Chapter 52
The next morning was a quiet one. Nopony spoke at breakfast. Well, nopony I cared to hear. Blueblood was spouting his nonsense, though I was completely uninterested in what he had to say. However, it wasn’t long before somepony else had had enough, judging from his grunt and glaring scowl at Cadance.
It was true that Celestia and I shared a hug and a laugh, but our argument was far from settled. She still felt that she was right and I was too stubborn to see any other viewpoint. I had been hurt that she had even asked Gurfon to lock me away. I was even more hurt that he had gone along with it. The fact that they had both decided not to tell me what was going on and let me make my own decision only made me angrier.
“I beg your pardon, your highnesses, but King Gurfon has just arrived outside the palace.”
“Very good. Please see him into the throne room. We shall be there shortly,” Celestia ordered.
“Shall I join you there, or should I go and pack my trunk?”
Celestia didn’t answer and Luna looked… disturbed by my statement. If there was anypony alive who knew what might come of a family argument, it was her.
Ten minutes later found us in the throne room. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, with Shining Armor nearly attached to her hip, and myself met Gurfon, Fortis, and Filia in the suddenly very cold room. We were alone there, even the guards were told to wait outside. It made everything seem all the more forbidding and somehow cruel.
“King Gurfon, welcome,” Celestia greeted.
“Thank you, Princess. I am very pleased to see that you are well and that your citizens are safe. I only wish that my visit was for a better cause.”
“As do I. You are here to reclaim my son as your captive, as is to be expected since he had damaged your home and threatened your guards during his escape.” Celestia looked at me over her shoulder, but I was only staring ahead at nothing. “I wonder if, in light of recent events, I could possibly sway you toward allowing him to complete his sentence here at home.”
“Princess, as you stated, the prince has done damage to my home and made threats against my countrymen.” Gurfon lowered his head and took two steps forward. “You know, as well as anyone, how much I admire the colt, but I cannot allow such blatant disrespect for my realm and disregard for my authority just go by the wayside. I’m afraid I must insist on him returning to my custody.”
Celestia took two steps of her own. From what I could see of her face, I could tell she was a little more than displeased. She breathed deeply in her preparation to speak, but she was interrupted.
“I beg your pardon, your highness, but there are visitors here to see you,” a guard peeking through the door told us.
“And I said I was not to be disturbed!” Celestia scolded.
“I beg your pardon, Princess, but I was addressing the prince.”
All eyes were suddenly on me. “Um… who is it?”
“Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts and two citizens of Ponyville.”
I looked around and was answered with only surprised looks. “Send them in, I guess.”
The door opened a little further and a tiny, light-purple streak rocketed up the red carpet and latched itself onto my legs. I recognized the streak and immediately found myself in a better mood. Playful foals always seem to do that to me.
“Dinky! Get back here!” Derpy cried out to her little girl as she trotted toward us with a wide-eyed Wonderbolt captain beside her, a visible sweat forming on her brow.
I leaned down and plucked the filly of my shin and cradled her in my arms. “I’ve got her, Derpy,” I told her as I tickled the little, fluffy tummy of Dinky. “Though I think I just may have keep her this time.”
“Princess Celestia, please excuse our interruption,” Spitfire begged as she and Derpy bowed. “I only wished to come and thank the prince for yesterday morning.”
“Oh,” Luna started, “and just what did my nephew do for you yesterday?”
Spitfire looked back and forth as if the question was a ridiculous one. “Did he not tell you? He saved that unicorn filly he’s holding now. Poor thing was stuck up in Cloudsdale all alone after Tirek took our flight from us.” Spitfire looked at Derpy and smiled. “Just seeing a member of the royal family still fighting for us, it gave us hope.”
“And he gave me my little Muffin back.”
“*Ahem* I will admit that seeing Chris on the palace grounds lifted my spirits,” Shining added. “I know it may not be my place, but I would say that it was a good thing that Chris escaped the Griffin Kingdom and came back here.”
