South of Griffonstone
September 9, 7:47 PM
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
Behind him, Phase heard the rapidly approaching rumble of the monstrous creature in hot pursuit. And beside him, eyes wide with terror and panic, was a young griffon named Sprint. Phase could tell that he was running as quickly as could, though it was still slower than flying. But his panic made his flying erratic, so he had quickly abandoned it for a safer approach.
Phase had been sent to the woods south of Griffonstone with Buckle after information from Phantom Star’s journals revealed that one of his family’s sealed monsters could be found there. But when they arrived, they were surprised to find a small group of young griffons gathered at the entrance to the cave in question. Apparently, they had challenged Sprint to go inside as part of a dare. Phase and Buckle had been planning to discreetly (if possible) vanquish the beast, but upon learning of the dare, the situation became much more dire.
And it had only gone downhill from there.
The enormous monstrosity within the cave may have been magically sealed at one point, but somehow, the seal had dissolved. And when Sprint found it, the beast was waiting. Had Phase not found him at that instant, Sprint would likely have been little more than an appetizer.
So here he was: running for his life with a frightened griffon cub from a monster that he was supposed to kill. Needless to say, this wasn’t quite how he had planned things to go.
But he couldn’t panic. Sprint was barely able to keep his legs moving in one direction. If he saw his rescuer losing his nerve, he might freeze up entirely.
The exit. If he could just make it to the exit, Buckle would be there. Together, they could rally up and still kill this beast. He just had to make it there.
The rumbling in the cave grew stronger. A sharp hiss echoed off the cavern walls, sending a shiver along Phase’s spine that refused to subside. His eyes peered ahead, trying to will the cavern exit to appear.
But all he saw was the continuing blackness of the tunnel.
The shaking continued to intensify. He opened up his awareness beyond the walls of the cave, searching for something—anything¬—that might provide some kind of escape. He needed to slow it down…maybe there was a weakness in the cavern ceiling that he could use to collapse the cave for a short time? Maybe a side tunnel, or even a nook they could try to hide in? All he knew was that the exit wasn’t appearing, and their pursuer was closing in on them.
He sensed a sudden heat on the back of his neck, sharp and intense as a pair of daggers slowly being driven into his skin. He grimaced, but resisted the urge to wince entirely. He had maybe three seconds before the monster was on him, and he was desperate to get every last bit out of them.
Suddenly, beyond the wall on his left, he sensed movement. Not anything large, like a creature. It was subtle and intangible…
Moving air.
With one swift move, he hefted Sprint into a one-legged hug with his right leg and simultaneously somersaulted to his left. Igniting his magic precisely halfway into his twist, he heard an eardrum-shattering roar from no more than a few inches behind him.
And with a flash of light, the pony and the griffon vanished.
They reappeared a short distance away, but now, a thick cave wall stood between them and their hideous pursuer. Sprint spun wildly across the cavern floor as he landed, but Phase crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath and struggling to stop the intense ringing in his ears.
“What was that thing?!” Sprint wheezed, head jerking back and forth in paranoia so quickly that it almost appeared that he had a twitch. “Is it gone?”
Phase fought to find his voice. The monster’s roar had left him rattled, and his concentration had barely managed to remain intact just long enough to teleport away. He took a few more deep breaths. “Maybe for the moment,” he managed with a cringe. Even the sound of his own voice triggered a painful pounding in his head. “Just hang on…”
Slowly, he worked himself into a sitting position. His breathing became smoother, and the drumbeat within his skull gradually faded. The ringing in his ears had diminished from a brass orchestra to a string quartet. “Okay,” he said at last, twisting his neck with a series of small pops. There was still a small breeze flowing through the cavern. “So, when you came in, do you remember whether the breeze was flowing into or out of the mouth of the cave?”
Sprint looked at him quizzically. “There was a breeze?”
