Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 4 – The Deepening Mystery
Inside a private waiting room of the hospital, three ponies waited. Walls painted with green hills, blue skies and white clouds, along with green floor tiles.
Shining Armor and another guard watched Celestia pace past them from one side of the room to the other. She muttered something to herself that they couldn't quite hear from the seats they sat on as she walked past them again.
The guard whispered to Shining Armor. “Captain, a few years ago, I saw her like this back in the throne room when it was about your sister.”
Shining Armor gave a light sigh. “Oh I know... Princess Celestia was like this a week ago.” He took a look around the room. “In fact in this very... Room.” He stared at the article of ruined clothes and plush.
“Princess, what are we going to do about these?” He asked, hinting to the very items on the table side beside him. “They are heavily resistant to magic and need to be dealt with.”
Celestia stopped her pacing and turned to address Shining Armor. “We will return them to the young one, captain.”
Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “With all due respect Princess, I need to have a good reason before giving the griffon back something that can easily interfere with both active and passive magic.” Shining Armor hinted to the flickering light from the lamp that was affected by the said items.
The guard looked past Shining Armor at the items and frowned. “How is that even possible? Fabric and stuffing shouldn't be resistant to magic.”
“Indeed you are correct Sergeant Blue Star. Yet for some strange reason they are.” Celestia answered, speaking directly to the grey unicorn guard. “And yes, I was in this state of worry a few years back when you asked your fellow guard pony the question. As I quote. 'Are we supposed to say something?' Am I correct?”
He slipped almost off the seat when she quoted that very thing. “Y-Yes your majesty...”
Celestia raised her hoof. “At ease Sergeant. I am open to all subjects of thought about these items and the young one. The captain has voiced his uneasiness already about the path that I am taking.” Celestia glanced at Shining Armor.
“However I have never seen anything like this in my long life...” Celestia added.
Blue Star blinked. “Ne-never?”
She shook her head. “I may have lived far longer than most in this world Blue Star, but I am not as all knowing as many think I am.” Celestia smiled. “As you’ve seen I've been in a panicked state twice in the last few years.”
“I-I see what you mean Princess...”
“Princess” Both of them turned to Shining Armor. “Something needs to be done.”
“And it will Captain.”
“I am just doing what a captain needs to do for both yours and other ponies protection.” Shining Armor stated.
“As we already know, those items could bring harm to many, if they were to fall into the wrong hooves. I would rather see them-” The door opened before he could finish the sentence about the plush and clothing.
They all turned to see a cobalt blue unicorn with a silvery white mane and tail, wearing a doctor's coat, with a cutie mark of a magnifying glass over a magical set of stars magnified by the glass. “Doctor Trace!?” Celestia and Shining Armor said unison, surprised to see him.
Doctor Trace already knew about them from statements given to the nurses that he had on him including the results. “Top of the class twenty years ago in detecting magic, as well as mastery of transfiguration magic at your school Princess Celestia.” He said, with a hint of sarcasm.
He walked up to a seat and sat down on it. “Ten years later you specially requested my services for the Captain's parents to be tested for said magic. Another ten years later I am called from Manehatten to Canterlot, for your sister that no pony knew about till a week before, which was after the extended night and the Mare of the Moon vanishing.”
He continued to speak to them, without letting them have a chance to respond as the irritation grew in his voice.
“Just before I was about to leave from filing my report in, I got an Pegasus guard storming in shouting out the highest alert from the castle that a patient is coming in.” Doctor Trace said, looking annoyed. “I took charge instead of going home, and now I wish I had gone home after what I have found.”
He used his magic to pull a sheet of paper up, looking at it. “Three times in ten years I've been caught up in something strange and no longer see this as a coincidence. The chances of that are astronomical.”
Celestia and Shining Armor looked at each other with confusion. “I don't follow...” Shining Armor said, seeming oblivious to the connection presented by the doctor.
“I am surprised to see you here. We brought the griffon here because we feared he had a reaction to Princess Celestia's magic.” Shining Armor stated. “How is this connected to my parents and Princess Luna?”
