//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21.5 – {Blue Accidents} – Translation Trace 
// Story: Griffon of Canterlot 
// by Electuroo 
//------------------------------//


Griffon of Canterlot

Chapter 21.5 – {Blue Accidents} – Translation Trace








Not to far from Canterlot General Hospital an large housing complex with apartments for doctors and nurses that work there but do not live in the city. Doctor Trace the colbolt unicorn currently lived in one of the larger apartments with an offsite lab for continues work on understanding Gale's magic.

Inside the offsite lab connected to his current home from home given by Celestia Trace worked through mixing different chemicals. Wearing a labcoat and a visor over his face the different chemicals mixed with precision alongside herbs in a bowl above a bunsen burner.  

“Let's see... Zecora's letter said to mix these herbs and add a small amount of Poison Joke extract. Only a drop no more, no less... If you do, expect a result that no joke.” He said to himself with semi rhythm laughing afterwards.  

“Zebras, fascinating unique race. I am glad that I am good friends with Zecora, she helped me with my reversal transfiguration mishaps in the past.” Trace mixes the final parts to the potion. “Now my failsafe potion is ready.” He pulled the bowl into six bottles putting them away safely.  

Trace walked over to six containers with a black feather in each of them from Gale. “Now to see how my tests went...” Trace muttered. “Tracing spell partly failed, still taxing magic to detect that magic... Transfiguration spell failed... Tracking failed... Potion magical breakdown formula failed...” He brought up a clipboard looking at all the results showing nothing seem to work.

“Now down to the last test for the evening...” Trace stared at the feather. “Test six. I will be combining a low level casting of my tracing, tracking, transfiguration with direction magic contact as well using the magical breakdown potion.” Trace brought over a flask with the potion to the last container.  

Trace looked at the feather now held in the tongs. “Like shapes, race course circuits the beginning and end are one the same. My attempts to use different forms of magical spells, direct magic and even potions all failed.” 

“The feather in every way like Gale is too perfect. Transfiguration spell of a magnitude that I couldn't even begin to think of was used. My hopes in creating this low level link I can not only get a better image of what he may of looked like but also to track down the spell caster too.”

Trace looked past the test container at the pined up drawing of the bipedal life form from his scans. “I know Princess Celestia told me not to rush this or even try something stupid... But doing something stupid maybe the only way I will get answers. I own it to that young griffon to find the one that responsible for what they did to him.”

Trace place the feather in the liquid, casting all the spells one after the other, followed by telekinetic connecting and casting a scanning spell to the feather. “The feather isn't effected once again it s-” The feather starts to break down with a strange blue magical aura bleeding out into the potion.  

“It working I can feel it! The link is completed! All I have to do now is focus on it and try to pin point the casting of that transfiguration spell by using my own to alter my own magic signature to closly match what I feeling.”

Trace casts the final spell his transfiguration “I never felt anything like this.” He slipped on a bit of potion on the floor, trying to catch his balance his hoof came into contact with one of the pedals of Poison Joke.  

Trace stared at it as he still casting the test. “On pony feathers...” He could feel the test starting to go haywall, the magic and potion seem to start to build up in strength. “Something wong...” he grunts.  

“Must stop the test at once!”  

The unicorn try to disconnect his magic stop the spells but he can't. “I... Arg... Can't stop casting! Some-” He slips onto one foreleg knee struggling fight back. “Every attempt... Eve... The pain... Ah! It intense! I can't break the circuit! It beyond what I can even-AH!”

Trace suddenly found himself hooves off the ground with whitish blue magic swirling around him. “Transfiguration spell amplifying! The Poison Joke pedal I put my hoof AH ON must of tri AH! It AHHH!” He screams out in pain as the swirling clouds of magic got thicker.

Trace looking around his eyes darting left and right, the lab couldn't be seen any more. All he could see through the tears falling from his eyes as he continue to scream in unbelievable pain. The brightness of it was getting too intense too as he closed his eyes, the light was still felt and seen through the eyelids.

With one mighty hollow he suddenly snapped his eyes open with all the eminence pain suddenly gone. Sitting up gasping for air, quickly looking around he found no longer in his lab but on grass under a tree next to the stone hoof path to Canterlot.

Slowly looking to his left the entrance to the city was about a half a mile away at least, it was early morning too as the sun rose.  {How did-} He placed his ho- Trace felt digits four of them against his neck, the feeling also was off. It felt like feathers, short soft feathers in contact with scaly digits.  