Phase sighed. “Nevermind.” He peered in the direction of an incline in the cave as the wind slipped past him. “We had to go down to get to the monster’s lair, so it only makes sense that we have to go up to get back to the surface. Plus, the air is moving in the same direction, which is good, since it was blowing out of the cavern when I came in.”
“Then why’d you ask me?”
“Because I was hoping you’d prove to me that you had a plan for getting back out,” Phase deadpanned. “You should always have a plan.”
“Hmph. I don’t need any advice from a pony,” Sprint quipped, suddenly hostile.
“Oh, my bad,” Phase muttered, rising and starting down the tunnel. “Well, good luck when that monster catches up with you.”
“We’re in a separate tunnel, though,” Sprint replied, sounding somewhat unsure. “It can’t get over here.”
“Well, you don’t need my advice,” Phase answered, “but if you did, then I’d tell you that the air is flowing in this cavern just like it was in the one you entered, which means that these tunnels are connected, which means that it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be having company. But, of course, you already knew that, so—”
The griffon appeared next to him so quickly, Phase almost wondered if he had actually teleported there. “Well…maybe there’s no harm in sticking together. At least until we get out, right?”
Phase sighed in mild annoyance. Even though the ponies and griffons had made peace with each other hundreds of years ago, it would have been a stretch to have referred to the two races as “friends.” It would have been more accurate to describe them as “tolerated neighbors,” with each one blaming the other for the not-quite-cordial relations between the two. Celestia and Luna hoped to patch things up with the griffons quickly, but…well, hundreds of years of grudges weren’t easy to overcome.
A roar that shook the cavern snapped Phase out of his reverie. “C’mon; we gotta move,” he ordered, pushing Sprint ahead of him and breaking into a run.
The pair raced through their underground pathway, and while they encountered no sign of the monster, they quickened their pace with every roar or shudder felt throughout the cavern.
Finally, when Sprint looked like he could barely take another step, a light exploded into their eyes, causing the griffon to trip and skid along the ground. Phase winced and inclined his head away, but never diverted his eyes. “There’s our exit!” he shouted, hefting Sprint back onto his talons and stumbling towards the opening.
They emerged into the daylight among a thicket or tall grass and trees, well-concealed from any eyes that may have been searching for them. Phase lit up his horn and sent a magic flare high into the air.
“What’s that?” Sprint asked, his eyes following the flare on its trajectory.
“A signal flare,” Phase answered. “I came with my partner, and I’m hoping she sees that.”
“Scared of getting lost?” the griffon mocked.
“Not quite,” the unicorn answered, looking back to the cave entrance. “I’m actually hoping for backup to help us face that thing.”
The color seemed to drain from Sprint’s face as the words reached him. “Y-You’re…you’re going to f-fight that monster?!”
“It’s why I’m here,” Phase deadpanned. “Unless you’d like to face it yourself.”
“Didn’t you see that thing?! I wouldn’t face it even if I were a dragon! You’re just a pony! Are you out of your mind?!”
“Possibly,” Phase admitted. “But there’s only one way to find out.”
Suddenly, a sandy beige earth pony mare with a brown mane burst through the brush right in front of them, followed by a small cadre of other griffons, looking about the same age as Sprint. “You made it, rookie,” the earth pony said in a neutral voice. “And you found the griffon, too. Is the beast far behind you?”
“Tough to say. I teleported us away from it into another wing, but everything in there is connected, so once it catches our scent…”
A roar shook the ground beneath their hooves, and a blast of hot air burst from the cavern entrance, sending the griffons diving for cover, while the two ponies spun to face their foe.
“Get back!” Phase barked at the griffons. “Find somewhere safe! Leave this to us.”
He didn’t hear a response, but the sound of running served its purpose as its own answer. He turned his attention to his partner on his right.
“Nervous?” Buckle asked, crouching low.
“Maybe a bit,” Phase admitted, keenly aware of his quickening heartbeat and the beads of sweat slowly rolling off his brow. “You?”
