Touching the sky
It was a drowsy, cloudy day. Someone refering herself only as 'the author', rented the whole theatre of Ponyville for a reading of her latest book, which, by accounts from Vanhoover, was a big hit back in the city. Despite the concerns of her agent, she chose a rather specific day, even though it was scheduled for a heavy downpour by the pegasi.
The public reading and introduction, along with questions, was to start exactly at twelve in the morning, but she gave more time for the audience to get there and thus, the whole event started a bit late. Due to horrendous weather and a rain already raging outside, she took the liberty of renting towels and putting them on each of the seats. After half an hour, all the participants, guests included, were finally in their respective seats, some of them wrapped by towels and wet, but kept relatively warm, in comparison to everyone unlucky enough to be outside.
Shortly after, she stepped out of forth wall and walked onto the stage. She bowed to her audience, cleared her throat and then opened a book on a pedestal in front of her.
"What I'm about to read," she started. "is the story of one gryphon and his struggle to reach his dream. Most of this is based on the memoirs written by contemporary ponies and gryphons." A thundering sound was heard from the outside and the entire theatre was filled by the reflection of the lighting on the theatre's windows. Slightly intimidated, she though she might as well get a move on.
"I'd like to thank to my long-time friend and agent, Maryweather Smith and everyone from my family who helped." The agent smiled on her from the audience, being one of the guests. "I would also like to thank my boss at the bakery I worked at, which made me reconsider my life and set my priorities right. Without him, the book would have been done half a year earlier, but that time gave me inspiration." The audience let out a laugh but her boss, also in the audience, just smiled.
She waited for the laugher to fade away and then returned back to her serious mood. Turning a few pages of the book, she started reading.
"The 1850s," she started. "A much simpler time for both ponies and gryphons alike. Celestia was still the only ruler and the Crystal Empire was still unfortunately gone." The wall behind her showed a painting of an old Canterlot, projected onto the wall by a unicorn friend of hers, who was skilled in the magic of projecting nearby or held images unto other surfaces. The few crystal ponies that sat in the first row were indifferent to both the magic and the words she said. They were, after all, gone for a long time and were still adapting themselves to the newer world around them.
"In a threatre, just like this one, some days after the New Year celebrations, a gryphon pair was on their first date. Unfortunately, the theatre turned out to be their worst option."
"Hush... The play is starting," said the male gryphon to his partner, trying to keep her from thinking aloud too much. "please, ask me questions after the play. I don't want to disturb the actors and neither should you. It's really rude."
"How am I being rude? I just want to know what sort of play this is." Asked someone sitting next to him. "You bought me tickets and insisted on it being a suprise. Why couldn't we go on a dinner instead?" The gryphon sighed and looked at his partner once more.
"This was the last place that wasn't full during May, the so-called 'Month of Love'." he explained. "Does it really matter where we are, as long as we're together?" The female gryphon opened her mouth, as wanting to say something, but then closed it shortly after and blushed slightly.
"I... I guess not." she replied as the play was starting. In a chance of one to many, both of them leaned out of their seats and shared a kiss, having have though of the same thing. The actors on the set of Romero and Juliena weren't very happy of this happening in the first row and one of them let out an audible 'ahem', causing every actor to suddenly stand still and stare at the couple.
"Can you please not do this until after the play?" uttered one of the actors and the couple nodded, ending their kiss early. Why someone would insist on no signs of love during a play about love, was well above the couple's heads.
"However, this time had its darker sides." She stops for a while and graves are shown on the wall. Some of the ponies and guests in the public laugh, some gasp, the rest remain silent, knowing that many of their ancestors died at that time. Some towns became deserted due to a deadly pandemic and doctors were paid exaggerated amount of gemstones and bits to find a cure.
"Did we not give everyone a chance to get their medicine and... not let this happen?" A rather saddened gryphon stared at the body bag of a smallpox victim, with large, red spots seen all over it's body. For protection, he had to wear a mask to shield himself from the bodies' infection and the horrible smell.