Doctor Trace rolled his eyes slightly. “Okay I will play along.”
The three ponies stared in confusion,Trace took a look at the papers. “It as you said in this statement you've given, you believe the griffon did have a reaction to said magic.” The blue unicorn ran a hoof over it. “However, the griffon is in perfect health.”
“Perfect health? But the young one has been eating out of the food waste for the last two weeks!” Celestia exclaimed in surprise.
“That is true Princess, but from the look at his health, I say he took what was thrown in on a daily basis. So even if it would taste nasty, it would be edible and not spoiled.” Doctor Trace informed her.
Celestia was relieved. “That is good news, doctor.”
Doctor Trace pressed the subject he had in mind. “Indeed Princess. Now... what are you two not telling me?”
Shining Armor was still oblivious as was the Princess, but Blue seemed to be catching on. “Not telling you? I said everything in the report that you got from the nurse.”
“Fine... I'll continue to play your game.” Doctor Trace said with a sigh.
Going over the report, he shared his findings. “I believe from what I read in both of your statements about his reaction to the magic, it is something I have seen in those with memory loss when regaining an traumatic memory, or are overwhelmed by a wave of memories.” Looking to Celestia he spoke on. “So indirectly, this was caused by touching your mane, the magic setting it off. That is what I believe.”
Celestia felt dejected at the news. “So my magic did harm him...”
“Indirectly Princess.” Doctor Trace specifically stated. “There was no way of knowing that he would react to your magic like this.”
Blue Star was listening to them talk and it finally clicked as to what Doctor Trace was pressing towards. “Doctor, you said you specialize in magic detection and transfigurations, correct?”
“That is my specialization.” Doctor Trace answered, now focused his attention on Blue Star
“And you said this was the third time.”
“Yes.”
“Are you going somewhere with this Sergeant?” Shining Armor asked, turning towards Blue Star.
Blue Star answered. “I am Captain. You two are so concerned about the griffon that you didn't pay attention to what Doctor Trace said when he'd walked in.” Blue Star turned to the doctor.
Doctor Trace smiled. “I like you, youngster. You listened and paid attention.” Doctor Trace now had a serious look upon his face. “Now, we can press on with the serious matter at hoof.”
“Please tell us.” Celestia requested.
“I ran a scan of his body, and nearly had to max out my magic to complete it. He is too perfect of a griffon in every way.”
“Too perfect?” Celestia repeated those words. “Are you suggesting that he wasn't a griffon?”
“Indeed. I think the ill-fit of clothing was the easiest clue to that.” He hinted to the scraps of clothes by Shining Armor, seeing how they had overlooked the simplest of details.
“An extremely powerful transfiguration spell, unlike anything I know of or have seen must have been used on the poor teenager for the magic in his body to still be faintly present at this time.”
Shining Armor looked at the clothes, then back at Doctor Trace. “Do you know what he looked like originally from the magic you found in him?”
“Faintly. He could belong to any of the bipedal races.” Trace used his magic to bring up a grid image of the griffon on it and show what looked bipedal being beside it, but it was a very degraded image. The being couldn't be made out clearly, and could belong to any of the bipedal races in Equestria or outside of it.
Celestia looked at the magical display before it disappeared. “I see what you mean, there are many from what I know of, so knowing what he may have been would be very difficult to discover.”
“Indeed, now shall I continue?”
“You may.”
“Whatever level of magic did this, it put even your magic level of power to shame Princess. The level used was most likely torturous... Being melted alive by lava would be the best way to describe the pain he must have felt.”
Celestia's gaze suddenly seemed to just bypass Doctor Trace, staring off into space as she heard what he just said. “To-to-torturous...” The word barely escaped her snout.
“How can you be sure of this?” Shining Armor demanded.
“I can't, but from everything I have gathered, it seems the most likely explanation” Trace showed all the papers to Shining Armor.
“From tests and statements, to how long ago he was turned into a griffon. The traces of the original form are far too gone to recover...” He explained, having paused to directly look Shining Armor in the eyes with his golden yellow ones.