Buckle shook her head. “I’m not nervous. Though I am afraid.”
“Afraid, but not nervous?” Phase asked, never taking his eyes off the cavern opening.
“Being nervous makes you unsteady, and that’s the last thing you want in a situation,” she explained, crouching even lower. “But anypony that would step into this scenario and not be afraid is a fool. Fear makes you aware of the danger, but it is not an end. It is not your goal to be afraid.”
“Obviously,” Phase muttered.
If Buckle heard the remark, she chose to ignore it. “Fear is merely an avenue to courage. Fear should kindle a desire within you to stand against the danger because of the threat it poses to everything we love.” She paused and turned to face the unicorn. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Sure,” he answered. “Pummel this thing into submission before it can do that to anypony else. Easy, right?”
The cavern entrance exploded in a cascade of boulders and a cloud of dust as an enormous black figure emerged. The two ponies slowly retreated as the creature grew taller and taller until it towered over the ponies. Rising above the dust cloud, Phase could feel his jaw loosen as he stared into the red-eyed face of…
“A chicken?!” the unicorn exclaimed in confusion.
“If only,” Buckle said in a trembling voice beside him. “That looks to me like the granddaddy of all cockatrices.”
Phase took a second glance. Sure enough, a scaly, black, serpentine body extended downwards from the head—as sure an indicator of bad news as anything could have been. “Cadance’s crystals,” he whispered in awe. “A basilisk.”
He had heard of the basilisk before. Sure, some said it was merely a myth, but the fact that it had a place in every bestiary he had seen had been suspicious, to say the least. Each entry had been different, including its color, its size, and its presumed habitat. However, some things had been consistent throughout every book he had read: it was an ancient, more dangerous version of a cockatrice, it was extremely hostile, its bite was lethally venomous, and there was one place you never looked at it…
“Don’t look in its eyes!” Buckle’s shout snapped him back to reality. “They’ll do worse than just turn you to stone!”
“I know; I know!” Phase shouted back. He dove for cover as the beast’s tail smashed the ground right where he had been standing mere moments before. “I didn’t come here with the intent of dying!”
Another roar split the air as the basilisk dropped to the ground, its slithering movements causing the ground to rumble beneath the ponies’ hooves. Phase watched as it zigged and zagged along the ground with an almost hypnotic rhythm. It was fast…unexpectedly fast.
OK, so now that we’ve found it…how do we kill it?
Suddenly, the basilisk did a hard right hand turn and doubled back towards him. Caught off-guard, he had nearly no time to react. He turned away, capable only of awaiting the widening jaws of the basilisk.
Then, just before the monster reached him, the basilisk seemed to slam into an invisible solid object. Surprised, Phase hazarded a second look. Before the enormous serpent’s head stood a large rectangular glowing barrier. He recognized it instantly as one of Buckle’s magic walls. Boy, did I ever get the right partner for this job…
“Don’t freeze up on me, rookie!” Buckle shouted at him from the other side of the basilisk. “I need your help to beat this thing!”
The monster, having regained its senses, rose up again to a towering height and roared down at Phase. Apparently, it was none-too-pleased at having been denied a tasty pony snack. “You have something specific in mind?” Phase shouted back, darting for cover behind a pile of fallen debris from the mountainside.
“We need to give ourselves more of an opening! Try to shoot out its eyes!” Buckle ordered.
Phase blinked. “But I thought I wasn’t supposed to look at its eyes!” he called.
“You’re not!”
He responded with a low growl. “Then that doesn’t make any sense!” he yelled back.
The boulder he had been hiding behind suddenly flew away as the basilisk swatted it aside with its tail. He looked up just in time to see the monster dive at him, determined to make him its next meal. But this time, he was ready. With a flash, he teleported from his spot, reappearing between the basilisk’s diminutive wings. Good thing they’re so small, or we’d have to worry about a giant chicken-snake that can turn ponies to stone…that can also fly.