"I'm sure we did, Wilhelm." said another gryphon. "In fact, I think you played your part perfectly, even though the only thing you had to do, was to sell." The other gryphon's goons closed the body bag and poured oil all over the bodies. A fire started from a loose, lit matchstick, thrown by one of his goons and Wilhelm was only able to look in terror, as the bodies of those healthy just a week ago, were now being burned.
"I was well acquainted of this situation, but, I signed a trade agreedment, didn't I?" he asked. "You were to give to the poor, with me selling the goods to you at a symbolic price. Even the representative of the medicine-making company was there when we signed it." The second gryphon looked at him with a grin, making Wilhelm very uncomfortable.
"There were... changes, after you left." he said with a giggle. "Big changes..." The other gryphon gave him the new contract to read and after he did, he stared at him, mouth agape.
"No... this, this cannot be true!" let out Wilhelm. "The representative assured me the contract was firm! How did you even-?" The other gryphon took the contract out of his very hands, molded it into a ball and threw it in the fire.
"Money!" he explained, laughing. "I gave them an offer they couldn't turn down. I forced the ill, to buy the medicine from me and when they couldn't, I ended up rich, by selling it back to them!" Wilhelm gasped at the revelation, while the other gryphon continued to laugh out loud.
"You killed ten gryphons! Two of them were children." Wilhelm cried out. "CHILDREN!" The grin on the other gryphon become bigger and he was now smiling from one cheek to another, his goons now holding Wilhelm by the shoulders.
"You're accusing me of murder and yet, you're forgeting one, crucial detail." The goons gathered around the ashes and sweeping them away with brooms. "You were the one who suggested the trade agreedment. If your heart was so kind and... innocent, why didn't you give it to them by yourself?" Wilhelm tried to think of something for his defence, but couldn't, as the buyer was indeed right — it was his suggestion all along. Despite this, he never thought he would, even indirectly, be responsible for someone else's death.
"You won't get away with this!" let out Wilhelm, trying to get out of the goons' firm grasp. "The Allied Court will make sure you rot in Tartarus!" The buyer starting laughing manically, with his goons joining in as well.
"Tell anyone of what I did," he started, his laugh coming to a sudden halt. "and I will hunt you and Ambrosia down, just like the worthless animals you are." He let that sink it, walking around Wilhelm in a circle. "Both of you would die heroes if you were to 'share' this information, but I have eyes, ears and family all over the allied kingdoms. Sever one head and another will take its place." The grinning gryphon started smoking a cigar, lighting it with a matchstick.
"You have to understand, Mr. Grayfeather," he continued on, approaching Wilhelm's face very closely. "this is how the world works. If you don't have money to boot, or a strong family to back you, you'll end up dead. Some sooner, some later..." He breathed smoke into Wilhelm's face and then allowed his goons to let go of him. "But I'm a kind person and I'll set you free, until... Well, you know what will happen if you tell the truth." The goons let go off him, but were now standing by the door.
"Go. Think it over, take your time. You know the conditions of this deal."
What Wilhelm chose was a decision, that would haunt him for the rest of his life. At the end of the day, however, he was glad he had his dearest Ambrosia out of harm's way.
"Medicine and health care was at a much lower level than it is today and was expensive too, but that's not the point of this story." The wall now showed a monochrome painting of two gryphons, one wearing a stereotypical dress, while the other was wearing a stereotypical suit, top hat and monocle.
"Wilhelm. WILHELM!" shouted a female voice. "What's taking you so long? The carriage has arrived!" Unlike him, his love was already in it, inpatient.
"Right there, my dear!" He shouted, running outside and sprinting to the carriage. If not for his suit, he would have flown. The rivalry of cloth and wings was ancient and often resulted in the streching and tearing of the former. Swiftly going inside, he sat right next to the female gryphon — his upcoming bride.
"Well?" he asked. "How do I look?" Ambrosia corrected his top hat and bow tie, seeing as both of them were tilted too much to the sides. She also cleaned his monocle, as it was fogged up, using her dress as a replacement for a piece of cloth.
"Perfect." said Ambrosia with a smile on her face. "Like a true gentlegryphon." One of the gryphons in the front of the carriage gave out an annoyed sigh.
"You done?" he asked. "If you keep pampering with your clothes, you're gonna end up being late for your own wedding!"