“Be that as it may, the problem we are here to resolve is of a criminal act against my people,” King Gurfon stated. “It pains me to even bring it up, but I feel that justice must be carried out.”
“Wait, what’s going on here? What justice? What crime?” Spitfire asked with a concerned expression.
Celestia explained for her. “After the Games, your prince assaulted a griffin and could have caused serious injury if he hadn’t been stopped. It had been agreed, between the two families, that Christopher would be sent to spend a moon with the king as a type confinement. After Tirek attacked us, Chris destroyed a portion of the castle during his escape and threatened some guards. King Gurfon wishes to bring Chris back to the Kingdom to carry out reparations.”
“He’s not gonna hurt’em is he?” Dinky asked.
“Of course not!” Gurfon nearly shouted. “I consider the prince to be family and would never do anything to hurt him.”
“Then you just want to lock him away?” Derpy asked. “That’s so mean.”
“Um, Derpy, I think you and I should leave the royals to their business,” Spitfire said. “I’m starting to get the feeling that this is something we really shouldn’t be a part of.”
“I believe that would be best, Captain,” Shining agreed. “Although it’s good to know that you’re safe.”
“Aww… but I want to stay with Chris a little while longer,” Dinky whined.
“Sorry, Dinky, but you have to go with your mommy.” I placed the little filly on the back of her mother.
“Okay,” she sighed.
After they left, I decided it was time that I added my two bits. “King Gurfon, I know that my behavior while in your custody was less than becoming of a man in my position, but I implore you to allow me to remain here in Equestria. A lot of damage has been done by Tirek and I need to be here to help make it right.”
“And what of the damage done to my home?” Filia asked.
“If it would appease the king, I would willingly accompany you all back to the capital and make a formal apology, I’ll even make the repairs myself, but I won’t stay there any longer than I have to.”
Gurfon seemed to consider this. “Very well. Given the circumstances, I will agree to your terms. You, Christopher Sol, shall return to Gryphe Nidum with me. There, you will remain until the reparations are made. After that, you will be free to return home.”
“Agreed,” Celestia nodded. She then whispered into my ear, “That was a very mature compromise, and I’m very proud of you.”
I may not have been too very happy with Celestia at the moment, but it still felt good to know I had her approval.
*****
“… and so, I offer you my most sincere apologies. These griffins were simply obeying the orders of their king and I should not have lashed out at them for it. I am truly, very sorry.” The small crowd of reporters were busily writing down every word I said to the gathered mass of guards.
The largest, and clearly most battle tested, of the guards stepped forward. We stared each other down for a moment or two, this guy looked like he could do some serious damage to anyone he wanted to. Even in my full-on rage I don’t think I could take him without magic and a lot of backup. Then he thrust out a large talon. I gripped it with my own hand and shook it.
“I, Fortitudo, head of the Royal Guard, accept your apology.”
I nodded respectfully. We held our positions while photos were snapped. After a few minutes of smiling for cameras, we all went back to our appointments for the day. I had stones to lay and Fortitudo had guards to train.
I made my way through the halls to the area of the castle that I crawled through during my last visit. I wanted to fix the damage as quick as I could so I get back to Fluttershy. Gurfon had been trying to get me to talk to him like before, but I was still too upset and I was being too stubborn to have any of it.
“Look, all I’m saying is that you don’t have to be in such a hurry. You can take your time with the repairs and enjoy a little down time after this whole Tirek mess.”
“And all I’m saying is I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be. No offense to you, your highness, I just miss my mare and my home.”
“ ‘Your highness’? Whatever happened to Uncle?” Gurfon was smiling uneasily.
I wanted to yell. I wanted to turn on him and let him know exactly what was on my mind. Instead, I set the stone I was holding in its place, stood up straight, took a deep breath and let it out. “Uncle lied to me and locked me away while the rest of my family, friends, and citizens were scared for their lives.” I spoke evenly and didn’t even turn my head as I laid more mortar in preparation for the next stone. “Right now, I don’t know if I’ll ever see Uncle again.”
