Twilight took her seat with the others at a solid oak table. The room was filled with the warming smell of herbal tea that was being poured out.
She sat opposite the elders with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, with Swiftsure standing off to the side.
The three mares eyes, however, couldn’t help be drawn to a large star shaped white opal, that was suspended from a blacked roof beam above the elder's heads.
"Where do I begin?" pondered Jagged Claw. "It all happened three years ago now when that unicorn came to our town," -he spoke through gritted teeth. "He called himself 'Shining Dawn', if this was his real name, and said that he was hiking across the length and breath of Equestria. He was friendly enough and showed no sign of malice or reason to mistrust him. He stayed around for a few days and took in the sights, and then departed but was he was not gone for long."
Twilight, Dash, and Fluttershy leaned in and listened intently as he continued, "He returned within a day of leaving in a panic. He told us that he had just encountered a whole heard of hydra and that they were coming here, to Three Feather Fall."
"Hydras? This far north???" Twilight said confused. She turned to Fluttershy, who was bearing unconvinced look on her face.
"Hydras almost never travel together in groups, let alone herds."
Jagged Claw nodded to these comments, "Yes, we were also skeptical of what he had seen but he was insistent. Glare Wing surmised that he had more likely seen a group of chimeras then hydras but ultimately believed his warning, as did we all. He quickly gathered up together several volunteers, including myself and Swiftsure here, and stationed us as lookouts on top of the hills and mountains that overlook Three Feather Rise, in an attempt to spot the herd approaching."
"But there was no herd, was there?" Dash asked, already knowing the answer.
"No," Swiftsure shook her head. "I was with Glare Wing when we realized. Our attention had all been so focused on what might be approaching the town that we didn't the rising smoke until we heard a large bang. Shining Dawn had set fire to half the town. Then we all raced down to help."
"He'd set the town on fire!" Fluttershy exclaimed in horror. "Why did he do that?"
"As a distraction," Sunny Peak answered. "With most of the remaining residents busy putting out the fires, Shining Dawn came to this hall in order to steal this." She indicated to the opal hanging from the roof.
"The Blizzard Star, created by both pony and griffon jewelsmith's not long after the founding of Three Feathers Rise as a symbol of unity," Twilight said, clearly reciting a book she had read recently.
"Indeed," Sunny Peak continued. "I caught him in the act and challenged him. However, he was not above using violence to get what he wanted.." Her words trailed off again, rubbing the side of her neck where an injury had been. "And he would have gotten away with but he had wasted too much time."
Swiftsure chuckled, "Yeah, Glare Wing spotted him gloating and rammed into him hard. With everyone else returning and he losing possession of the star, he cut losses and tried to escape with his magic but Glare Wing was not willing to let him go. I, along with everyone stayed to put out the fires, while he gave chase."
"Wait, you let Glare Wing go after him alone!?!" Twilight butted in.
"In hindsight, yes that was a mistake," Jagged Claw nodded. "One I take personal responsibility for. And it may have avoided what happened next." This was followed by a long pause, as it was clear that none of them wanted to finish the story. Dash, however, moved things along by asking 'Which was?'.
Jagged Claw sighed before continuing, "When the fires were put out, I gathered together most of the adults and set off after them. By this time sound of their battle which had been echoing throughout the range, had long since ceased. As we cleared over the low mountains to the east, we found Glare Wing walking in our direction." He looked off into the distance, "I can still see him in my mind's eye. He was in right state. Bruised, battered and badly cut up. But he was also alone and we demanded to know where Shining Dawn was? We did not answer, we assumed the worse. We assumed he'd lost him. Then, in our anger, we..we..."
"We turned on Glare Wing," Swiftsure finished. The Elders confirmed this with by nodding.
"You turned on him!" Fluttershy exclaimed, learning forward. "Why would you do that!?"
Swiftsure looked away ashamed, leaving Jagged Claw to continue, "I regret to say that there is worse to come. After Glare Wing continued to say nothing when we demanded an explanation, I told him that it would be better if he didn't come back with us. Then we left him there."
This left the three mares stunned, not that Jagged Claw saw this. His eyes were firmly on the table, "It never occurred to us at the time that he didn't speak because he was exhausted. It was not until we arrived back in the town that we calmed down and realized what we'd done. It went back immediately for him but he was gone and we haven't seen him since."
After this revelation came a period od silence. Everyone was shifting about in their seat or trying to think of something to say. Of all the ponies there, it was Fluttershy who was first to speak, "So he's, umm, still up in those mountains?"
"It appears so," Swiftsure turned back around. "We've always suspected he was still up there. For you see, we haven't had any incursions into our valleys by any creature since that day. And we, ve heard tales from traveling traders of a lone griffon who wandered the mountains."
"Haven't you tried to find him and apologize?" Twilight asked.
Swiftsure nodded, "Many times. After each sighting we go, hoping that I'll get to see him. But after the way we treated him, I wouldn't be surprised if Glare Wing was avoided us."
Dash's eyes lit up with an idea, she left her seat and hovered above it, "Well he didn't avoid us, so we'll find him!"
The Elders, Swiftsure, and Fluttershy looked at her bewildered. Twilight on the over hoof, looked at her flatly, "Dash, what are you doing?"
"Don't you see, Twilight?" Dash said, grabbing the alicorn's face and looking their eyes together. "This is why the map sent us here! We're here to fix this rift! C'mon Fluttershy!" Before anything else could be said, Dash did a loop in the air before grabbing the yellow mare's hoof. Yanking her off her seat and flying to the hall's main entrance, bursting through the double doors and ascending into the sky.
"Dash!!!" Twilight run to the now open doors and stopped its, quickly joined by Swiftsure. Both in just in time to watch her disappear over the nearest peak with Fluttershy in tow. Twilight ran a hoof down her face, "She's gonna get lost within ten minutes, isn't she."
"If even that," Swiftsure remarked, shaking her head at Dash's less the subtle approach. From Behind Her, Sunny Peak called her name and she turned to face her, "Be a dear and make sure they don't get lost." She nodded and turned to the door, only for Twilight to place a hoof on her shoulder and warned her that Dash was fast. "So am I," she replied confidently, before shooting off skyward in hot pursuit. Twilight was quietly impressed by her turn of speed and watched the hippogriff until she to disappeared over the misty peaks.
Twilight shook her head and walked back inside. The Elders were still at the table and Twilight addressed at them, "Well, while we wait for that disaster to unfold, shall we begin talks on the proposed railway?" Then, copying her mentor perfectly, she gave them a smile that was strong and confident yet kind and had a calming effect on the Elders. With the three taking back to their seats, the talks began.