"On the fifteenth October of 1856, almost two years after their wedding, Wilhelm and Ambrosia Grayfeather, nee Klaww, were blessed with a son, Helmut." the wall now shows the painting of a baby gryphon. "Born to a former chambermaid and a notable businessgryphon, Helmut was an aspiring child, but had one flaw - his wings. Due to his great grandfather being born flightless, this curse carried over to him as well, making him contained to the ground for the rest of his life."
"Well, how is he?" asked Ambrosia, worried about her son. "Is he going to be okay?" The look on the doctor's face showed just plain sadness, as he lowered his head upon the question.
"Yes, Miss Klaww," uttered the doctor. "but unfortunately, he'll never be able to fly." The parents looked at each other in confusion.
"What exactly do you mean..." started Wilhelm."that my son will never be able to fly?"
"Well, your son's wings are as good, as a single feather on a carriage carried by gryphons." explained the doctor in a rather straightforward way. "To say this simple, just ike his great grandfather, his wings didn't... develop properly. There's absolutely no muscles or nerves in them." The doctor waited a bit before delivering the final blow. "For this reason, Mr. and Mrs. Grayfeather, I'll have to take them off." The parents looked at each other sadly and then shared a hug.
"Just... do what you have to." uttered Ambrosia. "He's our son and we'll love him, no matter what." The doctor nodded and returned back to the operation hall, leaving the two parents in the waiting room once more.
The wall now shows the medical record of the aforementioned gryphon, however, some words and sentences appear to be purposefully striked through several times, preventing anyone from knowing what they said. "Like his ancestor, he had his flightless wings surgically removed, but faced a lot of problems while attending various schools. Everything simple enough to be performed by wings, he had to do alternatively or don't do it at all." The unicorn handling the historical material now projects a diploma granted to Helmut, showing his almost-genius level of intellect.
"Ah, Mr. Grayfeather, nice to meet you." said the headmaster upon Wilhelm's arrival to his office. "Care to explain this?" He shows the diploma to Wilhelm, but he seemed rather puzzled about it.
"I don't see any problem here." he uttered steadfastly. "What's so wrong about someone who knows his stuff?" The headmaster angrilly takes the diploma back.
"Do you homeschool him?" asked the headmaster quickly. "You're a wealthy invididual. Do you pay him private teachers?" The teacher now appeared to be very angry, almost as if furious.
"No." replied Wilhelm calmly. "What's so dammned about a gryphon that's smart?" The headmaster facepalms and sights.
"None of the teachers can say a single thing without being corrected." The headmaster now showed him th class book and the number of times the mentioned event has happened. There were really, really plenty. "Worse still, he's correcting everyone's books and finding errors in assigments!" The headmaster now approached Wilhelm face to face and very closely, almost touching his beak. "Do something about it!"
"If half of you weren't stupid as a bunch of rocks, he wouldn't have corrected you." said Wilhelm, causing the headmaster to back away and gasp, offended. "Can't stand my son? Fine. He can't stand you too. Told me about once in a while every month. You don't want him in your school and I'll cut my investments in half, nay, cut them off completely!" The headmaster stared at him in complete silence, petrified and unable to say a single word.
"If I recall correctly, the only thing standing between the keeping and the demolition of this place, is me, paying the company that wants to turn this place into soil they'd plant potatoes in!" The headmaster inhaled deeply, his anger now replaced with fear.
"Very well, Wilhelm." said the headmaster. "as long as you keep your word of this place standing, I won't force your son to leave. But, you could at least tell him to... take it down a notch." The headmaster put both the class book and diploma in their respective places. He then sat back at his desk, drinking his gingko tea and facing Wilhelm.
"I'm getting old," he started. "couple of more years and I'll have to go, unfortunately." He took another sip of the tea. "I've grown very bitter of the... younger generation, due to their... choices to pursue something entirely different and leave the hard work to us, parents and grandparents. As odd as this may sound, despite what I said, your son is one of the few that give me hope, that some day, someone adequate could take my place. Your son, perhaps."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I'll mention that to him." said Wilhelm, ending the conversation and promply leaving the headmaster's office.