He stamped several times, hoping to discover that the monster’s skin wasn’t thick as armor. But as his hooves clanged against the basilisk’s scales, he found himself mentally crossing another possibility off his checklist of usable tactics. The list had become frighteningly short rather rapidly.
“Watch out!”
He saw it just in time. The basilisk’s tail was headed right for him. He ducked just in time, the tail missing him by inches. Looking up, he saw a spell orb strike the basilisk in its neck, just below its feathered head. Instantly, the area was sheathed in ice, and Phase used the opportunity to teleport back to his partner’s side. “Think that will hold for long?” he asked.
Almost before he had finished the question, the monster swung its head to the left, causing the ice to shatter. Buckle growled in a low voice. “You had to ask, didn’t you?”
The basilisk looked down towards them, and they both dove for the cover of another fallen boulder. As Phase rolled to his hooves, he heard the unmistakable sound of an annoyed cluck.
Never thought that would be such a terrifying sound. Live and learn, I guess. “Think we might have bitten off a bit more than we could chew, ma’am,” Phase said.
“You giving up on me, rookie?” Buckle fired back, peering around the edge of the boulder.
“Not hardly,” he answered, “though I think we’re down to only a few options we haven’t tried yet. This thing is tough. We’ve barely been able to phase it.” He paused and smiled in amusement. “Phase it. Huh. Funny.”
“Focus, rookie,” Buckle ordered, retreating again behind their hiding place. “Legends hold that both cockatrices and basilisks share the same weakness: their own reflection.”
“Darn! Knew I should have brought my full-monster-body-length mirror with me.”
Suddenly a shadow fell over them, and they both looked up just in time to see the silhouette of the basilisk hovering over them.
“Scatter!” Buckle ordered. Phase spotted an elevated ledge on the upper part of the cave opening. Instantly, he teleported over and, for the first time, found himself looking on the ensuing battle from above. He saw Buckle nimbly dodging the attacks of the basilisk as she attempted to put some space between herself and the monster. Apparently, the basilisk had come to the conclusion that it was a much better idea to focus on the pony that didn’t have the nasty habit of constantly vanishing into thin air.
He raised his shooter. It was loaded with a stun orb which, at the very least, should buy Buckle a few moments of time to try and get ahead of her pursuer. He lined up his shot, took a deep breath, activated his magic, and watched as the orb split the air and struck the basilisk right between the wings.
Bingo!
The basilisk seemed to slouch down a bit in response, and on the ground, Buckle seemed to notice the change in her foe. She performed a quick somersault in the air and fired off her own spell orb, which collided with the monster’s face with a sudden blaze of light. A flash orb—she’s trying to blind the basilisk so it can’t use its eyes against us!
For the second time in mere minutes, Phase found himself powerfully thankful for his partner. Her veteran influence and steady approach to any problem perfectly balanced his own attitude. As she had said so many times, he was still a “rookie”—but he was determined to prove he was capable of much more.
The basilisk roared in anger and began to flail around, trying to recover its vision from the infuriating little ponies that continued their relentless harassment. Phase watched intently, considering his options. “What now?” he shouted down to his partner.
“Honestly, I was hoping you had an idea,” Buckle called back.
Fantastic.
As he watched the beast struggle, he tried to analyze the situation. Blinding the basilisk was a good strategy to buy time, but if the only way to defeat the basilisk was to get it to look in its reflection, then they couldn’t rely on it forever. But they didn’t have any kind of mirror to use, so the point was moot. In essence, they had come to a stalemate, with both sides unable to defeat the other. But the longer the battle lasted, the fewer options the ponies would have, until they would no choice but to retreat.
They needed a wild card.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a brilliant streak of orange seared the air, finding its mark right in the basilisk’s face and prompting another deafening roar from the monster. Startled, Phase traced the beam of magic back to its source: a fiery orange pegasus whose slow but deliberate descent had brought him not ten feet from where Phase stood.
