The DESTINY Exploration

Chapter 12: Giefan

The old order has been in power for multiple centuries, and the Griffon Kingdom has remained strong through it all. Besieged by many foes, including the Changelings, Lunar Republic, and rogue griffons from the eastern nests; this Kingdom has endured through harsh climates of war and rebellion. But this time, it may not last.

King Gilgar once stood tall as a humble, gallant ruler over the land. But one day, many centuries ago, his magic corrupted him and his decisions, turning the empire from one that strived for peace through power into a nation that bloodlusts for territory and enslavement of its victims. All is not well.

I am Giefan, and I just recently rose up the ranks to become a lieutenant of the Kingdom’s 2nd Airborne Infantry Division. They used my physical strength and intelligence in the last insurrection well; the capital of the Kingdom, Grokant, is formidable. It rests in a sea of mountain tops carved out for tens of thousands of griffons to nest.

In the Serpent Valleys are toxic rivers saturated with iron and mercury deposits, making a land invasion impossible. The Grokant See is a refuge for our brothers and sisters who struggle with the conflict outside its natural walls. I am its protector, and the King has relied on my cunning and organizational skills for its defense.

But being around my lord for these past few months, I’ve begun to doubt my service to His Majesty. The corrupt magic he wields has indeed made us secure, but his escalating callousness towards our neighbors across the oceans concerns me. I fear a war might be started; in secret, I’ve discussed this with a couple of my most trusted lieutenant comrades, and all share equally in my worry. Perhaps the eastern territories had it right: the King’s mind is imprisoned by dark magic.

“Hey Giefan! Quiet down will ya? Don’t let them hear those words…”

“Sorry, Gilgamesh…I was being a bit loud there. I know your father wouldn’t be pleased to hear his son is planning a coup d’état.”

Gilgamesh was my equal in rank, but in status, he was the King’s lone heir to the throne. One day, Gilgamesh was going to be asked to make the flight atop the Mount Balcor. It was the same place that King Gilgar discovered a magical rock that blessed him with his magic. Gilgamesh was expected to receive the same blessing on his 20th birthday, and soon after, ascend to his princehood and receive training.

“Listen, Giefan, you know that I don’t want the throne. If it means turning into the monster my father has become, I want no part. Don’t let me fly up there, okay?”

I hesitated to answer, so I gave a firm nod. I didn’t want my best friend to risk his neck for me, but he’s already doing so by denying his crown. Suddenly, I hear the furious battering of wings approaching our corridor in the See. Two sentries approached us from the direction of the throne room.

“Lieutenants, the King requests your presence immediately.”

We made our way to the throne room with haste; the King never calls us away from our patrol unless there is a mission or immediate need to address. As we entered the room, the King was in a heated argument with his generals. A map of the Kingdom lay in front of the throne, with figurines of griffons scattered all over the eastern side of the map.

The king threw his claws into the air, and a burst of green light shot from his arms and shattered the chandelier above us. We braced our bodies, avoided getting scratched by the shards of glass.

“How in Tartarus did they defeat us? Explain yourself, my most elite commanders!”

One of the taller generals coughed and responded. “Well, sire, they produced smaller numbers, but were spirited and broke through our ranks like claws into butter. There was nothing we can do.”

The King’s glare grew murderous. “I have gifted my army with the absolute best training possible, and you fail?! It is virtually impossible to lose, and yet you find a way! Who are these griffons that they think they can…oppose ME?!”

The King began to charge his magic, and a dark haze filled the room. A quake shook us to the ground, as His Majesty’s eyes seeped out a purple and black smoke. The whole assembly screamed out in agony, with the generals begging the King to stop. The power subsided, and King Gilgar turned to us, the new members of the party.

“…My son and his friend. You didn’t tarry, that is good. I have a task for both of you. Something that these BUFFOONS aren’t capable in dealing with quickly.”

Gilgamesh and I bowed, then I responded. “How may we serve you, my King?”

“I want the both of you to travel across the sea.”

I looked up, surprised, then tucked my head down. “The…the sea, sire?”

The King motioned us to stand, and paced in front of the throne.

“Do either of you know anything about the continent beyond our shores?”

Gilgamesh called out his answer. “There are ponies over there, sir, all different kinds of them. The live in a land called Equestria. Their rulers are unicorns with wings, and they are very powerful.”

The King corrected his son. “Alicorns, my son. Alicorns rule over all of those ponies. The reason I am sending you over there is to enlist their aid. The eastern territory is becoming increasingly difficult to subdue. I believe that they have acquired magic.”

I stood up in shock. No griffon has the ability to perform magic but the King!

“You must go to Equestria, contact Princess Celestia, and request that she grant me a regiment of unicorns to combat this new threat.”

Gilgamesh stood in disbelief. “Father, how can this be?! Only you can perform magic, no other griffon in the Kingdom has this ability!”

“SILENCE. I know magic when I feel it. Somehow, there is a wielder of powerful magic in their ranks. As of this moment, they are traitors to the crown, and no longer associated with the empire. They are our enemies.”