"Despite this, he had become something of a prodigy amongst his classmates, and while excelling in every subject, he managed to either top or be in the top five of many competitions representing his school." The wall now shows the painted mugshot of an angry, agitated young gryphon with scars, bruises and cracks on his beak. The painting appears to be restored and is much more colourful than the rest of the pictures shown.
"However, it turns out if you keep being the thorn in someone's backside for a long, long time, even if he's just smart, not strong, he too, will grow thorns." explained the author."This... was the outcome of one fight he had and it was more than enough to prove, that his offenders got exactly what they bargained for." The picture is zoomed in at several different parts of Helmut's face in quick succession.
The author stopped for while, waiting for her unicorn friend to find the right set of pictures to project for the audience to see. It was an awkward two minutes, but the following paintings were more than worth the waiting time. Two, heavily wounded gryphons were shown, their heads in casts and unhealthy, bloodshot eyes.
"During the fight with his long-time bullies, Helmut managed to break both of their beaks and wings, something which was deemed both the greatest punishment and the greatest embarrasment in the 1870s. They had to undergo a lot of surgeries to have a face ponies and gryphons could look at and not run away instantly. Some even say, they had to wear prostetic beaks for the remainder of their lives."
"Hey, dumbfeather!" shouted someone at Helmut, as he was making his way out of the school, minding his own business. "HEY! Turn around you sissy!" The offended gryphon came to a halt and turned around to face his offenders. They were no other than two beefed up bullies, that always insisted on being the best, yet couldn't stomach that someone they called 'dumbfeather', had way better marks than they ever did.
"Hmm?" asked Helmut. "What?" Both of them laughed and shortly after, one crashed into into Helmut and sent him flying. The rest of the school turned their attention to this fight and formed a ring around the two bullies and Helmut. Their morbid curiosity forbid them from helping Helmut up, but he did so by himself, just a few seconds later.
"Prepared to get broken in front of the whole school?" cried out one of the bullies. "Huh, willy?" Helmut let go of his bag and stared coldly into their eyes.
The resulting fight was chaotic and brutal, as Helmut calculated their every move and through his knowlegde in gryphon anatomy and biology, used their weak spots againts them. Long fight short, they were left 'broken', while he was left with as little, as a few scratches.
Despite of the two bullies, who needed immediate medical attetion, Helmut wasn't called to the principal's office and due to witnesses seeing that the two bullies started the fight, the whole incident was left to slide.
Nevertheless, the parents of Helmut and two bullies met, willing to a talk a bit about this incident. Or at least, one half of each side.
"So," started the parent. "what can you tell about my boy beating the living hell out of my boys?"
"Barely got a scratch." replied Wilhelm, helping himself to some tea. "I'd say he stood his ground well."
"Stood his ground?" asked the parent with a smile. "When I first heard of how about their injuries, I though a train ran over them! Your son has the fury of a dragon!" Wilhelm gave a smile to the parent.
"Righteous fury. Do your sons really wonder why they got beaten up like that?" asked Wilhelm. "If you keep poking a bear with a stick, you're gonna get your head bitten off." The parent nodded in approval and had some tea, too.
"Suppose so." he said camly. "I'm away most of the time, but they were so arrogant, not even my mother-in-law wanted to take care of 'em. Fools barely know how to make themselves food, though. But I think they've learned their life lesson."The two gryphons exchanged a few more smalltalk and tea, before heading straight to business talk, as business partners usually do.
Another hoof was raised, but this time, it was that of a mare from the last row. "Oh, another question." said the author. "Well, what do you want to know, miss-?"
"Who I am, is not of importance here." said the mare, her identity concealend, in a beautiful, dark blue robe. While her height did instantly give away her disguise, no one dared to to say it out loud. "So far, you have showed us a lot of paintings, yet it leaves me a question, as to who has painted them and why. Do you know?" The author looked around for a bit, as if searching for someone.
"Well..." she started. "Some are entirely new ones, made specifically for this book presentation. Others were lented to me by the Insbuck City Museum, located in the far west of the Gryphon Kingdom. The newer ones were sketched by a friend of a friend from Ponyville, while the paintjob was done by a freelance artist from Los Pegasus. The older ones were commisions by the Grayfeather family." Seeing as both the sketcher and the artist were a part of the audience, she decide to not tell how much 'fun' had cost her.