“The clothing and that plush are like him, resistant to our magic.”
“What!?” The two guards were surprised by this. Celestia was non-responsive.
“You heard me!” Doctor Trace confirmed what he said and continued to speak.
“I found that even if he isn’t as resistant to magic now, he still is partially resistant due to the traces of his true self that remain. He was a being that showed little effect from our form of magic. In fact, I would go as far as to say he was on the opposite side of the magical spectrum.”
Shining Armor got up off the chain. “That is impossible!”
Doctor Trace walked right up to him, putting the folder down on the table. Now only a foot of air was between them the doctor spoking once more. “Shining Armor, everything has an opposite for balance.”
“Without balance there would be no reaction, no way of progress, no point in life. Not all opposites are good, such as the dark forces that would rip us a new one and take over the kingdom, as some have tried in the past.”
“So...” He lifted his hoof up and poked it against Shining Armor's chest plate a few times. “Don't you dare question my findings. I have twenty years of experience and this! THIS….” He pointed to the door he'd come through.
“...Is a whole new level of magic that I have never felt before! Whoever did this used magic to not only change that poor griffon into what he will be for the rest of his life, but ripped him apart in such a way that when he was put back together as a griffon, his memories were most likely scrambled! The way he has been acting since you found him is most likely because of that!”
Doctor Trace growled and turned to Princess Celestia, looking directly up at her, leaving Shining Armor lost in his own thoughts about the words spoken by the doctor.
“Promise me that you will find the ass that did this, Princess Celestia! I have been patient and calm as best I can, but now I tremble at the thought of that kind of magic out there! If they can use magic that interferes with our own magic with ease, to do this to a poor soul like that griffon... I do not want to think about what it could do to one of us.”
Celestia slowly turned to the plush and clothes. “Tortured... Transformed by transfiguration against his will... A teenager tortured...” She was trembling with fear and pain from what she just learned.
“Princess?” Shining Armor asked, seeing the pain in her eyes.
“I want answers captain...” She turned to the captain. “I want whoever did this to be found!” Celestia's rage wasn't just by just words, but by the burst of magic coming from her.
Shining Armor lowered his foreleg as the magic burst died down. “Of course, but where do we start?” Shining Armor asked.
Celestia thought about the reports of blue light and lightning that were seen throughout the city after Luna was restored. “Talk to everypony in the city about the morning of two weeks ago. The morning of the blue light and lightning. Any clue that can be found could be the answer we need to figuring this out.”
Shining Armor saluted. “At once Princess, but what about you?”
Celestia turned to Blue Star, ignoring Shining's question. “I have a special task for you Sergeant.” She leaned down and whispered into his right ear. “Got it?”
Blue Star saluted. “Yes Princess.” He took the remains of the clothing and departed at once.
Celestia turned to Doctor Trace. “Take me to the young one please...” She picked up the plush with her wing. “And I promise.”
Doctor Trace smiled slightly having gotten the promise he wanted. “Follow me.” He said, heading for the door and gesturing for her to follow. Celestia nodded, following the Doctor towards the door.
“Princess!” Shining Armor exclaimed, his voice raised to get her attention.
Celestia stopped without looking at the captain. “I must do what I can to protect the young one from anymore harm.” Celestia then hinted for the doctor to keep leading.
Shining Armor was soon left alone in the waiting room. “Scrambled memories... Can't speak. Rapid understanding... Not knowing what we are or where he is?”
“Now it makes sense...” He whispered to himself.
“That kind of damage to the mind may take days, weeks, months or even years to heal... What sick being would torture a teenager?” No answers came to his mind.
He looked to the empty spot on the table. “Princess I hope you know what you’re doing...” Shining thought back to Blue Star taking the scraps of clothing away. “...and what do you have planned with the griffon's clothes?”
With no answer coming to mind, Shining sighed and turned to walk to the door of the waiting room. “I have never seen you like this. I don't think anypony has.”
Shining Armor left the waiting room, to start on finding the answers Celestia wanted as the mystery of the young griffon deepened.