Trailblazer

by Blazer

Reception

<<En Route to Gryphus>>

“Miss Sparkle? Twilight? Twilight!”

The alicorn snapped out of her stupor, struggling to scramble to her hooves. “Wh-wha?! Look out!”

“Calm yourself, Princess! Ve are safe!”

Twilight blinked, staring at what appeared to be a familiar face.

“…Doctor? How..?”

“Never mind me; I zhink ve should talk about you leaving me like zhat!” she huffed, plainly concerned. “You could have taken me viss you, at least. Zhose ruins are far from safe, and should not be explored alone. You could have been killed!”

In a moment of confusion, Twilight glanced about, expecting to see the darkened interior of the storehouse. The cabin of the magic-propelled carriage was what she was met with instead.

“Doctor, what happened outside after I went into the statue?”

“Well, you vere gone for about zhree or four minutes until you just… appeared in front of me. You vere unconscious, so I assumed, in my panic, zhat you had encountered somezhing perilous und had narrowly escaped. I immediately brought you to ze carriage und am currently powering it full-steam towards Gryphus,” Schneider explained.

“How long have we been going? We need to go back!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Vis all due respect, Princess, I vas not supposed to even bring you zhere! I just zhought zhat you would appreciate my common interest in obscure histories, und zhat you would become more comfortable und talkative on ze way to Gryphus. However, I do not know vhat you encountered inside zhat statue, und having an unconscious pony, let alone, a Princess of Eqvestria, be left out in ze dangerous nighttime wilds of ze Forgotten Forest.”

“You don’t understand, Doctor… I saw the creature you were speaking of! The one on the engraving outside the warehouse!” Twilight cried.

“Princess, I know zhis seems a bit much, to be leaving such… interesting findings behind. But know zhis: You do not vant to be on zhis road at night! Zere are many horror stories about zhings zat roam zhis place vhen ze moon rises, und I do not vant to put zhem to ze test!”

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but bit back her retort. After a second of thinking, Twilight sighed. “You’re right, Doctor. I’m sorry. I must’ve… Ugh. It just… It seemed so real.”

Schneider forced a smile. “Just relax; ve’ll be at Gryphus in about an hour, but zere vill be guards zhat will meet us halfway und escort us ze rest of the journey zhere.”

Twilight nodded slowly, too flabbergasted to speak. How did she escape unscathed? What was in that block of ice that she had broken? Did the rest of those things escape with her?

These questions continued to swim through her mind as the carriage trundled on down the darkened path, overshadowed by an enormous mountain range looming in the distance.

Breaking out of her train of thought for a moment, Twilight pointed to the mountains. “Is that it? The border?”

Schneider nodded wearily. “Ya. Zhat is the natural border between Eqvestria und ze Gryphon kingdom. Ze guards vill be meeting us at ze base of ze foothills, und will fly us ze rest of ze vay.”

Twilight stretched before settling back into her seat, gazing out at the moon peeking over the snow-capped mountains. “Good… I’ve got a few things I’d like to ask them.”

<<Gryphus, Capitol of the Gryphon Kingdom>>

The carriage stopped abruptly, although Twilight wasn’t sure if it was another cobblestone, or that they had stopped indefinitely. “We’ve arrived, Princess,” the doctor proclaimed, confirming the latter. “Zhis is where I leave you; I advise you give ze king less trouble than you gave me,” she added sternly.

“Thank you, doctor. I’m sorry that it happened; I’ll make sure it doesn’t in the future.” Twilight apologized.

With a smile, she pushed open the carriage door, met by a bitterly cold breeze biting into her cheeks. The enormous castle before her was… well, enormous. A large rectangular centerpiece served as the main building from which numerous attachments were placed. Rounded towers protruded from the corners, small slits embedded in its walls. Colorless pennants, worn from numerous days without relief or replacement, flapped rapidly in an unseen jet-stream atop the towers. A long dilapidated wall, worn by numerous mountain storms, branched out from the main building, creating a massive courtyard. Through the open gate at the entrance, a wooden palisade surrounding the lower city could be seen.

Moving away from the carriage, Twilight found herself flanked by two burly gryphon guards. She studied them momentarily before the bitterly cold wind returned, motivating her to push away her curiosity and move towards the open sally port, which had been repurposed into a main entrance.

The guard on her right jogged ahead, pushing the door open and motioning her to go inside. Bowing in thanks, Twilight trotted through, shivering once more before the door closed, cutting off the breeze that attempted to pass through the threshold.

A spacious chamber stretched before her, the vaulted ceiling draped in darkness. The ornately tiled floor gave off a dull sheen, partially hiding some of the figures that decorated its checkered surface. A single red carpet, bordered by gold ribbons, created a path away from the front door to a single staircase at the back of the room. Several tables, occupied by gryphon guards, were situated to the left and right of the carpet.

“Princess Sparkle!” A voice boomed. Twilight’s gaze was drawn to the staircase, where she spotted an enormous gryphon thundering down the steps.

