Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 5 – Special Princess Visiting Hours
Laughter came from the darkness, nothing but darkness. The sound of hooves on stone echoed through out the blackness. “Time may not pass but it shall. I have got what I needed and now the time has come. The magic of the mountain will be mine!”
Two glowing golden and black auras around two horns shimmer lightning up his face showing an evil stare and smile. Shifting from left to right the same shimmer came from six objects all around. “Now the final steps. This will hurt a lot.” He laughed as the magic flared up.
The griffon eyes snap out with him screaming out sitting up looking around breathing heavily, his eyes shifting around the unknown room rapidly. Before he could get his bearings one of those hoofed beings with a white hat and red cross on it came in a hurry.
He squawked and growled at it backing up on the soft unknown object he woke up on.
“Calm down I'm a nurse, I heard you scream and ca-” He backed up against the bed backrest as the nurse pony tried to calm him down, to only get a more defensive squawking and growling at her.
She could see his heart rate was going through the roof on the heart display.
The nurse quickly backed up to the door way hoping this would work and calm him down. It was the first thing she could think of and just as she did he seem to slightly relax with the heart rate dropping.
“Sweet Celestia...” She whispered. “How the hay am I suppose to do my job if being in the same room as the poor griffon will freak him out?”
A set of hoof steps came to her left. Those steps was Princess Celestia and Doctor Trace. “D-Doctor, Princess. I-I-well-”
“From your reaction Nurse Pink Heart. I gather the young griffon is awake and alert?” Doctor Trace calmly spoke to the white mare with pink mane and tail and eyes.
She glance into the room. “Alert... Yes... Awake... Screaming.” She sighed. “I tried to help the poor thing and he-”
“Freaked out and backed up as far as he could?” Celestia interrupts.
“Yes...” Pink Heart lower her head.
Celestia use her hoof to raise the head back up gentle. “Nurse it not your fault. He did the same thing with me, my sister and Captain Shining Armor.” Celestia gave a light smile.
“It took all night with misdirections to get him in the same room as us for breakfast. I haven't slept in over 30 hours.” The nurse now noticed the dark circles under Celestia's eyes.
Pink Heart turn back to the room. “Could you maybe try to tell him that I won't hurt him and that my job is to make him feel better. Please?”
Celestia nods. “I will try.” She turn and walk into the room, both nurse and doctor watching as the griffon calming down even more.
“Hmm... An imprint of trust has be placed on the princess.” He took notice of the sadness fallen on the griffon as Celestia approached. Trace didn't say anything else as he observed with Pink Heart.
Celestia noticed he was looking up for a second and quickly looking down towards the talons, he held the sheets firmly. “Do you think your in trouble?” She asked gentle.
He nods without making eye contact, Celestia sits by his bedside. “Your not young one.” He rose his head slowly and his eyes meet with the eyes of his own plush. “I believe this will make you more comfortable.”
The griffon lean forwards take it with his talons and held it close to him, lowering his head to rub it against the soft plush to his short feathered face. “Doctor Trace.” He look up to Celestia. “He said there was two things that might of happened to you...” She sighed.
He blinked a few times tilting his head. “When you touched my magic through the mane. You might of remembered a lot of things or something very scary and terrible.” Celestia didn't say tortured to the griffon, she thought it was best not mention that word.
The flashes of the two horn magic and laughed came before his eyes, quickly the griffon shook his head to get those frightening images out of his mind.
Celestia saw the fear and the way he acted. “Something terrible wasn't it?” He looked up with tears falling from his eyes down through his cream feathers to his beak.
Celestia closed her eyes breathing in and letting it out with an anger blow through her nostrils. “Young one I promise you whatever did this to you, will not hurt you again. I will protect you with every ounce of magic I have.”
Using her magic to bring over a tissue to wipe his tears away, the plush was a good twenty or so centimetres away but didn't effect her magic as much. The griffon reached out to her and in kind Celestia lean down, she put her hoof around his back gentle and let him hug into her neck crying. “Go on let it out. Cry my little griffon.”
Trace and Pink Heart watch the griffon cry for what seem forever till he finally stopped with Celestia using more tissues to wipe the tears away. She place one over his beak. “Go and blow little griffon.” He did so and Celestia put all the tissue waste in the bin.
“Now do not worry about what you remembered and let me ask a few basic questions that I can answer for you. Okay?” He nods with a smile now present.
“A promise can I keep?”
“NO! I will keep! This young one has been through too much. Now I believe what Doctor Trace said to be true. Somepony or something out there did this to him and I will not allow whatever did this to do it again to him or any other.” She thought with a promise that intended to kept.
Celestia decided to start with him. “You are a griffon.” He blinked and point to himself with a finger. “Yes your a hybrid race. Made up of a feline and an avian species.” Celestia uses her magic to create a grid before him.
The griffon looked surprised by it. She point to the griffon and he nods. “That is your kind. A griffon.” Two other races a cat and a bird appear. “This is what you are made up of. Half feline or cat, which ever you prefer to call it and avian or bird.” The two merge and turn into a griffon.
Celestia now change it to three ponies. “I and those over there are called ponies.” He nod. “I am also like you.”
