//------------------------------// // Chapter 31.5 – A Pure Surprise // Story: Griffon of Canterlot // by Electuroo //------------------------------// Griffon of Canterlot Chapter 31.5 – A Pure Surprise The doors of the throne room opened to allow Princess Celestia in, by the steps up to the throne were Shining Armor, Greystorm, Princess Luna, Cadance, Doctor Trace and Princes Blueblood. She glad that all of them had gathered for this meeting about the findings about Pure Griffons and new evidence of the defeat of Grogar during the Pony Rebellion against the Father of Monsters. “Thank you for everypony and grif for showing up at sudden and short notice.” Celestia looking at each of them and lit up her horn to cause the room, windows, doors, walls and ceiling to shimmer for a second. Shining Armor took notice of the spell that Celestia just cast through out the throne room. “Illusion spell?” Celestia use her magic to cause the floor to slide down and across to revile a stair case. “We taking this meeting to a more private settings, please follow.” Celestia walk down the stairs. “I never knew this even exist...” Candance whispered to Shining Armor. He stared at it. “Nor did I...” “Best not to keep Princess Celestia waiting.” Greystorm walked down the steps after her, the rest nod and follow him down, the floor slid back into place behind them sealing up the stair case. On either side of the stairs stood ponies in slots wearing black armour with crossbows attached to their sides, each were dark grey fur with silver white mane and tails, they all were unicorns. “Auntie the looks they giving is creepy...” Blueblood shivered. Luna looked at each as they were following the group with their eyes. “Indeed dear nephew, these are unlike the Lunar or the Solar Guards.” Shining Armor glance to his left and right about to say something but Greystorm spoke with excitement. “The Shadow Elite! I can't believe it! I get to see the most elite guard!” “Shadow Elite? Shining, you know about these?” Shining Armor glance to Cadance. “No I didn't they don't look like any ponies I ever seen...” “I agree, they almost not pony, what exactly are they?” Trace curiously asked. Greystorm turn to them to answer the very question. “They golems! They living magical shells!” Shining Armor looking at each of the guards. “Are you telling me they are pony shaped magical clay creatures!?” “Indeed, what Greystorm says is true, I created them to guard this room at all times, they would of attacked you if I wasn't here.” Celestia stated to the group. Luna looked at these golems. “Sister...” “On the verge of war with Griffina lead me to making them, the Shadow Elite Guard are my shall guards that only work in this part of the castle only, anywhere else they will turn to clay.” Celestia explained to Luna. Celestia step up to the large metal doors using her magic to shift gems all over it into different positions. “Magical gem locking system!” Greystorm gave a surprise squawk. “I only see ruins of theses!” Celestia smiled from that comment and unlocked the door to revile a large chamber with a huge table in the middle with a massive crystal hanging over it shimming light directly on it. Displayed on the table was a three dimensional map of Equestria and the neighbouring lands. “Welcome to the Equestrian War Room.” “War room?” Luna repeated taking a good look around, she noticed dust and webs were almost everywhere, torches magically lit up on the walls around the room. Tables on a upper level with the walls stacked with shelves of files all the way around, stairs bending around to the right and left of the main entrance large mental doors. “How long has it been since anypony been in here?” “Nearly 200...” She noticed hoof marks in the dusty stone floor. “...Years.” She took a good look around. “The guards never enter nor have the access to do so...” Shining Armor noticed the hoof prints. “From the dust forming over those prints it seem somepony were here a week or so ago.” “That would be me.” They all turn to a pegasi solar guard leaning against the wall with forelegs crossed. “Took me a day to figure out how to get in by bypassing the magic locked door and those sweet little clay ponies.” Shining Armor stormed up to her. “Your in direct violation of the guard code!” She chuckled. “That if I am one of your guards sweetie.” A green flame engulf her to die down and replaced by her true Changeling form causing him to jump back with horn glowing. “Cap, put your horn down, if I really wanted to be a threat I would of taken you and the rest of the guard down by now, your system is really sloppy.” Shining was ready to blast her “What!? It top notch! I-” “I been gathering information about Gale for my husband for the last two weeks including the first two weeks before that about the good old magical aurora event.” She counted Shining Armor. He growls and Celestia steps in. “Octicovix