“Uh, King Talos, your majesty!” She replied, bowing low as he approached. “I am here on—!”

“Ah, yes! Princess Celestia’s envoy; my messengers have informed me you’d be arriving soon.” Twilight felt her head tipped upward by a powerful set of talons, where her purple pupils met a pair of fierce yellow ones. “Let’s get a good look at you. I like to at least get your face memorized; helps an old buzzard remember names.”

While he studied her face, Twilight studied his. A grizzled, weathered old gryphon stared back at her, his face battered by numerous scars drawing a map of past battles across his cheeks, leaving bare lines between the tufts of faded white feathers. His heavy brow and sharpened beak gave him the impression of a heroic barbarian, although his clothing said differently.

Long royal blue robes draped across his front, his collar and sleeves ringed with gold ribbons. Chain mail could be seen underneath his sleeves, ending tucked underneath large iron gauntlets. A pair of matching iron greaves poked out from the bottom of his robes, covering fearsome footpaws bearing massive claws. A crude circlet sat atop his head, a fiery ruby serving as the centerpiece of the crown.

“I see you still wear armor, your majesty.” Twilight mused aloud.

“Yes, well, the life of a gryphon king is never a dull one, if you know what I mean. Uneventful days are quite rare, although I often wish my life matched my age,” the King explained. He removed his talons from her jaw, nodding to her quickly. “You may rise, princess. We have much to discuss.”

Twilight rose to all fours. “Yes, actually; there is an urgent matter that I’d like to bring to your attention.”

“Oh? Did some of my not-so-uneventful life spill over? My deepest apologies; I did not mean for you to get involved in the power struggle!”

“No, no, your majesty. It’s okay; nothing like that.”

The gryphon king cocked his head. “Oh. I assumed it had something to do with your stop in the forest. When my guards notified me of your prolonged stop there, I feared that you had been ambushed by my rivals.”

Twilight’s elation shone through as she bounced slightly in place. “Yes! Yes, it was in the ruins!”

King Talos became genuinely concerned. “Wait, you were really ambushed?! You weren’t hurt, were you?!”

“Ugh, no, your majesty. It was… erm… something else.”

Genuine concern shifted to genuine confusion. “Hmm… I do apologize for jumping to conclusions, Princess. If that is indeed the case, could you enlighten me?”

Twilight bit her lip. What she had seen betrayed every rule of Equestria she knew about, from its list of known creatures to the rules of magic. None of it really made sense to her, and would not likely have a different effect on the Griffon monarch. It would make her relationship with the king much more volatile, or more distant, if anything, if she started keeping secrets from him.

She reasoned that it would be worth the risk.

“Your majesty, I found something in the ruins; something ancient that was sealed in an undiscovered tomb in what was supposedly a storehouse of commodities. There was something... dormant... sealed in a block of ice, as well as a sword made entirely of flames.”

She realized that it wasn’t the best way to start off her story, despite those being the things that fascinated her most.

“Princess, do not test me. I do not care for this fantasy you’re dreaming up right now…”

His sudden coldness shocked her. “N-no, your majesty. Please, hear me out…”

“Get some rest, Princess. You’ve had a long day,” the king replied, irritation outlining his tone.

Two burly guards appeared at Twilight’s sides, giving her sidelong glances.

“They will show you to your room.”

The Princess glanced at her two escorts before she locked eyes with the Griffon king. “With all due respect, your majesty, you haven’t heard the rest of the story.”

“I think I have heard enough, Twilight Sparkle.”

“The Sha have been released.”

The gryphon king’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly before narrowing once more. “Guards, show the Princess to her suite. Be sure to send her supper up with her.”

As they escorted her away, the king clacked the sides of his beak together nervously. He moved to the side of the chamber, gazing up at a faded tapestry of a wise-looking gryphon ruler.

“You always spoke of this happening, grandfather… I did not want to believe it would fall on my lifetime.”

***

A series of harsh knocks on Twilight’s door shocked the Princess awake.

“Breakfast will be served soon, Princess. Please make your way downstairs to the main hall when you are dressed.”

“Thank you,” Twilight croaked, her voice hoarse from its disuse. She rubbed her aching eyes and arched her sore back. Fatigue battered her resolve to get out of the rock-solid bed; she had been up all night thinking about her previous encounter, as well as her previous mission. Her obligation to Princess Celestia was important, but this “Sha” made things complicated. No one seemed to know of them, which made the potential for danger at a disconcerting fifty-fifty.

For now, she would continue her mission to rekindle the bonds between the two countries; going on about ancient evils to gryphons she’s barely even met seemed unwise. It would be a matter that would be best saved for the Sun Princess; there was little doubt that Celestia would be more understanding about the matter, as well as encourage Twilight’s curiosity.

She donned her fuchsia dress and gold tiara, descending the steps to the main hall carefully. Her immense fatigue made it rather difficult, nearly resulting in a nasty tumble down the last eight steps.