“Nighthawk!” Phase exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just passing through,” Nighthawk answered through gritted teeth as he continued to fire his magic between the basilisk’s eyes. “Hope I’m not spoiling your fun.”
“Not at all, sir,” the unicorn replied, looking down to see Buckle scampering over the edge of the cavern opening. “The more the merrier.”
“Nighthawk, thank Celestia!” Buckle shouted from below. “Perfect timing as usual!”
“Don’t get too excited,” Nighthawk called back, his face contorting into a grimace. “I don’t think this is doing too much to our friend over there.”
Phase dared a look at the basilisk’s face. Mercifully, the creature’s attention was directed upon the attack, and not any curious onlookers. But as he peered closer, he saw the truth: by some bizarre chance, Nighthawk’s beam was stopping just a few inches short of the creature’s face. It just…stopped in midair. Almost as though it was…
“It’s shielding its eyes somehow!” he shouted. “It’s protecting its weak spot!”
“Sounds like we’re back to square one,” Buckle muttered just loud enough for Phase to hear. “We need it to see its own reflection.”
Phase looked around. There wasn’t a thing in sight that had even the remotest semblance of being sufficiently reflective to suit their needs. It was all just dirt, plants, and jagged rocks. In the distance, the Celestial Sea glistened like a distant jewel in the sun, but even if it had been nearer, it wasn’t as though the sea was known as something serene and still. They needed something flat, smooth, and reflective, and they just didn’t have anything that fit the bill.
Nighthawk took off and swirled around the head of the basilisk, keeping it occupied. He’s got magic power to spare, but the basilisk is just blocking it, so it’s little more than a distraction. I can teleport around and keep it distracted and moving, but that only buys us time. And Buckle can defend us with those shields of hers…
He paused. Her shields…they’re flat and smooth. If only they were reflective…
He looked up again to see Nighthawk flitting around the basilisk’s head. A quick flash of light blinded him for a moment, and he was reminded of the icy crystals far to the north in his homeland.
And the thought found a home within his brain.
I know how to make a mirror!
“Nighthawk!” he shouted, suddenly excited. “Keep that thing busy for us! Just give me as much time as you can!”
“You got an idea, kid?” Nighthawk shouted, deftly avoiding a swipe of the basilisk’s tail.
“Here’s hoping!” he answered, teleporting down beside Buckle.
The earth pony mare eyed him expectantly. “What’s your plan, rookie?”
He pulled his shooter off his leg and opened the orb chamber. Three remaining orbs awaited within: a flash orb, a smoke orb, and a freeze orb. He smiled and switched their order before closing the lid and reattaching the shooter to his leg. “Buckle, I need a forcefield. A large, flat one, perfectly vertical.”
Buckle arched an eyebrow as a wry smile slowly tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You think it’ll work?”
He shot a quick glance back over to where Nighthawk and the basilisk were locked in combat. “I don’t know, but I think it’s the best shot we have right now.”
“That it is,” Buckle agreed. Her irises glimmered, and a large, glowing rectangle appeared in front of her.
With a flourish, Phase aimed the forcefield and fired. A small cloud of icy mist burst from the impact area as the entire barrier became encased in a layer of ice. Gently, Buckle lowered the forcefield until the icy wall sat upon the ground.
Phase lit up his own horn and held the makeshift mirror steady. “How’s it look from your side?” he asked.
“Working like a charm,” she answered, and Phase couldn’t help but note the tone in her voice. It sounded like she was actually impressed.
But he didn’t have time to revel in his accomplishment. “We need to lure that thing over here.” He watched as Nighthawk continued his dizzying dance around the head of his foe. He makes it look so easy, but I know he’s gotta be running out of juice. Not even he can keep that up forever.
“You’ve still got two more orbs in your shooter, right?” Buckle asked.