Gurfon didn’t say anything. In fact, he didn’t even move for a few seconds. When he did move, the first thing he did was to pick up a stone a set it in place. “You’re right. I handled it wrong. You’re mother thought that keeping you here and ignorant of the events in Equestria would have been the best way to protect you, but… If I had it to do again, I would have told you everything, but I still would have tried to keep you here. I am sorry I lied to you,” Gurfon picked up another stone and placed it, “but I’m not sorry for trying to keep you safe.”
We worked together in silence for a while, then I said to the king, “You know, you’re the first one in this whole mess to admit an error on their part. Even I’m too stubborn to admit it.”
“Maybe, but you’re still young,” Gurfon chuckled, “the young are allowed to be stubborn.”
I placed the final stone in its place. “There, finished. Listen, I don’t hate you, I don’t think I could, but I’m still angry.” I leaned against the wall and slid down it until I made contact with the floor. “I’m so very angry at those that have been family for the last sixteen years. Mom kept me in the dark and made you do the same thing.” I pulled the five feathers out of my shirt and held them up. “I’m actually so mad at Mom that I almost left her feather behind. If it weren’t for the others being attached permanently, I would have. I don’t want to be so angry anymore.”
Gurfon sat next to me against the wall. “I can’t pretend to understand what your alicorn blood does to your human mind, but I do understand anger. Griffins are taught from very young age to be warriors. The most prominent memories I have of my father are of him telling that I needed to be stronger, faster and braver than any other griffon because I was to be the king. I never seemed to be good enough for him.” Gurfon shook his head at the memory. “He made me kill my first stag when I was only five. I was just a chick, Chris, even younger than when you came here to Equus. You know what he said when I brought down that creature? He said ‘stop crying, act like the king you were born to be’. I hated him for always treating me like that. I still do. When he died, I swore I would never treat my own chicks that way so that they wouldn’t have to be as angry as me.”
“Wow. Any advice on how to get past all this?”
“You’ve got a mare, right?”
“Yeah, Fluttershy. She’s a great mare. I love her more than anything.”
“Then that’s it. You’ve got someone to love and care about and to care about you. When I met my Sponsa, everything changed. She made me who I am more than my father ever did. When she sank her talons into me, she let out all the hate and bitterness and anger that I had in me.” Gurfon took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “She left me with two great chicks and a whole life’s worth of glorious beautiful memories. Now, any time I feel those old feelings creep up from the pits of my soul, I think of Sponsa’s smiling face and soft feathers, and all that… stuff just drifts away.”
I looked at him and decided to not see the single tear roll down his face. This Sponsa of his must have been quite the lady. He had a point though. Fluttershy was the one to pull me out of my funk every time. Before her, it was Roseluck, and there was always Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and all the other ponies who’ve always been there for me. Since the very first day I came to this world, they’ve all been there for me. Always.
I stood up and stretched. “You’re right, Gurfon. I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing. You and Mom didn’t keep me here to keep me away. You did it to keep me safe. Deep down, I knew that, but something wouldn’t let me see it. Something kept telling me that you were against me. It was like I couldn’t see it as anything other than a personal attack. I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s alright, Chris. As I said, I was young once too. For now, how about we get you something to eat before we send you home?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Excellent. Guard, get the cooks to grill us some sirloin and bake some potatoes. We have some international relationships to amend.”
And so began my newest healing process.
Glad this messy business is concluding.
Great chapter. lets see what happens now.
Don't worry we understand and how things are, this are becoming more interesting at the moment I can't wait to see if he will be confronted by his own version of Nightmare Moon like an awesome and super powered Jekill and Hyde
Nice chapter I'm expecting more great chapters like this.
exultant chapter it sounds like Chris is finally able to move on in life. he really needs to spend some time with just Fluttershy and him self to just unwind and forgive every one in his life.