please stop teasing the captain.” Shining Armor cancel out his spell turning to Celsetia. She shrugged dropping down on all fours fluttering the insect wings. “Fine, whatever you say Princess.” Octicovix walk by Shining Armor stepping up beside Greystorm. Shining Armor turn around. “Princess she not only pretend to be a guard but she-” “I know Captain, we will work on solving this breech as soon as possible with her aid, for now we here for another reason.” Celestia walk up to the table using her magic to magic all the dust and webs vanish in a instant. Shining Armor submits. "Fine Princess Celestia..." The changeling shrugs. "Fine by me Princess, I be happy to help patch up your holes." Shining glares at her once more. “Now please take a seat at the map everyone.” She gestured to the cushions she placed down around the large table. They all took a cushion each sitting down on them. “Sister, Greystorm spoke of war, were Equestria on the verge of war with the griffons?” “Indeed, King Guto was preparing forces to attack Equestria but the attack or the war never came.” Celestia replied. “So the war room after a year or so was sealed up and left.” She looked around at the shelves of files all around them. “All those files was after action reports from each division to generals of the Royal Armed Forces of Equestria, which history sadly forgotten about after the disbanding of the forces since we had no need for such a thing anymore.” Luna looked at the Equestrian map. “That is not why we here is it?” “No.” Celestia's horn lights up and the crystal change the map to a massive image of a tablet. “This is why we are here, I used the crystal to see what I saw of the tablet that Greystorm and Octicovix presented to me last night.” Blueblood noticed the symbols instantly. “This is Gyrite glyphs, ponies about just over 1000 years ago in the most southern parts of Equestria, the pyramids there used this very language themselves to tell their history but in a more colourful manner.” Blueblood informed them. Greystorm confirms it. “I been there my self and the reason behind not much colour is age as well exposure to the elements.” Luna looked at it with interest, something about the tablet even it is only a mental protected display of it from her sister. “Before the three pony tribes there was a dark force greater than Discord, Sombra and Nightmare Moon, this was when Griffons and Ponies worked together to take down Grogar.” Octicovix tells them what the Gyrite glyphs are saying. Blueblood started at the tablet image. “Grogar? I never heard of anything by that name.” “He been long forgotten by ponies, this is one of the rare pieces that still intact, it almost wasn't.” Greystorm turn to Blueblood. “The land the tablet came from is under the waves of the sea, sunk over a year ago with the rest of the ruins.” “Those that come when the city finally sinks will bring fourth the tablet to the room of...” Luna suddenly speaks out and finishes it with shock showing. “War.” Celestia and the others now drew their attention to Luna. “What did you just say Luna?” Luna stared at the three dimensional table image. “The Gyrite glyphs have a secondary layer in it, those words I just spoken just to catch my attention.” Luna closed her eyes using her magic to fire a beam at the large crystal above. “What are you doing!?” Celestia shouted. “It was as if I was suppose to do it...” Luna replied. “That doesn't make any sense Luna, what kind of reason is that?” Cadance saw the image break up and pieces of it joined together. “Aunty!” Celestia turn around to face Cadance but stop at the newly formed pieces. “How can a mental image from my own memory shift in such a fashion?” Greystorm got off the cushion looking at the new reformed Gyrite glyphs. “It what it says you should be asking Princess...” “What does it say?” Shining asked. “Hello eight that sit around the table, please stand by...” Greystorm spoke out loud. Octicovix yellow solid eyes stared at the new pieces that formed. “That can't be speaking to us could it?” Blueblood shook his head. “It can't it just a piece of rock magical displayed by a massive artefact crystal th-” Suddenly the crystal glows brightly and blasts right down at the table, they covered their eyes from the blindly light, as it dims what stood on top of the table in a transparent griffon shimmering in bluish white light, true colour hidden by the aura flowing off it. The griffon wings flare open causing a burst of magical wind to blow through the chamber blowing out all the torches leaving only the crystal and the griffon glow to give off a eerie feeling. “Hello wondrous eight searching the truth of the Pure, what is to be spoken has been spoken, it is time to listen and only listen.” They all looked at each other and back at the male transparent griffon before them. “I am Grifiax Boreas and this message was created for you to find.”