The griffon tilt his head. “A hybrid but unlike you I am made up of Earth Pony, Unicorn Pony and Pegasus Pony.” She point her hoof at each as she spoke and than merge them into one form before his eyes.
He look to her pointing at himself and than her. “Yes we are sort of the same. But unlike you I am called an Alicorn made up of all three pony races.” She look to the two ponies. “Now which one is a Earth Pony?” He quickly point to Nurse Pink Heart. “Correct and Unicorn Pony?” He point to Doctor Trace.
“Amazing. His learning as Princess Celestia speaks to him.” Doctor Trace whispers to himself with surprise.
“Alicorn?” He now point to Celestia.
“Griffon?” He held up the plush and got a smile from her. “Yes young one that is indeed a griffon.” He laughed and she did too. “And you are too right?” She giggles a bit more and got a happy grin from him.
Celestia now turn her attention to the next task in mind. “Now Doctor Trace the unicorn and Nurse Pink Heart the Earth Pony are not going to do any harm to you, in fact they work to make others better like you.” She turn to the machine on the other side of the bed. “You see that over there.”
The griffon look at it making beeping sounds tilting his head as he now noticed it. “That the sound of your heart beating, those wires attached to sensors on your chest right now.” He pull the green shirt away from his neck to see the wires lead to two round objects on his fur. “You didn't even know they there till I told you.”
He let go and look at her with an questionable look in his eyes. “They only want you to get better. So will you let them come to you? I will stay right here by your side the whole time.” He wearily looked over to them and back to Celestia with a hard swallow the griffon nods.
Celestia gestures them to enter. They did so and he shifted slightly on the bed but Celestia kept a wing over him. “First thing I do like to ask is a name.” Doctor Trace stated. “I mean we can't keep calling you griffon. It your race not your name afterall.”
The griffon eyes shift left and right with something in his mind ticking till he gasped. Quickly picking up his plush turning it upside down to show a tag on it right paw, poking it. Celestia lean over to take a look, soon as she hit as she guess about less than fifteen centimetres the magic in her mane started to act up.
Celestia figured out by that the plush has a small effect radius. Her mane was that close to her own wing she'd held the plush against. “Hmm...” Celestia look at the tag at the characters on it. “I never seen characters like this in my life. I wouldn't even to guess how to say it.”
Doctor Trace took a look. “Indeed this is an mysterious form of writing. First time any of us have seen it.” He turn to the griffon. “You can understand it?” He nods. “Can you say it?” The griffon lower his head with a soft coo. “I will write it down under griffon for now.”
Pink Heart came up to the bed side near the machine. “Hello there young griffon. I want to say sorry for scaring you.” She put her hoof out to him.
He look to it and back at Celestia. “She like you to shake it and accept her apology.” He gulped and reach out to grab her hoof with a slight shake before letting go quickly and shivered slightly. “I guess touching a hoof for a first time is a strange feeling right, young one?”
He nods fluffing his wings slightly.
Pink Heart walk around with a smile taking the chart. “From the look at things. I believe tomorrow morning he can be discharged into your care Princess Celestia. The papers should be ready by then.”
“M-my care?” Celestia was startled by what she heard.
“I have to agree with the nurse.” Doctor Trace backs the nurse. “The young one as you keep calling him, has grown to trusting you and feeling safe. Taking him out of it would most likely put him back to square one.”
Celestia's eyes dart to the griffon and back to the two ponies. “This is a bit fast isn't it?”
“Well you did act without thinking Princess.”
“How can I care for him as-as erm...”
“A guardian? An parent?”
“Yes that Doctor Trace! I'm a ruler of an kingdom! I don't know if I have the time for that!”
The griffon listened to them talking to each other. He wasn't sure what exactly they was talking about, he knew somewhere inside that a promise that was made is something really important.
“Well you did openly promise to protect him. You acted on impulse and anger-” Doctor Trace said calmly as Celestia started to breath in and out rapidly unable to finish what he was trying to say.
The griffon wondered what a guardian or this parent thing Doctor Trace spoke of meant, he scratching lightly on top of his head trying to know the meaning of these words. But he saw the Alicorn called by the doctor Princess Celestia was in distress and reached out to her side.
A talon was felt against her side. “I think he trying to calm you down. How the tables turned Princess.” Doctor Trace chuckled. “Now before you let me finish speaking, I have a few suggestions to aid you in this Princess.”
“I was your personal student twenty years ago was I not?” He gave an sly smirk.
“Yes you were.” Celestia replied calming down as her eyes not leave the sight of the golden brown griffon eyes looking back up at her. “Trace, what are your suggestions?”
Doctor Trace coughs and they turn to face him directly. “My suggestion is the two other Alicorns, your sister Princess Luna and your niece Princess Cadance.”
“Hmm... I-”
“Didn't think?” Celestia got interrupted by the doctor. “Also you do have your captain too, he is one of the first ponies to get close to him.” Trace turn to the griffon. “I did notice though. The magic residents that plush creates seem to emit a distribution field around 15 to 20 centimetres.”
“When in contact with somepony like you Princess Celestia it directly caused interference to your magic within, which in turn block the flow of magic to the mane and tail.” Trace explained. “You thought the mane magic was interfered due to close proximity am I correct?”