Harts Fire
There's the truth Chris' anger and frustration was blinding him to. He might not have have liked being lied to, but they did have the better intentions in mind for the relatively harmless trouble it cased.
I would still be pissed with them.
But that's probebly just me.
But..... At the same time it must be great having a loving mother like Chris.
Wish mine was like that.
Glad everything is starting to settle down for a bit after all of that, and as usual I can't wait to read what will happen in the next chapter.
He's still right to be angry at being kept in the dark, being locked away against his will and such, and Celestia, Luna, Gurfon and the others have big-time amends to make, but it's nice to see Chris handling his emotions.
I hope he doesn't make it too easy or too hard on any of them, because that would be harmful for everybody.
You used "You're" where "Your" was needed at least once, by the way.
I honestly wouldn't feel that guilty about "locking him away" in this particular situation. His immaturity at handling this only reinforces that for me.
He's not stubborn, he's a moron.
"I'm a lit match, I'll go fight that bucket of water! If I'll believe enough, I can win this!"
5997435 and cheetahs are smaller than gazelle but they are still a threat.
5998276 His immaturity comes in part from his never being allowed to handle serious business. Something happens, he's at some measure of risk, and Celestia just has him locked up somewhere and tells him nothing.
Heck, she kept him locked away for most of the formative years of his life.
What did she expect would happen when he found out? At the very least, Gurfon and his family could have handled it a lot more effectively. Their coldness from before is a large part of what drove him to go looking.
Gurfon has the right idea for what should have been done, in my view. Tell him what's up, explain to him what could be if he is caught by Tirek, and ask him, for the good of all involved, to please wait in safety. If he refuses, only then should it become a question of forcible restraint.
Anger at that level is understandable. When your family does atrocious things that you can't forgive them for it is hard on you. I know from experience, even though it feels good to sever the familial link it leaves you with an empty feeling no matter how deserving it might be. Chris should forgive Grufon, he hasn't done what deserves that. Unlike my own grandfather.
Edit: Wow made that seem really bad. He doesn't do things that are illegal but make everything hell.
5998992 you mean the pony whose name was officially changed from Time Turner to Doctor Whooves?
5999218 He does not deserve permanent severance, but he does deserve a knock on the beak for how he handled his situation previously.
Celestia too, in my opinion. She has got to stop lying to Chris, before it causes permanent damage.
This chapter is stupid!
No one can resist the power of a Dinky D'awwwwwwwwwwww™!
6001452
I think that Celestia's lying has at this point caused at least some permanent damage. Not much, but if she keeps it up it will become serious.
. food
6002003 I don't know if you're being mean or funny
NEW chapter yay...
now to wait for the next chapter where cris hopefully meds the problems with celestia.
6004588
Well that's okay, because I don't know either. Probably? Neither. Stating an absolute fact. Humans have scientifically proven that in fanfiction they cannot resist the D'awwwwwwww. Ex: Any fanficition that involves humans and D'awwwwww capable creatures.
When I see that name, I can only think of this guy
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/bayonetta/images/e/e9/Fortitudo.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width/350?cb=20130614213641
I can understand his anger, but his stubborness is quite annoying. Good to see him growing up
Ok, how'd it take them a day to repair the wall that Chris blasted a hole in with his magic? Shouldn't it have taken around at least a week? the wall want cut, so there must have been jagged edges, broken stones that needed replaced and such
6005719 I would assume preparations and other work, such as clearing away the ruined stones, had already been underway, leaving most of the remaining work fairly straightforward for beings with Alicorn-level physical brawn and robustness.
6002219 I doubt it's anything permanent just yet, but she had best be cautious for a while. Even family ties have limits.
6005939 fair enough, sounds valid enough
6006194
Too true, family ties only go so far but she is pushing it.
6006609 Indeed. As to Celestia and the others? Don't me angry at their intentions, Chris. Those were good. Be angry at their methods.