“Yeah.”
“What are they?”
“Uh…” He hesitated as he tried to remember which ones they were. “Smoke and flash.”
“In that order?”
“Um…maybe?” he replied, not quite sure of his answer.
“Phase, focus!” she fired back.
His mind responded. She hadn’t called him “rookie,” as she had done so many times before. She had used his actual moniker—and it had gotten his attention. Instantly, as though her words had cast a recollection spell, he saw himself rearranging the orbs just moments ago, and he had his answer.
“Yeah, smoke then flash.”
“Perfect,” she answered. “Aim for the basilisk’s head with those two orbs. We need you to represent a greater threat to the basilisk than Nighthawk in its mind. If you can hit it up near its eyes, it should turn towards you.”
“You’d better be ready with that mirror when it comes for me,” he replied stoically, taking aim with his shooter.
“Don’t worry about that. Just get its attention. I’ve got your back.”
He watched and waited for several seconds. As visible and large as the basilisk was, it had a tendency to sway back and forth in an irregular pattern—and Nighthawk’s constant darting back and forth wasn’t helping. Geez, why can’t anything ever be easy?
Finally, Nighthawk seemed to catch a glimpse of his two comrades. Apparently realizing what was happening, he slowly backed away from the monster, making it into a much more stationary target. A second later, a bang accompanied an explosion of smoke that swallowed the head of the basilisk.
The monster roared and ducked out of the smoke cloud, turning to focus in on the two ground-based ponies. But before it could even begin to move towards them, the second of Phase’s orbs struck the monster, conjuring a brilliant flash of light that cast shadows in all directions. The basilisk roared again but didn’t try to wait for the light to fade. It wanted those ponies, and it wanted them now.
Phase steadied himself. He had ten seconds at the most. Ten seconds before the basilisk was on top of him.
And, in order for the plan to work, he had no choice but to stand his ground and stare down the most dangerous creature he had ever encountered.
“Move, Phase!” Buckle shouted. “I’ve got this!”
“We need it to keep coming this way!” Phase yelled back, digging in his hooves. “It’s focused on me right now, not you!”
Five seconds.
“Close enough! Move!” Buckle ordered, and for the first time, Phase thought he actually heard an edge of panic in her voice.
“Just a little longer…” he growled through gritted teeth. His mental counter was down to two seconds.
Good enough for me.
With a burst of magic, Phase blinked back to his rocky outcropping and found himself watching Buckle stand against the rapid advance of the basilisk.
Alone.
A mere five feet remained between the basilisk and Buckle’s makeshift mirror when it happened. An agonizing scream shook the mountain, forcing Phase to his knees with his hooves in his ears. Through the haze of pain and ringing in his ears, he saw the form of the basilisk suddenly stiffen and change to a stony gray. The monster crashed into the mirror, shattering it and sending shards of ice flying in all directions.
The echoes of the basilisk’s scream slowly faded. Phase wobblingly rose to his hooves and stared down at the scene below. The basilisk’s body, now nothing more than a large stone statue, had come to rest near the edge of a drop-off to his right. Buckle, covered in dust but otherwise fine, ambled on top of the statue and surveyed her surroundings.
And, without the slightest warning, the ground simply ceased to be there.
Phase watched in horror as the giant stone figure of the basilisk slid over the edge of the crumbling cliff. Buckle, caught completely by surprise, stumbled as her footing teetered over the edge. The last thing Phase saw before she vanished was the look of sudden panic on her face.
“Buckle!” Nighthawk shouted, spreading his wings with a sudden orange blaze.
But only a second later, a flash of light appeared a few feet from the edge of the cliff, and Phase dropped onto the ground with a thud.
And before Nighthawk could dart over the edge towards his falling comrade, the dust settled around Phase’s figure. He was curled up into a tight form, and his legs were stretched out in front of him, clutching something against his body. And as Nighthawk approached, he saw what the unicorn was holding.