Celestia smiled. “Indeed. It seem one of my formal students still can keep me on my hooves. Thank you for explaining how it effected my magic.”
Trace bow his head slightly. “It been my pleasure.” Trace rose it and turn to Pink Heart. “Shall we do our rounds?”
“Of course Doctor.” Pink Heart notice the trolley of books out in the corridor. “Princess. May I make a suggestion.”
“You may.”
Pink Heart picked up a book with her mouth and place it down on the end of the bed. “Read this to him, he seem to like adventures.” She winks to the griffon and leaves with Doctor Trace.
Celestia use her magic to pick up the book, she looked at the title and cover. “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. Hmm...” She turn to the griffon. “So... Young one would you like me to read this to you?”
He narrow his eyes looking at the book's words. He rubbed his feathered head not having a clue what it says. “Don't worry; it will be one of the things I and a few other ponies will teach you. It may take time but you will be able to read. Also to write and speak.” He nods hugging his plush tight to himself as Celestia kept her wing draped over him.
“Now... Shall I begin?” He nods getting comfortable against Celestia's wing. She open the book to begin reading the adventure novel. “As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step.”
“-You thought you could evade me and capture the relic for yourself, but you are sadly mistaken, Miss Do. And now, you shall meet your doom!” Ahuizotl blows his whistle and various of big cats and an-” She stared at the page with an raised eye. “Kitten? Really an kitten emerged with tigers-” Celestia pauses.
Her eyes slowly turn to the griffon whom looked annoyed. “Sorry young one. It just strange that you have a group of large cats and than a k-” He gave a huff. “Story right.” Celestia look out the window.
“Oh my is it that time!?” Celestia quickly put the book down and moved. “I'll be back in a second. I got to lower the sun!”
He tilt his head as she quickly walk to a double window door to the balcony and open it with her magic. Celestia used her magic and the sun starts to lower, his eyes widen as he watched the dusk sets in as the sun sets.
“There all done.” Celestia turn closing the double door windows and walk back in with him pointing at the now closed double window. “Oh sorry. I forgot to mention that I control the sun and my sister control the moon with our magic, we basically give the day and night.” The griffon still in shock at what he saw.
“It a normal thing young one. We do this to give the days and nights through out the year.” The griffon looked very puzzled as the shock wears off.
Celestia walked over to the bed side and sat back down beside it letting out a deep yawn, making the griffon yawn too. “I promise you young one, I never misuse my magic. Even it look scary this is my duty to bring day and set the day. It part of who I am.” He looked over at the double windows seeing the moon rise into the sky and back to Celestia.
“I made a promise too didn't I?” The griffon gave an thoughtful look and recalled her promise. “Now you have two promises from me.” Celestia whispered softly to him.
He nods and she put her wing back over him. “Ready for me to continue?” He squawk happily eager to hear the last of the story, excited even.
Celestia continues to read the story. “The cats move in and Daring Do down for the count surrounded by the cats, Ahuizotl laughing-”
….
Later that night Princess Luna, Cadance and Captain Shining Armor walking with Doctor Trace to the griffon's room. “So Auntie Celestia decided to stay with the griffon, on top of that you twisted her hoof to take him in.”
“Not exactly. I just hinted that he took to being safe with her, sending him some place else we could end up destroying all that progress made.” Trace replied as they continued their way to the room. “Also I might add she did this with haste.”
“From what we have heard and read about this griffon, we see why our sister would do such a thing. We believe that this action Celestia took was just.” Luna looking through the file as they walked.
Shining Armor glance to Princess Luna. They arrived at the room, guards salute. “Princess I think th-” Upon the door opening he stopped in his tracks.
Before them was Celestia fast asleep and tuck under her wing was the young yellow, black griffon holding his plush close to his chest also sound asleep.
The guards glanced in the room seeing this, a quick glance from Luna they instantly went back to standing attention at either side of the door.
“Let's talk about this somewhere else shall we?” Trace whispered.
“They so adorable.” Cadance smiled warmly. “Don't you think Shiny?”
Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head. “I have to admit I didn't see this coming.”
“Please. Come to my temporary office.” He point his hoof down the hallway.
“Of course.” Shining Armor and Cadance follows but Luna walked into the room.
Trace watched for a moment but got a glance from Luna, with a bow he left with the other two ponies. Luna crept up using her magic to move the sheets over to cover Celestia and the young griffon. He opened his eyes slightly yawning and looking at her.
Luna put her hoof to the tip of her muzzle. “It okay little one, go back to sleep, we shall make sure thy have pleasant dreams.” He closed his eyes and drift back to sleep.
Luna smiled softly at her sister and the griffon. “Sweet dreams sister, little one. Sweet dreams.” She turns, just before she leaves a book catches her attention. “Daring Do? Why would our sister read this?”
Luna takes it with her leaving the room and closing the door quietly.
“Speak of this to those unaware we will act on it and thou will be punished severely.” Luna walk to the office.
One guard glance over to the other. “Did you see anything?”
“Nope, didn't see anything at all.”
“Good...”
“Good.”