• Published 12th Dec 2012
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The Griffin's Apprentice - Perpetual Lurker



Gilda and Lyra form an unlikely duo as they travel to the Griffin Empire, becoming involved in an undertaking far larger than they had ever imagined.

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Somewhere to Elsewhere

Fifteen Years Ago...

"Heartstrings! Come back here this instant, young filly!" The voice of the foalsitter carried through the crowd, but the pony the call was intended for payed it no heed.

I know I saw it go this way! Definitely! the filly thought as she galloped away from the shouts. Darting around and between the legs of the other ponies, the tiny unicorn made her way to the edge of the market square, finding herself at the entrance to one of Canterlot's many back alleyways. Peering into the passage, she saw something large move in the shadows. The same shape she had seen in the crowd. It was nothing like any pony she had ever seen, and she had to know what it was. As she ventured onward, she heard a door creak open and slam shut in the alleyway, showing her which way the figure had gone.

"Heartstrings!" her foalsitter called again in the distance, this time with more than a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I'll be right back. I promise," the child whispered to herself, knowing that the foalsitter couldn't hear her. Reaching the door, the filly saw a small latch keeping it shut. Simple enough for a grown pony to nudge with their nose and open the door, but a rather difficult undertaking for one of smaller stature. Luckily, she had been learning about how to do stuff like this in school.

Simple magic should be easy, right? Closing her eyes and focusing, her horn sparked to life with a faint, flickering glow. After a moment she heard the latch click, and the door slowly creak open. She opened her eyes to see the world spinning around her, nearly walking headlong into the wall in her exertion-induced stupor. Luckily, she managed to wobble her way in the door before collapsing from exhaustion. I guess not... She laid there for almost a minute, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. Before she passed out, though, a peculiar sound reached her ears.

A single tone echoed throughout the building, soon followed by another, and then a third. Within seconds, a cascade of music filled the air, drawing Heartstrings back to her hooves. Looking around, she found herself in a massive, dimly lit room, filled to the brim with rows of dusty seats. The air smelled of mold and mildew, and the floor audibly creaked as she walked down the carpeted aisle, heading towards the sole source of light in the room outside of sunlight drifting through scattered holes in the ceiling: a small lantern placed on the stage at the far end of the room. It wasn't the light she was interested in, though. It was the creature next to it. It was a griffin, something she had only heard of in the stories her mother would tell her before bed. In one of its claws, it held golden horseshoe shaped instrument covered in strings, which it plucked with the other hand faster than her eyes could follow, creating the song that filled the room. Taking a seat in the non-existent audience, Heartstrings simply watched and listened.

One song seamlessly blended into another as Heartstrings observed, the pure energy and excitement of the music washing her exhaustion away, replacing it with new feelings and emotions the changed with the song. She never wanted it to end. The music eventually slowed, though, smoothly sliding to a stop as the final note rang throughout the theater. Without saying a word, the griffin set his instrument on a small stand on the ground, stood up, and walked off stage, leaving a stunned Heartstrings where she sat. The music had ended, but her mind continued it, echoing the songs in her head. Eventually, a particular series of notes dominated the others in her mind. She couldn't even remember where in the songs she had heard them, or even if she had heard them at all. The notes gave her an idea, though. Getting up from her seat, she approached the stage.

This will just take a second. I'm sure he won't mind, the filly told herself as she climbed the small set of stairs leading onto the stage and walked over to the instrument that the griffin had left behind. Staring at her hooves, Heartstrings realized that she wouldn't be able to play the same way the griffin had, and magic was out of the question as well. Eventually, she simply decided to leave the instrument in the stand, and pluck a string with her horn. A simple tone rang out from the string, and the unicorn smiled.

Trying each string one at a time, she learned what string made which sound, preparing herself for the next step. She recalled the notes she had been hearing in her head, and clumsily plucked the strings to try and play them. The rhythm was a mess, and she often plucked the wrong string, but she didn't care. After a few tries, Hearstrings finally managed to play the notes she had heard in her mind, followed by a small addition she created on the spot. It was slow going, and her neck began to ache by the end, but when she finished, the feeling of accomplishment that filled her was like nothing she had ever felt before. "Yes!" the filly shouted, hopping a short distance into the air in celebration.

