didn’t give out rewards easily. Not only that, but he felt guilty for accepting all three of these gifts, but the looks on the faces of every gryphon there told him that it would be okay.

“Very sure,” Gwendolyn said. “You’ve more than earned them.”

Nodding, he slipped the bag of talons inside his backpack along with both pieces of paper. He looked back at them. “I…how can I ever repay you?”

Grandpa Gruff’s smile became a smirk. “Well…there’s one thing you can do, sonny.”

“Grandpa Gruff, please,” Gwendolyn said, “I said I would tell him, not you.” She then looked back at him. “And please understand, there is no pressure on you to answer yes or no today or anytime soon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the grumpy older gryphon said with a wave of his claw.

Gwendolyn stood, walked around the table, and came to stand right in front of Gregory. “Now, please understand, this offer is something that you can very much refuse.” Gregory heard the shocked gasps from behind him from his friends, but Gwendolyn ignored them as she continued. “Grandpa Gruff isn’t the only gryphon who’s been watching you, sir. I’ve seen how other gryphons follow you. I’ve seen gryphons who were once the laziest and meanest bastards in the city pick up a shovel or hammer and begin working to rebuild. It wasn’t just the Idol’s light that changed them. It was watching how you, an outsider, would just selflessly spend most of your free time helping when you didn’t need to. A lot of gryphons like you, Mr. Graystone. We performed a secret survey around the city, and a lot of gryphons thought you would be the perfect fit for what we’re about to ask of you.”

“Why do I have the feeling you’ve…actually, no, forget I said that,” he said, realizing that him accusing them of bribing him would have been even ruder than refusing. “What is it?”

Gwendolyn gave him a self-deprecating smile. “If you were about to say we were bribing you, I’ll be honest, that was a part of why we gave you those gifts. But it wasn’t the main reason. We here really wanted to give you this. We owe you a debt that we can’t repay, but this is a start. We hope.”

Gregory swallowed. “Well, what do you want me to do?” he asked curiously.

She looked back at the two male gryphons, both of whom nodded at her. She nodded back, turning back to Gregory. “As I said before, we’re still looking for members to be part of the Convocation, and it’s clear that you are well-liked here. The Convocation’s mandate is to attempt to rebuild our land into a nation, not just some mix of city-states across Gryphonia. I’ve heard of your suggestions of improvements that can be applied to construction, and those sorts of suggestions would be invaluable to Gryphonia. Would you consider joining this Convocation as a member and give us a human perspective on things?” When Gregory’s eyes went wide, Gwendolyn quickly added, “You have time to think about it, but a lot of gryphons believe you’re the perfect creature for the job.”

“W…wow…a Convocation member?” Gregory repeated, still unable to process that they’d ask him to take a leadership role in this country even when he wasn’t a gryphon. “Are you sure you want me?”

“The gryphons of Gryphonstone like you,” Geoffrey interjected before Gwendolyn could reply, “and a few of them even see you as more than Convocation member material. I’ve heard that they would love to see you as a Chancellor, some even as Emperor.”

“You’ve changed Gryphonstone forever,” Grandpa Gruff said, “Of course they’d think you’re the best choice!”

“That…that’s a really big decision,” Gregory said.

“Take your time to think about it,” Gwendolyn said, giving him a reassuring look. “There’s really no pressure.”

“Here, take this,” Geoffrey said, holding out a small booklet. “This pamphlet was written by us over the course of a few days. It explains what being a Convocation member would entail and should help with your decision. To be honest, it isn’t as hard of a job as it sounds.”

“Just as an aside, we are seeking other members as we speak,” Gwendolyn said, “so I hope that alleviates the pressure.”

“Yeah, thank you,” Gregory said, taking the booklet with a trembling hand. “I’ve gotta say, today’s been full of surprises…I’m really at a loss for words.”

“We understand,” Gwendolyn said with a sympathetic smile, “and we’ll wait for your decision. And I’m sorry we sprung this on you at a bad time.”

“Thank you,” he repeated, “but I chose to come here. I’m the kind of person who would prefer to hear news as fast as possible regardless of whether it’s good or bad. Was there, well, anything else?”

“For the moment, no,” Gwendolyn said. “Thank you for taking time out of your day to come down here, though. We all hope you have a pleasant day.”

After the others said their own goodbyes, Gregory walked towards the door which led to the main hallways of the Eyrie. As he walked, Gabby and Gilda flanked him. He was in his own little world, his mind reeling from everything that happened in the past hour or so. He looked back at the three who were walking alongside him. “I think I need a nap or to lie down at least,” he said with a shake of his head.

“No shit,” Gallus said.

“I’ll walk you home,” Gabby said worriedly as she gave him a gentle nuzzle, like that of a cat rubbing against someone.

“I’d like that, thank you,” he said.

“You’d better come find us when you wake up and tell us whatever it was that pony told you in the hospital,” Gilda said.

He gave her a weak smile. “I promise.”

“I’ll come find you when he wakes up,” Gabby said.

As Gallus and Gilda flew away, Gregory looked at Gabby. “You’re staying with me?”

“Gregory, something big happened in there,” she said softly, “and I don’t want you to be alone right now.”

He smiled, a grateful tear falling down his cheek as he reached down and ran his hand through her plumage. “Thank you,” he whispered gratefully. He walked home with her, mind still reeling from everything. What was he to do about all of this information? He had no idea, but he was just grateful that he had three friends that cared about him and that he cared about.

The walk back to the camper was quiet. A few gryphons flew past and noticed that Gregory didn’t look well, but Gabby always covered for him, explaining that he was simply tired. When they reached his camper, he quickly changed into something a bit more comfortable while Gabby waited outside, then he let her back in. He then collapsed onto the bed, covering himself with the covers. Gabby crawled underneath with him and pressed herself against him, a slight sound like a purr emanating from her. She even put one wing across his body. This was soothing enough that it settled Gregory’s racing mind and let him drift into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.