Once at the bottom, she noticed that the royalty didn’t eat separate from the soldiers; everyone was already digging in to platefuls of eggs and various meats. She found the king sitting alone towards the right side of the hall. He nodded to her, and motioned for her to sit at a plate that was situated across from him.

As she took her seat, he nodded to her covered plate and glass of milk. “Please, eat. Took me an hour of waiting in that accursed food-line to get our food.”

Twilight frowned. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean for you to go through so much trouble…”

Talos chuckled. “It’s my own fault; I’ve neglected to hire servants in this castle to bring up food or clean the place. It’s just me and these soldiers, so I’m more like another guest in a hostel, really.”

Twilight cocked her head. “How does that work?”

The king sighed. “It’s complicated.” Talos squinted at Twilight, studying her face. “Were you up all night? You look awful. The beds weren’t soft enough?”

“Not at all!” Twilight exclaimed, worried of offending the monarch. “It was fine, really. I was just… preoccupied.”

“About that…”

The Princess’s eyes widened slightly. “About what?” she ventured.

The weathered gryphon glanced about before leaning forward, gesturing for Twilight to come closer. “Forgive me for my treatment of you, yesterday. It’s just… How do you know the Sha have returned?”

“What? You know of them?”

The king frowned before sitting back. “Eat first; this isn’t exactly the place to talk, and it’s a long story.”

After a long, awkward breakfast, they moved to the throne room, which was empty, at the moment. The king gestured to his seat. “Please, take a seat. I have much to ask you.”

Twilight took it hesitantly, looking puzzled. “Why did we come here? Why be away from everyone else?”

The gryphon glanced at the entrance before turning to face her again. “Almost every gryphon has heard of these ‘Sha.’ I dismissed it as a rumor, a myth, but if Equestrian royalty comes to me, and tells me that they’re back…”

“Well, what do these ‘myths’ say?”

Talos sighed, clasping his claws behind his back. “When I was a hatchling, my mother used to tell me bedtime horror stories so I would go to sleep at night. One evening, she told me about these creatures called the Sha. They were horrible things; indescribably ugly and hideous, and were the physical manifestations of fear. They were born out of young gryphons' fears, and gobbled whomever had created them. However, it was that same evening that my grandfather told me that it was not just a fable. He claimed it to be true. Initially, I did not believe him up until recently.

"Two years ago, a massive earthquake rocked the mountains around Gryphus. Usually, smaller earthquakes are normal, since the mountain ranges in this area are situated on top of a continental fault, and there is often small seismic activity. However, the epicenter of this earthquake was traced to the ruins back in the Forsaken Forest. Soon after, the rate of violent crimes in trading posts had escalated, particularly with fellow gryphons and other species that were passing through. It was as if old rivalries had been rekindled, but I had assumed that the last ruler, King Steelclaw II, had already publicly buried the hatchet, as well as ensured the country did the same.

“Somewhere, this word, the ‘Sha’ surfaced along with this rise in violence, much to my surprise. I asked my advisors if they had heard of them, and one of them told me it was a force of evil thought to be sealed long ago by those who lived in the ruins, and that the violent crimes were a sign that they were back, causing unrest in my kingdom.” Talos began to pace. “I didn’t want anyone to panic if they heard the head of the Griffon monarchy worrying about a petty rumor, so that’s why we’re in here”—he gestured to the floor—“instead of out there”—he pointed at the door.

“So… do you know anything else about the Sha?” Twilight asked.

“Actually, I was going to ask you the same question,” the king replied halfheartedly.

“Oh…”

“What was your encounter with them like? Surely, if you know they’ve come back, then you must have seen them in the flesh.”

“Well…” Twilight’s facial expression darkened. “They only spoke to me through my mind. They came at me in a large group and attacked me immediately; I’m not even sure how I escaped there.”

“What do you mean? How could you not remember escaping from those things? Surely, it was traumatic enough for you to think about nothing but the encounter?” the king ventured.

“No. I remember it perfectly fine. There was this… block of ice behind me. There was something in it. The Sha kept saying something about not wanting to ‘set him free,’ so I hit it with the weapon I was using to fend the creatures off, and I blacked out.”

“Creatures? So you saw what they looked like?”

“Yes... they were these things with tentacles for hooves and only a mouth for a face. They were kind of like ghosts—the way they disappeared when I swiped a sword through one.”

The king was quiet for a while before asking another question. “So, did you ever find out what was in the block of ice?”

Twilight shrugged. “I’m not sure, but whatever it was, it must’ve gotten me out of there.”

***

The man slumped against the tree, his limbs feeling leaden and weak. With some effort, he managed to bring his hand up, channeling a bit of energy into his fingertips. With a soft pop, a wine skin appeared in his hand. Greedily, he ripped the lid off and downed its contents—refreshingly cold water.

Wiping his lips messily, he dropped the empty skin, his eyes drifting upwards to the violet sky. A single thought crossed his mind.

Where am I…?

***

Author's Note:

Made some long-due edits to the King's story. Realized he mentions the Sha twice--each time with a different "origin" story of how he heard of them.