"Thank you." replied the robed the robed mare and sat down. "Guess I'm still lacking in last millenia's history." The author looked suspiciously at the mare for a moment and then continued, shrugging it off as if nothing happened.
"Now, where was I... Oh, right." The wall behind her now showed Helmut in the company of many comtemporary scientists. He wore the same clothes as his father, albeit without the holes for wings. "No other problems surfaced that needed to be dealt with and slowly, but surely, Helmut climbed the ladder of intelligence and reached the very top - The Canterlot Royal Society of Science."
"Mr. Grayfeather Junior!" a fellow scientist greeted him, shaking his hand as he cautiosly made his way inside the odd building. "Glad to finally meet you." The rest of the scientists turned their attention to the two, as to what Helmut will say, as the collaboration of old and new scientists could be the most historial event the Society of Science has ever seen.
"Ah, Professor Beakstein!" he returned the handsake. "Pleasure's on my side, professor. I've read all your marvelous books, but I never though we'd meet face to face. Your theory of relativity is flawless!" One of the lesser known scientists stepped out of the crowd, wanting to get in touch with the newcomer, too. The other scientists seemed indifferent to this single one and not even one greeted him upon his arrival to the room.
"Professor Theodore Lavitt , or, as some of my students nickname me, 'Tesla'." introduced himself the scientist with a smile, but before he too, could offer a hand, he was interrupted by Beakstein.
"Leave him be, Tesla." he looked at with a frown. "Go get your 'Followers of the Electros' or whatever you call them and scram." With just a quick glance at Helmut, Tesla left without a single word. The 'newcomer', as he believed they called him, was now rather confused, since he believed scientists were all on the same boat.
"Wha's with you and Tesla?" he asked, looking around. "Rivalry?" Beakstein let out a laugh and then immediately returned back to his rather serious mood.
"Quite a long tale, actually." replied Beakstein. "Only reason we're keeping him, is because of his idea to one day bring light where there's darkness, to everyone and for free." Beakstein cautiosly looked around and then added, whispering. "Officially, he's not even a member, due to majority of us thinking he has a few screws loose, especially with his obsession with doves."
"However, despite looking like the very gryphon females would fall for and having wealth and charisma, underneath all that, he was in a very deep depression, often spending whole days devising plans and drawings, yet still ended scrapping every single one of them. Putting his life-long dream on a nail, he decided to take the same route as his father." The unicorn who was projecting the paintings suddenly had her horn go off, fainting from exhaustion. The author immediately ran to her and along with her agent, they carried her to the backstage.
Afterwards, the crowd started discussing what had just happened. The unicorn regained consciousness a few seconds later, confused.
"Ugh... what... what happened?" she asked. "Where am I?"
"You've fainted from exhaustion and we carried you to the backstage." explained the agent. "I think your friend has a bit of explaining to do, don't you?" The agent gave a serious look to the author, who due to not even thinking of this happening, was speechless.
"M-me?" she asked. "I... I had no idea this would happen!" Upon replying to her agent, she looked at the fainted unicorn. "I'm sorry. I should have known casting beyond your stamina would result in... this." The agent shook his head is disapproval.
"You're not fooling anyone with that." he said angrily. "You knew how much she can handle and still wanted her to go beyond her limits. What would you do if she actually got hurt?" The agent let that sink in, as the author appeared to be speechless once more. "I'm taking her home. Good luck with the rest of reading." With that said, the agent took the dazed unicorn and carried her away, leaving the theatre.
Afterwards, the author slowly returned back to the stage, on the verge of crying.
"I'm sorry." she spoke to the audience. "I've overestimated her abilities and... didn't account for failure. I'll have to continue the reading without any paintings to show you. I hope she's alright." The crowd became silent and the author returned back to the pedestal to turn a page, resuming her reading of the story.