“But Father, they are fellow griffons who are fed up with…”

The King glanced at his son with a penetrating stare. “Fed up with what, boy? You watch your words, or I may number you among my foes. You serve your King, or you perish.”

Gilgamesh bowed his head, retreating to his spot in the room. Then the both of us were dismissed.

Both Gilgamesh and I made our way out of the throne room and to our quarters. It was apparent that both of us did not want to leave the country, in fear of what might transpire during our absence.

“Giefan, this is a serious attempt at creating an authoritarian regime. He’s masking it as squashing a rebellion. But the eastern nests know the truth; they haven’t raised a claw against the King until he started razing villages!”

This is true. The King started this conflict, and lied by saying the griffons in the east had plotted to rebel. They only rebel now because they are being brutally assaulted!

“Gil. We should head to Equestria right away.”

My friend was dumbfounded. “Right now?! Without the King’s direct knowledge beforehand? You’re insane!”

I pulled out parchment. “We have his seal and dispatch. We can legally leave anytime. Plus…Equestria might help us deal with our mutual ‘problem’.”

“Giefan, you don’t believe that Celestia would help us take the King’s throne, would you? We don’t even know if these ponies have the strength to handle a task like that. Gilgar is practically invincible! He countered an invasion of a thousand changelings with a single spell!”

I pondered his line of thinking, but remained resolute. “You have been my closest comrade since I was adopted into the See. Without you and your father, I would still be abandoned in that ravine. But now that I see his reasons for keeping me were for a show of strength, I can no longer sit here while you and the rest of my people suffer! We must go.”

Gilgamesh nodded, and grinned brightly. “Then let’s fly!”

Both of us took off like lightning, and we traveled west towards the coast. Our contact in the port city of Gull was the lovely dove of a griffon, Gilda, Gilgamesh’s sister and, more importantly, the King’s daughter. She was the deputy governess of Gull, but her primary role was as the liaison to Equestria. Gilda knows Equestria more than any griffon in the Kingdom, having gone to school there as a child.

We approached the post at the summit of the outlook, and walked inside her quarters. We sensed no one inside, and Gilgamesh was concerned. His guard immediately went up.

“Giefan, you don’t think she forgot we were coming-“

Suddenly, a screech sounded, followed by Gilgamesh being tackled from above by his sister. They tumbled on the floor, struggling for leverage over the other griffon. Gilda planted her paws firmly on her brother’s shoulders, pinning him to the ground.

“Heh, still got the moves! You need to work on your strength, seeing how you can’t even best the hens of this town!”

Gilgamesh felt insulted, but cackled aloud. “Ha! Says the lady who got outmatched by a pegasus in the Cloudsdale 500! How embarrassing!”

Gilda’s eyes shifted anxiously. “Huh?! That was a fluke, and you KNOW IT!”

“Nah nah nah! Gilda is a slowpoke!” Gilgamesh continued to taunt his sister as she chased him around the room.

Gilda finally noticed the third griffon in the room. “Oh! Hey Chief!” She gave me a fist to the shoulder, her way of greeting me. I returned the gesture.

“What’s going on Gilda? Your father sent us on a mission to Equestria. I don’t-“

“Equestria?! Why would he send you all the way out there for? Is he planning something big? Boy, I can’t wait to hear about this one!” Gilda looked excited. She still held some loyalty to her father, even after his dark magic surfaced.

“Your father wants Gilgamesh and I to enlist unicorns to ally with our main front in the east. He seems to believe there is a practicing magician among the ranks of the rebellion there.”

Gilda shook her head and her mouth hung open. “But only dad can perform magic here, Gil! What the heck is this?”

Gilgamesh responded swiftly. “Sister, this is what father says, and he must be serious if he’s making us leave the Kingdom.”

“But, our father has never struggled against any other magician before. Not since his days in the Guild.” Gilda sat on all fours of her bed, looking down in a gloomy defeat.

I walked up to her bedside, and began to explain some of our thoughts. “Gilda, we know you love your father very much. I did as well, but there is something very strange about his dealings. We had never even heard of a rebellion brewing in the east, and we’ve traveled and dealt kindly with the griffons there. No seeds of bitterness were present. And now, all of a sudden, a civil war is breaking out?”

Gilda gave me an angry look. “How dare you question my father’s integrity, you piece of-“

“Stop this, sister!” Gilgamesh stepped forward in my defense. “Sister, quit denying reality: we’ve lost our father to his evil magic! We need to find a solution to this issue, and fast. He’s going to drive our people into the dirt, and they are innocent!”

Gilda squirmed and began to tear up, shouting, “Our father would never…oh, he is! He is! Why did he become this way, Gil?!”

“Sister, it was that damn meteor! He shouldn’t have touched that thing so long ago. Griffons were never meant to use magic, it just is beyond us. We don’t need it to be strong.”

“…you’re right, brother.” Gilda motioned to me. “Giefan, you are one of my closest friends, and I am glad that we found you. Please, take this.”

Gilda handed me a scroll with her seal upon it. She informed me it was a special summons given to her by a pegasus friend she had in Cloudsdale. It would permit me passage into the palace, and grant me an audience with the Princess herself. I took it and tucked it in my right pouch with care. We said our goodbyes, with Gilgamesh giving his sister a minute-long hug before taking off into the skies.