"Enjoying yourself?" a voice asked from just offstage, causing Hearstrings to freeze where she stood. The griffin walked back onto the stage, staring down the filly with his cold, amber eyes.

The filly said nothing.

"I was once taught that inspiration is the key to unlocking our true potential," the griffin continued. "Fate seems to have a funny habit of reminding me when I forget," he said, finally breaking out into a smile. "I can see that it has worked for you, at least" His gaze shifted to the left slightly, and Heartstrings followed it, discovering that he was looking at the image of his own instrument that now decorated her previously blank flank. "I came here to reminisce and relive the past, but an old fool like me has no business being nostalgic. You're the only one to accomplish anything here today." He chuckled. "My name is Cambiare, yours?"

"I'm... I'm..." Heartstrings began, only for her exhaustion to suddenly come rushing back. She wobbled where she stood for a moment before collapsing on the stage and finally slipping into unconsciousness.



The Present Day...

Gilda hated trains. Well, as far as Lyra could tell, Gilda hated most things, but it was pretty obvious that she especially hated trains. Fortunately, The Friendship Express's overnight accommodations for a trip to Manehattan were far better than those for a shorter trip. Instead of being stuck in a normal passenger car filled with other ponies, they had been given a room in the sleeper car, which contained four bunks, two on each side, a simple bench seat, and a large window. Unfortunately, none of this seemed to do anything to placate Gilda, who alternated between pacing uneasily up and down the small space between the beds and staring out the window.

"So, wanna talk about something?" Lyra asked from her bunk, attempting to strike up a conversation. "If we're traveling buddies, then we should get to know each other a bit."

"No."

"How about we play a game, then? I'm great at Twenty Questions!"

"No."

"You're supposed to wait until I ask a question before answering, you know," Lyra said with a smile.

"I am not playing your stupid game!" Gilda snapped, stomping over to the door and flinging it open. "I'm going for a walk." Slamming the door behind her, she walked out of sight and down the hall, headed towards the dining car.

Wow, she really can't take a joke, can she? I guess I'll just have to get used to her being grumpy... Sighing, Lyra opened up one of her bags at the foot of her bunk and drew out her lyre. I guess I'll just kick back and wait for her to cool down, then. She barely managed to play three notes, though, before a combination of guilt and curiosity got the better of her. I should really make sure she's okay...

Exiting the room, Lyra trotted in the direction she had seen Gilda go, cringing at the combined sound of the train and wind as she passed through the connecting section between their car and the next. Entering the dining car, she found it to be surprisingly busy. The booths that lined either side of the car were full of ponies eating and chatting amongst themselves. It didn't take long for her to determine that the griffin hadn't stopped here, since she was nowhere to be seen, and a griffin among ponies is obvious enough to draw all sorts of attention. As she moved on towards the far end of the car, Lyra noticed that Gilda had indeed drawn all sorts of attention when she passed, and had become a popular topic of conversation among the ponies there.

"That was a griffin earlier, right? Never seen one of them before..."

"I'm glad it didn't stop here. I heard they eat meat, just like all those creepy animals around the Everfree Forest!"

"I wonder what it's doing here? It has wings, right? Why ride a train?"

"Hey! I have wings!"

"Yeah, but you're traveling with us. Who would want to travel with a griffin?"

Lyra paused as she heard that last question, barely stopping herself from giving the whole group of ponies a piece of her mind. One thing Lyra had learned a long time ago was that griffins and ponies are not designed to get along. It's a matter of instinct. To a pony, a griffin is something big and scary to run away from before it eats them. Likewise, to a griffin, a pony is prey. Of course, common sense and modern sensibilities overcome such things, but it takes a lot more than common sense to completely remove instinct. As mired in prejudice as it was, the question was still valid.

Just what kind of pony keeps the company of griffins?

Lyra didn't have the answer.



"No! Absolutely not!" The voice of her father woke Heartstrings from her slumber as it carried through her bedroom door. She couldn't remember how she had gotten home, only that the last thing she remembered was something about a stage and a song...