“Buckle…” Nighthawk whispered in surprise.
Phase slowly loosened his grip and rolled onto his back. Buckle, looking shaken, rose to her hooves before collapsing back onto her haunches. “Phase…what just happened?”
“I…” The light orange unicorn’s breath came quick and short, and his voice was coarse and airy. “I…”
“Ease up, Phase,” Nighthawk said, lighting upon the ground and tucking his wings against his side. He walked over beside the crystal unicorn and laid a hoof on his chest. “Just breathe. Slow down and let it come. Relax.”
“I…”
“Hush,” Nighthawk ordered. “Calm down, then talk. I don’t want you hyperventilating.”
Phase nodded, but a wild look was in his eyes. His pupils were constricted, and they darted back and forth as though he were desperately searching for something in a fit of paranoia. But gradually, his senses began to settle and the adrenaline rush faded. He rolled over onto his stomach but made no further attempt to get up.
“Better?” Nighthawk asked. He glanced up at Buckle, who was still looking shaken, but the distinct look of fear was gone from her face. “Both of you?”
“I’m alright,” Buckle answered.
“I think I am,” Phase concurred.
“Think you can tell me what happened, then?” Nighthawk asked.
“I…I’m not sure,” Phase answered. “I remember seeing Buckle go over the cliff with the basilisk, and…I don’t know. It’s all blurry, but it felt like I knew exactly what I was doing. I guess I teleported over the edge, grabbed Buckle, then teleported back up here.” He paused to look around at his surroundings. “At least, it looks like that’s what happened.”
“Seems like a fair assessment,” Nighthawk agreed. “But that’s quite a complicated set of magical spells to perform, not to mention that you managed to do it in under two seconds. Have you ever done anything like that before?”
Phase shook his head. “Not that I can remember. It just…happened. Involuntarily, almost—like it was instinctive.”
“Interesting…” Nighthawk mused softly.
“Well,” Buckle interjected, rising to her hooves, “I for one am grateful. Thanks to your quick action, voluntary or not, I am still alive. I owe you my life, Phase—there are few ponies that I can truthfully say that to.”
Phase smiled and blushed slightly before pushing himself into a sitting position. “You would have done the same for me, right?”
“I would certainly have tried,” Buckle corrected. “But you succeeded.”
An unexpected, energetic voice suddenly cut through the silence. “Dude, did you see that?! That was awesome!”
The trio of ponies turned to see five young griffon cubs running towards them, all shouting their approval and excitement at what they had seen.
“That was incredible! You really took down a basilisk! Wait till the rest of our friends hear about this!” one small cub shouted.
“They’ll never believe us, but we saw it!” another called, skipping around excitedly.
Sprint came to a stop in front of Phase and stared at him. “You’re one crazy pony, you know that?”
“Why’s that?” Phase asked.
“Why?!” Sprint echoed. “You just fought a basilisk—a basilisk—with two other ponies, then, once you’ve beaten the basilisk, you dive off a cliff to save your friend just so you can safely teleport back up on top of the cliff? You are out of your mind!”
“I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment, coming from a griffon,” Phase smirked.
“We’ll be sure to make note of everything in our report,” Nighthawk interrupted, stepping forward. “However,” he continued, staring out as the sun’s last rays dipped below the horizon, “we need to get you back to Griffonstone.”
“What’s the rush? There’s no more basilisk,” Sprint argued.
Buckle raised an eyebrow. “Who said that there was only one?”
The color drained from the faces of the griffons, and Phase found it hard to hold back a grin. He looked at Nighthawk and Buckle as they corralled the cubs together. I’ve heard so many stories about what they’ve done and how great they are. They were always larger than life to me, and I never really felt like I belonged with them. But now…
He finally stood and took a deep breath. Now I have my own story. Hopefully the first of many. He walked forward to join his comrades.
Maybe I do belong here after all.