"In late 1899, he drew plans for what he named 'donum fugam' in ponin or, as he called it, the gift of flight. These plans consisted of a hefty set of mechanical wings to be worn around one's back, as well as several assorted limbs constructed of steel and powered by coal, steam and Tesla's alternating current electricity. He had the even brighter idea to pitch this idea and the plans to them during New Year Celebrations of 1900, due to how many scientists would show up at such event.
Unfortunately, The Royal Society didn't share his ambition and joy, seeing his plans as nothing more, than loner fan saw this as entirely preposterous and merely fantastical. When he tried to defend his idea, persuading them to at least attempt to build one of them before judging, he was immediately shouted at and promply expelled from the building that housed the Royal Society. Everything he had been building up all those years, was suddenly all gone in just the timespan of ten minutes. All for just a few, open-minded ideas..." The author took a painting of a grim, grey castle atop a hill, showing it to the audience.
"As his wealth was still left intact, with the help of Tesla, his only friend from the Royal Society, he drew plans and hired workers to build him and his associate a small castle on the highest hill of the Macintosh Hills. The two took refuge there and continued their respective research, but it was only a matter of time until only one remained."
Helmut waited for the mailmare to deliver their mail as usual. They rarely got any mails at all, but after Tesla got one letter, he immediately started packing.
"Wha.. where you going?" asked Helmut.
"Guess who called me back." replied Tesla, holding the letter with his hands, smiling. "Won't probably get any credit for it, but it's something."
"The Royal Society?" Tesla nodded. "Those closed-minded pieces of-?!"
"Exactly those. Turns out they ran out of ideas to use and need me to explain what-in-Celestia have I actually pitched to them." Despite this, Helmut still didn't share his joy of the news.
"So now, you'll just-?" Tesla nodded again, albeit saddened now.
"I'm afraid so, my friend." he explained. "Took more than enough years for them to actually listen to what I said thirty years ago, but now that it's finally here, I want to pursue it, despite of how disgraceful they are." With that said, Tesla headed straight for the door, but stopped near them and took out a file out of his briefcase.
"What-what's that?" Helmut asked, helmut, gazing the file.
"Something special for you, if you're keen on making your research count." said Tesla, handing him the file. "Scaled down and simplified version of every invention I and you created, with a complete, straightforward guide on how to set it all up." Helmut took the file in anticipation and immediately checked the contents. It was all genuine.
Before he could, however, say either 'Thank you' or 'Goodbye', both Tesla and his brieface vanished. Helmut even ran outside after, but to his disappointment, the scientist was gone without a trace, nowhere to be seen.
"After the return of Tesla to the Royal Society, rumours started surrounding both Helmut and his castle, but they were polarised, with some seeing him as a futurist, some as indoubtly insane. Alone in his ivory tower, his only companion was a dove left by Tesla and the mailmare, who occasionally brought him his mail."
"Mother, father, I have failed. I though I could create something for myself, now that I had fortune and wealth on my side, but... you were right. Power is a disease and I lost my name as a scientist, secluded in a castle I build myself and in it, alone. If I could swap places with someone poor, who had someone he could rely on, I would do it. I've burned almost every bridge, but the one I have to you. Please, write to me, as soon, as you can." Helmut finished the letter with ink and right after that, the mailmare arrived, just on time like she always did.
"Alright Mr. Gray, got anything you need to deliver?" Helmut nodded and handed her a letter he had wrote.
"I'd like to have this delivered to Ambrosia and Wilhelm Grayfeather, Insbuck City, Lumi Street 78." he instructed her. "Express delivery, if possible." The mailmare took his letter, looked at it for a bit and then gave him a very sad look.
"Mr. Gray, Helmut..." she said slowly.
"Yes, dear?" he asked her. "Did something happen?" The mailmare stayed silent and inhaled, still giving him the sad look.
"There... there was an incident on the street..." she started. "Someone set fire to your parents' house and... the house burned to ashes. They... didn't make it out. Your parents rescued their house servants... but not themselves..." Helmut felt his heart ripped out of his chest and then stomped repeatedly, a tear falling down his cheek. "I'm sorry." Helmut burst into tears, seeing as even the last individuals he could turn to, were now gone.