"Sir, I assure you that I only have your daughter's best interests in mind, and I guarantee her safety," a familiar voice responded. The filly couldn't quite remember where she had heard it before, though... Rolling out of bed, the filly stumbled over to the door to better hear the discussion on the other side.

"Guarantee her safety? My little filly disappears for hours, only to be brought back home unconscious in the arms of a strange griffin, and you expect me to believe that you can guarantee her safety? Poor Cadance was driven to tears over losing her this afternoon! We were moments away from calling the guards and organizing a search party!"

A griffin? The events of the day began to slowly trickle back to her. Running away from her foalsitter. Using her magic to open the door. Finding the griffin in the abandoned theater... I caused all of this trouble... she thought, a pang of guilt coming with the realization. Opening her door just a crack to peer out, Heartstrings saw the griffin standing before her parents in the hallway.

"Don't blame him, dear. He couldn't have known, " her mother said. "I do agree that this is not the correct course of action, though. What about her schooling?"

"I am fully capable of providing her with the necessary education, as well as experiences far beyond those that the schools here can provide," the griffin answered. "I can show you my credentials, if you'd like."

"Look, I understand that you mean well, and that you feel a degree of responsibility in all of this, but we don't need your help," her father said.

"What do you plan on doing, though?" the griffin asked. "The correct course of action has been laid out clear as day on her flank. Where in Equestria do you expect to find someone else who can teach her? Among ponies, only a unicorn can effectively play a lyre, and traditional griffin instruments aren't exactly popular among unicorn musicians, much less those who could be considered masters."

A lyre... the rest of the filly's memories came flying back. The amazing performance by the griffin. The music she played on the lyre afterwards. Discovering her cutie mark. Fainting... His name is Cambiare... He wants to teach me?

"I... I don't know," her father answered.

"How about we ask your daughter what she thinks of all this, then?" The griffin turned and stared right at the door. "You can come out now." Heartstrings complied, pushing the door open the rest of the way and stepping into the hallway. "Heartstrings, I would be honored if you would be my apprentice."

"I... guess it's up to you, Heartstrings," her father said reluctantly. "Is this really something you want to do?" After a few seconds of silence, the filly smiled.

"Yes."



Lyra found Gilda standing on the small balcony at the end of the final train car, watching the tracks race by below her. They had long since passed the spot where the tracks split to go to Hollow Shades, and the quiet hamlet was just barely visible in the distant valley to their left.

"Figured you'd follow me," Gilda said as she heard Lyra approach. "You seem to be the kind of pony to stick your snout in to everyone's business."

"If my traveling companion's unhappy, that makes it my business," Lyra replied, joining the griffin in staring at the tracks. "Doubly so when it's my fault. I'm sorry I was so pushy back there. You don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to."

"Good, I won't," Gilda said. "If it makes you feel any better, though, it's only mostly your fault."

"Oh?"

"I told you I'm not talking about anything with you, so that's all you're going to get."

"Come on, if it's something specific, then I'll know to avoid it in the future. You'd be doing yourself a favor!" The griffin did not reply, opting to ignore the unicorn instead. She's a lot more relaxed now, Lyra noted. I wonder what's different? It certainly couldn't have been the walk down here, she wondered, remembering the ponies in the dining car. Then it finally clicked. "I've got it! You're claustrophobic, aren't you?" Lyra said with a smile. It all made sense. The pacing and window gazing, coming out here were there weren't any walls...

"W-What? No!" Gilda shouted, getting defensive. "I just don't like the way things are shaped in there, that's all. Everything's all pony-shaped."

"Which just means that everything's too small and cramped for you." The unicorn playfully poked the griffin with a hoof. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid of tight spaces."

"I am not scared of something that... that stupid!" Gilda insisted. "Griffins are never afraid of that which cannot harm them! Watch, I'll prove it so you'll stop bothering me." Turning around, she walked back inside the train car, leaving Lyra alone once again.

Well, she definitely seemed to be afraid of Rainbow Dash this morning, Lyra thought, chuckling to herself. Thinking about it some more, though, she didn't know whether that said more about Gilda or Dash. It raised another question opposite the one from earlier, too. What kind of griffin chooses to live among ponies?

Once again, Lyra didn't have an answer.