Trace gulped removing the digits and slowly bring it up into view he noticed not a muzzle that he always seen too but a looking over a curved black beak at a black talon attached to colbolt blue mix of short soft feathers and fur. Flexing the claws he watched and felt the movement of them. {Not again... This is back when I was Princess Celestia's student again}

Trace felt the founds leave with a slight whistle to each word but each with a Sss sound to the beginning.{Testing testing one two three} He half growls feeling the rumble in his throat and the sound of it escaping his beak.

Trace slowly moved his head taking a good look over his body, a shredded labcoat hanging on thanks to his now impressive large blue wings with whitish silver tips to each. The tail was long with a whitish silver brush at the end. {That poison joke... I'm a idiot}

The visor was shattered and unfit to wear, the muzzle to beak transfiguration most likely destroyed it. { It been awhile since I had this type of mishap }

Trace slowly pushed forwards pressing his talons on the grass pushing his hind quarters up feeling his three toed paws attached to his hindlegs against the grass too. {Strange feeling... Best to get back to my lab and reverse this hopefully...} He muttered slowly walking up to the hoof path.  

{I should of listened to Zerora warning on the note and put the poison joke pedals in a jar when not using it...} Trace lets out a mighty roar in frustration after speaking. He couldn't even understand what he was even saying, it felt like he was speaking incorrectly, wrong and annoying hearing so much whistling.  

Trace walked into the city getting strange looks from many ponies as he continued his track home, one thing he realised they might been looking at was his ruined labcoat. He decided to remove it and fold it up, he carried it under one of the wings finding it surprisingly easy to hold it in place.  

Upon arriving at the complex he took a good look up at his apartment to see nothing seem out of place. He came to the entrance to see the guards still doing their duty in keeping the complex safe and private for nurses, doctors and researchers. “Halt griffon, this is a private complex for out of city medical staff of Canterlot General only. What business do you have here?”

{ I here to go home }

“Sere so so some? What?” The guard raised an eye. “What kind of griffon whistles and don't speak correctly.”  

Trace sighed. {I am. My name is Trace I am doctor for Canterlot General! Doctor Trance I-}  

“Look griffon I have zero idea what your trying to say and we here to keep guard not listen to some crack up big beak griffon that can't even speak right.”  

Trace growls slightly. {That is rude and unacceptable! You shouldn't speak to others even they not ponies like that!} He raised his voice at the rude guard.

The guards instantly lower this spears down to him. “We will give you one warning griffon. You attempt to engage us and we will take you to the dungeons.”

Trace stepped back sighing heavily. { Sorry... I'll be going} He turns walking away from them. { Should of saw that coming... They most not read the dossier on me }  

Walking into the Canterlot Gardens he stopped at the water fountain taking a good look at his reflection. The griffon looking back at him had mostly the same colour of mane and fur from silver white to the colbolt blue.  

His eyes were the same colour but the black beak with the yellow on the lower part, the talons with the different shades of feather tips made it very difficult to see this was really him. Another factor he noticed no cutie mark either, Trace knew griffons can not earn them which should of not surprised him but it did as it felt like a part of him was gone in this form.

Trace put his ruined labcoat down in front of him sitting on the wall with talons press against the sides of his face the pony turned griffon started to whistle to himself. Closing his eyes with tears falling he didn't know what to do cause he knew that anyone wouldn't see him as Trace but a crazy griffon.  

As the musical whistle continue he collected his thoughts of the last few hours been for him, how Gale may have felt. That when it hit him, he remembered the spell going haywall from the accidental touch to the eminence pain of the transfiguration.  

Snapping his eyes open. {That it!} He spoke loudly jumping back on all fours on the peppel stone path. “S'I-” He took a good look around at all the ponies cheering now. {What going on?} He asked looking around in total confusion.

Fancy Pants stepped up to him. “I must say that was the best musical whistling I ever heard! How do you griffons so easily pull it off?”

Trace blinked a few times. { Well... I just did it}  

“Hmm... Not quite sure what you said but to take a guess I say you said somewhere down the lines off...” He tap the blue hoof against his muzzle first before continuing to say. “Well, I just did it. Am I correct?”  

Trace nods. “Well my boy, here a few bits for such a great performance and if your still in town come around my place just two blocks up to the castle and to the left three houses down.” Fancy Pants generally smiled. “I think I can get you into the musical business in Canterlot.”

Trace smiled. {Thank you... Erm...}

“Ah yes! Name's Fancy Pants, pleasure to meet-” He gesture for Trace.

{Trace.}  

“Grace? Well Grace, thank you for brightening not only my day but all the ponies here day. I bid you good day.” Fancy Pants put his hoof out to Trace and he place the talon over it shaking.