Mind you, I still think Chris was justified to attack Gilda as he did, but as long as Gurfon is making an issue of it like he is, and Celestia has decided to play along, it is what it is.
6006702 Especially considering the fact that he is not yet fully mature, and his teen emotions, already quite a bit volatile, are being heavily messed with by Alicorn magic.
6006733
I thought he was in his 20s at this point.... idk.
6005549 A griffins names are Latin, except for Gurfon, it means strength according to Google translator
6006844 He's 21... I think, but his social skills have been limited by his being hidden away for his whole life.
6005719 ...magic
6007830 A more literal translation is Fortitude, but yeah I know. I guess you've never played Bayonetta as that was a boss character who shares the same name as the griffon. He's also called the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude
6007835 Exactly. His being hidden away has severely stunted his emotional maturation, and who is to blame for that?
Princess Celestia should be kicking herself right now.
Nothing against you man but I'm done reading about weak, pansy-ass and spineless/ball-less humans who either get their asses whipped, cry like babies or just submit to the ponies.
6007964 I tried Bayonetta, didn't care for it.
6008268 And I'm done defending my hard work. If you like it, great. If you don't, I no longer care. I write stories I want to read.
6012443 three more chapters and that all gets explained
6007986
6008268
Would you prefer he, tells Celestia how much he hates her?
Blame her for his every problem since she raised him?
Leave her and live with Fluttershy who totally won't try to convince him to forgive her because she hates Celestia too?
Would you like some Linkin Park with your angsty teen?
Healthy adults don't hold on to anger like that, it doesn't make sense, and it causes you to make stupid decisions.
Healthy adults take personal responsibility for their own actions, not shift the blame on mommy because reasons.
Healthy adults forgive those they care about, because they care about them!
What you're asking for is a guy in is early to mid teens, pitching a fit because he didn't unlock his hidden power, save everyone, and tell his mom to go herself because she didn't believe he was the greatest.
There are fics like that, this isn't one however.
6013925 exceptionally well put
6013925 Yeah, nice effort, but it fell flat. I'm not saying he should walk out on her, but he has a right to be irritated that since he was young, she has repeatedly lied to him. That kind of thing ruins families.
I know. I have seen it happen. It very nearly happened to me.
He is not a healthy adult. He has stunted emotional development due to his years of confinement, and then he has also been heavily influenced by Alicorn magic.
Besides, are you telling me you have never seen an adult hold a grudge when it wasn't healthy?
6014922
He is irritated though, he still won't admit any fault with what he did, and until Gurfon's story was still actively angry at all involved parties.
But the important thing is despite the anger, lies, and perceived betrayal, he still cares for his friggin mom.
On that note, what lies are you talking about?
The one that forced him in hiding?
Nope! He did break the law and deserves imprisonment, and that punishment just so happened to coincide with Tirek going nuts all over Equestria.
The one that kept him hidden from the public?
Nope! The first lines from the first chapter were about the Elements kicking the crap out of him for being a monster.
The one that everything was fine on the home-front?
Got me there, except for the fact that he could've done nothing to help in the fight besides die and power up Tirek even more, and crazy Alicorn DNA is still making him irrational.
So I'm going to file that under completely necessary.
So could you give me an example? I read a ton of fics, so I lose out on some details in the bigger ones.
Since Celes lies repeatedly it should be easy for you to find one.
Not to make light of it, but if you were being honest about a series of lies almost ruining your family, all I can say for sure is that there were other problems besides the lying.
6015633 I think he may be referring to the fact that she could have sent him home when he was eight but kept him with her.
6018259 That happened on accident and I just can't seem to stop.
I like this story but there's a little something that bother me. This story is in first person, yet Chris refers to Celestia by her name instead of 'mom' or 'mother'. I hate to be nit picky but this just feels weird
6019081 I'm not entirely sure why I did it that way, but now I know what to do with it. you'll have to wait and see.