The mailmare, not having the heart of stone, gave him a hug, seeing as he was now completely alone. "Now, now, there's gotta be someone else you still have." Helmut returned the hug, causing the mailmare the blush a little, seeing as it looked like a bear hugging a deer.
"No, there isn't." he said. "Everyone's gone." The mailmare though for a while, as he let go.
"Would... would it be okay if I stayed?" she asked. "Not for long, just until you feel better" Helmut wiped away his tears and gave her a faint smile.
"Yes... I would be very grateful, if you stayed" he said. "I need someone to talk to." The mailmare gave him a smile and promised to visit him as much, as she could. She was just one mail pony after all, there were others bound to do her job.
"His plans remained unknown to the public and even though Tesla was asked numerously, what sort of plans he gave him, Tesla dismissed the claims and told them it's nothing more, than just a rumour, to stain both his and Helmut's name. Suspicion arose once a lot of lightnings rods were brought to the castle, along with a large amount of steel. Helmut, being the only child, has inherited both his mother and father's wealth, but no one knew, what he planned to do with it." The author swapped her held painting with that of a gryphon in patched, dirty clothing, with grayed out feathers and holding a shovel, digging out a cadaver out of the graveyard.
"Oh, you're here!" said Helmut happily. "I've made tea and apple pies from the apples I bought. I have your precious mails to thank for that." The mail mare sat on a chair, but looked very saddened and pale.
"What?" he asked. "Is something wrong?" The mare sighed.
"I'm ill," she said sadly. "some sort of teminal illness. The doctors say I only have a few days left, or a week, if I'm lucky." Helmut stops dead on his way to the kitchen, dropping a plate and causing it to shatter. He then walks inside the room and sits right next to her.
"A few days?" he asked, terrified. "But... how... why?"
"I.. I don't know." she told him and then gave him the saddest look a pony could give. "So many things I wanted to do and now... I just won't be able to." The scientist gave her a wholehearted hug.
"I've lived long, but centered my life on just one, simple thing. I don't deserve to live that long – you do" he said to her. "Four years you accompanied me, talked to me, made me feel like I'm not all alone in this world." He looked into her eyes. "The only thing that kept me from going mad – my impossible girl." The mailmare gave a large blush, her cheeks turning to a dark, crimson colour.
"I don't know how, I don't know when, but if I'm going to do one last thing right," he continued. "I want to do it, for the good of someone else."
"This was when it all begun to come down on him, as cards from his castle, started falling. On one dark, stormy night, just like this one, both ponies and gryphons charged at the castle, armed with pretty much anything they could scuffle. As their entered the castle, a thunderbolt hit the lightning rods at the very top." An audible thunderbolt was heard and seen from the outside, setting a tree ablaze and then rain extinguishing it just a few seconds later.
"Ugh... what.. WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" cried out to mailmare, seeing herself in a body that wasn't hers."The pain.. It's unbearable!" Helmut appeared from her left side, giving her a dose of anaesthetics and causing her to sigh with a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry it hurts, I didn't take pain into consideration when I was planning this all out." he says, assuring her. "Don't worry about the looks either. This is just temporary. It'll get better, I promise." The mailmare tried to move, but found herself strapped to a surgeon's table.
"Looks?" she asked. "Why? How do I look?" Helmut cautiosly took a few steps back. "Mirror, now!" Helmut shakily showed her her new looks and then immediately dropped it after her response.
"I'm.. I'm a monster!" she cried out. "Why would you do this to anyone?!" Helmut approached her with a sad look, holding her now-segmented hoof in his hands.
"No, you're not." he said. "You never were and you never will be. Just this once, I want to give someone another chance and let them live their live longer than I did." The mare stayed silent after this. "I wasn't fast enough and only finished the first plans after you were... gone for four hours. I did a lot of things I'll regret, to make all of this work, but as long, as I'm still here, I want to be remembered, by ending it all, with a deed, that helped someone else." Having have not paid attention to the events outside the castle, a crowd was now heard ascending the castle tower, presumably after breaking through the only door. As he looked outside, he saw pegasi, leaving trails as they flew and heading for his castle. Without even as much as thinking, he immediately let the mailmare out of her straps and helped her stand up.