Trace watched the white pony with two tone blue mane and tail wearing a posh suit and monocle walk away, he soon found ponies congratulating him too and dropping bits off before leaving themselves.

{What just happened?} Trace now stared at the large pile of bits onto of his ruined labcoat. {I'm confused... So confused)

First thing Trace did with the bits get a saddlebag to store them and the ruined labcoat, stepping out the shop he took a good look around as the day progressed. Through out it he did not much but ponder and think, he even attempted to write notes with the writing being very messy in the note book.  

With years of experience being a doctor and once student to Celestia he used this to keep himself sane, think of every possible option to get the reversal potion from his apartment lab. Trace shifted his wings slightly lying on the cool grass looking out at the water flowing by to the waterfall not to far from him.  

Trace stood up. {Flying, that it!} He clicked the claws together.  

Putting his saddlebag down standing in the open. { Okay I got this } He leaned downwards with his forelegs looking up with wings opened up. With a big flap and push off he got about ten feet in the air from launch. {Yes! I... Whoa!} The wings flap out of sequence causing him to crash into the water with a mighty splash.

Surfacing and swimming over to the shore, he climbed out drenched from fur to feathers. {Damn it!} He shook his body getting rid of most of the water but the wings still felt heavy as he flapped them to shake off the water.  

He tried again and ended in the water once more, swimming back he shook off the water again. Trace tried three more times and just luck had it he crashed into the water every single time.

{That plan is on the books} Trace walked over to his saddlebag.

A giggle came from a young unicorn filly. “You okay mister?” He nods. “Okay!” She gallops away to her mother. “Mummy did you see that funny creature go splash?”

“Indeed, that a griffon and look like his not a very good flyer. Maybe his mum didn't teach him well.”  

“Oh...”

“Come on sweet pea.” They leave.

Trace hummed. {Mum... Of course! I never flew. Idiot!}  He slapped his forehead. { Best to find a place to stay for the night}  

Trace went to hotel to hotel finding no rooms available or it cost way more than he had on him. The colbolt griffon stepped out of the last hotel grumbling to himself as the sun starts to set. His stomach grumbled. { I been caught up with what I became and what to do I forgot about eating something}

Trace took a good look around, that when he noticed Gustave le Grand's restaurant. { Guess I go here} He walked to it.

Going through the door to the next he walked inside seeing it was packed with ponies enjoying their treatful meals. “Griffon!” He turn to see a board looking Pegasus standing by a red rope in front of stairs. “First time in here?” Trace nods. “Come on through and up the stairs, this is for Pegasi and Griffons only.”

{Thanks...}

“No problem, just doing my job.” He remove the rope. “One thing griffon. No singing or musical whistling, specially your kind.”

{Why?}

“Rules are rules, follow them and you won't get your flank kicked out.”  

{ Okay, I make sure not to}

“That good to hear. Enjoy.”

Trace walked up to the stairs turning to him. {You understand me?}

The pony didn't look directly at him. “Yes, it part of the job to understand even the most whistling griffon.”  

Trace nods walking up the stairs.{ Maybe after eating something I might get his help} He whispered to himself.  

Trace took a seat after buying himself a meal and coffee. The food he ordered being hayfries and fish fingers, he at using his talons, enjoying the meal the colbolt griffon look out to the castle in the distance left in deep thought.

Gustave le Grand in his office finished counting up the bits put them in the safe before closing the door, he looked around seeing that his staff cleaned up and had left. One pony was still there, the bouncer for the second floor. “Pound why are you ztill here? We zhut, go home.”

“Sorry boss, there a griffon upstairs still. The cooks said he asleep at the table upstairs. Wasn't sure what to do.”

Gustave rolled his eyes. “I'll zhow you what le boss will do.” He walked up the stairs. Soon he clap eyes on the musical snoring colbolt blue griffon. “Sacre bleu! Macaw griffon! Nope not getting any closure with that znoring. He can stay there.” Gustave quickly retreated.

“So boss?” Pound asked.

“Le boss will pay you double for tonight. Keep an eye on him. I'm going home.” With that Gustave left the restaurant locking up behind him.

Pound blinked a few times. “Paid... Double? I didn't even need to hustle... That is odd for the boss.” He look up the stairs. “Huh? Whom am I to complain?” He smiled taking a seat pulling out a book from under his wing.  

“Pay's pay at the end of the day. My wife sure can understand why I am doing a double shift, specially with the extra bits coming in.”  

Trace was left alone to happily sleep away till the next day when he would discover the most unlikely of griffons to show up...  

Gale