The ocean is huge. That’s as plain as can be said; the divide between the Griffon Kingdom and the land of ponies is vast. A consistent flight would take us about a day to reach the shores of Equestria. Sunset to sunset is how long it took to reach the coastline; our wings were strong, and the trip took about half of our energy. We landed in the city of Manehatten, and stopped into the customs office to check in, per Gilda’s instruction.

The pony at the desk fumbled his pen, and stared at the two of us. “Griffons! We haven’t had your kind in our building for almost a year! Welcome to Manehatten!”

I replied to the secretary. “Thank you, sir. We have a summons from Princess Celestia to meet her in Canterlot. Could you please show us a map, so we can fly there?”

The secretary coughed and chuckled. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that. All foreigners are restricted from air travel across the continent unless giving expressed instructions from the Princess. You have to take the train.”

I frowned deeply, but accepted his terms. “Very well, where is the station?”

Just outside of the customs office was the east station to take us to Canterlot. Both of us silently climbed onto the train car, and soon after, we departed from Manehatten. It was incredible how quickly we arrived in Equestria, considering very few griffons are permitted to leave the country.

According to the map, we exited a dark tunnel and appeared between the Neighagra Falls and Foal Mountains, and Canterlot was in the distance. The sun began to set behind the mount Canterlot rest upon, and the sun shone a dark red aura around the city. The sights in this land enchanted me, causing within me a bit of jealousy; we had nothing this grand or beautiful in our country outside of the tallest mountain tops and the beaches. Everything was magnificent and regal in Equestria, and I understood why the King kept griffons from traveling here: who would want to leave?

The train entered Canterlot’s system of mountain tunnels, and we shortly arrived at Canterlot Station. Our exit of the train was greeted by a vibrant nightlife, with ponies scattered across the city enjoying their late night activities. Restaurants were filled to the brim, stores were struggling to transact their customers; it was self-indulgence in the most radical sense.

Our trek to the castle was only stalled by the massive throngs of ponies that saturated the city streets. We finally arrived at the castle gates, where two Royal Guards blocked our entry onto the castle grounds.

“Sorry, but official business must take place during daylight hours only. I apologize for the convenience.” The two guards returned to attention in front of the gate.

I replied to them. “But sirs, it is really urgent we speak with Her Royal Highness right away.”

The sounded a similar response. “Daylight hours only. Please leave.”

I pulled out the official summons, and showed it to one of the guards. He received it, and read it over, then suddenly shook violently and fumbled with his spear.

“What’s wrong, Mythril?!”

“This-this-this-this-this-“ The other guard swiped the summons from his hand.

“Kuh…KING GILGAR. But what does he want with us?!”

“Obsidian, warn the Princess immediately!” The other guard left for the inner castle grounds in a flash.

I pointed at Mythril, the remaining guard. “Excuse me! What is the meaning of this?!”

“We haven’t heard communications from King Gilgar in over three hundred years! He is deemed a threat to the safety of Equestria, as are you two who represent that king!”

A threat?! Why did they see the King as a threat? I know that he’s evil now, but before he was merciful and just. What happened between him and Equestria that caused this?

Obsidian returned frantically, motioning the guard to open the gates. With hesitation, Mythril opened the gates to the castle, allowing us passage.

“You both go straight to the Princess, and nowhere else. You will be watched.”

Gilgamesh and I entered the palace, where we discovered an ornate array of royal artifacts and jewelry. The stained glass windows featured a history of the many conflicts in the land, and every corridor was lit with torches, helping us find our way to the throne room. The doors loomed over us, taunting our steps and intimidating us. Gilgamesh couldn’t move, and I had a hard time lifting my paw to open the doors.

“Giefan, what’s wrong?”

I stared at him, mockingly. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with you, wittle kitten? You can hardly move with quaking!”

Gilgamesh shoved me aside, and opened the doors. Inside stood the Princess, off of her throne, chatting calmly with her scribe and two guards, likely about the summons they had received. The scribe took our parchment, and blew into it, dissolving it into a green smoke. They noticed our entry, and the guards stood in front of the Princess, ready to defend her.

Princess Celestia brushed between her guards as they looked at her, fearful of her approach. She lifted a hoof at them to stop, and they relented. Then she addressed her griffon guests.

“Good evening, gentlecolts. What business does the Griffon King have with Equestria?”

Gilgamesh addressed her first. “Your Highness, I am the King’s son, Gilgamesh, and this is my friend and fellow lieutenant, Giefan.”

Princess Celestia shifted her gaze to me, and I shifted on my paws. Then she whispered, “Giefan…so you’ve come.”

I peered into her eyes. “Do…did you know I would come?!”

Gilgamesh looked as surprised as I was. “Wait, what’s going on, Your Highness?”

“Sirs, I’ve been expecting a visitation from you griffons for many centuries. Your timing could not have been more providential. It is time for Gilgar to atone for his crimes, and you two are the ones that will help me bring him to justice.”