"What... what's happening?" she asked. "Why are they here?" She almost instantly noticed she was slightly taller and heavier. Upon to move her wings, she found out they too, were much heavier.
"I dug out corpses to find the right parts," the mare stared at him, mouth agape. "to keep you from dying."
"You... DUG OUT CORPSES?!" she said in shock. "So I'm just a..."
"No, everything has it's functionality restored and even though it may not look like that," he assured her. "everything works like it should." The doors burst open and a crowd stopped dead its tracks upon seeing the contents of the lab.
The painting shifts to what appears to be a moderately big pony, with various parts of machinery built into it and segmented, sewed skin. The most prominent feature, however, were its large, mechanical wings, deeply indented into it's flesh.
"What they saw when they entered his lab, was barely comprehensible. They saw the merging of a flesh and machine before their very eyes, moving and looking at them with living eyes." The author took a pause and then continued. "What exactly happened in that room, is unknown. Those that survive say that this... 'Grayfeather Monster', as they called it, attacked the crowd with brute strenght and killed many before the castle itself was conquered. However, due to his deeds, it was subsequently destroyed by a tornado, produced by both pegasi and gryphons." The final painting shows Helmut, about to jump out of the tower lab's window, donning a set of metallic wings.
"Wait, I can explain!" said Helmut, trying to calm the crowd down. "Whatever you do, don't-" His warning met only deaf ears and the angered crowd ran at the monster, willing to take it down.
The mailmare, however, defended both herself and her creator, her brute strenght breaking bones as if they were just made out of paper. In the end however, when the 'cavalry' arrived, consisting of heavily armoured Royal Guards, both of them were pushed to a window. Helmut looked at the mailmare sadly.
"Land safely and you'll make it." he said. "I won't abandon you, I promise." The mailmare gave him one last look and then jumped out of the window. Her wings were barely able to support her weight and thus, she had to land in the back on the castle. She saw a tornado form just on the horizon and it closing in, fast.
"JUMP!" she shouted. "I'll catch you!" The scientist took a few steps back from the Royal Guards and then did a trust fall, plummeting down the castle, quickly reaching velocity. The mailmare managed to catch him, nevertheless, but with the arrival of the tornado, they had no chance to escape it. Instead, they embraced each other in a hug, immovable by the wind.
A single pegasus left the formation and charged at them at supersonic speed, causing her to let go off him. Shortly after, the tornado was dismissed, as the pegasus that left he formation, was also the fastest. Both of them were now away from each other, but only Helmut appeared to be wounded. Seeing as they completed their mission, the pegasi flew away.
She started walking to him, noticeably limping, as he laid motionless on the ground.
His eyes opened slightly as he reached for her. A large shadow moved to him and upon looking to her side, the mailmare saw the tower falling at them...
"Instead of being captured, he flew out of the tower, never to be seen again. The castle was left in ruin, but neither the body of the monster, or the body of Doctor Helmut Grayfeather, was ever found. The thing that was found, however, was one, mechanical wing. However, despite this, the case was shelved in late 1924, the same year the incident had happened.
The remnants of the castle still stand today, but they are neither attibuted to Professor Tesla or Dr. Grayfeather. With the help of either wealth or fear of anyone choosing the same path, the whole incident was reduced to an old pony tale, with the newspapers saying it was nothing more, than a succesfully repelled changeling attack.
But, to this very day, questions remain. No one knowns what became of his personal mailmare or the firestarter that killed both of his parents. Memoirs and memories sometimes exaggerate and thus, whetever or not any of this is true is left to you, the readers and listeners. With this incident ended a significant branch of the Grayfeather family, with the last of the family dreaming of a world, in which everyone could fly..." The audience stands up, giving the author a standing ovation. Even though it was a rather shortened version of the tale, it was more than enough to provide a great success for the author, Blueberry Wine.
On the following day, large hoofprints were found all around Ponyville and Canterlot, these locations being the places Blueberry Wine has presented and promoted her debut book. Even more oddly, Blueberry went missing, with new marks bearing blood now replacing the previous ones. In response to this, her family left a hefty bag of cash to everyone, who could bring they beloved daughter back. Yet, everyone who tries to track the monster down, ends up missing...